My favorite manga right now is Chihayafuru by Suetsugu Yuki (you can watch the anime Chihayafuru for free on Crunchyroll. , it’s also one of my favorite anime series). The series also got two live-action films (a part one and a part two), and I happened upon the promotional video for the movies which features the J-pop song “Flash” by Perfume. It’s a really catchy song and I love it! I bought it on iTunes . The cover art for the single was drawn by the manga artist, Suetsugu Yuki! Flash - Single - Perfume Here’s the PV: I so want to see these movies! Well, subtitled, since I don’t understand Japanese. :)

Since I'm writing a near-future/sort-of-dystopian story, I watched this movie (thanks to Netflix DVD). It wasn't quite as bad as I expected it to be, but it had its problems. Here’s the blurb from Netflix: In a futuristic world where Earth is divided into four warring "Corporations," a frightening new breed of NecroMutant threatens to destroy the global population unless the leader of an old monastic order can destroy the beasts and save the planet. Camy: The story premise is that after the ice age, an alien machine came to earth to create those NecroMutants from human beings it captured, although the story never explains why that was the machine’s mission. Mankind warred against the machine up until an alternate reality Middle Ages, which was when the machine was buried. The movie is set in an alternate reality future (the year 2707). The thought of four corporations ruing the world was credible to me since history had been changed after the machine touched d...

Source: google.com via Camy on Pinterest Did anyone see it yet? I totally want to see it, but probably not in the theater because I have too small of a bladder. :( But I did get the audiobook read by Rob Inglis from Audible.com! I got the Lord of the Rings trilogy, too! Has anyone listened to the audiobooks?

Finally saw this on DVD last night and it was rather good! I’m not a huge Tom Cruise fan but I absolutely loved Jeremy Renner! But what was even more cool was that we went on Amazon streaming (our DVD player as internet connectivity) and were able to watch the pilot episode of the 1966 Mission: Impossible TV show! Everything was SO neat because it was from the sixties. I had never seen the original TV show before. Any of you saw this show?

Who’s seen it? I totally want to goooooo!!!!!!!!!!

My friend Sarah went to see The Hunger Games with her daughter on opening night, but how about any of you? Who’s seen the movie? Read the books? I admit I only read the books when I heard all the hype about it, and I really like the first book. The social commentary was so fascinating. But I’m in the middle of Catching Fire and must admit I’m not as enthralled. I’ll probably get slammed for saying this, but I don’t really see what’s so heroic about Gale that she loves him so much. He actually seems a bit selfish much of the time. As girls, we shouldn’t just fall in love with any guy who seems halfway interested. Even if he’s madly in love with you, look at his heart. Is he heroic ? Does he show the kinds of qualities God would admire? And I’m not talking piety . That’s totally different from heroism . He should put God first and you second. He shouldn’t be a doormat, instead he should help you do the right thing even if it’s painful for him and for you. I think that’s heroism....

Captain Caffeine said I should write this: Hunger Games with zombies. He even said it with a straight face. Then he added, “Amish zombies.”

I started a new discussion thread over at Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/653917 Weigh in and join the discussion!

I'm over at the Love Inspired Authors blog today, still in a happy haze after watching my favorite movie/miniseries: Camy here, and I’m just up from a FIVE HOUR MARATHON of the BBC miniseries Pride and Prejudice ! Click here to read the rest and weigh in!

Captain's Log, Stardate 06.25.2009 I finally saw the Kiera Knightley movie version and gave my thoughts on it at Faithchick! Camy here. Most of you know that I’m a pretty die-hard Jane Austen fan. But I had heard so many negative reviews of the Kiera Knightley version of Pride and Prejudice that I put off watching it for a while. Well, my Tivo has a Wishlist search for Pride and Prejudice and recorded it, so I figured I might as well watch it since it’s taking up memory space on my Tivo and I don’t have to waste a Netflix space on it. Click here to read the rest of the post

Captain's Log, Stardate 05.27.2009 I had so much fun with this before that I decided to do it again! You guys are just too good! RULES: 1. Pick 15 of your favorite movies. Or movies that you have seen 2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie. 3. Post them here for everyone to GUESS (please don't Google it or do a search on IMDB--what's the fun in that?). 4. When someone guesses correctly, put who guessed it and the movie. 1. I do anything and everything Mr. Stark requires. Including occasionally taking out the trash. Will that be all? Ironman kalea_kane 2. Cassie, his heart will stop at the sight of you, or he doesn't deserve to live. And, yes, I am aware of the contradiction embodied in that sentence. 3. The code is more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl Ruth 4. I don't LIKE food. I LOVE it. If I don't love it, I don't SWALLOW. Ratatouille Danica/Dream and Charity Lane...

Captain's Log, Stardate 04.22.2009 Captain Caffeine and I have been talking again (I know, marvel concept!). We happened to catch the last show of Rock of Love (with Brett Michaels) season ten or something like that (the boy gets around, that's for sure ... Captain says, "He's a rock star." As if that explains it all), and the Captain remarked, “You’ve got to come up with a really good reality show idea." So, after the Amish vampire kung fu Asian triad idea , creative juices were still flowing and we came up with this: Twelve contestants think they have to learn to live like the Amish in an Amish village. The TV show has remarkably found an Amish village they can film in. The contestants have to learn Amish ways and “survive” for twelve weeks. The last contestant not booted out of the village gets a million bucks. Little do they know ... Come on, what true Amish community is going to let themselves be photographed? The “Amish village” is a fake! The contest...

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.19.2009 I got this from my good friend and author Ronie Kendig on Facebook but thought I’d post it here instead of there. RULES: 1. Pick 15 of your favorite movies. Or movies that you have seen 2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie. 3. Post them here for everyone to guess. 4. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie. 1. I swallowed a bug. Serenity Lita 2. Knowing my brother-in-law, he probably deserves whatever you're about to do to him. But this is my house. I have certain rules about snakes and dismemberment. The Mummy Returns Sierra 3. ...Ah, alas, earwax. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Emily 4. I have got to get me one of these! Independence Day LynnRush 5. Wait, why do I get the girl gun? Mr. and Mrs. Smith Sherrinda 6. Then it is a good dream. The Two Towers Hannah 7. Anne? You want to marry Anne? Whatever for? Persuasion Rachel 8. You of all people should know Terry, in your ...

Captain's Log, Supplemental The Captain has given me permission to “out” him. He LOVES The Sound of Music . He bought the DVD and every time it’s on TV, he watches it. I have seen the “16 going on 17” scene so many times it’s not even funny (that just seems to be the scene we happen on when he’s channel surfing, and then we settle in for the long haul). At first, I thought he was kidding when he said he liked that movie. But then I saw him watch it. More than once. AND buy the CD and load it into his iTunes. He thinks Julie Andrews’ voice is amazing (and heck yeah, it is!) and he likes the songs a lot. And the story is interesting since it’s based on a true story and set amid the turmoil of World War II and the rise of Hitler’s Nazi Germany. You have to understand, Captain Caffeine is rather a macho guy. He watches SportsCenter every night. He loves Ultimate Fighting (mixed martial arts). (Actually, he always feels the need to watch SportsCenter or Ultimate Fighting after watching ...

Captain's Log, Supplemental I stole this from My Friend Amy . However, I cheated and listed miniseries. My top 3 comfort movies/miniseries 1) Pride and Prejudice , the BBC version. I just love love love this miniseries. The acting is superb and I love Jane Austen (if you haven’t already noticed). I have the DVD and watch this at least once every few months. I love how this miniseries follows the book so well. It captures the essence of each of the characters, and the extra dialogue is just what Jane Austen would have written. 2) Cranford , by BBC. I saw this miniseries just this year and it’s FABULOUS! The cast is marvelous! The writing is terrific! I have it saved on my Tivo and I’ve already watched it twice. I intend to get the DVDs when I have a bit more cash. I think I like it because the characters are flawed, and yet they’re so worthy. There’s humor and drama and romance. The ensemble cast ensures for a script that’s always moving forward, always telling a new story. And the ...

Captain's Log, Stardate 11.12.2008 I realize I’m late in posting this, but I just saw Ironman a couple weeks ago and it was FABULOUS! It was the most entertaining movie I’ve seen in a long time. I even liked it better than Mr. and Mrs. Smith (although that flick is a close second). I think because the acting was great. Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow were fantastic. I especially liked how the Pepper character is an older woman with more maturity than, say, MaryJane in Spiderman . Pepper was strong, intelligent, and relatively cool under fire. And did you guys catch the Easter Egg at the end of the credits??? Awesome!!!

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.25.2008 When Danica was here, we watched the BBC miniseries Pride and Prejudice ! It was great! I love watching this miniseries, but it’s always better watching it with friends. :) Especially friends who understand the Regency era and the storyline, and who love dishy British blokes. I can’t believe this was made 13 years ago. Colin Firth looks so young. Danica also recognized the actress who played Caroline Bingley from other movies, What a Girl Wants and Three Weddings and a Funeral . Now, a few weeks ago, Pride and Prejudice was showing on Masterpiece Classic, and I have a Tivo Season Pass to record it. Captain Caffeine wanted to watch something else and asked if he could stop recording. I told him, “Sure, I have the DVDs.” “You do?” “Yes.” “And you watch them over and over?” Huffy. “Yes.” “Why?” “Because it’s good!” Then, I challenged/pleaded/nagged Captain Caffeine to watch Pride and Prejudice with me. “Okay.” Jaw hits floor. “Really???” (In hinds...

Captain's Log, Supplemental I just saw this movie with the Captain and it was rather good. We were both especially impressed with the hard-hitting commentary on society and the internet. Click here to see the trailer on Youtube It’s a pretty gruesome movie, so I wouldn’t let a junior high school student watch it, but it’s got a fascinating premise about a killer who tortures his victims on a live internet feed, and the victim dies faster the more people who log on to see the torture. Now ’fess up, isn’t that a fascinating commentary on society these days? What was really cool was that they had a script doctor take the initial premise of the script and restructure it so that it had more psychological and Hollywood appeal. The script doctor emphasized the character of the lead heroine, giving her more depth. He also formed a connection between the victims and a backstory and motivation for the killer (versus just being some psycho doing it for fun, which is kind of boring in terms of...

Captain's Log, Stardate 06.10.2008 I just saw the movie Reign of Fire . Originally I wanted to see it because: (a) dragons (b) Matthew McConaughey (c) Gerard Butler (d) Christian Bale See, I have my priorities straight. :) It’s an Apocalyptic speculative fiction movie, and I was very surprised at how solid the storyline was. It had a great premise—dragons are real, and in fact feed on the ash from burnt organic material. They are the ones who destroyed the dinosaurs and caused the first ice age. When they started to starve from burning the earth up, they went into hibernation under the ground until the earth recovered. The movie opens in present day London, where a boy’s mother is in charge of an underground tunneling project. They hit a pocket and awaken the first dragon. Over the years, the dragons overran humanity until only a few small communities live scattered over the world, trying to survive. Then Matthew McConaughey comes, an American ex-military leader, who knows how to k...

Captain's Log, Stardate 05.30.2008 I have just finished watching the BBC production of Cranford and I am COMPLETELY FLOORED!!! I love this miniseries more than North and South and as much as Pride and Prejudice !!!!! There is humor, there is love, there is tragedy. There is hope. I love how the story flows from person to person, and how despite hardships, the kindness and love of the residents of Cranford shine through. This is a wonderful script and excellent casting. These are some of the finest actors I have seen in any movie. Dame Judi Dench is amazing, as is Dame Francesca Annis. I can’t praise this miniseries enough. I have this saved on Tivo, but I am buying this DVD AT ONCE!!!!