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Reviews
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
A fitting climax to the trilogy, made by fans for everyone
They were never going to get the books onto the screen, but the richness of what Peter Jackson has achieved means that the films stand up as first rate movie experiences in themselves. Lovers of the books have had their dreams realized and even Tolkien haters are hard put to deny the skill and artistry of the movie making. The effects are groundbreaking and breathtaking, as are the settings and costumes in unprecedented quantity and quality. The performances are good and in cases (McKellen, Mortensen, Bean) inspired, but beyond this the Lord of the Rings trilogy is a triumph of story, the power of the sort of tales that Tolkien studied from the oral traditions of ancient European cultures. It is in telling and sustaining a magnificent tale that the film makers most honour the work of Tolkien, even where they have cut and elided.
Bad Timing (1980)
intense work from forgotten master
Bad Timing is not an easy film, but one that rewards effort. Art Garfunkel joins the line (Jagger, Bowie) of singers who produced career best acting performances for this director - the scene of him smoking while staring over a bridge into the abyss of his life is worth buying the dvd alone - and Theresa Russell is simply incendiary. The story is a relatively simple one of how two people who should never have got together become obsessed with each other, but is told in Nicolas Roeg's fluid, labyrinthine style with flashes back and forward and disconcerting edits. The sexual content is extreme for some tastes, but raw and painfully honest in a way which defies simple titillation. Intense work from one of the giants of British and world cinema, now sadly neglected, and one of a string of great films, Performance, Walkabout, Don't Look Now and The Man Who Fell to Earth which mark Nicolas Roeg out as a great director.