December 2011 Archives

VOTING has opened in the sixth annual Richard Attenborough UK Regional Film Awards.

And you can help to choose the film which deserves to win the Birmingham Mail Family Film Award.

Click below to see how you can vote.

I WASN'T able to go to London on the one Saturday afternoon when the distributors of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011) were willing to screen this movie.

And there were no advance regional screenings either.

Should I have been smelling a rat?

Having seen it at Cineworld Broad Street on Boxing Day, check out my review by clicking on the link.

IS IT just me, or when I see the promising new trailer for Clint's Eastwood's latest film, why do I think more of two boys with stuck-up blond hair more than Leonardo DiCaprio as the first director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation?

The film, set to be released on January 20 in the UK, is called J. Edgar.

Now that, to me, looks like JEdgar. Or even Jedgar.

Which isn't far removed from JEdward... and then Jedward, stars of the The X Factor.

Which is not an image you want if you are pushing for recognition at this year's Academy Awards.

Perhaps Tim Burton (Ed Wood) will one day make Jedward's movie.

And call it JEdwood.

And so here we arrive at the third and final movie in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

And, after director Peter Jackson had earlier promised me that it would be 'all climax', how right he was after a slow start!

Released on December 17, 2003, The Return of the King went on to complete a clean sweep at the Oscars in 2004, winning all 11 of its nominations.

These were for art direction, costumes, director, film editing, make-up, score, song ('Into the West'), sound mixing, visual effects adapted screenplay and, of course, best picture.

Its rivals that year were Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation (and, yes, that was lost on me, too); Peter Weir's Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World; Gary Ross's Seabiscuit and Clint Eastwood's Mystic River which, in any 'normal' year, would have had my vote out of the remaining four contenders.

And the most bizarre thing of all about this series?

It became available to buy on VHS for home viewing.

Remember that format?

Click below to read my original review of The Return of the King as well as the chance to learn some more facts about the series and to see again the original details of its release on DVD and VHS.

Exactly a year after the thrilling debut of The Fellowship of the Ring, the second movie was released on December 18, 2002.

After the first film ran to 178 mins 12 seconds, The Two Towers came in at 179 minutes and 10 seconds.

Its release came just 15 months after the destruction of The Twin Towers in New York.

Click on the link below to read my original Birmingham Mail review of this second film which won two Oscars - for best sound editing and visual effects - out of its six nominations.

The Two Towers was also nominated for art direction, film editing, sound and best picture - losing out to Rob Marshall's Chicago.

The other best picture nominees that year included Gangs of New York (Martin Scorcese); The Pianist (Roman Polanski) and The Hours (Stephen Daldry).

With the launch of the Lord of the Rings trilogy came the opportunity to meet director Peter Jackson and some of the leading cast members.

To read their stories, click on the link below.

Ten years on, how fascinating it is to look back on the birth of a trilogy that would go on to win 18 Oscars from 30 nominations.

Click here to read some interesting facts about the first Lord of the Rings movie, released originally on December 19, 2001.

Having seen Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring two days before its world premiere, I ran a quick review.

But the review on the link below is the full version that we then carried in time for its opening on December 19, 2001.

The film ran to 178 mins and 12 seconds so it was the shortest of the three.

The Fellowship of the Ring had 13 Oscar nominations, winning four for best cinematography, effects, make-up and score.

Other nods were for best supporting actor (Ian McKellen), art direction, costumes, director, film editing, original song ('May It Be'), adapted screenplay, sound and picture.

It seems crazy now that the best picture winner was Ron Howard's A Beautiful Mind.

Especially as the other nominees included Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge! as well as Gosford Park and a movie that was always going to be an outsider, In The Bedroom.

On December 19, 2011 it will, unbelievably, be ten years since the first Lord of the Rings movie hit our screens.

For your interest, I'm re-posting my original reviews.

Unless the final Harry Potter movie can break all known records and suddenly win more than 18 Oscars early next year, then it looks as if my original prediction was spot on.

That the Tolkien story had the beating of JK Rowling on the silver screen.

And it came from the imagination of a boy who spend part of his childhood living on the Wake Green Road right here in Moseley where he was able to play in Moseley Bog and at Sarehole Mill.

When I met Peter Jackson (and cast) at the launch of the original movie, I asked Kiwi Peter if he'd ever been to Moseley and he said 'No'.

'The greatest compliment I can pay you,' I told him, 'is that you've made your film look as if you have'.

And I meant every word.

Now, click here to read my review of the first movie, The Fellowship of the Ring (PG).