Kipworld

Wow.

There are many people more qualified to review this film than I am, so this is more of a my day sort of thing.

Went down to pick up Khai and then drove back to Evanston to wait in line for an hour and a half (I’d planned on an hour, but Adam and Todd said they were coming shortly, so it didn’t make sense to go back to the apartment to sit for 10 minutes and then go back to the theater)

We sat (Adam was prepared with my copy of Snow Crash and a lot of Swedish fish smuggled inside Todd’s gf’s handbag). Todd and his gf played Snake on her cell phone and Khai played a game on his phone and generally I had phone envy. I mean, I could have cleaned out old contacts in my phone book or recorded new voice dials, but that’s about it for entertainment from my trusty Samsung.

We were second in line for the 5:25 show (would have been first except Khai and I felt there was a certain stigma with getting there first so we waited in the lobby until a mom and her two kids sat down by the rope barrier). By 4:40, the line was stretched out to the ticket taker. I felt vaguely smug after my other line standing experiences (Episode I, PS2, Episode II). An obnovious curly haired highschooler came up and said, “When did you guys get here?” but lia came out of the 1:35 showingand said, “You’re standing in line? That’s sorta sad.” We hugged and I said, “You always make me feel so small.”

“Maybe it’s my big personality.” We caught up briefly (take that you cell phone game players!) and then she said, “You’re going to love this movie.”

And I did.

What can I say that hasn’t been said, as I said. There were parts that were different than the book and the tiny overprotective geek in me chafed (aagh, too much Arwen!). Also, my 8th grade English teacher was a total Tolkien fanatic (owner of the world’s second largest Tolkien archive behind Marquette U’s private collection) and I’d always trusted his interpretation of tiny details (even his singing of “There is an in, a merry old inn”). He always pronounced Smeagol “Smay-a-gol” and hearing “Smeegol” from all the people onstage felt really strange.

But these are nitpicks. I cheered for the elf ninja moves (Legolas’ swing up onto the horse, the shield surfboard). Eowyn was a total babe. I was a little bit sad about Faramir who is like the patron saint of younger brothers trying to live up to their eldersin the book but comes off a bit weenieish in the movie (IMHO). Did I mention Eowyn’s a babe?

Battle of Helm’s Deep. The Ents on Isengard. The Orc army. Wow.

Afterwards Khai and I went to Buffalo Joe’s to pick up a mountain of junk food (wings and dogs and cheddar fries, oh my!) and then go watch the Simpsons and drink beer. Which we did.

Later we sat and chilled with Jenny. Jason and Khai talked a bit (Jenny said, “Khai’s sort of like the cross between Jason and you”) and then some computer games, more Simpsons, the sharing of cool laptop tricks and then I took him to his mom’s.

Driving back from Lakeview at two in the morning on Lake Shore Drive. As I got onto Lake Shore, I had the sudden urge to head south and see where the road led. I had visions of driving down to Houston to see el, although I knew it was a daylong drive. I drove back, thinking of new novels to write and wondering if I could get away from my plots of the road changing people for the better.

Maybe I just want my own quest.