Jackson. Obviously Jackson isn’t on this list without The Lord of the Rings but the momentous achievement of that masterpiece cannot overlooked. I count The Lord of the Rings as one film in the same way I count Dekalog  or Kill bill as one film. However, I do put more weight in the size of this 10 hour masterpiece than I do with some masterpieces that I feel are even on the same level as  LOTR (which is tough to reason out logically but whatever). It’s been a rough stretch for Jackson since King Kong in 2005 and that’s the weakness. Still, King Kong is good (and has ton in common visually with LOTR) and Heavenly Creatures another strong achievement so he’s no one-hit wonder either—even if, in 2019, he’s done.

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granted it’s a 10+ hour film, but there are 10’s, maybe 100’s of these wall-art in a museum quality images in The Lord of the Rings

Best film: The Lord of the Rings. It’s almost tough to overstate this one. For lists purposes the fact that it was released as 3 separate films make it tough to gauge where critics are on it.

Peter Jackson’s establishing shots and long shots are every bit as strong as David Lean’s

total archiveable films: 3

top 100 films:  0

top 500 films:  1 (The Lord of the Rings)

mise-en-scene is often about object placement and camera placement- there are millions of ways to shoot a scene– and this shot, from The Lord of the Rings, is the perfect choice using depth of field

top 100 films of the decade: 2 (The Lord of the Rings, Heavenly Creatures)

most overrated:  I don’t have one for Jackson. There’s nothing according to the TSPDT consensus (they have both Fellowship of the Ring and Return of the King between 600-900 of all-time—both of which are underrated) but some people like one or both of his early horror-shtick films Dead Alive and Bad Taste, and I don’t think either is worthy of the archives.

most underrated:  Heavenly Creatures should definitely be in the TSPDT top 1000 and it isn’t. I think it’s easily Jackson’s second best effort and an unbelievable film debut for a 19 year old Kate Winslet. The editing here is also clearly an aesthetic choice and highlight.

from Heavenly Creatures– masterful dissolve editing
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a dedication to an aesthetic- perfectly married to the material

gem I want to spotlight:    This film has fantastic acting, writing, but it’s really the immersive (and once thought to be un-filmable) world-building that most amazes. It’s filled with gorgeous production design and Jackson’s visual inventiveness– that is the star. You can see some of his horror roots, surrealistic, and gothic touches in Heavenly Creatures evident in LOTR as well. It’s Tolkien of course, but this film is truly Peter Jackson’s piece of art.

jaw-droppingly beautiful – from The Lord of the Rings

stylistic innovations/traits:    I’ve mentioned all of it above but Jackson does have a clear talent and penchant for production design. The way he integrates the sort of schizophrenia or surrealism of his leads in LOTR and Heavenly Creatures is genius (and reminds me of Aronofsky a little). His visual detail is stupendous and, in particular, I also need to mention the gorgeous work with miniatures for establishing shots. It could be the best I’ve ever seen on film.

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is visual detail is stupendous and, in particular, I also need to mention the gorgeous work with miniatures for establishing shots
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this is from King Kong and it’s important for two reasons– 1. It’s a stunningly beautiful landscape, and 2. It could easily be from Lord of the Rings which shows Jackson, like most auteurs, is married to an aesthetic

top 10

  1. The Lord of the Rings
  2. Heavenly Creates
  3. King Kong

By year and grades

1994- Heavenly Creatures HR
2001- Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring MP
2002- Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers MP
2003- Lord of the Rings: Return of the King MP
2005- King Kong R

*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film

MS is Must-see- top 5-6 quality of the year film

HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film

R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives