We went to see The Two Towers last night.

For the fourth time. For the wife and I, at least. Think it was time number seven for eldest son.

When the theater manager automatically charges you an extra $20 over the $19.50 for your tickets, knowing the wife is going to write the check for $20 extra to buy popcorn and pop, does it mean you've been going to too many movies?

How about when he automatically hands you another free pass, without even making a big deal about it?

Got there early, since this was the last Friday night showing before the movie leaves town. Needn't have bothered. Only four couples in the 280-seat theater when we got there. Think we finally ended up with only 17 viewers. So naturally we got seats 7 and 8, row 4.

I am really, really getting tired of people who talk in theaters during movies.

All three viewings in this theater have been detracted by some morons who act like they are sitting in their living room, watching a video tape.

Folks, if anyone besides the person you're speaking to hears you, you're making too damn much noise!

Last night it was whisperers, which I guess is preferable to the speaking type of rude people. The couple who sat behind us and to our left were absolutely quiet for the entire film. Except during all the Arwen scenes. Then it was a constant mutter of not-so-silent whispers, through each and every scene that had Liv Tyler in it.

Dammit, lady. I'm here for Liv, not you.

I don't know, maybe her boyfriend has the hots for Liv, too, and she's trying to distract him. Or maybe she's helping his fantasies along as he watches the brunette elf. Maybe he's helping hers. But if you're gonna do that, there were 263 empty seats in that theater. Couldn't you have found a couple a little farther away from anyone else?

At least at the IMax thater in Zebulon's town, everyone was silent.

Not that you would have noticed with the speaker system they had.

Still annoyed by the male teen who kept jamming his feet into the back of my seat, though. And you don't even want to hear my thoughts about the talkers in the Star Trek: Nemesis theater. Not 'til I've settled down some.

Anyway, the fourth viewing of TTT?

Actually dozed off in a spot or two. Really.

Sorry. My apologies to any Tolkien fanatics out there.

Not that it isn't great cinema, but there were parts I really wanted to see again, and other scenes just got in the way.

Wife thinks she's spotted a continuity error. She may be right. We'll check next time we watch. The error I saw turned out not to be an error at all, I just wasn't watching carefully enough.

I am still pissed off by the "tracking" scene by the burning pile of Orcses (sorry, I love how Gollum pluralizes things). Been bothering me since the first time we saw it. No way could there have been any hobbit sign left there. Even the best tracker in the universe could not see sign that has been run over by battle between 80-some Orcses and 70-some horse-bound Rohirrim. Not to mention all the dragging of carcasses around to get them in a pile in the first place. All Jackson had to do was move Aragorn 10 meters over, and the scene would have been fine.

Speaking of Jackson, wife swears he's given himself a cameo again. One of the defenders hurling rocks down at the gate. Anybody know for sure?