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."

Loved:

Pippin's dirge. FUCK!!!!

Sam's entrance into Shelob's lair. YES!!!!

Yeah, that thing Eowyn does.

Sam and Shelob.

Yes!

Oh, all Jess' favorites and cry-points are mine.

I'm remembering much more this afternoon than I did at 4AM when I posted in that other thread.

This AM I found my ticket stub from the midnight show of TTT and put on the soundtrack cd, which I'd bought ahead of time but purposely hadn't listened to. I was fine till track five.oh.dear. Then I was fine again, even a bit cranky at the disjointedness and soundtrackiness of it all till it got to the last four or five tracks, and the tears just started. I'm always suspicious of facile tears, but this was just beyond strange. Kinda cathartic, but wholly unlike me.

Anyway. Must see it again--first time, too much excitement, too tired after sitting all day, and too much sensory overload to really process it. Will see it soon, soon, with DH, and again soon with or without him. And probably at least once more before I can pin down some definite opinions. A fairly long gap then before rewatching, and then spotting new or forgotten stuff. And several more viewings before it leaves theaters.

And back off Theoden. Mine. As is Pippin.

Oh, the one thing that stuck with me, that I woke up seeing in mind's eye, aside from the stripped Bag End interior--the mirror of Frodo's soul stripped of every non-essential, was how still and pale and tearless Frodo was while saying goodbye to Merry and Pippin, and even Sam. Even when he kissed Sam's forehead and broke me utterly, he shed not one tear. And when he looked back from the deck of the ship... he was no longer pale. There was a youthful blush in cheek and lip that had been missing since Weathertop. And his smile was no wan, pale, drawn thing. It was joyful.

And damn. I'm crying again.

It's not over! We have EE dvds in November! And then the year after, they will do an in-theater trilogy of all three EEs! (Tell me they will).

And by then, PJ may have gotten The Hobbit underway! And there're always the appendices, and, and, and...