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ALL good things must come to an end. And so it is with Peter Jackson's wildly imaginative and boundlessly thrilling adaptation of J R R Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings trilogy. This is a tour de force of elegant story-telling, masterful special effects and intensely moving drama.

The sets, costumes and art direction are impeccable, seamlessly interwoven into the computer-generated landscapes, which bring Middle-Earth so richly to life. Action sequences attain dizzy new heights, including Frodo's heart-stopping encounter with Shelob and the earth-shattering final confrontation. DVD Extras: The Quest Fulfilled: A Director's Vision featurette, A Filmmaker's Journey: Making The Return Of The King featurette, The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King National Geographic special, 6 behind the scenes featurettes, video game reviews and previews, 13 TV spots, The Lord Of The Rings trilogy supertrailer, 2 theatrical trailers.

American Splendor (15, High Fliers) Stars: Paul Giamatti, Hope Davis, Harvey Pekar

IN 1976, Virginia file clerk Harvey Pekar met legendary comic artist Robert Crumb, who agreed to immortalise the hapless everyman in a comic book series. Thus, American Splendor was born: a warts 'n' all visual diary of Pekar's working class life, including his misfortunes at work, thoughts on the decline of American culture, and his inane conversations with friends and neighbours.

Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini's film chronicles Harvey's life from a young boy right up to the present day, focusing largely on his rise to notoriety during the 1970s and 1980s, and his meeting with ardent fan Joyce Brabner, who would become his soul mate and third wife. DVD Extras: Director, cast and Harvey Pekar commentary, introduction to DVD extras by Harvey Pekar, Harvey Meets The BBC Collective: Interview With Harvey Pekar featurette, Sundance Channel's Road To Splendor featurette, behind the scenes featurette, theatrical trailers.

Published: 20/05/2004