Two Towers

[Andrew Pratt]

I was lucky enough to see a few minutes worth of footage (Helms Deep) of the new Two Towers DVD last night on a nice 57" widescreen toshiba RPTV...looks great...sounded even better :T Can't wait for tomorrow's release:yesnod: (though I'll rent the first one and buy the box set when it comes out later)

[George Bellefontaine]

I'll be picking this up tomorrow. Providing someone has it in widescreen. Lately, though, Walmart has been carrying a good selection of both widescreen and P&S when they come in both. In the case of Chicago, they had roughly equal quantity of both.




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[Andrew Pratt]

Came across this preview....

The DVD buying dilemma is back for fans of The Lord Of The Rings. Do you purchase it now, wait until later or blow your budget and scoop up both versions?

Buying it now means getting the two-disc set of The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers, which is being released tomorrow by New Line Home Entertainment through Alliance Atlantis in Canada. This release, available in either Widescreen (yes, please) or Fullscreen (no, thanks) editions, offers the 179-minute theatrical version of the thrilling fantasy epic.

Buying it later means waiting until November for the four-disc Special Extended DVD edition. This release will, obviously, offer an extended director's cut. This is expected to be about 30 minutes longer, based on what director Peter Jackson told The Toronto Sun last December. If New Line follows the lead set down in the DVDs for The Fellowship Of The Ring, the theatrical version of the film will not be included in the fall release.

Then, of course, there is the value-added materials to consider. The one disc of extras on tomorrow's release will be replaced by three discs of completely different materials. Again, following the lead of The Fellowship Of The Ring DVDs, the November edition of The Two Towers will include more behind-the-scenes, how-did-they-do-it documentaries, more interviews and far more information.

So the question today is: Do the filmmakers give us enough in the two-disc edition to make it worth buying? My answer is: Absolutely yes!

For one thing, I am a stickler for options. By the time this whole process is finished with the release of the DVDs of The Return Of The King in 2004, I want to be able to watch either the theatrical or extended versions of all three of Jackson's films, which collectively bring J.R.R. Tolkien's classic novel to the screen. Secondly, the special features on tomorrow's release are too delicious not to enjoy now, even if you already saw some of them on TV or the internet.

While there are no feature-length commentaries -- wait until November -- the second disc of extras is mostly quality material. The only useless artifact is the annoying and cloying TV promo documentary Return To Middle-earth. The brief Web site featurettes, all eight, are strong. A favourite is Bringing Gollum To Life, because it shows just how elegant a process it was to transform actor Andy Serkis' brilliant performance into a totally digital screen character.

Also included is Sean Astin's quaint six-minute short, The Long And Short Of It, made in Wellington during the shooting of inserts for The Two Towers. Astin enlisted cast and crew members from the trilogy -- even Jackson played a bus driver -- to help him out. The eight-minute making-of doc is even more fun than the slight, if sincere, short itself.

Tomorrow's release also has a five-minute preview of the extended release of The Two Towers. Among glimpses of footage -- which will contain 200 new visual effects shots and a revised musical score by Canadian composer Howard Shore -- is a flashback showing Boromir with his brother and father, a sequence that sets up part of what happens in both The Two Towers and The Return Of The King.

The final treat is a 121/2-minute sneak preview of The Return Of The King, including a glimpse of the epic battle at Minas Tirith. Just as involving are the interviews, which set up the final instalment and discuss the creation of Minas Tirith in the same New Zealand quarry as Helm's Deep.

Says Jackson, after going into specifics in an editing room interview: "It's definitely my favourite of the three movies. I think we are saving the best Lord Of The Rings film for last and it's coming to a theatre near you (in December) -- if we can get the cutting finished. We'd better get back to work!"

[David Meek]

The best price I've seen on the Platinum Extended Edition to be released on November 18th is $24.49 US + $1.40 shipping at www.overstock.com. The one caveat to ordering from this vendor is that they will sell out at times, so buyer beware! (I ordered mine this morning.)




David - HTGuide flunky
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[Burke Strickland]

The other caveat with Overstock is that some folks have reported they will charge your credit card NOW for an item that won't ship for three more months (the Extended Edition of The Two Towers won't be released until mid-November). Some might object to having to pay for something that far in advance. OTOH, if that seems like a good trade off for the bargain price, go for it.

BTW -- if you just can't wait to see this exciting movie in your own HT, this week Circuit City has the theatrical cut 2-disc set for $14.99 US and Best Buy charges $15.99 US (they throw in 2 "free" demo CDs in addition to The Two Towers DVD). I'm willing to bet that the movie looks and sounds sensational regardless of where you buy it. (Looks pretty good via my projector.) :>)

Burke

[DSGCobra]

Just finished watching it earler. Awesome, reference quality sound and damn good picture quality as well. I couldn't wait for the extended version to come out in November, and I'm glad I didn't. I had forgotten how good that movie actually was.

[JonMarsh]

Buy now, buy later, or both? :roll:

For the first one, I bought later- got the extended edition. Will have to have the Two Towers extended also, of course. But it would be fun to have this one now, too.... dang..... decisions, decisions....


~Jon




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[David Meek]

Jon, I feel your pain!

I keep reading threads in various places trumpeting the theatrical release and it's hurtin' me. That whole instant gratification thing you know?




David - HTGuide flunky
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[Andrew Pratt]

Well I refuse to buy two copies so I'm waiting for the SE...and I'm not renting the standard release until I get my PJ so that better come soon b/c I'd love to see this movie again.

[Burke Strickland]

Since the last time I had seen The Two Towers (TTT) in a commercial theater before buying the DVD was over six months ago, I wouldn't call the theatrical cut DVD "instant" gratification. :>) But I would call it a worthwhile addition to my DVD collection. I've watched it twice all the way through since buying the DVD (thus equaling the number of times I saw it in commercial theaters) as well as all of the supplemental materials save the "games" preview.

The movie's video picture is excellent, although not absolutely the most crystal clear state of the art system-demo quality ever. Some slight edge enhancement image-ringing shows up briefly in a few scenes, but not long enough to ruin the overall impact of the cinematography, which is stunning. The sound is first-rate all the way through. (Be sure your sub is turned on.) :>) I'm really glad I have a full surround system capable of reproducing the Dolby Digital 6.1 EX soundtrack in all its glory. Simply sensational.

The first time I watched TTT in the commercial theater, which was at the midnight opening show last December, it was more of a fun communal event than a serious movie-watching experience. The second time a month later was an opportunity to evaluate what Peter Jackson pulled off as the director and to appreciate the nuances of the actors' performances.

After not seeing it for more than half a year, watching the film on my own system was almost like viewing it for the first time. Of course I "knew" what was coming (and having read the book before watching the first time, I knew the general story line before ever seeing the movie), but on this third viewing I just let the film wash over me and experienced it as a rousing action/adventure story rather than paying a lot of attention to the details. At the end, I felt once again that this is a great movie and well worth the time it takes to experience it. My next thought was "this is so good, what could I possibly want them to add in the Extended Edition?"(EE).

Then I watched the "preview" of the EE in the supplemental materials and had to agree that the additional scenes, if handled as smoothly as in the Fellowship of the Ring EE, will make it even better. Knowing that, I took advantage of the second home viewing (fourth viewing overall) to savor once again the interplay between the characters and, having seen the "behind the scenes" making-of material, to check out how skillfully the CGI and other effects were blended into the overall cinematic experience.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I have enjoyed TTT as a film even more at home than I did at the commercial theaters. I like the idea of ultimately having both the original theatrical cut and the Extended Edition of each of the three parts of the trilogy in my collection. But that's a personal decision. Whether you wait for the EE or not, unless you have a congenital allergy to The Lord of the Rings, at least one of these DVD sets should be in your collection.

Burke
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[David Meek]

Burke, you are such a helpful influence! :B I'm still holding out for the PEE version - right now. . . .




David - HTGuide flunky
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[Aeromos]

I'll definitely wait for the Special Extended Edition to come out in November. Although I've been able to watch the theatrical release as well as my brother-in-law has both (even though they're P&S, I still enjoyed them - ignorant fool - LOL!!). I wonder what they'll include with the special edition. Something else besides bookends would be nice. Perhaps something that you can showcase in your HT.




Aeromos
Enjoy life, it's too short to waste!!
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[George Bellefontaine]

Watched my copy last night. Absolutely Fantabulous ! Three hours flew by. Excellent picture quality on my Nec HT1K PJ. Audio on this release was not as loud as Fellowship Of The Ring. Had to play that at -22 on my Denon while The Two Towers was fine at -15, my usual volume setting. Anyway, had to straighten out all the pictures on my walls upstairs this morning. Low end was a real thumper.




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