Top Ten Movie Heroines

So earlier this week I did my top ten favorite movie heroes so now it's the girls turn. A few will be from t.v shows/books but they are so cool I had to add them. :)












My all time favorite heroine would be the awesomely amazing Siri Tachi! :D I've liked her since I read Secrets of the Jedi back when I was eleven. The main reason I like her so much is because she's really, really cool and the fact that she is a lot like me in personality. We are both tomboyish, stubborn, headstrong, yet rule following; she followed the rules more so when she was younger but she always stayed a true Jedi. She is also a really awesome fighter and very powerful in the Force. I also like the fact that she has a kind, sensitive side since it makes her more realistic and human. :D So yes, I would definitely say we are similar. :) And is it just me, or does Dianna Agron sort of look like Siri?(especially with her hair long).









My second favorite would be Jaina Solo, the only daughter of Han and Leia. When I was younger Jaina was my biggest hero and I still very much love her character; she's one of my favorites :D. She's tomboyish, she's good with the Force, lightsabers, and machines and really knows her stuff. I also loved her personality and her humor, especially when she picked on her twin brother, Jacen. >:)







Next on my list is the shield maiden Eowyn from the LOTR trilogy. Eowyn is a very cool female character, especially considering the time period she was created in. Eowyn is a very powerful fighter and can take care of herself. I love how she disguises herself as a guy and goes to battle with the others in Rohan; the scene with her and the nazgul and the 'I am no man' part are AWESOME! :D Eowyn is definitely one of my favorite characters in LOTR.





Hermione Granger has been my favorite Harry Potter character since I read the first book way back when I was nine. I loved how she was a very powerful witch, almost a prodigy of sorts, and a very smart individual. The main characters even say that they wouldn't last two seconds without her. I enjoyed how she was able to do spells that most people her age weren't able to do yet and how well she was at dueling. I also really loved her personality and how she grows as a character throughout the books/films. I relate to her character very easily and I enjoy her in both mediums(books and films). Emma Watson played the part wonderfully and really brought the character to life in the films.





Buffy Summers from the television series "Buffy the Vampire slayer" is one cool heroine. The star of the show, Buffy is the chosen Slayer, the girl who is born to protect the world from the vampire and the demons who threaten it. Buffy is a very powerful, very intelligent fighter. She gets better with every season and, with the help of her friends, defeats evil in all corners of the town of Sunnydale in which she resides. She's a really great character and the actress who portrays her(Sarah Michelle Gellar) does a fantastic job on her. :)





Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender. One of the many reasons I like Katara is one, she won't let anyone treat her horribly(like when she stood up to the sexist water bending Master) and how good of a fighter she is, especially as the seasons progress. I like how she is a caring, kind individual who can kick serious butt.




Toph Bei Fong is a very, very awesome heroine in the t.v series "Avatar: The Last Airbender." What I really like about her character is how she is able to overcome her blindness and can 'see' with her feet and teach herself how to earth bend. She is easily one of the best fighters on the show; she's a bit of a prodigy actually. I love her tomboyish, tough attitude and her sensitive, child-like side of her character. Also, she has a lot of hilarious comebacks to all the characters in which she interacts with and is very funny. :)


Katniss Everdeen is definitely a very realistic heroine. She can fight, can take care of herself, yet is very human and you can see that she is just a sixteen year old girl with a lot of responsibility on her shoulders. Her character was one of the main reasons I liked the book series and is very well done and easy to sympathize with.


Of course I couldn't forget Padme Amidala from the Star Wars Prequels. Padme is a very strong, capable woman and can take care of herself in a fight and is one of the better politicians in the Star Wars Senate. I enjoyed her greatly in TPM and AOTC since she was just so awesome(especially in the arena on Geonosis. She's SO good!). In ROTS it was a little disappointing that she didn't do much but then she was pregnant and during that time it's hard to do much of anything. But overall, Padme is an amazing character who has a great personality and awesome fighting abilities.


Mulan from the Disney movie of the same name is my favorite Disney female lead. I love how she takes her lame(as in he has to use a crutch) father's place in the army because she doesn't want him to be killed. She is a very brave girl and even though she doesn't start out that good of a warrior, she becomes to be a great one and ends up saving all of China. She is a very inspiring figure and a hero. :)

Hope you enjoyed this post :D
Have a good rest of your day and May the Force be with you! :)
Jedi Shena Tokala out

From the holo-diary of Aran Liander: Jedi Apprentice

981 ARR

The nightmares just get worse.
Before the war ended, I looked forward to it; now however, I wish it was going on still. I've dealt with nightmares before and had thought they were bad but the ones I have now are like nothing I could ever have imagined. I see all the grisly horror of Order 66, the death of my Master, the subsequent suffering on Coruscant over and over again. I would do anything to make it end, to turn back the clock to the day Palpatine took office and somehow stop it from occurring or let on of his assassination attempts succeed. I know, I know it's wrong. But..but I can't let go of it. I don't even know if I want to.
I wake up every night in a sweat; spats of blood clotting my vision in such vivid splotches that I sometimes think I actually have it flooding over my eyelids in a torrent of scarlet.
Okay that was just disturbing, but it's true. After the bloody mist fades, the shaking comes; everything trembling as if I was being electrocuted by Sith lightning. I feel dead, more dead than I'd ever felt before. If I had been empty before the war, then I was a void of nothingness now.
But I won't despair, even with nightmares and darkness and Sith bombarding me from every which way. I just need to figure out what to do. The stormtroopers are on my tail; they've been following me for the last three days and I worry that I'll cry out in my sleep and they will hear me and take me away before I can defend myself. I might head to the lower levels but they would find me anyway. I need a way to hide in plain sight and I think I know how; I will pretend to be a war orphan and live with a family. My Master...would want me to be safe and that's what I will do.
I promise to uphold the Jedi Code forever and always and no matter what the Empire or the Sith throw at me, I shall remain a Jedi. I shall honor my fallen order and my dear Master.
I must move forward because if I don't...then I'm just as empty as a crushing black-hole.
I know I should get up and follow through with my plan but I don't want to move, don't want to make the effort to follow through with my plan or do anything at all. The nightmares that haunt my slumbering hours also haunt my waking ones. And even as I tell myself I should have hope, I can't seem to believe it; because the horrors are sometimes too much and it seems like hope has died along with my Master, friends, and comrades.
But I'll make myself believe it since hope is all I have left.
May the Force be with you until time's tapestry unravels and all falls away.
And let the Jedi return once more. The Force are all I shall live for from now on. As well as fulfilling my Master's dying desire; for me to stay true to the Force and the Code and to remain alive.
To all my dead brothers and sisters, farewell and rest in peace. I will restore what you lost. What we all lost.
Aran Liander

I apologize for any misspellings of grammar mistakes. Oh, and the story is going to be taking a very drastic turn in my next post :D

Hope you enjoy and May the Force be with you..Always
Jedi Shena Tokala out

Top Ten Movie Heroes

Kayla at Jedi Filmaker and James at JandJ Productions did this challenge on their blogs and I thought it looked like fun so I thought I'd give it a try. I'll do my Top Ten Movie Heroes now, then I'll do my Top Ten Heroines and ten top villains later this week. :) I few will be from t.v shows instead of movies but they are so cool I had to add them :)












My top hero would be, of course, the great Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi. I have a lot of reasons to why I like him,
First off is his character or in other words, personality. In my opinion, he IS the ultimate Jedi; he followed the Code, had great compassion, and was able control his emotions but still feels(I think he felt very deeply, that was why he had to have such control over himself, so that he could do his duty as a Jedi). He also embodied the virtues of the Old Order - steadfastness, selflessness, and modesty. He is a very strong person(mentally and physically) and is able to deal with loads and loads of pain and guilt that no one should have to bear; yet he always stays true to the light side of the Force. He, of course, has his flaws, but on the whole I find him to be one of the strongest, kindest, most loyal, people out there.
He was also a very powerful Jedi- he defeated a Sith as a Padawan learner, resisted a mind wipe at the age of thirteen by building barriers around his mind with the Force(something only a Jedi Master should be able to do), he defeated Grievous, and he defeated The Chosen One in his prime. His lightsaber skills are amazing to watch and I love his form which is called Soresu.
Another thing I love about Obi-Wan are his relationships with different characters. His relationships with others are one of my favorites things about Star Wars, they're so complex, loving, and heart-breaking.
My favorites are: His relationship with Anakin which I see as a triple bond- that of a father and son, that of best friends, and that of brothers. It's a very strong relationship, and it is so tragic when it ends. :( His relationship with Qui-Gon which is that of a father and son. I love it how close they are. They really got along well and it's very sad when Qui-Gon died. :( And his relationship with Siri is one of the only romances I actually like(I'm not that big of a fan of romance). It's interesting, realistic, and very sweet. I love them together. For me, that is the only pairing for Obi-Wan I believe is canon.
He is also very handsome. Sorry for rambling I just really like him.




My second favorite hero is Luke Skywalker, son of the fallen Chosen, savior of the Rebellion, the Republic, and the Jedi Order. I like Luke for many reasons; he's easy to relate to, he's got such a forgiving soul, had a pure heart, and he was a Jedi to the bone. He was able to withstand the temptation to turn to the darkside and saved his father from the dark side and thus helped save the galaxy. He also helped rebuild the Republic and brought the Jedi Order back. He was a great man as well as a great Jedi. I absolutely loved his scene at the end with Vader; that whole section at the end makes ROTJ my second favorite Star Wars film. Plus he looks really cool in his black jumpsuit and X-Wing jumpsuit(I need to make cosplay costumes for those outfits someday).





Next on my list is Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, Master to Obi-Wan and finder of The Chosen One. He was a very calm, very powerful Jedi who had the courage to stick to what he thought and had the loyalty to remain in the Jedi Order; unlike some other maverick Jedi, he remained deeply rooted in his Jedi upbringing, even if he disagreed with the Council on some matters. I really see him one of the best Jedi ever and he was a very brave, very good man. :)





My next choice is Anakin Skywalker. Yes, he goes evil, but before that he was definitely a hero. Remember that quote from The Dark Knight about dying a hero or living long enough to see yourself become the villain; that kind of reminds me of Anakin a little bit. I thought that Anakin was a very brave, very caring person who had some major issues that were never worked through like they should have been.
Another reason he is on my list is that I can relate to him and I find his character very interesting and very tragic. :(




Samwise, or Sam, Gamgee - the most brave, loyal character in the entire LOTR epic. He stayed with Frodo until the end, was brave and strong even when he felt he couldn't, and was one of the few with the metal strength to give up the ring. He was also very smart, resourceful, and caring. And his friendship and dedication to Frodo was very powerful; who can forget when he carried Frodo up the Volcano to the very maw of Mount Doom? He was definitely one of the biggest heroes in LOTR.




Frodo Baggins, the main protagonist of LOTR and a very brave, resilient man/Hobbit.
He had to carry the burden of the Ring and continued on even when all hope seemed lost. He was very brave in that he was willing to forgo everything in his life to destroy the Ring and save the world.




Harry Potter. Harry is definitely a very brave, compassionate, and selfless person. Even at a young age, he was willing to risk his life for others. Even with his great heroics, he was still a tween/teen aged boy and that's what makes him so great. I like how realistic he is, and how, even though he had problems, and sometimes uncontrollable emotions, he's able to brave it out and comes through at the end a man who never lost his goodness or his goal.




The character of Angel is from the television series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and its spin-off "Angel." Angel is such good character on those shows! He is a vampire who is good, though the reasoning behind why he is good is a very cool, well thought out one and it makes complete sense. He is a good, compassionate person and a heck of a fighter; especially on his show. I like his personality, his humor, and his selflessness. He sticks to his morals and genuinely wants to help those in need.
Oh and I love his line "Can you fly?" in the first "Angel" episode; hehehehehe >:)




Another hero I really like is Avatar Aang from the t.v series "Avatar: The Last Airbender." He is a very compelling character who grows much over the course of his story and grows into a mature, though still child-like, very powerful bender. His fighting style is very cool, especially once he's learned all four elements. I also really like his character and like his desire to refrain from killing at all costs. Warning, the next one will give some minor spoilers for the t.v series.


Zuko is also a character from Avatar: The Last Airbender. He starts out as an antagonist to the heroes but he has a good side and is definitely not an evil individual. His growth over the show was awesome to behold and I loved watching him grow as a character. He's amazing in season 3 and his fighting is great, especially in the third season finale.

Well, hoped you enjoyed the post. I'll be doing my top ten heroines and top ten villains later this week.
Hope you enjoy the rest of your day and May the Force be with you..Always :)
Jedi Shena Tokala out

Stereotypical tag post

I saw this on Autumn's blog "An Autumn Day" and thought I'd give it a try.
Just so you know, I have a very big dislike of stereotyping people but in something like this it's okay.


My tom-boy side
[X] I love hoodies.
[x] I love jeans.
[] Dogs are better than cats.
[] It’s hilarious when people get hurt.
[X] Shopping is torture
[] Sad movies suck
[] You own a car racing game.
[] You played with hot wheels cars as a kid.
[] At some point in time you wanted to be a firefighter.
[x] You owned a ds, ps2, ps3, n64, or sega.
[] You used to be obsessed with power rangers.
[x] You have watched sports on tv.
[X] Gory movies are cool. (well, ACTION and fighting movies are cool. I don't like horror)
[x] You go to your dad for advice.
[x] You hate drama.
[] You own like a trillion baseball caps.
[] You used to collect hockey cards.
[X] Baggy sweats are cool to wear.
[] It’s kinda weird to have sleepovers with a bunch of people.
[x] Green, black, red, blue, or silver are one of your favorite colors.
[x] You love to go crazy and not care what people think.
[x] Sports are fun.
[] You talk with food in your mouth
[] You sleep with your socks on at night.
My girl side
[] You love to shop.
[] You wear eyeliner.
[x] You wear the color pink.
[x] You go to your mom to talk.
[] You consider cheerleading a sport.
[] You hate wearing the color black.
[] You like going to the mall. (I only like going there for the bread pretzels and the layout at the one I go to is cool looking)
[] You like getting manicures and/or pedicures.
[] You like wearing jewelry. (YUUUUCK!)
[] You cried watching the notebook (I haven't seen this movie and I don't think I ever will)
[] Dresses are a big part of your wardrobe.
[] Shopping is one of your favorite hobbies.
[] You don’t like the movie star wars (WHAT? *starts chasing people who don't like Star Wars with a plastic lightsaber*)
[x] You are/were in gymnastics. (I used to do it when I was younger
[] It takes you around one hour to shower, get dressed, and make-up.
[] You smile a lot more than you should.
[] You have more than 10 pairs of shoes.
[x] You care about what you look like. (Of course, everyone does to a certain extent)
[] You like wearing dresses when you can.
[] You like wearing high heel shoes.
[x] You used to play with dolls as little kid.
[] You like putting make-up on others.
[X] You like being the star of everything. (I used to do this a lot when I was younger. I don't do it so much now)
Appearance
[] I am shorter than 5′5″.
[] I have many scars.
[] I tan easily (used to anyway).
[] I have green eyes (they are hazel, which is pretty close)
[] My eyes change color
[] I have blue eyes
[] I wish my hair was a different color.
[] I have friends who have never seen my natural hair color.
[] I have a tattoo.
[x] I am self-conscious about my appearance.
[] I’ve had/have braces.
[] I’ve been told I’m attractive/pretty/beautiful by a complete stranger.
[] I have more than two piercings. (piercings? ew :p)
[] I have/had piercings in places besides my ears.
Experiences
[] I’ve gotten lost in my city.
[x] I’ve seen a shooting star.
[x] I’ve wished on a shooting star.
[x] I’ve seen a meteor shower.
[X] I’ve gone out in public in my pajamas(it was for a play performance. We came to the show in pajama pants).
[] I’ve pushed all the buttons on an elevator.
[] I’ve been to a casino.
[] I always get mistaken for much older than I actually am. (actually with me it's the other way around. People think I'm younger than I really am.)
[] I’ve been skydiving.
[] I’ve gone skinny-dipping.
[] I’ve drank a whole gallon of milk in one hour.
[] I’ve crashed a car.
[] I’ve been skiing.
[X] I’ve been in a musical(I've been in a lot and they are really fun).
[x] I’ve caught a snowflake or snow on my tongue.
[] I’ve seen the northern lights.
[] I’ve sat on a rooftop at night.
[x] I’ve played a prank on someone.
[] I’ve ridden in a taxi.
[] I’ve seen the rocky horror picture show.
[X] I’ve eaten sushi.
[] I’ve been snowboarding.
Honesty/Crime (LOL!)
[x] I’ve done something I promised someone else I wouldn’t.
[x] I’ve done something I promised myself I wouldn’t.
[] I’ve snuck out.
[] I’ve lied to my parents about where I am.
[X] I’ve cheated while playing a game(I was LITTLE when I did that :p I don't do that anymore, though).
[] I’ve run a red light.
[] I’ve witnessed a crime.
[x] I’ve been in a fist fight(well, sort of).
[] I’ve been arrested.
Random
[X] I can sing well (I've been told I can)
[] I've stolen a tray from a fast food restaurant.
[] I open up to others easily.
[] I watch the news.
[] I don’t kill bugs.
[x] I sing in the shower.
[X] I am a morning person.
[] I've been abused
[] I paid for a cell phone ring tone.
[] I am a sports fanatic.
[] I twirl my hair.
[x] I care about grammar.
[] I have “?”s in my screen name.
[] I’ve copied more than 30 cd’s in a day.
[x] I bake well.
[x] My favorite color is either white, yellow, pink, red, blue, black, purple, or orange.
[] I would wear pajamas to school
[] I like Martha Stewart.
[] I know how to shoot a gun.
[x] I laugh at my own jokes.
[] I eat fast food weekly.
[] I’ve not turned anything in and still gotten an A in a certain class
[] I can’t sleep if there is a spider/cockroach in the room.
[x] I am ticklish.
[x] I love white chocolate.
[] I bite my nails.
[x] I’m good at remembering faces.
[x] I’m good at remembering names.
[x] I’m good at remembering dates.
[] I honestly have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life(I DEFINITELY have a good idea of what I'm going to be doing. Mwhahahaha)

Tomorrow I'm going to do my Top 10 favorite movie heroes/heroines/villains post(though I will break it up into three sections).

Hope you enjoy the rest of your day and May the Force be with you..Always
Jedi Shena Tokala out

Favorite Song Monday

Sorry for posting late, it's been a bit of a long day.
Today's song is "Faith of the Heart" by Russell Watson and is one I really love listening to; it's another one of those songs that I can really relate to and it's a very happy song so that's a plus :)



There was a really good video for this song but it was taken off YouTube a year ago and there aren't any videos Star Wars related that go to this song :(

Hope you have a good rest of your day and May the Force be with you...Always
Jedi Shena Tokala out

The Hunger Games movie review

WARNING SPOILERS!
I got back from this film awhile back and I really enjoyed it. I had enjoyed this trilogy of books and I had looked forward to the film adaption of the first installment since I first heard they were going to make a film of it. As I saw who they were casting for the many parts, I became slightly wary; the girl playing Katniss, I felt at first, was way too pretty for the role and before I heard they were dying her hair brown, I was worried she would look wrong. However after seeing the preview, I knew that the movie was going to be good.
I wont explain the plot line of the film since you've probably heard it before. I felt that the movie stayed pretty close to the book, with only a few minor details changed(though, I haven't read the book in about two years, but I did some refreshers of the story, so I remembered more than just the rough plot line). '
My favorite part of the film, as well as the book, was the characters. Katniss was always a very intriguing, very well done character; especially since I find most female characters leads lacking in personality. I also really liked Peeta; he was a very nice guy who had flaws but was an overall good person.
When the movie first started, I knew that Jennifer Lawrence was going to put on a stellar performance of our heroine. She was able to pull off the different aspects of Katniss, such as her tough side, her sensitive side, and her protective nature. Katniss is definitely a hard role to play and Jennifer Lawrence nailed it. My favorite acting moments with her were when Rue died and when she had her bow aimed at Cato at the end; her non-verbal acting in those scenes was very, very good.
I also really enjoyed Josh Hutcherson as Peeta. When I first heard he had the part, I was a little wary. I'd seen him in other films and I knew he was a really good actor but I didn't know if he could play the role correctly. Happily, I was proven wrong. Josh Hutcherson also nailed his role and I really enjoyed the scenes with him in it. The other actors did a very good job as well. Amandla Stenberg, even though she looked nothing as I imagined her, did really good as Rue; I actually teared up a little bit when Katniss sang to her and put flowers around her after she died.
The settings were really enjoyable to see; from the glimpses we see of 12, you could believe that this was a terrible poor place(it reminded me of Appalachia). The scene at the Reaping was also well done and the way the camera was positioned, it gave a very real sense of urgency to the scene. I also loved the way the arena looked; it looked a lot like how I imagined it from the book.
The action was well done but the idea behind the fight scenes(kids killing kids) made it not enjoyable at all to watch. Also, the camera shook so much during the fight scenes that you couldn't tell what was going on all that well.
The gore level was a lot lower than it was in the book, but I am glad for this since reading about something and seeing it actually happen are very different and anyway, the directors knew that a lot of young kids would come see it(I mean, there were several young children there when I saw it).

Overall, I greatly enjoyed the film and the message was a good one(which I will let you figure out on your own); though I wish it had been as prominent in the book.
It appears that they will be making films out of the sequels which I am looking forward to, especially "Catching Fire" which was my favorite out of the whole trilogy. I would definitely recommend this film to anyone over the age of thirteen and mature enough to handle the plot of the storyline and understand that what is happening to the main characters is wrong.
I do have something to say regarding the merchandising this movie has had. I hadn't really paid much attention to this until I read a review by Amaranthine(from the blog Amaranthine Forever) and it made me really think. Really, the whole merchandising of the film is like the capital's obsession with the Games; with everyone wanting to buy things like t-shirts and nail polish(really? seriously?) and wanting to be a tribute. If Katniss say all of this she would be mortified since the Games are not fun; people die and you have to remember, even as you read the book, that it isn't a game, just like war isn't a game. I guess Suzanne Collins' point has been made.


Katniss Everdeen in the tube right before she goes up into the arena


Katniss Everdeen


Katniss Everdeen


Peeta Mellark


Peeta Mellark(I love his expression here; very convincing)


Rue peeking around a tree


Rue during her Interview


The Careers: Clove, Cato, Marvel, and Glimmer


Clove


Cato


Foxface during her Interview


Gale (I'm actually not a big fan of Gale but in the movie he was a good character).


Primrose *Prim* Everdeen


Primrose Everdeen