Bleach

Bleach

We haven't done any reviews on anime yet, as far as I remember, but since we watch that too... I'm going to kick off with one of the first anime I ever watched; Bleach.

Bleach is an anime series, based on the manga of the same name by Tite Kubo. Basically, it's about a guy called Ichigo Kurosaki who has always been able to see ghosts. It starts out where he's just a normal teenager, who occasionally helps ghosts in his free time, but otherwise, he lives a pretty average life.

Unfortunately - or fortunately, depending on how you look at it - one day, a bad spirit (called a Hallow) manages to track him to his home, where it then attacks his family. A Soul Reaper, or Shinigami, named Rukia Kuchiki comes to save them - but only after discovering that Ichigo already has a natural ability to see the dead. In the fight, she is severely injured trying to protect Ichigo from the Hollow, so she is unable to fight. So, in order to save them all, Rukia offers to give him half of her powers, which would make him a substitute Soul Reaper - and supposedly just strong enough to defeat the Hollow. Unexpectedly, he is much more powerful than she had anticipated and takes almost all of her power. 

From there, the story follows how she recovers from her loss of power and Ichigo proves himself as a Soul Reaper.

Obviously, that's just the basics of how it started. A LOT more happens and there are some other pretty epic characters that you meet throughout the series, but like all anime, there is too much to explain in one little review.

In any case, Bleach is one of the most popular anime ever released - right up there with Naruto and One Piece - making it one of the anime you sorta have to watch, or at least know about. Although the series lost some quality, later on, it's still one of the most watched anime ever.

Some people might say it's not worth watching, but I would have to disagree. Although it didn't always make sense or have the best arcs, it still had some amazing characters and themes that really are worth watching it for. Plus, it has some pretty hilarious moments and all the characters are BADASS.

Seriously, if you're looking for an anime to watch and you haven't already watched it, watch Bleach. It's not the best, I'll admit, but it's still definitely worth watching and will make you appreciate it, despite some of the less appealing qualities it has.

You should all at least give the first season a go!

~The Elf  

Serenity (2005)

Serenity (2005)

Movie Information:

"The crew of the spaceship Serenity is getting desperate. They have lain lower and lower to protect their doctor, Simon Tam, and his telepathic traumatized little sister, River, from the alliance, whom he rescued her from a year earlier. This has made getting jobs harder and now they are desperate. When they take River on a robbery during which Reavers (humans who have gone crazy and turned into cannibals) attack, Simon decides that its time to leave the crew of the Serenity for his and River's safety. She then mutters "Miranda" and goes berserk and nearly shoots Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, until her brother says the safety word to put her to sleep. Reynolds decides to take them back on board for safety, only now an alliance operative is on their tracks and making Reynolds determined to find out what "Miranda" is and what the Alliance is hiding." - Written byUbernoob 

My Review:

Since I did a review on the Firefly TV series, I thought it was appropriate to do a review on the movie, which is sort of a conclusion to the series. 

I love the movie, though there are some parts that were shocking and sad. It's a brilliant ending, that shows you how it all began and why the government were messing with River's brain, while still staying focused on the crew. If you liked the Firefly series, but have never watched the movie, you definitely should. It brings some of the closure that the cancellation of the series unfortunately took away from us. 

If you get emotionally attached to shows easily, get out your Kleenex because there are definitely some parts that pull at the heart strings.

Otherwise, I thought the movie was brilliant. It shows you the background and it answers a lot of questions, while taking you on a roller coaster of action and intensity. It still had some funny moments, but the movie was definitely more serious than the TV show. I would still recommend it to everyone, though.

Some of the most badass fight scenes I've ever seen are in this movie, which is just all the more reason to watch it. Just remember that it's generally rated PG-13 because of some violent scenes and sexual references.

It's definitely worth the watch, so check it out!

~The Elf

Flashback Friday

Flashback Friday!

Firefly (2002)

I can't even begin to explain how much I love this show! In our house, it's a tradition to watch the entire Firefly series every Christmas holidays, which we've been doing since we saw it for the first time twelve years ago.

Firefly is a space western sci-fi drama created by the famous writer and director Joss Whedon. Set in the year 2517, it follows a crew of 9 outlaws on Serenity, a "Firefly-class" spaceship. 

The ship's captain, Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds, and his second-in-command, Zoe Alleyne Washburne are war veterans, who had been on the losing side of a war against the Alliance; the central federal government. Now, they spend their days taking any jobs they can get, legal or illegal, as they fly around the outskirts of space. Along with them, they have Zoe's husband, pilot Hoban "Wash" Washburne; mercenary Jayne Cobb; mechanic Kaylee Frye; Shepherd (pastor) Derrial Book; courtesan Inara Serra; former Alliance medical officer Simon Tam and his mentally unstable teenage sister, River.

This show is honestly so much fun to watch. It's original and keeps you interested the whole way through, so if you're looking for a good sci-fi or western - this is it. There's a reason this show has a cult following, and got its own movie, despite only having 14 episodes in the series.

Just remember that it is generally rated PG-13 because there is a lot of gore, violence, sex and nudity in it, though nothing too explicit is shown on screen. 

The main cast:

Malcolm Reynolds

played by Nathan Fillion

Zoe Washburne

played by Gina Torres

Hoban "Wash" Washburne

played by Alan Tudyk

Jayne Cobb

played by Adam Baldwin

Kaylee Frye

played by Jewel Staite

Shepherd Book

played by Ron Glass

Inara Serra

played by Morena Baccarin

Dr. Simon Tam

played by Sean Maher

River Tam

played by Summer Glau

You may recognize them from other things, considering practically the entire cast has become phenominally famous over the years. All of them have been in a plethora of roles since Firefly, both popular and obscure, so I have no doubt you've probably seen all of them in something at least once. 

Nathan Fillion is currently playing as Richard Castle on the crime-comedy-drama Castle, though he has also been in plenty of other TV shows such as Desperate Housewives and the sitcom Two Guys and a Girl. He has also been in many movies, both live-action and animated, as well as being a voice actor in some video games, among many other projects.

Gina Torres is currently acting as Jessica Pearson on the legal drama Suits, but she has played significant roles in many other TV shows such as the sci-fi Cleopatara 2525, the drama Standoff, and the comedy-drama The Catch. Much like Fillion, she has also played in both live-action and animated movies, as well as voiced characters in video games, though it seems that she has focused on her television career.

Alan Tudyk can be recognized for his work along side Heath Ledger in A Knight's Tale, as well as his voice roles in both Wreck-It Ralph and Frozen, as King Candy and Duke of Weselton, respectively. Aside from his very successful film career, he has also played a number of roles on the small screen, including; Dr. Noah Gerner on Suburgatory and Reagan Biscayne on Newsreaders. Just like the others, he has also voiced several video game characters, among other things.

Many of you may recognize Adam Baldwin from his role as John Casey on the action-comedy/spy-drama Chuck, though he has played several other television roles on shows such as the action drama The Cape, or the crime drama The Inside, or on the action drama Day Break, or most recently, the sci-fi/action-drama The Last Ship. Outside of his extensive film and television career, Baldwin has also voiced several video game characters.

Jewel Staite has mostly focused on her television career, appearing in 44 TV films or series's. This includes her main role as Catalina on Space Cases, her lead role as Becca Fisher on Flash Forward, her recurring role as Gabriella Da Vinci in Da Vinci's Inquest, her main role as Daisy Lipenowski on Higher Ground, her role as Dr. Jennifer Keller on Stargate Atlantis, her main role as Raquel Westbrook on The L.A. Complex, and her recurring role as Caroline Swift on The Killing. I can't wait to see what she does next.

Ron Glass has played in an extraordinary amount of television shows, as well as quite a few films and voicing some video game characters. You may recognize him from his regular role as Detective Ron Harris on the American sitcom Barney Miller (where he featured in a whopping 164 episodes), or perhaps from his role as Felix Unger on The New Odd Couple, or as Jason Lockwood on Amen, or as Ronald Fletcher on Mr. Rhodes. If none of those are destinctive enough to remember, maybe you'll remember him as the voice of Randy Carmichael on the Rugrats and All Grown Up! He has also very recently been in a couple of episodes of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Morena Baccarin is currently playing Dr. Leslie Tompkins on Gotham, though she has played many roles on television, such as the role of Nurse Jessica Kivala on Heartland, Anna on the sci-fi V, and as Jessica Brody on Homeland, among other things. She has also voiced the Artificial Intelligence, Gideon, on The Flash television series, and has reportedly been cast as Vanessa Carlysle (A.K.A. Copycat) in the superhero film Deadpool.

Before his stint on Firefly, Sean Maher played several roles in both films and television, including the role of Chris McConnell on The $treet, and the voice of Dick Grayson (A.K.A. Nightwing) in the animated films Son of Batman and Batman vs. Robin. Afterwards, he has played Sean Beasley on The Playboy Club, as well as Marcus on Make It or Break It. More recently, he has also played the role of Mark Scheffer (A.K.A. Shrapnel) in the superhero TV series Arrow.

Summer Glau has been in a multitude of films and televsion shows, though most will either remember her for her time on Firefly, or as Cameron/Allison Young in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Outside of these two incredibly popular TV series's, she has also played characters such as Tess Doerner on The 4400, Jamie Fleming/Orwell on The Cape, and more recently as the villain Isabel Rochev (A.K.A. Ravager) on Arrow, as well as Anna Brandt on Sequestered. She has also played brief roles on shows such as Dollhouse, Hawaii Five-0 and Chuck.

All of these amazing actors have played on dozens of other TV shows, as well as many movies you may have seen. I personally think they are all brilliantly talented, and if you haven't seen them in anything, I would certainly recommend watching some of their work. I have no doubt that, among all the many things they have had a role in, you will find something to your liking.

In any case, back to the topic of Firefly. With a cast this good, there should be absolutely no doubt that a sci-fi Western set over 500 years into the future is worth every minute you spend watching it. It's witty, interesting and brings up interesting moral dilemmas throughout the series. 

Oh, and did I mention that MARK SHEPPARD (who currently plays Crowley, the King of Hell, on Supernatural) is in two episodes? Check it out! It's amazing, I swear.

~The Elf

Good Boy - GD & Taeyang

Song of the Month!

Good Boy
By GD & Taeyang

Although a lot of people have been criticizing how different Good Boy is from their previous music, I think GD & Taeyang's latest hit is still worth listening to. If you don't understand what their saying, here are the English lyrics; http://www.kpoplyrics.net/ . I'm sure I already told you about my love for G-Dragon in one of the other Song of the Month posts, but I'm just going to say it again; I loooooove him! He is amazing and so is Taeyang!

I mean, it's G-Dragon and Taeyang of Big Bang; they're K-Pop legends.

Anyway, I love this song, it's so catchy and fun to listen to. It's upbeat and the video is so cool to watch, so check it out! Give it a go!

~The Elf

Flashback Friday

Flashback Friday!

Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings

Is a real-time strategy game developed by Ensemble Studios and released in 1999 for Windows and Macintosh. Age of Empires II was an RTS game that helped shape the genre into what it is today, the game is set in the middle ages and has 13 different civilizations to play as. The players aim is to gather resources, which is used to build towns and armies which the player uses to defeat the enemy. There are five historically based campaigns, which constrict the player to specialized story conditions.

 Age of Empires II is one of the first games I ever played it, the gameplay is enjoyable and sometimes challenging  as you battle your computer or human enemy on all the different maps. This game is great and enjoyable even though it is old, it's worth giving it a go if you haven't yet.

*The Elder*

Smooth Sailing - Queens of the Stone Age

Song of the Month!

Better late than never, the song of the month is here! Smooth Sailing is a kick ass song to listen to when you want to empowered. Just try listening to this sick jam while walking anywhere and you'll really feel the difference in your stride. Queens of the Stone Age know how to make people feel bad ass, so try they're other songs too! This song may not be new, but it is by far, my favorite song for this month. What's yours?

~The Dwarf

Flashback Friday

Flashback Friday!

Captain Caveman 

and the Teen Angels

This used to be one of the many Hanna-Barbera Productions' shows I watched when I was younger. The story revolves around the adventures of the Teen Angels - Brenda, Dee Dee and Taffy - and their partner Captain Caveman, who they thawed out of a block of ice. The plot was supposed to pretty much be a parody of Charlie's Angels, but with elements from other Hanna-Barbera shows and some of it's own unique twists. The show was always a little strange, but it was funny and as a kid, that seem to be all that really mattered.

The show only had 40 full episodes, around 11 minutes long each, but it was a great show that many people actually still remember. Captain Caveman and his son Cavey Jr. were actually also on The Flinstone Kids, as characters on a show that Fred, Barney, Welma and Betty watched frequently. Captain Caveman also starred in segments of The Flinstone Comedy Show, where he played a role parodying Superman.

Captain Caveman makes a lot of random cameo appearances in some more modern shows, too. For example; in the episode "Perfect Castaway" of Family Guy, Peter talks about Captain Caveman. He also appears in an episode of Robot Chicken, "Ban on the Fun," where he solves a mystery with Shaggy Rogers. He makes a cameo appearance as one of the toys in Finn's room on Adventure Time and he can also be seen in the background in South Park - Imaginationland: The Movie (2008).

If you haven't seen it before, or you haven't seen it in a while, you should watch one of the episodes. It only takes 11 minutes, so why not?

~The Elf

Suits

Suits

So, yet again, I've gone on a binge-watch. This time, I watched Suits. My friend recommended it to me, so I thought; I've got a few days of free time, so why not? I've just started watching season 3, though the show is already halfway through season 4. The show is a legal drama created by Aaron Korsh, based in New York City.

Here is the plot summary:"While running from a drug deal gone bad, Mike Ross, a brilliant young college-dropout, slips into a job interview with one of New York City's best legal closers, Harvey Specter. Tired of cookie-cutter law school grads, Harvey takes a gamble by hiring Mike on the spot after he recognizes his raw talent and photographic memory. Mike and Harvey are a winning team. Even though Mike is a genius, he still has a lot to learn about law. And while Harvey may seem like an emotionless, cold-blooded shark, Mike's sympathy and concern for their cases and clients will help remind Harvey why he went into law in the first place. Mike's other allies in the office include the firm's best paralegal Rachel and Harvey's no-nonsense assistant Donna to help him serve justice. Proving to be an irrepressible duo and invaluable to the practice, Mike and Harvey must keep their secret from everyone including managing partner Jessica and Harvey's arch nemesis Louis, who seems intent on making Mike's life as difficult as possible."- Written by USA Network

It might not sound that exciting yet, but I assure you, it's brilliant. It's full of so much drama, it's insane, but totally worth it. So much happens in this story, it's just so busy, one thing happening after another. If you're not into drama, you won't like this, but I urge you to give it a chance. At first, I thought it wouldn't be that interesting. I mean, why would I want to watch a bunch of people at a law firm? But, it got really good.
Seriously, just watch a few episodes, see if you like it.

Anyway... the main cast:

Harvey Specter
played by Gabriel Macht

Mike Ross
played by Patrick J. Adams

Louis Litt

played by Rick Hoffman

Rachel Zane

played by Meghan Markle

Donna Paulsen

played by Sarah Rafferty

Jessica Pearson

played by Gina Torres

As usual, if you haven't watched it yet, do it now! This show is so worth watching once you get into it. They have an amazing cast and a brilliant story. It's funny, it's intense. You have to try it! There's so much swagger in the show and so much bickering and drama. It's worth the watch, all the way.

~The Elf

Flashback Friday

Flashback Friday!

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Hey guys, how we all going? Today ill be doing a review on one of my favourite movies; Pulp Fiction, directed by Quentin Tarantino. If you haven't seen this movie, you need to. It's awesome!

The story revolves around a group of separate characters and their lives. All through the movie there are a mix of funny and serious parts, witch show the genius of Quentin Tarantino. The movie is made up of six separate stories, some of which crossover. The first one is about "Hunny Bunny" and "Pumpkin," two small time criminals who are robbing a diner where they were having coffee.

The second one is about Jules Winnfield and his partner in crime, Vincent Vega, who are going to collect a package from some people who owe there boss, Marsellus, some money. After Jules and Vincent collect the package, they kill the entire group, except for one.

The third chapter is mainly about Vincent. In this part of the movie, Vincent has been asked to take Marsellus' wife, Mia, out to dinner. On his way to get her, Vincent picks up some high-grade heroin, which Mia later overdoses on.

In chapter four we meet Butch as a child and his father's friend, who just got back from Vietnam, and tells young Butch the story behind his father's gold watch. Later in the chapter, we see Butch accepting money from Marsellus to throw a fight for him. Butch double crosses Marsellus and runs from him.

In the fifth chapter we go back to Jules and Vincent, who are now driving back with the survivor, when Vincent accidentally shoots him in the head. Needing to get off the road and clean the car, the pair call "The Wolf," a notorious gang member, to help them clean up the car.

In the final chapter, we see Vincent and Jules in a diner, which just happens to be the same one Pumpkin and Hunny Bunny are robbing.

In conclusion, Pulp Fiction is a great movie, one that is definitely worth watching. If you haven't seen it yet, you should watch it now!

<Merlin>

Update!!

Happy New Year to everyone!

I hope your year so far has been great and I hope the rest of it will be, too. 

I'm sorry, I've been very busy the last two weeks, but I swear I'll get back to work on the blog in the next few days. 

I finally got around to writing new chapters of Saviour, so there are now 18 published chapters. I'm starting with chapter 19 sometime this week, so hopefully it will be ready by the end of this month or early next month, but I make no promises.

I'll be writing up new reviews this week, so expect them from Friday on wards. Sorry for being so incredibly inconsistent, but we're really going to start working on that this year and updating at the right times and posting when we're supposed to.

If anyone has any ideas on things we could review, feel free to e-mail us or just leave a comment. We'll be happy to hear from you and your opinions are always welcome. 

~The Elf