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knohl
Reviews
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Hey! Ease up on Jackson!
I just wanted to address all those who are raging with Balrog-like fury that Peter Jackson did not follow the books to a "T" when he wrote the screenplays for these films (along with Walsh, Boyens, and Sinclair). Who says he must? YOU??? I admit I've not read the books yet, but I just finished The Hobbit and am now beginning FOTR. I'm sure I'll be a bit disappointed also when I find things in the books that are nowhere in the films, but why must we always lash out with anger when a screenplay does not precisely mirror the book it's based on in every way? Books are nearly always better than their movies. Why? Because of the power of your own imagination. No Hollywood director past, present, or future can compete with that. Jackson and the entire team down to those guys putting all that chain-mail together link by link (see the bonus stuff on the extended dvd edition of FOTR) are simply doing a sensational job on these films. Special kudos to Howard Shore for composing the hauntingly beautiful music that transports us to Middle-Earth. I especially like the part in the score where Gandalf and the Balrog plunge into that monstrous cavern just before they hit the water. In my humble opinion (and I've heard it from others, too), nearly every moment in these films is a work of art. This is the first time I can truly call a movie a masterpiece. Please, PLEASE, just enjoy the movies by themselves. Don't criticize them because of their differences from the books. You'll live a longer and happier life if you can practice less-cynical things like that!
Project X (1987)
Wonderful film--GREAT MUSIC!!! But where is the soundtrack???
Ever get that feeling to just watch a movie and bawl your eyes out? I'm one of those people who feels that it's healthy to really cry once in a while. This movie will do it to you. Many sad moments during the film--but I must say the ending is one of those happy tear-jerker endings. Truly, the personification of the chimps increased the emotional awareness of the film--you react to the chimps' feelings at least as much as the humans'. What I think really made the emotions fly out of me was the music. James Horner's score takes you through the clouds on wondrous flights of melody and also puts you through torturous periods of mourning and sorrow. His use of a gorgeous flute instrument combines innocence with a bit of an African tone. Being a great James Horner fan, collecting scores such as Legends of the Fall and Titanic, I was very disappointed to find that the score for Project X is only available on the black market! To this day I can't figure out why. If you've seen this film and know anything about the soundtrack, feel free to e-mail me. If you've not seen it, pop it in the VCR and you'll see what I'm talking about. Just make sure you grab a box of Kleenex!