Tom Jolliffe on the genesis of the excessively long action scene… It has become almost the norm now. The majority of large-scale action blockbusters will have a hugely elaborate, and extremely long set piece in them. In fact some may have several. It used to be that maybe 5-10 minutes at the end of a […]
Ian McKellen suggests he’s open to Gandalf role in Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings TV series
As Sir Ian McKellen prepares to tackle a new iconic role in the West End version of The Exorcist, the legendary performer has told Graham Norton’s Radio 2 show that he’s reluctant to let one of his greatest roles go to another actor. With the news that Amazon are to create their own middle-earth TV series […]
Quality Isn’t Subjective. A Film Is Good Or It Is Not
Samuel Brace argues that quality isn’t subjective… Many things in life are up for debate. Many things can be interpreted and argued over. Everyone is different; everyone is a product of their own environment, dictated to by their personal tastes. Things like our favourite foods, favourite actors, favourite sports, books, music and yes, films, are […]
Hollywood: If You Can’t Build It, Don’t Bother
Samuel Brace on practical effects and CGI… Fantasy is better when fantasy looks real. For the most part, cinema is our escape, a door of which to travel through, a portal to somewhere that isn’t here. To suspend our disbelief is part and parcel of going to the movies, and the best of these movies […]
Celebrating The Lord of the Rings Trilogy on its 15th Anniversary
Ricky Church celebrates the 15th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy… 15 years ago today, audiences worldwide were introduced to Peter Jackson’s adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings. I had just started high school when The Fellowship of the Ring was getting ready to hit theaters and my […]
A huge Lord of the Rings lawsuit has been settled
A substantial lawsuit between Warner Bros. and the Tolkien estate has been settled over The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The dispute between the two parties started back in 2012 when the Tolkien estate alleged that the studio did not have the rights to licence the books’ characters for online slot machines and […]
The Week in Disappointment – Batman v Superman, Terminator, Watchmen TV Series, Nicolas Cage and The Lord of the Rings and more
Anghus Houvouras with this week’s disappointments from the entertainment world… “Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice rated PG-13 for ‘sensuality’” Makes perfect sense. You could feel the pulsing sexual tension emanating from the screen when he ripped the top off of the Batmobile. Matt Damon knows what I’m taking about. “Matt Damon says ‘it must […]
The Most Disappointing: Peter Jackson’s King Kong
As we gear up for a return to Skull Island, Anghus Houvouras revisits Peter Jackson’s King Kong… I can still remember seeing Return of the King for the first time, and the annual Butt Numb-A-Thon hosted by Harry Knowles from Ain’t It Cool News. It was a room full of ridiculously excited film geeks seeing […]
Uma Thurman: Turning down Lord of the Rings role was “one of the worst decisions ever made”
Kill Bill star Uma Thurman recently appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to promote her role in the television series Imposters, but was also asked about the specifics regarding turning down the role of Eowyn in The Lord of the Rings. “Yes. It was a very long time ago, and I do consider it […]
Andy Serkis: Underappreciated Genius
Helen Murdoch on the underappreciated genius of Andy Serkis… When the actor Andy Serkis’ name is mentioned in a conversation you’re tend to either hear “who’s that?” or “is that the motion cap guy?”. The fact that Serkis isn’t a household name is in my mind a travesty. With the final part of the new […]
