Starbuck Review

Last night we watched a Canadian film by director Ken Scott called Starbuck. It is the story of David Wozniak, a habitual screw up, who finds out his sperm donations as a younger man were used to father over 500 children. Those children now want to know who their biological father is and are suing the fertility clinic to find out David's identity.

The rest of the movie is a load of laughs as David, played by Patrick Huard, decides if he wants to reveal who he is while trying to prove he is worth being in his girlfriend's life. David is a sympathetic character and his efforts to learn more about these children he fathered and his interactions with his best friend lawyer are hilarious. The lawyer, portrayed by Antione Bertrand, practically steals every scene he is in. In all, Starbuck is amusing and fun without sex and with relatively few cringe-worthy moments.

The film is in French, so if you don't care for subtitles you may want to wait for the English-language remake starring Vince Vaughan, Delivery Man, coming in November 2013 and also directed by Ken Scott. Additionally, it can be a little odd to see people speaking French while wearing clothes depicting American sports teams. I, however, liked the old school San Diego Padres baseball cap.

This is a feel good movie right up there with The Intouchables. It is out on DVD through Netflix and other sources and you should see it. I imagine that it will be the better of the two versions when the remake comes out (the remake will likely be more slap-stick than Starbuck). Well worth your time, Starbuck gets 5 Mick Happies. To quote my wife, "It is so nice to watch a good movie".

A Kingdom for Keflings (Xbox 360 - XBLA) Review

For this review of A Kingdom for Keflings from NinjaBee on the Xbox 360, I have to start by stating that I have never played the game. However, I have watched my daughter play for hours and as such feel I can provide a good indication on how good the game is.

A Kingdom for Keflings is a kingdom (city) building simulation where you play a giant (either a character from the game or your own Xbox Live Avatar) help a small race of people, Keflings, build their kingdom in a peaceful little valley. The game revolves around assigning the Keflings to various tasks of collecting resources or working in the various buildings that you make for them.

In A Kingdom for Keflings, you are responsible for assigning each Kefling to their particular role and training them on how you want it performed. Want them to cut wood and take it to the lumber mill, you can do that. Training is done through picking up the Keflings (they sometimes scream when you do) and carrying them to where you want them to work. You also have the option of drop kicking them there too. Once placed, a light bulb comes up over their head indicating that they get the training and then begin performing their task.

A well developed Kingdom

The goal of the game is to create a castle and set one Kefling up as King or Queen. To get there, you will need lots of resources and will have to complete a sizeable building tree (think technology tree). To get some buildings built, you will need the output of others, creating a large infrastructure of resource movements and Kefling activity to get to the later buildings.

The game is cute and straightforward and fun. My daughter has spent hours building up her little village and getting closer to the castle. For her, this is the first Xbox game she thinks she will be able to complete all of the achievements. The base game isn't hard and there is a sandbox mode for those who just want to build the perfect kingdom for their people. There is also downloadable content for more kingdoms to build (some intending to provide a harder challenge).

For those who like building simulations and placing their homes and industry in all the right places or just bossing around people smaller than yourself, A Kingdom for Keflings is a great way to relax. I almost forgot to mention that the soundtrack is very nice, upbeat and takes a long time to get repetitive (at which point it will be stuck in your head). This is also a good entry point for those with younger children that you would like to expose to the real-time building strategy genre.

A Kingdom for Keflings has been around for a while, released for Xbox in 2008 and on Windows in 2010, but still fun. It is regularly $10 (800 MS points) on Xbox Live Arcade. If that is too much, it will probably be on sale on and off in the future. There is also a sequel available, A World for Keflings. Having watched my daughter enjoy herself with the Keflings, I can easily give A Kingdom for Keflings 4 Mick Happies. Go out there an get yourself from Keflings.

PC Trailer

Happy 4th of July

Independence Day here in the United States. A day off for most to spend time out of doors, usually with Fireworks. Our 4th has been spent walking a local cemetery full of veterans and others, many of whom died more than a hundred years ago. Some of the people buried there were even born before or during the fight for independence in the US. Quite an interesting experience.

Tonight we will watch National Treasure. You may argue whether or not it is a great film, but it is fun and one of those movies that when it is on you have to watch. It was the best holiday themed movie idea and with some popcorn and family, what could be better.

Here's hoping you have a good day wherever you are.