Despicible App

What is going on with Despicable Me: Minion Rush lately? This was a game done to perfection with comedy from the film franchise tied in to video game action as you race through the various zones to collect seasonal tokens which unlock special characters. Lately though, it's hard to get the ball rolling at all. It seems that Dreamworks are planning a new film entitled Pets. And their advertising campaign is so big that they are actually trailing the film over the course of the game. The problem is that the game won't actually load after the advert regardless or not of whether you've given them your buck, causing the game to crash with no further screens appearing. This is especially annoying when you are trying to complete a limited edition time-based quest. It's going to be another game for the bin if I can't fulfil the game because the ad won't let me.

Tripped by Tripped...

just found out this morning that there is no more Tripped planned to grace our screens. I was really enjoying the parallel worlds where drugs are available at the supermarket; have intimate relationships with relatives and escaping hoards of fans, all while avoiding a bunch of killer assassins. In the last episode we at least found out why the protagonists were being hunted. But the writers could have put a lot more effort into creating other worlds. What about a world where global warming has already happened; or a world where dogs had superior intelligence? Of course, some ideas would have needed a bigger budget; but the worlds that were covered seemed very easy to construct with hardly any effort to demonstrate that they were different. The annoying thing was that we weren't given any notice that that was it; that no more episodes were forthcoming, and that kind of gives the impression that it wasn't received well and the plug was pulled. 

One Hundred Degrees Below Zero

One Hundred Degrees Below Zero is a cheap sci-fi film produced for the Syfy channel. You can tell it’s cheap as you can often see people wearing hi-vis jackets in the background of a city that is supposed to be deserted. In one of the final scenes (spoiler alert), the kids climb the Eiffel Tower as it's the agreed rendezvous to meet their parents (who just happen to be ex. war buddies with the colonel, himself only seems to be occupied with their safety over the rest of his occupation). It's then decided to tie the helicopter to the tower so that they can slide down rather than land on the rather large bridge that's four car lengths wide on the river Seine. All through the film I was trying to decide whether the girl was from Marvel’s Agents of Shield, but it turns out it’s a Thai actress with bigger boobs. If you like picking out movie plot holes, then this is for you.

Jumping for joy at the Jug and Jester, Leamington Spa

Many modern pubs go for the open plan approach with just one bar and everything has its place so that the licensee can see that everything is in order. The Jug and Jester is such a refreshing change in that it has many nooks and crannies to hide yourself away in for a quiet conversation. There are two bars should someone crave a large gathering; and bookcases and potted plants seductively create many booths and tables in four large rooms. There are high ceilings with paintings and ornaments adorning the walls; and the toilets are on a separate level to add to that fun feeling? I particularly enjoyed spotting the different vats of beer mounted high near the ceiling. The beer was adequate but the pub was completely lacking in atmosphere, perhaps because of the recent Christmas weekend. It's such a shame that the pub was so quiet on a bank holiday Monday evening.

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

Moby Dick by Herman Melville
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Ah, the white whale. Captain Picard boldly vouches to have read this tale of a nineteenth century maritime hunt in his effort to claim vengeance against the Borg. Sadly, the tale itself features no cyborgs or phasers; but is told through the eyes of Ishmel; an experienced sailor who is recruited by Captain Ahab to hunt Moby. The story is a long one and we learn much of zoological anatomy and life at sea along the way as Melville attempts to give his readers a realistic experience. The text can be quite contrasting in nature, and the narrative often switches from simple dialogue to a journal and sometimes even to a Shakespearian play to maintain the interest of the reader. It is certainly not to be attempted in one reading; and the reader is often reminded by the author of incidents in previous chapters to refresh the reader’s memory. If you enjoy fishing or historical accounts of maritime life then this is for you; but otherwise beware the white whale.

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My NYE

So how did I see in the New Year this year? Well, for the second time in a row I’d won the wonderful privilege of being allowed to start work at 5 in the morning. I hadn’t received any party offers so I decided to invite some friends over for a game of cards, and that we would get in a Chinese feast. But the first friend couldn’t afford it, so it was changed to pizza, but the second friend couldn’t eat cheese. And they both didn’t manage to make it round until 9pm, and also decided that staying till 2am would be fine, despite me telling them about working the same morning. So after watching fireworks, Bryan Adams in concert and a Christmas special, they finally disappeared allowing me a whole hour’s sleep before driving to work and making a u-turn on my usual route as someone had crashed down the side of the steep hill. But the best bit was being able to wake up all the customers who’d paid for a morning delivery. Well, they did ask for it…

I've missed the Big Bang...

So a new year has arrived; and with it began grand celebrations in Stratford upon Avon to mark a four hundred year anniversary of their most famous resident, big Will. The celebrations started with a huge firework display over the Royal Shakespeare theatre, and judging by the photographs it looked to be on a similar scale to the show in London. It’s a shame that the celebrations weren't more publicised as we could have easily driven up to see the sights. We could have hung out in a pub or even book accommodation so that I wouldn't have far to travel to work the following day and get diverted because of someone crashing down a steep hill. But as I don't reside in the town, it was probably a secret best kept to the local people. I just hope that they put a bit more effort in publicising events throughout the rest of the year.