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Dean Kish reviews 'The Two Towers' and 'Gangs of New York'

December 18, 2002 at 15:59:11

Dean Kish, the Soothsayer, returns with two more reviews in our staff essays section. Check out his thoughts on 'The Two Towers' and 'Gangs of New York'.

The Two Towers

It’s always hardest to do the middle film in a proposed trilogy of films. The second film is always the maker or breaker of a franchise. In some of the most successful franchises of all time, the second film has gone on to eclipse its predecessor. Examples of these stellar sequels are series like "Aliens", "Star Trek", "Star Wars" and even James Bond.

The hurdle that director and Tolkien visionary Peter Jackson had to endure was making a middle film in his epic trilogy that has neither a beginning or ending. It is like filming a middle chapter of an unfinished novel. In some ways that is exactly what it is.

People expecting a recap of "Fellowship" will be disappointed since Jackson dives straight into the story almost with out pause. The story picks up within seconds of where "Fellowship" left off.

The Fellowship has been split. Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) and Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) are off to Mordor to deliver the ring into Mount Doom. Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) are off to save hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) who have been captured by a troop of Orcs.

Read the full article here.

Gangs of New York

Hidden within the colorful history of New York City, a dark period beckons. During that period men were savages and the streets were their war zone. It was a struggle for power through the blood of corruption.

Within that period, a displaced orphan, Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio), returns to the Five Points within New York City. The Five Points is a section of New York’s seediest neighborhood where five roads converge onto a square. Many years ago, Vallon witnessed a battle for power between his father (Liam Neeson) and the leader of the American Natives, Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis). Young Vallon has vengeance steaming within his veins and his object is to take down Bill the Butcher at any cost. The problem is that things on the Five Points are never that simple.

Acclaimed director Martin Scorsese unleashes a world that history books seem to have neglected. Scorsese in fine form unlocks this world with such scope and presence. There is a lot of detail and time consumption in every scene shown. Even with the brutal street battles, Scorsese has found a way to bring forth majesty and passion to these streets.

Read the full article here.