Liz & The Lord Of The Rings

[Quisquose]

Has anyone heard whether or not Liz sings on the soundtrack to the new Lord of the Rings movie? Just curious. It would be nice if she made a more substantial contribution this time around...

[Phil Lawton]

Are you bastards deliberately trying to wind me up?

[Quisquose]

Ok, so, I answered my own question. I found this track listing at: http://www.soundtrack.net/news/article/?id=411

(Brace yourself Phil!)

1. Foundations Of Stone
2. The Taming Of Sméagol
3. The Riders Of Rohan
4. The Passage Of The Marshes
5. The Uruk-hai
6. The King Of The Golden Hall
7. The Black Gate Is Closed
8. Evenstar (featuring Isabel Bayrakdarian)
9. The White Rider
10. Treebeard
11. The Leave Taking
12. Helm's Deep
13. The Forbidden Pool
14. Breath Of Life (featuring Sheila Chandra)
15. The Hornburg
16. Forth Eorlingas (featuring Ben Del Maestro)
17. Isengard Unleashed (featuring Elizabeth Fraser & Ben Del Maestro)
18. Samwise The Brave
19. Gollum's Song (performed by Emiliana Torrini)
20. (Bonus Track): Farewell To Lórien (featuring Hilary Summers)

I've heard Sheila Chandra, but is anyone familiar with any of the other vocalists mentioned?

[Phil Lawton]

Thank Q.

[someotherian]

Originally posted by Quisquose
10. Treebeard
can't help thinking that a track with a title like this would have been more appropriate for liz to sing on.

"are you the right branch for me.... are you safe, are you my frond...?"

[mmmender]

ok it's official.........ian is a cocteau freak! LOL :)

[Lucibelle]

I'm only buying it if we get to actually HEAR her this time!!! ;)

[dynamine]

i'm w/ you there lucibelle,on the actual hear her voice thing,but
i'm sure i'll get it anyway.like a promo copy,or in a used bin somewhere.;)

[Musette]

Originally posted by Quisquose
Ok, so, I answered my own question. I found this track listing at: http://www.soundtrack.net/news/article/?id=411

(Brace yourself Phil!)

1. Foundations Of Stone
2. The Taming Of Sméagol
3. The Riders Of Rohan
4. The Passage Of The Marshes
5. The Uruk-hai
6. The King Of The Golden Hall
7. The Black Gate Is Closed
8. Evenstar (featuring Isabel Bayrakdarian)
9. The White Rider
10. Treebeard
11. The Leave Taking
12. Helm's Deep
13. The Forbidden Pool
14. Breath Of Life (featuring Sheila Chandra)
15. The Hornburg
16. Forth Eorlingas (featuring Ben Del Maestro)
17. Isengard Unleashed (featuring Elizabeth Fraser & Ben Del Maestro)
18. Samwise The Brave
19. Gollum's Song (performed by Emiliana Torrini)
20. (Bonus Track): Farewell To Lórien (featuring Hilary Summers)

I've heard Sheila Chandra, but is anyone familiar with any of the other vocalists mentioned?



Emiliana Torrini is the next big thing out of Iceland, or so I've been given to understand - she has a fine voice, and of course the cute Bjorky accent.

Juliet

[mmmender]

Track 17. Isengard Unleashed

“Devilry of Saruman!” cried Aragorn. “They have crept in the culvert again, while we talked, and they have lit the fire of Orthanc beneath our feet. Elendil, Elendil!” - Aragorn, Helm’s Deep, The Two Towers

Elizabeth Fraser opens this track with an even darker version of the Lothlorien “Lament for Gandalf” in which she is accompanied by a few other female vocals. The “lament” soon gives way to a smashing, clash of themes and runs. The Isengard theme bursts into play here, with the brass and timpani blasting it out. The Isengard variation soon gives way to a variation of the Amon Hen battle sequence from Fellowship of The Ring. There is a slight pause as the themes regroup. The boy’s choir now rises into an altered Moth/Amon Hen conclusion, again from Fellowship of The Ring. Ben Del Maestro takes over and leads us into a rapid, up-beat sequence combing the Uruk-hai marching with the Fellowship theme, which soon turns into a transformed Rohan theme that keeps building, almost frighteningly, up and up into silence. An extremely powerful track. Period.

http://www.tolkienonline.com/docs/7926.html

[mmmender]

i managed to find a sample mp3 but it seems to only have the intro of the song before she starts singing!!!

http://www.elizabethfraser.com/isengard.mp3

[Phil Lawton]

it seems to only have the intro of the song before she starts singing!!!

How convenient.

[Lucibelle]

Those BASTARDS!!!!!!!!!!! :mad:

;)

[Phil Lawton]

And, over on the .com site, this innocent lad ("Sanfranciscojim") posted an innocent question:

this is my first time back in a few years actually. does anybody know what's going on with Robin and Liz's new work? i read on a site they were each doing a recording. also where can i find 'crushed'?

I faxed over a picture of me hitting him on the head with a four pound lump hammer.

I expect a fax of his bruised napper any minute now.

[zed]

Phil...................

feeling better then? "crushed" indeed.
:) Z.

[crushed]

Phil,

You should have told Jim that he can find 'crushed' right down the road from him, in Santa Clara...no, forget it...not worth the trouble...

You'd have thunk he would have BROWSED the site before he posted, just to catch up a bit:rolleyes:

[Adam]

Now, who's the boss? I've got what you miss for.
Check this out, brand new track ISENGARD UNLEASHED (http://cocteautwins.republika.pl/fraser.mp3) from the TWO TOWERS soundtrack...

[mmmender]

i was actually just in the process of uploading my FULL copy onto the server - it'll be up shortly.

btw, the full version is 5 minutes long

[Adam]

It's beautiful, isn't it? Only 43 seconds, but it's so soft and delicate. I demand solo album immediately!

BTW What's goin' on? I wanted it to be separate thread...

[mmmender]

adam i merged the two threads because they were the same subject matter.

[mmmender]

ok the full version of the song is now available for download at the same link as before.........

http://www.elizabethfraser.com/isengard.mp3

[Lucibelle]

You da bomb, girl! You da bomb! :D

[Adam]

Yeah, I've also got full version, but I've uploaded only Liz's part... Why oh why didn't Shore let her sing more..............

[mmmender]

Originally posted by Adam
Why oh why didn't Shore let her sing more..............

very simple: this is hollywood we're dealing with!

[superblast]

Originally posted by Quisquose
It would be nice if she made a more substantial contribution this time around...

there goes that idea. :rolleyes:

[ethereal]

i'm disappointed that she sang for 45 seconds. We wait a year and get 45 seconds of new vocal melodies. it is time to abandon all hope of a solo effort.

[Phil Lawton]

it is time to abandon all hope of a solo effort.

Eth

That time came and went a long time ago...I believe dinosaurs still roamed the Earth then.

[someotherian]

Originally posted by ethereal
We wait a year and get 45 seconds of new vocal melodies.
liz seems to be like a humming bird... exerts herself for short periods but then has to rest for ages inbetween! :rolleyes:

well she does sing that line about 'my bird lips' (in leesa's favourite song ;))

[Lucibelle]

Originally posted by Adam
Yeah, I've also got full version, but I've uploaded only Liz's part... Why oh why didn't Shore let her sing more..............
Hey, at least this time, we get to HEAR HER!!!! :rolleyes:

[Coalmind]

What a waste of time!!!is this the best she can come up with??i know she had to work within constraints but half a minute of cooing and purring is not enough.Come on Liz get yer finger out, you (and us) are not getting any younger. I was really hoping for something special but feel really let down, still at least she got credited this time for it. Maybe she should do a "Lisa Gerrard" and collaborate with someone, let them do the music and let her focus on the singing.She would clean up if she teamed up with Future Sound Of London again (well in my opinion anyways), i need to hear something special from her to break this spell of disillusionment im under...)

[Phil Lawton]

GB27

Welcome to the machine.

[randomrob]

I ran into a young gal in the depression/anxiety/schizo-aff. chatroom I frequent recently.......................................... ............................ all of 20 yrs she was...................... she asked me how it was I could like the peter jackson LOTR, after having despised the 1979 ralph bakshi animated film.............. I told her she needed to go to "american teen-comedy hell" timeout corner.......

[Phil Lawton]

Rob

A wise and studied response. How did she take it?

[Sean_Montgomery]

Hmm...I spend too much time in the 'cafe' section, and not enough in Pandora's Box. I missed this thread. Anyway, I downloaded the whole soundtrack off of Soulseek last week, being mostly interested in hearing Liz' contribution of course. There are a couple of other great vocal contributions on it too...'Evenstar', featuring Isabel Bayrakdarian, is quite beautiful...as is Sheila Chandra's 'Breath of Life'. Emilana Torrini (who I'd heard before, doing a piece with Piano Magic), does a very Bjork-sounding 'Gollum's Song'....which is a bit too maudlin for me, especially since it's written to provoke sympathy for a computer animated troll-creature. But perhaps it'll work in the film itself.

Before we go carping about 'Hollywood' and all that, lets give Howard Shore some credit for choosing some interesting collaborators. And also remember that Liz had no say when it comes to the extent of her contribution. She was brought in to contribute a 'theme', and it will only be used where appropriate for the story. While it's a pity she wasn't used more, it's great that she was thought of in a project as high-profile as this. Furthermore, the actual soundtrack album is 77 minutes of music out of probably two hours or more composed for the film itself. Maybe there's more in the film that we haven't heard yet.

[superblast]

Originally posted by Sean_Montgomery
And also remember that Liz had no say when it comes to the extent of her contribution.

yeah but why bother at all when, really, there are other people who could've done that. there's nothing distinctively liz about it at all really is there? ballerina

that probably didn't make much sense... but i'm disappointed.

[ScottL]

Wow, great response Sean, that all makes alot of sense...aside from that though, the Isengard song, in the bombast which follows the vocal intro, is little more than a very tired repetition of common orchestral cinema work derived from late classical and romantic symphonic music(much of which I considered stagnate to begin with). It feels so dead inside.
I think orchestral music and indeed classical ensembles work on a different level. Just like pop music though it suffers from a bulk of popular unimaginative methods. People who dislike classical music got tired of sifting through the load of crap to discover the rare gems that have been left behind....

[Sean_Montgomery]

I don't disagree with you, Scott. The score does indeed offer plenty of repetitive orchestral bombast...and I don't find that kind of stuff all that interesting to listen to on its own, divorced from the pictures. The tracks with vocals add a focus that the meandering instrumentals lack.

BTW...you may be interested to know that the the centre of Lord of the Rings geekdom on the net has a link to the mp3 that mender poster on the Liz Fraser page.

http://www.theonering.net/

[fraserfaye]

Where could we download the MP3 of <Isengard Unleashed>? hehe~~

[fraserfaye]

http://asp.mtvtop.net/asp/smil/real_user.asp?id=38563&url=mtvtop_10/mojie2/017&bt=Isengard%20Unleashed%20(with%20E.%20Fraser..



from here you can hear the song but I'm looking for MP3. ha!

[Sean_Montgomery]

If you download the Soulseek software (www.slsk.org) you should have no problem finding the soundtrack on their file sharing network. Of course, I add my standard disclaimer about not...ahem...endorsing such piracy. Just, uh, delete the files in 48 hours, will you?

[fraserfaye]

[b]Of course I will delete it within 24 hrs and thank you very much for dat info.. I'll look for it through soulseek.

[mmmender]

i guess you didn't read the thread in it's entirety, i posted a full mp3 of isengard unleashed on elizabethfraser.com

and i think the interpretation in your signature could be a thread all of its own:

"Ik does a dashik dozen
Ik does a yield gig does
Ik does alone cheyenne
Mad at them who tease him scrawling"

[Phil Lawton]

"Ik does a dashik dozen

Is this a newspaper headline regarding a baking competition? Or some sort of.....no, leave it.

[zed]

hmm.........just wondering me wee little twinsys.......
the two towers............................................ ............
who's gonna be in line for the opening? breathlessly waiting to hear..a bit'o liz?.....if you don't catch it, will it spoil the whole thing?
will you have to see it again...or off to the record store?
like i said.....who's in line? drop a little note.

zed.:cool:

[dynamine]

i'll be in line.growing up i read the books,so now i'll see the movies.if i don't hear Liz,that's ok i guess.i have the cd i
bought last week.the first 45 secs. of her track,awesome! ;)

[zed]

i'd like to be there...but big film crowds...really get to me.
it's REALLY difficult to "be transported" when the idiot behind you is talking to someone three rows away and throwing stuff.
i usually wait a bit till it dies down some......i haven't heard the soundtrack though...glad to hear she equites herself ...
i'm with phil in a lot of ways..i'm not holding my breath waiting for
"the" album.
give us a reveiw when youse get back. whattya say?

really looking forward to t"he gangs of new york."
marty's never really disapointed me yet.

Z.

[mmmender]

Originally posted by zed
really looking forward to t"he gangs of new york."
marty's never really disapointed me yet.

i'm a huge scorsese fan but he has done some less than fabulous films as well......i shall refresh your memory:

bringing out the dead
kundun
cape fear (remember, his was a remake!)
made in milan
the last waltz

[Phil Lawton]

i'm with phil in a lot of ways..i'm not holding my breath waiting for

Z

Wise man...

[zed]

...ok........cape fear and made in milan aside.....
but i still love bringing out the dead.

:cool: Zed.

[Phil Lawton]

but i still love bringing out the dead

Me, too...and then throwing them onto the cart and collecting my groat.

[zed]

.....aye! for fast 'n FREE pickup, just call: "dunhill-6607"
just ask fer mick 'r phil.

it's tax deductable.

;) Z.

[Phil Lawton]

it's tax deductable

Just as long as you put the "x" in the correct box and on your door in red paint.

[mmmender]

Originally posted by zed
but i still love bringing out the dead.

you could be hanged for this ya know.

[noboybands]

I know it's been said before that Liz's contribution to the soundtrack to The Two Towers is short, but what the hell is the significance of that elf dying? Who is he?

The vocals are gorgeous though, sad that I am, I had to point them out to my boyfriend in the cinema!

[Phil Lawton]

what the hell is the significance of that elf dying? Who is he?

Should I bother seeing the film now?

Some more spoilers for you:

"The Ususal Suspects" - it was Kevin Spacey.

"The Shawshank Redemption" - he used the stone hammer to make a hole.

"Star Wars" - Darth Vader did it in the study, with the candlestick.

"Mrs Doubtfire" - she's a guy in drag!!!

"Tootsie" - she's a guy in drag!!!

"The Ethel Merman Story" - she's a guy in drag!!!

[JohnnyV]

Originally posted by Phil Lawton


"Mrs Doubtfire" - she's a guy in drag!!!

"Tootsie" - she's a guy in drag!!!

"The Ethel Merman Story" - she's a guy in drag!!!


"The Crying Game" -- err...never mind

[noboybands]

Sorry Phil, I didn't mean to ruin the whole plot!
Don't worry, I promise not to tell you that the boat sinks in "Titanic"

[mmmender]

ok ....i can try and answer your elf question but i'll gladly bow to the superior LOTR knowlege of just about anyone........i'll take a guess and say that it's significant when the elf dies cos i think those elves are supposed to be immortal?! again, just a guess. besides i was too busy checking out Viggo Mortensen.

http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Ss/0120737/1442.jpg

[Lucibelle]

>Slurp!< :D

[Sean_Montgomery]

Originally posted by noboybands
I know it's been said before that Liz's contribution to the soundtrack to The Two Towers is short, but what the hell is the significance of that elf dying? Who is he?


Okay, I'm going to geek out here by attempting to answer these questions.

First of all, Howard Shore's score for Lord of the Rings is very 'purist', in that he has composed themes for different characters and locales, and these pieces of music are *only* heard when said characters and locales are onscreen. Liz was brought into these films to sing a Lothlorien lament...which first appeared to mourn the death of a certain magical character in the first film. It reappears in The Two Towers as a way to mourn the passing of Lothlorien itself. The elves who join the battle at Helm's Deep know they're probably doomed, and are sacrificing themselves in the interest of honouring their past Alliance with Men, who are set to take over Middle Earth as the world of Elves is disappearing.

That's my take on it anyway!

[noboybands]

but what's the musical significance of Celine Dion?

[someotherian]

what's the purpose of celine dion?? :rolleyes:

[multymfoiled]

I am not a Lord of the Rings expert, but I do know that in the novel, the Elves never join the battle for Helm's deep, so I know many a Tolkien fanatic who's a bit miffed over that plot point being added.

But I think Sean and Mmmender are right on motivation. No dying elf, no lament, no Liz. With that in mind, let's hope many more elves see their end in part 3 so Liz gets some more useful airtime.

[noboybands]

Tym, I have struggled unsuccessfully with LOTR but my boyfriend's memorized it (being an anorak) and he said the same - I was just sitting there nudging him saying "that's Liz Fraser" - maybe we're both anoraks!

[multymfoiled]

I understand completely. I read it and all, but I'm not what my high school English teacher called a "critical reader". But go ahead and play me in Star Wars trivial pursuit, and I'll kick your ass (I'll defer the Cocteau Trivia contest to Mmmender, who would hang all of us out to dry I'm pretty sure).

[Lucibelle]

But I'll beat ALL of your asses at Crisco Twister!!! :D

[multymfoiled]

Crisco is so difficult to wash off...Could we use Olive Oil? At least it's healthier!:D

[Lucibelle]

'Olive Oil Twister' just doesn't have quite the same ring to it. :rolleyes: Besides, if abbreviate it, it's 'CT'!! What an amazing co-ink-ee-dink! :D The other would just be 'OOT' :p

[mmmender]

a very drunk mmmender wants you all to remember that......

CRISCO IS DIGESTIBLE!!!

[someotherian]

well so is olive oil.
though i'm not sure i'd want to lick too much olive oil off someone if.. um.. that situation happened to arise during a game of 'OOT'.

and can i just say at this point that i've never played twister (either with or without the inclusion of edible lubricants).
anyone want to set up a game and show me how to play? :)

[mattadore]

In the category of things that make you go "Hmmm?"... you have to check out this site: Lords Of The Rhymes (http://lotr.fistfulayen.com/). These guys claim to be hobbits and they rap something like early Beastie Boys...

Check out the MP3 or stream the tune...

There's little Gollum samples in the tune and they're egging him on, "Go Gollum! Go Gollum!", and some samples from the Leonard Nimoy classic "Bilbo Baggins". Stupid, or stupid fresh? I honestly can't decide...

[E-Lo]

Wow, finally saw 2 Towers the other night. Now I want to be an Elf - they kick ass and are so elegant at the same time! I must say, the visuals are very powerful, and thoroughly outdid Star Wars II . . .

. . . and Tym, I'll take you up on that SW trivia challenge! I've got a whole head full of useless bits!

[multymfoiled]

Originally posted by E-Lo


. . . and Tym, I'll take you up on that SW trivia challenge! I've got a whole head full of useless bits!

You're on...But Episodes 1 and 2 don't count, because they simply don't count. ;)

[multymfoiled]

Boy...Was that redundant! Sorry

[E-Lo]

OK, but please be forewarned my handle at an old SW board (Virtual Edition) is Bib Unfortuna!

http://www.starwars.jp/character/image/bib_fortuna_2.jpg
roflmao

<closet SW geek mode off>

[noboybands]

isn't crisco a type of lard?

does anyone have any amusing stories anout other food stuffs? i once had a very enjoyable with my ex boyfriend and a tin of pineapple rings ....!!!!!

[someotherian]

um, yeah ok... but the holes in those things are really small.... :eek: ;)

[zed]

....boy howdy! nothing like a nice snug pineapple ring!
:eek:

Z.ballerina

[Maria Jose]

Found . . .somewhere . . .

Artist: featuring Elizabeth Fraser & Ben Del Maestro Lyrics
Song: Isengard Unleashed (The Ents) Lyrics

(Sindarian Elvish)
rithannen i geven
thangen i harn
na fennas i daur
ol džr ristannen
Eryn echuiannen
i ngelaidh dagrar
ristar thyn, cœa tawar
Dambedir enyd i ganed
Si linna i waew trin ylf
Isto i dur i chuiyl
i ngelaidh dagrar

(English)
Earth shakes,
Stone breaks
The forst is at your door
The dark sleep is broken
The woods have awoken
The trees have gone to war
Roots rend, wood bends
The Ents have answered the call
Through branches now the wind sings
Feel the power of living things
The trees have gone to war

[Thanks to Eowyn727@aol.com for lyrics]

[Maria Jose]

Elizabeth Fraser---Lament For Gandalf

A Olórin i yáresse
Mentaner i Númeherui
Tírien i Rómenóri
Maiaron i Oiosaila
Manan elye etevanne
Nórie i melanelye?

Mithrandir, Mithrandir, A Randir Vithren
ú-reniathach i amar galen
I reniad lín ne mór, nuithannen
In gwidh ristennin, i fae narchannen
I lach Anor ed ardhon gwannen
Caled veleg, ethuiannen


English translation:
Olórin, who once was...
sent by the Lords of the West
To guard the lands of the East
Wisest of all Maiar
What drove you to leave
That which you loved?

Mithrandir, Mithrandir O Pilgrim Grey
No more will you wander the green fields of this earth
Your journey has ended in darkness.
The bonds cut, the spirit broken
The Flame of Anor has left this World
A great light, has gone out.

[ScottL]

I musta missed this one last week...thanks! I love Sindarin, always seemed more lyrical than Quenya, I guess from more frontal vowels and soft consonants..

[mmmender]

our dear fraser seems absent from the third and final lord of the rings soundtrack installment......instead, annie lennox fills the operatic requirements.

Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Soundtrack Press Release (http://www.theonering.net/perl/newsview/8/1067363185)

http://www.cocteautwins.org/~leesa/leesa/LOTR3.jpg

[Phil Lawton]

Originally posted by mmmender
[B]our dear fraser seems absent from the third and final lord of the rings soundtrack installment......instead, annie lennox fills the operatic requirements.

Ah, Christ, not Annie bloody Lennox, please.

A good film ruined.

[mmmender]

c'mon phil she's not that bad. i mean at least it's not bloody fucking celine dion!!!

[Phil Lawton]

Originally posted by mmmender
c'mon phil she's not that bad. i mean at least it's not bloody fucking celine dion!!!

I can't stand the woman, Lees. I used to like the Eurythmics, but now she grates on my nerves as soon as I hear her.

Her songs are formulaeic...always the same bloody formula - start it like a dirge, then chuck the drums, guitars and a few overdubs of that nasal voice in, go to fade out.

To use one of her own song titles.....why?

[mmmender]

Originally posted by Phil Lawton
To use one of her own song titles.....why?

well, i'm certainly not going to try and defend ms. lennox as i'm no big fan, i just think there are obviously much worse examples out there, as provided in my previous post.

while you're at it, can you apply that "why?" to liz fraser next time you see her at asda?

[E-Lo]

Hmm, so no liz in LOTR this time around, eh? I guess with "At Last I Am Free" she's exceeded her annual quota of music output for about 10 years!

[Phil Lawton]

Originally posted by mmmender

while you're at it, can you apply that "why?" to liz fraser next time you see her at asda?

I'll grab her by the nut cutlets and put that question to her.

[iceblink555]

Originally posted by mmmender
c'mon phil she's not that bad. i mean at least it's not bloody fucking celine dion!!!

Thank "the lord" for that!

Originally posted by E-Lo
Hmm, so no liz in LOTR this time around, eh? I guess with "At Last I Am Free" she's exceeded her annual quota of music output for about 10 years!

Ouch!

--Alan

[dannen]

speaking of LOTR, thoughts on Emiliana Torrini?? love/hate/extreme indifference?

I kind like her stuff. Had "Love In A Time Of Science" at one point and I thought it was good in context of what it was.

[E-Lo]

Originally posted by dannen
speaking of LOTR, thoughts on Emiliana Torrini?? love/hate/extreme indifference?

I kind like her stuff. Had "Love In A Time Of Science" at one point and I thought it was good in context of what it was.

I really like the stuff she's done with Thievery Corporation recently, great voice and kinda reminds me of Bjork

[noboybands]

chuff me, first enya, now annie bleedin' lennox and no liz - at least the action will be worth going to see

[Lucibelle]

Annie Lennox??? Instead of Liz???? :2puke: :lame: :angry: :toilet: :rolleyes:

I'm looking VERY forward to and will see the 3rd LOTR no matter what, but I must say that this is a dissapointment.

[JohnnyV]

Originally posted by Lucibelle
Annie Lennox

:clap: Annie

[willy]

Originally posted by JohnnyV
:clap: Annie

I used to like her.
Now she's like a fucking bloke.

[fredofla]

re: Lennox

yep, that soulful voice is still there.

and

(in the category of mainstream pop diva, which is where she belongs imo)

she's mostly treading water, i think.

gal's gotta pay the bills, y'know.

the new album is very well intended, but melodically it's no Diva.

although i haven't heard her LOTR contrib, i wouldn't expect this kind of contemporary "soul" vocalist to fit the genre all that well.

i the results will denote her overall versatility for this kind of project.

but, here again, this seems kind of freelancing reeks of an agent's savvy suggestion for a nice, plush paycheck that was probably hard to refuse.

ie., real estate maintenance is gettin kinda pricey in Bev Hills these days.

FoLA

np: Clear Horizon "S/T"

[dannen]

Originally posted by fredofla
gal's gotta pay the bills, y'know.
np: Clear Horizon "S/T"

speaking of having to pay the bills, what the F is up w/ Michael McDonald and the freakin MCI commercials every 45 seconds?!?! they make me insane. too bad i can't turn off the tv or something equally drastic.

[Quisquose]

Originally posted by dannen
speaking of having to pay the bills, what the F is up w/ Michael McDonald and the freakin MCI commercials every 45 seconds?!?! they make me insane. too bad i can't turn off the tv or something equally drastic.

heh heh... Is it just me or does Michael McDonald's vocal style consist mostly of yawning?

[dannen]

now that you mention it you have a point, it is very yawn-like.

every time i see it i curse my landlord for providing free cable. the heartless bastard.

[Sean_Montgomery]

There are sound clips from the Return of the King soundtrack on the Soundtrack.net website. http://www.soundtrack.net/features/article/?id=110

Based on this clip, I don't care for the Annie Lennox song...her voice just seems too...I dunno...'modern' for this kind of thing. For some reason, I just thought of Brendan Perry singing this, and it feels a better fit. (sorry, all you Dead Can Dance haters).

[noboybands]

Originally posted by willy
I used to like her.
Now she's like a fucking bloke.

I still wouldn't shag her

[REPLICESS]

I'll shamefully admit now that I've only just seen the first installment - YESTERDAY!!! :omg:

[kookaburra]

You're one ahead of me.

[REPLICESS]

... and even then, only agreed after Simon nagged me to! ;)

[iceblink555]

Rep, were you as underwhelmed as I was?

--Alan

[REPLICESS]

errr.... yeah, to be honest :rolleyes:

There is so much hype around these films, but imo they are 'ok'.

[Pale Clouded]

Fucking Fantastic! Saw it yesterday....by my damn self....cried like a bitch for about the last 20 min of the movie...........

Love it!

[Sean_Montgomery]

Originally posted by Pale Clouded
Fucking Fantastic! Saw it yesterday....by my damn self

I went alone too...I knew I would be going with a group of friends tonight, but curiousity got the better of me, so I went on opening day too. Very entertaining film...pretty much everything I'd hoped for. It also met my two standard tests of film quality: a) I didn't look at my watch even once and b) I immediately wanted to see it again. In fact, I want to see the *extended* version. It irritates me that we have to wait almost a year for it. And, I can admit it, I cried a bit too...which I almost never do during a film. It was refreshing to come out of a theatre feeling completely satisfied with the experience, instead of just 'mildly entertained' or 'totally ambivalent'.

[randomrob]

Drove thru lashing rain to get tickets... whole moviehouse seemed to be flu-stricken, center-channel speaker was dead for first 2 hours... I thought it was ok but seemed rushed somehow also the 'trial of the king' segment w/the ghosts just looked cheesey- I mean, that green-yellow glow was a cliche like 30 yrs ago, wasn't it?

(I still like extended version of fellowship best)

:tongue:

[dynamine]

i saw it earlier today and....i want to see it again.

OK,i admit my eyes kinda watered up a bit towards the end.
"it's all good"


-R O S S

[multymfoiled]

Just beautiful....I'm hoping to make a 2nd viewing this week! I, too will eagerly await the extended DVD next year, so I can host a 12-hour "rings-fest" with all three films. I bet "Return of the King" is even better viewing it as part of the larger work, not just as a stand-alone. Did anyone here go to one of the trilogy screenings that happened in various places?

[Sean_Montgomery]

Originally posted by Tym
I, too will eagerly await the extended DVD next year, so I can host a 12-hour "rings-fest" with all three films.

I wonder how many people who say that they want to do this will actually be able to stick it out for the full 12 hours. They're great films, but sitting down to watch *anything* for 12 hours straight is asking a lot. I think it's a meal best savoured over two or three days than all at once Even the individual films can be a lot to take in all at once. I saw a lot of people cutting out of the theatre for bathroom breaks...and I sensed that the 'multiple endings' thing began to irritate people who just wanted things wrapped up so they could go stretch their legs. This is a trilogy that's made for DVD. It allows the director to flesh out the story, and the viewer to take breaks!

BTW, I did indeed see RotK again last night, and enjoyed it almost as much as the first time...although owing in part to the fact we went to the late show (and thus didn't get out until 3 in the morning), it was a bit slower going. I also felt more keenly the pacing problem that crops up as a result of the battle for Minas Tirith. It feels like it wants to be a finale, but it isn't. I also found the Army of Dead thing a somewhat unsatisfying plot contrivance, even though I know it's from the books. Maybe if they'd been injected into the story earlier, it wouldn't have felt like such an easy way out. I was also talking to my partner about the matter of the eagles that Gandalf summons at crucial moments in the story. They feel like a deus ex machina too.

In fact, on second viewing I was really struck by how little Gandalf really had to do in the movie. For a wizard, he doesn't have very much useful magic to perform, apart from making his staff light up.

But hey, I think it's now becoming easier to quibble because the film is getting such universal praise. It's like an indie band you like that suddenly makes it big, and as a result makes you consider whether they're still cool enough to like.

[multymfoiled]

Granted, it wasn't quite so long, but I was able to sit through a "Star Wars Trilogy" fest about five years ago....The key is good food within arms reach and pauses for trips to the restroom to "freshen up".

[zed]

.......melanie, i'm with you on his one. i spent at least half the film with tears streaming down my face. utterly beautiful. "perfect?" no, but jesus h. christ onna crutch,........jackson dared so much!!! i felt as if i'd been blessed after leaveing..... " i'm glad to be here with you Sam Gamgee, here at the end of all things..." to hell with cynicism and arrogant false bravado........it felt real. it had big things to say about all this strange stuff called life. i could go on but why bother, i saw what i saw. made me very happy to see it.

blessed be the myth makers. dream big.


"oh, my precious......................."


Z.

[Sean_Montgomery]

Originally posted by zed
to hell with cynicism and arrogant false bravado........it felt real.


Zed! Good to see you back!

Yeah, I agree about the lack of cynicism. My fiance commented that all of the hugging and face-stroking between hobbits felt 'gay', but to me it just spoke of the depth of their friendship..there was no subtext in it. It's a film where characters are allowed to feel and display strong emotion, something that I myself (like many of us, I daresay) tend to repress.

[zed]

.....sean,........thanks man. good to be back. mostly.

yeah, it says alot about the world we live in when basic, real, honest emotion is precived as "contrived". when did they turn it upside down? damn the saurmans of this world for burning the shire. and bless you mr. sam gamgee. taters it is.

fuck the machine. i want out. all you grey bastards get outtay da way...........i'm fuckin crazy.

Z.

[cerebunny]

Oh yes. Just awesome. When Arwen appeared after Aragorn was crowned...well, I just thought it was handled so beautifully. The achievement of pulling such a huge thing off is just amazing, from the siege towers to Minas Morgul...wow. I'd have to say it was just a bit too long at the end - it had more of the extended DVD feel to it - but I can't really fault it. I'll be back for another helping soon!

[halation]

Wow. Wow. WOW!!

I am overwhelmed. What an amazing experience.

[andylama]

Yep, a damned fine flick. Epic. Heavy in a good way. Me misty at the end too.

Sean, I'm with you. There was no subtext intended there. Frankly, I think it is very fashionable to see "gayness" everywhere. This trend is very, very tired. I swear, there are a lot of folks who can hear something gay in a dial tone. Yawn.

[Sean_Montgomery]

Originally posted by andylama
Yep, a damned fine flick. Epic. Heavy in a good way. Me misty at the end too.

Oddly enough, I didn't find the *very* end all that affecting, probably because I knew what was coming there, or maybe because I found it a bit too manipulative. What got me more were moments like the exchange on the battlefield between Theoden and Eowyn, Faramir's 'suicidal' charge, and the 'salute' to the hobbits....and I think that's because all three of those moments revolve around the quest to do something meaningful and honorable with one's life - and that's something I certainly grapple with.

[andylama]

That scene where the 'returned king' tells the hobbits "you bow to no one" -- that scene gave me the chills.

Guess what: I never read the books. I've heard that the book ended on a darker note than the film. Something about the Shire. Confirmation anyone?

[Sean_Montgomery]

I read the books a loonnnng time ago, but as I recall, when the hobbits arrive back in The Shire, they discover that a disguised Saruman and his toady Wormtongue have set up shop there. Which compells the returning heroes to 'show their quality' by chasing him out (I think Saruman had already been stripped of his magical powers at that point, or something like that). This sequence was never even filmed...but the fate of Saruman will be dealt with in the Extended Edition.

[mmmender]

i'm seeing it on tuesday so i'll let you know what i think then.

[Sean_Montgomery]

Originally posted by mmmender
i'm seeing it on tuesday so i'll let you know what i think then.

What did you think of the first two?

[Lucibelle]

Saw it, LOVED it, even dreampt about it the next night! My friend James had just finished reading RotK and was a little disappointed that the takeover of the Shire had been left out, but some things just had to be, considering the time it consumes. Apparently The Two Towers leaves out an entire character and in the extended version, Treebeard quotes this missing character's poetry.

I imagine that if the movie were to follow the books to the letter that it would be more like 15 hours total! :eek: But I must say that Peter Jackson probably did as much justice to the story as anyone on this planet could have. In fact, I shudder to think of how it might have been had say, Steven Speilberg done it. :rolleyes:

I admit, I cried like a baby! But this is a definite advantage of being female. ;) I will also be waiting for the extended version with baited breath! Only 11 more months to go......

[Pale Clouded]

I GOT THE EXTENDED VERSION OF TWO TOWERS (4 DVDs) TODAY FOR CHRISTMAS! YAY! One good thing this week! I love the lord of the rings! I think maybe the two towers is my favorite one. I dunno I'd have to see the new one again.

I do agree with Sean (I think it was?), what's up with gandalf not using any of his wizard powers? I mean he did in the first one and a bit in the second.......

Oh and I was real pissed that Christopher Lee wasn't in this one :( I love him! Just as much as Gandalf! And my woman Cate Blanchett was hardly in it :( Those are three of my favorite actors!

I'M GONNA MARRY CATE! MY LOVE! BEAUTIFUL! JUST LOOK!

http://www.lordoftherings.net/media/desktops/dvd_galadriel_800.jpg

[kookaburra]

Originally posted by Pale Clouded
I'M GONNA MARRY CATE! MY LOVE! BEAUTIFUL! JUST LOOK!

Lovely fake smile she's got.

[Pale Clouded]

OH! Orlando Bloom! Fucking HOT! Mine too!...LOL My mother and I actualy argue about who he belongs to me or her......knowing good and well he doesn't know we even exist! LOL!


BEAUTIFUL MAN! YUMMY!

http://www.lordoftherings.net/media/desktops/features_legolas_800.jpg

[Pale Clouded]

Originally posted by kookaburra
Lovely fake smile she's got.

:tongue:

she's beautiful none the less!


I have a "thing" for faries and Elves! :)

Hey Leesa can we find LOTR Smilies?

[kookaburra]

Originally posted by Pale Clouded
she's beautiful none the less!

Ok, I'd say she's at least cute.

Originally posted by Pale Clouded
OH! Orlando Bloom! Fucking HOT! Mine too!...

But he's NOT!

Why wasn't Henry Rollins in this flick?

[Pale Clouded]

Originally posted by kookaburra
Ok, I'd say she's at least cute.



But he's NOT!

Why wasn't Henry Rollins in this flick?


Wha Wha What!!!!!!!!!!!! You don't think Orlando is cute?
oh Kook! Must I come beat you now? :tongue:

[kookaburra]

Originally posted by Pale Clouded
oh Kook! Must I come beat you now?

What else is one's hag for?

[kookaburra]

Don't answer that!

[Pale Clouded]

Originally posted by kookaburra
What else is one's hag for?

Oh brutha it's on now! You went there!.............roflmao

[Lucibelle]

Speaking of hags, my only complaint of the movie was having to hear Annie Lennox sing during the end credits. vomitsm Liz's voice would have been SOOO much better! Annie's voice just doesn't belong in Middle Earth, unless she's playing a dwarf, that is.

[Rad]

The movie finally came out here today. Some of the most brilliant battle scenes I've ever seen.

[Pale Clouded]

Originally posted by Lucibelle
Speaking of hags, my only complaint of the movie was having to hear Annie Lennox sing during the end credits. vomitsm Liz's voice would have been SOOO much better! Annie's voice just doesn't belong in Middle Earth, unless she's playing a dwarf, that is.

LOL! Hun you know what I was thinking? At least they waited until the end to play the stupid song.........and yes Liz would have been so much better...........:( Liz where are you? What are you doing? You're killing us...........:(

[keefy]

They're 25 years too late. When I was into this shit 25 years ago I was a DWEEB for liking it. So screw 'em. I'll have a Space Ghost fest. It's much shorter and more surreal.

[Synesthesia]

That was the best movie ever and I want to see it again.

[Lucibelle]

Originally posted by Pale Clouded
Liz... What are you doing? You're killing us...........
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!:spear:


As for being into it 25 years ago, well, I was called a dweeb for many things back in my Jr. High and High school years, including being into computers. Remember, "he who has the last laugh" and blah blah blah...

[Pale Clouded]

I Saw it again! Wanna see it AGAIN too! I'm in love with Orlando Bloom!

[andylama]

Originally posted by Pale Clouded
I Saw it again! Wanna see it AGAIN too! I'm in love with Orlando Bloom!

Yes, he was 'mas macho' when he surfed off that oliphant's trunk, yes?

Liv Tyler was just adorable whenever she...was onscreen at all.

[Rad]

Originally posted by Pale Clouded
I Saw it again! Wanna see it AGAIN too! I'm in love with Orlando Bloom!

Yeah. There's another guy who could almost turn me gay.

[kookaburra]

Originally posted by Radagast
Yeah. There's another guy who could almost turn me gay.

And turn me straight!

[Pale Clouded]

Originally posted by kookaburra
And turn me straight!

Ugh! You're such a Kook.....Kook.

You know that man is scrumdillyicious!

[kookaburra]

This, my dear, is scrumpdillyishus.

http://www.musicpage.cz/mp/img/rollins.jpg

[Pale Clouded]

Originally posted by kookaburra
This, my dear, is scrumpdillyishus.

http://www.musicpage.cz/mp/img/rollins.jpg


Hmmmm? Well, yes he is..............

But anyway, I tire of Orlando now, I think I like Billy Boyd better......

[kookaburra]

Originally posted by Pale Clouded
I think I like Billy Boyd better.

Who's that?

[Pale Clouded]

Originally posted by kookaburra
Who's that?

A Hobbit.

[Angel]

Originally posted by kookaburra
This, my dear, is scrumpdillyishus.

http://www.musicpage.cz/mp/img/rollins.jpg


Where did you get that picture of my husband?

[Lucibelle]

Is your avatar your tattoo, Angel? Too cool!! :)

"scrumdillyicishus" roflmao

And I agree with Mel on both Orlando Bloom and Billy Boyd! I'd like both of them to show me their LOTR tattoos! :D

[Rad]

Originally posted by kookaburra
This, my dear, is scrumpdillyishus.

http://www.musicpage.cz/mp/img/rollins.jpg

Just goes to show I don't have a clue of what's attractive or unattractive when it comes to males. Though I have been told my taste in females is up my arse as well.

Ah, Return of the King. Great movie. Shame people have to sexualise conversations about it all the time though, eg:

Radagast: 'Is Return of the King a movie and a half or what???'

Rads' ex gf: 'Yeah. Was a good movie. Though I would have liked it if Aragorn and Legolas got it on together.'

Radagast: :rolleyes:

[Baddy2shoos]

am i the only person who has never bothered to see any of the LOTR films? every1 go see girl with the pearl earring now that's scrumpdillyishus!!! :)

[Angel]

Originally posted by Baddy2shoes
am i the only person who has never bothered to see any of the LOTR films? every1 go see girl with the pearl earring now that's scrumpdillyishus!!! :)

No you are not the only one. But I think I've taken it a bit far when I admit that I have never seen the Star Wars movies (any of them) either. People automatically think I'm some sort of freak for not having any interest in these whatsoever...I say, think what you will

[Baddy2shoos]

i havent watched all of them properly go sister!!!

[kookaburra]

Originally posted by Baddy2shoes
am i the only person who has never bothered to see any of the LOTR films?

I've seen none.

[Lucibelle]

I'd have to say I put LOTR WAAAAY above Star Wars, ESPECIALLY considering the recent ones. Fucking Speilberg and his 'childrenization' of his movies. :rolleyes: I like LOTR for the MASSIVE amounts of detail that went into making it. I remember after seeing The Two Towers for the first time in theatres that the real world actually felt surreal. Peter Jackson's depiction of Tolkien's world felt more real to me than this shopping mall parking lot I had stepped out onto.

I had never read the books, which I take as an advantage because I had no expectations of it whatsoever. Now I'm hooked! But I know what you mean. I had been the only person I knew who had not seen "Titanic" after it's 6 month run in our theatre right next to where I worked. I finally saw it when it was on network TV and to be honest, I couldn't figure out the big deal. I liked it for it's documentary quality-that it was the most accurate depiction of what happened ever, but the 'love story' added just felt so forced to me, not to mention that while I loved Leo in films like "What's eating Gilbert Grape" I felt they could have cast Titanic better.

Still, LOTR is SUCH a great story! It's a Hollywood production who's story has nothing to do with Hollywood. Full of surprises and really kept my interest. A great film!

[E-Lo]

Finally saw it tonight after bugging all my friends for weeks

Damn I want to be an Elf. Orlando/Legolas was hot, and Viggo/Aragorn can be my king any time ;)

[andylama]

Originally posted by Lucibelle
I'd have to say I put LOTR WAAAAY above Star Wars, ESPECIALLY considering the recent ones. Fucking Speilberg and his 'childrenization' of his movies.

Right on, Lucibelle!

Star Wars started out fun and innovative (30 damn years ago) then got progressively stupider. They are utterly unbearable now.

LOTR, on the other hand, are geniunely epic, artfully-made films with characters you care about and breathtaking cinematography. Each film better than the last!

I can easily understand if you've never seen the Star Wars movies, but if you are avoiding LOTR, you really are missing something. Seriously.

As for Spielberg, yes, "childrenization" is an apt term, but with him, ya pretty much know what to expect...errr...except with "A.I.", which was a huge box-office flop, probably because the adverts did not properly portray the tone of the film at all--it turned out to be a sleeper sci-fi mindf**k with Stephen King-esque psychological overtones!

Where was I?

[Lucibelle]

Yes, "A.I." was extremely misrepresented in it's previews. The previews made it look like a good movie! :rolleyes: Ugh! What a piece of crap THAT was! Sorry, but I truly hated it, and had nothing but good expectations for it. I can't say that I found it to be entertaining on any level. I left the theatre knowing it was 2 1/2 hours of my life I would NEVER get back.

Mr. Spielberg used to make award-winning, fantastic films because he was innovative and willing to take chances, not worrying so much about what everyone thinks. Today, ALL he seems to care about is what people thinks! In his trying to make his movies enjoyable to everyone, he's making them boring, often predictable, and enjoyable to fewer and fewer people. I recommend the next Steven Spielberg film to patients recovering from open-heart surgery...by the first ten minutes they should be resting comfortably. ;)

But tonight I finished watching The Two Towers with my parents, who had yet to see either LOTR until this past weekend. So now they have a decided advantage...they don't have to wait 3 years from the time they see the first one to the time they see the end!

Also, the behind-the-scenes footage is AMAZING!! It's unreal to see just how much work and incredible detail went into not just Gollum or the sets, but EVERYTHING!!! This was an incredible labor of love! I also got the impression that they were not in this for the money, but rather just the geniune love of this incredible, legendary classic story!

Had Spielberg done LOTR, he probably would have cast Leo DiCaprio as Frodo, Julia Roberts as Arwen, Sean Connery as Gandalf, had Pixar do a "Monsters Inc."-looking Gollum, and cast Tom Hanks as The Ring! :D

[Angel]

I hope you weren't thinking I was in any way comparing the two series. I was merely taking two movie trilogies that everyone and their mother has seemed to have watched that I have not.

[andylama]

Originally posted by Lucibelle
Yes, "A.I." was extremely misrepresented in it's previews. The previews made it look like a good movie!

Heh, I thought it was only "mediocre" with a really horrid start, and a few interesting moments after that, but the ads made it look "treacly awful" throughout! Anyway, I didn't mean to wander off on that tangent.

Originally posted by Lucibelle Had Spielberg done LOTR, he probably would have cast Leo DiCaprio as Frodo, Julia Roberts as Arwen, Sean Connery as Gandalf, had Pixar do a "Monsters Inc."-looking Gollum, and cast Tom Hanks as The Ring! :D

Good call. So thankful it didn't go that way.

The documentary bits with Andy Serkis (Smeagle/Gollum) were mesmerizing! He was great (and evidently, underappreciated)

check this out:

We sees my preciouss and we wants it... (http://www.hampel.net.au/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=692)

[Pale Clouded]

Have the extended DVD sets for the first and second LOTR movies, will own the 3rd! Luci: I love the extra footage as well! I love the parts about the history of Tolkien and how he wrote the books and his obsession with languages, hence why he was a language professor. Kind of reminds me of Liz, but on a much grander scale, how he created his own languages first and then a whole "world"
for them to belong to!

I also about lost my mind (I know what a geek), in the Two Towers extras when they mentioned Liz and showed her pic in the part about the music for the films. They said they wanted the Cocteau Twins "sound" for the Elves. I don’t know if you noticed, I didn't at first, I was just so excited to hear her sing; but in the first movie while you hear Liz sing my boy Orlando says they (the other Elves) are singing a lament to Gandalf. So Liz is an unseen, but heard Elf in that movie...LOL. Then in the extras they also mention that for the part in the Two Towers where you see the first Elf die in the trilogy they wanted Liz's voice again to represent the Elves.....I think they couldn't have made a better choice for a voice to represent the Elves........I just wish they used her in all three films......:(

So anyway, yeah I’m obsessed

[E-Lo]

I share your obsession, Melanie. Despite never reading the books, I've been blown away by the movies so far. Although a big Star Wars fan myself, these films have so much more heart.

[Pale Clouded]

Originally posted by E-Lo
I share your obsession, Melanie. Despite never reading the books, I've been blown away by the movies so far. Although a big Star Wars fan myself, these films have so much more heart.

Yeah I'm a big Star Wars fan myself (The first three movies.....not the other crap that he came out with.......)

I agree, they do seem to have more heart.

Yep, even signed up to the official fan club, do I get my crazy hat now? I look great in crazy!

[Pale Clouded]

Hey, I fucking like that, Ima use that as my tag line......

[xush]

I like all trilogies. The middle's always the best though.

[kookaburra]

Originally posted by xush
The middle's always the best though.

Even of the Oedipus Cycle? Or of the Oresteia?

[Phil Lawton]

Trivia a-go-go.

Tolkien was living here in Birmingham when he wrote the LOTR and Hobbit books. Apparently, the "Two Towers" story was inspired by a couple of edifices in the grounds of Birmingham University and the land of the Hobbits (I am ignorant in the affairs of Tolkien, so I can't say what the place was called) was inspired by the verdant area of Birmingham he lived in. It's called Sarehole Mill and is in the Selly Oak area of the city.

Just thought I'd throw that in for you.

[kookaburra]

Gee! Thanks, Phil.

[Phil Lawton]

Originally posted by kookaburra
Gee! Thanks, Phil.

You're welcome, Kook.

By the way, my last post is not yet another Lawtonesque ramble - it's all quite true. Quite how Tolkien could be inspired to write such stories by a cesspit like Birmingham, however, is very strange indeed.

[zed]

.......Birmingham also gave me my beloved bull terriers.......must be SOMETHING worthwhile there or is it as i might suspect if i was the suspect'in type,......the glory days are loooooonng gone?

Z.

[Phil Lawton]

Originally posted by zed
[Bthe glory days are loooooonng gone?

Z. [/B]

Yes...they were two consecutive Wednesdays in August, 1937.

Birmingham - spawned Tolkien, Ozzy Osborne and Duran Duran...you couldn't make it up, could you?

[zed]

...gosharoony Phil, the city council arrange tours or somethin?

Z.

[Phil Lawton]

Originally posted by zed
...gosharoony Phil, the city council arrange tours or somethin?

Z.

They do indeed - to Stratford On Avon.

[Phil Lawton]

Originally posted by by the sea
hey phil, you forgot about jeff lynne. how could you?

Ah, yes, the ELO come from here, too.

Jeff Lynne used to live quite near to me and was a regular in the "Dog & Doublet" pub in Bodymoor Heath (which is not far from the Belfry Golf Course, which is also not far from where I live. When they hold the Open there, we can hear the cheers from my garden).

Tight fucker never bought a round, though.

[zed]

......careful Phil........the phrase, "tight fucker" could cause a tsunami posting effect to this thread that could blow, the servers.

so to speak.

Z.

[Phil Lawton]

Originally posted by zed
......careful Phil........the phrase, "tight fucker" could cause a tsunami posting effect to this thread that could blow, the servers.



As could your own post, my fine, paint-spattered friend.

[Baddy2shoos]

Originally posted by Phil Lawton
Yes...they were two consecutive Wednesdays in August, 1937.

Birmingham - spawned Tolkien, Ozzy Osborne and Duran Duran...you couldn't make it up, could you?

yeah and we got Terry Hall...dunno if that's a good thing...

[Baddy2shoos]

that's ok then B i trust you completely lol

[Baddy2shoos]

we should hook up sometime ;)

[Lucibelle]

Originally posted by Pale Clouded
So Liz is an unseen, but heard Elf in that movie...LOL.
It had to be that way. She's too short to be an elf! :D

[ezzydynamine]

i got LOTR for Christmas, and to be honest, i havn't watched it, and don't think i will... i know.. don't judge a book by it's cover, but i think it looks seriously naff.... although i did get Tomb Raider (FANFUCKINGTASTIC!!!) and Signs (also AMAZING) too, so i had something to watch anyway...

[Phil Lawton]

Originally posted by erinn
i got LOTR for Christmas, and to be honest, i havn't watched it, and don't think i will... i know.. don't judge a book by it's cover, but i think it looks seriously naff.... although i did get Tomb Raider (FANFUCKINGTASTIC!!!) and Signs (also AMAZING) too, so i had something to watch anyway...

Erinn

I've never read any of the books, as I've always considered them to be a bit geeky. We were lent the first LOTR film on DVD and I started to watch it expecting to hate it.

On the contrary, I was really sad to see it finish. Give it a go, mate - you might well be as pleasantly surprised as I was.

[Brett]

Sorry, I thought this thread was about me.

[kookaburra]

Originally posted by Brett
Sorry, I thought this thread was about me.

It is, dear.

[Pale Clouded]

Originally posted by kookaburra
It is, dear.

Like hell it is!

[ScottL]

Originally posted by Pale Clouded
I think they couldn't have made a better choice for a voice to represent the Elves........I just wish they used her in all three films......:(


I agree with you there. And, while the elves played a smaller part in the 3rd movie in some ways, a Liz vocal when they sail off to Valinor in the end would have been perfect. a kissed out red floatboat...

I liked the movies alot myself. I've got lots to say about them, and there seems to be much discussion here, so I decided to share...merely as an interested party...

Actually, for me, they all took time to really love I think, and I won't likely bother with a 2nd viewing in the theatre, I very much agree with Sean that these are DVD oriented movies. At least I have come to like them best in that setting, not even to mention the extra documentary stuff. So I expect the Return of the King will be something I'll warm up to, but I honestly liked it least of the 3(although I like them all quite alot). It seemed to have the most action and least lines I think of them all, making it perhaps the most tiresome to see in the theatre of the 3, because it was such a long time to watch such an amount of action with no break.

Couple of points I was going to add(partly after reading the thread):

1) I never say 'You haven't seen _____ ?' with astonishment about any movie, as though everyone should see something, I don't like social alienation and I don't much care what 'everyone' is doing...I get that response whenever I say I haven't seen 'Pulp Fiction'. It is no surprise many folks wouldn't bother with some types of movies, I have more friends that didn't know the Tolkien stories than did, so I never felt I was in the majority....and again some who didn't know them liked the movies, others couldn't get into them...so it goes.

I greatly resent being alienated for what I like....which includes a handful of stuff from socially dejected scifi/fantasy genre...I always loved the idea of this genre, though a majority of writers in that area didn't hold my interest. Someone thought I'd like Steven King's Dark Tower series alot because of how it fleshes out some alternate world...sounded good,but his writing bores me to death.

Also, personally I haven't seen too much aclaim about these or any movies because I don't watch most the trash media which blabs on about hollywood etc, so there wasn't much of that for me to grow tired of, kinda like pop music, if I dislike it enough, I likely won't be hearing it more than once, otherwise I treat it like any material I find...personally I saw these movies because I was hooked on the books in gradeschool. I always identified with the looming sense of doom of an unseen threat Frodo felt, which became increasingly real and tangible, as well as horrific. Though I read the Hobbit first, which was written more like a simple fireside tale, the trilogy took some time for me to get into, once I did I was hooked.

2) So, for those who are in to the stories, I'm not sure how I'd have done the ghost army, but my GF and I agreed when they came off the boats at the end, it looked a little like Ghostbusters when the containment unit was ruptured, so I kinda agree with Rob on that. And I agee with Sean here too, even though it was in the book, I just wasn't so crazy about it. While it is no less realistic than talking trees, it just doesn't enhance the story as much in my opinion.

3) Anyone notice how they dropped the whole thing about Pippin and Merry's growth spurt? And in many shots, in the final movie, they appear the same height as Frodo and Sam, even though they did include the growth thing in the extended 2nd movie. I'm not too surprised, as this was a key element in the 'scouring of the shire' chapter which was a left out as well(and I didn't really miss,I found it tedious in the book)...

4) I liked Shelob and that sequence quite a bit, captured very much of how I felt reading it. Though Sam's heroics fighting off Uruks was concocted for the movie, I guess since they also didn't have him put on the ring(as in the book) he had to have some plausible way to rescue Frodo.

5) Billy Boyd was my favorite casting for a hobbit, he captured Merry so well. Though Pippin was just as well, I think it took alot to be a character so foolish, and with so much comic material, that still touches on the honest emotional side very well. Although, in the book Gandalf was really more complimentary of him(even touched) when Pippin offered his service to Denethor in Gondor, in the movie he seems to slight him a bit more than I in the book, but Pippin's delivery in the movie still seemed in ernest.

Originally posted by Phil Lawton
the land of the Hobbits ... was inspired by the verdant area of Birmingham he lived in. It's called Sarehole Mill and is in the Selly Oak area of the city.
...
Quite how Tolkien could be inspired to write such stories by a cesspit like Birmingham, however, is very strange indeed.

I don't know the area myself, but from what I've read and seen, this is very pertinent. He was inspired for two very important reasons, the lush green landscapes being consumed by the foul industrial city sprawl was one reason. When in a pleasnt green place(as the Shire, land of the hobbits, was meant to be) it easy to think all is well with the world, but when they travel abroad, they see how the land has been ravaged by industry and left barren and lifeless...the Shire is more of an oasis barely holding up(in fact due to efforts a the rangers of the north, men who are unappreciated by the humans in that area, eg. Bree, where they are are seen as scoundrels). The other inspiration was his response to war(he also came up with much while serving in WW1), as much as he was horrified at how life was tarnished by the industrial revolution. So the cesspit of Birmingham infringing on the lands he truly loved was inspirational in how bad he thought it was. He held to fantasy I guess because reality was perhaps something he wanted to escape from, once he got out and 'saw the world' as he came to think it really was. That's my impression anyway.

Peter Jackson put plenty of cinematic flash in these movies(some of it was kinda lame even) but indeed few who could have got the financial backing of a big studio would have been so faithful. Loved Lucibelle's alternate castings...hehe...

[E-Lo]

Originally posted by ScottL
while the elves played a smaller part in the 3rd movie in some ways, a Liz vocal when they sail off to Valinor in the end would have been perfect. a kissed out red floatboat...

Great analysis Scott, and I agree with your points. Especially this one.


I'm not sure how I'd have done the ghost army, but my GF and I agreed when they came off the boats at the end, it looked a little like Ghostbusters when the containment unit was ruptured, so I kinda agree with Rob on that.

LOL. I thought it was kinda cool and cute in a cheesy Poltergeist-80s kinda way . . . but have not read the books :blush:

[kookaburra]

Originally posted by Pale Clouded
Like hell it is!

C'mon, Mel! I'm working my moves here.

Remember: one of your first responsibilities as my hag is to help me get some. You don't get jealous until afterwards.

[Pale Clouded]

Originally posted by kookaburra
C'mon, Mel! I'm working my moves here.

Remember: one of your first responsibilities as my hag is to help me get some. You don't get jealous until afterwards.

roflmao roflmao

I'm sorry pumpkin......................

[Brett]

Does anyone know how much the 3 movies cost Peter Jackson to make? I'm vaguely intriqued as to how he approached a studio asking for that kind of money to make 3 movies all at once. You must agree that represented a huge gamble at the time. A risk suitably and spectacularly vindicated by the subsequent trilogy.

'Dear Time Warner, please can you fix it for me to have $500m to make The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant and a further $500 to make a decent version of Dune? Cheers.'

[kookaburra]

Originally posted by Pale Clouded
I'm sorry pumpkin......................

It's OK, Mel. You're still in training.

By the way: am I your first?

[kookaburra]

Originally posted by Brett
Does anyone know how much the 3 movies cost Peter Jackson to make?

I'm not sure, Brett.

But why don't you come over so we can discuss this in depth over a bottle of Merlot?

[Pale Clouded]

Originally posted by Brett
Does anyone know how much the 3 movies cost Peter Jackson to make? I'm vaguely intriqued as to how he approached a studio asking for that kind of money to make 3 movies all at once. You must agree that represented a huge gamble at the time. A risk suitably and spectacularly vindicated by the subsequent trilogy.

'Dear Time Warner, please can you fix it for me to have $500m to make The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant and a further $500 to make a decent version of Dune? Cheers.'

He approached the studio with 2 movies, they told him...No, this isn't 2 movies...it's 3.....it's all in the extras in the extended version of the fellowship..............

[kookaburra]

<<Mel, sweetheart, you're doing it again.>>

[Brett]

Yeah but what I mean is it isn't the kind of risk they normally take. How did Jackson swing it?

Kooky, you can be Lord of the Ring
and I'll be Return of the Queen
Okay?

[kookaburra]

Originally posted by Brett
Kooky, you can be Lord of the Ring
and I'll be Return of the Queen
Okay?

It took you long enough.

And by the way, I waited in Vegas for a week.

[Pale Clouded]

Originally posted by kookaburra
<<Mel, sweetheart, you're doing it again.>>

roflmao

I'm beyond help..............

[Brett]

Originally posted by Pale Clouded
roflmao roflmao

I'm sorry pumpkin......................

Is that Mel in her pic profile? Hasn't she got superb bone structure. If you'll permit me to say so Mel.......wow.

[Pale Clouded]

Originally posted by Brett
Is that Mel in her pic profile? Hasn't she got superb bone structure. If you'll permit me to say so Mel.......wow.

In my avatar? Yeah dat is me....Thank you...... :D

[Pale Clouded]

BOOHYA!

Not the special edition YET, but there will be some good extras on it none the less! :D

http://www.lordoftherings.net/index_400_hv_home.html

[Pale Clouded]

http://www.lordoftherings.net/legend/gallery/images/rotkexclusive/image0.jpg

[Pale Clouded]

http://www.lordoftherings.net/legend/gallery/images/rotkexclusive/image1.jpg

[Pale Clouded]

http://www.lordoftherings.net/legend/gallery/images/rotkexclusive/image3.jpg

[Pale Clouded]

http://www.lordoftherings.net/legend/gallery/images/rotkexclusive/image9.jpg

[andylama]

Coolio!

Hope the "Special features" includes some Arwen elf-erotica. (not holding my breath though)

This reminds me: about a year ago, someone actually sent me some photoshopped LOTR erotica. I was so disappointed that it was all gay. I always knew Legolas leaned that way...

And, no, I didn't save it.

[Clayton39]

Originally posted by andylama
Coolio!

Hope the "Special features" includes some Arwen elf-erotica. (not holding my breath though)

This reminds me: about a year ago, someone actually sent me some photoshopped LOTR erotica. I was so disappointed that it was all gay. I always knew Legolas leaned that way...

And, no, I didn't save it.

I am all for the Arwen elf erotica... have you by any chance run across any Harry Potter slash at all? :eek:

[stuh505]

So I was searching the internet trying to stalk down the contact information for a certain oil painting artist...and one of my hits mentions Liz Fraser! It was mentioning that she had done vocals in the song 'Isengard Unleashed' for the Two Towers (soundtrack). I downloaded the song and now I'm not very surprised at all that the angelic voice you hear about when the elves appear was hers...but in the song, I can only hear her voice for a few seconds...whereas I think she did a lot more in the movie! Does anyone know if she actually has a whole song devoted to herself? I didn't think she was still recording but this is prettyt recent...what other stuff is she doing?

[multymfoiled]

She is also featured on the soundtrack to "Fellowship of the Ring" -- performing the lament for Gandalf (I can't remember the exact track title). Sadly, there's no "lead vocal" song of hers in there...Her most recent solo thing was "At Last I am Free" from the Rough Trade 25 Years comp.

[kaini]

She is also featured on the soundtrack to "Fellowship of the Ring" -- performing the lament for Gandalf (I can't remember the exact track title).

The nema of the track is "Lothlorien" and it features a little bit more of Liz's vocals, but not enough.... :confused: