Went and saw Sherlock Holmes with a friend last night, and absolutely LOVED it. Robert Downey Jr's portrayal of Holmes was spot on the exact image I had in my mind when I was reading the books; exccentric, brilliant, devilishly rougish and soooooo cute! I have a weakness for smart men with a silly side, and Holmes is one of my great fictional loves, so I was really happy to see him come to life the way he did in the movie.

I will say though, that Jude Law's Watson was different then he is in the books since he was a little more sarcastic and condecending to Holmes. I know Watson has his sarcastic moments in the books as well, but they were far more numberous in the movie, and since the only time I can really remember Watson expressing heavy disapproval towards Holmes in the books involved the Detective's cocaine addiction, the did seem a little strange. Not horribly out of character or anything, just odd enough to catch my attention. It's definately not as bad as the actors that turn his character into a bumbling moron, I can tell you that much for sure.

Also, the way the movie treats Watson's relationship with Mary is a little uncanon, since they seem to have disreguarded the Sign of Four and that it was one of Holmes' cases that introduced Watson to his future wife, and played it out like Holmes had only met Mary at the point where Watson was preparing to propose. They seem to have done this to open the door for more heavy disapproval of Watson's future wife on Holmes part, since even in the books the detective kind of moaned and groaned about Watson marrying her, but conceded that she was a good woman. Here, they eliminated that to allow more hostility towards Mary on Holmes' part.

I loved Irene's character, though. Totally and completely. XDDD It was so funny whenever she and Holmes were in a room together. Especially a certain scene I won't go into detail about here with ends with Holmes naked and handcuffed to a bed. XDDDD

...Don't give me that look, this movie's totally PG13, I swear.

At any rate, I totally recommend this movie to anyone who needs some entertainment over Christmas Break, whether or not you're a Holmes fan (This movie'll make one out of you if you're not, I can almost guarentee that.) it's totally worth it, and I fully intend to buy the DVD when it comes out.

Okay, I know I'm not the only one who was thrilled to see that Disney's doing a throwback to the 2D films we all know and love with The Princess and the Frog. Admit it, we've all missed the feel of classic Disney Princess movies, the vibrant music, the colorful art and the even more colorful characters. And, after seeing the Princess and the Frog today in the theatre, I can say that this movie is full of all that nostalgia and more.

(Spoiler's follow, so be warned)

The Princess and the Frog is about a hardworking-but-down-on-her-luck New Orleans girl named Tiana, who is one of the more unique Disney Princesses to date. Strong, resourceful, clever and very focus on her goals, Tiana is a talented young chef who hopes to someday realize the dream that her and her father (whom the movie hinted died in a war) had of someday opening a restaurant where people of all walks of life can come together and enjoy good food. Working herself half to death at two jobs at local restaurants, Tiana eventually scrapes together enough money to buy a run down mill she plans to turn into her own place, only to have it all blow up in her face when she's outbid at the last minute.

Enter Prince Naveen of Maldonia, a live-for-the-moment perpetual playboy who lives an easy life of luxury and games- and who just got cut off by his parents for his ridiculous spending habits, leaving him with two options; either marry a rich girl or get a real job. Neither of which appeal to the free-spirited jazz music fan, who quickly gets lured into the shop of one Doctor Facilier, a voodoo practitioner with sinister 'friends' and hopes of someday having all of New Orleans in the palm of his hand. His charismatic charms convince Naveen and his overworked and underappreciated assistant Lawrence to sit in for a reading, where he takes a vile of the Prince's blood and turns the man into a frog.

Eventually escaping from the Doctor, Naveen eventually stumbles upon a depressed Tiana, who is understandably floored at being accosted by a talking frog. Mistaking Tiana for a Princess (since she was dressed up for a masquerade ball) Naveen promises the girl the money she desperately needed to open her restaurant... in exchange for a single kiss. Tiana complies, but instead of turning Naveen back into a Prince, Tiana herself becomes a (very, very, veeeeery ticked off) frog. The two soon get chased into the nearby bayou, where Naveen find out that Tiana is not a Princess, but a waitress, and immediately takes back his vow to give her the money she needed (Only to reinstate it after stumbling into some hungry crocodiles and needing Tiana to save his butt).

Soon, the two run into a jazz-playing croc named Louis who wants to play for the people of New Orleans, but hasn't exactly been warmly received by the locals due to the fact that... well... he's a crocodile. At any rate, Louis tells them about Mama Odie, a Voodoo witch who lives in the Bayou, who may be able to reverse the spell. Thus the three, plus a sweetheart of a firefly by the name of Ray(mond) set off to free themselves of the curse as Doctor Facilier sends out his 'friends' to find the Prince, since he needs more of Naveen's blood in order to complete his plans. Along the way to see Mama Odie, Naveen and Tiana begin to warm up to one another, Naveen teaching Tiana that it's alright to relax and have fun every now and then and Tiana showing Naveen the satisfaction and sense of accomplishment that comes with doing something for yourself.

I'm not gonna tell you how things end, since it's well worth going and seeing for yourself, but I will say that The Princess and the Frog is the most charming, sweet and adorable movie I've seen in a long time, which really brings back the magic of Disney as it used to be. The soulful jazz music that plays throughout the movie captures the spirit of New Orleans in that era, and I really liked all of the songs that were sung, though 'Dig a Little Deeper,' 'Ma Bella Evangeline,' and 'Friends on the Other Side' were probably my favorites. (Go here to listen for yourself; [link] ) The Characters were funny, charming and very easy to get attached to, and the story, although a little predictable (Hey, it's Disney) was entertaining in the long run. Basically, if you liked old school Disney, then you're gonna love this new movie.

XD For those of you who don't know, Naruto just got into the double digits, which comes with a lot of nifty lil treats, like an art book featuring our beloved blonde ninja drawn by other big names in manga, like Blleach's Tite Kubo and DBZ's Toriyama. It's awesome to see all the different Narutos that have emerged from this XD.

Akira Toriyama- Goku-as-Naruto- Very cute, don'tcha think? ^^ I like the way Toriyama drew Gamabunta, he's very toad-like with that bumpy skin like that. Plus the swiry clouds are all super fun and playful (At least in my mind, anyways. ^^)

Kishimoto Masashi- Naruto-as-Goku- XD I actually thought this one looked really fun and sweet. It's no secret that Kishimoto fanboys Toriyama, so seeing Shenlong in Kishimoto's style is really interesting. XD He looks like he's actually enjoying himself too, which is a little funny since if memory serves he's quite the grumpy dragon. 'gets hit with a wave of nostalgia.'

Naruto by Osamu Akimoto- I've never heard of this guy before, and looking at this picture I can kind of see why Kochi Kame or whatever never appealed to me. I guess if you squint, it kinda resembles Naruto... sorta...

Naruto by Akira Amano- FHJEIOWVNGW!!!!! SOOOOOOO CUUUUUUUUTE!!!!! Oh my god! I've never read Reborn before, but Amano-san's chibi-Naru is ADOREABLE! All it needs is big fox ears and a bushy tail and so help me, I'd end up kidnapping the little dear and keeping him in a box in my closet!

Naruto by Hirohiko Araki- ...Erm... 0.o;;;; I heard a lot of people gushing about this one, but personally, I don't like it. To me, it looks like the artist spent way too much time on the face, trying to make Naruto look like some kind of uber bishonen male model and then just gave up when it came to drawing his hair. It's just seems awkward that his face is so stylized and his hair is one big mass like that. Maybe that's just me, tohugh. Everyone else seems to like this...

Naruto by Eichîro Oda- Now for a flip from the last one. Most of the comments I read hated Oda-san's version of Naruto+Kyuubi, but I absolutely ADORE this one. In fact, it's probably my favorite one. It's very stylized and unique, without making the character awkward or unrecognizable, and drawing it as a sort of old school Japanese ink painting was a very cool idea on Oda-san's part. And it's really different then Oda-san's usual art style (I like One Piece, I really do, but I gotta admit that it's the story that draws me to the manga more then the art). The Kyuubi was a plus too. It looks really demonic and evil here without being a carbon copy of Kishimoto's style.

Naruto by Takeshi Obata- This is another one I like. ^^ The comic dork in me just loves merging darkness, and even though I've never read Hikaru no Go, Obata-san has really done a good job of drawing Naruto darker-looking with a creepy little smile. He looks like he's seconds away from going Kyuubi on the viewer. 'smiles nervously as she backs away slowly.'

Naruto by Tite Kubo- ZOMG!!!! OROCHIMARU'S ANOREXIC!!!!! 'dodges rotten fruit' yeah, that was bad, sorry. Seriously though, Kubo's rendition of Naruto seems to be the most popular, which doesn't come as a big surprise since most people who read Naruto also read Bleach. Personally, I think Kubo's Naruto looks just like Ichigo, only younger and with scars on his cheeks. That's not a bad thing, mind you, but I really would have preferred to see something a little different from Kubo, since he's one of my favorite manga artists and from some of what I've seen in Bleach, he could've done a lot better.

Naruto by Takeshi Konomi- Interesting. A bit bland, compared to some of the others, but still really interesting. I like the eyes, but you HAVE to like the eyes to like this picture since they make up about 90% of this one. They are classic Prince of Tennis eyes though, I gotta say that much. (I tried reading PoT once, really I did, but after I couldn't get into it fifty chapters in, I gave up and looked elsewhere.)Still, they suit Naruto's face surprisingly well, in my opinion.

Kakashi (and Naruto) by Hideaki Sorachi- ... Riiiight... It was cool to see someone other then Naruto being the main part of the picture, but... The art style's really not that big a stretch from Kishimoto's either, which is why the joke is what made this one so popular. I tried reading Gintama once, but didn't make it very far. Anyways, moving on...!

Naruto by Hiroyuki Takei- XD Wow. Takei-san's improved since I last read Shaman King in 9th grade, hasn't he? ^^ Very cool young!Naruto, and the first nonShippuden version of Naruto we've seen, which is interesting. At any rate, this is another one I like. Naruto just looks so impish here, and we haven't seen the sneaky, prankster side of Naruto in a good, long while. XDD Serious!Naruto's cool too, but I love the little brat who graffitis Hokage heads, and this one really captures that aspect of Naruto's personality.

Naruto by Yoshihiro Togashi- Another one that's more like Kishimoto's style then anything else. I've never read Hxh or whatever either, so I really don't know what do say about this one...

Naruto by Akira Toriyama- 'gets hit by nostalgia again' XD I actually like this one more the the cosplaying one from earlier to be honest. Naruto suits Kishimoto's style surprisingly well (Which really, shouldn't be so surprising, since Kishimoto has repeatedly said that Toriyama was a big influence on his own art style. ). I love the childish energy in this one, too, it's very Dragonball-esque. 'beats down the urge to watch DB reruns.'

Naruto by Katsura Hoshino- NARUTOOOOOOO~! XD I swear, something about the way Hoshino-san draws is HOT! This is probably why she's one of my favorite artists... As far as this picture goes, it's another one of my favorites, since Naruto is all michevious and 90% sexier then he usually is, and he isn't identical to any D.Gray Man characters. Then again, Hoshino-san can hardly keep the way she draws her own main characters straight half the time, so I don't imagine that'd ever be a problem. (That's the one issue I have with her art style, to be honest...)Yoshi was a cute little addition too if a little creepy. He (She? It? ) looks like he's having naughty thoughts about Naruto...

Naruto by Yûsuke Murata- The comic geek in me came out again with this one, since it has really cool speed lines, which I've never been able to draw, personally. 'glares enviously at Murata-san' Hmph! Show-off! At any rate, I've never read Eyeshield 21, but this is another one that I really like art-wise.

Naruto by Masanori Morita- Oh god, I find this one perversely adorable! 'ignores wierd looks that she gets' Rookie is another manga I've never read, but This is definately one of the more unique and creative stylings of Naruto. To be honest, it kind of reminds me of MAD comics, which is so approptiate for Naruto's character for some reason in my warped, strange little mind.

Naruto by Kentarô Yabuki- Wow, how long has it BEEN since Black Cat ended? XD At any rate, this is another one I like. Naruto just looks so boyish here, all torn up while still managing to pull of a grin that kinda says 'Want me to kick your butt?' ^^

Naruto by Nobuhiro Watsuki- 'dies laughing' Oh man, this is just... 'dies again' XD Watsuki FTW! Naruto and Kenshin really look like they're having a good time. Wonder what they're talking about?

Kenshin- Oro? A demonic fox that nearly destoryed your village when you were an infant? My my, that must have been difficult...

Naruto- Yeah well, that whole Battosai thing doesn't sound like fun, either. Hey, think you can teach me some of that Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu stuff? I always wanted some really flashy sword tricks!

Kenshin- Somehow, this one doesn't think that's a very good idea...

XDDDDD

At any rate, that's all of them. And, just for extra fun, I'll end it here with a picture Kishimoto drew of Naruto lookin' fine in his daddy's coat. The Mina-fangirl in me just couldn't resist this one...

[link]

D. GRAY MAN

...I love D.Gray Man. XDDDD

And chapter 189 sums up pretty well everything I love about DGM; Allen, Tyki, Allen, Road, Allen, Millennium Earl, Allen, Kanda, Allen, the humor... and did I mention Allen? XDDD

You gotta admit, Allen totally ROCKED this chapter. And has evil ever looked sexier then when it's done by Allen?! The Noahs were all as awesome and loveably wicked as ever, especially Tyki, Road and Earl, who always seem to steal the show. ^^

I'm so gonna cry when any of them end up kicking the bucket. Earl and his lackeys make the forces of evil look soooo much fun!

Kanda was awesome this chapter too, which was a pleasant surprise for me. I've never hated the guy (I don't have it in me to hate ANY DGM characters, honestly.) but my default Kanda moods tend to fluctuate between 'giggle*snort' whenever he's arguing with Allen and 'meh, whatever' whenever he's off being his usual anti-social, broody self. He's just never appealed to me like he has for most fans. Character development is always a weakness of mine, though, which is why I'm looking forward to seeing more about Kanda's past.

Now if only I didn't have to wait so long to get it.

---

BLEACH

Just for the record, I've never liked Tosen. I've never seen a need to say anything about it before, but even before the whole betrayal thing, he rubbed me the wrong way. At least now I know why...

If there's one thing I hate, it's a pretentious snob.

I mean, yeah, Byakuya's a snob too, but he's a snob done right. Byakuya's snobby, but has a softer, sillier side buried underneath his snobby attitude that we see once in a blue moon, which prompts him to protect other people while pretending not to care, kinda tsundere-esque. Tosen, on the other hand, is a full-blown 'I'm awesome and the rest of you are just filthy scum' kinda guy. That's how he was fighting Ken-chan eons ago, and that's how he is now. I hate saying it, but Hisagi and Komamura don't stand a chance.

As far as his mask goes... no surprises, really, since the masks tend to reflect the owner's personalities. A blank mask suits Tosen since that's the way Tosen himself is. I kinda really wanna see Gin's mask, if he has one. I'm willing to wager that it'll either be something like a fox or more likely a snake, considering Rukia's earlier comparisons.

---

NARUTO



Wait, so lemme get this straight... Sakura knew that she was hurting Naruto, so she decided to 'confess' and get Naruto mad at her, knowing that wouldn't be enough to stop him from wanting to go after Sasuke, then goes off on her own to kill Sasuke herself believing that Naruto would hate her for it because she didn't want him to know that Sasuke was being sentenced to death?

...Does that make sense to anyone? Please tell me I'm not alone in thinking that this was all weak writing on Kishimoto's part. I mean, I'm one of the rare people who reads Naruto and doesn't give a flying flip about ANY pairings (MinaKushi notably excluded) so I don't care if it ends NaruSaku, NaruHina or NaruGirl-Next-Door, but that whole dramatic spiel just seemed dumb and pointless to me. I mean, did Sakura really not think that SOMEONE would spill the beans to Naruto, even if Sai didn't? Give the boy some credit, he's proven by now that he's smarter then THAT!

And on another note how many Hokages does Konoha plan on going through before the month is out? I mean, Tsunade's in a coma, and Danzo appears to have been unofficially voted out at the moment thanks to his shameful behavior at the summit, leaving Kakashi the unofficial 'new' hokage, even though he doesn't appear to want the job (I figured as much would be the case, given his personality...).

Whatever, at least Gaara was awesome and actually speaks LOGIC, something this manga's been sorely missing for a long time now. That kind of makes up for everything else.

Got tagged, so here it goes;

- You have to post 10 things about yourself in your Journal
- Then, you got to tag 10 different people, and post those people's icons in your Journal.
- Afterwards, just go to those 10 people's pages and tell them they've been tagged

1. Everybody mistakes me for being 5-7 years younger then I actually am.
2. I'm a notoriously heavy packer, even for overnight trips (I don't even go to school with less then three bags.)
3. The last club I ever joined was in middle school and it was a Space Club.
4. I was once attacked by my aunt's cat on Christmas Eve. (Strangely enough, I don't remember the attack itself, but I can clearly recall my mom putting rubbing alcohol on my scratches in Aunt Mary's bathroom. I was told I went to the hospital on Christmas, but I don't remember that either...)
5. My mom starts listening to Christmas music the day after Halloween.
6. I have a strange ability to attract creepy, perverted and usually MUCH older men without wanting or trying to.
7. You couldn't get me to eat mushrooms if my life depended on it.
8. I've taken at least three really bad hits to my head, two of which left me mildly concussed and one sent me to the hospital.
9. My best friend has the same first name as me.
10. I regularly donate blood despite being a Aichmophobiac.

I'm not tagging anyone. Whoever wants to do this can.