Finally got around to seeing Return of the King yesterday. Mumble mumble, couldn’t get Gold Class tickets before now, mumble mumble. I’m a little miffed that on top of the $30/seat Gold Class price (expensive perhaps, but the service and comfort do make it worth it for movies like this) I was stung an additional $10 fee because I booked through their web site.

Uhh.. now look, I know that web sites aren’t necessarily cheap to build, but once built the whole idea is that they eliminate having to pay for a human to do mundane things like take bookings. Save the humans for pointing you to the right cinema and serving the drinks, that’s what I reckon. And for fixing the Ticket ATM thing, which in theory should have been able to spit out the tickets when we arrived, but in practice decided the whole thing was too hard, and spat the dummy instead, redirecting me to the ticket booth. If the procurement of tickets was all automated, it should theoretically save the cinema company money, and thus be cheaper, not more expensive.

Anyway, what a ripper of a movie. Even though I knew pretty much what was going to happen, still very exciting, right up until the very end, which possibly dragged on a tad too long. At almost three and a half hours long, I’m left wondering how long the extended version will be when it comes out on DVD, and if its cinematic release will necessitate an interval. Quite a few people were seen dashing out to the loo midway through. Spectacular scenery and special effects. Overall: excellent, thoroughly enjoyable.

I also finished reading David Malouf’s Johnno over the weekend. Quite interesting throughout really, though possibly more so for the fact that it documents times and places that my father grew up and lived in. Without that link I’m not sure it would have been as enjoyable, but for me, certainly a good read.

Next I tackle something much more in keeping with my generation: Neal Stephenson’s The Diamond Age.