“The Shadows Where the Mewlips [really] dwell” – Mapping the road to Mordor?

I’m chuffed by the eager response asking me to post the paper I presented at this year’s Oxonmoot. Well, here it is in full (with a few additional notes) for your enjoyment, if such be its fate.

Tolkien Week: Days 3 & 4

Something of a Middle-earth Marathon hangover …

So I missed a post yesterday. And yet, I was still exercising my Tolkien Week celebration duties. That back-to-back trilogy marathon took me way beyond what I had originally planned to do.

What I thought would be a day-by-day, film-by-film, viewing turned out into the final 4-film stretch all in one evening.

Tolkien Week: Day 2

Questions Time!

I love Tolkien-related questionnaires. They’re always so difficult to respond and to pinpoint a specific character of text to like; but they’re fun and a great way to learn about yourself and your love for Middle-earth.

So, in honour of the second day of Tolkien Week, here’s a nice little set of questions put forward by fellow blogger, Hamlette on her blog.

Tolkien-themed Questionnaire: Answers! (PART I)

It’s taken me some time to get around doing this, but finally the time has come.

Behold the questionnaire created by Myla Malinalda (from Middle-earth News) in which Tolkien fans need to do some serious self-examination about what it the Middle-earth stories really mean to us.

The questionnaire was originally designed for The Lord of the Rings; but can easily be adapted also for The Hobbit.

It’s tough to answer a single question in short; but it’s fun and enlightening, not just to others, but to yourself as well.

Go on, treat yourself! Get busy tackling these questions now 🙂

In the meantime, here are mine … (Part II to follow)

The Gaffer’s Elite: Characters

Ranking all things Middle-earth

Last week we discussed some of the most remarkable sets and locations from the Middle-earth saga. This week, we’ll be looking at the characters.

This was naturally tricky, so I’ve decided not to rank these in the usual way. Rather than assigning numbers, I decided to select 3 characters from each trilogy and briefly explain the reasons why I find them appealing

As with the other posts, it does not mean that those unmentioned characters are not my favourite; but to keep this post brief and maintain the sanity of you the readers, I’ve limited by list to a total of 6.

I’ve made one exception and omitted Gandalf from both trilogies. Let’s face it. These films wouldn’t be the same without the contribution of Ian Mckellan’s stellar performance. Considering he’s in all 6 films, I’ve decided to leave him out. Nothing against Gandalf, at all. Again, it’s all about brevity (… and sanity).

Your Feedback … My Response

(It’s the return of the Stick Figures! – and yes, that’s me hard at work typing these responses – see the tongue sticking out? Intense!)

Many thanks to all of you who – in some way or other – commented to this post: Who am I?

There were some very interesting questions, as well as intriguing Middle-earth topics I shall be dealing with in the near future.

In the meantime, I’ve gathered people’s query’s from WordPress and Twitter and gave my best (and honest) response to each 😉

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition – Review (Part I)

– It’s finally here! Well, partially at least …

Phew! The last couple of days have been pretty hectic. Apart from the daily, real-life chores, I’ve been writing away on the reviews, adding images, and writing a bit more. This was naturally accompanied by copious amounts of viewings of the three films to complement the writing and stimulate the mind! 🙂