Wreck-it Ralph: Bubble Gum Refreshing!

the Poster:

the Trailer:


the Plot:
When Litwak's Arcade closes at night, the various video game characters leave their normal in-game roles and are free to travel to other games. Within the game Fix-It Felix, Jr., the characters celebrate its titular hero (Jack McBrayer) but shun the game's villain character, Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly). At a support group for video game antagonists, Ralph reveals his desire to stop being the bad guy. Back at home, Ralph finds the other characters celebrating their game's 30th anniversary without inviting him. Felix reluctantly invites Ralph to join them, but the others led by Mayor Gene ostracize him, saying he would have to earn a medal, just as Felix does in their game.

At Tapper's, Ralph learns that he can win a medal in the first-person shooter game Hero's Duty from a dissilusioned fighter named Markowski. As the drunk Markowski passed out, Ralph takes his uniform instead and enters the game, encountering Sergeant Calhoun (Jane Lynch), its no-nonsense leader.

Between game sessions, Ralph climbs the game's central beacon and collects the medal, accidentally hatching a Cy-Bug, one of the game's enemies. The Cy-Bug clings to Ralph as he stumbles into an escape pod that launches him out of the game into Game Central. Meanwhile, with Ralph missing, a girl reports to Litwak the arcade owner that Fix-It Felix, Jr. is malfunctioning. Since broken games get unplugged, leaving their characters homeless, Felix with Q-bert's info goes to find Ralph before it's too late.

Ralph crash-lands in Sugar Rush, a candy-themed kart-racing game. With Cy-Bug getting swallowed by a swamp, as Ralph searches for his medal, he meets Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman), a glitchy character who takes the medal and uses it to buy entry into a race. King Candy (Alan Tudyk) and the other racers refuse to let Vanellope participate, claiming that she is not really part of the game. Hovewer, as the coin is already paid, Vanellope has the chance to participate in the race slated for tomorrow.

Feeling sorry for her, Ralph helps Vanellope build a kart. At her home in Diet Cola Mountain, an unfinished racing course, he discovers that she is a natural racer.

Back in Hero's Duty, Felix meets Calhoun and informs her that Ralph has gone Turbo. She in turn warns that the Cy-Bugs are capable of taking over any game they enter. As the pair searches for Ralph and the Cy-Bug in Sugar Rush, they separate when Felix, enamored with Calhoun, inadvertently reminds her of her fiancé, who had been killed by a Cy-Bug in her backstory. Calhoun finds hundreds of Cy-Bug eggs underground, and Felix becomes imprisoned in King Candy's castle during his search for Ralph.

King Candy hacks the game's code to retrieve Ralph's medal and offers it to him, explaining that letting Vanellope race would be disastrous for both her and the game. Due to her glitching features, players will be mistaken that the game is faulty and thus causing it to be unplugged. All other characters will be able to leave the game except for Vanellope as she is unable to leave the game because she is a glitch.

Fearing for Vanellope's safety, Ralph wrecks the kart and returns to his own game, but finds that everyone has evacuated Fix-it Felix Jr game, expecting the game to be unplugged in the morning. Ralph then notices Vanellope's image on the Sugar Rush cabinet and realizes she is an intended part of the game, not a glitch.

Ralph returns to Sugar Rush, rescues Felix and Vanellope from King Candy's dungeon, and asks Felix to fix the wrecked kart. As the race proceeds, the hatched Cy-Bugs attack and Felix, Calhoun, and Ralph battle them. When Vanellope catches up to King Candy, he reveals that he is actually Turbo, a character from an old game who sabotaged a newer game out of jealousy, causing both to be unplugged. Vanellope escapes from Turbo, who is consumed by a Cy-Bug. The group flees the doomed game, but Vanellope finds she cannot pass through the exit. Calhoun says the game cannot be saved without a beacon to attract and kill the Cy-Bugs.

Ralph heads to Diet Cola Mountain, where he plans on collapsing its Mentos stalactites into the cola at the bottom, causing a blinding eruption that would attract the bugs. Before he can finish, Turbo, merged with the Cy-Bug that had consumed him, carries him away. Ralph breaks free and dives toward the mountain, intending to sacrifice himself to start the eruption on impact. Vanellope in turn uses her glitching abilities to save Ralph. The eruption starts and draws the Cy-Bugs to their destruction, including Turbo the Cy-Bug. Vanellope crosses the finish line, restoring her memory and status as Princess Vanellope, the game's ruler and lead character, while keeping her advantageous glitching ability. Felix and Ralph return to their game in time for Litwak to see that it still works, sparing it from being unplugged.

Calhoun and Felix marry in Hero's Duty (and Vanellope is now apparently able to leave her game, as she is present as the maid of honor at the wedding), and the characters of Fix-It Felix, Jr. gain a new respect for Ralph.

the Riviu:
it is indeed a very nice movie, simple but refreshing. there are a lot of good positive messages put across here. for example, even though convention states that you are a bad guy, you yourself made who you really are. and should you have a weakness, let the weakness be your strength instead.

Ralph is really a good guy with a kind heart. to have him treated shabbily by niceland folks, kesian sangat.
all in all, it sure does bring back memories of playing pc games :)  what's your favourite?

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story

the Poster:

the Trailer:


the Plot:
The film focuses on a rivalry between the owners of Average Joe's, a small gym, and Globo-Gym, a competing big-budget gym located across the street.

Peter LaFleur (Vince Vaughn), the owner of the smaller gym, has defaulted on his mortgage and enters a dodgeball tournament in an attempt to earn the money necessary to prevent his gym from being purchased by Globo-Gym owner, White Goodman (Ben Stiller). Globo-Gym enters a team in the tournament in an effort to ensure that Average Joe's gym fails.

Attorney Kate Veatch (Christine Taylor) is working on the gym transaction for White. White repeatedly and unsuccessfully attempts to charm her, and she instead develops a friendship with Peter while reviewing his financial records.

Average Joe's employees Dwight (Chris Williams) and Owen (Joel David Moore) and members Steve "the Pirate" (Alan Tudyk), Justin (Justin Long), and Gordon (Stephen Root) try to raise the money needed to save the gym. Gordon suggests that they enter a dodgeball tournament in Las Vegas with a $50,000 prize. They form a team with Peter and watch a 1950s-era training video narrated by dodgeball legend "Patches" O'Houlihan (Hank Azaria).

They are soundly defeated by a Girl Scout troop in a local qualifying match, but win by default when the Scouts are disqualified because of steroid use.

White has been spying on Average Joe's using a hidden camera, and forms his own elite dodgeball team to oppose them.

Peter is approached by the aging, wheelchair-bound Patches (Rip Torn) who volunteers to coach the Average Joe's team. Patches' training regimen includes throwing wrenches at the team, forcing them to dodge oncoming cars, and constantly berating them with insults.

Kate demonstrates skill at the game, but declines an offer to join the team as it would be a conflict of interest owing to her contract with White. In the meantime, to circumvent Kate's employer dating employee conflict of interest, White arranges for her to be fired from her law firm so he can pursue her romantically. Infuriated, Kate joins the Average Joe's team.

At the tournament in Las Vegas, Average Joe's suffers early setbacks but manages to advance to the final round against Globo-Gym.

The night before the match, Patches is killed by a falling sign. This shakes Peter's confidence; he expresses his fear that the team will lose to Globo-Gym and berates Steve for his childish pirate persona, causing Steve to leave the team. White offers Peter $100,000 for the deed to Average Joe's, which Peter accepts.

The day of the final round Justin leaves to help his classmate Amber (Julie Gonzalo) with a cheerleading competition, leaving the Average Joe's team without enough members to compete.

Peter has a chance encounter with Lance Armstrong, who encourages him to rejoin his team, but by the time he arrives Average Joe's has already been forced to forfeit. Gordon finds a loophole in the rules that can overturn the forfeiture by vote of the judges, and Chuck Norris casts the tie-breaking vote to allow the team to play.

After a fierce game, Peter and White face off in a sudden death match to determine the winner. Inspired by a vision of Patches, Peter blindfolds himself and is able to dodge White's throw and strike him, winning the championship and the prize money.

White declares the victory meaningless, since Peter had sold Average Joe's to him the previous night, but Peter reveals that he used White's $100,000 to bet on Average Joe's to win; with the odds against them at 50 to 1, he has won $5 million.

He buys a controlling interest in Globo-Gym, which now also includes Average Joe's, and fires White. Steve returns to the group after Peter apologizes to him.

Kate reveals that she is bisexual and kisses both Peter and her girlfriend. Justin also finds romance with Amber, while Owen begins dating Fran (Missi Pyle) from the Globo-Gym team. Peter opens youth dodgeball classes at Average Joe's, while White becomes obese by drowning his sorrows in junk food.

the Riviu:
this movie attests to my slow-pokey habit of watching an oldies. i had once put up a mental note to watch this movie but never get around into doing it.

i love this movie for the sheer fun of an underdog story. the characters are colourful and was said to be a launch pad for Justin Long's deadpan comic timing. i could not forget the horrific cheerleading tryout he had to endure the year before :)

nonetheless this is a feel good movie and Justin does have his share of luck in the end. though making him appear alongside pregnant Amber seems too much but somehow viewed essential to show that they are having their happily-ever-after. cliche!

as for the main actor, Vaughn surely becomes the pivotal character that he was cast in, ambling good-naturedly towards whatever that comes up. when quizzed on goals, he mouthed some nonsense that somehow makes sense viewed from his slacking bum perspective. he oozes charms that somehow make you root for him. besides, he does have a dry sense of humor to match.

Ben Stiller played his role as the annoying jerk to a hilt. he surely has some complex issues regarding his manhood and all. the pumped up spandex is one, ridiculous! no wonder the main love interest in the movie, Kate was repulsed with him. eeuwww! one interesting note though, Christine Taylor is in actual life, the wife of Ben Stiller and had appeared together with him in another kooky movie of dimwit fun, "Zoolander"

believe me, the movie is fun. the training by Coach Patches is one horrific example, what with the speeding cars and flying wrenches :)

i am also happy to note that Jason Batemen was playing a supporting role as Pepper Brooks, a sport commentator sidekick for the Dodgeball tournament. it was a short appearance with him looking dazed most of the time, and he was given a few lines only. but it's enough to make me miss watching his movies. perhaps "Hancock" riviu after this?

lets!