Friday, December 19, 2003

I hoped it would be true when we saw the "commercial" at the theatre. It is: I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov.

Check out the "commercial" here.

Wednesday, December 17, 2003

Peter Jackson reacts to a litany of "mistakes" reported by fans and other observers of tiny details, including a discussion of a "green, pus-type substance."

Typical entry at the source site:

"Continuity: After Aragorn says to Haleth, "Give me your sword", in the wide shot we see that Aragorn is sitting on the tail of his coat and the coat is draped down the steps under his legs. When Aragorn rises, just after Haleth says, "...They say that it is hopeless", we see that the coat is not draped down the steps under his legs, as in the earlier shot. "

Uh oh. Breaking news from Scrappleface.

Preview screening audiences for the final episode of the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) movie trilogy are said to be "breathless" over the ending of the so-called 'American cut' of Return of the King, which features a spectacular car chase scene.

Although devotees of the J.R.R. Tolkien books, which form the basis for the movie series, have barraged internet fan sites with complaints, director Peter Jackson said audiences love the "dramatic plot twist."

"We wanted to bring Tolkien's incredibly intricate, poetic prose to the screen in a way that would be accessible to modern American moviegoers," said Mr. Jackson, a native New Zealander. "One of our scriptwriters suggested that the final epic battle between good and evil might best be portrayed by having the Dark Lord Sauron pursue Frodo and Sam (the ring-bearing Hobbits) in a spectacular car chase through Middle Earth. It really breathes new life into the literary fantasy-action-adventure genre."

Asked how he's dealing with the withering criticism from Tolkien fans, Mr. Jackson bristled: "I can't live my life trying to satisfy the purists. What do these people want? We spent months shooting that car chase, and I used classic cars to make it authentic. I think it's true to the spirit of Tolkien."

Mr. Jackson suggested that LOTR devotees would ultimately be satisfied when they buy the extended version DVD.

"On the DVD, the car chase is punctuated by long soliloquies by Lady Galadriel, where she speaks in untranslated Elvish and we see nothing but her unblinking eyes," said Mr. Jackson. "That ought to keep the stroppy Ring-geeks from chundering."

Sunday, December 14, 2003

UK's The Big Read

From the International Association of School Librarians...

The BBC has been promoting "The Big Read" to encourage reading and to find the nation's best-loved book. Books that made it to the final hundred and then the final 21, have been promoted by celebrities on Saturday night television, so successfully that booksellers were reporting up to 450% increases of sales of the books. Both libraries and booksellers have supported "The Big Read", with displays and special offers. People could vote online or by phone or text message, for their best-loved book.
Several children's books made it into "The Top 21", including Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (J.K. Rowling), Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials books, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis), Little Women (Louisa May Alcott), The Wind in the Willows (Kenneth Grahame), and Winnie the Pooh (A.A. Milne). Some schools and children's libraries in London were encouraging their patrons to support a children's book by voting...

And the winner, announced last night in London, was:
The Lord of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien).

The other finalists were:
2. Pride and Prejudice -- Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials -- Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire -- JK Rowling

Well, I certainly feel jealous. Not only has Peter Jackson made nearly 100 million pounds off of "The Lord of the Rings", he and his wife and co-writer Fran Walsh have bought themselves an estate. With a tureted mansion. And Bag End, which the film studio allowed him to keep.

The article may be found in the UK's Mail on Sunday.

Read it here.