Movie: The Great Mouse Detective

The movie starts out with a girl mouse (Olivia) and her father. The father put his daughter in a closet like area and tells her not to come out. Meanwhile, there is a lot of commotion outside and when Olivia can get out she finds her dad gone and taken. As any daughter would be, she is flustered.

She runs into a bigger mouse named Dr. Dawson, he just came back from tour in Afghanistan  She tells Dr. Dawson that she is looking from Basil of Baker Street. He helps her find Basil. Basil turns out to be the Sherlock Holmes of mouse world. He at first won't hear much from Olivia, trying to send her off, telling her to find her mother and to go home. She then says that it was this bat that took her father. This is what gets Basil's attention. Turns out he knows EXACTLY who took Olivia's dad.

Basil, Dr. Dawson, and Olivia set out to find her dad. Meanwhile, her dad is hard at work for Ratcus making him some kind of machine. Ratcus gets him to do this by threatening his daughter. So what better way to make a father work but to capture his daughter and get the father to work for the release of his daughter. So that's what Ratcus does, sends out his bat to capture Olivia. While looking for clues, Olivia is captured even with all of Basil's efforts to stop them from taking her.

While his daughter is there, the father works hard for Ratcus. Dr. Dawson and Basil find a way into Ratcus' lair through a dinner party. Ratcus expected it and captures both Dawson and Basil and set a trap so that if tripped, they would die. He used this time to take the father and the machine he made to take over the Queen Mouse. The machine is a replica of the Queen Mouse.

Basil is down and depressed because Ratcus was able to out-smart him. It takes some motivational words from Dawson before Basil is able to snap out of it and then figure the trap out. Once that is done they go and soil the plan being played out at the palace and save the Queen Mouse.

That's not the complete end, though. Ratch is so angry that he goes to run away with Olivia, they catch up and get Olivia back, there is a big clamor and in the end Basil is victorious over Ratcus.

Movie: Princess Mononoke

I really liked this movie. It's a long one though, aren't all of his?

Anywho, it's about a guy, Ashitaka, who is a prince of his tribe/city who is poisoned from a demon. A demon attacks his village and everything the demon touches dies, and Ashitaka needs to stop it before it gets to his city and kills everyone. in the process of killing the demon (which turns out to be a huge boar), he is touched and has a rash formed. Turns out the rash is a curse and he will die soon. The Wise woman from the town tells him that the Great Forest Spirit might be able to help, but he is dead to his town because of their laws.

So Ashitaka leaves in search of the forest. On his way there he sees Samurai pillaging a village and he tries to help, when the samurai attack him, he kills them in devastating blows (like using an arrow to sever their heads and other body parts). It's a little disturbing if you don't like gore. Anyway, the people half fear him, half admire him, but it's not an important town, just one character there is important that takes him to his house to eat and offers some shelter before Ashitaka leaves back to the forest. Don't forget the guy, he will come back.

So they throw in this clip of this movement of ox and people moving towards their city with rice. You don't really get the point too much of it at first. These wolves attack and the one lady, Lady Eboshi, shoots it with her gun and it falls into the water, but she says it's a god. There are some men and ox that fall off the cliff.

When Ashitaka makes it to the city, he finds two men who are alive but one is in serious condition. These two men came from the Iron Town, where Lady Eboshi and her people are from. So Ashitake agrees to take the guys back to their village because they are both injured and need his help. They have these little creatures help them, which are kind of freaky, but they help them get to the city. When Ashitaka makes it to the city, Lady Eboshi wants to talk to him because he comes off as a hero for making it through the forest alive and helping her people.

So here's a strange thing about the movie, the women are the ones who rule the city, kind of. They run the iron mill. Ashitaka finds out that the bullets that Lady Eboshi makes is what caused the boar to become a demon and that they are dangerous. Through the demon and the bullet is how Ashitaka got his curse, so he's not to fond of Eboshi, or I wouldn't be. Anyway, Eboshi tells him about a girl in the forest who is a wolf girl named Princess Mononoke.

During one night, the wolf girl attacks the town after Eboshi for the damage she is causing in the forest. Ashitake gets into the middle of the fight because he doesn't want either one hurt. He gets the wolf-girl away by knocking both of the women out. While leaving he is shot and he lives when he shouldn't but he becomes very ill.

When they make it back to the forest, it takes a while, but Mononoke takes care of Ashitaka and takes him to this lake and waits for the great forest spirit to heal him, which he does.

The goddess of the wolves tells Ashitaka to leave and when he does the boars and the people of Iron Town go to battle. The battle is meant to draw the boars out and so that they can get to the Great Forest Spirit. It works and when Ashitaka finally finds where the massacre occurred, a wolf is still alive and helps him find the wolf-girl and king of the boars who are leading the people straight to the Great Forest Spirit because the King of the Boars is greatly injured and sick.

While getting to the lake, the curse takes over the boar and consumes Mononoke with him, when Ashitaka calls out her name she answers and he runs to her aid. He does everything to free her, but ultimately it is the wolf goddess who gets her out of the cursed boar and then gives her to Ashitaka who gets her in the water. Meanwhile, the forest spirit is coming to help end the suffering of the King Boar and when he does, Eboshi and her people shoot off it's head.

The rest of the movie is about the destruction the forest spirit causes the land in search of his head. Mononoke and Ashitaka get the head back to the forest spirit after much destruction and then in the end Ashitaka is healed and all is well.

Movie: The Black Cauldron

I thought it was a decent movie. I don't think Disney should claim this one, kinda creepy for a young kid to be watching.

It starts with a boy who is a pig keeper and he finds that his pig is this magical pig that can see things (not in the future or past, but in the present). Well anyway, his pig is being hunted by this guy known as the Horned King, he's the creepy one in the movie. He wants to find this thing called the Black Cauldron which has this evil magical power.

Well they get captured by the Horned King and the boy manages to get his pig out of the city, but is trapped and kept prisonner. While in his prison he meets this Princess who is also a prisoner. Together they try to find a way out and stumble upon the old king's tomb. In it the boy finds a magical sword (well he doesn't quite know that yet), and then they find a old man who is captured and they free him. Together they escape.

They meet up a forest creature, he's really cute and together they find some fairies that tell them where the Black Cauldron is and so they go there. When they reach the city they find three witched. When they ask the witches for the black cauldron they ask for the sword in exchange which they give the witches.

They then get captured again by the Horned King and he uses the cauldron to summon a undead army. When the creature from the forest frees his friends he jumps into the cauldron to stop the undead army and he does. When he does the Horned King gets sucked into the cauldron. When the castle is destroyed, the witches come back for the cauldron and when they do the characters ask for their friend back in return for the cauldron.

Book: Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison

Epic finale to the series. Was sad when I finished it actually.

This book has so many parts to it, that it shifts around a lot. In the beginning Seth and Kendra and her grandparents are all together and have to devise a plan to get the next artifact so that they can get Warren out of the knapsack because he is running out of food at this point.

When they get the artifact, they are ambushed by the Society and they get separated  Seth, Tanu, and Mara all get trapped by the society. And the rest get away to home. Kendra uses the Transporter device to get Warren out of the knapsack, he's alive and well so that's nice.

While imprisoned, Seth meets a guy (well actually he is a Unicorn) named Braken. He is permanently a human from giving up his third horn to keep the Zzyxx locked. He turns out to be a huge part of the book.

Then Kendra, her grandparents and the rest device a plan to get Seth and the others rescued after Vanessa reveals her secret that helps them figure out where the 5th Secret Preserve is. Well it ends up being a trap and then they all get captured.

Someone gives Seth the Sands of Serenity and the translocator so that he can escape. Well through making a promise to Granulas he goes to him and heals him and is betrayed. Granulas destroys the house and kills Coulter. Before he dies, Coulter gives advice to Seth to find a message from Patton. He does this and learns he needs to find the Singing Sisters. In finding what he needs to do, Seth releases Vanessa and takes Doren and Newel with him on his mission.

Kendra, meanwhile, meets Braken. Poor girl has been lied to so often she doesn't trust him. In the process, they meet up with Warren who has found out that the Sphinx has switched sides since Granulas and Naga Luni (the demon that taught the Sphinx) have taken over the Society. So they escape through the help of the Sphinx and find the Fairy Queen's shrine and the Fairy Queen assures Kendra that Braken is on their side.

So Seth meets the Singing Sisters and they tell him how to find Vasilis, the sword of Light and Darkness. He has to go to Canada to get it and Vanessa helps them reach it. Seth has to rid the Totem Wall (where the sword is at) of the evil that resides in it. It's all undead and Seth has some troubles but manages to get the sword from the Wizard who it belongs to. The sword has to be given.

Kendra, Warren, and Braken are sent to save the Eternals (who need to be killed before the gates can be opened). They fail at this with the 3 remaining, through a lot of trying. They end up going to meet up with Seth and Vanessa who need to summon the Ghost ship to get to the Shoreless Isle.

Well I'm sure you can imagine that Zzyxx is open, but the Sword is used by Seth to kill Granulas and Naga Luni, while Kendra uses it to defeat the demon king.

They couldn't kill all the demons so they trapped them in the Fairy Queen's realm instead and the Fairy Queen goes to Zzyzz as her new kingdom. I'm sure you can imagine that Kendra falls for Braken. Really cute actually.

He left the series with a lot of open questions, that I hope he solves.

Movie: The Host

I actually didn't think this was going to be as good as it was. The beginning was iffy with some of the memories, but it got a lot better as the movie progressed.

It's about a girl, Melanie, who get's "taken over" by an alien soul. There's one problem, Melanie resists the soul that enters her, and although the soul (they call her Wonderer) at first is trying to give information to the other aliens that have taken over human hosts, she soon gives into Melanie and finds Melanie's family and friends. They kind of reject her because she is one of them, but some of them catch onto that she's on their side sooner or later.

Melanie is in love with one guy, Jared, while Wonderer is falling for a different guy while Melanie is yelling at her for it. Do you see the same theme from the Twilight series? One girl, two guys... Lightbulb...

Well anywho, in the end, Wonderer helps them get things from the other souls, and then also gives them the one secret they have been wanting to figure out, how to take these souls out of the human bodies without harming the host or the soul. Wonder gets attached to the people she has met, just as they have gotten attached to her, which makes it hard for them all when she asks that they let her soul die when they pull it out of Melanie.

Well they get the real Melanie back, but they give Wonder's soul to a catatonic girl so she can continue to live with those she cares for.

Movie: Ponyo

I thought it was cute, but odd and weird. Howl's Moving Castle is still my favorite of his movies, but this one isn't too bad.

Starts out with this fish escaping a hold and getting to the ocean and then meeting a boy, Sauske (spelling?) and he carries her around in a bucket. The fish spills back into the ocean. The little boy starts to cry is very upset and emotional.

Anywho, Ponyo (what the boy names the fish) gets caught by her father and taken back to her sisters (the little tiny looking fish like her) . Anywho, she breaks this fountain thing and becomes a human and finds the boy. Meanwhile, when she does the ocean starts to float the world because the moon is drawing nearer to the earth. The only way to stop it is to have Sauske admit that he loves Ponyo for who she really is (a fish) and he does and she stays a human.

Book: Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary

Well I'm gonna tell you now, don't read it if you don't want to know what happened in the book, because I'm about ready to spill.

This series really makes you think about who you can and can't trust. I mean EVERYONE is starting to change sides. Demons are becoming "good guys." Well in a sense. Seth becomes a Shadow Charmer and has Dark and Evil creatures believe he is a friend and can have them help them.

Well Kendra gets kidnapped in the beginning and then the Society makes it seem like she is dead to everyone, including her parents. Well she finally gets rescued through the help of Vanessa and some big secret she has, that I am still waiting to figure out in the last book. And so Kendra's grandparents, Seth, and everyone else at Fablehaven knows she is alive, but not her parents.

They have to go on this mission to the Dragon Temple, which means that, surprise surprise, Gavin is along for the mission. The group sets out and Seth hides and goes along on the trip even though he isn't supposed to. Good thing he does, because he can't feel magical fear which dragons give off when they are confronting humans, however, Seth can't overcome the mesmerizing
 effects that clouds his mind, but guess who can... Kendra. So together (when they are holding hands/touching) Seth and Kendra are a Dragon Tamer. I thought that was pretty cool.

So in the end, after they finish getting the key, Navarog tries to steal it... guess who it is.... Gavin. Gah, it makes sense when laid out that way, but took me completely by surprise. However, Ratxus (a fairy dragon, read it to understand it) actually eats Gavin and save Kendra and then they all set home. But Warren kind of gets trapped in an extra dimensional world... Kinda bummed me out because he was one of my favorite characters, so I'm hoping they figure out how to bring him back. ;)

Addictive series, I can't put them down. I don't think I spilled too much, there is still a lot to the story.

Movie: Castle in the Sky

Be prepared it's a long one, as usual for his movies. A little over 2 hours.

The one think I have learned about this director's movies is that you HAVE GOT TO PAY ATTENTION!

So it starts off a little strange in the middle of an attack on this floating balloon, and this girl is there. Apparently the people who invaded wanted to hunt down this crystal that she had as a necklace. While escaping she slipped and fell off the ship and then floated to the ground when the boy catches her. Already a cute romance, right? lol The crystal came from her mother, who when she died, gave it to her daughter.

So the boy's daddy is the one who saw the floating island in the sky. Kind of reminds me of Howl's Moving Castle at the end when it floats.  The boy and his village is full of a bunch of miners who are very tough and not easy to get around, but due to the mines, they find a lot of places and friends to help underground

Anywho, the people who attacked the airship try to track down the girl and the boy is determined to help of the girl he save, so the romance continues....

I do like how he has the action so close to the beginning of the movie. It makes it a lot more interesting and means that there is typically more to come, as at first they escape. What's the saying? If at first you don't suceede try try again.

Awkward... the girl is the floating island, or at least she inhearited the name of the island when she got the crystal.

They get recaptured, only the boy and the girl are captured and the man who kidnapped her wants her to find the floating island. In exchange for the release of the boy, she agrees to let the kidnapper use her to find the floating island, so that he can use it for its power source.

The original lady who was after the crystal... remember her and her two sons? Well she captures the boy when he comes back to the village and he makes them take him with when they go back after the army and the girl to get the crystal.

Never nerage an already angry robot!

The boy and the pirates save the girl and get back to the floating balloon. The girl lost the crystal in the chaos and now the army has it and is continuing to search for the floating island, so the pirates, boy and girl, have to find it first. But the army still kind of needs that girl to use the crystal and it's power...

Overall it was a really good movie I think, I tend to like a lot of his movies, I think that he adds more details that needed, but that isn't always a bad things, but I felt like he just really kind of dragged this one on. When they got to the island, I would have hoped it would be a lot closer to being over than it was.

Movie: Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Starts with him trying to give a proposal (or practicing one) to a bunch of objects so that he can present it to the man in charge of the museum. The men of the committee are tired of hearing his proposals and thus reject him before he hears them so he threatens to quit. When he gets some home a mysterious woman takes him to see a man named Mr. Whitmore who helps him out on his expedition.

The people on the submarine are kinda crazy, which means they fit in with him just nicely. A lot of them are creepy in a bad way, but most are funny. With the here and there comedy, there is a little action and mystery with it. It makes for an interesting, but good comedy for a Disney Animated Movie.

When they make it to their destination (land wise), Milo has to lead them to the city, which he makes some mistakes here and there, but mostly in the beginning you can tell how secluded he is from the rest of the group, they all help each other out and play tricks on him.

The whole expedition is following Milo's dream, but his grandfather was the onw who got him into it and got him set up by finding the book and by having a friend who could afford the mission.

Of course after they get into an accident, Milo finds the people of Atlanis and finds out where it is.

Once Kida takes in Milo and his compainions, her father wants to send them away, but Kida is interested in them, she wants to learn from them and she wants them to help her.

Shocker! The crew are bad guys! Not really, especially some of them, they didn't hide it too well.

Book: Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague

Third book of the series, so this may be a little confusing and jumbled, only read it if you like the series and/or you are going to read this book or have read it before.

Keeps getting better and better this series does. It leaves you with a lot of different open endings that makes you continue to pick up the next book in the series so you can finally close up those endings.

The beginning of the book begins with some stuff that isn't necessarily relevant to the book itself (or the main plot of that book), but it's important in the rest of the series. It's starting to come out a little more now about the whole thing in the fourth book, which I am currently reading. The beginning starts with Kendra getting inducted into the Knights of Dawn and going on a mission to a preserve to get another artifact and she meets another guy that is a Dragon Tamer and they pretty much come out empty handed because the artifact was already taken and the guy who took it was Patton Burgess (see if you can remember that name from the first few books)

Anyway, while Kendra is gone, the rest of the guys at the preserve discover this weird thing going on where creatures of light (like faries, saytrs, etc) are turning dark. They try to confront Vanessa (the girl they put in the Quiet Box) about it, and she gives them some hints, but nothing that she could really give them to help, so they are on their own.

Remember the old manor? The one that Seth got lost in during the last book? Yeah, well that comes back. So keep that in mind.

Like always it's down to Kendra and Seth who pretty much have to save the day. Kendra has a large component to it from being fairykind, but Seth has this new ability too that allows him to overcome magical fear and he's the one that can see the darkness that is taking over the other creatures.

Book: Inheritance

Great book up until the last 100 pages!

Ugh! I was so frustrated with the way he ended the book. I understand that he had to do it so that he could end the series and tie up all the loose ends, but he could have at least made it a happy ending for the main character, Eragon! Gahhhh

Don't worry, Eragon survives, but in the end after the king is dead (and I won't tell you which character kills the king or his black dragon). In the end, however, Eragon and Saphira had to leave the land and go somewhere for another certain duty they gain during the duration of the book (which I can't tell you what it is, but it's pretty freaking cool). Anywho, Saphira gets a happy ending and she falls in love with the last egg that Galbatorix had (a green one, which is why the cover is a green dragon) which hatched for Arya (shocker). Anyway, Saphira is happy she got to fall in love and mate (well even she says dragons don't mate for life) even for the short time she was with him. But Arya turns Eragon down when he asks her to come with him! That was the one thing I was waiting for after the destruction of the king! My gosh!

I won't tell you about Thorn and his evil rider, I'm sure you can guess that he's not all evil, and I liked how they turned his character in this book, although I wish that they kept him in play after the king died, but alas they did not.

Still very well written, it was GREAT. Lots of pages, but I was able to finish it in about 5 days, it was hard to put down. Then during the last 100 or so pages when the king was dead and he was tying up ends I was waiting for the great super start ending and so took me a while to finish.