Posted on 03/14/2002 5:07:26 AM PST by HairOfTheDog
Prayers for her family and friends on the way.
One more thought... before I go. I know that alot of people believe it is our foreign policy that has caused the terror. My Arabic teacher thinks that and lectured me 2 hours on it 2 Saturdays ago.
I used to think that... until I began to read what they say... past the you, horrible, imperalist satan... and looked more deeply at the situation.
President Bush says it very simplistic... they hate us for our freedom... they hate us because Islam is to be the dominant culture and religion in the world. That did not begin when the oil flowed. That is 1300 years of thinking. Only when the oil flowed did they get the means to fight again. (Remember, they poured out of the Arab pennisula and almost conquered the world. They have been retreating slowly over the past centuries...)
It is a clash of civilizations in its simplest terms. It is nothing more or less.
If not, see you tomorrow!
"I said there was a society of men among us, bred up from their youth in the art of proving by words multiplied for the purpose, that white is black and black is white, according as they are paid. To this society all the rest of the people are slaves. For example, if my neighbour hath a mind to my cow, he hires a lawyer to prove that he ought to have my cow from me. I must then hire another to defend my right, it being against the rules of law that any man should be allowed to speak for himself. Now in this case, I who am the true owner lie under two great disadvantages. First; my lawyer, being practised almost from his cradle in defending falsehood, is quite out of his element when he would be an advocate for justice, which as an office unnatural, he always attempts with great awkwardness, if not with ill-will."
--Johnathan Swift,
Gulliver's Travels part IV, ch. 5
I understand that you don't think terrorism is state sponsored. Okay...
I believe it is... and have told you in posts why I think that. If you disagree with me... then that's okay too.
You and I are at cross purposes, and I don't think I can give you an answer to satisfy you. Two week ago, I posted 78 proofs linking Iraq and Al Queda. Do you reject those? If you do... fine... But, I don't. I see the link.
So, I'll continue to believe that terrorism is state sponsored... that's its a network... its all geared for one purpose... I'm not calling on the US to be the World's policeman. But I think the fight has come to us, and we must fight it. Where ever it occurs. Because I think we can win.
Wednesday, December 4 at 8/7c.
Hosted by Michael Rosenbaum, who plays "Lex Luthor" on The WB's hit drama Smallville, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS, RETURN TO MIDDLE EARTH is more than a behind-the-scenes look at the highly anticipated second film in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The special follows the life-changing adventure shared by the young stars of the feature. Thrown together for three years in the magnificent landscape of New Zealand, the actors' real-life challenges mirror the challenges faced by their characters in J.R.R. Tolkien's fantastic world of Middle-earth.
In addition to on-location cast interviews and an exclusive, world-premiere clip from the film, the special gives viewers an in-depth look at the fantastic sets and costumes, as well as interviews with director Peter Jackson and Academy Award-winning cinematographer Andrew Lesnie. For the millions of fans of the trilogy, this is a not-to-be-missed television event.
There is a list of stations that carry it on their website. Here's the link: Stations
December 4, 2002
Whats wrong with Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers?
Well, to quote my 13-year-old nephew, It wasnt long enough!
Its only 2 hours 59 minutes. And thats not enough time to explain why its called The Two Towers. I assume that it is a reference to Saurons tower and Sarumans tower yeah? Is that right? Beats me.
And I dont really care.
The Two Towers proves that the Lord of the Rings series will probably stand as the greatest fantasy film trilogy of all time. Its got all the making-kids-read benefits of Harry Potter, the strong characters of Star Wars and the visual singularity of The Matrix series thats going to play out next year. It has it all.
Writing about this movie right now is a little weird. After all, so many people have read the books that spoilers arent true spoilers. Nonetheless, Im not that interested in taking you through the story thats what the movie is for.
In many ways, The Two Towers is a classic middle movie. It jumps right into major league action from the first frames. And it leaves you ready for the big wrap up. But the idea that it is a middle movie devalues it in a way that is unfair.
As with the first film, a second viewing enhanced the glories of the film and settled my issues with some of the differences from the first film that I wasnt quite as happy about the first time around. For instance, Liv Tyler and Cate Blanchett are barely in this film just barely. And I didnt get nearly enough Gandalf for my tastes. Also, the fellowships split at the end of the first film continues here, so instead of having one story, you have three. Yet, on second viewing, it didnt bother me as much.
The upside of the split is that it opens the door to new characters. For me, the greatest invention of The Two Towers is a fully participating Smeagal/Gollum. Like last year, Harry Potter and LOTR put their flags in some similar territory. There was a troll in Potter last year and then the cave troll in Ring blew it out of the water. Likewise, this year we have Dobbie in Chamber of Secrets, a CG character that is truly remarkable. And then you have Smeagal, who blows Dobbie right out of the proverbial water. Smeagal lives and breathes and has hair and skin and slightly over-sized eyes, but damned if you cant imagine a CG human being in a few years that doesnt look like it stepped out of a comic book.
Meanwhile, Merry and Pippin meet up with an anthropomorphized creature who starts as a quiet presence, but who becomes a big part of the films emotional grounding by the end.
And Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli get the lions share of screen time in this film. The fate of human kind is in their hands. Lending them more than a hand are Bernard Hill, Miranda Otto and a wondrously evil Brad Dourif, who slithers through his role as Wormtongue. This trio joins in the defense of Rohan, which leads them to Helms Deep.
There isnt a lot more I really want to say about this film. It is a near-perfect piece of filmmaking. The map is, obviously, strong. And the work from Peter Jackson and his team is not only flawless, it is breaking through new barriers for the second year in a row.
Well talk more about the details as the film gets closer. But Ill leave you with this
The Two Towers will disappoint no one. It is a great ride. And I cant wait though I will have to for Return of the King. You can hear the heart beating already
LOL! You got that right! One of the women on our state homeschool message board was all exorcised about that toy this morning!
ROFL! - Poor 2J!
Carton, I'm sorry about your friend. Prayers and thoughts coming your way.
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