Wreck It Ralph

Wreck It Ralph opens this Friday, November 2nd. My family was invited to see an advance screening at the amazing El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood this past weekend and loved it.

The set up of the story is a little slow but once it gets going it's really funny. There are lots of retro gaming jokes and other tid bit/easter eggs for the grown ups. It's really cute and has a nice message about not judging a book by it's cover.

Definitely appropriate for all ages.

I give it two tired gamer thumbs up!



If you are in Los Angeles try to see it at El Capitan. It is a beatiful theatre with live organ music preshow, not to mention all the amazing displays from the movie. It adds so much to the movie going experience.

Mad Men Season 6 Peek

Mad Men Season 6 is still illusive but there has been a little leak. A few pictures are surfacing. Just like last year's leak they feature Jon Hamm and Jessica Pare in bathing suits but this time they're in Hawaii. One would think this means their relationship survives, but than maybe they're just going through the motions on a trip with the kids???

Here's one shot of Don reading, what appears to be, Dante's The Inferno. It makes sense that Mr. Draper should familiarize himself with the circles of hell, since he so often finds himself in one or another of them.

What ever the scenerio, I would advise they stay away from tiki necklaces...

Meanwhile, IRL, you can pick up Mad Men Season 5 DVD now. I love listening to all the commentaries, especially while waiting for a new season to begin.

For all seasons recaps and news on Mad Men

The Graham Norton Show on BBC America

The Graham Norton Show is returning to BBC America Saturday, October 27, with Arnold Schwarzenegger.  The Graham Norton Show is my all time favorite talk show. He doesn't mess around with skits and long monologues. The entire show is just the guest interacting with him and one another, and most often fall off your seat hysterically.

This 12th season premiere episode also has Usher, and comedian Miranda Hart who plays Chummy on Call The Mid Wife (airing on PBS). I'm sure it's going to be another ridiculous season, that you shouldn't miss.



I love his orange loving set too!

Sound Shapes for PS3 and Vita

Sound Shapes is a new 2D platform music game from Playstation for the PS3 and Vita. Being a Playstation Family member my family was given codes to test them out, and boy did we. Actually I let my daughter go first and I'm still waiting for a turn. The game is great for music lovers and those interested in game design.

The game is visual appealing with design by Pixeljam, Capy, Superbrothers, and others. The music is by I Am Robot and Proud, Jim Guthrie and Deadmau5. 

With every stage you clear in the game you open more components to create your own stages and music. After my daughter had played for about an hour she had enough to create the stage below. My daughter is 8 years old and had no difficulty finding her way around. I will admit she is pretty familiar with Playstation and gaming in general.

I almost got a turn last night but then my husband got on. So let's watch this video and see what Playstation has to say about the game.

Vote For Doctor Who

As you all must know, I love Doctor Who. They're running a little campaign over at TV guide to vote for a show to be on the cover December 10th. I think it's my duty to spread the word, like a Whovian missionary. What better medium than my bible, The TV Guide.

So please vote early and often. No seriously you can vote as many times as you like!

Vote for Doctor Who to Be on The Cover of TV Guide

AFI Film Fest

The AFI Film Fest is coming to Hollywood November 1st-8th. It opens with the world premiere of Hitchcock and closes with the world premiere of Stephen Spielberg's Lincoln. Both of these are main stream films but what shows between them will be every genre of film you could imaging, and some that you couldn't.

I'm still figuring out my plan of attack, and I suggest you get started too. There are so many films over the week and inevitably some conflicts you will have to struggle with.

Ticket packages are still available. There are also free tickets that you will need to register for. I'll be attending with a press pass, so stay tuned for all my "reportage".

The Hour Returns to BBC America

The Hour is returning to BBC America Wednesday, November 28th. The show is set in 1957 and continues to follow the lives of the news crew through espionage, emotional entanglements, and office politics. The cast has some exciting new additions, including Oona Chaplin..

If you missed the first season you can catch it on On Demand, if your cable provider has that, otherwise it is available on DVD and online. It really is a fascinating show! Pip pip cheerio and 2 yank thumbs up.

Moonrise Kingdom on DVD

Moonrise Kingdom is being released on DVD Tuesday October 16th. If you missed it in the theatres, I highly recommend it and if you saw it in the theatre you know you want to see it again.



This is definitely one you can see again and again.

Knott's Camp Spooky

Last weekend my family was invited to visit Knott's Camp Spooky, usually known as Camp Snoopy. Camp Spooky is a daylight non-scary Halloween event for kids ages 3-11 every weekend in October.

Join in the fun by coming in costume. Your child can participate in the costume parade, see the Creepy Crawler Cave (where naturalists will share their critters), Find your way through a hay bale maze, collect treats in the scavenger hunt, and of course enjoy all the rides and shows!

It was a great day, and while my daughter and husband enjoy a little scare with their Halloween festivities I was pleased to be goose bump free.

 

A Good Day To Die Hard Trailer

I know it's out of character for me but I LOVE a Die Hard movie. I blame David Addison brain washing me as a teen. OK I might have a wee thing for Bruce Willis.

It's due to release Valentines Day (that's February 14th) 2013. So you'll probably have some time to work it into your schedule.

Until then enjoy this trailer...

The Lone Ranger Trailer

Here's a  look at the new The Lone Ranger movie with Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp. It's still a ways off, but I'm looking forward to it, even if I'm still not completely ok with Johnny Depp as Tonto.

If the trailer is anything to go by it's going to have a lot to do with trains???

Upstairs Downstairs Season 2 PBS

Upstairs Downstairs returns for Season 2 on PBS Sunday, October 7th. I've gotten to see a few of the episodes and it really is wonderful. England continues to build to WWII and the drama continues at 165 Eaton Place. There are some serious twist coming our way.

I can't wait to see how they finish up the season and sadly series. I'm surprised it didn't do well enough in England to get BBC to keep it going. Maybe they've had enough of it but I would love many more seasons. Oh well, Downton Abbey is catching up quickly and they can take it from here in 2013.

Don't miss out on this last season it really is full of excitement!

Anna Karenina

Joe Wright's Anna Karenina opens November 16th. It is an amazingly beautiful film to see. There is a look of ballet to the casts movements. The set design is unusual, scenes begin in the theatre pictured in the poster but then slowly slip into the set of the actual scene. It give's the feeling of watching a play that can somehow allow for spectacular outdoor scenes and sprawling rooms. You definitely feel the hand of Tom Stoppard's writing.

The dialogue of this traditionally loooong film is clipped. It's almost as though the entire film is done in twitter style, 140 characters for each character to move the story along. It feels somewhat abbreviated but does succeed in making the two hour plus movie feel like a much shorter film.

Over all the film has a much lighter feeling than previous incarnations, although it still is Anna Karenina so it can't be that light. The cast does an amazing job. I'm not a particular fan Keira Knightly, but I have to admit I think she does a good job here. Jude Law is almost unrecognizable as the saintly husband.



As you can see the film is highly stylized and I think should be judged accordingly. It's almost more art than story telling. I found it really interesting to watch. When you go have an open mind and don't expect the usual  movie experience and I think you'll enjoy it to.

Tim Burton's Frankenweenie opens this Friday. My family was invited to an advanced screening last weekend at El Capitan theatre on Hollywood Blvd. If you're in the LA area I highly recommend seeing it there. It's a beautiful old theatre and they have displays of original drawings and props from the movie.

It's almost not Halloween without a Tim Burton movie. This one has all your favorite characters from classic monster movies, but embodied by unusual people and animals. My daughter really enjoyed it. There are a few really scary moments, but really I think it is fine for all but the most timid children.

If you'd like to see it at El Capitan you can call for tickets 1-800-DISNEY6 of online www.ElCapitanTickets.com

Doctor Who Eternity Clock

With Doctor Who wrapping up this past weekend and no more episodes on BBC America until Christmas, my family decided to download Doctor Who Eternity Clock to our Playstation.

We've already had hours of fun running around trying to solve the mysteries of The Eternity Clock as The Doctor and River Song. Looking forward to fighting off Daleks, marking up our arms with The Silence, and using our hallucinagenic lip stick.

It's simple enough for my 8 year old daughter (admittedly a very experienced gamer), but still challenging for my  husband (extremely experienced gamer). Mostly I think as huge fans of the show they both just enjoy being in the world of Doctor Who. I haven't actually gotten my hands on the controls yet, but it's fun to watch too, and I may shout the occasional suggestion.

The game definitely captures the humor of the 11th Doctor. The doctor says things like "Perfect! If you like very tall empty rooms" When he find himself there. It's all a wonderful band aid to get us through to the Christmas Special.

Here's a little preview if you don't take my word for it.

I highly recommend it for the Whovian in your house. Could be a great Halloween gift too!