gardner-8

We got up at 5am to see an early morning first day showing here in Auckland. It was worth the effort! We are all so tired from the hectic end of year, pre Christmas, pre summer holiday rush we have in this part of the world, so watching LOTR in that state and at that hour made it seem a wonderful dream.

Amazing that our little country can produce such a magnificent film. Can't wait to see it again. All the other positive comments say it all.



Brilliant movie - Peter Jackson, you made us feel proud to be kiwis.

I found this two-hour long story of friendship absorbing and deeply satisfying. It's a feast for the eyes, and hearing the French language tumbling over you adds to the atmosphere - you can almost smell it too. The French countryside is lovely to look at and the simplicity of the main protagonists' lives is beguiling (admittedly the weather always seemed close to perfect!). It's a nostalgic, evocative look at the past with realistic, thoroughly likeable characters.

Onegin is one of the most visually beautiful movies I remember seeing. The story doesn't quite match the beauty - I wanted to shake Onegin and found the ending frustrating, but the imagery is so powerful you come away remembering the sumptuousness and not minding. I'll watch it again.