Tolkien’s mystical world of Middle Earth comes to life in a new exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum. Four-time Oscar winner Richard Taylor – one of the creative geniuses behind the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy – is describing a place where fantasies are made. It’s not Mordor, or Hogwarts, but a vast fun factory on the outskirts of New Zealand’s windy capital. [More]
Day: December 23, 2004
Lots of actors write memoirs. Some do it as career repair, explaining an embarrassing spiral into drug use or scandal. Others do it to enhance their image as lovable, humble professionals, just honored, by gosh, to be part of this wonderful, wonderful business. And then there’s Sean Astin, whose performance as steadfast hobbit Sam Gamgee in the The Lord of the Rings trilogy gave the movies their heart and soul. In his new book, There and Back Again: An Actor’s Tale (St. Martin’s Press, $24.95, 320 pages), Astin does something positively revolutionary: He’s honest. [More]
Showbusiness Editor The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King has been voted best film of the year. The third and final instalment in the Tolkien trilogy topped a poll by viewers of the BBC’s Film 2004 show, hosted by Jonathan Ross. In a year which saw it win a record-equalling 11 Academy Awards, The Return Of The King was runaway favourite in the survey. The two previous films in the trilogy, The Two Towers And The Fellowship Of The Ring, also took the title in 2002 and 2003. [More]
LORD OF THE RINGS IS KING OF THE YEAR’S FILMS By Anita Singh, PA
Showbusiness Editor The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King has been voted best film of the year.
The third and final instalment in the Tolkien trilogy topped a poll by viewers of the BBC’s Film 2004 show, hosted by Jonathan Ross.
In a year which saw it win a record-equalling 11 Academy Awards, The Return Of The King was runaway favourite in the survey.
The two previous films in the trilogy, The Two Towers And The Fellowship Of The Ring, also took the title in 2002 and 2003.
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, starring Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey, was second in the survey.
Winslet appeared again at number three with Finding Neverland, the biopic of Peter Pan creator JM Barrie in which she appeared with Johnny Depp.
Lost In Translation, the quirky film which starred Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, was fourth.
Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban was in fifth place.
There was also room in the top 10 for a low-budget British hit and a foreign language film.
Zombie comedy Shaun Of The Dead was sixth and Chinese martial arts epic Hero was seventh.
Recent animated smash The Incredibles, blockbuster Spider-Man 2 and Tom Cruise thriller Collateral made up the top 10.
The results of the poll are being broadcast in a Film 2004 special tonight.
Film of the Year:
1 The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King
2 Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
3 Finding Neverland
4 Lost In Translation
5 Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban
6 Shaun Of The Dead
7 Hero
8 The Incredibles
9 Spider-Man 2
10 Collateral
PennyQ writes: I just read this in today’s Daily Mail – a very favourable review of Sir Ian McKellen’s first foray into the world of pantomime. Bet he’ll want to do this every year from now on!! [More]
McKellen.com have posted some photos and reviews of Ian McKellen in the new play ‘Aladdin’. [More]