As much as I am "enh" about Arwen (I've always maintained that whenever she appears onscreen, the pace immediately goes into imperceptible slo-mo, "Ohhh looook therrrre's Aaaarrrwwennnn", until she's offscreen again) boy did look sort of lonesome all by himself after getting the shiny hat from Gandalf. I was actually glad to see her show up .

Pippin/Billy Boyd is GOD. That's no spoiler. He just is. My Legolas/Bloom stuff is still intact and sacrosanct, so don't even be looking at him, but Astin and Boyd acted their fucking socks off.

I have more images (though fewer lines) floating in my head from this one -- even after the first viewing. I slapped the soundtrack into the CD player on the drive home (which goes past the Neiman Marcus with the RotK window dressing), and found myself still leaking tears.

My main crypoints (there were so many the first time round):

* Everything Pippin does -- his "forgive me" request of Gandalf after being revived post-Palantir -- his inability to get what Merry was telling him about them being separated -- his fear he expressed to Gandalf -- his inability to shut up, resulting in him swearing fealty to Denethor -- his glee at surreptitiously lighting the signal fire, and his being startled by being on top of a pyre -- his wanting to not be expected to fight -- his disappointment when Gandalf sends him back inside "They called us out to fight" -- his upset at Faramir's treatment both before and after the failed retaking of Osgiliath -- his lament -- his stare at his sword after he defends Gandalf -- his ash-stained face as Gandalf tells him about death -- him finding Merry and promising to take care of him (oh, lovely responsibility reversal) -- him charging out in front of the Black Gates -- him running screaming for Gandalf to save Faramir -- him saving Faramir -- his glee at seeing Frodo alive again -- his pleased nod at re-entering the Shire -- his dislocation in The Green Dragon -- his tabletop dance -- his bawling at Frodo's departure -- his little smile when Gondor bows to him.

Everything. I kid you not. Also, I cried when:

* The chain of signal lights fired up

* Eowyn talked obliquely or explicitly about wanting to fight

* Merry did many things, starting from being responsible towards Pippin, going right through putting on the helmet and stabbing Angmar

* Eowyn started slashing doublehanded, taking down the Oliphaunt

* Eowyn killing Angmar

* Theoden's death conversation with Eowyn

Probably other places too.

On rewatch, most of the first bullet, and the Eowyn bits still got me, but with less volume.

Oh fuck, ita. Your list of Pippin cry points just got me started bawling again, and it's been a week and a half since I've seen it.

Well, all this whitefont is killing me, and I doubt I'll have time to re-read things until much later because of hoiday frenzyness. Oh well, 5 hrs, 9 minutes until I get to join in the fun.

I have to see this. I'm reading the whitefont and tearing up from just that.

My brother is coming into town this weekend and I have no idea if he'll want to see it. I think he might. I know Mom does. Maybe I can suggest going to RoTK as a family thing.

me too, all of ita's post.

For FotR, it amused me that the eldest of the four hobbit actors played the youngest and buffooniest. But Boyd's subtlety in TTT began to impress me, and he just absolutely blew me away in RotK. I said earlier, and I stick to it, that every minute he's onscreen he pulls my eye.

And his singing voice. Gah. Stupid tears.

I knew I liked the hobbits, and I knew I'd like them more after RotK, but I had no idea what PJ and Billy had in store for me.

Yeah, pretty much everything ita said. My crypoints were skewed slightly more towards Sam, but otherwise, yes, yes, and yes. Pippin got me a bunch of times. Whenever a hobbit got teary, I was weeping. I'm not kidding when I say I cried through the last solid half hour of the film. My friend told me afterwards that I was getting looks.

I noted yesterday that the first time we hear the Gondor theme is during the council of Elrond, when Boromir is speaking. How cool is that? It's been there all along, and this was the first time I've known the significance of it.

I still don't recognise the Gondor theme. I meant to pay attention, but I got lost in the movie.

It was such a relief when they'd cut to something like Sam/Frodo, which, although sad, didn't hit me where I live. Arwen was good for that too. And since we'd spent the extendeds mocking Aragorn for being a poncy elf-wannabee, any of his sadnesses didn't tug me too hard.

I love the Gondor theme. Not quite as much as the Rohan theme, but probably about as much as the Fellowship theme. And "Into the West" is just perfect. "Safe in my arms, you're only sleeping..." *sob*

I liked Arwen showing up at the end, which was good, because I wanted to want her to be there, you know? It did bug me a bit that she looked so young. I always liked the idea that she is so much older than Aragorn, and yet can't help falling in love with him when she sees the man he has become. I liked her turning back because of her son. However, the whole "Arwen's fate is now tied to the fate of the Ring"--what? Excuse me? Makes no sense at all, and I didn't think it added anything to the story. Was it supposed to give Aragorn some added incentive to win the war? Because, hello, weight of the world already upon his shoulders. I did like that Elrond was crying, though. I thought Hugo Weaving was excellent in ROTK, after finding him too campy and creepy in TTT.