hours of entertainment

Happy virtual holidays: A guide to video game gifting

Nintendo’s Wii U was released in late November and is quickly becoming a hotholiday item.
The new Wii U console packs powerful hardware along with innovative gameplayusing the new touch-screen gamepad included with every system.
Adventure Time’s story and dialogue were written by Pendleton Ward and hisCartoon Network writing team.
Austin-based Descendants of Erdrick is a well-known act within the video gamemusic scene.

Buying a gift for someone who plays video games is generally a simple task. It usually goes something like, “Hey, if you want to buy me a gift, get me [this particular title],” so there’s little risk of getting it wrong.

Video games are an easy gift because, for the most part, they are widely available and almost always in stock. Plus they’re guaranteed to provide hours and hours of entertainment.

Below are three different categories of video games to consider: the obvious (and most expensive) option, the not-so obvious portable option and the creative interpretation.

The obvious choice
Nintendo’s Wii U was released in late November and is quickly becoming a hot holiday item. The new console packs powerful hardware along with innovative gameplay using the new touch-screen gamepad included with every system. The gamepad, which boasts a 6.2-inch touch screen along with traditional buttons, allows for a unique experience that is so far best demonstrated with the included title Nintendoland.

Nintendoland is a collection of Nintendo-themed “attractions” (think mini-games) that support up to five players simultaneously, each with a different use of the new gamepad. Most of these games pit four of the players — each using Wiimotes from Nintendo’s previous console, which are compatible with the new system, as controllers — against the one player using the gamepad.

Playing with the gamepad generally puts the player at some sort of advantage and requires the four other players to work together against the single player to win. The “attractions” follow simple rules that allow anyone at any skill level to compete, which is one of the most important features of the Wii U: It is accessible and fun for everyone.

The portable choice
Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time is a pretty well-loved show — yes, even by adults — and because its creator is a big gaming fan, it’s no surprise that the series’ first title, Hey Ice King! Why’d You Steal Our Garbage?! has been a huge hit. The Nintendo 3DS title plays similar to older installments of The Legend of Zelda series mixed with gameplay from sidescrolling games that dominated video games pre-3D.

Most important, the game’s story and dialogue was written by Pendleton Ward and his Cartoon Network writing team. The writing, along with the excellent soundtrack composed by Jake Kaufman, do a great job of capturing the feel and style of the cartoon, adding up to a thoroughly enjoyable experience for fans of the show.

The out-of-the-box choice
If you’re looking to avoid the routine video game gift giving, take a look at the web store to one of the best video game cover bands put together: Descendants of Erdrick, based in Austin.

DoE is a well-known act within the video game music scene — and for good reason. They re-create gaming tracks with highly skilled instrumentation, focusing on less obvious selections (T&C Surf Designs and Final Fantasy Mystic Quest) and exploring their diverse taste in video game music.

Online they sell their newest album, Down Right Heavy, along with T-shirts. If you get the chance, they are fantastic live and a real treat for anyone who appreciates not only video game tunes, but watching skilled musicians play technically complicated music.

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Movie Review

The Magic Faraway Tree is a whimsical family lark that fails to take root

Photo courtesy of Vertical Entertainment

Andrew Garfield, Delilah Bennett-Cardy, Claire Foy, Phoenix Laroche, and Billie Gadson in The Magic Faraway Tree.

With kids and families always on the hunt for entertainment, it’s typically a safe bet for a movie studio to offer up something new, even if it is a film based on an old property. The Magic Faraway Tree, based on a series of books that started in the 1930s, is a very old property, one that its filmmakers have tried to liven up with a few stars, a lot of whimsy, and a boatload of CGI.

The Thompson family, led by stay-at-home dad Tim (Andrew Garfield) and breadwinner mom Polly (Claire Foy), are forced to move to a rundown country home when Polly gets laid off. The kids - Joe (Phoenix Laroche), Fran (Billie Gadson), and Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy) - are used to the perks of city life like wifi and electricity, and each of them rebels in their own way to their new lot in life.

Fran, enticed by a fairy named Silky (Nicola Coughlan), is the first to venture out of the house, making her way to a magic tree that transports her to a world full of strange characters like Moonface (Nonso Anozie), Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns), Dame Washalot (Jessica Gunning), and more. Her adventures there not only broaden the world she thought she knew, but may be the key to helping her ailing family.

Directed by Ben Gregor and written by Simon Farnaby (Paddington 2, Wonka), the film is a pleasant enough lark, but it fails to fully capture the imagination. The five-member family has a lot going on, from an initially-mute Fran to a domestic situation that raises more questions than it answers. The film tries to incorporate an anti-technology message through Tim’s hatred of a smart refrigerator (voiced by Judi Dench!) and the kids' addictions to devices, but it’s quickly shed in favor of other options.

Once Fran makes it to the Magic Faraway Tree, there’s a nice shift in the storytelling, but it’s unclear what the ultimate goal is. It’s a good idea to have Fran, the youngest of the children, convince her older, more cynical siblings about the virtues of the magic world, but the conflict in the real world doesn’t seem to rise to the level needed for the escape the tree provides.

There also seems to be a missing link in the storytelling for viewers to understand the importance of the fantastical characters. The visuals of seeing Moonface and his crescent moon-shaped hair, a man with a suit full of banging pots, and more are fun for a while, but not enough to carry the whole film. A last-minute revelation feels like it was something that should have been disclosed much earlier to help strengthen the emotions of the story.

A two-time Oscar nominee, Garfield is making his first foray into family movies (if you don’t count playing Spider-Man), and while he does a good job, he doesn’t make the best fit for the semi-goofy role. The same goes for the Emmy-winning Foy, who isn’t given much of anything to do. The movie puts the story on the shoulders of the three child actors, and while each of them acquit themselves well, none of them are so outstanding as to be noteworthy.

With nearly 90-year-old source material, The Magic Faraway Tree needed to be something truly special to stand out in the 21st century movie world. Unfortunately, it features a mostly forgettable story that features some fun visuals, a couple of cute kids, and not much else.

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The Magic Faraway Tree is now playing in theaters.

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