I'd heard the hype over this film, yet never really know what I was getting into. I knew there would be violence (I mean, look at the name!) And I knew I really loved Edward Norton.
I was by no means interrupted. Watching as this man (played by Norton) tried to find meaning in groups of people, at times getting more and more wacky. Eventually, by meeting Tyler Durden (Pitt), he joins the Club that gives him the best sense of belonging. A club of men who fight, who are insanely violent to one another, who are bound together by an oath, yet secret as they are, they become incredibly popular. They become an organized group of men who are closer than a military unit, with initiation rituals that would drive some people insane. Durden proposes an evangelical nihilism and wants to spread it everywhere. Meaning is only what you give it, no matter if it is completely violent and acts against your own conscience. And this is the purpose ofd fighting for its own sake.
Make no mistake, this movie is dark, violent and disturbing. Yet is seems to appeal in some way to our desire to ask questions about how one gives meaning to themselves or to anything of which they are a member. What makes us feel alive? Do the means to feel this way justify that end?
In opposition to American Beauty - a film that also espouses a kind of nihilistic tendency - this film is open and honest, brutally honest, in telling you where such a belief could very well take you. One can believe that Durden is a realistic character.
Then there is the twist near the ending. I won't give it away. In some ways I liked it because it was as shocking, or even more so, than the ending to The Sixth Sense. And I like to be shocked. It turned the movie completely around. On the other hand I think what it did was take away from the honesty of where the nihilistic philosophy could take you, and instead puts it in the realm of insanity rather than reality. And that was just a a bit of a cop out to me. That is the only thing that kept me from giving this a full 5 stars.

After seeing the FOTR, which was nearly flawless in my opinion, I eagerly looked forward to 'The Two Towers'. After all, since the entire trilogy was filmed all at once, how could TTT go wrong when FOTR was so right? But unfortunately, it seems that Peter Jackson's team radically deviated from the book with mixed results.
Many Tolkien purists decry the change in Faramir's character, but Frodo and Sam's encounter with Faramir as written in the book probably would not have translated as well onto film. The episode in Tolkien's book is rather talky, with Faramir interrogating the hobbits like a courtroom attorney in a trial. Having Faramir carrying off the hobbits and Gollum to Osgiliath adds more tension and conflict to the story and works better on film. Besides, when the Nazgul sees Frodo in Osgiliath with the ring, it naturally leads Sauron to believe that the ring is being taken to Minas Tirith, thus encouraging his attack on the city.
Another alteration to the story that Tolkien purists hate is having Haldir and a contingent of elves fight at Helm's Deep. Personally, I thought the idea was rather novel, but as other critics have pointed out, how could the elves have traversed the distance from Lorien to Helm's Deep ahead of the Uruk-hai when Isengard is much closer to Rohan? Hopefully, Peter Jackson will address this in his commentary on the forthcoming TTT:Extended Edition dvd. With regard to the Ents, it does seem illogical on the face of it for Treebeard to suddenly want to attack Saruman after seeing the damage his orcs have wreaked on Fangorn forest when Treebeard was already aware that this was happening. But as with the changes to Faramir, having the Ents quietly deliberate among themselves and deciding to go to war would not have the same dramatic impact on the screen.
The changes from the book that do bother me is the exorcism performed on Theoden by Gandalf, as well as Theoden's behavior afterwards. For all of its flaws, the animated version of LOTR was truer to the book with regard to the Rohan portion of the story, and it worked much better, whereas this part of the film in TTT was somewhat muddled. For this reason, I give TTT 4 stars instead of the five I gave for FOTR.
The digital creation of Gollum works very well in TTT, in spite of the fact that Gollum does not look 100% real, Andy Serkis does a great job in creating a character that you can't help but feel for. On the other hand, the Nazgul in TTT do not seem all that scary. We see Faramir's soldiers cringe from them in fear, but they do not do anything apart from flying around on their winged dragons and screeching. In the books, the terror they instill is palpably felt by those around them, which is hard to convey on film. Hopefully we will get to see them in action in ROTK.
Viggo Mortenson's Aragorn is slowly beginning to accept his destiny as the heir of Isildur, with him taking a commanding role in the Helm's Deep battle. The friendship between Legolas the Elf and Gimli the Dwarf grows stronger, and while Gimli becomes something of a comic relief in TTT, John Rhys-Davies still makes him a likeable character. In TTT, we also see the ring beginning to take its toll on Frodo, and his identification with Gollum's plight puts him at odds with his faithful friend Sam.
TTT is a visually stunning film, and the Helm's Deep battle, while perhaps a little too long, is truly awesome. The New Zealand landscape works to great effect in the movie, with the snowcapped peaks a sight to behold. Howard Shore also has created another excellent score, as he did in FOTR, and I play the TTT soundtrack on my CD player constantly.
But I am holding out for the extended dvd in November. There will be flashback scenes with Faramir, Boromir and Denethor that will help put Faramir's actions with Frodo into context, plus I am sure a lot of people want to hear Peter Jackson's commentary explaining why he made the changes that infuriated so many Tolkien fans. But if you are happy with the theatrical version of the film and don't want to sit through hours snd hours of documentary about how everything in the film was created and how the cast became such great buddies, then this two disc set is for you.

One Ring to rule them All;" not to mention the world and the box office. The first installment of the epic "Lord of the Rings" trilogy does not fail to please and it even throws in something extra. Now, the first thing that you notice is the sets: wow. The year it took to set them all up in pre-production paid off. You have never seen locations like the Mount Doom, Hobbiton, Rivendell, Moria, Lothlorien or Argonath. Next, the cast shines through with heartfelt, moving performances. The actors include Ian MacKellan (Gandalf), Christopher Lee (Saruman), Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn), Elijah Wood (Frodo) Sean Bean (Boromir) and Sean Astin (Sam).
The plot is fairly simple: Frodo is a hobbit who inherits a powerful Ring made thousands of years ago by the dark lord Sauron, and if Sauron gets it back, he will rule Middle-Earth. Frodo, with the help of his companions Merry, Pippin, Sam, Gandalf, and Aragorn to name a few, go on a perilous flight to Sauron's stronghold in Mordor where the Ring can be destroyed. But all the while, Saruman is plotting to take the Ring for himself.
Director Peter Jackson, along with thousands of extras, production assistants, designers, writers and actors have brought the "Lord of the Rings" in all its splendor, emotion and granduer to the screen. This movie has set a new bar for fantasy movies, but will probably be reset by the next two movies. I highly recommend this movie to anyone. Lovers of Tolkein books or not.

the criticism aimed at this book for its not being a bear all tell all is rather silly.
hillary writes as a politician and as a politician she writes about what interests her most, and thats the issues she is passionate for and her experiences as a first lady.
hillary clinton will go down as one of the most ambitious, if not the most ambitious first lady in history (and you know what they say, an ambitious woman is just downright uncouth!) and was dutifully ostracized for it by a supposedly 'modern progressive country'.for many though, it was refreshing to see a woman at the white house who wasnt just tucked away and brought out for white house tours (as ms bush is).clintons passionate obsession for reforming health care was perhaps the most nobled failed ambition in recent memory and time will vindicate her efforts and her as a heroine.
ms clintons writing is like her; reserved but passionate for what she believes in and i, for one, miss bill and hilary clinton.heres to hoping we will see the day when someone like ms clinton in the white house as president.
of course im not holding my breath

What more can be said that hasn't been already? This film was already good as it was, but the extended version plums more depths than the theatrical version and allows fans a more leisurely trip through Middle Earth. The added material is wonderful and is a must have for fans of the books, or just film buffs in general. Some may complain about the length but you can always stop and come back to it later, right?
The bonus material is wonderful and while some of it may only be of interest to technophiles, other material is worth checking out -- too much to even list and more than one can sift through in one sitting.
Bottom line: this is a great DVD collection that blows away all others. And don't forget the film itself. A masterpiece.

As far as the movie as a whole I'd have to say that it deserves 5 stars simply for the beautiful colorful seascapes, perfect musical score and awesome costumes. Besides that, this movie combines everything we go to the movies for: romance, adventure, comedy, special effects, a stunningly beautiful young woman and a beautiful pair of men.
Which brings me to my second reason for writing this: Johnny Depp. First off I must say that his character (Capt. Jack Sparrow) could have been a bit funny but overall flat, and Mr. Depp brings to life a witty, perfectly crafted, staggering seadog whose charm is impossible to resist. Even the black eyeliner and gold teeth compliment his good looks and it's impossible to resist the devilish twinkle in his eye! Ladies, see it for Johnny!
And for those who prefer a more clean shaven version, there is the serious, love driven character of Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), who will stop at nothing to retrieve his "bonnie lass" from the cursed Black Pearl and it's ghastly immortal crew, led by the deliciously evil Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). And of course the fresh, adorable Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) will have every adolescent boy squirming.
Overall, this movie combines humor that will have adults and children laughing alike, and although a bit ghostly at times, is not too scary for younger kids. I love Pirates and can't WAIT for the upcoming sequel which is being filmed right now. Happy watching!

Once again, Pixar and Disney have joined forces to release a fun animated movie with a warm-hearted ending. The computer animated graphics and the story are just as touching as any other Pixar/Disney film. Finding Nemo is the story of two clownfish: Marlin(Albert Brooks)and his son Nemo. After his wife and all of his other children are devoured, Marlin becomes a nervous, overprotective father who fears the ocean and prefers to hide out in his sea anemone. On the first day of school, the day that Marlin finally lets go of his son (temporarily), Nemo is captured by an Australian scuba-diver/dentist. Marlin desperately searches for his son and is soon accompanied by a blue tang fish named Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) who suffers from short-term memory. They face many dangers to find Nemo who meanwhile, is in danger himself. The dentist is going to present his frightening niece, Darla, with Nemo. Big trouble. Boosted by the witty humor of Ellen DeGeneres, the awe-inspiring visual effects, and the moving storyline, this is a movie the whole family will love.

Great movie I have to say, paying respect to crazy asian cinema. My only gripe is Uma Therman being in the movie. I would have like to see Quinten dig up and unknown actor or maybe some B movie or expoitation actress. And although I like Lucy Lu I can think of a hundred different asian actresses that would have fit the role better. ANyway, great movie! If you like this movie check out any movie by Takashi Miike like: Iche the Killer, Dead or Alive, Dead or Alive 2, Dead or Alive Final, Audition, Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl.... any one of these movies makes KILL BILL look like a Walt Disney film!!

The 2 X-Men movies were probably the best movies I've ever seen. They really got me hooked on the X-Men comics and I really wanted to find out as much info as I could on the X-Men. They really picked out the best actors to do the parts and Bryan Singer, the director, really out did himself. I give this movie 2 thumbs up! The must see movie of your entire life

If you disengage your brain you might enjoy Elrond of Rivendale by case attacking Neo in his Priest's get up, but by the time, you are skirting dangerous toward brain burnout! I have watched it several times, thinking maybe it was the mood I was in, but nope. Matrix was a mind-blowing one-trick-pony that just did not stretch into to a second movie well. There are a lot of interesting scenes, but Neo aka up up and away, just brought a giggle out in me. The LONG action sequences make you want to go okay, enough! Less is More is NOT the banner of this movie! After Neo b**** slap's Elrond and his brother Elrond and his other brother Elrond 100 times it just redefines redundant. Then Neo reaching in to pull out the magic bullet...oh, please...sigh...and the religious overtones are so pretensious.
It was good to see Anthony Zerbe a long under rated talent get a nice spot. The effect are good, just overdone ad nauseoum. Elrond take the ship to into the West quickly!