Meanwhile, in Rivendell . . .

Sally Silverscreen from 18 Cinema Lane has nominated me for the Sunshine Blogger Award!  Always a treat — thank you, Sally! Like most awards, this one comes with a few rules: 1. Display the award’s official logo somewhere on your blog. 2. Thank the person who nominated you. 3. Provide a link to your nominator’s blog. 4. Answer your nominator’s questions. 5. Nominate up to 11 bloggers. 6. Ask your nominees 11 questions. 7. Notify your nominees by commenting on at least one of their blog posts. Those noted, let's proceed to Sally's questions and my answers. ⸻ 1. You’re about to introduce someone to a film genre. Which movie will you choose as the respective introduction? Funny you should ask; I just thought about this subject the other day.  I was re-watching Belle (2013) on a flight home and was impressed once again by just how fantastic of a period drama it is.  It really does have everything:  stunning cinematography, sumptuous costumes you could eat up with a spoon, swoony

Another Legends of Western Cinema Week has come around the mountain, y'all!  Today marks the beginning of a rollicking summer tradition hosted by Heidi , Rachel , and myself, during which we celebrate all things Western.  We invite you to join in the fun by contributing your own Western-themed posts over the next several days:  reviews, lists, analyses, games, etc. — you name it!   As always, we're starting things off with a fresh set of tag questions — or, in this case, tag prompts.  Following last year's lead, we're providing you all with a list of adjectives to fit to the Western of your choice.  Want to see what I mean?  Read on for my own answers. 2024 Tag Prompts Cozy Gritty Serious Comedic Romantic Lively  Unpredictable Hopeful Joyful Adventurous My Tag Answers Cozy Does it get any cozier than the outrageous Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)?  Not in a conversation about Westerns, at any rate.  Romanticized pioneer lifestyle, boisterous dance breaks, problem

Happy New Year, friends!   2023 was really the year of Studio Ghibli, for me.  Not one, not two, but three Ghibli films made it onto my top ten list!  Exciting times. Most of the new-to-me movies I watched this year were pretty average; only a few blew me out of the water.  That said, this list was harder to narrow down than I thought it would be.  As usual, I'm not 100% satisfied with the finished product.  But such is life, and as it's already two weeks later than I'd have liked to publish this post, here we are. ⸻ #10.   Bill  (2015)  ● NR A young and ambitious Will Shakespeare leaves Stratford-upon-Avon for the bustling city of London, hoping for a haven of artistic possibility in which to pursue his newest dream of being an author.  Much to his surprise, he soon finds himself embroiled in a plot to kill Elizabeth I. Intentionally anachronistic dialogue and mannerisms set in historical contexts will never not tickle my fancy, so this is right up my alley.  It's sill

Season's greetings, everyone!   Craving alllllll the Christmas-y movies but finding yourself in a rut?  Hopefully this post can help.  I'm going to share some of the films I most associate with this time of year.  I've mixed in a few that don't really have anything to do with Christmas but that are set primarily or partially during the holiday season, and I'm also including some dramatic/tragic options in case you're looking for something a little less holly-jolly.   I've added a one-line blurb for each story and listed each film's MPAA rating.  We're ranging from the scrupulously clean 'Not Rated's to the adults-only 'R's, so do your own research before popping any of these into the DVD player for family movie night, sight unseen. Caveats concluded and without further ado, then, here they are:  some of my favorite films to watch during the Yuletide.  (Listed alphabetically, 'cause there's no way I'm taking the time to ran