Movie Review: “Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2”

“There’s no law saying best friends have to have the same dreams...”

In 2012, “Wreck-It Ralph” gave us a charming glimpse into the thriving universe that lives beneath the surface in old school, arcade-style video games.

It was to video games what “Toy Story” was to analog toys. 

The gang is back for “Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2.”

Friends Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly) and Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman) are back, living our their daily routine as video game characters (Ralph in the game Fix-It Felix, Vanellope in Sugar Rush). 

Vanellope has become frustrated with life’s “predictability,” and yearns for something more. 

Ralph wants his friend to be as happy and contented as he is, so he creates a special track in Sugar Rush for Vanellope. 

Unfortunately, that move causes confusion for the girl who is playing Sugar Rush at Litwak’s Family Fun Center and Arcade, and it causes the steering wheel the malfunction, and break as the owner of the emporium tries to fix it. 

It turns out Sugar Rush is an old arcade game, and a replacement steering wheel is incredibly expensive (the only replacement available is through a third party on eBay). So Mr. Litwak unplugs the game — leaving Vanellope and her Sugar Rush cohorts in video game limbo. 

Never one to rest, Ralph devises a plan to fix Sugar Rush by going to visit eBay on the Internet — via Litwak’s newly installed WiFi router. 

Ralph and Vanellope make the journey to this “brave new world,” but soon find themselves in need of money, with only 24 hours to raise the necessary funds to secure the wheel. 

The main narrative of “Ralph Breaks the Internet” focuses on the fish-out-of-water aspects of Ralph and Vanellope experiencing the Internet for the first time. Viewers will find a number of cute moments and relatable references throughout. 

As was the case in the first “Wreck-It Ralph,” the relationship between Ralph and Vanellope is still unorthodox and sweet — the pair has become one of the most capable duos in the current crop of animation. 

The pair ends up in a high octane, rough online car racing game. They also make viral videos for a site called “BuzzTube.” Both instances provide for some funny moments. 

There are a number of other “Internet tropes” from our daily lives — things that are new to Vanellope and Ralph, but things we take for granted in the Internet age. 

In a previous blog post I referenced a trailer that showed Disney Princesses featured in “Ralph Breaks the Internet.” Those sequences are among the most enjoyable in the movie. 

I will say, though, that the movie — while entertaining — doesn’t quite achieve the “unique spark” that made the first “Wreck-It Ralph” so compelling. 

That said, the movie has a series of enjoyable vignettes, and maintains an emotional core throughout. You really find yourself caring about Ralph and Vanellope.

Previous post: "Steven Curtis Chapman Talks About Life and Faith in his 'SCC SOLO' Tour"

Steven Curtis Chapman Talks About Life and Faith in his “SCC SOLO” Tour

By Jon Brooks 

Bridget and I first saw Steven Curtis Chapman in concert at Omaha’s Orpheum Theatre in 1992 for “The Great Adventure” Tour. 

Through the years, Chapman’s music has been a staple in our rotation. 

My favorite albums are “The Great Adventure,” “Heaven in the Real World,” “Speechless,” and “Declaration.”

It’s interesting how music brings to mind peculiar memories. 

I remember wearing out a cassette of “Heaven in the Real World” on a Walkman while I painted houses in the summer of 1994. Whenever I listen to that album, I’m transported back to hot, sunny afternoons climbing ladders and crawling behind shrubs in an effort to sling paint in hard-to-reach places. 

That spirit is imbued in Steven Curtis Chapman’s SCC SOLO Tour — where the artist shared songs and “real life conversation” with his fans.

Bridget and I had the opportunity to attend the show at Omaha’s Christ Community Church on Nov. 14. 

Compared to the four previous Steven Curtis Chapman concerts we attended, this show was more of an autobiographical journey for the artist. 

Through songs, pictures, stories, and video clips, Chapman took attendees through his life — talking about his enduring faith in God and how it has influenced his walk. 

He published a biography last year called “Between Heaven and the Real World: My Story.” Bridget bought a copy of the book at the concert (in a bundle with an exclusive CD from the concert — I’ll have a review of that in a future blog post). 

Chapman and his wife Mary Beth have adopted three children from China. He talked about that experience during the concert, and his charity “Show Hope” — which works to nurture adoption around the world.

Bridget opted for the tickets that allowed us early access to the church sanctuary so we could meet Steven. It was really fun — after all these years — to have the opportunity to meet one of our favorite artists. 

When I mentioned our first time seeing him was at a concert in 1992, Chapman exclaimed, “You must have been ‘younguns’!”

Bridget and I featured two songs by Chapman — “Go There With You” and “I Will Be Here” — in our wedding back in 2004. 

Chapman’s musical stylings combine pop anthems and folksy ballads. The Paducah, Kentucky-native definitely has a southern flavor in his music — featuring acoustic guitar, bluegrass licks, and scripture-based lyrics. 

Whether you’ve heard one of his songs 100 times — or are hearing it for the very first time — the tunes feel friendly and comfortable, like a well-worn pair of shoes. 

Chapman's setlist was heavy on classics in his catalog like "For the Sake of the Call," "Dive," "Live Out Loud" and "No Better Place." 

He also took requests during the show. God bless the woman who requested "Dancing With The Dinosaur" — a song of Steven's I hadn't heard live since his 1994 tour. 

I’ve talked on this blog before about my love of Christian music, and how it was one of the interests Bridget and I bonded over when we started dating in high school. 

The music dives into life’s truths. As Chapman croons in his song “More to This Life”: “Today I watched in silence as people passed me by / And I strained to see if there was something hidden in their eyes / but they all looked back at me as if to say / life just goes on”...

Chapman illustrates the benefit of living a purpose-driven life. He also shows the journey is rarely perfect and tragedy can befall even the most stout of heart. 

We had a nice time at the Nov. 14 concert. It wasn’t the first we’ve heard words of wisdom from Steven Curtis Chapman. I’m sure our paths will cross again...

Previous post: "Two Weeks Later, 'Toy Story 4' Teaser Leaves Me Feeling Annoyed"

Two Weeks Later, “Toy Story 4” Teaser Leaves Me Feeling Annoyed

Way back in 1995, I couldn’t have been more happy about the movie “Toy Story.”

I ended up seeing that movie 7 or 8 times in the theater. 

I liked “Toy Story 2” almost as much as the first (when it was released a few years later). 

“Toy Story 3” was pretty much a “manipulative dumpster fire” when it was released in 2010, but made oodles of money, so there’s that.... 

A couple weeks ago, Disney released a teaser trailer for “Toy Story 4.” Well, two teasers if you want to get technical about it... 

The main teaser starts out with our favorite toys happily floating in the clouds, holding hands with each other while Joni Mitchell’s song “Both Sides Now” plays.  

Then a spork — with a homemade face, arms, and feet — appears, and everything falls apart. 

Was the trailer supposed to be clever? Was it supposed to be odd? 

It felt manipulative (I used that word again). 

Pretty much anything these days using a Joni Mitchell song is manipulative.

Pixar also released a “trailer reaction video” — all computer animated — with a stuffed bunny and chick (voiced by Key & Peele) talking about the teaser trailer. 

But it wasn’t fun — or funny. 

The whole promotional package felt forced and cringeworthy — as if a “trying-too-hard-to-be-clever” marketing team was desperate to dream up something built for the viral age. 

I’m sitting here writing about it, so I “guess” they accomplished what they wanted to accomplish. I just have no idea what exactly it was they were going for. 

If Disney’s goal was to make me feel “un-excited” about “Toy Story 4,” then “mission accomplished.” 

I miss the Pixar of old — before they were sold to Disney. 

I liked Pixar better when Steve Jobs ran it. 

It’s not the only thing I liked better when Steve Jobs ran it. 

Pixar movies were more enjoyable when they didn’t try “overly hard” to tug on your heartstrings. 

The early years of Pixar weren’t manipulative (wow, the fourth time I’ve used that word in this post). The company focused on smart stories, and the marketing campaigns were straightforward and to the point. 

I’ll be honest, without Marvel movies continuing to prop up the box office, I worry about the creative direction some of these studios are moving. 

For example, does Disney need to re-make EVERY beloved animated movie in its vault into some CG money grab?? (I’m looking at you, Simba, Dumbo...)

Where is the new generation of animated franchises? Where is the creativity? Where is the next “Toy Story”-like franchise that feels new and fresh?

I'm sure "Toy Story 4" will be a fine movie when all is said and done, but the marketing behind it leaves me scratching my head. 

Previous Post: Tried Something New This Thanksgiving…

Tried Something New This Thanksgiving...

Our friends Arlen and Jill Robichaux (who live in our circle) offered to cook our turkey in their smoker this year for Thanksgiving. 

We had never had a smoked turkey for Thanksgiving. The most “adventurous” we had been before was prepping a turkey in a fryer in 2013.

Bridget took our 9 lb. turkey breast over to the Robichaux’s at 7:55 a.m. this morning. We rubbed it the night before with a blend of fresh basil and rosemary, ground pepper, sage, garlic powder, salt, and olive oil. 

Arlen has a digital smoker with a Bluetooth thermometer that connects to an app on his iPhone. Pretty cool deal...

Our turkey reached an internal temp of 165 degrees a little after 1 p.m.

My dad and Bridget’s mom really enjoyed the turkey — more than any turkey we’ve previously prepped. That is the best testament for smoking a turkey. 

Special thanks to Arlen and Jill for offering to smoke the turkey. Really appreciate their friendship and thankful that they helped make our Thanksgiving celebration a success!

Previous post: My Last Foray Into This Silly Trend: Pumpkin Spice Mini Wheats

My Last Foray Into This Silly Trend: Pumpkin Spice Mini Wheats

For the sake of this blog — and for the sake of my curiosity — I decided to try my favorite breakfast cereal in the “pumpkin spice” variety. 

Last month, I reviewed Pop-Tarts flavored like pumpkin pie. They were alright. 

We’re nearing the end of “pumpkin season.” In a matter of hours, everything “special” will be peppermint. 

I’ll probably review some of those items too... mainly because they are super easy blog posts to write, and they get a lot of clicks (I kind of get obsessed with analytics on my hobby blogs). 

So there you go. You’re probably like, “So what did you think of the cereal, Jon?”

Kellogg’s Frosted Mini Wheats are a staple of my diet. I’m sure they have too much sugar. I also know pop culture’s obsession with the “evils of gluten” won’t win me any health awards. 

I don’t care. The cereal is high in fiber and protein. 

The “pumpkin spice” edition of the cereal wasn’t too bad. I prefer the regular ol’ standby, to be honest. 

One “side effect” of the pumpkin spice coating is that it turned the milk an orange color. Some mornings that was sort of a turn off, to be honest.

That’s all I got. But don’t worry, I’ll be back with some weird food gimmick in December! 

Previous post: Metro's Beautiful Construction Education Center Serves Vital Trades

Metro’s Beautiful Construction Education Center Serves Vital Trades

I often hear that jobs “in the trades” — construction, plumbing, electrical, HVAC repair, automotive maintenance, and manufacturing — go “unfilled” because of a lack of trained workers. 

I remember when I was in junior high school. It was required that we take shop class. We built things like carbon dioxide-powered race cars and pasta measuring tools. 

Bridget will tell you that skill-based courses have typically been the ones I’ve favored. Being a journalism major in college, courses like “Photography” and “Publication Design & Graphics” had more relevance to me than the myriad of theory-type courses we took as undergraduates. 

We had an opportunity to tour Metropolitan Community College’s Construction Education Center located at the Fort Omaha campus site in northeast Omaha on Thursday, Nov. 15 as part of the Omaha Press Club’s Noon Forum series. 

Dr. Nate Barry, Dean of Career and Technical Education at MCC, talked to our group about the need for properly skilled workers in the construction trades. 

“It is the first time in 30 years that construction projects are not getting done due to a lack of workers,” Barry says. 

Construction projects aren’t delayed because of a dearth of funding, according to Barry. Rather, the necessary workforce isn’t in place to complete those projects in communities around the United States. 

And the jobs aren’t going away...  

MCC’s Construction Education Center is part of a “community effort” trying to solve this issue in Omaha. The state-of-the-art facility is part of a $90 million building project that includes a new student center and the Center for Advanced and Emerging Industries (the curriculum focuses on 21st century careers like cyber-security). 

The construction building houses various construction trades under one roof, which means trades such as plumbing, electrical, and HVAC are in the same location as welding, civil engineering, construction, and architectural technology. 

This allows for a “co-mingling” of disciplines, and instructors co-teach classes so the students are ready to work in the industry — and have the ability to interact with other trades during future professional pursuits.  

The Construction Education Center features glass walls and exposed ceilings so students can get an idea of how plumbing (“Wet Walls”) and electrical systems are structured throughout the building. 

It was fun to get to experience some of the student workspaces while touring the Construction Education Center. 

This is the “residential” HVAC lab with functioning furnaces and AC units for students to work on:

The complex has a “store” with a variety of tools, parts, and supplies so students can become comfortable working with items they'll use in the workforce:

There is an electrical lab allowing students to run wire and conduit through studs, and hook up a variety of electrical items like outlets, doorbells, alarm systems, and ceiling fans: 

The facility’s “showcase” area is a two-story, glassed-in workspace (right off the main lobby) that allows students to build a 1,600 S.F. home — referred to as a “capstone project.” 

The effort allows students from different trades in the school to work together on the project — a culmination of their training at the Construction Education Center. 

The home is then transported to a neighborhood in the community for homeowner to enjoy (the house is sold by a real estate agent, and a foundation uses the money to fund a similar project). 

Barry told attendees that 50 percent of the $90 million project was funded with private donations. 

As a graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, I often find myself preaching the value of a 4-year degree. While there is value in receiving your BS or BA, there are numerous jobs available requiring technical training that can be served by motivated workers coming from associate degree programs at junior colleges and trade schools.

These are good paying jobs. 

In the marketing communications business Bridget and I own, graphic design, photography, web design, basic HTML coding, and writing skills are integral to the work we do — the skills needed to compete have changed over the past 22 years.  

Institutions like Metropolitan Community College allow the Omaha workforce to get the skills-based training needed to stay competitive. 

Projects like MCC’s Construction Education Center are a benefit to our community. 

Previous post: Halloween Traditions

Halloween Traditions

I’ll be the first to say that I’m not a big “holiday” kind of guy. 

Sure, I enjoy the various tropes associated with holidays throughout the year. I like light displays at Christmas. I enjoy fireworks on the Fourth of July. I eat turkey at Thanksgiving. 

I just don’t go “all in” emotionally on holidays. 

That said, Bridget and I have developed a number of traditions for holidays during the year. 

Over the past several years, Halloween has become one of those holidays. 

I like to decorate our yard each year. This year we cleaned out the garage in September (yay!) and were better able to access my collection of Halloween inflatables, so we’ve been rocking spooky decorations for a little over a month:

We tend to get a fair number of trick-or-treaters (around 60-70 a year), and we usually celebrate the experience by getting a pumpkin-shaped pizza from Godfather’s Pizza:

Some years our nieces come and help hand out candy to the kids. This picture is from 2013. Our niece Lauren dressed up as a “typical 80s girl” that year:

I tend to wear my Ghostbusters shirt … I've got it on again this year.

We also get season passes to Vala’s Pumpkin Patch each year. Vala’s isn’t your grandmother’s pumpkin patch (unless, of course, you are one of the Vala grandchildren), and I profiled the attraction in a 2016 blog post. 

This picture is from from 2014 when Bridget and I took our nieces Olivia and Julia (and one of their friends) to Vala’s on Oct. 31. I thought it was fun how the girls were locked arm-in-arm:

While our traditions might not seem like a lot, they are our traditions. They help make the season fun. 

Happy Halloween! 

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