Spring in Three Dimensions

For students in school, there comes a time in the year when the flowers start to bloom, the sun seems to shine brighter, and all we can think about is how long left until we can get out of the hellhole known as a classroom (not all classes really, I’m sure there’s one or two that most people like) to enjoy it all. It’s Spring Fever, and as much as some wish to deny it, we all have that idea to look out the window, and wish we were out THERE in the sun, than in class.

And that’s why schools invented Spring Break, for everyone to have that chance to go out and enjoy the blooming wild, ride ATVs, hang out with friends, see a good movie in the theater, play a butt-ton of video games and stay up late (though you could do that already), go out to a theme park and puke from all the rides, or anything else you could think of, and maybe bring back a good story about it when school started back up a week later.

This is the case with this story. It’s basically been a year since this tale had existed, and it’s something I really didn’t expect to happen, and it remains one of the luckiest things that has happened in my life.

Last year, me and my family went to Stockton (near Sacramento for those who need a map) to visit some family for Spring Break, about a few years since our last visit to Stockton. About a day after we arrived, me and my brother Dan were able to see a film at a real nice movie theater on El Dorado Street. We would go to this theater when we could when we visited our Grandma every month when we were kids, and before she moved down to Yreka to live near us. When we were younger, there was always a bunch of people there to go see a film.

But then, walking back into that place years later, it felt it was on the brink of abandonment. It still looked nice, but there were almost NO people in the lobby except for a few employees. And this place was HUGE, so it felt completely EMPTY. Maybe it was a slow day, but I still don’t remember that many people in our theater watching the film.

Anyways, after the film, me and Dan hit the arcade in the lobby, where we saw the usual skill games, racing game, basketball hoop game, and DDR. Some of the prizes in the skill machines from what I can remember, came down to gift cards, headphones, iPods, and even a season DVD of a Television show. At least two skill machines (a blade cutting machine, and a keyhole game) had the item I had wanted: The Nintendo 3DS.

I’ve always had mixed feelings for Nintendo and their platforms, and this came with no exception for the 3DS. I liked the idea of glasses-free 3D, it was a cool concept. But I couldn’t find that many games outside of Nintendo’s franchises that would interest me. At that point, the new Pokemon game was announced, and I wanted one, and I would’ve done almost anything to get one. (especially the special edition Pikachu XL one, but that’s a different subject) So even burning all money I had on a skill machine to get one was on that list of things.

Something like this.

So after playing a couple other games, I went up to the blade cutting game first, either out of closeness or because I didn’t trust the keyhole game, and put in a dollar of tokens in. I was probably going to lose automatically, but at least I knew I was trying. I knew where I was targeting.

I held down the button to make the blade go right, and watched it go to the first string where the 3DS was, and from there, I instantly let go of the button. And at first, I was thinking it wasn’t going to cut, as I saw I possibly UNDERSHOT my target, with the blunt side of the cutter near the string. When I looked down and pressed the next button, the one to send the blade up, I thought the string was going to go to the outside area of the blade, and was going to be a part of a continuous cycle of losses.

Then, all of a sudden-

*SNAP*

*THUD*

When I looked up, all I saw was a broken string where the 3DS was hanging a second ago.

And from there, I felt like I had won the lottery.

I picked up my prize, and was shocked to see it in my hands. A Nintendo 3DS, in the box and everything. I went off in a nuclear burst of happiness, yelling and cheering and doing ridiculous victory dances in the arcade, eventually expanding to the empty lobby. One of the employees had noticed me doing this, and wanted to know what I was happy about. I told him, and couldn’t help but hug the guy in celebration.

By the time our ride came, I went out carrying my prize with my head held high.

It’s been a year since that day, and I’ve picked up games like Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, Legend of Zelda, and even one of the new Pokemon games, and have always had an enjoyable time with each, all in spectacular 3D. I’m also looking forward to games like the new Mario Golf, and the new Smash Bros., which looks awesome on a 3DS. I’ve had my issues with it, like a quirky R button, but still managed to get enough fun out of this handheld. This story is to celebrate my time with it since, and I hope to still get enough fun experiences out of it as I continue to play it.

Phantom Ground

V

The LEGO Movie Review

There is only one word to describe this: Dang.

Released- February 7th, 2014

Just to get this clear: this movie is amazing. That’s not much to say there, I know. I had a hard time just trying to write this and NOT reveal everything that made this film fun and exciting, and flat-out ruin it for anybody who wasn’t able to see it in theatres. It came from a duo of directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, whose track record of films such as Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, have not yet seen failure. And this film is no exception to that record.

The movie follows an average construction worker minifigure named Emmet (Chris Pratt), whose whole life (among others) mostly consists of following instructions; at his job, what music to listen to, buying coffee, etc. Until he stumbles upon a mysterious object after work, and is put into the middle of something bigger, as he is brought to the Master Builders- which consists of numerous minifigures, including Vitruvius, a blind wizard (Morgan Freeman), and Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), who can make almost ANYTHING out of the environment around them, without any instructional aid. To them: he is mistaken as The Special- from a prophecy about a Master Builder whose considered the most amazing and interesting person in the universe (and a few other nice compliments). With that on his head, he is also hunted by evil forces led by President Business (Will Ferrell), who plans on using a secret weapon known as the “kragle” to put the world in its place- LITERALLY. And the one who can stop it is The Special, with the mysterious object, otherwise known as the Piece of Resistance.

And guess who has no choice but to go through with it?

And that’s all I can say, as the plot, while good, takes the back seat for the rest of the movie- pure insanity upwards, downwards, and sideways. The film introduces colorful characters from black suited and full of himself Batman (Will Arnett), and the chair abusing, dual persona known as Badcop (Liam Neeson), all the way to an spaceship obsessed 80’s astronaut named Benny (Charlie Day), and a passive-aggressive unicorn/cat hybrid (Alison Brie). They were all very enjoyable to watch (although this is the first time I actually hated Batman.), as they all contributed to each their own in Emmet’s adventure, giving plenty of energy from a cast who seemed to have lots of fun playing these characters.

The humor in this film is completely never-ending, as it shoots out puns and jokes left and right like a rainbow colored LEGO machine gun. It brings out jokes from character based humor, running gags, to the amount of surprises that never ceases to amaze, including cameos from LEGO’s arsenal of licences. I couldn’t help but laugh at almost everything, probably the most I’ve ever laughed in a while watching a movie.

The CG animation used in this film, looks like something out of a stop motion brickfilm. It looked (in a real loose sense of the word) very realistic, and that somebody probably took the time, and went to Hell and back to make this entire film if they used the actual things. The environments themselves vary from a wild west setting, to a colorful hideaway full of various designs. They were all very creative and full of unique ideas, and I was in awe at more than one occasion on how amazing some of these locations or creations looked.

But what was the big surprise in this movie, were its themes concerning the identity of “The Special”, and the possibilities of creativity beyond the “by the book” instructional assistance. All through the film, Emmet, an uninteresting person in the first place, starts to develop more and more, and begins to break out of what he originally followed. This eventually leads to the final act, where the film takes a full 180, and sends the climax (and Emmet) into two dimensions, and into probably one of the most strong moments in the entire film. It doesn’t go into full-out humor like the rest of the film, but into something more sweet and genuine, giving its themes center stage into a different conflict outside of the LEGO world, yet mirroring it at the same time.      

In the end, do I have to say it? The LEGO movie is a perfectly built masterpiece. It’s a perfect use for a brand known for creativity and fun, and it clearly shines out in this picture with an insane amount of humor, imaginative creations and environments, and with themes that work not just for kids, but for anybody who had taken up these plastic bricks at one point in their lives. Even if you have missed it in theatres, I highly recommend checking it out on disc or digital download when it comes out. This film is just too awesome to miss.

Verdict: 10/10