Oh My God, The Peter Jackson!?!
By Xara.

  Peter Jackson. We all know the name, we all know the face (well, all except a friend of mine who has repeatedly mistaken Michael Moore for the director of LotR). But do we really? For instance, did you know that Peter Jackson was really a percussionist in the Hornsby Musical Societies' amateur production of Footloose? I sure didn't, until I was lucky enough to spot his name in the cheap program we bought at the door Saturday night. This got me to thinking, Peter and Jackson are hardly very unique names are they? There must be thousands of Peter Jacksons out there who are suddenly having to endure endless jokes and "Oh, like the film director!" every time they introduce themselves. And so, rather than dedicate this article to PJ the billionaire who, if my brief perusal of the Women's Weekly was anything to go by, has recently earned himself enough money to have hobbit holes built in his backyard to use as guest rooms, I'm going to dedicate it to Peter Jackson; the percussionist.
  Having never met our Pete, and having not been able to spot him in the orchestra pit, I'm going to have to make a few assumptions here. Let's say Pete is seventeen, tall, lanky, with fair hair and bad acne (God I hope he's not reading this, although, if you are Pete, please correct any mistakes I make!). Pete's a bright kid who will soon be coming to do his dreaded HSC exams, before leaving school forever. Terrifying prospect. Pete's been studying really hard, too hard his parents have told him. "Pete," they said, "You need a hobby." And Pete found one. On a sunny afternoon in May, he packed his triangle, his maracas and his cow bells up into his bag and headed down to Hornsby to audition, and guess what!! He scored the highly coveted role of sole percussionist!
  Let's all give Pete a clap, he deserves it, I mean, I know I couldn't be a percussionist, it's not a gift we all have. But percussion isn't the only gift that Peter J possesses. He's also a champion sock wrestler. If ever anyone were to stand in the ring with one sock on, and Pete as their opponent, they would soon find themselves without any sock on at all (for more details of sock wrestling contact me at xara229@hotmail.com). Pete also enjoys poking people sitting in the row in front of him in class, and collecting battle-axes.
  But enough of that, let's move on to Peter Jackson's performance in Footloose. The musical Footloose is of course about some teenagers in a small country town, America, who want to dance. Only problem? 'Tis forbidden by law. Pete's contribution to this stunning musical show was so well-timed, so perfectly in tune and stunningly co-ordinated, that this reporter never even noticed it. You see, that's the beauty of percussion. The most satisfying result for a percussionist would be for the people to walk out of that theatre and go, "Percussion? What percussion?" In this it is much like special effects.
  Peter Jackson really is a genius, and let you all remember that. I can only hope, and pray, that the great PJ will stay on with the musical society of Hornsby for their next production. Peter Jackson, you legend, keep up with the tambourines, and good luck with those exams!

An Open Letter To Peter Jackson
By Perian.

  Dear Peter,
  I am writing this letter to you with the full intention that you will never read it, unless I happen to bump into you one day ten years from now and for some unfathomable reason am carrying this letter in my pocket, so please forgive any bluntness.
  Not being fond of the usual form of open letters, which leave the reader on such a sour note that they forget how much of a fawning sycophant the writer could be, I shall pen this in reverse order.
  Why did you do it!?! That question applies in some cases to the casting, such as for Denethor (leader of many of the free peoples of Middle-earth? Er, well, he could certainly have cowed Sauron, Saruman, and the dogs of Farmer Maggot into submission) and Elrond (go back to the future, please, Agent Smith); the battle of Frodo and Sam on the Stairs of Cirith Ungol (if that was inspired during an "I wish I were a hobbit" moment by Billy and Dom's jibes about the dinner residing on your shirt, I will happily transfer two-thirds of the blame); the orcs with facial hair who wreck the little bit of realism they ever had in the RotK battles (they were elves once as your own script proclaims); the ghosts wiping the last of the forces of Mordor out of Minas Tirith (it was a bit harder than that, chum); and so on.
  All right! Now that's done, I can be the fawning sycophant!
  You are, without a doubt, the most incredibly talented filmmaker I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing the work of. Though I am aware that J.R.R. Tolkien deserves a great portion of the credit, and that the artists, actors (and actresses), and other people who made it all possible do as well, there are any number of praises which come to mind when thinking of what you accomplished. More if I could find my thesaurus. Hold on for one moment, if you would. Don't go away.
  Aha! Here it is. Thank you for waiting. The script was splendant, brilliant, witty, artful (hoi, I could have thought of those), pawky, longheaded... !?! ... profound, and a work of divine afflatus. Afflatus? One moment more. Afflatus: inspiration or powerful impulse, as of an artist or poet, etc. Hmm. I like that. There's another reason to thank you, Peter! You unintentionally taught me a great new word. Back to the conventional reasons. The cinematography was exquisite, gorgeous, tall dark and ... hahaha! Och, Thes', my friend, you're a riot. The casting was perspicuous and perfect in its personification of their particular personages. The music was stirring and unforgettable, and while on the subject may I give you extra credit for your expertly executed tintinabulation? (To make a ringing sound, as of a bell or gong.) I think I speak for the majority of Ringers when I say that, in our opinion, you achieved the impossible - or at least the highly improbable. You brought the books to life. In some cases, as those I mentioned, it may have fallen short of the readers' vision, but in so many others ... the awe-inspiring lighting of the beacons; the emergence of the Ents from Fangorn Forest which had the viewer practically leaping from their seats with enthusiasm; the Mt. Doom, Grey Havens, and Anduin scenes which still leave me in tears after each viewing; the joyful menutia of Merry, Pippin, and Gimli (among others), which make the journey so worthwhile... Exceeded all our hopes. Grammercy.
  Sincerely,
  (Someone who thought she would hate the movies, but is now) A Devoted Fan.
  P.S. Now, ahem, when are you planning to start work on The Hobbit?

Thank you Peter!
By Padfoot.

  I think we should all say a special thank you to Peter Jackson for his wonderful movie making. I believe very much so that he did a good job. I know there are some people out there who say he did a horrible job. I mean all the time I hear "Why did he make Faramir so mean?" and "There was too much of a love story in it." Well those people can think that all they want. But let me tell you something. Don't judge Peter until you've seen ALL VERSIONS of Lord of the Rings! At first I didn't like how he made it but then after watching the animated version and the black and white one. All you P.J. haters, it could have been worse. A lot worse. I mean, thank Mordor P.J. didn't set it in 1920's America! like in the black and white one. Also in the black and white one the nazgul were hitmen! P.J.'s version could have been worse. So in conclusion I’d like to say: Thank you P.J.! You did a wonderful job! Thank you for not messing it up and making Elrond a Speakeasy owner like in the black and white one! (I was fearing that the whole time, I was worried P.J. was gonna do that..)

Heavenly Creatures
By Xara.

  It had occurred to me that an ideal article for a Peter Jackson issue would be a quick review of every movie he's ever made. He hasn't made so many as to make this difficult. But I then remembered the disgustingly gory nature reputed to some of the earlier films of Pyjama Jackson and decided that this task could be left to another. However there was one other film of PJ's I had seen. Having read a little into the background of the star director himself, I had heard of a film starring Kate Winslet about two girls who retreat into a fantasy world of their own. Intrigued though I was, it was not until Pete referred to it during perhaps the most powerful scene of Fellowship on the directors commentary. That was it. I set out to the nearest video store and hired it.
  The movie is now ten years old, and the actual story itself (yes, it's based on real events) fifty years old, but it still managed to captivate, intrigue and chill me through to that place somewhere between your heart and your stomach that gets disturbed by things of such a nature. Set in Christchurch, New Zealand, two girls in the nineteen fifties, do, as the reviews imply, retreat into a fantasy, becoming obsessed with a fictional world and characters they create together. Concerned about their strange behaviour, the parents of the girls try to separate them, and that's where everything really starts to go wrong.
  If you like feel-good movies with happy endings, don't watch this movie. If you don't like being deeply unsettled, don't watch this movie. If you don't like hints of homosexuality and obsession, don't watch this movie. Despite these warnings, I did like this movie. I cannot say that I enjoyed it, that would be the wrong word. Let us say I appreciated it; the story, the acting, the directing, the themes. I even, disturbing though this might sound, identified with some of it, and I don't think I'm the only one who did. The intensity of it had me enthralled. The screaming on screen attracted my mother from outside in the garden.
  I can recommend this movie to anyone with an appreciation of the darker side of human nature, but before you turn it on, take a moment or two to prepare is my advice. Aside from the story, this movie shows Peter Jackson's versatility and genius as a director, and that he, or more likely his wife Fran Walsh, has a nose for the good stories. Now I've said enough, I'll let you see for yourself.