I'm Rising From the Ashes Like A Phoenix...

Hey guys!
I'm still alive!  Sorry it's been SO LONG since I last posted.
But ohh boy has it been a busy few months.  Let's see...

*I graduated high school early, which is something I've wanted to do since I was six.
*I got accepted to an online college (!!!!!) for an English major, and then I'll get a Master's for Secondary Teaching, English.
*I got a job at a local restaurant, which is less than exciting and actually quite dull.  But that's the only way I'll be able to pay for college, so I suppose I should be thankful.

On top of that, I also got my wisdom teeth out and had to take my SAT exams in the thick of ALL OF THE ABOVE THINGS...which was fun.  Let me tell you, if anyone ever gets their wisdom teeth out?  Don't be surprised if you, after anesthesia, are giggling over song lyrics and then bawling your eyes out over your phone case, which somehow just broke.  Also, if you must read, you'll have to use one eye and squeeze the other shut, then alternate.  Your eyes'll be really blurry.  (This was my first surgery ever.)
Oh, also:
*I'm currently working on a book to publish with Amazon's Kindle.  eBook.  I'll let you guys know when it's done and I have a synopsis written up.  (I'm trying not to type in all caps about this, mind; I'm super duper excited about this).

SO.  Now that I'm through with my life changes, which I'm sure are quite boring to readers looking for reviews and whatnot, I'll get to the interesting information.

When I have the time to, I'll be posting lots of reviews.   The Disney Store, today, released their 2015 classic doll collection.  They are GORGEOUS.  The princes seem to have the same face molds as the LE Designer's Collection princes, which is so great!  I'm excited to see some changes to the princes, finally.  And Rapunzel and Belle are absolutely STUNNING.  I'll have reviews up for Rapunzel and Eugene/Flynn as soon as they come in the mail!  Anyone planning on purchasing any of the new dolls?  There aren't any changes for the classic Frozen dolls, but I suppose they just released the Frozen Fever collection earlier this year, so that kind of makes up for it.


Also, on June 19th, Disney/Pixar's Inside Out was released!  It looks really cute; not sure if I'll go see it in theaters or not.  Has anyone seen it yet?

Currently, the reviews I want to get up are as listed:

*Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron (hint: It's AMAZING.)
*Disney 2015 Classic Rapunzel
*Disney 2015 Classic Eugene/Flynn
*The Book Thief  by Markus Zusak
*Rapunzel Untangled by Cindy C Bennett
*Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
*The Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry
*Matt Maher's album Saints and Sinners*Funko POP! Honey
*Funko POP! Hiro
*Funko POP! Go Go
And...I think there are more but I'm not sure.  We'll see.
Also, I'll be listing a bunch of books and whatnot on eBay, so I'll drop in to let you guys know about them when I get around to it.
I haven't forgotten about you all, I promise!  I've just been so busy!
So, dear readers, how has your summer been going?
[Do I still have any followers?  Am I finally deemed unworthy?  Oops..]

Book Review: God's Not Dead by Rice Broocks

Hey everyone!
I'll be posting quite a few more book/movie/DVD reviews  coming up and hopefully some actual doll/toy reviews here soon.  "A Dolly A Day" has become more like "Random Reviews Of A Person With Too Many Interests"...sorry!
Let's see...today, however, is a probably very short book review for "God's Not Dead" by Rice Broocks. 

It's probably very obvious what the book is about.  God's not dead.  While it is not the book version of the movie "God's Not Dead", information from the book is used in the movie (and there's a little scene where the main character is reading the book.)  This book encompasses some very important information and will help anyone better strengthen themselves against atheist/agnostic arguments.  It also explains some very interesting details - such as how there are differences between science and evolutionists.  This is stuff you don't learn in school.  You also learn how to not let yourself get tricked by some atheist arguments that are thrown out there. 

The book has some varying Christian viewpoints as well, and includes some personal backstory from Broocks about his journey as a Christian.  I originally ordered this book in order to learn how to back up my beliefs and myself when questions inevitably arise, whether online or in face-to-face conversation with someone.  "God's Not Dead" is a very good book to check out if you're curious about Christianity and if you're already Christian and you want to learn how to back your faith.  The only real issue with the book is if you're not into nonfiction or are easily bored, this probably isn't the book for you.  It's not exactly the most fast-paced or intense book ever :} 
And also, I'd definitely recommend watching the movie "God's Not Dead" as well.  It's really, really good!  The end is a bit played up, but the messages themselves are solid and very important. 

See you all soon!  Upcoming reviews include Funko Pop! reviews for Honey Lemon, Hiro, and Go Go Tomago, the Blu-Ray Big Hero 6 's features, Maleficent, X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Giver, "Hiro's Journal" book, and some more reviews I can't even remember but have written down somewhere xD. 

Movie Review: How To Train Your Dragon 2

Hey guys!  I finally got to see HTTYD 2 last week (I got the Blu-Ray of both the HTTYD movies and a DVD copy of Beauty and the Beast for my birthday.  So excited!) But anyway, I'm probably one of the very last people to get a movie review up for this puppy, but hey. 

(Image from fandango.com)

Storyline: I'm just going to go on ahead and post spoilers; the movie's been out on DVD since November-ish.  The storyline is superb; one  of the best sequels I've ever seen.  No plot holes, no sense of "they're just doing this for the money and didn't even think this through".  It gives a wonderful backstory and even explains Hic's scar!  The movie shows a wonderful message of how trust is everything, including the strong bond between a human and an animal.  There are plenty of foreshadowing events that you pick up on once you watch it a second time, and it's fascinating.  I love that Valka actually looks like Hiccup, because it was one loose end tied up nicely -- plus, Valka!  I also love how Hiccup and Astrid's relationship is evolving, but not too fast or too slow.  It's just a comfortable kind of friendship/girlfriend/boyfriend relationship and it's great. 


Animation: Holy crumbs, the animation.   I just sat and ooh-ed and awe-d at the TV for the majority of the film.  The graying hairs, the fur pieces, the dragons, how everyone is shown at the appropriate ages and they actually look like themselves...GAH.  Perfection. 

Soundtrack:  I'm a sucker for soundtracks like this.  Scottish/Celtic-type soundtracks like this will automatically get a 11/10 score from me, but this one was amazing.  Plus, the actual songs sung are great and actually feel great for the movie. 

Cast:  I was so excited to hear that the original cast was coming back.  One big mistake with movie companies is that when they reprise a role for a sequel or prequel, they can't/don't get the original cast back.  The fact that Jay, America, Gerard, etc. came back is amazing and I really hope they're still on for the third movie! 


Overall, I would give How to Train Your Dragon 2 a 10/10.  It was very well-thought-out and I hope the third one is as well-made as the first two were!  Have any of you seen HTTYD 2?  Plan to see it?? 

Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxy

Hey everyone!  I know, I'm dreadfully slow at getting this review up, but this is the review for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy movie, plus the Blu-Ray extras. 
I'm not going to go into detail about it, just in case someone hasn't seen it yet - just covering the general summary. 

The Movie:
Guardians of the Galaxy is an intense movie with incredible graphics.  The CGI is strong in this one.  The movie is about Peter Quill's origins as Starlord, and how the Guardians of the Galaxy were formed.  Gamora, Groot, Rocket the Raccoon, and Drax the Destroyer are all in the movie as well.  Lee Pace as Ronan the Accuser (seeing Lee Pace go from the Elven Thranduil in The Hobbit movies to a blue-skinned terror known as Ronan the Accuser was..interesting!)  and a few others are the villains in this film. 

The movie follows the not-so-orthodox team as they assemble and go on a dangerous mission to keep the entire galaxy safe.  That's not the easiest task, obviously! 

The casting: 
Couldn't have been better.  Chris Pratt is Peter Quill.  Zoe Saldana plays an excellent Gamora.  Dave Bautista is perfect for Drax.  And Vin Diesel..."I am Groot". 

The CGI: The CGI in this movie is impeccable.  Most of this movie is probably CGI, with the exception of a few scenes.  I'd like to know how long it took them to make this movie!  Whew.  I thought the graphics might be a little crappy in the movie, seeing as there's just so much of it, but they pull it off incredibly well and make you feel as if you're right in these strange planets with everyone else! 


The Soundtrack: 
I....I'm hooked on a feelin'...that this soundtrack is as good as the rest of the Marvel movies.  Seriously, I give up even trying to rate the soundtracks for these Marvel movies because they're all so good!!!  While it might not be *as* good as Henry Jackman's for The Winter Soldier or Big Hero 6, it's still great!

The Content: Here's where we hit a little bump.  I was a little surprised with how inappropriate Marvel was with the dirty little jokes.  Therefore, if you have kids and don't want them exposed to dirty jokes, you may want to skip this movie, unfortunately.  That's really the only issue with the movie.  Between the dirty jokes and the extreme usage of a few specific expletives, it's a bit disappointing. 

Overall: 
I would give Guardians of the Galaxy a 9/10.  If it weren't for the content, I'd be giving it an 11 out of 10! 
I still recommend it, however! 

Have you seen Guardians of the Galaxy yet?  What did you think of it? 

Blu-Ray Special Features list
On the Blu-Ray disc of this movie, you get quite a few special features. This includes:
--Avengers: Age of Ultron exclusive look (!!!!!)
--Audio Commentary
--Deleted Scenes
--Making-Of Featurettes
--Gag Reel

All of these special features are really great - especially the Making-Of Featurettes, if you're into learning how they make the movie.  I recommend paying a few dollars extra to see these features if you can't find them online!

Book Review: The Art of Big Hero 6

Hey everyone!  Today we'll be looking at The Art of Big Hero 6.  It's really a great book and my pictures/description just doesn't do it justice. 

When you take the dust jacket off, the hardcover is black with BH6 printed on it, like so. 

The concept art in the front of the book. 

It's laid out almost like a comic book with the text boxes and the text font used.  It's really neat!  They also include a list, not show here, of all the artists whose work is displayed in the book.  It's a long list.  Really super long. 

"The World of Big Hero 6" is a really big section in the book.  It covers the designs for SFIT, San Fransokyo, apartments, the Lucky Cat Cafe, Krei's buildings, so on and so forth.  There's a lot of structural/architectural things covered in the book. 

The page announcing the section "The Characters of Big Hero 6" displays the team with and without their superhero suits. 

...And they also include other concept ideas; a lot of them.  Almost all the characters are covered in the book.  All of the team characters, Tadashi, Aunt Cass, Krei and Callaghan, Baymax, bot-fighters, etc.  They have a lot of really, really neat information about how the tech in the movie works.  This includes Baymax and his charging station, Wasabi's lasers, Honey Lemon's purse, etc.  As a person who always asks "why" and "how", I loved these sections because they explained how fictional sci-fi stuff could work!  It's SO COOL. 

The "Cinematography" section covers a lot of different things such as color keys and mood with color, but it also includes information on an all-new technology that Disney used for the first time with Big Hero 6.  The program enables a photograph to be rendered into an animated movie; can have one light source listed and it will display a lighting key, etc.  I can't really explain it well, but it's fascinating and it's amazing how far animation has come! 

Examples of the parts in the book that describe how something works.  Wasabi's lasers, in this case.

Back concept art. 

Back of the book's dust jacket. 

I highly, highly recommend The Art of Big Hero 6.  It's very nicely done and has a plethora of information, be it how things work or different concept art.  A lot of the characters could have looked very different, so it's really interesting to see how the characters developed over time.  I have to give it a 10/10. 

Is anyone planning on getting The Art of Big Hero 6?  Has anyone read it already? 

Book Review: Big Hero 6 Junior Novelization

Hey guys!
Today I have a book review for Big Hero 6's Junior Novelization. 

It's much like the Tangled and Frozen Junior Novelizations in the fact that it's very close to the movie, but also has some additional information you don't get in the movie. 
I read the entire thing (over 100 pages) in one sitting and could not put it down.  If you enjoyed the movie, you'll enjoy this little book! 

In the middle of it, there's a little insert with full-color pages.  It has information on team Big Hero 6, with information on each team member's strengths and weaknesses, etc. 
I don't want to go into too much detail about the book, because it has spoilers and I'm trying not to post any Big Hero 6 spoilers on here until the movie's out on DVD. (It's out Digital HD on Feb 7 and on DVD+Blu-Ray Feb 24th.)  
It's a great little book and if you didn't get a chance to see Big Hero 6 in theaters, the book's a great way to get the plot down, at least, and it's a good read!

While I'm at it, I might as well let you all know that the Collector's Edition DVD for Big Hero 6 is out on pre-order from the Disney store: Digital +DVD+Blu-Ray plus free lithographs for $24.95 pre-order price.  I'll be reviewing once I get my copy in the mail!

PLUS, DisneyStore.com is offering free shipping on all orders today only with the code FREESHIP.  

Happy New Year!

Hey everyone!
I hope you all have a happy and safe New Year! 

2014 was kind of a crazy year, and I can't say I'm sad to see it go.  In retrospect, though, God knew what He was doing and He kept me safe.  I'm going into 2015 with a lot less friends/acquaintances than I went into 2014 with.  While I at first didn't see the reasoning behind why everyone seemed to be moving on and leaving me behind, I now see that God knew what He was doing and was protecting me from bad influences and letting those who didn't really need me anymore go.  I now see why each and every one of those people entered my life and why they left my life, and I'm thankful for all of them, as well as for God showing me the way and helping me through some very long nights.
I'm hoping 2015 is an awesome year and I'm hoping to focus more on God and I hope to trust Him more than I did this year.  After all He's done for me, though, it's hard not to trust Him and know that He's got this.  All of this.  This year, I'm also hoping to publish my first book, but we'll see how that goes. 

I hope you all have a blessed 2015 and I hope to talk to you guys soon!