The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

"Let us hunt some orc!"

Even after all this time, I think this is one of the best lines in a trilogy that is filled with great lines. It's funny, I only realized more than ten years had passed since these movies came out (The Fellowship of the Ring appeared in 2001! Can you believe it?!) when I went to see the Hobbit, and for some reason I saw the dates of the previous movies online.

I then decided to undertake the huge task of seeing the whole extended trilogy again, both to plunge into Middle Earth again after The Hobbit did nothing more than whet my appetite for good fantasy, and for the Golden Gentlemen Challenge at Persie's blog. 

I had forgotten how long the films were (and btw, I deserve extra points for this - these monstrosities should count double, lol) but it is a good sort of long, with character development, amazing fight scenes, and beautiful scenery. I can't deny they have aged very well - there are amazingly few cringe worthy moments (and most of them revolve around an overly emotional Frodo) and all the films are still as exciting and visually impressive as ever.

Since there isn't much of interest to be said about these films that hasn't been said before, I thought I would go over some of my favourite scenes in each movie, and indulge in some fangirl babbling.

I used to think that the first movie, Fellowship of the Ring, was my favourite. It still has the most scenes that I love, but as a whole, I think I actually preferred Return of the King this time around - there is more Aragorn in it, and Eowyn kicking ass.

There are some seminal moments in the Fellowship movie, particularly Gandalf fighting the Balrog in Moria, with those lines we will never forget: "You shall not pass!" and "Fly, you fools!" but also Boromir's death and some of the scenes with Galadriel. But I think my favourite moment might be the scene where we first meet strider, in the tavern, and his face is lit by the red glow of his pipe.

In The Two Towers, I enjoyed everything that had to do with Rohan (I might have a thing for big bad Eomer *sigh*). The scene where our three heroes meet the war party and are surrounded by horses is impressive, and I love the first view of Rohan - it might not be as sophisticated as Rivendell or Minas Tirith, but I find that Hall and that empty town has a tragic beauty as well. The films ends in a high note, with The Battle at Helm's Deep, and it also has some brilliant scenes: Gimli trying to see over the edge of the ramparts, Legolas sliding down the stairs shooting orcs, Aragorn tossing Gimli to the bridge in front of the doors, Eomer's charge as dawn breaks... But the funniest moment is certainly when Merry and Pip discover pipe weed form the shire in the pantry in Isengard.

As for the last movie, I have a harder time putting my finger on exact moments I like - there is a beautiful sequence when the signals asking Rohan for help are being lit, for example, but that is due mostly to the beauty of the landscape. There is also a wonderful scene that is hauntingly beautiful when Faramir decides to follow his father's delusional orders and go defend Osgiliath, while the old man eats his dinner in the safety of the city. But mostly, there are a lot of good guys taking charge and kicking evil's ass, which always makes for brilliant entertainment.

Points tally: 3 films with 1 actor = 6 points + 5 from before for a total of 11 points.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

As has probably become painfully obvious by now, I am something of a fantasy junky. And like most fantasy fans of my generation, I can trace the beginnings of this - let's call it fondness to avoid the (probably more accurate) word obsession - to a few very good books I read as a teen. There was the obvious Harry Potter series, Ursula K. Leguin Tales of Earthsea, some Douglas Adams and some Narnia and a lot of Philip Pullman, but also, and maybe most importantly Tolkien. 

The thing about Middle Earth is that it is a world that never seems to end - I read Lord of the Rings a couple of years before the movies came out, and then suddenly there were all those other books set up in this amazing world, and I simply had to read them all - The Silmarilion, Unfinished Tales, The Hobbit, to name a few. So, in short: I blame Tolkien.

Much of the hype was due to the success of Peter Jackson's trilogy, and it was well deserved. High Fantasy is a difficult genre, often long, with so many characters you can't keep them straight (cf- the hilarious cheat sheet for the Dwarves of Thorin's Company!) and meandering plots that take thousands of pages to get to the point, in language that is not always very straightforward. If you are an impatient reader, or have a short attention span, it can get tiring and confusing very quickly, and people just give up. So, good movies, that are faithful to the books they are based on, is a great compromise, a perfect way to delve into this new world and maybe grab the attention of people. Unlike some other die-hard fans, I am not at all opposed to movie adaptations of books I like (even if I have been disappointed before *cough* Eragon *cough*) and the Hobbit was just the same - I was there on opening night.

So, ten years after giving us the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Peter Jackson comes back with three new films that tell the tale of how Bilbo Baggins, Frodo's uncle, was hired as a burglar in Thorin Oakshield's Company, and set out on a quest to reclaim Eresbor, the last great dwarf kingdom of Middle Earth, from the dragon Smaug. The story is set 60 years before the events of Lord of the Rings, and is a prequel to that story, setting the scene from some very important plot points.

As always with Peter Jackson, the cast is superb:

Martin Freeman .......... Young Bilbo Baggins

Ian McKellan .............. Gandalf the Grey

Richard Armitage ....... Thorin Oakshield

Ken Stott .................... Balin

Aidan Turner .............. Kili

Dean O'Gorman ......... Fili

Hugo Weaving .......... Lord Elrond

Cate Blanchett ........... Lady Galadriel

Christopher Lee ......... Saruman the White

Sylvester McCoy........ Radagast the Brown

Andy Serkis ............... Gollum

I don't think I have seen such a perfect fit as Armitage in the role of Thorin in a long time - the voice, the bearing,  the frown, everything fits perfectly. Kili and Fili are delightful, and really, all the company as a group have great chemistry (even if I have a soft spot for Kili and his bow). The opening scenes in Bilbo's house are truly terrific - between the comedy of the kitchen raid, and the aching melancholy of the dwarves singing Mysty Mountain  in front of the fire - they set the tone for the quest perfectly.

The rest of the film continues much as a quest would - there are amazing location shots, and very good fight scenes (the running battle against the Goblins under the mountain is particularly good). The plot advances at a brisk pace, with new enemies and old foes appearing at regular intervals. 

Don't take this the wrong way - the film was great. Even knowing what was going to happen in advance (and isn't that a bittersweet thing!) I was still bitting my nails off when Thorin jumped from his tree to confront Azog, and cheering Bilbo when he followed (on a side note, isn't Bilbo a much more engaging hero than Frodo? I certainly think so!). It was a long movie, and some scenes dragged a bit but most did not. In fact the only thing I found really longwinded was the meeting with Gollum - it is an extremely important scene, in terms of longterm plot-lines, but a couple of times I got tired of dealing with Gollum's multiple personalities and just wanted everything to move on and to go back to the characters I actually care about.

Still, to feel that only once in a movie that is nearly 3 hours long is something. All in all, it was a great film.

A few more points for the Golden Gentlemen Challenge:

- 1 film + 1 actor = 2 points + 3 points from before for a total of 5 points in the challenge so far.

The King's Speech

Most people who know me, and tried to decide on a film to see with me on a given day, know that as I got older I started developing a strong aversion to anything that is overly dramatic and/or tragic. It might be childish of me (though I've decided to see it as a sign of intellectual maturity, so blame me if you dare) but I don't like coming away from a movie depressed and teary eyed. Before, I used to think that all really good movies had to involve tragedy (a belief steaming from the absolutely overwhelming number of bad endings in everything that is popularly considered high culture), but while I still appreciate conflict and tension, I no longer think a film (or a book for that matter) needs to end badly to be considered a masterpiece.

The King's Speech is one of these films that proves my point for me.

The cast for this movie is absolutely amazing, and they made one of the very best films I have seen in the last few years.

Tom Hooper..............................................Director

Colin Firth.................................................King George "Bertie" VI

Helena Bonham Carter..............................Duchess of York / Queen Elizabeth

Geoffrey Rush...........................................Lionel Logue

Derek Jacobi..............................................Archbishop Cosmo Langi

Jennifer Ehle..............................................Myrtle Logue

Timothy Spall............................................Winston Churchill

Guy Pearce................................................King Edward VIII

Michael Gambon.......................................King George V

Eve Best....................................................Wallis Simpson

This film is based on the story of King George VI, the current Queen' father, on the years surrounding his accession to the throne. It is an intimate portrayal of the royal family, centred on his struggles with his speech impediment, and the friendship he developed with Lionel Logue in his attempts to overcome it, as well as his reluctance to accept the responsibility of the crown which is finally trust upon him after his older brother abdicates in order to marry the woman he loves.

The acting in the film is absolutely phenomenal - there are no excesses, every actor plays vividly, but never garishly. Collin Firth, in particular, delivers a very moving performance, and the stutter of his character is present but never exaggerated, never turning ridiculous, which I greatly appreciate. 

I particularly loved Helena Bonham Carter as the Duchess of York - her first meeting with Lionel Logue is one of the funniest scenes I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. She is also amazing as the supporting and loving wife - often staying hopeful for her husband when he has all but given up. 

And one can not talk about this film without mentioning the amazing performance of Geoffrey Rush, who makes an amazing duo with Collin Firth. Their therapy sessions are great as moments of comic relief, and are the basis of a lifelong friendship.

Funny, intense, moving, profoundly human - this is one of those films that should not be missed.

I saw this film again for the Challenges over at Persephone's blog, and kind of hit the jackpot with this one as we have both Colin Firth and Michael Gambon for the Gentlemen, and Helena Bonham Carter for the Ladies.

My point tally is therefore:

- Gentlemen: 2 actors + 1 film = 3 points

- Ladies: 1 actress + 1 film = 2 points + 4 from before for a total 6 points at this time

Yay me!