Wow, those friends of yours must have been dedicated fans. :) It wasn't so bad with me, mainly because my recollection of the book was already pretty vague - but I do remember being irritated at Faramir being turned in a basically resentful person, who redeems himself only at the last moment.

Right with you there on book!Remus: I'm also not very fond of the later part of his storyline, bits of which seemed out of character to me. I never saw him as someone capable of much bitterness, which is exactly what JK turned him into; I admit fighting a war can change a person, but given that Remus never had an easy life and it still didn't embitter him, I find it hard to believe that a wife would make things harder instead of easier for him. Just my not-entirely-objective opinion, of course... :)