shameful admission:

I've tried, lord knows I've tried, but I just CAN'T get into the whole Lord of the Rings thing.

I've read the first half of "Fellowship" maybe a dozen times, & have purchased the trilogy in paperback maybe 3 times. I wanted to like them, I did--just about everybody I know speaks of them with religious awe.

I saw the first 2 movies in the theatre, & fell asleep both times. I tried rewatching the dvd of the Two Towers the other night & found myself leaving the room every few minutes to do little errands without pausing it.

the next night I had a few friends over & we watched it & I once again struggled to stay awake (it seems that the movie has the same overwhelming narcotic effect on me as the New York subway.)

it's not even that I don't like them--I just can't get into them--& most of the time I was watching it as tho I was on the set, figuring out how each scene was set-up, lit, edited, & where the equipment was staged. I found myself more interested in how many cases of bottled water were on hand for the hordes of extras than if little Frodo did--whatever the hell it was that he was supposed to be doing.

is there no romance in my SOUL? have I no sense of wonder, of epic adventure, of the triumph of good over evil?

yup. that's probably it.