As I watched the six minute trailer for the extended edition of The Return of the King, it dawned on me how much I'm going to miss not having a Lord of the Rings movie this year to experience in theaters. Those three movies, over the past three years, literally changed filmmaking in the United States and abroad. Those three movies proved that, with a good story, great characters, and amazing sets, you can put movies into theaters that are longer than normal - you can take risks and have them pay off. The Lord of the Rings trilogy was a watershed moment for cinema, and this year, we won't have another one to feast our eyes on. This year, all we get is the extended edition of Return of the King on DVD (which isn't so bad, but it's not a new chapter in the film).

So, I must anxiously await delivery of my extended edition and prepare for a 12 hour viewing of all three films, back-to-back-to-back. All three extended editions - all six DVDs - will be enjoyed - but no fourth one to come...

URL: The Lord of the Rings