[jonalvy44]

Notice the nice shirt...NOT. Where do his loyalties lie?

[Rocko]

Yeah, but what about Sean Astin?

[AntiGuv]

"...we [the United States] are not the good guys..."

Hmmm... I dunno - seem to have missed that part.. Is it in Return of the King? I guess I'll have to decide whether to worry about it whenever I see the context. Maybe Aragorn gets possessed by Sauron through the palantir? I hope not, though, because Peter Jackson shouldn't take that kind of pointless liberty with the books..

Oh well. If I'm so dazzled that I still miss that line after my fourth theater viewing of ROTK, I'll get back to you here for further directions!

[risk]

He's just a marketing machine. The LotR franchise is afraid to lose business because of the obvious Tolkienesque identification in the story with democracy against totalitarianism and barbarism.

A good majority of the fans will be rooting for America when they cheer on the side of good in the film.

[Tax-chick]

I'm sorry ... I just can't take a person named "Viggo" seriously. In fact, I have trouble believing there IS such a person. I wouldn't name my fish "Viggo."

I've dozed through two LOTR movies so far ... someday my husband will rent this one, and I'll doze through it, too.

[HairOfTheDog]

LOTR Fans...Is This Your ''King''?

No silly! He only plays the king in a movie.... it's pretend.

[DeuceTraveler]

The actor may be an idiot, but the producer who created the movies is definitely on our side.

[ecurbh]

Ring Ping!!

There and Back Again: The Journeys of Flat Frodo

Anyone wishing to be added to or removed from the Ring-Ping list, please don't hesitate to let me know.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Did he write LOTR?

This has been posted many times already.

[stuartcr]

I'm going to see the movie, and let him earn his wages...I could not care less about him off-screen.

[Destructor]

"Notice the nice shirt...NOT. Where do his loyalties lie?"

Gee, thanks! So, where the hell were you when the first TWO movies came out? I've seen the first two, and I'm going to see the final movie, regardless of whether Viggo Mortendumbass "gets my money," or not!

[billbears]

Do I care? He plays the part well in the movie. And to see Tolkien's books come to life is worth more to me than what the actors think offstage

[Hegewisch Dupa]

I knew the "you better hate this movie 'cuz one of the actors is anti-American" crowd would show up sometime - I'm just surprised it took this long. Don't forget to get yourself on the "Gandalf is a flamer" ping list too.

[BibChr]

His published remarks reveal Mortensen to be a burbling, foam-flecked, ankle-biting moron when it comes to the war against terror.

Equally, John Rhys-Davies' (Gimli) remarks on American reveal him to be an astute, sagacious, gracious, outspoken admirer and supporter of America.

Shall we punish Rhys-Davies so we can (be absolutely insignificant in making a hollow gesture at) punishing Mortensen?

Dan

[Corin Stormhands]

Does this guy deserve your money?

I'm not paying him for his political views. But for his acting skills, he deserves every dime he gets.

Now, I've answered your question. I have one for you.

Does FR really deserve all your shameless vanities and huckstering of your website?

[MainFrame65]

I like movies. And even though I got lucky a couple of years ago and WON a top of the line Mitsubishi Finch high definition TV, and added a high quality sound system and DVD player, I much prefer to see movies in theaters, and seldom rent or buy them to view at home.

I used to go to see 40 or 50 movies a year, not too many years ago. I looked at the trailers and ads, read reviews, and considered which actors I enjoyed. But since I grew up in Hollywood - I actually spent one summer school session at Hollywood High School, but attended Fairfax High, a couple of miles away - I NEVER had any respect at all for actors as people, unless they earned it off screen. I was able to ignore their antics until the past couple of years, when they decided to use their celebrity to push their juvenile political views.

So I have changed how I select what to see. Where I used to look for certain actors, to the point of thinking, "Russell (or Harrison, or Mel, or ...) is in it, so I want to see it, I now either assign no weight, or even negative weight for some actors that have gone off the deep end politically. And of course, Hollywood has helped by turning out tons of crappy movies recently, with very few worth the time or money to see them.

So in 2003 I have laid my money down about a dozen times, including twice for LOTR-TTT. Instead of going to 40 or 50 movies in one year, I have been that many times in the past 3 years.

The best part is, Hollywood knows it. No, not just me. Clearly, a LOT of people have been turned off, because movie attendance is way down, a lot of intended blockbusters fade after the first week, or never make it to the top, and best of all, their big stars no longer can guarantee success. They know it is happening, but they are still working on why. They will observe LOTR-ROTK this year, and Passion next year, and wonder why they attract audiences and fans while their garbage movies filled with garbage ideas played by garbage actors continue to languish. The people in charge now may never figure it out, but their failure might bring some new blood to the top, and things will get better then.

[Gordian Blade]

This is my choice for dumbest posting of the year, even surpassing the "Are you going to let them teach your kids that the universe is older than 6,000 years?" posts.

[Wneighbor]

Does a film which depicts the moral values of a good that is worth fighting, and yes, dying for deserve my money?

Does a film written to follow a great piece of literature which is without gratuitous sex and with violence which represents what war can really be like deserve my money?

Is it worthwhile to allow my kids to see this and find that being loyal to your compatriots even in the vilest of circumstances can be an honorable thing?

Is it valuable to have millions of people who have never given thought to someone having to shed blood for their freedoms see that it is necesary?

but, that list could grow very long, in essence:

Is it more important to promote a cause which pretty much reflects the mind-set of our founding fathers or to keep away from it because of one paid performer?

[StoneColdGOP]

I don't care.

I enjoyed the hell out of the "Fellowhsip of the Ring" and look forward to seeing "The Two Towers" and "Return of the King".

And then I'll go buy 'em on DVD too, just to piss you off.

[ecurbh]

But what about Sean Astin, who plays Sam Gamgee in LOTR? Are we allowed to support him? Or is it your position that if there is anyone anywhere in the cast or crew of a movie that expresses an anti-American position, we're not supposed to watch it? Gimme a break.

'Celebs' Use Stardom to Promote Army

...

"There's a lot of different people and voices in America, and I don't mind letting my voice be heard," Astin said during an interview conducted at the Pentagon. "I learned from reading about Vietnam that no matter what you think politically about certain deployments, as a good citizen and a patriot it's your duty to appreciate that there are soldiers using their lives on your behalf as a citizen."

Although many may know that Astin has appeared in more than 25 motion pictures, few know that he has served as a civilian aide to the secretary of the Army since 1995. He served under Togo West, Louis Caldera and now the current Secretary of the Army Thomas White.

For protocol purposes Astin, as a civilian aide, is ranked just below a three-star general and is considered to be the secretary of the Army's personal representative in the California region. Part of the basis of a CASA's appointment is his ability to increase the public's understanding of the Army, and Astin said he tells the Army story to anyone who wants to know it.

"I'm in a position where I do whatever I can to support the Army," Astin said. "I've visited installations, and took the time to write 'thank-you' letters to business who had reserve-component soldiers to be mobilized."

[Valentine_W]

Why punish the rest of the case, who are generally pro-American and support Iraqi liberation, for the comment of one of their actors? John Ryes-Davies and Sean Astin have both pubically stated that they support the troops and President Bush. I am not going to punish the rest of the cast for the comment of one of their actors--it's certainly not their fault he feels that way. Furthermore, Tolkien is a classic literary genius, and I want to enjoy the upcoming ROTK movie, which ulimtately celebrates the genius of Tolkien.