Sam Witwicky's Dating Advice

Crossposted and commissioned by Film.com

Over three Transformers films now, Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeouf) has been befriending noble robots, taking down evil robots, and openly defying the US government, logic and decency. But perhaps the most unbelievable aspect of the character is the notion that he exclusively dates supermodels. He is only attracted to the hottest women on the planet and they only have eyes for him. What's the secret? How exactly does Sam Witwicky get girls like this? Maybe his dating advice will clear some things up. Take it away, Sam.

*****

When You First Meet Her, Act Like An Idiot
What? But how could this work? Trust me. The dorkier you seem on your meet-cute can only work in your favor. Breaking something valuable looking can only magnify the effect and is highly recommended. She will take pity on your failed attempt at being suave and spend a little time with you. This is your in! Use this time to implement some other tips on this list and she will be yours.

Tell Her You Saved The World A Couple Times
Throw in the fact that you are friends with robots and got a medal from the President, and she will be all over you. Yes, in my case it was true, but how was she supposed to know giant transforming robots are real? She believed it anyway and thought I was a hero, despite the fact that outside of the metal I got the day we met, I led a mostly sad, pointless existence.

Be A Mooching Deadbeat
It's very important when securing the perfect woman to be extremely down on yourself to the point of deadbeatdom. While jobless, make sure to move into her home, refuse to pay rent, and better yet, take it over for your own crazy, won't-make-you-any-money endeavors. Make sure to invite robot friends over, if you have them, so you can ensure that some nice things get broken. She needs to be reminded of your idiocy and from time to time so she feels too bad for you to leave you.

Be Extremely Jealous And Show It!
If there's one thing hot girls love, it's when you are being blindingly jealous. She has a cute boss? Yell at her about it! She is nice to her cute boss? Yell louder! If she responds sweetly that there is nothing to worry about and you are overreacting? You better freak out and punch your car a lot. Hopefully, it'll happen to turn out that the guy making eyes at her is evil and/or assisting the bad guys and she will think you have a heroic sixth sense and want you forever.

Pick Your Hobbies Over Her. At First.
Whether your hobbies are hiking or helping robots save the world, always pick them over her until you are done hiking/saving the world. It shows her you have a lot of passion for living and for your interests. Then when you "choose" her later on, it'll look like you are experiencing personal growth. Perfection.

Act Like A Dick To Both Her and Everyone Around You
Perhaps the most important tip of all. Make sure to take her for granted, complain constantly, get angry with her about anything and everything, but show her she isn't the only one you act like this towards. When you finally introduce her to your robot friends (again, if you are lucky enough to be in that position), make sure to be truly arrogant and condescending towards everyone you encounter along the way. Show her you mean business. She will see you in a place of universal power and be hooked.

Put Both Yourself And Her In Danger Whenever Possible
You know why they always go cliff diving and crap on The Bachelor, right? Experiencing a spike in adrenaline and endorphins while together, chemically brings you closer. So if you are ever going through a rough time, just go do something dangerous so she will worry (ESPECIALLY if she has lost family before because of risks they took) or involve her in something dangerous with you so you'll form an intense bond.

"Save Her Life"
Once you put her in a dangerous position, you MUST make sure to save her from it or at least look like you are saving her from it. Make her feel helpless, no matter how strong and capable she may be. Now is the time to turn pity into admiration, respect and dependence.

Don't Commit!
After you save her life and make her think you changed your ways for her, she will get a little excited and start getting ideas about a family and a future. When this starts to happen, IMMEDIATELY shoot it down. Stay cool. No need to lock it down yet, if at all. There are more hot supermodels who will want you where she came from.

*****

Thanks Sam! Man. What would we do without Transformers' accurate portrayal of how to get a woman, beautiful on the inside and out, to fall in love with you? Great advice for kids everywhere.

Oh, by the way, completely unrelated to the way Sam Witwicky treats women and Transformers 3, I just stabbed my eyeballs out.

Note: I think the scariest part of all of this is that I heard a 19 year old describe a method like this almost to a tee as a way to get girls a couple months ago. Comforting stuff. Good to know the movies they see support their asinine theories, isn't it? Sigh.

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Alliterative Actors Alphabet

Crossposted on Film.com

You know those times you start thinking about how most comic book characters have names like Bruce Banner, Peter Parker, Sue Storm and Matt Murdoch and then have thoughts like "If you have an alliterative name, does that mean you are more likely to become a superhero?" which leads to other thoughts like "My name is stupid" and "I'm gonna change my name" which eventually turns into "calm down, you don't want to be a supehero anyway, superheros are dumb, who wants to be them" and finally "I wonder which actors out there have alliterative names and are therefore primed and ready for superhero-dom, unlike me, but whatever, I don't care..."

I have really valuable chains of thought, you guys.

So upon compiling a massive list of famous people with alliterative names (which relates to sound, not letters, i.e. Clark Kent is alliteration. Keira Knightly is not), I decided there was only one thing to do. Write a poem naming one famous person with an alliterative name per letter of the alphabet.

Some of the references are obvious, some are not, some of these people are well known and some are...decidedly not. But if you don't understand something, I encourage you to head to google or ask away in the comment section.

Without further ado,


The Alliterative Actors Alphabet

Amy Adams soon reporting for the Daily Planet
Barry Bostwick to a hot chick once kept saying "Damnit Janet"

Colin Cunningham is definitely a Falling Skies fav
David Duchovny, every Sunday, we watch him get laid

Emilo Estevez is quacking til this day
Fionnula Flanagan, because she can, helps Desmond on his way

Greta Gerwig, delightfully awkward with Ben
Helen Hayes won praise as an EGOT back when

Irving Ishkabibble from some movie, Terror Eyes
Josh Jackson's relaxin because Fringe has survived

Kevin Kline doing fine taking time off from the screen
Lucy Lawless looks flawless in every Spartacus scene

Mary McDonnell deserved an Emmy, you see
Nick Nolte, why wont he, admit he's Gary Busey

Ozzy Osbourne bit a bat clean through its neck
Parker Posey we all know she stole her scenes on Parks and Rec

Quentin Crisp played a version of himself on TV
Ryan Reynolds has some tentpoles in both Marvel and DC

Susan Sarandon's mother-lovin Timberlake
Tony Todd, acting god, resume so long it looks fake

Umit Ulgen, no really, he's an actor, I swear
Vince Vaughan's not gone, but we're starting not to care

Wally Wingert undoubtedly a voice over expert
Xin Xin Xiong in Hong Kong, is a badass you can't hurt

Yasuo Yamada is the Japanese Kermit
Ziyi Zhang, that gorgeous thang, is killing fools as she sees fit

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Tom Hanks: Top Five

Crossposted on and commissioned by Film.com

With 64 acting credits on IMDb.com, 55 awards won, and an additional 52 nominations, Tom Hanks boasts quite the impressive resume. An attempt at selecting his five best films is no easy feat and would most likely result in a list of five Oscar-nominated dramas, which is, frankly, kind of boring. So, to jazz things up, we’ve selected five specific categories to pull from, in order to provide a Top Five list for Tom Hanks that simultaneously shows off his range and provides an accurate summary of his career.

Best (Romantic) Comedy: Big (1988)
A tough one. A part of me wants to say You’ve Got Mail, a film I’ve seen countless times and love so much against my better judgement that I did a scene from it in college. Another part of me wants to say Splash, because — hello — it stars a mermaid and features Tom Hanks at his absolute cutest. No part of me wants to say Sleepless in Seattle because I don’t like that movie, or Joe vs the Volcano because I’ve only seen roughly 10 minutes of it. So ultimately, I decided to go with Big. Not only is it a perfect ’80s comedy, hilarious, with a lot of heart, but Hanks is SO. EFFING. GOOD in it. The scene where he first touches Elizabeth Perkins’ boob alone is worth the Oscar nomination he got for the role, his first of five.
Runner-Up: You’ve Got Mail

Best Performance in a Film: Philadelphia (1993)
As the movie wherein Hanks truly proved himself as a dramatic actor and blew the world away so much so that he won his first Oscar, no top five list would be complete without Philadelphia. It  was a huge moment for Hanks’ career and an even bigger moment for movies, due to its controversial and powerful subject matter. Try watching this movie and not crying your face off. I dare you.
Runner-Up: Aside from the ones already on this list, Castaway

Best Oscar-Nominated Drama: Forrest Gump (1994)
Another tough decision, certainly, when one considers other movies of Hanks’ that nabbed Oscar nominations in their respective years: The Green Mile, Cast Away, Saving Private Ryan, Road to Perdition, and more. But at the end of the day, I had to go with the film that won Hanks his second Best Actor Oscar in a row. Not only was he impeccable in a role that was highly difficult to pull off, but the film itself is as epic as it is original and is what really turned Hanks into a superstar.
Runner-Up: Apollo 13

Best Game-Changer: Toy Story (1996)
Many films of Hanks’ could go here, from his first Oscar-nominated role in Big to Castaway, a film mostly consisting of Hanks acting opposite an inanimate object, to Saving Private Ryan with its harrowing opening sequence, but I’m going with Toy Story, the first computer-animated film of all time that spawned a franchise and characters no kid in America couldn’t name, and marked the beginning of Pixar’s world domination. There is no denying that Hanks’ iconic voice and star power played a crucial role in the film that started it all.
Runner-Up: Saving Private Ryan

Best Supporting Role: Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Hilarious in his supporting role as Carl Hanratty (which, played by Norbert Leo Butz on Broadway, just won a Tony), Hanks provided another memorable performance in another memorable film. I LOVE this movie. I watch it every time it’s on television. Not only is it my favorite supporting role of Hanks’, but I think it’s his best film in the past 10 years.
Runner-Up: A League of Their Own (Sorry, That Thing You Do! I love you too!)

So that’s my list. But the fascinating and wonderful thing about Hanks is how the opinion of his best films of his could change so drastically from person to person. If you asked 10 people what their top five Hanks films were, I would bet no two people would have the same answer. So what are your favorites? Feel free to sound off below.

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July at the Movies

 After a May filled with one giant hit after another (whether worthy or not) and a June filled with mostly mediocre films and box-office numbers, it’s up to July to prove what Fast & Furious led us to believe at the very end of April — that the summer movies this year will be both great in quality and killer at the box office, or what May finds Midnight in Paris and Tree of Life suggested, that this summer can be a time for Oscar contenders as well. So which movies might stand a chance of fulfilling these high hopes? Here’s how to mark your calender for July.

Note: Likely Box Office refers to Opening Weekend in particular, unless stated otherwise

Big-Budget Popcorn Movies

July 1 – Transformers: Dark of the Moon

So, yes, technically it opens on June 29, but since it’ll be winning Fourth of July weekend, we would be remiss in omitting it in our preview of July. Still don’t know if I’ll be seeing it, though.

Likely Quality? Great for effects, awful for everything else. Although, since all of our expectations are so low after Revenge of the Fallen, who knows, maybe we’ll find ourselves having a grand ol’ time with the third installment. I actually hear it’s “the best one yet,” for whatever that’s worth.

Likely Box Office? Ginormo. Which isn’t even a real word, that’s how much money transforming robots make. Especially 3-D transforming robots.

July 15 – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two
The heart-wrenching eighth and final slice of Harry Potter, showing in both 3-D (boo! hiss!) and 2-D (huzzah!)

Likely Quality: High. Really high. Almost a shame the Oscars won’t be forced to have 10 Best Picture nominees this year, ’cause it would have been nice to see this up there as an acknowledgment of the entire series.

Likely Box Office: Huge, no doubt, though I wonder if it won’t be as big as Transformers, simply because most of us Harry nuts are opting for the less expensive 2-D. Ugh. 3-D is dumb.

July 22 – Captain America: The First Avenger

It’s all resting on this one. I felt the same way about each of the comic book movies this summer, Thor, X-Men: First Class, and Green Lantern. Enjoyed each one, had problems with each one, thought there were one or two stand-out performances in each one. Will Captain America pull an Iron Man, Dark Knight, or an X2 and be unquestionably wonderful?

Likely Quality: It seems to be testing well, but apparently Green Lantern did too. Expecting mediocre to protect my fragile, fragile heart, but hoping for fantastic

Likely Box Office: More or less exactly the same as the other three superhero movies of the summer. Unless it’s an unbelievable finished product and picks up the strongest repeat business.

July 29 – Cowboys & Aliens
Favreau and Universal have been campaigning hard for this genre mash-up, and despite pissing me off with trailers that give WAY too much away, they still have me completely on board for opening weekend.

Likely Quality: Even though all the twists and turns seem fairly obvious from the trailer, I still have faith that this movie will be delightful at worst and an instant genre classic at best.

Likely Box Office: An opening weekend somewhere between Super 8 and Green Lantern. But this is hands down one of the most interesting films to watch in terms of box office this summer as it is difficult to find anything concrete to compare it to and it is exclusively 2-D.

More categories and movies after the jump!


Kids & Family

July 1 – Monte Carlo
Two of my biggest celebrity girl crushes end up in Monte Carlo with Selena Gomez, pretending to be rich, when a necklace gets stolen and omfg! Not gonna lie … I kind of want to see it.

Likely Quality: Even if the movie itself is dumb as all hell, Leighton Meester and Katie Cassidy have never let me down with their performances, no matter how stupid the overall project may be. So it’s gotta be at least mildly enjoyable.

Likely Box Office: Maybe top 5? Yeah. Maybe top 5. Maybe.

July 8th – The Zookeeper
I saw one trailer for this and it was so far from anything I would ever be interested in, that I’m pretending it doesn’t exist.

Likely Quality: Let me take a look at the Kevin James track record … oh. Low. Really low.

Likely Box Office: Let me take a look at the Kevin James track record. Ah. High. Really high. That makes sense.

July 15 – Winnie the Pooh
Hand-drawn animation! Old characters! New story! Classic class!

Likely Quality: Man, do I hope it’s great. What’s the point if it’s not great? Honestly.

Likely Box Office: Not sure how to gauge this one. I’ve seen zero marketing for it, but I’m not exactly the target audience. May be overshadowed slightly by Harry Potter its first weekend, but since it’s so unique in being hand-drawn and based on characters most everyone knows and loves, it could very well surprise us all.

July 29 – The Smurfs
I still don’t know what to make of the fact that this exists.

Likely Quality: I feel like this movie will either be terrible or randomly amazing. I just can’t fathom why this cast would get together and be a part of something that was terrible, so … is a randomly amazing Smurfs movie in our very near future?

Likely Box Office: High. While we’re all taking in double features of Cowboys & Aliens and Attack the Block, every little kid on the planet will be going to see The Smurfs. In 3-D. And if it turns out to be kind of absurd and funny, count the hipsters in as well.

Raunchy Comedies

July 8 – Horrible Bosses
Hall Pass so significantly turned me off from Jason Sudekis, this movie went completely off my want-to-see-list. But then I saw the trailer. Back on board!

Likely Quality: I earlier heard murmurs that this movie is surprisingly hilarious, so my hopes are quickly getting high that it’ll be great, though now as more reviews pour in, they seem mixed. Still, I suspect it'll be enjoyable.

Likely Box Office: I think a lot will come down to reviews, but ultimately, I predict totally decent numbers, with the outside chance of being a Bridesmaids-like word-of-mouth hit.

July 22 – Friends with Benefits
Still excited for this. Timberlake, I’m still on the fence about you, but there’s nothing fency about Mila Kunis, so sign me up.

Likely Quality: High. Right now, I trust Will Gluck. Easy A was a nice surprise and if the follow-up can match up, he will officially be a comedy force to be reckoned with.

Likely Box Office: Solid. Easy A did extremely well and this one has Justin Timberlake in it, whom I hear people like.

Romantic Dramedys

July 1 – Larry Crowne
If Tom Hanks were not in this movie, I wouldn’t even be giving it the time of day. But I loves me some Tom Hanks and he simply hasn’t been doing enough lately.

Likely Quality: You’d think high, which means there is a strong risk it could be surprise! Unbearable! So I’ll go with pretty good, but not great.

Likely Box Office: Reasonable

July 8 – One Day
Anne Hathaway putting on a British accent as she and Jim Sturgess fall in love and wear age makeup. I’m so there.

Likely Quality: Bad, but Anne Hathaway-bad like Love and Other Drugs. Would I watch it again? No. But did I mind it AS I was watching it? Not necessarily.

Likely Box Office: Meager

July 29 – Crazy Stupid Love
One of my most anticipated movies of the summer. As if the all-star cast of Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Julianne Moore, and Marisa Tomei weren’t enough, I dig the story, I dig the creative team, and I dig the trailer.

Likely Quality: I think this movie will be good. I do.

Likely Box Office: Another one that may depend on reviews, but I think it could do rather well.

Little Sci-Fi Indies That Could

July 22 – Another Earth
I don’t know much about this one other than it’s a sci-fi drama starring Sundance It girl Brit Marling that has something to do with another Earth. And frankly, I don’t really want to know much more. I’ll let the movie speak for itself.

Likely Quality: High. Was a huge hit at Sundance and I’ve heard wonderful things.

Likely Box Office: It’s opening limited, but I’m expecting a fine per screen average. I unfortunately haven’t seen it marketed at all, so it perhaps won’t be as big as it could have been.

July 29 – Attack the Block
Aliens attack a building in a bad London neighborhood and a gang of teens works to defend it and themselves. Awesome ensues. I love this movie.

Likely Quality: High. I’ve seen it. I love it. It’s fantastic.

Likely Box Office: I’m concerned that it’s being over-screened and everyone who wants to see it will have seen it before it opens, but if not, I have hope that the per screen average for this limited release will be huge. After all, Shaun of the Dead opened limited and still managed to nab number eight opening weekend.

For more on the other films getting limited releases in July, including The Devil’s Double, Good Neighbors, and Life in a Day, head here.

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Sneak Peak: True Blood 4.2 [Clips]

Three clips from this Sundays episode of True Blood, "You Smell Like Dinner"

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"Heroes Give Hope" Limited Edition Print

In an effort to raise money for Japan, still in need though we don't hear about it on the news constantly anymore, artist Dave Williams created this amazing poster. Combining the flag of Japan with William's take on 72 different iconic heroes, this simple yet beautiful piece is a one of a kind that you can big on here.

Can you name every character featured below? If so, prove it in the comments!

(Note - Dave has also made some badass posters for the Back to the Future trilogy, Thor and X-Men: First Class. A Captain America one should be appearing on his site soon, so be sure to check out the linkage below to stay updated!)

Your Favorite Heroes have gathered to offer their support with this fantastic new Print by Artist and Illustrator Dave Williams

This Limited print measures 24 x 18 inches and is printed on a 350gsm matte It is numbered 1/1 and signed by the artist. It features unique interpretations of dozens of the most iconic heroes of the past few decades and was created uniquely for the Heroes Give Hope Auction. It will never be sold or reprinted again.

Printing services for this piece were graciously donated to the auction by Tom Sound

You can find more of Dave William's work here or by following him on twitter @davewi11 .

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Blu Ray Review: Lord of the Rings: Extended Editions

Cross-posted and commissioned by Film.com

Today marks the release of one of the best things to happen to Blu-ray since Blu-rays blu made their blu way into existence: The Blu-ray Extended Editions of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

Digitally remastered from the films’ original 2K files (unlike the theatrical cut Lord of the Rings Blu-ray release), these movies can now look as beautiful on a television as they did in theaters, no matter the size of your screen. My breath was just as taken away with the stunningly crisp picture (approved personally by Peter Jackson) on an 82-inch TV as it was on a 42-inch, as it was on a 23-inch. And the sound, now presented in 6.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, is powerful, all encompassing, sleek and dynamic. Watching with surround or not, I still felt like I was chillin’ (or as the case mostly was, fighting/traveling/arguing/rescuing) in Middle Earth. The quality is definitely maintained here partly because the film is still on more than one disc, allowing more room for the smallest of details to come through in both picture and sound.

Including the two containing the film itself, each title brings with it five discs. The nine discs of extras are perhaps the most extensive I’ve ever seen. The first disc of extras for each film focuses on the process of book to screen/pre-production. The second disc of extras for each film focuses on the production itself, post production, and theatrical release. The third disc of extras house each correlating part of the Costa Botes documentary.

Now, are the 26 hours of extras also in HD? No. They aren’t Blu-ray, just DVDs. But I almost wonder if this is a sneaky way of immediately pointing out how impressive the remaster actually is. Going from 1080p to DVD-upgraded-by-Blu-ray-player is a very noticeable switch. An even bigger shock is going from the films’ rich HD images to the behind the scenes video footage, so low quality, even the faces in the foreground are slightly blurry. But because you get used to the low quality rather quickly, it thankfully doesn’t remain a nuisance.

Another important note here is that the 26 hours of extras are all exactly the same as the ones on the Extended Edition DVDs, save digital copies and some trailers for Lord of the Rings: War of the North. The downside here, obviously, is if you already own the DVDs, you are paying a lot of money *only* for the Blu-ray discs. But at the same time, I almost appreciate the lack of new extras as it means those who aren’t fortunate enough to own Blu-ray players don’t have to fear that they are missing out on any actual additions to the set they cannot own.

But for those of you who haven’t memorized the extras on the original extended editions, here is a handy dandy breakdown of what you’ll be getting for your $120.

Disc 1/Disc 2 – The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – Extended Edition
-The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition in HD/6.1 DTS-HD Part One (105 min) and Part Two (123 min)
-Four Commentaries, Directors/Writers, Design Team, Production/Post-Production team, Actors
-War of the North Trailer on Disc 1
-MTV Movie Awards Clip on Disc 1
Council of Elrond spoof with Jack Black and Sarah Michelle Gellar

A recommendation here that applies to each of these movies – because each commentary so specifically touches on different aspects of the films, they really allow you to create your own educational experience. Curious about the lighting and absence of color in Moria or about any of the digital effects? Click over to the Production track. Want to know how on earth Faramir and Eowyn holding hands could have been cut or why certain other elements were added or deleted? Listen to the Director/Writers track. Want to learn about Elijah Wood’s love of beer or hear what was going through each character’s head after Gandalf’s fall? Switch to the Actors track. And if you are curious about the design of the Ringwraiths or what was done to Frodo’s Elvyn cape to make it look like a rock, click over to the Design Team track. Although the names of those speaking only pop up based on which commentary you selected at the beginning, so if you *do* go track hopping, you won’t necessarily know who is speaking when. My personal favorite track was the Actors because not only do you get fun anecdotes and get to hear about the acting process, you also get bits and pieces of what would appear on the other tracks. For example, if you’re curious about King Theoden’s transformation, you’d think you’d get the most info from Design or Production, but it’s actually Bernard Hill on the Actors track that goes into it the most.

Disc 3: The Appendices, Part 1: From Book to Vision

-JRR Tolkien: Creator of Middle Earth (22min)
Brief biography on Tolkien and history of books & fandom
-From Book To Script (20)
Hear the relationship of many of the actors and crew members to the books, then learn about the process of initially adapting the books to screenplays.
-Storyboards and Pre Viz: Making Words into Images (20)
Learn about the importance of story-boarding and the many different ways of creating them
-Three Storyboards that didn’t quite make it into the film (11)
-Two Pre Viz Animatics (3)
-Two Storyboard/Pre-Viz to film side by side comparisons (4)
-Bad End Set Test (6)
FAVORITE ALERT. Peter Jackson and some crew members act out a couple scenes that take place in the newly built (but not yet dressed) home of the Baggins’. The highlight is getting to watch Peter Jackson throw his all into his performance of Bilbo.
-Designing Middle Earth (41)
Going through the production design of the film from start to finish
-Weta Workshop (43)
In depth look at all of the armor, weapons, special makeup effects, prosthetics, creatures and miniatures, it’s the coolest doc on the disc. I swear, co-founder of Weta, Richard Taylor with his loud, bizarrely accented voice could lead a really eccentric cult or something. And, well, I guess he kind of does.
-Costume Design (12)
Learn about the design for many of the characters’ costumes and get some perspective on just how much work goes into costumes for a project like this. If you’d like to know why 40 duplicates had to be made of every single costume, this is the one to watch.
-Galleries with optional slideshows of people and realms
If you ever plan on dressing up as a character from Lord of the Rings, this feature is your saving grace. Sketches, close ups of detailing, the actual pieces on actors – the best reference guide you could possible ask for
-Middle Earth Atlas
Interactive map of Earth. Pick the path of either Frodo or Gandalf and follow their journey on the map, complete with clips
-New Zealand As Middle-Earth (8)
Your guide to visiting Lord of the Rings set sites when you visit New Zealand! A map pointing out which realms where shot where, with location scouting footage and thoughts from location scout and Supervising art director, Dan Hennah

More - way more - after the jump!



Disc 4: The Appendices, Part 2: From Vision to Reality

-The Fellowship of the Cast (35)
FAVORITE ALERT. Actors on actors. Curious why Ian McKellan and Hugo Weaving got along so well? Or what everyone thought of Viggo Mortenson? Or in which ways Sean Astin went above and beyond to relate to Elijah Wood the way Sam related to Frodo?
-A Day In The Life of the Hobbit (13)
What it is like for the actors playing Hobbits on a typical day
-Cameras in Middle Earth (50)
Behind the scenes footage of production
-Gallery of production photos with Slideshow option
-Scale (15)
How they made a bunch of people who are more or less all the same height, look like hobbits and dwarves, elves and humans, all in the same shot
-Big-Atures (16)
Details on the incredible miniatures
-Weta Digital (25)
Goes over the 550 digital shots in the first film
-Editorial: Assembling an Epic (13)
A look at the editing process. One of my favorite facts here is that Peter Jackson and the editing crew would watch 3-4 hours of dailies every night. Every night!
-Editorial demo – Council of Elrond
Six windows of raw footage, featuring 36 takes in all. An example of what it’s like in the editing room. Nice to see some of the actors takes unedited – the moments between the moments.
-Digital Grading (12)
Explanation for why they went with digital color grading, plus editing bay demonstrations and mind blowing side by side comparisons
-The Soundscapes of Middle Earth (13)
Specifics on the sound mixing and editing process, the team for which ended up winning two Oscars. This especially makes sense when you realize the dialogue in the film is 85% ADR. This is what to watch if you’re curious about what was used to create the aural landscape of individual creatures, as well as the ring and freaky outy Galadriel
-Music for Middle Earth (12)
Goes through different themes, explaining the origins of each and how they were recorded. My favorite is The Fellowship Theme, duuuuuh.
-The Road Goes Ever On…(7)
Footage from the various premieres and a few retrospectives.

Disc 5: The Fellowship of the Ring: Behind-the-Scenes 

The Fellowship of the Ring: Behind-the-Scenes Doc (85)

The first of three Costa Botes documentaries, really makes you feel like you are on set, highly recommended. But as the docs are widescreen without being anamorphic, multiple sources have advised me to zoom in on the picture when watching with my BR player in order to get the most out of the images. I personally didn’t mind, but thought I should impart that knowledge onto you just in case.

Disc 6/Disc 7 – The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – Extended Edition

-The Two Towers Extended Edition HD/6.1 DTS-HD Part One (107) Part Two (129)
-Four Commentaries, Directors/Writers, Design Team, Production/Post-Production team, Actors (this time with 100% more David Wenham, Mirando Otto, Karl Urban, John Noble, Brad Dourif, Bernard Hill and Andy Serkis!)
–War of the North Trailer on Disc 6
-MTV Movie Awards Andy Serkis Acceptance Speech on Disc 6

I must take a moment here to note the actors commentary in particular once again. During the credits, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan talk about every name as it comes up, then start listing which movies to watch next and it’s nothing short of hilarious. During the flashback scene between Faramir, Boromir and Denethor, John Noble speaks to Denethor’s motivations for disliking Faramir so and it sounds like you happened to step into an acting master class for a moment. And almost nothing on any of the commentary on any movie is better than hearing Andy Serkis speak about his extremely unique experience on set.
Disc 8: The Appendices, Part 3: The Journey Continues

-J.R.R. Tolkien: Origins of Middle-Earth (30)
More on Tolkien, specifically on how he drew from his experience in the war in writing Two Towers and his relationship with C.S. Lewis
-From Book to Script: Finding the Story (21)
FAVORITE ALERT. Learn about the reasons behind the changes from book to movie, including giving Faramir a proper Hero’s Journey, and the change that almost happened involving Arwen that thankfully got pulled.
-Designing Middle-Earth (46)
-WETA Workshop (44)
-The Taming of Sméagol (40)
FAVORITE ALERT. Tracing the development of Gollum from start to finish. Andy Serkis is a revelation / genius / greatest human being ever. But the animators who ultimately brought Gollum alive are nothing to sneeze at either. If you can only watch one extra for some reason, this is the one. Even Andy Serkis’ audition makes me want to throw up out of sheer admiration and awe.
-Andy Serkis Animation Reference (2)
Animation and Serkis’ performance, side by side. What would they have done without him?!
-Gollum Stand-in (3)
A look at the day producer Rick Porrus had to stand in for Andy Serkis
-Middle-Earth Atlas
Follow the paths of Sam and Frodo, Merry and Pippin, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, or Gandalf
-New Zealand as Middle-Earth (15)
-Production design galleries
-Gollum design gallery

Disc 9: The Appendices, Part 4: The Battle for Middle Earth

-Warriors of Middle-Earth (21)
FAVORITE ALERT. All about the stunt men and combat training for the actors. As someone who was once certified in both broadsword and hand to hand combat, I was helplessly glued to the screen during this one
-Cameras in Middle-Earth (68)
Just like the behind the scenes featurette of the same name on Fellowship, but taking us through Two Towers instead, which was a completely different experience, now tracking more than one storyline and containing more than one epic battle.
-Big-atures (22)
FAVORITE ALERT. Wow. I’ve never seen that many toy soldiers in my life. Holy crap, the detailing of these structures! This people are magicians.
-WETA Digital (28)
Learn about the roughly 791 digital shots in The Two Towers, over 200 more than the number in Fellowship
-Editorial: Refining the Story (22)
Featurette on cutting The Two Towers, featuring editor Mike Horton. Fascinating to see how many decisions that affected the whole movie were made in the editing room, including making the choice to do extensive Gollum pick-ups with Andy Serkis, that ended up truly defining the character
-Music for Middle-Earth (25)
In depth look at the score and individual themes for The Two Towers, the most difficult movie to score of the three, as it has no real beginning, middle or end
-The Soundscapes of Middle-Earth (21)
A look at the creation of specific sounds in this film, including Treebeard, the blended ADR introduction of the White Wizard and the wolves of Isengard. Plus, get to watch some Foley work in action
-The Battle for Helm’s Deep is Over… (9)
On the film’s release with footage from various premieres
-Production photo gallery
-Big-atures galleries
-Pre-Viz Animatic – The Flooding of Isengard
There is something particularly sweet about this animatic, especially when watching it side by side with the sequence from the finished film
-Abandoned concepts galleries
-Interactive sound demonstration
Listen to seven different audio tracks including on set, live effects with foley, computer sound effects, dialogue and music, then hear the finished product at your leisure. VERY cool. I particularly recommend track 4 during the close combat. Weapon sounds are epic cool on their own.

Disc 10 – The Two Towers: Behind-the-Scenes

-The Two Towers: Behind-the-Scenes Doc (106)
The next part in the Costa Botes documentary

Discs 11/12 – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Extended Edition

-The Return of the King Extended Edition HD/6.1 DTS-HD Part One (128) Part Two (135)
-Four Commentaries, Directors/Writers, Design Team, Production/Post-Production team, Actors
-War of the North Trailer on Disc 11
-Dominic Monaghan as Hans Jensen interviewing Elijah Wood on Disc 11
This. Is. Hilarious. Watch it now.
-MTV Movie Awards Spoof on Disc 12
Vince Vaughan and Ben Stiller pitching Lord of the Rings sequels to Peter Jackson

Disc 13 – The Appendices, Part 5: The War of the Ring
-J.R.R. Tolkien: The Legacy of Middle-Earth (30)
More on the life of Tolkien and his experience writing and developing Lord of the Rings, including the creation of the Elvysh languages and dialects
-From Book to Script: Forging the Final Chapter (25)
Goes through combining the end of The Two Towers with the beginning of Return of the King so the events actually play out chronologically, as well as other adaptation tidbits like the choice to separate Sam and Frodo before Shelob’s lair and the choice to add, then remove, a physical fight between Aragorn and Sauron and how the footage was re-purposed. And yes, the multiple endings are addressed.
-Aragorn Battles Sauron abandoned animatic concept
-Designing Middle-Earth (40)
-WETA Workshop (47)
-Big-atures (20)
Can I just have these? And play with my action figures and/or cats on them all day? I’m in awe.
-Costume Design (12)
This featurette mostly addresses characters introduced in The Two Towers, as well as the costume changes the main characters finally get to experience in Return of the King. MAN, the attention to detail on these costumes is staggering. And MAN do I want to own everything Eowyn wore. FYI, Ngila Dickson (and Richard Taylor) would finally and rightfully win an Oscar in 2003 for her work on Return of the King.
-Home of the Horse Lords (30)
FAVORITE ALERT! All about the horsies! Training, riders, the two Shadowfaxes and the best part, the bond Viggo Mortensen developed with Uraeus, the horse who played Brego. Viggo loves him some horsies.
-Middle-Earth Atlas
This time follows the journies of Frodo and Sam, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, Merry, or Gandalf and Pippin
-New Zealand as Middle-Earth (16)
The final destinations you need to know about in order to fully design your Lord of the Rings tour
-Design galleries
For costumes, realms and an entire one dedicated to miniatures!

Disc 14 – The Appendices, Part 6: The Passing of an Age
-Cameras in Middle-Earth (73)
Finally, the behind the scenes footage that contains one of my absolute favorite bits of Lord of the Rings production lore – that the scene where Sam and Frodo separate before Shelob’s lair took over a year to shoot. Sean Astin’s half was shot in November of 1999 and Elijah Wood’s half was shot in December of 2000. To know why, be sure to check out this feature. Another favorite bit is about how Viggo and Billy tried to help Sean Astin with the Sam/Rosie wedding scene, which leads into the reveal that for some reason Billy Boyd has kissed five members of the Fellowship. Hilarious section around the 40 minute mark. I highly recommend watching this one in its entirety as it ends with the emotional conclusion to production. I promise the hug between Peter and Elijah after his last shot of the pick ups will have you in tears.
-WETA Digital (42)
Detailing the 1500+ digital shots of Return of the King
-Mûmakil Battle Demo
Visual effects demo w/ optional commentary. Breaks down the steps of the effects intro Pre-Viz, environment, live action, animation, massive, rough composite and then the final film.
-Editorial: Completing the Trilogy (22)
This time around with longtime Jackson collaborator Jaime Selkirk editing, the featurette chronicles the work done on the three million feet of film chronicling five different storylines produced by the third film
-Music for Middle-Earth (22)
More of the same, but for Return of the King, this time including a look at Howard Shore’s cameo shot during pick ups and details on my personal favorite piece, Pippin’s Song, which I used to listen to on repeat because I’m a cool person.
-The Soundscapes of Middle-Earth (22)
-The End of All Things (21)
Chronicling the completion of Return of the King in post-production, which was barely finished in time
-The Passing of an Age (25)
FAVORITE ALERT! Extensive footage of the World Premiere in Wellington, which most closely resembled a royal wedding, but bigger. For realsies. WTF. It’s awesome. Here you will also find footage from the rest of the premieres, the most impressive of which is oddly Oslo and the sweep at the Oscars. It’s quite an emotional thing to watch after being engrossed of 26 hours of behind the scenes footage, seeing each department win their Oscar, recognizing every face. Plus, when is the last time a film won Best Picture and everyone on stage was crying? Nothing gets me like teary eyed Hobbits.
-Cameron Duncan: The Inspiration for “Into the West” (32)
Two shorts directed by Cameron Duncan, DFK6498 and Strike Zone

Disc 15 – The Return of the King: Behind-the-Scenes
-The Return of the King: Behind-the-Scenes Doc (112)
The third and final installment of the Costa Botes documentaries.

So what does this all add up to? A box set that is a must own for any movie lover. No question.

I still love these films so much. Cate Blanchett’s booming voice during the prologue of Fellowship still knocks me on my feet, and the fight on Weathertop still legitimately terrifies me. (Plus, after watching Game of Thrones for so many weeks, I got a lot of joy out of seeing young Ned Stark in action.) The very existence of Gollum in The Two Towers is just as impressive now as it was ten years ago and the friction he causes between Sam and Frodo is just as painful. Return of the King is still a sob fest of epic brilliance and my favorite of the trilogy.

All in all, despite one or two effects that seem somewhat outdated, particularly the admittedly rushed CGI of the wolves of Isengard, the Merry, Pippin and Treebeard blue-screen shots and that one shot in Return of the King of digital Legolas climbing up the Mûmakil, the effects in these films hold up outstandingly. This trilogy is truly a landmark, so many firsts, so many effects invented and perfected. It’s easy to forget, because of the effects heavy blockbusters that have now become commonplace and the relative ease with which epic fantasies can now be created, even for television. But these films paved the way for so much, it’s important to remember and honor that from time to time. It is also astonishing to realize that cameras were on set and taping for almost the entire process, pre-production, production, post-production, and pick-ups. How wonderful to know that we can safely expect something similar with The Hobbit.

On that note, yes, in five years I wouldn’t be surprised to see a a brand new twenty five disc set combining both Hobbit films as well as the three Lord of the Rings movies released today. I’d even expect more extras that time, retrospectives perhaps, the one thing really missing from this set. (You’d think there would be more advantage taken of the fact that these are being released ten years after Fellowship came out. My only explanation is that these will pop up on that inevitable Ultimate Crazy Complete Blu-ray Collection, out sometime in 2015.) But five years is a long time to wait to re-watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy, especially if you intend to revisit the world before seeing The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey at midnight, December 14th, 2012. So with that in mind, I absolutely recommend this box set, duplicate extras and all. Because damn, are they good extras and daaaaaaaaaaamn, are these amazing movies.

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