The Top 100 Movies of All Time (A Very Biased List): 43-41

First a note: Sorry about the lateness, I went Black Friday shopping and didn't have the energy to write this out. That said, 40 & 39 will be up either tonight or in the morning.

43. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
42. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
41. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Directed by Peter Jackson
Screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson from the Novel by J.R.R. Tolkien
Starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen, and so many other people.
Oscar Nominations(Fellowship): 13 Oscar Wins: 4 (Best Original Score, Best Visual Effects, Best Makeup, Best Cinematography)
Oscar Nominations (Two Towers): 6 Oscar Wins: 2 (Best Sound Editing, Best Visual Effects)
Oscar Nominations: (Return): 11 Oscar Wins: 11 (Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Editing, Best Make-up, Best Original Song (Into the West), Best Original Score, Best Sound Mixing, Best Visual Effects)



I really don't consider these to be separate films. They just aren't. Even more than Star Wars, they are one large narrative. Each film has separate rising actions but they each are part of the same film and for the love of god, watch the extended editions.  You miss out on so much by watching the theatrical releases.

Lord of the Rings has made it hard for any fantasy franchise that gets set up these days. Gone is the day where some impressive special effects could get you through any problems with the plot. Now you have to have good acting, a good script, and believable characters. These are all things that this film had in spades. Gollum is and always will be one of films greatest characters to the point where parodies still show up in things 5 years after the fact. Among the things that are also worth noting are the visuals. Dear god is this movie a feast for the eyes. From the first shot of Bag's End to the first time we see Mount Doom, everything is just breathtakingly awesome. You could not ask for something better looking. You just get this huge tapestry of images that just blow you away, the epic score helping much of the time as well.

That said, the films do have problems. The Two Towers is the lesser of the three since it has some major slumps in the plot. It really feels like it's extended too much and The Battle of Helm's Deep goes on too long, especially when you consider that the Battle of Minas Tirith really was right next door. For that matter, there are some huge problems with Return of the King, namely the fact that there are six endings. You have to learn to compress these things down. Otherwise you end up like me with a full bladder needing to release but having to get up and sit down all those times. It's not a pleasant experience. Still, these are some awesome movies, like I said, watch the extended cuts since they give you so much more bang for your buck, and yeah, Ian McKellen rocks super hardcore!


Next Time: We switch up the format and Things get musical: "No, you see the trouble with Poet is how do you know it's deceased? Try the Priest." "Trouble. I'm talkin' 'bout trouble, with a capital 'T' and that rhymes with 'P' and that stands for pool."