DVD WHO SHOT J.R.R.?, CON'T.Byline: Rob Lowman Entertainment Editor If you thought the dashing would-be king Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) of the ``Lord of the Rings'' films was in his 30s, you'd be surprised to know he's actually 87. We learn that he's from a race blessed with long life in the the new special extended-edition DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. set of ``The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,'' which features 43 more minutes of film (originally three hours in theaters) and numerous extras. Director Peter Jackson did this last year with the first film, ``The Fellowship of the Ring,'' and the results here are even more satisfying. All of the new material is integrated seamlessly into the film, and while sitting in a theater for more than four hours (including previews) is a long time for the average moviegoer mov·ie·go·er n. One who goes to see movies. mov  ie·go ing adj. , watching the extended film over two nights on DVD as I did worked out fine. The new material falls mostly into two categories - the expansion of the plot and characters, and humor (there are either completely new scenes or extended ones). A fair portion revolves around Aragorn's story, which is perfect for those prepping for the final installment of the trilogy, ``The Return of the King,'' which arrives in theaters Dec. 17. Despite his prominence in the plot, Aragorn was a mysterious figure in the previous versions of the film, and his love for the Elf princess Arwen (Liv Tyler Liv Tyler (born Liv Rundgren, on July 1, 1977, at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, New York[1]) is an American actress and model. She is best known for her roles of Grace Stamper in Armageddon and Arwen in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. ) was never fully explored. The new version puts more of it in perspective, but for those familiar with J.R.R. Tolkien's books, it also raises the tantalizing tan·ta·lize tr.v. tan·ta·lized, tan·ta·liz·ing, tan·ta·liz·es To excite (another) by exposing something desirable while keeping it out of reach. question of whether Jackson will change the plot from the book in the third chapter. As for the humor, that's mostly provided by Hobbits In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Hobbits are a fictional race related to Men. They first appear in The Hobbit and play an important role in the The Lord of the Rings story. This is a list of hobbits that are mentioned by name in Tolkien's works. Merry (Dominic Monaghan  This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling.You can assist by [ editing it] now. ) and Pippin Pippin. For Frankish rulers thus named, use Pepin. A multimedia game and Internet machine from Apple that used the PowerPC architecture and a limited version of the Mac OS. (Billy Boyd
Billy Boyd ) in two scenes not in the theatrical release. While neither needs to be there, they are amusing in their own right and, within the longer version, help vary the the pace of the film. ``The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Platinum Series Special Extended Edition'' (New Line; $39.99). The four-disc set includes four audio commentaries featuring more than 30 participants, including costumer Richard Taylor Richard Taylor is the name of:
This old White House Departed ``West Wing'' creator Aaron Sorkin gets to have a say along with director Thomas Schlamme on five episodes from the first season of the critically acclaimed NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. White House drama. The four-disc box set of all 22 episodes from that first season in 1999, digitally remastered, includes two documentaries - ``The Primaries'' and ``The West Wing Inauguration'' - behind-the-scenes footage, outtakes, interviews with cast and crew members, deleted scenes and ``Gag Order'' - a collection of outtakes and bloopers. There is no truth to the rumor that the real White House is issuing its own competing blooper reel. ``The West Wing - The Complete First Season'' (Warner; $59.98). Positive altitude Who knew that watching a bunch of birds fly around could be this exciting? But the documentary ``Winged Migration'' from French director Jacques Perrin soars above most effects-laden films. The cinematography cinematography: see motion picture photography. cinematography Art and technology of motion-picture photography. It involves the composition of a scene, lighting of the set and actors, choice of cameras, camera angle, and integration of special is spellbinding spell·bind tr.v. spell·bound , spell·bind·ing, spell·binds To hold under or as if under a spell; enchant or fascinate. [Back-formation from spellbound. as migrating birds - from all over the globe - are followed as they make their twice-yearly arduous trek. Shooting the movie required five crews of more than 450 people, including 17 pilots and 14 cinematographers. What you get is a straightforward view of how birds deal with the travails of Mother Nature. Perrin offers a little commentary for informational purposes, making the birds' struggles even more fascinating. Perhaps ``Winged Migration's'' best trick, though, is the exhilarating feeling of watching the birds soar. ``Winged Migration'' (Columbia; $26.95) includes commentary by Perrin, a making-of documentary and a music feature. Croft services There is one reason to watch the formulaic ``Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life'' - Angelina Jolie. As the adventurer Lady Lara, Jolie presents an arresting figure as she searches for Pandora's Box. She also gets to be more amorous am·o·rous adj. 1. Strongly attracted or disposed to love, especially sexual love. 2. Indicative of love or sexual desire: an amorous glance. 3. this time out - with an ex-boyfriend played by Gerald Butler. Thanks to director Jan De Bont (``Speed'' and ``Twister'' - maybe he should stick to films with one-word titles), ``Cradle'' plays better than its 2001 predecessor, which isn't saying a lot. It moves along more quickly and has a few nice plot twists, but you'll have a hard time remembering much when it's over - except maybe Jolie's form-fitting silver suit. ``Lara Croft Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life'' (Paramount; $29.99) includes commentary by De Bont; six deleted scenes and an alternate ending; Butler's screen test; and five featurettes on the film's training, weapons and vehicles, visual effects, stunts and scoring. Buried treasure Sometimes being second-best is almost like finishing last. That was the problem for DreamWorks' animated adventure ``Sinbad - Legend of the Seven Seas,'' which seemed to get short shrift from some critics and movie-goers because Disney had such stellar summer family fare in ``Finding Nemo'' and ``Pirates of the Caribbean This article is about the franchise. For other, more specific uses, see Pirates of the Caribbean (disambiguation). For real pirates, see Piracy in the Caribbean. Pirates of the Caribbean .'' But the film, which has the voice of Brad Pitt in the role of the seafaring adventurer, is fairly entertaining - even if it doesn't much resemble the original ``Arabian Nights'' story. (For whatever reason, the action is set in Greece.) The film boasts a beautiful combination of hand-drawn and computer-generated animation and stars the voices of Catherine Zeta-Jones as Sinbad's love, Marina, and Michelle Pfeiffer as the wicked Goddess of Discord, Eris. There's plenty of swashbuckling swash·buck·le intr.v. swash·buck·led, swash·buck·ling, swash·buck·les To act as a swashbuckler, as in a movie or play. [Back-formation from swashbuckler. and good family entertainment as Sinbad and Marina and Spike the Dog sail to the edge of the world in an attempt to retrieve the Book of Peace. ``Sinbad - Legend of the Seven Seas'' (DreamWorks; $26.99). It includes filmmakers' commentary, a making-of featurette and more than 15 games and activities. License to gouge gouge (gouj) a hollow chisel for cutting and removing bone. gouge n. A strong curved chisel used in bone surgery. gouge a hollow chisel for cutting and removing bone. In the category of live another day (for more profits), all 20 James Bond films have been put together in three new box sets. These are the most recent versions of the films that include extras like commentaries and trivia, etc. Not unexpectedly, they are not in chronological order. Each set has a mixture of different eras and Bonds and quality; so you can't be logical in choosing if you just want one. Of course, you can look at Bond films as one big movie with 20 variations - just change the girls, the sardonic jokes and action sequences, and occasionally 007 himself. And as much as some fans pine for the days of Sean Connery - the original Bond - Pierce Brosnan is as good, if not better. The last film, ``Die Another Day'' (directed by Lee Tamahori and on the third set), proves that. No, it's not any better than any of the others (it pretty much follows the formula). But Brosnan wears the 007 role as elegantly as he does a tuxedo. Plus it boasts the best Bond girl - Halle Berry, who is Bond's equal - both in action and, er, in action. And in an homage to Ursula Andress' scene in the initial Bond film, ``Dr. No'' (1962, part of the first set), Berry is first seen emerging in a bikini from the ocean, which no doubt left many male fans shaken and stirred. ``The James Bond 007 Special Edition DVD Collection, Volumes 1-3'' (MGM MGM in full Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. U.S. corporation and film studio. It was formed when the film distributor Marcus Loew, who bought Metro Pictures in 1920, merged it with the Goldwyn production company in 1924 and with Louis B. Mayer Pictures in 1925. ; each set lists for $124.96). Volume 1: ``Dr. No,'' ``Goldfinger,'' ``The Man With the Golden Gun,'' ``The Spy Who Loved Me,'' ``Licence to Kill,'' ``GoldenEye'' and ``Tomorrow Never Dies.'' Volume 2: ``From Russia With Love,'' ``You Only Live Twice,'' ``Diamonds Are Forever,'' ``Moonraker Moon´rak`er n. 1. (Naut.) Same as Moonsail. ,'' ``For Your Eyes Only,'' ``The Living Daylights'' and ``The World Is Not Enough.'' Volume 3: ``Thunderball,'' ``On Her Majesty's Secret Service,'' ``Live and Let Die,'' ``A View to a Kill,'' ``Octopussy'' and ``Die Another Day.'' You'd better watch out Most critics found ``The Santa Clause 2 - The Mrs. Clause,'' the 2002 sequel to Tim Allen's 1994 hit, better than expected. It again stars Allen as a man who became Kris Kringle. This time the trick is he has to find a wife. A.O. Scott in The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times said the film ``captures the true spirit of the holiday ... mildly sentimental, unabashedly un·a·bashed adj. 1. Not disconcerted or embarrassed; poised. 2. Not concealed or disguised; obvious: unabashed disgust. consumerist ... studiously stu·di·ous adj. 1. a. Given to diligent study: a quiet, studious child. b. Conducive to study. 2. inoffensive and completely disposable.'' Out today for the first time on DVD, ``2'' sounds like good babysitting material. ``The Santa Clause 2 - The Mrs. Clause'' (Disney; $29.99) includes commentary by director Michael Lembeck and seven deleted scenes. New and notable For music fans there are three concert DVDs out today - ``Concert for George,'' ``Dave Matthews Band - The Central Park Concert'' and ``Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band - Live in Barcelona Live In Barcelona is a full concert video DVD of a performance by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band of their Rising Tour performance of October 16, 2002 at Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Spain. .'' None was available for review, so I won't comment here. ``Concert for George'' was a tribute to the late Beatle George Harrison by his extremely talented friends - Eric Clapton, Tom Petty and Paul McCartney - at London's Royal Albert Hall. Daily News film critic Bob Strauss called ``Concert for George'' the ``kind of music documentary that really knows what it's about: the music.'' ``Concert for George'' (Wea; 29.99) includes the complete concert, including performances not in the theatrical version, rehearsals, behind- the-scenes footage and interviews with the performers. ``Dave Matthews Band - The Central Park Concert'' (BMG BMG Bundesministerium für Gesundheit (Germand: Federal Ministry for Health) BMG Be My Girl BMG Blue Man Group BMG Bertelsmann Music Group BMG Be My Guest BMG Browning Machine Gun BMG Bulk Metallic Glass ; $21.98). ``Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band - Live in Barcelona'' (Sony; $19.98). CAPTION(S): 5 photos Photo: (1) BERNARD HILL, left, and VIGGO MORTENSEN in ``The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' (2) MARTIN SHEEN and STOCKARD CHANNING in ``The West Wing'' (3) ANGELINA JOLIE in ``Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life'' (4) ``Sinbad - Legend of the Seven Seas'' (5) PIERCE BROSNAN as 007 |
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