The drums will shake the castle wall, the Ringwraiths ride in black (Led Zeppelin)

Finished Happyslapped by a jellyfish. A good laugh and Karl Pilkington makes some salient points. Take this bit on fruit frinstance:

I do like fruit, but I find that some of it involves too much messing about to get into. I mainly buy fruit that I can have as a snack when I'm out for the day. Apples are good for this. Bananas are good. Plums are fine. Pineapples are too much hassle. That's why you never see anyone buying pineapples in supermarkets. People should stop growing them.

We've been re-watching The Lord Of The Rings over the last couple of days. Carrefour had the boxed set on special - worked out at $NZ40 for the three films which I thought was too good to miss. Even though I haven't really enjoyed the films in the past, Jacky loves 'em. But me - Craig Parker as an elf warrior?? Please.

So the first one, Fellowship Of The Ring was last night and it was its usual struggle to make it through those introductions and the Arwen love story always drags for me. It's blimin long too, but it looks great!

I was thinking that watching all that sublime New Zealand (a.k.a. Middle Earth) scenery would maybe make me nostalgic for home but...it didn't. Even with Jacky's usual commentary about the NZ locations.

Today we watched part 2 - The Two Towers, in the morning, and it was surprisingly better than I remembered it. The Battle for Helms Deep gives it a major plotline to turn to and the pace is livelier. Scenery is even more spectacular as well. I hadn't noticed the comic relief lines given to Gimli quite so much before and Sam's stirring speech at the end is...stirring.

http://youtu.be/NPtnPkFPF_g

We are now plowing through part 3 - The Return Of The King and pausing for dinner. These are long films (although I have to say The Two Towers skipped by this morning) so we have to build in toilet breaks and food stops.

This is the one that won the academy award for best picture but I remember it best for the really really really drawn out ending. It seems to end about 300 times.

Never mind - they are triumphs of NZ film making and I am enjoying them much more this time around. Even Gollum seems more successfully integrated than before. Pity I can't airbrush out Craig Parker from The Two Towers though. I was a judge at a theatre sports event with him once and he stunk of tobacco and was quite a figjam (he loved the sound of his own voice) but I guess actors need an ego. At least The Return Of The King has the great Karl Urban who looks the part as a warrior of Gondor.

The Matrix trilogy is next. Maybe this time I'll understand it (I think that every time though).

Love and peace - Wozza