1. Film Reviews

2. Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship of the RingBrooking no argument, history should quickly regard Peter Jacksons The Fellowship Of The Ring as the first instalmentof the best fantasy epic in motion picture history. This statement is worthy of investigation for several reasons. Fellowship is indeed merely an opening salvo, and even after three hours in the dark you will likely exit the cinemaravenous with anticipation for the further two parts of the trilogy. Fellowship is also unabashedly rooted in thefantasy genre. Not to be confused with the techno-cool of good science fiction, nor even the cutesy charm of familyfare like Harry Potter, the territory of Tolkien is clearly marked by goo and goblins and gobbledegook. Persons with anaversion to lines such as, To the bridge of Khazad-dm! are as well to stay within the Shire-like comforts of home(their loss). With those caveats in place, it bears repeating: fantasy does not come finer. There are electrifying moments notably the computer-assisted swooping camera through Isengard as it transforms into a factory for evil whenJacksons flight of fancy approaches the sublime as the romantic poets would understand it: inspiring awe. Leaving aside the thorny issue of Tolkien die-hards and their inevitable gripes What no Tom Bombadil? Jacksons screenplay (written in collaboration with Fran Walsh and PhillipaBoyens) is both bolder and more judiciousthan Steven Kloves surprisingly timid retread of Harry Potter. In particular, rescuing the romance of Arwen andAragorn from the footnotes and the elevation of Saruman to all-action bad guy actually has a corrective influence onTolkiens often oblique and female-sparse source material. There are problems, though. The three-hour running time is high on incident and low on discernible form. Aftersuccessive detours to Elf habitats Rivendell (the watery home of Elrond) and Lothlrien (the forest home of the LadyGaladriel), the uninitiated might well ask why these crazy Elf kids cant just live together and spare us all thisattenuated dramatic structure. More importantly, the action clearly climaxes in the desperate flight from the Mines Of Moria, where the largelyseamless SFX is showcased in the best possible light total darkness but the narrative demands adifferent, downbeat ending. Indeed, but for some fine emotional playing from Bean, Mortensen, Astin and Wood, thefinal fight might feel like a particularly brutal game of paintball in Bluebell Wood. But then, the real battles are yet tocome...Reviewer: Colin KennedyEmpire MagazineRating: 5 stars 3. Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship of the Ring Unlike so many big budget productions, the first movie instalment of JRR Tolkiens Middle Earth trilogy doesnt condescend to a teenage audience, but creates a sophisticated universe which abides by its own laws: a primordial world older than history and legend, back in the realm of myth. Here young hobbit Frodo Baggins (Wood) comes into possession of the ring of power - a talisman of evil so potent it corrupts everyone who touches it. Under the guidance of the wizard Gandalf (McKellen), Frodo escapes the clutches of the fearsome ring wraiths along with his faithful friend Sam (Astin), and heads for the kingdom of the elves, where they hope to thwart the encroaching forces of doom. Mostly, the film makes light work of Tolkiens richly Celtic imagination. You dont so much admire its virtuoso camerawork as lose yourself in the grandeur of the Gothic design, the bucolic Shire and mountain ranges riddled with mines and fire pits. Granted, theres a sermonising element which invites parody, but it never wants for menace (parents should probably steer young children clear). In unveiling the Holy Grail for action- fantasy aficionados, director and co-writer Peter Jackson has begun a series to rival Star Wars in the pantheon.Reviewer: Time Out Film Guide IMDBRating: 5 stars 4. Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship of the RingA band of hobbits, elves, dwarves and men endeavor to destroy a magic ring that could bring down the world andreinstate the dominion of an evil overlord. Its whereabouts were unknown for 3,000 years, and then the ring fellinto the possession of Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm), a well-to-do hobbit who had set out for parts unknown, a raremove among the peaceful, home-loving people of the Shire. On his "eleventy-first" birthday, Bilbo bequeaths the ring, which was forged to "control all others," to hisnephew, Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood). To keep evil at bay, Frodo must return the ring from whence it came, Mount Doom in the fearsome land ofMordor. Frodo, accompanied by loyal companion Sam Gamgee (Sean Astin), embarks on a long odyssey. Othersjoin the crew along the way, which is fraught with perilous clashes against monstrous foes. The opening sequenceson Mount Doom juxtaposed with the bucolic world of the Shire are breathtaking.Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn has the best role among Frodos crew though in the book, where it initially wasunclear whether he was heroic or villainous, he was more intriguing. Ian McKellen has the gravity and right magicaltouch as Gandalf, the good wizard who mentors Frodo, and Christopher Lee is frightening as Saruman, the greatwizard gone bad.Liv Tyler plays Arwen, an elf princess, but she has such a minimal part that she is virtually forgettable. The onlyother female is Galadriel, a queen of the elves, played commandingly by CateBlanchett. One filmgoers reaction to the meticulously designed epic "It bored me, but I thought it was really good" iscontradictory but not far off the mark. The movie is beautifully realized. The production design is a marvel, and the special effects are dazzling, notablya wizardly fireworks display and the enchanting elf town of Rivendell. Rings has moments of edge-of-the-seat excitement, too, such as when the dark riders come looking for Frodo.But its occasionally tedious when it should be captivating. The battle scenes are presented more like video gamesthan fierce clashes. Ultimately, this morality play will resonate powerfully in these post-Sept. 11 days. Whats more, theres littledoubt that the movie will be the lord of the box office this week, running rings around the competition.Reviewer: Claudia PuigUSA TODAYRating: 4 stars 5. Get Out! My reviewUnlike a large amount of short films that I have seenbefore, the French animation Get Out! has an incrediblyoriginal and psychological plot; it challenges the audiencesexpectations in the way that what we think we are seeing isa man with severe agoraphobia when in actual fact we arewitnessing a very intelligent interpretation of the humanbirthing process. Undoubtedly the most gripping part of thisshort is the unexpected ending, even the most brilliantminds would not have been able to foresee the conclusionto this creative piece of film. Overall I feel that this shortfilm has been produced exceptionally well and wouldrecommend it to anybody. 6. Online reviewsIn my opinion, online reviewing is moreimportant that conventional channels such asTV, magazines and newspapers because wenot only get a professional opinion but we geta review from the perspective of film fans. Personally I would tend to trust an online review more because they can be posted by anybody, therefore the review is less likely tobe biased.