chuckle...

LOL!

ouch!

LOL!ouch! _BAD_ punners!

One point; Tolkien was indeed "long-winded", but he wrote for a time and people that went at a much slower pace than we today are used to. I read his stuff as a child with time to burn, before most of the "tolkien clones" (who are often even worse) started writing, so his work was unique and special. As an adult I find myself frustrated by a lot of the long bits in the books, but adore the movie. The care with which it was crafted makes it unique among most of today's movies, as well.

Okay, several points.

WinterC