# Reccomend me some movies featuring LOTR cast members! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 5, 2001, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-movies-featuring-lotr-cast-members/85492 "2001-10-05T01:47:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-movies-featuring-lotr-cast-members/85492/1 "2001-10-05T01:47:52Z")
Like many people on this board I am looking forward to the upcoming release of The Fellowship of the Ring. In order to pass the time until I can see it, I would like to familiarize myself with some of the actors in the movie(s) that I don’t already know. Ideally, I would like to see them with a large role in a good movie, but I will settle for a smaller but important role in a good movie, and if I must, any role in a crappy movie. I am especially interested in the following (I have consulted the IMDB for ideas): Elijah Wood (Frodo): Never seen any of his movies! Ian McKellan (Gandalf): Ditto! Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn): Saw Crimson Tide, which he was in, but I don’t remember him. Wouldn’t mind seeing it again. Is it a small part? Or is there a better example of his talent out there? Sean Astin (Sam): Only saw part of Rudy. Anything else better? Billy Boyd (Pippin), Dominic Monaghan (Merry), Orlando Bloom (Legolas): None of them have much to their credit. Hugo Weaving (Elrond): Nothing I’ve seen. Christopher Lee: He has zillions of movies to his credit, I must have seen one of his older ones. I haven’t seen any of his recent ones. Some reccomendations of my own: Liv Tyler (Arwen): That Thing You Do. Cute movie. Cate Blanchett (Galadriel): Elizabeth. Her and the movie are terrific. Sean Bean (Boromir): I’ve seen Patriot Games and Goldeneye. Any movies where he plays a GOOD guy? Boromir is supposed to be a sympathetic character. John Rhys-Davies (Gimli): I’m willing to entertain the notion that the Indiana Jones movies may not be his best work. I see in the IMDB he is in Stargate, the movie (which I saw) uncredited, as “Shouting Arab Digger”! Ian Holm (Bilbo): Big Night, 5th Element, Madness of King George, Brazil, all seen, all good. Brad Dourif (Grima Wormtongue): Familiar with his work on Star Trek: Voyager. Good casting here, I think. So, that’s it. Any suggestions would be welcome on the actors I haven’t seen, or your own ideas on the actors I have. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-movies-featuring-lotr-cast-members/85492/2 "2001-10-05T01:53:16Z")
McKellan – Richard III, Apt Pupil, or Gods and Monsters. One of Britain’s best actors. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-movies-featuring-lotr-cast-members/85492/3 "2001-10-05T01:58:16Z")
Elijah Wood (Frodo): I liked North, Radio Flyer, and yes even Deep Impact. Haven’t seen The War or that horror one in the school. Ian McKellan (Gandalf): I believe you should check out Apt Pupil and that one about the Frankenstein guy, Gods and Monsters. Oh, and X-Men. Sean Astin (Sam): He hasn’t done much, but Goonies is cool. Hugo Weaving (Elrond): Nothing I’ve seen. Well gee. Try The Matrix. Or Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Christopher Lee (Saruman): I saw Sleepy Hollow. And he will be in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-movies-featuring-lotr-cast-members/85492/4 "2001-10-05T02:05:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GuanoLad \* > \*\*Elijah Wood (Frodo): > I liked North > > Hugo Weaving (Elrond): > Well gee. Try The Matrix. Or Priscilla Queen of the Desert. > > Christopher Lee (Saruman): > he will be in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. \*\* You liked North? Wow, I just read about that movie, apparently Roger Ebert hated it so much he wrote a whole book about how much he hated it. Maybe I’ll try one of his others! Weaving: I guesss I’m going to have to finally break down and see Matrix, huh? Does Priscilla take place in Australia? Me and Mrs. Lagomorph went there on our honeymoon. Lee: Yeah, I saw the Star Wars credit listed, but I think that is coming out after Fellowship, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-movies-featuring-lotr-cast-members/85492/5 "2001-10-05T02:08:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Laughing Lagomorph \* > Elijah Wood (Frodo): Never seen any of his movies! Try **Deep Impact**. He was the teenager. > [@](#): > > Ian McKellan (Gandalf): Ditto! Umm, **X-Men**? He was Magneto, of course. > [@](#): > > Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn): Saw Crimson Tide, which he was in, but I don’t remember him. Wouldn’t mind seeing it again. Is it a small part? Or is there a better example of his talent out there? Try **GI Jane**. He was the Drill Instructor - the best character in the movie. > [@](#): > > Sean Astin (Sam): Only saw part of Rudy. Anything else better? **Goonies**? He was the hero. > [@](#): > > Hugo Weaving (Elrond): Nothing I’ve seen. **Matrix**. Agent Smith. The main bad guy. Need I say more? > [@](#): > > Christopher Lee: He has zillions of movies to his credit, I must have seen one of his older ones. I haven’t seen any of his recent ones. Check out the James Bond flick, **The Man with the Golden Gun**. He was Scaramanga, the guy with the, uhh, golden gun. > [@](#): > > Liv Tyler (Arwen): That Thing You Do. Cute movie. See also **Stealing Beauty** , probably her best performance. > [@](#): > > Sean Bean (Boromir): I’ve seen Patriot Games and Goldeneye. Any movies where he plays a GOOD guy? Boromir is supposed to be a sympathetic character. Look for a film called **Stormy Monday** , also starring Sting. Anything else? ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-movies-featuring-lotr-cast-members/85492/6 "2001-10-05T02:21:14Z")
Alessan, thanks for your suggestions. X-Men is a closed book to me, I know nothing at all about the comic. I will probably go with a different McKellan movie, am leaning towards Gods and Monsters because I like Brendan Fraser. GI Jane sounds like an excellent choice for Mortensen. Matrix: Main bad guy. Sounds good. And Deep Impact for Frodo. The only thing I have against Goonies is it’s so old, the guy was what, 14? In that case I have seen Mortensen in one movie, he played the Amish kid in Witness! I might rent Rudy (and see the whole thing) instead. ---
**Author:** ![Ooner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c67d28/32.png) [@Ooner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ooner)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-movies-featuring-lotr-cast-members/85492/7 "2001-10-05T02:38:16Z")
Elijah Wood: **The Faculty** is pretty silly, but it’s one of his bigger and more recent roles. I liked **Deep Impact** too. Viggo Mortenson: As well as **GI Jane** , he was in **A Perfect Murder** with Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow. One of his bigger roles that I know of. Oh, he was in **28 Days** too. BTW, you don’t need to know anything about the X-men comic books for the movie. The characters are all introduced pretty clearly. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-movies-featuring-lotr-cast-members/85492/8 "2001-10-05T03:02:10Z")
I second that. I’ve never read a comic book in my life, and I liked X-Men a lot. It was an exciting, well-acted. reasonably intelligent action-fantasy. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-movies-featuring-lotr-cast-members/85492/9 "2001-10-05T04:27:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Laughing Lagomorph \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by GuanoLad \* > > **Elijah Wood (Frodo): > > I liked North** > > You liked North? Wow, I just read about that movie, apparently Roger Ebert hated it so much he wrote a whole book about how much he hated it. Maybe I’ll try one of his others! > > Weaving: I guesss I’m going to have to finally break down and see Matrix, huh? Does Priscilla take place in Australia? Me and Mrs. Lagomorph went there on our honeymoon.\*\* Yeah, I liked North. it ain’t the greatest movie ever, but I enjoyed it both times I watched it. It’s all about this Kid who travels around the world looking for better parents than his own. It’s absurdly surreal, and has Bruce Willis in it. Roger Ebert and I rarely agree on anything. He sees far more classic movies than I do, so his viewpoint is skewed. I just want to be entertained, but he seeks more. And Priscilla is most definitely set in Australia, though it’s a fairly arid location. ---
**Author:** ![Jeremy\_s\_Evil\_Twin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Jeremy\_s\_Evil\_Twin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeremy_s_Evil_Twin)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-movies-featuring-lotr-cast-members/85492/10 "2001-10-05T04:51:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Laughing Lagomorph \* > **You liked North? Wow, I just read about that movie, apparently Roger Ebert hated it so much he wrote a whole book about how much he hated it. Maybe I’ll try one of his others!** I don’t know why Ebert has such a bug up his fat ass about North. His likes and dislikes can be weird, but his hatred of this movie is downright pathological. It’s really not a bad movie, in fact I really liked it. It is a bit zany and the end totally rips off “The Wizard of Oz”. Surprised that nobody’s mentioned **The Ice Storm** , that’s by far the best movie Elijah has starred in. (The Amish boy in **Witness** was played by Lucas Haas, not Elijah, BTW.) Other Elijah movies that nobody’s mentioned yet: **Avalon** (snoozer), **Paradise** (good), **Forever Young** (decent), **The Good Son** (decent if you can stand Macauley Culkin), **The Adventures of Huck Finn** (good for a kid’s movie), and **Flipper** (blecch). Sean Astin starred in **Toy Soldiers** , which is a fun movie if you take your brain out first…he was also in **War of the Roses** but only played a bit part. I consider **The Matrix** to be required viewing, if only to participate in all the Matrix-bashing threads that go on around here. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Protesilaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Protesilaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Protesilaus)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-movies-featuring-lotr-cast-members/85492/11 "2001-10-05T07:39:48Z")
Christopher Lee played Count Dracula in a series of films beginning with [_Horror of Dracula_](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0051554), which is a pretty good vampire movie. Sean Bean plays the head villian in [_Don’t Say a Word_](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0260866), which is out right now, but I haven’t seen it. John Rhys-Davies was in the Bond film [_The Living Daylights_](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0093428) and the first three seasons of the TV show [“Sliders”](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0112167). He also played a holographic Leonardo da Vinci on a couple of Voyager episodes. Sean Astin starred in [_Encino Man_](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0104187), however, his co-star is Pauly Shore. (You did say “any role in a crappy movie.”) Astin was alright in it, considering, but then, watching this movie would expose you to considerable amounts of the “humor” of Pauly Shore. ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Alex\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_B)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-movies-featuring-lotr-cast-members/85492/12 "2001-10-05T10:47:37Z")
> [@](#): > > Sean Bean (Boromir): I’ve seen Patriot Games and Goldeneye. Any movies where he plays a GOOD guy? Boromir is supposed to be a sympathetic character. Don’t know about films but he starred in a whole bunch of tv movies in Britain called Sharpe, about a English soldier fighting in the Peninsular wars. They’re all called _ **Sharpe’s Something** _: _Eagle_, or _Sword_ or _Waterloo_ or whatever. Alex B ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-movies-featuring-lotr-cast-members/85492/13 "2001-10-05T12:29:50Z")
**Viggo Mortenson** was also interesting to watch in _The Prophecy_, with Christopher Walken. I thought the movie as a whole was a bit overhyped, but he was pretty good. **Ian Holm** has excellent roles in _Alien, Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, The Sweet Hereafter, Naked Lunch_ and _Brazil_. ---
**Author:** ![Skip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@Skip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skip)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-movies-featuring-lotr-cast-members/85492/14 "2001-10-05T12:47:25Z")
Sean Astin in **Goonies!!**. I think Goonies should be **mandatory viewing** for every kid. No kid should be denied this film! ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-movies-featuring-lotr-cast-members/85492/15 "2001-10-05T13:50:03Z")
I liked Sean Astin as the cameraman in _Bulworth_ and Hugo Weaving as the blind guy in _Proof_ (which also features an early Russell Crowe) I second _The Ice Storm_ for Wood, _Gods and Monsters_ for McKellan, and _Stealing Beauty_ for Tyler (though it’s really slim pickings with her) In addition to _Elizabeth_, which garnered Blanchett an Oscar nomination, you could watch _One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest_ (Dourif’s Oscar-nominated role) and _Chariots of Fire_ (Holm’s Oscar-nominated role), although Holm’s good in so many things: as Lewis Carroll in _Dreamchild_, as the restauranteur in _Big Night_, Napoleon in _Time Bandits_, plus _Joe Gould’s Secret, Wetherby, Henry V, Another Woman_ and especially _The Sweet Hereafter_, his best performance (though the other ones pldennison mentioned are good, too) Although I don’t know the _Black Beauty_ story, Bean is the star of a recent version and I do know that Danny Elfman’s score is perhaps the loveliest thing he’s ever written. Some of my favorite Christopher Lee movies are _The Wicker Man, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes_, and Richard Lester’s _The Three Musketeers_ I also notice Bernard Hill is playing King Theoden. He’s best known as the captain in _Titanic_ ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-movies-featuring-lotr-cast-members/85492/16 "2001-10-05T18:28:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jeremy’s Evil Twin \* > (The Amish boy in **Witness** was played by Lucas Haas, not Elijah, BTW.) > > \*\* Right you are, J.E.T. Viggo Mortensen was in Witness, but he didn’t play the kid-I knew that didn’t sound right. Thank you and everyone else for your input, I’ll be checking back later. Someone else mentioned the “Sharpe” series for Sean Bean-they look promising but unfortunately I don’t think they are available at the rinky-dink video store down the street from me! ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-movies-featuring-lotr-cast-members/85492/17 "2001-10-05T21:26:26Z")
Whenever I see John Rhys-Davies (Gimli), I think of the first time I ever saw him (and Patrick Stewart, and John Hurt): in I, Claudius. Ian Holm (Bilbo): Alien, as Ash (“still collating?”) Triple John Hurt-Tolkien connection: he was in I, Claudius with J R-D; Alien with Ian Holm…and the Bakshi LotR (voice of Aragorn). ---
**Author:** ![Tretiak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e57/32.png) [@Tretiak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tretiak)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-movies-featuring-lotr-cast-members/85492/18 "2001-10-05T21:56:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Laughing Lagomorph \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by GuanoLad \* > > \*\*Elijah Wood (Frodo): > > I liked North > > > > Hugo Weaving (Elrond): > > Well gee. Try The Matrix. Or Priscilla Queen of the Desert. > > > > Christopher Lee (Saruman): > > he will be in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. \*\* > > You liked North? Wow, I just read about that movie, apparently Roger Ebert hated it so much he wrote a whole book about how much he hated it. Maybe I’ll try one of his others! > \*\* Just a nit, he titled one of his Books “I Hate, Hate, Hated This Movie” which is the opening line to his review for North. The book is a collection of bad movie reviews by Ebert and not completely dedicated to the one movie. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2001, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-movies-featuring-lotr-cast-members/85492/19 "2001-10-06T02:02:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ArchiveGuy \* > I also notice Bernard Hill is playing King Theoden. He’s best known as the captain in _Titanic_ \*\* He was also in The Mountains of the Moon, and The Ghost and the Darkness, both of which I saw and reccomend. Mountains more than Ghost, maybe, because it is apparently more historically accurate. The Ghost and the Darkness is based on a true story, but they took a lot of liberties with it in the movie. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2001, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-movies-featuring-lotr-cast-members/85492/20 "2001-10-06T10:03:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Protesilaus \* > **John Rhys-Davies was in the Bond film [_The Living Daylights_](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0093428) and the first three seasons of the TV show [“Sliders”](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0112167). He also played a holographic Leonardo da Vinci on a couple of Voyager episodes.** not to mention _Raiders of the lost Ark_and_the Last Crusade_! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-movies-featuring-lotr-cast-members/85492.md?page=2)