THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING(2001)

Directed by Peter Jackson

Special Extended Edition - Disc 1 and 2

An Ancient Ring thought lost for centuries has been found, and through a strange twist in fate has been given to a small Hobbit named Frodo (Elijah Wood). When Gandalf discovers the Ring is in fact the One Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron. Frodo must make an epic quest to the Cracks of Doom in order to destroy it. However he does not go alone. He is joined by Gandalf (Ian Mckellan), Legolas the elf (Orlando Bloom), Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Boromir (Sean Bean), his three Hobbit friends Merry (Dominic Monaghan), Pippin (Billy Boyd), Sam Gamgee (Sean Astin) and Gimli the Dwarf (Jonathan Rhys-Davies). Through mountains, snow, darkness, forests, rivers and plains, facing evil and danger at every corner the Fellowship of the Ring must go.

Their quest to destroy the One Ring is the only hope for the end of the Dark Lords reign......

The First installment of the Trilogy was nominated for a record 13 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Art/Set Decoration, Best (Visual) Effects, Best Original Score, Best Makeup, Best Costume Design, Best Editing, Best Original Song and Best Sound

Won 4, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best (Visual) Effects and Best Makeup

DVD Special Features:

Disc 1 and 2 : Feature Length Audio Commentary with Cast and Director/Writers

Disc 3 : The Appendices Part 1 - From Book to Vision

Disc 4 : The Appendices part 2 - From Vision to Reality

CIMARRON (1931)

WINNER OF THE ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST PICTURE

Directed by Wesley Riggles

When the government opens up the Oklahoma territory for settlement, restless Yancey Cravat (Richard Dix) claims a plot of the free land for himself and moves his family there from Wichita. A newspaperman, lawyer, and just about everything else, Cravat soon becomes a leading citizen of the boom town of Osage. Once the town is established, however, he begins to feel confined once again, and heads for the Cherokee Strip, leaving his family behind. During this and other absences, his wife Sabra (Irene Dunne) must learn to take care of herself and soon becomes prominent in her own right.

Nominated for 7 Academy Awards, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Writing (Adaptation), Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction

Won 3, Best Picture, Best Writing (Adaptation) and Best Art Direction

The only internally-produced RKO film to ever win the Best Picture Oscar

DVD Special Features:

Warner Bros Cartoon Shorts

JEZEBEL(1938)

Directed by William Wyler

Film set in antebellum New Orleans during the early 1850's, this film follows Julie Marsden (Bette Davies), beautiful and free spirited, rapacious Southern belle who is sure of herself and controlling of her fiancé Preston Dillard (Henry Fonda), a successful young banker. Julie's sensitive but domineering personality--she does not want so much to hurt as to assert her independence--forces a wedge between Preston and herself. To win him back, she plays North against South amid a deadly epidemic of yellow fever which claims a surprising victim.

Nominated for 5 Academy Awards, Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography and Best Music Score

Won 2, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress

DVD Special Features:

Audio commentary by film historian, Jeanine Basinger

Featurette, Jezebel: Legend of the South

EAST OF EDEN (1955)

Directed by Elia Kazan

In the Salinas Valley, in and around World War I, Cal Trask(James Dean) feels he must compete against overwhelming odds with his brother Aron(Richard Davalos) for the love of their father Adam(Raymond Massey). Cal is frustrated at every turn, from his reaction to the war, to how to get ahead in business and in life, to how to relate to their estranged mother.

Nominated for 4 Academy Awards, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Writing (Screenplay)

This was the first of two posthumous acting nominations received consecutively by James Dean

Won 1, Best Supporting Actress

DVD Special Features:

Audio length commentary by film historian, Richard Schickel

Two feature length documentaries: Forever Dean and East of Eden, Art in the search of life