Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 27 September, 2009

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs opened deservedly well at the box office. I have heard that the movie bears little resemblance to the book but even as a standalone story it is a good family film.

The writer-directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller (who are friends of the strip), delivered an excellent story about underdogs following their dreams with a palatable portion of warning against gluttony. The animation is top-notch and the voice talent is excellent. I really enjoyed the cultural references like Star Trek, Star Wars, and Fantastic Voyage. (Keep an eye out for the Welcome to Mooseport shout-out.)

If you liked Meet the Robinsons then you will probably like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

Water Warfare 21 September, 2009

Water Warfare from Hudson Soft is a “first-person-soaker” WiiWare title. Neither my kids nor I are much in the way of FPS gamers but we really enjoy this game. The controls are easy enough for even me, who was raised on a two-axis joystick with two buttons as controls, to master. It may seem like a gimmick, but getting wet instead of getting killed changes the whole feel of the game. That detail makes the game more accessible for those not quite up to the soul-crushing rigors of the FPS genre.

Rally de l’Absurde 15 September, 2009

Whilst kibitzing with friends this morning, I happened upon a delightfully ludicrous idea: rally racing in a Prius. Like other rallies, the winner would be the car with the fastest time from start to finish. However, an additional requirement would be that each car is given a finite amount of fuel with which to complete the course. I find the juxtaposition of auto racing and hypermiling delightfully absurd.