Wreck-It Ralph

[Fairportfan]

Wow! Two movies in one week!

I used to hit at least one movie a week, back when the cost of a ticket was a smaller percentage of my income (especially when i had a 12-screen $1.50 second-run house right around the corner). But i'd fallen out of the habit.

I loved it. If i'd seen it not knowing that it was a Disney film, i wouldn't have been surprised to see a Pixar logo on it.

It's an interesting confection (and i'm using that term advisedly, given that at least half the film take place inside a game called "Sugar Rush"

Everything follows game logic.

And i'd be willing to bet that someone, somewhere at Disney, is a fan of The Mad Adventures of "Rabbi Jacob". And, obviously, Alien and Starship Troopers.

Ralph is, as necessary, a big not-very-bad bad guy who's tired of everyone hating on him. Fix-It Felix Jr is a bit of a nerd, an all-round nice guy, and just a bit behind the curve a lot of the time.

Jane Lynch's Sergeant Calhoun is just about perfect as a a certain type of Hollywood female badass. (One of the troopers from "Call of Duty" explains to Ralph {in so many words} that she has a tragic backstory.)

Alan Tudyk plays the Candy King (and the animators portray him) as a character Ed Wynn would have played fifty or so years ago in a live-action film.

Sarah Silverman's Vanellope von Schweet rides the edge of being so-cute-she's-seriously-annoying ... most of the time.

The point at which Ralph is convinced that the only way he can save Vanellope is to destroy her dream ... well, it hits the right note ... at least as far as i was concerned.

About three-quarters of the way through, we get handed the one piece of information that telegraphs what the ending will be and how the disparate story threads will be more-or-less neatly tied up. But the mechanics of that are enough fun that it's not too big of a problem.

It's worth staying for the end credits - at least through the first part, for some nice silliness. Thre is a little coda (not much) at the very end.

I watched the 3D version. The 3D was smooth and solid, and not really necessary ... though there were a number of places where they made good use of it.

I may go see it again, next week (in 2D) if i can persuade Kate to go along.

I liked it.

[Dave11]

My wife and I are huge Disney nerds - we saw it and loved it. Even the product placement made sense and wasn't too jarring. Shades of Pixar made sense as a lot of their staff was involved (Disney bought Pixar a while back, for those who didn't know).

Easily worth the money to go see. Looking forward to the Blu-Ray and hoping for a good game tie-in.

[Julie]

(Disney bought Pixar a while back, for those who didn't know).

Who hasn't been bought by Disney lately?

As for this movie, I desperately want to see it, but I'll probably have to wait for it to come out on Blu-Ray since my husband is not a fan of going to see "kid" movies in the theaters, and he's a sour-puss about me going out to entertain myself while he stays home with the puppy. Same story applied to Hotel Transylvania...and will apply to Rise of the Guardians...

Wow! Two movies in one week!

What was the other movie? Did I miss a thread for it?

[Atomic]

Loved it!

I (seriously!) would put it up there with Snow White. A lot of flash-and-glamour animations don't delve very deep into the characters problems and background, other than to get the gag set up for provide any sort of excuse for the current drama. This movie goes straight to the bone in a loving way. I mention Snow White (the original, not the current crap remakes) because the underlying themes are the story -- vengeance/delusion, honor/naivety, desire/manipulation, acceptance/rejection, and lots more.

And, if nothing else, it's a beautiful movie. The Sugar Rush world was every possible bit the fantasy land that Hero's Duty was nightmare.

I plan on seeing it again to catch all the cameos and backgrounders! Definitely worth the popcorn.

And the up front cartoon, Paperman, was a heart warmer, too.

Edit: Fairportfan - Thanks for remembering Ed Wynn! Had that image and voice, but couldn't remember the name! Spot on characterization.

[Fairportfan]

(Disney bought Pixar a while back, for those who didn't know).

Who hasn't been bought by Disney lately?

As for this movie, I desperately want to see it, but I'll probably have to wait for it to come out on Blu-Ray since my husband is not a fan of going to see "kid" movies in the theaters, and he's a sour-puss about me going out to entertain myself while he stays home with the puppy. Same story applied to Hotel Transylvania...and will apply to Rise of the Guardians...

Wow! Two movies in one week!

What was the other movie? Did I miss a thread for it?

No - that post was a reprint from the "Cineplex" thread at TheComfyCouch.

And the other was Skyfall on Saturday with Kate and her friend Jane.

Loved it, too.

[alj_ws]

My wife and I are huge Disney nerds - we saw it and loved it. Even the product placement made sense and wasn't too jarring. Shades of Pixar made sense as a lot of their staff was involved (Disney bought Pixar a while back, for those who didn't know).

Easily worth the money to go see. Looking forward to the Blu-Ray and hoping for a good game tie-in.

Well, if you can say bought when the Disney animation studios have become sort of an Emeryville annex and Lasseter and Catmull are in charge of both studios.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Eh, the only movie I'm waiting on is this December. Wherin a most unlikely hero embarks on a journey which has global and unforeseen consequences which vastly outstrips the importance of the rest of his journey there and back again.

And if you still do not know which movie I am referring to, then you should probably be ashamed of yourself and turn in your Geek Card.

[Jabberwonky]

I thought Obama got elected in November...

[lake_wrangler]

And if you still do not know which movie I am referring to, then you should probably be ashamed of yourself and turn in your Geek Card.

Do you always make a hobbit of belittling other people? Cutting them in half, I'd say... yep, you're halfling them with your cutting remarks...


*Drops one of the nine into the pun jar*

[Jabberwonky]

Ow! A Stinging remark...

(drops a WETA repro into the Vault of Doom)

[Atomic]

And if you still do not know which movie I am referring to, then you should probably be ashamed of yourself and turn in your Geek Card.

Do you always make a hobbit of belittling other people? Cutting them in half, I'd say... yep, you're halfling them with your cutting remarks...

*Drops one of the nine into the pun jar*

He's just being precious...

[Fairportfan]

Do you always make a hobbit of belittling other people?

Yes. Which is why i plonked him a while back.

[Julie]

Wow! Two movies in one week!

What was the other movie? Did I miss a thread for it?

No - that post was a reprint from the "Cineplex" thread at TheComfyCouch.

And the other was Skyfall on Saturday with Kate and her friend Jane.

Loved it, too.

Ahhh...my husband and I saw Skyfall Friday night...and then spent a three-day-weekend having a James Bond marathon with my early Christmas present (the 50th Anniversary box set of all the Bonds on Blu-Ray). In total, we watched 13 Bond movies last weekend. Skyfall is by far and away my favorite one now though. I'm trying to think of a way to convince the hubby to go see it in theaters again (since I'm the Bond fan...not him).

[Dave]

Do you always make a hobbit of belittling other people?

Yes. Which is why i plonked him a while back.

Did I just hear a "swoosh"?

[ShneekeyTheLost]

And if you still do not know which movie I am referring to, then you should probably be ashamed of yourself and turn in your Geek Card.

Do you always make a hobbit of belittling other people? Cutting them in half, I'd say... yep, you're halfling them with your cutting remarks...


*Drops one of the nine into the pun jar*

One Zing to rule them all...

*deposits one plain gold band into the pun jar*

[Fairportfan]

Do you always make a hobbit of belittling other people?

Yes. Which is why i plonked him a while back.

Did I just hear a "swoosh"?

Nope.

Well, probably not.

"To plonk" is a Usenet term of art referring to killfiles.

[Dave]

Nope.

Well, probably not.

"To plonk" is a Usenet term of art referring to killfiles.

Oh, I know... I've used the term myself for years.

What I was referring to, is the fact that lake_wrangler's message ("make a hobbit about belittling" was clearly punnish word-play, referring back to Shneekey's wordplay reference to "The Hobbit" (and thus halflings and "little people"), but your response appeared to be directed at a literal reading of his question, and missing the whole Hobbit movie reference.

I wasn't sure whether that was a deliberate "miss" on your part, or whether the context of the discussion had flown by you, unnoticed... which is why I asked whether I heard a "swoosh".

[Fairportfan]

Nope.

Well, probably not.

"To plonk" is a Usenet term of art referring to killfiles.

Oh, I know... I've used the term myself for years.

What I was referring to, is the fact that lake_wrangler's message ("make a hobbit about belittling" was clearly punnish word-play, referring back to Shneekey's wordplay reference to "The Hobbit" (and thus halflings and "little people"), but your response appeared to be directed at a literal reading of his question, and missing the whole Hobbit movie reference.

I wasn't sure whether that was a deliberate "miss" on your part, or whether the context of the discussion had flown by you, unnoticed... which is why I asked whether I heard a "swoosh".

Oh, i got the play on words, but methought i detected at least a bit of seriousness in it.

[lake_wrangler]

Oh, i got the play on words, but methought i detected at least a bit of seriousness in it.

Nope. Not in the least. Just punning, thank you.

[dadman]

I enjoy the awful (and artful) puns. Thanks for enlivening my morning.

I enjoyed Wreck-It Ralph, too. But what did you think of the animated short before the movie itself, Paperman? I thought it had just as much of an affectionate '50s Disney vibe as the choice of the Ed Wynn voice characterization.

Loved it, both storyline and art direction. And the fact that the whole story was told without dialogue made it all the more interesting. (And playable all around the world, too.)