Saw TS3 this past Sunday. This is a great movie – and like the last Pixar movie we saw – yet another tearjerker in at least two places! I won’t spoil the plot, but suffice it to say there yet more twists ahead for Woody & crew, although I was able to predict the end about 2/3 of the way in.

Like most other Pixar movies, TS3 is a nice blend of silly and adult humor – not quite as many pop-culture references this time around, but still a solid plot and the characters continued to develop from last time around. About the only thing(s) missing (OK, slight spoilers ahead) were a bigger role for my favorite unspeaking character in the 3 TS movies and Kelsey Grammer from the last one – he always plays a great villain. The outtakes at the end with Zurg arriving at the daycare were pretty amusing too.

I’m glad they made this movie – and I’m pretty sure it’s the last one – which is also fine. And this probably has to be one of the few (if not the only) series of movie sequels that actually worked as well as the original? GF3 was sheite, after all – were there any other sequels that worked as of the 3rd movie? And NO, Police Academy was arguably lame the FIRST time out of the gate (sorry Bobcat, love ya!)

go see it!

candybowl

Picked up an old arcade game for my buddy – Wizard of Wor. This game dates back from the latter arcade classic era, 1981. It shares the same robotic speech as Gorf from the same era (both of us actually have one of those machines, although mine currently languishes in my dad’s barn in OR). Basically the game consists of either one/two people in what seem like land-going spacesuits in a maze, zapping weird creatures, some of which are invisible at times (you can see them on the radar screen below the maze, though).

Once you clear the maze, other bad guys appear you have to zap of course (e.g. Warlock) – and then the Wizard himself may or may not appear. The game also has organ-style music at the start and end of each maze-zapping session, in addition to the weird voice.

Good stuff. This is also a convenient moment to shamelessly plug the upcoming 3rd annual pinball/arcade show here in Seattle next month, weekend of June 11-13. Come one, come all!

candybowl