The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition)

Directed by: Peter Jackson

Written by: J.R.R. Tolkien (book); Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens (screenplay)









Being the first part of "The Lord of the Rings"...

Peter Jackson was ambitious enough to take on Tolkien's much-loved epic "The Lord of the Rings," and darned if he didn't get it right.  He was so ambitious, in fact, that he had to shorten the film for theatrical and release the "Extended Edition" later.

Middle-Earth comes to life in this first part of the trilogy.  We are quickly, but thoroughly, introduced to a brief history of the ring, and then set about on our journey.  The great design in the way Jackson presents "The Fellowship of the Ring" is that we are essentially bound to Frodo Baggins.  Both Frodo and the audience have little experience in the world of Middle-Earth, and so as he goes forth on his adventure, we go with him.  We learn and experience the world as he learns and experiences the world.  There are only a handful of scenes that do not center on Frodo.

For those looking for loyalty to the text of the book - word-for-word - you will not find it here.  But Jackson does a good job of axing out some of the unnecessary sequences, morphing some characters and sequences for cinematic effect, all while staying true to the spirit of Tolkien's book.  (My only regret is that Tom Bombadil never made an appearance, even as a passing reference, in any of the versions.)

There are a million summaries out on the internet, as well as the source book which, ideally, should always be read before viewing the film, so I will not waste your time with all that here.

I do want to make a quick comment on Howard Shore's amazing score.  After the casting (which I may touch on in a later post), I firmly believe that the background score is what made the film so memorable.  It is, when it needs to be, large and epic.  It is, when it needs to be, mysterious and dark.  It is, when it needs to be, folksy and simple.  The recurring musical motifs help to tie together this film to the others in the trilogy, while never stopping to become anthemic or cliche.

Lastly, the Blu-Ray transfer is pretty fantastic, and so I highly recommend it.

American Gods

Written by: Neil Gaiman












I went into this book with pretty high expectations ("The Graveyard Book" is one of my all-time favorite books), and these expectations may have actually gotten in the way of my enjoyment of the book.  I'm not saying "American Gods" is bad - it's quite good - but it doesn't live up to my ultra-high expectations for a Neil Gaiman book.  It felt, at points, like a one-trick-pony, or a novella that became a bit bloated out of control.  (Ironically, I just found out there is apparently an expanded "Author's Preferred Text" with some significant additions.  Perhaps these are the missing pieces which bring the whole novel together?)

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

Written and Directed by: Kevin Smith

At some point, writer / director Kevin Smith lost his interest in the View Askewniverse that he had created. But as one last hurrah he decided to give Jay and Silent Bob - previously only supporting characters - their own film. He also decided to cram as many inside jokes and geek references into the film as possible. The result: "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back."

The film's plot is paper thin, but worth discussing. Jay and Silent Bob, who were influences for a comic book series (as seen in "Chasing Amy") find out that their comic book is being turned into a movie. They decide to head to Hollywood, but along the way they become scapegoats for a jewelry heist. The two continue on their way, encountering numerous celebrities (appearing both as themselves and sometimes as characters). Eventually, they're exonerated for their crime and get the money that started the whole fiasco.

Although the film originally received much criticism, I feel that it needs to be viewed with the same lens with which it was written and made - that of a love letter. Smith made this movie to be the glorious send off to his two most cherished characters, pulling no punches to make it the grande finale of the universe he created. As such, he succeeded.

Smith made the movie he wanted to make. It has characters returning from previous movies as well as repeated references to those films. It also has jokes based on the things he and his friends enjoy (or, at least, enjoyed at the time), and it doesn't matter if you don't understand them all - they're not for you. This movie wasn't necessarily intended for a vast audience to enjoy. It was more of a home-movie that teenagers make, writing it based on whatever they like and inviting all their friends to be in it, then showing it off whenever they get the chance to whoever will watch.

I definitely enjoyed all the random roles and cameos from celebrities and pseudo-celebrities. The scene when Ben Affleck and Matt Damon "prepare" for their roles is hilarious, and it was fun to see Jason Biggs and James Van Der Beek poke fun at their own limited roles. Carrie Fisher pops up as a nun who unintentionally spews innuendo. Even Mark Hamill - most famous for being Luke Skywalker - shows up as the super-villain in the "Bluntman and Chronic" movie-within-a-movie.

That being said, there is some room for criticism. At times it felt like the movie was too far-reaching and attempted to include every joke that could be made, rather than selecting only the best gags. As with most comedies, the story was convoluted and disjointed, so that by the end you had been distracted so many times that you had basically forgotten where they were going or why they were trying to get their.

To truly appreciate this movie, you have to remove the irony from your viewing. You must accept that this movie wasn't made for you, but that you are allowed to enjoy it. Once you get past that, you can see the heartwarming center of a writer / director saying good-by to his beloved universe. (But try not to think about how he brought it all back - one more time - for "Clerks II.")