[thechat] LOTR!

[Quackamoe]

--- martin.p.burns at uk.pwcglobal.com wrote:
> 
> Memo from Martin P Burns of PricewaterhouseCoopers
> 
> The Bad Guy from the Matrix is Hugo Weaving:
> http://us.imdb.com/Name?Weaving,+Hugo
> (hell, how many times *are* they re-packaging the
> Matrix?)
> 
> He also starred in Priscilla, with great lines like:
> "There are two things I don't like about you,
> Felicia. Your face, so how about shutting both of
> them?"
> which is how *I* can't help thinking of him, dressed
> in outrageous drag, miming to Abba.
> 

And Dave wrote:
> 
>  The only funny thing is that Elrond (?
> elf at the house at
> elrond?) is played by the bad guy from the Matrix...
> couldn't help thinking
> of him saying "You see Neo, the human race is like a
> disease..."
> 
For me it was when Frodo woke up in Rivendell and 
somehow I heard Elrond say "Welcome to Rivendell, Mr.
Anderson." But for the most part Hugo was Elrond, and
a good one at that.

> Alas, if you haven't read the books this movie will
> amaze you.  If you have
> read the books, I'm almost positive you'll be
> satisfied.  GO see this movie.
> 
Just got home from seeing it the second time today.
11am and 4pm screenings. Liked it a LOT more the 
second time through. Lots of good things there. The
cast was excellent, Ian McKellen didn't play Gandalf
well, he *was* Gandalf. Pippin was a hoot. Can't 
remember offhand who played him, but he was great.
Music was right there. Special effects were un-
believable. There's one shot at the Counci of Elrond
where the newly named Fellowship are standing together
and the hobbits really are shorter than the others,
although the actors are roughly the same size. Way
cool.

> The only complaint my wife Claire had, was that the
> Lady of the Woods scene
> was a little short.  I didn't seem to mind, but then
> again, I haven't read
> the books yet... though I intend to shortly.

Well, everything was a little short. No, not the 
hobbits. If they'd broken the film into six parts
like the books really are structured, they'd still 
have to pick and choose what they were going to leave
out. There's just too much there. That's why I liked
it the second time more, I wasn't repeatedly
disappointed
to notice that they'd left something out. I'm hoping
that a lot of film that ended up on the cutting room
floor in order to bring this thing in under 3 hours
will be on the DVD. *Thats* when I'll buy a DVD
player!

And Martin wrote further:
> 
> Cheers
> Martin
> (going to see it this evening. Forget SW, forget HP,
> *this* is the one I've been waiting for)

Well, I'm not going to forget HP, but this was *far*
superior. And SW? Well, you can pick any aspect of 
cinema, anything at all:

  plot
  setting
  scenery
  photography
  use of language
  special effects
  dramatic heft
  character development
  music
  action sequences
  costumery
  spaceship design
  acting
  backfilling - uh, the ancient history lesson
  
LotR beats SW hands down in every single category. Er,
well, except for music - the LotR music isn't quite
as memorable as SW, yet the love theme by Enya I 
was delighted to see fit in *perfectly* IMO. Oh, and
SW does have better space ships. I've seen all 4 SWs
numerous times and not one of them has ever made me
cry. I've read Fellowship of the Rings at least 3
times
in English and once in German and don't remember ever
crying, but I got teary eyed at both showings today.
Laughed out loud several times too.

All in all, well done, Peter Jackson! And thanks. I 
first read LotR during Easter Vacation* in 1972 and
so have waited just shy of 30 years for this movie.

I've had a cold just short of bronchitis for a week
now. Missed 3 days of work last week, dragged myself
to Rational ClearCase training Monday and Tuesday, and
woke up this morning feeling like dog-poop. I've
stayed
home from work feeling better than I felt this
morning.
There was not even one thought of not going. No, not
one. (Anybody else hear Ron Weasley saying something
about straightening out priorities?) Well, *mine* are
where they should be. Well, except that I have to get
up early to drive two hours for Rational ClearCase
Administrator training and be coherent enough to get
something out of it. Okay, so I'll go to bed now.

Terry

Oh! and Previews: 

"The Time Machine" and "Bad Company" both look pretty 
good.

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