The bonus features on the LotR DVDs are something I watch when I want to feel good about how amazingly creative people can be.

The amount of thought and focus they put into everything is jaw-dropping. They did detailed embroidery on the inside of costumes.

Some amazing work. I'm just happy I was not one of the actors. It must have been trying.

A couple months ago, I read an article on the state of FX arts (I can't remember where, possibly io9) that stated that CGI is still expensive enough that alternative methods are also considered. Apparently mixing CGI and in-camera effects continues to be problematic enough* that the decision must often be made to go entirely with one or the other.

*Problematic in the sense of blending them seamlessly without looking like Bakshi multimedia.

That's some seriously trick practical FX.
Added bonus: The link at the top of the YT page to the live streams for Lollapalooza2012/Chicago!

I think that you get better performances out of actors when they're acting against real scenery and other real actors and not alone in a sea of green trying to react to a tennis ball on a stick. Jackson figured that out, Lucas never did.