Monday, December 27, 2010

Thirty Days of Harry Potter: Day 1


I had such fun with the thirty days of anime, I thought I'd do another blog meme. As seen from my previous blog, I adore Harry Potter. So let's get started!

Day 1: Your favorite book

Argh. This is such a tough choice. Okay, I honestly think my favorite was Philosopher's Stone.

It starts everything off, after all. Quickly followed is Prisoner of Azkaban, Deathly Hallows, Half Blood Prince, Chamber of Secrets, Goblet of Fire, and Order of the Phoenix.


Why I Generally Hate Book to Film Movies


If there is one thing that is sure to cause me a groan and a head banging, it is an announcement that some film company has acquired the rights to turn a beloved book into film. In general, fandoms rejoice when they hear this. And I will admit, for certain more beloved books of mine, I have fun with fellow fans picking actors and actresses (since I do love movies) for various characters. But in general, it just causes me distress and intestinal discomfort.

Most who know me are aware of my burning hatred for the Harry Potter films. Now don't misunderstand--I adore the books. I'm rereading them and am enjoying them as much as I enjoyed them the first time. Hell, I'm even being a total nerd and tvtroping and reading JKR's FAQ page on her website to get background information. I was in the Harry Potter club in high school (Cheers to you, Tonks! Inside joke between me and a friend who I swear looks like Tonks.) I wrote fanfiction (...still write fanfiction...shut up, we all have our moments of geekiness!) and attended the book release in costume. No judging.

But I freaking hate the films.

I could devote an entire blog post as to why I hate the films, but that's not what this blog is about. I generally hate everyone they cast (with the exceptions of Alan Rickman and those hot ginger twins they cast as Fred and George...) I hate that they leave out crucial plot points and I hate that the directors have little or no respect for the books. The latter is probably why I hate the film franchise the most.

Someone once asked me why I'm so understanding about the Narnia films having differences from the books but am completely anal about the HP films. I have to admit, this caused me some thought. Did I like the Harry Potter book series more than the Narnia book series? Ehhh...no...no, I don't think so, I'd say it's about equal. C.S Lewis is my favorite writer, true, but I don't think that Narnia was his best work (still awesome though!) whereas I'm not sure JKR could top the sheer mad genius that is Harry Potter. Feel free to prove me wrong, Ms. Rowling.

I'd say it's all about the respect. I feel that the directors of the Narnia films have a lot more respect for the books than the HP fim directors do. I feel like the HP directors sort of read the series and went, "Well, this is lovely, let's change shit and do whatever the crap we want, yippee!" Whereas the Narnia directors read the books and went, "This is fairly serious stuff in a really beautiful fantasy world, how can I best portray that in film?" Respect for the original books. For a book to film transition, I think that's absolutely crucial.

For some reason, Hollywood has this weird idea that they can 'improve' a best-selling novel in cinematic form by changing the plot. I don't know why they do this, because it rarely works and it only pisses the fans of the books off. The most immediate example of this is...


Ugh.

I have not met a single PJO book fan that actually liked this film adaptation, and I used the word adaptation in the loosest possible way. There is so much about this film that pisses me off...like...

Annabeth being a brunette. And being a weird mixture of Clarisse.

The characters are clearly in high school and around 16 or 17 when the books start out with Percy being 12. This wouldn't be so bad except the ENTIRE PLOT OF THE SERIES REVOLVES AROUND PERCY TURNING SIXTEEN.

Grover being...really...gangsta. That sounds really racist, I'm fine with them making him black, but it was like they did it to make the movie hip or something.

The movie giving away right off the bat that Percy's father is Poseidon.

But honestly, all of this could be ignored. Except for the fact that they CHANGED THE ENTIRE PLOT OF THE MOVIE.

With some weird thing about Persephone's Pearls? What?

Honestly, I survived the first thirty minutes of it and even thought, hey, this isn't so bad, but at the Persephone's pearls bit I just completely lost it.

I wish I could say that this is the only example of Hollywood screwing over a really good book. But it's not. They did it with...



They did it with...

(Admittedly I didn't like the book or the movie, so this isn't really close to my heart--but I have friends who are avid fans of this series and the movie pissed them the eff off.)

They're doing it with Gulliver's Travels (UGH, Jack Black as Gulliver?! Really?!), I'm willing to bet they'll do it with the new Jane Eyre movie that's coming out, THEY WILL ALWAYS FREAKING DO IT.

This is because, in my opinion, Hollywood is arrogant. Don't get me wrong, I love movies, and I will admit more work goes into a movie than it does in a book. But Hollywood is not the first to have original plots, stories, characters, character development, themes, and climax. Books did it first and books continue to do it better. Hollywood constantly has to juggle the technical aspects of telling a story whereas writers just use imagination and depend on their readers to do the same. Because of the work Hollywood has to do, it causes them to think they know what is better for an audience than a writer. That is arrogant and stupid. My point in succinct? I saw Ella Enchanted the movie in the five dollar bargain bin and the book won a Newberry award.

Very rarely is a film better than its book. I can think of a few examples, and these are all based on opinion.

Jurassic Park--I think Michael Crichton is a rubbish writer (may he RIP) because I find his characters pretentious and annoying. His plot ideas, however, are brilliant. The movies gave us memorable characters along with an interesting plot.

How to Train Your Dragon--I think these children books were really kind of dumb. Sorry. But the movie was absolutely delightful.

Gone With the Wind--I like the book too, but I find Vivien Leigh's Scarlett more likable than book Scarlett, though they were both bitches. But movie Scarlett is VIVIEN LEIGH.

Well, there you have it. Maybe someday Hollywood will take a hint and stop messing up beloved books when turning it into film.

But I won't hold my breath.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Thirty Days of Anime: Day 26


Day 26: Your Favorite Harem Anime

Well, I'll admit a deep love of Fruits Basket. But my favorite harem anime is the harem anime that makes fun of harem anime...

I love shojo anime that makes fun of itself, especially its specific sub-genre. This anime is toeing the line of being satire and it's wonderful.

Thirty Days of Anime: Day 25


Day 25: Best Anime Villain

I love complicated, screwed up villains. I think the best one of all time is...

Akito, from Fruits Basket. Both anime version and manga version, though I didn't like the whole 'let's reform Akito and let him/her live happily ever after with Shigeru, yay!' That was dumb. And not just cuz I love Shigeru and think he deserves way better than frigging Akito. Because this character flat out should not reform. He/She should die, disappear, or maybe turn into a statue.

Akito is a creepy-ass villain not because he/she can wave a gun or sword around, but because everything this character does is psychological. Akito was horribly emotionally abusive to Yuki even as children. Akito screwed over Kana and Hatori's relationship. He tortured Rin, also mentally and emotionally. Everything he does was psychological and terrible. I much prefer how the anime ended in regards to Akito. (Manga for everything else, because Kyo and Tohru forever!!! And the manga introduced Rin who is awesome.)

I really loathed how the manga just made everyone suddenly okay with Akito when she (I say she because in the manga at least, Akito was defined as a she. Not so with the anime.) basically said sorry for everything she'd done. I was totally with Rin, who flat out refused to forgive Akito and was incredulous that the rest of the zodiac could.

Bastard. Or bitch. Depending on your medium. :D

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Voyage of the Dawn Treader: A Comprehensive Review


First of all, you should know that I've been looking forward to the release of Dawn Treader for about two years now. I've been stalking the crew via the web as they sailed around New Zealand, filming. I've kept tabs on who they cast as the new characters. If I lived in New Zealand, I'd probably be the creeper hiding in the tree, staring hungrily at the cast. Now why would I act in such a manner? Is it just because I'm a loyal Narnian?

Well, yes. That and Voyage of the Dawn Treader is my favorite book in the Chronicles of Narnia.

Oh snap. Shit just got real.

When they're making a film adaptation of your favorite, you tend to become a super fangirl. And so I did. I have just returned from seeing it today, and I have to say...

Well, let me first say that I was seriously concerned about this movie. I wasn't concerned about it till about two days ago, when I read this article. It about gave me and all my other fellow Inklings a legitimate heart attack. The article warned about huge plot changes, things taken from the next book, The Silver Chair, and commented that the Lewis Estate was unhappy with the changes. To a die-hard Narnia and forever fan of C.S Lewis like me, this gave me feelings of great terror. They were going to ruin my favorite book.

Then I saw it today. Terror averted.

Honestly, I think the article was just trying to scare Narnia fans. Dawn Treader did have some major deviations--mostly I think because in the book, there is no real 'bad guy'. Think about it. LWW had the White Witch, PC had Miraz, SC will have Lady of the Green Kirtle, and LB will have the Ape, the Calormene, and Tash, but DT has no dastardly villain. I don't necessarily believe film always has to have a dastardly villain, but doing a fantasy film without one made the producers nervous so they had to add crap in. Most of the time, the movie kept a great deal with the spirit of the book and mostly the major deviations were expanded upon details C.S Lewis already had.

Although I will admit confusion towards the seven-swords-at-Aslan's-table-to-defeat-the-scary-green-mist thing. What? I guess the green mist was maybe foreshadowing the Lady of the Green Kirtle? But I got nothing for the seven swords bit, I guess the writers were feeling super creative. Well, it generally worked for the film.

First off, let me say that the actor for Eustace Clarence Scrubb, Will Poulter, was absolutely MARVELOUS. They could not have chosen a better Eustace if they tried. Will Poulter had the right amount of humor, whininess, practicality, and humanity that Eustace did and during his dragon scene, I couldn't help but clap. I also adored how they interpreted Reepicheep and Eustace's relationship and made it a mentor/mentee kind of deal, which was also canon to the books.

I also liked how the expanded on Lucy's insecurity of not being beautiful like her sister. Well, Georgie, I think you're adorable, just so you know. In the book, this insecurity and temptation to change her physical appearance was glossed over, in a scene where Lucy very quickly learns her lesson. In the film she does too, but it takes her longer.

The expansion on Dark Island, how they made Dark Island essentially the nemesis (aside from the GREEN MIST OF EVIL) (I should stop making fun of the green mist, my friend Alex pointed out how it could represent a physical manifestation of temptation, which was a recurring theme in the movie) was kind of neat move. The Dark Island scene was very scary in the book, and although it didn't last long and certainly wasn't the main conflict, it left a great impression on you. Lewis almost didn't keep it in the final draft of the story because he was concerned it was too frightening for young readers. So I think their expansion on it was a good thing.

I also liked how they gave Ramandu's Daughter a name, cuz I love you Mr. Lewis, but she should've had a name.

I like how the White Witch still haunts Edmund cuz I don't think you'd ever really get over being under her thumb.

I like Caspian in wet clothes. Smaaaaughdrooolmmmmmm....

I literally had a fangirl squeal at the end when Aunt Alberta called, "Jill Pole is here to see you!" Because it's JILL!!! Only...why is she here to see Eustace? Cuz at the beginning of SC, she sort of hates Eustace...

Those are all the things I liked, so I'll be nitpicky and list the things I didn't really care for too.

1. Where the hell did Caspian's accent go? He had a Spanish one in the previous film, and now he has a British one. Consistency, people. Did Ben Barnes get tired of feigning it? Did they think that his newly added man scruff plus the accent was too much for fangirls?

2. I didn't like how Caspian was added in the final scene where they meet Aslan before the tidal wave thing blocking view of his country. Caspian very much wanted to go to Aslan's country, and Reepicheep and Lucy told him in no uncertain terms that he had a duty here and he could not simply abandon it. Caspian snapped at them and then was pretty much bitched out by Aslan in his cabin. We had none of this scene, which I thought was pretty portent to Caspian's character.

3. I miss Eddie Izzard as Reepicheep. The new guy sounded vaguely like him, but Eddie Izzard made a fabulous Reepicheep. Plus this guy had a different interpretation of Reep, which took a little getting used to.

4. I'm still not sure how I feel about the whole angle of Rhince being a resident of the Lone Islands and trying to find his wife and his daughter stowing away...what? Alex, once again, pointed out how the daughter seemed to be more of a growing point for LUCY than an actual plot point, but I still am not sure how I feel about it.

5. I didn't like that Lord Bern was a prisoner instead of...a rich lord and resident. I understand that it flowed better for the film this way, but my anal must-keep-accurate-to-the-book personality didn't like it.

6. Eustace's undragonification sequence I thought was a tad hurried, seeing as it took place during a battle. That's one of the highlights of the novel. I wish they'd given it more time.

7. I really wish they'd kept the scene where when Lucy makes the invisible visible, Aslan is made visible. Because Lucy says something along the lines of, "Oh Aslan! As if anything I could say would make you visible!" And he says back to her, "Don't you think I obey my own rules?" Aslan is big on obeying his own rules. So I was greatly disappointed that it wasn't there.

Well, that's the whole of Voyage of the Dawn Treader. It was a lovely movie and I think they did it extremely well. Honestly, I was legitimately shocked that they kept a direct line from Aslan at the end--the line where Aslan tells Lucy that he has another name in her world and that she was brought to Narnia so that she may know him better there. I expected that, for politically correct reasons, to be dropped. But it was there. They kept it. I was shocked and delighted.

Of course, now I understand Liam Neeson's lines about his portrayal of Aslan a little bit better now...

Whatever. The movie was great. Go see it!!!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Thirty Days of Anime: Day 24


Day 24: Favorite anime hero or heroine

I feel like I've used Sango five million times--I should vary it up a little. Hmm....

I guess that's cheating a little.

I don't care. They made it an anime, so therefore I can use it! :D

Thirty Days of Anime: Day 23


Day 23: Anime you think had the best or most intriguing art

This is a toughy, since there's so much anime out there that is absolutely gorgeous. I'm gonna have to go with...



Princess Mononoke

I first saw the raw version in Japanese when I was eight. My family couldn't understand a word of it but at the very least we did see that it was absolutely gorgeous. (Btw I don't recommend seeing a Miyazaki film raw if you don't know Japanese--you will have no idea what the flip is going on.)

But it's Miyazaki, what do you expect?

Runners up for best animation are Tokyo Majin, Vampire Knight, and Samurai Champloo.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Thirty Days of Anime: Day 22


Day 22: Favorite Boys love couple or Girls love, if you don't like boy love.

Hmmm...

Honestly, I don't really watch that much yaoi. Ok, I'll put a yuri couple that's never explicitly stated but totally hinted at.
Lucia and Sumire, from Venus Versus Virus. I like this anime because you can see the yuri undertones, if you want to interpret it that way, or you can just see a really beautiful and special friendship. Either or.

Thirty Days of Anime: Day 21


Day 21: Best yandere character

Ok, now that I've figured out who this is:

Honestly, this is the only example I can think of off the top of my head, Mimi from Lovely Complex. Boy is she irritating.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Thirty Days of Anime: Day 20



Day 20: Favorite Shojo Anime

It's a tie between...

Marmalade Boy and, you probably guessed it...

Lovely Complex.

Lovely Complex is probably easy to guess, since I've sung it's praises for a while now. But many will look at me perplexed and go, "MARMALADE BOY?!"

Because as ridiculousness in anime goes, it's right up there with Pretear.

The reason it's tied between a legit good shojo anime is mainly for nostalgic reasons. Marmalade Boy paved the way for my love of everything anime. Without MB, I wouldn't have discovered Inuyasha, Vampire Knight, Ouran High School Host Club, Tokyo Majin, or any of my favorites. And while it's painfully cheesy and some parts want to make me rip my hair out (Meiko choosing Nachan over Miwa, ARGH) it still manages to make me smile.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Thirty Days of Anime: Day 19


Day 19: Mandatory Swimsuit post


I like how Sango is all, 'what the hell did you just put me in?'

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Dear Viz, You Suck. Love, Phoenix

First let me say, I've been looking forward to Inuyasha the Final Act for YEARS.

If you're an Inuyasha fan, like I am, you were no doubt disappointed at the half-assed ending on the seventh season. It ended with Kagome and Inuyasha sitting in a tree, looking off into the distance, and feeling hopeful that maybe someday they'll defeat Naraku.

No, I'm not joking.

But that was okay, because the manga was still going on. Eventually, the manga ended, and it had an epic ending. SPOILERS! Basically, Kagome graduated high school, went back to the feudal era, married Inuyasha and lived happily ever after. *blithely ignores feminist voice whining in her head* Miroku and Sango got married too, and had three kids.

THEN we IY fans discovered that they were releasing Inuyasha: The Final Act, which was an additional season wrapping up the entire anime. There was much crying and happiness among within the fandom.

Even better--a month after this was announced, Viz, like a mighty ninja, snatched up the license for this anime and announced that they would be streaming the subtitled anime via hulu. They said nothing about dubbing it, so we awaited with bated breath.

The anime came and went. I laughed, I cried, I SQUEALED like the fangirl I am when Inuyasha and Kagome kissed in the final episode--(which they didn't in the manga...forty plus volumes and not one frigging kiss...) I waited and waited and waited for Viz to announce they were dubbing it.

They were silent.

I tried to be optimistic. "Of course they'll dub it," I assured my brothers. "Why else would they license it if they weren't dubbing it?"

FINALLY I received news. Kelly Sheridan, the VA for Sango, tweeted about how she was recording lines for Inuyasha. HUZZAH!

I could relax, I naively thought. If they got Kelly, then surely they would make sure to get all the rest of the original voice actors to finish this magnificent series up. After all, the Japanese did it.

I was wrong.

I was oh, so wrong.

It has reached my attention today that the voice actors for Kagome and Sesshoumaru will be changed. Moneca Stori and David Kaye will no longer be voicing them.

I feel like crying.

Especially after youtubing their new voice actors (Kira Tozer and Michael Daingerfield).

The voices sound vaguely similar--similar in a way that if I wasn't paying attention and I'd only seen Inuyasha once it'd be all ok.

I could maybe live with replacing Sesshoumaru. Sure, I'd bitch and moan about it, but replacing KAGOME?! Are you people serious?! She was the frigging lead! The story, while called Inuyasha, was about HER adventures! It all takes place through HER EYES, not Inuyasha's!

Moneca did a fabulous job as Kagome. You can't simply replace her, hope no one notices, and go about your day. The fandom will notice, and the fandom will be pissed.

Hi. I'm the fandom.

Moneca hasn't been doing a lot of voicework lately, as far as I can tell, so maybe she opted out. (Pregnancy? Marriage? Wants to spend time with family? Trying to move out of acting all together?)

But David Kaye?

The guy lives for voicework. If he will voice a horse in Barbie and the Three Musketeers, he'll fragging voice Sesshoumaru again. His Sesshoumaru voice was incomparable--sexy, mysterious, deep, dark, and not necessarily evil.

So Viz, after being so faithful to you, so proud of you for ninja-ing the license for Inuyasha, I just want you to know, I now hate you and you suck. After I get the Final Act (which I will, but not for your sake, only for Kelly and Kirby's sake) I will not be watching Viz again. I'm sticking with Funimation, which at least has never disappointed me to this extent.

Screw you, Viz.

Thirty Days of Anime: Day 18


Day 18: Something Moe

I'm not real clear on what moe means (cutesy girl? something fluffy that makes you go awww?) so I gave it my best guess.
So I just got done reading this real douchebag's blog about how he couldn't stand nice anime characters and how polite people pissed him off. He bitched about Belldandy (above) from Ah! My Goddess and Tohru from Fruits Basket. So, in essence, he sounded like kind of a dick, and I'm assuming dicks only like anime about dicks and that's his real problem.

I like Belldandy--she's not my favorite, Urd is. But Belldandy is so sweet and kind and adorable, she makes me go awww everytime she does something.

Awww!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Thirty Days of Anime: Day 17



Day 17: Favorite Tsundere

I am totally not googling what that is because I am an awesome otaku and totally know the terminology for everything.

Please standby.

Ok, got it. I actually have two cuz I love both of them. First one is:


I love Zero Kiryuu, from Vampire Knight. Screw Yuki, the show should've been about him. Generally I'm not into the anime character that angsts all the time, but oh, Zero does it so well! Some of his best scenes involve him being all cranky and annoyed towards Yuki (who I admittedly don't like) but even so, you can totally tell how much he loves her.

Second favorite is...
Kyouichi, from Tokyo Majin. My all-time favorite character in this series, how he acts towards Aoi is very tsundere. He's actually a total jerk towards her. Calls her names, tells her to stay out of the way, etc. Later on he loosens up, but it's clear to see that his nastiness and insistence she stay out of the fights is because he genuinely cares about her.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Thirty Days of Anime: Day 16


Day 16: Post a kigurumi cosplay of your favorite anime character.

Post a what?

*goes off to google kigurumi*

Ohhhh.

That's weird.

All right, fine. Bear in mind I don't necessarily have a favorite anime character (too many to choose from!) but I'll find the first one that comes up.

Yeah, I am not a fan of kigurumi...

Monday, November 29, 2010

Thirty Days of Anime: Day 15


Day 15: Post a cute Neko Girl

...

Why?

...

FINE.
I'm not doing that again.

Thirty Days of Anime: Day 14


Day 14: Current or Most Recent Anime Wallpaper

It was this:
Totally still makes me giggle. :D

Thirty Days of Anime: Day 13


Day 13: Cosplay of your Waifu or Husbando

So, I think this is a girl but I don't really care cuz it's so well-done and the person looks so much like Sesshoumaru (with the elfin features, condescending stare....damn) that I put it anyway, cuz I was that blown away. No judging.

Hi honey. Waifu is home.

Thirty Days of Anime: Day 12


Day 12: An ecchi picture from your favorite series.

This should be easy seeing as my favorite series involves Miroku.

Ha, I was right. Fanart count? Cuz I found this in like two seconds. There you are, an ecchi picture of the anime Inuyasha involving Miroku and Sango. Tee hee.

Thirty Days of Anime: Day 11


Day 11: Favorite Mech Series

Honestly, I don't watch a lot of mecha anime, so I actually had to look this up to verify I knew what it was. Does this count?

Cuz I really like Full Metal Panic. Haven't watched it in ages, but it cracked me up. So I guess I'd put this as my favorite mecha, assuming this counts.

Thirty Days of Anime: Day 10


Day 10: Favorite Slice of Life Anime

It'd be this:
I can't stress how much I love Love Com. It's hilariously funny. I have many friends who swear they'd never date a shorter guy, and I'm like, "Read Love Com. You'll change your mind."

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Thirty Days of Anime: Day 9


Day 9: Saddest Anime Scene

Heh...
I guess it's highly lame to use this again?

I don't care. It made me cry. Scenes can be epic and sad. :D

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

My Father

A lot of people ask me, "Why did you pick Japanese as your major?" Because when you look at me, it is kind of a random choice. I'm not Japanese, I don't have any Japanese ancestry (mostly European, I'm afraid, with a little Lakota and Gypsy mixed in for variety) and I've never been to Japan. Even more interesting, I got into Japanese when I was eight years old, long before my interest in anime and manga developed. For a while, I wasn't really sure how to answer that question because I honestly didn't know why I chose it or why the language fascinates me. But now I know.

Flashback twelve years ago. I've mentioned in previous posts about the hard times my family had and these are all true. I also mentioned that when I was little, I was often scared of my dad's temper. But even through all of that, I still loved him very very much. I wanted to be close to him. Heck, half the time when I was faking being sick in elementary school was so he would come and pick me up from school. Think about my favorite Disney movie, Mulan, and why I loved it so much when I was little. The premise involves a girl who so deeply loves her father that she goes to war for him. You can see why this would appeal to me. But I didn't know how to get close to him so I just paid attention to what he liked. One year he took my family to the Japanese festival at the botanical gardens in my city. It was absolutely beautiful, and my sharp eight-year-old eyes caught on to how much my dad liked Japanese culture. So after the festival, I promptly told him I wanted to learn Japanese.

My dad knows this story pretty well, he'll tell it that at first he didn't believe me and gave me a few language tapes to keep me quiet. Then he'll say how he noticed me wandering around the house repeating whatever the language tapes said. This is true. But I would also point out that the majority of my wanderings around the house were in dad's orbital--I pretty much haunted his every move with those language tapes to show him that I loved something he loved.

And for five years, every Saturday morning, my dad and I took Japanese lessons at Webster University. I relished the time spent because it was MY time with my daddy, and no one else. No matter how bad things were for my family, I knew in my little girl heart that my daddy loved me and cared about me enough to go through with those early Saturday mornings.

I also remember my dad taking me to a Daddy/Daughter dance hosted by the Girl Scouts. I remember mom buying me a new dress, forcibly brushing my hair till it was completely tangle free, and even letting me wear a little of her perfume. I remember my mother telling me that dad would knock on the door and pick me up, just like a real date. I was so excited. And he did, he knocked on that door, I opened it up, and he said, "Is Miss Kathleen Coffin ready for her date?" He held up a white corsage--my very first.

By the way, that Daddy/Daughter date has set the tone for all future dates for me, so if you want to ever take me out, you sure as hell better knock on my door to pick me up, none of this honking the horn or texting me when you're here crap.

Here's a few things I love about my dad:

1. My dad is an excellent teacher, a lot better than my mom. It was he who taught me my multiplication tables in third grade (even teaching me a super neat trick about the multiples of 9) and it was he who taught me to drive (because my mom had a bad habit of screaming like a banshee every time I did something innocuous like knock over a mailbox or slaughter poultry).
2. My dad has always understood the importance of my friends. Especially those who didn't have a good father influence, he was always fatherly towards them. When I didn't have my license, there was one night when I woke him up at midnight, requesting that he drive me to Regan's because she needed me. No questions asked, he got up, got dressed, and drove forty minutes out to her house.
3. My dad once drove five and a half hours to pick up the cat I so very desperately wanted, even though he wasn't to keen on the idea of me having a pet.
4. My dad understand my love of just plain macaroni and cheese and shares this love, even once telling me that he had it special ordered when he was in Vietnam. Sometimes he didn't have any milk or butter so he basically just boiled water and added in the cheese mix.
5. My dad has never been annoyed or aggravated by my abrupt change in academic plans, even one that involved me transferring and going to a school two states away.
6. My dad always comes to my defense. Sometimes this involves him going outside and 'having words' with the drunk neighbor that is screaming outside my window and throwing badminton rackets. Other times it involves him saying "HELL NO SHE WILL NOT" when a bitch teacher attempted to stop me from singing at my graduation--he and my mom drove all the way up to my high school, had a pleasant conversation with the principal, and bam, I was back on the program.
7. Most importantly, never once in my entire life, has my dad ever made me feel like I couldn't do something just because I was a woman. From the time I was six and sitting on his lap to now when I'm twenty and trying to get into Oxford, the mantra has always been, 'you can do anything you set your mind to.'

A note to my dad--I know you read my blog posts and a few of them really hurt you. Please know that it was not out of an intent to spite or make you feel bad. You're human, just like me, and we make mistakes, and frankly the good far outweigh the bad. You'll always be my daddy, and I love you very much.

--from your little green barrette.


Thirty Days of Anime: Day 8


Day 8: Most Epic Scene Ever

This.
From Tokyo Majin. It's just so...
When he tells her she's done enough, and she runs into his arms, and he gives her the sheathe of his bokkan which is the most important thing in the world to him, and then he goes, "I'll be back..." and she says "I'll be waiting! I'll be waiting for you..." and you just want to go cry from the amazing beauty of it all...

Wheeze...okay, I'm done. This scene is epic because even though it's quiet, it's poignant and subtle. I wish I could show the clip but it ain't on Youtube, probably because everyone on Youtube is Tatsuma/Aoi rather than Kyouichi/Aoi like me. I even wrote a fanfiction detailing it from Kyouichi's perspective, which you can read here.

Sigh. I love this scene.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Thirty Days of Anime: Day 7


Day 7: Favorite Anime Couple

A lot of my favored couples were only hinted at and never explicitly got together. So I suppose my favorite canon legit got-together couple would be...
That picture makes my life.

Ahem. It'd be Miroku and Sango. I've liked their relationship for years. I like how adorable Miroku is (even when I want to smack him, though I don't have to, cuz Sango does it for me) and I think it's cute that Sango, who is so badass most of the time, is totally clueless when it comes to feelings and love. She just gets so awkward, it makes my life. I also like that they for sure and certain got together--they got together in the series, and then in the end got married and had three kids. Awesome. Very rarely does anime tie up relationships that neatly. :D

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Thirty Days of Anime: Day 6


Day 6: Most Annoying Anime Character

I freaking hate this character. It's the one downside of Inuyasha.
He has no point. He's whiney, shrill, and irritating. Every time Inuyasha bops him, punches him, smacks him upside the head, I cheer a little.

A lot of Inuyasha fans would argue that Kikyo is the most irritating character. Not true. Shippo definitely takes the cake on this one. At least Kikyo served a purpose--to distinguish the differences between the relationships of Kagome and Inuyasha and Kikyo and Inuyasha, to be an antihero, to distinguish the differences between Kagome and Kikyo, to provide a monkey wrench in the relationship of Inuyasha and Kagome. All valid purposes, even if it was aggravating how many times she died and came back to life.

Shippo provides none of these. He is an irksome talking ball of fluff who does nothing for the team but be carried around and whine.

Thirty Days of Anime: Day 5



Day 5: Anime character you feel you are most like (or wish you were)

Well, these are two different questions. So I'm gonna answer both.

I wish I were like...
Sango, from Inuyasha.

Oh, sure, we have similarities. We both have long dark hair. We both don't put up with crap from guys. But in reality, Sango is way more badass and a heck of a lot stronger than I am. She lost her entire family, her brother to her worst enemy, and still manages to kick ass and retain a sense of humor. Don't know if I could do that. Not to mention she puts up with Miroku's personality defects a lot more graciously than I would.

So yeah, I totally wish I were like her. Not to mention, I wish I had her upper body strength.
But the anime character I'm most like is probably...


Risa Koizumi, from Lovely Complex.

Risa is ridiculous, awkward, hilarious, fashionable, and in general a huge goofball. She denies her feelings for Otani for freaking ever, and then when she finally quietly admits them, she is completely unable to express them coherently. This is pretty much me in a nutshell. :D

Friday, November 19, 2010

Thirty Days of Anime: Day 4


Day 4: Anime You're Ashamed You Enjoyed

I have a lot of guilty pleasure but this one comes immediately to mind.
Oh Pretear. This is such a big box of ridiculous. It was painfully cheesy, had a snowball fluffy plot, an idiot heroine...if it wasn't for the blatant sexual innuendos in literally EVERYTHING they said, I'd probably have never watched it. But I do. It still makes me giggle.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Thirty Days of Anime: Day 3





Day 3: Your Anime Crush

Wait. You want me to pick just one? Are you serious? I have like, thirty.
...Just to name a few. What can I say? I love me some anime boys.

Thirty Days of Anime: Day 2


Day 2: Favorite Anime You've watched so far

Out of all the anime I love and treasure, the truth is, for me at least, nothing can top Inuyasha.



It was this anime that really got me into anime in the first place. It has everything I like--adventure, fairy tales, romance, danger, badass female characters, really hot anime boys--I started watching this when I was thirteen. I'm twenty now, and I still haven't gotten over it!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Thirty Days of Anime: Day 1


This should be interesting, because I have trouble updating weekly. We'll see how it goes!

Day 1: Very First Anime
This actually took some thinking. My first thought was Inuyasha, because I started borrowing the DVDs from a friend in the eighth grade. Then I realized that before that, I watched Yu Gi Oh! with my brothers. And before that, Digimon. And before that, Pokemon. And before that, Cardcaptors...

I eventually figured it out. It was Superbook.

I legit don't remember much about this anime. I remember the theme song involved a Bible falling on a computer and sending two kids back in time. I remember a couple of the plots of the episodes. Basically, it was two kids going back in time and living out Bible stories. It was a very neat anime. My brothers tell me that Flying House was the precursor to it, but I honestly don't remember Flying House. Just Superbook. I'd love this on DVD some day...

Friday, November 12, 2010

Ho-Hos Before Bros


I don't like like slut-shaming, so my title is a clever twist on a clever twist of a phrase. I love all my ho-hos. :D And by ho-hos, I mean my friends. A lot of girls have one singular best friend who they tell everything to, who's practically their sister for all intents in purposes. I'm no exception. Except for having one best friend, I have five.

Yep. Five.

Eh, I can't help it. I'm just so awesome that people are naturally drawn to me.

In all seriousness, my friends are very important to me. So for this blogpost, I thought I'd extrapolate on each one, how I met them, and why I love them.

I'll start by going back. First there was Regan.

Isn't she pretty?


At least when she remembers to shave.



If you read Regan's blog, Run Fish Run, (which you really ought to) you'll know she's been counting down things she's been thankful for this month. Which is very clever and if I weren't so lazy, I would probably do the same thing. But one of her blog posts was about MOI and how she was thankful for me. Made me tear up a little. Sniffle. Anyway, in that post, she relates how she met me, and it's pretty accurate. She remembers it a lot better than I do, so I suggest you read her recollection on it as mine isn't as detailed. What I do remember about it:

1. Regan and I met in high school.

2. We met in Comm. I class. She sat behind me.

3. She had a picture of Orlando Bloom on her binder who at the time I was TOTALLY N LUV WITH, OMG.

4. I thought she was a junior, so when she followed me into the gym for the start of school pep rally, I was confused cuz she was sitting with the freshman. I can't really explain why I thought she was a junior--might have had something to do with her being like a foot taller than me (I hate being short) and seeming way more mature. Wasn't until later that I realized the maturity levels were about equal...

5. That year we became totally obsessed with the TV show Lost and were known throughout high school as, 'those weird girls who talk about Lost all the time.'

Regan and I have been through a lot together. We've fought, usually about stupid things. We've laughed at random crap which is only funny to us. We've cried about boys and heartbreak and our families. We've been on the same wavelength for years. Even being 200 miles apart, when we IM each other, occasionally we'll IM the same damn thing at the same damn time.

Here's some things I love about Regan:

1. She's way more organized than I am. When she says she's gonna get shit done, she will GET SHIT DONE.

2. Though we've bitched at each other about stupid things ("STOP BLINKING SO DAMN LOUDLY!" "I WILL WHEN YOU STOP BREATHING SO NOISILY!") she has never gotten annoyed at me for legitimate gripes, like how I borrow books and DVDs from her and then return them to her like four years later...

3. She's really really morbid in kind of a hilarious way. She's a crim major, what are you gonna do?

4. We transition at about the same time, when our interest in Lost waned we slowly moved on to Supernatural.

5. We both like Mexican food. A lot.

6. She's teaching me how to cook.

7. She helped me overcome my fear of cooking chicken.

8. I love how she's obsessed with incense.

9. She drives like a maniac but has yet to kill me.

10. When I got lost on the way to the mall when I first started driving, when she realized how embarrassed I was, she never made fun of me for it.

11. She makes fun of me for everything else.

That's my Regan!

Next friend, going in chronological order of when I met them, would be my first roommate, who I'll call Chester.

I'll be honest, when I first left for college, I wasn't that concerned with having a roommate. When I worked at a stables for a girl scout camp, I shared large room with about twenty other girls, so I was used to it. But let me tell you, I was extremely lucky when I got paired up with Chester. My first college matched us up perfectly. It was almost eerie. I went to a religious private high school in my hometown, she went to a religious private high school with the same name. We have very similar personalities. We kept our room marginally tid
y though slightly messy and shared our food whole-heartedly.

Here's a good picture that describes our relationship perfectly.

And another one.


Basically, what the pictures signify is how much Chester is my bitch.

LOL Just kidding. We had a lot of fun together our freshman year and I miss her desperately.

Here's eleven things I love about her.

1. She can recite the Mummy and the Mummy Returns along with me and doesn't mind watching it thirty times.

2. She was always up for something spontaneous, like walking to Walmart or Wendy's when I was bored.

3. We're going to open an epic publishing company together.

4. She is hugely forgiving, even when I am irrational and emotional. Or when I fight with her fiance. That takes a lot of grace, I think.

5. We insult each other constantly, but always out of love.

6. When I first met her, most of her wardrobe consisted of nothing but earth tones. So every time she wears a bright hue, I enjoy acting shocked and bewildered.

7. She got me into running, when I used to bitch and moan about it, now I sort of like it.

8. One word. Pretear. And all the innuendos that go with it.

9. She's an English major like me, which automatically makes her cool.

10. She has awesome music taste.

11. She lives an hour away from me (from my hometown) but it's always worth the drive to see her, plus it's a really fun drive cuz she lives in east bumfuck nowhere.

That's my Chester!!!

I can't remember if I met Britt (I can't think of a neat blog name for her so I'm going to be lazy and just call her Britt) or Fox first so I'll go in alphabetical order.

Like Chester, I met Britt my freshman year of my first college. She lived across the hall from me and moved in late, because I believe she joined a sorority and then changed her mind. What's lovely about Britt, is she transferred recently, so now she's just that much closer to me. She's actually coming to see me this weekend and let me tell you, I could not be more excited.

Here's us about to paint the town.
Britt is incredibly big-hearted. She's non-judgmental and is just plain fun to be around. Whenever I hang out with her, there will always be an excess of giggling, joking around, and generally being awesome.

Here's some things I love about her.

1. Whenever I see her, she does my makeup and I always look fantastic. (See above.) She is actually the one who taught me how to do my makeup properly. As she would say, it's all about blending!

2. I get the most random texts from her, which never fail to make me laugh.

3. She is completely open about who she is.

4. We have VERY different fashion tastes. She is very trendy and put-together and I am very eclectic. It's amusing to go shopping together because I'll hold
up something eagerly and she'll give me this look that says, 'I think it's weird, but I don't know how to tell her without hurting her feelings...'

5. She makes me feel confident about myself. When we're together, I hit on guys more, and am more secure. Her beauty is the kind of beauty that extends to everyone around her.

6. I usually feel like a loser when I get excited about something guy-related, but she always is excited for me.

7. She never judges and always tries her hardest to be understanding.

8. She is blunt but in a sincere and kind way. For instance, she once commented to Chester, "You know, you have a really big butt." She didn't mean it in a mean way. She was completely serious and genuine.

9. She once bought me underwear because she lost a bet.

10. She got me hooked on Victoria's Secret.

11. I like editing the papers she writes for class.

That's my Britt!

Then there's Fox...I honestly don't remember the exact moment I met Fox. I have no clear memories on the moment we became friends, but I think that's okay. It might've been in ballet class...I took ballet my first semester of college for fun (which in retrospect was a dumb decision, I have no talent at dancing whatsoever.) and she was in that class. She's an ice skater and a dancer and is an incredible friend.

Last year we attended a Kate Voegele concert which was possibly the highlight of my life, because Kate hugged me and signed Fox's capo.

Here's us outside her tourbus.

Here's us in the concert. I know I look high, so no commentary from the peanut gallery.

Here's some things I love about Fox.

1. She loves Kate Voegele as much as I do, and doesn't mind belting out her songs with me at random intervals.

2. She has red hair I'm really jealous of.

3. She doesn't mind cuddling with me or frolicking with me. (Fun fact, cuddling with guys wigs me out but I love cuddling with my friends.)

4. She drives a large white pickup truck which is pretty epic all things considered.

5. She partnered with me for our ballet final even though I sucked at dancing and she is amazing at it.

6. She and I have been on the same path romance wise, and have helped each other a lot I think.

7. She likes roller coasters as much as I do and actually got me hooked on sitting in the very front, which I'd never done before.

8. I started teaching her guitar my freshman year which was incredibly fun for both of us.

9. She bought me the Kate Voegele hat pictured which in turn earned my love forever and ever.

10. She helped me unearth my secret love of chick flicks.

11. When we're 28 we're going to the insemination center together and getting pregnant at the same time. Oh yeah. It's happening.

That's my Fox!!! Oh, how I love her. I miss her desperately too.

And finally, there is Avlbane, who I met last year when I transferred.

Avlbane was literally my first friend here. She was in my Japanese 101 class and we hit it off while studying for our hiragana quiz. She noticed the leatherbound edition of the Chronicles of Narnia and we both discovered a mutual love of C.S Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. And creative writing. The rest is history.

She also invited me to dress up for Halloween last year, which was sweet of her since I didn't know anyone. Which explains this photo...
She was the corpse bride. The woman is a freaking whiz with costumes and crafts, she legit made that costume. I am quite jealous of her skillz.

And finally, here's some things I love about Avlbane.

1. She doesn't mind me nattering on for an hour about my stories because she does the same thing. :D

2. We have very similar writing styles, so when we write collaborations together they flow really well.

3. She mother hen's me when I'm not taking care of myself.

4. She is an all around interesting person, and I never get tired of talking to her.

5. She taught me a lot without knowing it about being open-minded.

6. She is the J.R.R. Tolkien to my C.S Lewis.

7. She founded the Inklings with me.

8. When I've run out of money, she's fed me.

9. She let me come home with her for Easter because I couldn't afford to go home to my parents that year.

10. She is one of the classiest women I know.

11. She has weird terminology and vocabulary that she creates herself that have somehow flowed into my speech...

And there you have it! These are my nearest and dearest, who I love desperately and each hold a piece of my heart. In the words of Sex and the City (because all true wisdom comes from Sex and the City...), "Maybe our girlfriends are our soulmates and guys are just there to have fun with."

Friday, November 5, 2010

A Serious Confession




I have a confession, ladies and gentlemen. A serious one.

This is not easy to write. Not easy to admit. It's hard you see, fighting addiction. And this is especially shameful.

Ok. Deep breath. Here goes.

I am addicted to Hellcats.




I don't even like cheerleaders! I used to make fun of them in high school. When two of my friends discussed the possibility of joining the cheer squad at my previous college, I had to do a very serious evaluation of our friendship.

See, what happened was I was bored one night and randomly hulu-ing and letmewatchthis-ing shows I'd never seen before. And as the CW has a bunch of n
ew shows out and I figured, hey, Ashley Tisdale and Aly Michalka is in this show, and I love mocking Disney channel stars, so why not watch this for a giggle?

Heh heh.

Yeah, obviously that didn't happen. Cuz I watched the pilot. And then the second episode. And the third. And on. And on.

It's ok, I told myself, I'm just a casual fan. This is the same justification I use for Glee. I don't honestly care what happens in Glee, I just like listening to the music and plus Matthew Morrison is really cute.


See? Pretty, isn't he?

Hellcats has a lot of these same elements. Lots of
cute guys, not to mention I drool over Aly Michalka's body. Not in lust. In envy. Why, oh why, can I not have that same body?
Bitch.

I will admit seeing Matt Barr play a very likeable bad boy kind of weirded me out. I mean, he played Psycho Derek on One Tree Hill (where he attempted to murder two of the characters after nursing a homicidal obsession and stalker fetish) and then I saw him play Brad in Ten Inch Hero, where he harbored secret gay feelings for Tad (and Tad did for him too) and strolled in one night absolutely naked and attempted to initiate a threesome with Daneel Harris's character and Tad. (Tad was all for it, Daneel's character not so much.) What I'm saying is, I've seen Matt's naked butt. I mean, I've seen him play real creepers. That's what I meant. Yeah...so, seeing him as a protagonist was really cool.

Took some getting used to, but I even dubbed him the hottest guy on the show. And when he started a relationship with Ashley Tisdale's character, Savannah, I was totally on board with that. If there's one thing I love, it's a bad boy with a good girl. Slowly without me knowing it, I became invested in their relationship.

And then it happened. Not an hour ago, I watched the most recent episode, and GASP, Savannah and Dan's relationship is in trouble! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!

I desperately started combing the internet for spoilers on next week's episode, wailed and pleaded both Matt and Ashley's twitter accounts, begging their characters not to break up (as if they have any control, HA) and...

Then realized the horrible truth.

I had become a FAN.

Well, now we all know it. Now that I've accepted it, maybe the next step is recovery.

Could happen quickly too, because I swear to God, if those two break up I will NEVER WATCH THE SHOW AGAIN. EVER.

Sigh. This is going to be the repeat of the Dan/Serena Gossip Girl incident, isn't it?

Monday, November 1, 2010

Breakfast at Tiffany's Anyone?

This was my Halloween costume. I spent all month on it. I rather like it, don't you?

Monday, October 25, 2010

My Top 15 Movies


I've had major writer's block last week and this week. So I thought I'd go with an easy blog post today. These are my top fifteen favorite movies, in no particular order. These are the movies I watch over and over and over about five million times. The ones I quote constantly. Enjoy!

15. 10th Kingdom
Technically, this is a miniseries that's about ten hours long. Ten hours you say?! Trust me, it is completely worth it. I have a deep love of fairy tales and this movie just encompasses that love. And it doesn't portray fairy tales in a way that is overly sugary--the fairy tales they reference are the real deal, gritty and raw. Not to mention I freaking love Wolf. He's so darling!
Best Quotes: "They just split up! Doesn't that ever happen here?!" "No, we either live happily ever after or die from horrible curses." "Well, you may not get hurt. But huff puff, you won't get loved either."
14. Breakfast at Tiffany's
Ah, Audrey Hepburn. She is my favorite. She just...gah, amazing. She's classy, graceful, charming...the woman is classiness incarnate. This Halloween, I'll actually be dressing up as Audrey Hepburn's portrayal of Holly Golightly. Sigh. This movie brought into the fashion world the little black dress.
Not to mention, this is an incredible movie too. It's romantic and beautiful and I love watching it on Sunday mornings.
Best Quote: "You know what's wrong with you miss whoever you are? You're chicken. You've got no guts. You're afraid to stick out your chin and say, 'Okay, life's a fact, people do fall in love, people do belong to each other, because that's the only chance anybody's got for real happiness.' You call yourself a free spirit, a wild thing, and you're terrified somebody's gonna stick you in a cage. Well baby, you're already in that cage. You built it yourself. And it's not bounded in the west by Tulip, Texas, or in the east by Somali-land. It's wherever you go. Because no matter where you run, you just end up running into yourself."


13. Charade
Hee hee. Another Audrey Hepburn movie. Can you blame me? She's awesome. And in this, she's paired with Cary Grant. Cary freaking Grant. Lovely. Plus, this movie is the perfect combination of comedy, drama, and suspense.
Best Quote: "What are you doing in there?" "I'm having a nervous breakdown."



12. Enchanted
Amy Adams is a new favorite actress of mine. She just makes giggle and she's just wonderful. And Enchanted is amazing. It's almost a satire of Disney movies and the little tributes to Disney princesses are just absolutely lovely. It really makes you think about putting the whole fairy tale of love into a modern perspective. Not to mention it's freaking adorable.
Best Quote: "Is this a habit of yours? Falling off of stuff?" "Only when you're around to catch me."


11. Howl's Moving Castle
It goes without saying that Hayao Miyazaki films are epic. There is no logic in Miyazaki films--YOU DO NOT QUESTION THE MIYAZAKI. But my favorite of his films is Howl's Moving Castle. Christian Bale is an awesome Howl. It's a generally sweet movie with really incredible animation.
Best Quote: "I've had enough of running away, Sophie. Now I've got something I want to protect. It's you."


10. Lady and the Tramp
Disney movies are in general one of my favorite things, but there are a few that have a special place in my heart. Lady and the Tramp is one of these. During some of the worst times in my life when I was little, I would pop in two movies to comfort me. This was one of them. It's romantic and beautiful and makes me wish I had a cocker spaniel. And if Tramp wasn't a dog, I'm pretty sure he would be freaking hot. Not to mention, Peggy Lee is in this movie. PEGGY LEE. And she sings in it.
Best Quote: "He's a tramp, but I love him, yes, even I have got it pretty bad."

9. Leap Year
This has come out pretty recently but I've watched it approximately 177 times. I don't know what it is about it. It just makes me warm inside. Plus it's Amy Adams again. And she is awesome. Maybe it's Matthew Goode's Irish accent (he's British, but he still does an awesome Irish accent). Maybe it's the fact that it was actually filmed in Ireland and the scenery is gorgeous. I don't know. But I love it. Makes me sigh in a nice warm way.
Best Quote: "Just put 'em in the wash, they'll be grand."


8. Mulan
This is the second movie that I used to pop in when I was little. I think I related to an awkward out of place girl trying to find her place in the world. Not to mention, it was about a girl who was really close to her father, and at that time, I was trying desperately to get close to mine.
Best Quote: "The greatest gift in honor is having you for a daughter. I've missed you so."


7. The Princess Bride
If you haven't seen this, you suck. If you have and you somehow don't like it, you still suck. This movie is the epitome of amazing. If you want romance, action, comedy, and drama, look no further. Siiiiiiiigh.
Best Quote: "Death cannot stop true love. It can only delay it for a while."
6. Sayonara
Mmm, Marlon Brando. If you've only seen him in the Godfather movies, you are missing out. I mean, DAMN. I promise, he wasn't always a scary old guy. He was quite sexy in his prime. And this movie is beautiful, and ground-breaking in its own way. It portrays the race problems of the time and challenges them upfront. I would also like to say, I have not read the book and don't plan on it. Because the book does not have a happy ending. And I prefer to glory myself in the ignorant bliss of this movie, that Ace Gruber and Hanaogi lived happily ever after. Tra la la la la la.
Best Quote: "A lot of people are going to be unhappy about this marriage. Do you have anything to say to them?" "Yeah. Tell 'em we said sayonara."


5. Last of the Mohicans
Yeah, yeah, I know, historical inaccuracy, blah blah blah, slight racism, blah blah blah, inaccurate portrayal of native Americans, blah blah blah SHUT UP. I don't care. This movie a fave due to the pure romance, the breath-taking, heart-grabbing, romance. All girls want a Nathanial who will fight for them. Not to mention the music is incredible.
Best Quote: "You be strong, you survive! You stay alive no matter what occurs! I will find you. No matter how long it takes, no matter how far, I will find you."


4. While You Were Sleeping
I love Sandra Bullock. I feel that she is the Audrey Hepburn of our generation. I have seen all of her movies and one of these days will post a list of her best films. While You Were Sleeping was one of my first, and one of her earlier ones. It's hilarious. It's a great holiday movie too, and also stars Bill Pullman.
Best Quote: "I'll cut the deck--high card gets Lucy. Okay, best two out of three."


3. The Last Unicorn
Do not be fooled by the frou frou title. This animation film is badass. It's also dark and filled with adult themes that I never caught onto when I was younger. It's all about the loss of innocence. Pretty heavy stuff for a children's movie. Not to mention the unicorn, Amalthea, is played by Mia Farrow. Lovely.
Best Quote: "Where have you been? Where have you been?! Damn you! Where have you been?!" "I am here now..." "And where were you twenty years ago? Ten years ago? Where were you when I was one of those innocent young maidens you always come to? How dare you...how DARE you come to me now! When I am THIS!"


2. Practical Magic
Another Sandra Bullock movie--can you blame me? This is actually my favorite Sandra movie. I just think it's beautiful. It reminds me of the bond I have with all of my friends--pure sisterhood. Not to mention the main theme is "Crystal" by Stevie Nicks. Sooo haunting and lovely. And I love the idea of the romance between Gary and Sally. Sigh. Very few romance movies can make me cry, and this is one of them.
Best Quote: "Curses only have power if you believe in them...and I don't. You know...I wished for you too."

1. The Mummy (plus the Mummy Returns!)
Do NOT speak of that monstrosity that is the third movie. They replaced Evelyn with Maria freaking Bello. Unacceptable. We will ignore it. I mentioned before that this is my favorite movie. This is true. I know it by heart. I someday hope to find a man who loves it as much as I do, and will be willing to stay home Saturday nights and watch it with me fifty times, reciting every line. If we're feeling especially frisky, he recites Rick's lines and I'll recite Evy's. Sigh. Point is, I know this movie by heart. And it's amazing. My brother, who likes to pretend he's an Egyptologist, enjoys pointing out all the mistakes. I enjoy punching him when he does this. If I want to know about Egypt, I'll turn on the history channel. This is a Stephen Sommers flick for God's sakes. Nothing will be accurate in it. I watch it for the breathless adventure, adorable romance, and hilarious dialogue.
Best Quote: Too many to choose from! I guess, my favorite would be, "I may not be an explorer, or an adventurer, or a treasure-hunter, or a gunfighter. But I am PROUD of what I am!" "And what is that?" "I...am a librarian!"