From: Nick
A few things from the November Empire magazine in the UK. It has the results of their movies poll. Peter Jackson is #23 in the top 50 directors. The comment reads:
“Kiwi who began his career with DIY horrors, progressing steadily towards the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Must-see movie: Heavenly Creatures.”
Cate Blanchett placed 15th in the top 50 actresses:
“A credible monarch in Elizabeth, Blanchett has only had one other film-carrying role (The Gift). Must-see role: Elizabeth I in Elizabeth.”
From the editorial about the poll:
“There were votes from all over the world, and the films and actors that featured came from every decade since cinema debuted. Over a hundred of you even voted for Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – a film that is two months away from release. Do you know something we don’t?”
From the letters section:
“The big battle: Okay, now that it’s been announced that Harry Potter is just over two hours long, and The Fellowship of the Ring is two hours 45 minutes, which do you reckon is gonna be biggest in terms of a) box office and b) enjoyment? I think Fellowship is gonna beat Potter in terms of the latter, but reckon it’s gonna be vice versa at the box office. Of course, Rings has an amazing story, but it is a tad dark and complex and has a horror director attached to it, which could see it suffer. Bottom line, I think Potter is gonna take well over $200 million in four weeks; Rings $150 million at the most.
Ed: Place your bets now…”
And finally, there is a short bit about the FOTR hype, showing a small version of the new poster, and saying:
“Frodo fever!
LOTR marketing goes into hyper-drive: With December looming, witness the latest poster (left), the first 30-second, US TV spots, and John Rhys-Davies‘ wager with Empire: “A bottle of good wine that Lord of the Rings will have the biggest opening weekend ever,” he challenged. A ’99 Blue Nun is on the way to him now…”
