I always liked “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” because it was fun to see all my favorite cartoon characters in one place. “Wreck-It Ralph” has been described as the same thing, only with video game characters. This is true, but if you come for the Q*bertsighting, stay for the heart of the story about a couple of digital outcasts and their adventurous path towards acceptance.
Also this week, a wonderful life-affirming French film and pretty ridiculous environmental horror movie.
“Wreck-It Ralph”
If you ever wondered what video game characters did with their free time (setting aside a moment the restraining order Lara Croft filed against you) this is the movie for you. It is the story of an arcade villain named Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) who is sick of being the bad guy and longs to be a hero. Ralph leaves his game (a big-time no-no) and wanders across several other video games looking for his place to shine. This is a fantastic family movie and can even be enjoyed by people who don’t know a joystick from a powerup.
“The Intouchables”
This was one of the best movies of last year and one of the finest films about friendship ever made. Even people who don’t like reading or the French will enjoy this endearing little foreign-language film. Based on the true story of a wealthy quadriplegic (Francois Cluzet) and the bond he develops with his caretaker from the other side of the tracks (Omar Sy) is funny, heartwarming, and will improve your general perception of humanity. You can’t ask more from a movie than that.
“The Bay”
Here we have a silly found-footage horror movie where pollution-enhanced creatures that are basically overgrown roly-polies, eat a small coastal town from the inside out. The only thing of note about this movie is that it was directed by Oscar-winner Barry Levinson, who I can only assume lost some sort of a bet.
