Meanwhile, in Rivendell . . .

So I had planned to do a post on my favorite onscreen couples of 2018, like I did last year, but I was having trouble finding anything to say about some of them (heh ;)), so I figured that instead I'd recap the best movies I saw for the first time this year.  The very very best new-to-me films are towards the end of the post. :) ✤ Incredibles 2   {2018} ✤ We had such a long wait for this, and for me at least, it delivered.  Is it as good as the first one?  Eh.  I don't know.  The first one has such nostalgia for everyone that I don't know if it's fair to compare them like that.  Does it do its job as a sequel?  Absolutely.  (Again, in my opinion. ;)) ✤ Won't You Be My Neighbor?   {2018} ✤ It was good to learn about Mr. Rogers, since I only watched a little of the show as a wee one.  This one made me cry a little, actually; and, as I said before, it made me feel like I found another kindred spirit. <3 ✤ The Lig...

What-ho and season's greetings to you all! I'm working on my end-of-the-year book/movie posts, but since those won't be coming for a while, I thought it would be acceptable to share this post now. ;)  I nabbed this idea from jessethereader over on YouTube--I liked the idea of it, and not having a YT account, blog format will have to do. :-P Basically, the goal seems to be to pick a book that matches the message of each Taylor Swift song included in the tag.  "Let's give it a whirl!" ~  ~  ~  ~  ~ "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" ~ a book/series you thought you were in love with but ended up disliking ♪♫ Two books I've thought I would love, based on friends' recommendations, are Dear Mr. Knightley and The Awakening of Miss Prim .  Aaaaaand . . . I didn't. :-P "Red" ~ a book with a red cover ♪♫ A Sparrow Alone , by Alicia Petersen, has a reddish cover.  (And is also quite good, though virtually un...

⛧ twinkle lights ⛧ Hallmark tree ornaments ⛧ presents ⛧ lots and lots of Christmas music ⛧ The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey , One Wintry Night , and other Christmas picture books ⛧ poinsettias ⛧ ribbons  ⛧ nighttime ⛧ evergreen trees ⛧ hot chocolate and peppermint ⛧ The Nutcracker  ⛧ family ⛧ choir concerts ⛧ people who put a lot of time and effort into their outdoor Christmas light displays ⛧ wrapping paper ⛧ stockings ⛧ hush ⛧ holiness ⛧ piano playing ⛧ sweet treats ⛧ potato soup ⛧ Salvation Army people ⛧ The Nativity Story and other Christmas movies ⛧ blankets and pillows and inflatable mattresses ⛧ candles and shadows ⛧ Advent ⛧ scarves and gloves ⛧ icicles ⛧ fires in the woodstove and the smell of smoke ⛧ seasonal headers ⛧ anticipation ⛧ The Sound of Music

I just finished re-watching the YouTube webseries Emma Approved --which, for those of you who don't know, is a modern-day adaptation of Austen's Emma . AND IT'S ADORABLE AND I LIKE IT VERY MUCH. It's bright and colorful (literally), funny, sweet, and clever.  It doesn't deviate too much from the original storyline because there's really no need to, but the changes that it does make are tasteful and productive, and the show offers a fresh, new take on the classic.  It has some great character development, fun sets, and good casting.  I think the main thing, for me, is that it just makes me happy . Let's discuss the characters, shall we? Senator James Elton is quite well-done, and what's really fabulous is that he ends up with Caroline Lee from The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (a.k.a., Bingley's sister--that Caroline).  Annie Taylor and Ryan Weston are both good, as well, though they don't really have much screen time.  (As a...

Clearly I got rather behind with these.  Heh. :-P Oh, well; we're here now!  (I haven't watched that many new-to-me movies these last few months anyhow.) …………………………………………………………………… Black Panther (2018) *nodding*  Solid movie, deserves the hype.  The characters are likable and the romance is subtle and slight and happy. :) {But that villain BUGGED ME, MAN.  [Until my brother pointed out that his motivation for "claiming" Wakanda had less to do with his father and more to do with the fact that he was frustrated with the Wakandan people's isolationism and refusal to extend help to their brethren.  That I get (and it would probably anger me, too).  But the whole, "Oh, my father was killed in defense of another person but still he was KILLED and I was abandoned and therefore I was "forced" to kill hundreds of people to get to this place" . . . mm, nuh-uh.]} Chicken Run (2000) Ha.  As much as I'm not a fan of Claymation, thi...

Well. Bambi is that movie that everyone knows but few people--at least, so it seems to me--actually watch very often.  And I'm no exception: I think I watched this movie all the way through at some point very early in my life, but for the past fourteen years or so (at least), this film has been nothing but a pop culture reference to me.  Everyone knows about The Big Death, everyone knows that Bambi himself is the quintessential symbol of innocence or whatever, everyone knows about Thumper (and Flower) . . . but beyond those commonplace impressions, I had no real recollections of this film.  So when, several days ago, I checked it out of the library based on a somewhat impulsive whim to see what it was really like from a young-adult perspective, I didn't really know what to expect.  I hoped that I was steeled enough, even in my intensely defensive-of-all-animals heart ;), that I would not be too devastated by the aforementioned Big Death, everyone's declara...