We had a lovely weekend.
The whole crew went to see the new film How To Train Your Dragon 2.
I'm not writing a full Movie Report here, but suffice it to say, I think it's a good one. A little heavier at points than the first movie, HTTYD2 is generally more mature than the first installment. It makes sense, because the characters have all aged five years since the closing of the first film.
There are plenty of reviews out there that you can find, but I think the consensus is that visually, the film is stunning and inventive. Watch the action that takes place behind characters when we need talking head exposition. The plot has some glitches and misses some payoff, but I agree with most of the reviewers that these are minor quibbles in an otherwise solid film.
I haven't seen anyone mention the relationship between Astrid and Hiccup. They are still together, in a loving relationship (a peck on the cheek, here and there, and a big ole smooch at the end). What I thought was neat, though, is that although the relationship between the two of them is a part of who they are, it isn't ALL they are. They each have room to be themselves, follow their interests, and seek their own stories. This is Hiccup's movie, so don't expect Astrid to get equal play, but she's there, doing her own thing, which Hiccup supports as if it's no big deal.
In a world of Disney princesses, I think it's a big deal.
And, also, there are no ridiculously nonsensical "comic relief" characters tossed in just to keep the littles engaged and to shift some toy stock. Awful characters, those, and my kids and I have started calling a character like that a "Binks." You know the type . . . .
The kiddos snagged some new pieces for their armies in development. The fellow at Gamer's Sanctuary was very accommodating and patient as the shorties cobbled together their quarters and half dollars. So now we have a new Eldar Farseer (bought used at a nice price), some Tyranid gargoyles, and some Chaos Marine Warp Talons.
Both of those plastic kits went together well. The boys did pretty much all of their own gluing, though I still clip the pieces from the sprue.
Gamer Dad piece of note: this was the first time, I think, the kids really understood that one gargoyle is not game-wise equal to one chaos marine. Having twice as many models to assemble helped make that point.
Good movie, good hobby time (though not on my own army, sadly), and a nice first attempt at smoking some spare ribs, and I'd say that makes for a good Father's Day.
Here's hoping your Father's Day, or your non-labeled Sunday, was just as good.