The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003) - Victoria Irwin

The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King

2003

Director: Peter Jackson

Starring: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Miranda Otto, Brad Dourif, Christopher Lee, Sean Astin, Karl Urban, Liv Tyler, Cate Blanchett, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, John Rhys-Davies, David Wenham, Hugo Weaving, John Noble

Rated: PG-13

Never thought I'd die fighting side by side with an elf.

        ~Gimli

Our next member to join the fellowship is Victoria Irwin who is the head honcho over at the super groovy and ultra cool FangirlNation.  If you'll remember, she joined us for the Sleepy Hollow Commentary back in September and I had a blast with that discussion so I knew I had to coax her into a guesting on Naptown Nerd someday.  And today is that day.  

The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001) - Scott Mendelson

The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring

2001

Director: Peter Jackson

Starring:  Elijah Wood, Ian McKellan, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, John Rhys-Davies, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, Christopher Lee, Ian Holm, Sean Bean, Billy Boyd, Cate Blanchett

Rated: PG-13

A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins.  Nor is he early.  He arrives precisely when he means to.

                     ~Gandalf

Well, my next guest needs no introduction.  Forbes' Scott Mendelson returns to Naptown Nerd to discuss one of my favorite films in the LOTR series, The Fellowship Of The Ring.  You can of course find Scott's work on Forbes.com and check him out in featurette on the 25th Anniversary Edition of Tim Burton's BATMAN available now.

TCM At 40 Retrospective: Leatherface - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990)

Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III
1990

Director: Jeff Burr

Starring: Kate Hodge, Viggo Mortensen, Ken Foree, Joe Unger, Tom Everett

Rated: R, but nobody watches that version

Hey, if you need anything...just twitch.

                  ~Eddie "Tex" Sawyer

The Favorite Films Of My Lifetime: 2002

It might just be me, but I feel like I'm finding a pattern here in this study.  Every decade seems to end on an incredibly good run only to have the next start off a little "rougher" or be less difficult to choose from.  This is the year Chicago won the Oscar for Best Picture over of course a LOTR movie we still talk about.  I don't know what it was with Chicago that 2 years ago the Oscars decided to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of it winning Best Picture, but...eh, okay.  My picks are all but one a franchise film for this particular year, but I enjoy all of them. 

Something Nobody Wants To Celebrate: Gus Van Sant's PSYCHO Remake Turns 15 Today

Whether we're willing to admit it or not, the much maligned Gus Van Sant remake of Alfred Hitchock's Psycho from 1998 has left a legacy.  You don't have to be favorable or liked to have made an impression or leave your mark.  When discussions happen about remakes-their quality, their necessity, what to do and what not to do-you'll be hard pressed to find the remake conversation where this movie DOESN'T come up.  Today, I've decided on its 15th anniversary, to take a look back at the film that terrified people and made them scared for different reasons than the original film.  It opened film lovers' eyes and frightened them of the reality this film was the gateway for.  That NO MOVIE, no matter how perfect the first time around or how loved and adored was safe from being remade or retooled.