Book Review: Inside Pee-wee's Playhouse: The Untold, Unauthorized, and Unpredictable of a Pop Phenomenon

In the 80's, Saturday morning TV shows for children were nothing but cartoons that mostly focused on selling their products than entertaining their audience. Shows like Transformers, G.I. Joe, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, My Little Pony, and Jem were marketing their toys and action figures with so much gusto, it wasn't funny. This made parents demand for new shows that focused on educating the minds of children and TV executives needing to create something new that would breathe life into an already predictable and tired form of entertainment. On September 13, 1986, one TV show did just that. A show that combined cartoons, puppets, stop motion animation, life lessons, and actual people that would become household names. That show was Pee-wee's Playhouse.



For 5 years, Pee-wee's Playhouse was one of the most popular shows that ever graced television. It combined everything that a kid would love; a colorful and visual playhouse, talking furniture, mutant toys, a robot that would give you a secret word for you to scream real loud whenever someone said it, a dinosaur family, and lovable characters, especially Pee-wee Herman. The crazy, snarky, yet appealing man-child played by Paul Reubens, was loved by many people. Kids loved him because he was as energetic, childish, and silly as they were. They loved playing with their toys, hanging out with their friends, using their imagination, and expressing their goofy themselves without anyone caring about others think, just like Pee-wee. Parents loved him because he taught them wonderful life lessons, he taught them to make and eat creative, fun, simple, yet (mostly) healthy foods during snack time, he was reminiscent of children's shows from the 50's such as Howdy Doody and Captain Kangaroo, and the show had some subtle adult jokes that they can laugh and enjoy that would mostly get passed children's heads. It was one of the few shows in the 80's that kids, teenagers, and adults both male and female can enjoy together.



However, on July 26, 1991, a day that will live in pop culture infamy, Paul Reubens was arrested for indecent exposure at a XXX theater and the Pee-wee phenomenon disappeared in an instant. The show was off the air, the toys were taken off the stores, and Pee-wee Herman, who was once the jokester, became the butt of everyone else's joke. Paul Reubens, embarrassed by his indiscretion, quit portraying himself as Pee-wee and kept a low profile for years appearing in minor roles in a few movies and TV shows such as Batman Returns, Everybody Loves Raymond, Mystery Men, Blow, 30 Rock, Murphy Brown, Pushing Daisies, Dirt, The Tripper, and Life During Wartime.



People thought that the Pee-wee character was officially dead and had moved on with their lives. However, to those who grew up with the show and the movies, had missed Paul Reubens and Pee-wee terribly and wished that, somehow, he could come back and enrich their lives again with laughter and fun, especially in this time of hardships due to a long war, a low economy and unemployment. In 2007, over 15 years after the incident, Paul Reubens came back as Pee-wee Herman in the Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards and in August 2009, he announced that he was opening a stage show in L.A. based on his original 1981 show and Pee-wee's Playhouse around January 2010 and in Broadway in October 2010.



The shows in L.A. and Broadway became a huge success; many critics called it "fun", "a joyous event", and that the show was "yummier than chocolate". It was official that Pee-wee Herman was back in our lives. This incredible comeback inspired a young man named Caseen Gaines to look up some information about Pee-wee Herman and some behind-the-scenes stories about Pee-wee's Playhouse. He was surprised to find out that there were no books containing that information, there was even very little information about that in the Internet. So he dedicated a good two years of his life, interviewing over 200 people who had any association with Paul Reubens, the stage show, the movies, and the TV show, and the book Inside Pee-wee's Playhouse: The Untold, Unauthorized, and Unpredictable Story of a Pop Phenomenon was released on November 1, 2011 to closely coincide Pee-wee's Playhouse's 25th anniversary. This book, not only covers the behind-the-scenes of Pee-wee's Playhouse, but it pretty much covers everything from Paul Reubens' early years at the Groundlings to the last day of the Broadway show. Here's my review for this book. Warning: some minor spoilers ahead.



You may think that you know the story of Pee-wee Herman, well think again. Even after reading and listening to interviews that Paul Reubens has done over the years, watching the Biography special and the True Hollywood Special of Pee-wee Herman, it only scratched the surface of what I already knew. The first chapter discusses his early years at the Groundlings, how he came up with the Pee-wee character, and the original Pee-wee Herman Show. It showed the hard work and dedication that Paul Reubens had put into his character and the show, but it also showed equal dedication to the cast and crew of the show. People such as Lynn Marie Stewart, who played Ms. Yvonne, John Paragon, who played Jambi the Genie and Pterri the Pterodactyl, Phil Hartman, who played Captain Carl, Gary Panter, who designed the set and puppets for the stage show and Pee-wee's Playhouse,and most of all, Dawna Kaufmann, the original producer of the stage show.



The second chapter covers the Pee-wee Herman tour, his late night talk show appearances, and Pee-wee's Big Adventure. There were a few instances in which the movie was very close to not being made, especially since Paul Reubens was very picky on who was going to be the director. It wasn't until he saw a short film called Frankenweenie by Tim Burton. Right away, he knew that Tim was the one to direct Pee-wee's Big Adventure. Throughout the chapter, there were a few struggles with money and agreements about certain scenes between Paul and Tim, but mostly, it ran quite smoothly and the movie was a big success. It's a movie that's still regarded to this day as a classic. When it comes to Tim Burton movies, Pee-wee's Big Adventure is one of my top 5 favorites.



The third chapter covers the beginnings of Pee-wee's Playhouse, the behind-the-scenes action on how they did the animation, the introduction, the song lyrics, the origins of the characters, and many more. In this chapter, it talks about a lot of tensions that happened during the early beginnings of the show, how Paul Reubens almost refused to do the TV show, and some shocking disagreements between Paul and Phil Hartman, as well as John Paragon. It also covers the beginnings of Big Top Pee-wee and some of the ideas that Paul incorporated in the movie that didn't work well in the end, such as Pee-wee falling in love and planning to marry a girl named Winnie and the 3 minute kiss between Pee-wee and the circus performer Gina.



The fourth chapter is dedicated to the Christmas Special that was released in 1988. After the failure of Big Top Pee-wee, Paul Reubens and John Paragon wrote this special in 3 days to get things back on track. It also talks about how they were able to get the effects done and the plethora of celebrities that had appeared on the special. The Christmas Special was the also the first to incorporate a Hanukkah segment in a holiday special, a good 10 years before Rugrats would do it. It also mixes in the Nativity Scene and Santa Claus at the same time, something that I rarely see in a holiday special.

I enjoy this Christmas Special very much, however I would have liked it if they would have balanced some of the celebrities that they wanted and that kids would have wanted. If the Muppets, Michael Jackson, or maybe some characters from Sesame Street would have made an appearance, that would have been awesome. But trust me, when comparing it to other holiday specials from popular shows and movies from the 80's, such as the Star Wars Holiday Special, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Christmas Special, and the He-Man and She-Ra Christmas Special, Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special holds up quite well and is still fun to watch.



Chapter 5 covers the last two seasons of Pee-wee's Playhouse and how Paul Reubens became exhausted of rigorous hours of starring, writing, producing, and co-directing the show. He finished his last two seasons in less than a year and was able to take some time off, however, it didn't turn out the way he planned. This chapter covers "the incident" and for the first time, it talks on the perspective of the CBS producers and his co-workers on how they feel about it.



Chapter 6 covers Paul Reubens' other movie and TV roles after Pee-wee's Playhouse, his comeback as Pee-wee Herman, the behind-the-scenes of how the stage show in L.A. happened, the upcoming movies he has planned for Pee-wee Herman, including one being produced by Judd Apatow, and the reactions of the fans seeing Pee-wee again after almost 20 years of being secluded from the world. I admit it that this is one of my favorite chapters in the whole book and I actually got a bit emotional at the end. I am beyond happy that Paul Reubens is finally getting the love and support that he deserves, since he has made many children happy with his movies and shows, especially Kevin and myself.



The book finishes with an episode guide, how some of the people who worked with Paul Reubens feel about Pee-wee's Playhouse, and the Broadway show releasing on DVD for those who weren't able to see it.

To conclude my review, I have to say that this book is highly recommended to Pee-wee fans or any fans of pop culture. Caseen Gaines did an excellent job in getting the fascinating, yet shocking story of one of the greatest pop culture phenomenons of all time. Whether you like Pee-wee or not, you have to admit that he has left a huge impact on the entertainment world. Without the existence of Pee-wee's Playhouse, shows wouldn't be as artistic or creative as it is today. Shows such as Blue's Clues, Yo Gabba Gabba, Adventure Time, or SpongeBob SquarePants wouldn't exist. If it wasn't for his idea of implicating subtle adult humor on kids' shows, probably shows like Ren and Stimpy, Rocko's Modern Life, or pretty much anything in Adult Swim wouldn't have been fathomed either.  Reading this book has made me appreciate Paul Reubens, Pee-wee Herman, his stage shows, his movies, and Pee-wee's Playhouse more than ever. If this review has gotten you inspired to purchase the book and read it for yourself or to know more information about it, head over to this awesome website www.insidetheplayhouse.com. That's it for today, thanks for reading and I hope to catch you around the Old School Lane pretty soon. 

-Patricia

P.S. Sometime this week, Kevin and I are going to be interviewing Caseen Gaines. If there are any questions that you have regarding the book or anything Pee-wee related, post it in the comments and I'll pick out a few for him to answer. 

Video Game Review: The Jak and Daxter Collection

As mentioned in my previous First Impressions on The Last of Us, I am a huge fan of Naughty Dog and their games. Out of their three video game series, that being Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter, and Uncharted, the Jak and Daxter series is my absolute favorite. When I first got the PS2 back in 2003, I had gotten the PS2 pack which had two of their Greatest Games packaged with the console. Those games were Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy and Ratchet and Clank. I had played both of those games and loved them. Over the years, I had purchased Jak II, Jak 3, and Jak X: Combat Racing, and had spent many hours immersed with the characters, storyline, gameplay, and more.



After the PS3 came out in 2007, I couldn’t wait for the next installment of the Jak and Daxter series to come out, but they had decided to work on the Uncharted series. On December 3, 2011, the Jak and Daxter series celebrated its 10th anniversary and Naughty Dog had announced that they were going to be a HD collection of the Jak and Daxter trilogy in February 7th. I was waiting for this for a very long time and was very excited for it to come out. It seems now that when people associated games from Naughty Dog, they always think of the Uncharted games and seem to forget about the Jak and Daxter games. With this collection, it’ll really introduce people who missed it the first time on the PS2.

So, as of today, I had taken a few minutes to play all three games and now I’m going to give my video game review on the collection. Has the series held up well after 10 years later to be purchased or has it become so dated that you shouldn’t bother with it? Well, here we go.


Graphics

When I first saw the Jak and Daxter series back on the PS2, the graphics were absolutely amazing. I loved the bright, lush, and green jungles in Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, the dark atmosphere from Haven City in Jak II, and the huge deserts in Jak 3. When looking back at the games again, the graphics has gotten a bit dated, especially Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. Over the years, we have come a long way from graphics with today’s looking more realistic, especially since Naughty Dog pushed it to the limits with the Uncharted games. However, with the sequels, they look much more improved and they look a lot more sharper and cleaner thanks to the 720 HD visuals.



Gameplay

All three games are just as much fun as they were 10 years ago. With The Precursor Legacy, you’ll be spending a lot of time exploring a non-linear world collecting Power Cells, Precursor Orbs, and Scout Flies, obtaining different colored Ecos and doing unique abilities such as run faster and gaining extra strength, fighting large bosses, riding a Zoomer to complete tasks, and so much more. It’s such a shame that you don’t see a lot of these platforming games anymore.



With Jak II, they made a huge change with the series changing the gameplay to focus more on sandbox gaming and third-person shooting than platforming and collecting items. Not only that, but you can also steal Zoomers and drive them around, have races, ride a Jetboard and pull off some neat tricks, killing Metal Heads and collecting their Skull Jems, and obtain a new ability that can make Jak turn into a darker version of himself. With the popularity of Grand Theft Auto III at the time, Naughty Dog took a huge risk in making Jak II more darker and more serious than its predecessor. Playing Jak II again made me remember how difficult and frustrating some of the missions are, although they aren’t as bad as I did it the first time. But for those who are playing this game for the first time may give up a few times along the way.



With Jak 3’s gameplay, it’s pretty much the same as Jak II’s, but the gameplay has gotten more refined and less difficult than the last game. Also it taking place in a different city with new tasks and new areas to explore. Also there are new things to do such as more racing, arcade shooting range, hunting different Metal Heads, exploring the desert, and so much more. It also introduces a lighter version of Jak with the ability to heal himself, slow down time, create a barrier, and fly for a short period of time. There’s also new abilities for Dark Jak and 8 more weapons to unlock.



Extra Features

Similar to other PS3 collections, there are trophies to be earned for every task completed. Other than that, there’s really no reason to play the games a second time besides getting 100% on the collectibles and playing some of the mini games. It’s such a shame that there are no new levels, mini games, or even DLC.



Overall, after 10 years later, the trilogy still holds up very well with its amazing story line, fun and unique game play, and intriguing characters. Sure, some of the graphics and game play from The Precursor Legacy are a bit dated, the later levels of Jak II are very difficult, and there are no extra features to make you want to go back, but this is definitely worth spending $40 dollars on Naughty Dog’s earlier games. Hopefully, we can get more people to remember the Jak and Daxter series as one of Naughty Dog’s greatest game series as much as Uncharted. Check it out.

-Patricia

First Impressions: The Last of Us

Hey guys, Patricia here. Time for another installment of First Impressions. Today, we’re going to do our first video game impression, The Last of Us. 



From the same developers of the classic PS1 series Crash Bandicoot, the amazing PS2 series Jak and Daxter, and the epic PS3 series, Uncharted, Naughty Dog is now working on a brand new game about two people named Joel and Ellie battling through a post apocalyptic world filled with zombie-like humans. It’s a third person shooting game em phasing on survival. When I first saw this cover and heard about the plot, I was a bit skeptical about the concept, story, and game play. Don't get me wrong, I love Naughty Dog. They have always been known for their creative game play, story, and unique concepts. With Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter, you can see the amazing creativity that they had with their platforming game play, intriguing characters, and beautiful story lines, especially Jak and Daxter. In my honest opinion, they kinda lost that when switching to the Uncharted series. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love the Uncharted series with a passion. But I felt like it wasn’t as creative as their previous games.



However, when I went to Game Informer to look at the latest pictures, I have to admit that I did get a little bit more excited. When it comes to post apocalyptic Earth, it usually looks dark and gritty (I’m looking at you Resistance and Prototype). But this one looks a bit more realistic with trees and grass overgrowing the cities, a brighter sky, very few survivors, and overcrowded cars. It kind of reminds me of I Am Legend, The Road, and Life Without People. The zombie-like humans are also kind of creative. Instead of them being actual zombies, which is getting redundant nowadays with video games, they are humans who have been infected with an unusual parasite inspired by the Cordyceps fungus.



If you never seen or heard of the Planet Earth series from BBC, then I’ll explain. The Cordyceps fungus affects only insects. When they get infected, they are completely brainwashed and hurt themselves and others without even knowing about it. Once it’s infected, they sprout out the fungus from out of their bodies and die within three weeks. But that’s not the full extend of it: Afterwards, their bodies explode and any insect near the explosion would get infected and die as well, rinse and repeat. For an ant, this has been known to wipe out huge colonies.



So, the people from Naughty Dog are adding a twist to this fungus for humans and what the outcome would be. Along the way, Joel and Ellie would have to explore for weapons, food, medicine, and other means of survival. Nothing yet on the story, but when the new issue of Game Informer comes out, then I’ll fill you in. Overall, Naughty Dog continues to create video games based on things that have been done before and give it their own unique twist, which is what I like about them. No release date on the game yet, but will most likely come out next year.



That’s it for this installment on First Impressions. Hope to see you around soon.

-Patricia

Book Review: Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise Part 1

Oh man, I’ve been waiting for this book for the longest time. If you’re an Avatar: The Last Airbender fan like I am, then you know what I’m talking about. While we’re awaiting for Avatar: The Legend of Korra in Nickelodeon this year, The Promise trilogy takes place right after Avatar: The Last Airbender and would lead us to the new spinoff series. So, here’s what the first one’s about. Warning, some major spoilers and pictures ahead.




The introduction takes place immediately after the War. Aang, Zuko, and King Kuei, the Earth King from Ba Sing Se, creates a new movement called the Harmony Restoration Movement to remove all of the Fire Nation colonies from the Earth Kingdom and try to reunite them in a peaceful manner.



Everything goes well until one year later when an assassination attempt for Zuko’s life occurs. The assassination does not go well as Zuko captured and imprison the assassin. The assassin turned out to be a female Earthbender named Kori who was the daughter of the mayor of Yu Dao, the oldest Fire Nation colony in the Earth Kingdom.  Kori complained to Zuko that the Harmony Restoration Movement had ruined her life since that meant that her parents are no longer in charge of Yu Dao. Zuko agreed to let her go and confront her parents to explain that the movement will help them, not hurt them.

Meanwhile, Toph has opened a new academy dedicated to teaching Earthbenders how to Metalbend, Aang is trying to create balance to the citizens of the Fire Nation and former colonies of the Earth Kingdom, and Katara and Aang’s relationship became to increase into a loving one. In the end, Zuko approaches his father’s prison cell and asks him “for advice”.



Overall, the story was a great continuation of the series and shows some new characters and plot points leading up to Avatar: The Legend of Korra. There are some things, such as the location of Zuko’s mother, that hasn’t been revealed yet, but I have a feeling that it will be revealed in the later books. If you’re a fan of the series and need your Avatar fix before the new series, I cannot recommend any higher to check out the book. Tune in around May for the next book in the trilogy.



Until then, catch you guys later. Thanks for chilling out with us at the Old School Lane.

-Patricia

Top Chef: Episode 13 Recap

Hey guys, Patricia here. So, I had just finished watching tonight's episode of Top Chef: Texas and now I'm going to be giving you a recap in case you missed it. Now, for those who are wondering on why I haven't posted recaps on the previous episodes, well, I'll get to more on that later, but tonight just happened to be the night that the guest judge was none other that Pee-wee Herman.



For those tuning in to Old School Lane for the first time, Kevin and I are really huge Pee-wee fans. My previous post on this timeless character can be found here if you haven't read it yet:
http://oldschoollane.tumblr.com/post/15088432621/my-10-favorite-pee-wee-herman-moments-of-2011

So, I waited with bated breath for the last six months (first hearing about it at Comic-Con) for this episode to occur. Was it worth it? Will it be in the list of my top 10 favorite Pee-wee Herman moments of 2012? Well, let's check it out. Warning: there are some major spoilers about Pee-wee's appearance on Top Chef: Texas and who gets eliminated. If you don't want to know about what happens, scroll down below about my overall notion about the episode.



The final 5 chefs, Lindsay, Paul, Grayson, Edward, and Sarah head over to the kitchen for their first Quickfire Challenge to find a huge stack of pancakes, which is a favorite of this week's guest judge, Pee-wee Herman.



Pee-wee comes in riding on a nice looking red Schwinn bicycle greeting Padma and the rest of the chefs. It's not the same classic Schwinn from Pee-wee's Big Adventure, but we already had seen him riding it on the Spike TV Scream Awards, so it's no big deal. The Quickfire Challenge was for them to create a fun, unique pancake in 20 minutes. When the challenge was done, Pee-wee walked around tasting every single pancake, savoring every bite, smiling and giggling his famous Pee-wee laugh saying, "This is the best pancake I've ever had" to every single one of the chefs. It got everyone laughing, especially myself.



Next was the Elimination Challenge. The challenge was to create a lunch for Pee-wee with a budget of $100, only 2 hours to cook and delivering it to the Alamo, finding a restaurant to borrow the kitchen to prepare the food, and getting to the Alamo on time...riding bicycles. Wow, now that's a challenge. Pee-wee had a chance to talk with the chefs about his favorite foods and least favorite foods. With that out of the way, the challenge begun the next day.



The challenge was not an easy task, giving the limited amount of money, time, and kitchens. It definitely was not easy for Lindsay who make a very risky, but poor choice to leave her restaurant to find extra ingredients, only to find Sarah beginning her cooking. Lindsay had no choice but to find another restaurant. It wasn't easy for Grayson, who had to hold on to her steaming hot chicken dish on her hand so that the stuffing wouldn't fall apart. That's dedication if I do say so myself.



Finally, they meet up at the Alamo and the judges get to taste and analyze the overall meal. While contemplating on who had the best dish and flavors, Pee-wee made these usually serious judges laugh, which brought a usually boring part of the show to be one of the main highlights. There was even a cute moment when Padma and Pee-wee made snarky remarks to one another, but no one can mess with Pee-wee with that. Pee-wee won that contest by a long shot. Nice try, Padma. Overall, everyone did a great job, but unfortunately, the determined Grayson was eliminated from Top Chef and 4 more chefs remain.
So overall, is this episode worth while to watch? This was my very first time seeing Top Chef and out of all of the episodes I had watch leading up to this one, it wins beyond any comparison. I'm going to give you 2 reasons why:

#1: The Challenges
Comparing the other challenges of the previous episodes, there were very few that connected with the aesthetic feel of Texas. The ones I can think of are the Quickfire Challenges of Episodes 3 and 4, and the Elimination Challenges of Episodes 6 and 7, but they were mostly capturing the Texan cuisine like BBQ, chili, rattlesnake, pork, and tequila. With Pee-wee's Elimination Challenge, it was beyond both appropriate and perfect as it captured the pure atmospheric feel of some of the best moments from Pee-wee's Big Adventure taking place in Texas and feeling a sense of pride.



The Alamo is the key plot destination in Pee-wee's Big Adventure and it has become a even more iconic landmark to visit, similar to the Philadelphia Art Museum in Rocky. If you're not questioning the tour guide about the infamous battle or the heroic men who sacrificed their lives to make Texas an independent state, then you're questioning about where the basement is. Even to this day, many people from Texas are very proud of this moment. To have Pee-wee come back to the Alamo after over 25 years since Big Adventure is nothing short of amazing. I actually got a little emotional after seeing it.

Also, the Quickfire Challenge was very Pee-wee esque as it brought reason and personality to why the challenge was the way it was. In the scene of Pee-wee's Big Adventure where we see the Breakfast Machine and see Mr. Breakfast, the short stack of pancakes with two eggs over easy for eyes, a strawberry nose, and a bacon mouth. Also there was a minor and subtle reference to Big Top Pee-wee regarding about the egg salad that was prepared by Sarah. The other guest judges Quickfire challenges did not have the same personality and quirkiness as Pee-wee's.

The other guest judges from Top Chef were pretty much boring and forgettable, with the exception of Charlize Theron and Patti LaBelle. They did not bring in anything interesting or fun on the table, no pun intended. In most of their deliberations, I just merely skimmed through and waited to see who was staying and who was going. With Pee-wee on the other hand, I was mesmerized and found myself laughing so hard at his funny expressions, witty dialogue, and overall love and appreciation for the meal. Sure, he was honest about his opinion about some of the flaws on some of the dishes, but he didn't say it in a harsh manner in front of the chefs like some of the other judges did. He had a lot of fun as a guest judge and the other chefs and judges had a blast too, which made it a lot more enjoyable for the viewers. Good job, Pee-wee. Even after Top Chef was over, there was even a discussion on how much fun and enjoyable Pee-wee was in Andy Cohen's show Watch What Happens Live.

It even brought out the kid in the adult judges. While they do goof off from time to time, they did not have as much laughs and smiles on their faces until Pee-wee came along. I take it it won't be for the remaining episodes since the competition  has gotten more fierce.

 . 

Not to mention, he looked great. Given the fact that he's going to be reaching a huge milestone age of 60 in a few months, it did not look he was reaching it at all. For those who have serious doubts on whether he can continue playing Pee-wee in the upcoming movie due to his age, you've got to be kidding me. Anyway, I digressed a bit. This will definitely go in the list of my top 10 Pee-wee Herman moments of 2012, bar none. It is a great episode that you should really tune in to.

Well, that's it for me. I got to go and get some much needed sleep. Thanks a lot for reading my really long recap of episode 13 of Top Chef: Texas. I hope you enjoyed it. Hope to see you soon around the Old School Lane. Catch you later.

-Patricia

P.S. This message is for you, Pee-wee. Every word I wrote about you being the best guest judge on Top Chef: Texas is the truth. You were great tonight in every way. Hope that we get to see you more often on TV or on the big screen really soon. Speaking of that, congratulations on being the newest cast member of Frank and Francis. It sounds like a fun role that I know you'll do great on. We can't get enough of you. We still love you and support you. Take care.

First Impressions: The Lorax

Hey everyone, Patricia here. Yes, it's been a while since I posted. But I've been busy going to school and studying, so I haven't had the time to post anything. Now that I'm back, time to make it up with another edition of First Impressions. Today's first impression happened to me last week when I went to the movie theater for the first time in four months and saw Red Tails. I saw a poster for an upcoming animated movie from Illumination Entertainment, the same company who created Despicable Me. It was a movie based on Dr. Seuss' classic story, The Lorax.



Just by looking at this poster, I have a 99% prediction that this movie is going to suck. Big time! For those of you who haven't read the book it was based on, it pretty much sums it up like this.



The story starts off with a young boy wandering into a dirty, polluted desolated town to visit a being known as the Once-ler. In exchange for 15 cents, a nail, and a shell from a great, great, great grandfather snail, (seriously, where the hell do you get that and where can I get it) he tells the story of the lush, green land that is now in place of the town and an orange creature called the Lorax.

The Once-ler looks around this beautiful forest filled with happy animals and examines the Truffula Trees and finds that he can make a product of it. He builds a factory and starts polluting the air, lake, and chopping trees for his greedy desire to make a fortune. But the Lorax sees this and tries to persuade him to stop what he is doing to his home, however the Once-ler doesn't listen to him and continues to run his factory as is. Eventually, all of the trees are chopped, the factory and town is deserted, the air is filled with polluted smoke, the lake is filthy, and all the animals and the Lorax leave the forest to move to another home. In the end, the Once-ler gives the boy the final Truffula Tree seed and tells him to plant it, give it water and sunshine, and protect it so it can eventually grow a forest so that the Lorax and the animals can come back.

Out of all the stories that Dr. Seuss ever wrote, this one was one of his absolute favorites. It's a story that may not be the best story for children for some, but it doesn't sugar coated or shove the message of protecting the environment in your face like most environmental stories for kids. I'm looking at you Captain Planet and Ferngully. However, in the end, the story shows a bit of hope that we can change our destructive ways and treat our environment better for everyone. That's a great story to tell to kids, especially today since global warming is rising in an alarming rate, we have more drought where rain is needed and more floods in places where it's not needed. We need to raise more awareness before it's too late and we can no longer avert the damage that we have done.



As of right now, the recent movie adaptations of these classic Dr. Seuss stories have been shat on. The Grinch, the Cat in the Hat, and Horton hears a Who are absolutely awful and from the looks of this, it'll probably follow the beaten path. But the nail in the coffin for me are the voice actors: Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, and Danny DeVito as the Lorax. Epic fail! Still, I'll let you know if my predictions are correct when I see it. Catch you later around the Old School Lane.

-Patricia

My most anticipated movies and video games of 2012

Almost a month has passed since 2012 has graced us in our everyday lives and so far, it hasn't felt any different for me than if it was 2011. However, as I wandered into the vast world of cyberspace, I found out that a lot of really cool things are coming out entertainment wise. When it came to movies and video games, they're really coming out with some really interesting things that I'm actually looking forward to. I don't know whether it has to do with the so-called "It's the end of the world so let's celebrate the time we have left with a bang" scenario, but whatever. Here are some movies that I'm excited about for 2012.

Beauty and the Beast 3D



I can't believe that in last November, Beauty and the Beast celebrated its 20th anniversary of its release. It seems like only yesterday that I saw this movie in the theater with my mom and sister and loving every moment of it. Man, I'm really getting old. This movie is a classic and it's one of my absolute favorite Disney movies. I'm not really into the whole princess thing, but I have to admit that I love Belle . She's odd, intelligent, a bookworm, pretty, and assertive, unlike a lot of the other Disney princesses that are pretty much damsels in distress. (If I had to choose my second favorite princess, it would be Tiana from The Princess and the Frog.)

I love the story, the side characters, the animation is beautiful, the songs are memorable, and the pacing of the relationship between Belle and the Beast. Next week, the movie will be released again in theaters in 3D. While I'm not big into the whole 3D epidemic, I will definitely be one of the first people on line to watch this movie.

The Hunger Games



Based on the dark, grim trilogy written by Susanne Collins, the story of Katniss Everdeen competing in a game show involving with killing the other contestants to survive will arrive in theaters this March. I've read the trilogy a year ago and I've loved it, unlike the Twilight trilogy. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this movie holds up with the book.

Dark Shadows


Based on the ABC TV soap opera from 1966-1971, it involves with vampires, monsters, witches, ghosts, zombies, Johnny Depp, and Tim Burton. Being a huge Tim Burton fan, I will be expecting a lot of great art, a intriguing story line, and a lot of dark undertones and goofy scenes.

The Avengers



A movie that has Thor, the Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, and many other superheroes all at once? Holy crap, where do I buy my ticket? As a big fan of superheroes, this looks like it's shaping up to be an awesome flick.

Brave



Pixar's first ever princess movie looks and sounds awesome. The story of a rebellious archer princess name Merida whose against going against the traditions of royalty. Her actions causes chaos throughout the whole kingdom and she has to restore it before it's too late. That sounds like the most kick ass Disney princess movie ever! I hope that this puts Pixar back on the map after that disappointing piece of crap that was Cars 2.

There are a lot of video games I'm looking forward to. With last year being called one of the greatest years in gaming ever, it's going to take a lot of top notch games to be released. Here's a list of some of the games I can't wait to play:


BioShock Infinite


The original Bioshock was one of the greatest FPS ever. The creepy atmosphere of Rapture, the fresh storyline with a lot of twists, surprises, and multiple endings, complex characters and interesting weapons is what makes this game great. The sequel was okay. BioShock Infinite takes place in a air city called Columbia in 1912 where a former Pinkerton agent named Booker DeWitt rescues a woman named Elizabeth from being held hostage for 12 years. The graphics look awesome and the concept sounds really cool.

Kid Icarus: Uprising



The original Kid Icarus is a classic NES game that unfortunately didn't go very far compared to Mario,
Zelda, and Metroid. But when he appeared as a character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, people were excited that Pit was in the game and they were looking forward to another Kid Icarus game. Years later, after many rumors and speculations, Kid Icarus: Uprising was announced for the 3DS. The gameplay looks very different compared to the previous games, but it looks pretty good. So far, the 3DS hasn't really been selling like hotcakes and the 3D hurts my eyes after a few minutes. Maybe this game will pick up the popularity of the 3DS.

The Last Guardian



The same company that released awesome PS2 games like Ico and Shadow of the Colossus announced in 2008 that they were going to release a game involving a boy and a griffin-like creature named Trico trying to escape a castle and focusing on the friendship between the two. Unfortunately, the game had been delayed year after year and was almost cancelled a few times. Finally, the game will be released this year and I think will be one of the last great games of the PS3 before the PS4 will be announced. I can't wait to check it out.

Mass Effect 3



The final game in the trilogy promises to be the biggest story in the series. Every decision that was made in the previous two games is carried on with the new game and is just as important as ever with the storyline. Commander Shepard travels to new planets and recruits new soldiers to finish the war against the Reapers once and for all. While I'm not a huge fan of this series compared to my cousin, I'm still looking forward to it.

Twisted Metal



In the late 90's and early 2000's, over-the-top racing games were all the rage and Twisted Metal was one of the best. Not really much to say about it, but there will be new cars, online gameplay, and the same characters from the previous games will be there. I haven't played a crazy over-the-top racing game since Jak X: Combat Racing and the trailers and pictures make it look like a lot of fun.

Overstrike



One of my all time favorite video game developers is Insomniac Games. They created one of my all time favorite video game series, Ratchet and Clank. When I saw Overstrike at E3 2011, it kinda reminded me of Pixar's The Incredibles with the creative weapons and funny dialogue. Not a lot of information about what the plot has been revealed, but it's from Insomniac Games, which means it'll be creative, funny, unique, and fun.

Tomb Raider



When I first heard that a new Tomb Raider was coming out, I was excited. Over the years, the series took a turn for the worse and the games became awful. However, similar to the Sonic the Hedgehog series, the Tomb Raider series changed for the better when Lara Croft and the Guardian of the Light came out in August 2010. Even though it was very different from the previous games, it was a great comeback for the series. In E3 2011, a new trailer of the game came out and it looks like it took the best from the earlier Tomb Raider games and improved on it.

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time



During the PS2 days, my favorite platformers series were Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, and Sly Cooper. When the PS3 came out, only the Ratchet and Clank series continued while the other series ended. However, Sucker Punch Productions, the company who created the Sly Cooper series, teased about a Sly Cooper 4 in their other game Infamous. In E3 2011, the announcement of Sly Cooper 4 got people excited. The plot takes place years after Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves in which the main characters Sly, Bentley, and Murray reunite and their main mission is to retrieve the stolen Thievus Racconus, the book that belonged to the Cooper family for generations. Although Sucker Punch is not getting involved with the game, it looks just like the previous games.

That's my list of my most anticipated movies and video games of 2012. I have a really strong feeling that I'll be seeing more movies and games that would look just as awesome. Thanks for chilling out with us at the Old School Lane. Catch you later.

-Patricia