ETA:

from Bunnie:
...My unofficial preliminary conclusions are that while his beard shows much more promise than it did a couple of years ago, the unfortunate sparseness (sparsity??) of the hair on his upper lip indicates a continued inability to produce anything approximating an actual mustache. My recommendation would have to be that he return to shaving, I'm afraid. Soon.
He shows such a wonderful talent for sideburns, that IMO he should concentrate on those :p .

------------------------

...Giving up on trying to decide on one post to quote from after being away for a couple of days... :D So haphazard comments ahead...

The reported "MFA" reactions to EII, and JSF in general, remind me of the reaction of a lot of literary types to LotR 50 years ago: "If it's popular it can't be any good." Says a lot about what they think of themselves in comparison to other people, anyway :rolleyes: . Both book and movie LotR, IMHO, show that even regular folks will latch onto something good if it's actually made available to them (which it often isn't), and if it's good and entertaining at the same time :eek: --it may be that last part that the lit crits get hung up on (entertaining?). Along the same line, also IMVHO, a lot of people end up loving Tolkien's writing because it's not completely negative, which some professionals seem to think is a prerequisite for "serious" literature.

Hooligans at another film festival, eh? :cool: IIRC, that's the same one that gave All I Want its first screening.

--On casting Frodo: A young Frodo is so intrinsic to the story as it's told in the movies that I have to believe he was planned from the start. After all, the actor's age wouldn't make any difference in that regard--no matter what age Frodo was meant to be internally, he would still look that young. On Charlie Rose, before FotR came out, PJ said he'd looked at over 200 actors without seeing the "magic" he knew was needed for Frodo--then he saw Elijah's audition. To me, that sounds as if no one else was seriously considered.

I may have to link to that muscle description. :) [And the "waking up Easter morning" caption-- :lol: ]

On PhotoShop--Those examples are far, far beyond anything I'll ever be able to do :eek: ! I'm now practicing on taking things out of a picture. The key word is "practicing." The thing is, in order to get great results you do have to have some artistic ability :rolleyes: . So, just for the purpose of posting some pics,--

The first needed the most artwork, so isn't that great. (shh... I'm posting a dark version of it so the mistakes aren't quite so obvious.) But here's Casey and Stokes in the biology lab without the head of that unidentified student butting in between them:

http://www.frodolivesin.us/Pics/0cd20ee0.jpg

I'm actually kinda proud of this next one, especially since I promised earlier to give it a try. Here's one of those lovely, soft-focus through-the-aquarium shots of Casey with the ominous red filaments removed from in front of his face and the white plastic glove removed from the (our) left side of the picture:

http://www.frodolivesin.us/Pics/0d122dc0.jpg

There's a third one I was going to post, but looking at it now I think I can make it better so I'll wait. A big part of the process is learning what all the different options can do--and, boy, there are a lot of them!! The main reason I got the program (well, besides the fact that it usually costs over $100 and I had a chance to get it for $15 ;) ) is actually for a website I'm trying to get off the ground that has absolutely nothing to do with Elijah or Tolkien :eek: :eek: , although I think one or both of them may sneak in a little down the road.

My mother is now at the age where she comes up with things to share that I've never seen, and that are from long, long ago. Yesterday, she brought out a scrapbook she kept while she was in high school and college (well, "normal school" for anyone who knows what that was). We're talking mostly mid to late 1930's. A lot of newspaper clippings, some of them about people she knew, but mostly about topics or people she was interested in. Without going into details, let's just say that after we finished looking at it, I said to her, "So you don't have any trouble at all understanding why I'd pay so much attention to an actor?" and she agreed. So, on the ulterior motive that I hadn't sen Fort Dodge's (pronounced Forddoj ;) ) new library yet, I used one of the computers there to show her my website--and we even dropped in to this thread for a bit (I've talked about it a lot, so no big surprise to her). She didn't really read any posts as her eyes aren't good enough, but I pointed out some of countries represented.

There's been a bit of speculation that the tan might've come from a tube, but considering his sunburn at SXSW, that's unlikely (and highly uncharacteristic, I might add).

Those are great Photoshopped pics, tg! Did you look at any of the others on that site? Incredible!

There's been a bit of speculation that the tan might've come from a tube, but considering his sunburn at SXSW, that's unlikely (and highly uncharacteristic, I might add).
It's unevenness looks pretty natural to me. The extra "blush" across the nose and the cheeks is normal. Depending on how bad his sunburn was, he could very well have had some peeling, which would make anyone's complexion uneven.

Those are great Photoshopped pics, tg! Did you look at any of the others on that site? Incredible!
No, afraid I'm still limited as far as time to follow many links. I'm having my first chance in awhile to be online, and I'm at work (and those kinds of sites are hard to hide at the office ;) ). I don't ever expect to do that kind of thing with the program, and I'm not sure I'd want to. My needs are more prosaic, the primary one being the ability to combine more than one thing--say, a picture and a line of text--into one image that's in a web-friendly format. But practicing with some of these pictures does help me get a feel for the program.

It's unevenness looks pretty natural to me. The extra "blush" across the nose and the cheeks is normal. Depending on how bad his sunburn was, he could very well have had some peeling, which would make anyone's complexion uneven. I think it's the orange stain on his chin that fueled that speculation. Frankly, it looks to me like barbeque sauce.

I had originally been thinking that it was actually some sort of bronzer or self-tanner, in an effort to even out an uneven sunburn, but that just doesn't seem like something that he would do or even worry about. But the lines on his skin don't look like normal sunburn/tan lines (they're much too sharp, for one thing, and are along his eyebrow and hairline as well as on his chin), so my second-best guess? Is that he had actually applied some sunscreen at some point, but missed a few spots. I have done that same thing, myself, on more than one occasion.

TG, I agree that he should keep the sideburns. I really like them on him. Of course, I also am rather fond of the "chin scruff" that he favors, so maybe I'm not the best judge. ;)

ETA: Re: face fuzz: I'm impressed with the increased amount of beard, though the moustache is still pretty pitiful. I suspect that The Lad is merely a late bloomer. He's coming along nicely, though.

Achila and Rikka – If indeed nobody else was seriously considered for the role, that just underlines (once again) The Lad's unique and impressive talent.I can't imagine what PJ and co. must have felt like when they started to look for Frodo. What did they have in mind? What did they think he looked like? I never got a clear idea from the books. I wonder if PJ did?

As for our detailed familiarity with his wardrobe (like ceefour, I noticed the shirt) -- IMHO, that's just another reflection of Faculty members' dedication to all aspects of Elijah-related research.Ah, yes, I'm developing an uncanny familiarity with the location of every strategic rip in those jeans.

Perhaps if we understood his attachment to those boots, It's the same kind of thing as white sneakers in the 60's. The more decrepit the sneakers, the cooler they were. The best sneakers ended up as mostly duct tape. While probably not fabulously rich, The Lad is certainly well-off enough to buy new boots. Those boots are carefully and lovingly distressed over time to the eventual point of decrepitude.

or his predilection for untucked shirttails, Oh, that's easy. The One Lad is short and very slight. He's short-waisted, so when he wears a tucked-in shirt and a belt, he looks a lot shorter and about 10 years old. Untucked shirts, besides apparently being his personal style, also provide an optical illusion of lengthening his torso. The Green Velvet Suit was the same thing - created one long visual line.

regarding Lord of the Peeps:
But they were green! Although they were (correctly) bigger than anybody else’s.They were AQUA! Obviously taken from the "Money Shot", where the green of Frodo's shirt turned his eyes to deep, bottomless, eclipsed, aqua pools.

Dang. It should be illegal for someone to have eyes like that!

~grumpy

I can't imagine what PJ and co. must have felt like when they started to look for Frodo. What did they have in mind? What did they think he looked like? I never got a clear idea from the books. I wonder if PJ did?I really don't think they did know quite what they were looking for, only that they'd know when they found it.
The Lad is certainly well-off enough to buy new boots. Those boots are carefully and lovingly distressed over time to the eventual point of decrepitude.Though not totally by Elijah -- they're vintage -- who knows what condition they were in when he bought them!
Oh, that's easy. The One Lad is short and very slight. He's short-waisted, so when he wears a tucked-in shirt and a belt, he looks a lot shorter and about 10 years old. Untucked shirts, besides apparently being his personal style, also provide an optical illusion of lengthening his torso. The Green Velvet Suit was the same thing - created one long visual line. Being a "vertically challenged" individual myself, this is all very true, but my bet is that it has more to do with the "10 years old" aspect than the short aspect. Elijah, unlike many men with his proportions, appears to be pretty comfortable with his stature, or the lack thereof. I think what he'd prefer to be, if given the choice, was a little less cute.

I can't imagine what PJ and co. must have felt like when they started to look for Frodo. What did they have in mind? What did they think he looked like? I never got a clear idea from the books. I wonder if PJ did?
The only requirement I've ever heard PJ mention is "magic." My guess is that Achila's spot on here.

He's short-waisted, so when he wears a tucked-in shirt and a belt, he looks a lot shorter and about 10 years old. Untucked shirts, besides apparently being his personal style, also provide an optical illusion of lengthening his torso. The Green Velvet Suit was the same thing - created one long visual line.
[Slaps forehead for not thinking of this :rolleyes: ] Being shortwaisted myself, I can't tell you the last time I wore a blouse or shirt tucked in (Cadette Girl Scout uniform, perhaps? :p ) I'm not particularly short (5'5"), but all my height is in my legs. The waistband of a skirt or pants comes right under my 36DD's; if I tuck in a top... well, the effect is not slimming :eek: . The One Lad doesn't have to worry about slimming effects, but I'd imagine guys want to look like they have a body. Women are lucky enough to have a lot of clothing options, but guys' dress shirts are all made to be tucked in; and if you want to wear a tie, you have to wear a dress shirt. So the logical choice would be either a suit with a jacket that buttons to hide your waist (and to wear it buttoned), or a shirt that's not tucked in. That leaves a lot of sartorial ground uncovered with "extremes" at each end. The untucked shirt works fine for Sin City and Hooligans, but I hope we see a great-looking suit for EII :cool: . Maybe after he gets the record label going, Elijah should come up with a line of dress shirts with "straight hems" (as they'd be called in women's clothing jargon).

This also makes some other things fall into line. In that same picture, Elijah has his bottom shirt button unbuttoned. If I don't buy a shirt in a petite size, there's no way I can button it all the way down, because where most people have a waist I have hips. On a guy, those two parts of the anatomy aren't as different as they are on a woman, but they're still there. And guys don't have the open-shirt-over-a-shell option that women do. [Pssst... Elijah... One word... waistcoats! :cool: ] Hmmm... that frock coat at the Grey Havens :cool: :cool: .

Even some of his "Monkey Boy" contortions could be based on being short-waisted. When I was in grade school, I could do a lot of crazy things that called for long legs, but I could never touch my toes in gym class (legs too long for my arms).

IMHO, the idea that The One Lad is affected by a short back-waist length (as they call it on sewing patterns) is ready to move from hypothesis to theory. Proving it will, of course, involve hours of research drudgery, but I'm sure the Faculty is collectively up to it. The most direct evidence would be found in shots of Elijah without a shirt on (Flipper, CU), but clues might be found anywhere. Research, friends, research!

They were AQUA! Obviously taken from the "Money Shot", where the green of Frodo's shirt turned his eyes to deep, bottomless, eclipsed, aqua pools.
Those Blue Eyes are hard to catch. When I try to capture the color in the little "eyedropper" in PaintShop* it's much easier to find blue-gray (dark, light, or in-between) or a shade of blue-green from aqua to a deep teal. Not that I've given up!! :D

*I think I've called it PhotoShop before, but the program I have is PaintShop. Being kind of new to the whole graphics thing, I get confused :o .

This also makes some other things fall into line. In that same picture, Elijah has his bottom shirt button unbuttoned. If I don't buy a shirt in a petite size, there's no way I can button it all the way down, because where most people have a waist I have hips. On a guy, those two parts of the anatomy aren't as different as they are on a woman, but they're still there. And guys don't have the open-shirt-over-a-shell option that women do. [Pssst... Elijah... One word... waistcoats! :cool: ] Hmmm... that frock coat at the Grey Havens :cool: :cool: And that would be why the suit with the frock coat, that he wore to the DGA Awards last year, looked so good on him -- the jacket really elongated his shape:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/aquila0212/ElijahatDGAAwards2-7-04.jpg

I personally love this look. It's interesting that the hem edge of the jacket isn't especially much longer than the jacket Sean Astin is wearing, but because Elijah is slighter than Sean, and the shape of the coat is different, it looks quite a lot longer.

It's interesting that the hem edge of the jacket isn't especially much longer than the jacket Sean Astin is wearing, but because Elijah is slighter than Sean, and the shape of the coat is different, it looks quite a lot longer.
...and Elijah is wearing his buttoned. Of course, it's made to be buttoned all the way down; even if Sean had his buttoned, it wouldn't have the same effect.

If you compare the lengths according to their fingertips, Elijah's is noticeably longer; partly because of the length of the jackets, but I'm guessing also because their fingertips "hit" at difference places.

Whether he's doing all this consciously, or whether he just knows what looks good on him without analyzing why, I applaud his willingness to wear what looks good on him, even if it isn't what most people are wearing. (As an old fuddy-duddy, though, I have to admit I'd prefer more frock coats and fewer untucked shirts :p . But that's just me.)

It's not just the clothes--looking at the three of them in that picture you can see quite clearly that if you've decided to be short and you want to look good, you must arrange to also be slim. ;)

It's just all Elijah, all the time! :D

Press release:

Happy Feet is a comedy adventure set in the land of the Emperor Penguins in the heart of Antarctica. These penguins sing, and each needs their own special song to attract a soul mate. Our hero Mumble (ELIJAH WOOD), son of Elvis (HUGH JACKMAN) and Norma Jean (NICOLE KIDMAN) is the worst singer in the world... but he can tap-dance something fierce!

The all-star ensemble cast also includes the voices of (in alphabetical order) Brittany Murphy, Hugo Weaving, Robin Williams and features the dancing of legendary tapper Savion Glover (Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk).

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Kennedy-Miller Film, HAPPY FEET, directed by George Miller. Written by George Miller, John Collee (Master & Commander), Judy Morris and Warren Coleman. Produced by Doug Mitchell, Bill Miller and George Miller. Executive Produced by Graham Burke and Bruce Berman. Music composed by John Powell (Shrek, Chicken Run, The Bourne Identity).

HAPPY FEET is scheduled to be released in November 2006 by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.

AND

Warner Brothers and Midway Games announced a deal to develop video games based on Happy Feet, the upcoming computer-animated film from Babe director George Miller. The multi-platform deal includes games for console, handheld and PC platforms.

Happy Feet is a comedy adventure set in Antarctica and centers on singing penguins who each need a special song to attract a soul mate. Mumble (voiced by Elijah Wood), the son of Elvis (Hugh Jackman) and Norma Jean (Nicole Kidman), is the worst singer, but discovers he can tap dance. Happy Feet is slated for release in November 2006.

Savion Glover?! :D

Oh, I'm there, I'm there!! I saw him perform a few months ago to a program of classical music--there just are no words to describe how fabulous he is.

http://www.centreeast.org/Savion%20Glover.jpg

This will be one interesting penguin! ;)

Elijah Wood! :eek: Hugh Jackman! :eek: Savion Glover! :eek: All in the same film!!!!

C-trying very hard not to sque-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-4


C4 dances back into The Lounge to remind The Faculty there's a new Lost tonight.

Hee hee...and wasn't it just a couple of short months ago that we were complaining that nothing was happening... :lol:

This week’s New Yorker has a “preview” blurb on Sin City (they’ll probably review it in the next issue):
IMAGE CONSCIOUS

The black-and-white mean streets of Frank Miller’s 1991 graphic novel, “Sin City,” come to digital life – streaked with color that is mostly blood red – in the movie of the same name, co-directed by Miller and Robert Rodriguez, who also produced, shot, and cut the film and wrote the music. The film’s characters are hard men (and women) who test the limits of revenge; the ensemble cast includes Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Benicio Del Toro, and a very un-Frodo-like Elijah Wood.
My goodness. So many topics for research: extent of facial hair, real vs. artificial tans, and now back-waist length. (It had occurred to me as well – speaking as a very short-waisted person – that The Lad might be trying to camouflage the same type of configuration.) But I still want to see all of this related to film criticism. Example: “Unhappy Feet: The Impact of Elijah Wood’s Vintage Boots on Frodo’s Stumbles During the Mount Doom Climb.”

Back to short-waistedness: But this doesn’t seem to be a problem in his Frodo costumes. Is it because Frodo’s shirts are rather blouse-y (not form-fitting)? Or is it that you can’t really tell where his waist is, because of the odd proportions of the pants, and the presence of the suspenders (UK: braces)? I always thought the Frodo-shirts were very flattering to him.

Achila wrote:
I think what he'd prefer to be, if given the choice, was a little less cute.
Yes, as I listened to Ellen’s opening remarks to him last week (“You’re just as cute as ever!”), it occurred to me that this might NOT be what he wants to still hear, at this point in his life.

tgshaw, I didn’t think that Casey could look any better than in the movie, but your “PaintShopped” pix are terrific! I’m also impressed that you can talk to your mother about your interest in Elijah. (I wouldn’t dream of telling ANYBODY in my family about this.)

From the NY Times, a news article about "Sin City"--

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/31/movies/31sin.html?hp

It begins thus:

If Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction" shocked audiences with up-close gore, and his "Kill Bill" movies racked up record numbers of spurting arteries and flying body parts, his pal Robert Rodriguez's "Sin City," which opens in 3,300 theaters nationwide tomorrow, may set a new mark for its stomach-churning versatility.

Try this for range: cannibalism, castration, decapitation, dismemberment, electrocution, hanging, massacres, pedophilia, slashings and lots and lots of torture.

"Blood for blood, and by the gallons," vows Mickey Rourke's vengeful character, Marv, in what proves to be no exaggeration.

There are some other descriptions of the film's action that I really don't think I can post here. :eek:

One of the final points in the article is about the target market.

Mr. Weinstein added that, despite the appearances of stars with youthful fan bases like Jessica Alba, Brittany Murphy and Elijah Wood, neither the film nor its marketing were aimed at under-age filmgoers. "We're not looking for a 14-year-old audience here," he said.

:( Interesting article, Flourish...my stomach is already churning...however, in the name of research, I will go. I plan on seeing it Tuesday at 1 PM, when I should be in class instead. My daughters and I saw Ice Princess this last Tuesday night. Very, very good movie about mother/teenage daughter relationships. Joan Cusak is always entertaining. I wanted to take the older daughter's picture by the Sin City poster and she refused to sit by it! She's 12 and just the poster itself (and the name of course) turned her off. To those who go this weekend, well...I don't know what to say...

"Out of a strong ensemble packed with noteworthy turns, Rourke emerges as first among equals — he hasn't been this alive on screen since his brief heyday in the early-to-mid-80s. And as a cannibalistic killer with the ability to slice, sauté and serve up his victims, Elijah Wood proves to be a menacing villain without the benefit of a single line of dialogue. Ever since this former child star graduated to adult roles, there's always been something slightly creepy about his performances — even as Frodo in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and certainly as the sleazy lab assistant in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. His presence here milks that unease for all it's worth."

Ahem.

Achila quoted an unnamed Sin City reviewer....

Ever since this former child star graduated to adult roles, there's always been something slightly creepy about his performances — even as Frodo in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and certainly as the sleazy lab assistant in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
"Creepy" Frodo? Did I miss something? Was it the Sammath Naur "Nyah - ha - ha" Snidley Whiplash smile? Surely not. (I know it creeped out a lot of people here but I thought it merely "Eeeww" and not convincing as depicting, "possessed Frodo".) But, then, I didn't think Patrick was truly creepy, either. Just sort of...pathetic. :rolleyes:

~ Mechtild

"Ever since this former child star graduated to adult roles, there's always been something slightly creepy about his performances — even as Frodo in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and certainly as the sleazy lab assistant in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. His presence here milks that unease for all it's worth."

I think a big part of that "unease" the writer cites has to come from the viewer's own mind. The tension between the angelic face and the actions that the characters perform in all three instances (Frodo, Patrick, and now Kevin) leads to a "where is this character going?" factor.

IMHO, this is why EW will never be a successful "romantic comedy" lead, and I really hope that he doesn't try to become one. Those kind of bland roles, while fun to watch, don't give an actor much depth to chew on professionally, and EW's looks would only play into the moviegoer's expectations of "pretty face = good person." In 10-15 years time, he'd be good in a slightly villainous role in such a movie (think Hugh Grant's cad in the Bridget Jones films).

BTW, that review I posted was from a source called "Creative Loafing". And Roger Ebert gave Sin City 4 stars. It'll be interesting to see what the mainstream press do with it -- so far, the majority of the reviews that are up on Rotten Tomatoes are all online "niche" reviewers.

This was pretty funny tho:

"Los Angeles, March 28 – Showbiz hunks Clive Owen, Benicio Del Toro, Kanye West, Ashton Kutcher and "7th Heaven" cutie David Gallagher all turned out for the Hollywood premiere of "Sin City", but who got all the cheers from female fans that’d been camped outside the Mann Theater since noon? Bright-eyed Elijah Wood had them screaming and panting, rock star-style." :cool:

"Creepy" Frodo?

I just tried to set up a photobucket account to be able to post the picture I wanted talk about, but after 3 hours, I haven't had a confirming e-mail, so I'll abandon that idea for the moment.

I just wanted to say that I removed Whitleing's 'What will I see' Frodo portrait from my desktop because I thought his stare too intense for the non-LOTR acquainted visitors we were having at the weekend, and I replaced it with a thoughtful picture of early in the films Frodo, which I find calming and relaxing and plain beautiful. My friend's comment was that she actually found the picture rather disturbing and his expression made her feel really uneasy. Perhaps this is what the reviewer meant by creepy - simply having so much going on internally that it makes the viewer uncomfortable.

I will post a picture one day!!

I can't imagine what PJ and co. must have felt like when they started to look for Frodo. What did they have in mind? What did they think he looked like? I never got a clear idea from the books. I wonder if PJ did?


I don't think PJ had a clear idea of what Frodo looks like before he saw JW's audition tape. It's quite difficult to find it out from the book - Frodo is too 'inner' character there. Personnaly I never could - I felt his emotions, his soul, but never 'saw' his face. I think PJ also had only some 'feeling' of Frodo - and when he saw EW, he realized that was exactly what he wants.

Here is a drawing of Frodo from the official LOTR movie casting description. It was publisher at LOTR site and was made _before_ Wood joined the project. So you may see that Frodo on this pic looks more like elf-kind, not hobbit-kind. There are huge eyes that dominate on his face - full of sadness, pain - and inner light, too, and his features a thin and delicate...

For Pelagia: here it is an "Official Casting Description" of Frodo - I've found it at last!:

FRODO BAGGINS : A Hobbit.18-24 years old. Male.5’4” – 5’9”, normal build. Fine featured and good looking, Frodo is a natural leader. He is intelligent and carefree with a roguish sense of humor and a disarmingly boyish charm. Frodo lives in the shadow of his famous adventurer uncle, Bilbo, and longs to have his own adventures beyond the bounds of the Shire. However, when confronted with the terrors of the real world Frodo starts to doubt his own abilities. It is a testament to his courage and heart that, despite his misgivings and fears, he volunteers to take the Ring to Mordor. Frodo’s struggle with the malicious influence of the Ring pushes him to the brink of paranoia and madness. By the end of his journey Frodo is hanging by a thread, his strength almost gone, his carefree spirit broken. The Frodo who returns to the Shire is humble, quiet, haunted. Of all the characters in the story, Frodo has the most profound journey …

At last, I can post pictures.

This is the one I referred to a couple of posts back. I can't remember where it came from, but it wasn't my work. To me it is anything but 'creepy', but my friend saw it so differently.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y84/pippa134/Frodo.jpg

Philadelphia Weekly (one of those freebie “alternative” newspapers) has a very positive review of Sin City this week. They give it an “A-minus” (“a fantasy/noir extravaganza;” “fan-boy nirvana;” “brutal, go-for-broke filmmaking”), though they think it’s too long, at 126 minutes. Not one mention of Elijah, however! Same for the Ebert review (which I was very glad to see was so favorable) – nothing about The Lad. Hope this isn’t indicative of his amount of screentime. . . .

Achila wrote (quoting a Sin City review about Elijah):
Ever since this former child star graduated to adult roles, there's always been something slightly creepy about his performances — even as Frodo in the Lord of the Rings trilogy
What?? Sacrilege!! Although, looking back on my own transitional period (after I had fallen passionately in love with the LOTR movies, but before I succumbed to Elijahmania), I seem to recall thinking something similar. But I don't think I considered his performance creepy. It was more that I found his appearance unsettling (for different reasons than at present! ;) ). As we’ve said before, that is not your standard Hollywood face, or even a face that meets commonplace criteria for male attractiveness.

For me, Frodo’s “creepiest-looking” moment is in TTT, when the Nazgul are attacking Osgiliath. When he moves away from the wall where Faramir has put him, and starts to walk toward the parapet, he has this very odd, almost smirky expression. (I’ll have to search tg’s website to see if she has a cap of it.)

Skater girl, I certainly would NOT call that picture creepy!

As for Patrick, I think the reviewer’s description of him as “sleazy” (rather than creepy) is appropriate.

Love the fact (also reported by Achila) that it was Elijah who drew the screams from the women/girls at the premiere!

Rikka – Thanks so much for posting that description and link. The drawing doesn’t look much like Elijah, in terms of features, but the expression does, I think.

I have actually read a couple of somewhat negative reviews of Sin City, now, but as luck would have it, now that I want something specific from one of them, I can no longer locate it. :( The reason I wanted it was that even though the reviewer seemed to think that the film suffered from a certain numbing "sameness" throughout, he listed three actors that seemed to rise to the occasion and offer a little more substance than the graphic novel quality of the rest. The ones he named: Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke (I think) and... Elijah Wood. :cool:

As for "creepy" Frodo, I also have trouble figuring out where people are seeing that. Perhaps it stems from what has been described as the other-worldly quality of his features? The over-large eyes, the small mouth... I think it's another one of the instances where his unusual face just makes some people uncomfortable. I suspect that some of them might even freak out and run away from a unicorn. ;)

Rikka, many thanks for the beautiful Frodo drawing! :)

Skater girl, congrats on your first posted picture! :) That pic is one of my all-time favourites. - OK, I could, oddly as it was, live with the "vole-like" classification, but creepy :confused: - no, that leaves me speechless.


As for "creepy" Frodo, I also have trouble figuring out where people are seeing that. Perhaps it stems from what has been described as the other-worldly quality of his features? The over-large eyes, the small mouth... I think it's another one of the instances where his unusual face just makes some people uncomfortable. I suspect that some of them might even freak out and run away from a unicorn. ;)
Yeah, those horrible unicorns, awful monsters they are :eek: :rolleyes: :haha:

IMHO it is a combination of two things - the hugeness of his eyes may remind some people of other-wordly creatures like this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/whiteling/Mesopotam_kleiner.jpg

... that's what I would call slightly creepy, if you will (it's a mesopotamic sculpture, probably a "god-like king" portrait).

But in Elijah's case it is mainly the extraordinary intensity of his gaze. He expresses so much only through his eyes, it is unbelievable. He's able to tell an entire story in one glance, without restraint and booms.
It can get very personal between Elijah's and your eyes. Pretty touching, and sometimes almost too much.

More news from Philadelphia.

From today's The Philadelphia Inquirer:

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/11271239.htm

On WHYY FM, the PBS station in Philadelphia, on Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane tomorrow in the 11 o'clock hour, JSF will be interviewed. You can listen via Real Audio or, if you have hi-definition cable, the show is broadcast live on PBS HD.

http://www.whyy.org/cgi-bin/NewRTlookup.cgi

Today, while picking up volumes 3 & 4 of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, I saw a display at the front of the bookstore containing "Customer Favorites." On the cover of EII was a sticker that said, "Soon to be a Major Motion Picture from Warner Independent Pictures Starring Elijah Wood." :D

C4

Looks oddly like a Mesopotamian Grey Alien to me, Whiteling! :D

Erm, did I mention that one of my friends is convinced EW is not entirely human? Come to think of it she may well be right. Could explain the creepiness - er, I mean depth and intensity - of the Elwoodian gaze, the electricity that hums in the air around him, the crystalline glow, the bare skin where a moustache should be and all the rest ;)
Mariole, more explanation to come, I promise ;)

Being from outer (or inner) space doesn't explain the uneven tan, however. My best guess is that he was artificially tanned for some project or other and had trouble removing it.
It doesn't explain the boots, either.
Love those boots! :D

Just a word on the casting-of-Frodo theme: can't find the exact quote right now, but PJ, when talking about his and Fran's stay in London when they auditioned 200 young English actors, said something like "We saw some interesting people, but usually we knew within 10 seconds of their entering the room that they weren't Frodo. We were getting quite desperate, because we couldn't find a Frodo. Then a tape arrived in the post. It was from Elijah Wood. We put the tape in the machine and there was Frodo. It was a remarkable thing. We just knew."
If I do find the exact quote I'll post it.
And yes, they were specifically looking for actors aged 18 to 24.

But mainly I just need to say hi to the lovely Faculty - above all Whiteling and wood, as it really seems we'll all be meeting soon! :cool: :cool: Yippee!
And this weekend (STILL no home Internet :o ) I'll really try to post something about the wonderful Mr Boyd on the local movie set. For the moment, just one thing: we have mutual friends !!!! Billy told me he narrated a musical story written by a Scottish musician friend of mine - and sure enough it was reported in TORN here (http://www.theonering.net/perl/newsview/2/1065389655)
Cool or what? :cool:
Must find out if it's on CD or DVD.

Jeez...these guys are keeping us busy. It's no big surprise that the reviews are completely polarized, flying from one extreme to the other -- it's the type of film one would either love or hate, I think -- I'll let you know tomorrow!

From Metromix:
"All the actors seem to have fun, including cameo villains Powers Boothe (as corrupt U.S. senator Roark), Rutger Hauer (corrupt Cardinal Roark) and Michael Madsen (as turncoat Bob) and femme fatale Carla Gugino as lesbian parole officer Lucille—as well as usual pretty-boy heroes Elijah Wood, Stahl and Hartnett playing against type as amoral heavies: kung fu killer Kevin (Wood), gnomish deviate Yellow Bastard (Stahl) and that nameless hit man (Hartnett)."

Just a word on the casting-of-Frodo theme: can't find the exact quote right now, but PJ, when talking about his and Fran's stay in London when they auditioned 200 young English actors... (...) If I do find the exact quote I'll post it.

serena,
I can help in your search. :k
My old journalist habit (to put all files in definite folders) sometimes makes even my non-proffesional life a bit easier ;) - helpes to find quickly files in my big LOTR movie archive.
That was a Charlie Rose TV (?) interview with PJ - here it is, a quote, where PJ tell the famous story of EW Frodo casting,videotape... and magic! ;)

"...CHARLIE ROSE: Yeah. All right. Talk about the cast, and let's-- first of all, we'll see in a minute Frodo, but-- Elijah Wood.
PETER JACKSON: Yeah.
CHARLIE ROSE: The most important casting?
PETER JACKSON: The most important casting. You know-- I mean, you know, the problem with getting the casting wrong-- if you cast Frodo, for instance, that sort of irritated, you know, and you always see movies where somebody annoys you, bugs you.
CHARLIE ROSE: Yeah.
PETER JACKSON: Then we were-- we were not-- we were not sort of spoiling one film, we were spoiling three movies. So the cast-- you know, there was a lot-- a lot riding on it. And Frodo is a very, very important character in the movies, but he's also an incredibly difficult character to play and to cast, in actual fact, because-- I always regard Frodo as being the Everyman character, that-- you know, when you read the book-- this is [unintelligible] from the book-- when you read it, I think you sort of channel-- you channel a lot of your imagination through the character of Frodo in the book because he's experiencing the journey. He's the innocent. He's like us. I mean, we're like the Hobbits, really. And he's going these places. He's going places that we'd never want to go, and he doesn't want to go, you know, and yet he's having to deal with it. So he's-- so in a way, Frodo is the audience of the film. And those sorts of characters are fiendishly difficult for actors to play because they-- they have no gimmicks. You know, they have no quirks--
CHARLIE ROSE: So tell me why Elijah.
PETER JACKSON: Well, I'll tell you about Elijah. I mean, we were convinced that Frodo was going to be an English actor because we wanted the Hobbits to basically be English, as Tolkien really wrote them. So we went to London, and we started auditioning. We didn't-- we didn't-- we couldn't think of any actor to play Frodo. I mean, you know, names like Ian McKellen immediately-- [crosstalk] --Ian Holm for--
CHARLIE ROSE: Right.
PETER JACKSON: --Bilbo. But Frodo, we had nobody in mind. So we thought it would be an unknown English actor, young kid. So we went to England. We auditioned-- we were in London auditioning for about a month, and we had-- we'd probably seen about 300 Frodos, young English actors. There were two or three that were OK, but nothing-- nothing magical, you know, because Frodo had to be magical.
CHARLIE ROSE: Magical?
PETER JACKSON: Magical.
CHARLIE ROSE: Yeah.
PETER JACKSON: And every time the casting room door opened and some young, nervous-- nervous young actor would come in, you-- you were saying, ``Is this going to be Frodo?'' And you sort of know within 10 seconds that it wasn't really Frodo. And it was-- it was a worry, but we were plugging on. And the casting director, John Hubbard, said to us one day when we arrived to do some more casting, he just said, ``Oh, a package has just come in the mail.'' And we said, ``Oh, yeah?'' He says, ``It's from Elijah Wood.'' And it was a videotape, a VHS tape, just in a package sent to London. And I had heard Elijah's name, but I'd never seen a film he'd done. So actually-- I actually had no face for Elijah. I didn't know what Elijah looked like. But Fran Walsh, my partner, had seen The Ice Storm, and she said, ``Oh, no, no. This kid's pretty good. He's an American, but he's got this really interesting face.'' And so we put the videotape in, and Elijah had basically-- he was in L.A. and heard that we were in London and we weren't going to come to L.A. And so he'd-- he really wanted to get this role, and so he had-- he hired a dialect coach to teach him-- this is all what he did himself, without us even knowing about it-- hired a dialect coach to teach him accent. He'd gone to the local costume hire. He'd got this sort of cheesy kind of Hobbit costume on. He'd gone up into the trees, somewhere up behind his house with a friend, and he'd just videotaped his own audition, where he was-- because he didn't have our script, so he was reading from the book. And he was, like, doing Frodo parts from the book. And I just put-- I put this videotape in, and literally-- I mean, not having known who Elijah Wood was, really, I just thought, ``He's wonderful. He's absolutely great.''
CHARLIE ROSE: Bingo.
PETER JACKSON: Bingo. And so Elijah cast himself."

I really should be working right now, but Rikka thanks very much for posting that. I never tire of hearing that particular story and I love the way PJ tells it. Serena thanks for inspiring Rikka's research.

(So we know Mr. Wood had the book in his hands at least once-- ;) )


Back to work!

ETA--

from PJ via Rikka:
The most important casting.
Yes!!!


from Flourish:
(So we know Mr. Wood had the book in his hands at least once)
Evidence suggests that he did finish reading the book after filming was over. ;)

---------

...I saw a display at the front of the bookstore containing "Customer Favorites." On the cover of EII was a sticker that said, "Soon to be a Major Motion Picture from Warner Independent Pictures Starring Elijah Wood." :D

C4
There's also a movie tie-in edition scheduled to come out in July. When I read that for the first time, it didn't surprise me, but I honestly hadn't thought of the possibility. Will be fun to see what pic ends up on the front of the book :) . (C4--Any idea how they pick "Customer Favorites"?)

from Achila:
Jeez...these guys are keeping us busy. It's no big surprise that the reviews are completely polarized, flying from one extreme to the other -- it's the type of film one would either love or hate, I think -- I'll let you know tomorrow!
One thing that separates the good from the "okay" movie reviewers, IMHO, is the ability to judge a movie according to the type of movie it's meant to be. If a reviewer doesn't like, say, horror movies, he or she should still be able to tell consumers whether a horror movie is a good horror movie--and not just say it's bad because of personal taste. Hopefully they can do the same with Sin City.

So far my favorite comment on a review --

from BunnieBugs
...he listed three actors that seemed to rise to the occasion and offer a little more substance than the graphic novel quality of the rest. The ones he named: Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke (I think) and... Elijah Wood.
Extra point for Elijah because Clive Owen and Mickey Rourke are the "stars" of their respective stories. :) But what I like best is that the movie was trying to be a living copy of the graphic novel, with the characters as close as possible to those on the page, but these actors were able to go beyond that, even though everything their characters do and say (or, in Elijah's case, don't say) is taken directly from the books. That's pure acting talent.

from Pelagia:
...But I don't think I considered his performance creepy. It was more that I found his appearance unsettling (for different reasons than at present! ). As we’ve said before, that is not your standard Hollywood face, or even a face that meets commonplace criteria for male attractiveness.
Some thesaurus picks for "creepy" are eerie, uncanny, disturbing, and weird (then it gets into scary, frightening, etc.). I think some of those could fit, especially eerie and uncanny. Which can be disturbing and seem weird :p . IMHO, the intensity of Elijah's eyes weighs in heavily on the uncanny scale. One reason I can see Frodo more than Elijah in the drawing that's shown during the RotK credits is because that intensity of Elijah's gaze doesn't show in it.

Serena, IIRC the theory of Elijah not being entirely human has come up before--but as in all things Elwoodian, I'm sure there's much, much more to be said. :p And, I caught that little throwaway "Billy told me..." ;) So you're having conversations, are you? :cool: Waiting to hear more...

again from Pelagia:
For me, Frodo’s “creepiest-looking” moment is in TTT, when the Nazgul are attacking Osgiliath. When he moves away from the wall where Faramir has put him, and starts to walk toward the parapet, he has this very odd, almost smirky expression. (I’ll have to search tg’s website to see if she has a cap of it.)

Do you mean this one? Don't know that I'd call it a smirk, though:
http://www.frodolivesin.us/TTT/09520540.jpg

http://www.frodolivesin.us/TTT/0971e530.jpg

For creepy smirk, I might pick this one:
http://www.frodolivesin.us/TTT/09120540.jpg

If those aren't quite what you're thinking of, the page is here (http://www.frodolivesin.us/TTT/id7.htm). On the next page (http://www.frodolivesin.us/TTT/id8.htm) Frodo's already on the parapet, and I know I've skipped some material in-between, so maybe the look you want isn't there.

Hello everybody, I'm back. With head hanging. Most of you would have gotten it right. Not me. :confused:

I was in Hollywood and I DID NOT go hang out at the Sin City premiere. I made a slight mistake. :o

First off, the first day we had a moment--last thursday--we drove by the Mann theater to get our bearings (thanks for the address, Achila). I could tell traffic would be a definite problem. All these left turn problems in LA have you circling if you don't approach from the right direction (all these big streets, but very infrequently do they actually have left turn lights). But I planned the approach for the day of the premiere. I knew we would be late because of a 5:30 meeting we had--but at least I could drive by while the event was going on. So after a slight delay that night (trying to find our car in a parking lot before we got going)...we start on through rush hour traffic to the theater, my patient husband driving, while I navigate. My daughter also hopeful we get at least to see the scene. We get there and there IS NO SIN CITY!! Hitch is playing at the Mann.

I get all loud and Huffy: HEY what's going on? Sin City is supposed to be here on the 28th!! My daughter and my husband both look at me, then my daughter said "Mom, this is the 29th!"

OH my. What an idiot. All my planning and I had the day wrong. :( :o

Oh well. I couldn't have made it the previous day, anyway...so I guess in the end it didn't matter.


I want sometime to share with you ladies some feelings I have about Hollywood, and just why Elijah as an idea has very special meaning to me, as the mother of someone who has a little foot in the door of that world. I need to see the real life example of someone who can work his craft without having to immerse himself in what isn't always a desirable world. If not for people like Elijah, we would likely run away and never look back. (Still thinking about that ;) )
While there I felt a little like venting the good and the bad to my Faculty sisters when I got back. But I am now ready to go take a bath and Sin City is tomorrow which means there will be lots of other stuff to talk about--and so maybe I should save that story for later.

All in all, the trip was successful for us, but exhausting. I came back looking forward to seeing Sin City as a reward--but now I'm wondering if I'll have the nerve. I really don't like gore. Or violence. Or blood, even without the color. Could I listen to a cd player until I see hints of Elijah?? Til my viewing partner nudges me???


Is Elijah an alien?? I read in someone's lj once that they were convinced he is either an alien or an angel. ;) :D sounds about right. :)

Rikka--thanks for transcribing the Charlie Rose interview.

Serena!! Spill the Billy stories!!!! (please?)

Achila, as always thanks for bringing us all of the reviews. :) :k

There were some moments in LOTR movies, when Frodo seems creepy to me, especially in TTT and ROTK.

Definetely, in Osgiliath scenes (that pelagia mentioned and tg posted) and a bit later, too - when he tries to kill Sam. Frodo is really horrific there, with distorted face and mad, empty eyes... Also EW's Frodo terrified me at the Dead Marshes, when he "made love" with the Ring, caressing it with such an expression on his face, that it gives me the shiver...

In ROTK Frodo is creepy during his conflict with Sam at the stairs, when Sam say that he could hold a Ring for a while, "to share the burden"... And when he clames the Ring at the Crake of Doom -that Golden Idol, who replaces Frodo is horrific, too...

I found some more Sin City reviews at Metacritic. Most of them just mention Elijah in passing, if even that, but a few do pick him out for special attention. I loved this review from the Washington Post:

But all the visual splendor in the world means nothing without effective performances. The list of memorables is long: Rourke has found his greatest role since "The Pope of Greenwich Village." Willis is his usual authoritatively tough-and-tender self. Owen and Benicio Del Toro (as a menacingly jealous boyfriend named Jackie Boy) are outstanding. And Elijah Wood is so luminously creepy as the psychopathic Kevin, you'd swear he just sprang fully formed from an M. Night Shyamalan nightmare. And those are just the guys.

Rikka wrote,

There were some moments in LOTR movies, when Frodo seems creepy to me, especially in TTT and ROTK.

Definetely, in Osgiliath scenes (...) when he tries to kill Sam. Frodo is really horrific there, with distorted face and mad, empty eyes... Also EW's Frodo terrified me at the Dead Marshes, when he "made love" with the Ring, caressing it with such an expression on his face, that it gives me the shiver...

In ROTK Frodo is creepy during his conflict with Sam at the stairs, when Sam say that he could hold a Ring for a while, "to share the burden"... And when he clames the Ring at the Crake of Doom -that Golden Idol, who replaces Frodo is horrific, too...
Why did none of this bother me? Truly, at a deep level? Perhaps because I had been prepared by the books. I thought, "Hey! You're still in there, Frodo Baggins!" Even on the walls of Osgiliath. Only when he did the nasty little smile in the Sammath Naur did I feel I had left the world of Frodo of LotR and entered the world of "creepy." But so immersed in the book world was I, I simply didn't believe it! Silly me. :rolleyes:


P.S. My daugher is taking me by the hand to Sin City this weekend. From the reviews you folks posted here, I wouldn't be that concerned. But, having checked out the full reviews posted at AICN, I am dreading it. But, my zeal for the career of EW demands that I attend! Anything to boost his box office.

~ Mechtild

tgshaw wrote:
One reason I can see Frodo more than Elijah in the drawing that's shown during the RotK credits is because that intensity of Elijah's gaze doesn't show in it.
Yes. That drawing has a serenity about it (I think) that is quite different from Elijah’s usual appearance -- and even from Frodo's. After all, the poor man (Frodo) doesn't have much opportunity to be serene. And tg, the first two TTT caps that you posted (thank you!) are from the sequence I was thinking of. You’re right – it’s not a smirk. But there is something “creepy” about his expression (especially in the second picture), in that he just looks so drained of volition, and even more dead-eyed than at the CoD, IMHO. (I also agree with you that film critics should review a movie on the movie’s own terms, without regard to whether or not the critic happens to like the particular genre.)

Mechtild wrote, about going to see Sin City:
But, my zeal for the career of EW demands that I attend! Anything to boost his box office.
That's the spirit! Spoken like a true Faculty member. Also, just keep repeating to yourself, "Research. Research."

Rikka – I second your mention of the TTT scene where Frodo is caressing the Ring. I wouldn’t call it creepy, but I’ve always found it very disturbing because of its sensuality. (And thanks for the PJ/Charlie Rose interview!)

ceefour: Were you buying Patrick O’Brian for yourself? If so -- another thing we can talk about at lunch!

Frodo and the word creepy just don't belong together, to my mind ;)

Mechtild:
P.S. My daugher is taking me by the hand to Sin City this weekend. From the reviews you folks posted here, I wouldn't be that concerned. But, having checked out the full reviews posted at AICN, I am dreading it. But, my zeal for the career of EW demands that I attend! Anything to boost his box office.

I wonder how many mothers are using their daughters this way in the name of loyalty to our fave actor. Me and you both :D

Quint's review from AICN (I cringe every time I read something from there! :eek: )

Elijah Wood is absolutely...perfect as Kevin. This casting was a stroke of genius. When you see those fingernails at work and that unwavering look of content on his face...Awesome, creepy and perfect.

My only question is--what fingernails? ;)

C4

I wonder how many mothers are using their daughters this way in the name of loyalty to our fave actor. Me and you both :DActually, I'm taking my mother! I had been planning to go alone, but she was free, so I asked her along. :) She's actually most interested in seeing Clive Owen, I think, but she knows I have a certain interest in a different actor. ;)

Ceefour, I thought you were serious about the fingernails for a moment, and was going to post a cap of Elijah with the prosthetic claws... and then I caught your winking smilie. :D

BunnieBugs, I had forgotten all about his Lee Press-On Nails! Detention for C4!

eta: WOO HOO! I am editing this from my tungsten E and a spiffy IR modem. I'll be able to read reports!!

Great extract from Charlie Rose with PJ! Thanks!

Creepiest moment from TTT, hands down, is the love scene between Frodo and the ring. All of that love, all of that passion and tenderness that would normally go to a lover, completely warped, and Elijah played it so convincingly. :::: shudder :::: We know it was the same with Bilbo. Not surprising that neither hobbit married.

Packing. I'm supposed to be *PACKING*.

~grumpierthanusual (hates flying, we does. Wicked. Tricksey. False.)

Great extract from Charlie Rose with PJ! Thanks!
BTW, you can listen to that interview at http://www.charlierose.com/archives/archive3.shtm -- just scroll down and you'll find it. It's wonderful.

Creepiest moment from TTT, hands down, is the love scene between Frodo and the ring. All of that love, all of that passion and tenderness that would normally go to a lover, completely warped, and Elijah played it so convincingly. :::: shudder :::: We know it was the same with Bilbo. Not surprising that neither hobbit married.I don't know if I found it exactly creepy, but it was surely disturbing. I remember sitting in the movie, seeing it the first time, and wondering if Pete had meant it to be so overtly sexual, then deciding it was (especially because of Frodo's heavy breathing). It instantly took the film into a whole new realm that hadn't really been explored before -- the Ring as the object of sexual desire. That really was a great touch (no pun intended).

I just read an interesting article about Sin City here (http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2005-03-31-sin-city_x.htm), where it lists all the ways that the film breaks some cardinal rules of film making. Sin number two (out of seven, of course ;) ) was this one:

2. Muzzling big-name stars

Major actors generally like to have big scenes to suit, but some of the main characters in SinCity have nothing to say. Literally.

Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood plays a silent, Zen-like serial killer named Kevin. And while not yet at Wood's level of renown, 2 Fast 2 Furious model/actress Devon Aoki gets a lot of screen time but no lines as a mute ninja streetwalker.

While silencing Rings' Frodo may seem to risk alienating his fans, for Wood that risk was worth the potential payoff.

"I was psyched to play Kevin," Wood says. "I wasn't looking to shine, I was just looking to be a part of something that I knew was going to be special."

******


It's awfully nice that he's apparently shining in this role even though he didn't mean to. :)

MORNING LADIES!!!!!!

YOU HAVE BEEN BUSY!! :k :k
THANK YOU ALL FOR THE REWIWS ABOUT SIN CITY!!
CAN`T WAIT TILL I WILL SEE IT!!!

I SAW THE DISCUTION ABOUT THIS PICTURE.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v399/erendil/2556Frodo-2.jpg

I posted that a way back i found it on warofthering.net
and it is made by someone called MITHRIL who does very beautiful
pictures!!!


FRODO,CREEPY????
I can`t agree with that!!!

LOVELY TO SEE YOU SERENA!! :k :k
YAPP,IT LOOKS LIKE WE A ACTULLY GOING TO MET UP
I HAVE BOKED MY FLIGHT!!!!
I HOPE EVERY THING IS GOING OKEY.I ALWAYES BEEN AFRAID OF FLYING
I DO THAT JUST TO SEE SOME FELLOW FACULTY LADIES
AND IT IS SO WORTH IT!!!

I KNOW I AM FORGETTING SOMETHING!! :(
MAYBE I COME BACK LATER WHEN I CAN REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS!! :rolleyes:


LOVE YOU ALL/WOOD

First of all, does Anybody remember Elijah saying how he wanted to play "A character that was Messed Up in the Head?" I suspect that this what Kevin, springloaded by Patrick was what he meant. :lol:

I also get the Creepy is just part of his Charm, as in Nice guy who likes to mess with People's heads to make Them Think. Double :lol: I find it amusing.

Creepy Frodo? How about Frodo about to Lose It and Kill Sam? That gaze alone Creeped Me out, and it made me think of Something Else: Steve Maqueen in "Papilion."

Creepy Frodo can also be seen in a movie still where he is standing and touching the Ring. it made me think of certain Saints, St. Aloysous, he had a strong gaze and a hangup about Lightening Storms that never left him. St. Jerome, he too had a strong gaze, and a Bad Temper that never left him. Wasn't Frodo also dubbed a Saint at some point? :lol:

Have you heard the news??!

Reports confirm ex-hobbit Elijah Wood will be new Bond (http://www.snopes.com/holidays/aprilfools/origins.asp)

LOS ANGELES – Elijah Wood has been confirmed to star in upcoming James Bond film, ‘Casino Royale’ in a sudden U-turn by Bond producers.

“We were all ready to sign Clive Owen to the role,’ a spokesperson said. ‘But once we saw the effect Elijah Wood had on certain parts of the female population, it was clear that he would be the best person to play the suave and seductive British spy.’

According to insiders, the film will portray Wood infiltrating a secret society known as ‘the Faculty’, intent on monitoring his every move.

Errrr Random....isn't today April 1st????

Just a quick hi! I've been lurking on this list for ages and this is my first post. Apologies if it goes haywire....not used to doing this! Hope to do better as I go along!

Errrr Random....isn't today April 1st????

Oh, is it? :eek: ;)

Welcome Dduon!

GREAT JOKE, RANDOM!!! :k :k
YOU ALMOST GOT ME THERE!!!!

EASY TO FOOL , ME ,????NAH!!! :lol: :lol:

WELCOME Dduon!!!!! :k :k :k

LOVE YOU ALL/WOOD

From Metromix:
"All the actors seem to have fun, including cameo villains .......—as well as usual pretty-boy heroes Elijah Wood, Stahl and Hartnett playing against type as amoral heavies: kung fu killer Kevin (Wood), gnomish deviate Yellow Bastard (Stahl) and that nameless hit man (Hartnett)."

That review is from Michael Wilmington, the Chicago Tribune's chief film critic. Reading it this morning, I was quite miffed to see Elijah dismissed as a "usual pretty-boy hero" :mad: :rolleyes: . But then I was distracted by the realization that Jessica Alba was not mentioned at all in the review or in the partial cast list accompanying the review, and Elijah's name was in both. ;) :p

Random--wonderful April Fool's post! Oh, if only it was true! :z:

Random--I had to quote this relevant bit from the page you linked to:
When the western world employed the Julian calendar, years began on March 25. Festivals marking the start of the New Year were celebrated on the first day of April because March 25 fell during Holy Week. The adoption of the Gregorian calendar during the 1500s moved the New Year to January 1.
Gee, I didn't realize the Gondorian calendar lasted that long! :haha:

Of course, the only joke in the post was that the studio decided Elijah would be the best choice to play James Bond. We already knew that, right? ;) Just think about it... No problem with the British accent, would look great in the wardrobe, an action star who could do most of his own stunts, would give him a chance to show he can be suave and sophisticated with the ladies--opening up a whole new realm of petite "Bond girls" 'cause they wouldn't have to be 5'11" fashion models. And he already knows how to make a "shaken, not stirred" martini (but then Bond... James Bond... doesn't usually have to make his own martinis, does he?) ;) . An Elijah Bond would have the added ability to do much more undercover work than any of his predecessors, since he can pretty much become any type of person he wants. --Sigh-- So we're still waiting for the movie industry to catch up with us... :rolleyes:

And, Random--your avatar fit the post perfectly, and the bit on the Faculty had me :lol: .


After all, the poor man (Frodo) doesn't have much opportunity to be serene...
When I wrote the essay (http://www.frodolivesin.us/id269.htm) about it, I connected it to post-quest Frodo. There's a peacefulness about it, but also, IMHO, some sadness to it.

----------

Welcome to Dduon :) :) . Hope that's the first of many posts!

Hello, ladies. My daughter already got me with my first April Fool's day prank today. She told me her younger sister had gotten sick all over the table, and, trusting soul that I am, I believed her. :rolleyes:

Anyway, I thought I'd pass along some news which pleases me very much (and this is no April Fool's joke): Robert Rodriguez is apparently working on a number of special edition DVDs to be released later this year, and one of them is -- you guessed it -- The Faculty.

Now, this is so far an 'unofficial' bit of news, as it was spotted in the "TalkBack" section of the Ain't It Cool News site, but one of the other DVDs that was listed was SpyKids, and I know that this one is authentic, so I suspect that the Faculty one is, as well.

I'm hoping for lots of extras, lots of interviews, and please, oh, please, :z: both director and cast commentaries. I, personally, would also like to see the inclusion of the original ending (if not as part of the actual film, at the very least as a viewable extra), but I'm not holding my breath. ...Well, okay, I am, but I allow myself the luxury of breathing every so often. :D

Welcome, Dduon! Chime in anytime. :)

Random: :lol:

It's so quiet in here. Has everyone gone to the movies??? I'm such a chicken. I'm not going yet--not til I hear what you all have to say.

Welcome, Dduon. Thank you for pointing out the April Fool's joke. Random had me totally puzzled. I heard Orlando was being picked for Bond, so I knew it couldn't be right (Or was that a joke, too?), but I did spend a few moments in the world of the perplexed! :rolleyes: :). But it was actually fun in that world for a little bit, lots of interesting company ;) --thanks Random!!

Orlando has been tapped to play the young Bond, in what I believe is projected to be a series of films.

I wonder whether somebody wanted him to be Bond so badly they couldn't wait for him to get old enough. :D Hope it doesn't become a strait jacket for him.

Greetings, Dduon! Not that I post here much myself, but what the heck? :cool:

Alyon, you wrote,

It's so quiet in here. Has everyone gone to the movies??? I'm such a chicken. I'm not going yet--not til I hear what you all have to say.
That is so. Personally, I have been involved in writing, which has made me incommunicative on threads, except for the Harem where I post my "Art Travesty" bits of silliness as recreation.

BUT, it is true, I am going to Sin City this very night, on the first day on which this wretchedly, graphically violent film is to be shown. My daughter (who is used to these bloodbath sorts of films) will be by my side to bear me up lest I faint, apalled.

I have read the unexpurated AICN reviews (reported here only in part), prepared for the child abusers, naked women flaunting their hoo-hoo's, male parts being blown off on-screen, beheadings and other various dismemberments, smitings, slicings, stabbings, shootings and gnawings ("Hey isn't that Elijah Wood chewing on that mandible?").

Will I live to report any of it? If not I, then others will crawl back in here to tell all -- mark my words.

~ Mechtild :D

Hullo Faculty! Did you miss me? Don't answer that.

I've been lurking, and dying to post. But I was reading my mail from the lobby of the conference center I was at, and didn't dare even get a really good look at the pictures that were posted.

Excuse me if I don't attribute the original poster of comments, but there were some things I had thoughts on.

But first let me say:Random! That was too :lol: I have to admit that
just for a minute there...But if Elwood wanted the role, I'm sure he could get it. Besides, didn't he say, when he was much younger, that he'd like to have been a spy? :D

Speculation as to the untucked shirt tails. I think TG speculated that he was short waisted, but I think this picture actually suggests that he is a little long-waisted:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v377/honeyelf/model05.jpg

Whatever the case, I'll have to agree with Ellen; he looks "adorable."

Flourish, I think you said that he would probably wish to be a little less cute. Maybe, but he's not above playing off his "cuteness." He wears his sleeves too long and his shirt cuffs unbuttoned, emphasizing how small he is, and the ripped jeans and scruffy shoes emphasize his youth. He could go a long way to play down his "cutes" bit he doesn't. Either he's sorta stuck trying to remind folks of his past work, or he doesn't mind being so cute! ;)

I'm probably going to see "Sin City" tonight. I'm nervous about all the gore, and stuff though. If you haven't already, you must trip over to NPR.org and listen to David Edelstein's review of it! He starts out decrying violence, gore, and special effects extravaganzas. Then says of Sin City, "I loved it!" Of Elijah's Kevin he says: "a mute, cannibal, psycho geek who fights like a weightless dervish."

"Creepy" Elijah. Hmmm, yeah. Frodo definetly had his creepy moments, but not all the time. Maybe that guy just isn't comfortable with that "otherness" that Elijah is capable of projecting.

Serena, more about Billy, please? :D

Dduon, welcome! :D :k

missed being here. Am off through the last few pages to get a proper look at the pretty pictures!

honey!

I just came back from a screening of Sin City (the first one if fact from where I live). All I can say is, it's a pretty fantastic movie, violence aside. I know a lot of the concerns at the board have been how violent and gory this must be. But just to reassure everyone, although I don't know how "violent" violent for everyone is, I thought nothing was done excessively or without point. Actually, I didn't think it was quite violent really... everything was more due to style than just random Kill Bill blood and guts.

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As to the stories, it comes in three different segments and I liked both Marv's and Dwight's storylines the most. I felt that somehow, miraculously, however noir and "comic-booky" Rodriguez was going for, the characters were pretty three-dimensional and quite likable though they are very far from the stereotypical heroes... they're all more like fallen heroes.

But of course, since this is an Elijah board.....

Now Elijah's not in the movie very much at all. The fact that he's singled out in most reviews is a statement on the impact of his performance and character. Definitely, with the little screentime he has, he really milks it for all its worth. He is creeeeeepy.... and as a person who is half fan-girly over him, I can say that he looked dang scary in a lot of his scenes and there's an uncomfortable feeling when he's onscreen. Afterwards, when I talked to me friends, they told me that he was probably the best villain in the picture even though he doesn't really say a word, and has less screentime than both Benicio del Toro (Jackie Boy) and Nick Stahl (The Yellow Bastard). Me? I think he's probably the most effective villain I've seen in any comic book movie ever... like he would be the last person I would like to go face to face with. It was funny too because on the promos before the movie, they were advertising The Fellowship of the Ring's premiere on a TV channel so we all got a little taste of Frodo being all innocent and just downright angelic then bam! Kevin. I just hope that this movie doesn't turn off some younger fans because he's far from "pretty boy" here. And there's one point in the movie (actually two different points) where if a younger fan can't really separate reality from fiction, will surely reduce her to tears.

INTENSE SPOILERS
This is when you see Kevin against a tree without arms or legs and he's just smiling there like he's actually enjoying it. Another point is where Marv hands his head over to Cardinal Roark. It's definitely not for fans 14 and under.
END INTENSE SPOILERS

Anyways, enough of the Elijah rant :) On a whole, the movie is quite stylistic, and a very visceral experience. I can definitely see it getting some technical nominations come Oscar time. The dialogue is hokey - which is perfect for this type of material. And the look? I can see why everyone's saying that Rodriguez has pushed cinematic boundaries. Definitely going to see it a second time.

Thanks, hobbityme. You answered some questions I've been wondering about. Should be interesting to see other reports on the film. *shivers* :eek:

Honey, welcome back and thanks for the thought--but I have no clue what he thinks. ;) Must have been someone else who said that. But I do think a lot of guys his age dress in similar, deliberately casual style.

Completely OT, but if any Faculty members wander over to KongisKing, PJ made the announcement today that there are to be two sequels to King Kong, which are to be filmed simultaneously. King Kong Son of Kong will be released in June 2006 and King Kong Into the Wolf's Lair will be released in December 2006. I guess The Lovely Bones is on hold.

C-wishing I even had a waist to talk about-4

Just a quickie report about Sin City (no spoilers):

I didn't like it as well as I hoped (or even expected) to. That's not to say that it wasn't good, or that I didn't like it! I thought it was incredibly well done, and I did enjoy it and will see it again.

I think I just built my expectations up too high. If I'd known less about it, it probably would have knocked my socks off. It really was fabulous in a lot of ways.

As for the violence, it didn't bother me. It was almost cartoonish violence, and while it did sometimes make me go "ew!" or "ugh" or cringe, it really wasn't as bad as I had feared. There is A LOT of it, but is isn't wall-to-wall gore or very realistic.

As for Elijah... yeah. He totally nails the part. He was the creepiest, fastest, scariest dude in the film (for all of the 5 minutes of screen time he has). I would gladly sit through it again just to see him move on the screen, because it was impressive. A lot of people are going to look at him very differently now, and I couldn't be more pleased. :cool:

EDIT: for ceefour... That couldn't, maybe, possibly, be an April Fool's prank, could it? ;)

Completely OT, but if any Faculty members wander over to KongisKing, PJ made the announcement today that there are to be two sequels to King Kong, which are to be filmed simultaneously. King Kong Son of Kong will be released in June 2006 and King Kong Into the Wolf's Lair will be released in December 2006. I guess The Lovely Bones is on hold.

Ceefour, are you sure this isn't an April Fool's thing? They did something pretty big last year on Kongisking that had people fooled for a few hours, at least.

ETA: I saw this over at rottentomatoes (can't remember which review--sorry!):

Rourke, Owen, Stahl, Benicio Del Toro and Elijah Wood tear the film -- and, in many cases, our long-standing impressions of their personae -- to merry shreds.

Elijah really is getting selected as one of the most talked-about roles in the film, after the main three (Willis, Owen, and Rourke), with Del Toro right up there with him. Considering that three out of four of those actors have a resume filled with either big films (Willis) or Oscar-nominated roles (Owen and Del Toro), or are on the big comeback (Rourke), all of this press is nothing but good for EW!

Only fifteen minutes until we drive off to see Sin City! (the latest showing they have; I guess we are putting it off.... *wrings hands; giggles nervously and then guffaws at herself*)



SPOILERS!!!!!!



hobbityme, you wrote,


This is when you see Kevin against a tree without arms or legs and he's just smiling there like he's actually enjoying it.
Why does this make me think of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, when Arthur has to pass by the knight at the bridge?.....*snicker snicker snicker*

Maybe I won't find this so hard to watch after all. :cool:

~ Mechtild

Pelagia and I just got home from Sin City, and we really enjoyed it. Far from being grossed out, I thought a lot of it was very funny (!) and overall, brilliantly visual. Not enough Elijah but then, I knew that going into it. As we (and many of the reviewers) have said, what he did have was extremely effective -- ewwww...his eyes looked so dead. I did find myself laughing at myself a bit that the sight of


*SPOILER*










our beloved lad's head being carried around like a souvenir was not disturbing in the least -- again, a bit funny. Yep, I'm warped -- I admit it. I was raised on a diet of pure Monty Python -- what would you expect? :D

ETA: Simulposted with Mechtild -- notice that she also mentioned Python!

Also ETA: Here's an excerpt from a review -- hee hee:

"There are a myriad of supporting characters filling out Miller's roaming storylines, each weirder than the last. From the A-list cameos (Josh Hartnett as The Man; Elijah Wood as a demonic cannibal) to B-players in more fleshed-out appearances (Rutger Hauer as the twisted Cardinal), all roles are played with requisite aplomb."

Only fifteen minutes until we drive off to see Sin City! (the latest showing they have; I guess we are putting it off.... *wrings hands; giggles nervously and then guffaws at herself*)



SPOILERS!!!!!!



hobbityme, you wrote,



Why does this make me think of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, when Arthur has to pass by the knight at the bridge?.....*snicker snicker snicker*

Maybe I won't find this so hard to watch after all. :cool:

~ Mechtild


SPOILERS

Until of course, you see his pet wolf begin eating at him followed by the inevitable beheading.

:)

Not enough Elijah but then, I knew that going into it. As we (and many of the reviewers) have said, what he did have was extremely effective -- ewwww...his eyes looked so dead.

I guess this is another indication of the INCREDIBLE talent of La Wood to act with his eyes alone... with nary a word.

And that smirk? OMG, it's going to haunt me for days to come.... QUICK, post some sweet Lijah pics fast!

Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. I had visions of watching KK I, II, and III EE commentaries and documentaries for hours on end. You all pointed out what a sap I am so nicely. :k to The Faculty!

Thanks for the reports from the brave souls who went to see The One Lad sliced and diced.

C- :o :o :o -4


ETA-To celebate EW's new movie:

http://store.yahoo.com/wickedcoolstuff/mopykirasl.html

and

http://store.yahoo.com/wickedcoolstuff/monpyttshir.html

I saw Sin City, too.


SPOILERS....






Achila-
our beloved lad's head being carried around like a souvenir was not disturbing in the least -- again, a bit funny. Yep, I'm warped -- I admit it. I was raised on a diet of pure Monty Python -- what would you expect?


Yes, me too! I kept saying to my Mom, who allows herself to be dragged to my Elijah movie viewings, that that head is going to become a major collector's item. :rolleyes: :lol:

And then definitely my Pythonian brain kept saying.."Your arm's off...No it isn't" pretty much all of the time. ;)

The movie was surprisingly funny. I hadn't really expected it to be funny.

Elijah IS amazingly creepy. Especially when he is standing outside his farmhouse window listening to Marv and the other girl played by Carla Gaugino freaking out over what's been done to them and over Kevin's' very bad habits while they are locked in his nasty heads-on-the-wall dungeon. THAT is his most evil and creepier-than-Norman-Bates moment. Just the way Kevin listens and is so content and pleased that his victims are suffering so. Nasty , nasty bad, bad Kevin.

Elijah is so much the opposite of Kevin. So kind and considerate of other people's feelings it is amazing that he could pull off playing cold-blooded and psychotically happy with his 'work', Kevin.

That's our boy! :)

A little OT from Sin City.

I'm not seeing it until Tuesday so I have skipped the spoilers above. Thank you for marking them!

I subscribe to an E-newsletter from Moviefone and they have a blurb about Sin City. When you click "More on Elijah Wood" they list a filmography. These two films are listed at the end and I've seen them other places. Was there someone else with the same name back then? Obviously in 1984 he was only three years old and seven in '88. Just curious if anyone knows the story behind these two films and why they would be in his filmography.

1988 Little Dorrit

1984 A Private Function

Also, this photo is for Hobbityme and those who need a "cute EJW picture after viewing Sin City. It is the picture attached to the filmography. Am I guilty of any crimes by copying their photo and posting it here? It is somewhat new to me. His hair looks a little more wavy. But, I'm sure there's some who will recognize the clothing however little you can see of it. ;)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v638/Shelbyshire/MoviefoneImage.bmp

I subscribe to an E-newsletter from Moviefone and they have a blurb about Sin City. When you click "More on Elijah Wood" they list a filmography. These two films are listed at the end and I've seen them other places. Was there someone else with the same name back then? Obviously in 1984 he was only three years old and seven in '88. Just curious if anyone knows the story behind these two films and why they would be in his filmography.

1988 Little Dorrit

1984 A Private FunctionThere was an actor by the name of Eli Woods listed at IMDb in both of those films, so someone wasn't paying attention when they added those to Elijah's filmography. I hadn't realized before that there was someone out there with so similar a name!

Also, this photo is for Hobbityme and those who need a "cute EJW picture after viewing Sin City. It is the picture attached to the filmography. Am I guilty of any crimes by copying their photo and posting it here? It is somewhat new to me. His hair looks a little more wavy. But, I'm sure there's some who will recognize the clothing however little you can see of it. ;)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v638/Shelbyshire/MoviefoneImage.bmp
I doubt anyone is going to chase you down for posting that here! ;) It is actually about a year old, from his guest-host appearance on MTV's Total Request Live show last March. :)

Just back from seeing Sin City. Yikes! Kevin's end is gonna give me nightmares! Not that I was sheddin' any tears for him, mind.

A day ago you were all discussing the intensity of Elijah's gaze. Wonder how he managed that dead stare? creeeeepppyyy

I know I may be booted from the Lounge for saying this, but my favorite scene was the one when Dwight takes Jackie Boy for a little ride in the car! Too funny!

I'm glad that Elijah's role in SC has gotten him so much good notice. I'm glad he got the chance to show the world that there's more, much more than Frodo where Elijah's career is concerned! And I DARE anyone to bring up Mark Hamill's fate and try to forecast the end of Elijah's career again!

honey!

Interesting that James Bond came up and Elijah mentioned he wanted to a secret Agent if he couldn't be acting. That's what he needs, a Spy Role like a Manly version of "Agent Cody Banks." type. I'm sure he could pull it off and cause some appropriate hearts to flutter. :k :z:

I know I may be booted from the Lounge for saying this, but my favorite scene was the one when Dwight takes Jackie Boy for a little ride in the car! Too funny! Not at all, Honey! That was my favorite scene, as well. It was gruesome and brilliantly funny! :cool:

I'm glad that Elijah's role in SC has gotten him so much good notice. I'm glad he got the chance to show the world that there's more, much more than Frodo where Elijah's career is concerned! And I DARE anyone to bring up Mark Hamill's fate and try to forecast the end of Elijah's career again!I honestly think that this is one of the best career moves that he could have made. Between this and Hooligans (which we WILL get to see, dang it! It has to happen!), I think people will really wake up and realize that he's not just Frodo, and is certainly capable of much more than they ever gave him credit for.

Well, we just got back from the last showing of Sin City on it's opening night. The place was packed with mostly twenty and thirty-somethings, lots of students from the local colleges and lots of males. Leaving the theater, I heard a lot of voices gushing over how cool the film was, especially the voices of young male persons who especially liked the design and concept.

And I needn't have worried about the violence after all. There is gobs of it, but....




Spoilers

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.... along with the whole stylized look of the film, the violence was, well, stylized. It didn't really matter how many times characters were sliced or diced or bashed or mashed, it ended up looking like Monty Python to me. Did any of you ever see their "Sam Peckinpaw's Production of Salad Days" skit from their TV series? They had blood gushing everywhere from hoses attached to people's thoats and wrists (I think it inspired the scene of the knight at the bridge in the Holy Grail). It was hilarious -- and so were many parts of this film.

Our audience roared over many scenes, including the slow death and killing of Kevin. Me, too. The laughs were interspersed with plenty of "Eeewwww"s, too, of course, but I don't think anyone was truly frightened. There were "Eeews" for the doggie-dines-on-Kevin-in-sillhouette bit, too, but even that got laughs. And why not? It was so over-the-top gross, it was funny. I nearly cried during the scenes where they were carrying Kevin's head around, plonking it on tables, etc. -- but from laughter. I regret that I am perhaps too familiar with EW from this thread and could only think of him working on the scenes and thinking what fun he must have had doing it. I did get a few jolts during the film but only when a bullet would suddenly come screaming through a window during an otherwise quiet scene.

All of the performances were extremely good; the cast was just excellent. And I loved the campy script and perfect film score (for the film). I especially loved Mickey Rourke as Marv. Oh, Benicio D.T. was a pleasure to watch, too -- his talking semi-decaptitated head ("like a Pez dispenser") routines were full of terribly clever little bits of macabre humour (Think of the horribly killed victims of David in American Werewolf in London popping back up onscreen to chat with him afterwards).

The women were mostly very funny, in spite of (or because of?) their comically hot babe outfits, all them vamping around in their Victoria's Secret dominatrix costumes waving guns. I confess I kept thinking of the "Orc Love Slave" outfit we invented for laughs over in Frodo's Harem. The spectacle they made in their stilettos and thongs and fishnets opening fire from the rooftops trying to look professional handling their weapons got a lot of laughter. (Too many knock-kneed poses.) Most of them did not look terribly dangerous. But there are a lot of hunters up here (male and female), so anyone handling a gun in films is scrutinized pretty mercilessly. Many women can shoot up here, but they tend to dress like Marge in Fargo while they are doing it. :D

*** Edited to add: I think the lead women, as "good guys" were supposed to be moving, as well as funny in their camp way. But I can't say that I really cared what happened to any of them, male or female. Even when the parole officer was huddled on the floor, waiting to be Kevin's next victim, the whole scene was so straight off the pages of a comic book, how could I take it seriously? The heads on the wall alone were enough to defuse any sense of reality in the scene which might make is fearful. Was Kevin a taxidermist, too? ;) ***


Anyway, it was worth seeing once. I never need see it again, though. It is about half an hour too long to sustain its interest level, for its genre, in my opinion. As far as themes go, there are definitely some there, which I won't discuss here since they are so obvious. One thing is certain, film noir (and this is a camp version of film noir) sure is full of Irish-named characters, the good guys and bad guys. Wicked churchmen (of course), wicked politicians (of course) as well as the main cops (good and bad) all seemed to have Irish names. Even some of what seemed to be Northern Irish mercenaries managed to make an appearance. I was hoping for someone with bag pipes to show up by the end of it.

All I can say is, I hope Hooligans has a bit more substance (and that it gets a distributor!) than this film. I liked a good laugh, good performances and the cool-looking design, but that's not enough to keep me enthralled, not for nearly two hours. I began checking my watch after about an hour and fifteen minutes.

As my violent-film-loving daughter said as we walked out, "I give it a 2 out of 5, Mom. It had some cool parts, but, well, I just didn't care about any of the the people in the movie enough. I liked Saving Private Ryan and Gladiator a lot better, because you cared about the characters."

The two films she named were not comparable to Sin City in type, but I knew what she meant.

Anyway, those are some of my first responses, just off the top of my head. I'm off to bed,

~ Mechtild

All I can say is ditto, ditto and more ditto. I too thought that scene in the car with Jackie Boy and Dwight was extremely funny, and none of it bothered me, for the reason I mentioned above. Isn't it cool how so many of us reacted to it the same way? Is it any wonder that we all get on so well here, and are such good friends?! :k

I also thought it was about a half hour too long but because it was word for word, scene for scene faithful to the three stories, there wasn't anything they could've cut. In that particular instance, I would've rather that Robert was faithful to his editor's instincts but I understand totally his choice to do otherwise. The Big Fat Kill began to drag a bit -- they could've probably done without a scene or two there, with no consequences. I will probably go once more and that's it -- I'll wait for the DVD (unrated, I might add) to come out, so I can watch Elijah's moves frame by frame! :cool:

So my feeling is that anyone who's waffling on going because they're afraid it's going to creep them out will probably be all right, if our initial reactions are any indication.

Thanks for all the reports on Sin City. I'm still not convinced about going myself ("Salad Days" was not my favorite Monty Python skit :eek: ), but it sounds as if it's living up to its hype, which has been stylistic and technological. As has been said, since it's transferred word-for-word and frame-by-frame from a graphic novel, the stories and characters will be graphic novel level. (IIRC, though, the stories were somewhat edited for length--nothing added to the original, but some things taken out--but that the entire stories were shot and will be on the DVD.)

--And, of course, I'm glad Elijah's getting the notice he is, not just for playing a character so far removed from Frodo, but for being singled out for mention as one of the best in the movie.

Part of my problem is that I normally don't mind at all going to movies alone, but I don't know if I want to walk into this one solo. Not because I'd need a hand to hold, but because I'm afraid I'd have "middle-aged Elijah Wood fan" written all over me. This is not a movie that my sometime "movie partner" would want to see.

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Late for April Fool's Day in more ways than one:

Okay, this is three years old, but IMHO it's still funny as #%$! :D From the April 1, 2002 online issue of Locus magazine, which reports on the SpecFic business. It's been posted before, but not for a year or two. This actually had some Tolkien newbies worried (don't feel bad, ceefour ;) ). It's even funnier if you're familiar enough with "genre fantasy" to be able to fill in the authors' names from their initials. Each one is characterized spot-on:

http://www.locusmag.com/2002/News/News0401b.html

HI ALL!!!

AND THANK YOU ,THANK YOU!!!!! :k :k :k

FOR ALL THE REWIWS!!!!!!!

I CAN`T WAIT UNTILL I WILL SEE IT !!
MAYBE IN JUNE ,WHITELING ,SERENA, :z: :z: :z:

HONEY ELF ,I HAVE MIST YOU!! :k :k :k

SHELBYSHIRE,THANK YOU FOR THE CUTE PICTURE!! :k

I REALY HOPE THAT PEOPLE NOW SEE THAT ELIJAH CAN PLAY
ANY CARACTER IN THE WORLD!!
SOMETHING WE ALL IN HERE ALREADY KNEW!!


edit: possible spoiler!!!!!!!




found this on!!!!just wanted to show you all,who wantes to read it!!

And there was something unbelievably cool about watching Frodo kick his ass. By far the coolest of the villains (and I say that even accounting for bias) Kevin is probably the only truly scary character in the film. The rest of it is either hilarious or tedious, but the segments he's in actually turn the tone of the film into the more seriously screwed-up morbid beauty I expected it to be going in. I talked to Elijah a couple of weeks ago at SXSW, and he assured me that all of the stunt work was him, doing wire-fu, although he was working with Rourke's stunt double. The moves he got in were pretty amazing. Who knew skinny little geeks could be so badass?

end of spoiler!!! enjoy your reading!! :k :k


LOVE YOU ALL/WOOD

Hello everyone!

I just echo Wood's thank you for all your Sin City reviews :k !
I'm so glad to hear that many of you found it actually *funny* and were reminded of Monty Python. When I read a renarration of SC on a German website months ago, I couldn't discover any humour at all (typical German - no sense of humour, maybe ;) ?), but was rather appalled.
BTW, have you seen this:
http://www.khazaddum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=292005&postcount=1 :cool:

A warm welcome to Dduon :) !

And a big HI to Serena :k !!
(Wood, Serena, for our planned cinema visit in summer we could wear t-shirts with the inscription "middle-aged Elijah Wood fan" on it... NO?? Why not?! OK, I'll shut up now :D.)

hi whiteling!!!!! :k
we simulposted!!!!

funny idear!!!!! i`m in for it!!!!!!!!
but i will not wear it at home!!! :lol: :lol:

love you all/wood

Me neither, Wood! :D :k

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Having now seen Sin City, and having had the chance to "sleep on" what I saw, I know that I won't be seeing it again. Nor will it ever join my Elwood dvd collection.

To me Sin City is what hell must be like; No love. :(

The movie was well done, the characters were all distinctly written and acted, there were laugh out loud parts. It was visually amazing, from Marv's craggy face to the vintage cars.

But there was also nastiness. The only character I could begin to call noble was Hartigan. Nancy loved him, but in a very twisted way. I do believe that he loved her.

But, no, not my cup of tea at all. I'm looking forward to Hooligans, which I know will be violent again, but which at least claims to explore the themes of friendship and loyalty.

And I already know where I'll be on August 12th! :)

honey!

Thank you, everyone, for all your wonderful Sin City reviews! I so appreciate being able to hear how large Elijah's part was, how well he did it -- and not have to be forced to see it! :p After hearing more about this movie, I know absolutely I won't be going. But I'm delighted that Elijah is standing out in it. I think this will be perfect for his career. Just when people are remarking how the Lad is doing so many "creepy" roles, along will come EII and people's heads will snap in the other direction. I love it in advance! It's great fun to watch.

whiteling, that post was hilarious:
Oh, and some Frodo guy was in it, acting like Gollum. :p
I just love it! So thank you again and again, my brave sisters! :k

Great April Fool's Day article, Tg! I hadn't seen that before. T-- B-- !!! *shudders* :D

Serena, more about Billy, please? :D
I'm eager to hear, whenever you're ready! Cheers. :k

I thought that car ride scene was the funniest too. Isn't that the one Quentin Tarantino directed? Funny and sick, but mostly funny. :cool: No Elijah but the funniest scene in the movie.

Thank you, everyone, for all your wonderful Sin City reviews! I so appreciate being able to hear how large Elijah's part was, how well he did it -- and not have to be forced to see it! After hearing more about this movie, I know absolutely I won't be going. But I'm delighted that Elijah is standing out in it. I think this will be perfect for his career. Just when people are remarking how the Lad is doing so many "creepy" roles, along will come EII and people's heads will snap in the other direction. I love it in advance! It's great fun to watch.

Mariole What you said! I also now know I won't be seeing Sin City. :eek: But I am enjoying reading all the Kevin reviews. :cool: Thanks to all for those. I am eagerly anticipating EII . :)

Random Your April Fools joke was sooooo funny! :lol:

Welcome Dduon.

Having now seen Sin City, and having had the chance to "sleep on" what I saw, I know that I won't be seeing it again. Nor will it ever join my Elwood dvd collection.
I'll probably do the opposite--not see it in the theater, but get the DVD so I can watch some parts and skip others (and turn it off and come back later if I need to).

But there was also nastiness. The only character I could begin to call noble was Hartigan. Nancy loved him, but in a very twisted way. I do believe that he loved her.
This is what I feel about what's usually called "dark fantasy," where there are no good guys. Sometimes the author gives you a reason to root for one side or the other, but good never triumphs simply because there is no good. I very seldom get myself caught in dark fantasy books, because there's enough information to know what it is before starting to read it, but even the short stories I've read leave me feeling sick. I'm sure the author wants the reader to be unsettled, but it goes far beyond that for me. -- I'd even put some of those dark Batman comics in this category.

Even more than the effect of the story on my mind, I hate the thought that there are people who actually believe the world--and people--are like that. Of course, I don't know about most of the authors, but some who are well-known enough to be interviewed do seem to have a very pessimistic view of the world, and of human beings.

I don't mind stories of good people caught in bad situations, and I don't want my heroes perfect and my villains completely evil, or I wouldn't be a Tolkien reader. But IMHO one reason so many people grab onto Tolkien's cosmos as if it's a life raft (I certainly did) is that he does have a basically optimistic view of human nature.

Not everything that looks dark is in this "good doesn't have a chance" category. I adore Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere (the original TV version; I haven't read the book that followed it), and some people would call that dark fantasy. But it still has characters who keep some nobility in the face of surrounding darkness, even if their mode of nobility is a bit off from ours. I was hoping that Sin City would be something like that, and would be interested in hearing if anyone saw it that way. I've said all along that I don't have anything against Elijah playing villains, but that I'd hope he'd stick with movies that have something positive about them. I don't second-guess his decision here--I can see why he'd want to be part of this project and play this character. I just hope that, along with Black and White, Sin City remains the exception, and his next three movies seem to say that it is.

from Mariole:
Just when people are remarking how the Lad is doing so many "creepy" roles, along will come EII and people's heads will snap in the other direction. I love it in advance! It's great fun to watch.
Sometimes I think I must give Amazon.com's little "recommendation" program whiplash--when all I'm doing is looking for stuff related to Elijah's movies. Felt sorry for the poor thing when I was jumping back and forth between EII and Sin City :p . Of course, we know Elijah's always played all different kinds of roles, but for those who think he dropped out of the sky in December 2001... ;) One of his "problems" is that he's too good at too many things. Just did a frame-by-frame look at another Casey action scene today, and Elijah's amazing in it. He could spend his life making action movies ("and now for the latest Elijah Wood/Jackie Chan buddy movie" :D ), but then we'd miss his dramatic roles. He was over-the-top funny in Chain of Fools, but if he only played over-the-top parts, we wouldn't get a chance to see how subtle he can be. And, of course, we want him to be picky about his roles, as long as we can have a new movie from him at least once a month. :p

I've been lurking as usual, but thought I'd just drop by to give you all yet another brilliant review of Our Lij's performance as a sadistic killer...

From the Blogcritics website here (http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/04/02/130028.php) :-

There were plenty of well-known actors in this film, although some of them were hard to recognize through their prosthetic makeup. For me, the stand out was Mickey Rourke as Marv... great character and an awesome performance by Rourke. I also enjoyed Clive Owen (rumoured to be the next James Bond), but another one that really jumped out at me was Elijah Wood as a stealthy, cannibal killer. One word for the character and his performance: CREEPY. I don't know... maybe having Wood seared into my skull as Frodo from Lord of the Rings made the counterpoint more intense. In any case, I was riveted by his performance.

Mech
Your review of "Sin City" only confirmed what I suspected about this film...that the highly stylized way it is filmed goes a very long way to neutralizing the effects of the truly viscious violence involved within the three storylines...
I, too, hate the violence-for-the-sake-of-it type films, but this I will probably go and see...for its comic-book style as much as for anything else...and Elijah Wood managing to scare the living daylights out of me has to be the biggest plus this movie has - for me anyway...can't wait !!

So far I haven't said much about Elijah's performance as Kevin. Frankly, I was a little dissapointed. Let me explain myself.

In all of Elijah's roles that I have seen up until now, there has been at least one moment when I could say of his character "I know exactly what he is feeling." In anticipating Sin City I think I was hoping for one of those moments.

And I'm not saying that EW couldn't have pulled off such a moment, even with the vile Kevin. Buut he had so little on-screen time, and much of that was action sequences, that there was really no time for such a moment.

In retrospect though, this was not a character that I wanted to connect with in any way! So his creepy silence, enigmatic little smile, and the quiet, chilly, dead stare in his eyes was exactly pitch perfect for the role!

SPOILER

Cardinal Roark's explanation of Kevin to Marv puts his chilling non-reaction at the end in perspective, too. Looking back on Kevin's ultimate end, I think he was taking great delight in just observing Marv's discomfort and disastifaction, as well as in being able to push Marv to new lengths to attain a kind of satisfaction. *shudder*

honey!

Honeyelf, you are very solicitous to the dear lad (but am I surprised? :k ).


SPOILERS

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I have read all the raves for EW and am thrilled, don't get me wrong. Anything to get him a good job! :D

But, while I can't imagine anyone doing the role of Kevin better, I thought that for EW (or for any good actor) playing this role was like falling off a log. It was a very negligible role, acting-wise. I wasn't mildly frightened, I must say, by his on-screen persona, by the way. Not one little bit. But I attributed this to the film's style. I wasn't the least bit frightened of any of the characters; grossed out, yes; frightened, no. I just thought EW looked kinda "cool" as Kevin, leaping around in that sweater with the neat lightning bolt thingy across it, and his mirror-special effect glasses.

But as for his portrayal? I'll bet EW went in there and did all of the face work in a day at the most. It was the leaping around on wires that took longer.

Naaah, this role was no challenge. As a fan, I'm happy for any good reviews EW can pick up. But if EW wants to play a really challenging, chilling sort of character, he'll have to get a role more like Norman Bates in Psycho or the sort of deranged kidnapper Terence Stamp played in The Collector back in the Old Days. Then and only then would he really have the role he would need to shine as a skin-crawling psychopath. "Kevin" was not that role. (in my opinion)

~ Mechtild

Naaah, this role was no challenge. As a fan, I'm happy for any good reviews EW can pick up. But if EW wants to play a really challenging, chilling sort of character, he'll have to get a role more like Norman Bates in Psycho or the sort of deranged kidnapper Terence Stamp played in The Collector back in the Old Days. Then and only then would he really have the role he would need to shine as a skin-crawling psychopath. "Kevin" was not that role. (in my opinion)You know, Mech, I have to agree that Lij wasn't scary, but I think that has more to do with the fact that I never forgot it was ELIJAH I was watching. It was just so cool to see him in a movie, and in particular, watching him do something physical, that it never affected me on the level it needed to for me to find it creepy/scary, whatever. I sort of call this the "Patrick Syndrome" -- a lot of reviewers (and many of us too) named this character sleezy, creepy, etc., while all I could think was, awww, isn't he cute? He just needs a hug. Sounds like I've lost my objectivity for sure.

The other issue is that the rest of the movie didn't creep me out either. As I said earlier, it felt like a cartoon to me, and a funny cartoon at that. So I didn't have the reaction to Kevin that I'm supposed to have, I guess. I'll live.

It's the rare movie that scares me, anyway. Probably The Exorcist was the last one. :)

On another note, have any of you been to www.kongisking.net and seen the latest video (which was an April Fool's Day gag, I might add)? Pete looks unbelievable -- he must've lost 100 pounds.

Didn't EW say IIRC that he filmed this role in 2 days? ......After Hooligans

and before heading to Prague to film EII........ Maybe not a challenge at all

but a lot of fun for the One Lad.

saile

I went to Sin City tonight with my son, and we both loved it!! I'd read one of the graphic novels before I saw it (Marv's story), and was incredibly impressed with the faithfulness to the original. The look, the feel, was captured amazingly well. It was unlike anything I've seen in the theatre before - I'll definitely be buying the DVD on the day it's released!

There was an old couple in the back of the theatre - and I mean in-their-seventies-at-least old. I was wondering whether they'd wandered in there by accident, or just picked a movie at random, but they stayed to the end. I'm actually heartened to know I wasn't the oldest one in the theatre tonight. :p


There may be spoilers ahead!!



Elijah did a great job as Kevin. He captured the character as portrayed in the novel perfectly - silent, relentless, and completely focused. That small smile with the non-blinking stare as he met his end was so dead-on. I can't wait to have the DVD in hand to do a side-by-side comparison from the novel. :D



But it still has characters who keep some nobility in the face of surrounding darkness, even if their mode of nobility is a bit off from ours. I was hoping that Sin City would be something like that, and would be interested in hearing if anyone saw it that way.

I'm pretty sure that not everyone would call it nobility, but the 'good' characters definitely had moral codes of conduct they followed, even if they weren't 'moral' in the RL sense (with all that killing :p ). But within the world of the novel (and of the movie) they definitely are. Within this world, the cops are corrupt, the politicians are corrupt, the wrong people are protected by the law, violence is endemic, and perpetrators are only punished if they are not working for or protected by the corrupt power structure.

Within this dark, corrupt, violent world, the 'little people' work to help each other. And while the powerful people prey on the vulnerable, the 'heros' work to protect the vulnerable, or to avenge them, usually paying for it with their own lives. Both Hardigan and Marv sacrifice themselves. Marv only kills those who are working within the power structure to protect those who prey on the vulnerable. When his memory is unsure, and he can't prove to himself that Roark is responsible, he holds off until he is sure. When Dwight is pulled over by the cop, he refrains from killing him because he doesn't know whether he is corrupt or not, and he won't kill someone who is innocent (though he'll happily kill a large number of people who are not. :D) Hardigan won't take advantage of Nancy's vulnerability, and gives up every hope of happiness for himself in order to protect her.

It's a twisted morality based on a dark, dark world, but that's the whole point of the graphic novel - the ability to go half-way into the 'comic book' realm and put unreal characters into impossible situations while still touching on something human. It's kind of cool. ;)

I was amazed with what they accomplished with this movie, and I loved it. Elijah was just icing on the cake. :D (And for the record, I was ready to kill someone myself today after several unpleasant encounters with incredibly rude customers while shopping (the first shopping I've managed to do since being diagnosed with pneumonia 9 days ago), but after watching mutilation and beheading and exploding things tonight, I feel much better. Sin City may end up being my PMS movie. :D )

Sin City may end up being my PMS movie. :D

Narya! :lol:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v377/honeyelf/ohmy.bmp

Nothin' to say. Just thought you all might enjoy that. :D

honey!

Elijah is so much the opposite of Kevin. So kind and considerate of other people's feelings it is amazing that he could pull off playing cold-blooded and psychotically happy with his 'work', Kevin.
That's our boy! :)


Not to mention that Elijah would've bitten those long nails to a nib long ago. ;)

Achila, thanks for the PJ video link. It was hilarious! And so deadpan; I loved it. PJ looks terrific as well. :)

It's the rare movie that scares me, anyway. Probably The Exorcist was the last one.
I don't get scared by scary movies. Usually they make me laugh. (I was a writhing heap of laughter all through The Shining, for example.) But I don't like them. I don't like all that violence, and I don't want to see it or put it in my brain. Some movies (generally life-like ones like Dead Man Walking or Crystal River) truly upset me, and I wish I'd never seen them. So I like to err on the side of wimpiness. I'm continuing to enjoy the SC reviews, as I know I will never see it. Carry on, ladies!

Hi all!

Just to repeat the thanks for all the ace Sin City reviews - makes the wait until 1st June all that harder!

Could resist the April Fool thing, sorry. :) I thought I might be able to fool a bunch of people who know that The One Lad can play *any* role! ;)

Hi Ladies,
Must say you're lucky being able to see SC.....it doesn't get here till June. Even then I think I'll need an excuse to go see it...maybe my daughter can accidentally drag me along ;) It's more her cup of tea anyway. But I'm glad Lij is getting so much positive press on this.... even those who didn't like the film have picked him out as one of the best things in it!! Amazing..and he doesn't say a single word.!
Thanx for the warm welcome.Like I said I'm new to this, and have no idea how to work the layout of these posts yet. Maybe someone can give me some pointers????? Some one like me needs all the help they can get. My family laugh every time I try to use my mobile phone!! So you see I'm a sad case when it comes to computers!!!!
Dduon...the Welsh rabbit

Dduon – welcome to the Faculty! If you love/admire Elijah, this is the place for you.

Belated comments on Sin City (interesting to note that Achila and I were the only women in the theater, except for a girl who was there with her boyfriend): I thought it was terrific! It is absolutely stunning, visually. The “special” special effects (the use of splashes or washes of color, or of white silhouetted figures against a black background, etc.) are used judiciously, and not so OVERused as to lose their impact. Even the plots turned out to be more engrossing than I expected. It is definitely of its genre: a pulp noir film based on a pulp noir comic, with all of the pulp noir conventions. But in the context of that genre, it’s quite brilliant.

Of course, there’s not nearly enough of Elijah. He is certainly creepy. But I have to say that I think many people who have made such a fuss over him in this role just haven’t seen him in enough other things, and therefore didn’t realize, before, the range of which he is capable. Anyone who has seen the evil McPhee will probably find Kevin less of a surprise. (Not that McPhee was in the habit of chowing down on women, but you know what I mean -- he was creepy in his own way.)

Achila wrote:
I have to agree that Lij wasn't scary, but I think that has more to do with the fact that I never forgot it was ELIJAH I was watching.
Yes, Achila and I agreed afterward that, even in the, um, “post-death” scene where Marv visits the Cardinal, we were thinking, “Oh, he’s still pretty cute.”

As for the violence, I agree with other post-ers that it’s not all that bad. The scenes that might have been “grossest” (dismemberments, decapitations) are 1) mostly in black and white, 2) generally more “cartoonish” than realistic, and 3) not drawn out or dwelt on too much. Actually, the only scenes where I cringed at all were those where somebody just pounded the heck out of somebody else with his fists. Also, even though two of the plots involve serial killers who prey on women and girls, you don’t actually see them kill any women/girls, IIRC.

Narya Celebrian wrote:
I'm pretty sure that not everyone would call it nobility, but the 'good' characters definitely had moral codes of conduct they followed, even if they weren't 'moral' in the RL sense (with all that killing ). But within the world of the novel (and of the movie) they definitely are. Within this world, the cops are corrupt, the politicians are corrupt, the wrong people are protected by the law, violence is endemic, and perpetrators are only punished if they are not working for or protected by the corrupt power structure. Within this dark, corrupt, violent world, the 'little people' work to help each other.
I think these are excellent points. The most obvious example of this is Rosario Dawson’s band of hookers. They don’t have pimps, and they protect each other. Again, some of this is noir convention: the lonely, upright (though violent) hero standing against a morally bankrupt system.

I’m definitely going to see this film again – next time, mainly just to LOOK at it, since now I know the plot and characters.

And as several people have noted, there is some very funny stuff in it.

Achila wrote:
It's the rare movie that scares me, anyway.
One of the scariest MOMENTS that I can remember in a movie is in Wait Until Dark, when you think that Alan Arkin is dead, and then he leaps out of the darkness at Audrey Hepburn. I saw the movie at Radio City Music Hall, and while we were waiting on the mezzanine for the previous showing to finish, we heard this enormous “Oh!” from the audience. We wondered what it was about – and we found out, because our audience did the same thing!

Still reading and enjoying all the Sin City comments. Just dropped in to say that a search for Elijah Wood at Amazon now brings up the Everything Is Illuminated theatrical release--with the note "Not yet showing in your area" of course :rolleyes: . But I'm excited that it's there. IIRC, the Sin City notice popped up around the beginning of February and ESOTSM had about that same amount of lead time; so this seems to be quite early for a movie not opening until August. With the website and the poster around as well, whoever's behind the pre-marketing is giving it a lot of attention. I'm taking that as a good sign.

I just saw a lovely SC review from notabluemaia on LJ. She says "Hi!" to everyone!

Elijah, clothed in a very Elijah sweater and converses, turns his beauty on a dime - and suddenly serene smile, expressive eyes, and flawless skin depict the most chilling evil since Hannibal Lecter. Still *completely Elijah* - and almost a caricature of himself, playing off his image to enrich Kevin. In-cred-ible. ...
Elijah *really* pulled it off - is a standout in an outstanding cast, and does a character like none I've seen. *shudder*

http://www.locusmag.com/2002/News/News0401b.html


Thanks for that link, tg.

We had considered T— G— for the job, but finally decided to go with B— due to his proven track record at slavishly imitating my father's work.

:lol:

Runs away from Sin City spoilers.

Sheryl

almost a caricature of himself,

How well put!

What with all the posts from Sin City reviews, I can't remember whether this one from Slate has already turned up (I don't think so). Anyway, I like it:
Elijah Wood's Kevin—a mute cannibal psycho geek with little glasses that white out his eyes and who fights like a weightless dervish
Ah -- got the "g" word in there.

on AICN. A lot of rough language here so beware (you'll see it right on the home page, on the left).

Also -- did you know that Elijah was Canadian?

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050404.wxcasting04/BNStory/Entertainment/

Hmmm

Canadian? Ya gotta wonder. :D

Thanks for that link, Achila. I have to admit I'm getting more interested in this musical than I was before, mostly thanks to the videoclip that was linked at TORn last week. Check out the costumes, the music, and the general air of determination and creativity.

http://www.pulse24.com/In_The_Raw/Raw_Video/page.asp#stagelotr

Thanks for that, Flourish. Interesting approach to use the Finnish music, of which the Kalevala was so much an inspiration for Tolkien.

You know, you just have to wonder how these people can pull this off with the films still so much in people's minds. Making it fresh at this point in time will be very difficult for them, I think.

Also -- did you know that Elijah was Canadian?
It's these little-known facts that get by the most ardent of fans. :rolleyes: :p

Making it fresh at this point in time will be very difficult for them, I think.
Good point. I think it falls under conventional marketing wisdom--I use that term loosely. It's like we have to have both Deep Impact and Armeggeddon in one year because we can't space out our asteriod disaster movies, can we? The other studio might "win". So no doubt they're rushing to get this production underway before everyone forgets all about LOTR, never mind that it's been around for 50 years. Oh, and no women are interested in it. I hope they'll change the story so that it appeals to women and children, because as everyone knows New Line missed out on that. /sarcasm

A few more EW mentions from Sin City reviews:

"The most surprising bit of acting is Elijah Wood’s stint as the mute cannibalistic serial killer, Kevin, who likes to [what Kevin does in the movie]. Definitely not the role you’d expect from someone like Elijah "Radio Flyer" Wood, and much praise is due to him for being open to taking such a risk."

"...it is here you almost feel sorry for Kevin, a twisted little twit of a cannibal played by Elijah Wood."

"And playing against type, Elijah Wood (2003's "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King") is viciously creepy as the silent but deadly Kevin."


I liked that the first reviewer mentioned "Radio Flyer," instead of LotR!

I don't think anyone mentioned this yet and I don't think I can directly link it here because of the content, but Ain't It Cool News has Quint's interview with Elijah, Charlie, Lexi, Leo and Claire up.

Lots of questions, lots of swearing, and lots of dirty jokes. It was a fun read though!

If the movie version of Aleister Crowley ever happens, who could pull it off, kevin (Elijah Wood) or Young Voldermort (Christian Courtler?) :lol:

I don't think anyone mentioned this yet and I don't think I can directly link it here because of the content, but Ain't It Cool News has Quint's interview with Elijah, Charlie, Lexi, Leo and Claire up.

Achila mentioned it in the title of her post higher up on this page.

Having read the interview, I think I know why the Hooligans cannot get any US distribution. Imagine the following meeting of the director & cast with a potential distributor:

Elijah Wood: Can we have some distribution, please?
Distributor: I'm afraid there's too much violence and foul language in this flick.
EW: But there's also this journey, y'know, like totally insecure, up and down unspeakable dark places, very deep...
Distributor: Do you really want me to understand what you've just said?
Charlie Hunnam: C'mon, dude, don't be such a s...-c...!
Claire Forlani: Can't you see that we f...ing rock?
Lexi Alexander: S....ß.! Kicks the distributor in the censored parts.

:D :p

For our CA friends:

* April 14-18, The Malibu Film Festival will screen over 30 films at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica. The Festival will feature 19 Premieres and 4 Academy Award Nominated shorts (Everything In This Country Must, 7:35 In the Morning, Gopher Broke, Lorenzo). Also screening: HOOLIGANS, MAD HOT BALLROOM, APRES VOUS, and THE BIG EMPTY,starring Selma Blair.

Also, Ebert and Roeper have their Sin City review up on their site now. You can listen at: http://tvplex.go.com/buenavista/ebertandroeper/today.html

Opening paragraph of Anthony Lane’s review of Sin City, in The New Yorker:
Here is something that we never thought to see. Something that exists beyond the bounds of logic: a scary Elijah Wood. Presumably, the actor looked around, seeking a film that would dispel the ripe aroma of Frodo Baggins, happened upon “Sin City,” and found the role of Kevin – a mute, bespectacled type who removes the heads of young women and dines upon the rest of them. Wood is ominously good at the stillness of this maniac, which only doubles the shock. It’s like discovering that Gandalf used to lure young hobbits into a shed and show them his special wand.
(Not sure about that "ripe aroma of Frodo Baggins" comment. Is he suggesting that EJW wasn't very good in that role???)

I seem to remember the New Yorker giving all three LOTR films reviews that were faintly amused but favorable. I don't recall whether Anthony Lane wrote them or not, though.

I'm giving the guy a break and assuming that "ripe aroma" means that the role was such a big role in such iconic films that Frodo might have lingered with EW for a long time.

I saw a documentary on PBS last night about the first true film megastar, Mary Pickford. Now, there's the prime example of a talented actress, former child star with a formidible mother as manager, with a smart business mind and the ability to choose topnotch roles, who got stuck with the stereotype of "little girl roles," such as Heidi and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. Even though she got her first big screen roles as a young woman of a similar age to herself, she unfortunately chose to make one or two of these classic children's stories soon afterwards and was locked into them by an audience who refused to see her in anything else. She entered into her 30s at about the same time as the talkies hit Hollywood, and even though she had a decent voice (former stage star), she soon faded into obscurity and alcoholism. She withdrew completely onto her fabled estate called Pickfair (after herself and her second husband, Douglas Fairbanks) and rarely emerged in the decades before she finally passed away in the late 1970s.

She was Hollywood's first superstar, and its first real has-been. A sad comment on the perils of being stereotyped.

Here is Mr. Lane's review of RoTK (http://www.newyorker.com/critics/cinema/?040105crci_cinema), found at Rotten Tomatoes. I'm not the most literate person in the world, but his review seems snarky, admitting that he enjoyed the film while at the same time finding fault. Anyway, he does not address Mr. Wood's performance specifically.

Topic Whiplash ahead: About a week ago I saw Robots with my daughter, who is a huge fan of animation of all types. It stars Ewan McGregor, Halle Barry, Greg Kinnear and Robin Williams. It really made me wonder why they cast such big names, because the animated characters really didn't bear any resemblence to their actors. Ewan McG. didn't even get to use his real-life accent, instead sounding like he really could be from some middle-America burb called Rustville. What was even worse, to me anyway, was that Robin Williams upstaged everybody. Makes me think we oughta update that old W. C. Fields saw: "Never work with animals, or children, or Robin Willams."

Anyway, it got me thinking into future, to Happy Feet. Can we anticipate, do you think, Mr. Williams running roughshod over his cast mates? Will any Elwoodness manage to shine through the googleplex of pixels formed into penguins? I suppose the truth will out eventually.

honey!

Thanks for the link, Honey; I had no idea their archive went back that far. That's the tone they take with anything popular, don't worry, I think the final paragraph told the real story:

As I watched this film, an eager victim of its boundless will to astound, I found my loyal memories of the book beginning to fade. It may be time to halt the endless comparisons between page and screen, and to confess that the two are very different beasts. Moments that lurk deep in the body of the novel are brought into the light. I had never fully clocked the subplot of Éowyn (Miranda Otto), King Théoden’s niece, until she turned up in the movie, clad in a man’s armor, and dared to confront the chief of the Nazgûl. He hisses that he fears no man, whereupon she whips off her helmet, shakes her tresses, and utters the Shakespearean cry “I am no man,” following it up with a solid jab on the Naz. I wish Laurence Olivier were alive to see that. It was he who realized that to film Shakespeare was not enough—one had to dig for what was filmlike in Shakespeare, to shock his words into becoming the natural flesh of a movie. And so it is with Jackson; when I watch Legolas scrambling up that mûmak, my mind turns not to Tolkien (who wrote no such scene, anyway) but to Douglas Fairbanks, scaling the side of a ship, in “The Black Pirate,” with monkeyish ease and delight. Peter Jackson has not really made a movie of “The Lord of the Rings”; he has sprung clear of it to forge something new. He has taken a deep breath, and raised a storm.

That was kind of a rave, actually. ;)

Anyway, it got me thinking into future, to Happy Feet. Can we anticipate, do you think, Mr. Williams running roughshod over his cast mates? Will any Elwoodness manage to shine through the googleplex of pixels formed into penguins? I suppose the truth will out eventually.
It's been said that Mr. Williams will be doing "several voices" in Happy Feet. That doesn't necessarily mean several characters, as the first thing that comes to mind is his genie character in Aladdin who used a number of voices all by himself.

Haven't heard anything about how much his character(s) and Elijah's will be together on screen. Has anyone heard what kind of character(s) he'll be playing?

------------

Flouish--I would definitely call that paragraph on RotK a rave :cool: (but no mention of what he thought about Frolijah, so I guess the "ripe aroma" isn't yet explained? :confused: )

A few more EW references from reviews I found at IMDB:

Elijah Wood as Kevin. Holy cr*p on a stick. I've met Elijah, and even hung out with him. During that time we talked primarily about comics. Elijah is a comic book fan, so I'm sure he was stoked about being in this movie. He is so freaking great here. The character of Kevin is simple. He's a silent killer. He never speaks. And he has a cold and calculating stare that would give you nightmares for months. Now those of you that remember Elijah as the sweet and lovable Frodo... kiss all that goodbye. He is pure evil here. In fact out of all the characters that have to do a lot with a little, Wood takes the taco. Easily one of the most memorable characters in the film, and all without a single line of dialogue.—Mark Walters (bigfanboy.com)

Even Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings), who never utters a single word, sparks both fascination and fear as a soul-slurping fiend named Kevin.—Eric Jeter (Premierreview.com)

Also look for Elijah Wood in a role that I am sure is going to garner the former hobbit a few new jobs.—scifiwatch.com

tgshaw,Part of my problem is that I normally don't mind at all going to movies alone, but I don't know if I want to walk into this one solo. Not because I'd need a hand to hold, but because I'm afraid I'd have "middle-aged Elijah Wood fan" written all over me.

I'm sure I had "middle-aged Elijah Wood fan" written all over me when I went today. And then, :rolleyes: , almost walking into the Men's bathroom right after buying the ticket didn't help much. I'm embarrassed but grateful the ticket guy called that to my attention. There was no more than fifteen people in the theater (1 PM on a Tuesday afternoon) and half of them were there solo. When I walked in, there were only 3 people there already, all guys sitting alone. So I sat w-a-y on the other side.

SPOILERS...


I was not particularly "scared" by Kevin. I was more scared of the "thought" of someone like Kevin. The music for the character was great and his nails awesome. I actually was disappointed that he was not seen more! I thought his death would be far more disturbing than what it was after watching Marv assemble all the necessary tools needed to accomplish it. To me it was far more fake than real and I think I laughed a bit at the sight of him limbless. As a member of this highly intelligent research group, there wasn't nearly enough of Kevin to properly analyze him!! And then he was gone.



END OF SPOILERS...
I'm glad I went to see it at the theater. I won't spend the money to go again...I'll save it and buy the DVD. I bought the book "EII" so I think I'll meander over to that thread soon. I've only read the first chapter.

That's it. Goodnight and no, the smirk was "precious" not haunting.

After all of the pre-Sin City excitement, when the time came and it was really here, I had been very reluctant to go. Scared, I mean.

Like Mariole said of herself--violence really does a number on me psychologically. There are scenes in some movies (or in books) that still haunt me after many years. So I've been dragging my feet.

But I went today--and it just didn't affect me in the way I feared. My kid and I saw it together and we tried to pin it down on the way home--why certain kinds of violence are really disturbing, and others don't seem to have the same effect. And I think this is it---I can't stand it when fear is exploited, when the target of violence is obviously in a lot of terror. When this happens, a relatively small scene can almost drop me (and I can't take it). There is a wonderful little movie called Matewan made a few years ago about a very real historical situation involving American coal miners and union activity and thugs who terrorized the workers. There is one scene in which violence happens to one terrified young man, and my chest still tightens every time I think of it. Saything that--it was a really good movie that dealt with important things.

IMO Sin City is different than that. I was so prepared to cover my eyes throughout much of it. But you know---they really don't play the fear of the "victim" of the violence. It was bang-bang-no-real-pain violence. I actually was sometimes more bothered by the way a character would talk about wanting to cause pain than by the actual action. It is like a comic book--and it is hard to take seriously. The violence--once I got used to the style of it, was not psychologically damaging to me. There were a few winces. A few times I wrinkled my nose and maybe looked away--but it didn't hurt me the way that I feared it would.

As to the movie--at first I liked it okay, but wasn't overly wowed by it--which is what I expected because I'm not into comics and that genre, anyhow. But I actually started to enjoy it to a degree--after about the second half, particularly. I don't have to seek it out again--but I wouldn't mind seeing it to try to tie some elements of the story together. It really seemed as if everything did not have to have resolution--just as if you are reading a comic and in one issue you might see in the background a character from another story. And that was interesting.

Elijah was quite good. But I wasn't scared. It's just that the whole movie didn't pull me into the suspense. I enjoyed it visually. Kevin was as he was supposed to be. Are all these reviewers really getting shocked because it's Frodo up there??? But then again, the reviewers who are into the movie are also into it as for what it is. They like the genre and the style. (I also was very very prepared for Keven ;) )

In a way--I think I'd like to see it again because I think I might like it more with another viewing--now that I'm not terrified and now that I know what clues to look for and just enjoy deliberate the cheesiness of it. It might grow on me as I notice more visuals and watch more as the characters wind in and out of each story. In the end, I did enjoy it--though I didn't love it.

Side note: Last week I heard part of an interview with Frank Miller on NPR in which he said it is about love. And that heroes are people who do the right thing even without getting the glory--when they never get recognized and maybe even get hurt and ugly. I wish I remember better but I was interrupted by the phone. It was on Elvis Mitchell's "The Treatment"

Must go eat dinner. I am being impatiently called. :)
(so glad I'm not sick to my stomach on violence so that I can eat!!) :)

A sad comment on the perils of being stereotyped.

I'm so glad that Elijah's Kevin is giving people the creeps. I was worrying about Elijah being stereotyped as Frodo as so many reviews of Sin City mention that role, but then I thought of how opposite Kevin and his next role, Jonathan Safran Foer are.

I mean JSF is a vegetarian! :D

I liked this review from earthtimes.org;
Directed by Robert Rodriguez and with Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke and Elijah Wood in lead roles, the movie is a recount of Frank Miller's comic book 'Graphic Novels.'

Its usually Clive Owen who's mentioned as the third lead.

This seems to be the year that EW shows the rest of the world how versatile he can be (we already know of course).

Thank you all for your own reviews of the film. I'm still not sure if I will go see it , although it doesnt sound as bad as I was expecting.

I mean JSF is a vegetarian! :D

:lol:

Glad I read that before I went to the office :p !

(And ditto to everything else in quicksilver's post.)

---A quick thought that in the grand scheme of things, it might be better if distribution for Hooligans does hold off until after August 12, as far as giving people whiplash over Elijah's acting (and I mean that in the very best way ;) ).

Shelbyshire, just be warned that the EII thread has discussion about many different parts of the book, so if you've just read the first chapter you may find out about some parts you haven't read yet. OTOH, the way the book is structured, that's sometimes beside the point.

Alyon wrote:
Are all these reviewers really getting shocked because it's Frodo up there???
Doing this movie – even though the role is so small – may be one of the smartest moves Elijah ever made, just because it has opened so many people’s eyes to the fact that he’s NOT Frodo, and he’s NOT still a cute little kid. (We already knew that, of course; but not everyone is so enlightened as we are. ;) )

And Alyon, I agree with your comments about the violence:
I can't stand it when fear is exploited, when the target of violence is obviously in a lot of terror. . . . IMO Sin City is different than that. I was so prepared to cover my eyes throughout much of it. But you know---they really don't play the fear of the "victim" of the violence. It was bang-bang-no-real-pain violence.
I think this was actually what I had in mind when I said earlier that the violence isn’t drawn out or dwelt upon. Thanks for pointing this out.

S
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Yikes! I dunno, you all! When Kevin met his fate I gasped out loud. I felt like I'd been shoved back in my seat. I could hear my husband laughing at me; he prolly thought I was reacting to seeing EJW in that state. But no, I was reacting to the first really shocking bit of gore in the whole over-the-top excercise. Those seeping stumps!!! The only thing, IMVHO, that saved it from being really gross-out disgusting, was the rapidity with which the action unfolded.

But that's probably just me. I was already a bit on edge because of the sheer loudness of the film, the violence (even the played-for-laughs bits, like Marv's multiple hit-and-runs), and the nudity.

The more I think back on EJW as Kevin, it really is that creepy little smile that made me uncomfortable about his character. Funny how much notice all the film critics are giving him; he barely holds still long enough to be recognized as the former Frodo Baggins of the Shire. What, did they think he wasn't acting before? ;)

honey!

HI ALL!!!

I must thank you all for the links and reviews
and thought about SIN CITY and KEVIN!!!!!

I think that all the people who thinks Elijah is creepy in this
roll realy are in a state of chock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D
They finaly see what we already knew!!!This man is something realy
specell

This sounds familer,have i said this before? if so sorry!!!!! :cool:
hoping i will be back soon!!!!


LOVE YOU ALL AND ´MISS YOU ALL/WOOD

TGShaw said: ---A quick thought that in the grand scheme of things, it might be better if distribution for Hooligans does hold off until after August 12, as far as giving people whiplash over Elijah's acting (and I mean that in the very best way ).

Hmmm. I feel just the opposite. There is so little of Kevin in SC, that I think I'd like to see Hooligans come out before EII, just to further establish the idea of Elijah as a "tough". Then Jonathan can be angsty as all get out. Otherwise folks might get the notion that Kevin was just a blip, an anomaly, and not really an indication of what EW is capable of. I mean, all these critics are gettin' it (finally :rolleyes: ) but what about the general movie going audience?

honey!

Honey!!


Spoilers!!
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*the thing about that scene is that when Marv showed all of his weapons I imagined something even worse than what happened. I already knew we were doing to see Kevin with no limbs.....So I really braced myself. I was so afraid they were going to SHOW Marv doing the sawing etc. And I had my hand over my eyes etc. But they didn't actually show the act of it. And Keven never screams or looks like he is in pain. It was so creepy, but I was so relieved. :confused: Does that make sense???

tgshaw wrote:
Part of my problem is that I normally don't mind at all going to movies alone, but I don't know if I want to walk into this one solo. Not because I'd need a hand to hold, but because I'm afraid I'd have "middle-aged Elijah Wood fan" written all over me.
I can certainly understand this feeling. After some consideration, I’ve come up with the following strategies, which I humbly submit for Faculty members who may find themselves in this uncomfortable situation, and who are unable to borrow a friend's teenage son:

1. Occasionally emit loud, swoony sighs when Clive Owen is onscreen. You may be less embarrassed at being taken for a middle-aged Clive fan. (One could do the same during scenes with Bruce Willis or Benicio del Toro, but that would be less believable, IMO, since Clive is much more swoonworthy. Sighing over Josh Hartnett is obviously out of the question.)

2. Carry one of the Sin City books into the theater with you. If nothing else, the fanboys will regard you with respect.

3. Ostentatiously carry a small notebook and a pen into the theater, and periodically pretend to make notes during the movie. Hopefully, people will think you’re a critic.

4. During the opening credits, when Elijah’s name appears onscreen, mutter scornfully, “Frodo? In a movie like this?”

5. Better yet, at that point in the credits, ask loudly, “Who’s Elijah Wood?” (Either strategy #4 or #5 may well have an additional benefit, by encouraging anyone sitting near you to move farther away.)

Pelagia!:lol:

Funnily enough there were lot's of women in the audience I was in, and a lots of us 'of a certain age.' But swooning for Clive? Yeah, I think I could do that believably! :D ;)

Alyon, I guess I wasn't as 'spoiled' as far as I thought I was, 'cause it blind-sided me! Maybe that's the difference!

honey!

Pelagia, should I whisper this or shout this??

OK -- so as not to be too obnoxious....we have tickets to see hooligans at the tribeca film festival.

Achila wrote:
Pelagia, should I whisper this or shout this?? OK -- so as not to be too obnoxious....we have tickets to see hooligans at the tribeca film festival.
[Pelagia here, shrieking with delight -- no icon for this, unfortunately, so I'll go with :eek: and :D ]

honeyelf wrote:
But swooning for Clive? Yeah, I think I could do that believably!
Yes, he looked particularly good in Rodriguez's B&W, I thought.

Achila and Pelagia, go ahead and shout it!

A dissertation will be expected on completion of viewing.

Don't forget, a new Lost tonight.

C4

I'll be looking forward to hearing what you have to say about Hooligans, Achila and Pelagia! It is so frustrating knowing that this film is out there, and is actually good, and that it still doesn't have a distributor! :mad: I still wish there were something we could do to help it along.

BTW, is anyone here going to the showing at the Malibu Film Festival?

Back to Sin City for a moment... I need someone to explain the last line of this review (http://www.uaf.edu/sunstar/archives/20050405/sincity.htm) to me:

I mean, a role where Elijah Wood never opens his mouth, you'd be a fool not to watch that.

:confused: I can't decide if that's a compliment or a slam. :confused:

Honey:
Alyon, I guess I wasn't as 'spoiled' as far as I thought I was, 'cause it blind-sided me! Maybe that's the difference

Yeah, well, you went on the first night, didn't you?? I waited until yesterday and I had read all I could from all you wonderful Faculty pioneers--I didn't WANT to be surprised!! So that particular part was revealed here in these very pages, so I knew. I was braced. I kept saying to myself beforehand--It's not real, it's just Elijah play-acting :D So I guess you can't really count my response as a valid indication of how the scene worked for people in general ;)

Achila, what day and time?

OK -- so as not to be too obnoxious....we have tickets to see hooligans at the tribeca film festival.

!!! Wow! You lucky girls! How come the silly little "cinequest" film-fest in wanna-be SJCA didn't have Hooligans???

Well, so long as you're going, make sure to take a minute at Grand Central Station to check out Willaim Wallace's actual 700 year old :eek: sword, fresh out of Scotland for the first time EVER!!

honey!

Hmmm. I feel just the opposite. There is so little of Kevin in SC, that I think I'd like to see Hooligans come out before EII, just to further establish the idea of Elijah as a "tough". Then Jonathan can be angsty as all get out. Otherwise folks might get the notion that Kevin was just a blip, an anomaly, and not really an indication of what EW is capable of. I mean, all these critics are gettin' it (finally :rolleyes: ) but what about the general movie going audience?

honey!


Well, if you take a trip to IMDB, you'll see that tons of users have commented in heralding Elijah's performance. Mind you, many are film geeks so at least Elijah's a little higher up with people who are like me! ;)

In case you're not tired of hearing more about Elijah's Kevin:

The stories are all interconnected and somehow involve the same evil villains, one of whom is played by none other than Frodo himself, Elijah Wood who plays a cannibal serial killer with such glee that one wonders if he couldn’t wait to shed the stereotype of himself as the angelic hobbit. As it turns out, he meets with a fate that is the most gruesome in a film that is chock full of gore and spatter as each villain is violently undone.

From here. (http://www.smmirror.com/MainPages/DisplayArticleDetails.asp?eid=402)

Achila, what day and time?Thursday, April 28 at 1. Someone bought our tickets for us (since they have an American Express card and we don't) so if you do have an Amex card, you can get yours now. If not, you have to wait until April 10.

LOL, Pelagia! I'll adopt your strategies #4 and 5 for future movies. :p It really is tough explaining why I appreciate Elijah Wood so much-- I don't understand it, personally. But he stirs something in me, and he's always so interesting to watch, particularly when I've seen the film before. There's something very honest about his talent which keeps me intrigued.

I mean, a role where Elijah Wood never opens his mouth, you'd be a fool not to watch that.

I can't decide if that's a compliment or a slam. :confused:
What s/he means is, Elijah is so beautiful, you can appreciate him fully whether he speaks or not. There is something sublime about the lips in their fully closed state. (This is my interpretation and I'm sticking to it.)

Seriously, it's lovely to hear good reviews about the Lad, but most of the reviewers reveal themselves to be fairly nitwitty in terms of understanding, well, at least one actor that they write about. I can't listen to most of these jokers too seriously, but I do like that Elijah is getting some good press and non-Frodo notice (for the uneducated population, which is probably most people). Cheers!

Here's an excerpt from a SC review that made me giggle this morning:

Kids, there's not even enough space here for me to go into the entire cast. I didn't even touch on Jessica Alba, Elijah Wood (not your Mom's Frodo here) Josh Hartnett, Powers Booth, Rutger Hauer, Michael Clarke Duncan ... the list is endless. It only serves to further enhance the allure of the film.

Notice? Not your Mom's Frodo? Hee hee.

Elijah Wood (not your Mom's Frodo here)

Oh, Achila, that's priceless! :lol: May I borrow that?

Why, as the mother of a young man almost old enough to be my....Fro.... :confused:

Hmmm, that didn't come out quite right! :o

Say, :eek: what does this fellow know?

honey! spends the next hour poking the broomstick under all the Lounge couches, including the detention one.

**C4, are you still here? It was just an April fools joke, it might have fooled anyone! You can come out now!** ;)

Oh, Achila, that's priceless! :lol: May I borrow that?Of course. And I would say that the person who wrote this review has quite wisely sized up the situation, yes? :lol:

The April issue of Total Film magazine is the publication’s 100th, and is full of “best of” lists, memorable moments, etc. Among the “memorables”:
Getting Wood Issue 28 (May 1999)
Long before he was even a twinkle in Peter Jackson’s eye, we met up with Elijah Wood and photographed him along with the rest of the cast of Robert Rodriguez’s hip horror The Faculty. Our Picture Editor said Wood was so cute, she wanted to pop him in her pocket and take him home with her, like – her words – “a little pet pixie.”
(This is accompanied by a suitably cute and pixie-ish picture.)

Their list of “100 Greatest Movie Moments of Our Lifetime” includes:
#30 – Shelob’s lair
#25 – Gandalf vs. the Balrog
#5 – Gollum/Smeagol’s “debate” in TTT

The LOTR trilogy also makes the list of “10 Most Influential Movies of Our Lifetime” (no mention of EJW).

On the other hand, this issue also offers “The Abridged Script: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy" (the magazine does a parody “abridgement” of a popular film in each issue), which includes the following where-have-we-heard-this-before tidbit, after Gandalf first gives the ring to Frodo:
ELIJAH stares at the ring. His eyes widen; his mouth gapes slightly open. The expression never leaves his face again – ever.And there’s also this, when Frodo wakes up from his dream at the beginning of TTT:
SEAN ASTIN: What is it, Elijah? Your constant expression of infinite worry appears slightly more defined than usual.
Writer is obviously yet another candidate for tgshaw’s rehab program.

And just for you, Achila, is this exchange from the ROTK “abridgment”:
VIGGO MORTENSEN: Well, speaking of dying, when Elijah and Sean get into Mordor, they will be killed. We must go to Mordor’s gate and fight!
ORLANDO BLOOM: A diversion!
VIGGO: Thank you, Orlando Obviousleaf, Son of Duh.

:lol: Yes, Pelagia knows my "fondness" for Captain Obvious...er...Legolas' famously brilliant line that I'm proud to hear every time I watch ROTK...only NOT. Son of Duh. That's a good one. :haha:

You know, IF (and this' a really big IF -- i.e., IF ) Elijah really had one expression throughout the movie, which we know he hasn't, then wouldn't that be more the fault of Peter Jackson (or the context of the story) than Elijah Wood??? Not to go back into this black pit again, but this "one expression" thing is exactly why there are some people who now think Elijah's a terrible actor. :mad:

Hi all!

You must be sick of all the EW as Kevin praise by now, but anyway, if you’re not, there are lots of fun threads about Sin City over at the rotten tomatoes forums – as well as plenty of gushing, there’s also ‘Kevin vs Frodo’ (which one would win in a fight, I think), ‘When Elijah Wood appeared in Sin City, did any one laugh?’ (consensus: no), and the rather worrying ‘did any find Kevin from Sin City, well, hot?’

(some quotes from that last one!)

Kevin = my favorite character. He should have been around more. His scenes were the only ones I felt like I was obligated to pay attention.

And yes, he was the only hot male in a movie of beatiful naked women.

And no, I did not like Elijah Wood as a hobbit or a girlfriend stealer. Though he was quite lovely as the Artful Dodger...I must say.

(Girlfriend stealer?)


Funny, how Wood's small role has gotten so much attention. Partly, it was the character and partly it was his performance. He may just be on his way to becoming a great actor.

Yep, it’s all about Kevin over there.

Random wrote, in reference to a thread at Rotten Tomatoes:
. . .and the rather worrying ‘did any find Kevin from Sin City, well, hot?’
"rather worrying" :lol:

As for the “girlfriend stealer” reference – probably ESOTSM?

Hi to The Faculty!

Honeyelf, I poked my head out from under the detention couch yesterday. I haven't been posting much, just reading all the reviews about SC and Kevin and trying to decide whether to see it or not. I may be able to attend a matinee next week--the 11:10 AM as Young Master and Miss ceefour's school schedule must be accomodated. I might not have to avoid suspicious looking men in rain coats like Shelbyshire as I'll probably be the only one in the theater and may not even need Pelagia's SC viewing tips. But still, the violence, cartoon or not, remains the big deterrent for me. I was covering my eyes just reading some spoilers! :rolleyes:

On another note, I have a free weekend of Starz and ROTK is scheduled for tommorrow afternoon in HI-DEF!! So I'll be able to swoon over Frodo swooning in Hi-Definition. And see the return-to-the-Shire purple and green outfit and the Grey Havens vest and coat. And Boromir's sleeves. And Pippin's scarf. And...I'll stop now.

C4

Ceefour, if you need someone to hold your hand, I'm thinking that could be arranged! Pelagia and I made it through it with no problems and ended up thinking it was really funny -- so if you'd like, I could see it again with you. Just say the word.

Re: all these amazing Sin City reviews for just 5 minutes of screen time -- and he doesn't even say A SINGLE LINE...does this bug you guys as much as it does me? Of course, I'm thrilled to see such great notices for Elijah, but...over 9+ hours of Frodo and not even half this much praise. Something is definitely wrong with that.

Achila wrote:
You know, IF (and this' a really big IF -- i.e., IF ) Elijah really had one expression throughout the movie, which we know he hasn't, then wouldn't that be more the fault of Peter Jackson (or the context of the story) than Elijah Wood???
Yes, it would, since we know how expressive Elijah’s face is . Now, if someone like Keanu Reeves has one expression throughout a movie, one might have good reason for suspecting that it’s his own fault! ;)

BTW, last night I watched ESOTSM with a friend who had never seen it (and who doesn’t have a DVD player). And the thought struck me, as it has on earlier viewings: is Patrick what Casey could have turned into, if Casey hadn’t had the strong sense of self that he apparently does? (On the other hand, Patrick doesn’t seem particularly bright, whereas Casey is.)

ceefour: Like Achila, I’d be happy to get you safely through Sin City. (Maybe we could combine movie with lunch??) Speaking of which (SC), Achila also wrote:
all these amazing Sin City reviews for just 5 minutes of screen time -- and he doesn't even say A SINGLE LINE...does this bug you guys as much as it does me? Of course, I'm thrilled to see such great notices for Elijah, but...over 9+ hours of Frodo and not even half this much praise. Something is definitely wrong with that.
Just goes to show the impact of doing something completely different from what you’re known for. Cf. Robin Williams or Jim Carrey’s first dramatic outings, or Nicole Kidman in To Die For, etc. Also, as we've said here before, the character of Frodo in the films is less "showy" than the more active and romantic characters (Aragorn, Legolas, even Sam). Frodo is a more subtle role. I still point, as an example, to the Grey Havens scene, in which everyone BUT Frodo gets to weep buckets, while Elijah has to convey Frodo’s feelings without benefit of tears.

Achila said: You know, IF (and this' a really big IF -- i.e., IF ) Elijah really had one expression throughout the movie, which we know he hasn't, then wouldn't that be more the fault of Peter Jackson (or the context of the story) than Elijah Wood???

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v377/honeyelf/myguy.jpg

(My husband dressed as Peter Jackson for Trilogy Tuesday: More pouty, Elijah! ) :lol:

You must be sick of all the EW as Kevin praise by now...

You are kidding, aren't you? :D

Funny, how Wood's small role has gotten so much attention. Partly, it was the character and partly it was his performance. He may just be on his way to becoming a great actor.

Well, like, DUH! Thank you, Orlando Obviousleaf! :D

honey!

Re: all these amazing Sin City reviews for just 5 minutes of screen time -- and he doesn't even say A SINGLE LINE...does this bug you guys as much as it does me? Of course, I'm thrilled to see such great notices for Elijah, but...over 9+ hours of Frodo and not even half this much praise. Something is definitely wrong with that.
I can "forgive" people who hadn't seen Elijah before for thinking he was playing himself for much of FotR and even TTT, but with the transformations Frodo went through in RotK-- :confused: :rolleyes: --some kind of denial going on, is all I can figure.


But then I read this from Pelagia...
Also, as we've said here before, the character of Frodo in the films is less "showy" than the more active and romantic characters (Aragorn, Legolas, even Sam). Frodo is a more subtle role.
...and reflect on the fact that that's been Frodo's fate with many readers for 50 years. So maybe it's the highest praise Elijah could receive.

Hello Faculty!! Well, I'm back - from NZ that is. To be honest, we arrived home on 18 March :o but since then my time has been swallowed up with recovering from the return journey :( - took well over a week & yet I was unaffected when we got to NZ - dealing with another computer crash & other pc-related problems :mad: - sorting out the hundreds of pics we took - trying to restore the family home to some sort of order after The One Son had sole possession for nearly 3 weeks :eek: - not to mention trying to read through all the posts I've missed here & in LJ land. Although reading through pages & pages of posts is rather enjoyable its also very frustrating - so many times I wanted to comment on things but far too much time had elapsed :(

Anyway - New Zealand. Paradise Found. Heaven on Earth. Shangri-La. Yes - we rather liked it :) In fact, we absolutely adored it. Now I understand completely why Elijah & all the LOTR cast loved it so much. Usually by the end of a holiday, even if I've really enjoyed it, I'm ready to go home. But not this time. I did not want to leave that beautiful place. I have been to Hobbiton & Rivendell & Lothlorien. I have stood on the banks of the Anduin & gazed across Mordor. Saw the Powderhorn Chateau (so loved by the cast), had a cup of tea in The Grand Chateau where they also stayed, and discovered the shrine, that landmark of EJW fandom, the Bucket Fountain :D We also stayed for three nights at the hotel in Queenstown where they used the squash court for filming Frodo & Sam scenes but I didn't discover this until I got home!! I was watching the dvd extras (its great to see places you've actually been to) and when they were talking about filming those scenes it suddenly flashed onto the screen - the familiar entrance to our hotel!! Wish I'd known that at the time!! Its all beginning to seem like a dream now but at least we have our pics & plenty of video footage. And I believe there's a possibility that Elijah could be there as I write. Thats if the report about him & the other hobbits going there in April for their Kong bits is reliable. Trust me to book a month too early!!

I'm so glad to see Elijah getting so many glowing reviews for Sin City. I know many of you have seen it and really enjoyed it - and I'm sure he had a ball doing it. However, I will not be going to see it :eek: This is just not my kind of film, I am extremely squeamish and just do not like horror & violence. And I don't want to sit through all of that for 5 mins of Elijah. But I will probably buy the dvd - then I can skip through it and just watch the Kevin bits - I feel its my duty, as a self-respecting Elijah fan, to force myself to do this at least once - though I will really have to psyche myself up for it and it will probably be viewed from behind the sofa. I do prefer my Elijah in one piece :D
Also :
Originally Posted by Achila
Re: all these amazing Sin City reviews for just 5 minutes of screen time -- and he doesn't even say A SINGLE LINE...does this bug you guys as much as it does me? Of course, I'm thrilled to see such great notices for Elijah, but...over 9+ hours of Frodo and not even half this much praise. Something is definitely wrong with that.

Absolutely - in fact it bugs the hell out of me :mad: OK, I confess to being rather Frolijah-obsessed - but two days work, 5 mins on screen (most of which it sounds to me is spent leaping about) - set against the haunting, unforgettable perfection of his performance as Frodo :confused::confused::mad::mad:

[b]
Re: all these amazing Sin City reviews for just 5 minutes of screen time -- and he doesn't even say A SINGLE LINE...does this bug you guys as much as it does me? Of course, I'm thrilled to see such great notices for Elijah, but...over 9+ hours of Frodo and not even half this much praise. Something is definitely wrong with that. Well, as Frodo, he wasn't acting. As a mute cannibal serial killer, he was. Unless it's the other way around... :eek:

My latest theory on the GH, btw, is that Frodo went to the undying lands, married an extremely short elf, and Peter Jackson can trace his lineage all the way back to Frodo.

~grumpy (I believe...I believe...)

My latest theory on the GH, btw, is that Frodo went to the undying lands, married an extremely short elf, and Peter Jackson can trace his lineage all the way back to Frodo.
Except for the PJ part because I'd never heard of him :D , this is what I've thought for 20 years or so. And the elf wouldn't necessarily have to be extremely short--there are human couples with a big difference in height between them.

Welcome back, Shireling! It's wonderful to hear such a good report about NZ. I definitely want to go!

Absolutely - in fact it bugs the hell out of me OK, I confess to being rather Frolijah-obsessed - but two days work, 5 mins on screen (most of which it sounds to me is spent leaping about) - set against the haunting, unforgettable perfection of his performance as Frodo
It is disappointing, but perhaps here's a way to look at it that might make you feel a little better. :) My sister is an engineer. Therefore, everything gets plotted and put on a spreadsheet. She found, after working 15 years for the same company, that her raises had nothing to do with her work performance. She could be rated highly and get a 2% raise, or nothing, and then later, out of the blue, she could get a 20% raise (yes, she got one) for doing nothing at all. So over time, her salary rose according to an acceptable curve, but it was not at all merit related.

So perhaps SC is Elijah's 20% raise out of the blue. We all know this notice is because everyone loved LOTR. What else could it be? But we (the critics) can't admit we love Frodo, because that's "weird." We will instead heap praises upon this splatterfest because it is noir and "cool." I don't really care, except that Elijah's acting curve rises in a satisfactory direction over time. I just want him to keep acting and entertaining me, because I do enjoy him. So I will accept the praise however silly or lopsided, because I'm convinced it's just deferred laurels, that were deserved and never sent.

Ah, Mariole
Your analysis is just so...perfect!! :cool:

Just dragging myself to bed, but wanted to say welcome back to Shireling!! What a perfect trip!!! yes, me too--I want to go there!!

goodnight!!

Hello to The Faculty!

Welcome back, Shireling. Any additional reports would be welcome.

Watched ROTK today in Hi-Def with my free Starz weekend. I swoon for Frodo's shirt at the Grey Havens, Pippin's vest at Sam's wedding, and Elrond's robes. I just noticed with this last viewing, SA does not have his vest on in his last two shots at the Grey Havens, so it must have been from the first days shoot, after lunch.

C4

Happy Birthday, Goldenberry! :)

Look who's come to taste your birthday cake -
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/whiteling/blueshirt_tongue.jpg

----------

Does anyone of you recall the discussion we had long ago about Elijah's suitability to play the role of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, the murderer in Patrick Süskind's novel "The Perfume"? This film is now in pre-production, and I'm very curious about it.
from IMDB:
Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, born with no smell, develops a superior olfactory sense, which he uses to create the world's finest perfumes. His work, however, takes a dark turn as he searches for the ultimate scent.

That would have been such a great villain role for Elijah! Much more complex than Kevin (though also a special creature), but abysmal and dark. IMDB lists Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman, as Grenouille they name Ben Wishaw. I never heard of him. Anyone familiar with him?
I think I've read the novel 3 or 4 times, since I found it incredibly absorbing. So much, that I actually made several illustrations for it. Here's one (hope, it's PG-13 sufficient ;))

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/whiteling/Grenouille_parfume.jpg


And guess who is going to direct this film? It's Tom Tykwer, the ex long-time boyfriend of Franka Potente! It's a small world.

A very nice week-end to all the Faculty :k ! Welcome back, Shireling!
I'm still feeling not great, having two days migraine behind me, ouch :(

First things first, on one of my all too few visits:


HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GOLDIE!


Goldie and I went to see Sin City last night and we're still trying to figure it out!

Ironically, when I got home I discovered the April 11 New Yorker which had a review of SC. I don't think it has been brought here yet, from my perusal of recent posts, so I thought you all would enjoy this.

This is the opening paragraph: ****Some spoilers****

"Here is something that we never thought to see. Something that exists beyond the bounds of logic: a scary Elijah Wood. Presumably, the actor looked around, seeking a film that would dispel the ripe aroma of Frodo Baggins, happened upon "Sin City," and found the role of Kevin--a mute, bespectacled type who removes the heads of young women and dines upon the rest of them. Wood is ominously good at the stillness of this maniac, which only doubles the shock. It's like discovering that Gandalf used to lure young hobbits into a shed and show them his special want."

Now, there is a tremendous amoung of snark here, and the review (Anthony Lane) doesn't know squat about Elwood's history with Rodriguez, and I would argue vehemently about the "ripe aroma" of Frodo, but I was amused to find this the very first topic of discussion in the review.

And I totally agree with the sentiment expressed here among my wonderfully smart colleagues that something is wrong that EW's stock seems to be rising on the basis of this 5 minutes instead of the epic role of Frodo.

I sure wish I could get to the Tribeca film fest. Seeing Elwood (as creepy as the role of Kevin was :eek: whets the appetite for a more substantial one.

Have a great weekend Faculty!

Now, there is a tremendous amoung of snark here, and the review (Anthony Lane) doesn't know squat about Elwood's history with Rodriguez, Or Elwood's history with Sin City either. Our lad is a comic book fanboy of epic proportions and, if you haven't noticed by now, nothing gets by him. He is right on top of the projects he wants to know something about, so asserting that he "shopped" for a role like Kevin is somewhat silly.

In other news, Happy Birthday, Goldenberry -- hope it's a great day! Here's a little something sweet for you!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/aquila0212/THE_BUMBLEBEE_FLIES_ANYWAY-21.jpg

You know, I have to own up and say that it was me, a few posts back, who asserted how annoyed I am that the 5 minutes of Kevin have gotten more attention than all the hours of Frodo. Actually, I should just be very grateful for all the good notices and leave it at that -- not a good idea to look a gift horse in the mouth, afterall! ;)

Whiteling, when I saw your first sentence and the very top of the picture you posted (ah, the joys of waiting for a dial-up connection to load... the suspense... the drama... :p ), I expected to see the mouse and the birthday cupcake. Don't think I've ever seen that one before--how cute :) .

Happy Birthday, Goldenberry!
For the occasion, here's a "framed" Elijah pic I haven't posted before. The inner, dark blue border is from his eyes in this picture--closest I've been able to get to blue :confused: . Anyway, it does go with the dark cast to his eyes here (Casey in the car with his father--I'm trying to figure out something really nasty to do to Casey's dad with PaintShop, but haven't figured anything out yet--not as easy as it would be with PhotoShop, I imagine :p ). Also note the subtle forehead squinching in this shot ;) .
http://www.frodolivesin.us/Pics/0c45c4e0.jpg

----The "20% raise" scenario sounds on the money. Maybe if we keep thinking good thoughts about how often this effect plays into the Oscars... :z:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GOLDIE!

After all this creepy Kevin business, :eek: I thought a taste of sweet and innocent 'Snow Prince' Frodo might be in order:

Goldie's Birthday Frodo (http://www.imagemagician.com/images/blossom/Goldenberry.gif)

Lovely post, Shireling. (Waves) Can you link in here to the NZ 'Hobbiton' pics you have already posted on your LJ? I don't know if it's allowed. I check your LJ regularly for updates, but I'm sure everyone here would love to see those photographs too. :)


I'm so glad to see Elijah getting so many glowing reviews for Sin City. I know many of you have seen it and really enjoyed it - and I'm sure he had a ball doing it. However, I will not be going to see it This is just not my kind of film.

My sentiments exactly. While I relish all the positive reviews EW is attracting, I don't think I'll even be getting the DVD for this one - from all accounts it's far too violent for me, I'm afraid. It's understandable, I suppose, how almost all those Sin CIty reviewers - the majority of whom are not exactly EW 'fans' - compare Kevin to Frodo. Obviously few of these people have seen Elijah's McPhee! A far cry from Kevin, perhaps; certainly - IMO at least - creepier than Patrick of ESOTSM, but it's a performance that is enormously indicative of Elijah's versitility as an actor. And he was - 15 or so at the time?

...but two days work, 5 mins on screen (most of which it sounds to me is spent leaping about) - set against the haunting, unforgettable perfection of his performance as Frodo

Beautifully put, Shireling. Sometimes things just don't make any sense! :confused:

I just noticed with this last viewing, SA does not have his vest on in his last two shots at the Grey Havens, so it must have been from the first days shoot, after lunch.

I'm glad someone else has picked up on that, ceefour! I noticed Sam's missing vest a couple of months ago while doing screencaps for gifs. I couldn't believe it! After all the fuss on in the DVD extras about Sean forgetting his vest, and them having to shoot the GH scene again because of that - and then the shots without the vest appear in the final cut! :rolleyes: Methinks the editor - or someone - was not paying attention!

Nice to see you, peaceweaver. :)

Honey Your hubby as PJ! :cool: :)

So perhaps SC is Elijah's 20% raise out of the blue. We all know this notice is because everyone loved LOTR. What else could it be? But we (the critics) can't admit we love Frodo, because that's "weird." We will instead heap praises upon this splatterfest because it is noir and "cool." I don't really care, except that Elijah's acting curve rises in a satisfactory direction over time. I just want him to keep acting and entertaining me, because I do enjoy him. So I will accept the praise however silly or lopsided, because I'm convinced it's just deferred laurels, that were deserved and never sent.

I agree with Alyon , Mariole, that this analysis is excellent. It also describes quite precisely how Academy Award votes are cast.

BTW, (and this could be SC spoilerish), to me the biggest Kevin thrill moment is when you see him when you don't expect to, and suddenly realize there is an unaccounted for variable in this final story of the trilogy. I wish Rodriguez and Miller had done more than that moment--that was the only audible Kevin gasp I heard that night.

Happy birthday again, Goldie! Your present is in the Harem. ;)

(((Achila))) Please don't be worried! I am actually grateful to see someone being annoyed on my behalf for these silly reviewers who are all trying to look smart after realizing their gaff with Elijah as Frodo. But (except for the rare one here and there) they are all so woefully ill-informed (I love your comments, Peaceweaver!) that I really just have to let it go. They might impress an equally silly person here or there, but we know the truth! :p

Ditto to all the comments of people who won't be going. I just don't want to support this type of movie or DVD with my dollars. But I'm very glad that other people found SC enjoyable and can report on Elijah's performance for me. Thank you very much!!! :k

I agree with Alyon , Mariole, that this analysis is excellent. It also describes quite precisely how Academy Award votes are cast.
(((Alyon))) (((Ereshkigal))) Thank you! And I hope you are right, and Tg, too. I think a lot of awards works this way. Someone says, "Oops, we missed so-and-so" because they were busy at the time correcting overlooking somebody else during the year of so-and-so's achievement. But the main thing is the movies. Keep 'em coming! :)

Nice analysis, Mariole:

We all know this notice is because everyone loved LOTR. What else could it be? But we (the critics) can't admit we love Frodo, because that's "weird." We will instead heap praises upon this splatterfest because it is noir and "cool."
(Hi, Ereshkigal, long time, no post!).

I would agree that EW is getting the notice he is getting coming off of his fame in LotR. And I defiinitely agree that critics think noir is way cooler than movies about heros and friendships.

But me, I think that if EW had done Sin City first and The Lord of the Rings second, we might have been reading the reverse sorts of appraisals. If audiences were seeing him in SC first they'd be saying, "Child-actor Wood disturbing and convincing as maniac killer; we look forward to seeing more from him, especially after some negligible films in the last few years." But then, when they saw him in LotR, they'd be going ballistic! "Child-actor Wood comes of age as LotR's Frodo! Sin City's Kevin gave no clue as to what Wood had in him as an actor! -- here he gives a truly ground-breaking performance of tremendous range and caliber!" -- and ya da ya da ya da.

But, as it is, he has come into [I]Sin City as an established name. The only actor with more name recognition at SC's release is Bruce Willis. I am guessing EW is more generally recognizable to audiences than Clive Owen is (yet), Josh Harnett, Benicio del Toro or Mickey Rourke, simply because so many gobs of people have seen at least one LotR film and know who Frodo is. So audiences and critics were watching for him, intentionally, based on LotR. If EW had come into SC lesser known, I don't think they would have made such a point of singling him out to scrutinize and then praise -- not to the degree that they have.

Also, the role of Kevin really is not small, within the story of SC. He may have only five minutes of screentime, but his character is presented as a pivotal one; he's one of the major villains. Even when he's not on screen, other characters are talking him up -- A LOT -- as one Bad Dude whom they have to watch out for or want to kill with extra fervour. So, by the time he is seen on screen, he already has been heavily anticipated. AND, it is a tremendous boon to the role (I think) that he is the designated foe of Marv, and that he gets to fight and be taken down by Marv, who probably has received the most enthusiastic audience reaction -- and the best reviews in all the cast.

Anyway, as many of you have said, I'm very pleased EW did well and that he's getting plenty of notice, but I don't care if he never plays another role like Kevin. Practically speaking, as a career-booster, it was worth it. But in terms of furthering his work as an actor, it is was negligible.

~ Mechtild

Happy birthday, Goldenberry!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v653/Lalage/EWFrance.jpg

Dr Mariole, your paper "Delay Patterns in Critical Recognition: The Elijah Wood Case" has been accepted to the Proceedings of the Faculty. :cool: :)

As a general comment, let me say that Kevin is exactly the kind of role that an actor of EJW's calibre should play in an overblown live cartoon--a catchy extended cameo that takes a few days to film.

Whiteling--So you are the second German lady (you are German, aren't you?) who thinks that the role of Grenouille would have been great for EJW. I have a RL German acquaintance who used to say that EJW was born to play this part-- she even nicknamed him Froschi when he was cast as Frodo ;). Apparently this didn't help as his name has not been mentioned in relation with the film. --- As for Ben Wishaw, he is currently the hottest young Shakespearean actor in Britain. Last year he appeared as Hamlet at the Old Vic to very positive reviews. Given that the people behind the Perfume project are "good old European intellectuals", Wishaw should have been very tough competition for EJW, that is, if EJW was considered at all.

Speaking of roles that Elijah is being considered for... Do you all remember the discussion about that film with Einstein and Picasso, et al? I have it on (fairly) good authority that, apparently, Elijah is still being considered for a role in that. :)

Also, I just heard that Sin City will be shown at Cannes in May. :cool:

Bunnie, great news! Elwood is still in the running for the story with Einstein and Picasso? (Sorry, forgot the name of the play :o) Jipiee! :)


Whiteling--So you are the second German lady (you are German, aren't you?) who thinks that the role of Grenouille would have been great for EJW.

Hi, Brunhild :) ! In a way - I am rather Bavarian (ergo kinda German ;)). And yes - it would have been an absolute dream part for Elijah! Just read this synopsis of the story (found at a reading list) and tell me: called this part for Elijah or not???

In the slums of eighteenth-century France, the infant Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born with one sublime gift-an absolute sense of smell. As a boy, he lives to decipher the odors of Paris, and apprentices himself to a prominent perfumer who teaches him the ancient art of mixing precious oils and herbs. But Grenouille's genius is such that he is not satisfied to stop there, and he becomes obsessed with capturing the smells of objects such as brass doorknobs and frest-cut wood. Then one day he catches a hint of a scent that will drive him on an ever-more-terrifying quest to create the "ultimate perfume"-the scent of a beautiful young virgin. Told with dazzling narrative brillance, Perfume is a hauntingly powerful tale of murder and sensual depravity.

Eighteenth-century France! Imagine the costumes the Lad could've worn as this ancestor of Kevin! And what great opportunity for superb nostril acting :eek: :D --- Froschi! :lol: But no, it seems EW wasn't considered at all.
Thanks for the info on Ben Wishaw!

I think the Einstein/Picasso movie you might be talking about is a film version of Steve Martin (yes, the comic/actor)'s play "Picasso at the Lapin Agile." This is Amazon.com's brief description of the play:

Ever wonder what it would have been like if wild and crazy Steve Martin had written an episode of "The Twilight Zone"? Well, wonder no more. The zany actor/comedian made playwright rookie of the year with this, the script of his first comedy, set in a bar in 1904 Paris. Two of the regulars, twentysomethings Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein, argue about the art of physics and the physics of art as they try to impress and bed a pretty girl. And then the space/time/culture continuum ruptures, and they're joined by a figure from the future who seems to be . . . Elvis Presley! Read for yourself why the show's been done Off-Broadway and at regionals around the country.

Speaking of roles that Elijah is being considered for... Do you all remember the discussion about that film with Einstein and Picasso, et al? I have it on (fairly) good authority that, apparently, Elijah is still being considered for a role in that. :)
Hmmm. I was just on the IMDB and noticed that someone from 20th Century Fox said on the board that the project has been abandoned. Someone else said that they spoke to Steve Martin at a recent book signing and he said the film was "definitely scrapped for now". I would prefer to believe YOU, Bunnie!

Re: Sin City. I just got the book "The Making of Sin City" and it's awesome! There are several pages about Elijah/Kevin -- I've scanned those pages and have posted them in my livejournal (www.livejournal.com/users/ and then aquila0212). It's the most recent post. Make sure to go to the folder to see the larger versions, so you can read what Elijah said. Be careful -- a couple of those pics are kinda...rough....

Dr Mariole, your paper "Delay Patterns in Critical Recognition: The Elijah Wood Case" has been accepted to the Proceedings of the Faculty. :cool: :)
LOL! ...ahem, that is... *bows formally* Thank you for the recognition, but I really owe the backbone of this work to my sister. She's the one with the spreadsheets. :)

I am rather Bavarian (ergo kinda German ;) ).
I am completely American, and have no idea what this means at all. *hugs Whiteling*

what great opportunity for superb nostril acting :eek: :D
Oh, yes! *holds heart * faints dead away*

PS: Thanks for the tip, Achila! :k

Happy Birthday Goldenberry! :k :k It was such fun to meet you in Seattle last summer! I'm sorry your birthday gift is a bit late, but he's all dressed up for a night on the town!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v377/honeyelf/812.jpg

honey!

Last I heard, Grenouille was being played by none other than Orlando Bloom!

Though I think that's a meaty role that Elijah could really sink his teeth into.

I've been itching for months for him to announce a new film project. How long must we wait??????

Whiteling, I meant to say how much I enjoyed your "Perfume" artwork above. It's amazing, and very different from your Frodo works!

I've been itching for months for him to announce a new film project. How long must we wait??????

Me too!

honey!

Speaking of new projects, don't know if you guys heard this yet, but Lij is in New Zealand even as we speak (Dom and Billy are also expected, if they're not there at this point), filming his King Kong cameo. Wonder how much attention THAT 5 minutes of screen time is going to garner? ;)

Thank you for the compliment, Honey :k . Grenouille IS very different from Frodo (and from Orlando :rolleyes: )!

Which brings me to the link Achila posted to her LJ - :eek: :eek: :eek: WOAH! (That means thank you, actually) -- He looks so alien there, almost like a tick (another thing he'd have in common with Grenouille!). But I'm looking forward to seeing the Hobbits being floored by KK :p .


Quote:
Originally Posted by Whiteling
I am rather Bavarian (ergo kinda German ).
Originally Posted by Mariole
I am completely American, and have no idea what this means at all. *hugs Whiteling*

Never mind, dear Mariole *hugs back* - Following incident may clear up my cryptic adumbrations:
When I visited Exeter Cathedral during a holiday in Great Britain a few years ago, an obliging guide welcomed me and handed me an info leaflet in English (I guess I looked very english, that is, waterproof :p). As I asked him for a leaflet in German he realized that not all visitors were his compatriots. So to be on the safe side, he asked the following couple, "English?", to which the woman prompt and proud replied, "Scottish!" :D (They agreed on "British" eventually.)
Bavaria is, so to speak, Germany's Scotland. ;)

LOL! Brilliant post, Whiteling! Thanks for sharing that. :D

Lij is in New Zealand even as we speak (Dom and Billy are also expected, if they're not there at this point), filming his King Kong cameo. Wonder how much attention THAT 5 minutes of screen time is going to garner?
*bounce bounce* Oh, I hope it's going to be a spectacular squashing, that will garner full screen time. Think big -- maybe even SIX minutes! :D Now, that is one cameo I will certainly turn out for. (I'm actually hoping that Elijah's character might actually play a minor role, so we'll miss him when he's flattened, but there is nothing to support that, just hope). :)

Thank you again for the SC piccies in your LJ. That was very kind of you, and very interesting! Wow, can the Lad ever fly on those wires.

S
P
O
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But really, didn't you think that one profile shot, where Kevin is huddled up in a crouch looking forward, looks an awful lot like Snoopy imitating a vulture on his doghouse? The similarity leaped out at me (rather like Kevin might). :p It did give me a chuckle!

hi all !!!!!!

just a quick stop too let you all know
i`m still here!!
i haven`t forgett you i woulde never do that!!!!!!!!!

achila,i can`t get to your livejournal but thanks anyway!!
i will keep trying!!!!!


LOVE YOU ALL/WOOD

Thank you again for the SC piccies in your LJ. That was very kind of you, and very interesting! Wow, can the Lad ever fly on those wires.

There's one high kick there that makes my eyes water!


S
P
O
I
L
E
R

But really, didn't you think that one profile shot, where Kevin is huddled up in a crouch looking forward, looks an awful lot like Snoopy imitating a vulture on his doghouse? The similarity leaped out at me (rather like Kevin might). :p It did give me a chuckle!Hee hee -- the only things missing are the scarf and goggles and he could be preparing for takeoff!

Hee hee -- the only things missing are the scarf and goggles and he could be preparing for takeoff!

:lol:

Taken for granted that Sin City has predominatly male audience, couldn't there bridged a gap in the market with the following products, just with Kevin in place of Snoopy -

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/whiteling/snoopy-red-baron-tie.jpg

becoming Kevin ties...


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/whiteling/Red_baron_underwear.jpg

elegant Kevin boxer shorts...
- many more chic designs are imaginable :D

*waves to Wood*

Nice Ties And Boxer Shorts!! Whiteling!!!!

"big Waves Back Whiteling"


Love You All /wood

LOL! The SC similarities keep mounting. For example, Snoopy is one of the most beloved Peanuts characters... and he never says a word! COiNCIDENCE?!?!?! :p

*can't find a vulture pose online -- this is killing me!* :lol:

Oh, well. A comparison shot is attached. Don't click if you're avoiding spoilers. Cheers!

*waves to Wood* :)

Waves back Mariole!! :k :k :k

"WAVES TO YOU ALL"

edit:achila,it worked!!!thank you so much!! :k :k :k :k

WOOD

Mariole, I don't know if this will help, but the vulture does have glasses on.

http://www.vultures.homestead.com/kids.html

C4

Saw All I Want yesterday and was surprised by the ending.

*can't find a vulture pose online -- this is killing me!* :lol:
Here's one, Mari:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/aquila0212/snoopyasvulture.gif

But look at Charlie Brown's sweater! Just add dark hair and glasses and he's Kevin!

http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/peanuts/meet_the_gang/images/meet_charlie_brown_big.gif :eek: :cool:

OK, Charlie Brown talks but Kevin CAN talk he just doesn't much. ;)

Brilliant, Hobmom! I'm dying laughing!

Obviously, Kevin was quite a Peanuts fan. :) :p

Thanks for the vulture, Achila! Although now that I've seen it, I'm beginning to prefer the Sopwith Camel. :D

C4, congrats on watching AIW. :)

Achila! Great scans from the Sin City book! Am ordering a copy immediately!

whiteling wrote:
He looks so alien there, almost like a tick
:lol: And then Mariole came up with Snoopy in vulture mode! Voles, lemurs, bats, ticks, cartoon dogs, vultures. . . . Is there no end to this madness? (And let's not forget the Jack Russell terriers.)

ceefour: What surprised you about the ending of All I Want?

Achila--Thanks for the "Making of" pics. I checked them out to see if I might be able to desensitize myself enough to see the movie, but I think that will take some "in front of the camera" pics...

Loved the quotes from Elijah. As Mechtild said, he probably won't advance his acting much from this, but, hey, everyone should be able to have a little fun on the job occasionally. :p And I do think that wire work is a new skill, so it wasn't all in vain. New heights of flexibility in those pics, I will say :cool: . Typical RR to not "realize" what a physical role Kevin was :rolleyes: , and typical EW to take it on with no problem. Since I'm still concentrating on Casey caps, RR's comment made me think of how physical a role Casey is and whether RR realized that, or whether (not unlikely, IMHO) Elijah punched it up a bit himself from RR's original thoughts. IIRC, regarding their other joint venture, RR remarked afterward that The Guy did "a great fall" (or words to that effect). But it didn't seem he'd quite "gotten" Elijah's physical abilities yet when he cast him as Kevin.

But look at Charlie Brown's sweater! Just add dark hair and glasses and he's Kevin!
:lol:
I noticed the Charlie Brown sweater right off (with the dark/light colors reversed--obviously some heavy symbolism there ;) ), and I knew that crouching, leaning forward position reminded me of something, but I couldn't figure out what -- Snoopy's vulture, indeed! Snoopy's problem is that no one takes him seriously as a vulture, so he eventually gives it up. Somehow I doubt if Kevin has to worry about that. (Snoopy's problem on the tree, as is obvious, is that the tree bends with him, so he doesn't lean forward there like he does on top of the doghouse--have the pics, but no way to scan them :( .)

But what really, really made me :lol: regarding Kevin was his shoes!! When I saw them in the first wire-work still, I thought, "Either this is practice, or they CGI them in the real thing." But then came the frame from the actual comic, and there it is--Kevin wears sneakers! The part was obviously meant for Elijah :p .

Wood, if you haven't tried this yet, instead of clicking on the link Achila posted, type the URL into your browser, and after the final slash, add the second part she listed.

Spoiler below, in case anybody else has not seen All I Want/Try Seventeen.






Pelagia, I was surprised that Jane returned to Jones. I suppose what Jones' mother said about people passing through one's life set me up to think that Jane was lost to Jones for good. Unless the whole ending was just another one of his fantasies, but I don't think so.



End spoiler.





Spy Kids 3 was shown today-no, yesterday now-on my Starz free weekend, plus the on the set of SC program and TTT. Does a Faculty member work at Starz? ;)

C4

It was EW weekend on my TV--in addition to the stuff on Starz that ceefour mentioned, RotK was also on Starz, Forever Young was on the WE channel, and Back to the Future II was on TBS!

According to Linda Goodman, Snoopy is an Aquarian dog. Charlie Brown (Kevin) is a Libra.

I have no idea what these two things have to do with Our Boy, do You? :confused: :lol:

Heads up everyone!

Elijah will be hosting a half-hour special on MTV to launch Xbox 2.

http://www.brandweek.com/brandweek/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000874671

:)

...Snoopy is an Aquarian dog... I have no idea what [this has] to do with Our Boy, do You? :confused: :lol:
This is a rhetorical question, right? ;)

--Have to go to my earthlink page 2 homepage for the horoscope, as it's not something I check regularly, but for Aquarius today it says that it's time to come out of your dreamy state and face real life, or real life will slap you in the face. So, read any good scripts lately, Elijah? :p

I'm expecting the King Kong hobbit spots to be PJ-style cameos and nothing more, but it would be nice to be happily surprised. :)

hobbityme--The only thing that surprises me a bit about Elijah hosting an Xbox show is that I thought he was a loyal Apple user. So I wouldn't have guessed that he'd push a Microsoft product.

I am sitting here trying to think up an excuse for my family for watching a show on MTV about video games when my family knows they both drive me crazy!

C4

Ceefour, when no one is looking, about 15 minutes before showtime set your tv to the MTV channel and then "lose" the remote for about an hour. :p

--Have to go to my earthlink page 2 homepage for the horoscope, as it's not something I check regularly, but for Aquarius today it says that it's time to come out of your dreamy state and face real life, or real life will slap you in the face. So, read any good scripts lately, Elijah? :pI'm an Aquarian too, so perhaps that's good advice for me as well. Anyone need a toxicologist?

I'm expecting the King Kong hobbit spots to be PJ-style cameos and nothing more, but it would be nice to be happily surprised. :) Somehow, I don't think so -- I can't imagine Pete would squander the opportunity to have his favorite hobbits do *something* . We'll see.

hobbityme--The only thing that surprises me a bit about Elijah hosting an Xbox show is that I thought he was a loyal Apple user. So I wouldn't have guessed that he'd push a Microsoft product.I don't think he's exactly discriminating when it comes to games -- I'm sure he loves his Xbox just as much as his PS2!

Thanks to my Faculty friends for the birthday wishes and Elwood photos!

Wish I had time right now to study the past few pages carefully, but alas! work calls. Peaceweaver and I had a blast at our Sin City screening Friday night. I didn't expect to find the film to be so funny :haha: . The Kevin scenes went by far too quickly. I could see renting this flick when it's out on DVD, for in-depth research. :D

It was a surprise to return after a computer-less weekend to see pics of Snoopy and Charlie Brown. This thread certainly takes some entertaining twists and turns. :k

thanks for the tip maeglian!!!!! :k :k


i will check this out right a way!!!!!!

you can wonder,elijah is never in a paper in scandinaivia or am i looking
in the wrong direction as usally!! :( :(

LOVE YOU ALL/WOOD

I don't think he's exactly discriminating when it comes to games -- I'm sure he loves his Xbox just as much as his PS2!

And the fact that he probably would like to hang out with The Killers is definitely an added plus! :)

Hello to The Faculty!

Pelagia and Achila kindly took me in hand and went with me to see SC this morning! It's a good thing, too, as I would have been the only female in the theater. Dear Faculty, I wish you could have seen the cashier's face when I asked for a ticket for Sin City. Eyes wide, mouth dropped, and then started laughing. I forget exactly what she said (maybe Achila or Pelagia will remember), but something like "I never would have guessed that looking at you." And then Pelagia stepped up :eek: , and finally Achila :eek: :eek: !! The ticket collector said, stunned, "Are you sure?"

There were moments that are cringe-worthy. But not as excruciatingly painful to watch like Alien. I found the Hartigan story line the most engaging. And EW as Kevin is decidely creepy.



Spoiler


Thinking about it, when Cardinal Roark says Kevin is devouring his victims souls, I think it is because he-Kevin- doesn't have one, and neither does the Cardinal, who also partakes.



End Spoiler



Achila and Pelagia are also credit watchers! Hurray!


We then had a much too brief lunch as I was running out of time, talking about our meandering paths to The Faculty. Achila wore her Ring of Barahir and I wore my One Ring. Pelagia is too sensible, I think. Correct me if I am wrong!

Wishing all the Faculty could have joined us--at least for lunch,

C4

C4, thank you for sharing your "Sin City" viewing story! I would have paid full price just to see that woman's face! :D

honey!

ETA:

Just read a Variety article by Joe Leydon reviewing Hooligans, and found this interesting tidbit:
Wood is burdened with some of the pic's most tin-eared, over-emphatic dialogue --- script could have used at least one more rewrite to scrape away the more obvious cliches --- and he lays on the moist-eyed innocence a tad too thickly in early scenes. But he's very adept at rendering Matt's evolution during his slow, steady immersion into a culture of violence.

And then, just to demonstrate the two-blind-men-looking-at-an-elephant aspect of moving reviewing, John Defore from the Hollywood Reporter says (emphasis mine):

Elijah Wood might seem a good choice for the role of Matt: His innocently huge eyes already have witnessed vast evils on the behalf of moviegoers. But he is too much a blank slate here, portraying little evolution between Matt's initial shock and his complete devotion to the firm. It's difficult to understand the bond he feels with Pete, especially when that allegiance quickly trumps the love of his sister.

One says he's too "blank" (the One Expression again) and one calls him too weepy. :rolleyes: One praises him for showing the evolution of his character believably, and the other says he doesn't! :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Alls I know? I wanna see this film!!!

Hey!! Goldenberry!!! I'm late, but I'll sing to you. But not here. In my private little room where no one has to suffer for the hearing.


Happy Birthday!!!!

:k :k :k

C4, thank you for sharing your "Sin City" viewing story! I would have paid full price just to see that woman's face! :D
Don't suppose anyone wants to fly to Omaha to hold my hand--not that I could offer to buy the plane ticket or anything... :rolleyes:

Some women must be seeing Sin City somewhere--it opened at #1 in the U.S. and was still #2 on its second weekend. But maybe they're seeing it more in the company of males on the weekends.

And then, just to demonstrate the two-blind-men-looking-at-an-elephant aspect of moving reviewing...
From where we're sitting, it should be interesting to watch reviewers and the general public "discover" Elijah over the next year or two. It may seem to us like he's done quite a bit since LotR, but AIW and Ash Wednesday went straight to video, ESOTSM and Sin City are widely-noticed movies with Elijah in important roles but not big ones. If Hooligans gets wide distribution, it'll be his first leading role in a "theater" movie since Frodo. If Hooligans doesn't get wide distribution, the honor will fall to EII (for which, from the push it's getting already, I have no doubts regarding distribution).

Elijah wasn't an unknown before LotR, but for most people he flew under the radar. If a movie he was in got noticed, he got mentioned and sometimes highly praised, but a movie didn't get noticed (by most people ;) ) simply because he was in it. Maybe more to the point, a movie didn't get noticed by many reviewers simply because he was in it. A lot of them are going to have him under the magnifying glass, now. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of them are going to be on the lookout for ways to justify whatever they said about his acting in LotR (those who said anything about it :rolleyes: ). If I had more research time :( , I'd try to match up current reviews with LotR ones. Are we getting, for example, "See, I told you he could only play dewy-eyed innocence," and/or, "See, I told you he could show a developing character" reactions?

Don't suppose anyone wants to fly to Omaha to hold my hand--not that I could offer to buy the plane ticket or anything... :rolleyes:Would that I could, luv! :k

From where we're sitting, it should be interesting to watch reviewers and the general public "discover" Elijah over the next year or two. It may seem to us like he's done quite a bit since LotR, but AIW and Ash Wednesday went straight to video, ESOTSM and Sin City are widely-noticed movies with Elijah in important roles but not big ones.That's very true. I think it's gonna be a long time before he stops being called "Frodo" in reviews -- just today, I got a notice about a story regarding the Xbox show on MTV, that had the headline, "MTV and Frodo To Launch New Xbox".

If Hooligans gets wide distribution, it'll be his first leading role in a "theater" movie since Frodo. If Hooligans doesn't get wide distribution, the honor will fall to EII (for which, from the push it's getting already, I have no doubts regarding distribution).EII isn't an independent film, so the distribution issue is moot. But as for Hooligans, I highly doubt we're going to see that film here in US theatres this year, if at all. The suggestion of the extremely rough language, in these very conservative times, coupled to a sport Americans really don't care much about, even despite the presence of an "A-list star" in it, is going to make this a very hard sell for them. If it does receive distribution, my thought is that it will play in some art houses, but that'll be that. And the other possibility exists that a cable TV station like IFC could swoop in and purchase it outright, like what happened with All I Want.

HALLO EVERYONE!!!

i have to say i feel realy sorry for you all
americans if you don`t get the chance to see
this movie!!

And double sorry for elijah !!!!when is he going to get the attention
he so deserves to have!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :confused: :confused:

well i will not go in to this matter any deeper right now!!
it will give me a heartattack if i do it!!
i bee so angry about it!!!
well i know you all have sade not to worry but hey
this is me i alwayes worrys and aspecielly when it comes to
our man!!!

love you all/wood

My favorite online DVD review site, DVDVerdict.com, has a review of Chain of Fools up today! (I'm not going to link to it even though it has no foul language, because the forum section of the site does allow R-rated words, so I'm being cautious.) Nothing specific about EW, but the "closing statement" of the review says:

Chain of Fools is really, really dumb. Most of the jokes fall completely flat. And it made me smile anyway, sometimes even because the jokes didn't work. If I tell you to spend your hard-earned DVD dollars on this, there is a good chance you will write me hate mail and question my sanity. But try it, just as a rental. It might be a pleasant surprise for you, too.

Just couldn’t resist sharing the following, from Premiere magazine’s summer movie preview, about the animated feature Madagascar. Andy Richter is describing his character, Mort the ringtail lemur:
He’s like a Furby. It’s that same “cute” ratio of big eyes to small nose to little mouth.
Hmmmmm. Sounds a bit like “babylij,” doesn’t it? I went to the Madagascar website, but couldn’t find a downloadable photo of Mort (though he occasionally peeks around a tree, and is indeed very cute – much more so than Furbies).

Also, from Entertainment Weekly’s review of Fever Pitch:
A movie star can’t just be pretty. His features have to knead together in an interesting way.
I would say that applies to Mr. Wood, whose features are indeed "pretty" when taken separately, but become "interesting" when assembled because of the contrasts among them.

It was great to meet ceefour yesterday, and support her through the wilds of Sin City (not to mention running the gauntlet of ticket-sellers and -takers; the funniest reactions I’ve had since I went to see 8 Mile ). Since Achila and I learned that she (ceefour) has not seen all of Elijah’s films, we are looking forward to introducing her to the likes of The War and Huck Finn.

ceefour wrote:
Achila wore her Ring of Barahir and I wore my One Ring. Pelagia is too sensible, I think. Correct me if I am wrong!
Oh, dear. I’ve been fighting for most of my adult life against a “sensible” image. (Just the fact that I’m on this message board should be enough!) I’m just not really into rings that much. I obviously need to find some other form of wearable LOTR merchandise.

I obviously need to find some other form of wearable LOTR merchandise.

The leaf, the leaf, get the leaf! tgshaw has the leaf. :cool: (Where's the jealous smilie?) My mother got me Arwen's necklace, but I doubt I'll ever wear it. The rings are cool, and the swords even cooler, but I don't know that I'll ever get them. I may break down and the the leaf yet. I think it's nifty.

I liked that review of Chain of Fools, Shape's Girl. I think I'd find that movie fun even if Elijah wasn't in it. :p But 'tis true Elijah's scenes are my favorites but a considerable margin.

Sheryl

The leaf, the leaf, get the leaf! tgshaw has the leaf. :cool: I have the leaf as well. We'll fix you up, Pelagia -- don't worry. :k

hi!!

i so woulde like to have the one ring!!!!!!
mussst have the presiusssssssss!!

give it to me love!!!
hmmmm i think it has effected my brain!!!!
:lol:

love you all/wood

The leaf, the leaf, get the leaf!

I have the leaf bracelet. Just a simple silver chain, with a tiny one ring-and-sting toggle, and a one-inch long fellowship leaf. But watch the toggle! I can't tell you how many times I've nearly lost it! :eek: I finally attached it to my watch.

Once, at a gathering of quilters, I spotted a woman wearing the leaf brooch. "Oh! I like your pin!" I showed her my bracelet. "It's like a little secret society of sisters, right?" I said. She looked at me like I'd certainly fallen out of my tree! :rolleyes:

honey!

shilohmm wrote:
The leaf, the leaf, get the leaf! tgshaw has the leaf. (Where's the jealous smilie?) My mother got me Arwen's necklace, but I doubt I'll ever wear it. The rings are cool, and the swords even cooler
The leaf sounds good. Of course, I’d love to have Sting; or even one of Legolas’s knives. But DK about carrying something like that around in public, esp. these days! I know Viggo got away with it in NZ, but that was a special situation. So where do you get the leaf?? (Oh, wait -- I see that Achila knows. We’ll consult.)

honeyelf wrote:
Once, at a gathering of quilters, I spotted a woman wearing the leaf brooch. "Oh! I like your pin!" I showed her my bracelet. "It's like a little secret society of sisters, right?" I said. She looked at me like I'd certainly fallen out of my tree!
:lol:

Once, at a gathering of quilters, I spotted a woman wearing the leaf brooch. "Oh! I like your pin!" I showed her my bracelet. "It's like a little secret society of sisters, right?" I said. She looked at me like I'd certainly fallen out of my tree! :rolleyes:
Her reaction seems strange... didn't she know what she was wearing? Or was she trying not to let on? :confused:

I've seen pictures of that bracelet, and noticed it had a good-sized toggle, but didn't realize it was Sting and Ring.

---------

Yes, I have the Fellowship brooch. It's the only bit of LotR jewelry I've really wanted, and it's the pick for two reasons: I like the idea of being part of the Fellowship in some way. Also, my suspension of disbelief when it comes to Middle-earth went into chronic phase years ago and I like to keep it going. There was only One Ring. There was only One Sting. There was only one Evenstar... Oh, well, forget that... there was never an "Evenstar Pendant" except in the movies... :rolleyes:

But there were eight identical brooches. And, who knows, there may have been many more of them. The Lorien Elves considered it "their own raiment." So, certainly, one could have been dug up somewhere... ;)

--And it follows Tolkien's description of it very well, so I have no problem considering it authentic. It's said to be an exact copy of the ones worn by the cast, and I believe it--that baby is heavy. Definitely made for outer wear. I wear it on a coat or jacket; it'd be too heavy for most dresses.

One authenticity quibble: Sting is great, but where did that scabbard come from? It's supposed to be "worn leather." :rolleyes:

(There is one set I love just 'cause I love it--not because it's from LotR. That's Eowyn's gold and blue jewelry. But, Lord, that's expensive! You'd think Arwen would have the pricey stuff. :eek: )

I went to the Madagascar website, but couldn’t find a downloadable photo of Mort (though he occasionally peeks around a tree, and is indeed very cute – much more so than Furbies).
Ah, but is he as cute as Bud (as in Budcute.jpg)? ;)

http://www.imagemagician.com/images/tgshaw/off topic/ringtale_lemur_Budcute.jpg

Ring-tail lemurs seem to be especially popular in the "cute" department. :cool:

Pelagia, I'm sorry! You are not sensible at all! Would a sensible person see a movie like Sin City? No! Or TAMTSNBN :eek: Definitely no! Or post on a website about an actor with the face of an angel who's the best actor of his generation? No! No? Wait...that shows we are sensible. Forget that last one.

Here, pick one out to wear:

http://shop.newline.com/catalog/category.xml?category_id=5103;pcid=2472;pcid2=5094

C4

ceefour--I'm not really sure I wanted to know that there's such a thing as an "Eye of Sauron tongue ring" :eek: , although I bet they do a brisk business in the Legolas navel rings. :p But... no Frodo? :confused:

Scary thing is I can picture Saruman wearing a "symbol of Saruman navel ring." :D

-----------
BTW, I looked into the possibility of putting stuff from the New Line store on my website, but the outfit that runs their affiliate program has this stipulation that if you go a straight six months without selling anything, they start charging you a penalty :eek: . Geesh, if Amazon did that... :(

It's said to be an exact copy of the ones worn by the cast, and I believe it--that baby is heavy. Definitely made for outer wear. I wear it on a coat or jacket; it'd be too heavy for most dresses.


I have the leaf and I usually wear it on a silver chain - there is a loop at the top! It *is* a bit heavy to pin on a lighter weight fabric. It is beautiful and it seems to be identical to the movie ones.

Just to join the discussion... I've been busy over at the Quote thread. I do love the books! When I divorced and filed my first solo tax return a few years ago, I was able to claim my two dependents which gave me a nice return. So I decided it was time to give myself a present. :) I bought Sting from the Noble Collection. I just love it. All the kids have held it and I even took it to my daughter's class for a LOTR presentation I put together. It was a fourth grade class and they all got to hold it too. The fan club had sent me two identical magazines one month so I had a drawing and gave one away which was still unopened. Last year, I bought Glowing Sting from Master Replicas. I took it out Halloween night and believe me, it attracted kids! And, I have a little teeny tiny Sting attached to a little pocket book. And, ;) I'm kidding, that's it. Of course, Frodo can stop by anytime if he wants them back!! :D

Hi

I also have the Elven leaf brooch - I always wear it when I go to anything LOTR-related. However, a word of warning to fellow leaf-bearers - there was a near-tragedy in NZ. Standing on the spot where Aragorn lay as his horse nuzzled him (by the Hutt River, I think) my husband picked something up from the ground - it was my brooch, minus the pin which fortunately was still attached to my jacket. I'm sure there's something quite symbolic about that (though I'm not quite sure what) - what was it Aragorn said in TTT? The leaves of Lorien do not idly fall - or something like that :confused: Anyway, happily it is still in my possession but I still need to get it mended.

Lovely post, Shireling. (Waves) Can you link in here to the NZ 'Hobbiton' pics you have already posted on your LJ? I don't know if it's allowed. I check your LJ regularly for updates, but I'm sure everyone here would love to see those photographs too.

I have tried linking to my LJ in the past BLOSSOM but it hasn't been allowed. However, if anyone would like the link just PM me and I'll pass it on. I'm afraid I still haven't got any further than Hobbiton with it but I will eventually, I promise :z:

I loved the following quote from MARIOLE as a possible explanation for all the praise being heaped on Lij for SC:
So I will accept the praise however silly or lopsided, because I'm convinced it's just deferred laurels, that were deserved and never sent.

"Deferred laurels" - yes, that makes me feel better :)

I am sitting here trying to think up an excuse for my family for watching a show on MTV about video games when my family knows they both drive me crazy!

There's no point in my trying to think of an excuse C4 - as soon as I say I want to watch/record something on MTV, they'll know there's an Elijah connection :o

Honey - I thought that pic really was PJ until I read the accompanying post - thats amazing :D The real PJ has certainly done wonders with himself - I couldn't believe it when I saw him on screen at ORC. But I want the old, cuddly, LOTR PJ back.

__________________

Hee! From Fametracker ( http://www.fametracker.com/galaxy_of_fame/2005_04_08.shtml ):

(Made-Up) Quotes from Stars of Sin City:

"Hi, I'm Elijah Wood. Go ahead. Call me Frodo now. No, seriously, I want you to. Come on. I just had my nails done."

(Made-Up) Quotes from Stars of Sin City:
"Hi, I'm Elijah Wood. Go ahead. Call me Frodo now. No, seriously, I want you to. Come on. I just had my nails done."



How funny! I just added that to my sig-line moments ago!

honey!

Nails Done? :eek:

That's about as funny as a black velvet painting of Frodo giving the Finger. :eek: It was goofing on Wolverine's first issue cover picture. Middle claw up I think it was, plus a Sinister frodo like grin. It was found between Snoopy running away on black velvet, and Pink Panther on a toilet painted on black velvet. :lol:

hi all!!!

great qutoe!!

honey ,hope you don`t maind but i coulden`t resist
to use it too!!! :k :k

"waves to whiteling and serena"


LOVE YOU ALL/WOOD

At last someone else who can see the Lads talent;

So while I was enjoying the heck out of Hooligans, I found myself wondering what made this flick a marked improvement over The Football Factory. And one of the answers I came up with was: Elijah Wood and Charlie Hunnam.

If you're looking for an actor to capture youthful idealism mixed with tentative insecurity, then Elijah Wood should be atop your list. Sure, it might take a few minutes before you can stop seeing Mr. Wood as "good ol' Frodo," but this actor's got real chops, and he absolutely deserves to be seen as more than just Hobbit-like. He's the heart, the soul, and the anchor of Hooligans and Wood just nails his role in scene after scene.

:D :D :D

Full review here (http://www.sportsfanmagazine.com/content/view/1448/29/) .

OH, THANK YOU QUIKSILVER!!!!!!

THIS GUY FINALLY SAW WHAT WE ALL INHERE ALREADY KNEW!!!! :k :k



LOVE YOU ALL/WOOD

tgshaw wrote:
But there were eight identical brooches. And, who knows, there may have been many more of them. The Lorien Elves considered it "their own raiment." So, certainly, one could have been dug up somewhere...
The Elves must have made more than the original eight. Because didn’t Frodo and Sam lose theirs on the way to Mordor? They don’t have their cloaks any time after Cirith Ungol; so the brooches must have been lost/discarded with the cloaks, unless the hobbits tucked them in their pockets. Yet Frodo and Sam both have brooches at the Grey Havens. I always assumed that they acquired new ones in Lothlorien on the journey home.
And tg, I love your first reason for choosing the brooch:
I like the idea of being part of the Fellowship in some way.

(BTW, thanks to everyone for the advice on LOTR merchandise -- although I think I’ll pass on the “body jewelry”!)

Sam kept his cloak and all his own remaining clothes all the way to Mount Doom, and Frodo's cloak and brooch ended up being snatched away from the Mouth of Sauron by Gandalf at the Black Gate and were later returned to Frodo with his hobbit clothes in Ithilien. ;)

Flourish wrote:
Sam kept his cloak and all his own remaining clothes all the way to Mount Doom, and Frodo's cloak and brooch ended up being snatched away from the Mouth of Sauron by Gandalf at the Black Gate and were later returned to Frodo with his hobbit clothes in Ithilien.
Thanks. That's the book, correct? I seem to remember something about Sam wrapping his own cloak around Frodo, after they dumped the orc armor. But in the film, IIRC, Sam doesn't have a cloak by the time they get to Mount Doom. And the film Mouth of Sauron just has the mithril shirt.

Yes, sorry! My post was about the book. In the film I think all bets were off--but if we want to take some poetic license, I suppose that since film Frodo did have his own clothes back on after Cirith Ungol and the only thing that made it to the Black Gate was the mithril shirt, I can readily imagine that Sam must have salvaged the brooch as well. Perhaps it, and his own, survived in his pocket.

As for the cloaks, good point. I suppose they were lost. :eek:

Obviously Tolkien had a tidier mind than PJ. ;)

hey!! were is everyone!!!???

it is so quiet in here!!!


love you all/wood

Flourish wrote:

Thanks. That's the book, correct? I seem to remember something about Sam wrapping his own cloak around Frodo, after they dumped the orc armor. But in the film, IIRC, Sam doesn't have a cloak by the time they get to Mount Doom. And the film Mouth of Sauron just has the mithril shirt.

Let us remember that Book Frodo was naked, unbound, and had been questioned by orcs in the Tower. All his clothing had been taken. When Sam said "You can't go walking through Mordor in naught but your skin", he meant it. After they discarded the armour, Sam tied his cloak around Frodo, and that's what Frodo wore until they were rescued. I vaguely remembered that Gondorians went back and found the "orc-rags", and presumably Frodo's clothing (other than that brought out by the Mouth), and they were carefully preserved in Gondor.

I think there was enough innuendo flying around by that time that there was *NO WAY* PJ could strip Frodo lower than the waist. Let us also not forget - what was it? The Cirith Ungol Web Remover and Hair Cleaner? ;)

~grumpy (but we *did* get a lengthy gratuitous belly-button shot)

I went to Toys'R'Us today to look at Mt. Doom Frodo and Sam. I came away feeling quite contented with my Orc Armor Frodo and Sam. Thier faces just didn't look right at all. I agree with Sean and Lij; OA Sam and Fro are the best of the bunch.

Speaking of the book hobbits as we are, I love the Donatello Giancola print of Frodo and Sam just before the Eagles rescue them. Frodo is dressed, as he was in the book, in only Sam's cloak with the elven rope around his waist.

honey!

zkgrumpy wrote:
Let us also not forget - what was it? The Cirith Ungol Web Remover and Hair Cleaner?
“Morgul Vale Instant Web-Remover & Hair-Dryer, as seen in a major motion picture.” One of my favorites, among tg’s flights of fancy.

honey, I agree that "orc-armor" Frodo's face is one of the best, though IMHO, the face of "Two Towers" Frodo (with light-up Sting) is equally good.

Just for clarification, zk that wasn't my quote exactly, but also book Frodo did have more than Sam's cloak to wear--Sam brought him "long hairy breeches of some unclean beast-fell, and a tunic of dirty leather. He drew them on." When he discarded the orc-mail later, he kept the clothes.

The cloaks appear to have been lost in the movie; I should have been clearer above. But book Frodo had Sam's cloak, and the Mouth of Sauron had Frodo's. He had Sam's sword and "a grey cloak with an elven-brooch, and last the coat of mithril-mail that Frodo had worn wrapped in his tattered garments." (For total clarity and based on the quote below I think there should have been a comma after "worn" in that sentence. The MoS had not only the mithril coat and cloak and brooch, in other words, but also Frodo's clothes.)

Later in Ithilien Sam finds folded on the ground beside their beds "the old and tattered clothes that they had journeyed in" (Sam of course had been wearing his all along), and Gandalf promises that "even the orc-rags that you bore in the black land, Frodo [and in which he was rescued], shall be preserved."

I don't think anyone could have gone traversed the fifty miles across Mordor after the volcano erupted with any hope of finding anything there. But of the things they valued, book Frodo and Sam lost only Sam's pots forever. ;)

Flourish, thank you for such a helpful, clear post.

But of the things they valued, book Frodo and Sam lost only Sam's pots forever.
*sob* for Sam's pots!

I wish they would have made more of that in the EE of RotK. it was such a great moment in the book. And my newbie relatives did not know what it was Sam was throwing over.

~ Mechtild

There is a mention of Hooligans in a review of the films of the Tribeca Film Festival posted by Quint at AICN. (please note the usual warnings about language if you wander over there :eek: )

Surely, its gotta get US distribution soon, since the movie really is great.

C-planning on going through the car wash with the windows open after visiting AICN-4

Surely, its gotta get US distribution soon, since the movie really is great.


You know what really bugs me? I was flipping channels last night and flipped by the "All Paris Hilton All The Time channel", and of course they had a spot about her, and she's in some remake of the old Vincent Price (who is probably rolling in his grave) movie "House of Wax". You can bet that's got US distribution. Paris Hilton has US distribution, and Elijah doesn't. :rolleyes:

And I don't have my taxes done. :eek:

~extremelygrumpy

Hi to all the Faculty ladies! I just lurk in for a second, to say I'm OK, only have no time to post (too busy in RL :( )

Also yesterday I got good news about 'Hooligans' in Russia - we'll have its distribution in my country! The movie will be in theaters already from May 26! :cool: Good.

About goods from LOTR movie - the only thing I bought was the elven-brooch. I found it by chance when I was in Barselona in February... I love this brooch and wear it on my black sweeter with a green-brown-yellow scarf.

Hi Rikka! I hope RL will slow down enough for you to tell us about "Hooligans" when you see it! Good to hear from you. :)

hi rikka ,great hearing from you!!!! :k :k

well i can joyn in on that let us know when you seen it!!!!

becuse here in sweden there isen`t a word on holligans
nothing nothing!!!!! :confused:
what is wrong with this world??
they can show meningleas violence in an action movie,
they show violence in the news on best tv-time
when kids are up,they show other stupid stuff in kids program
wich can bee very violent (and i can tell kids program isen`t
as they use to bee!!!

BUT they can`t show a movie about fotballviolenc and how
a man tryes to awoid the violenc but in the end turns up in
the middle of it!!!

i have no idear how this people workes!!!
do i make any sence here????

and rough languege??????? well if i see a movie that content violence
i expect rough language!!!
am i totally wrong here???

well if so this is my opinion!!!
this world su"""""!!!!!! :confused: (i mean movieworld)


LOVE YOU ALL/WOOD

Great news, Rikka.

And I'm sorry to be so demanding, but all of you who do actually get a chance to see Hooligans, either through distribution in your own country or the random film festival in the US, simply must, must, must give us play-by-plays of all the action and your opinions on the One Lad's ability to handle each scene.


Sigh. It's a sad thing to be so far removed from the real world that I have to live vicariously through others.

;)

I Eko That Eresh!!!

I Realy Hope That All In Here Who Gets To See This Movie
A Willing To Share!!!

And I Know They Are !!!!!! They Are All So Willing To Share There
Opinions And Love To Do It For All Of Us!!!!!


Love You All For That/wood

OK, dear ladies! :k I promise I will tell you about Hooligans, as soon as I see the movie.

Oh, Rikka! How exciting!

I second wood. And, of course, Ereshkigal who said (my emphases):

... I'm sorry to be so demanding, but all of you who do actually get a chance to see Hooligans (...) simply must, must, must give us play-by-plays of all the action and your opinions on the One Lad's ability to handle each scene.

A detailed report from each of you, pretty please!

~ Mecthild

a few posts back there was a coment that elijah woulde be in mtv!!
no i wonder when and what the name of the show is!!??

please ,somone!!! :z: :z:

anybody knows were achila has gone to??? miss her in here!!!! :k :k

edit: thanks for my fourth scare!!! :k :k :k :k

LOVE YOU ALL/WOOD

edit: HEY LADIES WHAT`S HAPPENING WE SLIDING DOWN THE LIST!!!
:( :( :(

I don't have anything to add to current discussions, but this will at least keep the thread from sliding farther down the list :p . I've gotten Casey as far as he's going this month--up to but not including the bleachers/gym. The "Casey Connor: Action Hero" series was taking up enough pages that I've given it an entry page (http://www.frodolivesin.us/ejw/id64.htm). Depending on whether you caught the intermediate update on the "What's New" page, the new material starts either with "The Pool" or "The Tests." I'm going to try to spend some time with Frodo between now and the end of April, :) as well as get some other updates done.

----------------

wood, if you go to page 18 of this thread, post #447 from hobbityme has some info on the MTV program.