The Princess and the Frog

The Princess and the Frog, Disney's newest animated adventure to add to the long line of movies I remember from my childhood.

I admit, it was a long time coming for a BLACK princess to show up, (and she wasn't really a princess till the end).

and I admit, I was sceptical at first, since other reviews put it at The Lion King level or better. My all-time favorite Disney movie is The Lion King, so with that said, it had some MAJOR shoes to fill.

I have to say, the people who were behind this movie did a WONDERFUL job and it did live up to it's hype. It is one to keep and pass on to your kids/grand-kids, friends and what not.

Something Strange Going on...Something's Wrong...

I am actually well behind in writing this upcoming review. I've been playing (and soundly beating) the Ghostbusters video game for the Playstation 3 for months now, ever since buying it with my tax refund money. As a huge fan of the Ghostbusters since childhood, I can honestly say that the video game certainly does the franchise justice.

The year is 1991. The game begins as you, a newly hired cadet, are being fitted for your first training exercise as a Ghostbuster by the original members of the paranormal exterminator squad, Drs. Ray Stantz, Peter Venkman, and Egon Spengler (all voiced by the original actors from the movies.) After a training mission involving Slimer escaping the containment grid, wherein you're taught the basic principals of the game, you essentially reinact Slimer's capture from the first movie, with your character being the one causing most of the mayhem instead of the other veteran spook snatchers. The game even ends that part of the level in the Alhambra ballroom of the Sedgewick Hotel, where Slimer apparently originally manifested back in 1984.

Even this is not the end of your trek through the hotel, however, as a new ghost appears by the name of Pappi Sargasi, and you must track him down to bring things back to normal within the walls of the grand old hotel. Other locations used in the game include the New York Public Library, Times Square, and a headstone ridden cemetary in the middle of Central Park.

The weaponry from the game includes much of the technology used in the movies, including the PKE scanner, the Ecto 1 herse/ambulance, and of course the vaunted Proton Pack and Ghost Traps that made the movies famous. Weapon upgrades are acheived at key points during the game, usually right before your first use of them is required.

As one might expect, there are many ghosts to "bust" throughout the game, and this I found, though taking practice to master, is the most fun aspect of it all. I've always been a fan of shooters, but this one is unique in that you're not using a traditional gun, and you're not killing anything. Even when you fire at a human target, they simply cower in terror rather than express any sort of physical injury or pain.

Aside from the well thought out story, well performed voice acting, and action packed ghost catching, the game offers many different references from other parts of the franchise as well. The painting of Vigo, the Scourge of Carpathia and Sorrow of Moldavia can be found in the firehouse near the desk of Janine Melnitz (voiced by Annie Potts), and offers smart alec comments to anyone who gets close enough. I guess he must be bitter about being defeated two years prior to the game's beginning.

My favorite, though, is the answering machine found near the pool table in the top floor of the firehouse. Pressing the button on the machine gives you access to many humorous messages, including a witch belonging to Westchester Coven who has a guest coming from "the deep south", and a "Professor Jones" insisting that the painting of Vigo "belongs in a museum."

Overall I give the game four stars out of five. It loses a star simply because I thought it was too short. Can't wait for the sequel.

The Clown of God

I just finished "The Clown of God" by Tomie DePaola.

It's a heartwarming little story about an Juggler and his gift to Baby Jesus.
I would highly recommend this to anyone, child, teen or adult alike, along with any of Mr DePaola's other books. He is a Master of storytelling, and allowing his colorful pictures and words wash the pages with wonder.