nodnarb Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 agree 100%. Now do you REALLY want to be blown away? watch all six discs that make up the appendices. It'll take a spare couple of days, but start with the first one and go through them all. You will be constantly ASTOUNDED by what they achieved and how they achieved it. You will feel like you haven't done ANYTHING in your life. You will feel like everyone working on those films is smarter and more talented than you and you'll be right. You will come away with a thousand times more respect than you had for them after being blown away by watching the end product. Make sure you watch every piece that involves design and weta workshop. But don't skip things you might be inclined to skip, like the costume work. Even that will astound you on many levels. The care and artistry and detail they went to for things that they knew would never even be seen on film....incredible. Non-stop incredible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ofiba Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 I never read the books, but the movies absolutely bored me. I watched each one and fell asleep during each one. I'm no film critic, but when you fall asleep during a movie, it can't be that great. Oh well, I guess I'm in the minority. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CosmicBills Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 I never read the books, but the movies absolutely bored me. I watched each one and fell asleep during each one. I'm no film critic, but when you fall asleep during a movie, it can't be that great. Oh well, I guess I'm in the minority. 218888[/snapback] You're not in the minority. I know lots of people that feel the same way. There is no question the film is an epic achievment on many levels. But most of them are visual rather than emotional which can lead some to feel it's a boring movie. It's all about taste and what gets to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarthur31 Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 Well, I just watched the LOTR Trilogy over the past three days. There is much I forgot going a year in between each masterpiece. To call LOTR the greatest movie of all time does it no justice. I don't think you can ever consider it a movie. It transends that level into one that has never been reached. It is an epic that I don't think will ever be bettered. Peter Jackson did a tremendous job turn what I consider the greatest piece of literature into a film. For those of you who never saw the epic or those who thought, ewww, that looks corny, give it a chance, you won't regret it. It will be the greatest thing you'll ever watch -- at least until the Bills win a Super Bowl. The characters, the music, the battles, the struggles of good and evil, and so much more. I get shivers watching this movie, you feel as though you are in it. 218703[/snapback] Wow, if you were that impressed, I'd like to hear what you think of the books. I agree tho. Sweeping the Oscars when the last film was released was a sick joke. The very first part deserved more from the Academy! That trilogy will be required watching for teens in school along with the texts pretty soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drnykterstein Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 i hate those movies. and p.s. anyone who says there are gay overtones is an idiot. homosexuality did not exist in middle earth. grow up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olivier in france Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 the movies were fine but the best thing they made me to do was to make me read the books again (15 years later!) and they are truly fantastic (and not only the trilogy, i love the "unifinished tales", there is some incredible strories in those books that could make fantastic films by themselves) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Vader Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 As a movie-nut, and lover of many movies, I simply can not say that there is a "greatest movie of all time", let alone best form of art. I'll leave all that nonsense to the critics. In the long run what is important is do you as a person enjoy them or not. Having said that, I think the Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of the greatest achievements in cinema history. Each film deservedly was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, and you could have made a strong case that all 3 should have won. I am sorry but "A Beautiful Mind" was an above average movie with a great performance by Russell Crowe, & "Chicago" while very creative and well acted, were both far from better than the first 2 Rings installments. But thats the politics of the Oscars, a movie's trilogy can not be THAT good. These 3 films will live on and be hailed as some of the greatest films ever made. Moreso than films like "Titanic" & "Shakespeare In Love", which IMO will prove not to have longevity over time. These 3 films all have everything that movie making is all about. A fantastic story of good and evil. Interesting characters, a great blend of humor & drama, intense action scenes, breathtaking cinematography, and spectacular visual effects. It was an empty feeling this past holiday season, when there was no more Lord of the Rings to look forward too. The box office felt it too. I look forward to Peter Jackson's version of King Kong in December. It's thanks to both Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, that fantasy is back in movies, and that is a good thing. With the first story of Narnia also coming to theatres in December, and other great stories being optioned to movie studios, like "His Dark Materials", "Thomas Covenant Chronicles", & the "Xanth" novels, will bring much fun to the movie theatres. I just hope that Jackson can get the rights to "The Hobbit". It would be great to visit Middle-Earth on film again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDH Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 LOTR is to film, what Wagner's Ring series was to opera ...Except no one wants to watch an 18 hour opera -- I tried once, made it through about 14 hours. Even music enthusiasts have a tough time. But still, the volume and artistry of the work has never been equaled. 218720[/snapback] I don't want to rip into posters who love these movies (I own them and enjoy the hell out of them as well) but I keep seeing things like this thrown around; "Best work of art ever", "best films ever", "will never be equaled.” So a question: how much about film, its theories and its history (both domestic and international) do you know? Have you seen the films of Kurosawa, Tarkovsky, Renoir, Ozu, Tati, Bresson and a plethora of others I can't possibly list here? Having seen those films are you really equipped with the knowledge to understand what those filmmakers were doing and how they went about doing it? Film is a language, and like any language the more one learns about it the more one is able to understand its subtleties and complexities. Most of the people throwing around this praise I'd assume have a very limited understanding of film. I’d assume most here have a pretty high reading level, so this might be a pretty good analogy: Dr. Seuss wrote some great books, for what they were. But once one progressed in their understanding of the English language these books weren't enough to satiate your appetite for something more. Someone without a background in film saying the Lord of the Rings Trilogy is the "best piece of art work ever" is like someone with a 2nd grade reading level calling "Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?" the greatest piece of literature ever written. It is a good book, hell it might be the one I enjoy reading to my son the most (well, that or “The Sneetches”)…but simply enjoying it and it being “the greatest piece of literature ever” are two different things. I'm sure I'll get some angry replies to this as most people don't appreciate being told they don't know something (and it tends to piss them off). That's okay, let'er rip! Anyway, it’s a game of semantics I suppose. I have no problem with someone calling the films their “favorite of all time” or something of the like, but if you start throwing around praise as the “greatest film of all time” you had better be able to back it up with a comprehensive knowledge of film. Yes, this is a pet peeve of mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janbillsfan Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 for those who have read the books, make sure you watch the extended versions of the movies, worth the extra time and is much more true to the books. What amazes me is that the books are so long and complex, yet the movies follow them so well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moose Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 agree 100%. Now do you REALLY want to be blown away? watch all six discs that make up the appendices. It'll take a spare couple of days, but start with the first one and go through them all. You will be constantly ASTOUNDED by what they achieved and how they achieved it. You will feel like you haven't done ANYTHING in your life. You will feel like everyone working on those films is smarter and more talented than you and you'll be right. You will come away with a thousand times more respect than you had for them after being blown away by watching the end product. Make sure you watch every piece that involves design and weta workshop. But don't skip things you might be inclined to skip, like the costume work. Even that will astound you on many levels. The care and artistry and detail they went to for things that they knew would never even be seen on film....incredible. Non-stop incredible. 218843[/snapback] Yes, indeed! I have watched everything there is to watch in the extended versions of the first two and it is truly astounding, as you say! I would have LOVED just being a part of the design crew or something, helping to create even the most minute implement of one of the cultures of Middle Earth. The enormity of creativity and effort that went into those movies is nothing short of spectacular, from the work of the swordsmiths to the script writers (what to leave in, what to leave out) to the dedication of even the most extraneous extras! As a Christmas present I got the extended (gift) version of The Return of the King and I'm looking forward to watching every last disc in its entirety. My hope is that there's even a FULL TRILOGY extended gift version in the works for Christmas 2005! (Although it's hard to imagine that there are any new tidbits to add...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dib Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 Jackson also plans on doing the Hobbit as a film with the cast from the LOTR flicks. He hopes to start it in 2007. 218716[/snapback] He would only need Bilbo and Gandalf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 I wouldn't go so far as to say they're the greatest movies of all time. They're not even the greatest EPIC movies of all time. You want the greatest EPIC movie of all time, IMO? Spartacus. The things Stanley Kubrick did in 1960 with ACTUAL PEOPLE dwarf even the CG special effects in LOTR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 I never read the books, but the movies absolutely bored me. I watched each one and fell asleep during each one. I'm no film critic, but when you fall asleep during a movie, it can't be that great. Oh well, I guess I'm in the minority. 218888[/snapback] do you have a short attention span? most of the folks i know who didn't like LoTR have problems sitting thru 3 hour movies. the real world, jessica simpson, and fear factor they don't have a problem with Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RabidBillsFanVT Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 I'm sorry, but I have a REAL problem with the Return of the King ending! The book's ending is SO MUCH BETTER, and the movie made it cheesy and saccharin!!! Where is the 'mysterious stranger' who holds his sway over the Shire, to be revealed to Frodo, and eventually done in by the pathetic Grima??? WHERE IS THE KICK-A$$ ENDING? I felt robbed, really... everything else I thought was BRILLIANT.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RabidBillsFanVT Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 I don't want to rip into posters who love these movies (I own them and enjoy the hell out of them as well) but I keep seeing things like this thrown around; "Best work of art ever", "best films ever", "will never be equaled.” So a question: how much about film, its theories and its history (both domestic and international) do you know? Have you seen the films of Kurosawa, Tarkovsky, Renoir, Ozu, Tati, Bresson and a plethora of others I can't possibly list here? Having seen those films are you really equipped with the knowledge to understand what those filmmakers were doing and how they went about doing it? Film is a language, and like any language the more one learns about it the more one is able to understand its subtleties and complexities. Most of the people throwing around this praise I'd assume have a very limited understanding of film. I’d assume most here have a pretty high reading level, so this might be a pretty good analogy: Dr. Seuss wrote some great books, for what they were. But once one progressed in their understanding of the English language these books weren't enough to satiate your appetite for something more. Someone without a background in film saying the Lord of the Rings Trilogy is the "best piece of art work ever" is like someone with a 2nd grade reading level calling "Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?" the greatest piece of literature ever written. It is a good book, hell it might be the one I enjoy reading to my son the most (well, that or “The Sneetches”)…but simply enjoying it and it being “the greatest piece of literature ever” are two different things. I'm sure I'll get some angry replies to this as most people don't appreciate being told they don't know something (and it tends to piss them off). That's okay, let'er rip! Anyway, it’s a game of semantics I suppose. I have no problem with someone calling the films their “favorite of all time” or something of the like, but if you start throwing around praise as the “greatest film of all time” you had better be able to back it up with a comprehensive knowledge of film. Yes, this is a pet peeve of mine. 218968[/snapback] I think you are being WAY too hard on people! I have watched Visconti's supposedly grand masterpieces, and read a couple of Bronte's supposed great works, and I didn't think they were that impressive!!! Art and literature is all in the eye of the beholder!!! For some Picasso is a great artist; to others, Monet was far better. You don't need an extensive background in ANYTHING to think what YOU consider to be a great piece of ANYTHING. It is a serious pet peeve of mine that people on their lofty academic mountain can tell the world what is great and what is not!! I find it offensive, really... nobody writes books or creates films or paints paintings for critics; they do it because people ENJOY them!!! I'll take my Dumas or Monet and let the abstract artists and the lovers of Thomas Hardy and Emily Bronte have their enjoyment. Calling the LOTR series one of the greatest series of films of all time is NOT a crime... it is an expression of the love of a set of films that captures the imagination, wows people, and gives children AND adults great pleasure!!! If that is wrong because I haven't seen a Kurosawa movie, then I am wrong, and I will GLADLY admit it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkwwjd Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 I don't want to rip into posters who love these movies (I own them and enjoy the hell out of them as well) but I keep seeing things like this thrown around; "Best work of art ever", "best films ever", "will never be equaled.” So a question: how much about film, its theories and its history (both domestic and international) do you know? Have you seen the films of Kurosawa, Tarkovsky, Renoir, Ozu, Tati, Bresson and a plethora of others I can't possibly list here? Having seen those films are you really equipped with the knowledge to understand what those filmmakers were doing and how they went about doing it? Film is a language, and like any language the more one learns about it the more one is able to understand its subtleties and complexities. Most of the people throwing around this praise I'd assume have a very limited understanding of film. I’d assume most here have a pretty high reading level, so this might be a pretty good analogy: Dr. Seuss wrote some great books, for what they were. But once one progressed in their understanding of the English language these books weren't enough to satiate your appetite for something more. Someone without a background in film saying the Lord of the Rings Trilogy is the "best piece of art work ever" is like someone with a 2nd grade reading level calling "Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?" the greatest piece of literature ever written. It is a good book, hell it might be the one I enjoy reading to my son the most (well, that or “The Sneetches”)…but simply enjoying it and it being “the greatest piece of literature ever” are two different things. I'm sure I'll get some angry replies to this as most people don't appreciate being told they don't know something (and it tends to piss them off). That's okay, let'er rip! Anyway, it’s a game of semantics I suppose. I have no problem with someone calling the films their “favorite of all time” or something of the like, but if you start throwing around praise as the “greatest film of all time” you had better be able to back it up with a comprehensive knowledge of film. Yes, this is a pet peeve of mine. 218968[/snapback] Maybe you replied to my comment as a random choice, but I never threw around the idea of the "greatest of all time" or anything like that. Wagner's Ring series (opera) was not the best of all time, so that is not what I compared it to. The connection I made between the Ring series and LOTR was the volume of the work compared to others in its genre and the artistry -- the sheer volume enhances the artistry because of the amount of work thrown into a project of that magnitude, pluse the artistry would be great even if it was a 90 minute Disney channel movie. You are right though, I have not seen every movie. I also have not seen every opera. But the comparision I drew still stands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 I don't want to rip into posters who love these movies (I own them and enjoy the hell out of them as well) but I keep seeing things like this thrown around; "Best work of art ever", "best films ever", "will never be equaled.” So a question: how much about film, its theories and its history (both domestic and international) do you know? Have you seen the films of Kurosawa, Tarkovsky, Renoir, Ozu, Tati, Bresson and a plethora of others I can't possibly list here? Having seen those films are you really equipped with the knowledge to understand what those filmmakers were doing and how they went about doing it?218968[/snapback] What about Salo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gross Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 He would only need Bilbo and Gandalf. 218995[/snapback] ...and Elrond, Gollum (yeah, I know...still need the actor to do at least the voice work) and the Sackville-Bagginses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CosmicBills Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 He would only need Bilbo and Gandalf. 218995[/snapback] By cast I also meant all the artists who worked on the costumes, sets, and production. He wants everyone back who worked on the first three so there is a seamless feel to it. He has the rights to the story and everything I've heard says he plans to make it his next (or possibly second) movie after Kong wraps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubhockey Posted January 26, 2005 Author Share Posted January 26, 2005 I have listened to all your argument, however, personally, I feel LOTR (Books + Films) along with everything else Tolkien created about Middle-Earth is the best piece of art ever. But those are my feelings. The books are second to none and that's why his Trilogy has been the second most read book in the 20th century, right after the bible. I do need to re-read them because I was really young when I first did and I don't think I remember reading the Hobbit. As for the films, someone said they were not emotional. I must have been watching a different movie. Am I wrong or is the entire Trilogy based on the emotions of good versus the will of evil? Everyone has their thoughts on what their greatest movie or book is, few have mentioned any specifics, but of those mentioned, none are even close to the LOTR in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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