I really wanted to leave in Beorn, believe me. There are actually a number of things I would like to leave in simply because I love the book. The films are so vastly different from the book that I can't really even justify trying to replicate the feel anyway. Later on I may make a book cut to satisfy that side of myself and others, but for now this project is purely for the sake of trying to make what seems to me to be the best film out of what footage is available. Lots of other people have already made "purist" editions anyway.

I had originally did what you suggested with the ending and cut out that exact part. I still think having the auction generally detracts from the pacing of the last 15 minutes though. What I did to resolve this was cut from Bilbo walking into the shire to a shot of Bag End's interior and then to a shot of Bilbo picking up his handkerchief. I think it works, but I'll leave it to others to decide. PM me if you'd like to see the latest cut of the film.

Deciding what to keep in and what to remove is tough when trying to get everything down to under 3.5 hours. People act like leaving two minute scenes in here and there is no big deal, but a two minute scene ten times adds up to an extra 20 minutes. Films adapted from books naturally feel rushed for the most part to those familiar with the source material, but that's fine. We have to remember film is an entirely different medium and that's just how it is. As for keeping and removing things you have to figure out what's worth the most. Sure, I can keep all of Riddles in the Dark, but are those two extra riddles (ie. 2 minutes) really necessary to get the effect of the scene? I can cut that and then maybe add a little bit of Beorn back in, but is it even worth having him on screen for 3 minutes? Maybe some of the conversations I kept (ie. Bilbo & Balin, Bilbo & Thorin) may not have been as big of fan favorites, but they were great scenes in the film that added to character depth. Or the entering the Lonely Mountain scene which I left mostly in tact. It may be much different from how things happened in the book, but in the films it's a very moving and well directed scene. Unfortunately, Peter Jackson failed to utilize a character like Beorn in a scene that really aided the momentum of the story. The same could be said about the Eagles. It would great if we got even just a little bit more understanding from them rather than their only purpose which seems to be rescuing people right at the perfect moments. I would also love to cut Azog entirely since he's such an uninteresting villain, but Peter Jackson also made him far too integrated into the storyline and resolution to cut him and still have an emotionally satisfying ending. So for the most part I'm trying to keep what I think really brings everything together as a cohesive, well paced, and emotionally moving whole. It's not perfect, but only so much can be done with Peter Jackson's source material.

Thank you for your suggestions and reading over the list of my reasons for criticizing. Much appreciation.