Contents The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: Middle-earth Strikes Back: In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the second installment in the epic live-action film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy, director Peter Jackson ramps up the action as the fellowship continues to battle the forces of darkness threatening Middle-earth. Academy Award-winning effects facilities Weta Digital and Weta Workshop again partnered with Jackson to produce some 800 visual effects shots for the film, running the gamut from elaborate creature effects and miniature work to sophisticated character animation. Lending a hand in the proceedings was Sony Pictures Imageworks. Article by Joe Fordham

Spy Kids: Working at the Speed of Thought: With the success of Spy Kids and its equally popular sequel, Spy Kids 2, independent filmmaker Robert Rodriguez proved that high production values and a multitude of slick effects need not require a nine-digit budget. Offering up his recipe for success, Rodriguez provides an insider's view of the guerrilla-style tactics terhat he and his team of innovative effects vendors relied upon to achieve remarkable results working outside the traditional Hollywood infrastructure. Article by Jody Duncan

xXx: Shaken and Stirred: Director Rob Cohen and action star Vin Diesel reunite for xXx, a new breed of spy film whose secret agent -- a career never-do-well recruited from the fringe culture of extreme sports - relies on death-defying feats of athleticism as his modus operandi. Special effects supervisor John Frazier staged numerous live effects on set, while Digital Domain handled the bulk of the visual effects work required to place Vin Diesel squarely in the midst of the action. Additional effects support was provided by Illusion Arts, Digiscope and Gray Matter. Article by Christian Carvajal

Contents Adaptation: Twin Geeks: Witty, imaginative and highly unorthodox, Adaptation, directed by Spike Jonze, pits the film's real-life screenwriter Charlie Kaufman against his fictional twin brother, Donald - both portrayed by Nicolas Cage -- as the two go head-to-head in a comical search for artistic truth and familial redemption. Twinning and other effects were the work of visual effects supervisor Gray Marshall and his Gray Matter FX team, while makeup artists Joel Harlow and Kevin Yagher provided facial and body prosthetics. Article by Joe Fordham

Daredevil: Blind Justice: Continuing the tradition of comic book characters making the leap from panel to screen, Daredevil follows the crimefighting adventures of vigilante lawyer Matt Murdock, whose heightened sensory powers are a by-product of a freak accident in childhood that blinded him. Director Mark Steven Johnson called upon visual effects supervisor Rich Thorne and principal vendors Rhythm & Hues, Digital Domain and Pixel Magic to render his superhero's antics, making extensive use of digital doubles in combination with practical effects and live-action stuntwork. Article by Joe Fordham

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: When Harry Met Dobby: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the second in a series of films based on J.K. Rowling's popular children's books, serves up more of everything - more effects, more complex action and environments, more 3D creature work. Reuniting for the sequel were director Chris Columbus and many of the first film's core effects contributors, including special effects supervisor John Richardson, creature creator Nick Dudman and London-based vendors Mill Film, The Moving Picture Company, Cinesite and Framestore CFC. Leading the visual effects effort was Jim Mitchell of Industrial Light & Magic. Article by Barbara Robertson

Star Trek Nemesis: Through a Glass Darkly: Following a lengthy hiatus, Paramount Pictures' most enduring film franchise returns with Star Trek Nemesis, the tenth installment in the series and fourth based on the Emmy-winning Next Generation television show. First-time Trek director Stuart Baird challenged veteran production personnel such as makeup head Michael Westmore and production designer Herman Zimmerman, as well as Trek rookie Mark Forker -- who headed the visual effects team at Digital Domain -- to infuse the show with a fresh perspective. Article by Bill Norton

Contents The Hulk: Green Destiny: From the pages of Marvel Comics through a popular eighties television series and several movies-of-the-week, the Hulk has endured as one of the most memorable characters of its genre. However, his big-screen debut in The Hulk, directed by Ang Lee, promises to be his most impressive, thanks to the work of award winning visual effects supervisor Dennis Muren and a team at Industrial Light & Magic, who were charged with bringing the green-skinned behemoth to life as an entirely computer generated character. Article by Joe Fordham

X-Men United: Generation X2: The reluctant heroes and singular villains of X-Men, a film based on the popular Marvel Comics series, are back for a return engagement in the sequel, X2: X-Men United -- this time accompanied by a new generation of 'X-kids.' Also returning to the fold was visual effects supervisor Michael L. Fink and many of the original film's effects artisans, who tackled the sequel's more ambitious workload - new and improved looks for returning characters, the fleshing out of new characters and the execution of several spectacular action sequences. Article by Brad Munson

The Core: Innerspace: A subterranean odyssey undertaken by terranauts to save the earth from destructive magnetic forces is the focus of The Core, directed by Jon Amiel. To realize the film's fantastic premise -- which included an exploration of the earth's core by the terranauts in an experimental vessel, as well as a series of spectacular natural disturbances that rock the earth's inhabitants above-ground -- visual effects supervisor Gregory McMurry relied on an international contingent of effects vendors and a panoply of effects techniques. Article by Joe Fordham

Contents Seabiscuit: Photo Finish: Written and directed by Gary Ross, and adapted from the Laura Hillenbrand best-selling book, Seabiscuit recounts the legendary rise of America's favorite Depression-era racehorse. To achieve dynamic race scenes set on authentic-looking period tracks, Ross relied heavily on live-action camera work aided by Michael Lantieri's practical effects, while visual effects supervisor Richard Hoover oversaw digital effects in some 240 shots provided by Sony Pictures Imageworks, Pixel Playground, The Orphanage and New Deal Studios. Article by Jody Duncan

Spy Kids 3D: Game Over: Comin' at Ya! Maverick filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, whose credo of low-budget filmmaking was put to the test in the immensely popular Spy Kids series, offers up a third eye-popping installment in the franchise - Spy Kids 3D: Game Over. Having shot the film in digital video and anaglyphic stereo, Rodriguez - who wore many hats including that of visual effects supervisor -- worked with an array of vendors to produce some 850 effects shots, most rendered twice for stereoscopic effect. Article by Joe Fordham

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines: Winds of War: In Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, director Jonathan Mostow picks up the reins of James Cameron's futuristic tale, introduced in his breakout film The Terminator and revisited in the sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Back for a return engagement are the film's star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as creature creator Stan Winston and the maestros of Industrial Light & Magic, who pushed the saga to new heights with a powerful blend of cutting-edge animatronics and digital technology used to depict the Terminator and an even deadlier threat from the future - a T-X female cyborg. Article by Barbara Robertson

The Matrix Reloaded: Neo Realism: Delivering the first of two sequels to their 1999 hit, The Matrix, which took audiences by storm with its tale of alternate realities, the Wachowski Brothers are back with The Matrix Reloaded. This time, returning visual effects supervisor John Gaeta and an international array of visual effects vendors -- led by ESC Entertainment -- advanced synthetic imaging techniques and motion capture technology. The results are virtual-world visuals that defy description and action scenes whose complex choreography and camera work reflect a total liberation from real-world constraints. Article by Joe Fordham