Interesting article by film critic A.O. Scott in today's The New York Times, lamenting the current crop of lackluster Hollywood blockbusters. LOTR is mentioned as a rare exception:

And of course there are still grand, commercial entertainments with the power to amaze and transport us. The first installment in Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, for instance, was a work of unfettered, disciplined ingenuity designed to nurture the imaginations of its viewers rather than to numb them.

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