That's just a sad truth of the radio biz, kids: there's not much money in sitting on your butt and talking.
But still, I have responsibilities and obligations, and at this time of year, that means getting the Christmas shopping done. This seemed like a good weekend to do it, and so I was off to the city!
High on my list was taking care of my nieces, so I was heading for Toys R Us. I've been told that one of my nieces is reaching the pony age that all little girls go through, so I was off to the My Little Pony aisle. I wanted to get in and get out quick, so I wouldn't be mistaken for a Brony. Far be it from me to criticize another's fandom, but I just think that middle aged virgins should stick to the Star Wars action figure aisle.
With that done, and the final names on my list checked off, I was in the mood for a movie. Not much out there right now that I want to see. I saw SkyFall a few weeks ago, and The Hobbit doesn't come out until next week, so I settled on Wreck-It Ralph. I'll admit, the trailers for Wreck-It Ralph weren't grabbing me. I had a similar issue with Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Yeah, I had an Atari when I was a kid, but I never graduated to a Nintendo or a SNES. I've just never been much of a gamer. So, I don't get all misty-eyed for The Legend of Zelda or Street Fighter II like some of my compatriots do. As such, the trailers for Wreck-It Ralph were just looking like Video Game Nostalgia: The Movie. But, I was reading lots of good reviews from the geek circles and the film websites, so I figured I'd give it a chance.
It all takes place in an arcade. After hours, all of the video game characters come to life and hang out with each other. Our hero is Wreck-It Ralph, the villain in a video game called Fix It Felix Jr. And Ralph is getting tired of being the villain and being hated by everyone and the dude just wants a little appreciation for what he does. So, these feelings make him decide to abandon his game and journey from game to game in a quest to prove himself a good guy for once. And his quest eventually leads him to a cart racer called Sugar Rush where he becomes the only friend and ally to a little girl, Vanelope Von Schweetz, who's going through pretty much the same thing he is.
The one review I read online that finally convinced me to see it was one that read, "In 2012, it's like Disney made the Pixar movie and Pixar made the Disney movie." And I totally understand that now. Brave follows Disney's "princess" formula pretty closely, and Wreck-It Ralph follows Pixar's "buddy movie" formula pretty closely as well. And since I'm programed to be a Pixar junkie, I wound up falling in love with Wreck-It Ralph. I found this movie to be surprisingly good. The friendships that form in this film, and the character development, it all seems genuine. I felt for these characters, and whenever a movie can make me do that, I regard that as a good movie.
As I blogged many years ago, seeing a good movie can be a great pick-me-up. And Wreck-It Ralph provided me with just the pick-me-up I needed to get through this holiday season. Granted, the season isn't done yet, but it's getting better.
One last thing I want to mention before I go. Perhaps the most subtle joke in all of Wreck-It Ralph. Way back in the early 1980s, when arcade games were becoming a thing, a duo called Buckner and Garcia recorded an album of novelty songs all about the video games of the era. It scored them the one-hit wonder, Pac-Man Fever. Well, for Wreck-It Ralph, Disney found whatever casino Buckner and Garcia are currently performing in and got them to write a song about Wreck-It Ralph. Just might be worth picking up the soundtrack for it.
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