Haunting the Web Since 1999
Where is the horse and the rider?
Where is the horn that was blowing?
They have passed like rain on the mountains, like wind in the meadow.
The days have come down in the West behind the hills…into shadow.
As with a year ago (12/19), consider David Brin’s warning (spoilers for non-readers), then get thee to a cinema!
Update: As spectacular as I hoped, with Gollum a special treat. I’ll say more after a second viewing this afternoon.
I’m usually all one for spoilers, but do NOT watch this last thirty-second trailer for Two Towers, and especially do NOT go look at the frame-by-frame analysis here. I counted at least eight money shots from near the end of the film that I wish I’d experienced for the first time Tuesday. You have been warned.
The veiling shadow that glowers in the East takes shape. One week until The Two Towers, and the rave reviews keep on coming. Check out this one, from an ostensibly non-fanboy site. “Whether you liked Fellowship or not, it does not matter. The Two Towers is one of the greatest cinematic achievements of all time, and it should not be missed…I cannot give high enough praise to this film. It is the year’s best film, and a milestone in cinema history.” Phew. I’ll be happy if it’s as good as Fellowship, which is no small task, particularly considering how TTT is probably my least favorite of the books. At any rate, here’s sixteen minutes of footage and a Tolkien-themed crossword puzzle for the rest of you out there who can’t wait.
With two weeks to go until the big show, Two Towers reviews are flying fast and furious. I’m not linking to them directly because almost all of them are ridiculously spoilerific. Suffice to say (a) everybody loves it so far and (b) it feels more like a continuation of Fellowship than a sequel, which is exactly how it should be. Update: Here’s a new one that’s pretty spoiler-free – “The Two Towers proves that the Lord of the Rings series will probably stand as the greatest fantasy film trilogy of all time…It is a near-perfect piece of filmmaking.” Really? Well, I guess I’ll have to go see it, then.
We will make such a chase as shall be accounted a marvel among the Three Kindreds: Elves, Dwarves, and Men. AOL and TOR.N offer a 1-minute glimpse at one of the early moments of The Two Towers. Update: From the hunters to the hunted — Lost in the Emyn Muil, Sam and Frodo get the sense they’re being followed in another 30 seconds of footage courtesy of E!. Update 2: Now Extra gets in the act with this short moment between Aragorn and Theoden.
Time jumps on the Two Towers bandwagon…big spoilers for those of you who haven’t read the books.
Tickets for The Two Towers seemed to have gone on sale today…everywhere but Manhattan. Grrr… As recompense, though, “Gollum‘s Song,” the very Bjork-like coda to the film (much like Enya’s “May it Be” for Fellowship), is now available for download here. And as for the rest of the soundtrack…well, I really have no recollection of downloading it from Kazaa, but I suppose I might have…(Don’t worry, I’ll buy it also.)
Soundtrack.Net posts a spoiler-laden review of the TTT soundtrack (particularly for those who have not read the book), with 10-15 second samples of each song.
While TTT news flies fast and furious (stills, songs, and even the film’s opening are now available online), the extended version of Fellowship breaks today (expect updates around here to go way down.) To be honest, I flipped through most of the new stuff last night after a midnight madness sale, and I’d say 25 of the 30 new minutes are great additions. [Spoilers in next paragraph.]
The Galadriel/Lothlorien stuff works much better now, with both Galadriel and Celeborn taking on the flavor of Tolkien’s tome. Moreover, all of the underutilized members of the Fellowship – Boromir, Gimli, Merry, Pippen, and even Samwise – are given more characterization. And it just seems to take longer to get from place to place, which might take away from the film’s dizzying pace, but definitely captures more of the feel of the book. The only insertion I don’t like at the moment, other than Isildur‘s death (which seems unnecessary), is the additional Shire stuff at the very beginning. The cut to Frodo reading after the voiceover was a powerful one in the original version, but now there’s more filler about hobbits in between, courtesy of Bilbo. Perhaps it’ll grow on me (it’s a bit jarring to see a new version of a film you’ve seen fifty times, particularly when people are saying the same lines in a different take), but at the moment the “Concerning Hobbits” segment seems a bit leaden. (I dig the Green Dragon scene, though.) All in all, I love a lot of the stuff in here, and particularly the restored Lothlorien. Definitely worth a look-see…I’m having a few gatherings this week to show to friends, and I’m curious to see how first-time viewers react to the longer film. I suspect that this version is less accessible to non-Tolkienites than the original cut, which, on its own terms, is probably the better film.
On a side note, I also picked up the Episode II DVD (more out of dutiful resignation than of anything else) and, however strange some of the hobbit additions may seem, they’re infinitely better than some of the thankfully deleted scenes on this disc. It’s hard to figure out what’s more embarrassing – Lucas’ awful “Amidalas around the dinner table” dialogue or Natalie Portman’s stilted, wooden, and grotesquely bad delivery in every scene. If you buy one DVD this month, buy Fellowship.
A slew of teaser posters for long-awaited flicks have hit the web in the past few days, included the one-sheet for Adaptation, four more character-oriented TTT posters, and this first look at the lovely Monica Bellucci as Persephone in the Matrix sequels. (Notice her head isn’t cut off as in the first six preview posters…as it turns out full versions of each of them can be seen at the official site.)