 A Blog for Busy Parents From the Editor of L.A. Parent |
Sure, moms have Robert Pattinson to keep us eagerly tuned into The Twilight Saga: New Moon movie opening this weekend. But what do our babies have to share in 
this vamporific movement that is sweeping the nation?
How about some fangs to suck on?
This adorable-yet-creepy pacifier from Stupid.com ($9.99, for ages 3 months and older) is a fun way to put some teeth into this Twilight madness. Just hide the garlic.
[Editor's Note: Since I don't, well, have time for this, today's post is brought to you by guest blogger/gamer expert/L.A. dad Allen Rausch.]
So it’s October. That means that besides the ubiquitous pumpkins, costume shopping and breathless anticipation from my kids for the huge haul of candy they’ll be pulling in this week, there’s also the changeover. No, not the change of seasons: It’s post-season baseball and looking forward to pre-season football! It’s been kind of a nail-biter in the Rausch household because Dad is a transplanted New Yorker and my wife is a Dodgers fan now rooting for my beloved Yankees to lose. Yeah, there’s a bit of an East Coast/West Coast thing happening with us. My daughter Lily has joined her mother in rooting for the Brooklyn Quislings (as my dad still refers to the Dodgers), and my son David just wants to hit a ball with a bat and tackle anything that stands still long enough.
That led to me thinking about sports games for kids. One of the chief criticisms of video games is that they turn kids into couch potatoes. Believe me, in a country where obesity has reached epidemic proportions (to say nothing of me and my wife’s own struggles with our weight), I’m very conscious of the need to get the kids up and moving. The great thing is that the latest generation of video game controllers and systems such as the Wii motion controls and balance boards are proving to a generation of couch potatoes that not only is it healthier to get the whole body actively involved in gaming, it’s a lot more fun too! I remember getting a lump in my throat when I first played Wii Fit and EA Sports Active and realized that someone had finally made playing games not only good fun but good for my waist size as well.
With that in mind, I took a look at three “sports games” for kids. If you have visions of a super-complex sports game like Madden in your mind, relax. All three are merely sports-themed titles, two of which specialize in presenting “mini-games,” a sort of quick-hit simple activity that pack a lot of fun into a few minutes of play. The third is a cold weather blast for those of you who own the balance board you may have purchased with Wii Fit. That means that these games are simple enough for the young ones and their gaming-impaired parents. In fact, don’t be surprised if once you play them, you find yourself breaking them out with your significant other after the kids go to bed. Yeah, they’re that much fun. Try ‘em out, and we just might make a “gamer” out of a few more parents.
Publisher: 2K Sports
Platform: Wii
Rating: E
MSRP: $19.99
In between watching the Yankees’ inevitable march toward World Series glory, our family enjoys getting into the dugout with 2K Sports Baseball Blast! Baseball Blast is a simplified version of the great American pastime boiled down to themed mini-games based on team names. Our favorite is battling against the Pittsburgh Pirates where the batter has to hit back flaming baseballs launched by real pirate ships! We also enjoy “City Ball” where players have to throw a baseball through a maze trying to hit as many trophies as possible. The real gem of the collection though is “Play Ball” mode. In Play Ball players take turns swinging for the fences in regular play and then between innings you get to play a mini-game to win cards that can give your team extra power or put some bad mojo on the other player’s team. Its a lot of fun, surprisingly strategic and guaranteed to get your family laughing.
Publisher: Namco
Platform: Wii
Rating E
MSRB: $39.99
The Wii Balance Board is one of the most enjoyable controllers we’ve ever used, especially for a game like We Ski and Snowboard. As the name would imply, you can use your personalized “Mii” avatar or one of the adorable provided ones to ski and snowboard around two mountain resorts doing races, slaloms or participating in contests where you rack up points for doing tricks. The game’s controls are fairly simple, although it’s not recommended for the youngest kids. For those older than 8 – or those parents who ever wanted to catch some “sick air” without the danger of ending up in traction – there’s nothing better than that moment when you cross the finish line first fully aware that you are an Icelandic ski god! Then you should go towel off because you’ll most likely build up a pretty good sweat there, Picabo Street.
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Wii
Rating E for Cartoon Violence
MSRP:$49.99
Don’t let the MSRP fool you. Wii Sports resort can actually run into a bit of coin if you want to outfit all four of your Wii controllers with the new “Wii 
Motion Control Plus” accessory that’s required for this title. But that shouldn’t stop you – just a few minutes playing Wii Sports Resort will have you rushing out do so. Yes, it’s that good, and yes, you will want to be able to play with four players at once.
Wii Sports Resort is the sequel to Wii Sports (you may have seen Serena Williams play the tennis game against Conan O’Brien) and like that title offers you the chance to traipse around an island resort playing all kinds of beach-themed games. The star of the show is “Swordfighting” where padded warriors with rubber swords can whack away at one another – this is easily the favorite in our house. Be sure to use the wrist strap on the controller and be careful not to hit one another. This game can get a little frenzied.
We also enjoy a rousing game of Table Tennis, throwing a frisbee to an adorable computerized dog, and my daughter loves the 100-pin bowling game. When a product bills itself as “fun for the whole family,” Wii Sports Resort is what they’re thinking of.
Allen Rausch is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles. He’s the parent of Lily and David who, in his unbiased opinion, are the cutest children in the whole wide world. He regularly blogs about video games, culture, politics and parenting at The Angry Bear.
[Editor's Note: Since I don't, well, have time for this, today's post is brought to you by guest blogger/gamer expert/L.A. dad Allen Rausch.]
Being a dad who’s also a gamer is kind of weird. On the one hand, you enjoy a particular advantage with your kids because there’s an instant shared connection amongst gamers. When they talk about video games with you or their friends, you know what they’re talking about. You can help them over the rough patches in their own games and you can share some wonderful gaming experiences together. As the father of a 6- and a 4-year-old, it’s just a joy to genuinely share an interest with your kids.
On the other hand, I can never forget the “dad” part of “gamer dad.” I’m not unique in the struggle to find a balance between work, my obligations to my family, the need for exercise and physical fitness and the overwhelming press to complete “just one more level.” Add to that my determination not to allow video games to take over my children’s lives. Like any other part of the entertainment universe – movies, TV, toys – video games can and should be a positive part of a child’s experience. That demands involvement – setting boundaries, time limits and determining what games I’ll allow in my house. Yes, there are titles out there that are just as offensive as the most hyped-up scare stories on the news would have you believe. The thing is, they’re a very small percentage of games, and all it takes is a bit of diligence to find safe games that offer a great time.
September was a great month for our family in terms of our “together” time. We managed to carve out enough time to go to more movies this month than we’ve experienced in about a year. We caught Up and Ponyo and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, all wonderful films. That led to a discussion after the movie when passing the game store as to why we had so few games based on big Hollywood movie releases. The answer is that most games based on movies aren’t very good. Game companies know that parents often will buy them based on their connection with a property they know and don’t put a lot of effort into the development. That’s not true of all of them, though. Here are three movie-based games that are well worth your time:
Publisher: Activision
Platform: Wii
Rating: E10+ for cartoon violence and comic mischief
MSRP: $59.99
Monsters vs. Aliens is a wonderful companion piece to the just released DVD box set. The storyline concerns a squad of legendary monsters (a 50-foot woman, the Missing Link, a genius insect and a silly blue blob) who must fight off an alien invasion of the Earth. Each of the team members has a different skill that they must combine in order to make it through the levels, and much of the game involves simple platforming challenges similar to those found in the Mario Brothers games. The game has a rating of “E10+” (Suitable for everyone 10 and up) with a “Cartoon violence” and “Comic mischief” content descriptor. The comic violence part is accurate in that the monsters fight against aliens, but there is no blood, no one actually dies and the level of violence is roughly the same as that found in the original movie. “Mischief” mostly refers to the blue blob B.O.B.’s propensity for explosive flatulence. If you have no objection to your kids seeing the movie, you’ll find nothing objectionable in the game, either.
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Platform: Wii
Rating E10+ for “Fantasy Violence,” “Mild Language” and “Mild Suggestive Themes”
MSRB: $49.99
If you have a budding wizard or witch in your house, they will love the Wii version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Like the other games in the series, Half-Blood Prince follows the storyline of the movie quite closely. Harry and his friends continue their struggle against Lord Voldemort during their sixth year at school. The real kicker in this edition is the use of the Wii’s motion controls to cast spells in wizard duels. By moving the Wii remote in certain patterns, kids will have a blast casting spells against the game’s enemies or enjoy a multiplayer mode where they can wizard duel against their friends. Like the movie it’s based on, there is some violence (no death or blood, but people do get thrown around by magic and one boy gets kicked while on the ground), a few “Hells” sprinkled in the dialogue and lots of references to kissing or “snogging” (the main characters are 15 and 16, after all). While it’s a game suitable for older children, it’s an easy buy for any parent who is OK with their kids seeing the movie it’s based on.
Publisher: LucasArts
Platform: Wii, Xbox360, PS3, PC
Rating E10+ for “Fantasy Violence”
MSRP:$19.99
Saving the best (and cheapest!) for last, if you own a gaming system and have kids, you must own LEGO Star Wars. This is a brilliant adaptation of all six Star Wars movies rendered in LEGO sets. It doesn’t sound like it would work, but it does. The characters and settings are adorable, and the way the game reproduces iconic scenes from all six movies is often hilarious. Gameplay consists of platforming action, solving puzzles using LEGO pieces and fighting against hordes of LEGO-ized Star Wars baddies with blasters or lightsabers. There are lots of hidden secrets to uncover and new Star Wars characters to unlock and play with, which makes the game endlessly replayable. And it’s simple enough for all but the youngest players to get the hang of. The “Fantasy Violence” descriptor is necessary but the “violence” in the game is merely LEGO figures whacking or shooting each other with toy guns and breaking up into LEGO pieces. If you do get it, though, be careful. You might just find yourself playing the game late into the night after the kids go to bed.
I used to daydream that I was Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. I’d put a leash on my lazy, fat cockapoo and drag her along as I skipped down the sidewalk, singing, “We’re off to see the wizard!”
Tiger, my version of Toto, was definitely less than enthused about the annual showing of The Wizard of Oz, which would bring the whole family into the den for this once-per-year television event. But I was starstruck each and every time. My reactions were always the same. The hurricane would scare me silly, as would the sight of the Wicked Witch of the East’s toes curling up and disappearing underneath the house. And the flying monkeys – oh, my. The Wicked Witch of the West would leave me quivering, just like the lion. And then there was the weapy ending, Dorothy all melodramatic with loyal Scarecrow; me, clutching a Kleenex box.
Call me old-fashioned, but sometimes it bums me out that these classic movies are so accessible and therefore, the viewing of them less ceremonial. But the digital technology that makes them so accessible has some HUGE benefits – in the form of some amazing advancements in how we actually see the movie.
The Wizard of Oz has been remastered and reissued several times since it was made in 1939, but this 70th anniversary version, according to the experts at Warner Home Video, has been entirely remastered using the original Technicolor camera negatives, scanned at 8K resolution. When viewed on Blu-ray, the result is a view of Oz that is six times higher resolution than standard DVD.
You will see detail you’ve never been able to see before. Toto is actually shades of gray and not just a black blob on four feet. The witch’s castle has some vibrant details in the set – such as the monkey stand holding up the crystal ball. Look closely, and I guarantee you’ll be amazed – and not even a bit wistful for the bad dupe we all watched once a year on our small (non-plasma) “TV sets.”
The Blu-ray release of The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition hits stores Sept. 29 and retails for $69.92 (DVD) and $84.99 (Blu-ray Hi-Def). The numbered, limited edition includes more than 16 hours of extras, including a sing-along track, a featurette that stars seven of the original Munchkins and a collectible 70th anniversary watch, among other extras.
So pop some corn, fire up the home theater and gather the children for your annual (or more often) escape to somewhere over the rainbow.
Valencia dads Todd Tucker and Harvey Lowry might be the practical special-effects brains behind such grownup cinematic fare as Trailer Park of Terror, Van Helsing and Passion of the Christ. But these days they’re hoping to steer their production company toward creating their own family comedies that they can enjoy with their kids.
Tucker and Lowry own Drac Studios (see L.A. Parent, October 2008), a make-up effects, animatronics and specialty costume studio based in Burbank. The studio has an impressive list of films that have used their “practical effects” (non-computer-generated special effects): Watchmen (2009), The Mask (1993), Night at the Museum 2 (2009), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) were all made believable and outrageous with the help of Drac’s talents with makeup, latex and fake hair.
This week the Grahams ventured out to Valencia to visit the set of Drac Studios’ first original venture (with Green Pictures, helmed by Lowry) that is all their own: Monster Mutt. The screenplay is based on Tucker’s idea (he’s also directing) – a family dog gets kidnapped by a mega-corporation, which uses the pup as a test subject for a new energy drink. The test goes awry, and Monster Mutt creates comedy and chaos.
The film stars young actor Rhiannon Leigh Wryn, who made her big debut in The Last Mimzy, as well as Billy Unger, who appeared in National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Kids will recognize (as Kate did) Brian Stepanek, who plays Arwin the inventor on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.
So, why are these two dedicated horror, monster and zombie buffs turning to the family genre for their first movie?
“We want to make movies our kids can watch,” Tucker says, but also shooting for keeping it smart and funny so that parents are engaged, too. “But we’re being very careful not to cross boundaries,” he adds.
“We want it to be like the movies that inspired us,” he continues. “E.T., Gremlins …,” he says. “We’re going for the same look as those Spielberg movies of the ’80s.”
Tucker is the dad of two girls, ages 9 and 14, and Harvey is dad to a girl and a boy, 4 and 7 (so both were really great with Jack’s hard-hitting interview questions, such as, “Do your monsters go out at night?”).
Kate and Jack really loved the “mad scientist lab” set, and Jack was fascinated by the Monster Mutt costume. I think they’ll both be sold when the movie comes out in theaters in 2010. Stay tuned – more updates to come!
