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This
month Hamptonscinemaposters focuses on another major aspect of movie
memorabilia collecting: figurines and what better accompaniment
for this than a look at Peter Jackson (PJ).
| PETER
JACKSON AND WETA |
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Contributing
authors: Alan Heimann and Gary Maini
Page Layout: Matt Nappo
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Unless
you have been living in a hobbit hole, most of you know the
Tolkein epic The Lord of the Rings (LOTR). Secondary
only to the bible, the three books comprising this trilogy are
cited as being the most read pieces of literature in the 20th
century. Peter Jackson undertook the monumental and let me emphasize
monumental task of bringing Tolkien's epic to life on the screen. |
| Peter's
fist movie releases were B horror films which were minor hits
and later became cult favorites. Entering the industry with
these type films assuredly delayed his recognition. Even after
his breakout film Heavenly Creatures released in 1994
which garnered him an Oscar nomination for best original screen
play, PJ was not a household name.The film introduced a young
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Kate
Winslet . Her performance makes an indelible impression.
Peter was an early adaptor of computer enhancement technology,
which was put to good use in this film. The film is a turning
point for Peter and the WETA effects workshop. It gives us a
glimpse into the genius of Peter Jackson; the ability to write,
to draw, to model, to sleuth (piecing
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a plausible story where a good deal of factual information
was missing), and direct, come together to make an outstanding
film, which by the way was made on a budget of 5 million
dollars. I believe, but I'm not sure, Peter does a cameo
in the film as a street passerby that Winslet heckles
after leaving a Mario Lanza film. This was very reminiscent
of Hitchcock's |
cameos.
Peter again appears on screen as a corsair in Return of the
King. He also pays tribute to other films in his own. Most noticeable
for me was in the Two Towers when Frodo, Sam and Gollum watch
the gates of Mordor open. Shades of the Scarecrow, Tin Man and
the Lion at the Witches palace.
| You
can even sing yo e o the old o and it matches the cadence
of the marching orcs an urukai perfectly. As we watch
the girls create their detailed miniature figurines, which
become life size characters in their fantasy world, we
catch a glimpse of what is to come from the WETA Workshop
which will eventually give us LOTR. Finally and coincidentally,
a pivotal scene in heavenly creatures also involves a
ring. |
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I'm not
going to delve or should I say elve deeply in to
LOTR. I will say though that if you only saw the films in
a movie theater or if you haven't seen the films and are planning
to rent or buy the DVD's , you must at least see the extended
version of the first film The Fellowship of the Ring.
As was the case with the Star Wars prequels, the first film
was considered by some to be the weakest. This I believe is
largely due to having to introduce many characters in a relatively
short time span. Unlike Star Wars, where we knew most of the
characters from the original films, with Fellowship, if you
are not familiar with Tolkien's characters you may feel overwhelmed
and confused. The extended version with at least 30 min of
additional footage is a substantial improvement in providing
character background and extending and enhancing certain scenes
in the film. Also included in the extended version box set
are two discs (appendices) which dissect every aspect of the
film from soup to wingnuts. Believe me you cannot even begin
to fathom what a unique effort went into making these films
unless you see this making ofî material. Watching the
film again after seeing this material gives one a new appreciation
of the film.
Just as the ring tries to find its way back to its creator
, so Peter Jackson, while almost certainly having considered
different avenues to bring Tolkein's masterwork to the screen,
found his way back to its creator. He has given us, undisputedly,
a masterpiece as close to Tolkien's vision as we are ever
likely to see.
No comment
from Peter as to whether he will make the Hobbit as the rights
were sold to Sony in 2004.
Currently,
Peter is putting the final touches on the King Kong remake
due out Dec 14th. The cast includes; Oscar nominated Naomi
Watts, Oscar winning actor Adrian Brody, Jack Black, Colin
Hanks and Andy Serkis who played Gollum. I suspect it will
be spectacular. Will it surpass the original? Surprise me
Peter.
So what
makes PJ films so special? Well as stated by Costa Botes on
the PJ fan site
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He makes the kind of movies that he himself would
like to see Peter Jackson's consummate artistry, devotion
to detail and knowledge of films, make he himself
and his films very special. |
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COLLECTIBLES & LORD OF THE RINGS
| I mainly
collect movie posters and lobby cards. I do have some statuettes
and figurines in my collection of which I am quite fond. I have
a home theater and they enhance the room greatly. Some were
given to me as gifts and I'm not sure of their origin. The best
ones are pictured here. |
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My friend
and colleague Gary Maini is a figurine collector, model builder,
judge at modeling competitions and a big fan of LOTR. I asked
him to provide some background and share some of his expertise
with me about the hobby.
GARY
Did you
ever find yourself where one hobby leads to another. Well
that is how I became a collector. I had a strong interest
in modeling as a kid and built quite a few in those days.
After a hiatus of a decade, I returned to modeling and built
a few military kits and judged in a number of modeling contests
in the last seven years. As my time became limited it was
easier to just start collecting the latest modeling kits only
to be constructed on a rainy day. Well, it appears to be quite
sunny lately (marriage+child+dog) and the kits keep piling
up. Keeping with the military theme I started collecting GI
Joe figures/dolls from manufacturers like Dragon, 21 st Century,
BBI and even Hasbro. The figures today are really detailed,
especially the facial detail which is leagues above the GI
Joes of the 60's and 70's. Today figurine collecting spans
a wide array of sizes (witness Alan's Bogart statue). Due
to continual improvements in model construction, particularly
in joint construction, even some of the smallest figurines
have the ability to place the arms and legs in various posable
positions.
Soon
after the first LOTR movie came out I came across a set of
pre-painted figurines produced by Sideshow-WETA at a local
hobby shop. I was instantly a fan of this collection and pretty
much collected all of their figurine and bust releases, which
I will elaborate on later in this article. Whether you're
into military, sci-fi or fantasy/horror figures one has a
large array of modeling kits found in resin, plastic or vinyl
and a choice of pre-painted or for those who are up for the
challenge to make and paint their own kits. Since there is
quite a few things to collect in the area of figures a good
modeling magazine website to start with is Amazing Figure
Modeler (AFM) which contains innumerable links to other sites
as well.
Link to AFM http://www.amazingmodeler.com/index2.htm
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| WETA
workshop is the physical effects company that was responsible
for all of the effects utilized in LOTR. WETA was founded by
Richard Taylor in 1987 and later merged with Peter's film production
company Wingnut films. WETA is thought to stand for Wingnut
Entertainment Technical Allusions (a play on the word for illusion).
Other information links WETA to a tiny prehistoric cricket-like
insect indigenous to New Zealand, Peter's home. We'll let the
elves, orcs and dwarves duke it out for the final word. |
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| During
production of LOTR, WETA and Sideshow Collectibles (http://www.Sideshowtoy.com)
secured the polystone license with New Line Cinema, and have
created a very successful line of 1/6 scale figurines and 1/4
inch scale busts for fans of the film. To date over 150 items
can be found in their catalogue which also includes helms, weapons,
environments, plaques and framed art. The collection also includes
a rare bronze statuette of Gandalf the Gray, sculpted by Gary
Hunt. |
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| This
is an impressive piece, measuring over 24 inches. Cast in the
traditional lost wax process, this and the other pieces are
individually crafted to the highest standards by bronze craftsmen.
Gandalf's cloak has a special acid washed patina that gives
the piece a unique but subtle shading. Many of these items are
sold out, but a few unique pieces remain in their inventory. |
| A
personal favorite of mine is the Ringwraith Rider on Steed.
The ominous appearance of this character, with its hollowed
cloak, gives the viewer a true feel for the dark side
of this film. As a tribute to its director, the last piece
of this extensive series is a limited edition piece of
PJ as a corsair mercenary who has an encounter with Gimli,
Legolas and Aragorn. |
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When sideshow
considers a manufacturing medium for a new sculpture, polystone
(a polyurethane resin mixed with powdered stone additives) is often
chosen as it delivers a clean and substantial rendering. Polystone
has a significant weight, a porcelain like feel, and an incredible
ability to capture the most minute detail, maintaining a sharp paint
finish. Unlike porcelain which is fired in an oven, polystone is
cold cast resulting in much greater variations of paint finish.
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favorite among collectors and hobbyists is the Big Head collection
created by Earthbound studios. This series is dedicated to B
horror movies and includes; Invasion of the Saucermen, The She
Creature, I was a Teenage Werewolf/Frankenstein, Curse of the
Demon , The Hideous Sun Demon and This island Earth. All of
these are unpainted. With an airbrush and depending on your
degree of talent, these can be made into prize winning busts. |
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FINAL
COMMENTS
I'm sure many of you have already seen The 40 year old virgin..I
think the hype was better than the movie...but certainly good for
some laughs....But if you're a collector the stuff he had was to
die for.
ANSWERS
TO HOME PAGE MOVIE POSTER IDENTIFICATION
Evelyn Prentice....Sweedish 1934
Ernest the rebel ...Belgium 1938
Anna Karenina....Argentinean reissue 1940's
Lon Chaney...MGM publicity...circa 1926/1927
Land of the Pharaohs...Spanish 1955
Spartacus..French reissue 1970's (My favorite
Spartacus poster, it captures the spirit of the film and has the
coin motif which is dersirable.)
Possession...French 1980
African Queen...UK.... Front of House lobby card
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