The assistant actually did Orton in, didn't he?

Didn't they have a number of Weta-related revolutions?

I definitely recall hearing about new crowd-control software that randomized the actions of all the CGI figures in those massive battles.

Lord of the Rings SFX that weren't so special:

• slow motion and soft focus whenever Arwen appears on screen • One Ring transforms Galadriel into Smurfette • Treebeard apparently victim of Dutch Elm Disease • ghostly hordes swarming over armies of Mordor like green Replicators in background • elephant surfing

I definitely recall hearing about new crowd-control software that randomized the actions of all the CGI figures in those massive battles.

My favorite bit of geek trivia there is that when they tested the Massive software for the first time, all the soldiers ran away from the battle! They'd been programmed with just enough autonomy and aversion to getting killed that they quite wisely ran in the opposite direction from the CGI characters with the big pointy sticks. So the Weta team had to go back in and reprogram their CGI characters to be stupid enough to actually fight.

My favorite bit of geek trivia there is that when they tested the Massive software for the first time, all the soldiers ran away from the battle! They'd been programmed with just enough autonomy and aversion to getting killed that they quite wisely ran in the opposite direction from the CGI characters with the big pointy sticks. So the Weta team had to go back in and reprogram their CGI characters to be stupid enough to actually fight.

That's hilarious. And also makes me worry that Weta will be responisble for Skynet.

And also makes me worry that Weta will be responisble for Skynet.

"Peter . . . why did you just say oops?"
"Nothing, honey, nothing . . . just--if the computer starts saying 'My Precious' on its own, run."

Speaking of Gollum, when I was driving home last night, the local (Chicago) radio station was coming up with who they would want to play Gov. Blagojevich in the inevitable TV-movie, and someone mentioned "that guy who played Gollum--he'd be perfect!" I thought they were specifically talking about Andy Serkis and thought they were right, physically speaking, but they were talking about Gollum's coveting his golden prize and Blago's calling Obama's Senate seat "fucking golden" and imagined him muttering "my precious" when he realized he'd have control over who was going to get it next.

Speaking of WETA, I've been so desperate for interesting TV that I have been watching an animated show called Jane and the Dragon. It is CGI animation produced by WETA, and it is a little distracting that all the human characters have Gollum/Smeagol eyes!

I've come across that show sometimes, and it freaks me out. I didn't know it was done by WETA. Everyone looks so weird!

Just want to mention that IFC is running the extremely rare and classic Texas indie Last Night At The Alamo tonight. Apparently this is the movie that inspired Robert Redford to found the Sundance Film Festival, for good or for ill.

Everyone looks so weird!

Agreed. It's obviously advanced animation, but it's weird. I think I like my animation to look like animation. I like Jacob Two-Two.

OK, I *finally* got to see The Dark Knight (in no small part because my DH is in Baghdad so I don't have to compromise with anyone about viewing options).

Dude. That is one tough movie. Rather than being a superficial comic book movie, they actually went to some interesting moral and ethical places.

Also, in any other situation, everybody would be talking about how Gary Oldman's performance was so amazing, and he was just fully absolutely Jim Gordon. But Ledger overshadowed everything else.