Yay! Faramir battles!

Agreeing with Jess, on both points. But the watering-down of the heroes and the watering-down of the bad guys is one of my major arguments with the movies.

I disagree, but love Movie!Faramir for himself anyway. I think he works far better onscreen than Tolkien's Faramir would have.

I'm very much in the minority (perhaps even a minority of one) on this, but I do feel that way.

Yes, in the book, Faramir does the whole "even were I to find this thing lying by the road, I would not take this thing," but Movie Faramir never does try to take the ring from Frodo, so I don't really feel that part of book canon was violated.

But again, I know I'm in a very tiny minority on this, and have no illusions, or even really desire, about trying to convince anybody else of my rightness.

But I am right...

Speaking of Faramir, Emmett doesn't really have the words which would in effect express "That is Wrong Unkind Behavior" so when he saw Denethor wishing Faramir had died, Emmett kept muttering under his breath with some vehemence "What an idiot!"

I may need the LAistas to do a little...job...for me. Seems my friend has gotten himself two tickets for the LOTR Oscar party. Now, I only need to disappear his wife and take her place. Any volunteers?

Yes, in the book, Faramir does the whole "even were I to find this thing lying by the road, I would not take this thing," but Movie Faramir never does try to take the ring from Frodo, so I don't really feel that part of book canon was violated.

Lifting the Ring off of Frodo's neck with the tip of his sword doesn't count as "trying to take it" to you?

Seriously though, it's not even that. It's that in the book, Faramir is Tolkien!Sue, and in the movie, he's a three-dimensional character. He has desires and flaws and motivations that go deeper than I Am The Very Model Of A Third-Age Numenorean.

(And Faramir is the only character I think this kind of writing works for -- giving Aragorn a character arc just confused me.)

Seriously, no no no. Tim Benzadrino was the first major section I'd cut. I'm also about 50% in favor of cutting the Scouring.

I think it would've really helped the Frodo-to-the-Havens thing if they'd kept the Scouring. I mean, I understand why they didn't, and I don't know if there would've been any way to keep it in. Probably not. But as it was, it was about ten minutes where it was Frodo Is Dead, No Wait, He's Fine And Happy, Well Maybe He's A Bit Alienated, Oh Hey He's Completely Incapable Of Enjoying Life. Not enough time to sell the impact everything had on Frodo.

Now, I only need to disappear his wife and take her place. Any volunteers?

Yes. But only if I can take his place.

Lifting the Ring off of Frodo's neck with the tip of his sword doesn't count as "trying to take it" to you?

Nope. That's looking at the Ring and deciding he will send the hobbit carrying it to his father. "Taking it" to me implies taking it for himself, which he does not do. The closest he comes to taking it is deciding he will send the hobbit with the Ring in his possession to his father. He wasn't even planning on going himself to accompany the Ring. The Ring would have been in Frodo's possession the whole time.

To me that is a vastly different act than what his brother tried to do.

One thing I liked a lot about the Weapons and Warfare book is that it recounts all the major battles so I finally got a sense of The Last Alliance of Elves and Men and that Isildur wasn't actually King at the time of the battle where he lopped off Sauron's fingers (Elendil was). Plus I found out who Gil-Galad was and why his spear was so fancy (and there were photos in the book, obviously scenes were shot and not used in the movie or the EE). And that Legolas' Dad held the thirteen dwarves from The Hobbit captive and that Gimli was one of them (source of Gimli's enmity). And that Galadriel was Elrond's mother-in-law and that Aragorn had fought alongside the fathers of Theoden and Denethor.

So, it has a Cliff Notes value too if you haven't read The Silmarillion or all the appendices.

And that Legolas' Dad held the thirteen dwarves from The Hobbit captive

Heh. Yes. This is a somewhat little known reason as to why there was initial antagonism between Legolas and Gimli. Gimli's dad had spent some time as an involuntary guest of Legolas' dad.

And that Legolas' Dad held the thirteen dwarves from The Hobbit captive and that Gimli was one of them (source of Gimli's enmity).

Gimli's father Gloín, I think you mean. [x-post]