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redxavier wrote:The most immediate that comes to mind is the introduction of Gandalf the White. I just think it's set up better. In the movie, Legolas just refers to something off-screen and it's just a really weird way to go into the scene.
I never understood the prank that Gandalf pulls on the fellowship when he respawns. And why can he deflect arrows and superheat swords there but resorts to conventional melee fighting elsewhere?
Inconsistent use of wizardry. Show him doing too many tricks and he's invincible (all tension evaporates) but not enough wizardry and he's just some old hobo drugged out on weed.
But these are all minor quibbles in the scheme of things. Jackson pulled off the impossible, against all expectation. Before 1999, it was Peter who? The films are endlessly spectacular, re-watchable, quotable, immersive, moving, and accompanied by the best score this century. The casting is spot-on, the production design is impressive and the cinematography and effects are top notch. Think of all the many ways the adaptation could have failed. For once, a genre film clean-sweeps the Academy Awards.
Another topic for discussion is all the amateur fan movies: Hunt for Gollum, Born of Hope, etc. Some have pretty good production values for a 'credit card' budget.
Palantir or Skype? Which is better on 4G?
Job for Mythbusters: can a Hobbit throw a rock and take out an armoured Orc?
Vincent: So you never wanted a regular type life?
Neil: What the fuck is that? Barbeques and ballgames?
Vincent: Yeah.
Who's supplying the halfling pipe weed? 
Stuart Townsend as Aragorn
Jeffery Harrell wrote:rtambree wrote:As an Australian, there's something unique about MI:2 in that it's the only non-Australian movie I know of to be filmed & set in Australia.
Wem Wenders' epic Until the End of the World was partially filmed and set in Australia. The last act of it was, anyway. The first two acts were filmed and set literally every-fucking-where.
Damn, damn good movie, too.
Thanks - I've never heard of that one. I'll look it up. 
When Gandalf got fragged, where was his re-spawn point?
More random questions:
5. How does Gollum get across the bridge of Khazad-Dum if he's trailing the fellowship and the bridge broke?
6. It's been noted for 50 years...why doesn't Gandalf just hitch a ride with an Eagle and drop the ring into the frigg'n volcano without anyone breaking sweat? Do you buy Tolkien's answer?
7. Why dismiss the Army of the Dead if the job's not done i.e. Black Gate confrontation still lay ahead. Too Deus Ex machina?
8. Frodo = Jesus. Discuss. Both have mortal wounds in their sides, both 'die' saving all inhabitants of the world, both descend into Mordor/Hell, and are resurrected by an Eagle/Angel, and then leave this realm.
9. Romney, Santorum or Aragorn?
Some random questions for the Down in Front crew (could be answered in the 7th hour when your're scratching around for topics to discuss):
1. In which Middle Earth realm would each of you like to live? Rivendell? Gondor? Lothlorien? The Shire? Other?
2. Arwen or Eowyn or Rosie or Gothmog?
3. Silmarillion trilogy? Yes or no?
4. Top Ten quibbles with Jackson's directing choices, if any?
And a shot every time Frodo strokes his ring
There must be a dozen drinking games around too: have a swig for Peter Jackson cameos, whenever a Hobbit takes down an Orc or creature, Figwit appearances, there's a dwarf-tossing joke, or anachronistic line like 'meat's back on the menu' or 'game over', Arwen cries, etc.
Don't forget to mention that (first choice for Gandalf) Sean Connery turned down 10% of gross for these movies because he didn't want to live in NZ for a year and wear the silly wizard's hat.
That's right, he gave up $300M(!!!) to NOT see a beautiful country that most people fall in love with when they visit.
Must be the biggest declined offer of all time. Can anyone think of a bigger one?
Question: how did Anthony Minghella's dislike of Demi Moore for 'The English Patient' lead to Bob Shaye greenlighting three LOTR movies?
I think one can get there in about 10 steps via Saul Zaentz, Mighty Joe Young, and the Weinsteins.
Just about all roads in Hollywood lead through the Weinsteins.
bullet3 wrote:I still defend MI:2, but I'm a Woo apologist. I really like the idea of having completely different directors bringing their vision to that franchise, and while Woo's vision is definitely retarded and crazy (also compromised as fuck by the PG-13 rating and the studio), its at least memorable. Whatever you call that movie, you don't call it generic.
That's why I kind of like MI:2 more than MI:3, even though 3 is obviously better as a cohesive movie. I just find the 3rd one really, really forgettable (like most JJ Abrams movies), and it doesn't really bring anything new to the table (the team stuff is better in the 1st one, the action is better in the 2nd one). MI:2 I can at least remember lots of cool images from it, and the awesome Hans Zimmer score.
As an Australian, there's something unique about MI:2 in that it's the only non-Australian movie I know of to be filmed & set in Australia. All those Bond & Bourne, etc movies that go to exotic locales - never ever go to Australia. After 22 Bond movies, he's been on every continent and in space and underwater, but Australia doesn't exist in the Bond universe. The only time Australia is featured in movies is in Australian movies.
And the only reason that MI:2 was set in Australia is because Tom & Nicole were together and wanted to raise/school their kids in Australia. Otherwise the location would have been in Europe or America or Asia or anywhere but Australia. I think the Australian landscape is too boring & empty - after all most of it is just one big flat sandy desert.
There are plenty of movies filmed on Australian soundstages (Star Wars 2&3, Matrix 1,2,3, etc) but they weren't SET in Australia.
Voice of God:
Just heard one in the Dark Knight commentary... 'Voice of God', where a director clarifies something in an interview/commentary/press conference after the movie has been released, that was unclear or ambiguous for the viewers. For example, Nolan confirming that Harvey Dent is actually dead, or Ridley Scott declaring Deckard a Replicant.
At the London Imax this month is a Lord of the Rings all-nighter (i.e. all three theatrical editions in one go) but it begins at midnight so you'd need intravenous Red Bull. In the past, you'd get someone like Ian McKellen turn up and make some introductory remarks.
I would normally go if it was on during the day, especially if they'd screen the extended editions, but as I far as I know there was never a print of the extended edition of Return of the King released for cinemas.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLr15BBBtrc
Here's a BBC documentary about someone who was dead for over an hour in the ice and was brought back to life
Wow - extra special high bit-rate of 192kbps for this one. 
Thanks guys, and congrats on a marvellous line-up of the best fan commentaries on the 'net.
I've just thrown $50 your way via Paypal as pizza money for the upcoming Lord of the Rings marathons. That should cover the food for the prologue and the Hobbiton scenes. The pizza boxes will be empty by the time the Hobbits arrive at Rivendell and then it'll be time for second-breakfast. Hopefully other listeners will chip in with pizza & drink money as well.
And there's even an excellent book, by Doug Adams, on the Lord of the Rings scores... detailing Howard Shore's composing, orchestration, instrumentation, the key to the many leitmotifs, etc.
I'd rank the LOTR score up with with Williams finest for Star Wars especially the last hour of Return of the King which has hardly any dialogue. Jackson has given Shore more room to breathe, than Lucas did for Williams.
No, no... preparation consists of watching all three extended editions 5 times (as there are four commentary tracks). That's 60 hours. Then all the box-set making-of extras. Another 25+ hours. Then reading the Tolkien books, Jackson biography, Serkis' book on creating Gollum, and Sean Astin's book, relevant fan blogs, wiki pages, imdb pages, Hobbit production diaries, easter eggs, MTV parodies, Costa Botes behind-the-scenes films, promotional interviews, etc... 
So a crude summary is the male journey is about rising status (schmuck to king), and the female journey is about status maintenance.
This maps onto evolutionary psychology i.e. men seek status (wealth, power, fame) to maximize their mating opportunities.
Women, on the other hand, start off with all the status they're ever going to get, because it's all about beauty and beauty generally peaks in their late-teens. So their quest is about maintaining what status they have.
All good points. I'm sure apologists can mangle some convoluted answer that the Joker was some sort of cult leader and had inside men everywhere (like Tyler Durden in Fight Club).
These days, with Twitter, someone charismatic with heaps of followers could instantly execute 'Order 66' or whatever.
Nolan's fast-paced plot (no repetitions of important plot points, no comic relief interludes), keeps you always struggling to keep up rather than mediate on why x or y doesn't make sense.
Lord of the Rings does fit the template - the Hobbits all get bowed to at the end in the equivalent scene to the medal-ceremony in Star Wars.
Afterwards, Sam gets the girl and becomes Mayor, and Frodo gets to go on a cruise with Galadriel.
The counter-argument is that while the Hobbits are acknowledged in Gondor, they're ignored in the pub in Hobbiton. The bloke next to them was more concerned about his giant pumpkin.
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