No Dwarf tossing in the books so far - through book 3.
Yea, but in two scenes you could see bridles on him. 
Having spent a year in Keflavik, when those buildings showed up, I said, “That looks s-o-o-o Iceland.” Except the Rohirrim have horseheads as the decorations, not dragon’s (Understandable).
DD
Achergal, I didn’t notice any bridle on Shadowfax, but I’ve only seen the movie once (gotta’ go rectify that). I did see a neck rope in several scenes, caught a couple shots of visible stirrups, and even thought I saw a girth once! But you have to admit that Sadowfax himself was darn impressive! He was exactly how I’d pictured him. And I loved how (except for a few slips) they stayed true to him appearing to be ridden without saddle or bridle.
I loved the shot of Eowyn practicing her sword skills. She looked so intent and strong! After reading ROTK, she was my favorite character–it was good to see her strength right up front in TTT.
I loved this scene as well. I wish the scene where Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli meet up with Eomer had emphasised the camoflage of the cloaks more.
I also loved the way the gates into Mordor looked so massive - the trolls (I assume they were trolls anyway) laboring away to swing the gates open to let the armies in. The way the soldiers looked so insignificant as they walked through. Wow!
I also agree with Monstre and ruralrage about Eowyn. For the first time I started thinking Aragorn may have made the wrong choice sticking with Arwen :). Galadriel takes a back seat to Eowyn too.
Maybe YOU could. I wasn’t looking for them.
The music was wonderful.
One nice touch that only Tolkien geeks will understand are the lines that use the word “hope” with a double meaning. (Aragorn’s nickname in Elvish is Estel, “hope.”)
I loved the music as well… especially “Gollum’s Song,” which plays over the credits. My daughter says that the singer sounds like a “girl-Gollum.” She sounds like Bjork to me… I guess that’s about right. 
The final charge of the White Rider and the Rohirrim into Helm’s Deep was perfect… with the sun rising over them, it took my breath away.
Sam’s speech in Osgiliath was great. Just what Frodo (and the audience) needed at that moment to pick up and carry on.
I loved the fact that Gimli had many funny moments, but also got to kick ass more than he did in the first movie.
Gollum, of course… a technical marvel, but even better than that, a completely believable character. Well played, Andy Serkis!
The Dead Marshes - even more frightening than in the book!
And my favorite, favorite thing from the film was the fact that they kept the exchange between Frodo and Sam, talking about themselves as though they were characters in a story. It was one of the most clever and endearing parts of the book for me, and I was very happy to see that it made it to the screen, and was given the perfect treatment.
All through that conversation, I kept thinking back to “Geri’s Game,” a Pixar short subject around 1998. The entire setting of Gollum’s self-argument flowed so perfectly.
And Triska, I sat through the credits too. I’ll do that for any movie I consider a great tale.
Now I have to go back and reread FotR and TTT. Can’t touch RotK until after the final movie.
Read the books three times, but I have to admit that was a very long time ago.
I loved the film…the grand, epic came to life and I loved the attention to detail - from the truly horrible teeth to the dirty chewed fingernails.
I went with a friend who has never read the books and he thought it was great.
I suppose some of the more rabid fans will be upset if there are any changes whatsoever, but for the most part - Jackson has stayed true to the book.
I can’t wait for the final film next Christmas, and the following year I will skip a mortgage payment and buy the entire series on DVD, lock my doors at home and spend one glorious rainy weekend watching the whole, un-edited version back to back.
If I may take a different tact from the OP, I’ve got to talk about the things that were adapted well. There are some changes I’m indifferent to (Elves at Helm’s Deep is the biggest) and one that I absolutely hate (Gandalf the military moron not approving of Theoden wanting to make a stand at Helm’s Deep), but here’s what changed and worked for me…
Gollum - How many people have you noticed complaining that Gollum wasn’t exactly like he was portrayed in the book? None. Jackson did a great job of making a clear split in the personality of Gollum and making him a sympathetic character (on my first reading of TTT I definitely sided more with Sam regarding him). It also makes a good twist for people who haven’t read the book when he reverts.
Ents and Hobbits - This would have been particularly awful if exactly like the book. Hobbits show up, have a brief chat, and then it’s off to war. The film adaption gave Merry and Pippen a little dramatic arc to carry their portion of the storyline.
Faramir - When I saw the movie initially I went back and forth on this. On one hand I liked the noble Faramir being the anti-Boromir and the movie denies us that. On the other I recognized the need for a strong conflict in the Frodo storyline that would just be missing in the portion of TTT adapted into the movie. In the end I’ve got to come out in favor, generally, of the change. If I ran the film I wouldn’t have done it the same way, but Jackson’s decisions were not bad ones here.
Wargs - Okay, I could have lived without the cliffhanger ending but since we didn’t get Wargs in Fellowship where they should have appeared I was pleased they showed up here.
Eomer - Making Eomer the rescuer is a bit of a departure but a key one for the film. First of all, he’s going to be a lot more important in Return of the King so giving him a big hero moment in TTT is good. Second, it thins out the Rohan backstory quite a bit which means less expository dialog.
The Ring in Osgiliath - One of the key things in the book is that Sauron has no clue what the good guys are really up to. I suspect that the moment where Frodo almost hands over the Ring is going to be part of the key showing of why Sauron has no clue once we get to the third movie. It fills in what a viewer who had not read the book might have thought was a plot hole.
This seems like an appropriate thread for this…
http://www.gamespy.com/comics/dorktower/archive.asp?nextform=viewcomic&id=687
I’m not sure if you’re thinking what I’m thinking, but I’m starting to believe that (in the movies) the Nazgul spotting the ring in Osgiliath will
further convince Sauron that Gondor, and specifically Aragorn, has got hold of it. This should complement the Pippin/Palantir plotline, not detract from it.
I went to see the Two Towers exhibit here in Toronto and that’s what struck me most. The details were absolutely stunning. And the thing is, the costumes that look great up there on film, look just as great when you’re standing there, two feet away from them, looking at the individual stitches embroidered onto a sleeve. As I’ve never read the books, I couldn’t place a lot of the sets while I was looking at them, but while I was watching the movie, I’d occasionally think, ‘Heh! I remember that. It’s all styrofoam!’.
Exactly, Doghouse. I’m not positive if that’s what Jackson is doing but it’s an excellent set up for it.
Is the Two Towers exhibition still on in Toronto or elsewhere? I’d love to see it.
Doghouse and Just Some Guy:
Yeah, but did the nazgul really see the Ring in Osgiliath? He doesn’t seem to be able to really see it unless the ringbearer actually puts it on. Frodo did put it on at Weathertop, entered the ringwraiths’ world and they spotted him instantly. He was about to put it on in Osgiliath, but was prevented. If you follow Tolkien’s logic in this regard, then the movie nazgul sense that the Ring is somewhere about, but don’t know exactly where. Hmmm. You’re right; Sauron is aware of its very approximate location, but no more. He may very well think it’s in the hands of just about anyone from Gondor. I’m at a loss how this will figure in the Pippin/Palantir scene, though.
…assuming that there is one, of course.
One change from book to film is that, in the book, Gandalf was unaware that Saruman had the palantir until it was thrown out of the window at him, after the Ents attacked Isengard. In the film, Gandalf already knows it for what it is (thanks to the discussion with Saruman in Fellowship), and should be taking the appropriate steps to protect it. So Pippin may never get it.
Just a thought.
The obvious answer is Sauron sees Pippen, says to himself “What’s going on here? They’re up to something…”, and sends a Nazgul. So naturally Gandalf sets out with Pippen handing over the Palantir to Aragorn and gives him some exposition about how they’ve got to keep Sauron from thinking about where the Ring is going thus setting up Aragorn to show off.
I thought of one more change that put me off initially but given time to think about it I do like…
Where It Ends - Okay I didn’t like the lack of pay off on somethings before, but it has occurred to me just how overwelming Return of the King is going to be. Jackson must be intending the films themselves to be building to a climax while trying to keep them somewhat self contained with their own storylines and result of that is going to be one incredible movie that will not stop or even slow down. It’s going to be big.
I wasn’t looking either but I saw them.
for some reason, my eye went straight to that white rope.
it will most likely be edited out when the dvd comes out.