The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) — So the words I used in my review of Fellowship still apply: epic and awesome. This movie lacks both exposition and resolution and still manages to be riveting for about four hours (again, extended edition because why watch the shorter ones?). I also majorly dig the Ents. But the thing that stands out most about this middle installment is the debut of Andy Serkis as Gollum (okay he was briefly glimpsed in Fellowship, but here he really makes his grand appearance). Gollum still may be the high water mark for a motion capture computer-generated performance. I mean everything from his weird voice to his multiple personality conversations with himself and his Iggy Pop physique (not making that up, check the features) just create a fully realized, if not overly complex, character. You really feel for the sad twisted freak. Sean Astin is also pretty great in this movie, even though the relationship between Frodo and Sam starts to get a little Brokeback-y (even moreso in Part 3). But Two Towers continues and adds to the epic awesomeness of this monumental filmic achievement.
Persistence of Vision 