In my opinion the best director alive today, especially visually. Anyway I was reading some IMDB boards about him, and he apparently considered doing 'Dune'. But the project got stalled early on. Perhaps he would reconsider taking it back on after Tripoli. A Ridley Scott directed and Spielberg produced Dune would be exactly what Jackson's Lord of the Rings isn't... A fantasy epic brought to life accurately and without stupidity.
Besides butchering of key scenes? Besides the infusion of cheap horror elements? Besides wasting lots of time on pointless scenes? Besides overusing repetitive comic relief? "Not the beard!" Imagine Alien, only Ripley turns to the camera and says "VARGINA!!!"
Nomar, Lord of the Rings, while not a perfect transportation from book to movie, is about as well as it has ever been done. Read The Two Towers and watch the movie, then do the same thing with the Lost World by Michael Crichton. You will never complain about Peter Jackson again.
Lord of the Rings was great. It's not 100% in line with the books, but visually, most of the acting, and not cheesing it up or going for cutesy the way Spielberg, or Lucas would of done, makes it great in my opinion. Visually the best director has to be Terry Gilliam. I've never seen so many great sets, and visuals that are huge and so beyond anything else that anybody is doing. I think the guy is insane and a genius. If anyone hasn't seen 'Lost in La Mancha' your missing out. I know he started making Don Quixote and don't if it fell through again or not, because currently Gilliam is directing a movie about Grimm Fairy Tales which is seems to be right up his alley.
The Two Towers is one of the greatest fantasy movies ever made. (Not counting p*rn) I'm sure Dune would be good too. Though I was a little disappointed in both Hannibal and Blackhawk Down.
You were disappointed by Blackhawk Down? I never read the book, but based on it's own merits it seemed pretty awesome to me. I bought it on DVD.
Well, in terms that it only stood up visually. The action in it was intense and very, very good....but it just seemed like one two hour action scene. It got to the point where the characters just kind of ran together, almost like it didn't matter which was which. Not exactly the strongest storytelling. It is a good movie, don't get me wrong...but not 'best director alive' material.
Black Hawk Down is great and so is Lord of the Rings!! I swear I will never forget how Nomar bashed Lord of the Rings 2 in a thread when it first came out, it was ridicoulos for some reason he had to go through every scene wondering if it would have been better another way. Very strange
I have read all three of the LOR books. The movie is great, they leave out a lot ofcourse, because after all it is a movie. If you watched the extended version, obviously there is more movie there, more speaches left out of the theater version. Jackson did a great job on the LOR in my opinion.
I agree. Some war movies go the poetic route and others just try to give a realistic account. Typically, I like both types of war movies. Black Hawk Down did about as good as any movie I've ever seen at giving some feeling of what it would like to be in the midst of combat.
I would put Blackhawk down slightly ahead of my all time favorite war- movie: Full metal jacket...Both need to be a part of your DVD collection. Especially with surround sound speakers and a nice size T.V. !!!
Ridley Scott is just amazing. Him and James Cameron are my favorite directors today. Scott is able to make these heroes and characters that have development and depth, unlike most directors that just put out cotton candy crap. Gladiator is another movie that depicts this by Ridley Scott.
I heard that they are putting together a Special Edition DVD. It will have the theatrical version, and then a new edition re-cut by Sir Scott. Anybody want to buy my sealed version of the director's cut?
Ridley Scott is good, but he has had his share of clunkers... Witness... GI Jane White Squall Legend. Nomar, Most of the people who are LOTR fans love the movies, I don't know what you have against it, but I think the movies are fantastic..... DD