On the movie front, I redboxed Wreck-It Ralph Thursday night and had really high hopes. I haven’t ever been a huge fan of animated films as an adult. I’m not sure why that is. I hear rave reviews from others well out of childhood and get such high hopes never to have my expectations met. Jimmy loves animated movies and hates that I never want to see them. But I’m trying to put more of an effort in. The last animated film I saw in a theater was Wall-E which was okay but overly preachy.
I popped Ralph in and the first half of the movie bored me to tears. Not being a gamer (even in childhood I only played maybe 2 or 3 games regularly enough to remember), I just didn’t feel connected to that aspect of the movie. I needed something emotional to connect with and quickly or it was going to wind up a DNF. Thankfully, Ralph met Vanellope just in the nick of time.
Ralph is a game villian with a heart of gold who wants to be the good guy and win medals. Vanellope is a race car driver who can’t compete in her game because she has a glitch. The relationship that develops between Ralph and V is so well done, so sweet and touching that the movie’s first half was quickly forgotten. I loved the second half so fiercely that there might have been a tear shed. Also, Jane Lynch’s character was awesome even if her storyline seemed a bit forced and out of place.
As for the smaller screen, I recently started watching Bunheads. I always meant to watch this Gilmore Girls throwback, but not having cable I had to rely on a streaming service to offer it up for free. Obviously, as a GG fan from inception, Bunheads hits many of the right chords. The dialogue is sassy and fast, Michelle is a likable, flawed protagonist, the small town vibe and quirky characters reign supreme, and I adore seeing old friends again. Daddy Huntzberger cracks me up as a surfer dude.
While I don’t think Bunheads is nearly as brilliant as GG, there’s still plenty to love and plenty of room for growth. I’ll be watching as long as the show runs and can’t wait to see more guest appearances from GG alumni.
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