Friday Five Very cool idea from smattering.org

1. If you could eat dinner with and "get to know" one famous person (living or dead), who would you choose?
Boy, tough one. Has to be one of the LOTR guys, of course. I find Lijah the most intriguing and difficult to know, and of course I worship Sir Ian. Hmmm, go for door number one and risk being disappointed but with the possibility of getting a much better grasp of who he is, or door number two and talk to someone I've loved for over 20 years? Sounds like I've talked myself into #2, but... Yeah, Elijah. I live for rejection.

2. Has the death of a famous person ever had an effect on you? Who was it and how did you feel?
Strangely enough, this is sort of back to Sir Ian. In my Blake's 7 days, I was crazy about Geoffrey Burridge and lucky enough that during that time period, he was usually performing with Ian's group at the National Theatre. So I made several trips to London and was able to quite often see both guys in the same play, although my favorite thing of Geoffrey's was his one-man show, "Chatterton." Only met him once, but he was even more beautiful in person than on TV or stage, and one of the nicest guys I'd ever met. Really loved his fans, and always amazed at how much attention that one episode of B7 got him. When he died of AIDS, I went into a tailspin that last for weeks. Major, deep depression. I can't think of another death that affected me this strongly--in fandom, not even Ian Marter's (who I was MUCH closer to, for several years) made quite the same impact. It was like... some future that I had mapped out and counted on had been eliminated. Don't know how to explain it.
Photo of Geoff as Dorian in "Blake's 7"


3. If you could BE a famous person for 24 hours, who would you choose?
I'd have to say Kirsten Dunst. Pretty, smart, talented, and with a blockbuster movie opening in a month.

4. Do people ever tell you that you look like someone famous? Who?
Yup. Gilda Radner. Not so much anymore as she fades from people's memory. Too bad--I loved the comparison.

5. Have you ever met anyone famous?
Between working at Wrigley Field, being a skating photographer and running a fairly famous skating website, and formerly working a lot of media conventions, yeah. Sometimes really meet, sometimes just get to say "hi" as they pass. Most famous peopleI know fairly well are one former and one current Olympic gold medalist. Famous people I ran into at Wrigley and was most impressed by: Fergie and Keanu (separately, not together!)

Thanks to Dargie for the link to the wonderful comment service--see YACCS link in right margin. I'll leave my message board up for now, but the comment box should be a lot handier. Too cool.

Sure wish I could go with The Chicago Fellowship on Friday to see The Movie on an IMAX screen, but between the fact that I don't have a car, how long it would take, and the fact that I have to work on Saturday and it's a late movie--I don't think there's any way. If anyone wants to join my little group in Evanston (IL) at the 7:30PM show, please do! I'll probably be in the first raised row in my "Frodo Lives" shirt.

Yeah, I hit #20 on Saturday!

Moved the date up from Sunday so I didn't have to worry about the Oscar coverage while I was gone. Gotta keep this stuff in mind! Also went back to my favorite international news-stand for the first time in years. So great. Heidi went with me--#2 viewing for her. I refrained from saying "pervy hobbit lover" even once.

If my LOTR notebook makes it through another 5 viewings, I'll be amazed. It's only the clip on the pen that's holding it together now. So much for spine-bound, cheap notebooks.

Things that make you say "hmmmm"
* Gandalf sitting in Bag End, smoking and thinking. Ever notice that he says "My precious" when Frodo returns?
* Merry sure likes that flat-palm-to-Frodo's-chest gesture. He does it several times. Merry or Dom, one wonders?

So, about Legolas always riding bareback. Not necessarily an elf thing, since all the elves don't do it. I wonder if Orlando breaking his rib changed their plans at all? You can't see a saddle when Legolas rides into Rivendell, or in the shot from TTT. But a stirrup is visible, so *some* kind of tack.

I love the look Sam gives Frodo in the Shire, just after Gandalf leaves. Definitely one of those "See!?" ones. "Look what you got us into." Sam and wizards are not a comfortable combination.

I love the amazing disappearing/reappearing chain around Frodo's neck. You can see it at first in the bed in Rivendell--as short as it generally is, you *should* see it under the nightshirt, but it's only visible briefly. You can see it for a second after he falls in the snow--and you shouldn't, since he's supposed to have had it fall off.

These are getting shorter and shorter. Maybe the notes about #21 will just be about our Fellowship? There are a whole bunch of us going Friday to Evanston to see the new trailer (read Harry's AICN summary at Two Towers Preview. If we get 9 in our little group (not counting any other Chicago Fellowship people who might come), we're going to pick characters. Dibs on Frodo!

The Oscars

Wow. First time I've watched start to finish in YEARS. In fact, I started taping at 11:00AM. LotR has a lot to answer for...

I feel bad for Sir Ian. He certainly deserved the award, and after all the build-up he must have thought he had a good chance at it. But at least the winner was someone he seems to respect, which has to help. And winning the SAG, from people who are truly your peers, has got to help. As a friend said, he might not have won the trophy, but we envy him his consolation prize... (that would be Nick).


I think everyone missed a bet going only with the leading ladies for their "Best Dressed." IMHO Kirsten Dunst was the prettiest thing there, both just herself and in her gorgeous Dior gown. Too bad Tobey seemed so nervous. I hope he gets over this soon--I'm sure he's got a lot of promo to do this spring for Spiderman.

I have to say, I'm not understanding what is going on in fandom these days. Feeling my age, I guess.

What is it that drives people to try to claim copyrighted work as their own, to steal other people's stories, to insist that there *are* no copyright issues with using press photos, Tolkien's characters, and/or real people's names and likenesses? And most of all, WHY ever would someone refer an actor to a website that contains both slash fiction AND RPS without any indication from said actor that he would be OK with such, let alone that he might be *interested* in it? I'm just not following.

Boy, it's been hard to get into Blogger lately! Guess we're all writing like mad.

Anyway--I got to #19 on Sunday. Go me! I think I should have been using a spiral-bound notebook, since the pages are coming out of my spine-glued one. *sigh* Luckily, I'm getting to the point where I have less and less to say. Maybe that means one day soon I'll actually WRITE one of the many plot bunnies that keep me awake at night. Most of what I have now is my stupid questions, like:

Why did they decide to have Frodo NOT reading (or smoking) in the tree? Couldn't they get him down, or what? I guess breaking Elijah's leg to start the movie probably wasn't a good option. And what is he reading, anyhow?

At one point when Elrond is talking to Gandalf, we see the same person (well, elf I imagine) walking around in back of Elrond throughout the entire scene. Is he waiting for Elrond or something? An assignation for later?

I've gone back to being dazzled by Orlando. I was so dazzled initially, that when the first shock wore off, I'm afraid I rather short-changed him. Well, I'm watching him again, and he's still dazzling. (Still the prettiest, too--yeah, Cassie!)

For once, I remembered to look at Viggo's face in the Moria/Balin's Tomb scenes, to see if I could see where he smacked it with the surfboard. Boy howdy. For a long time, we only see the right side of his face--either he's turned, or his hair is over the left side or he's moving so fast you can't make his face out at all. Finally, after he's thrown against the wall by Bob (the cave troll), we're allowed to see the huge shiner and the swollen cheekbone. Ouch. I guess we're supposed to think that's a result of the fight, and not of trying to keep up with 4 hobbits and an elf...

Will I ever get to the point where I take Sean Bean's performance for granted? I think he has (and hits) the most diverse notes in this installment (although I'm sure Elijah will get the overall award long before it's over). He's self-assured and arrogant, proud and brave, strong and loyal, insecure and afraid, protective and supportive... it's just a brilliant performance. I hope he's stayed in the US to go to the Oscars--I hate to think of him having to fly back and forth unless maybe he has Orli to cling to again.

When Frodo offers the ring to Aragorn (OK, so he actually says, "Would *you* destroy it?", but it comes to the same thing), does he KNOW absolutely that Aragorn will not be seriously tempted? Or at that point, is he so upset that he doesn't care? Does he want Aragorn to prove himself (as he did) or is he expecting to see Strider be the next to fall to the power of the ring?

And finally... I think I saw TWO orcs move this time, when Aragorn ran over them to Boromir. Well, I think I'd move to if Viggo tramped on me. After all, they're probably just not quite dead yet...

To get OFF of LOTR for just a second, it's nice to see my favorite newer actress, Kirsten Dunst, getting some good work. Like Lij (hmm, didn't stay off that topic long, did I?) she was so spectacular as a child that you worry about the transition--but so far, so good. I finally saw "Bring it On" which worried me because she plays a cheerleader--but she's fabulous. And I'll be one of the first in line to see her in "Spiderman" in May, despite the dialogue of "wow!" and the wet t-shirt...

I just read in Vanity Fair (which has another extraordinary photo of her on the cover, but no interview or feature article) that Kirsten is playing Marion Davies in Peter Bogdanovich's "The Cat's Meow", a film about the Hearst 1924 yacht death scandal. They say she steals the movie...

I don't *think* there is any way I can go, but I bought a ticket to the TORN Oscar party anyway, just in case next week's e-fares are super-incredible. Here's hoping. At least it sounds like the folks going will have a lot of computers and cell phones and digital cameras with them, so we shouldn't miss TOO much. I wish I knew how impossible it is (or isn't) to get Oscar arrivals photos--love to use the digital at a big event. Oh, well, might have to just save it for the SF Gay Pride Parade.

I do realize I've STILL forgotten to hook my message board up to this blog and my LOTR website. Not a good thing. I signed up for a new one almost two weeks ago, but I keep forgetting to do it. Too much still to scan! Got the French Maximal (men's mag) article up on my site last night. That photo of Lij and Ian remains one of my all-time favorites.

TORN had a link to a site I wish I'd seen long ago (and many $$ ago): The Oscar Watch site has a lot of the LOTR Oscar ads -- really nice scans, too. After I bought almost all the ones I wanted...

This is pretty much how I feel today. No idea why. Maybe it's the idea of Lily Baggins going on vacation with her latest Frodo/Aragorn story just barely underway.... Or maybe it's the idea of Lij doing a movie with Mandy Moore. Or "Chain of Fools" still not being released. Or not being able to get to LA for the Oscars. Oh goody, now I'm even MORE depressed.

Viewing #18 and SAG awards
Go Sir Ian! (and I mean that on more than just winning the SAG Best supporting actor award)


Well, earlier today I went to viewing #18, luckily still in Evanston, back in our old favorite Theatre 12. PJ has messed up my schedule by moving the trailer from March 22 to March 29--I thought I'd hit #20 that day. Then again, Lij is 21, so hitting viewing #21 and the trailer on the same day works, too. And now back to our regularly scheduled notes...

Merry has this thing about putting his hand on Frodo's chest, palm flat. He does it several times. Comforting, steadying? And speaking of hands, Orlando has *gorgeous* hands. Too bad about Lij's...

Caught something I hadn't seen in Moria, Balin's Tomb, when the orcs attack. It's Pip who, of the four hobbits, charges first. I think that's the only time he initiates something like that. Well, he runs out of hiding first in disbelief at Frodo leaving them at Amon Hen, but that's more unthinking. And would someone please tell Sam that hitting orcs with a frying pan is only making them mad, and probably not doing anyone any good?

When Gandalf yells "To the bridge!" in Moria--does anyone but him have a CLUE where that is???

Why does everyone seem to talk R-E-A-L-L-Y S-L-O-W-L-Y around Galadriel? ("but nine there were set out from Rivendell." "What will I see?") Is she much stupider than she appears? Does she lipread?

So, I finally started reading the biography I bought of Sean Bean tonight, during the SAGs.

I'm trying not to expect too much--he seems like one of those people who appears much more alive onscreen than off. I'm only through his teen years at the moment, but there's a lot here that would be useful to RPS writers.

I put up a page of pretty bad screencaps from the SAG awards here. Sir Ian looked fabulous, as did the 3 hobbit boys who arrived together (Lij, Billy, Dom). Well, OK, so TWO of them looked fab, and Lij looked like he was wearing his father's suit. Geez, someone PLEASE dress that boy properly. We didn't really see enough of the others to say, but the two Seans and Orli looked great from what I *could* see. Of course all the buzz on the lists is about the guy sitting next to Ian...

OK, in the last week I've taped Sir Ian on the BAFTA awards, on Politically Incorrect, on Face to Face, and tonight on Craig Kilborn. He's just a delight. Kilborn and he seemed to have a great time. But I wish they hadn't changed his SNL date to a week earlier--they're messing up my oscar weekend plans.

Hooray, I've updated my Lord of the Rings pages. Now, in addition to the "Happy 21st Birthday, Elijah" page (said birthday was January 28), I've got up an index, an art gallery, and an Elijah shrine. Go look!

Viewing #17
OK, I'll admit, the blizzard had me worried. Would I go more than a week without seeing The Movie for the first time since Lausanne? Nah. Lucky I live in a city that can deal with snow!

Noon show, more kids than I'm used to. Fairly small crowd--I hope that's normal for the early show and a blizzard, and not a sign that the movie could end in Evanston before the Oscars. I think I need to start posting something other than movie notes, since I'm running out of new things to notice. Have to look up my post to the Lij list's thread of "10 favorite Frodo moments" and add a message board, so folks can argue with me.

OK, that *wasn't* Rose sitting with Sam. I still can't see her face, but the dress is the wrong color. Baggins or Gamgee relations, I assume.

Elijah's language as Frodo is just the least bit stilted upon occasion--I assume that's intentional, but maybe not. The "What are you doing?" when Gandalf throws the ring in the fire, for instance, doesn't sound entirely natural. But I'm still most taken with Frodo's relationship with Gandalf (quel surprise). In the Shire, he has this fantastic, quirky goduncle that everyone else can only look on with astonishment. But he's on fairly intimate terms with him. Gandalf takes a lot of care on his behalf. Then he goes missing, leaving Frodo in the lurch. But he reappears, still looking after him, and although it might seem that out in the wider world Frodo's relationship with the wizard would not be as unique, would have to be placed in a larger context, but somehow it remains the same. Gandalf is the first to volunteer to aid him in the council, and it is Frodo walking with Gandalf in most of the scenes we see. Of course, now Frodo is not just a young hobbit from the Shire--he is the ringbearer, and central to a lot of lives. But I think Frodo still loses some of his sense of being special in the way he was in the Shire, and is now special in a way he doesn't desire at all. Yet it remains bearable while he holds his special place with Gandalf (and has gained a similar standing with Aragorn).


Christopher Lee has talked about his vision of Saruman as the greatest intellect, and I can see that. Saruman is all brains, all intellect. Gandalf's logic and vision is always colored by his heart, which is both his weakness and his strength.

I really miss the excised line of Galadriel's to Frodo, "You will find your strength." I'd put that in place of "Even the smallest person...." I find that line demeaning to Frodo. Why do his doubts over his inability do accomplish his mission necessarily have anything to do with his size? Any of us would question our abilities under those conditions.

OK, I counted the Frodo "ring in hand" shots today:

1 offering the ring to Gandalf
2 After fleeing the black rider for the first time
3 "I *am* ready to go home" to Sam in Rivendell
4 offering the ring to Galadriel
5 "Would *you* destroy it?" to Aragorn
6 Screwing up his courage to take the boat and leave

So I was right--6 times

Viewing #16 - I got caught up before I went to #17! V good... However, I'm going to wimp out and *not* go to #17 tonight. 4 successive nights of less than 4 hours sleep have left me pretty ragged, and Cate's voice is SO soothing in the opening...

Thank heavens it's been held over for one more week--I went into a panic yesterday when I tried to do a search for next week and no Chicago locations came up. Database must not have been updated yet. So I'll work on getting my LOTR website up tonight--look for additions (see link in right-hand column) besides the Lij's birthday page that's been there for the last month.

Anyway, most of my writing at #16 seems to have been on my jeans (involuntarily). Have I finally reached the point where I have nothing more to say about the movie? Seems unlikely. However, I did go to #16 with Jean and Karen, and I generally take more notes when I'm by myself, so maybe that was it. We were in another new theatre within the Evanston complex, so I'm racking up different theatre points here.

Woo hoo! I finally saw the car (or whatever people think is a car) in the shire. I was looking in *totally* the wrong scene, duh. It's not nearly as distracting as the amazing moving scarecrow in the same segment. Now I can go back to watching Elijah instead...

I love the movement Ian uses as Gandalf, to flip the cover back over Saruman's palantir. Just one of those little kinds of gestures he probably learned on the stage, but it's SO graceful. But then, as you've probably noticed, I worship Sir Ian...

Stupid question for this viewing: When Frodo goes invisible in the Prancing Pony, why doesn't anyone step on him during that extended period where he's seeing the black riders? Seems like he was in a very small clear spot on the floor near the bar, and although they might have backed away initially, everyone seems to have gone on with their drinking by the time he becomes visible again. If he keeps falling on his back like that, someone *is* going to do *something*

Things I'd change: During Elrond's council, when Frodo flinches as Gimli attempts to destroy the ring, Gandalf starts to reach out to him but stops. Too bad--Frodo really needs the support, and Gandalf is the one he most needs it from.
OK, this isn't Gandalf and Frodo, but I love it anyway.

If you like the Gandalf/Frodo photo from the previous entry, you can get a poster of it from New Line, and it's even on sale. The LOTR shop is here

Happy Birthday, Jean!

Viewing #15 - I'm only a week behind now!
Second time to see the movie downtown, on a rainy, cold weeknight. The theatre said patronage was way down, but our little section was well over half full. V good.

Gotta get a screen cap of one of those Frodo-looking-at-Gandalf moments--maybe the one either just before or just after he sets off the fireworks for the hobbit children following his cart and horse. It's partly the usual worship, but blended in with the sort of amused tolerance and strong affection one has for one's slightly eccentric great-uncle. I used to love that look, but lately I find it makes me tense up in anticipation of what is to come later. Which I guess explains why I have TWO versions of the Frodo/Gandalf shot in Moria (the oscar ad and the poster)--see below. Every time I see the movie, I'm also struck by the way Frodo implicitly trusts Gandalf--he holds out his hand for the ring when told to do so, even though he doesn't look like he believes it isn't hot; he drops to the floor almost simultaneously with Gandalf's shout of "Get down." He would (and does) go a lot further than Bree if Gandalf told him to.

Merry and his apples. Is the boy ever without one? Is there some significance to that?

Is that Rosie sitting with Sam at Frodo's table at the birthday party? There are two women there, but it's really hard to make them out. Took me many viewings to even *see* Frodo and Sam in the group shots during Bilbo's speech.

Merry (and to a lesser extent, Pippin) is so protective of Frodo, without really being told. During the escape, on Weathertop, and even afterwards--when Strider asks Sam to help him look for Athalos, Merry immediately take's Sam's spot at Frodo's side. The way the two move in to try to protect Frodo on Weathertop, after Sam is knocked aside, makes me want to hug them every time I see it. (And the way Frodo drops his sword without ever using it makes me want to smack *him*.)

Sir Ian McKellen's timing and phrasing is just so wonderful. I love the way he plays the scenes 1) when Frodo returns to Bag End after Bilbo's birthday party, and 2) when Frodo wakes up in Rivendell. Gandalf appears almost lost in thought, to the point where you expect Frodo to show more impatience (which, interestingly enough, he doesn't). A wizard is never late.... And he uses that pipe *brilliantly* to slow his delivery even more. If this performance isn't worthy of an Oscar, I don't know what IS.

Frodo in that council scene... I do love the sigh when he puts the ring down, but is that pain when the ring is hit by Gimli symbolic of more than just a lingering tie to it? Does he volunteer to take the ring to Mordor, in part, because he can't bear to be parted from it, especially when no-one immediately steps forward with a plan? He seems to take it back rather easily, all things considered. I wonder if he ever really thought he was through with it. He seems in pretty good spirits when all the shenanigans are taking place with the other hobbits joining the fellowship (but of course he's got Gandalf and Aragorn with him, both of whom he trusts implicitly). I love his face at Pippin's "Where are we going?"

Stupid question of the week (Lij fan category): Couldn't Bilbo have waited to go spastic over the ring until Frodo had finished taking off his shirt???


Did I invent this? I thought I saw, just for a second, a chain around Frodo's neck when he gets up after falling in the snow climbing Caradhras. Of course it's supposed to have fallen off... And then I thought I saw one shot just before the avalanche where suddenly Legolas is near the end of the line--of course he's supposed to be out in front, and he's back in place to pull Gandalf back from the edge.

I could use a few more minutes spent in Moria, to give us the idea of time passing. It's not readily apparent, at least at first, that Gandalf is lost, because we haven't really seen him leading them through and picking the passages they follow. And much as I like Gandalf's speech to Frodo, about making the best of the time that is given to us, I'm happy that they used a different version of it for Frodo's flashback at the end--the timing on the line is different, as is Ian's face. Much more effective than trying to make him find some "middle ground" reading that would work in both places.

Speaking of Moria--which always seems to bring me to Boromir--despite the fact that I miss seeing Boromir and Aragorn try to help Gandalf (as they did in the book), I like Boromir being there to restrain Frodo. In pretty much the entire Moria sequence, he is the primary comforter as Gandalf and Aragorn's attention is elsewhere. Frodo doesn't seem so much trying to escape Boromir's arm as he does holding on to it for support. I just wish the following shot wasn't so clearly the double instead of Elijah.

Viewing #14
In a movie full of beautiful things, there's not much more beautiful than Elijah Wood in the Birthday Party scenes. Absolutely gorgeous. Guess we won't be seeing that smile again in the other two installments.

I love Frodo's packing skills (or lack thereof). We do see that he's actually a hobbit--he packs more food than clothes. And stuffs in his clothing totally unfolded--even unfolding the shirt that Gandalf has folded for him.

Those Elrond-Gandalf glances during the council--those two have more going on than we know. Besides the winks and nods, there's the look Elrond gives Gandalf when Boromir begins his "It is a gift" speech. Did they know *someone* would make this argument, or did they know that Boromir, specifically, would?

Frodo looks *so* pleased when Gandalf is the first to join him in the "Fellowship" (which has not yet been named), and seems to lean into him in the group shot (could be a trick of the forced perspective or trick shot, but possibly not). It seems only fair that Gandalf accompany him, doesn't it, since it's Gandalf's fault he's even in Rivendell in the first place. In the shots of them leaving Rivendell and beginning the next stage of the quest, it's always Frodo right behind or beside Gandalf. What a cruel trick to first deprive him of his absolute trust in Gandalf, and then deprive him of Gandalf altogether.

Karen pointed this one out to me: When the fellowship hides from the crabein, where did the horse go? My theory is that the reason Gandalf was the last to hide was that he was "disappearing" good old Bill. We sure don't see hide nor hair of him in that scene, and believe me, I have looked. (Funny how Aragorn manages to hide with Frodo though--pervy hobbit fancier. Sam will kill him if he tries anything...) If you haven't read Cassie Claire's LiveJournal yet, do so immediately!

OK, I think in Moria, the only thing Aragorn yells to Frodo (several times) is "Frodo!" Manages to sound different each time, but I *think* that's it. I could be wrong. I guess this means I'm running out of things to check on!

NOTES ON VIEWING #13
hmmm, change of theatre in Evanston. I wonder how many different theatres I will see this movie in? Not as many as if I'd gone in Lausanne!

Why does Bilbo drop the ring on the floor, anyway? Just for dramatic purposes? We know he can't hand it to Gandalf, but neither he nor Gandalf knew that at the time. Would make more sense for him to do that, or walk back and set it on the table.

Isn't Frodo strangely expressionless coming home to Bag End (after leaving Sam on their way back from the local)? Had a bit too much to drink, tired, or just miles away in thought? And is Sam smoking?

I love to listen to the voices. Frodo's voice doesn't just have an accent where Lij's doesn't, but the whole cadence and timbre is different. He sounds more like Lij when he shouts and the pitch is higher. Viggo's voice bothered me a lot at first--nearly everyone else's is better, especially (of course) the Brits, who are stage-trained. His voice is most effective in a near-whisper, which is very sexy besides. Liv does much better than I expected, given I'm not all that wild about her speaking voice. Ian McKellen **swoon** no comment. Christopher Lee has one of the great voices in the universe, and as Sir Ian says on his webpage, the theatre lost something when Lee chose to concentrate on film. But the scene in particular, when he is standing atop Isengard bringing down the avalanche on the fellowship--what mastery.

OK, so who's writing a decent movieverse history (not just a slash one) about Legolas and Aragorn? They obviously know each other, although we can argue about how well, and that's a departure from the book. Legolas' defense of Aragorn at Elrond's Council gave a lot of people pause. And Leggy always seems to be whispering to Aragorn, usually when he thinks they need to move on (or, at least, those are the ones we hear...)

An additional favorite Council moment: the sigh from Frodo when he sets the ring in front of the council. He's finally rid of it, no matter what they decide. HUGE relief... for a very short time. Poor Frodo.

God, I love Boromir's lines, and the way Sean Bean delivers them. Especially:

Gondor has no King. Gondor needs no King.
Such a little thing.
They have a cave troll.
The lords of Gondor have returned.
My brother, my captain, my king.

Yup, Gimli has the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox. He keeps them in a jar at home.

Did I ask already about Frodo pointing out that Sam can't swim? I always want Sam to reply, "What? Is Mordor an Island then?"

OK, so we don't get as much Legolas/Gimli interaction as people would like. We get more Gimli/Boromir than I would have expected, though. Boromir's hand on Gimli's shoulder at Balin's tomb. Boromir comforting Gimli outside of Moria. And of course, Gimli paying homage when they give Boromir his warrior's send-off. The respect of one warrior to another. I love it.

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Cute photos from Japan
I guess the boys were in Japan late last week, and Orli and Dom flew straight from there back to the UK just in time for the BAFTAs. Some really cute photos posted here. Lots of speculation going on about why Lij looks so chipper after such a long flight, mostly centering on Orli (although my money is on Dom).

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Remainder of notes on #12
I'm falling so far behind on my LOTR notes I don't know if I will *ever* catch up. I just went to viewing #16 yesterday, and I haven't finished posting #12 yet. I also managed to cover myself in ink yesterday--so much for keeping my pen and notebook at the ready!**sigh**

I know Karen and I are never going to agree on what exactly we see in Frodo's face when Boromir picks up the ring on their way up Caradhras. I see the beginning of ringlust--the look on his face is out of all proportion to what Boromir is saying, and in fact is already showing before Boromir has finished picking up the ring. It's more than concern or unhappiness, and borders on hatred. And beyond that, he has started to look more than a little tired of the whole affair--not just tired or distrustful, but really sick of everyone and everything. It still comes and goes at this point.

I still wonder why we don't see Frodo and Sam smoke more. Not to mention Merry and Pippin, although they at least get to smoke a little in Moria. It would help to remind the viewer that hobbits are not children, no matter how small and cute they might be. Merry does seem to be fixated on apples, doesn't he? We rarely see him without one in his hand. Frodo, on the other hand--the only time we see him with food is when he's packing it to leave Bag End. We assume they're cooking and eating on their way to Bree when we see them smoking, and he's helping them unpack for the "second breakfast" that Strider curtails, and Sam brings him a plate of food just before Caradhras, but he never actually eats.

It's been fun finding the "errors" that I didn't see myself, but of course the ones that annoy me are the ones I saw relatively early on, like the positioning of Gimli in Balin's tomb. JRD himself is right up next to the tomb, so that when he leans forward, his helm rests on the tomb. The double is quite a bit further away. ARGH. The only other one that bugs me as much is the amazing disappearing hand of Boromir on Aragorn's shoulder, during Boromir's death scene. That one takes me RIGHT out of the storyline sometimes, I'm so annoyed. It's a shame to have Viggo and Sean doing such a terrific job and something silly like that getting in the way--doesn't compare at all to stuff like a car in the distance.

Poor Orlando gets stuck naming half the stuff in the movie: Orcs! Goblins! Crebain from Dunland! (I'm sure I got that last one wrong--will fix when I can check it.) Not to mention: He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. Too bad they took identification of the Balrog away from him (I think it was his in the book) and gave it to Gandalf. Walking dictionary, that boy.

I like the final flight out of Moria--everything gets just that little bit out of control (as if it wasn't already). After the Balrog is spotted and named (and Leggy looks particular terrified--on what level does he feel it, and what does he feel?), Gandalf shoves Aragorn and insists that he "lead them on"--but it seems to be Boromir leading them. I love the way Legolas vaults down the side of the stairs rather than climbing down, to move from the back to the front (and thus be in a position to catch Gandalf). And, of course, there's my favorite bit: the game of Red Rover they all play when the stairs/bridge starts to collapse. "Send Gandalf on over!" Guess Frodo lost that one... Then again, Boromir gets to catch him again--Boromir is always catching or carrying Frodo in Moria.

Lothlorien is indeed magical. Aragorn's grey-green eyes are blue, Boromir's hair is clean, and Legolas glows silver instead of his usual gold. Gotta love it. I love Frodo's whole distrustful stance around Galadriel's mirror--which works much better since it is just him there in the movie, rather than him and Sam as in the book. I wish Frodo got to see Galadriel's ring, though. That's one of my quibbles with the scene--the other is the missing line we heard in the trailer ("You will find your strength") for which we get instead the "Even the smallest person..." line that I do NOT like. Frodo has said he doesn't know if he can do what he must. Why does she assume it's because he is SMALL? I don't think that's it at ALL. Made a cute picture for the ads, but I don't like it. And he should be able to see her ring, so her line about him being a ringbearer would have more depth. "Bearing a ring of power is to be alone." yeah, and being married to Celeborn doesn't help, either.

What else can I say about #12? We had lots of newbies in the theatre, who were more vocally into the fight scenes than us old timers. That was fun. Applause when Aragorn killed Lurtz! (And his eyes look blue again in Boromir's death scene.)

God, I love this shot. Nothing to do with this post, though! Photo taken by Viggo.

OK, this is an experiment. I'd love to add some graphics and links and stuff, but I am SO not good at this. So here's a try at adding a Frodo button to my title bar.

Out of order random note after viewing #15:

When I first heard they'd cast Elijah Wood as Frodo, I thought that his looks were good for the part. All I'd really seen him in was Avalon, in which he was excellent, so I went to IMDB to read up on him. Rather flabbergasted at Ebert calling him basically the best child actor ever (I'd have given that to Christian Bale). However, now that I find myself arguing every nuance of his performance (while still a teenager) in this role, and having it NEVER occur to any of us that Lij might not be conveying, at any time, just *exactly* what he wants to convey--I stand in awe of his talent. I can hardly wait for the second installment.