LotR: The Fellowship of the Ring (4-disc Ext. Ed)

• Title:  LotR:  The Fellowship of the Ring (4-disc Ext. Ed)
• Director:  Peter Jackson
• Date:  2001
• Studio:  New Line Cinema
• Genre:  Action, Fantasy, Adventure, Drama
• Cast:  Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Bean, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Cate Blanchett, Liv Tyler, Hugo Weaving
• Format:  Color, Widescreen
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC, 4-Disc Extended Edition

"The world is changed.  I feel it in the water, I feel it in the Earth, I smell it in the air...  much that once was, is lost.  For none now live who remember it." -- Galadriel, spoken intro.

"For the time will soon come, when Hobbits will shape the fortunes of all."  -- Galadriel, spoken intro.

"I think a servant of the enemy would look fairer and feel fouler."  -- Frodo

"A Balrog, a demon of the ancient world.  This foe is beyond any of you.  Run!"  -- Gandalf

For a detailed summary of the film, see two-disc edition blog entry; here I will highlight the new scenes, differences, and appearance of the four-disc edition.

The extended edition of Lord of the Rings:  The Fellowship of  the Ring really is a very special DVD set.  First, it looks gorgeous -- like a leather-bound book, embossed with "gold" leaf.  The DVDs are in a slide-out case within the outer slip case, and that case folds flat to reveal the four discs.  The discs, luckily do not overlap, there is one per leaf.  It looks very, very nice.  The first two discs are the movie and the second two discs are the extra features.  Between the three extended editions, this really is "film school in a box" as the special features look at each and every department that worked on these films, including some that are rarely featured in "making of" materials (such as foley -- the art of adding back in regular sounds such as footsteps or hoofbeats to the soundtrack of the film).  The film itself is also re-edited and re-scored, and with the additional time allowed on a DVD release, it's a fuller and richer film, not constrained by theater running time schedules.

Disc One of the extra set is the movie up to the Council of Elrond, specifically Frodo's decision to take the ring to Mordor.  Disc two picks up with the Fellowship leaving Rivendell and goes to the end of the film.  Because the movie is split across two discs, it is easy to take a break, or even watch it over two nights (as I will be doing with the other two extended editions).  I watched Part I of  Fellowship today after lunch, took a break to go grocery shopping, make dinner, and then eat dinner, then watch Part II after dinner -- and it worked very well that way.

The extended edition, builds up the plot and brings more of the richness of JRR Tolkien's world to the screen by adding brief moments, that had to be edited out of the other edition mostly for time.

The opening of  the film is the same, still with Galadriel's introduction, but this flows into an introduction by Bilbo Baggins, who is working on his book, There and Back Again, A Hobbit's Tale. There is more exposition of who the Hobbits are, who Bilbo is, even who Frodo is.  We even see Sam gardening.  This gives the viewer a more thorough understanding of who the Hobbits are and where they come from.  Bilbo's party is re-edited and is longer.  We see the Sackville-Baggins, his dis-liked relations.  There's a wonderful conversation between Frodo and Bilbo, that shows both the affection between the two, and Bilbo's hint of a darker nature, right before Merry and Pippin set off one of Gandalf's fireworks.

After the party, and Bilbo leaves, and Gandalf gives the ring to Frodo for safekeeping, there's a new scene at the Green Dragon, the pub in Hobbiton.  Merry and Pippin laugh and sing and dance; some of the Hobbits discuss whispers of troubles in other lands, but most agree it's none of their business, and if they stay isolated, trouble will pass them by.  But overall, it's a light and fun scene that just shows Hobbits being Hobbits, and Merry and Pippin in particular having a good time singing, laughing, and drinking.

Again, the slower start in the Shire, adds to the richness of the film, showing us what these Hobbits will be fighting for, and their friendship and kinship.  It should be noted that:  Merry and Pippin are first cousins; Merry is also cousin to Frodo, Pippin is also related to Frodo, though more distantly than Merry;  Pippin is extremely young and won't reach the Hobbit age of majority until four years after the War of the Ring, he's really the equivalent of a 16-year-old, Pippin will one day be The Took, the leader of Tuckborough, Merry, in turn, will one day be the leader of the Brandybuck clan.  Indeed, most of the members of the Fellowship are, in some way, future leaders of some sort or another.  A lot of this wasn't really explained in the films, but it's quite clearly stated in the books.

Sam and Frodo, prior to meeting up with Pippin and Merry, see the wood Elves leaving Middle-Earth.  Frodo mentions they are going to the Grey Havens.  This scene, besides being pretty and bittersweet, also foreshadows events in The Two Towers, and especially in The Return of the King, where the Elves will leave Middle-Earth.

Gandalf and Saruman's discussion is longer and there is more exposition.  Saruman actually tries to convince Gandalf to join him; Gandalf points out that Saruman is mad, and then Saruman attacks and imprisons Gandalf.  We also see Saruman with the Palantir (we did see the Palantir in the shorter cut of the film as well, though more briefly).  The Palantir, and Sauron's selective showing of events is probably part of what's driven Saruman mad -- as well as his own lust for power.

There is more to the scenes of  the Hobbits running from the Black Rider before they make it to the ferry.  The Hobbits continue to Bree, find Gandalf not there, and meet Strider (Aragorn).  Upon leaving Bree there's an added scene of Aragorn leading the Hobbits through a swamp.  Again, this scene is a bit of foreshadowing -- this time of  the Dead Marshes, near Mordor.

There is slightly more to the conversation between Boromir and Aragorn in Rivendell.  Actually, Boromir gets several more lines in this version of the film.  At various points he's trying to convince others to agree with him and to bring the Ring to Gondor, to Minas Tirith (referred to as "my city" by Boromir and "the white city" by Aragorn).

There is more to the council scene in Rivendell.  Gandalf, in an attempt to stop some of the bickering actually speaks Mordor speech at the council -- this seems to physically hurt the Elves present, and Elrond criticizes Gandalf for it.  But Gandalf is trying to make a point, especially to Boromir, that the Ring cannot be used.  Still, Boromir makes a speech after that asking to bring the  Ring to his city, and use it as a weapon.  The council really begins to break down after that.  Frodo hears the Mordor speech in his head, sees the reflection of the arguing men, dwarves, and Elves in the Ring, then sees it consumed by fire.  That is still a totally awesome shot!  Frodo volunteers to take the ring.  The Fellowship is formed.  End of  Part One.

Part Two


Part Two of the Extended Edition of The Fellowship of the Ring, picks up in Rivendell.  Elrond talks to Aragorn of Narsil, the Sword that was broken, and Aragorn insists he does not want to wield its power.  As before, we see Bilbo giving Sting, his Elven sword, and his Mithril mail shirt to Frodo.  When Bilbo sees the ring on it's chain, he attacks and looks very Gollum-like.  Then Elrond well-wishes the Fellowship.  Frodo is asked to lead the way.  They walk out of  Rivendell, in a very pretty and scenic shot of the Elven city.  There are also several beauty shots of  Middle-Earth / New Zealand, some of which are in the shorter version of  the film, others are, I think added beauty shots with more music, that add to the scope and majesty of the film.


When the Fellowship tries to cross the Misty Mountains by using the High Pass, Boromir gets an extra line, "This will be the death of the Hobbits!" and there's an insert shot of a very cold looking Merry and Pippin.


The Fellowship heads to Moria instead, and there's a conversation between Gandalf and Frodo.  There's also more conversation between Legolas, Gimli and Gandalf as they try to figure out how to open the door to Moria.  A tentacle from the creature in the water grabs Frodo, Sam slices off the tentacle with his sword and calls for Strider.  Then Frodo is grabbed again before being rescued.  The Fellowship heads into the mine.  In the mine, Gandalf talks about the wealth of  Moria being in Mithril, and the true value of Bilbo's Mithril mail shirt which Bilbo has now given to Frodo (though Gandalf doesn't know yet that Frodo is wearing the shirt).  When looking into the depths of the Mithril mine, Pippin stop Merry from getting too close.  Gandalf also tells Frodo Gollum's name was Smeagol and his life was a sad story.


The Fellowship's fight against the Orcs and the Cave troll is longer, and better edited.  Merry, Pippin, and Sam all fight the Orcs as best they can.  And Merry and Pippin, even kill one together with a sword.  Aragorn saves Boromir during the fight as well.  Parts of the fight are the same, Frodo getting stabbed and collapsing, only to be ok, his life saved by the Mithril shirt.


But, eventually they are surrounded, then the Orcs run off when the Balrog appears.  Gandalf explains exactly what a Balrog is.  They run to the Bridge, and Gandalf's fall is the same.


When the Fellowship reaches Lorien, they are first met by Haldir, who doesn't want to let them pass.  Aragorn convinces him to take them to Galadriel and Celeborn.  The Fellowship reaches the Elvish city, which is beautiful, full of flickering lights, and multi-level platforms in the trees.


The conversation between the Fellowship and Galadriel is more specific and longer.  Legolas tells her Gandalf was taken by shadow and flame, a Balrog.  Galadriel addresses Gimli, specifically.


After the conversation between the Fellowship and Galadriel and Celeborn, the Fellowship is resting on a platform in the trees.  Legolas, remarks on the lament to Gandalf, and Sam tries to add a verse of poetry about Gandalf's fireworks.


Immediately after the scene with Galadriel's mirror, she shows Frodo her Elvish ring, one of the Three.


When they leave Lorien, by boat, the gift-giving scene is longer, and most of the members of the Fellowship receive a very useful gift.  Sam is given Elven rope (in the book he also received a box of soil and a Mallorn tree seed -- which comes of use later when the Hobbits return to the Shire).  Merry and Pippin receive Elven daggers.  Legolas gets a new bow.  Gimli asks for a hair from Galadriel's head, and she gives him three.  Frodo gets the light of Elemmire, "to use in dark places".  Galadriel tells Aragorn she can't give him any greater gift than that which Arwen already has, though she names him "Elessar", or "Elfstone".  All are given boats, Lembas bread, and new grey Elven cloaks with finely wrought clasps of green leaves with silver veining.


At the landing, at the end of the long river journey, Boromir and Aragorn have another conversation, and Aragorn swears he will not lead the Ring within a hundred leagues of Boromir's city.  Also, at the landing there's more of a discussion of options, and Aragorn growing his leadership.  Frodo uses the Ring to escape Boromir and sees the Eye, then he removes the ring.  Frodo's used it three times in Fellowship -- accidentally at Bree, at Weathertop when the Dark Riders / Nazgul attack, and here at the Landing place.


There some added bits to the fight sequence with Saruman's Uruk-hai at the end, and we do see Merry and Pippin kill an Orc before being captured.  Aragorn also kills the head Uruk-hai.  Finally, in terms of added scenes, we see Boromir being "buried at sea" so to speak, his body placed in a boat and sent towards the Falls.


The extended edition adds moments -- a line here, a scene there, that overall just add to the film by building character, and bring more richness, majesty, and intensity to the film.  Also, more from the book is included, some of which, such as Galadriel's gift-giving is very important, since they items are used later on in the story.


Recommendation:  See it!  And if you can only buy one version of LotR, make it this extended edition.
Rating:  5 of 5 Stars
Next Film:  LotR:  The Two Towers (4-Disc Extended Ed.)

Lord of the Rings The Return of the King (2 Disc)

• Title:  Lord of the Rings The Return of the King (2 Disc)
• Director:  Peter Jackson
• Date:  2003
• Studio:  New Line Cinema
• Genre:  Action, Drama, Fantasy
• Cast: Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Ian Holm, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, Liv Tyler, Hugo Weaving, Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, Bernard Hill, Mirando Otto, Karl Urban, David Wenham, John Noble
• Format:  Widescreen, Color
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC, 2-disc Theater Version

"Young Master Gandalf, I'm glad you've come.  Wood and water, stock and stone I can master.  But there is a wizard to manage here."  -- Treebeard


"From ashes of fire shall be woken,
A Light from the Shadows shall spring,
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be King."  -- Arwen

"A day may come when the courage of  men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of  fellowship -- but it is not this day! An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the age of men comes crashing down -- but it is not this day!  This day we fight!  By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you stand -- Men of  the West!"  -- Aragorn

I truly loved re-watching this movie.  Yes, Return of  the King is long, but it never seems to drag the way The Two Towers does in parts.  All the high points of  the novels are there and perfectly visualized.  The film is a masterpiece of storytelling both visually and verbally, with another excellent score by Howard Shore.

The film opens with Smeagol and Deagol fishing, Deagol is pulled into the water and finds the ring.  Smeagol is immediately taken with it, and at first asks Deagol to give it to him as a "birthday present", then kills Deagol and takes it.  Quickly the audience is filled in on Smeagol's sad story.

Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli arrive, with Gandalf, at Isengard -- only to find Saruman's tower destroyed and Pippin and Merry sitting on a field of victory, enjoying the spoils of  battle.  Pippin catches a quick glance of the Palantir, the Seeing Stones of  Gondor, and then hands it to Gandalf at his request.  Later the group returns to Rohan.  That night, unable to sleep, Pippin has to see the Palantir again  it takes it from Gandalf and looks into it -- and is attacked by Sauron.  Sauron mind-rapes the Hobbit, but Pippin is able to hide his knowledge about Frodo.  Pippin is shocked senseless by the attack.  Aragorn is able to take the Palantir from  Pippin, and Gandalf questions the young Hobbit, and realizes he gave away no information.  Gandalf  takes Pippin to Gondor and Merry remains in Rohan.  Watching Merry and Pippin being split apart is heart-breaking.  This scene of  Pippin being attacked via the Palantir is in the novel, The Two Towers, and I must admit I was upset when that scene didn't appear in that movie.  However, it is perfectly visualized here and Jackson doesn't ease off or wimp out in showing the true horror of what's happened to Pippin.  I definitely liked the way this important scene was shown.

Minas Tirith in Gondor looks perfect!  And it is truly gorgeous, and very detailed.  The "fly-by" hero shots are particularly breath-taking.  In Gondor, Pippin ends up in service to the Steward, Denethor, and the Guard of the Citadel. Gandalf  has Pippin light the signal fires, to ask for aide from Rohan, and the scene is truly awesome!  I especially liked the calling out of  the names of  the mountain peaks.  King Theoden decides he will respond to aid Gondor -- but it will take him a few days to muster his troops.  Meanwhile, Aragorn will take a darker road with Gimli and Legolas, The Paths of  the Dead.

Osgiliath falls, and is taken by Orcs, Faramir barely escapes and returns to his father, Denethor.  Denethor belittles his son, and tells him he wishes Faramir had died instead of  Boromir.  Pippin is shocked at this, then Denethor sends Faramir on a fool's errand, with a small cadre of  troops Gondor cannot afford to lose -- to re-take Osgiliath.  Faramir agrees to follow his father's foolish command.  After Faramir leaves, Denethor orders Pippin to sing while Denethor stuffs his face with food.  Pippin sings a sad song of  mist, shadow and night.  This scene is intercut with Faramir's men leaving Gondor, the women throwing flowers before them, and the slaughter of  Faramir's men.  It is sad and depressing.  Pippin breaks into tears as he watches Denethor and realizes what is happening.

The injured Faramir is brought back to Minas Tirith by his horse and let into the city.  The Orcs then fling the severed heads of  the rest of  his men into the city using catapults.  When Faramir is brought to Denethor, he puts on quite a show of  his "sorrow" at the death of  his son.  Pippin realizes Faramir is still alive but no one will listen.  Denethor, now totally insane, decides to burn himself and his son alive.  Pippin gets Gandalf  to stop this.  While Gandalf  tries to talk sense to Denethor, Pippin saves Faramir.  Denethor burns himself alive. (In a slight twist from the book, rather than burning in the tomb, Denethor, alight, runs from the Citadel and leaps from the walkway.  It's not stated outright, but part of  what drove Denethor mad was the use of a Palantir).

Meanwhile, Sam and Frodo, with Gollum as guide, continue their southbound journey.  Gollum leads them to the winding stair, but causes a division between the two.  Frodo sending Sam away, away home, is heart-breaking.  Sam soon realizes Gollum's played a trick, and follows.  He fights and kills Shelob (the giant spider), but finds Frodo dead.  He sees Sting turn blue, and hears Orcs coming -- and hides.  Upon hearing from the Orcs that Frodo isn't dead, merely poisoned, he follows the Orcs as they take Frodo to Minas Morgul.  When Frodo wakes, the Orcs are fighting over his clothes.  By the time Sam gets there, nearly all the Orcs are dead, he's able to fight off the last few, and Sam rescues Frodo.  Frodo's panicked because he thinks the Ring is gone, but Sam returns it to him.  They find Orc armor, and leave, entering Mordor, and walking towards Mt. Doom.

Back in Gondor, at Minas Tirith, the Orcs, Nazgul, and other servants of  Sauron are attacking the city.  The White City is in lockdown, though Gandalf  spurs on the men, organizing the fight.  Pippin gets involved, briefly, in the fighting, before Gandalf  sends him back to the Citadel.  Just as it seems all is lost, Rohan arrives, and helps fight the Orcs.  Eowyn, dressed as a man, carries Merry, whom Theoden had also forbidden to fight, on her saddle.  The Nazgul Witch-King attacks Theoden, who is subsequently crushed by his horse, Snowmane.  Eowyn, in anger, chops the head off the Nazgul's flying beast.  She challenges the Witch King, who boasts that he can be killed by no man.  Eowyn removes her helmet and responds, "I am no man!" before stabbing him.  Merry, seeing Eowyn in danger, also stabs the Witch-King, then screams in agony.  The Witch-King dissolves, but both Eowyn and Merry collapse.   It was a perfect visualization of  one of  my favorite scenes in the books.

A fleet of  ships arrive, and at first it seems all is lost.  But it's Aragorn, leading the Oathbreakers, ghosts from under the mountain, with Legolas and Gimli.  (In the books, his fleet also included allied men from several nations).  Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas join the fight, and the dead dispose of  the rest of  the Orcs and Sauron's minions.  It is a fantastic battle.   In it's wake, Pippin finds Merry on the battle field, but he is injured and will recover.  After the battle, the remaining members of  the Fellowship, along with Eomer of  Rohan, discuss what to do, knowing Frodo still has a journey ahead of  him.  They decide to create a diversion by riding out to the Black Gate.

There is much intercutting between the battle before the Black Gate, and Sam and Frodo's final journey up Mount Doom.  I hesitate to mention exactly what happens to the Ring, in case anyone hasn't seen this absolutely brilliant movie or read the books, but it was handled pefectly.

The Eagles, who had previously rescued Gandalf  from Saruman's clutches at Isengard, rescue Sam and Frodo and bring them to Minas Tirith.  The four Hobbits, and the remaining members of the Fellowship meet again.  Aragorn is crowned king by Gandalf, and Arwen is made his bride.  And thirteen months after setting out for their adventure, the four Hobbits return to the Shire.  Sam marries Rosie Cotton, and Frodo finishes his part in writing his adventures down, before passing the book to Sam.  The Hobbits accompany Frodo to the Grey Havens where he leaves on the Grey ship with Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel, and all the remaining Elves (save Legolas, probably -- who's off on a sight-seeing tour of  Middle-Earth with Gimli).

Again, though long, Return of  the King, is an excellent movie.  I absolutely love it.  There is as much pure emotion as action in this film, and in all three films.  And considering the scope of  the books, and the films, it's really amazing what Peter Jackson was able to accomplish.

Recommendation:  See it!
Rating:  5 out of 5 Stars
Next Film:  The Fellowship of  the Ring (4 disc extended edition)

Lord of the Rings The Two Towers (2 disc)

• Title:  Lord of the Rings:  The Two Towers (2 Disc)
• Director:  Peter Jackson
• Date:  2002
• Studio:  New Line Cinema
• Genre:  Action, Fantasy, Drama
• Cast:  Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee, Liv Tyler, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Brad Dourif, Bernard Hill, Miranda Otto, Karl Urban, David Wenham, Andy Serkis
• Format:  Color, Widescreen
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC

"Maybe he does deserve to die, but now that I see him, I do pity him."  -- Frodo, to Sam, About Gollum


"The women of  this country learned long ago that those without swords can still die upon them.  I fear neither death nor pain."  -- Eowyn
"What do you fear, my Lady?"  -- Aragorn
"A cage.  To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them.  And all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire." -- Eowyn
"You're a daughter of  kings, a shield-maiden of  Rohan, I do not think that will be your fate."  -- Aragorn

"The fires of  Isengard will spread -- and the woods of  Tuckborough and Buckland will burn.  And all that was green and good in this world will be gone.  There won't be a Shire, Pippin."  -- Merry

The Two Towers begins with sound clips from the previous film in the series, The Fellowship of  the Ring, rather than a more traditional voice-over such as was used in the first film.  The sound clips remind the audience of  the Fall of Gandalf  and quickly segue to Gandalf's battle with the Balrog and his reappearance as Gandalf  the White (previously he was Gandalf  the Grey).  The film moves back and forth between three stories:  Merry and Pippin who have been captured by Saruman's Uruk-hai;  Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli who follow, trying to rescue the two young Hobbits, but end-up involved in the troubles in Rohan; and Frodo and Sam's journey to Mordor (they quickly acquire Gollum as a guide).

Merry and Pippin's story is really well realized, as is the story of  Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli.  Even Frodo and Sam's journey through the Dead marshes and to the Black Gate was well done (but see nitpick below).  The Gollum/Smeagol conversations were perfect!  It was almost like there was two different creatures.  I also loved Treebeard, and seeing some of  the other Ents at the Entmoot.

When reviewing these films I said I wouldn't nitpick, however, The Two Towers is the most nitpickable of  the three films.  Many fans of  the books scream about the Elves arriving to help defend Helm's Deep.  I can actually justify the artistic license there -- it was that or actually show that the Elves were busy themselves defending Lorien from three attacks by Sauron.  What I found almost unconscionable was why, oh why, especially when the movie is so long anyway, did Peter Jackson use a big chunk of the movie to have Faramir bring Frodo and Sam to Osgiliath, where Frodo is attacked by a Nazgul?  The flying Nazgul are in the books, but Faramir, in contrast to Boromir, defies the short-sighted orders of  his father (Denethor, the Steward of Gondor) and provides food and shelter to Frodo and Sam -- then lets them go.

However, I loved how Treebeard was brought to the screen, and Merry and Pippin's part were well done.  The destruction of  Isengard is one of  the best scenes in the movie.

And the battle at Helm's Deep does look really cool.  It brings to mind movies such as Henry V, and classic medieval-style strategy games like Warcraft.  We see all sorts of  Medieval battle techniques -- seige ladders, a barrista, a battering ram.  And it's both a scary, and exciting battle.

Frodo and Sam's journey is also well done -- at least we don't get singing Orcs.  The Gollum/Smeagol dialogs are incredible and almost make you believe you are seeing two different creatures.  I didn't like the "ring-as-a-drug" thing, because that seemed too simplistic.  And I really didn't like Frodo being dragged to Osgiliath, for no other reason that to give Sam another opportunity to say a speech.

Still, the film is gorgeous.  The filming is incredible, and the vistas are also beautiful (or dark and treacherous) and breath-taking.  The music is even better than the last film, especially the Rohan theme, which I just loved.  Overall, I really liked the film.

Recommendation:  See it!
Rating 5 or 5 Stars
Next Film:  Lord of  the Rings:  Return of the King

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2 Disc)

• Title:  Lord of the Rings:  The Fellowship of the Ring (2 Disc)
• Director:  Peter Jackson
• Date:  2001
• Studio:  New Line Cinema
• Genre:  Action, Fantasy, Adventure, Drama
• Cast:  Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Bean, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Cate Blanchett, Liv Tyler, Hugo Weaving
• Format:  Color, Widescreen
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC, 2-Disc Theater Version

"Nine rings were given to the race of men, who, above all else, desire power."  -- Galadriel, spoken intro.


"History became Legend, Legend became Myth..." -- Galadriel, spoken intro.


"Why do you fear the past?  You are Isildur's heir, not Isildur himself."  Arwen to Aragorn


"It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand.  Many that live deserve death.  Some that die deserve life.  Can you give it to them, Frodo?  Do not be too eager to deal out death and judgement, even the very wise can not see all ends."  Gandalf to Frodo

Peter Jackson magnificently visualized J. R.R. Tolkien's classic three book work, The Lord of the Rings.  I have both the theatrical 2-disc version and the 4-disc extended version of all three films, so I will be watching them all (first the 2 discs then the 4 discs).  I also watched "Fellowship" on Thursday, but then Friday and this morning were super-busy so this is the first time I've had to sit down and write.  I'm a fan of the original books, having found The Lord of the Rings in my junior high school library and reading it for the first time.  I then tended to re-read it about every three years or so.  The books and the films are excellent.  Peter Jackson did not have an enviable job -- having to satisfy two distinct groups with his films -- fans of the books, some of whom knew every single detail of  the books intimately (Not to mention the Tolkien scholars in various disciplines) but also movie-goers who may have never read the books.  This is a hard path to tread.  Yet Jackson succeeded in making incredibly movies.  And I, like others who know the books can nitpick the films.  But I will try to leave my nitpicking for later.

The Fellowship of  the Ring is a beautifully shot film.  New Zealand perfectly plays the part of  Middle Earth and the scenery is gorgeous!  The filming really feels like a love letter to New Zealand, and in a story where sense of place is important, it's great to have such a special place to film.  The film is also perfectly cast, with some unusual choices.  In fact, many of the actors in the film, though experienced, were virtual unknowns -- or hadn't done much for years.  I remember when I heard about the film and the cast -- I think the only ones I'd heard of were:  John Rhys-Davies, Cate Blanchett, and Sean Astin (whom I knew as Patty Duke's son and a child actor).  But having a for the most part unknown cast, and a cast of character actors, makes it easier for the viewer to imagine and picture the actual characters.  The music by Howard Shore is also gorgeous!  I have all three soundtracks on CD, and on my iPod and I still listen to them.

The opening, with narration by Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) is particularly well-done and serves as a crash course introduction to the history and mythos of  Lord of the Rings, drawing in material from The Simarillian, The Hobbit, and even the appendices of LotR.  It's an excellent piece of film-making because it draws you in, at once, while at the same time providing needed background information without which, especially someone new to the story would be completely lost.  After the introduction, the film slows a bit, showing us the Hobbits, who are preparing for a major party.  This is one departure in the film from the books.  In the book, not only is it Bilbo's birthday (he's 111), but it is also Frodo's birthday (he's 33, the Hobbit age of maturity, when they can inherit).  Bilbo literally disappears, returns to his home at Bag End, and decides to go off on a holiday, to see the Elves again and finish his book.  Gandalf, who had attended the party, meets Bilbo and insures that he leave behind the Ring he had obtained from Gollum.  Gandalf asks Frodo to keep the Ring safe, but never use it, and says he must do research.

Now in the books, another twenty years or so pass, in the film the time jump is, understandably, not that long.  Gandalf  returns and sends Frodo and Sam to Bree, promising to meet them there.  Gandalf  has warned Frodo to stay off the road, and that Ringwraiths are on his trail.  Gandalf goes to see Saruman, only to discover the Wizard has turned evil and to get himself  imprisoned. Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam meet up with Merry and Pippin, two more Hobbit friends of  theirs (who had also attended Bilbo's party).  They are confronted with Ringwraiths, but manage to escape.  At Bree, they discover Gandalf  has not arrived, and they meet Strider (aka Aragorn), a Ranger.  Aragorn takes them out in to the wild, heading for Rivendell.  At Weathertop, Ringwraiths attack again, and Frodo is wounded.  The group continues on, meeting Arwen, and there's a mad rush to get to Rivendell, with Ringwraiths following.

At the Ford, Arwen carries Frodo across, the Ringwraiths follow, and when they enter the water, Arwen says a spell which causes the water to rise, forming white horses to counter the black horses of the Riders.  The Ringwraiths are stopped but not destroyed.  Frodo then wakes in Rivendell, an Elvish city, with his friends around him, including Bilbo.  Legolas, an Elf, and Gimli, a Dwarf, as well as Boromir from Minas Tirith in Gondor (the "White City", so called because it's made of white stone and marble), are also in Rivendell for a council to decide what to do about the Ring.

The sequence of  the council is beautifully done, as each person begins to make a case for what to do (Boromir, for example, wants to take it to his city to use as a weapon against the enemy), before the council erupts in pointless bickering.  Frodo sees an image in the ring of  the reflection of everyone arguing, being swallowed by flame.  Seeing this he announces that "I will take it,".  This stops everyone flat, and Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas, and Gimli, all offer to help Frodo on his quest.  Sam leaps up from where he had been hiding and also insists on joining Frodo.  Merry and Pippin rush in to also join Frodo.  Gandalf  joins the group as well.  Thus it is set, a fellowship of nine, to counter the nine Ringwraiths, and representing all the primary races of Middle-Earth (Elves, Dwarves, Men, Hobbits, Wizards).  They are The Fellowship of the Ring.

The journey begins with knowing they must somehow cross the great mountain range of the Grey Mountains.  First, they try going through a mountain pass, but are caught in a snow storm, partially caused by Saruman.  Given a choice between trying for the Gap of  Rohan (which Gandalf says is guarded), and making for the Mines of Moria - Frodo chooses Moria.  This is not the best choice.  Outside the mines they are attacked by a fierce water creature (a cross between a Hydra and a giant spider), barely escaping and getting into the Mines, they discover a fierce battle has occurred.  But they must go through.  The group is attacked by Orcs and a cave troll and must run for the bridge of Khazud-dum.  Though the bridge is cracked, and missing parts, and a Balrog (a fiery demon) lies in the deep below it, the group manages to barely make their escape.  However, Gandalf  is pulled into the deep by the Balrog.  After the horrors of  Moria, the Fellowship make their way to Lorien.  They rest and recover there, and are given gifts (the gift-giving is more elaborate in the books).  Frodo is tested by a vision in Galadriel's mirror; and she is tested by the ring and passes the test.  They take Elvish boats down the Great River finally making a landing just above a waterfall.  Boromir tries to take the ring from Frodo, Saruman's Uruk-hai attack, and the Fellowship is split apart.  Boromir, confessing to Aragorn what he's done, Boromir seeks and gets absolution, but he's also killed in the ensuing battle.  Frodo and Sam head off on their own to Mordor.  Merry and Pippin are captured by the Uruk-hai, and Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli will follow to rescue them.

Recommendation:  See it!
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Next Film:  The Lord of  the Rings:  The Two Towers (2 Disc Theater Version)

The Lost Weekend

• Title:  The Lost Weekend
• Director:  Billy Wilder
• Date:  1945
• Studio:  Paramount Pictures
• Genre:  Drama, Film Noir
• Cast:  Ray Milland, Jane Wyman
• Format:  Standard, Black & White
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC

"I'm trying, I'm trying..."  -- Don
"I know you're trying, Don, we're both trying.  You're trying not to drink and I'm trying not to love you."  -- Helen


"Ever lie in your bed looking out the window?  A little daylight's coming through and you start to wonder -- is it getting lighter or getting darker?  Is it dawn or dusk?"  -- Don

The words "film noir" usually conjure up images of  PIs in fedoras walking down dark misty streets; femme fatales, and intricate plots about the darker side of  life.  But film noir also had another side, that of  films like The Lost Weekend - which is a realistic portrayal of an alcoholic on a bender.  The only other film about alcoholism that I can possibly think of  is Sandra Bollock's 28 Days -- and that focused on recovery.  The Lost Weekend focuses on Don, an alcoholic, and his slide from taking one drink to a hopeless bender on a weekend.

When the film opens, Don and his brother Wick are in Don's apt, packing for a weekend in the country.  Helen, Don's girl arrives, and they quietly discuss how much Don needs the time away from everything, "after everything he's been through".  What Don has been through isn't specified -- the characters know but the audience doesn't.  Don jumps through some hoops to get Wick and Helen out of  his apartment.  He's hidden a bottle of  booze, and wants to sneak a drink.  But Wick finds the bottle and dumps it in the sink.

His brother and his girl leave, and Don is left alone.  The land lady arrives, saying that Wick should have left the rent for her ($10.00 !!!!!).  Don tells her he didn't, then takes the money and goes out and buys two bottles of  rye.  He then goes to his neighborhood bar, and starts drinking with the change.  He asks the bartender to tell him when it's a quarter to six, so he can meet his brother for the train to the country.  Needless to say, he misses the train.

Don continues to drink his way through the weekend, alternating between his apartment, Nat's Bar (his neighborhood bar) and other establishments.  We discover that Don has always wanted to be a writer, and he even published an article when he was still in college, before dropping out.  He met Helen at the opera when their coats were mixed up by the coat check clerk.  Don has an issue with his self-confidence, his fears prevent him from even trying to really be a writer.

As his weekend gets more and more hazy, and he becomes more and more desperate, Don decides to pawn his typewriter to get more money for booze -- but all the pawnshops are closed because it's Yom Kipper, and the non-Jewish pawnshops are closed out of courtesy.  Don goes to see Gloria, a woman who frequents Nat's Bar and asks her for money.  She tries to throw him out, but at the last minute takes pity on him and gives him some money.  But as he's leaving, he trips over an eight-year old coming up the stairs and falls.  He's taken to the hospital, unconscious, and wakes up in the alcoholic wing.  After a harrowing experience, he goes home, exhausted and spent. (but he also steals a quart of rye on his way home).

By this time, his girl, Helen has gotten quite worried about him -- she'd left a note for him on his door, tried Nat's bar, and he even finds her in front of  his apartment door asleep.  She tries to discourage him, but won't leave.  Eventually, he takes Helen's leopard coat, the one she was wearing when they met.  She thinks he's going to pawn it for money, and blows up at him.  But then she finds out he took the coat to swap it for a gun.

Helen rushes to his apartment.  She tries to talk to him. Don keeps trying to throw her out of  the apartment, telling her goodbye.  Then there's a knock on the door, it's Nat, returning Don's typewriter, which was left at Gloria's.  Don finally calms down.  Helen tells him he needs to finish his novel, "The Bottle", and the movie ends on an artificially happy note.

Overall, The Lost Weekend is a dark and depressing film.  But  the ending feels very tacked on, and very artificial.  I somehow think the censorship boards forced the "happy" ending.  Anyway, Billy Wilder's direction is marvelous, and the story moves along at a good clip.  The dialog feels more real than other films of the period as well.

Recommendation:  See it!
Rating:  4 out of 5 Stars
Next Film:  Lord of  the Rings:  The Fellowship of the Ring (2 disc Theatrical ed.)
Note on Lord of  the Rings -- I have the 2 disc and the 4 disc versions of  all three films.  I will watch the two discs first of all three films in order, then the four discs of all three films.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

• Title: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
• Director:  Stephen Norrington
• Date:  2003
• Studio:  20th Century Fox
• Genre:  Action, Adventure
• Cast:  Sean Connery, Shane West, Stuart Townsend, Richard Roxburgh, Peta Wilson
• Format:  Widescreen, Color 
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC

"I'm a representative of Her Majesty's government, the Empire needs you."  Sorenson
"But the question is, Do I need the Empire?"  -- Allan Quartermain


"You're missing a picture, Mr. Grey."  Allan Quartermain to Dorian Grey


"I've lived long enough to see the future become history, Professor.  Empires crumble, there are no exceptions."  --  Dorian Grey

The League of  Extraordinary Gentlemen starts with a steampunk bang as a tank bursts out of a building, crushes a bobby, and then bursts through the walls of the Bank of  England to commit a robbery.  However, the object of  the robbery isn't just money, gold, or even jewels -- it's documents.  The robbery seems to have been conducted by the Germans, but next on the hit list is a German Zeppelin factory -- which is blown sky-high.  Thus Britain blames Germany and Germany blames Britain, while in the background the mysterious Fantom seems to be orchestrating everything.  The film is set in 1899.

And thus, M, the mysterious leader of  the League of  Extraordinary Gentlemen assembles the extraordinary men and women of  the League to prevent a war -- he says.  And the League is assembled:  hunter and adventurer Allan Quartermain (Sean Connery), Mina - the vampire lover of  Jonathan Harker, a thief named Skinner who has stolen the formula for invisibility, American Secret Agent Tom Sawyer, Dorian Grey, Captain Nemo (and his Nautilus) and Hyde (and his alternate identity Dr. Jekyll).  Now assembled M tells them they must prevent the mysterious Fantom from sinking Venice and killing the world leaders assembled there for a peace conference.

Reaching Venice, the League discovers they are too late, Venice is already starting to fall.  They manage to stop the destruction, and discover that they were set up.  Dorian betrays the crew, he's working for M who's stolen something from him.  Skinner (aka the Invisible Man) whom the League thought was guilty is innocent, but steals aboard the small Nautilus excursion pod with Grey.  Skinner is able to send a message to the League and they are off  to stop M where he's using the unique talents of the League members (Vampirism, invisibility, Jekyll's potion, etc) to create new superweapons, as well as his tanks, mechanical men, etc.

The League reaches M's new hideout and manage to win the day.  Allan Quartermain dies but passes the torch to Tom Sawyer whom he calls a "hero for a new century" (Quartermain being the hero of  the old century).  M is revealed to be behind the Fantom, and also to be Professor Moriarty.

The League of  Extraordinary Gentlemen is a good film, but I think it could have been better.  I loved the Victorian literary references (other than Tom Sawyer who seems too young and out of place in the film).  Besides the main characters, Quartermain makes a reference to Phileas Fogg going around the world in 80 Days.  Sorenson is a Sherlock Holmes reference, it's Holmes alias during part of his "missing three years" after Reichenbach  Falls. That M is really Professor Moriarty is also another Sherlock Holmes reference.  There are some marvelous quips as well.  Sean Connery is brilliant, and the rest of  the cast does a competent job.  However, I can't help but wonder how much better the film could have been with a more experienced and better known cast.  Also, far too much time is spent assembling the League -- time that could have been spent firming up the plot.  I didn't like the obvious CGI Hyde (and the "super-Hyde that fights Hyde at M's fortress is just silly-looking).  The initial CGI effect for the Invisible Man as he smears on cold cream to show his face is extremely well done, but the very next scene in the car has the actor with white greasepaint on his face that's applied so badly you can see his beard stubble.  One or the other effect would actually have worked, but switching between both is distracting and screams "we didn't have the money to do this right".  The Nautilus is gorgeous, but is apparently solar powered, which makes no sense for a sub.  In Jules Verne's novel it's a nuclear sub -- maybe the filmmakers were afraid to say so?  Nemo's car is also beautiful.  Overall, this film felt like a nice intro, but its a real shame no further sequels were made.  I almost think it would have been better as a television pilot than a film, especially as a television series could have brought in even more fictional and real Victorian characters.

There is plenty of action, however, and the look of  the film is actually really, really gorgeous.  And I did like the cast, they all do a competent job (I just think they could have done better in casting).  In a sense the film suffers from unfulfilled promise.

Recommendation:  a fun movie for teens and adults, see it
Rating:  4 of 5 Stars
Next Film:  The Lost Weekend

L.A. Confidential

• Title:  L.A. Confidential
• Director:  Curtis Hanson
• Date:  1997
• Studio:  Warner Brothers, Regency Entertainment
• Genre:  Drama, Mystery, Film Noir
• Cast:  Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito, David Straithairn, Simon Baker (Credited as Simon Baker Denny)
• Format:  Widescreen, color
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC

"Come to Los Angeles... there are jobs a plenty and land is cheap..."  -- Sid Hudgens (Danny DeVito)


"I admire you as a policeman, particularly your adherance to violence as an adjunct to the job." -- Police Captain Dudley Smith to Lt. Bud White


"How's it going to look in your report?" -- Det. Lt. Exley
"It'll look like justice.  That's what the man got, justice." -- Lt. Bud White

LA Confidential is a brilliant modern film noir.  The film weaves deep layered characters into a complex plot of police corruption, graft, drugs, and murder.  All the actors give brilliant performances.  Russell Crowe, in an very early role, is Lt. Bud White, police captain Smith's "enforcer" with a soft spot for abused women.  Watching his journey from tough guy and bruiser to someone who actually starts to figure out what's going on and who stops just following orders and starts to think -- even when solving the case leads right back to the police department -- is a joy in this film.  Guy Pearce is the college-educated "new cop" who isn't afraid to testify against other dirty cops, as long as it allows him to get ahead.  But he too has to make decisions -- does he "do what he's told, and reap his reward" or does he follow a more difficult path and expose the corruption he and Bud have uncovered?  And brilliant as always Kevin Spacey as "Hollywood Jack" Vincennes, who's a technical advisor on the TV cop drama "Badge of Honor" (think "Dragnet") and partners with tabloid reporter Sid Hudgens (Danny Devito) accepting payments to pass along info about upcoming busts so the reporter can photograph them.  Sid, a pioneer in bottom-feeding tabloid journalism, and publisher of the tabloid "Hush-Hush" regularly gives Vincennes gifts and bribes, as well as passing along information.

The film weaves a complicated plot, starting with the beating, in the LA lock-up of several Mexican-Americans, resulting in the expulsion of several bad cops and meeting our characters and seeing how they react.  Vincennes is  transferred between departments and temporarily taken off  "Badge of Honor" as Technical Advisor.  White refuses to roll on his partner, or become a snitch.  Exley not only offers up info as a snitch, but gives advice on how to get to other cops, though this gets him a promotion - it doesn't endear him to the other cops.  After "Bloody Christmas" but before the trial even starts, there's a mass shooting at the Nite Owl coffee shop, one of the victims is White's disgraced partner.  The hunt for the killers leads to three young black men, who are brought in, questioned, escape, and then are caught again and killed.

However,  all three of our main characters soon realize that the three men, though guilty of kidnapping and raping a young Mexican girl, aren't guilty of the Nite Owl killings.  And, again, the investigation, though it also involves a millionaire who's running a high-class call girl outfit of girls "cut to look like movie stars" and heroin, ultimately leads right back to the police department.  I don't want to spoil the ending for those of you reading this who haven't seen this brilliant Noir film.

This film starts with a sarcastic voice-over, by Danny Devito, describing the bright, sunny, perfect California that's being sold as an image -- only to expose a dark, dirty, and very corrupt underbelly.  Irony underlies a lot of the picture (such as showing the ground-breaking ceremony for the Santa Monica freeway "LA to the beach in 20 minutes").  But the characters also present an opening image that changes throughout the film -- Bud White starts as a tough, an enforcer, a brutal cop, albeit with a soft spot for battered women and kids, but he develops, putting together a lot of the clues leading to an explanation of  what really is going on.  Exley seems like the college-educated "new cop" who won't be able to hack it in the field - yet, he also manages to prove his smarts and his investigative chops, as well as his ability to handle violence when needed.  Vincennes, "Hollywood Jack" has somehow lost his way.  Asked, "Why'd you become a cop?" He answers, "I can't remember".  Jack is like the tough, hard-boiled, cynical protagonists of a lot of Classic Noir.  Yet, like those protagonists, his journey in the film is to discover that he can't turn a blind eye to the corruption around him any more, especially when he inadvertently causes a young male actor/hooker to get murdered.  There's more to Jack than the smoothness one first sees.

The film is set in the 1950s, but the historical detail, though there, is not at the forefront of the film.  The score is fantastic from Jerry Goldsmith's original instrument themes, to the use of period music by Johnny Mercer and Dean Martin.  The film also gets physically darker, as the characters discover the true darkness around them.

I highly, highly recommend this film.  It has brilliant acting, brilliant writing, a dense, complex plot, and the feel of a true Noir film, but made in a modern style.  The film is very intelligent -- both the writing and dialogue and the plot.  And, though violent and bloody at times, it's still quite, quite worth seeing.

Recommendation:  See it!
Rating:  5 of 5 Stars
Next Film:  League of Extra-Ordinary Gentlemen

Justice League Crisis on Two Earths

• Title:  Justice League  Crisis on Two Earths
• Directors:  Sam Liu, Lauren Montgomery
• Date:  2010
• Studio:  Warner Brothers Animation
• Genre:  Action, Fantasy, Animation
• Cast:  William Baldwin, Mark Harmon, Chris Noth, Gina Torres, James Woods
• Format:  Color, Widescreen
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC

"I can't believe we're having this discussion.  Of course we're going to help."  -- Wonder Woman
"She's right, that's what we do." -- Superman


"Might doesn't make right.  It might seem that way sometimes, but in the long run it's the other way around.  We're always stronger when we're doing the right thing."  -- Rose Wilson (the alt-Earth president's daughter)


The movie opens with Lex Luther in the midst of a robbery and about to get caught.  His partner, a guy in a jester's outfit gives his life, so Lex can escape.  We soon discover this is an alternative Earth, and this Lex is a good guy -- the "Justice League", on this particular Earth, are known as the "Crime Syndicate" and are the bad guys.  Lex dimension jumps to the Justice League Earth to ask for help.

After a short discussion, six of the seven Justice Leaguers go with Lex to his Earth -- Batman stays behind to oversee the construction of  the Watchtower.  On the other Earth, the Justice League discovers things are as Lex said -- the crime syndicate uses bribes and muscle to prevent police, attorneyes general, governments, etc from stopping them and the populace lives in limited terror (their day-to-day lives are "free" but if  they don't toe-the-line in bowing down to the crime syndicate, they are subject to possibly even lethal rebuke),  One person standing up to the crime syndicate is Rose, the president's daughter, much to her father's chagrin, as he made a deal with the crime syndicate years ago.

Unbeknownst to the president, things are about to go from bad to worse -- the crime syndicate now has a device that can destroy the whole planet.  And Owlman (the evil Batman) wants to do even worse than that and destroy all the alternate Earths by unleashing the device that will destroy all realities on Earth Prime.

Meanwhile, Owlman sends Superwoman to the JL's reality to steal the trigger for the device.  She fights Batman and gets the device, but Batman follows her when she escapes, by flinging himself  into her transport beam.  This costs him, as Superwoman beats him up again in another fight.

There is a fantastic fight sequence with each of  the Justice Leaguers fighting their opposite numbers on the crime syndicate's home base on the moon.  However, Owlman is able to locate Earth Prime and take the device there.  Batman theorizes the only way to get to Owlman now is to have someone vibrate quick enough to open a portal.  Convincing the crime syndicate they have to work together or all realities will disappear, Batman gets Johnny Quick to open the portal.  Batman leaps through, he and Owlman have a philosophical discussion, then fight, then Batman sends him to an abandoned Earth.  Owlman could escape, but he's so insane he decides not to, and is destroyed.

The movie is quite, quite good.  The fight scenes are extremely well-realized, especially the climatic fight between the Justice League and their opposite numbers.  James Woods is chilling as Owlman, reminding me a bit of characters from the film, Watchmen, though not his namesake (who was sort of a good guy).  However, he's completely insane, having decided that because every choice results in a new reality -- nothing has any meaning, leading to his idea to destroy all reality (Hum, sound like Davros and his reality b*m b from DW?).  There's a couple of other references to DW as well -- Owlman's plane has a Chameleon circuit, though I think it was Flash who asks 'What does that do?" before nearly getting run over by the invisible plane.  The device itself, abbreviated, Q.E.D., , which was not working, is said to work when the Blinovitch Limitation Effect is eliminated.

Owlman's speech on Earth Prime is chilling -- but his decision to not save himself when Batman sends him to an abandoned world is even more so.  Superwoman is also a complete psychopath, who enjoys hurting, maiming, and playing with people -- she and Owlman have a very twisted relationship.  In one of  her fights with Batman, she says to him, "That's going to cost you a rib," then takes her thumb and presses his side hard enough to break a rib.  Batman is left gasping in pain.

Overall, definitely one of  the better WB Animated DCAU movies, and I recommend it.

Recommendation:  See it!
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Next Film:  L.A. Confidential

Jaws

Title:  Jaws
Director:  Steven Spielburg
Date:  1975
Studio:  Universal
Genre:  Suspense, Drama
Cast:  Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss
Format:  Technicolor, Widescreen
DVD Format:  R1, NTSC

"This was no boat accident."  Matt Hooper


"It doesn't make much sense for a guy who hates the water to live on an island either."  -- Hooper
"It's only an island if you look at it from the water."  -- Martin Brodie


"We're going to need a bigger boat."  -- Martin Brodie

Quite by accident Jaws was the first movie that I got on DVD, received as a gift.  I still love it though because it's a masterful piece of suspense, and a fine character study.  It is not out and out shock-factor horror, in part due to happy accident -- the mechanical shark didn't work, and the film works better when you can't see it.  There are some scenes where you finally do see the shark, and it looks very fake, though the film stands up by it's well-drawn characters and their relationships.

Amity Island is an East Coast summer island, preparing for the busy Fourth of July summer holiday.  The film opens with a group of  young people having a bonfire on the beach.  One of the teenaged girls runs off to go skinny dipping in the ocean, at night, and is attacked and killed (eaten) by the shark.  Martin Brodie (Roy Scheider), the chief of police, immediately tries to close the beach -- but is prevented by the local mayor and business people who are afraid they will lose their summer income.

And thus the first half  of  the film almost has the format of a disaster film:  one guy (Brodie) knows there's a threat to life and limb, but no one listens to him, because doing the smart thing is a threat to local business and income.  Later a young child is killed, and reward is offered for the shark.  Soon every idiot who can find a boat is out looking for the shark, and doing a terrible job.

At this point, Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), a shark expert, shows up.  He tells Brodie the shark someone's caught is a Tiger shark and too small to have killed the girl who died.  What they are looking for is a Great White.

The scene where Hooper examines the remains of  the dead girl is well done, because we don't actually see the body, he just describes into a dictaphone what he sees and what's missing, while trying not to lose his lunch.  Similarly, when Brodie found the girl in the first place -- all the audience saw was the girl's hand -- that's it, no body and no blood.  (There isn't even any blood in the first attack scene, though there are in later ones).

Again, Brodie and Hooper want to close the beaches, but the mayor won't allow it on Fourth of  July weekend.  After another attack, and Brodie nearly losing his own son (he survives), the mayor relents.

Whereas, the first half of the movie is like a disaster film -- with the one guy trying to convince everyone else and not being believed; the second half of the film is closer to horror -- though it's still more suspense than horror.  Because of  the problems with the shark, and Spielburg's excellent direction, surprise, brief glances, and suggestion is used more than actually seeing the shark eat anyone.

The second half of  the film has Brodie -- the chief of police, and a guy who's afraid of water; Quint (Robert Shaw) the old poacher and fisherman, and Hooper (the shark expert), stuck on Quint's boat trying to catch the shark.  The film examines these three characters, their relationships to each other, and their relationships to the shark.  This is where the character-building occurs, having already been touched upon as the three very different men are introduced.

My favorite scene in the entire movie is actually where the three are in the cabin of  the boat, they've just finished comparing scars (except Brodie), and the three start singing, "I'm tired and I Wanna go Home", only to have the shark butt in, literally, as it begins to ram the boat.  At this point, too, the shark goes from the unseen, spooky, where will it show up next, monster -- to something they cannot kill.  It makes the film more towards the horror genre, but even once we start to see the shark, it still isn't seen all that often.  A big part of what makes Jaws scary is that what you don't see is a lot scarier than what you do see.  Even in Jaws, when we see people splashing around in the water, and hear the marvelous Jaws theme music, that's scarier as the audience anticipates something happening, than later when the shark takes a chunk out of Quint's boat.

Again, the acting in this is marvelous.  Scheider is calm and collected, but you can see he's repressing his fears, especially when in the boat, or watching people swimming in dangerous waters.  Some of the best shots are of  him reacting to things.  Dreyfuss is the manic scientist, smart, knowledgeable, but also able to get a quick insult off at the stupidity of people on the island when he needs to.  He also quickly convinces Brodie exactly what they need to do.  And Quint, the poacher and fisherman -- course, mean-tempered, essentially a salty old sailor -- the perfect foil for the more normal Brodie and Hooper.

In the end, of course, Hooper disappears (but survives), Quint doesn't, and Brodie manages to thrust a compressed air tank into the shark's mouth and then blow it up by shooting it.  Instant sushi.

Still, an excellent movie with great characters and some really good acting.

Recommendation:  See it!  But not for the really young (I'd go 13 plus on this)
Rating:  4 of 5 Stars
Next Film:  Justice League Crisis on Two Earths

It Happened One Night

• Title:  It Happened One Night
• Director:  Frank Capra
• Date:  1934
• Studio:  Columbia Pictures
• Genre:  Romance, Comedy
• Cast:  Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Alan Hale
• Format:  Standard, Black and White
• Format:  R1, NTSC

"Just the spoiled brat of a rich father, the only way you get anything is to buy it, isn't it?  You're in a jam and all you can think of  is your money.  It never fails, does it?  Ever hear of  the word -- humility?  No, you wouldn't.  I guess it never occurred to you to say, 'Please mister, I'm in trouble, will you help me?' " -- Peter Warne (Clark Gable)

Claudette Colbert is Ellen Andrews, the socialite daughter of a very rich father, pampered and sheltered all her life, she runs off and marries the first man she meets.  But her father, not liking the young man, threatens to have the marriage annulled, so she jumps ship, literally -- jumping overboat from her father's yacht and swimming to shore.

In Miami, Ellen boards the night bus for New York, having pawned her watch to get some clothes and buy a ticket.  On the bus, she runs into Peter Warne (Clark Gable), a rough, tough, rude, drunk and unbeknownest to her -- an unemployed news paper reporter.  The two have a prickly relationship, but through a series of adventures, end up falling for each other.

Their adventures include -- sharing a cabin at an "auto-camp", where Peter strings a clothline between the two twin beds and hangs a blanket on it, to preserve their privacy and dignity.  Later, at a second cabin, he does the same thing.  They also spent a night in separate haystacks, out in the country.  When hitch-hiking, having lost all their money, and abandoned the bus as someplace Ellen could get caught, Peter utterly fails to stop a car -- but Ellen hikes up her skirt and flashes some leg -- that stops the car, all right.

Just shy of  New York, Peter leaves Ellen asleep in a cabin and rushes to his old editor, with a great story, to get some money so he can propose to Ellen.  However, the woman who owns the auto-camp with her husband hears him drive off and wakes Ellen and kicks her out.  Ellen calls her father, asking for a ride.  Meanwhile, her father's buried the hatchet with her "husband", Westley.  He offers to allow Ellen to marry her boyfriend.  However, when he meets Peter, he sees he's a better match for his daughter and tries to convince her to dump Westley and marry Peter.  In the end, Ellen chooses Peter.

The film is filmed beautifully, on silver nitrate film, which practically glows.  Ellen's silvery-white silk wedding gown is especially gorgeous, but throughout the film the lighting on both Colbert and Gable is breath-takingly gorgeous.  The plot is pretty much standard romantic comedy fare, with a surprising amount of physical comedy.  Gable is both a perfect gentleman -- setting up the blanket barrier, offering Ellen his pajamas to use, even making her breakfast -- and surprisingly course, insisting Ellen's a spoiled brat, without really knowing her.

Recommendation:  A classic romantic comedy, See It!
Rating:  4 of 5 Stars
Next Film:  Jaws

Indiscreet

• Title:  Indiscreet
• Director:  Stanley Donen
• Date:  1958
• Studio:  Republic Pictures
• Genre:  Romance
• Cast:  Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman
• Format:  Technicolor, Widescreen
• Format:  R1, NTSC

"I'm the wrongest woman you've ever seen and I'm going to pay him back with interest!"  -- Ingrid Bergman

Probably one of Cary Grant's less-known romances, I picked it up in a bargain bin someplace.  However, the presence of Ingrid Bergman makes the film watchable.  The plot is also a bit backwards or reversed -- where else would one see a woman get extremely angry and plotting her revenge when she discovers her lover of several months is not married.

Bergman plays Anna, a well-known actress of some acclaim.  She's wealthy and independent, and bored stiff by the parade of suitors at her door.

Grant is Philip, a diplomat, who bores easily and thus has come to the conclusion he should remain a bachelor.

Anna and Philip meet thanks to another couple and go to a dinner together, they have a marvelous time, and Anna invites Philip to her apartment for a "nightcap".  Philip accepts the invitation, then tells her he's married, he's separated from his wife, and he can't get a divorce.  And so begins their affair.  Philip turns down a job in Mexico and accepts a job working for NATO in Paris, then flies to London every weekend to spend time with Anna.  The two attend ballets and gallery openings and they enjoy dinners and long walks.  They spend several months together in their "illicit" affair.  And slowly the two fall in love.

Things begin to unravel when Philip is "offered" a job in New York, a job he has to take that will take him away from London for five months.  Anna is heart-broken that he will leave her.  But Philip has a surprise, he talks her into toasting him at midnight, on her birthday, the next day -- when he's supposed to be on a boat for the US.  Anna's brother-in-law confronts him about his secret -- he's not married, he's single.  Philip explains he came up with the lie of a non-existent wife to avoid having to say "He's not the marrying kind", but admits his plan to surprise Anna on her birthday.  The brother-in-law, finding out from Anna that she plans to fly to the US to meet Philip, talks her out of it by saying, essentially, "but he plans on surprising you by being here".  Unfortunately, he slips up and also tells her Philip is single, which enrages Anna.

That night there's a big dance at the same place where Philip and Anna had their first date.  Anna seethes through the entire evening; and plots her revenge when she sees an old suitor at the dance, and someone sends her a red rose - she assumes it's from the old suitor.  There is a very nice scene of country dancing by the way!

That night, supposedly their last night together, Anna plays games with Philip.  Bergman's performance, like the scene where she loses it when she learns the truth about Philip, is brilliant.  She can bring so many emotions to relatively simple dialogue!  The next night, her birthday, Anna's filled her flat with roses and candles, and plans for David to meet her for dinner, half an hour before Philip is due to surprise her.  David, fortunately, is struck down with appendicitis and doesn't make it.  Anna attempts to substitute Karl, her Chauffeur for David, only to have the mess backfire on her.  Fortunately, Philip comes in to give her a second chance, after all he did propose to her!  And they all live happily ever after.

Again, a fairly standard romantic movie, not a lot of entanglements.  If  David, Anna's old suitor, has actually been a character in the film and not just someone who's mentioned (even if played by Ralph Bellamy) it would have worked a bit better and given the film some more tension.  But still, the leads are good actors, and it has a slightly unusual plot.

Recommendation:  Not bad if you're in the mood for romance

Rating:  3 out of 5 Stars

Next Film:  It Happened One Night

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

• Title:  Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
• Director:  Steven Spielburg
• Date:  1989
• Studio:  Paramount Pictures
• Genre:  Adventure, Action
• Cast:  Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, River Phoenix, Denholm Elliott, John Rhys-Davies, Julian Glover
• Format:  Color, Widescreen
• Format:  R1, NTSC

"That cross is a important artifact, it belongs in a museum!"  -- Young Indy

"Nazis, I hate these guys." -- Indiana Jones

"I wrote it down in my diary so I wouldn't have to remember!" -- Henry Jones, Senior

"You call this archaeology?"  -- Henry Jones, Senior

It's always hard for me to say which is my favorite Indiana Jones movie -- "Raiders" or "Last Crusade".  "Raiders" introduces the great character, and Marion is a great, feisty, independent woman, and it has a good plot -- but the snakes still gross me out.  On the other hand, "Last Crusade", is, again, like "Raiders" a great adventure, set in relatively short "episodes" that span the world, from Indy's childhood in Utah to his working as a college professor, to Venice, to Berlin, to Austria, to the hiding place of  the Holy Grail.  But "Last Crusade" also brings back the great secondary characters of  Marcus Brody and Sallah who were missing from "Temple of Doom".  And there's the great relationship between Indiana Jones and Henry Jones, Sr.

Which is why, though it wouldn't exist without "Raiders", Last Crusade slightly edges out "Raiders" as my favorite.  "Last Crusade", at its core is about a father and son journeying to discover each other as much as it is a great adventure tale about a search for the Holy Grail.  And the film, as I briefly mentioned before, brings back Marcus Brody and Sallah, both from "Raiders" and both sorely missed in "Temple of  Doom".  And neither character just appears just so they can be listed on the credits -- both have important parts to play in the plot, especially Marcus.  Sean Connery, is perfectly cast as Indiana Jones' father.  I love the relationship between the two -- prickly, yet fun.  "Last Crusade" is a fun adventure-filled movie, with lots of great and quotable lines.  But it also has heart -- when Henry Jones Sr. thinks Indy has died he is truly crushed, and we feel his pain.  When the Nazis shoot Indy's father in front of him to force Indy to get the Grail, it's a shocking moment, and we feel Indy's shock and pain -- not to mention he's about to lose his father.  Indiana ends up obtaining the Grail to save his father, not for his own aggrandizement, like Harry Potter with the Philosopher's Stone in that film and book. In other words, he didn't want it to keep it.  And like the Stone, the Grail heals Henry Sr.

And isn't Julian Glover just a perfect villain?

River Phoenix really is well cast as young Indiana Jones.  The opening sequence is also great -- not only is it full of adventure itself, but we see Indiana become our Indiana, the hero we love.  The transition from the treasure hunter putting the hat on Indiana to the shot of  Harrison Ford in the rain, attempting to recover the same artifact, is perfect.  And speaking of great shots -- the first shot of Sean Connery as Henry Jones, Sr, as he steps into the light is also perfect.  And what can be a more satisfying a ending to a movie than our heroes, Indiana, Henry, Sallah, and Marcus, as riding off into the sunset?

The structure of  the film, like Raiders, is again of  short episodes, linked into a longer story, which keeps the film moving and the adventure level high.  In some ways, the film is a chase film, as much as it is a Quest.  And it's also a Quest of characters of the Joneses coming to know each other as well as the Quest for the Holy Grail.

Recommendation:  See it!  And, again, a great film for kids and teenagers.

Rating:  5 of 5 Stars

Next Film:  Indiscreet

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

• Title:  Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
• Director:  Steven Spielburg
• Date:  1984
• Studio:  Paramount
• Genre:  Adventure, Action
• Cast:  Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw
• Format:  Color, Widescreen
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC

Indiana Jones and the Temple of  Doom is important to cinema history because it's the film that introduced the PG-13 rating to American movies.  Or rather, the controversy did (the film carries a PG rating).  "Temple of Doom" was criticized for it's dark plot and violence, though admirers of  "Raiders" and "Last Crusade" also criticized it for sticking Indy with a screaming, whiny girl and a kid.  And for such a dark film, having a child in it as Indy's "companion" seems a poor choice.  The film also lacks Indy's friends -- Sallah and Marcus -- who add to the feel of  the films.

Temple of  Doom is set in 1935, or three years prior to "Raiders".  It opens in Shanghai with a 1930s-style musical number led by Willie (Kate Capshaw) singing "Anything Goes".  Indiana is tougher, meaner, and more world-weary than in "Raiders", even though the film is set earlier --  he's in Shanghai  to sell back to a gangster his ancestor's remains (ashes) probably stolen from an archaeological dig, museum, or grave site.  This Indy sees giving such an artifact to a museum as a waste of  time and resources.  But he's also willing to take the lounge singer, Willie, captive to get his payment (a large diamond) from Lo Chi.  He briefly gets the payment, but is poisoned.  Chaos ensues as Jones tries to get the antidote that's been dropped on the floor of  the ballroom as people stampede all over, while Willie tries to get the diamond.  They finally escape out a window and into Indy's car driven by Short Round, the stereotypical too smart, to cute kid.

Another friend of  Indy's get's him a flight out of  the country, but it's a Lo Chi cargo plane.  Just shy of  some mountains, the pilot and co-pilot dump the fuel and escape in parachutes.  With no parachutes, Jones, Short Round, and Willie escape in a life raft, ski down a slope, and end-up white water rafting.  It's one of  the best sequences in the movie.

The river takes them to India -- and the plot gets dark, and at times gross.  Indy is taken to a town, which is dying, the people starving and the children taken.  Indy is talked into going to the palace of  the local Maharajah to look for the stone and the children.  After the most disgusting dinner scene ever (snakes stuffed with more live snakes or eel; bugs; monkey brains served in the skull, eyeball soup.  I mean EEEWWW!)  Jones discovers a Thuggee cult in residence.  He also, eventually discovers the missing children are being forced to work as miners in a mine under the palace.

Indy's about to right all this, when he's captured, drugged with blood, and his mind is taken over.  He becomes a member of the Thuggee cult, and helps load Willie into a basket to be sacrificed by burning alive in a pit.  He even hits Short Round in the face, knocking him down.  But Short Round also burns Indy with a torch, waking him out of his stupor, and they escape with all three of  the Charah stones, including the one for the village.  However, in leaving they have two obstacles -- a mine car race (which, unfortunately, looks like a video game) and crossing a narrow bridge over a huge chasm, with crocidles in the river below.  Indy, Willie, and Short Round are making it -- when the cult shows up and there's a fight on the bridge.  Indy loses two of the three stones, but also defeats the cult, killing it's high priest and another Thuggee.

However, Indy frees the kids and brings them back to the village.  The village water supply is also back (it had been possibly diverted to the mining operation), and Indy returns their sacred rock.

Still, overall the movie is dark -- child labor, a cult that practices human sacrifice, the Thuggee high priest tearing a still beating heart out of a man's chest -- it's frightening and horrifying.  But the most disturbing is Indy himself  falling under the spell of  the cult and doing things he normally wouldn't do -- like locking Willie in the sacrifice basket or hitting a child.

But the film also suffers from not having the spirit of high adventure that "Raiders of  the Lost Ark" has.  It suffers from not having Indy's friends Sallah and Marcus in the film.  Willie and Short Round are very annoying companions for Indy -- especially Willie who whines and complains and screams an awful lot, and just doesn't have the fire that Karen Allen had.

Recommendation:  Indiana Jones is only available in multi-film sets, so it's worth at least watching

Rating:  3 out of  5

Next Film:  Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

• Title:  Raiders of  the Lost Ark  (Indiana Jones)
• Director:  Steven Spielburg
• Date:  1981
• Studio:  Paramount Pictures
• Genre:  Action, Adventure
• Cast:  Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott, Alfred Molina
• Format:  Color, Widescreen
• DVD Format;  R1, NTSC

"Asps, very dangerous.  You go first." -- Sallah

"I don't know, I'm making this up as I go."  -- Indiana Jones

"You're not the man I knew ten years ago."  -- Marion

"It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage."  -- Indiana Jones

One of my favorite movies from my childhood, right along side Star Wars (the original), Indiana Jones is a tour de force of  non-stop action and adventures.  From the stirring music to the unforgettable characters, and stunning direction, it's the movie that made me fascinated with movies.  It should be noted that the title of the first Indiana Jones film is Raiders of  the Lost Ark, the "Indiana Jones and the..." was added to the DVD release -- fortunately it's only on the DVD case, the film itself  still has the original title in tact.

Indiana Jones, also like Star Wars, has it's origin in the old movie serials of the 1930s -- full of action and adventure, and continued from week to week with a cliffhanger at the end of each episode.  And whereas Star Wars is partially based on the SF serials such as Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, Indiana Jones is based on the adventure serials in spirit but brings an original twist to the idea with it's characters.  But it does follow the tradition of  keeping the audience's interest by having brief episodic stories within the main story.  That is, the settings change frequently in the movie, from the jungles of  South America, to an American University, to Nepal, to Egypt, as does the action.  This definitely adds to the action and adventure of the film, or as one of  the promos has it -- "If Adventure has a name, it must be Jones."

The film begins in the middle of an adventure, with Indiana Jones searching a jungle in South America for a golden idol.  It fact, the first shot we see of  Indiana Jones is as he steps into the light after using his bullwhip to disarm a native guide who was going to shoot him.  Ford, as Jones, in leather jacket and fedora, with bull whip and revolver, steps into the light -- and he is the character, this is all we need to know.  In fact, for the entire first scene, we don't even know this explorer's name.  Indiana manages to get the Idol, and escape the temple, only to have the idol stolen from him by a rival French treasure hunter named Rene Belloq.

Next we see mild-mannered Jones teaching archaeology at his university.  He's tracked down by government agents and sent on a race to get the Ark of  the Covenant before the Nazis do.  This is the core of the film, the race to find and take the Ark.  The film includes the famous "snake" scene, as well as the ultimate torching of the Nazis by the Ark's power.

But one of the most chilling images in the film is the Ark being boxed up by US Army Intelligence and locked away in a mysterious warehouse, filled with other wooden crates.  Makes me wonder every time I re-watch Raiders of  the Lost Ark, just what else is hidden away in that warehouse.

But the film is pure fun -- action, adventure, romance (in the old-fashioned sense of the word), fiery women, real men, everything a young girl could want in a film.  And the magic doesn't wear off  no matter how many times one watches it.  Spielburg and Lucas created a timeless classic that just never gets old or looks dated.

Recommendation:  See it!  This is especially a great film for young teens and pre-teens to adults.

Rating:  5 of 5 Stars

Next Film:  Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom