LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – “The Last Samurai” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” led the overseas market over the weekend, but opportunities arose — though not on as grand a scale as that enjoyed by the titans — for several titles to snatch the No. 1 positions in scattered countries. [More]
Category: Original TORn
The folks from Wedding Dresses Magazine writes: Here are some exclusive extracts from the upcoming issue of Wedding Dresses. This issue won’t be on the newsstands until mid february but poeple can pre-order copies here. [More] [weddingdresses.com]
Arwen writes: Quite appropriately in those times which many have been referred to as “The Year of the King”, the Santa Barbara Film Festival elected to honor Peter Jackson with their 2004 Modern Master Award. The sold-out event took place on Saturday January 31st at the beautiful Arlington Theater in downtown Santa Barbara. People started to line up early in the afternoon, and by 6pm the line of dedicated fans was going around the block, braving the chilly wind. [More]
Arwen writes:
Quite appropriately in those times which many have been referred to as “The Year of the King”, the Santa Barbara Film Festival elected to honor Peter Jackson with their 2004 Modern Master Award. The sold-out event took place on Saturday January 31st at the beautiful Arlington Theater in downtown Santa Barbara. People started to line up early in the afternoon, and by 6pm the line of dedicated fans was going around the block, braving the chilly wind. Around 7pm the media and fan frenzy got ignited by the arrivals of Sean Astin and of the master himself, Peter Jackson. As always, Sean and Peter as well as producer Barrie Osborne gracefully juggled interviews with the press and requests for autographs and photos from screaming fans. The crowd slowly moved inside the theater, a huge old Spanish mission-style auditorium with a dark blue ceiling sprinkled with stars and a silver moon.
After the 2000+ audience finally settled down, the show got started with a few words of welcome by the Festival’s Director, Roger Durling, who invited on stage our favorite hobbit: Sean Astin. After a rousing round of applause, Sean talked about his admiration for Peter, and how getting to play Sam’s part in the movies had changed his life and his career. Sean was replaced on stage by New York Times’ Elvis Mitchell who acted through the rest of the evening as Master of Ceremonies. A montage of clips from all of Peter’s movies quickly followed, ending with the three LOTR movies to enthusiastic applause. As the last images from Return Of The King faded on screen, Elvis Mitchell announced “Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr Peter Jackson!” and Peter, who at that point was sitting in the front rows, stood up, made his way to the stage and received a thundering standing ovation.
Peter and Elvis sat down in comfortable leather armchairs, and from that moment on the audience was regaled with the rare treat of a live, casual interview of PJ, discussing his career from the rough but fun beginnings till today’s fame and success. Peter candidly spoke about his youth, his early love of film, his first jobs, and how his first movie “Bad Taste” got made. Each discussion was followed by a lengthy clip from one of Peter’s movies, from Bad Taste to Meet The Feebles, to Dead Alive (aka Braindead), Heavenly Creatures, The Frighteners, and finally The Lord Of The Rings. The clips from Peter’s early career, while famously gory, were quite hilarious (especially when the master himself acted in them as he did in Bad Taste) and often punctuated by humorous comments from Peter (for example, he explained that when he was 16 he was a geek and didn’t know any girls!). He also spoke about his first collaboration with Richard Taylor on Meet The Feebles, and explained that at that time Richard was a fledging puppeteer living in a small room – both his home and his workshop – which reeked of glue and chemicals! Peter really wondered how Richard could sleep there! While these quick peeks into Peter’s early movies were certainly funny, at the same time they were an undeniable testimony to the man’s mastery, imagination and creativity, and to his sense of storytelling.
Once the discussion got to the Lord Of The Rings films (a major undertaking after years of independent films made on a shoestring budget) Peter commented that in fact, it wasn’t that different, and quoted Elijah Wood as saying that “these films were the most expensive independent movies ever made”. He illustrated his point by narrating a funny story that happened in the first few months of filming. The whole cast and crew were scheduled to leave New Zealand’s North Island to go to a South Island location, and they were all to fly there together. When they arrived at Wellington’s airport, they were shocked to discover that their plane was nothing else than an old bomber from World War 2!!! Peter remembers Orlando Bloom exclaiming “I don’t f%$#@&% believe it!”. The plane’s pilot started asking them the weight of their luggage and equipment, with the warning that the plane could probably not take off with more than 1,000 pounds of freight (they had to arrange for some of their equipment to be shipped separately). Finally, the plane sped down the runway and painstakingly took off… but for a few meters only! before landing down again while in the cabin Orlando and the hobbits were going “Oooohhhh”… Anyway, eventually the plane managed to take off and they landed safely in the South Island. I don’t think my re-telling of this story does it justice, but in Peter’s words it was hysterically funny. Then came the anecdote which has been widely circulated, of Orlando and Sean driving together down the coast of the South Island and getting caught in a torrential storm, and being stuck for three days at the house of an 80-year old lady in the middle of nowhere…
The film clip for FOTR was most of the scene from the Council of Elrond, and for TTT, Theoden’s exorcism in Edoras, up to “Hail Theoden King!”. Before showing a couple of clips from ROTK there were a few interviews of various cast and crew members including Sir Ian McKellen, Hugo Weaving and David Wenham, and Richard Taylor. From ROTK the clips were the charge of the Rohirrim on the Pelennor Fields, and the scene of Sam and Frodo on Mount Doom. Roger Durling then came back on stage and announced that the Festival had a surprise: Peter being a huge Monty Python fan, they brought in none other than John Cleese himself! He delivered a hilarious speech about New Zealand, and told Peter that in addition to the Modern Master he was giving him another special Award: the Kiwi Award – and pulled out a stuffed Kiwi toy which he gave to a beaming Peter, under yet another rousing standing ovation which didn’t seem to ever want to end.
Peter took the microphone and made his acceptance speech, thanking the Festival and his soulmate and partner Fran Walsh, among others. Throughout the speech he was holding the stuffed Kiwi and gesturing with it, and soon the audience started to laugh until he realized what he was doing. It was quite a funny sight and Peter playfully ran with the joke. The end of the speech marked the end of the ceremony itself, and a very pleased and elated audience left the theater… Yet another night to remember for LOTR fans!
Stay tuned for soon-to-be posted report of the Producer’s panel with Barrie Osborne on Sunday 2/1.
Peiyu writes: The February 2004 issue of Singapore’s FiRST magazine has the results of the FiRST Awards 2003. There is also a report on the LOTR Motion Picture Trilogy Exhibition to be held in Singapore, along with an Animation Workshop. [More]
Peiyu writes: The February 2004 issue of Singapore’s FiRST magazine has the results of the FiRST Awards 2003.
There is also a report on the LOTR Motion Picture Trilogy Exhibition to be held in Singapore, along with an Animation Workshop.
THE LORDS WHO WON EVERYTHING
One ring can really rule everything, The big winner of the 2003 FiRST Awards is The Return of the King, the cinematic conclusion to the magnificent The Lord of the Rings saga. Championed by the remarkable director Peter Jackson, The Lord of the Rings is no doubt the epic of epics and the trilogy of trilogies, with victories in five of the six nominated categories [Favourite Movie, Favourite Director, Favourite Action Hero, Favourite Hunk, Favourite Screen Couple]. We all know that good things must ccome to an end. But we never expect that the end of this journey could be this good.
*FAVOURITE MOVIE: RETURN OF THE KING
Return of the King is our poll’s Favourite Movie of 2003, beating blockbuster heavy weights like Kill Bill Vol. 1, The Matrix Revolutions and Internal Affairs with 83% of the votes.
Even with the extra long ending, the complex subplots and the smaller-than-life hobbit heroes, people still love ROTK. Every poll with a The Lord of the Rings nomination is extremely slanted. Our result tabulators complain why we even bother to have a poll for each The Lord of the Rings nomination. Other than the Award for Favourite Villian, the folks of the fellowship just walk over and took everything.
*FAVOURITE DIRECTOR: PETER JACKSON
It comes to no surprise that Peter Jackson is the Favourite Director in our polls. He dominates the poll with 60% of the votes, outshining even Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino.
Frankly, Jackson deserves all the glory he is getting these days. The hobbit-looking prodigy is already nominated for the best director at the next Academy Awards and it is easy to understand why. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of cinema’s most ambitious undertakings. New Line Cinema is practically gambling their very existence in the movie industry with this massive investment. Fortunately, Jackson delivered both financially and artistically, satisfying fans of both the book and the box office for three years in a row.
It takes a person with a masterful vision to weave together such a complex plot with so many characters, each of them an enigma with their own separate following.
*FAVOURITE ACTION HERO: ARAGORN
We may have skipped a heart beat when The Bride executed her moves so stylishly and so splendidly in Tarantino’s hyper violent, ultra-gory, blood fest Vol. 1 of Kill Bill. We may have witnessed visual poetry in that rain combat sequence when Neo and Agent Smith face-off in The Matrix Revolutions. We may have even spilt our pop corns watching the bare knuckle ferocity of the Thai hero in Ong Bak.
But the truth remains: that we, the people of earth and Middle-Earth alike, prefer action at its most visceral. Nothing beats an old fashion horseback warrior engaging in one old school battle after another.
Meet the poll’s most Favourite Action Hero and one of cinematic history’s handsomest kings. No, he is neither elf nor dwarf, neither agent nor messiah. His name is Aragorn, and he is just a man. A very charismatic one who wields the Anduril, the infamous sword that is both big and brutal. And don’t we all love men who can handle a massive weapon so single handedly and heroically. Remember how he charged down the plains with unprecedented gusto so elegantly before his cavalry in a classic case of heroic suicide. “… for all you hold dear!” he shouted. We just loved that scene.
Played by the once fairly unknown Viggo Mortensen, Aragorn steals the limelight from Elijah Wood’s Frodo in this concluding saga as the other main protagonist – the eponymous king that will return. Underneath those sly eyes reads an everyman quality about Aragorn. This is the very eminence that makes the warrior a ruler worthy of everyone’s respect.
All hail the Favourite Action Hero – King Aragorn.
*FAVOURITE ON-SCREEN COUPLE: LEGOLAS AND GIMLI
The tear-jerking romance between Neo and Trinity is moving but it is unmatched next to the chemical (not to mention, hilarious) relationship shared between an elf and a dwarf. Yes, Legolas and Gimli may look like the most inappropriate combination but it says in our polls that they are the Favourite Screen Couple.
Okay, we know what you are thinking. Just because one’s a lithe elf and the other a short-bearded dwarf doesn’t mean that both males are incapable of being strictly platonic bosom buddies. Just watch the way the bond between Legolas and Gimli deepends, be it enmity, friendship or slash.
Fans of the novel will know that before The Fellowship of the Ring, dwarves and elves don’t get along. They just cannot stand the sight of each other. How then did these two Middle-Earth creatures become so tight a pair? Everything boils down to the ring and the mission to return it. It is the beauty of the shared mission and communal experience that brought them together. Both guys, although once enemies-in-kind, develop a mutual respect for each other. They understand from the battles that they have braved together, that both have a role to play to fulfil the ultimate mission. Isn’t that sweet?
Here’s a quote from the Favourite Screen Couple. Check out the hilarious exchange:
(During the Battle of Helm’s Deep, Gimli has killed an Uruk-Hai warrior.)
Gimli: Legolas! Two already!
Legolas: I’m on 17!
Gimli: What? I’ll have no pointy ear outscoring me!
Legolas: (shoots two more arrows) 19!
*FAVOURITE VILLIAN AWARD: GOLLUM or AGENT SMITH?
This is the toughest fight in our polls. Not since the last US presidential election have we observed such an unprecedented battle for votes. Agent Smith and Gollum run side by side in terms of popularity. Both are crooks fighting despicably for the Favourite Villain Award. Strange things have happened. One of our tabulators have been unplugged. Another has her wedding finger bitten off. The Eds are unflinching, they have called for their second re-count.
(And the final results are out. This is an account of what happened in the virtual fantasy-reality of the FiRST Award Ceremony.)
Presenter: Okay here goes. May the favourite villain win.
(The presenter proceeds to open the envelope.)
Presenter: The winner is Gol…
(Just then Gollum creeps from behind the presenter and hisses.)
Gollum: Back off! The pwehciouss is mine!!!
(Suddenly the presenter’s eyes roll up. He starts to convulse and morph. There is electricity in the air. Sparks flew. Before anyone can say anything, a cinematic spectacle is witnessed. Standing in place of the presenter is Agent Smith.)
Agent Smith: Mr. Gollum, we meet at last. I have heard all about you.
Gollum: Smeagol do not play computer games. Smeagol do not know you. Gollum just wants the Award for Favourite Villain.
Agent Smith: Yes. Yes. Don’t we all have wants. But I have seen it. I have seen your death. I have eradicated you. Wiped all your votes off the database… with some satisfaction, I might add.
Gollum: But Smeagol heard from the editors that we have won. The pwehciouss is ours.
Agent Smith: Don’t you see. They set us up because they want us to do battle.
Gollum: But… but… these Masters are humans, not fat hobbits, they would never do anything to hurt poor Smeagol.
Agent Smith: Oh yes they will. They wants us to eradicate each other the way you Middle-Earthlings did for one ring. The temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify a battle that is without meaning or purpose. But why bother when the beginning points to the end.
Gollum: Smeagol is confused.
Agent Smith: I hate this place. This zoo. This prison. This reality, whatever you want to call it. I can’t stand it any longer. Give me the award and I’ll be off.
Gollum: Smeagol cannot give you the pwehciouss. Gollum will not let me. Do not force Smeagol. Smeagol has killed before and he will do it again. Back off.
(Agent Smith struts over and lifts the award off the table.)
Agent Smith: Why do you persist? You must know it by now. You can’t win. It’s pointless to keep fighting . All this is artificial. I will cure you of your pathetic existence. I will rid you of your feeble precious.
Gollum: No!
(Gollum lashes out at Agent Smith, wrapping his limps around the agent like a spider.)
Agent Smith: (coughs) Your breath stinks!
Gollum: I wantssss this pwehciouss!
(Indeed, Gollum’s breath is too repulsive for the Agent. He chokes.)
Agent Smith: Arrggghhhhh!
(Gollum grabs the Award with his teeth and leaps off scrambling his way into the woods.)
Agent Smith: (dazed and disoriented) Wait a minute… I have not finished… I am supposed to have the last say.
Gollum: Not listening.
Agent Smith: Hey! … This isn’t fair.
*FAVOURITE HUNK: ORLANDO BLOOM
The King may have returned and the series may have ended but life is not over for the fair-skinned blondie who played the enigmatic Legolas in the LOTR Trilogy. In fact, life for the alluring Orlando Bloom has only just begun. This doll-looking hunk is fast becoming the most sought after supporting actor in Hollywood. He has already played the gallant Will Turner opposite Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley in Pirates of the Caribbean. Bloom will next play the legendary lover boy Paris in Troy.
It is no surprise that Orlando Bloom is the Favourite Hunk in our 2003 Poll. Whether he’s sporting blonde braids or curly locks, Bloom is the hunk dujour. Even the dangerously beautiful Takeshi Kaneshiro and over-exposed bad boy Colin Farrell have to step aside to honour his blooming appeal.
Never before LOTR, would we expect (except to the fans of the book) that ‘Elves’ to be so sexy and romantic. Maybe androgyny is back in fashion. Move aside Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman wannabes!