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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Wreck-It-Ralph (2012) in Movies

Nov 12, 2018

Wreck-It-Ralph (2012)

2012 | Adventure, Animation, Comedy

7.9

(98 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Deserves greater credit than it currently is getting

Not being a big video game guy, I was late to the party to the original WRECK-IT RALPH in 2012 and when I saw it, I thought "it's fine" and didn't really think more about it. Now that it's sequel is coming out, I thought it would be good time to revisit this film (and to also remind me of the characters of the first one). And I'm glad I did, for I enjoyed myself much more this go around with this film than I did in my initial experience.

Taking a page out of PIXAR, this WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS picture tells the "inside story" of what happens to Video Game characters when the lights go off. Following a "villain" in a game, WRECK-IT RALPH tells the story of Ralph's attempt to become a hero by winning a medal in another video game, only to become something more when he encounters a "glitch" in another game.

This is a well made, smart animation film that has enough action, suspense and silliness to appeal to children, but enough "adult content" (read: smart humor that goes over the heads of the kids) to appeal to the adults that have taken the kids to the movies. It pays great homage to video games - many of which went over my head, but (I am assured) were well played (at least according to the video gamers that I am acquainted).

Like all animated movies, a good percentage of the joy of this film is in the voice work - and this picture has very good ones from Sarah Silverman's Vanellope to Jack McBrayer's Fix-It Felix and Jane Lynch's kick-butt Calhoun, the voices strongly portray the character - and character types - quickly and easily. Special mention should be made of Allan Tudyk's King Candy (an homage to the the great Vaudeville and early film comedian Ed Wynn) and, especially, John C. Reilly in the title role. He is perfectly cast as Ralph, showing the weight of the size of the character in his voice with a sweetness and vulnerability that shows the size of the character's heart.

This is a wonderful and winning film, one that deserves greater praise than it is currently given, and I, for one, am looking forward to the sequel coming out.

Letter Grade: A-

8 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)

Kudos

Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Death by the River in Books

Jan 23, 2020

Death by the River

Alexandrea Weis, Lucas Astor | 2018 | Thriller, Young Adult (YA)

6.0

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

<b><i>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
What the fuck did I read.

SERIOUSLY. What the fuck did I read. And why the fuck did I suffer for more pages than necessary?
<img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2767" src="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/317/2017/08/what-the-fuck-300x149.gif"; alt="" width="300" height="149" />

<h2><strong>Contrary to all the raving reviews and praise for this book, <i>Death by the River</i> is boring as fuck (at least at the beginning). If any death occurred at the river, it was yours truly from pure boredom. 😴</strong></h2>
Beau Deveraux is the catch of a lifetime on the outside with his good looks and reputation. But on the inside, he's a psychopath, becoming obsessed with his girlfriend Dawn's twin sister, Leslie. She wants no association with Beau and warns Dawn to do the same.

<h2><strong>Good god, there is so much repetition.🙄</strong></h2>
The book nails this fact into our heads repeatedly, chapter after the chapter, and it's one of the main reasons why I couldn't stand <i>Death by the River</i>. I get it - Beau is nice and chummy but secretly evil and Leslie sees right through the facade. Everyone else is a lamb, all nice and innocent to Beau's ways.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3903" src="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/317/2016/06/innocent.gif"; alt="" width="245" height="245" />

<h2><strong>Then there's pacing plus the repetition. 😣</strong></h2>
It was slowwwww. Maybe it's the writing style, but gosh, I made it to 52% and nothing really happened except:
~ Beau's obsession with Leslie
~ Leslie's uninterest in Beau
~ Everyone's awe of Beau
~ PARTAYYYYYYYY
<img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4110" src="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/317/2016/03/1393884189450_gatsby--300x128.gif"; alt="" width="300" height="128" />
And two sexual assaults with no death actually happening except for the death of the victim's reputation, which is expected, considering the book <i>is</i> about sexual assault.

But ultimately, <i>Death by the River</i> fell flatter than a green onion pancake for me.

Just a side note, but green onion pancakes are delicious. I think I insulted them greatly. Green onion pancakes do not deserve this comparison.

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/death-by-the-river-by-alexandrea-weis-and-lucas-astor/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>