Misc. Monday: Wreck It Ralph

Another week has just begun, folks. There are a lot of great reviews coming up this week, but for today I'm just going to share a few brief updates and a short movie review.

I Watch TV Now! Sometimes...

 

This season probably sets the record for the most shows that I've actively tried to follow at once. It used to be one. Now it's...five? I think there are five. Holy cow.

ABC's Once Upon a Time is probably the one that I look forward to the most right now. So far, I really like season 2. I appreciate the fact that it's gone in a different direction from season 1, that it hasn't started to feel formulaic. I really like most of the characters, and I like that the world feels big and it seems like they have loads of stories to tell. Is it kind of BS to have characters like Lancelot or Mulan or, God help me, Frankenstein in a fairy tale world? Yes, yes it is. But on some level, I don't care, because the show amuses me. That is all.

Supernatural is the stale bread of TV shows right now. It is no longer, and will never be as awesome as it once was...but it's still consumable. I've found season 8 at least passably entertaining, even though the overarching plot--Sam's normal relationship, Dean having been gone, blah blah--to be redundant of things hashed out in previous seasons, and just uninteresting overall, there are other things about it that I do like. I just hope they wrap up the show before it molds over completely.

Those of you who've been with me since last fall will remember that I had mixed feelings about Fox's Grimm. I still have mixed feelings. Some episodes are good, but some are far too procedural cop show for my tastes. But I like Monroe. And I'm intrigued by the royals, or whatever they are...

Speaking of procedural cop shows, masquerading as something more interesting...Beauty and The Beast is a thing now, again. The "Beast" is a guy who was given adrenaline based super soldier powers by the military, and is now in hiding. Beauty is a detective, but doesn't seem to be great at her job. It's honestly a bit of a train wreck, and boy is it cheese-tastic, but I'm going to keep watching it.

I've been watching Arrow, and it is also full of the cheese, but I do like it. It's basically a typical superhero story, but I like that sort of thing. Umm, the acting is kind of bad though.

Movie Review! Wreck It Ralph

 

Hubby and I knew we wanted to see this the minute we saw the previews. In sum, it's a story about video game characters, specifically Ralph, who is a bad guy that wants to be a good guy. So he leaves his game and goes to other games with the goal of winning a medal that will earn him respect and so forth...

What Worked In This Movie...

 

Ralph is likeable. The premise is likeable. You sympathize with his and you get emotionally invested in his desire for a less miserable life.

It was a lot of fun to see cameos from games that we know and love--Sonic the Hedgehog, Pac-man, and so forth. The references were fun. I got the feeling that the writers know and feel affection for video games, and for arcades, and for the era when such things were at their peak. I loved the attention to detail.

It's just a really happy movie. It made me smile. But, I mean, it's a kids movie, it ought to make you smile.

Except this part. Homelessness is a bummer.

 What Didn't Work

 

If I had to name a disappointment, it would be the amount of time they spend in the race game "Sugar Rush", with the little girl character, Vanelope (sp??). Yeah, she's cute, but I wanted to see more, different games. She kind of takes over the plot. It's not bad, but I can't help but feel that this movie would be so much better with less of her.

Recommendation

As such things go, I would recommend this movie. That is, if you like children's/family movies, this is a good one. I like gamers in particular will get a kick out of it.

That's all for now, fellow penguins. What have you been watching lately?

On Ripples: A Review of Hourglass by Myra McEntire

This was a book that I tried because I kept seeing it everywhere, and having tried it I decided to read it entirely. That was a month ago, so technically it took two attempt to actually read this book. Nonetheless, I did really enjoy it.

Emerson Cole is used to seeing people from other times. She's not sure if they're hallucinations or ghosts--she just knows that she sees what no one else does, and that it makes her feel crazy. Her brother calls in Michael, a consultant from a place called The Hourglass, to help Em manage her ability. Emerson is surprised to learn that Michael is an attractive college student with a similar ability, and that he needs her help. Together, Emerson and Michael have the ability to save a life and restore the world...or possibly destroy it.

Positive Comments

 

The characters are well written. Emerson is tough and smart, but has her vulnerable points too. Her abilities make her feel isolated. When she finally finds a purpose for them, her determination and her courage make her unstoppable. We don't get to know Michael quite as well, but I did like what I saw as far as he's concerned. I liked his sense of honor and his willingness to make sacrifices. I liked the connection between Em and Michael, and while I felt the relationship building needed some work, I did find the overall tone to be romantic.

I both love and hate the plot. I love the teens-with-superpowers gimmick, I think Michael and Emerson's specific abilities are intriguing. I loved the idea of trying to alter a really unpleasant reality. I loved that the author brought up both the logical and moral implications of trying to change one's circumstances. Just because you can change things, doesn't mean that you should. The consequences of altering things are very real and unpredictable. And so forth.

Critical Comments

 

Okay, now I have to get into a tiny

Spoiler, Shield Your Eyes!

 

This turns into a time travel book, with our heroes going back in time to save a man's life. We are specifically told that this is okay, only because certain circumstance mean that they can effect what happened without creating a paradox. At this point, I got nervous as a reader, because I know very well that time travel books tend to be (by their very nature) riddled with plot holes. The author of this book does a pretty good job,  and avoids some of the common plot hole pitfalls, but then at the end she kind of ruins it. She tears open some holes and creates some time lines, and now I'm concerned about how she'll explain it all in future books.

End Spoiler.

Mainly, my issue is that the author has been deliberately vague about how the powers work and what the rules are. I'm concerned that things will either remain vague (which would be annoying) or that upon further explanation, things will stop making sense.

Recommendation

 

If you like light science fiction, with a touch of romance and a great deal of heart, I recommend this book. It's a well crafted and enjoyable YA novel. 4 stars.

RP and EggJosh Vlog Review: Batman, Dark Knight Rises

We enjoyed our movie experience and we went home and made this vlog and went to sleep. When I came to this morning and decided to see who else had reviewed the movie, I was shocked when my search results turned up news of a massacre instead. I am so deeply saddened by that. My whole heart goes out to the victims and to their families. No happy night should ever be interrupted by senseless horror like that. I'm reminded today that there is real evil in the world. I am also reminded to appreciate my loved ones, my life, and these precious nights of happiness--because you never know when it could all be taken from you.

The Things I Read For Love: Captain America: Winter Soldier

Have I mentioned that I SUCK at reading graphic novels. It takes me hours and hours to get through books that your average reader can kill in one sitting. I'm a slow reader anyway, but graphic novels just kill me. All the pretty pictures activate some kind of latent ADD in my brain and I just space the heck out looking at them and I lose track of dialogue...So anyway, knowing how painful it is for me to read these things, you should never take a graphic novel recommendation from me lightly. I spent a lot of time with this book, and if I can still honestly type the words "I liked it," that means it's a good book.

Captain America: Winter Soldier is essentially the story of a prisoner of war. It's about how Cap's partner/sidekick, Bucky, was thought dead but was really captured by the enemy. The KGB finds him frozen, revives him, and decides to use him as a weapon against America and it's allies. They continually brainwash him and keep him on ice between missions so that he doesn't remember his previous life and loyalties...Except little things keep creeping back in, and he does start to question his orders. Then, Cap discovers the truth--that his old friend might be alive in some capacity--and he wants to save him.

Positive Comments

Captain America happens to be one of the super heroes that I really, really like, for a number of reasons. He represents, in my mind, that ridiculous overblown surge of patriotism that existed once upon a time (now seen only in brief glimpses), and to me there's a certain romance in that. I liked the movie, for example, because it had this hilariously uncomplex plot where Cap represents all that is good and American, and he fights the clearly evil Nazis and he wins. This book asks the question of how that exact character would fair in the modern world, having faced multitudes of personal tragedies. Suddenly the politics are more complex and things are less black and white. I liked the switch up.

This book really made me care about Bucky, if only for Cap's sake. It does a good job of convincing you that these two men were great friends, and that the loss of that friendship was devastating. With that in place, when Cap starts to realize that Bucky could be alive, but may have done some horrible things, you feel his conflicted emotions and his desire to fix everything.

Negative Comments

The art is kind of a mixed bag. There are times when the characters look too old and too rough. But I'm not expert in art, so take that with a grain of salt.

I really wanted more from the ending. I understand that this is part of a series, and not the complete story, but I was taken aback by the abrupt cut off.

The villain. God, I really can't seem to get behind comic book villains. Lukin comes across as a one dimensional guy who is already pretty evil, and then he gets kind of brainwashed into acting even less rational..yep, seen that before. And possessions and split personalities and all that crap. Bleh, boring, whatever.

Recommendation

So, yes, I would recommend this book. Even if you aren't too familiar with Captain America, there is enough of an intro to give context to the story, and the plot is interesting by itself. I found the entire story very engaging. 4 stars.

Misc. Monday: Super Heroes v.s. Less-Than-Super Heroes

http://gamingrockson.blogspot.com/2012/05/animecartooncomic-art-2-batman-gallery.html

As Josh and make our way through the Batman and Superman animated series, I'm struck by how much more I like Batman in general. It's tempting for me to say this is because Batman is so much darker and edgier, while Superman often has a campy tone. That reason is valid, but in truth my fondness for Batman has more to do with his humanity.

Batman has no super powers. He's basically an ordinary guy who trains really hard in mixed martial arts and bad assery. Sure, he's really rich and can afford all of the best gadgets, so not exactly your average Joe. But overall, his lack of supernatural/superhuman advantage keeps him more sympathetic, more likeable, and easier to relate to.

Extending this principle into my wider fictional preferences, I notice an interesting trend. I do tend, overall, to like underdogs and less-than-super heroes more than those with a ridiculous multitude of superpowers. Some of my very favorite leading men--Jamie Fraiser, of Outlander, Nora Robert's Quinn Brothers, Sam and Dean of Supernatural--are entirely human, and have to deal with whatever crazy crap is happening via wit and brute strength. I'm also deeply fond of characters with very limited powers--enough to keep them alive, not enough to make them Superman. Curran, of Ilona Andrew's Kate Daniel's books, has powers and is very strong, but in the context of that world his powers are exceptional. It's more his personality and leadership skills that make him the alpha. I enjoy the struggle, the adversity that they have to overcome to save the day, or the girl, or the orphan, or the basket of puppies that are in sudden peril.

For writers of PNR and urban fantasy, it must be tempting to gift your protagonist with whatever unreasonably fantastic super powers you can think of at the time. But if you do that, you run the risk of making him a godlike figure that no one can feel connected to. Superman is less interesting to me because he exists in a world of mere mortals, where any remotely challenging villain has to be a robot or an alien. So the general rule, for me, is this: the more powerful the hero, the more deeply twisted the world building needs to be. It's fine to have a super strong lion shapeshifter, if the world around him features magic and gods and vampires that eat people. Plop Curran in our world, and he'd still be sexy, but I wouldn't be worried or interested in what happens to him. Adversity is a vital story element.

Now I pass the ball to you guys: think of your favorite fictional heroes. How powerful are they, and how do their powers fit into the world around them? Do you find that you like the ubber-strong god types, or do you prefer them more human?

RP Goes to the Movies: The Amazing Spider Man

I want to explain to you guys where my head was at as I sat through this movie.

There was pretty much no food in our fridge on Monday. All day long, all I ate was a small peach and a cheese sandwich. You guys, I don't do hunger. I seriously become ill, which is bad because then I can't eat. Anyway, by 6pm when my dinner break at work rolled around, I was prepared to eat the fastest available thing, which happened to be a prepared deli sandwich. I bet you can imagine where this is going.

I was fine through the rest of work, at after when we got in line for the midnight showing of The Amazing Spider-man. I was happily drinking my soda (caffeine is non-optional at these things) and munching popcorn. I was tired (a whole day of moving followed by 8 hours of work), but functional. About halfway into the movie, I started to feel nauseous on and off.

Peter Parker was being an angsty orphan teen and I was holding my aching head and cursing God.

The lizard guy was being all lizardy and I was biting my tongue to keep from yawning.

Peter was flirting clumsily with Gwen Stacie and I  started to feel like my sandwich had betrayed me.

They shared a kiss and I was pretty sure that I was going to throw up.

The one thing that you shouldn't do, if you are planning on having a mild case of food poisoning, is try to sit through an action moving with stunts that involve swinging from roof tops. And you definitely shouldn't do so in a room full of unwashed folks of dubious character, because two seats down from me there was a guy who clearly had not bathed today, and maybe took a nice long jog outside in the 90 degree weather before coming to the movies. I think he was in league with the sandwich.

I want to say this very clearly: The movie was actually pretty good. What I was able to focus on, I found appealing. And I never lost track of the story, despite being ill, which tells me that the plot flowed fairly well.

Here's What I Liked About It:

• There's a shameful part of me that sort of enjoys teen angst (that's why I read YA), and this movie has that. The actor who plays Peter Parker pulled his character off very well. He's twitchy and awkward, but clearly smart. He has these amazing powers, but it takes time to learn to use them. He has cocky and humorous moments. He likes Gwen, but fluctuates between trying way too hard and stuttering. The contemporary YA fan in me eats that up like days old turkey on mildly stale wheat bread.
• It's a darker, more emotionally gripping telling of the Spider-man story than the previous movies. 
• I liked the effects (up until they made me all woozy). I like that they put the viewer in Spider-man's POV as he figures out how to swing and jump about. 
• I found the romance passably believable. Disposable, unnecessary, but believable.

Here's What I Did Not Like:

• The editing was a little choppy. This is one of those movies where the subplots had subplots, and in several instances it felt like the pieces were pasted together in the wrong order. Slightly.
• The villain was dis-interesting to me. His motivation is wanting to grow back a missing limb, so he injects himself with essence of lizard and...it makes him crazy. So predictable, and so unimaginative. But hey, it's a comic book movie.
• OMG the pseudo-science. I wish these movies would not try so hard to make the science believable. You can't. You have a giant lizard man in a lab coat. It's ridiculous. Just accept it, and don't stop to try to explain lizard biology to me.
• I did not like that on our way home, Josh had to slam on the breaks to avoid hitting a bunny, causing me to finally throw up the minute I got out of the car. I hope your happy, you stupid rabbit.
• I do not like turkey anymore.

So, in conclusion, it's a good movie that I would recommend to fans of comic book type movies. And fans of teen angst. I liked The Avengers slightly more, but that may be the turkey experience skewing my views. I definitely thought this was better than Spider-man 3. Overall, I'm glad they did a reboot. 

Reading Penguin Goes to the Movies: The Avengers

Those of you who have been reading for awhile know that my fiance is a big Marvel comics geek. The Avengers, which was a movie many years and 5 previous movies in the making, is something he looked forward to, possibly more than our wedding. That's what happens when you agree to marry a nerd.

We went to the midnight showing, of course. For those of you who have never done a midnight opening: It is a masochistic endeavor in which you buy tickets way the hell in advance, get in line with a bunch of other nerds where you stand or sit on hard tile for 2-6 hours, chug several energy drinks, and generally question the direction your life has taken. All so that you can see the movie the minute it is legally possible to do so.

Worth it?

The Avengers are a team of six ridiculously attractive superheroes who come together to fight Loki and his alien army. Or at least, that's what they do in this movie. You really do need to have seen all of the lead in movies to fully appreciate this one, though it's still a good movie on its own. Continuing the character arcs of Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, and Captain America, which began in their own movies, and introducing a bit of back story for Hawkeye and Black Widow, this movie is full of likeable and familiar characters. The actors really own their parts, and I had no solid complaints about any of them. Chris Evans is particularly spot on as the strictly patriotic Steve Rogers (Cap), and as always Robert Downey Jr. Is brilliant as the sexy, snarky playboy Tony Stark (Iron Man). Mark Ruffalo, new to the part to of Bruce Banner/Hulk, pulled it off effectively, and had great chemistry with the rest of the cast.

I loved the dialogue and the character interactions. You could tell the writers had a firm grasp on each personality and the ways they  would clash and work together. There's a lot of unexpected humor, and also a lot of heart.

The action was spot on, if for no other reason that you could actually tell what was happening the entire time, and it looked good. Too many movies (Transformers) lose their action to too much chaos and too little focus.

Comic book fans, superhero movie fans, all of you need to go see this movie. It's such a big, brilliant, well executed project. I had an insanely good time at this movie, and I think you will too.

Miscellaneous Mondays: Evening Edition

Those of you who have checked in for previous editions of MM probably know that I'm late today! Between tests, presentations, and papers I am absolutely swamped this week as we prepare for Thanksgiving break next week. I hope you'll forgive me if I'm not able to visit as many blogs as I normally do, but I promise to make up for it soon.

TV Talk

Really hilarious Supernatural this week! I always like the ones with a lighter, comical feel, and this one definitely delivered. I was amused by the addition of Garth to this episode, a character that I believe had been mentioned in passing but not previously seen.

I'm still keeping up with Grimm as best I can. It has the potential to be such a good show. This particular episode, though enjoyable, had it's issues. For one thing, it features bees that look so fake they are hard to take seriously. I know it's just a TV show, and budgets are limited and effects are tough. But yeah, it was a tough thing to look past. I also thought that the writers placed Nick in a pretty contrived situation and then had him make some remarkably questionable decisions. I'm not too upset though, the show still has a lot of room to grow in.

Once Upon a Time, on the other hand, still has me totally captivated. There are so many interesting stories to be told in the world that the show has set up. The one problem is, as Josh has pointed out to me repeatedly, the premise comes with an end date of sorts. The whole point is that eventually, all of the people who have forgotten their fairy tale origins will realize or remember them. At least, that's where I thought it was going. If/when that happens, the show can't really continue on in the same way. But, it's early in the running and who knows what will happen.

Lion King...In 3D!

We caved and went to see the Lion King at our local discount theater. For people my age this movie is extremely nostalgic, and being able to sit through it in a theater again brought back such awesome memories. Yeah, I know, it's a gimmick on Disney's part. And no, the 3D doesn't add anything. But it kept me entertained for an hour and change, so for me it was worth it.

Who Wants Superpowers?

Here are the results from last weeks poll! I'm a bit surprised at this one, because I would not have predicted telekinesis to win. Is it that people don't want to get up to retrieve the remote control across the room? I guess manipulating objects with your mind is pretty cool. If you got really good at it, you might be able to unlock vaults or make yourself levitate.

When it comes to reading, I love a character with superpowers. My philosophy toward it, though, has always been less is more. I think it's really interesting to take an otherwise ordinary character, give them one extraordinary power, and watch what they do with it. Jennifer Estep is doing a good job of this with Gwen from the Mythos Academy series: Gwen is psychometric. Everyone around her has crazy fighting skills, but she has only this unique psychic gift, and that puts her in some pretty interesting situations. Another good example is Mercy, from Patricia Brigg's series. She's just a shape-shifter, which is kind of rare but in no way makes her invincible or super special. Yet she accomplishes a lot with the abilities she has.

Does anyone want to share why their favorite superpower is the best? Leave a comment!

This week's poll is favorite pie flavor, because I love pie. Vote on the right side of your screen!

Don't forget to enter the 200 followers giveaway: Extra entries can be earned by tweeting or posting about it, so make sure you take advantage of that!

The Romance of Capes: Playing With Fire

The reason wives and girlfriends will agree to see this movie.

This week I will be leaving my isolated little igloo once again to see a movie, this time Captain America: The First Avenger. This is my fiance's pick, and since he was such a good sport about Harry Potter I'm doing what I can to get excited for it. I have seen a good number of superhero movies over the last several years. I've played a few of the video games (with very little skill). I can't seem to get into reading the actual comic books, nerd though I am. It's a shame because when it comes down to it, I really like the idea of masked crime fighters.

I've often remarked that superheroes and the heroes and heroines of urban fantasy have a lot in common. In both cases, you most often have an otherwise normal person who develops or discovers
superhuman powers. They learn to use those powers to apprehend/maim/kill the bad guy(s) and save the day. There might be a romance or romances. The only big difference is the clothes. Comic heroes get elaborate costumes and masks. Urban fantasy heroes wear a great deal of black and leather in the name of practicality (anyone who has ever actually worn leather knows that it's NOT practical, it is sweaty). Costumes function to maintain the heroes secret identity, and also serve as a symbol in themselves. Apparently maintaining an alter ego is not an issue in urban fantasy?

I really wish there were more novels that had that dramatic superhero feel. I want a book with masks and capes, over the top villains, sidekicks, illogical superpowers, and lots of gadgets. Recently, The Secret History of the Pink Carnation gave me the masks and the heroics, but it's not quite the same. So I've been searching for good superhero novels. While I dig through my TBR pile for possibilities (I have a few) I thought I'd share one that I read awhile back: Playing With Fire by Gena Showalter.

Basically it's the first person tale of Belle, an ordinary girl with a boring life, who unsuspectingly drinks a formula that gives her powers over the four elements. She is pulled into a world of paranormal wonders she never knew existed right under her nose. Rome, an agent of a paranormal organization, first hunts her to neutralize her but finds himself attracted to her and driven to protect her. Belle is being hunted by many people who want to use her new found powers for their own gains.

The best best things about this book--very cute, very funny, without being too sugery sweet. Belle is clumsy and emotional in the beginning, and seems like kind of a loser but with a good heart. She's so easy to relate to and that makes it all the more fun when she starts to grow both in the use of her powers and as a person. Rome was a very sexy counterpart, very likeable. There's also some interesting secondary characters introduced, such as Tanner the empath who becomes Belle's sidekick. Basically it's all the fun of a comic book but with a romance novel twist.

The negative part--it's a bit predictable. It doesn't have much in the way of truly original ideas.There's a great deal of exposition and world building, much of which is Rome explaining things to Belle. And while the humor is successful in it's own right, it sometimes detracts from the dramatic parts. It's a book that's hard to take seriously because it doesn't take itself seriously. 3 stars.

So there you have it. I wish that I had a five star example of superhero romance readily available, but I just haven't found one yet.