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Tag Archives: The Lord of the Rings
30s Review: The Wizard of Oz (1939)
A couple of weekends back I attended my first ever outdoor film screening as part of Film 4’s Summer Screen at Somerset House in London. It was a dream-themed double-bill of LABYRINTH followed by what I think most of the … Continue reading
Posted in Classic Film, Film, Film Review
Tagged 1930s, Bert Lahr, Classic Film, David Bowie, Family Film, Fantasy, Film 4, Jack Haley, Jennifer Connolly, Judy Garland, Labyrinth, Margaret Hamilton, Musical, Oz the Great and Powerful, Peter Jackson, Ray Bolger, The Lord of the Rings, The Wizard of Oz, Wicked
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15 Years On: The Fellowship of the Ring
There are three film franchises that have impacted me above all others. First, there came STAR WARS, which kept me happy throughout my first decade (on VHS – sadly I’m too young to have seen the original trilogy on the … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Film Feature, Film Review
Tagged Alice in Wonderland, Cate Blanchett, Elijah Wood, Fantasy, Film, Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Howard Shore, Ian Holm, Ian McKellan, Liv Tyler, Movies, Narnia, Peter Jackson, Sean Astin, Snow White and the Huntsman, Star Wars, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, Viggo Mortensen, Weta Workshop
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Review: The Legend of Tarzan (2016)
If there’s a film I never expected THE LEGEND OF TARZAN to remind me of, it was THE LONE RANGER. Both films are beautiful looking genre pieces with entertaining set pieces and shudder-inducing cultural insensitivity. Johnny Depp should never have … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Film Review
Tagged Alexander Skarsgard, Christoph Waltz, David Yates, Djimon Honsou, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Fantasy, Film, Guy Ritchie, Johnny Depp, Margot Robbie, Movies, Samuel L. Jackson, Sherlock Holmes, The Legend of Tarzan, The Lone Ranger, The Lord of the Rings
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Review: Captain Fantastic (2016)
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC practically screams “quirky”. I mean, just look at the still from the funeral scene above. But this isn’t quirk for the sake of it, but instead a heartfelt story promoting debate. Ben (Viggo Mortensen) lives in the woods … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Film Review
Tagged Ann Dowd, Black Comedy, Captain Fantastic, Drama, Film, Frank Langella, George MacKay, Matt Ross, Movies, The Lord of the Rings, Viggo Mortensen
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Review: Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
The run of great 2016 indie films continues. Light and shade are so key in telling compelling stories, and Taika Waititi’s impressively domestic and enjoyable latest offering is hard-hitting and hilarious. Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison) arrives at the home of … Continue reading
All Hail Caesar and His Empire!
Something is changing at a grass-roots level, even if the Hollywood establishment don’t quite seem ready to accept it. On Sunday night at the 2015 Jameson Empire Awards, the film awards voted for entirely by the public, Andy Serkis was … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Film Comment
Tagged Andy Serkis, Avatar, Blockbuster, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Empire Awards, Empire Magazine, Film, Hollywood, Motion Capture, Movies, Oscars, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Superhero Movie, The Avengers: Age of Ultron, The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings, YouTube
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“Stories of Imagination Tend to Upset Those Without One” (RIP Sir Terry Pratchett)
AT LAST, SIR TERRY, WE MUST WALK TOGETHER. Terry took Death’s arm and followed him through the doors and on to the black desert under the endless night. The End. The above was posted last Thursday on Terry Pratchett’s Twitter … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Film Comment, Literature
Tagged Books, David Tennant, Discworld, Disney, DreamWorks, Eileen Atkins, Fantasy, Film, Game of Thrones, Going Postal, How to Train Your Dragon, Maisie Williams, Mark Rylance, Movies, Sam Raimi, Terry Gilliam, Terry Pratchett, The Lord of the Rings, TV
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Review: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
It’s at an end. Peter Jackson has left Middle-Earth behind. For real this time. Probably. THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES gives the lengthiest chapter in Jackson’s career so far an appropriately grand ending, but wisely he doesn’t … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Film Review
Tagged Aiden Turner, Benedict Cumberbatch, Billy Connolly, Blockbuster, Cate Blanchett, Evangeline Lilly, Fantasy, Film, Graham McTavish, Hugo Weaving, Ian McKellen, Ken Stott, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Martin Freeman, Mikael Persbrandt, Monty Python, Movies, Oliver!, Orlando Bloom, Peter Jackson, Richard Armitage, Ryan Gage, Stephen Fry, Stephen Hunter, Sylvester McCoy, The Hobbit, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, The Two Towers, Tolkien, Weta Workshop
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Review: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Extended Edition (2014)
I’ve been a massive fan of Peter Jackson’s Extended Editions since that chunky, green FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING box set first appeared on my DVD shelf over a decade ago. It was followed by a chunky burgundy TWO TOWERS and … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Film Review
Tagged Adam Brown, Benedict Cumberbatch, Carry On, Fantasy, Film, Ian McKellen, Lee Pace, Martin Freeman, Michael Mizrahi, Mikael Persbrandt, Movies, Peter Jackson, Richard Armitage, Stephen Fry, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Hobbit, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, The Two Towers
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SSP Thinks Film 
“The hour grows late…” (RIP Sir Christopher Lee)
Well today has been a sad one for film fans. Mere hours after news broke that the portrayer of Fagin Ron Moody had died at the age of 91, it was announced that Christopher Lee had also passed away at … Continue reading →