> ... and I have to say that, although the first half of Fellowship is slow and ends up having almost nothing at all to do with the plot, it can't friggin hold a candle to the second half of Two Towers for sheer BOREDOM.

Wow. We are so different there. The second half of the Two Towers is probably my favorite of the six "books." It would be the second half of RotK, except that more of it is devoted to some LONG wrapping-up than to the climax of the story. I suspect that Jackson is going to cut most of it, which would explain moving Shelob in to take its place for screen time.