HoosierPapa

Folks, I honestly feel bad about giving the Richmond Times Dispatch extra site hits because of this. You all have to see this review though as it is by far the most off-base, ill-informed, idiotic review that I've seen.

http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet...=1031772656840

Just some background - this guy is consistantly off-base on almost all reviews. Basically if many people love a film, it must be bad. He also ripped apart FOTR and TT. How he has continued to keep a job after continually doing such a dis-service to the people of Richmond is beyond me. I cringe to think that there will be people who don't know any better that will read the review and miss out on this movie...

fyi, his email is at the bottom. You might want to tell him that 97% of the other reviewers out there from major publications LOVED it.

Philip Reuben

It seems like an informed and coherent review, even if I strongly disagree with it. The reviews that bother me are the ones where the writer clearly didn't understand the plot of the movie, and there isn't much evidence of that here.

Groucho

I don't see how you can say that about any review that thinks the Viggo Mortensen character is named "Benadryl."

Philip Reuben

Oh come on, that was clearly deliberate. The reviewer was poking fun at the unusual names most of the characters have (some of which sound like... allergy relief medicine?)

jaeufraser

I'd say that was an ok review. While I understand the deire to jump on him, he's correct for the most part, though why he thinks those things are so awful is beyond me, and why he can't keep track of what's going on indicates not that the filmmakers messed up but that he...doesn't like this stuff. Though some of his complaints are trivial and just plain wrong. Gandalf keeps riding back and forth, sometimes with no reason. No reason? Where? Gollum's fingers go from five to six. Yeah right, I'm sure that happened. I don't mind picking on things thatwere in the movie, but I'd rather they didn't make things up.

jim_cook87

While I can accept much of the review as one person's opinion, the part the jumps out as me as indicative of a poor professional review is this:

Just be cause Bloom, Tyler, and Blanchett are "big name" actors does not mean their roles were major. A professional reviewer should have been keyed in that not all the roles were major roles when he reached a count of 8, 19 is clearly including a lot of minor parts...

cortan

here is my favorite part of his "review"...

One way "Return of the King" is different from "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers" that preceded it is that the earlier films failed to end.

But "Return of the King" ends. Boy, does it end.

It ends and it ends and it ends, and we begin to worry that it is never going to stop ending. It starts to end, and then 20 minutes later it is still ending. Maybe 25 minutes later.

too funny!

and hey I thought benadryl was great in the move

groovrbaby

I won't lie. Clearly this reviewer isn't familiar with the concept of trilogy. Essentially 7 hours into one long, long movie, he expects character development? WTF were the other 7 hours for then? I swear, people with ADD really shouldn't review movies. The Benadryl shot was inept and over the top. If by the third movie in a trilogy you can't name a main character, or are too stupid to, get the F out of the theatre. He even goes so far as attacking the language. Again, a big fat "WHAT THE FRICK?!?" This is not our language. This is not the way we speak. This is the way hobbits, elves, and wizards speak in the Tolkien universe. I honest to god think that this may be the least imaginative reviewer I have ever encountered. His one valid point is that of the multiple endings, all of which I love, but admit were too much for most people. I'd e-mail him, but he's probably an immature idiot who doesn't listen to the opinions of others and chants the mantra "I stick by my review. I stick by my review."

Wow, just had a chance to re-read this thing. "...tiresomely brave heroes..." I now want to rip his head off. The theme of the damn movie is fortitude against all odds. There was character development to support this in Aragorn's love for Arwen, his realization of his place as Gondor's king, and as a sworn protector of Middle-Earth. I give up. F this guy and his tiny newspaper.

Radar

When I read the title of this thread, my first thought was "Daniel Neman?" The Times-Dispatch is my newspaper, and Neman is a long standing joke. He's a pompous ass trying to act like Ebert, but without the credentials to back it up. The Dispatch does a weekly movie roundup where they show the ratings from major newspapers as well as Neman's rating. Where other critics will give a movie 3 or 4 stars, he'll give the movie one, and vice versa.

Everyone in Richmond uses his reviews to decided whether or not to see the movie. If he hates it, it'll be great!

DVD Polizei

I have to agree about the Liv Tyler comment. How she even got a part in that film, is beyond me. She's not an actor that has any real credits to her name. I think PJ could have easily chosen a much better actor (even sexier?) for the part. Hell, even Julia Roberts would have been a better choice. And I don't like Julia that much either.

Groucho

As opposed to seasoned veterans like Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan.

rushmore223

UGh... Julia Roberts!?! Are you kidding????? God I hope so. Thankfully you didnt cast the movie or we might have lord of the Rings starring Ben Affleck and J. Lo

Rivero

Jackson's trilogy will be watched and enjoyed by people long after this guy is dead.

Next!

rushmore223

Wow, I was all set to not comment about this guy, but I read his review. What a joke!

This guy is an idiot, I'm sorry I even gave their web site an extra hit.

DVD Polizei

rushmore223,

Ben Affleck? J. Lo? You must be joking. I would never inflict that kind of pain on an audience.

rushmore223

He he he Polizei

Heard Kevin Smith is thinking of retitling "Jersey Girl" to "Not Gigli"

n0fear88

lol that review is a joke! wat a way to "make a name for urself" just makes them look really stupid (especially the fact he got viggo's name wrong

Patman

How Liv Tyler got 3rd billing in the credits is beyond me.

Vegas9203

The guy is obviously a pompous ass who doesn't even have the intelligence to act like a pompous ass. What terrible writing! It is so infantile.

And as for Julia Roberts as Arwen...ew. I think Liv Tyler was a great choice. And she had a lot more screen time in Fellowship...I think her 3rd billing has more to do with the importance of her character than how much we actually see her.

Goat3001

I guess this guy doesn't know what "fantasy" means.

Groucho

Consider when everybody was hired for the project. At that time she he had more clout than just about all the actors involved.

Supermallet

I actually thought it was a well articulated and funny review. I don't agree with it, but that doesn't mean the guy is incompetent, or an ass.

Radar

No no, he really is incompetent and an ass. Try reading his reviews for several years.

rushmore223

19 major characters... was he watching a super duper extended edition that I did not see? This guy obviously has ADD if he cannot keep it together long enough to follow the story arc and pay attention to whats going on. Perhaps prescribing him Ritalin might do some good, followed up by English 101 and an intro to Literature. It's guys like this that they make movies like Haunted Mansion for, I presume.

Well, I guess if you can't achieve notoriety on your own abilities and talents, what is left but to bash something that was almost universally loved to gain a sort of Shock Value. This smacks of a desperate attempt at attention.

Supermallet

Well, that may be, but there's nothing in this review that specifically points to being that way. A killjoy, perhaps. However, I will take your word for it, I don't listen to most critics, anyway.