Monthly Archives: December 2001

Dec 3 2001

A Spectacular LOTR Virgin Fan Review!

God I hope this movies is this good!!!

This review comes to us from Finland. There was a single press screening there. The reviewer has never read the books, but is now so in love with the story that he’s pissed that he has to wait another 2 years for the payoff!

Read it. Beware of some spoilers.

Dec 3 2001

Planet of the Apes

Good retelling of the sci-fi classic. Only the ending left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

##The Original

The original **Planet of the Apes** movie is among the classics of science fiction cinema. And the fact that it starred Charlton Heston only added to its credibility.

##What orders?

Mark Wahlberg’s plays a pilot in the US Airforce around the year 2029. He’s assigned to an orbiting space station that’s using genetically engineered monkey’s and apes to fly high-risk missions. One day his favorite monkey gets in trouble when he is sent out to investigate a magnetic storm that’s heading for the station and the storm forces his pod off course.

Mark Wahlberg, not willing to let his monkey die, and itching to get out into space himself decides to take a pod after the monkey, defying his commanders orders. His pod gets thrown around by the storm, and he ends up thrown off course and across time to a planet where the humans are slaves and the apes rule.

##AETP

It’s kind of the inverse of PETA: Apes for the Ethical Treatment of People. Helena Bonham Carter plays an ape with a heart for humans. She ends up helping our hero escape slavery and bring the humans and apes together to live in harmony.

This is a good place to talk about the makeup in the movie. For the most part, the ape makeup is spectacular (watch for this come Oscar time). Some of the lesser characters have makeup about as advanced as the original movie did 30 years ago, but the Tim Roth character’s is nothing short of amazing. My only real complaint here is that I didn’t get to see the gorgeous Helena Bonham Carter. I guess I’ll just have to watch the Mel Gibson Hamlet for that!

##Huh?

My major (and I mean MAJOR) complaint with this movie is the ending. Where the hell did that come from? I won’t spoil it here for those that haven’t seen the movie yet, but *Charlton Heston finding the Statue of Liberty* it ain’t.

Dec 3 2001

Newsweek Chimes In

Coming from a Tolkien free zone.

I went in to Peter

Jackson’s movie-the first of a trilogy-with no preconceptions. I

came out, three hours later, sorry I’d have to wait a year to see

what happens next in Frodo Baggins’s battle against the Dark

Lord, Sauron, and thinking a trip to the bookstore to pick up

“The Two Towers” might be in order… *The Movie Works*. It has real passion, real emotion,

real terror, and a tactile sense of evil that is missing in that other

current movie dealing with wizards, wonders and wickedness.

Jackson’s fierce, headlong movie takes high-flying risks: it

wears its earnestness, and its heart, on its muddy,

blood-streaked sleeve.

Only 2 1/2 weeks left!

Dec 3 2001

Re: 2002 World Cup Draw

Here’s my take on this:

##Scenarios

###Best Case

Team W D L Pts
Portugal 3 0 0 9
US 1 1 1 4
Poland 1 1 1 4
South Korea 0 0 3 0
Prediction: US goes to the next round because they have more goals than Poland

###Worst Case

Team W D L Pts
Portugal 3 0 0 9
Poland 2 0 1 6
US 1 0 2 3
South Korea 0 0 3 0
Prediction: US loses to both Portugal and Poland. Out of the second round.

##Thinking:

Portugal is a very good team. Was a semi-finalist at the at the last European championships. Always
“just-misses” getting in the world cup because
they are part of UEFA. (Ironically enough, Italy has beating Portugal 1-0, to
keep them out the last 2 world cups. A tie in either game would have qualified
Portugal.)

US should be able to beat South Korea and will have a decent chance of beating
Poland. I think it will be a draw. Its going to be a fight for second place.
The US has to concentrate on beating South Korea by a lot of goals.