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But if Frodo and Sam were "special friends", then ROTK would be a lock for the Best Picture Oscar!

Mark

LIke I've said to many people. If Peter Jackson doesn not get best director, and Sam does not get at least nominated for best supporting actor -- I will never again even think of watching the Oscars.
(Why do I feel like Alec Baldwin, threatening to move out of US, if Bush is elected?)

ah, a refreshing cynic.

I think ROTK should get Ben-Hur-like Oscar consideration. It deserves nominations for Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Actor (Sean Astin), Supporting Actor (Ian McKelan, Bernard Hill), Supporting Actress (Miranda Otto), Cinematography, Sound, Sound Editing, Editing, Costumes, Art Direction, Score, Visual Effects, and Makeup. ROTK is in every way a better picture than Braveheart, Dances With Wolves, Gladiator, The Pianist, and just about every epic motion picture which has won major awards in the last several years.

The problem is that the Academy has never given props to Fantasy or Science Fiction movies. Also, Peter Jackson is not a Hollywood insider.

Epecially disappointing is that nobody is talking about nominations for any of the actors. Sean Astin (Sam), Miranda Otto (Eowyn), Bernard Hill (Theoden), Andy Serkis (Gollum), Ian McKellen (Gandalf), and John Noble (Denethor) were all superbly cast, and their performances wonderful. It is disappointing that there is no category for Serkis to be nominated in. His performance as Gollum has literally redefined the way that CG characters are created.

I still have hope that the academy will see the light, but I'm not holding my breath.

Mark

I agree with you on all points except comparing ROTK to The Pianist. Where'd that come from?? It's not even apples and oranges here. That's like apples and turnips.

I wasn't really comparing "The Pianist" to ROTK, it is kind of an "epic" picture with it's war scenes. I think it was terribly overrated, and didn't deserve a lot of the attention it got.

I wanted a third movie to put on my list, and it was the first one that came to mind.

Mark

I suppose it helps having a Polish heritage, as I thought the film was great.

I just kept thinking I had seen it all before in "Schindler's List" and countless other movies dealing with the Nazi occupation of Europe in WWII. I also never could warm up to the main character, despite the excellent performance by Adrian Brody. I by no means thought it was a bad movie, I just didn't love it like so many others did.

Mark

Slight change of topic, but have either of you seen The Shop on Main Street? It's set in Slovakia, not Poland -- came out in 1965. Like Schindler's List (I haven't seen The Pianist) it deals with collusion. One of the best movies I've seen about WWII. The best Eastern European films on this subject are really provocative because they deal with complicity and collusion, topics we tend to distance ourselves from. Schindler's List was unique for an American film in taking on the collusion angle, though it did so with a Hollywood-heroic plot line -- not to knock the film, which was great, but it's just different than the East European tradition. If you're into these two films, recommend Shop on Main Street.

And has anyone seen The Grey Zone, a recent release? I'm curious to know what it's like.

Birdman