Peter Jackson - Lord of the Rings (1)

Ever since the first of the Lord of the Rings trilogy came out, Middle Earth has been a holiday* staple for me. I liked the original theatrical versions well enough, but it's only in the extended cuts that the story's pacing works and the rich undertones of Tolkiens mythology get a chance to resonate through the plot. Aragorn's singing of the Lay of Luthien is one specific example among many, and not by accident is it in the Fellowship of the Ring, which after this year's repeat watching of the whole trilogy (split over quite a few days - I'm a geek, not a nerd) is still my favorite. It's also the one part that doesn't have cringe inducing dialog in it ("A red sun rises. Blood has been spilled this night" - Yeah, that would be my brain hemorrhaging, you Elf twat), but they're all precious, of course. Go, looks at them.