[dead]

Usually, any film with gnomes, elves and fairies is a much miss (sort of like the cinematic equivalent of a Renaissance Festival or a Jethro Tull concert), but the first two LOTR movies were pretty cool. Word is that the third one is the best.

[Paradox]

I can't wait, unlike the somewhat dissappointing Matrix finale, the Rings Trilogy sounds like it has a fitting end.

[Ex-Dem]

I read Cold Mountain a few years ago. Great storytelling with a lot of symbolism and imagery. Fairly depressing ending though, IIRC. I'd be interested to see how closely Hollywood keeps to the original storyline.

[TheBigB]

What? No nods for Freddy vs. Jason?? Highway robbery, I tellya...

[Hodar]

I have seen (all too frequently) the previews for "Cold Mountain". The previews bored me to tears, good grief, the preview is the most boring and depressing 5 minutes I have spent in years. My wife and I have no intention of actually wasting our time, let alone our cash; watching a movie that is as boring and depressing as the previews made this move appear. Naw, if we want boredom and depression we'll dig out some our insurance policies and read what isn't covered.

Now, Return of the King looks promising. Even if you don't like the fantasy of the Lord of the Rings series; the acting, the scenery and the battles make this movie a stand out. So this will be yet another movie that we'll throw money at, and another DVD to add to our collection.

[ClearCase_guy]

Peter Jackson directed three huge movies simultaneously. On location. Wielding a massive budget of $300 Milliion. He took a much beloved trilogy and turned it into three movies that were hugely popular with both fans and critics.

No director has ever done anything so daring. In addition, the cast is mostly made up of non-famous actors -- yet the performances of Elijah Wood, Andy Serkis, Sean Astin, Ian McKellan and Viggo Morgenstern are of very high quality. Must be a good director to achieve that.

And word of mouth says that ROTK will clearly be the best of the three. If the Academy fails to reward Jackson ... if the academy instead focuses on a depressing movie which glorifies a military deserter ... well, I guess I won't be too surprised.

[KevinDavis]

I would like to see Secondhand Lion nominated. Very good movie.

[Lee Heggy]

'Cold Mountain' made me want to buy a LeMat 9 shot 44 grapeshot revolver just to see what it was like to shoot one. Did so and wasn't disappointed even though it's heavy and the balance is weird..figure the movie will be the same way.

[RicocheT]

"Master and Commander" is a great pic for guys that love sea dramas. Stop sitting on your wallets and go to this movie, instead of waiting for the rental video.

I don't need to tell you to go to the LOR III as we all will.

[1stFreedom]

>>3 1/2-hour "Rings

I love long movies!!!!!

Two hours simply isn't enough time for book which are turned into movies. (Dune was a perfect example)

[baseballfanjm]

Hey y'all, tracking the Oscars is a hobby of mine. I can tell you now that I believe "Return of the King" has to be favored. It's fantasy, yes, but it's based on a beloved and cherished book trilogy. I was skeptical as to how they could make the first two simply because the three books are really one book, thus the first two lack proper "endings" that we usually have in movies. Peter Jackson has pulled that off brilliantly. I expect many an Oscar nod to go to "Return of the King"

Of course, there have to be 5 nominees. At this point, "Cold Mountain" is expected to get nominated. "Mystic River" is a big favorite as well. After that, it's a mess. "Master and Commander", "In America", "Big Fish", "House of Sand and Fog" and "The Last Samurai" are all considered big contenders for the award.

Personally, I'm supporting "Millennium Actress", hoping it'll get an Animated Feature nomination. I'm also supporting "Whale Rider", and its tremendous young lead actress Keisha Castle-Hughes. She was on Jay Leno the other night, so if anyone watches Leno, maybe you saw her.

Food for thought.

[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.

[radiohead]

sort of like the cinematic equivalent of a Renaissance Festival or a Jethro Tull concert

LOL! been to both.

[ican'tbelieveit]

Thinking back to last year with "Chicago" which I have not been able to bring myself to watch (a friend loaned me a copy and raved about it... I made it about 5 minutes in and had to turn it off); I hope that LOTR pulls it off against the likes of these other movies.

[Mudboy Slim]

"...first two LOTR movies were pretty cool. Word is that the third one is the best."

I'm very much looking forward to the 17th...MUD

[The Iguana]

While I haven't seen Return of the King, I would not be embarrassed to lose to Master And Commander - certainly the best movie I have seen this year, at least if The Pianist does not count.

Also terribly un-PC. That kind of thing needs to be encouraged.