The Two Towers

[MsPoet]

Is anyone---ANYONE AT ALL-----as excited as I am for this movie?!!!!!!! My family and I were in a store last week buying a new tv set and a bunch of the tvs had the full TTT trailer on. After watching it, I concluded that the 2 and a half minutes were better than some if not most entire movies!!!!!!
I got the internet-limited-edition TTT soundtrack in the mail yesterday and along with it came a few aprox. 5 inch square pictures. One of them was of Treebeard with Merry and Pippin. I sorta started crying. I'm not sure if it's because I have no car right now (my car died) and I can't go anywhere, etc etc (so I am in a funk ), or if it's because I envisioned everything soooo carefully when I read and LIVED the LOTR books during college(university).

Elijah is going to be on MTV's TRL on this coming Thursday. On Friday he will be on Live With Regis&Kelly. I don't know if any of you have seen him---he's shaved his hair all off
I dunno if/when Orlando is going to be on any talk shows.
If you'd like to see him as Santa, go here:
www.orlandomultimedia.cjb.net/

;D Donna

I saw it few days ago, it`s very good, not better than FOTR but equally good. What stands in the way of getting better than the original are the following flaws;

a)the movie doesn`t fix FOTR`s problems such as reprtitive scenes and underdeveloped characters. For example, there are several moments when Aragorn flashbacks to kissy-kissy time with Arwen or when Gollum does Norman/Goblin split-persona. once is great, second time is um,OK. Third time you scream "Move on!"
There are 30+ characters and most of them are cardboard figures whether good or bad so you wonder why they are in the movie in the first place. there`s no difference between most of characters. Arwen and Eowyn are 2 love-sick puppies making goo-goo eyes at aragorn, that`s what they are about 90% of their screen time. It just happens that they are skillful with sword (Arwen in FOTR, Eowyn in TTT) but that doesn`t make them different from Maid In Manhattan if you know what I mean. Gimli, Merry and Pipin are comic relieves no less no more. Legolas and Eomer are the same action figure the only difference is that Eomer speaks at the top of his lungs and that legolas looks better and kills more but enough about acting and characterisation (I hope you got sarky tone). Wormtongue is mini-Saruman. Galadriel`s cameo is pointless as ever. And why the hell Aragorn goes bananas when haldir is killed since we wouldn`t know they cared for each other so much.

b)Romance is noble failure. A&A`s flashback smoocharama just don`t cut it. It completely fails to capture the grandeur of their love. It`s forgettable love story and all the talk about mortality and immortality makes you go "Huh?" rather than feel something for the couple. there`s no interaction or chemistry between them and the fact that those scenes are either dream or flashback make them lame, not at all larger-than-life love it was supposed to be. the weakest part of the movie bar none!

c)Faramir sucks, both character change (he is Boromir Lite, he wants the ring but has change of heart) and the actor (extremly unlikable guy who doesn`t have nobility and screen presence like sean bean). Scenes with faramir are second worst and are watchable only thanks to Frodo/Sam interplay, they have great chemistry.

d)predictable black&whiteness - bad guys are always ugly, good guys and girls (cause there are no bad girls in Tolkien world) are likable and pretty and they are oh-so-willing to sacrifice for greater cause, they are totally unselfish and don`t fear death (yeah right!) that you can`t believe in these guys, they are incarnations of good rather than real characters.

e)Dialogue is embarrassingly silly going "There`s no hope!" "There`s always hope!" "Don`t lose hope!" "I`m not affraid of death!"

f) Effects range from excellent (Gollum) to horrible that make you wonder why they agreed to keep them in the movie (exorcizm, disappointing Ents, Wargs)

But the movie delivers when it comes to battles they are trully stunning work and Gollum does steal the show from real actors (mostly due to the fact that he doesn`t have to compete against true big screen charismas such as Cruise, Roberts, Gibson which would make a difference). So as a spectacle it`s breathtaking and interplay between fellowship actors is as great as ever. new characters aren`t very interesting as mentioned before, some of them clicked with the regular cast some didn`t. Movie score is fab but so was the first one and no Enya crap this time around, yay! Middle earth women have big fat butts so I had no choice but to identify with Gollum. ;D I wonder who is skinnier Gollum or CC? ;D Anyway, thanks to Gollum technology (actor/CGI mix) it is possible for CC to play Voldy, trust me Golllum is the best CGI character ever created and although he isn`t perfect real in 2 or 3 years when GoF is to be shot they`ll perfect the technology beyond imagination. until than watch TTT!

[lizifer]

i'm sooooooooooo excited, i plan on going to london tomorrow and standing outside the premiere watching the red carpet action! ;D even tho its amazingly cold over here now!!

i can't wait to see treebeard in action

i think i need time to get used to elijahs shaved head

[Mandragora]

I love the whole LOTR thing, and I am pretty much looking forward to Gandalf's resurrection (oohh, he's back? YES!) I kinda hope that TTT is going to be a whole lot better than FOTR since that in the whole LOTR books, books number 3 and 4 (the Two Towers part) is the most thrilling.

Well, I guess the reason why the whole Aragorn and Arwen tandem might look too sappy in the film is because, well, Arwen is not that much a detailed character in the books anyway. When you think about it, Eowyn has a bigger part, and Arwen's basically just mentioned (except in Book 7, her death is really sad), so I guess it's just a way of putting the romantic element to the film. Eowyn is the one who's really into Aragorn... I hope Miranda Otto did a great job, I kinda imagine Eowyn to be as insane as Joan of Arc as how Mila Jovovich played it in the Luc Besson adaptation.

I sure hope Sir Ian gets to be nominated again in the Oscars and this time he'll win. He's such an excellent actor and person, and I cannot imagine anyone else playing my favorite wizard... Sorry Tom Riddle- Voldemort-Dumbledore-Harry Potter-Snape fans, but for me, Gandalf is the greatest wizard in the world, hehe

Gandalf over Tom Riddle, anytime *ducks at those who will throw things at me*

[Angelamyte]

Mandragora said:

(except in Book 7, her death is really sad

Gandalf over Tom Riddle, anytime *ducks at those who will throw things at me*

thanks for telling me what's her face dies...*cut eye* lol

and voldemorte isn't as powerful as MERLIN!!! Now, he's the best! in LOTR, is there sum sort of connection between Merlin and Gandalf? cuz i know, he has sum sort of award called "2nd class of Merlin" (or sumthin like that) or is that in HP??

[Mandragora]

That's in HP lol

The whole LOTR thing is like an exclusive history you know... and Merlin doesn't even live in their world. LOTR takes place in Middle Earth, while Harry Potter is right very much in the UK JKRowling is known for using real characters, if not, legendary characters in her books.

Like Nicholas Flamel in the Sorcerer Stone, there is a REAL Nicholas Flamel who lived in Paris, the only person who has claimed to have made the philiosopher's stone. His death is quite mysterious because when they opened his coffin, his body isn't there, so story has it that he did have the stone and he faked his own death. If you go to Paris, his old house still stands, I just can't remember what it is called now... but the new owners have converted it into a restaurant. This is so because Flamel was a wealthy alchemist, and he was always feeding people off the streets in his house.

There is also the Arthurian theme in HP, the two guys and a girl thing (King Arthur, Queen Genuiver and that Knight), Arthur is also an orphan, etc., so Dumbledore is probably the Merlin equivalent. And Fluffy (or the three headed dog) is also a character too in some Greek myth.

LOTR, so far, as I know of, hasn't been compared to any existing legends or something. Re LOTR wizards, there are five wizards, but two of them gave up being wizards and moved to other lands, so the remaining are Gandalf, Saruman, and Radagast the Brown. The wizards have special powers that help them in going about in Middle-Earth; Gandalf with other people-humans, Saruman the Dark Arts and Radagast with animals. Too bad they didn't show Radagast, he's quite the reason why Gandalf got rescued by the Great Eagle. He didn't have that much of a part in the LOTR books though

Okay, enough with this, hehehe, I have to leave in an hour and I haven't dressed yet.

[DarthCheese]

WEll, the two wizards didn't give up, no one knows what happened to them.. the Blue Wizards, they was, and it said they went into the east and did not return.. so maybe sauron killed them... but I haven't finished reading the book of lost tales 1 yet, or even started on 2 so.. yeah

[Mandragora]

Yes, I realized after reading the whole LOTR that there are still pieces that needed answers like the origin of the Elves... and where on earth did Sauron came from? Was Sauron like Voldemort, once a handsome young Numenorian warrior...? Hehe, that's when I realize that it is not enough to read LOTR only, but it also helps to read all the stories of Middle Earth, the Lost Tales, Silmarillon... the Hobbit too. I wonder if they're going to make The Hobbit into a movie, it's the prequel to the LOTR. And The Hobbit is really funny.

Maybe Christian should play the young Bilbo? Oh no... how Bilbo looks like in the LOTR is the same in The Hobbit! I remember... he never aged once acquiring the ring, and he was fifty then!

Mckellen won`t be nominated cause gandalf`s screen time is very reduced plus NLC announced they would support Andy serkis (Gollum) who is show-stealer hands down,

A&A don`t work because actors don`t have the chemistry and once-uppon-a-dream romance is crap.

Eowyn is perfectly blended into background but doesn`t stand out because the actress has no leading lady screen presence to hold her own with male co-stars. It`s male movie 100% and all actresses just don`t stand out not that they are bad but they are just upstaged by men. There`s reason why Liv Tyler isn`t Reese Withersthingy and why Miranda otto isn`t julia Roberts if you know what I mean. Or let put it this way: hermione raises her eyebrow and Arwen, Eowyn and galadriel fall on their knees and clean her boots. I suspect PJ deliberately cast actresses who are good supporting material but no lead one so that they don`t steal the show from guys and make the movie less manly. There`s also character change for Eowyn - she`s no Cold lady in the movie but very warm and caring. IMO, Viggo and Miranda have nice chemistry, nothing too sexual, and you can`t help but like them more than A&A.

Oh,well, see the movie.

BTW, Sauron wasn`t handsome Numenorean but handsome Maiar, he`s of the same race like gandalf and Saruman. IMO, making sauron prequels would be fantastic because the whole Middle earth saga is actually about him and because Tolkien deliberately didn`t want to flesh him out (he was affraid that readers might like him more than good guys) scriptwriters would have a blast with the character.Especially when it comes to his hinted love affair with vampiress Maia.

[dulcinea]

well, i can only agree with you on one of the three actresses - liv tyler is almost painful to watch in general. but cate blanchett is definitely leading lady material, have you ever seen her in anything else? she's a fabulous actor, and i think if she's none too impressive in the newest lotr, it's probably more due to the size/role of the character than anything.

i watched fotr just for her, actually! *laughs* imagine my disappointment when she came and left in an eye-blink.

Blanchette has no charisma. She just looks like he wants to stab you in the back, very mean. Maybe she isn`t like that but camera captures that negative vibe and that`s a turn-off for audience. Nobody watches her movies, she`s a boxoffice poison. She was under consideration to play bridget jones and i say Thank God she lost the role to renee. Renee has it going on. Cate doesn`t. I tried to watch Charlotte gray on TV and it was awful I had to tune in to something else. And her performance in FOTR was the worst part of otherwise great movie. Horrible overracting and complete failure in capturing the character. Book`s Galadriel was kinda flirty but Blanchette`s one was downright evil, she came across worse than saruman. very bad performance. And yes, I know, Elisabeth, haven`t seen it but that`s the only movie CB`s name is associated with and it`s been like 3-5 years since than so I think she should stop riding this coattail,it`s got worn out.

As for Liv tyler, she just too young for arwen. Arwen as a woman, not a girl and Liv/Arwen is a girl. Eowyn is a gril, a virgin, but in the movie she`s a woman so everything is turned upside down. But I stick to what i said - good supporting actresses but no leading ladies. But than, leading lady and leading man is a special gift that only few posses so don`t take anything I said as an insult cause it isn`t.

[MsPoet]

Well I'm gonna have to disagree on the subject of Cate Blanchett---I LOVE her. She is absolutely wonderful. She is "luminous"--with light--as Ralph Fiennes has described her---she is unique and different in every role. I thought she was great in "Pushing Tin" and hilarious in "Bandits"--and she CHANNELED Elizabeth I for "Elizabeth" but lost out to Gwyneth for a fictional character---ugh. I'm still bitter about that.

And as for Arwen and Eowyn, they look exactly how I'd pictured them.

Donna

[jencoulson]

NOOOOOOOOOO, Mandragora!!!!!!! Tom Riddle is the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mandragora]

Sorry jencoulson, but I know a REAL wizard when I see one (onscreen), hahaha. I am Gandalf's Girl, if you want to know. Oh well, it's probably because I see him as paternal, and I rarely see that in ANY character (as opposed to Kevin Spacey in "American Beauty", hahaha), and am gonnay stick by it, Christian Coulson or no Christian Coulson, Gandalf the Grey is THE wizard

Cate Blanchett is not so bad, I love her in "Elizabeth". I got quite surprised when I saw who plays Eowyn... I quite imagined Eowyn to be, yes, younger and with a lot of spunk. I can't tell yet with Miranda Otto's performance, I haven't seen TTT, but I'll probably watch it again and again and again... Liv is okay as Arwen too, she's as pretty as an Elven lady. I think casting her is a strategy too, you know, for the boys; and for the girls--- fine we all have Legolas.

Yep, Gollum, I heard, is quite a portrayal in the latest LOTR installment. If it is true I am going to see less of Gandalf, OH WELL... I do love the dude Think I'll just stare at my Gandalf action figure. As for Sir Ian, I should head to the video store and rent Gods and Monsters

[jencoulson]

Okay, I get your point. I'm still a Christianette, though (sorry, I watch way too much Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Christian is HOT! I do like Gandalf, though.