LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY RETURNING TO MOVIE THEATERS

Fathom Events and Warner Bros. are hosting a movie marathon at theaters across the country so that fans to experience one of cinema’s most iconic fantasy epics, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, on the big screen once again. The movie marathon will take place at select theaters this June 8, 9 and 10. Each screening puts the spotlight on the remastered, extended editions of Peter Jackson’s Oscar®-winning adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels, kicking off with “The Fellowship Of The Ring” on June 8 at 4:00 p.m. local time, “The Two Towers” on June 9 at 4:00 p.m. local time, and “The Return Of The King” on June 10 at 7:00 p.m. local time. Tickets are available now on the Fathom Events website.

Fathom’s complete schedule for the “Lord Of The Rings” Trilogy is as follows: 

The Fellowship of the Ring” Extended Edition—Sat., June 8 

In the first part of J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, a shy young hobbit named Frodo Baggins inherits a simple gold ring. He knows the ring has power, but not that he alone holds the secret to the survival—or enslavement—of the entire world. Now Frodo, accompanied by a wizard, an elf, a dwarf, two men and three loyal hobbit friends, must become the greatest hero the world has ever known to save the land and the people he loves. 

The Two Towers” Extended Edition—Sun., June 9 

In the part second of the Tolkien trilogy, Frodo Baggins and the other members of the Fellowship continue on their sacred quest to destroy the One Ring—but on separate paths. Their destinies lie at two towers—Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where the corrupt wizard Saruman awaits, and Sauron’s fortress at Barad-dur, deep within the dark lands of Mordor. 

The Return Of The King” Extended Edition—Mon., June 10 

In the conclusion of J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, as armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world—and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome—one member of the Fellowship Of The Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings Of Men. Yet the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied only by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power. 

This landmark franchise won a combined 17 Academy Awards®, including Best Picture honors for “The Return Of The King” and Best Director for Peter Jackson; and boasts groundbreaking effects, sets, and costumes, fueled by a star-studded ensemble featuring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Orlando Bloom, Liv Tyler, Hugo Weaving, John Rhys-Davies, and Brad Dourif, among others.

LORD OF THE RINGS RETURNS TO MOVIE THEATERS

Wow! Has it really been 20 years since THE RETURN OF THE KING, the final installment in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film saga ruled movie theater box offices. It seems like just yesterday I was at a theater enjoying the movie on the silver screen being geeked about the awe-inspiring cinematography of the film. Now, Fathom Events and Warner Bros. are celebrating 20 years of “The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King” with special screenings of the film’s acclaimed extended edition returning to cinemas in the U.S. on Thursday, April 13 and Wednesday, April 19 and Canadian locations on Thursday, April 20 at 7:00 p.m. their local time. 

Prior to each screening, attendees will be treated to a special introduction by franchise star Elijah Wood, as he discusses the lasting impact of the “Lord Of The Rings” universe and the rich worlds and beloved characters that keep viewers coming back for more. Fans will also be treated to exclusive coverage of the new “Lord Of The Rings” tabletop game, as a celebrity panel embarks on their own adventure into Middle-Earth to raise support for Extra Life For Kids, in conjunction with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

In the conclusion of the movies portraying novelist J.R.R. Tolkien's epic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, as armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome--one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet, the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied only by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power. Winner of 11 Academy Awards® including Best Picture and Best Director! The film ties with Titanic and Ben-Hur for the most Oscars ever won by a single film and took awards in every category for which it was nominated. Academy Awards®: Best Picture Best Director (Peter Jackson) Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) Best Art Direction Best Costume Design Best Film Editing Best Makeup Best Music (Score) Best Song (Song) Best Sound Best Visual Effects Golden Globe Awards: Best Motion Picture - Drama Best Director - Motion Picture (Peter Jackson) Best Original Score (Howard Shore) Best Original Song (Howard Shore) National Board of Review: Best Acting Ensemble.

Tickets for the 20th Anniversary of “The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King” can be purchased at Fathom Events or at participating theater box offices. For a complete list of theater locations, visit the Fathom Events website.

WHO IS SAURON

When you think of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings novels or the movies based upon them by Peter Jackson the first things that probably come to mind are hobbits, dwarves and wizards. Did you know though that the Lord of the Rings that these books and movies are titled after is actually the villain of the story. A devilish character known as Sauron.

In the lore Tolkien established for his fantasy world the land of Middle-Earth and all the life within it were created by an omniscient and omnipotent creator called Eru Ilúvatar. Acting as emissaries for the mysterious Ilúvatar with the inhabitants of Middle-Earth were demi-god creatures with magical powers known as Valars. One of these Valars was named Sauron.

Sauron had the ability to take any shape he desired and was charming and friendly to the elves, men and dwarves living within Middle-Earth. But like the Norse god Loki, Sauron was a trickster. He desired to trick all of the Free Peoples into being enslaved to him.

Sauron imbued his essence into a number of magical rings that were gifted to the rulers of the kingdoms of mankind, dwarves and elves. These Rings of Power were tied to the One Ring that Sauron crafted for himself giving him mind control power over the wearers of the other rings. Sauron instilled so much of his magical essence into the One Ring that it became a conduit enhancing his supernatural powers. Similar to the Horcrux used in Harry Potter stories by the villain Voldemort, the One Ring essentially made Sauron immortal unless it would be destroyed which then would deplete the demi-god's powers.

As the populations Sauron attempted to enslave rose up against him, a great war took place pitting the orcs, goblins, and other monsters the demi-god commanded against the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth. This culminated in a battle where in the midst of fighting, the Sauron's finger wearing the One Ring was cut from his hand. Sauron fled the battlefield and went into hiding greatly weakened by the loss of his ring. The ring was lost after that battle but not destroyed!

Sauron began rebuilding his armies and sending minions out looking for the ring so he could restore his power. As Sauron's dark presence began impacting Middle-Earth again, Eru Ilúvatar sent five Valars, in the form of human wizards, to stand up against him and side with the Free Peoples. These included two blue wizards who vanished without a trace, the white wizard Saruman, who became corrupted by Sauron, the brown wizard Rhosgobel and Gandolf the Grey. The Valars Gandolf and Rhosgobel eventually assisted in destroying the One Ring with the help of some Hobbits thus vanquishing Sauron. 

Sauron's army utilizes the image of a fiery eye as it emblem in symbolism of the demi-god's intent to rule anything he sees before him in Middle-Earth. The character is also depicted as a fiery eye floating in the air above his Mordor fortress. This floating eye is the magical ability of Sauron to look out from his fortress to see what is going on throughout Middle-Earth because having lost the One Ring his physical form is too weak to risk venturing out. Reunited with the One Ring though, Sauron would regain his ability to have powerful corporeal form as he did before his finger was cut off in battle.

You can bring the devilish Sauron to life without having to find the lost One Ring. Imagine your own Lord of the Rings adventures with BendyFigs from The Noble Collection. The BendyFigs action figure of Sauron stands approximately 7 inches tall and comes with a display stand. Sauron is posable due to a wire frame hidden with its rubbery body. This officially licensed Lord of the Rings toy also comes with a weapon as an accessory.

Other Lord of the Rings figures that you can bend and pose in different positions from Noble Toys include Frodo the Hobbit, Gandalf the Wizard, and Gollum. Go to noblecollection.com to get yourself some BendyFigs. 

MAGICAL GIFTS FOR FANTASY LOVERS

Is there a special princess in your life for whom you are seeking a Valentine's Day gift she is sure to treasure? You can't go wrong with jewelry ... especially a replica of something worn in a favorite movie or television series. The Noble Collection has reproductions of rings and necklaces worn by actresses in The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter movies as well as the Game of Thrones television series that your lovely lady will be geeked to receive.

HARRY POTTER TIME-TURNER

Fans of JK Rowling's Hermione character in the Harry Potter novels and movies will adore a reproduction of her time traveling amulet. Available from The Noble Collection is a screen accurate replica of the Time-Turner featured in the movie Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Are you looking for a magical Valentine's Day gift?

The Time-Turner amulet is plated in 24 karat gold, is centered with a working miniature hourglass and its inner rings rotate. It includes an 18 inch chain for wearing your very own Time-Turner plus comes with a case to display it in. Tell your love that time freezes when you are together with the Valentine's Day present of an officially licensed Harry Potter Time-Turner.

EVENSTAR PENDANT OF ARWEN

Arwen the Elven Princess, known also to her people as Evenstar because of her unparalleled beauty, is destined to leave Middle-Earth and sail to the Undying Lands of the West in J.R.R. Tolkien's tales. While this fate looms before her, she falls in love with Aragorn, a mortal man, and is then faced with the heart-wrenching choice to leave Middle-Earth with her people or forego her immortality for the man she loves. 

Capture the brilliance of the Evenstar's enduring beauty with this replica of a necklace worn by actress Liv Tyler in the Academy Award winning Lord of the Rings movies produced by Peter Jackson. This screen accurate reproduction of the actual Evenstar Pendant of Arwen worn in the Lord of the Rings films is crafted in sterling silver. It measures 2.5 inches in length and comes complete with chain. Show your eternal love for someone with a fantastic gift like this!

TARGARYEN PENDANT 

By embodying the best of Daenerys Targaryen’s traits of determination, strength, confidence, power, and a need for justice, your Valentine deserves the Targaryen Pendant. Crafted in sterling silver, this pendant shows off the House of Targaryen’s sigil and is fit for a Queen.

A Geek Daddy's 10 Favorite Easter Eggs From Last Year

When I think of Easter Eggs it normally isn't the decorated holiday decorations that come to mind but rather the inside jokes and references that are often hidden within movies.  Whenever we add a new movie to our family's home video library, I always enjoy going on an Easter egg hunt to find these hidden tidbits within a film.  As an Easter treat here are ten of my favorite discoveries from the last year:

10.  THE MARTIAN

When a group from NASA secretly works to save a stranded astronaut on Mars they call their effort Project Elrond in a reference to the secret mission that is the heart of the plot for The Lord Of The Rings.  Also actor Sean Bean has major parts in both movies.

 9.  JAMES BOND: SKYFALL

The Mi6 safe house location in the film is hidden behind a storefront that says "Hildebrand - Prints and rarities - Established 1953, London" which is a reference to James Bond creator Ian Fleming's  collection of  five short stories titled For Your Eyes Only which included one called The Hildebrand Rarity.  

8. STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS

While rummaging through the Millennium Falcon, Finn comes across the training orb used by Luke Skywalker from when he trained with Ben Kenobi during his first voyage on the ship. A nice homage to the original Star Wars movie. 

 
7.  ANT-MAN

While watching the Ant-Man scenes within Hank Pym's house keep an eye out for shrunken items sprinkled throughout the house from the scientist's experiments.  One of the items to look out for is a little red chair that is a reference to Pym's first comic book appearance in Tales To Astonish where he shrinks this chair to test his invention before using it on himself.

In another scene of the movie the character Darren Cross during his speech introducing the Yellow Jacket militarized shrinking suit jokes about Hank Pym saying "an Ant-Man sounds like tales to astonish" referencing the Marvel comic book series in which the Ant-Man and Wasp characters were first introduced.  Hank Pym first appeared in Tales To Astonish #27 and the Wasp joined him in his adventures beginning with issue #44.

6. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

The movie references a popular character from past Mad Max films, Gyro Captain, in a gruesome scene.  When the Road Warrior is captured by the War Boy's one of the captors is hoisting a totem that has a human skull mounted at the top wearing the Gyro Captain's cap and flight googles.  Alas it appears this is the end of the road for the Gyro Captain in Mad Max films.

5.  FANTASTIC FOUR

When the Johnny Storm character is introduced in the movie there is a hint to his future fate hanging from the rear view mirror of the car he is racing -- A Super Mario Fire Flower which spits out flames in the video game.

4.  JURASSIC WORLD

 Jeff Goldblum may not have appeared in Jurassic World, but the book God Creates Dinosaurs (written by his Jurassic Park character  Dr. Ian Malcolm) is shown in the movie during several different scenes.

3.  AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

When Tony Stark needs to replace JARVIS at the end of Age of Ultron to help him control the Iron Man suit he considers several alternate AI programs to use including versions called Friday, Jocasta and Tadashi.  Friday is a reference to an AI secretary used by Stark in Marvel's comic books; Jocasta was a robot built by Ultron as his wife in a comic book story arc; and Tadashi refers to the character that created the Baymax robot in the Disney animated movie BIG HERO 6.

2. INSIDE OUT

Disney / Pixar films are know for being filled with Easter eggs, especially ones with clues to upcoming movies, and INSIDE OUT is no different with references to The Good Dinosaur and Finding Dory.  In one scene you can see an image of Nemo on the box for a board game called FIND ME in a tease for the upcoming sequel.  There is also a scene where Riley's family car has a run in with a dinosaur tale to tease The Good Dinosaur.

1. FURIOUS 7

While the Rock's character is staying in the hospital he's watching a football game that features footage of his real life self (Dwayne Johnson) playing as a defensive tackle in a Miami Hurricanes versus Florida State Seminoles game.

So what are some of your favorite Easter Eggs from movies that you've stumbled across?