[Gwathagor]

Guillermo del Toro has pointed out that that if there is a way to actually film a scene, using CG instead is just lazy filmmaking.

Despite its many, many flaws, LotR actually got me interested in movies to begin with, because of the occasional moments in the films when all the elements (script, music, acting, directing, editing, etc.) come together and capture a scene in an effective way that is very moving and inspiring. These moments made me wish I could make movies myself that would inspire audiences in the same way. While LotR probably initiated my interest in movies, there are other movies that have since to come to define it, and those are Gladiator, Pan's Labyrinth, and Lawrence of Arabia. Among the three of those, you've got myth and history and fighting and really great scripts, which I suppose are the four things that interest me most in movies.

My other two favorite films are Die Hard and Second-Hand Lions.