Star Wars Episode VII: New Title!

I know this is late, but Star Wars announced the title for the new movie awhile ago: http://www.theforce.net/story/front/Star_Wars_Episode_VII_Will_Be_Called_The_Force_Awakens_160763.asp

So, what do you guys think? Personally, I don't think The Force Awakens is a very Star Wars-esque title. I don't know. Makes me wonder what the next movie's going to be about, especially since they're not going with the EU material.

Kim Possible Review

"Kim Possible" was one of my favorite television series growing up. Although it is no longer on air anymore, I've been able to hunt down episodes through the internet. Part of it is probably just nostalgia, but I still find myself enjoying the series, laughing at its jokes, and cheering on the heroes.

The best thing about Kim Possible is the characters. You've got Kim Possibe, the female butt-kicking protagonist, Ron Stoppable, the funny and incompatible sidekick of the lead character, Wade, Kim's genius friend who often helps her collect information, Dr. Drakken, the evil nemesis who is a doofus who believes he is a genius, Shego, Drakken's snarky and much more clever sidekick, and many more characters. They're just so colorful and unique in their own way that it's hard not to like them.

Kim is really cool because she acts like an average teenager girl: she worries about school, boys, friends, is embarrassed by her parents but at the same time loves them, and everything a typical teenager deals with. On top of that, however, she is a world famous superhero. I think that Kim's relatable side and her life as a superhero is what makes her likable: Viewers like us feel connected to Kim Possible, like they could be here. She is also one of the few female superheroes, which is an added bonus for girls.

Ron is hilarious because he's just so lovable. He's extremely clumsy, cocky, tries to act cool but often fails, and is a good friend to Kim. Ron's clumsiness is laughable and fun to watch, providing great comic relief. But he's also shown to be useful to Kim and supports her, which makes him even better: he's not just reduced to being an oblivious sidekick, but can be when needed. He has a good balance.

Wade was always cool because he was a super-smart kid genius--he's only ten or so and managed to graduate from college in a matter of months! it was always cool how he could get information for Kim to help her on her missions. He never was the fighter, but he was the brains. That's just equally as important.

Truly, though, the villains are the most enjoayble characters of the series. Drakken's incompatibleness and obliviousness is very humorous, as are his interactions with Shego, who often makes quick-witted and clever remarks to her boss. Their interactions with each other always amuse me. Professor Dementor is also a worthy mention, as he is also very funny.  Monkey Fist was another compelling enemy, as well as Señor Senior, an intimidating elder for a nemesis.

Aside from the characters, the series had some good storylines, too. While they were pretty average (as to be expected from a kid's series), it was still engaging enough that you wanted to know what would happen (even if it was predictable). They also had the characters using some cool gadgets and good-looking battle scenes.

Of course, the series wasn't perfect. Some episodes were worse than others, and some of the villains/characters I didn't find as interesting. I also didn't like it as much when Ron and Kim started dating, mostly because I liked it better when they were just friends. I mean, yeah, they have chemistry, but I kind of miss Ron's wannabe playa days (not to mention he had a girl in Japan that he had a crush on). At least Kim and Ron weren't sappy with each other (not TOO sappy, at least).

Overall, I really liked this series. Yes, it had cliches, yes, it was predictable at times, but what show isn't? Plus, it was also very fun. I think the whole idea of an average teenage girl saving the world and having no secret identity is pretty unique. The show never failed to entertain me, and, unlike some shows I have seen, ended on a good note. Of course, I could have done without Kim and Ron getting together, but at least they weren't too sappy. And you saw it coming ;)

Unpopular Things About Me

So I saw someone doing something like this and thought it'd be fun for me. Sometimes I don't like having unpopular opinions because, well, who likes to disagree with people? And then I feel like I'm the only person on the planet with these opinions or isn't into something that's more popular. But now I'm just going to get them out there so I'll feel okay with having different opinions. Wouldn't it be boring if we all thought the same? ;)

Anyway, here's my list:

-I don’t love/hate High School Musical or Green Lantern (I didn’t love either but they weren’t horrible)

-I don’t like watching most battle scenes. Some are fun, but they have to be quick or they’ll bore me.

-I think the Hunger Games films (so far) were better than the books. I also thought that Divergent was better than The Hunger Games

-I only watched a few episodes of Doctor Who and one episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender

I found the following underrated: The Star Wars prequels (even though the movies themselves weren’t as good as the originals, I prefer the political story of the prequels, and Revenge of The Sith is probably my favorite Star Wars movie), The Emperor’s New Groove, National Treasure, Man of Steel (it wasn’t great but I still thought it was pretty good), Prequel Anakin Skywalker (I find him genuinely interesting and, although he was annoying in Ep II, I liked him in Episode III. I don't think the movies did him justice), Mockingjay (while it wasn’t as good as The Hunger Games or Catching Fire, I still enjoyed it)

I found the following overrated: Pixar’s Up, Toy Story 3, Thor: The Dark World, Transformers 2 and 3, Spider-Man 2 (VERY slightly; I loved it but thought the first one was better), Tangled (somewhat—I enjoyed it but didn’t fall in love with it), Snow White And The Seven Dwarves, Power Rangers series (thought it was cheesy), Mr. Rodger’s Neighborhood, Good Luck Charlie (it’s okay), The Hunger Games (slightly), Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, Nancy Drew series, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe, The Hobbit (didn’t finish it), The Fellowship of The Rings (I didn’t get very far into it), Boba Fett, Katniss Everdeen (annoyed me), Claire Bennet 

I haven't seen: The Wizard of Oz, Gone With The Wind, The Princess Bride, The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, Avatar, Titanic, The Dark Knight, I Love Lucy, Seinfeld, Law And Order, Criminal Minds, Lord of The Rings Trilogy, Star Trek (I only saw part of the 2008 film)

So that's my list. I hope I didn't offend anyone in any of the fandoms I based/am not in *goes to hide in corner* ;) But you know, the biggest problem I have is people bashing others for not liking/liking something that's "unpopular". Not that any of you do it on here, of course, but I've met plenty people on the internet who do (I must spend too much time there :P). This was more for me to be okay with having different opinions or not doing what most people have (reading/watching popular books/movies/television series, for example).

So what about you guys? Do you have any opinions/haven't done anything that's considered "popular"? I'd love to hear your input on this :)

Teen Titans Review

Teen Titans was one of my favorite shows growing up as a kid. I remember the day when I first started watching it: While flipping through channels on Cartoon Network, my siblings and I stumbled upon an episode of Teen Titans. We immediately recognized Robin from the Batman comics/series/films but were unfamiliar with the rest. From thereon, though, we became avid fans of the series.

I still enjoy Teen Titans today. Admittedly it is cheesy at times, and some of the episodes just feel silly to me, but overall I think it was a pretty well-done show. The last episode wasn't my favorite, but most of them were, on average, decent (some better/worse than others, of course).

The show is mainly cool because of its characters. You've got Robin, the first-in-command who can sometimes let his stubbornness get in the way but is overall a good leader; Cyborg, the goofy, sometimes immature yet lovable second-in-command; Raven, the dark, mysterious, but well-meaning person who's somewhat reserved; Starfire, the happy-go-lucky, bright, optimistic alien who's still adjusting to Earth; and finally, Beast Boy, a green jokester who's always trying to impress girls. Each and every character has his/her own personality, which makes them stand out. They're not one-dimensional, and I'm not even sure if they'e two-dimensional. The characters occasionally do things that will surprise you (namely Robin and Raven, whose story arcs are somewhat dark). Fleshed-out characters always make a good show.

Some of the villains were as equally as interesting as the heroes. Slade (or Deathstroke, deepening on if you're familiar with the comics or not) is the most interesting villain in the series; his mystique and manipulation always intrigued me. Brotherblood has to be the next most interesting villain, with the way he also manipulated Cyborg into giving him what he wants--to become fully human. Jinx wasn't as clever as these characters, but she's always been a fun villain (along with the rest of the Hive Five members). Other notable characters include Overdrive, Dr. Light, Trigon, Control Freak,

Teen Titans also wouldn't be the show it was if it didn't have those occasional dramatic, shocking, and deep episodes. Not all of them were like this, but some were. The characters' motives in these episodes sometimes change, and it's hard to tell where they really stand. Robin had a lot of this during his time of being the apprentice of Slade, as well as becoming Red-X; Raven fought against her dark destiny in the epic The End trilogy; and Terra is the most notable character to suffer through this. Even if it's not the characters having shades of grey, it deals with them struggling against something (such as Cyborg wanting to become the leader of his own team, for example). These wonderful episodes I'm referring to include the following: The End (three-parter), The Apprentice (Part 1 and 2), Brotherblood, The Beast Within, Aftershock (and most episodes dealing with Terra, for that matter), and Titans East (another two-parter).

In spite of how much I liked it, however, it did have its faults (just like every other television series, of course). Some episodes were just plain silly or weird. These were mostly Beast Boy episodes, unfortunately, and I think that's why he became my least favorite titan. From "Every Dog Has Its Day" to that completely bizarre episode revolving around an evil tofu who mind-controlled cows (at least I think that was what it was about), the writers gave Beast Boy some of the worst story arcs. Luckily he had some good ones ("The Beast Within" was awesome, as were the Terra-centric episodes), but overall his episodes were either mediocre or just not enjoyable to me. These episodes weren't just limited to Beast Boy, however; Robin had his fair share in the episode with Larry (*cringes*). Starfire had that really weird episode when she started mutating into a weird creature ("Transformation"). Although I believe this was a Beast Boy episode, Cyborg was acting really strange in the episode when BB accidentally installed a virus inside of him. Raven had an episode dealing with little kids that I didn't love, but none of her episodes annoyed me. And all of the titans had the episode with Mon Moth, which was okay I guess but kind of weird.

The show also had some weird animation gags at times, most notable with the characters' heads got big or whatever. I think it's something common in Anime shows, but I guess I just don't have the same kind of humor the Japanese do. But of course we have hearts and fires in people's eyes whenever they're in love or angry, so I suppose the Japanese may find that weird :P So that's really just a cultural difference thing, but whatever…

But overall Teen Titans was a good series. I'd watch many episodes again, as most of them were average. I mean, I'd rather have them all be superb, but when you have to choose between one extreme and another, I'd choose average. I must admit that, while I do find the  Teen Titans Go! series occasionally funny, it's just not the same as the Teen Titans I grew up with. I guess it's because I would rather have more of an action/adventure series as opposed to a comedic one. But anyway, let's not get off-topic. Teen Titans is a pretty good series that I will occasionally watch for reruns, laughs, and an interesting storyline.

Animal Crossing Review

"Animal Crossing" was a game I adored when I was younger and even still do to an extent. It's a simple, life simulation game where you just, well, live life. You have friends, go shopping, catch fish and bugs, collect things, decorate your house...it's just life.

That's what I loved about the game. So many games have you level up and then the game would just end there. Animal Crossing always has something for you do. There are always people to talk to, things to buy at Tom Nook (the raccoon who owns the only store in town)'s shop, you have to pay off your mortgage, collect everything to put in the museum..there's just so much stuff to do.

I liked a lot of the characters in the game. I hated how Tom Nook made you work a job to pay off your loan, but it was actually nice and he was a lovable character. The Abel sisters (Mabel and Sabel, who own the tailor) were cool, and even Resetti had his moments (I hated how he came whenever you reset the game and scolded you for it, but he was so over-exagerrated it was actually funny). I always like Blathers, the owl who worked at the museum, and Pelly, the post officer pelican who worked during the daytime (her evil sister, Phillis, is another story). Even some of the unplayable neighbors were really good friends of mine. And K.K. Slider, the guitar-singing dog who came out on Saturday nights, was a cool cat (or dog, I guess...) And who could forget Rover, the lovable cat who would greet you whenever you went on the train to visit new towns?

I really enjoyed selling items to Tom Nook. That dude would literally buy anything from you. From fish to bugs to fruit, he'd be there. That was my way of making money (or "bells", the money in the game); you could get no job (you got a job at the beginning to pay off your loan since you started off with no money, but of course you wouldn't get paid for that), so that was the only way of making money. The only thing Tom wouldn't buy would be trash and maybe a few select others, but he'd buy at least 99% of anything you could find.

I loved putting items on display in the museum. It was so much fun. I mainly would go fishing to put my catches on display (if they already had them, I'd sell them to Tom Nook). Catching bugs was a little tricker, because you had to sneak up on them, but I still would try. You could also dig up fossils and have Blathers indentify it, and then you could put it in the museum (but if it was already donated, Tom Nook would buy it for a lot of money). There were also paintings, which were the rarest things to find. Tom Nook would seldom sell it, but you could sometimes find them. The easiest way to get them would be to buy them from a fox named Red, who would occasionally put up his tent in town and sell his stuff. Of course Red sold things at the black market, but still...

Traveling to different towns was another of my pastimes. Since all you needed were different memory cards to make an AC world, my siblings and I had several memory cards and made lots of different towns and characters. I would visit there and see what they had differently (that's another thing I loved about the game; every town was unique). They would have different neighbors, different native fruit fruit (each town has one), different locations of everything...it was just cool.

I don't want to say this purely on nostalgic feeling, but I felt as if the very first "Animal Crossing", simply titled "Animal Crossing", was better than the follow-ups. I loved all the things you could do in the first one: you could use these codes at Tom Nook's shop to get exclusive outfits and stuff, you could play NES games through the game (it was a game in a game), your gyroid could sell stuff, you could go on the train and visit friends if you had a memory card, you could ask neighbors if they needed your help, there was a police station that had lost and found things you could get...it just had so much fun stuff in it.

I hate how I didn't like the other games as much. "Wild World", the DS version, didn't have the police station anymore and overall wasn't as good as the first. The Wii version,"City Folk" took away choosing what you wanted to say to the neighbors and other things I loved; it lost my interest quickly. I haven't played "Wild Leaf" yet, but I'm not sure I would like it as much.

Of course, there were things better in the newer ones. Like in "Wild World", you didn't have to wear the hat that, for some reason, you couldn't take off in AC. And I loved how you could save whenever you wanted instead of going ALL the way over to your gyroid in the game. I also liked how you could customize more with your outfits in "City Folk" at the tailor (you could make your sleeves different than the other parts). And it looks cool how you can swim in "Wild Leaf".

One flaw in all the AC games, unfortunately is that the game gets boring after awhile. I'd say after a month or so (like most people say), it gets boring. Maybe awhile after a month, but at least a month. It's just that, after awhile, you've done everything you want to there, and then you're just sitting there like, "Eh, I don't feel like playing".

But it seems to be a period of time after using it constantly. When I haven't played it in awhile, I want to play it again. And then I get bored and stop. Most video games get boring after awhile, anyway, so I'm not sure how you would overcome that. And overall I enjoyed "Animal Crossing".

Favorite Male Characters

Okay, so I know I did favorite female characters a day ago, so today, I'm doing favorite male characters :) There are so many characters to choose from, but I tried to narrow them down to my absolute favorites. So, ladies and gentleman, here are the ones that came to mind:

Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Star Wars

Explanation: Anakin is such an interesting character to me. Most remember him as Darth Vader, the heartless, coldblooded robot who has no compassion. He's creepy because he seems so inhuman, so emotionless, and I think this is why I, among many others, find him so appealing. But as Anakin, I also see him as a man who's extremely conflicted. Deep down I believe that he wants to do the right thing but he struggled with his inner demons, his greatest weakness, which, I think, was fear. He was such a passionate, driven person and very emotional--once he found someone he connected to, he felt the emotions for the person very deeply. But he couldn't control those emotions and that led him to darkness--it led him to letting go of everything and becoming one of the most dangerous, emotionless villains we know today. And that's why Anakin is such an interesting character to me. Rarely do you see a hero who falls into darkness, and even rarer do you see such an evil side to them that seems so far away from who they used to be, but also so very close. I can see the selfless, loving person he truly is. I know he's not even real, but I relate to that, and that is why I love him so much.

Loki Laufeyson, Thor

Explanation: Okay, Loki's so awesome in so many ways that it's hard to narrow down. Put simply, Loki's got swag to the max. He's cunning, snarky, power hungry, attention-seeking, but manages to pull it off in a cool way. Anything he says can sound logical, even if he's saying something that doesn't make any sense. But at the same time, Loki is also very vulnerable. He feels unloved, unwanted, and is envious of Thor, whom he feels is more loved by their father than him. He's so insecure that he can't see that Odin loves them both, and after Loki discovered that he wasn't related to Odin biologically in the first film...it broke his heart. To Loki, this proved that he wasn't loved, that he really was the "unwanted" child. And to me, that's extremely painful, but also meaningful. The fact that Loki can pull of superiority and also vulnerability is what makes him so compelling to me. Kudos to Tom Hiddleston for playing Loki so well. He's definitely my favorite character in Thor. I'm not crushing on the guy, but I will gladly join his army of fangirls who praise his awesomeness ;)

Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Spider-Man

Explanation: Spider-Man is just awesome. He's sweet, goodnatured, kindhearted, and, most importantly to me, tries to do the right thing. He doesn't always do it, and he struggles with it, which I find even more compelling and relatable. Because we don't always do what's best. Most of us try, but there are times when we fail. And I think that's what Spider-Man encompasses. His conscience is very strong. I also think he's filled with so much pressure to do justice, and if he fails he blames himself, and you can't help but feel his pain if you were in the same situation. There is no doubt that Spider-Man is one of my favorite superheroes.

Jack Sparrow, Pirates of The Caribbean 

Explanation: Jack just has SO much swagger (for lack of better words), and it's so hard to explain why I like him. He's just COOL. He's very laid back and extremely funny, and he just carries himself off as a cool guy. I guess coolness for me often equates to confidence, and I do see it in Jack. He can be a coward at times-usually for selfish reasons or fear of his life-but he's never really unsure of himself or insecure. In fact, he KNOWS he has swagger, but it's not a rude acknowledgement; just if, someone criticizes him, he tells them that he is awesome-because he is. Jack is defiantly one of my favorite characters (oops, I believe there should've been a "captain" in there)

Tobias "Four" Eaton, Divergent

Explanation: Tobias (or Four, whichever you prefer) is just an interesting character to me. His past wasn't all daises and flowers, so he can come across as hard in strict. He does so further by pushing the initiates to do their best. But he's not cruel like Eric; he's pushing them because he has faith in them. He also is very protective of Tris, but he doesn't show it by saying, "Don't hurt Tris!" or "Leave her alone!" He tells off Peter, for example, for bullying Tris as an act of immaturity and fear of her power-ouch! Plus, he CAN get romantic with Tris and does so in a romantic way. Unlike many male love interests in female-centric stories, I feel like Four has more personality and flaws. He may be my favorite character in the Divergent series. And he's very swoon-worthy. Trust me ;)

Okay, so that's my list of favorite male characters :) But it's just my opinion, of course. I'd love to here others' opinions on it, so feel free to comment below! :)

Favorite Female Characters

Hey, it's International Women's Day, so I thought this blog post would be accurate enough :). I have made a list of my favorite female characters in literature--which is quite a few, I must add! I know I probably missed some, but here are some of my absolute favorites that come to mind:

Mulan, Disney's Mulan

Explanation: Mulan's entire adventure is based off of a selfless wish; to prevent her father from going into war and being killed. She fights for the greater good of China and tries to do what's best-what her heart's telling her to do. She does wish that she can fit in with society's norms and feels ashamed at bring different, but she realizes near the end of the film that being herself is the best way to go. She also defies gender stereotypes and shows that women are more capable than what some men thought back then (and even now). Mulan is a totally awkward, relatable, selfless girl who can kick some major butt.

Chloe King, The Nine Lives of Chloe King

Why I like her: Chloe is EXTREMELY selfless-one of the most selfless characters I've ever met-and that is just extremely likable to me. She NEVER puts herself in front of others when they're in danger, no matter the cause. I also love her confidence, how she doesn't seem shy or worries, "Oh, I'm not pretty". She's also cute in her clumsiness, and she has little funny one-liners that make me smile. Oh, and Chloe can kick some major butt. That rocks.

Elizabeth Swann, Pirates of The Caribbean

Why I like her: Elizabeth is very spirited and independent, which l just love. Despite growing up in a time period where traditional gender roles were considered appropriate, Elizabeth breaks out of that mode. She's confident and doesn't care if she's not like other women-she's Elizabeth, and if you don't like that then too bad. She fights to be with Will and ignores the social class difference because it doesn't matter. Elizabeth will fight for her desires even if the cost is high. Plus, she can kick some major butt.

Kim Possible, Kim Possible

Explanation: Kim Possible is awesome because, as the characters on the show often say, she can do pretty much anything. She's like a modern day teenage superheroine who can fight crime just as well as the authorities. Kim also is a regular girl, though, and has her own adolescent issues. I think that's why I really like her. Kim is able to do all these awesome things, which is really cool, but she's not perfect and has her own issues to deal with, which I find very relatable and realistic. The inner girl in me also appreciates seeing a female character play superhero, which is still a rarity. But, even without this, I still love Kim, and her show was pretty darn awesome as well :)

Ariel, The Little Mermaid 

Ariel is so adventurous and dreams of exploring different worlds. She's very open minded about humans and is able to look past her father's prejudice/fear of them with her own curiosity. She's very stubborn and headstrong, giving her the ability to fight for what she wants rather than waiting for someone to do it for her. She also has the ability to be sweet and loving. 

Beatrice "Tris" Prior, Divergent

Explanation: Beatrice is a very relatable character for me; she can be insecure, hot-tempered, and wants to fit in with society. But she also wants to do the right thing most of the time, and that is very likable to me. There were times I actually felt like I could be Tris, a feeling I don't usually have while watching/reading literature. I'm fiery, so I do like the spiciness Tris carries. Tris can also be rather sarcastic, and some of her dry humor just cracks me up. She also has some butt-kicking moments, which of course I don't mind!

Gwen Stacy, The Amazing Spider-Man

Why I Like Here: Gwen is nice and sweet, but she's also confident and respects herself. I love how she can balance out the two emotions instead of being super passive or aggressive. Gwen is also very resourceful and was able to help Spider-Man in the film, which I thought was really cool. She is one of the few love interests in comic book movies who is helps the main character. A lot of props go to Emma Stone, who played Gwen wonderfully.

Those are the main ones I can think of that come to mind. I'm sure I have more, but we wouldn't want this list getting too long, now would we? ;) Haha, well, that's just my list, of course :) I'd love to hear others' opinions of their favorite female characters and why.

The Nine Lives of Chloe King Review

"The Nine Lives Of Chloe King" was the very first ABC Family show I ever watched. The story, based off the book of the same name, revolves around Chloe King, a teenager like any other. However, on her 16 birthday she starts getting catlike powers. Oh, and she falls off the Coit Tower and dies...and then she comes back to life! Chloe discovers that she's a Mai, a half-god, half-human descendants of the Egyptian cat goddess, Bastet. There's an evil organization called The Order who want the Mai dead. But Chloe is the Uniter, who is destined to bring peace between the Mai and the humans.

When I first saw "The Nine Lives If Chloe King, it had already been cancelled, so I had to go watch it on YouTube. I was thoroughly entertained after the first episode, and after the series was cancelled I was very disappointed. It was a pretty good show, and it really shouldn't have been cancelled-espeically after it left off as a cliffhanger.

Of course, it had its flaws like every show. And, since this post is an overview of it, I'll list the good things and bad things in this show.

One thing I absolutely loved about TNLOCK was the Mai storyline. After Greek mythology, Egyptian is my favorite. I loved the whole cat/human species that Chloe and her friends are, and I love the whole plot of her being the "Chosen One" to bring peace to the Mai. I especially loved The Order, because they think the Mai are dangerous species (one reason could be because they can't kiss humans without paralyzing/killing them). They were interesting villains who didn't seem purely evil.

I also loved the acting. It was really good. Skylar Sammuels surprised me when I saw her as Chloe; she was okay when she played the "Gigi" character in "Wizards of Waverly Place", but she just blew me away in this series. She could be fun, she could be sweet, she could cry...she was wonderful. The other actors are, too, but Chloe just stuck out to me because I didn't know how good Skylar was.

One of the biggest flaws in the show, however, was the romantic storyline. I don't mind love triangles too much (there was one between this guy named Brian, Chloe, and a Mai named Alek), but I don't like how it was the main focus of the story. Even the promos promoted the love story. It just takes away from the cool plot about the Mai, you know?

I also wasn't really big on the love triangle, either. I mean, it was interesting to an extent, but I'm not really into Brian and even Alek got on my nerves at times. Aside from his dad being in The Order, Brian was completely boring and a totally Gary-Stu. I do like how he was nice to Chloe, though, so that was nice, and his whole family history is really interesting (they're all involved with the Mai and Order somehow). Alek was a jerk sometimes, being hostile to humans, and got jealous easily, but I do love how he was protective of Chloe. Plus, he was funny and had way more personality than Brian. Too bad Chloe liked Brian more.

But aside from that, I loved the show. They had some awesome fight scenes (which is saying something, as I'm not usually into them), the acting was great as I had said, and I loved the whole Mai plot. I also loved Chloe's character, because she was so selfless and willing to help people-plus, she had her awesome moments in fighting and joked around a lot. I also loved Amy and Paul as Chloe's "sidekicks", so to speak (Paul is more of the comic-book geek than Amy, but she still helps her). I also loved Jasmine (another Mai and friend/protector of Chloe), and Valentina was interesting as well. And Chloe's relationship with her Mom-plus her mysterious history with her dad-was also enthralling.

I still hate how they cancelled the show. It ended with a  major cliffhanger; Jasmine and Valentia were shot with poisonous darts, some Mai working for the Order (Zane) told Alek he was his brother, Chloe got a call from her dad to meet with her, Brian kissed her and was supposedly dead (he could've been paralyzed), Brian's dad's assistant found out she was the Uniter and shot her, Brian's dad also was gonna make a deal with Chloe's mom (he's still unaware that she's the Uniter)...just SO many cliffhanging endings that it mad me furious that they ended it that way.

But I do understand how the ratings weren't as good (wish that wasn't the case) so ABC Family had to tank it. But I just wish they hadn't ended at a cliffhanger, or at least had resolved it (even if it was just one episode). But the show was good when it was running, and I'm glad ABC Family made it. I guess I'll just have to read the books or fan fictions to see what could have happened next…

Pirates of The Caribbean Review

The Curse of The Black Pearl film may have been the only Pirates of The Caribbean film I've seen so far, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, so much that it quickly made it to one of my favorite films list. Although I haven't seen the other films, I've read summaries for the others and saw part of Dead Man's Chest, I think I know enough about the series to give an overview on it :)

First off, I must explain why I loved COTBP so much. I'm not a big fan of pirates, but this one was just so different than what I've seen of other pirates. I wouldn't say the script is incredibly unique, but it does have a sort of intrigue that pulls you in. In the beginning, it looks like a tale of romance between Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, whom can't be together because of social differences. After Elizabeth is captured, Will must turn to the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow (yes, he's always referred to as "Capt. Jack", or else he'll have a problem with you ;) to help save her. Seems pretty simple, right?

Except it's not. Because it turns out that the pirates who stole Elizabeth have been struck by a curse that forces them to turn into creepy skeletons in the moonlight, and they're undead. Oh yeah, and they need the blood of a Turner (like Will) in order to break the curse.

I love the whole adventure aspect of the film. Now, I like many genres, but adventure has always been my favorite. You can combine so many different genres inside--action, romance, drama, suspense, comedy--and all of these combined make a very exciting ride.

For me, though, Pirates wouldn't have been as great without its wonderful cast. Jack I'm sorry, *Captain* Jack Sparrow) is just awesome in so many that it's hard to describe him. Elizabeth is an awesome girl whom acts like a dignified royal but can kick your butt if she needs to. And even though Will isn't my favorite, he's got that noble hero thing going on, and he has his moments of shining, just like everyone else.

I'll get more in-depth into this in another article addressing my favorite characters, but the reason I love Jack so much is because he's just cool.  He's got so much swagger. The way he carries himself, so confidentially, is what makes him such an appealing character. And you can never trust his loyalties (they're always changing), so that makes him interesting as well. And well, Jack is just funny. Seriously, if you look up funny moments from POTC, I can tell you without a doubt Jack will be included in most of them :)

Elizabeth is really cool to me because of her independence. I love how spirited she is and how she's not afraid to speak her mind. I'm not a very passive person, so I always appreciate seeing others who are as strong-willled as I am (not to mention fiery ;) Oh, and unlike most of the leading ladies in films, Elizabeth isn't some damsel-in-distress. She negotiated her capture with the big baddy, Barbossa. And she can kick some major butt, which I always admire ;)

Will, while not up to the level of Jack and Elizabeth to me, is awesome in his own way. He's the good, noble hero who isn't exactly confident, at least in the first film, but his heart is in the right place. I am a bit of a romantic, but I really liked his love story with Elizabeth. Oh, and Will's whole backstory with his father being a pirate is also interesting. I love seeing heroes question their loyalty and who they are, because it makes them all the more interesting and fleshed out :)

Unfortunately, as much as I loved the first film, I can't say the same about the others. Even though I haven't seen all of Dead Man's Chest and beyond, I can't say I was intrigued from reading the summaries on Wikipedia :P

The story, I will admit, was a bit complicated in the first film. Elizabeth and Will's romance, Jack's solo story, the pirates and the curse...it's a bit of a handful. But it's okay with me, because the writers and directors pulled it off very well.

But I can't say the same about Dead Man's Chest or At World's E d. The reason I stopped watching it was because 1) the story was getting more confusing and hard to follow and 2) it was way too long for my liking (I think it's almost 3 hours? :O)

The story in DMC seemed to get more confusing, as I mentioned. Jack appears to owe a blood debt to Davy Jones, and he needs Will to help him, I think. And Will discovers that his dad is alive, but he's undead or something? It was just too confusing for me to keep up with. I still don't understand the whole blood debt thing. I'm sure it's not impossible, but I just think it could have been done in a more coherent way. And I don't understand why the film has to be 3 hours or so long. It felt like it was dragging on, unfortunately :/

And the same can be said about AWE. Jack is dead, or undead, I think, because, I think, he was sold to some ship or something, and Elizabeth and Will have to save him. I don't remember exactly, which just shows to me how confusing the plot has gotten. I know they had the whole undead deal in the first film, but here it just seems to feel more muddled. And, like DMC, I don't understand why the film is so long. I would think that it would start to drag on after awhile (that's how I felt about DMC).

As for On Stranger Tides, I missed that Will and Elizabeth weren't in end. It just became all about Jack. Now I love Jack, but I think he'd be better as the rogue character whom has his own little story but crosses over with the main leads. Not that Jack can't carry a film on his own, but by doing so it seemed like DMD was pushing Will and Elizabeth from their leading roles, and I loved all the main characters in POTC :/

But, nevertheless, I loved the first film. It was flawed, yes, but very adventurous, cool, and just plain fun. It made me reconsider my preconceived idea that pirates weren't that interesting. Also, the main characters are all fabulous, and, to me, having interesting characters is what makes a story of any kind great. So, if I ever get to watching the rest of the films and don't like it as much, I can always look to the characters for enjoyment--especially Jack ;)

Divergent Review

The Divergent Trilogy is one of my biggest fandoms. Although the last book disappointed me, it was still well written, and the first two books were very good. Overall I found the Divergent series to be very riveting and I am glad that I read the series. And, as I do in all my articles, I will explain my overall feelings about the series.

One of the reasons love Divergent so much is because of the premise. It is very unique: the idea that humans have separated into five factions, each one representing their different beliefs (bravery, honesty, intelligence, selflessness, and peacefulness) is very intriguing. Imagine if we had divided ourselves according to our beliefs. It sounds almost utopia-esque, when it is far from a utopia, but  the idea that we can try to separate ourselves from others to avoid conflict is very interesting.

I also really enjoyed examining the different beliefs deeper. Since the protagonist, Beatrice "Tris" Prior, spends most of her time in Dauntless, we get to learn about their idea on bravery and overcoming fear. It isn't perfect, of course, as they believe that being a daredevil equals bravery, but Tris learns that overcoming fear doesn't make you fearless, as Tobias "Four" Eaton tells her, it just means facing it. Though the other factions aren't explored as much, we get to see a peek at what the others think: Amity's pacifist life intrigued me, over how they strived for peace above and are neutral during war; Abnegation selflessness is something that I aspire to; Candor's honesty can be very blunt but also bears no secrets; and Erudite, while my least-favorite faction, shows that intelligence, knowledge really can get you far. 

I also love the main story of the first in second book: being yourself. Tris is Divergent, doesn't fit into one category, and is therefore targeted by those who want to define her. But they can't define her, because she's different. I just love that. It shows how we can generalize people and put them into groups, but everyone is unique in their own way. You shouldn't try to put people into categories, because no one person is the same. We're all different. 

Another thing I loved about the story was Tris and her love interest, Tobias. Tris I find relatable, because she is mostly trying to do the right thing but also struggles with her own flaws and doesn't easily forgive herself. At times I actually felt like I was Tris. Tobias is just awesome to me. He's broken, from abusive to neglectful parents, he can come across as hostile and uncaring, but deep down he is a good person. He pushes Tris hard, only because he believes in her. He's not the typical gentleman, and that's why I love him (as a character, of course. Tobias is very swoon-worthy, but he's all Tris').

For the entire series, I must admit that the characters do not feel fully fleshed out to me. As much as I love Tris, she feels a little two-dimeosnal at times, as does Tobias. It was very difficult to tell the difference between the two when I was reading from their different point of voices in Allegiant, which shows that they think a little too similarly. 

In addition, the other characters don't feel too fleshed-out, and, unfortunately, not memorable to me. Uriah, Christina, and Peter were cool characters, but they weren't really given depth. I forgot characters like Marlene, only because there wasn't much done with them. With is kind of disappointing, because I really wanted to like them and see them fleshed out more.

One of my biggest criticisms is Allegiant and how they exposed the secrets we learned in "Insurgent". The whole genetically pure and genetically damaged plot line almost ruined what I learned about the factions for me. I didn't like the idea of how no one was really Divergent, but that they were just genetically pure. It didn't make Divergence as special, as intriguing as it had seemed in the first two novels. It also kind of ruined the other people who fit into the factions for me, to find that they weren't just doing what they did because they believed that way, but that a part of their brain was wired that way because of their genetic damage.

To me, this almost defeats the purpose of the factions. It wasn't just created because of different beliefs, but it was created because of this war that had started. While it was interesting to read, I would have personally gone about it differently.

And then there was the ending of the series. A lot of people have criticized Tris' death, but my criticism is a little different from most. While I did not like the fact that Tris died, I was willing to accept it--people die, whether fictional characters or not, and while it breaks your heart, I learn to move on (I did read "The Deathly Hallows", though, so I had my heart broken multiple times). My problem was that Tris' death ended the series. I had led myself to believe that Divergent's main theme was about being different, following different beliefs to become a more-rounded person, to fight for what you think is right...pretty much the main theme of the first and second book. But Tris' death doesn't resolve that. Instead, it feels shorthanded, it feels as if the book is unresolved. It left me unsatisfied.

This reminds me of a screenwriting course I took back during my junior year of high school, which talked about plot twists and ending stories. It stated that ending the story, the overall theme, was different than just ending the plot. That's how Allegiant felt to me: it ended a plot, Tris being ready to accept death and move on from life, but not the theme, which I had assumed was being okay with difference.

With all that being said, I still think Divergent is a spectacular series. It is one of my favorite book series, and I am glad that Veronica Roth took the time to write it and that I took the time to read it. It is a very thought-provoking dystopian that explores human nature, something that I am very interested it, and overall the execution was beautiful. 

Star Wars Gifs

Okay, so I went a little (REALLY) crazy on the internet and started searching Star Wars gifs. But once you start you can't stop... :O