Eh, it was okay. This is basically to set up the Clone Wars tv series that followed it, beginning with the introduction of Anakin Skywalker’s new padawan Ahsoka Tano. Following the events of Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, we’re deep into the Clone Wars. Within the first 15 minutes, the characters are thrust into this strange plot to rescue Jabba the Hutt’s infant (larval?) son. The plot was contrived, and didn’t make a lot of sense to me. Jabba the Hutt is a vile gangster. He’s a Hutt. Why would he even care about offspring? Maybe this was more aimed at the kiddies, but it didn’t translate well for me. I also noticed that the animation wasn’t as fluid and life-like as the later animated series.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)

Josh was happy to eat popcorn and watch a movie with me

Early Thursday morning, I took Lily at 7am to Quest Diagnostics for some bloodwork. She did fairly well – she didn’t cry initially when the needle went in, but it was a slow boil until she really started crying. She calmed down quickly afterwards.

At lunch time, I picked up Josh from school and we drove to Princeton to meet up with Nums for lunch. There’s a decent Indian restaurant across the street from her office, so we sat on the rooftop patio, and enjoyed an Indian buffet. Beautiful weather today.

After lunch, we drove to Hamilton, NJ, to get me a quick haircut, and then see a 2pm showing of How to Train Your Dragon, a Dreamworks animated film available in 2D and 3D. I initially wanted to take Josh for the 3D version of the film, but given that the next 3D movie showing was a few hours away, I didn’t want to waste too much daylight. In hindsight, the 2D version was just as enjoyable. I think Josh especially loves the popcorn. Even after enjoying hearty Indian buffet, he still had room in his 5-year old belly for a small bag of popcorn. Oh, and the bottle of water I snuck in. Yeah, I snuck in outside food. Why should I pay $4 for a bottle of water?

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

Every preview shown before the movie was another upcoming 3D movie. Looks like there will be many 3D movies released this year. However, how do you get around the cost? The two tickets for an adult and child-under-12 on a quiet Thursday afternoon cost $16.50. I asked how much would be an adult 3D ticket, and it was $13.50. Waiting for the 3D showing would have cost me an extra $10. That’s a lot of money, IMHO.

As I mentioned, the movie itself was enjoyable. The story was good, not as predictable as I thought, and the animation was very nice. I liked the characters, and the star dragon (“Toothless”) was very catlike. I liked it.

To wrap up the day, we had time for Joshua to catch a make-up gym class at 6:30pm. We had leftovers for dinner, and the kids were off to an early bed. We parents were so tired, we went to bed around 10pm. I’m not a fan of going to bed early, but when you are that tired, you just gotta let it go.

I’m a fan of Futurama, and wasn’t happy with Fox’s cancellation of the series. Although I didn’t like the 1st movie that Matt Groening’s team put out, Bender’s Big Score, I thought I should at least watch the rest of the direct-to-DVD movies. Futurama as an animated television series was smart, funny, and great in-jokes.

Uh, yeah, this next installment, The Beast with a Billion Backs, was pure and simple lame. I didn’t like the story. I didn’t like the jokes. As a matter of fact, I thought it was a waste of my time. I give it one star. Very disappointing.

Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs (2008)

After all that anticipation, after watching it, I was a little underwhelmed. Maybe it was the big build-up, but I did also read that other folks gave it mixed reviews. I felt that near the climax, the story collapsed somewhere along the way. I haven’t exactly put my finger on it. I wasn’t entirely invested in the characters the way that I should be, and the ending itself was half-baked. It’s a rental for the animation, but the story could have made this film more than the sum of its parts.

9 (2009)

The original Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003)

[I want to talk about the new Star Wars animated series. If you don't wish to read about this, please cover your eyes, or move on to the next posting. This is your first and only warning. Star Wars geekiness to follow.]

Okay, the Star Wars prequels (Eps 1-3) did not live up the greatness of the original Star Wars trilogy (Eps 4-6.) The acting was eh. The dialogue was a bit boring. The kiddie jokes were almost bad enough to make you sick to your stomach (I’m looking squarely at you, Phantom Menace.) Once the dialogue stopped, and the action started, that was pretty good.

A few years ago in 2003, Cartoon Network broadcasted a series of animated shorts called Star Wars: Clone Wars. I completely missed out on them, but I heard they were pretty decent.  I stopped reading the Star Wars books many years ago, because there were so many, and you couldn’t keep up. To satisfy my SW lust, I’ve resorted in the past to playing my Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic games, and checking out the latest progress on the Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG, which is scheduled to be released…. who knows when.

What is a Star Wars fan to do?  If you haven’t already, you need to check out Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Cartoon Network, because it is good. I believe it’s covering some of the same stories as the 2003 series, but I believe there are additional stories.  In any case, same idea — Lucasarts is filling in the timeline between Episodes 2 and 3.  It’s in the same animated style as the 2008 Clone Wars movie [same title, it seems] that came out last summer.  Now, is this series the greatest thing since….. Jamaican beef patties were invented?  No, certainly not.  Are these episodes as great as the original Star Wars trilogy? Not at all. 

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)

So why watch?  Well, they’re “good enough”, you could say.  The episodes are shorter than the long movies, so they’re bite-sized.  The stories are decent and interesting. The action is fun to watch. In a nutshell, you get your fix, and it is actually likeable. I’ve almost caught up on Season 1. Season 2 begins Oct 2nd, and I’m looking forward to it.

It was really no big deal. I recorded it off HBO, and watched it while folding laundry. True, it’s 87 minutes long, but I had a lot of laundry to fold.

Back to my review.  It was okay. It’s the Simpsons, so you are just looking for some dumb, mindless entertainment.  Every so often, you get a little (LITTLE) thought-provoking theme or story, but for the most part, it’s just Homer doing something stupid.  I’m not looking for a tour de force.

After I turned it off, I thought it was an expanded Simpsons episode, but only a few occasional laugh out loud moments. As always, there are often a few quotes that make you laugh.  For the rest of it, eh, no biggie.

The Simpsons Movie (2007)