I really should have posted over the weekend, but between the two viewings of LotR and four viewings of the trailer, working at Wrigley on Saturday, and then trying to get caught up on three days worth of e-mail on Sunday... It just didn't happen. And now i'm all depressed because I may have lost my LotR notebook--I hope it's at the Evanston Cinema and they saved it. But OF COURSE they don't have any phone number that is answered by humans, as I found out when I left a credit card there, so I'll have to taken an extra hour out of my evening and go there in search. **sigh*

Anyway, those are viewings #21 and #22, and trailer viewings #1-4. My movie notes will have to wait for my notebook to turn up (if that happens). I know that for #22, I tried to just mostly watch Elijah (yeah, I know, but *someone* has to do it) and not be quite so analytical. So, I was amazed all over again at the performance, which was JUST fine.

Thanks to Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News for the wonderful, complete notes on the trailer. It didn't rush by as fast as I expected it to, but still--knowing what I was seeing, and was about to see, was incredibly helpful. My overall impressions: More David Wenham than I'd have liked (still not the prettiest...), and an awful lot of Miranda Otto, too. Lots of Legolas and Aragorn--but that's just FINE. Sam and Gimli were nearly nonexistent. Not enough Frodo, but I expected that. Gandalf the White looks FANTASTIC. (Maybe Ian will WIN next year???) One shot of Karl Urban, and yet the New Line release about the trailer doesn't mention his name at all... Brad Dourif as Grima. Does he hold the patent on this kind of role now? I'm sure he'll be good, but most of the other casting was so original and often unexpected that it's a bit disappointing to get Brad here.

My favorite bits: for heart-clutching -- "The ring... it's getting heavier" (Frodo); for gorgeous -- Legolas fighting with his knives; for 'what does it MEAN?!?' -- The one of Arwen in the bier looking dead; for YES, I have two -- Aragorn fencing with Eowyn and Pip climbing Treebeard. I can hardly wait. Although I wonder if I'll be able to see TTT as many times as I have FotR, and as for RotK--boy, that will be hard to sit through.