On 28 Dec 2012, at 16:19, Ray Druian wrote:

Just in case any of you have been on some other planet for the past few weeks, Peter Jackson's film rendition of J.R.R.Tolkien's relatively short novel, "The Hobbit" opened to a great deal of comment, both positive and negative. Actually, only the first third of the movie opened, because Jackson decided to create a franchise, releasing three movies a year apart. The first installment, through the use of many scenes of people walking along a narrow trail, lasted almost three hours. It is likely that the other two parts will do likewise. This way, the filmmakers can get people to buy three tickets to see the film, instead of one. While pondering this fact, it occurred to me during the past week that there are a number of people, possibly including myself, who will not go to see the other two parts of the movie. Here's a very short, partial list:

Charles Durning Norman Schwartzkopf Jack Klugman Daniel Inuoye The 28 year old Tunisian guy who ate 28 raw eggs.

And the several animals who died during the making of the movie.