Zac Oldenburg writes: When it was announced that Peter Jackson, a small time and rather unknown Kiwi director, was going to be taking over the reigns of one of the most sought after and daunting film tasks in the history of cinema many didn’t expect a whole lot. But one came out of this man’s mind is an adaptation that Tolkien couldn’t have supervised much better himself and will go down as not only one of the greatest fantasy films, but flat out best films ever to grace our silver screens. More..

The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (Theatrical Editions) [Blu-ray]From highdefdigest.com: New Line/Warner has delayed ‘The Lord of the Rings Trilogy’ originally slated to hit Blu-ray this November. The 7-disc set scheduled for November 3 has been removed from the slate and will now be released sometime in 2010 (likely in the Spring). Warner has not provided any reasons for the delay, however there is some speculation that the studio doesn’t want the title to “get lost in the crowd” from their other high profile releases according to reports from The Digital Bits. You can find the latest specs for ‘The Lord of the Rings Trilogy’ linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it’s now indexed under PENDING. More..

The folks at SnagFilms, an online documentary distributor, contacted us recently. They wanted to let us know that “Beyond the Movie: Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring” and “Beyond the Movie: Lord of the Rings: Return of the King”, the National Geographic documentaries that explore the real life parallels between history and fantasy behind the epic tale, are embedded and are free to watch at snagfilms.com. These are currently available on DVD or as extras on the various LOTR DVD collectors editions. However now you can catch them online anytime at snagfilms.com. Take a look!

“Beyond the Movie: Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring”
“Beyond the Movie: Lord of the Rings: Return of the King”

Xoanon asks, how come ‘The Two Towers never’ never gets any love?

BARNEY MCDONALD from the Sunday Star Times writes: The first time I saw Peter Jackson on set directing The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the (now trim) film-maker was sat barefoot in a big, comfy armchair of dubious origin. He’d get up and move around, interacting with actors and crew, but before long he’d be back in the low, rounded chair, staring at his monitors, deep in thought.

During shooting of pick-ups for The Twin Towers [SIC] and The Return of the King, I spent a week apiece with a veritable United Nations of international media, watching Jackson working on set and location, snatching moments to talk to him about his epic journey with the film. Always unflappable, ever affable, Jackson controlled his environment with understated and seemingly effortless ease, so much so that the armchair became a symbol for the man himself. Whenever he wasn’t on set, the chair remained, motionless and serene, commanding respect on behalf of its master. More..