LOTR- Two Towers

[krossfyter]

Its opening soon. Anyone catch any secret viewings or anything? This thread is for you all to post your reviews on the movie... if youve seen it..... knowing this movie is opening up soon here. Can't wait to catch the flick. Should be interesting.

[Mr. Anderson]

Found this to be interesting - can't wait to see TreeBeard and the Ents messy up the Uruk-Hai!

http://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Movies/12/17/sproject.ca02.peter.jackson.ap/index.html

D

[diorio]

Originally posted by dukestreet
Found this to be interesting - can't wait to see TreeBeard and the Ents messy up the Uruk-Hai!

http://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Movies/12/17/sproject.ca02.peter.jackson.ap/index.html

D

The Ents are in it? Awesome!

[Mr. Anderson]

Looks like a friend of mine got tickets to the midnight showing, so I'll be back aftward to give an update. I was actually quite surprised he managed to get them - he went to the theater around 8ish, it said it was sold out, but after asking was told that there were a few more.

We'll be getting there early, probably around 11 or so, hopefully it won't be too crazy.

D

[krossfyter]

Originally posted by dukestreet
Looks like a friend of mine got tickets to the midnight showing, so I'll be back aftward to give an update. I was actually quite surprised he managed to get them - he went to the theater around 8ish, it said it was sold out, but after asking was told that there were a few more.

We'll be getting there early, probably around 11 or so, hopefully it won't be too crazy.

D


wow!


post a review please.


w3rd

[medea]

I'm going to the 8 o'clock showing tomorrow so I just watched the first episode on DVD to get hyped up, and it worked........
I'm sure none of us will be disappointed........

[krossfyter]

Originally posted by medea
I'm going to the 8 o'clock showing tomorrow so I just watched the first episode on DVD to get hyped up, and it worked........
I'm sure none of us will be disappointed........


yeah ive been checking out the extended version (dvd) for some time now.... so its fresh in my mind before i go in for the showing.

[pimentoLoaf]

Got the Extended DVD? Put the second disc in, highlight Fan Credits (#48), then move your mouse (I'm assuming you watch flicks on your Mac) to the lower right corner. When the Two Towers' icon appears, click it.

You'll see the trailer for tomorrow's movie.

[rainman::|:|]

Between the Ents and the Oliphaunts, i can't wait to see it-- it's gonna kick ass. Partner hated the first one, but he hasn't read the books and therefore doesn't have the patience to sit through so much development... but even he wants to see this, judging by the theatrical trailers. I hope they don't cut too much out, as preparation for war is made, things get really complicated... but it's all worth it...

:)
pnw

[Mr. Anderson]

Originally posted by paulwhannel
Between the Ents and the Oliphaunts, i can't wait to see it

That will be cool and in the trailer there is a shot of some warriors (Southrons) on giant cats. It should be a great show. Leaving now to go pick up my friends...

D

[cr2sh]

I've got tickets to the 12:01 showing tonight, I'll post a review when I get home.. that is of course, if I'm not plowing some super hot LOTR chick I met at the theatre (har-har!) :cool:

I'll be at the grandview lennox if any of my fellow columbus geaks are present...

[scem0]

im looking foreward more to the matrix reloaded, but I still can't wait
to see LOTR:TTT. It looks really good. I love it when Legolas fights,
he has the coolest fighting style in the movies. I almost like it as much
as Zhang ZiYi's in CTHD :eek: ;) :D :D .

[krossfyter]

got dang you all suck... where im at they dont have a midnight showing or i would defintley be on that. messed up. im envious of you all. they dont even sell advandced tickets here. sux man.

so i have to wake up early to make sure i get the tickets for the showing.

[krossfyter]

Originally posted by pimentoLoaf
Got the Extended DVD? Put the second disc in, highlight Fan Credits (#48), then move your mouse (I'm assuming you watch flicks on your Mac) to the lower right corner. When the Two Towers' icon appears, click it.

You'll see the trailer for tomorrow's movie.


man i did not know that. thanks for telling me. im going to try that out. i appreciate it.

[krossfyter]

wait i tried that thing to get to see the trailer but i cant find that cast part... where is it? i have the special extended dvd version that was recently released... is this the one its on?


there are 4 disks... is it on the second one?... part two? or is it on the second appendices one?

[obeygiant]

Many of you probably know about this already but...

If you have the Extended DVD set of the FOTR. Grab disk 2 of 4 and go to the chapter selection. Go over to chapter 48 (make sure the number is highlighted) then press down. An image of the two towers will appear. Select it and you will see the 4 minute theatrical trailer of the Two Towers.

Not a big deal, but fun none the less.


--- There is a fell voice on the air --

[obeygiant]

i guess the was already posted... my bad

[krossfyter]

Originally posted by obeygiant
i guess the was already posted... my bad


nah its cool. i had a question of how to get to it but you answered it.

[cr2sh]

Just got back from TTT, and in short, it was all that I had imagined.. it was a stunning, amazing film and I enjoyed it in its entirety - almost. Naturally I'd like to point to its few short comings... but as the majority of you have not seen it yet, I won't. You will not be dissapointed though. Go see it tomorrow. :)

[peterjhill]

Just got back from TT. Midnight show. I was smart enough to bring my Ti book and the extended DVD. We had 40 minutes of sitting in the theater before the movie started. It worked out great, ended up with them leaving Moria, perfect seque to the TT movie.

I thought it was great. If you liked the books, I think you will be satisfied with this version. It really makes me want to see the extended version. I hope it will make some of the jumping back and forth alot better.

I didn't really believe the reviews, but let me say, Gollum is great. Andy could definitely get a nod for supporting actor. See it soon, you will want to see it again, and look forward to the ROTK, only a year to go!

[Mr. Anderson]

Wow, it was good - got back last night at 4 AM - needed to jump in bed for 3 hours sleep before work, so I didn't get online earlier. It was quite impressive and a must see.

The theater I went to has 22 theaters, I'm thinking about 15 were showing the movie at midnight, the place was nuts. Traffic a mess getting out.

It was nice that they didn't spend time trying to get you up to speed on the story and just jumped right into it. :D

D

[scem0]

i am seeing it with a friend soon! I can't wait!

[krossfyter]

TOo cool. Im checking it out at 8 p.m. over here in texas. I too cant wait.

[scem0]

where in texas? I'm seeing it in austin (where I live).

[krossfyter]

Originally posted by scem0
where in texas? I'm seeing it in austin (where I live).


dude do i wish i was in austin. i love that city.

im in lubbock. too far away from life.

my home is corpus christi though. beautiful place man.. if you ever get a chance to go there... go... its worth it. i miss the beach.

[scem0]

ive been to corpus twice. Yeah, corpus is nice, but your right when
you say that austin rocks. All it is lacking is an apple store... ;)

[jelloshotsrule]

tickets to the 11 AM showing tomorrow.

wish i'd seen the first one recently. and more than once.... as it was, the only time i saw it was when i was still high on pain killers (wisdom teeth)
blah

[scem0]

you could download it, assuming you have a fast internet connection...

I did before I could get a chance to buy it, and I don't want to take
money from LOTR, because they need it to make high quality movies
like the ones already released. But I see no reason not to download
it now, and then support the movies later ;).

[jelloshotsrule]

i'd just buy it, except i'm going to be getting it for christmas. and why pay for it myself when i could let santa's elves make that ****e for me.

at this point, i'm not sure i could concentrate for the 3 hours tonight to watch it. just have to do some stuff. and i'm not one to know where to get movies right away. would take some time/effort that i'd rather not give it.

and blockbuster was all out. of course.

[cr2sh]

I've watched Royal Tenenbaums three times this week. Once with commentary on, and twice with it off. I saw it 5times in the theatre. I also watched Behind Enemy Lines twice (with and without commentary). I gots to get my an Eli Cash avatar...
Christmas break is a time for me to watch movies, exist off of a steady diet of christmas cookies and grilled cheese sandwiches, and sleep 16hours a day. This is the life...

[atodd]

I saw Two Towers at midnight. (AND - it was the midnight screening in NZ, which due to the time difference is before ALL OTHERS!)

Hot dang. That movie is perfect. I'm off to see it again tonight.

Andy Serkis WILL be nominated for Best Supporting Actor. HE WILL.

[jelloshotsrule]

Originally posted by cr2sh
I've watched Royal Tenenbaums three times this week. Once with commentary on, and twice with it off. I saw it 5times in the theatre. I also watched Behind Enemy Lines twice (with and without commentary). I gots to get my an Eli Cash avatar...
Christmas break is a time for me to watch movies, exist off of a steady diet of christmas cookies and grilled cheese sandwiches, and sleep 16hours a day. This is the life...

sweet

who does commentary on behind enemy lines. can't say it was a favorite, but it was a decent action movie. too bad it's impossible for owen to be taken seriously. ha

keep an eye out for some of the avatars that rower and i will be cooking up.... you should enjoy.

[krossfyter]

ghhhot dang that move was amazing! in my opinion its better then the first part.
i cant believe how good it was. incredible!


edit: i spelled "good" right this time lol... i cant beleive i used "could" in place of it.
must be the mexican in me haha

[jelloshotsrule]

i was very impressed...

the volume of the computer graphics definitely had me in awe. as did the finding nemo trailer of course.

i thought gollum was amazingly well done... very very impressive

a few cheesy parts, and not being one who read the whole book, i can't comment on how well it sticks to it...

all in all, quite a well spent 3.5 hours.

[Mr. Anderson]

Originally posted by jelloshotsrule

i thought gollum was amazingly well done... very very impressive

a few cheesy parts, and not being one who read the whole book, i can't comment on how well it sticks to it...


gollum was amazing, I think its the first time an all CGI character really seemed believable and not look like a CGI character. And this is in an outdoor setting too, they did a superb job on the lighting. Only noticed once an issue with light - Legolas was running down the hill to shoot arrows at the Warg Riders (which were also fantastic - something out of the Discovery Channel Prehistoric Beasts episode) and he didn't quite look like he fit in the scene.

The plot pretty much followed the book, except for a few places. For me most notably the ents gathering the Hurons (wild trees) and going off to kill the orcs and Uruk-hai at Helms Deep.

But over all there is so much info to deal with it worked well. Oh, and Frodo and Sam end the book after meeting Shelobe on the other side of the Black Gate - that's going to be saved for Return of the King.

D

[jelloshotsrule]

the thing i realized while watching, even more than i knew already, is that with all these quick shots, as well as the huge vast shots of landscapes, it is a bit easier to hide the cg elements as being cg.... hence, most people will probably miss what you picked up on. it didn't strike me specifically...

that is what makes the amazingness of gollum even better. he's right up in the camera's face, he's interacting (big time) with the hobbits.... jeez. so damn amazing.

[Mr. Anderson]

Originally posted by jelloshotsrule

that is what makes the amazingness of gollum even better. he's right up in the camera's face, he's interacting (big time) with the hobbits.... jeez. so damn


Absolutely - if they don't get noticed for this I'd be surprised. Might even get them an Oscar, at least a nomination. I've seen nothing like Gollum before, the only thing that sort that comes close is the T1000 in Terminator2, but being all reflective surface it isn't as hard to get the lighting down as it would with something that has more subtle tones and light reflecting/scattering properties.

D

[krossfyter]

very good observations guys. i too was surprised at how believable Gollum was.

[Durandal7]

Great movie. I was hoping to see more of the Ents however. Insane effects on the Ents and Gollum. The Massive Agents used at Helm's Deep were very lifelike.

[medea]

indeed, the whole movie was amazing, and Gollum was incredible, I saw some backscene stuff with the actor that did the movements for Gollum and it was really interesting how they did it out in the open instead of in a studio. Cant wait until the next one......seems like that will be forever though.

[krossfyter]

Originally posted by medea
Cant wait until the next one......seems like that will be forever though.


and to think that part 3 is just sittin there. man.

[buffsldr]

i read the books, and loved the first movie

i was disappointed with this one. where was the battle of gondor (a quick scene was all) remember when aragorn showed up with the ships full of oath breakers? where was merry killing the nazghoul?

i thought they turned gimli into a slapstick actor

i could not believe sam's first dialogue. "Mordor, the very place we must go, but dont want to go" Horrible. Are they going to spell it all out for us with trite dialogue?

Why did they not show the spider? that was in this book, right?

Truthfully, it still is one of the best flicks of the year, no doubt about it. i will see it again, buy the extended dvd and love it. I was just dissappointed. i expected too much. The first one was so good, this was not as good in my opinion.

[atodd]

Originally posted by Durandal7
Insane effects on the Ents and Gollum.

Jeez, is that ALL you can think about? People who talk about the greatness of the CGI in Gollum should be shot.

While the CGI is admittedly great, what really made him "work" for me is the fact that the performance was so good. Andy Serkis made him this pathetic wretch, and you actually felt for him, which is something no CG character has done for me.

The visual realism wasn't as impressive as the acting realism.

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by jelloshotsrule
as did the finding nemo trailer of course.

I'm so sick of that frigin trailer. I want to fry that fish and eat him. The whole plot is just stupid.

[Mr. Anderson]

Originally posted by buffsldr
i read the books, and loved the first movie

i was disappointed with this one. where was the battle of gondor (a quick scene was all) remember when aragorn showed up with the ships full of oath breakers? where was merry killing the nazghoul?

Why did they not show the spider? that was in this book, right?


Aragorn has to go through the mountain and gather his host as well. That's before the battle of Gondor. The ships show up at Gondor in the Return of the King, you're getting ahead of yourself.

Shelob was at the end of the Two Towers, but it was decided to put it at the beginning of the 3rd movie. It wasn't cut.

As for the CGI aspects - that's what makes the movie possible. Remember the original Lord of the Rings? It was a cartoon for a reason.

D

[diorio]

Originally posted by dukestreet


Aragorn has to go through the mountain and gather his host as well. That's before the battle of Gondor. The ships show up at Gondor in the Return of the King, you're getting ahead of yourself.

Shelob was at the end of the Two Towers, but it was decided to put it at the beginning of the 3rd movie. It wasn't cut.


D

Yes, we will see all of that in the Return of the King. Didn't everyone hear Gollum at the end talking to himself say, "yes, we'll bring the hobbits's to her, yes", he was talking about shelob.

Overall, best movie all year, made me want to read to books again, and see it again right away.

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by diorio


Yes, we will see all of that in the Return of the King. Didn't everyone hear Gollum at the end talking to himself say, "yes, we'll bring the hobbits's to her, yes", he was talking about shelob.

Overall, best movie all year, made me want to read to books again, and see it again right away.

Shelob is one of those creatures you can't understand unless you read, "The Silmarilion."

[krossfyter]

Originally posted by buffsldr


Why did they not show the spider? that was in this book, right?




that will be in the beggining of the next movie.

[jelloshotsrule]

i didn't actually know that someone performed the part of gollum... which makes it less of a cgi feat, though still impressive. that was part (mostly) what i thought was so impressive, was the performance, which i thought was animation, rather than acting... so shoot me. freakshow

as for the finding nemo trailer, macbandit... i don't even care much about the plot... as someone who's making a 3D short that takes place in the ocean.... seeing it makes me want to give up. ha... not that bad, but you see what i'm saying. the plot. ehh. who cares... worse than the 3D ones of late (shrek, monsters inc, ice age), but i'll still have to go to see what i should be doing in a few years... ;)

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by jelloshotsrule
i didn't actually know that someone performed the part of gollum... which makes it less of a cgi feat, though still impressive. that was part (mostly) what i thought was so impressive, was the performance, which i thought was animation, rather than acting... so shoot me. freakshow

as for the finding nemo trailer, macbandit... i don't even care much about the plot... as someone who's making a 3D short that takes place in the ocean.... seeing it makes me want to give up. ha... not that bad, but you see what i'm saying. the plot. ehh. who cares... worse than the 3D ones of late (shrek, monsters inc, ice age), but i'll still have to go to see what i should be doing in a few years... ;)

I understand but I still want to kill and eat those damn fish.

[jelloshotsrule]

Originally posted by MacBandit
I understand but I still want to kill and eat those damn fish.

ha. the shark looks awesome though

the two main ones look a little plasticy for my taste.

[Mr. Anderson]

Originally posted by MacBandit


I understand but I still want to kill and eat those damn fish.

One of the things that Pixar has always stayed true to was a good story - I would find it hard to believe they would sacrifice that at this point. On the other hand Disney's fingers might be in the mix a little too much, we won't know until we see it.

Besides, at a technical level it already looks amazing.

D

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by dukestreet


One of the things that Pixar has always stayed true to was a good story - I would find it hard to believe they would sacrifice that at this point. On the other hand Disney's fingers might be in the mix a little too much, we won't know until we see it.

Besides, at a technical level it already looks amazing.

D

The plot is about this fish(Nemo) being kidnapped and taken to be sold in a pet shop. His father is out to rescue him. Kind of lame if you ask me. Definitely a Disney type film.

[Mr. Anderson]

Originally posted by MacBandit


The plot is about this fish(Nemo) being kidnapped and taken to be sold in a pet shop. His father is out to rescue him. Kind of lame if you ask me. Definitely a Disney type film.

Yes but even making that short a statement about any of the Pixar movies reduces its apeal.

Toy Story - A world where toys are alive and new toy arrives and a power struggle for the 'favorite' ensues. Kind of lame if you ask me.

Not so when treated correctly by Pixar.

D

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by dukestreet


Yes but even making that short a statement about any of the Pixar movies reduces its apeal.

Toy Story - A world where toys are alive and new toy arrives and a power struggle for the 'favorite' ensues. Kind of lame if you ask me.

Not so when treated correctly by Pixar.

D

I really don't think there is any comparring Nemo to Toy Story. Even in a short description. The short description I created by the way. It wasn't something made up by Disney or Pixar. All I really have to say is my Fiancé works for a Disney Store and the crew of the store are sick of the preview and think the movie is lame. These are people that love most Disney films.

[jelloshotsrule]

can't judge everything based by the preview though, right?

i mean, plenty of movies look good, but then suck.

i'll agree the plot sounsd a bit dumb, or maybe..... for kids??? ha. crazy pixar.

gonna give it a shot though. and i don't generally like disney movies too much (with the exception of the pixar/disney ones)... and aladdin of course.

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by jelloshotsrule
can't judge everything based by the preview though, right?

i mean, plenty of movies look good, but then suck.

i'll agree the plot sounsd a bit dumb, or maybe..... for kids??? ha. crazy pixar.

gonna give it a shot though. and i don't generally like disney movies too much (with the exception of the pixar/disney ones)... and aladdin of course.

It is not necessarily dumb just set for a very young audience. Pixar usually doesn't make movies for very young children and even when they do they make something like Toy Story which had a lot of hidden stuff for adults.

[jelloshotsrule]

yeah, bandit, i hear ya. hence the reason they've been so successful with their seemingly kids movies...

not to get this back on topic or anything... but what is the significance of gandalf the grey vs. gandalf the white. or more generally, grey wizard vs. white wizard? anything implied there? such as grey is below white or something?

going based on the fact that when gandalf was thought to be grey, he couldn't affect theodin/suaramon but when he showed he was gandalf the white... bam!

and since sauramon is a white wizard too....

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by jelloshotsrule
yeah, bandit, i hear ya. hence the reason they've been so successful with their seemingly kids movies...

not to get this back on topic or anything... but what is the significance of gandalf the grey vs. gandalf the white. or more generally, grey wizard vs. white wizard? anything implied there? such as grey is below white or something?

going based on the fact that when gandalf was thought to be grey, he couldn't affect theodin/suaramon but when he showed he was gandalf the white... bam!

and since sauramon is a white wizard too....

The wizards are like the protectors for Middle Earth. When Gandalf died he went to Heaven. I don't remember the name of the place but it was an island way out to sea west of Middle Earth. While he was there he basically had a talk with God and he/she sent him back to Middle Earth as a White Wizard. Yes greay is below white. White Wizards are like Generals in an Army. You would have to read the Silmarillion to understand this.

[Padrote]

I was pretty excited to see the preview before LOTR-TTT, when they revealed the latest Pixar project of little Nemo, and it looked fantastic. The graphics were so seamlessly, I felt so proud to be a Mac guy.

Then a few minutes later they showed a kick-butt preview of T3, with a new Tx (a female terminator)... Nick Stahl and Claire Daines, I was pretty excited. The movie looks great despite being directed by someone else other than James Cameron.

I can't wait to see that this summer.

The Two Tower rocked! Its better than the first one. I loved the whole anticipation of probably one of the best siege fight scenes in movie history. It was incredible to fathom all those orcs and uruk-hai when they attacked Helms Deep. I'm wasn't a big Tolkie fan, but after these two movies, I give him a lot of props he deserves.

[diorio]

Originally posted by MacBandit


The wizards are like the protectors for Middle Earth. When Gandalf died he went to Heaven. I don't remember the name of the place but it was an island way out to sea west of Middle Earth. While he was there he basically had a talk with God and he/she sent him back to Middle Earth as a White Wizard. Yes greay is below white. White Wizards are like Generals in an Army. You would have to read the Silmarillion to understand this.

You can kind of get an understanding by reading the LOTR. Gandalf talks to some wizard the brown, who is lower than Gandalf. There is a whole order of wizards and ranks. I intend to read The Silmarillion soon, to get a better understanding.

[Chomolungma]

How many of you have used or plan to use the one free ticket for the Two Towers that come with the extended DVD version of the Fellowship?

I'm going to use mine!:D unless you have a better suggestion.

[jelloshotsrule]

Originally posted by MacBandit
The wizards are like the protectors for Middle Earth. When Gandalf died he went to Heaven. I don't remember the name of the place but it was an island way out to sea west of Middle Earth. While he was there he basically had a talk with God and he/she sent him back to Middle Earth as a White Wizard. Yes greay is below white. White Wizards are like Generals in an Army. You would have to read the Silmarillion to understand this.

ahh, ok... so gandalf died when he fought the dragon dude?

also, how did sauramon become a white wizard? god also gave him that power? despite his evilness i mean...

padrote: it's "finding nemo". little nemo is something else. though i don't know why they picked nemo at all. just too similar. also, pixar doesn't use macs for their work, except perhaps the non 3D stuff. so the only real connection between macs and pixar is steve jobs. though, if apple makes more powerful machines anytime, i suppose they could switch in theory.

[jrv3034]

Originally posted by Chomolungma
How many of you have used or plan to use the one free ticket for the Two Towers that come with the extended DVD version of the Fellowship?

I'm going to use mine!:D unless you have a better suggestion.

I used my free ticket. Got me into a big-a** movie theater in the middle of Times Square, which usually costs $10.00

That movie seriously rocked. I am one of those who haven't read the books yet, so I have no idea what will happen in the third one, but I sure as heck can't wait for next December!

[Durandal7]

Originally posted by jelloshotsrule


ahh, ok... so gandalf died when he fought the dragon dude?

also, how did sauramon become a white wizard? god also gave him that power? despite his evilness i mean...

I was under the impression that Saruman was not evil until Sauron corrupted him.

[jelloshotsrule]

Originally posted by Durandal7

I was under the impression that Saruman was not evil until Sauron corrupted him.

ahh... now does sauron actually appear at all? or is he just represented by the red eye thing...? is he comparable with "satan" or something...?

sorry to bug with all the questions.

[Durandal7]

So far in The Two Towers and Fellowship he has appeared as the eye. In the movies so far the only time he appeared in a humanoid form was in the opening battle of Fellowship of the Rings.

Sauron seems to be somewhat of a physical representation of Satan. I don't know if I would say he is Satan but he is comparable.

[Mr. Anderson]

In the Silmarillian the story goes that the Palantir (orb you see Saruman using) was given to the Numenoreans are used to see across middle earth (sorry if I get the spelling wrong). They were a race of half men/ half elf - which effectively gave them 'powers' more than regular mortal men. Aragorn, Boromir, Faramir are all decedents of that race. Elronds brother, Elendil, chose the human path while Elrond chose the elfin way.

Anyway, the city of Gondor was an outpost more than anything else, till Numenor was sunk (sort of an Atlantis type affair) indirectly because of the influence of Sauron corupting the kings. He was in humanoid form, but was killed in the great battle and is of the type of being that can never return in the same form. So this time around he's a great flaming eye.

But on Saurons return he captured one or more of the other Palantir and corrupted it, so when Saruman used it, he was caught and turned to the darkside.

There is a lot more to this, but I haven't read the Silmarillion but once and that was 15 years ago or more. Wild stuff.

D

[Durandal7]

<--<--<--><--><-->-->

Finding a decent image of the Ents is a bitch. I wanted to examine a picture of Treebead. Ah well.

[Geetar]

I'm in the curious position of having read the book (LOTR) eleven times, the Hobbit five times and sundry other works of Tolkein a fair few times as well. Most of this was years back when it was deeply unfashionable.This puts me in the same boat as Christopher Lee (see the 4-disk set) and a fair few other loonies, I don't doubt.

My biggest surprise was finding that the film was, in a few cases at least, better realised than the pictures I have carried around in my head for most of my life.... I'm looking forward to seeing TTT any day now, as scheduling permits.

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by Durandal7
So far in The Two Towers and Fellowship he has appeared as the eye. In the movies so far the only time he appeared in a humanoid form was in the opening battle of Fellowship of the Rings.

Sauron seems to be somewhat of a physical representation of Satan. I don't know if I would say he is Satan but he is comparable.

If you read the Silmarillion you will understand that he is Satan.

The Silmarillion is basically the Bible to Middle Earth. It explains God creating it and Sauron as a fallen Angel and all that stuff. Thankfully by the time of the books Sauron has lost a great deal of power and is no longer capable of creating the huge powerful evil beasts that he did durring the early times of Middle Earth.

Also, yes Sauromon was turned when he looked into one of the viewing orbs.

[diorio]

Originally posted by MacBandit


If you read the Silmarillion you will understand that he is Satan.

The Silmarillion is basically the Bible to Middle Earth. It explains God creating it and Sauron as a fallen Angel and all that stuff. Thankfully by the time of the books Sauron has lost a great deal of power and is no longer capable of creating the huge powerful evil beasts that he did durring the early times of Middle Earth.

Also, yes Sauromon was turned when he looked into one of the viewing orbs.

Wow, I never knew that the Silmarillion was that important. I thought is was a book about elves. I bought the Hobbit yesterday, and after reading that, will probably buy the Silmarillion.

[pimentoLoaf]

Originally posted by diorio


Wow, I never knew that the Silmarillion was that important. I thought is was a book about elves. I bought the Hobbit yesterday, and after reading that, will probably buy the Silmarillion.

Silmarillion is the prequel to Hobbit and LotR, and is, essentially, an Elven telephone directory. It's dense and difficult, and better if you read LotR first.

[Geetar]

Yeah, The Silmarillion is bl**dy hard work, though ultimately you have to read it to get under the skin of the main works. I get the feeling that Tolkein Jr. had a hard time putting it together and suffered from a lack of his father's story-telling skill....result: a tough read.

Good luck- as suggested above, it's perhaps better attempted after the Hobbit and LOTR.

[pimentoLoaf]

Originally posted by MacBandit

.... capable of creating the huge powerful evil beasts that he did durring the early times of Middle Earth....

I wonder if Tolkien ever wrote some bawdy stuff -- was he capable of creating huge powerful evil breasts?

:D

[Mr. Anderson]

Originally posted by MacBandit

The Silmarillion is basically the Bible to Middle Earth. It explains God creating it and Sauron as a fallen Angel and all that stuff. Thankfully by the time of the books Sauron has lost a great deal of power and is no longer capable of creating the huge powerful evil beasts that he did durring the early times of Middle Earth.

Also, yes Sauromon was turned when he looked into one of the viewing orbs.

Damn, I can't find my copy of the Silmarillion any where, but from what I remember there was an even greater Evil before Sauron - I think its name was Morgoth and Sauron was just one of his lieutenants. The fire beast - a Balrog - that Gandalf defeated in Moria was also one of Morgoth's henchmen, who had hidden deep in the earth since the time of Morgoths passing. I don't remember all of the story - I'm going to have to go back and read it again. Over all my impression was one of sadness in the wane and fall of the elves that had come to middle earth.

Oh, another good nugget of Midde Earth trivia - orcs are actually descendants from Elves that were caught by Morgoth and corrupted. That's freaky. Tolkien really was quite amazing in his ability to put in a back story for his work.

D

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by dukestreet


Damn, I can't find my copy of the Silmarillion any where, but from what I remember there was an even greater Evil before Sauron - I think its name was Morgoth and Sauron was just one of his lieutenants. The fire beast - a Balrog - that Gandalf defeated in Moria was also one of Morgoth's henchmen, who had hidden deep in the earth since the time of Morgoths passing. I don't remember all of the story - I'm going to have to go back and read it again. Over all my impression was one of sadness in the wane and fall of the elves that had come to middle earth.

Oh, another good nugget of Midde Earth trivia - orcs are actually descendants from Elves that were caught by Morgoth and corrupted. That's freaky. Tolkien really was quite amazing in his ability to put in a back story for his work.

D

I think you are correct. Which means I was incorrect in calling Sauron Satan. I don't know if the beings name was Morgoth but it does sound familiar. There are a few of those really big evil creatures still lurking around Middle Earth from the old days.

Also remember the Dwarfs were created by the God of the Earth not the God who created the Elves. I need to re-read that book I've forgotten most of it.

To everyone who thinks Silmarillion is a hard read try reading Tolkiens Unfinished Tales. Silmarillion was an easy read for me. I was sucked into it the same way I was with the LOTR.

[pimentoLoaf]

And what about Mordor? Look it up in a large dictionary. It's the Old English word for murder.

[cr2sh]

Originally posted by pimentoLoaf
And what about Mordor? Look it up in a large dictionary. It's the Old English word for murder.

Wow, that's funny. Mordor is the pirate phrase for Murder also.
:)

[Durandal7]

Originally posted by MacBandit
To everyone who thinks Silmarillion is a hard read try reading Tolkiens Unfinished Tales. Silmarillion was an easy read for me. I was sucked into it the same way I was with the LOTR.
To the the people who think that LOTR diverges too much, try reading Unfinished Tales :p

[Mr. Anderson]

Originally posted by pimentoLoaf
And what about Mordor? Look it up in a large dictionary. It's the Old English word for murder.

Tolkien was formost a student of language - the whole Rohan language is Old English or some such - quite amazing actually. As linguist, he created elfin himself, and its not exactly simple either.

D

[pimentoLoaf]

Look for:

Carpenter, Humphrey
JRR Tolkien: A Biography, Houghton-Mifflin, 2000; isbn 0618057021.

It answers everything as to where Tolkien got his ideas from.

[scem0]

How would Humphrey whatever-you-called-him know where JRRT
got his ideas from. Doesn't JRRT know that and only JRRT?

[pimentoLoaf]

Scem0, he knew what was going on because Tolkien gave him (while he was still alive) access to his private letters and papers. After his death, he compiled everything and, with the help of family and others, wrote the biography.

Strange question, BTW.

[Mr. Anderson]

Originally posted by pimentoLoaf

Strange question, BTW.

that's just a little spamming - he does that when he's got nothing really to say but wants to say something. It not as anoying as his spinning head tar though.

After rereading the LOTR before the first movie came out (this is after many years from the previous read) I found it to be a lot different in tone than I had remembered, and some of the ideas and turn of phrase almost seemed outdated. That was the first time I noticed this, oddly, which makes sense since it was written at a different time, quite a few years ago.

D

[Geetar]

I found this, too. I put it down to the fact that I've spent the last 20 years or so reading only contemporary fiction and biography.

I was more immersed in the concept of Middle Earth 25 years ago and less critical of its anachronistic linguistic tone. Like Tolkein, I was fascinated by language and its origins; I was studying Latin, French, English and German and with this came an understanding of his passion for words and their origins.

I think the word has moved on a lot since then....and us with it. "Sic transit..." and all that:(

About the only SF/Fantasy I read now is Iain M Banks (the "Culture" stuff which was mentioned in an earlier thread).

[pimentoLoaf]

My brother was into LotR in high school; I couldn't understand the fascination. Weird as Beowulf, I thought. Weird as Chaucer, too. Not weird like Illiad and Odyssey, but yes, but no.

Puberty confused me, I guess.

Preferred Larry Niven, Michael Moorcock, Arthur C Clarke, & et al.

Only read Hobbit last year, before the first film. Still reading LotR, though I took a break one-third in to read "Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire".

[MacBandit]

The Silmarrillion also explains a little bit I believe on where the myths came from that became Middle Earth. I believe the GODs and creation was actually derived from Indian folklore.

[Durandal7]

Originally posted by dukestreet


that's just a little spamming - he does that when he's got nothing really to say but wants to say something. It not as anoying as his spinning head tar though.

I disagree, I find it even more annoying then his avatar. :rolleyes:

Anyway, I have several books called "The Book of Lost Tales" which are apparently some early draft of the Silmarillion. They are told in the context of an explorer discovering the Elven isle and being told the legends of the elves. For the people who think that Lord of the Rings is too heavy to read I suggest they try the Book of Lost Tales on for size. Has anyone else heard of it though?

[pimentoLoaf]

The History of Middle Earth (http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/features/lordoftheringstrilogy/historyofme.shtml).

[Mr. Anderson]

Originally posted by Durandal7

Anyway, I have several books called "The Book of Lost Tales" which are apparently some early draft of the Silmarillion. They are told in the context of an explorer discovering the Elven isle and being told the legends of the elves. For the people who think that Lord of the Rings is too heavy to read I suggest they try the Book of Lost Tales on for size. Has anyone else heard of it though?

I might have to get those and try and finish them before the Return of the King hits the theaters next year. That and the Silmarillion since I might have gotten rid of it, can't seem to find it anywhere.

D

[Durandal7]

Originally posted by dukestreet


I might have to get those and try and finish them before the Return of the King hits the theaters next year. That and the Silmarillion since I might have gotten rid of it, can't seem to find it anywhere.

D
I'm going to trry and read some of the other volumes. I'm not sure if I have time for all 12 volumes but I want to read War of the Rings.

[Mr. Anderson]

Originally posted by Durandal7

I'm going to trry and read some of the other volumes. I'm not sure if I have time for all 12 volumes but I want to read War of the Rings.

Too bad I hadn't know about it sooner, it would have been on my Xmas list. I think I might get one or two that took place around the time of the Lord of the Rings and see what type of read it is. Then get the others if its good.

D

[sickboy_osX]

You know, all of the special effects scenes that we all loved so much all were done on a Linux based Beowulf Cluster. (http://www.beowulf.org)

Just thought i would let you all know.
\
(Oh yeah At the end of the credits there is a huge Apple Logo, and a FCP, and Shake thing)

it is a freakin awesome show!

[MacBandit]

I finally saw it last night. It was fantastic. All through the movie I'm sitting there going I can't believe they got that in there. They did an excellent job of paying attention to the details.

To whoever commented about the lameness of the basic hobbit lines. You are talking about Hobbits. They are not the most intelligent beings in all of Middle Earth. Also the lines sounded true to the book to me.

I can't wait for, "The Return of the King" or the DVD of, "The Two Towers". I will watch them back to back as soon as I can.

Durandal7 thanks for mention the, "The books of Lost Tales". I believe I'm correct in saying that they overlap the Silmarillion in parts but they are not early drafts of it. I do not remember the Silmarillion mentioning the Ring War and I have wanted to read a book about it for years. If I can ever get myself back into reading books I know what I want to read first now.

Oh I think you might have hurt Scem's feelings he hasn't posted since people started picking on his spamming ways.

[Durandal7]

I think I misread part of the opening to the Lost Tales, it is talking about overlapping between the stories. It seems to be something written to suck in Silmarillion fans.

I intend to track down The Treason of Isengard soon as one of my Christmas gifts was a Barnes & Noble gift card. The whole background of the wizards has always intriuged me.

[wdlove]

My wife purchased "The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers" Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on Sunday. Listening to the CD now for the 2nd time, like the music. My wants to view our DVD of the "The Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Rings" before we see the new one in the theaters. I know it will be worth the wait.

[pimentoLoaf]

Don't think... "Hmmm. I wanna save money, here, so I'll wait 'til the Deluxe Gift Set for The Two Towers is released." ... because they aren't duplicating effort over at New Line. I have both the 2- and 5-disc sets of FOTR, and there's a whole lotta stuff on 2 that's not on 5. I think the company realized that true fans (http://www.lotrfanclub.com) would get both, so why anger them with duplication?

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by pimentoLoaf
Don't think... "Hmmm. I wanna save money, here, so I'll wait 'til the Deluxe Gift Set for The Two Towers is released." ... because they aren't duplicating effort over at New Line. I have both the 2- and 5-disc sets of FOTR, and there's a whole lotta stuff on 2 that's not on 5. I think the company realized that true fans (http://www.lotrfanclub.com) would get both, so why anger them with duplication?

What's on the 2 disc set that's not on the 5? From what I've seen the same discs that are in the 5 disc set are also included in the 5 disc set.