Microsoft knows that they are doomed (that's why Bill Gates and all the other executives with a clue sell thousands of shares each month) and that it's right now just a matter of how much they can milk out of their customerbase.
Ummm... Gates sells "thousands" (he actually sells about a million) of shares every month because 1) He's got 600 million of them gathering dust, 2) MSFT didn't start paying dividends until recently (even at $0.16/share that's only $96mm per year), and 3) the guy needs to live. Can you get by on a mere $96 million per year? I didn't think so.
Gates sells a fixed amount of shares every month - he always has and likely always will. One major reason is so that people can't draw weird conclusions from his personal stock sales.
I'm getting sick and tired of people saying that the "50-year-old LP format" is "better" than the competition. We all know that this is just a big conspiracy to break up the audibly-superior wax cylinder cartel.
The SmartTruck looks like something Mattel invented... Why they decided to put it on a truck cab instead of a modified Hummer is beyond me.
In any event, there is already a great vehicle system on the market: the Canadian Forces' Coyote, part of their LAV platform of vehicles (insert gratuitious Canadian army jokes here). This system is so successful that it has been picked up the US Army under the Stryker name. Plus, it has the advantage of looking like it belongs on a battlefield and not some kid's sandbox.
Some specs for the Coyote:
Length: 6.39 m
Width: 2.50 m
Height: 2.69 m
Maximum speed: 100 km/hr
Range: 660 km
Weight: 14.4 t
Gradient: maximum 60%
Side slope: maximum 30%
Minimum turn diameter: 15.6 m
Trench crossing: 2.06 m
Fording
shallow: 1.3m
deep: 1.0m
3 configurations: Command (51 vehicles)
Battlegroup (120 vehicles)
Brigade (32 vehicles)
Armament: 25-mm stabilized M242 chain gun
7.62-mm stabilized coaxial machine-gun
7.62-mm top-turret mounted machine- gun
76-mm smoke/fragmentation grenade launcher
Sights: Daytime optical
Thermal Imagery (TI)
Generation III Image Intensification (II)
Surveillance System: Battlefield Surveillance Radar
Thermal Imager
Daylight camera
Laser Rangefinder
Winch: Front-mounted 6,800 kg dynamic pull self-recovery winch
Engine: 275 hp Detroit Diesel 6V53T
Transmission: 5 forward gears, 1 reverse
Transfer case: 2 speed
Suspension: Independent Rear 4 wheels torsion bar
Front 4 wheels strut
Wheels: 8 wheels (4 or 8 wheel drive)
Tires: Michelin XML
Brakes: Power (air)
Electrical system: 28 V
Batteries: 2 x 12 V automotive, 6 x 12V auxiliary
Alternator: 300 A
I remember hearing years ago about how to stop clouds from raining over certain areas, by planes dropping concrete powder into the rain cloud
Another option is to seed the rainclouds early so that they "run out" of rain before reaching the desired dry area. Yuri Luscov, the mayor of Russia, tried this back in 1998 when he tried unsucessfuly to keep the rain away from Moscow's 850th Birthday celebrations. He tried again at the UEFA Cup Final, but not sure how that worked out. I'm sure there are lots of other examples out there.
In case it's not clear, the DVI-VGA adapter is included in the box when you buy the laptop. Same with the SVGA-Composite adapter. You do, however, have to spring for the DVI-ADC.
Oh come on... everyone knows that the whole "aliens blowing up the world for an interplanetary bypass" thing was just something made up by the CIA. They denied it so it must be true.
Oh come on people, there's no contest at all. The one person who can kick anyone's ass is Mr. T.
And I quote:
Mr. T: [in answer to a youngster who wanted to know who was tougher, Mr. T or Batman] Mr. T is tougher. Batman would never go into the 'hood. Mr. T will go into the 'hood.
End of story. There's also the classic "Mr. T vs. Superman" but it's not up anymore. In any event, Mr. T can kick pretty much anyone's ass.
Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition Studio: New Line Year: 2001 Rated: PG-13 Film Length: 208 minutes Aspect Ratio: 16X9 Enhanced Widescreen (2.35:1) Subtitles: English
One ring to rule them all, One ring to find them, One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
Published in 1954-1955, J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece Lord Of The Rings trilogy still remains one of the most definitive works of imaginary fiction ever written. The extraordinary efforts to get this trilogy to the screen is a testament of how popular these stories are today. Featuring 350 constructed sets, 100 or more locations, and 20,602 extras, this is the largest film project ever undertaken by a studio. New Line took a huge gamble and risked everything by filming all three movies back-to-back without knowing the fate of the original release. That gamble obviously paid off as Fellowship of the Ring grossed a phenomenal $157 million in just 12 days and held the No. 1 spot for weeks since its opening.
Perhaps the most significant testament to the film's success lies in how magnificently the book was adapted to the screen. I was a pre-teen when I first read the entire trilogy. The book sparked my imagination like no other book has since. Never would I have believed that anyone could capture my imaginations and put them on the screen. Production designer Grant Major and art director Dan Hennah have created a visual masterpiece -- from the wonderfully pleasing Shire to the soaring elven town of Rivendell to Moria, the dwarven caves deep inside a mountain. The incredibly varied terrain of New Zealand was used to great advantage in the movie, and it was very difficult to tell what was natural scenery and what was constructed set or even computer generated effects.
Set in the mythical land of Middle Earth, in an era of goblins and wizards, the evil Lord Sauron and his dark forces once again threaten to rule all. The fate of the world relies on who possesses the one ring, which holds unspeakable power. Lord Sauron created the ring out of the fiery depths of Doom Mountain years and years ago, but it was during a battle where Sauron was killed that the ring changed hands. The ring is lost once again only to be found by Gollum, a lowly creature that gets poisoned by its power. The ring is eventually stolen by a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. And so, this is where the trilogy begins.....
As the film opens, Gandalf the Wizard (Ian McKellen) is visiting his old Hobbit friend, Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm). When Bilbo makes a daring announcement to a group of party guests, Gandalf realizes that Bilbo is in possession of a very important ring. Gandalf convinces Bilbo to give up the ring, and give it to the very young Frodo (Elijah Wood). When the secret of the ring is finally revealed to the old Wizard, Frodo is warned to leave the Shire at once. However, evil agents are already on their trail. Pursued by dark riders, the Hobbits are forced to team up with a mysterious stranger named Strider (Viggo Mortensen). The reluctant adventurers make their way to Rivendell, a temporary safe haven, where a grand council decides the ring must be destroyed by returning it to the fire from which it was made. With reluctance, nine chosen companions embark on a most perilous quest.
The Director's Cut It is not until you watch this Director's cut that you realize how much bigger-than-life this epic has become. The film becomes a totally fresh and new viewing experience mainly thanks to the film's cleverly reconstructed 15-minute opening, which is included in the addition of 30 minutes of footage that greatly flesh out the characters and bring more depth to the story. As many times as I have seen this film in its standard version, this new cut was an awe-inspiring experience for me. I'll never watch the standard version again.
The Lord Of The Rings: FOTR arrives in a brand new 4-disc edition housed inside an attractive book-like casing. The movie is spread across discs One and Two. This means that nearly 1:45 minutes into the film, you will need to switch to disc two in order to continue. The upside is that this enables the inclusion of four new audio commentaries as well as several audio formats including English Dolby Digital EX 5.1 Surround and English DTS ES 6.1 Surround. The downside is that when you switch discs, you must go into the SETUP area and once again set your audio preferences. The bottom line is that you will not be able to watch an uninterrupted presentation of the film. Discs Three and Four contain The Appendices, Part I and II.
The added footage What I am going to do now is break down the list of added footage for you, as well as including a handful of screenshots. Please note that most of this is from memory, and there is always the possibility I may be describing a scene that was already in the standard version. I think my memory is pretty good and that I will come very close to being pretty accurate. Also please realize that since a small amount of added footage comes through quick cuts, I may have missed a few minor additions.
Disc One
- In a newly reconstructed introduction to the film (and before the opening credits), we listen to added narration from Bilbo as he sits at his table working on his memoirs. We learn more about the Hobbits...their passions for food, planting and celebration. More importantly, we are introduced to the ring at a much earlier interval. - During a fireworks display, Bilbo welcomes guests and hides from others as he has extended dialogue with Frodo. - In the library. Gandalf reads more of the history of the ring, complete with added flashback.
- A party has Merry and Pippin dancing on a table as others talk about the war brewing beyond their borders. - A beautiful sequence where in the woods just outside of the Shire, Sam and Frodo peer upon a group of wood-elves on their way to the harbor beyond the grey towers. Sam also complains about not being able to sleep amongst the roots. - An extended sequence inside the Prancing Pony regarding Strider. - Additional dialogue with Strider. The Hobbits talk amongst themselves as to whether they should trust Strider and if he really is a friend of Gandalf.
- A walk through a marsh filled with mosquitos (great rear channel effects here). Later, Strider sings beneath the light of the moon about a love he lost. - Saruman consulting the "eye of Sauron" which tells him to "build an army worthy of Mordor." - Frodo awakens after being stabbed by the blade of a Wraith. He is in a thicket surrounded by Troll statues. - As the Wraiths chase Arwen Undómiel, they stop at a river crossing. One of the wraiths calls out to her, demanding she give up the halfling. (not certain if the wraith call was in the original version) - A really cool sequence that takes place during the roundtable meet in Rivendell. As Frodo places the ring on the table, Borimor goes for it, claiming it is a gift to be used against Mordor. A spell is raised that literally shakes the mountains.
Disc Two
- A brand new sequence opens the second disc as Aragorn (formally known as Strider) visits the grave of his Mother as Elrond Peredhil reminds him of his destiny.
- Elrond bids farewell to the departing nine companions as the fellowship awaits the ring bearer. - A short sequence upon a wintry mountain where Saruman responds to Gandalf, reminding him of the dangers of going into the Moria mines. - A short dialogue sequence where Gandalf asks Frodo to help an old man. Gandalf asks the Hobbit how his shoulder is as both discover how powerful the influence of the ring is becoming. The wizard advises Frodo to only trust himself. We also learn that Gandalf is sensing impending danger inside the Moria mines that will ultimately test him. - Another sequence has Gandalf becoming irate over not being able to find the words to open the doors of Durin that lead the way to the heart of Moria. - Inside the mines of Mordor, against a steep cliff, Gandalf points his way down the chasms as he shows his companions the true wealth of Moria. - A newly found passage into the great hall of the mines of Mordor. Gandalf speaks of the oncoming Balrog. The jump across the bridge is also greatly extended with a new set of stairs to cross and a much earlier arrival of a full-formed Balrog.
- As Frodo walks through the woods he hears additional calls of Galadriel, Lady of the Galadrhim. Gimli makes a very uncourteous remark about the lady after being captured by elves. Later, Aragorn tells Frodo that Gandalf's death was not in vain. - The group is handed cloaks and food by the elves as well as parting advice. Galadriel gives gifts to each of the members. Gimli has a very unlikely request. Wait till you hear what he receives. - As the group makes a short stop on shore, there is another sighting of Gollum in the water. Sam pleads to Frodo that he is truly his friend and wants to help. Boromir and Aragorn argue. - An extended battle sequence between Aragorn and the head Orc. - As Frodo embarks on his final journey of this installment, he remembers the words of Gandalf, who briefly appears in flashback.
Again, I must stress that all of this is from memory. Please be kind if I made any mistakes here. Fortunately, the added material can easily be identified by going into Select a Scene where asterisks indicate **new scene as well as **extended scene. Please note that I did not refer to this area prior to writing the above scenes.
How is the transfer? To say that this is an absolutely flawless transfer and leave it at that would be sort of shortchanging this review -- but it would be the absolute truth. What we have here is an absolutely pristine image that is very close to Hi-Def. The transfer looks absolutely smooth and with extremely accurate colors -- especially in the facial flesh tones. Blacks are rock solid and the picture never becomes too sharp nor soft, giving this film a very natural beauty.
This DVD features both English Dolby Digital EX 5.1 Surround and English DTS ES 6.1 Surround. Even though My system is limited to a 5.1 setup, it wasn't difficult to get totally immersed in the audio presentation. As I usually expect from most DTS tracks, the sound has a very spacial quality to it -- not sounding the least compressed. This is one hell of an aggressive mix with sound that is extremely accurate and detailed. The rear channels are nearly always active throughout, and there's tremendous LFE channel support that adds booming floor-shaking response. This is one of the strongest sounding LFE tracks in memory -- so strong in fact that I was very concerned about blowing out my subwoofer.
It really becomes difficult to define a transfer that is as beautiful as this one. Thus far, Attack Of The Clones has become the best DVD I have seen, thanks to its direct digital transfer. I was amazed to see that this film transfer looked almost as good. This tells you much about the effort New Line has put into making this DVD look flawless.
Special Features
As I sit here with four discs containing over 6 hours of material, I sort of hesitate to move on. What lies before me is over a full day's worth of review material devoted to one DVD package. I will do as thorough of a job as I can with this, but will mostly highlight what you can expect out of these supplements.
Disc One and Two
As you pop in the DVD, you are welcomed at a Hobbit table where a book, The Fellowship of The Ring opens to reveal a page of menu selections. Disc One contains the first part of the Director's cut which runs close to 1hr. 45 minutes. The side break is at the 1:45 mark where Pippin inquires "when are we goin'?!". A black screen comes up prompting you to continue to Disc Two.
From the Special Features menu you can select any one of four commentaries. These commentaries feature: Track One: The Directors and Writers: Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. Track Two: The Design Team: Grant Major, Ngila Dickson, Richard Taylor, Alan Lee, John Howe, Dan Hennah, Chris Hennah and Tania Rodger. Track Three: The Production/Post Production Team: Barrie Osborne, Mark Ordesky, Andrew Lesnie (and a approximately 11 more) Track Four: The Cast: Eliijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monoghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee and Sean Bean. What is very unique here is that each supplemental audio commentary track is accompanied by a subtitle identifying each different speaker. Now I must apologize in advance. Commentaries are usually the last thing I review. After spending a day writing this one, I am going to briefly touch upon just one of the commentaries. That commentary is of the cast. First, you will be very happy to learn that all of them are here together in one room -- except for Christopher Lee whose tracks seemed to have been recorded separate. Two things of immediate interest here. First, it's a very tame group effort for such a bunch of young cast members. Second, it seems all of these individuals are watching the added DVD material for the very first time as many of them seem to be in awe of what they are watching. McKellen talks about a windy day in the shire and the problem of keeping his hat on. The group never hesitates to point out where each scene was filmed -- especially when an actor crosses from an outdoor set onto a soundstage. You'll also hear the cast talk about "BK", who is Elijah's 3'4" double, used in scenes where height comparison was needed. Christopher Lee talks about some of the falls he had to do, being knocked around quite often (but fortunately not from any great height). A wraith chase through the woods leading the Hobbits to the Ferry is not so fondly recalled here. The boys had an awful time in the pouring rain not only from shoes that went flying off...but by the time they reached the bottom of the hill, they were so exhausted they had to be carried back up. I realize I have merely scratched the surface on the commentaries, but I think all of you understand that I just cannot rewatch 3 hours of material to give you the type of review you want.
Disc Three
Here begins what is called The Appendices. They are spread out across Discs Three and Four. Let's begin with Disc Three which is titled Part One: From Book To Vision As in the rear pages of the Tolkien books, these Appendices give the back stories and origins of how the mythology of Middle Earth was created. Part One (Disc Three) has 2.5 hours worth of documentary material and Part Two has 3.5 hours of additional documentary material.
Let's begin with Disc Three: Part One: From Book to Vision We begin with an Introduction from director Peter Jackson who not only welcomes you aboard, but lays out exactly what you can expect from the two supplemental discs before you. In fact, he gives you several options of how you can best navigate through all of the enclosed material.
J.R.R. Tolkien - creator of Middle Earth begins with Peter Jackson talking about the sheer wealth of information that Tolkien brought to his books. From there, we get a thorough background history on Tolkien who became an orphan at the very early age of 12. His Mother actually was the person who inspired him to read, and after her death, he was committed to continue with his literary studies. We learn of his studies of the English language at Oxford, as well as his involvement in the World War where most of the suffering he witnessed had a profound affect on his later writings. Tolkien Biography author Humphrey Carpenter tells us that Tolkien wrote the first installment of the book almost blindly, not knowing what its structure would be, practically shaping it all as he went along. The documentary also explores the phenomenon of the books, thanks to its underlying themes of human existence. (length: approx. 22 minutes)
From Book to Script reveals how much Jackson is a real fan of the books, first reading the trilogy at the age of 18. Director of Photography Andrew Lesnie agrees -- this was the first book that really taught him how powerful words could be. We go down the line in interview after interview with cast members and filmmakers like Sean Bean (Boromir), Dominic Monaghan (Merry) and others who talk about their first experiences reading the books. The subject of proposing a three-film deal to New Line Cinema is discussed here, with added comments from filmmakers and cast members such as Christopher Lee (Saruman), who was actually in favor of the decision. The team responsible for shaping the script into a three film story talk a little about what the process was like. The cast members talk about the incredible writing process of the film. John Rys-Davies (Gimli) jokes about revisions of the script that were slipped under his door the night before a shoot. One of the most difficult characters for Jackson and his team was Arwen 'Evenstar' Undómiel, a character that had a very small role in the book series. In order to make her a character with some weight, more material had to be added for her. The scenes around the table of Elrond was also difficult to shoot because of the amount of material that was in the book. We also learn how the evil encased within the ring had to be animated -- given its own character. (length: approx. 20 minutes)
Visualizing the story contains a wealth of storyboards, animatics and animation to film comparisons. Here we go... Storyboards and Pre-viz: Making words into images presents Jackson, his effects and miniatures team as they discuss the amount of detail that was involved in order to shoot the film as fluidly as possible. Every single frame in this film was story boarded by Peter. This greatly helped the visual and effects team. Jackson took the storyboard process one step further by creating small models with little figurines so that camera shots could be more accurately conveyed. (length: approx. 13 minutes) There are three early storyboards that are really cool to watch -- especially for the fact that they play as individual movies set against music and dialogue. In addition to an alternate prologue (done with storyboards and CGI), there are two abandoned scenes that have been cleverly recreated for this DVD. Very cool! In Pre-Viz Animatics we watch how computer graphics laid out the blueprint for what was to be filmed, including specific camera angles. The scenes presented here are Gandalf rides to Orthanc and The Stairs of Khazad-Dum.
Animatic to film comparisons give you a split-screen look at how two specific scenes look from original storyboard concept to final print.
Finally, in this section, Bag End set test is a very nice treat to watch. In a yet unfinished wooden set, film production and set design members partake in a sort of blocking test. It's funny to watch Jackson scurry around the set (acting like Bilbo) as someone holds up a head on a stick that represents Gandalf. (length: approx. 6 minutes) Let's go to Designing and filming Middle Earth... Designing and building Middle Earth takes us through original book illustrations of trolls, Wizards and Goblins that create such a believable environment that you think it was all once real. We take a look at a team of designers who, before the script was finished, put together models and drawings that portrayed a totally believable world inserted in shots of actual New Zealand locations where the stories originated from. There are some very interesting home movies of the models being built, as well as the many drawings that were offered for feedback before sculpturing began. This is a very extensive featurette that goes far more into depth than I could describe here, but it represents the huge collaborative effort of creating the world of Middle Earth. (length: approx. 41 minutes)
Weta Workshop takes us to Camperdown Studios, a place that Elijah Wood describes as "Willy Wonka's chocolate factory without the candy". Everything in the film that you saw was made here -- all the armor, all the weapons, the creatures and miniatures. I think you will be mesmerized as you weave through the very tight shop filled with an awesome amount of miniature models (that aren't so miniature). Some of the miniatures were the size of soundstages. All the masks, and yes, hairy feet were created here as well. My favorite part was watching the creation of the Cave Troll made out of plaster and skin. We also learn how impossible it is to create armor, due to all its complexities. (length: approx. 43 minutes) Costume Design introduces us to Costume Designer Nglia Dickson and her 40 seamstresses that created the costumes for the film. Nglia talks about how huge and complex the project was, being very thankful that a lot of designs were already in place before she came aboard. I was absolutely amazed to look at footage of a warehouse lined with rows upon rows of costumes. With original concept drawings in hand, Nglia takes us through each set of characters and how costumes (and their colors) were specifically designed for their race and personality. (length: approx. 12 minutes)
There are two design galleries that represent the peoples and realms of Middle Earth. There is such a wealth of information here presented as a slide show that I cannot go through it all in one sitting. Let me just say that it is chock-full of original artist renderings from enemies such as Sauron, The Cave Troll and Orcs to the characters that make up the fellowship. Then there are original drawings of all the realms of Middle Earth that include (among others) The Shire, Bree, Moria and Rivendell. So much material here and so little time.
Middle Earth Atlas lays out a large map of the entire landscape as you use your remote to pick a location and see scenes from the film that show how that area was involved in the journey. New Zealand as Middle Earth lets you use your remote to pick particular locations on a map and see where they were filmed. For instance, Rivendell was filmed in Wellington, with its beautiful forests and landscapes. We watch how sets were built against these backdrops.
Disc Four
Okay, time to move on to Disc Four, Part Two: From Vision to Reality
Once again we are treated to an introduction to all the material on this disc. Surprisingly, that introduction comes courtesy of Elijah Wood (Frodo) who tells us that this portion of the DVD covers everything from the film's production right on through the film's release. He also gives you some advice on how to properly navigate your way through the material.
Filming The Fellowship of the Ring is divided into four main areas. Let us take a look at them....
The Fellowship of the Cast, as you would expect, takes us through the casting process. Since none of these actors had worked together before, Jackson talks about being nervous once all of them got off the plane in New Zealand, meeting each other for the first time. In separate interviews, the cast members talk about leaving home for an extended period and meeting each other for the first time. You will have a big fat smile on your face as you hear the story of how Billy Boyd (Pippin) and Orlando Bloom (Legolas) first met. Ian McKellen talks about taking a year out of his life, away from home, making new friends. It turned out to be a kind of Boy Scout adventure for the men -- a real boys club. There are some great stories here told by the actors themselves, including one about Sean Astin (Samwise Gangee) being very nervous about a helicopter ride. Another story involves John Rhys-Davies (Gimli) taking a small group of 12 out to a restaurant and ordering enough food for 40 people. I love to hear Billy Boyd tell this story while doing a dead-on impersonation of the actor. This is simply just a fun collection of individual stories from all the cast members that truly show how much they love one another. (length: approx. 34 minutes)
I heard the news today oh, boy! A Day In The Life of a Hobbit starts at 5am and takes us through the makeup and prosthetics that go into making a Hobbit. We see how the feet are attached, as well as the ears which absorb sound and make it difficult to hear. There are some really fun home movie footage of cast members in makeup eating and relaxing between film takes. We are also introduced to Elijah's smaller version of himself as we dwell into the art of staging a scene to show proper size proportions. (length: approx. 13 minutes)
Cameras in Middle-Earth is a very lengthy look at how so many units of camera crew managed to shoot the entire epic in a remarkably short period of time. Jackson depended on the people that ran these units to be in places he could not. The documentary takes us through the many realms of the film as we visit location after location, watching how each segment was shot. Christopher Lee talks about the unusual amount of takes that Peter Jackson wanted from him, wanting to get words and mannerisms exactly right. Cast members recall trudging through the marshes where the water was absolutely freezing cold while Peter Jackson was by his trailer giggling about it all. It's interesting to watch how outdoor location shots of Rivendale had to be duplicated for later shots done inside of a studio. Lighting was a major importance here. Jackson talks about filming on the snowy mountaintops with helicopters bringing the entire cast and crew aboard...all except Sean Bean (Boromir) who refused to fly, and instead took a ski lift to the top. As the featurette draws to a close, we watch Jackson coordinate the huge fight that comes at the end of the film. It was an incredibly long shoot in blazing hot weather, and there's some great behind-the-scenes footage here that captures it all. (length: approx. 50 minutes)
Production Photos contain about 72 stills that were taken on location. Let's take a look at the section devoted to Visual Effects...
Scale simply deals with heights. There's a relationship of size between Hobbits and Humans. This featurette looks at things such as scale compositing, forced perspective, and creating sets that properly portray size. There's also a very interesting look at the big rigs used in the film and the small people that drive them. These big rigs were used to make the Hobbit characters seem smaller. (length: approx. 15 minutes)
Miniatures begins with Big-atures. Miniature Director of Photography Alex Funke talks about the importance of using miniatures rather than creating them digitally. These miniatures models became the basis for some of the most jaw-dropping visual sequences of the film. The bigger the miniature, the more realistic that model is going to look on screen. We take a look at much of the miniatures used in the film and how they were combined with the live action sequences. (length: approx. 16 minutes) After you are through watching the above featurette, you can browse through hundreds of photos that make up the miniatures gallery. Presented in slide-show fashion, just about every realm from the film is represented here. Weta Digital takes us through the post- production process of adding visual effects to the film. This specially built facility was built to bypass huge costs, in order to create all the digital effects. Of course, you can be assured that you will be shown lots of digital computer effects in this segment, including the creation of the squid creature that grabs Frodo. My favorite part? Taking a look at how the original wraith kings (as seen through Frodo's invisibility) was shot. You see the live actors reaching for what would be Frodo. Coool! (length: approx. 24 minutes) Let's look at Post Production: Putting it all together.... Editorial: Assembling an Epic introduces us to Editors John Gilbert and Peter Skarratt who talk about the immense size of the film project, and the huge amount of footage that ended up in the editing room. There were eight units producing footage daily, and it was up to the editors to sort through 5 million feet of film, bringing it down to 4 million feet. One of the most difficult scenes to edit was Arwen's horse chase scene. There were just hours and hours of footage with horses that had to be trimmed down to just a few minutes. There's also discussion about the scenes that were deleted from the film early on and now being reinserted in this DVD. (length: approx. 12 minutes)
You couldn't ask for anything better than this! Anyone interested in filmmaking will indeed cherish Editorial Demonstration: The Council of Elrond, which consists of 36 different takes and illustrates the challenges faced by the editorial team. Six windows play above the final cut of the film. Each of those six windows will highlight a take that was selected by the editor as the one used in the film.
Digital Grading talks about shooting footage on location, which looks all too real, and nudging it up a bit -- adding elements that make it look sort of unworldly. This is done by taking a film negative, scanning it, and then manipulating the image with a variety of tools. Once you add colors and highlights it gets scanned back onto the negative. Supervising Digital Colourist Peter Doyle takes us through raw footage and shows how individual sequences were manipulated. Graded and ungraded images are compared inside-by-side windows. (length: approx. 12 minutes) Let's take a look at Sound and Music... The soundscapes of Middle-Earth is all about the sound design of the film. There was a wealth of sound effects that had to be created in the studio. Using high-tech equipment, a small team of artists created sounds that transported the audience to Middle Earth. There are several examples here how sounds were created for many of the key sequences. You'll be surprised how plungers and rubber floor mats became very useful. The biggest challenge was creating the screams of the ring wraiths. How was it done? It was actually the screams of Fran Walsh. (length: approx. 12 minutes)
Music for Middle-Earth introduces us to composer Howard Shore who wrote the music that guided our emotions throughout the film. Shore worked on the film for nearly two years. We watch the composer on the soundstage of Skywalker Ranch (where I personally stood not more than 1 month ago), where he conducts the orchestra. We learn how a dialect coach helped put together a song sequence sung by Viggo Mortenson (Aragorn). What surprised me is that he made up the tune himself and was simply looking for the words. The Abbey Road studio is the setting for a chorus of young boys that added the sweet, emotional passages to the film. Later, shore talks about writing a score as if it were an Opera, bringing a certain kind of grandeur to the soundtrack. (length: approx. 12 minutes) Finally...
The Road goes ever on is the perfect closing featurette as it looks at the promotional aspects of the film, particularly the premiers where cast members were treated like royalty by their adoring fans. There's some quick footage from Elijah's home movies as the cast arrives at a French premiere. Featured here are hordes of fans, grand speeches of thanks and lots of flying confetti. Peter Jackson talks about the film being more than just a job -- it was a breathtaking experience where friends came together and created something really special. (length: approx. 7 minutes) DVD-ROM content basically takes you to New Line's website that promises updated Lord of the Rings content. Easter Eggs? Check out the reviews on other websites. After spending hours on this review I just did not have the strength to search. I do know there are 2 eggs hidden somewhere in this package.
What is not here? With all the added material that is available here it is utterly surprising to find a lack of promotional materials. There are no trailers nor TV spots nor poster stills. Forgiveable? I suppose so.
Final Thoughts
Seriously folks, my head is spinning. I must have spent 10 hours on this review between watching the film itself and going through two discs of supplemental material. By far, this is the most extensive project I have ever worked on -- and it's no wonder -- Lord Of The Rings is the most elaborate cinematic epic ever, and the journey is just beginning. One might look at this 4-disc package as being complete overkill for the average fan. Fortunately, it isn't the average fan that this set is geared towards. This is a visual encyclopedia that shows every aspect of the film's journey from pre-production to promotion. Most of all, this set is the product of a huge amount of care and dedication that started with Peter Jackson and his team who provided this wealth of supplemental material right on down to New Line Cinema that has produced one of the most beautiful transfers ever to be seen on DVD. It is that reason that I let myself age a full day while writing this review. Consider it a homage to the magnificence of this set!
Release Date: November 12, 2002
My first major project in Hypercard was in high school computer class (back in 1992). After learning Basic, Pascal and C++, in our final year we were allowed to choose any platform for our group work. We took a TV, a laserdisc player hooked up to an SE/30, a disc of the San Francisco earthquake and developed an interactive tool for teaching geography to Grade 9 students (our client was the geography dep't).
Programming couldn't have been easier. I used ResEdit to pull the laserdisc commands from a HC stack which came with the player. To drive the disc we just called up the routine with timecodes in the argument to play the appropriate sessions on the TV. Plate tectonic theory diagrams were created in SuperPaint and pasted in. Adding a quiz was very simple, with the addition of a few randomised cards and a scoring routine.
Considering that the school lab was otherwise full of 386s, it's hard to imagine how any of this would have been achievable given our timeframe and programming experience. It was a perfect example of how a quick&dirty interface tool can produce impressive, economical results.
In another project, I used HyperCard to create a limited-access computer interface (a la Minifinder). I created a standalone HC stack, called it Finder and threw the real Finder out. This forced the stack to launch at startup. It then loaded a Mac/GUI tutorial and a card with buttons that launched the various applications on the computer. Quitting apps returned you to the stack. Quitting the stack restarted the computer. You could, of course, override it with a boot floppy but the tool was actually used by the school to help lock down the computer.
These two uses show just how versatile the deceptively simple application was (is). Unfortunately that's also its big weakness, since Apple has always had such a hard time explaining just what the program does.
I do not see why each option has a DVD drive, though. I would think that most people that would want dual optical drives would want either DVD-R/CD-RW or DVD/CD-RW as one drive, and CD-RW in the second. How often does one person need two DVD drives?
I could see some people who would find it useful to have both DVD-R and DVD+R or +RW (or whatever the hell all the different versions are) on their machines in order to produce custom disks for special situations.
The other problem is that IMAX controls (or at least tries to) the content of movies shown on their screens - they don't want anything over PG shown. IMAX operate a lot of the theatres, and puts pressure on the other owners to fall in line. Needless to say, if the slightly-violent Haunted Castle can't make it on the big screen, What Reams May Come is going to stay at 35mm:
Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft knows that they are doomed (that's why Bill Gates and all the other executives with a clue sell thousands of shares each month) and that it's right now just a matter of how much they can milk out of their customerbase.
Ummm... Gates sells "thousands" (he actually sells about a million) of shares every month because 1) He's got 600 million of them gathering dust, 2) MSFT didn't start paying dividends until recently (even at $0.16/share that's only $96mm per year), and 3) the guy needs to live. Can you get by on a mere $96 million per year? I didn't think so.
Gates sells a fixed amount of shares every month - he always has and likely always will. One major reason is so that people can't draw weird conclusions from his personal stock sales.
"What'll it be tonight, sir? Minesweeper, or battleship?"
How about a nice game of chess?
I'm getting sick and tired of people saying that the "50-year-old LP format" is "better" than the competition. We all know that this is just a big conspiracy to break up the audibly-superior wax cylinder cartel.
Unfortunately, AirSnort only gets fitted on submarines.
The SmartTruck looks like something Mattel invented... Why they decided to put it on a truck cab instead of a modified Hummer is beyond me.
In any event, there is already a great vehicle system on the market: the Canadian Forces' Coyote, part of their LAV platform of vehicles (insert gratuitious Canadian army jokes here). This system is so successful that it has been picked up the US Army under the Stryker name. Plus, it has the advantage of looking like it belongs on a battlefield and not some kid's sandbox.
Some specs for the Coyote:
Length: 6.39 m
Width: 2.50 m
Height: 2.69 m
Maximum speed: 100 km/hr
Range: 660 km
Weight: 14.4 t
Gradient: maximum 60%
Side slope: maximum 30%
Minimum turn diameter: 15.6 m
Trench crossing: 2.06 m
Fording
shallow: 1.3m
deep: 1.0m
3 configurations:
Command (51 vehicles)
Battlegroup (120 vehicles)
Brigade (32 vehicles)
Armament:
25-mm stabilized M242 chain gun
7.62-mm stabilized coaxial machine-gun
7.62-mm top-turret mounted machine- gun
76-mm smoke/fragmentation grenade launcher
Sights:
Daytime optical
Thermal Imagery (TI)
Generation III Image Intensification (II)
Surveillance System:
Battlefield
Surveillance Radar
Thermal Imager
Daylight camera
Laser Rangefinder
Winch: Front-mounted 6,800 kg dynamic pull
self-recovery winch
Engine: 275 hp Detroit Diesel 6V53T
Transmission: 5 forward gears, 1 reverse
Transfer case: 2 speed
Suspension: Independent Rear 4 wheels
torsion bar
Front 4 wheels strut
Wheels: 8 wheels (4 or 8 wheel drive)
Tires: Michelin XML
Brakes: Power (air)
Electrical system: 28 V
Batteries: 2 x 12 V automotive, 6 x 12V
auxiliary
Alternator: 300 A
Q. Why did the fish cross the road ??????
A. It was stapled to the chicken.
I remember hearing years ago about how to stop clouds from raining over certain areas, by planes dropping concrete powder into the rain cloud
Another option is to seed the rainclouds early so that they "run out" of rain before reaching the desired dry area. Yuri Luscov, the mayor of Russia, tried this back in 1998 when he tried unsucessfuly to keep the rain away from Moscow's 850th Birthday celebrations. He tried again at the UEFA Cup Final, but not sure how that worked out. I'm sure there are lots of other examples out there.
10 pages to say "I strapped a wireless cam on a toy train"?
For an encore, maybe he'll tell us about the time he made a diorama using pre-packaged Star Wars characters, still in their display box.
In other news...
.NET
Score: -1, Overrated
DRM
Score: -1, Troll
Windows XP
Score: -1, Flamebait
Looks like you can pick it up for about US$35.99 (I have no connection to this vendor).
It's beeping becuase the ship's computer just deleted his essay.
Bummer.
In case it's not clear, the DVI-VGA adapter is included in the box when you buy the laptop. Same with the SVGA-Composite adapter. You do, however, have to spring for the DVI-ADC.
Oh come on... everyone knows that the whole "aliens blowing up the world for an interplanetary bypass" thing was just something made up by the CIA. They denied it so it must be true.
You mean like http://www.backslashdot.com?
Oh come on people, there's no contest at all. The one person who can kick anyone's ass is Mr. T.
And I quote:
Mr. T: [in answer to a youngster who wanted to know who was tougher, Mr. T or Batman]
Mr. T is tougher. Batman would never go into the 'hood. Mr. T will go into the 'hood.
End of story. There's also the classic "Mr. T vs. Superman" but it's not up anymore. In any event, Mr. T can kick pretty much anyone's ass.
Looks like it's been /.'d already...
Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition
Studio: New Line Year: 2001 Rated: PG-13 Film Length: 208 minutes Aspect Ratio: 16X9 Enhanced Widescreen (2.35:1) Subtitles: English
One ring to rule them all, One ring to find them, One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
Published in 1954-1955, J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece Lord Of The Rings trilogy still remains one of the most definitive works of imaginary fiction ever written. The extraordinary efforts to get this trilogy to the screen is a testament of how popular these stories are today. Featuring 350 constructed sets, 100 or more locations, and 20,602 extras, this is the largest film project ever undertaken by a studio. New Line took a huge gamble and risked everything by filming all three movies back-to-back without knowing the fate of the original release. That gamble obviously paid off as Fellowship of the Ring grossed a phenomenal $157 million in just 12 days and held the No. 1 spot for weeks since its opening.
Perhaps the most significant testament to the film's success lies in how magnificently the book was adapted to the screen. I was a pre-teen when I first read the entire trilogy. The book sparked my imagination like no other book has since. Never would I have believed that anyone could capture my imaginations and put them on the screen. Production designer Grant Major and art director Dan Hennah have created a visual masterpiece -- from the wonderfully pleasing Shire to the soaring elven town of Rivendell to Moria, the dwarven caves deep inside a mountain. The incredibly varied terrain of New Zealand was used to great advantage in the movie, and it was very difficult to tell what was natural scenery and what was constructed set or even computer generated effects.
Set in the mythical land of Middle Earth, in an era of goblins and wizards, the evil Lord Sauron and his dark forces once again threaten to rule all. The fate of the world relies on who possesses the one ring, which holds unspeakable power. Lord Sauron created the ring out of the fiery depths of Doom Mountain years and years ago, but it was during a battle where Sauron was killed that the ring changed hands. The ring is lost once again only to be found by Gollum, a lowly creature that gets poisoned by its power. The ring is eventually stolen by a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. And so, this is where the trilogy begins.....
As the film opens, Gandalf the Wizard (Ian McKellen) is visiting his old Hobbit friend, Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm). When Bilbo makes a daring announcement to a group of party guests, Gandalf realizes that Bilbo is in possession of a very important ring. Gandalf convinces Bilbo to give up the ring, and give it to the very young Frodo (Elijah Wood). When the secret of the ring is finally revealed to the old Wizard, Frodo is warned to leave the Shire at once. However, evil agents are already on their trail. Pursued by dark riders, the Hobbits are forced to team up with a mysterious stranger named Strider (Viggo Mortensen). The reluctant adventurers make their way to Rivendell, a temporary safe haven, where a grand council decides the ring must be destroyed by returning it to the fire from which it was made. With reluctance, nine chosen companions embark on a most perilous quest.
The Director's Cut
It is not until you watch this Director's cut that you realize how much bigger-than-life this epic has become. The film becomes a totally fresh and new viewing experience mainly thanks to the film's cleverly reconstructed 15-minute opening, which is included in the addition of 30 minutes of footage that greatly flesh out the characters and bring more depth to the story. As many times as I have seen this film in its standard version, this new cut was an awe-inspiring experience for me. I'll never watch the standard version again.
The Lord Of The Rings: FOTR arrives in a brand new 4-disc edition housed inside an attractive book-like casing. The movie is spread across discs One and Two. This means that nearly 1:45 minutes into the film, you will need to switch to disc two in order to continue. The upside is that this enables the inclusion of four new audio commentaries as well as several audio formats including English Dolby Digital EX 5.1 Surround and English DTS ES 6.1 Surround. The downside is that when you switch discs, you must go into the SETUP area and once again set your audio preferences. The bottom line is that you will not be able to watch an uninterrupted presentation of the film. Discs Three and Four contain The Appendices, Part I and II.
The added footage
What I am going to do now is break down the list of added footage for you, as well as including a handful of screenshots. Please note that most of this is from memory, and there is always the possibility I may be describing a scene that was already in the standard version. I think my memory is pretty good and that I will come very close to being pretty accurate. Also please realize that since a small amount of added footage comes through quick cuts, I may have missed a few minor additions.
Disc One
- In a newly reconstructed introduction to the film (and before the opening credits), we listen to added narration from Bilbo as he sits at his table working on his memoirs. We learn more about the Hobbits...their passions for food, planting and celebration. More importantly, we are introduced to the ring at a much earlier interval.
- During a fireworks display, Bilbo welcomes guests and hides from others as he has extended dialogue with Frodo.
- In the library. Gandalf reads more of the history of the ring, complete with added flashback.
- A party has Merry and Pippin dancing on a table as others talk about the war brewing beyond their borders.
- A beautiful sequence where in the woods just outside of the Shire, Sam and Frodo peer upon a group of wood-elves on their way to the harbor beyond the grey towers. Sam also complains about not being able to sleep amongst the roots.
- An extended sequence inside the Prancing Pony regarding Strider.
- Additional dialogue with Strider. The Hobbits talk amongst themselves as to whether they should trust Strider and if he really is a friend of Gandalf.
- A walk through a marsh filled with mosquitos (great rear channel effects here). Later, Strider sings beneath the light of the moon about a love he lost.
- Saruman consulting the "eye of Sauron" which tells him to "build an army worthy of Mordor."
- Frodo awakens after being stabbed by the blade of a Wraith. He is in a thicket surrounded by Troll statues.
- As the Wraiths chase Arwen Undómiel, they stop at a river crossing. One of the wraiths calls out to her, demanding she give up the halfling. (not certain if the wraith call was in the original version)
- A really cool sequence that takes place during the roundtable meet in Rivendell. As Frodo places the ring on the table, Borimor goes for it, claiming it is a gift to be used against Mordor. A spell is raised that literally shakes the mountains.
Disc Two
- A brand new sequence opens the second disc as Aragorn (formally known as Strider) visits the grave of his Mother as Elrond Peredhil reminds him of his destiny.
- Elrond bids farewell to the departing nine companions as the fellowship awaits the ring bearer.
- A short sequence upon a wintry mountain where Saruman responds to Gandalf, reminding him of the dangers of going into the Moria mines.
- A short dialogue sequence where Gandalf asks Frodo to help an old man. Gandalf asks the Hobbit how his shoulder is as both discover how powerful the influence of the ring is becoming. The wizard advises Frodo to only trust himself. We also learn that Gandalf is sensing impending danger inside the Moria mines that will ultimately test him.
- Another sequence has Gandalf becoming irate over not being able to find the words to open the doors of Durin that lead the way to the heart of Moria.
- Inside the mines of Mordor, against a steep cliff, Gandalf points his way down the chasms as he shows his companions the true wealth of Moria.
- A newly found passage into the great hall of the mines of Mordor. Gandalf speaks of the oncoming Balrog. The jump across the bridge is also greatly extended with a new set of stairs to cross and a much earlier arrival of a full-formed Balrog.
- As Frodo walks through the woods he hears additional calls of Galadriel, Lady of the Galadrhim. Gimli makes a very uncourteous remark about the lady after being captured by elves. Later, Aragorn tells Frodo that Gandalf's death was not in vain.
- The group is handed cloaks and food by the elves as well as parting advice. Galadriel gives gifts to each of the members. Gimli has a very unlikely request. Wait till you hear what he receives.
- As the group makes a short stop on shore, there is another sighting of Gollum in the water. Sam pleads to Frodo that he is truly his friend and wants to help. Boromir and Aragorn argue.
- An extended battle sequence between Aragorn and the head Orc.
- As Frodo embarks on his final journey of this installment, he remembers the words of Gandalf, who briefly appears in flashback.
Again, I must stress that all of this is from memory. Please be kind if I made any mistakes here. Fortunately, the added material can easily be identified by going into Select a Scene where asterisks indicate **new scene as well as **extended scene. Please note that I did not refer to this area prior to writing the above scenes.
How is the transfer?
To say that this is an absolutely flawless transfer and leave it at that would be sort of shortchanging this review -- but it would be the absolute truth. What we have here is an absolutely pristine image that is very close to Hi-Def. The transfer looks absolutely smooth and with extremely accurate colors -- especially in the facial flesh tones. Blacks are rock solid and the picture never becomes too sharp nor soft, giving this film a very natural beauty.
This DVD features both English Dolby Digital EX 5.1 Surround and English DTS ES 6.1 Surround. Even though My system is limited to a 5.1 setup, it wasn't difficult to get totally immersed in the audio presentation. As I usually expect from most DTS tracks, the sound has a very spacial quality to it -- not sounding the least compressed. This is one hell of an aggressive mix with sound that is extremely accurate and detailed. The rear channels are nearly always active throughout, and there's tremendous LFE channel support that adds booming floor-shaking response. This is one of the strongest sounding LFE tracks in memory -- so strong in fact that I was very concerned about blowing out my subwoofer.
It really becomes difficult to define a transfer that is as beautiful as this one. Thus far, Attack Of The Clones has become the best DVD I have seen, thanks to its direct digital transfer. I was amazed to see that this film transfer looked almost as good. This tells you much about the effort New Line has put into making this DVD look flawless.
Special Features
As I sit here with four discs containing over 6 hours of material, I sort of hesitate to move on. What lies before me is over a full day's worth of review material devoted to one DVD package. I will do as thorough of a job as I can with this, but will mostly highlight what you can expect out of these supplements.
Disc One and Two
As you pop in the DVD, you are welcomed at a Hobbit table where a book, The Fellowship of The Ring opens to reveal a page of menu selections.
Disc One contains the first part of the Director's cut which runs close to 1hr. 45 minutes. The side break is at the 1:45 mark where Pippin inquires "when are we goin'?!". A black screen comes up prompting you to continue to Disc Two.
From the Special Features menu you can select any one of four commentaries. These commentaries feature: Track One: The Directors and Writers: Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. Track Two: The Design Team: Grant Major, Ngila Dickson, Richard Taylor, Alan Lee, John Howe, Dan Hennah, Chris Hennah and Tania Rodger. Track Three: The Production/Post Production Team: Barrie Osborne, Mark Ordesky, Andrew Lesnie (and a approximately 11 more) Track Four: The Cast: Eliijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monoghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee and Sean Bean.
What is very unique here is that each supplemental audio commentary track is accompanied by a subtitle identifying each different speaker.
Now I must apologize in advance. Commentaries are usually the last thing I review. After spending a day writing this one, I am going to briefly touch upon just one of the commentaries. That commentary is of the cast. First, you will be very happy to learn that all of them are here together in one room -- except for Christopher Lee whose tracks seemed to have been recorded separate. Two things of immediate interest here. First, it's a very tame group effort for such a bunch of young cast members. Second, it seems all of these individuals are watching the added DVD material for the very first time as many of them seem to be in awe of what they are watching. McKellen talks about a windy day in the shire and the problem of keeping his hat on. The group never hesitates to point out where each scene was filmed -- especially when an actor crosses from an outdoor set onto a soundstage. You'll also hear the cast talk about "BK", who is Elijah's 3'4" double, used in scenes where height comparison was needed. Christopher Lee talks about some of the falls he had to do, being knocked around quite often (but fortunately not from any great height). A wraith chase through the woods leading the Hobbits to the Ferry is not so fondly recalled here. The boys had an awful time in the pouring rain not only from shoes that went flying off...but by the time they reached the bottom of the hill, they were so exhausted they had to be carried back up.
I realize I have merely scratched the surface on the commentaries, but I think all of you understand that I just cannot rewatch 3 hours of material to give you the type of review you want.
Disc Three
Here begins what is called The Appendices. They are spread out across Discs Three and Four. Let's begin with Disc Three which is titled Part One: From Book To Vision
As in the rear pages of the Tolkien books, these Appendices give the back stories and origins of how the mythology of Middle Earth was created. Part One (Disc Three) has 2.5 hours worth of documentary material and Part Two has 3.5 hours of additional documentary material.
Let's begin with Disc Three: Part One: From Book to Vision
We begin with an Introduction from director Peter Jackson who not only welcomes you aboard, but lays out exactly what you can expect from the two supplemental discs before you. In fact, he gives you several options of how you can best navigate through all of the enclosed material.
J.R.R. Tolkien - creator of Middle Earth begins with Peter Jackson talking about the sheer wealth of information that Tolkien brought to his books. From there, we get a thorough background history on Tolkien who became an orphan at the very early age of 12. His Mother actually was the person who inspired him to read, and after her death, he was committed to continue with his literary studies. We learn of his studies of the English language at Oxford, as well as his involvement in the World War where most of the suffering he witnessed had a profound affect on his later writings. Tolkien Biography author Humphrey Carpenter tells us that Tolkien wrote the first installment of the book almost blindly, not knowing what its structure would be, practically shaping it all as he went along. The documentary also explores the phenomenon of the books, thanks to its underlying themes of human existence. (length: approx. 22 minutes)
From Book to Script reveals how much Jackson is a real fan of the books, first reading the trilogy at the age of 18. Director of Photography Andrew Lesnie agrees -- this was the first book that really taught him how powerful words could be. We go down the line in interview after interview with cast members and filmmakers like Sean Bean (Boromir), Dominic Monaghan (Merry) and others who talk about their first experiences reading the books. The subject of proposing a three-film deal to New Line Cinema is discussed here, with added comments from filmmakers and cast members such as Christopher Lee (Saruman), who was actually in favor of the decision. The team responsible for shaping the script into a three film story talk a little about what the process was like. The cast members talk about the incredible writing process of the film. John Rys-Davies (Gimli) jokes about revisions of the script that were slipped under his door the night before a shoot. One of the most difficult characters for Jackson and his team was Arwen 'Evenstar' Undómiel, a character that had a very small role in the book series. In order to make her a character with some weight, more material had to be added for her. The scenes around the table of Elrond was also difficult to shoot because of the amount of material that was in the book. We also learn how the evil encased within the ring had to be animated -- given its own character. (length: approx. 20 minutes)
Visualizing the story contains a wealth of storyboards, animatics and animation to film comparisons. Here we go...
Storyboards and Pre-viz: Making words into images presents Jackson, his effects and miniatures team as they discuss the amount of detail that was involved in order to shoot the film as fluidly as possible. Every single frame in this film was story boarded by Peter. This greatly helped the visual and effects team. Jackson took the storyboard process one step further by creating small models with little figurines so that camera shots could be more accurately conveyed. (length: approx. 13 minutes)
There are three early storyboards that are really cool to watch -- especially for the fact that they play as individual movies set against music and dialogue. In addition to an alternate prologue (done with storyboards and CGI), there are two abandoned scenes that have been cleverly recreated for this DVD. Very cool!
In Pre-Viz Animatics we watch how computer graphics laid out the blueprint for what was to be filmed, including specific camera angles. The scenes presented here are Gandalf rides to Orthanc and The Stairs of Khazad-Dum.
Animatic to film comparisons give you a split-screen look at how two specific scenes look from original storyboard concept to final print.
Finally, in this section, Bag End set test is a very nice treat to watch. In a yet unfinished wooden set, film production and set design members partake in a sort of blocking test. It's funny to watch Jackson scurry around the set (acting like Bilbo) as someone holds up a head on a stick that represents Gandalf. (length: approx. 6 minutes)
Let's go to Designing and filming Middle Earth...
Designing and building Middle Earth takes us through original book illustrations of trolls, Wizards and Goblins that create such a believable environment that you think it was all once real. We take a look at a team of designers who, before the script was finished, put together models and drawings that portrayed a totally believable world inserted in shots of actual New Zealand locations where the stories originated from. There are some very interesting home movies of the models being built, as well as the many drawings that were offered for feedback before sculpturing began. This is a very extensive featurette that goes far more into depth than I could describe here, but it represents the huge collaborative effort of creating the world of Middle Earth. (length: approx. 41 minutes)
Weta Workshop takes us to Camperdown Studios, a place that Elijah Wood describes as "Willy Wonka's chocolate factory without the candy". Everything in the film that you saw was made here -- all the armor, all the weapons, the creatures and miniatures. I think you will be mesmerized as you weave through the very tight shop filled with an awesome amount of miniature models (that aren't so miniature). Some of the miniatures were the size of soundstages. All the masks, and yes, hairy feet were created here as well. My favorite part was watching the creation of the Cave Troll made out of plaster and skin. We also learn how impossible it is to create armor, due to all its complexities. (length: approx. 43 minutes)
Costume Design introduces us to Costume Designer Nglia Dickson and her 40 seamstresses that created the costumes for the film. Nglia talks about how huge and complex the project was, being very thankful that a lot of designs were already in place before she came aboard. I was absolutely amazed to look at footage of a warehouse lined with rows upon rows of costumes. With original concept drawings in hand, Nglia takes us through each set of characters and how costumes (and their colors) were specifically designed for their race and personality. (length: approx. 12 minutes)
There are two design galleries that represent the peoples and realms of Middle Earth. There is such a wealth of information here presented as a slide show that I cannot go through it all in one sitting. Let me just say that it is chock-full of original artist renderings from enemies such as Sauron, The Cave Troll and Orcs to the characters that make up the fellowship. Then there are original drawings of all the realms of Middle Earth that include (among others) The Shire, Bree, Moria and Rivendell. So much material here and so little time.
Middle Earth Atlas lays out a large map of the entire landscape as you use your remote to pick a location and see scenes from the film that show how that area was involved in the journey.
New Zealand as Middle Earth lets you use your remote to pick particular locations on a map and see where they were filmed. For instance, Rivendell was filmed in Wellington, with its beautiful forests and landscapes. We watch how sets were built against these backdrops.
Disc Four
Okay, time to move on to Disc Four, Part Two: From Vision to Reality
Once again we are treated to an introduction to all the material on this disc. Surprisingly, that introduction comes courtesy of Elijah Wood (Frodo) who tells us that this portion of the DVD covers everything from the film's production right on through the film's release. He also gives you some advice on how to properly navigate your way through the material.
Filming The Fellowship of the Ring is divided into four main areas. Let us take a look at them....
The Fellowship of the Cast, as you would expect, takes us through the casting process. Since none of these actors had worked together before, Jackson talks about being nervous once all of them got off the plane in New Zealand, meeting each other for the first time. In separate interviews, the cast members talk about leaving home for an extended period and meeting each other for the first time. You will have a big fat smile on your face as you hear the story of how Billy Boyd (Pippin) and Orlando Bloom (Legolas) first met. Ian McKellen talks about taking a year out of his life, away from home, making new friends. It turned out to be a kind of Boy Scout adventure for the men -- a real boys club. There are some great stories here told by the actors themselves, including one about Sean Astin (Samwise Gangee) being very nervous about a helicopter ride. Another story involves John Rhys-Davies (Gimli) taking a small group of 12 out to a restaurant and ordering enough food for 40 people. I love to hear Billy Boyd tell this story while doing a dead-on impersonation of the actor. This is simply just a fun collection of individual stories from all the cast members that truly show how much they love one another. (length: approx. 34 minutes)
I heard the news today oh, boy! A Day In The Life of a Hobbit starts at 5am and takes us through the makeup and prosthetics that go into making a Hobbit. We see how the feet are attached, as well as the ears which absorb sound and make it difficult to hear. There are some really fun home movie footage of cast members in makeup eating and relaxing between film takes. We are also introduced to Elijah's smaller version of himself as we dwell into the art of staging a scene to show proper size proportions. (length: approx. 13 minutes)
Cameras in Middle-Earth is a very lengthy look at how so many units of camera crew managed to shoot the entire epic in a remarkably short period of time. Jackson depended on the people that ran these units to be in places he could not. The documentary takes us through the many realms of the film as we visit location after location, watching how each segment was shot. Christopher Lee talks about the unusual amount of takes that Peter Jackson wanted from him, wanting to get words and mannerisms exactly right. Cast members recall trudging through the marshes where the water was absolutely freezing cold while Peter Jackson was by his trailer giggling about it all. It's interesting to watch how outdoor location shots of Rivendale had to be duplicated for later shots done inside of a studio. Lighting was a major importance here. Jackson talks about filming on the snowy mountaintops with helicopters bringing the entire cast and crew aboard...all except Sean Bean (Boromir) who refused to fly, and instead took a ski lift to the top. As the featurette draws to a close, we watch Jackson coordinate the huge fight that comes at the end of the film. It was an incredibly long shoot in blazing hot weather, and there's some great behind-the-scenes footage here that captures it all. (length: approx. 50 minutes)
Production Photos contain about 72 stills that were taken on location.
Let's take a look at the section devoted to Visual Effects...
Scale simply deals with heights. There's a relationship of size between Hobbits and Humans. This featurette looks at things such as scale compositing, forced perspective, and creating sets that properly portray size. There's also a very interesting look at the big rigs used in the film and the small people that drive them. These big rigs were used to make the Hobbit characters seem smaller. (length: approx. 15 minutes)
Miniatures begins with Big-atures. Miniature Director of Photography Alex Funke talks about the importance of using miniatures rather than creating them digitally. These miniatures models became the basis for some of the most jaw-dropping visual sequences of the film. The bigger the miniature, the more realistic that model is going to look on screen. We take a look at much of the miniatures used in the film and how they were combined with the live action sequences. (length: approx. 16 minutes)
After you are through watching the above featurette, you can browse through hundreds of photos that make up the miniatures gallery. Presented in slide-show fashion, just about every realm from the film is represented here.
Weta Digital takes us through the post- production process of adding visual effects to the film. This specially built facility was built to bypass huge costs, in order to create all the digital effects. Of course, you can be assured that you will be shown lots of digital computer effects in this segment, including the creation of the squid creature that grabs Frodo. My favorite part? Taking a look at how the original wraith kings (as seen through Frodo's invisibility) was shot. You see the live actors reaching for what would be Frodo. Coool! (length: approx. 24 minutes)
Let's look at Post Production: Putting it all together....
Editorial: Assembling an Epic introduces us to Editors John Gilbert and Peter Skarratt who talk about the immense size of the film project, and the huge amount of footage that ended up in the editing room. There were eight units producing footage daily, and it was up to the editors to sort through 5 million feet of film, bringing it down to 4 million feet. One of the most difficult scenes to edit was Arwen's horse chase scene. There were just hours and hours of footage with horses that had to be trimmed down to just a few minutes. There's also discussion about the scenes that were deleted from the film early on and now being reinserted in this DVD. (length: approx. 12 minutes)
You couldn't ask for anything better than this! Anyone interested in filmmaking will indeed cherish Editorial Demonstration: The Council of Elrond, which consists of 36 different takes and illustrates the challenges faced by the editorial team. Six windows play above the final cut of the film. Each of those six windows will highlight a take that was selected by the editor as the one used in the film.
Digital Grading talks about shooting footage on location, which looks all too real, and nudging it up a bit -- adding elements that make it look sort of unworldly. This is done by taking a film negative, scanning it, and then manipulating the image with a variety of tools. Once you add colors and highlights it gets scanned back onto the negative. Supervising Digital Colourist Peter Doyle takes us through raw footage and shows how individual sequences were manipulated. Graded and ungraded images are compared inside-by-side windows. (length: approx. 12 minutes)
Let's take a look at Sound and Music...
The soundscapes of Middle-Earth is all about the sound design of the film. There was a wealth of sound effects that had to be created in the studio. Using high-tech equipment, a small team of artists created sounds that transported the audience to Middle Earth. There are several examples here how sounds were created for many of the key sequences. You'll be surprised how plungers and rubber floor mats became very useful. The biggest challenge was creating the screams of the ring wraiths. How was it done? It was actually the screams of Fran Walsh. (length: approx. 12 minutes)
Music for Middle-Earth introduces us to composer Howard Shore who wrote the music that guided our emotions throughout the film. Shore worked on the film for nearly two years. We watch the composer on the soundstage of Skywalker Ranch (where I personally stood not more than 1 month ago), where he conducts the orchestra. We learn how a dialect coach helped put together a song sequence sung by Viggo Mortenson (Aragorn). What surprised me is that he made up the tune himself and was simply looking for the words. The Abbey Road studio is the setting for a chorus of young boys that added the sweet, emotional passages to the film. Later, shore talks about writing a score as if it were an Opera, bringing a certain kind of grandeur to the soundtrack. (length: approx. 12 minutes)
Finally...
The Road goes ever on is the perfect closing featurette as it looks at the promotional aspects of the film, particularly the premiers where cast members were treated like royalty by their adoring fans. There's some quick footage from Elijah's home movies as the cast arrives at a French premiere. Featured here are hordes of fans, grand speeches of thanks and lots of flying confetti. Peter Jackson talks about the film being more than just a job -- it was a breathtaking experience where friends came together and created something really special. (length: approx. 7 minutes)
DVD-ROM content basically takes you to New Line's website that promises updated Lord of the Rings content.
Easter Eggs? Check out the reviews on other websites. After spending hours on this review I just did not have the strength to search. I do know there are 2 eggs hidden somewhere in this package.
What is not here?
With all the added material that is available here it is utterly surprising to find a lack of promotional materials. There are no trailers nor TV spots nor poster stills. Forgiveable? I suppose so.
Final Thoughts
Seriously folks, my head is spinning. I must have spent 10 hours on this review between watching the film itself and going through two discs of supplemental material. By far, this is the most extensive project I have ever worked on -- and it's no wonder -- Lord Of The Rings is the most elaborate cinematic epic ever, and the journey is just beginning.
One might look at this 4-disc package as being complete overkill for the average fan. Fortunately, it isn't the average fan that this set is geared towards. This is a visual encyclopedia that shows every aspect of the film's journey from pre-production to promotion.
Most of all, this set is the product of a huge amount of care and dedication that started with Peter Jackson and his team who provided this wealth of supplemental material right on down to New Line Cinema that has produced one of the most beautiful transfers ever to be seen on DVD. It is that reason that I let myself age a full day while writing this review. Consider it a homage to the magnificence of this set!
Release Date: November 12, 2002
MBFGW was a thousand times better than that cereal-pushing, merchandise-spawning, whiny-Canadian-Ptretty-Boy-Starring multi-million dollar fiasco
Not to get too far off topic, but the star of MBDGW is also a Canadian - Nia Vardalos. It's also worth noting that IMAX is a Canadian invention...
and is also the perfect opportunity for a little hanky-panky in the back row under a blanket.
Let's just hope you weren't the only one sitting in the back row...
My first major project in Hypercard was in high school computer class (back in 1992). After learning Basic, Pascal and C++, in our final year we were allowed to choose any platform for our group work. We took a TV, a laserdisc player hooked up to an SE/30, a disc of the San Francisco earthquake and developed an interactive tool for teaching geography to Grade 9 students (our client was the geography dep't).
Programming couldn't have been easier. I used ResEdit to pull the laserdisc commands from a HC stack which came with the player. To drive the disc we just called up the routine with timecodes in the argument to play the appropriate sessions on the TV. Plate tectonic theory diagrams were created in SuperPaint and pasted in. Adding a quiz was very simple, with the addition of a few randomised cards and a scoring routine.
Considering that the school lab was otherwise full of 386s, it's hard to imagine how any of this would have been achievable given our timeframe and programming experience. It was a perfect example of how a quick&dirty interface tool can produce impressive, economical results.
In another project, I used HyperCard to create a limited-access computer interface (a la Minifinder). I created a standalone HC stack, called it Finder and threw the real Finder out. This forced the stack to launch at startup. It then loaded a Mac/GUI tutorial and a card with buttons that launched the various applications on the computer. Quitting apps returned you to the stack. Quitting the stack restarted the computer. You could, of course, override it with a boot floppy but the tool was actually used by the school to help lock down the computer.
These two uses show just how versatile the deceptively simple application was (is). Unfortunately that's also its big weakness, since Apple has always had such a hard time explaining just what the program does.
What - you got four tiny dicks or something?
I do not see why each option has a DVD drive, though. I would think that most people that would want dual optical drives would want either DVD-R/CD-RW or DVD/CD-RW as one drive, and CD-RW in the second. How often does one person need two DVD drives?
I could see some people who would find it useful to have both DVD-R and DVD+R or +RW (or whatever the hell all the different versions are) on their machines in order to produce custom disks for special situations.
Of course, techies just like cryogenics because it's the ultimate water-cooled case mod for carbon-based computers.
The other problem is that IMAX controls (or at least tries to) the content of movies shown on their screens - they don't want anything over PG shown. IMAX operate a lot of the theatres, and puts pressure on the other owners to fall in line.
d ec00_mar01.html
Needless to say, if the slightly-violent Haunted Castle can't make it on the big screen, What Reams May Come is going to stay at 35mm:
http://www.bigmoviezone.com/features/newsinbrief_
If you check the link, you'll also note they announced back in March 2001 that this new technology would be ready "within twelve months"... oops.
I'd hate to see how their all-digital bathrooms are going to work.