Meanwhile, in Rivendell . . .

The Shire - emerald & gold - rolling hills - thatched roofs - painted doors - curly hair - bread & pumpkins - pipe tobacco - running water - merriment - wagon wheels - fireworks Rivendell - autumn leaves - scrolled archways - quiet chambers - tiled floors - libraries - dusky purple - choral singing - waterfalls - dark-bright eyes - vines & tranquility - wistfulness Lothlorien - starlight  - diamond buildings  - royal blue  - living midnight  - white robes  - gem-like flowers  - marble steps  - fountains - twilight trees  - fear & stillness  - sanctuary Rohan - dry prairie grass  - equine noises  - stable dust  - sunlight  - cerulean sky - motionless clouds - reed roofs  - empty halls  - coronets  - military exercises  - pride & homeland  Gondor - grey & white  - marble statues  - twisted trees  - industrialism  - architecture  - immaculate tomes...

Hello again, and a very happy birthday to Bilbo and Frodo. *cheers* I'm here to answer this year's Tolkien-y questions, as posed by the magical Istar herself, Hamlette .  (Who, in case you missed it, is hosting a wondrous giveaway in honor of the week's celebrations!)   I'd also like to state, for the record, that these aesthetic collages (same line as last year's tag answers ) make me feel truly indescribable things and I love them dearly.  ⸻ 1. What Tolkien character do you think you're the most like? Longish answer for this one, and to be clear, I'm not claiming that all of these traits are good or healthy ones.  To start with, I'd wager that I'm a mix of Faramir, Bilbo, and Frodo: Faramir's general personality & set of core social and moral values.  [See also:  this post .] Bilbo's contentment with home & hearth, and his disinterest in adventures, combined with the occasional nebulous, heart-throbbing pull that he feels of "s...

Let's kick off the momentous event that is Hamlette's annual Tolkien blog party with a nice batch of Middle-earthy fan videos, shall we?  You all know how much I love these things. 😃 Here you go!  A handful of beautiful artistic creations guaranteed to make you feel a lot of feelings & produce an urge to start the entire trilogy all over again.  ✥ 2:21-2:40.  "You think it is love?  Are you ready to die for it?"   I am not okay.  Thanks for asking. ✥ Ahhh, I love the way this one evokes the camaraderie between all the characters.  Such happy.  Much exhilarating.  Very yes.  ✥ Parent-child, mentor-mentee feels for the win.  ✥ This song is a bop and so is this vid.  #ihavespoken ✥ WELL THANKS FOR THAT NOW I'M EMOTIONAL.  Things to be prepared for: The best version of that two-minute violin intro I've ever seen (probably). A tragic AU backstory of Bard and his deceased wife using clips from Dracula . Some of t...

Hamlette and Eva have both tagged me for the Sunshine Blogger Award again!  And look, I'm actually completing the tag in a timely manner this go-'round.   Rules 1. Thank the blogger who nominated you in the blog post and link back to their blog.  ( Thank you so much, ladies! 💕) 2. Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you. 3. Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions. 4. List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or on your blog. Hamlette's Questions 1. What's something good that's happened to you this year? It struck me recently that I'll be able to look back on 2020 as the year that I wrote a novel.  Like, an actual novel. For some people, that's pretty piecemeal.  For me, it's a pretty big deal.  I proved to myself that despite all my preconceptions, I am actually capable of developing a story into legitimate novel length.  I am capable of writing x-thousand words for one ...

(Yes, I changed my blog look; and yes, it's a recycled one.  I was missing it. 😁) Comet (2014) ● R Speaking out of the reliable authority of one who has seen a whole two of his movies, Justin Long seems . . . to play a certain type of character rather a lot.  And that type of character is basically a word-I-can't-print-on-this-blog-on-account-of-the-children. So . . . there's that. Aside from that:  this is a visually gorgeous film about an extremely dysfunctional relationship.   Dumbo (2019) ● PG I covered this in my last post.  I had a few quibbles with it, but I liked it.  French Kiss (1995)  ● PG-13 Okay but I'm actually very happy about this.  I greatly enjoy rom-coms when I find a really solid one, but I don't find them as often as I'd like to.  This one was Highly improbable (as are most), but I honestly loved it.  I've already watched it several times and I can't wait to watch it several more.  Meg Ryan is The Actual C...

Let's see how many times I reference "tHe AeStHeTiC" in this post, shall we? 😊 These are ranked primarily according to personal enjoyment.  I've also taken what I see as technical quality into account, in some way, but the main determinant has been how I personally feel about them all. 😜 Minor spoilers throughout. ⸻ #11.   Aladdin I love Naomi Scott, "Speechless," etc.; but unfortunately I was underwhelmed by this.  I felt that parts of it were lacking, both in terms of narrative and technique.  Once again, that's my opinion, and I get why people like it.  It just wasn't an insta-love situation for me.    (Its position as my least favorite, despite the fact that other remakes have more flaws, could have something to do with the fact that the original  Aladdin has never been one of my favorites — and yet I somehow had higher expectations for this one than some of the others?  Idk.)  #10.   Lady and the Tramp I wasn't expe...

Heidi and Hamlette are hosting 2020's Legends of Western Cinema blog week!  I had a few ideas of things to write for the event, but due to how busy I am right now, I don't know how many of those ideas will be realized.  We shall see!  In the meantime, I'm glad there's a tag so I can at least be sure of contributing one post. 😉 1) What's the last Western you watched? The last one I watched was Rango , but in terms of new-to-me Westerns?  It's been quite a while, actually —  probably since I watched part of Tombstone .  2) A Western of any stripe (happy or tragic) where you were highly satisfied by the ending? I feel like there's an obvious answer that I'm missing, but the conclusion of  The War Wagon  was lots of fun.  3) The funniest Western you've seen? That one's got to be, once again, Rango .  I just cannot get over how clever the script is, and how eccentric and entertaining the story-world is.  4) What similar elements/themes...