Driving to the south bay to see Ratatouille!

Last week’s driving experience didn’t go perfectly but I made it to the south bay all the same. Driving long distances isn’t really that hard - the interstates are mostly straight-forward (except when they split and merge, and when you have to exit on the left… okay, so they aren’t all that simple.). It’s when you actually get to the unknown town where you’re bound to get lost. I blame Google Maps! (It wasn’t user error, it was not! Really!) I took a right when I should’ve taken a left. When I got to the dead end full of bicyclists and people with dogs, I knew something had gone awry.

I slowly turned around and proceeded to go down another wrong street, all the while wishing I had a real map. Print-outs just don’t cut it. It was at that moment HC called me up to let me know they were heading out for the theatre. She gave me directions that I was able to understand only because I’d been plotting alternate routes the night before. Being prepared doesn’t mean everything will happen without a hitch, but it sure does help. It was also a great idea that I’d left two and a half hours before the start of the movie. I got there with fifteen minutes to spare!

The rest of the day made it worth the long commute. I met HC’s many friends as they arrived in ones and twos. (Random observation: for a diverse area like the bay area, there are a surprising amount of people I’ve met recently who are from Texas.) It was remarkable we got a whole row to ourselves considering how crowded the theater was during opening weekend. The movie itself was great - lots of humorous bits for both the kids and the adults. One of my co-workers was annoyed by the lead character, but I thought Linguini was a goofy kind of endearing. He was your usual not-too-bright-but-has-a-good-heart kid though, so I can see how some people may be tired of that character type.

Remy the rat was pretty cool. He knew what he loved, believed in it and went for it. He also had moral dilemmas, though the “rats steal” issue seemed kind of, well, a non-issue. What would rats do? Grow plants?

There’s been a host of movies involving animated insects and animals, and Ratatoille plays right into that field. The thing is, rats by nature aren’t cute and though Pixar tried hard, the animated versions still aren’t cute. There was a scene in the movie where a whole pack of them fell out of the ceiling and the granny went crazy sniping them with her shotgun. I don’t blame her for getting trigger-happy. Another scene that was meant to show the rats solidarity just grossed me out. I know that they sanitized themselves by going through a steamer but just watching Remy’s pack swarm through the kitchen was not a very appetizing sight.

That said, the movie was still good overall. I’m not an artist type, but to a layman like me, the graphics were amazing. The way the water moved and swirled was realistic, as well as how the wet clothes draped and dripped. Pixar is just getting better and better, huh?

I nearly forgot! Right before the beginning of the movie, they ran a short film. (Spoiler alert.) It was a humorous clip where an alien was learning how to abduct a sleeping human. You can imagine the amount of physical comedy that was involved, what with the guy bouncing off the walls or coming out the window butt first. It was the perfect crowd warmer clip.

Next to-see movie on my list is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Yes. I’m one of them. I would even watch the movie all alone, such is my desire to see it.

I don’t know who came up with the movie tag line, but there couldn’t have been a better one: “The rebellion begins.” Oh yes, down with Umbridge!