Wreck-It Ralph Review

Last week I received Wreck-It Ralph on DVD from Netflix. I thought it would be fun for my daughter and I to watch, but she begged off to play on her iPod (though she did sit with me for a while as I watched the movie). I think it may have been her loss as Wreck-It Ralph is a cute family friendly movie that pokes fun at video game tropes while entertaining kids and adults.

The main story is about Ralph, a typical bad guy from a circa-1980s video game machine. Ralph wrecks a building while the player controlled Fix-It Felix Jr. (who the video game is named for) tries to keep the building in tip-top shape. After the arcade closes each night, the characters in the video game go to their homes off-screen in the game or travel to other video games in the arcade to interact with other characters. Ralph is dissatisfied always being the bad guy, having no friends in his own game and having to live in a dump. He sets out to become a hero and get some respect.

The movie has cameos of characters from video games of the past (notably Q*bert) and the central hub where all of the games connect is clever. The plot has the usual hero's journey and Ralph finding out what matters most to him. Along the way Ralph gets to see other games, all of which feel like something you might find in a modern arcade (just as Fix-It Felix, Jr. feels like something you would have dropped a quarter for in 1985).

Rich Moore, who directed, and Phil Johnston and Jennifer Lee, who wrote the screenplay, have made a fun kids movie that drips with nostalgia for anyone who grew up in arcades. Wreck-It Ralph gets 4 Mick Happies. Now I need to go play a video game.

Game of Thrones Season 2 Review

I know, I know...I'm a little behind the times if I am just now commenting on Season 2 of HBO, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss'  Game of Thrones. The issue is a) I don't have HBO, b) I'm a slow watcher and c) HBO hasn't figured out that I would subscribe to them if they let me just subscribe through the HBOGO app. At any rate I have now seen Season 2 and have a few thoughts to share about the show my wife affectionately calls "Boobs and Dragons", which is probably due to her mainly only watching a few snippets of Season 1 that centered on those two things. At this point I am going to assume you know a bit about the books and not try to recap much of the earlier plot or remind everyone about the characters.

Season 2 follows the events of A Clash of Kings, book 2 of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. Here we see the fallout effects of Season 1 come to a head as 5 or 6 monarchs (actual, proclaimed or wishfully thinking they are) go about their regal business of trying to kill each other. Also included are a few good scenes beyond the wall. Though my favorite scenes involved Arya Stark (Maisie Williams), she does a good job with the role and has some choice scenes in Season 2.

To sum up the story, we see battles, more dragons, deaths, intrigue and betrayal. Everything that you should expect from this series. Watching Season 2 made me realize again how bad things are for most every character we meet. It also made me think on how few epic fantasy (medieval-themed) good TV and movies there are these days and how unique it makes this show. Yes, it isn't the same as the books. Yes, there are some slow places and missed beats but they are few. Probably the best thing I can say is as I finished the 10th episode I really wanted to go back and read the books to get more into the story.

I highly recommend seeing Game of Thrones Season 2 (or even 1 if you haven't already). I watched the show on DVD from Netflix. If you choose to buy the show, Amazon and iTunes both have the Season in standard definition for around $29, which will save you about $5 over the 5-disc DVD pack. Either way, go watch it and if you have HBO you can see Season 3 starting March 31 in the US. Four Mick Happies for Game of Thrones Season 2. Valar Morghulis.

George R.R. Martin signing books at Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego, CA (July 2011)

In case you haven't checked it out. My first post on the blog was about Season 1 of Game of Thrones, here is a link.

The Rook Review

Imagine you wake up in the rain surrounded by bodies all wearing latex gloves with no idea how you got there or even who you are. In your pockets you find a letter that claims it was written by who you were, telling you what to do. This is how The Rook, by Daniel O’Malley begins. What follows is a supernatural thriller and part detective story as Myfanwy Thomas (pronounced Miffany), the heroine of the story, tries to find out who she was (is) and who wants her dead.

The backdrop of The Rook is a secret government agency, called the Checquy, which deals with supernatural disturbances and threats to the United Kingdom.  Along the way we find many super-powered agents, uber-villians and a girl struggling to figure out who she is.

One of the things that really worked about this book was the device used throughout for Myfanwy’s former self to communicate to her via letters. This made info dumps more interesting while still pertaining to the rest of the story. As the book goes on you really begin to feel for former Myfanwy.

The book gets a little far out there at times with some of the strange powers and wild threats floating around the UK that the Checquy have to deal with. Overall, though, it is a fun ride and well worth checking out. The first draft of the sequel was recently completed and if you read The Rook, I am sure you will be waiting for it just like I am. The Rook gets 3.5 Mick Happies. Here is a link to the first four chapters of The Rook (oh and a trailer for the book as well).