In the senses of the characters involved, the nations as characters

I can see that. For me, after the third or fourth time it happened, I was getting a little tired of PJ cutting away from Frodo & Sam to show us yet another wide shot of the Biggest CGI Armies Ever. I wanted to see more people fighting.

Those shots got a fair number of "oohs" from my last audience, Jess. I thought it was because of the increasing bleakness of it all -- the endlessness of Sauron's forces.

I mean 6000 sounds like a big number, doesn't it? But it's nothing.

So while I got the basic they're outnumbered premise, it kept being hammered harder and harder home. Although I enjoyed Frodo and Sam climbing more than I enjoyed them walking last time round, I didn't need to see any more of it. In fact, I was grateful for cutting from scenes I was really deep into (basically all Pippin) because I needed recovery time.

I mean [whitefont] But it's nothing.

Actually, that's a nitpick of mine -- he says "6,000 spears, less than half of what I was expecting." So he was expecting 12,000, at least. So what was with all the "Ten THOUSAND?!?!?! Nobody's got an army THAT big!" talk in TTT?

It's a small thing, but it caught my ear.

What's the exact line from TTT? I'd read it as Wormtongue saying that Saruman can't just get an army that big. It's not like he was working from a warlike country's population, or anything. The orcish numbers must be reasonably known and constant.

The line was "A force beyond reckoning" and, a bit later, "But my lord, there is no such army." I suppose he could have meant just orcs, but Theoden's reaction seemed to me like it was an unbelieveably big number, period. Which, if he was expecting to get 12,000 even after their losses at Helms Deep, it shouldn't have been.

Didn't Theoden look out and say "Is this all he's got?" I'm in a daze, so I'm not remembering well.

Yes, though I read that line as "They outnumber us, but they're REALLY easily beaten," not "Hey, that's not so many."

I'm still wearing the VIP bracelet that got us in and out of the theater for the extendathon. I know I'll have to shower sometime, but it's staying on till then.

Big old cheer-happy crowd. I don't remember all the times. Several during the first 2 movies. In RotK: Eowyn and the Witch King, Legolas and the Oiliphant, I think the Aragorn et al jumping off the ships. Other times, too.

wrt the ghosts I really wish it had been Gimli who tried to attack. Because my mind flashed to PotC. Which I was trying to avoid.

They also laughed a lot. Frequently at Gollum.

What I loved, and didn't realize till I broke out the soundtrack (Track 5, btw breaks me) that the language Gandalf uses abour death is echoed in the song at the end.

(Now I feel like I'm over-nitpicking, so I'ma repost the Things I Loved A Lot list from my LJ. These are from my first viewing:)

Everything Pippin-related. Billy Boyd should get a MILLION Oscars for this movie.

Faramir's daddy issues. Major props to PJ for not toning Denethor down.

Eowyn finally kicking some ass! Woot!

Sam saving Frodo from the big scary spider. It was VERY big and VERY scary, and Sam defeated it all by himself because he is the best hobbit ever.

Shelob. If I wake up screaming tonight? Her fault. She really looks like a spider. Like, really. Also, I was impressed at her characterization. When Sam finally jabs her with Sting, you could really feel the "Alas, my beautiful wickedness!" fainting back into her spidery boudoir to lick her wounds thing happening.

Aragorn and the Paths of the Dead. Very nicely done.

Legolas' oliphaunt stunts.

Legolas' outfit at the end. Mrrowr.

The last line is as it should be. (Peter Jackson may live.)

And my crypoints:

"Your hands are cold."

Pippin leaving Rohan.

Pippin swearing fealty to Denethor.

Faramir's last conversation with Denethor.

Sam's entrance into Shelob's lair.

Theoden's death.

Pippin throwing Faramir off the pyre.

Everything else that Pippin does.

Sam carrying Frodo up Mount Doom.

Frodo remembering the Shire.

Sam remembering Rosie Cotton dancing.

Eowyn's battle cry.

"I will kill you if you touch him."