Meanwhile, in Rivendell . . .

  "You are, without doubt, the worst pirate I've ever heard of." "But you have heard of me."  What do you know?  Hamlette is hosting a We Love Pirates blog party this week, and I thought it would be the perfect time to rank each installment in the iconic Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The usual disclaimers apply:  These are my personal preferences; I like each of these movies in their own way; and in the event that I offend anyone by my judgments, I claim the right of parsnip. I mean, parley.  ⸻ #5. Dead Men Tell No Tales I don't dislike this one, but I do feel that the plotting is weak and contrived in places.  Though the reunion at the end, between you-know-who, is very satisfying.  I'll give you that. 😉 And the new couple is pretty cute, too. #4. At World's End I don't like the premise of the second and third movies, and since this one contains the climax and resolution of that narrative thread, we just dive even deeper into all the odd...

HERE I AM, FINALLY.  You would not believe how long it has taken me to finalize this list. *collapses*  And even now, I'm none too sure of these choices, or their rankings.  Still!  We are here now, and we must proceed.   This post is brought to you by Cordy's Lovely Blog Party and Heidi's Valentine's Day Period Drama Party .  And it may surprise you. *wiggles eyebrows* ⸻ #10. Mary & Frank Doctor Thorne These two are just very wholesome, with an adorable history as childhood friends.  They also have to work through many obstacles in order to be together as adults.  They are very pure, sweet, earnest beans, and they earn their happily-ever-after. 💛 #9. Danielle & Henry Ever After I love my fiercely good political powerhouse and my lovesick himbo.  They listen to each other.  They forgive each other their moral ignorance and their personal deceit.  They make each other better.  #8. Mary & Joseph The Nativity St...

"Aww."  "Aww." What-ho, all!  I'm currently participating in not one, but two delightful, romantical online events:  Cordy's Lovely Blog Party and Heidi's Valentine's Day Period Drama Party .  As such, it is my plain duty to fill out the tags that both ladies have so graciously provided.  Let's begin! ⸻ ❀  Cordy's Questions   ❀ Would you ever go for a walk in the pouring rain to avoid the company of a gentleman caller? Oh, I absolutely would.  The lengths to which I will go to avoid encountering someone I do not wish to see are truly remarkable.   (And that's not even a tiny bit sarcastic.  I have been known to resort to tactics which could even be termed deceitful.) these are precisely the awkward sorts of situations we wish to avoid , people. Would you ever, truly, try your hand at matchmaking? I guess it depends on your definition of matchmaking.  Would I manipulate logistics and what-not to encourage favorable tete-a-tetes...

I have, in fact, done this post before.  (And you can read it here , if you absolutely must.)  But it's extremely outdated, so for the past little while I've been compiling a more accurate list. And then, lo and behold, Cordy's annual Lovely Blog Party rolled around, providing the perfect opportunity for actually publishing said list.  (Everyone, thank Cordy for making this possible. *polite clapping ensues*  And be sure to head over to her blog to join the party!) For this post, I'm refining my options with the following filters: 1.  Movies must be entirely contemporary:  which, for my purposes, I am defining as being set anywhere from the 1990s to the present day. 2.  Movies must be entirely "real-world" — which, in this instance, means that there can be no magical or fantastical elements.  (Hence why Penelope isn't on this list.) 3.  Movies must be entirely or primarily comedic in style.  For example, I debated putting  The Mirr...