11-ball

LOTR:ROTK was simply fantastic. I still probably enjoyed Fellowship the best (mostly because of the "WOW" factor of seeing the film brought to life--that film was revolutionary. I also liked the story best when the whole fellowship was together), but ROTK wrapped up the trilogy in the most spectacular fashion imaginable.

If you like the movies more as movies, then you will love this film. If you're a Tolkien die-hard you will probably find many things to nitpick (like the omission of the "Houses of Healing" sequence--just how is it exactly that Eowyn, Faramir, and Merry all get healed--oh well read the book or wait for the 4-disc DVD), but really, nitpicking is for the dweebs anyway.

I certainly think the film (representing the trilogy as a whole) deserves the Best Picture Oscar, but it has STIFF competition this year (Mystic River, Cold Mtn., Master & Commander, Kill Bill, etc.), stiffer than any previous year, plus the Academy doesn't like fantasy pictures or foreign directors--so it's Oscar success is not guaranteed.

Despite this, moviegoers are the true winners. People laughed, gasped, cheered ("I am no man!" generating the most thunderous applause), cried, and gave the film a rapturous ovation at the screening I attended. I think ROTK will be an absolute success in every way.

"Aliens", is simply put, the greatest actioner ever made. The film is easily among my top three of all time, and is certainly the best thing James Cameron ever directed.

I think that one testament to its greatness is that so many movies have stolen from it (and to be fair, "Aliens" stole from movies before it, but the film perfects everything it borrows). Even James Horner's stirring theme is recycled in action trailers today. There is certainly great action, and the wisecracking team of Marines, each having a distinct personality (especially the hypochondriac Hudson, the badass Vasquez, and the ass-kissing Gorman), give the movie a great flavor as well as giving each of the viewers a character to relate to.

In the lead Sigourney Weaver is top-notch as Ripley--she should have one the Oscar--and through her relationship with Newt the film is given the foundation for its theme of motherhood and protection of young.

This film simply has everything a great action movie should have, and it belongs in the ranks of top films of all time.

After viewing "Die Another Day" recently, one thing I noticed was that the filmmakers were trying to do things a little differently. In the latest Bond, the producers and director Lee Tamahori give hit and miss results. Bond is tortured, held captive, and made to seem much more falliable than before. Halle Berry's Jinx is certainly the most active female in the series to date (save maybe Michelle Yeoh). I think the latest Bond film was overall good, and while the film scores points for trying to mix the serie s up a bit, ultimately the experiment is a hit or miss affair.

What "Die Another Day" should have modeled on was the vastly superior "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", the only Bond movie to really stray from the formula (babes, bombs, gadgets)effectively. Both "OHMSS" and "DAD" are Bond films about Bond maturing. Here, in "OHMSS", Bond matures enough to actually settle down with a woman and marry her. Diana Rigg's Tracy is that woman--probably running neck and neck with Honor Blackman (who also played Emma Peel) as Pussy Galore for the title of Best Bond Girl ever. Blofeld (played here by Telly Savalas, and not nearly as good as Donald Pleasance's Blofeld but superior in every way to the guy who played Blofeld in the awful "Diamonds Are Forever")--Bond's archnemesis--is Bond's equal in ruthlessness, as demonstrated in the shock ending. This is a key difference, for most bond villains are total buffoons.

Lastly, the key and unignorable difference in "OHMSS" is George Lazenby as Bond. He's not the best Bond ever, but after the rollicking and brutal beach fight ("This never happened to that other fella") in the opener, I accept him as Bond. Really, I only need to accept the actor as Bond, not have him be the best ever (or live up to Connery--an impossible task). In this manner, Lazenby passes.

Lazenby's performance is unique. Another post mentions that Lazenby's modeling background gave him a looser, more slinky demeanor. I wholeheartedly agree. If Connery is the Bond who is fierce and macho, Moore is Bond The Old Man, Dalton playing Bond as Shakespeare, and Brosnan's Bond as a modern Connery, then Lazenby is the only actor to really convince me that Bond is a SPY. His nimble movements are nicely balanced with blasts of ferocity, and the sublime, Hitchcockian safecracking scene really reflects this superbly. Several times in the film, Bond is forced to don disguises, something we rarely see him do. In fact, I can't think of a Bond film where the quieter "spy" moments outshine the action.

The romance is quiet too, and when Bond finally beds Tracy, it is earned rather than conquered. The score, and especially Louis Armstong's "We Have All the Time In the World" (so delightfully ironic)highlight these themes beautifully.

"Die Another Day" could have exploited differences in the Bond formula to fabulous effect, but the film really just is a string of sex, quips, gadgets and explosions (albeit above average ones). For those seeking a truly different James Bond film seek out "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". The purists should love it as well, for gadgets aside (radioactive pocket lint? c'mon Q, you can do better), the film has a great opener, a great villain, a superlative female lead (as well as a bevy of babes for Bond to be tempted by--in a Swiss chalet no less), plenty of hard hitting action (bobsled chase!), and globetrotting. "OHMSS" is easily the most effectively well rounded Bond film, second only to "Goldfinger".

P.S. For posterity, here is how I rank my top five Bond films: 1. "Goldfinger" 2. "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" 3. "GoldenEye" 4. "From Russia With Love" 5. "You Only Live Twice"