Mother Nature decided that I was having too decent of a week and decided to snow everybody in on the night we were totally supposed to go down to the brewery, get mildly drunk and play trivia for the night. And by "we" I mean the good people at Borders Books Fox Point. My friends, we don't do nearly enough as a family. Work doesn't count.
I did manage to see The Princess and the Frog though. And I managed to con Keelin into coming with! Because I don't need to add "sitting in an empty theater alone" to my list of reasons to feel lonely.
It's a really great movie and I think deserving of a high place in the Disney canon. The animation is really very pretty and there are some amazingly animated pieces such as the "Almost There" song number and the scenes where Facilier does his voodoo stuff. And speaking of, Facilier is definitely one of the more frightening Disney villains and I would hardly be surprised if the kids sitting in the theater with us had nightmares that night. The music is good stuff and the characters are well-written and well-developed. It's also way funny.
The first fifteen minutes or so were a little overflowing with Disney-isms though. "Remember Tiana, when you wish upon a star, anything is possible. But as long as you got heart. And family. Remember to work hard, but stop and smell the roses on the way! Anything is possible if you try and what's really important is what's inside. And outside." But they narrow their focus towards the end.
If you're at all interested in animation or just want to feel like a kid for a bit, it's for you.
In other news, David Tennant regenerated! Into some bloke named Matt Smith! Who's barely older than I am! "End of Time" had John Simm back as The Master, so I was immediately sold. I keep up with Doctor Who sporadically because I only catch it on Sci-Fi or PBS and am too lazy to download it, but I made the exception this time. And God, was it cheesy. Like, you could squeeze it onto crackers, but that's par for the course for Who. I'll be watching the Eleventh Doctor with great interest.
Ooh! And Timothy Dalton played a Time Lord! This is possibly the most convincing bit of evidence for James Bond actually being a Time Lord. He keeps on changing appearance and seems to be able to come up with an ingenious way out of any situation. Think about it.
The Master Grade F91 Gundam looks good on paper, but not so much in practice. So it was a bit of a disappointment. Too many stickers for the yellow areas and the joints are either too weak or too tight. The construction is a pain in the rear and I came close to busting several pieces along the way.
The Variable Speed Beam Rifles (VSBRs) are a fun gimmick though. They slide into position easily and look pretty cool. The Beam Shield is pretty neat as well - a lot better than the one they gave to the Destiny Gundam. I might review it up later, but the basic verdict is that you should get it if you really like the F91 part of the Gundam universe, otherwise pass on it.
The Master Grade Unicorn Gundam on the other hand is immensely well-done. The design is great and the transformation to Destroy mode is quick and simple.
As is usual for Universal Century models, it still manages to look regal and impressive while just standing there, and the dynamic design makes up for the somewhat sub-par articulation.
Tune in next week when I might actually have something interesting to say.
(Pictures are, as usual, not mine. They belong to Dalong and TASTE)
