ooooh.....
Dec. 18th, 2002 10:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kaydeefalls
I am zonked out of my mind. Haven't checked e-mail or LJ since Monday. Got two and a half hours of sleep last night. Need to crash, desperately. But, TTT notes, now.
I've seen this movie twice in the past 24 hours. Midnight showing, and 4 pm today. The first time, I was far more critical. Mainly trying to keep track of all the changes and noticing the bits that irked me. Second time was much better -- looking at the movie as a whole rather than the sum of its parts.
I can't say it's better than FotR, because they're too different to compare. Um, I guess I'll go through my main problems with TTT first:
1. Not enough hobbits. Not NEARLY enough hobbits. Merry and Pippin were fucking cheated, even more so than in FotR. I want to see them DOING shit, not riding around on trees.
2. Still can't stand Arwen, thanks. I took a lovely little nap during viewing #2, i.e. whenever Arwen came onscreen. It's not so much that she's bad as....boring as fuck. Yeah. I don't give a shit. And her romance w/ Aragorn is NOT doomed, thankyouverymuch.
3. Not the greatest editing job. Some scene transitions were too abrupt, some scenes too rushed, some too slow-paced.
4. The ents didn't thrill me. They looked all right, but...I dunno. Just didn't thrill me.
5. Sam's big climactic speech was adorable, but cheesier than Velveeta. But I'll forgive it for the cuteness factor.
Wow, that's about IT with the criticisms. The rest kicked much ass. Like, ever so much ass. Highlights:
1. GOLLUM. I loved him in the books, I fucking adore him in the movie. AUGH! He's SO COOL! Yeah. Insert incoherent babbling here.
2. I love love love the Frodo/Sam interactions. Lydia thinks there wasn't enough touching. Okay, fine, but the dialogue was brilliant. Big note to fanfic writers out there: they don't have to be shmoopy and sappy to be soinlove. They can argue. They can disagree. They can even be occasionally indifferent. But the chemistry between them? Magic. Just magic.
3. Scariest moment ever: Frodo. Frodo. FRODO. He had a Mount Doom moment! He freaked the living shit out of me! And pulling Sting on Sam -- THUD. Perfect. Brilliant. I wanted to cry.
4. LEGOLAS HAS A PERSONALITY. Dude, I'm stunned. I can actually see where the fangirls are coming from, now. Orli, I apologize for my past indifference.
5. Okay, maybe they take it too far, but I like comicrelief!Gimli. With a film this dark, you need it.
6. I actually like what they've done with Faramir. He was passive and boring in the books. Here, he's a real guy.
7. I never thought the Man!StoryArc would capture my attention, but oh, it does.
8. The general acting level of the cast has risen about twelve billion percent. Wow. I'm grooving on absolutely everybody. Except Arwen.
9. Well, shoot me, but I love Haldir's death sequence. I'm not moved because it's Haldir, per se, but I think it was handled perfectly. The elves coming to terms with death. Oh, man. Good stuff.
10. DOM. Doesn't do nearly enough, but positively shines with what he's given.
11. THE ENDING IS THE BEST THING EVER. EVER. Genius. Sheer genius. "SHE'll know what to do..." Just. Thud.
Countdown to RotK: TOO FUCKING LONG.
I really need to get some sleep....
I've seen this movie twice in the past 24 hours. Midnight showing, and 4 pm today. The first time, I was far more critical. Mainly trying to keep track of all the changes and noticing the bits that irked me. Second time was much better -- looking at the movie as a whole rather than the sum of its parts.
I can't say it's better than FotR, because they're too different to compare. Um, I guess I'll go through my main problems with TTT first:
1. Not enough hobbits. Not NEARLY enough hobbits. Merry and Pippin were fucking cheated, even more so than in FotR. I want to see them DOING shit, not riding around on trees.
2. Still can't stand Arwen, thanks. I took a lovely little nap during viewing #2, i.e. whenever Arwen came onscreen. It's not so much that she's bad as....boring as fuck. Yeah. I don't give a shit. And her romance w/ Aragorn is NOT doomed, thankyouverymuch.
3. Not the greatest editing job. Some scene transitions were too abrupt, some scenes too rushed, some too slow-paced.
4. The ents didn't thrill me. They looked all right, but...I dunno. Just didn't thrill me.
5. Sam's big climactic speech was adorable, but cheesier than Velveeta. But I'll forgive it for the cuteness factor.
Wow, that's about IT with the criticisms. The rest kicked much ass. Like, ever so much ass. Highlights:
1. GOLLUM. I loved him in the books, I fucking adore him in the movie. AUGH! He's SO COOL! Yeah. Insert incoherent babbling here.
2. I love love love the Frodo/Sam interactions. Lydia thinks there wasn't enough touching. Okay, fine, but the dialogue was brilliant. Big note to fanfic writers out there: they don't have to be shmoopy and sappy to be soinlove. They can argue. They can disagree. They can even be occasionally indifferent. But the chemistry between them? Magic. Just magic.
3. Scariest moment ever: Frodo. Frodo. FRODO. He had a Mount Doom moment! He freaked the living shit out of me! And pulling Sting on Sam -- THUD. Perfect. Brilliant. I wanted to cry.
4. LEGOLAS HAS A PERSONALITY. Dude, I'm stunned. I can actually see where the fangirls are coming from, now. Orli, I apologize for my past indifference.
5. Okay, maybe they take it too far, but I like comicrelief!Gimli. With a film this dark, you need it.
6. I actually like what they've done with Faramir. He was passive and boring in the books. Here, he's a real guy.
7. I never thought the Man!StoryArc would capture my attention, but oh, it does.
8. The general acting level of the cast has risen about twelve billion percent. Wow. I'm grooving on absolutely everybody. Except Arwen.
9. Well, shoot me, but I love Haldir's death sequence. I'm not moved because it's Haldir, per se, but I think it was handled perfectly. The elves coming to terms with death. Oh, man. Good stuff.
10. DOM. Doesn't do nearly enough, but positively shines with what he's given.
11. THE ENDING IS THE BEST THING EVER. EVER. Genius. Sheer genius. "SHE'll know what to do..." Just. Thud.
Countdown to RotK: TOO FUCKING LONG.
I really need to get some sleep....
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Gark!
Date: 2002-12-18 08:45 pm (UTC)Gark, I want see this movie! ::jumps up and down, reads the damn book again:: I need to unleash my pretentious film student terminology on what is bound to be the best movie ever! Okay, I'll stop whining and sit tight until my Friday afternoon screening. Hell, I'll pro'ly need it after homecoming.
--Mack.
no subject
Date: 2002-12-18 09:38 pm (UTC)Um, you wouldn't happen to know WHO he's talking about, would you? Shelob, the Ring maybe?
no subject
Date: 2002-12-19 09:05 am (UTC)Re: Gark!
Date: 2002-12-19 03:09 pm (UTC)I eagerly await your pretentious film school deconstruction. Actually, now that I'm actually almost sort of awake, I should write a real review.
Re:
Date: 2002-12-19 03:10 pm (UTC)His little speech is more or less straight out of the book, actually, now that I think about it. But, yes. Shelob. Very much Shelob.
no subject
Date: 2002-12-19 05:59 pm (UTC)*pause*
Had I been paying attention at all when readiing the Books?!
And now for a completely unrelated squee!
Date: 2002-12-19 07:17 pm (UTC)Oh, and Patty Duke, Sean Astin's mom, just started as Aunt Eller in Oklahoma!, if you're interested.
Re:
Date: 2002-12-19 08:14 pm (UTC)Or maybe they've just gotten it so close to Tolkien that I can't tell the difference anymore...
Re: And now for a completely unrelated squee!
Date: 2002-12-19 08:16 pm (UTC)...
...
That is all.
no subject
Date: 2002-12-22 04:43 pm (UTC)About the hobbits and the acting: I agree! Not enough! They're such great actors in this movie, and they didn't get nearly enough screen time. I am going to sue if one of these actors don't get Oscar nominations. Although I don't know if that's possible...
About Arwen: Yes, can't stand her either. Quoting Mother: "I think they miscast what's-his-name, Aragorn?, yes, Aragorn's love interest. She's not pretty at all, and I think her face is unbalanced." LOL. Unbalanced.
About Sam's speech: Cheesy yes, but moving! And it's based on his speech from the book. I remember, although I think he said it somewhere else. Also, why were Frodo and Sam taken to Osgiliath? That wasn't in the book, was it?!
About Gollum: YES! Gollum is cool! You know what, my parents didn't even realize he was animated until after the movie, when I told them. They thought the director had found a really misshapen dwarf. ^_^
About Gimli: "But don't tell the Elf." LOL!
About Merry: He's downright amazing! I think he's become my favorite hobbit after Frodo in the movie. (I always liked Pippin better in the books, y'see.)
I am going to die from suspense! How on earth do they expect me to wait over a year for Shelob? How?! Why, oh, why?
...Tari
Re:
Date: 2002-12-22 05:06 pm (UTC)...admit it, it would've been far worse if they'd included Shelob. I really, really wouldn't want to see Lydia exploding on a daily basis, let alone personal trauma.
Re:
Date: 2002-12-23 07:24 am (UTC)...Tari