07-12-2003 01:57									#31
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quote: When was the last movie released nationwide that had an intermission? The 60s?

Well, when was the last time any movie was a trilogy of 3+ hours apiece?

quote: Yeah, they could include it and DanS, ming and co. can go to the bathroom during those 7 minutes- everyone's happy!

Except that the scene would be in the beginning...

quote: The way the second film ended, with no cliffhanger, and barely a hint of danger to the heroes, it looks likely that the good guy are going to win, no problems. And if Mordor really is still such a huge threat then Saruman and his army end up feeling entirely extraneous

One of the complaints I read about LotR was that, despite the so-called 'decisions' plaguing Aragorn, he almost never makes a mistake.
And yes even in the book the armies of Saruman were extraneous, compared to the power of Sauron. But there are a couple of things that occur that make the chapters of Saruman necessary.

	07-12-2003 02:01									#32
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Well they could have Saruman turn up in the middle of Sauron's army to challenge Gandalf... who needs consistency, this is Hollywood!

	07-12-2003 02:08									#33
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quote: Originally posted by Gibsie Well they could have Saruman turn up in the middle of Sauron's army to challenge Gandalf... who needs consistency, this is Hollywood!

I think you'd have MORE people *****ing about that then the current issue.

	07-12-2003 02:12									#34
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That'd be so cool to have an intermission.

	07-12-2003 02:30									#35
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While everyone is talking about the movies.

For those that read the books, were you pleased with the choices made on the actors picked to play the various characters or were there disappointments? Where they all pretty much true to what you read in the books?

	07-12-2003 02:33									#36
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Everybody that I can think of was cast correctly, more or less. I have some quibbles with Hugo Weaving, but...

	07-12-2003 02:42									#37
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quote: Originally posted by DanS Everybody that I can think of was cast correctly, more or less. I have some quibbles with Hugo Weaving, but...

He wasnt elvish enough Or did you keep seeing Agent Smith

	07-12-2003 02:55									#38
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Well, I kept seeing Agent Smith during the first movie, but not the second.

The whole character of Elrond was a mess. Maybe that was Weaving's fault. Maybe not. He garnered neither respect nor warmth from me, which is a shame when we start talking about Arwen's choice between Aragorn and the immortal life with her father.

It wasn't even corrected in the FOTR Extended Edition, like Faramir's character was corrected somewhat in the TTT Extended Edition.

	07-12-2003 04:05									#39
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Mr Anderson, you must take the ring to Mount Doom.

Why, Mr Anderson?

The triumph of Sauron is inevitable. Is it love, Mr Anderson?

Or did you simply smoke the wrong weed?

	07-12-2003 04:09									#40
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Sorry, but I didn't like the casting of Frodo. In the movies, Frodo keeps looking absolutely terrified. It is this way in both FotR and TTT. The way I saw it, the strength of Frodo grew during the books. By the end of TTT, I saw Frodo as a character that wasn't always frieghtened by what was going on. He was head strong and purposeful, not timid. I guess this is more an acting or directing complaint than a casting complaint. I also might have trasfered alot of Samwise's strength to Frodo while reading the book, because they were so closely assositated.

All in all, Jackson and crew have done a simply AMAZING job.

	07-12-2003 04:20									#41
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Oh yeah, the concept to generate the Hobbits was poor. And the mutant mouthless trolls were kinda stupid looking. Fortunately they were able to correct the defective trolls in TTT by covering them up with armor.

	07-12-2003 04:28									#42
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quote: Originally posted by Guynemer Amen, Rah.

Ok, now that's awesome.


And yes- a little disappointed that we won't get anymore of Saruman in the movies. Lee is excellent in this role (and Dooku too [still say he's Anakin's father]).

	07-12-2003 04:50									#43
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Maybe they'll put some of that stuff back in when they release the extended version DVD.

I wonder if they'll ever make a High Definition DVD version of the whole trilogy?

	07-12-2003 05:10									#44
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Yep, soon we will have to throw our entire DVD collection to upgrade to HD.

	07-12-2003 06:47									#45
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They cut him because the Saruman action figures sold more than the Gandalf ones...

	07-12-2003 11:52									#46
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Ha! I did manage to find one- yes only one- Second Age Sauron action figure.

Still kick myself for not picking that one up.

	07-12-2003 11:52									#47
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quote: The way the second film ended, with no cliffhanger, and barely a hint of danger to the heroes, it looks likely that the good guy are going to win, no problems.

EXACTLY! It just seems way too neat. Unlike what Guy said, it feels more Hollywood to have it seem everything is going ok. Can you imagine an cliffhanger with Sam thinking he'll have to bring the ring to Mt. Doom? It'd be incredible .

I hated TTT anyway... not even bothering to get it on DVD.

	07-12-2003 13:14									#48
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I thought I was the only person who kept expecting Elrond to say, "Mr. Anderson..." Seriously, though, Hugo Weaving just didn't come across as Elrond, and I also wasn't very fond of Kate Blanchett as Galadriel. Galadriel just was NOT creepy in the books. I did tell friends when I first heard about the movie that she would be the toughest to cast.

When I surfed IMDB to try to put into words my disappointments with the first movie (I still loved it) I found someone else had already done it for me. They commented after both the scenes with Elrond and especially Galadriel, the fellowship was uplifted and their mood was bright. Another person commented that there were no songs (vs. soundtrack) and that the songs were in fact integral parts of the books. However, I will still stand by the fact that Jackson has made the best LOTR movie you could get made in Hollywood. His editing to try to fit at least 20 hours of material into 10 is excellent. I'm sorry Sauruman got edited out of the last movie, but I'll see him in the home theatre version.

I'm waiting for the deluxe, uber-extended collection of all three films, which of course they will add even more extras and scenes to. to all you who were snookered and bought the extended wide screen version, you'll have to buy a $100 plus new version (I loathe studio marketing). Oh, for an amusing satire on some of the shortcomings of the first film.

http://groups.msn.com/dvcg2o69vq0acjeeru47naico5/thelordoftheringsbreadboxeditionpartv.msnw

	07-12-2003 18:30									#49
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quote: Originally posted by Theben I think you'd have MORE people *****ing about that then the current issue.

Right, here's the final solution: add it to the middle of the film as a flashback, like the first time the wizards had a ruck. Problem solved!

	08-12-2003 00:00									#50
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It's not the stuff they cut that I mind so much as the stuff they've added. With all the crap they added to the movie, they could have preserved a real scene or two.

What woulda been really cool is if he filmed the whole story just for DVD, but shortened it for film release.

	08-12-2003 00:11									#51
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I can see the studios reaction to that.

	08-12-2003 01:18									#52
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the movies are better than the books, anyway. but i would like to see Saruman vs. Gandalf in the theater.

	08-12-2003 13:22									#53
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I want my Tom Bombad - but who would they cast as Goldberry?

	08-12-2003 14:23									#54
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I agree that Jackson definetly kinda wrote himself into a hole regarding Saruman especially since he wanted to kill him off (which wouldn't really fit either, given the characters involved).

There really hasn't been enough time for Grima to be pissed/looney enough to want to kill saruman, and none of the other characters would do that to a defeated enemy. Because at this point, Saruman is essentially defeated.




As to the characters, I didn't really like the way they wrote Elrond, since he doesn't at all match the elrond of the hobbit, and only faintly matches the one from LoTR. All the rest worked great for me though. Especially Gimli. Now if he was just not the butt of every joke in the movie.

	09-12-2003 02:50									#55
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I liked the scouring of the shire section in the book - i may not agree with all the implicit ideology in it, but it was a nice view of how the big issues played on the intimiate scale of the Shire - and well i could go on and on.

BUT i can well see that it is NOT necessary, and given the time involved, and the distraction from the main plot line, wouldnt work in the movie.

And with no Scouring, how do you kill off Saruman? Rather than have Jackson make something up, I think its just as well they left it out.

And so far Im okay with the added material - which is mostly an increased role for Arwen. The books are still the canonical story - the extra material in the movies is "fan fiction" - but its well done and I think it works. And I think princess of the mark is happy to have more prominence to the female warriors

	09-12-2003 02:54									#56
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re: creepy Galadriel

It all depends on how you interpret a couple of lines from LOTR, where Galadriel is speaking, and her appearance is clearly troubling to Frodo, though we arent given the details, IIRC. But look at Galadriel in the Silm - this is a lady with a dark side - she supported the Noldor return to middle earth, in defiance of the Valar, out of her ambition for lands to rule.