He's Not Bad. He Was Programmed That Way

One day, he thought it doesn't have to be that way anymore.

Wreck-It Ralph sounds like a Pixar movie. It's the video game version of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, with every character you remember from hours of Nintendo, Atari and eventually Playstation.

However, it's Walt Disney Animation who produced this great animated film. Ralph, the long-time bad guy of Fix-It Felix Jr., wants a little respect, and a medal. So, he heads off to other video game realms for a new life. After getting a medal in a first-person shooter game, it gets stolen by a bratty girl in another video game that's 90 percent sugar and ten percent anime. Turns out this girl also has a problem: she's not allowed to race in her own game because she's a glitch (as in a mistake). She thinks the medal will get her in the race, and later respect. So, these misfits join forces to make their dreams come true. Simple, no?

Well, the movie is much more than that. While battling big bugs in the shooter game Hero's Duty, he brings back one that could zap every game in the arcade. The story also adds a dark secret that really propels the story in the final 30 minutes. Two words: going Turbo.

Let's get to what happens in the movie. It's spolierish, so be careful.

Ralph feels blue because everybody in Nicetown love Fix-It Felix because he fixes Ralph's messes. But Ralph was made to wreck, and he wants the town would give him some respect. It's all a game. They know that. They even move in herky-jerky ways like early Donkey Kong, since it's still 1983 to them. Even in the other games, the bad and good guys at Street Fighter share a drink or two at Tappers...the video game.
Not in Nicetown. Felix gets all the praise, and they don't want Ralph around because they're afraid he'll wreck stuff. He does during the game's anniversary party, but it's not deliberate. It's just him. It's their attitude towards Ralph that convinces him to go to another game. They'll soon find out how important Ralph really is.

His visit to Bad-Anon, a support group for other "bad guys", is also classic. Where else can Clyde from Pac-Man, Bowser from Super Mario Brothers, M. Bison from Street Fighter and a zombie from House of the Dead hold hands and so affirmations. When you see Game Central Station, there's lot of characters..AND an eternal Pong game. There's even a PSA from Sonic the Hedgehog.

It's also a hoot seeing Ralph way out of his comfort zone, and in a major league shooter game. Even he wonders when video games got so violent. Calhoun, played by a bad-ass looking Jane Lynch, is tough as nails. She has to be, considering she had the most tragic video game back story ever. Seeing her with Felix while they look for Ralph has got to be the strangest love story in years..and much better than the flesh-and-blood kind.

Naturally, the movie has some product placements. While they are cheesy, especially in one scene in the Sugar Rush section, they do work. One of them is key to the whole film.

What sells this film is the relationshp between Ralph and Vanellope, a/k/a John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman. His voice is made for animation. Silverman is wonderful because her character has a lot of her. We see that she's more of an outcast in her game than Ralph is. Why that's the case is a bigger surprise.
We also see that bullies can come in all packages: either bulky like Ralph or way too pretty like the other racers in Sugar Rush. They both do the same thing to Vanellope, and the girls look much worse than Ralph does.

A big surprise, especially for Browncoats out there, is Alan Tudyk (yep, that Firefly, Dollhouse and Suburgatory guy) as the Candy King. He has the Ed Wynn-style goofiness cold. He may look like a goofy guy who loves to race, but don't be fooled. This guy is part of the new breed of Disney villain: kid friendly on the outside, dark on the inside. Think "Lots O'Huggin Bear" from Toy Story 3. This is revealed when Candy King tries to convince Ralph to stop Vanellope from racing, arguing that her glitching could threaten the existence of the game itself. It's fairly convincing, and leads to the saddest scenes in the film. However, when Ralph sees the outside of the Sugar Rush game, we figure out Candy King is way too bitter to be sweet.

Disney Animation has a winner in Wreck-It Ralph, which may be a big hit through Thanksgiving. It would be great if we see Ralph in other games, like maybe NFL 13 as the entire offensive line of any NFL team. Vanellope in the Indy 500 or NASCAR? That's a winner, right?

Before that, Ralph could make a mark at the Oscars in the animation race. It maybe between him and Brave, which I suspect will get more respect as we get closer to nomination time. The DVD is coming pretty soon, and people will get another chance to look at the movie. It's been interesting: Pixar made a movie that would be a Disney fairy tale, while Disney animation made something that looks like a Pixar film.

Downtown Los Angeles Archeology

So Los Angeles is often called the city of the future, especially with this:



If you don't mind a little walking, you can see a lot of its past, especially around downtown. This was my first stop because it was part of The Indestructible Man, one of MST3K's many targets.



It's Angels Flight, a railway no bigger than an escalator actually. Still, if it's good enough for Butcher Benton, why not. It's like riding a cable car, only straight up, and the train is built for that. Look at the inside of the car, and then the tracks.





It's one of those "only in L-a" experiences you have to try. There's always time for the Dolby Theater or the Walk of Fame. By the way, this is the main depot:



It is also surprising there's a lot of really good looking theaters, deserted or sometimes used, on Broadway. It's a tour of the past, where theaters were the main source of entertainment. I bet if the guys who built Grauman's Chinese or the Orpheum were here now, they'd consider watching, say, Hunger Games or Gone With the Wind, on something that you can carry in a knapsack a bigger horror than Frankenstein. Don't worry, guys, nothing beats seeing a movie in a big theater. Once part two of Breaking Dawn unreels, you'll see that. you'll also say "Sure, but Robert Pattison and Kristen Stewart ain't got nothing on Clark Gable and Carole Lombard."
Of course, that's obvious. But Hedda Hopper would break Twitter every day if she had that.

Anyway, take a look at this parade of old theaters:









At least the Orpheum is still active, and not just in videos or commercials, either.





This was a surprise: finding the old Herald-Examiner building with the sign still there. You'd think someone would use this place, even to make Internet news.



There was one bit of irony I did see. This is the entrance to the Belasco theater, used for performances of big shindigs, Look at the neon sign next to the sign:



That must be a joke somewhere.

Along with the old, there is also the new. The Broad Museum is under construction next to the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Apparently someone decided to add some modern art in the unfinished building...



Joke's on them. They'll just paint over it.

One more thing: if you have seen the Hollywood sign lately, you'd notice there's something different:



Not THAT's a makeover. They should finish repainting the sign in a few weeks

How To See A Broadway Musical For $25

I spent Sunday shopping like mad, mainly at the Fairfax Trading Post. I got an MTV All Access Pass...that was 12 years old...for 50 cents. I also got some pieces of TV history: a KRON TV button from the early 1970's and a Price Is Right ticket from 1980. I even have staitonary from a Disney film, The Rescuers.

Still, there was one dream I had to try...



It's possible to get a ticket to Book of Mormon for 25 bucks. They just have a handful before each performance at the Pantages, but about a hundred people tried their luck including these two...



You just fill out a form, and hope your name gets called. Mine didn't but I might try again.

Right now, I just hope that I get close enough to the red carpet Monday night for the Wreck-It Ralph event. Naturally, I'll have to wait until next weekend to see it, but it will be worth it. It'll help me forget that someone thought a sequel of the Smurfs should be made...and it has. That scared me more than Franenweenie, personally.

Building A Future, Breaking a Record

In a way, I have been connected with soccer in San Jose. I was there when the Earthquakes joined the North American Soccer League. I was there when San Jose joined Major League Soccer. I even saw them when they were at Raley Field.



So, when I heard about this groundbreaking of the team's new stadium at Coleman Avenue, not too far away from their current home of Buck Shaw Stadium, I decided to go and help out. Granted, there were two other reasons: I'd help set a new world record for biggest groundbreaking ever, and I would get a souvenir shovel, like these laid out ready for use....



I am surprised the ground was pre-broken to make it easier to shovel. Hope that is part of the rules. I took some ground home as a souvenir.
The old record was 4532. Safe to say, it got buried. These are two of 6235 fans who got shovels for the team. A big chunk of the fans brought their own shovels, and were still part of the record.



So what was it like to set a world record, and start the ball rolling towards a home the Quakes can call their own?



Just like that.

Would I come to the 2014 season opener at the new place at Coleman Avenue? Maybe.

It's been a while

As summer turns into fall, although the thermometer may argue otherwise, I am having a good time in Los Angeles this week, especially today.

I spent much of yesterday cramming a lot from my list of things to do. I went to the Arclight Dome to see The Master (no, not Torgo's boss) in 70mm. Although the story wasn't as good as There Will Be Blood, I was blown away by the dynamic duo of Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman. They really made this movie in a unique relationship with a man with a unique belief system and a man who hopes it will save him (but is he really trying?). I won't get into the story, but the film tells its story almost like There Will Be Blood, and it shows Phoenix as Eddie, the protagonit whoo's trying to find himself, or let Lancaster Dodd (Hoffman) do that for him. It's interesting that while Dodd keeps telling Ediie to reject his animalistic ways, Dodd's a bit of an animal himself. That's especially true when he meets with followers in Philadelphia.

Amy Adams is also great as Peggy Dodd, who seems to be more devoted to The Cause, Dodd's religion, than he is. It's clear this movie is the front-runner for the Oscar race, but that's only because its competitors haven't arrived yet. The chellenge will be coming, from the trailers I've seen, from Silver Linings Playbook, Killing Them Softly and Argo.

Now for some pictures....



Now matter how good the San Francisco production of The Book of Mormon will be, it won't compete with the marquee at the Pantages. Since I'll be back in a month, I will try to get a ticket in its daily lottery sometime.

It's Emmy weekend, so here's as close as I'm going to get to the awards...





If Jimmy Kimmel scores big tonight, maybe Jimmy Kimmel Live will be actually live when he takes over 11:35 in February, or at least on a 30-minute delay. He still has the freshest show every night. Tonight will be the freshest of all.

Since Monday will be a free day, more pictures will be coming Tuesday, so stay tuned