Pen-Elayne on the Web

The Reduced Shakespeare Company Would Be So Proud!

Via Eva Whitley, it's the Return of the King, condensed parody version! Unlike Eva, I finally did see the movie (along with half the moviegoing population on the planet, it seems) and enjoyed it tremendously, insofar as anyone can enjoy something whose epic scope is certainly made for the big screen but whose frenetic action sequences and intense close-ups called (at least to my tired eyes) for a smaller one. Put that together with an audience raised on TV that didn't know how to act in a movie theatre - I can sort of understanding applauding the Legolas stunts and other battle scenes, these days far too many people seek to satisfy their Republican-whipped bloodlust by proxy, but SPOILER ALERT applauding when the tragic figure of Gollum falls and is presumed lost? Laughing at the tender moment when Aragorn gently rebuffs Eowyn's advances? - and the experience tends to reinforce my desire to just see movies on DVD from now on. If you factor in current prices on tickets and concessions, DVDs are cheaper than going to the cinema anyway. Bonus: Neil Ottenstein blogs about attending the District of Dark Whispers Tolkien Birthday Celebration.