What the Car?
Year: 2023
Rating: E
Time Played: ~5 hours

By this point, I expect a certain amount of silliness from the What the… series of games. From the highly referential humor of What the Golf? to the awkward control scheme of What the Bat?, I expected something ridiculous with What the Car? As half a racing game and half a platformer, What the Car? has tons of puns (a staple of the series) but lacks a little in the finesse of its controls.

The standard set of levels in What the Car? have particular themes that then play off the unique movement style of the car. This was quite similar to some of the gameplay mechanics in What the Golf? There were also levels with greater challenges and, of course, each level had its own collectables and goal times to meet for a bronze, silver, or gold ranking. Casually playing through the whole thing didn’t take too long, but I suspect that’s why the game also heavily emphasized playing user-submitted levels as well as the ones provided by the original developers.

While I understand the quirky nature of the What the… games, the one thing that keeps coming back as a flaw is how difficult they are to control. I started playing this game on my iPhone on Apple Arcade, but pretty quickly had to add in a Bluetooth controller so I could complete the levels, and even that wasn’t a guarantee. Having checkpoints on some of the longer levels would also have been appreciated since I’d sometimes get all the way close to the end and fail the level and need to do the whole thing again. Still, it’s a quirky game and if you like the other What the… games, you’ll probably like this one.

A quirky racing platformer with somewhat difficult controls, I give What the Car? 3.5 stars out of 5.

   1/2

A Matter of Loaf and Death
Year: 2008
Rating: PG
Length: 29 minutes / 0.48 hours

One of the weird things about claymation is that there’s this fine line between rough early works and super-refined later films. For Wallace & Gromit, the quality of shorts like A Grand Day Out (1989) shows potential, and the next two shorts of The Wrong Trousers (1993) and A Close Shave (1995) refined the feel of the universe while still having that organic, handmade aesthetic. After having released the full-length Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005), the next short of A Matter of Loaf and Death (2008) actually felt too polished.

Stylistically, A Matter of Loaf and Death is perhaps the most consistent of the shorts. Whether CGI helped or if the processes to make stop-motion films have improved over time, it’s difficult to tell. Whatever the reason, so much of this short feels too clean—there aren’t the errant fingerprints or other artifacts that reveal the handmade nature of the film. It’s a little weird that this is a fault here, but it just doesn’t feel like an authentic claymation movie.

It doesn’t help that maybe my bias stems from having watched the original shorts so many times that I have them memorized. There’s nostalgia there. This one being so recent means I haven’t had time to re-watch it constantly and really appreciate it. That’s the problem, though: I don’t particularly feel there was any gag or bit in this film that stands out as something I’d want to see again. A Grand Day Out had the construction sequence, The Wrong Trousers had both the heist and the train chase, and A Close Shave had the climactic fight against the evil dog. This? It has an OK love story for Gromit and that’s about it.

A forgettable and too clean Wallace & Gromit short, I give A Matter of Loaf and Death 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Ozma of Oz
Year: 1907
Author: L. Frank Baum
Length: 188 pages

The third book in a large series always feels like it doesn’t have the weight of expectations on it and can relax into its own story. It’s far enough from the first book that it doesn’t get as many direct comparisons, but it’s also taking advantage of any feedback from the second book that either worked or didn’t. Ozma of Oz isn’t nearly up to the level of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but it pulled enough elements through to make it feel as successful as that first book.

First, Ozma of Oz brought Dorothy back. Her missing presence in The Marvelous Land of Oz left me longing for the reaction of an average human to these fantastic settings and characters. Second, the plot felt much more simple compared to the second book. The singular focus helped bring the characters together for a common goal that didn’t get distracted by introducing too many different ideas and concepts for this world. That they weren’t even in Oz for most of it probably helped, since it didn’t have the burden of tying everything back into that land’s lore.

Of course, even in the areas where it was successful, Ozma of Oz doesn’t quite live up to the strength of the first book. Sure, it has a better antagonist than The Marvelous Land of Oz, but he pales in comparison to the threat of the Wicked Witch of the West. Since her desire to return home did not fuel Dorothy’s adventure, this just feels more like a fun jaunt through a new world instead of a concerted effort to leave. Overall, it still felt like a return to what made the original great.

The return of Dorothy and a simple plot to the Oz series, I give Ozma of Oz 3.5 stars out of 5.

1/2

Bolt
Year: 2008
Rating: PG
Length: 96 minutes / 1.60 hours

Mid-2000s Disney was an interesting time for their CGI movies. Pixar had been dominating for at least a decade and created gorgeous films with heartwarming plots. Struggling to keep up with this new medium, Disney still hadn’t fully committed to CGI, and it has not aged well. Just as an example, think about how incredible WALL-E (2008) looked and realize it came out the same year as Bolt (2008). Not to say that Bolt is a terrible movie, it just feels bland in comparison—both on looks and plot.

Part of the problem of this era of CGI movies is how dated they can feel. Sure, Disney was using some CGI in their animated films even as far back as The Little Mermaid (1989). It’s just that Pixar seemed to understand that humans needed to be more like caricatures to escape the uncanny valley. The people in Bolt look so weird and wrong that it’s almost a bit distracting. If they didn’t play so strongly in the B-plot of finding a replacement for Bolt, they could have been avoided and the better-looking animals could have carried the visual momentum of the movie.

The premise for Bolt makes sense: most animal actors don’t know they’re not in a movie, but with Bolt (John Travolta), the studio has to pull a Truman Show (1998) subterfuge to get the best acting out of this dog. When Bolt gets lost, he is exposed to the real world as he tries to return to his owner. The world-wise street cat Mittens (Susie Essman) and super-fan hamster Rhino (Mark Walton) made this Homeward Bound (1993)-type journey more entertaining. Even despite these bright spots, Bolt remains quite average in so many ways.

A painfully average film in one of Disney’s dark eras, I give Bolt 3.0 stars out of 5.

Balatro
Year: 2024
Rating: E10+
Time Played: ~20 hours

Sometimes the simplest games can be the most complex. Take Balatro, for example. The goal is to hit a certain score by making poker hands. Scored cards add chips, and a multiplier is used based on the poker hand played. As the game progresses, the required score grows and requires the use of special attributes on the cards, as well as a group of Jokers that apply different modifications to the cards, chips, or multiplier. That there are so many combinations means every run can be unique.

As with other card games (and Roguelikes), Balatro relies somewhat on the luck of the draw. There are tons of choices that can make or break a round. Do you buy a booster pack for the chance at a rare Joker? Which vouchers are worth it? Do you prioritize flushes over straights? Depending on how you like to play, finding these new synergies is part of the fun of the game. When a good set of Jokers and cards hits just right, it’s fun to watch the score balloon to insane levels.

Of course, with so many ways to play the game, there are also different decks and stakes to increase the difficulty. Since much of Balatro relies on luck, these higher difficulty stakes almost feel unfair with their limitations. I’m sure the rush of beating these higher difficulties is quite something, but I never made it to the highest stakes to know what that feels like. At any rate, I still sunk a good 20 hours into the game and unlocked most of the Jokers, Tarot Cards, Vouchers, and Planet Cards. Overall, it’s a fun game, but don’t get sucked down the “just one more game” path.

A simple card game with endless complexity, I give Balatro 4.5 stars out of 5.

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A Close Shave
Year: 1995
Rating: PG
Length: 31 minutes / 0.52 hours

I think it’s difficult for the third film in a series to live up to the success of its predecessors. When the first film feels a bit rough and the second is polished to perfection, the third has a lot to live up to. A Close Shave (1995) is definitely better than A Grand Day Out (1989) but I think its scarier elements hold it back from the perfection that is The Wrong Trousers (1993). After all, the levity of Wallace & Gromit is what makes it fun to watch.

As is always the case in these early Wallace & Gromit shorts, the technical achievement here is incredible. Aardman makes it look so easy that you don’t even realize how they pulled off stop motion flying sequences or have so many moving parts working all in tandem to make a sweater. And the reason why this is falls squarely on how engaging the plot is. The art of claymation serves to enhance the story so that you hardly even notice it’s there. This is the mark of pure artistry and the reason Aardman dominated this space for so many years.

While there are violent elements in A Grand Day Out and The Wrong Trousers, the main characters never feel like they’re truly in danger. Leaning more into the Hitchcock-like suspense in A Close Shave was a bold decision, but I definitely have strong memories of watching this as a kid and being scared when the big reveal happens near the end. That’s not to say Wallace & Gromit has to be specifically for kids, it’s more that parents should know these moments are there before letting their kids watch it.

Another superb Wallace & Gromit short that’s a little darker than normal, I give A Close Shave 4.5 stars out of 5.

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The Marvelous Land of Oz
Year: 1904
Author: L. Frank Baum
Length: 192 pages

It’s difficult to follow up a successful and iconic work like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. There are always questions about how much from the first book to keep in a sequel and how much new material should be explored. Make it too much like the original and it might not ignite that same spark. Veer too far away from what made the first book successful and it might be too hard to ride that success into the second one. Ultimately, The Marvelous Land of Oz had a tough spot to fill, but it did an OK job of it.

With a world as rich and varied as Oz, there are a lot of interesting places to go and concepts to explore. The Marvelous Land of Oz decided to continue world-building without Dorothy, which is probably what made it feel less relatable than its predecessor. There wasn’t that human element that anchored all the wild and fantastical elements compared to a boring life in Midwestern America. Sure, there are still a few remnants of the original crew this story visits, but they almost feel like an afterthought to tie everything together.

The best thing about The Marvelous Land of Oz is that it built up more of the lore. I liked the twist with Tip at the end, but there were also a lot of new characters to keep track of. That so many of the characters are just sentient versions of things (like Jack Pumpkinhead or the Sawhorse) or talking animals doesn’t really inspire too much in terms of creativity. If this were trimmed down a bit and added as an epilogue to the first book, it may have been better, but it still has some value as a standalone.

A non-Dorothy story that expands the lore of Oz, I give The Marvelous Land of Oz 3.0 stars out of 5.

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted
Year: 2012
Rating: PG
Length: 93 minutes / 1.55 hours

After the first two movies in the Madagascar franchise explored what it was like for zoo animals to survive in the wild, the natural conclusion to this arc was to bring them into an adjacent space for performing animals: the circus. While this didn’t allow for nearly as much individual character development as was in Madagascar: Return 2 Africa (2008), Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (2012) was still a fun ride that looked the best the franchise as ever looked.

If anything, Europe’s Most Wanted shares more with the first Madagascar (2005) than the second one. The focus on animals performing (including that somewhat annoying “Entrance of the Gladiators” bit that Marty (Chris Rock) does) and the return to Central Park is a good bookend to bring closure to the saga started in the first movie. At least this journey was more purposeful than a mere accident that put the main characters into the stranded situation that led to their quest to return to New York. The new characters also brought more to the table with their own struggles and goals.

Speaking of new characters with goals, I found it bizarre that most of these movies didn’t have any humans involved, so introducing Captain Chantel DuBois (Frances McDormand) was a welcome change. Her unrelenting pursuit of these animals was honestly something that should have been a part of the first movie since the Central Park Zoo wouldn’t likely just let four of their animals disappear without at least trying to search for them. Granted, DuBois is insane, which just adds to the thrill of her chase. In the end, there’s a nice finality in the conclusion here.

A good bookend to the Madagascar saga, I give Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Justice: North American Tour 2025
Date: May 25, 2025
Location: Red Rocks Ampitheater

If I were to rack and stack the current listing of my favorite bands, Justice would definitely be in my top 3. Since their debut album, I have enjoyed their style of electronic music and look forward to every new album they release. I had their most recent work, Hyperdrama, on repeat for several weeks once it came out last year. I stumbled onto the fact that they were touring this year and would be at Red Rocks Ampitheater. Not only were they one of my favorite bands, but they were playing at my favorite venue!

Despite the drizzling rain throughout the concert, I truly enjoyed the show that Justice put on. Fcukers, the opening act, had an interesting set. I was actually more impressed at how recently they had formed and they were already touring with Justice. Either way, their vibe was similar enough to the main act that I thought it was a good fit. Fortunately, being at Red Rocks meant that where my wife and I were sitting was just as good a seat as anywhere else in the amphitheater.

Some bands just come on stage and play their songs, interspersing the famous classics with their newer works. This concert was an experience, not only for the choreographed light show that comes with it, but mostly due to the entire set being a remix of Justice‘s entire catalog. There were a few times where individual songs shined through, but for the most part, I could pick out all the individual elements from their discography that they fused together into fresh music that I had never heard before. It was truly an experience and I’d gladly go see them in concert again, even if it wasn’t at Red Rocks.

Downwell
Year: 2019
Rating: E10+
Time Played: 10+ hours

Outside of the games Nintendo makes for their own consoles, there aren’t a lot of games from outside developers that take advantage of the system’s unique properties. I first learned about Downwell from Game Maker’s Tool Kit and thought it looked like an interesting way to use the Switch. Because you can remove the joycons, the screen can be used vertically, giving a much more natural orientation to play this extremely vertical game. Fortunately, Downwell goes on sale fairly frequently and you’ll likely only be out a few bucks for a game with a significant challenge.

As with other Devolver Digital games like Gato Roboto, Downwell leans into its retro pixel monochrome aesthetic. Things move pretty fast when in a constant free-fall, so it’s important to have high contrast visuals to make important things stand out. If anything, the limited graphics aren’t an issue because the gameplay loop is so addicting. I even bought a Flip Grip so I could hold the Switch more naturally in the vertical configuration just to play this game. The problem is, this game felt brutally hard to me.

I’ll admit that I didn’t actually finish Downwell. The farthest I ever got was the first few parts of the fourth world, which was close enough to the end for me to make an honest review. Perhaps my reaction times aren’t what they used to be, but even when I tried to learn the best tactics to beat the game, the random procedurally generated levels always seemed to catch me off guard enough times that I rarely survived past the second world. Other roguelikes had better permanent upgrades that would help me get through to the end, but that was the one lacking aspect of Downwell that left me abandoning it without seeing the end through my own efforts.

A difficult game that uniquely uses the Switch hardware, I give Downwell 3.5 stars out of 5.

   1/2

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
Year: 2008
Rating: PG
Length: 89 minutes / 1.48 hours

It’s interesting how sometimes the first sequel in a franchise can deliver the plot the first movie promised. While Madagascar (2005) was more a “fish out of water” adventure with jerky animation and humor way over the kids’ heads, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008) really showed the contrast between these zoo animals with their contemporaries in Africa. This comparison felt like a much better plot device than the cringe-worthy way the first movie handled the idea of zoo animals living in the wild.

The jokes in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa felt less unhinged from its predecessor. That they played into each of the sub-plots better helped more than just being a string of pop culture references that didn’t quite fit the setting. The best gag of course was none of the group being able to pick out Marty from the herd of zebra (in the, “you all look the same” vibe) that, despite its racist roots, accentuated the “Am I a black zebra with white stripes instead of a white zebra with black stripes?” identity of Marty.

Each of the main cast has their own sub-plot that played off their quirks and provided them room for character development. Alex (Ben Stiller) finds himself in true competition for hierarchy, Melman (David Schwimmer) takes advantage of his hypochondria, Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith) learns what it’s like to be loved for her personality, and Marty (Chris Rock) doesn’t want to be just one zebra in a herd. Meanwhile, the penguins and lemurs are doing their penguin and lemur things, which is hilarious as always. Ultimately, everything fits together to advance the group’s journey to return home to New York while also using their home of origin to highlight their unique personalities.

A better focused sequel from DreamWorks, I give Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa 3.5 stars out of 5.

   1/2

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Year: 1900
Author: L. Frank Baum
Length: 154 pages

There’s a reason The Wonderful Wizard of Oz continues to have cultural influence over 100 years after L. Frank Baum wrote it. Aside from its popular adaptation as a movie in 1939, which earned the story most of its visual representation, the original itself is a solid piece of children’s entertainment. Something about the isekai into a fantasy world coupled with these unique characters has kept a spot in pop culture that’s hard to deny. The world-building itself is likely why others continue to adapt Baum’s work today.

As an adventure, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has great character motivations which accentuate their individual flaws. From Dorothy wanting to return home to the Scarecrow wanting brains, the Tin Man wanting a heart, and the Lion wanting courage, each character has a part to play so that the entire team can achieve their goals. That anyone can find at least one character they can relate to speaks to the universal nature of the cast. To top it off, all of this is accomplished in a format that’s approachable to everyone, including the children it was originally written for.

Even though the strength of this story still stands up today, comparison to the movie version highlights some of its weaknesses. The end seemed to ramble for quite a bit, even if there were interesting concepts introduced that highlighted the fantasy aspects of the story. I can appreciate that it wasn’t framed as just a coma dream like the movie does, which helps to sell the journey as true character development. Overall, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz remains a classic piece of literature and is an easy enough read that everyone should try it.

A great fantasy classic that still holds up, I give The Wonderful Wizard of Oz 4.0 stars out of 5.

Madagascar
Year: 2005
Rating: PG
Length: 86 minutes / 1.43 hours

DreamWorks movies have always had a harsh comparison to their competition at Pixar. The visuals were never as stunning, the jokes as high-brow, or the plots as thought-provoking. And while Shrek (2001) was an early outlier, enough time has passed that they’ve developed some great movies like How To Train Your Dragon (2010) and The Bad Guys (2022). Still, movies like Madagascar (2005) highlighted everything that made DreamWorks movies distinctly of that studio—and also ultimately “less than” the comparable fare being put out by Pixar at the same time.

Ironically, Pixar explored the whole “predators can’t deny their instincts” plot to a much greater effect in Zootopia (2016). In Madagascar, these four Central Park Zoo animals find themselves separated from the support system that made their life comfortable. Their reactions to being in the titular country are played for laughs through the “fish out of water” trope. And while the frenetic, jerky motions of these characters appeals to children, I found most of the jokes aimed at the adults were amusing at best and uncomfortable to explain to my kids at worst.

The one bright spot in this movie was definitely the penguins. Seeing as these characters eventually got their own dedicated pieces after this film shows that DreamWorks realized what they had with these competent creatures. Acting like Black Ops/Special Forces, it’s criminal that these minor characters didn’t have a much bigger role to play in the driving force of the plot. While I didn’t care for any of the main characters’ quirks, I could watch those penguins again and again just for the smart, quick, and funny dialogue. They definitely save this movie from being worse, but it’s not that great either.

The average DreamWorks movie, I give Madagascar 3.0 stars out of 5.

Spiritfarer
Year: 2020
Rating: T
Time Played: 2,036 minutes / 33.94 hours

I remembered when I saw Spiritfarer on a Nintendo Direct (or other such showcase) and thought that it looked like a cute game with its hand-drawn art style. So I put it on my wishlist, picked it up on sale, and then never played it until recently. Once I finally found the time to play it, I was hooked. It provided that cozy vibe that I adored in Animal Crossing: New Horizons and had an exploration style similar to The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker that I also liked. That’s not to say it didn’t have its issues, but it was definitely worth my time and money.

There’s this nice niche of games between the hyper realistic AAA behemoths and the retro pixel art indie darlings that really appeal to me. The games that feel hand-drawn like Indivisible (or even Hollow Knight, to an extent) have this warmth to them that’s difficult to replicate in any other style. Spiritfarer has this in spades, especially with the litany of creatively designed characters (some of which might have been a tad too annoying). Everything has a cutesy vibe, even if the underlying plot is about death and moving on.

And while I loved the art in this game, a lot of the gameplay mechanic felt either repetitive or blocked off. There are barriers in the world that can only be unlocked with certain upgrades to your ship, which you can’t get the materials for unless you have a particular guest to trigger a mini-game. Eventually, travel becomes faster (you don’t have to wait through the night), but that’s after hours of tedium. Overall, though, there didn’t seem to be any significant consequences to doing the game at my pace and just enjoying the adventure for what it was.

A cozy management game with some touching moments, I give Spiritfarer 4.0 stars out of 5.

Trolls
Year: 2016
Rating: PG
Length: 92 minutes / 1.53 hours

When it came out, Trolls (2016) was one of those movies that didn’t align with my particular Millennial nostalgia—troll dolls always felt a little weird to me. As such, I didn’t watch this for the first time until I had kids of my own. Amusingly enough, this is a movie meant for Millennials who have kids. The bright, colorful aesthetic is meant to keep kids entertained. However, the soundtrack for this movie is exclusively filled with music most Millennials will recognize and will probably have some nostalgia for.

It’s encouraging that there’s something more to the plot of Trolls than just a bunch of naked, long-hair dolls. Creating this identity of creatures that have songs, hugs, and happiness as the core of their identity is a bit silly, but it works to offset their gigantic enemies who have none of those qualities. And since songs play so heavily into the troll culture here, it just makes sense to have lots of singers voice these characters. The mash-ups of these popular songs are fun and actually apply to the plot at hand (which is more than most animated children’s movies have).

I can appreciate that there’s not a lot of toilet humor here, even if DreamWorks movies have notoriously had this quality. Of course, given any kind of scrutiny, certain aspects of Trolls fall apart. I get that character arcs that level out characters like Princess Poppy (Anna Kendrick) and cause characters like Branch (Justin Timberlake) to find hope in life again to allow for character growth. Still, if you’re just along for the ride—as most kids are—then Trolls is an entertaining film. And as a Millennial, the soundtrack sold it for me.

A nostalgia trip for Millennial parents, I give Trolls 4.0 stars out of 5.

Infinite Assassins
Year: 2017
Author: Peter Meredith
Length: 410 pages

If there was one thing that caused me to pick up this series, it was the cover for this book. Having not particularly liked the first book, Infinite Reality, I was hesitant to start this one. Between the two, I think Infinite Assassins is better, but it still has lots of issues that stem from the main character. It doesn’t help that there are still formatting and proofreading issues throughout the text that pulled me out of the story. I haven’t read much LitRPG, but this series definitely reads more like a “manly man” thriller than anything else.

While Infinite Reality had the main character bemoaning the fact that he had to work with others to solve a problem, Infinite Assassins sees him strike out on his own. This fit the “lone wolf” archetype better, especially when linked with the player class he chose for this adventure. Unfortunately, he was so obsessed with human trafficking and helping the helpless in a virtual video game that it felt more like a distraction than anything else. It came off as obnoxious moralizing to prove the point that the main character was a “good guy.”

But here’s the thing, the main character is not a good person. Despite him telling the reader so much that he was resisting dark urges, his actions in the previous book would not be considered the moral high ground. He constantly turns to violence to solve his problems, sometimes even killing an individual instead of incapacitating them. I would have given an extra half star if he realized that his actions pursuing “justice” were always on the side of being evil instead of him lying to the reader the whole time.

Slightly better than the first book, but with continued main character issues, I give Infinite Assassins 2.5 stars out of 5.

  1/2

Epic
Year: 2013
Rating: PG
Length: 102 minutes / 1.70 hours

One reason I loved the film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989) growing up was the different perspective it brought. When characters are tiny, a yard can be a vast forest. Steps are enormous cliffs. Danger is multiplied. This is not an original idea by any means, but shrinking down characters to experience a much smaller world seems to always have some merit. Even books like Micro have touched on this subject. Epic (2013) is merely another entry in the “miniaturization” trope, but with some good action and world-building to back it up.

As with many films like this, Epic wraps its main character, M.K. (Amanda Seyfried) in the troubled trappings of a teenager who is somewhere she does not want to be. It takes an adventure in the nearby woods to appreciate her nerdy father (Jason Sudeikis) and his attempts to connect with her. This revelation is only loosely connected to the battle between good and evil, where the leaf men must protect the forest from the decay brought on by Mandrake (Christoph Waltz). Ultimately, it is up to M.K. to bridge the gap between the larger and smaller worlds and save the day.

The animation in Epic is passable. Nothing to write home about, but not terrible either. Unfortunately, it also feels the need to add comedic relief with the slug/snail combo—an overdone trope for these kinds of audiences. They mostly come off as annoying, but I get their appeal to the target demographic. The fantasy world-building is better than most here, and the aesthetic to go with it is well thought out—aerial battles and all. Overall, a good movie for kids that adults won’t necessarily have to suffer through.

A middle-of-the-road animated film that has some world-building strengths, I give Epic 3.5 stars out of 5.

   1/2

Prune
Year: 2015
Rating: E
Time Played: ~4 hours

When I picked up a few months of Apple Arcade for free, I downloaded a handful of games to play on my phone. Prune was one that looked soothing, like Monument Valley. It also looked short, which I could appreciate. Once I got into it, I wished it was perhaps even a little shorter. The concept was solid, but the way it was executed on the touchscreen of my phone made me wanting more control over different aspects. If I wanted to play longer and complete the rest of the secret levels, I could…I just didn’t want to.

The objective of Prune is to let a tree grow until it flowers. This requires trimming off branches and limbs as it grows, allowing it to get around corners and eventually find life-giving sunlight to bloom. The almost random way these trees would grow was one of my frustrations with the game. I had to re-start so many trees because they wouldn’t go where I wanted them to, even though I trimmed in the right spots. Granted, there wouldn’t be much of a game here if I was successful on the first try every time, for every level.

When I could grow the tree in the direction I wanted, the later levels highlighted the worst aspect about this game. Since the main game mechanic is swiping my finger to cut off branches, it was also difficult to use the touchscreen to move the view around or adjust the zoom. Since the camera always followed the tree as it grew, I’d often try to move the view over to see where it was going and plan accordingly—only for it to snap right back. If the camera controls were better, I’d definitely give this review another star.

A calming idea for a game, but with too many frustrating aspects, I give Prune 3.0 stars out of 5.

Monsters, Inc.
Year: 2001
Rating: G
Length: 92 minutes / 1.53 hours

Early Pixar films always had a way of being grounded in our reality. The toys in Toy Story (1995) had to make sense as toys. The insects in A Bug’s Life (1998) were all known insects. It wasn’t until Monsters, Inc. (2001) when an entire world had to be created to explain the “monster in the closet” fear most children grow up with. And while this film is definitely another tech demo to show how good Pixar had gotten at simulating cloth and fur, the plot itself is one of the most original pieces Pixar has ever created.

Coming up with dozens of different monster designs was only the first step. That Pixar created a world designed for these monsters to live and work in was the basic follow-up, but creating a whole system of door portals that could access any room in the human world was genius. And having screams power the whole thing? That’s the cherry on top of this amazing idea that was superbly executed. I’m just glad I can appreciate the anti-Capitalist message as an adult—much like the pro-union message of A Bug’s Life just a few years prior.

By this point, Pixar had started pulling out the tearjerkers. Toy Story 2 (1999) introduced heavy emotional stakes, but Monsters, Inc. carried it to the next level. Even if Boo still suffers a little bit from that early CGI inability to render realistic humans, the connection Sully (John Goodman) forges with her is something that makes the ending hit so well. Pair this with the expert comedic counterbalance with Mike (Billy Crystal), and it’s a recipe for success (cliche second act falling out, notwithstanding). Monsters, Inc. wasn’t my favorite Pixar film growing up, but it’s definitely grown on me as I’ve aged.

An original Pixar concept full of laughs and tears, I give Monsters, Inc. 4.5 stars out of 5.

    1/2

Only Human
Year: 2018
Author: Sylvain Neuvel
Length: 352 pages

While I was not actively looking forward to finishing this trilogy, I’m glad I finished it for the sense of closure it brought. I still think Sleeping Giants had such an intriguing concept in how it relayed information to the reader, but that you could only really make that work for a single book. With a cliffhanger in each book of the series, I was hoping Only Human would wrap up everything and provide a satisfying conclusion. It certainly did its best to answer all the questions that came up during the previous books, but the ending didn’t particularly wow me.

The difficulty of maintaining a narrative through reports and journal entries is only exacerbated here because the human characters are the only ones who can convey what it is like to live on an alien planet. The jumping back and forth between the past and present was an OK way to hide some of the bigger reveals, but the biggest problem is the snarky nature of most of the characters. I know it’s likely written for laughs, but after a while it becomes tiresome as the events unfold.

In terms of its message, Only Human didn’t feel like it had anything new to say. Introducing the aliens after everything that they put humanity through in Waking Gods felt somewhat anticlimactic as the major action of this book centered on the same old arms race between countries on Earth. Sure, the moral of the story was perhaps clearer here than in the previous books, but probably more as a foot stomp to make sure the readers got the point of the entire series. If I were to recommend the Themis Files again, I’d suggest readers stick to just the first book.

An ending that tied up loose ends but didn’t particularly wow, I give Only Human 3.0 stars out of 5.

The LEGO Movie
Year: 2014
Rating: PG
Length: 100 minutes / 1.67 hours

As a child, LEGO was my toy of choice. I collected it. I built with it. The endless possibilities it provided gave me endless hours of entertainment. In translating this toy to the big screen, the primary concept of imaginative play is front and center. The LEGO Movie (2014) benefited from an alignment of two forces that made it into an instant classic. First, the animation accurately depicted the feel of these plastic bricks. Second, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have created another comedic masterpiece for kids and adults.

The debt that The LEGO Movie owes to all the kids (and adults) who used the bricks to make their own stop-motion films is unavoidably huge. The LEGO video games were a bit more flexible in their character animations…sometimes to their detriment. By keeping the models stiff and abiding by the blocky limitations of the medium, The LEGO Movie made each scene feel like it could be recreated with actual pieces of LEGO. Even the details of the little scratches on the plastic brought added realism to the chaotic worlds in this film.

While the plot of this film was incredibly similar to The Matrix (1999), I can forgive the comparison because The Matrix is also an excellent film. What helps sell this movie immensely is the incredible comedy that Lord and Miller have infused into it. Lots of lines are legitimately funny, and not in a gross-out humor way that often plagues films marketed toward children. All the voice acting is spot-on and the amount of talent they got to work on this is impressive. I still think it got snubbed for a Best Animated Picture Oscar but at least it earned that Best Song with “Everything is Awesome.”

A hilarious version of The Matrix for kids, I give The LEGO Movie 4.5 stars out of 5.

    1/2

Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap
Year: 2017
Rating: E10+
Time Played: 306 minutes / 5.10 hours

Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap is one of those games that I learned about through a YouTube video and realized I already picked it up for free from the Epic Games Store. The revamped art style was intriguing, and the gameplay felt somewhat modern—even if it had changed little from the original SEGA Master Drive. All things considered, it was a fairly fun playthrough, and I got my money’s worth (despite not spending any to buy it).

The form change mechanic made the progression through this game even more interesting. Once I’d figured out how to play as one of the animal-based forms, I’d have to learn the next one and start my learning all over. Granted, the better armor and weapons I gained along the way made this easier each time. And with each new form, I’d find some other area of the map that I could now access. This game was a Metroidvania before the genre even fully existed. Throughout all this, the hand-drawn art style was colorful, charming, and a clear upgrade from the 16-bit era it originally came from.

My one gripe with this game was with the equipment that you can buy to upgrade your character. While I loved that there was a reason to spend the money earned throughout the game, I found myself often stumped about where to go next only to realize that I needed to equip a different set of armor or use a different sword to help me advance to the next area. The item descriptions were obviously meant to be vague, but a clearer sign of which abilities I had would have made it a little more fun.

A great remake of a 16-bit game but with some retained weaknesses, I give Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap 4.0 stars out of 5.

Trap
Year: 2024
Rating: PG-13
Length: 105 minutes / 1.75 hours

In recent years, I feel like M. Night Shyamalan has regained some of his talent as a director. This may be because I go into a Shyamalan movie expecting there will be some logical plot hole that would collapse the entire concept in an instant, but that there are enough logical “yeah, that makes sense” twists that it’s an entertaining ride. Much like Old (2021), Trap (2024) is the latest of these kinds of films that feel like classic Shyamalan.

As a father of a young daughter, I can only imagine which pop star my child will become obsessed with and want to see in concert. I probably relate to this movie because I know such an event is in my future. Simply put, though, Josh Hartnett does an excellent job of showing how a smile and a bit of confidence can get you anywhere. Well, that and being a straight white male…but that’s probably a deeper concept that this film didn’t explicitly intend on exploring. In the “cat and mouse” between the authorities and the killer, this expert evasion is most of the fun in this movie.

While nepotism can be rampant in Hollywood, the nepotism here wasn’t so egregious as it usually is with famous individuals and their children. Here, Shyamalan seems to want to launch his daughter’s music career into the mainstream as I had never heard of Saleka at all before this film. She certainly has some musical talent, but her acting leaves a bit more to be desired once she’s out of her element. This is part of what makes the third act a little strained. Still, the ending is amusing and has just enough of that classic Shyamalan twist to it.

Another return to form for Shyamalan, I give Trap 4.5 stars out of 5.

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Chimera
Year: 2024
Author: Lena M. Johnson
Length: 98 pages

***THIS BOOK WAS RECEIVED FROM THE AUTHOR***

It’s interesting how the “shifter” genre seems to use the same animals repeatedly. If you’re looking for something different, look no further than Lena M. Johnson’s Chimera. This novella was originally part of the Forgotten Shifter Files anthology, but now has its own release as a standalone novella. I appreciate how Johnson took the shifter prompt in the sci fi direction, as it feels easier to explain (and more feasible) in that context than in the way shifter stories usually go.

I’ll admit that there were a lot of characters presented at the beginning of Chimera that I had trouble keeping track of. I wasn’t sure who was going to be the lead character until about a third of the way through, and there were sparse details to let me distinguish between the different individuals. Even with this cast of characters, there were a lot of interesting backstories and lore hinted at in really special ways. For a novella, the world-building was solid and didn’t spend too much time getting into the weeds past the important facets that made these characters tick. The themes of racism, war, and regret were expertly woven into the story and grounded it with their details.

Vibe-wise, I thought Chimera felt a lot like Alien (1979), but not in the way you’d think. Sure, there’s the element of horror as a mysterious monster slowly kills off passengers one-by-one, but just surviving isn’t enough here. It all leads to Chimera‘s climax, which is when the storytelling is at its absolute best. It’s a bit of a slow build at the beginning, but once the action started, I could not put it down. Whether you like shifter stories or sci fi horror vibes, Chimera is a novella you should definitely read.

A unique shifter novella with stupendous world-building and a killer climax, I give Chimera 4.5 stars out of 5.

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Fantastic Mr. Fox
Year: 2009
Rating: PG
Length: 87 minutes / 1.45 hours

There’s a point in a famous director’s filmography that may make you scratch your head and wonder why they pivoted into something so different. Hindsight is always an interesting way to see how the change in genre or form eventually brought on the full realization of the director’s style. For Wes Anderson, his previous films had begun to develop into his distinctive style, but Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) seemed to cement its aesthetic for all future Anderson movies.

Hearkening back to the original stop-motion effects from the early years of cinema, Fantastic Mr. Fox is full of frenetic energy—partly from the fur covered creatures voiced by plenty of famous actors. These aren’t clay molded stop-motion models like something from Aardman or Laika. Instead, there’s a sort of jointed stiffness that is played to great effect by Anderson’s love of straight lines and centering on the frame. That Anderson would eventually return to this form in Isle of Dogs (2018)—along with smaller stop-motion bits in his other films—shows how influential it was in defining what a Wes Anderson film should be.

Dialogue has always been a particular high point in Anderson films, and this is no different. Sure, the fast-talking characters may have lines that will go over kids’ heads, but the adults will definitely get a chuckle from. However, the kids are not necessarily there for the witty banter. The kids will like the animation of these silly little creatures, and the chosen medium of animation lessens some of the violent impact that comes with the constant battle between a fox and the humans he’s trying to steal from. And even if I don’t consider this Anderson’s best film, it definitely put him on that path.

A curious but well-executed pivot for Wes Anderson, I give Fantastic Mr. Fox 4.0 stars out of 5.

SUPERHOT: Mind Control Delete
Year: 2020
Rating: T
Time Played: ~10+ hours

While I absolutely love the SUPERHOT concept where time only moves if you move, both SUPERHOT and SUPERHOT VR felt short for being full games. It seems the remedy for this was to create the pseudo sequel in SUPERHOT: Mind Control Delete. Unfortunately, this was done through adding Roguelike elements to the core SUPERHOT gameplay, but only in a way that made repeating the levels a gimmick of necessity instead of as a reward for continuing to play.

I don’t mind Roguelikes if they are done well (Loop Hero comes to mind as a good one). This includes permanent upgrades that make the game easier to play just based on how many times you’ve run the cycle. Most of the upgrades obtained in Mind Control Delete are earned through the same set of “play X number of levels without dying” mechanic that the rest of the game has. Granted, these upgrades are helpful to advance through future levels—especially if the right alignment of abilities is presented, like in all Roguelike games. It’s more that they also become a crutch that makes the game easier to play.

There were a few interesting narrative choices for this game that I found both intriguing and frustrating. At a certain point, you have to give up all the abilities you’ve earned through the game, which makes the last few levels extremely difficult, especially if these abilities got you to the later levels. That these were the same set of levels just set on random rotation made it boring by the end because there wasn’t anything new…just new combinations. Still, the “gotta try one more run” gimmick kept me up late some nights just trying to progress to the end.

Same SUPERHOT action but with frustrating Roguelike elements, I give SUPERHOT: Mind Control Delete 3.0 stars out of 5.

Big Hero 6
Year: 2014
Rating: PG
Length: 102 minutes / 1.70 hours

Even though Disney has a reputation for being good at the “Princess” movies, I have found that the films geared toward the guys are often overlooked gems. This was probably most obvious during the early 2000s with movies like Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) and Treasure Planet (2002), both of which were sci-fi movies that flopped. Fortunately, Disney adapts and aligns with popular trends to create some better received films geared toward the boys. Fusing the sci-fi genre with an anime-like setting and superhero theming, Big Hero 6 (2014) has stood up well over time.

I think the only weakness of Big Hero 6 is how closely it plays to the standard tropes. Superhero origin stories are seen as necessary for starting a franchise, but there are only so many ways that plot can be explored before it feels too similar to other movies (with Iron Man (2008) parallels being made here). Even the Power Rangers or Voltron-esque team aspect here, the anime trope of the “power of friendship” is at least partly useful for getting Hiro out of his depression.

While there are admittedly a ton of Disney movies with orphans as the main characters, Big Hero 6 is an important movie for kids to learn how to handle the recent loss of loved ones. I think it’s accurate that a lot of boys would turn to anger and frustration at the loss of an older brother and mentor—likely the only person who encouraged and stood up for them. But what we do with that anger is the important thing that Big Hero 6 tries to convey. It’s a complex emotion that’s often tied to depression—both of which can easily be glossed over.

A Disney movie that leans into the tropes boys love to see, I give Big Hero 6 4.0 stars out of 5.

Yellowface
Year: 2023
Author: R.F. Kuang
Length: 519 minutes / 8.65 hours

There are plenty of books with authors as the main character, but Yellowface feels like the first time that the struggles have been expressed in such a realistic way. Most author protagonists seem to exist in this vacuum where nobody else in their close circles shares their love of writing and publishing stories. They have no network with other authors or can commiserate over another rejected manuscript. And while Yellowface takes a bold approach to addressing diversity in the publishing world, it still ultimately paints the main character as a villain.

One cannot overemphasize social media’s effects on the modern publishing landscape. Anything authors can do to break through the noise, they’ll attempt just to get more traction to sell their book. Tons of talented authors are overlooked for a variety of reasons, but Yellowface asks whether pursuing marginalized voices has created the unintended consequence of marginalizing the voices that used to be promoted. The frustration is real, but Juniper’s actions are not the answer. The thrill of Yellowface’s plot is how long she’s able to get away with it before she’s caught and tried in the square of public opinion.

As an author, a lot of this book made me feel seen. We always tell ourselves that our fellow writers are not competition, but it’s difficult to see others succeed when our own works go unnoticed. Jealousy is real, but we work through it and celebrate with our fellow authors so that someday they can come alongside us and celebrate our victories as well. Even if the ending gets a little weird, the way R.F. Kuang gives an intimate look into this community of writers feels authentic enough to be a universal experience for most authors.

A gripping, tongue-in-cheek examination of author rivalry, I give Yellowface 4.5 stars out of 5.

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The Wrong Trousers
Year: 1993
Rating: PG
Length: 29 minutes / 0.48 hours

There are plenty of movies where the second installment in a franchise takes all the lessons learned from the first film and uses them to make the absolute best movie possible. Terminator 2 (1991) and Spider-Man 2 (2004) are my go-to examples of this. This can also extend to short films, as seen by the second Wallace & Gromit short film, The Wrong Trousers (1993). There were a lot of improvements from A Grand Day Out, and I still think that this is the pinnacle of the Wallace & Gromit shorts.

This time around, the Plasticine duo is up against Feathers McGraw—a dastardly villain who takes advantage of Wallace’s kindness and gullible naivete. The pacing, music, and tension would fit right in with a Hitchcock film, which is what makes it that much sillier when the antagonist is a penguin with a rubber glove on its head. Having such a solid (and complete) plot was definitely a plus for this film, as there were actual stakes involved. With two-thirds of the characters being non-verbal, the comedy is right up there with the greats of the silent era, like Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton.

As in A Grand Day Out, the stop-motion animation here is top-notch. And with a few more years to perfect the craft, the polish on everything was quite evident. I don’t think Aardman Animation would be around anymore if they hadn’t knocked it out of the park with this amazing piece of work. The train chase at the end is perhaps one of the best sequences ever put on film. Overall, The Wrong Trousers should be required viewing for anyone who loves movies, let alone stop-motion ones.

The pinnacle of the Wallace & Gromit franchise, I give The Wrong Trousers 5.0 stars out of 5.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Year: 2023
Rating: E10+
Time Played: 100+ hours

After The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild broke the 3D Zelda franchise with its open-world gameplay, I was looking forward to the sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. While I wanted more of the same things Breath of the Wild offered, there were weaknesses in that entry that I hoped Nintendo would fix in this follow-up title. I may be in the minority here—much in the same way that I don’t care as much for Majora’s Mask over Ocarina of Time—but I actually liked Breath of the Wild more than this game.

Let’s start off with what was great: the story. I felt the flashbacks in Breath of the Wild left some amount to be desired, but the story uncovered during Tears of the Kingdom was leagues better and made for a much more satisfying boss battle with Ganondorf. A lot of the “same” things, like glider exploration and combat, made this game fun to play, so at least there were a few more enemy types to fight and items to collect.

At some point, I stopped playing this game and almost had to force myself to get back into it. This was mostly because the main “building” mechanic didn’t vibe with me. Every weapon needed to be prepared ahead of time. Every tool needed to be constructed. These things took time and stalled the action. Even though there was more than twice the map size to explore, a lot more of it felt empty. And when I found a key location, it was locked behind the story I hadn’t discovered yet. Overall, I think the story did a lot of heavy lifting here, but Tears of the Kingdom felt like a minor downgrade to Breath of the Wild.

An amazing story, but otherwise a minor step back from Breath of the Wild, I give The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom 4.0 stars out of 5.

Deadpool & Wolverine
Year: 2024
Rating: R
Length: 128 minutes / 2.13 hours

Ever since the early success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) proved how Marvel could successfully adapt their comics to the big screen, there was always this itch that couldn’t be scratched. This was because certain properties like X-Men and Spider-Man were “trapped” at other studios like 20th Century Fox and Sony, respectively. Through mergers and other agreements, some of these franchises came back under the Marvel umbrella (via Disney), allowing Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) to scratch that crossover itch—finally.

While this isn’t the first time that 20th Century characters have appeared in a mainline MCU entry (with WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) having those distinctions), Deadpool & Wolverine felt like the proper send-off for these 20th Century characters. After all, it’s likely we wouldn’t even have an MCU if it weren’t for the superhero films like X-Men (2000) that came before Iron Man (2008). In a way, Deadpool & Wolverine was to 20th Century superhero films what Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) was to the Sony Spider-Man films—a recognition of the past and a passing of the torch to the future.

Even if Deadpool & Wolverine only felt tangentially related to the MCU (via the Time Variance Authority (TVA) explored in the Loki TV show), the primary draw here is the interaction between the titular leads. Both Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman were meant to play their respective characters. Finally having them together on the same screen was a fun way to fully take advantage of that R rating that previous Deadpool and Wolverine movies have enjoyed. And even if it felt odd that some of the previous characters from these movies were missing from the big farewell, this film was a great conclusion to decades of these iconic characters.

A farewell and passing of the torch for superhero films, I give Deadpool & Wolverine 4.0 stars out of 5.

Annihilation
Year: 2014
Author: Jeff VanderMeer
Length: 195 pages

Having already watched the 2018 movie adaptation of Annihilation, I knew going into this book that it would be quite the trip. My expectations were mostly set on what was going to happen in this book, but not on how the author would convey these events. I was pleasantly surprised with something that felt just as disorienting. Told in the first-person perspective, Annihilation messes with the concept of an unreliable narrator in a way that I haven’t ever seen before. The real question is whether I understand anything now that I’ve seen the movie and read the book.

There’s a melancholy present in Annihilation that almost borders on nihilism. The way the main character seems to float through this world, carrying her trauma and relational scars around in an eerily monotonous and emotionless manner, is both unsettling and oddly comforting. Was this her attempt at obtaining closure? Did she want to find somewhere she truly belonged? Whatever the reason, she is propelled forward by forces outside her control, and she doesn’t resist any of the alien influence.

The prose in Annihilation is truly the star of the show here. Other writers might try to take a more scientific approach when dealing with aliens, but VanderMeer leans into the disorienting nature of Area X. I’ve been drunk a few times, but never high enough to hallucinate like this. Several times I had to stop and re-read a page to understand what was happening. Once I turned my mind off and let the words flow through me, I had a much more enjoyable time in this book. I don’t know if I’ll get through the rest of the trilogy, but this one was worth the read.

A trippy hallucination of a novel, I give Annihilation 4.0 stars out of 5.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Year: 2009
Rating: PG
Length: 90 minutes / 1.50 hours

One of the most memorable books of my childhood was Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. I was skeptical a short book with no plot could become a feature-length movie. But, just like trying new foods, I gave Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) a chance. The result was something hilarious that both kids and adults could enjoy on different levels. Somehow, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller transformed this beloved book into a fun movie with lots of valid points about life.

For their first film, Lord and Miller knocked it out of the park with their style of humor. It was goofy. It was smart. There’s no doubt that this movie helped catapult them into other projects like The LEGO Movie (2014). Sure, there were the occasional bathroom humor bits, but there were so few of them as to not ruin the vibe. The voice acting fit perfectly with the characters, and the animation style was loose and frenetic enough to match the feel of enormous food falling from the sky.

What’s perhaps overlooked here are the great lessons this movie can teach kids. Flint (Bill Hader) has the confidence to follow his dream of being a scientist/inventor—despite several setbacks. Sam (Anna Faris) overcame her embarrassment of being smart and broke out of her shell placed on her by society. Even Tim (James Caan) could finally connect with his son and tell him how proud he was of him. Similar to eating their vegetables, these are all things kids should learn early so they can develop into emotionally mature teens. Overall, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a full plate of family fun.

A hilarious adaptation with lots of healthy lessons, I give Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 4.0 stars out of 5.

Monument Valley 2
Year: 2017
Rating: E
Time Played: 96 minutes / 1.60 hours

Video game sequels have this fine balance between continuing the gameplay that made the original successful enough to warrant a sequel while also innovating with new ideas to make the sequel its own thing. There are lessons to be learned from the original that can improve a sequel because it refined what made the first game good. Monument Valley 2 attempts to do a few things differently than its predecessor, but it still feels too similar to stand out on its own.

Once again, I enjoyed the calming experience of Monument Valley 2, even if the narrative elements were meant to invoke reminders of the global collapse in the real world. While the first Monument Valley was about the right length for this kind of game, this took an hour less to complete. Perhaps this was due to the learning curve from having beaten the first game so soon before playing this one, but any game that doesn’t even last two hours to earn 100% of the achievements feels like it’s not big enough to be its own thing (like it should have just been DLC for the first one).

Again, the mouse control in the “Panoramic Edition” felt a little clunky, but I recognize this game was originally designed for touch screen devices. Its similarity to Monument Valley was perhaps too strong, as I don’t recall any of the newer concepts it tried to implement other than the fact that there were two characters to control. This isn’t to say that Monument Valley 2 is a bad game. It’s still fun and has some thoughtful puzzles that are combined with neat M. C. Escher-like visuals and a calming soundtrack. I played it and enjoyed it much like I did the first game in this series.

More of the same from Monument Valley, just less of it, I give Monument Valley 2 3.5 stars out of 5.

   1/2

Fly Me to the Moon
Year: 2024
Rating: PG-13
Length: 132 minutes / 2.20 hours

NASA’s Gemini and Apollo programs remain the pinnacle of human achievement. Plenty of movies have told these stories of success and tragedy. The Right Stuff (1983), Apollo 13 (1995), Hidden Figures (2016), and First Man (2018) all tried to get somewhat close to what really happened while still being entertaining. Fly Me to the Moon (2024), however, may have leaned too much into the entertainment while being light on the facts. What’s worse, in an era of misinformation, this movie could be seen as enforcing conspiracy theories surrounding the event.

Considering this movie is a comedy, it shouldn’t be taken seriously. If you watch it and have a few laughs while considering a “what if” scenario, then it’s harmless fun. In thinking through the “why,” though, Fly Me to the Moon provides some chilling Cold War guesses as to the motive behind a conspiracy like this—some of which may be valid arguments for the conspiracy’s validity. And as soon as we question what really happened, then other historical moments are surely to come under misinformed scrutiny. That’s a rabbit hole that should be avoided.

Still, this star-studded film has its moments. Thinking about these space programs from a marketing perspective was a new way to present these historical events. That it initially has that tongue-in-cheek nod to the idea that the moon landing was faked and this was how they did it is also a fun idea. Ultimately, it does land squarely on the truth that we did land on the moon in the late 1960s. However, it’s also great at building the tension to make the audience question whether or not it was going to happen.

An amusing “what if” movie that has some loose facts thrown in, I give Fly Me to the Moon 3.5 stars out of 5.

   1/2

Less
Year: 2017
Author: Andrew Sean Greer
Length: 497 minutes / 8.28 hours

As I work my way through the Pulitzer Prize-winning novels, I’m finding the modern ones hold up a lot better under scrutiny. There’s usually some eye-opening element from a marginalized group, which is partly why these are important novels to recognize. For its time, I’m sure Less came off edgier than today because of the wider acceptance of LGBTQ+ characters. Still, the writing in this book is deserving of its Pulitzer status not because of the main character’s sexuality, but rather by the humor and humanity present in these pages.

The odd thing is that I don’t think a book like this would work quite as well with a straight protagonist because they basically fall into all those same “woe is me” tropes that loser white guy main characters exhibit in a lot of literature. Yes, Arthur Less can’t commit to a relationship. Yes, he’s avoiding accomplishing the things he’s good at because he’s having a midlife crisis. The fact that he’s gay actually makes things more relatable. It doesn’t matter which gender men choose to love, they all have these problems—for better or worse.

I think the most surprising element of Less is its humor. I still recall some of the best written punchlines almost 5 months later (Volcano? It’s closed). That the author uses the humor to lighten the depressing side of this book’s plot is a godsend. Life is full of missed opportunities and burned bridges, so framing these situations with the soft blanket of humor helps make them more heartfelt. Even amongst all the exotic locations, the one common denominator is the individual who is there, trying to run from themselves. It doesn’t get any deeper than that.

A humorous and heartfelt look at the midlife crisis of all men, I give Less 4.5 stars out of 5.

    1/2

Astro Boy
Year: 2009
Rating: PG
Length: 94 minutes / 1.57 hours

There’s no doubt that Astro Boy was one of the foundational anime series that helped establish the genre we have today. Like other well-known anime like Speed Racer, this anime finally received a movie adaptation in the late 2000s. Having only a cursory knowledge of the source material, I can’t say how faithful Astro Boy (2009) is to its origins. In my opinion, there’s always room for anime adaptations, since it’s honestly a fairly untapped market. As for this adaptation, it’s a fun movie that has quite a bit of heart despite being shockingly dark at a few key moments.

As is the case for a lot of animated films, the celebrity voice acting is fine here. It’s probably even a bit above average. However, voices like Nicholas Cage, Donald Sutherland, and Nathan Lane are so recognizable as to almost make it distracting when their characters are speaking. Similarly, the animation is fine—nothing to write home about except for some superb action sequences sprinkled throughout. At a minimum, Astro Boy (Freddie Highmore) looks the part and sounds how he should.

Recalling that I liked this movie when it came out, I eventually showed it to my daughter. It’s definitely geared toward older kids despite the main character looking like a young boy. I wasn’t quite prepared to discuss topics like parents losing their children or self-sacrifice with my daughter, so that’s on me. I had to assure her that everything was going to be OK in the end, because there are moments which can be quite scary. Overall, it’s a charming movie that gives me some sparkle of hope that we’d get to see a Mega Man movie someday (or at least something longer than a Secret Level episode).

An above average anime adaptation, I give Astro Boy 3.5 stars out of 5.

   1/2

Monument Valley
Year: 2014
Rating: E
Time Played: 144 minutes / 2.40 hours

There’s something about the simple calming aesthetic of Monument Valley that made me want to binge the game in a single night. It has that visual feel of Journey or Alto’s Adventure but with the three-dimensional puzzle elements of Fez. And while it’s not particularly difficult, Monument Valley was this Zen experience that I have to recommend. After all, I like to de-stress with video games and experiences like this one are definitely built to reduce stress with every element of its being.

If you can imagine M. C. Escher designing a video game, Monument Valley would be it. These impossible shapes are fun to traverse but require a bit of thought to get the character from point A to point B. The fixed camera angle helps simplify things while also emphasizing the beauty of each level. The game introduces new mechanics and builds upon them organically and in a way that shouldn’t stump the player. Even the achievements are simple enough that I could 100% the game with little effort past playing through the entire thing.

While I have faulted games like this for being too short, I felt this was the right length. Too many puzzle games just have endless amounts of levels that do nothing different or just continue iterating on the new mechanic for that world too long until it becomes annoying. That I could beat this entire game in a single sitting wasn’t a bad thing. I could even see myself playing it again at some point if I manage to forget most of the puzzle solutions. Despite playing the “Panoramic Edition” on my PC—which made controlling the character occasionally difficult—I still think this is a game to be experienced any way you can.

A calm puzzle game with gorgeous, impossible visuals, I give Monument Valley 4.0 stars out of 5.

Kung Fu Panda 4
Year: 2024
Rating: PG
Length: 94 minutes / 1.57 hours

Where movies like Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) are the exception to the “fourth movie after a contained trilogy” rule, Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024) is the unnecessary sequel that’s still just trying to cash in on a franchise. While I think the first Kung Fu Panda (2008) was the best of the first three movies, their story of Po’s (Jack Black) journey to becoming a kung fu master felt complete by the end of the third film. That this movie barely had any of the characters from the previous movies should give you an idea of how the actors saw it.

The problem Kung Fu Panda 4 falls into is the same one that I think plagued Cars 3 (2017). When the main character of the franchise is now set to be the mentor of the next generation, it usually means the writers are out of ideas. Because this trope is just a re-working of the first movie of the franchise, there’s nothing new here other than the upgrading of the main character—often a reluctant main character—from protégé to mentor.

While I still enjoy all the fancy footwork and kung fu that modern computers can create, most of it feels hollow without a purpose. In previous entries, Po had to fight villains that had new and interesting relationships with kung fu. That the Chameleon (Viola Davis) had almost the same powers and motivation as General Kai (J. K. Simmons) from Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) but with none of the intimidation factor meant that the plot didn’t feel like it had any threats to be taken seriously. It’s safe to say, if you enjoyed the other Kung Fu Panda movies, you’re likely to be disappointed with this one.

A tried and true unnecessary sequel after a complete trilogy, I give Kung Fu Panda 4 2.5 stars out of 5.

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Infinite Reality
Year: 2017
Author: Peter Meredith
Length: 410 pages

I picked up this book because I saw the awesome cover that its sequel had and I didn’t want to just jump into the middle of a series. Having never read any LitRPG before, this was my first exposure to the genre. Unfortunately, there were a lot of issues with this book—and not just the standard formatting issues and plentiful typos. Having talked with the author about this series many years ago, he made it clear that he was chasing the LitRPG trend at the time, and it shows.

Conceptually, Infinite Reality is that same “straight white guy power fantasy” but with actual fantasy. The main character is some tough guy working for the FBI and the only way to solve his case is to enter a virtual reality world and continue investigating there. This was the first implausible fault, but not the last. Like, if a Christian woman says she doesn’t feel comfortable playing as a certain character race because she’d be praying to a different god, then her morals would definitely not have her sleep with the main character while out of wedlock.

While the fantasy bits were actually pretty good, the real world parts had me rolling my eyes more often than not. The main character was this Adonis of justice, but still couldn’t see a way to save the day without killing a ton of people (surely a carryover from the author’s previous horror works). The hatred the main character (and likely the author) had for nerds, the obese, and others who would enjoy reading a LitRPG story made me wonder who this book was really for? It was frustrating and annoying. I’m still willing to read some more LitRPG because it seems interesting, but if you like the genre, don’t bother here.

A LitRPG book that hates people who like reading LitRPG books, I give Infinite Reality 2.0 stars out of 5.

Lisa Frankenstein
Year: 2024
Rating: PG-13
Length: 101 minutes / 1.68 hours

I can appreciate when movies try to do something a little different. Like how Warm Bodies (2013) made Romeo & Juliet into a zombie movie. Often, there’s some element of the public domain involved, but a good remix doesn’t negate the source material. Lisa Frankenstein (2024) takes its obvious inspiration from Mary Shelley, but with a 1980s John Hughes teen comedy slant similar to Sixteen Candles (1984) or Pretty in Pink (1986). The combo somehow works, even if its plot seems to paint itself into a corner.

Kathryn Newton kills it (har har) as the titular Lisa, giving those loner vibes that all girl protagonists from the 1980s seemed to exude before “finding themselves” and having a big glow-up. The entire premise that she’s trying to build a boyfriend with pieces of other people is grotesque, but played for laughs due to the PG-13 rating. I don’t say this often, but I think an R rating would have helped this movie’s comedy out immensely by allowing more gore. As it stands, it’s fairly safe as it’s trying extremely hard to stay in that “John Hughes” lane.

Of course, since there’s a lot of (off screen) violence, the plot heads down a path that either ends with Lisa and her boyfriend/Creature (Cole Sprouse) in jail for killing and dismembering a bunch of community members or escaping to live their new life somewhere else. Instead, it took an odd turn that I don’t entirely think made any sense. It felt like an easy out and was unsatisfying. Still, as long as you go into this movie expecting a fun time (or a nostalgic 80s trip), you’re likely to get a good chuckle or two out of it.

1800s goth meets 1980s goth, I give Lisa Frankenstein 4.0 stars out of 5.

Figment
Year: 2017
Rating: E10+
Time Played: ~5 hours

With a name like Figment, I knew I was stepping into a world filled with imaginative elements. Exploring the mind in an action-based puzzle platformer was definitely the safe choice genre-wise and allowed for plenty of creative worlds to visit. I went into this game thinking it was just going to be a pun-filled series of levels that drew heavily from Inside Out (2015). However, the twist near the end elevated this game to something deeper and darker than I expected. This was despite some of its other, more annoying flaws.

Visually, Figment looks great. Despite how everything moves, it doesn’t quite have that “Flash game” feel because all the art is so well done. Of course, it also makes navigating around the world a little challenging at times because it’s not clear if there are places where the character can go or not. Game-play wise, Figment isn’t too difficult. The combat is simple, but just challenging enough to require memorizing some attack patterns. Most of the puzzles are fairly straightforward, even if they get a little too complex and convoluted near the end of the game.

I don’t want to give away the ending, but it’s a significant tonal shift from the first 4/5ths of the game. While it’s an amazing way of looking at that part of our psyche, I almost didn’t make it to the end because earlier elements were too annoying. Don’t get me wrong, I know it takes a lot of work to do a fully voice-acted game like Figment. It’s just that its pithy dialogue overstayed its welcome by the end of the first world. I stopped playing for a while but decided to give it a second shot when I saw how short it was to complete. I’m Glad I did, just for that ending.

An artistic action-oriented look inside our minds, I give Figment 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Year: 2024
Rating: PG-13
Length: 115 minutes / 1.92 hours

After the delightful reboot that was Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), I was excited to see that they would make a sequel with Ghosbusters: Frozen Empire (2024). Since Afterlife had taken the content more seriously than previous iterations of the franchise, I wanted to see if they’d continue that path in a meaningful way. Not that relying on comedy was a bad thing, but it felt like there was more to explore with these new characters. Unfortunately, there seemed to be a compromise of the old and the new in Frozen Empire.

80s nostalgia is huge in Hollywood right now, but I’d rather it stay as cameo appearances like in Afterlife than in bigger sub-plots like it was in this movie. There were almost too many character arcs in this film, most of which moved at a glacial pace for its almost 2-hour runtime. The ones that were interesting (and focused on the newer characters)—like the ghost girlfriend—weren’t ever tied into the major action, which itself felt like it took forever to get started. Leaning so heavily on the previous cast of the original movies felt like a crutch that shouldn’t have been used.

I’m all for franchises rebooting themselves with a new set of characters, but at least commit to it. This lukewarm coddling to older generations will never get new younger audiences engaged because they’ll see it for the cash grab that it is. Sure, visual effects have made movies like this look great. However, the heart of the movie is missing. That’s what I think Jason Reitman got right in Afterlife and was ultimately missing in this half-microwaved trip down memory lane.

A reboot sequel that doesn’t know who it’s trying to appeal to, I give Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire 2.5 stars out of 5.

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Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
Year: 2004
Author: Jared Diamond
Length: 1,621 minutes / 27.02 hours

In doing research for book based on the Ancient Puebloan society that used to inhabit the Mesa Verde cliff dwellings, I came across this book. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed was an eye-opening examination of the factors that can lead to the destruction of a society that could have continued being successful if it weren’t for poor resource management. What’s frustrating is seeing some of these things becoming prominent in modern society, 20 years after Jared Diamond wrote this book.

While the book covers some case studies where the society identified the problem and moved to fix it, some examples Diamond gives are based on speculation—which one has to do with limited information surviving from those eras. And even though there is an emphasis on environmental factors, sometimes a string of bad years of drought is just the luck of the climate. Unfortunately, while there were hopeful stories of communities who turned away from their destruction, these examples all had one thing in common: the leaders chose to save their society.

I appreciated how relatable Diamond made this text. It wasn’t overly academic, but it provided enough details to weave a story that was easy to follow. The cause-and-effect scenarios he presented made sense and provided sensible explanations that the limited data set appears to support. The problem is, even with this knowledge, seeing the path our current society is headed down does not instill the confidence that humanity has what it takes to save itself at the individual level. Of the societies on the brink that survived, their leadership needed to step in to stop the poor resource management. When there’s no financial motivation to save the world, the current system seems on track to collapse sooner rather than later.

An approachable and eye-opening look at the factors that brought down empires, I give Collapse 4.0 stars out of 5.

A Grand Day Out
Year: 1989
Rating: Not Rated
Length: 23 minutes / 0.38 hours

I grew up watching the Wallace & Gromit shorts on VHS. There’s a certain nostalgia I have for these stop motion films that I wanted to share with my daughter. So I pulled out the DVDs I had of these shorts and watched them again. Not only do they hold up, but just thinking of the technical achievement to create a thing like this is mind-boggling. The first of these, A Grand Day Out, isn’t the best of the original three, but it’s a grand movie, nonetheless.

Like watching a silent comedy of the early era of Hollywood, A Grand Day out has a simple (if not completely absurd) premise of going to the moon because Wallace (Peter Sallis) is out of cheese and he figures it’s the best place to get some. The beauty of A Grand Day Out isn’t entirely in its ability to appeal to children and adults—as it felt most claymation at the time was of the “Gumby” variety. Instead, this Wallace & Gromit short emphasized the use of visual storytelling. Its humor is in all the expressions of the characters who have no voice.

It’s difficult to rate this short compared to all the advances the stop motion medium has gone through in the 35+ years since it came out. At the time, it was quite revolutionary, and it had me blinking and wondering how they managed to get some of those shots. Still, its simplicity is an artifact of the technical limitations of the time. That it took so long just to create 23 minutes of content shows how time-consuming the process was, even if another two minutes for a small conclusion would have made it even better.

A great start to the Wallace & Gromit series, I give A Grand Day Out 4.0 stars out of 5.

Kirby’s Return to Dream Land
Year: 2011
Rating: E10+
Time Played: ~6.50 hours

While I’m all for franchises trying out new things, there’s something about returning to the core mechanic that makes a great game. Kirby’s Return to Dream Land took the fundamentals of a Kirby game and amped up the cool factor while still maintaining that classic Kirby feel. Granted, as Nintendo delved further into gimmicks on their consoles, their franchises had to adapt as well. Return to Dream Land is no exception, but at least the base game is the standard Kirby formula.

Admittedly, one of the more “fun” aspects of this game is the super-powered abilities Kirby can use. While they do often require shaking the Wiimote to use, their increased power put a smile on my face. As far as couch co-op goes, this game is better than most. My daughter played a lot of this game with me as Meta Knight, and there wasn’t much of an issue where she needed to move along with me to advance in the level. That there could be up to four players at once is a nice evolution to the 2-player mechanic introduced back in the Super Nintendo era.

The thing that struck me with this game and felt a little off was some of the difficulty spikes. Granted, I can see how a series like Kirby—which isn’t necessarily known for being geared toward “gamers”—should provide some challenge for those who grew up with these games. Still, the amount of bosses and secret levels that I felt I barely survived seemed to be higher than most Kirby games. That I even had to go ahead and beat the game’s final boss without my daughter’s help just so I could lock in and focus shows that the “defeating god” meme for this franchise is in full effect here.

A classic Kirby formula that might be just a tad too hard, I give Kirby’s Return to Dream Land 4.0 stars out of 5.

How to Train Your Dragon
Year: 2010
Rating: PG
Length: 98 minutes / 1.63 hours

There are a few movies I would consider pinnacle achievements in story, animation, and heart. When I saw How to Train Your Dragon (2010) in theaters, I knew I had just witnessed something special. It felt like DreamWorks had finally grown up from the bodily humor of the Shrek (2001) era and into something that could be taken seriously. It’s no wonder that I still consider How to Train Your Dragon to be one of my favorite films of all time.

I have always appreciated the stories that successfully convey the “brains over brawn” mentality without being too critical of either side. This film not only emphasizes a creator/tinkerer mindset, but the importance of empathizing with nature. That it made sense to kill dragons without the full context of why the dragons behaved the way they did didn’t make the “brawn” side of the equation the enemy in the way it normally would be. This kind of storytelling is incredibly hard to do, and this movie pulled it off flawlessly.

How to Train Your Dragon also felt like a step up in DreamWorks’ animation. Not only did everything look realistic, but the mannerisms of the dragons—especially Toothless—felt so accurately cat- and dog-like that the humor came naturally from that shared experience that all pet owners have. While Pixar may have cracked the “heart” of an animated film some time before this movie, DreamWorks really figured it out with this one. I still tear up in multiple spots as the heart of the relationship between the characters shines through. Sure, the “boy meets creature and becomes close friends” thread has been done successfully many times before, but not nearly this well.

The most heartfelt and thought-out DreamWorks movie ever made, I give How to Train Your Dragon 5.0 stars out of 5.

This movie appeared in Cinema Connections:
#035. Learning to Fly
#036. DreamWorks vs. Disney

Bring Down the Stars
Year: 2018
Author: Emma Scott
Length: 285 pages

I’m not sure where I picked up this book on Kindle, but it finally took me two years to finish it (I’m excruciatingly slow at reading eBooks). To expand my horizons, I thought reading a romance novel would be good for me. Bring Down the Stars feels like a classic partly due to its heavy resemblance to Cyrano de Bergerac. Its tropes feel solidly planted in the genre, even to the point of being almost timeless. Still, the characters are a little frustrating.

When I finally sat down to focus on reading this book, it hooked me pretty well. The writing is beautifully poetic—which is most often seen from the male point of view (POV). The female POV was a good counterpoint to give the reader both sides of the story while also making the miscommunication between these star-crossed lovers a buildup to either passionate love or a complete destruction of the friendship. That dance between the two is likely what keeps people coming back to this genre. I get it now. It’s maddening, but I get it.

I found the modern elements interesting because they could have easily been swapped out for similar situations in centuries past. As I mentioned above, this is basically a Cyrano re-telling, but with two athletic college students in love with the same farmer’s girl. Which war the men went off to is irrelevant, as it could have just as easily been the American Revolution or Civil War. It frustrated me that there wasn’t a conclusion in this book, as it would have been easy to accomplish without the need for a second book. If I feel up to exploring the genre again, I might pick that sequel up.

A modern take on a classic romance, I give Bring Down the Stars 3.5 stars out of 5.

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The Little Mermaid
Year: 1989
Rating: G
Length: 83 minutes / 1.38 hours

There’s no doubt that The Little Mermaid (1989) was a turning point for Disney. It helped revive the studio into its Renaissance after struggling for decades. Some of their best films came in this era sparked by The Little Mermaid, in part due to its success. Its songs and animation were its strong points, both of which are remembered today. However, its lesson (if there even is one) seems to be either too lost in the details or perhaps a bit too old for the young girls who love watching this movie.

Several of the songs in The Little Mermaid are Disney classics that most people can probably hum a few bars. Alan Menken established himself as the de facto songwriter for Disney movies with these hits. Watching this movie as an adult, I’m still blown away with Disney’s animation techniques here. There were several moments that had me scratching my head, thinking, “How did they get that effect to work?” Surprisingly, it’s easy to pick out the early use of CGI, but not so easy as to be distracting from its accomplishment.

Having now seen this movie several times with my daughter, I think the B-plot in an already scant 83 minute movie is its weakest point. That the antics of a crustacean trying to help Ariel achieve her dream feel out of place is also likely because the message feels a little muddled. I’m all for little girls following their dreams, but I also think King Triton (Kenneth Mars) could have done a little better as a single father to explain the dangers of the surface. Is the moral to read the fine print on contracts? Is it teaching girls to be better at being seen and not heard? Whatever it is, I’m sure I’ll have to sit through it at least a dozen more times.

A key turning point in Disney’s history, but also the weakest of its Renaissance, I give The Little Mermaid 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Cat Quest
Year: 2017
Rating: E10+
Time Played: 542 minutes / 9.03 hours

As I continue to find games to play with my children, I was glad to come across Cat Quest for its simplicity and cat themed aesthetic. While there wasn’t anything to write home about for the role playing game (RPG) mechanics, I thought having the entire game take place on the over-world map (with small dungeons to explore) was a neat idea. And even if this game’s combat was a little too frenetic for my kids to play it, they enjoyed watching the story unfold.

The mark of a good RPG in my book is how much grinding is required to advance the plot. Cat Quest avoids some of this by having frequent quests available that provide money (for upgrades of magic and/or weapons) and experience. Of course, there’s still a lot of wandering around checking quest boards for missions that can be accomplished at the character’s current level. Even so, when I did finally decide to complete the game’s story, I was so extremely over-leveled that it was easy to accomplish. This saved me some headaches, as I didn’t want to spend a ton of time dying to the same bosses as my kid watched.

There is a lot of dialogue in Cat Quest, which is also pretty standard for RPG games. The trick here was most all of it was infused with cat related puns. It’s cute the first few times, but becomes tiresome way too quickly (somewhat akin to the How to Talk to Your Cat About Gun Safety book). Visually, Cat Quest looks like it started as a flash game and just stuck with that style. Not that it looks terrible, but when combined with limited enemy types and NPCs, there’s not a ton of variety.

A generic RPG with some cute cat theming, I give Cat Quest 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Inside Out 2
Year: 2024
Rating: PG
Length: 96 minutes / 1.60 hours

Inside Out 2 (2024) is one of those rare sequels that build upon the first movie in new ways that expand the narrative of the world. There were already hints of a puberty subplot at the end of the first Inside Out (2015), but adding new emotions to the mix really helped round out that teenager experience. As a parent, I loved how the first film made it easy to talk to my kids about emotions, but now there’s a whole extra level of parenting I can unlock by using this movie as well.

Most of my gripes about Inside Out 2 are minor—partly because the first movie had these issues as well. For a head full of emotions, there really is only room for a story about one or two of them. That there were four new characters added in this movie felt a bit much, especially when most of the plot revolved around Anxiety (Maya Hawke). At least this time around, Riley (Kensington Tallman) had more of a role in her own story instead of just being a vehicle for the emotions’ adventures.

I could go on about all the amusing little puns and jokes that are sprinkled throughout this film, but its true strength is showing how our identities change over time when confronted with real-life circumstances. The original film highlighted the nuance of multiple emotions creating key memories. This one not only did a fantastic job of identifying how Anxiety can be harmful (and sometimes helpful) but how the negative aspects of our personality don’t have to be the core of our identity. This depth might go over little kids’ heads, but it’s super important to remind our older children as they develop into independent young adults.

A deeper look at even more complex emotions, I give Inside Out 2 4.5 stars out of 5.

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The 5 Love Languages of Children
Year: 1995
Author: Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell
Length: 224 pages

Say what you will about any of the “personality type” analyses out there, but being able to categorize an individual can help to understand them. Whether it’s Myers-Briggs, Enneagrams, or the 5 Love Languages, being able to relate to a grouping that helps explain a personality is a great way to find an identity. These may all be pseudoscience, but they’re harmless if used in the right ways. The 5 Love Languages of Children helps identify how these personality traits show up in kids.

As a parent, I found this book immensely useful because it revealed what the major (and minor) love languages of my two children are. Knowing how to best fill their “love tank” has helped my wife and I to manage our time with our kids. Knowing how these love languages may change as our kids grow up is just as useful as knowing that they need some of all the types (Gifts, Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch). After all, parenting kids who feel loved seems to be a much easier task than parenting kids who feel neglected.

With this personality type analysis, there’s always a caveat. No single individual will fall entirely into a single category, and these categories may change over time. Still, it’s fun to see my kids light up when they receive the love language they most identify with. Not only do I feel the 5 Love Languages are useful in understanding ourselves, but knowing how others (i.e., our spouses and children) receive love is important to growing these key relationships in our lives.

A useful tool to help parents love their children more effectively, I give The 5 Love Languages of Children 4.0 stars out of 5.

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Year: 2005
Rating: G
Length: 85 minutes / 1.42 hours

Having grown up with the Wallace & Gromit short films, I’ve always held the belief that this duo is the core to Aardman Animations’ success. For their first outing in a feature-length context, there was bound to be some growing pains with the transition from short films. Granted, this wasn’t Aardman’s first foray into feature-length stop motion films, but there were a lot of expectations riding on this film based on how well the previous Wallace & Gromit shorts had done.

With the leap into a feature-length movie, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) pulled out all the stops for its visuals. The whole thing looks great, even if it’s clear in spots that there were computers being used instead of just the raw physical medium of Plasticine. As always, Gromit is the most expressive silent character of this century (and I’d even say in all of cinematic history). It felt like the audience needed more of him, but that was because the other sub-plots seemed to focus solely on Wallace.

In terms of plot, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit felt a little less original than the short films. Not that the tropes they used were overdone, just that it was perhaps a little more predictable and “safe” compared to their previous outings. Still, the truly British humor shone through as always, leaving me chuckling at all the brief references and lines that the adults would get but the kids wouldn’t. Overall, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is one of the best stop motion movies ever made, just not necessarily the best Wallace & Gromit story.

A great jump to the big screen for Wallace & Gromit, but not without some growing pains, I give Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit 4.0 stars out of 5.

This movie appeared in Cinema Connections:
#113. Stop-motion
#114. Aardman Animation

The Bridge
Year: 2013
Rating: E
Time Played: 164 minutes / 2.73 hours

Having been a fan of M. C. Escher’s works for some time, I thought a game like The Bridge would be an interesting take on his mind-bending illustrations. Presented in a black-and-white monochrome to match Escher’s illustrations, The Bridge uses rotation and platforming to solve physics-based puzzles. Unfortunately, because of these two gameplay mechanics, this game was a bit more frustrating than I expected. When solutions to puzzles aren’t based on logic as much as they are based on being able to control the physics, it just isn’t fun to play.

I picked up and played The Bridge several times over a few years. Every once in a while, I’d get some distance from it and think that I should try to tackle the next puzzle that stumped me weeks or months ago. And after completing this puzzle and a few more after it, I’d get stuck again and the entire process would repeat. The distance between play sessions is probably what led me to enduring this game as long as I did. I got far enough into the game to realize that the difficulty curve at the end was more about fine control of rotation than figuring out how to solve the puzzle.

Of course, there have been several puzzle games that I “gave up” on and just opened tutorials on how to get to the end. Baba is You and Q.U.B.E. come to mind here.These were tutorials that gave me the “a-ha moment” I needed to get past the puzzles that were stumping me. However, the precision I needed to complete The Bridge led me to give up on it altogether. Watching a video of someone playing through one solution and realizing this took them a solid 10 minutes meant I would not have fun doing it myself.

A visual homage to Escher with some frustrating physics puzzles, I give The Bridge 3.0 stars out of 5.

A Quiet Place: Day One
Year: 2024
Rating: PG-13
Length: 99 minutes / 1.65 hours

It’s wild to think that it’s been six years since A Quiet Place (2018) released. The concept was unique and fresh and lent itself to plenty of suspenseful moments. And while I thought both it and its 2021 sequel could have been trimmed down to a single, albeit somewhat long movie, I still loved the idea of a modern “silent film” that relies on its imagery as much as its lack of verbal dialogue. But did this really need a prequel?

One of the great parts of the original Quiet Place was that it didn’t explain how things came to be this way, it just dealt with surviving in this new reality. In A Quiet Place: Day One (2024), humanity first faces the threat of these aliens who attack any noise that might catch their attention. It’s still unknown why these aliens came to Earth or what their goal is, but that doesn’t lessen the suspenseful moments the humans must navigate so they can survive this invasion. Distancing itself from the other two films, Day One is able to tell different stories in a much more challenging location: the heart of New York City.

Ultimately, this film didn’t really explore anything new. Even if it re-tread some of what made the first movie so gripping, it merely reinforces how strong that initial concept is. What makes these kinds of films work is the humans who inhabit these apocalyptic scenarios. Day One has some very compelling characters, which is part of the reason it works. Granted, every movie in this franchise has people doing stupid things for their own reasons, but at least I wanted to see them succeed just to beat the odds.

A slightly different version of what made A Quiet Place an excellent film, I give A Quiet Place: Day One 3.5 stars out of 5.

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The Nolan Variations: The Movie, Mysteries, and Marvels of Christopher Nolan
Year: 2020
Author: Tom Shone
Length: 381 pages

Anyone who has met me knows I am a huge fan of Christopher Nolan’s movies. His ability to provide a psychological, mind-bending narrative has kept me engaged for decades. It only makes sense that I would then read the pseudo-biography / interview, The Nolan Variations. Tom Shone’s writing style feels intimate and personable in a way that made me feel closer to Christopher Nolan after reading this book. Whether or not you like his films,The Nolan Variations is important to get into the headspace of this acclaimed director.

The Nolan Variations dives into each one of Nolan’s films, starting with Following (1998) and ending with Tenet (2020). That it provides hints of his Oscar-winning next film, Oppenheimer (2023) is really quite prescient. Unfortunately, this is also the one weakness of such a book. While it covers everything up to Nolan’s peak, unless there’s a “Volume 2” of this book, there will always be key elements of his filmography missing. Sure, it’s interesting to see how he got here, but what happens next? Where does he go from here?

The casual way in which Shone reveals these deep insights into Nolan’s mind is truly the best part of The Nolan Variations. I learned so much about Nolan’s thought process, and a deeper understanding of each one of his films. That there’s still some ambiguity in the endings of his movies even after reading this book just goes to show how talented Nolan is at crafting true head-scratching cinema. If you want the most thorough, behind-the-scenes look into 11 of the best movies to come out of the last three decades, then this is the book for you.

A relatable look into the mind of this generation’s best director, I give The Nolan Variations 4.5 stars out of 5.

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Lilo & Stitch
Year: 2002
Rating: PG
Length: 85 minutes / 1.42 hours

The early 2000s were a weird time for Disney. After a solid run of their 1990s renaissance—full of classics beloved by all—they started exploring ideas outside their wheelhouse. With most of their best work in the fantasy genre, Disney hadn’t quite figured out how to do science fiction. Despite all this, they created a few cult classics during this period. One of these was none other than Lilo & Stitch (2002).

A common theme in children’s movies seems to be outsider kids befriending creatures they probably shouldn’t. This list includes (but is not limited to) E.T. – The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), The Iron Giant (1999), How to Train Your Dragon (2010), and even Bumblebee (2018). Where Lilo & Stitch takes this a step further is how it embraces the idea of the “found family.” With so many orphans in Disney movies, it surprised me it took this long to hone in on this trope and really refine it (albeit not nearly to the extent One Piece does). Furthermore, this movie also shows that everyone deserves love, even if they have a sordid past.

While there are a lot of common tropes in Lilo & Stitch—including some of its humor, which itself has graciously few bathroom-focused jokes—one of its best characteristics is the realism of its human characters. Relying on evil stepmothers or narcissistic queens as villains hides much more relatable challenges modern families face. Just trying to survive, especially when there are no parents in the picture, is hard. Being able to rely on those around us is a much better lesson for kids than princesses finding out they’re a special.

A relevant and modern take on found family and aliens as pets, I give Lilo & Stitch 4.0 stars out of 5.

This movie appeared in Cinema Connections:
#256. Hawaii
#257. Aliens as Pets

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Year: 2001
Rating: T
Time Played: 555 minutes / 9.25 hours

It’s a little odd how I really like to play Metroidvanias, but I never played one of the “vania” games that helped cement this genre of games. Fortunately, I finally found the time to start one and chose Castlevania: Circle of the Moon. Now that I’ve experienced this side of the genre, I can say that I totally get it. There’s something about the way this game is structured that made it enjoyable to play.

The one thing that I think I like from this side of the Metroidvania coin is how it is slightly more geared toward a Role Playing Game style of action game. Aside from the abilities that make a Metroidvania the “locked door” quest that it is, the RPG elements allowed me to upgrade my gear as I found new items. It also meant that if a boss was too hard, I could just grind a bit more to level up and increase my stats to the point where I stood a better chance.

Even though I played this on the Castlevania Advanced Collection, I didn’t use any of the useful features like save states to help me through my play through.That being said, it took me way too long to realize what the Card System did here. I probably made it half-way through and got stuck on one of the bosses before I finally figured out what these card items actually did to the gameplay. From then on, the rest was fairly straightforward. I’m sure if I had the physical game with the instruction booklet, this wouldn’t have been an issue, but as it stands, it doesn’t explain some of its mechanics very well.

A solid Metroidvania with great RPG elements, I give Castlevania: Circle of the Moon 4.0 stars out of 5.

Inside Out
Year: 2015
Rating: PG
Length: 95 minutes / 1.58 hours

It’s amusing that a movie studio like Pixar—which has been making us feel all our emotions for decades— made a film solely about those emotions. They already succeeded in making me cry in almost every other film of theirs, and this is no exception. And while they’ve always had some significant lesson in them, Inside Out (2015) feels like the best kind of therapy you can buy to make discussions with your kids much more approachable. After all, emotions are part of the human experience and everyone can relate to these feelings in some small way, at a minimum.

Visually, Inside Out is great because it combines some well-done realism with the spectacular imaginative world inside a pre-teen girl’s head. There are a ton of great jokes based on wordplay that are both funny and somewhat educational. The voice acting is superb, and the plot is a solid exploration of how to navigate our feelings. If anything, I’m glad I can watch this with my kids because it gives a fantastic jumping off point to discuss basic emotions while also giving room to expand to more difficult topics like depression.

Even if some of the inner workings of the mind might go over a child’s head, Inside Out has a foundation that emphasizes that there are no bad emotions. It’s completely natural to feel angry, afraid, disgusted, or sad. Just like it’s natural to feel joy. That all of these are part of a well-rounded life is useful to remember—even for adults. We all want to be happy as much as possible, but if we suppress emotions like sadness, then we can’t have those temporary lows with which to compare the joyous highs.

A fantastic conversation starter about basic emotions, I give Inside Out 4.5 stars out of 5.

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The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity
Year: 2021
Author: David Graeber and David Wengrow
Length: 1,459 minutes / 24.32 hours

Every once in a while, I come across a book that feels like it’s way above my head, but changes how I think about the world. Their analysis calls into question the known understanding of something and references plenty of famous individuals who have written on the topic. Unfortunately, a neophyte like myself does not know who any of these people are. The Dawn of Everything is very much one of these kinds of books for me.

Not knowing much about anthropology or ancient human civilizations, I came in with an open mind and found some intriguing points put forward in this book. We often look at history through modern lenses, but how often are we merely adopting the modern lenses of those before us? If the common thinking cannot support the physical evidence, should we continue to believe it? I learned a ton by reading this book, and I don’t even feel like I was grasping everything that it was trying to convey because I wasn’t as intimately familiar with the standard model it was trying to deconstruct.

While I think The Dawn of Everything can be approachable for anyone looking to educate themselves about how humans used to interact, it suffers from being occasionally overly academic. There are tons of examples brought forth in this text that merely reinforce the main thesis, each time trying to discredit some previously held belief that I wasn’t aware existed until I read it for the first time here. At a certain point, it gets redundant. Still, there were many ideas it presented that made sense enough for me to consider that the authors were onto something big.

A mildly bloated re-thinking of the structure of early human societies, I give The Dawn of Everything 4.0 stars out of 5.

Thelma
Year: 2024
Rating: PG-13
Length: 98 minutes / 1.63 hours

Thelma (2024) is one of those rare movies that I knew little about, but saw the trailer a few times and saw it on a whim. I was glad I did, because it’s definitely my favorite film of this year. With so many action movies, it’s nice to see one like this that makes fun of the tropes in the best way possible. And to top it all off, the message it gives is as heartwarming as it is important.

The premise of Thelma is that the titular character (played by June Squibb) got scammed out of $10,000. After taking the normal steps one would after realizing the mistake, she realizes she can take matters into her own hands and retrieve her stolen money with some help from her elderly friends. It’s part heist, part chase, and way funnier than it has any right to be. This is partly due to how the common action tropes like GPS trackers, earpiece communications, and high-octane explosions were subverted to match the elderly theming. Everything feels like it could happen that way in the real world without it devolving to action movie ridiculousness.

At the heart of Thelma, though, is a message about independence. So often, older individuals are brushed off as being unable to do a lot of things, even if they could do them in the prime of their youth. On the flip side, our youth (“He’s 24”) are often prevented from showing how capable they are without their lives being constantly directed by helicopter parents. Still, being humble enough to ask for help when we need it is an important aspect of our lives, even if we know we used to do it ourselves.

The most heartwarming action movie subversion ever made, I give Thelma 5.0 stars out of 5.

Cubism
Year: 2020
Rating: E
Time Played: ~6 hours

While most Virtual Reality games emphasize the immersive nature of the medium, few handle the ability to manipulate virtual objects freely in 3D space. While there are certainly puzzle games in VR (like Tetris Effect), none quite scratch that IQ test itch like Cubism. Of course, with puzzle games like this, there comes a point where the game gets too challenging to complete. This is even without a timer or other mechanic trying to pressure the player to work faster. Still, Cubism is a relaxing challenge for your mind.

For those new to Virtual Reality, Cubism is a good primer for how to use the controllers (or even the hand-tracking features). Since the entire game is merely manipulating different shapes to fit into a 3D outlined space, there’s a lot of grabbing, rotating, and placing. It can be played seated, and doesn’t have any extreme elements that might induce motion sickness. This game could easily be ported to other non-VR platforms, but I think it works best as a VR game because it fully uses the 3D space by having the player physically move the pieces to where they need to go.

The simplicity of Cubism is part of its charm. It’s just you and the pieces—and soothing piano music by Robert Schumann. Trying to work out mentally how these pieces fit together is sometimes just a matter of trial and error. However, there are later puzzles at the higher difficulties where certain wrong solutions get stuck in your mind and it would be helpful if there was a hint system of some kind to push past these mental blocks. As it is, I could not fully complete the game, but I definitely got a lot of enjoyment out of it while it lasted.

A simple but gradually challenging puzzle game, I give Cubism 4.0 stars out of 5.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Year: 2024
Rating: PG-13
Length: 145 minutes / 2.42 hours

With how difficult it is to pull of a trilogy that doesn’t have any significantly bad entries, it’s almost impossible to make a successful movie that sits as the fourth entry outside that trilogy. Plenty of “fourth” films never hit the mark their predecessor trilogy did. This was why I had to roll my eyes when Hollywood added another movie on top of the already well-done Planet of the Apes prequel trilogy. Well, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) proved me wrong.

By giving itself enough distance from the Caesar story arc, Kingdom threads that needle that connects the lead-up events to the very first film in the franchise. Even if most of the fundamental concepts have already been covered in this franchise, there are still enough surprising moments here to make it an excellent entry—which is also what made the original 1968 movie so memorable. It truly felt as if the audience was getting the understanding of the original movie’s plot through the viewpoint of the apes this time.

What’s perhaps the most important point with Kingdom is how relevant it is to today’s society. Sure, there were a lot of great action and battle sequences, but underneath everything is a society that’s founded on hero worship. That uses nostalgia and catchy slogans to rally apes to their cause. If history repeats itself in the real world, then what’s to say that we can’t see it happen in the Planet of the Apes? While the reboot prequel trilogy was excellent, it paved the way for Kingdom to be absolutely superb.

The rare fourth film that surpasses the solid trilogy that came before it, I give Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes 5.0 stars out of 5.

Sea of Tranquility
Year: 2022
Author: Emily St. John Mandel
Length: 347 minutes / 5.78 hours

Science fiction often bogs itself down in the details of a potential future while forgetting the poetry that can come with the written word. It doesn’t matter what scientific topic the book is handling if it’s not entertaining to read. The best ones are a combination of speculative science, entertainment, and beautiful prose. I feel Sea of Tranquility meets these three criteria. The narrative is gripping, the framework thought-provoking, and the execution superb. I’ve never seen such a common sci-fi topic like this handled so well.

Time travel feels like it can be a crutch for a writer. It’s a way to fill in details in a non-linear format that covers up any plot holes in a way that feels cheap. Jumping around in time can also make things confusing, as it isn’t clear what era each section is set in. However, the way Emily St. John Mandel handles time travel in this book is probably one of the best I’ve seen. While following a linear timeline (somewhat akin to Cloud Atlas), the depth of time travel reveals itself with each jump into the future.

I think the reason I love how this book handles time travel is that each revisit of events adds layers of context that almost require an immediate second read-through of the entire book. Sure, the time travel explains away certain mysteries—but giving the reason behind those moments just elevates the story to higher levels. And throughout the whole thing, the descriptions, wording, and overall writing is just fantastic. Even if you don’t like science fiction, this book stands out as a well-written piece of work that dives deeper into how humans can’t ever know the full extent of a moment from a singular perspective.

The best time travel book I’ve ever read, I give Sea of Tranquility 5.0 stars out of 5.

Palm Springs
Year: 2020
Rating: R
Length: 90 minutes / 1.50 hours

There’s something special about the time loop plot format. It’s been done several times in plenty of different genres. That there are even a few beloved movies like Groundhog Day (1993) and Edge of Tomorrow (2014) shows how meaningful the time loop can be when done properly. Palm Springs (2020) is the latest in this genre that follows in both footsteps of Groundhog Day and Edge of Tomorrow by being a romantic comedy with a sci-fi explanation for the repeating timeline.

As a modern romantic comedy (perhaps one of the last modern romantic comedies), much of the humor in Palm Springs is crass and sexualized. This means that occasionally there’s a good joke or two in here, but it mostly just feels like the frustrated rambling of a horny teenager. Considering that Andy Samberg features prominently in this film, it’s no wonder why this is the case. Now, there are parts that are legitimately funny, but it’s using the same formula that made Groundhog Day funny decades ago. Don’t mess with success, I guess.

I think what really sets Palm Springs apart is its ability to include more than one individual in the time loop. Most movies that follow this structure end up having the main character continually re-explain this phenomenon to the other characters. With multiple people trapped in the time loop, it sets up a contrast of what to do to escape it. Do you merely accept your fate and dive into depression and ennui, or do you try to figure out a way to solve this problem? Do you try to change the things that are impossible to affect, or do you accept that this is your life and enjoy its little joys? This philosophical aspect is what I think sets Palm Springs apart in the time loop pantheon.

A modern rom-com time loop sci-fi with some solid philosophical concepts, I give Palm Springs 4.0 stars out of 5.

Mega Man ZX Advent
Year: 2007
Rating: E10+
Time Played: 410 minutes / 6.83 hours

One hallmark of the Mega Man franchise is the ability to absorb the powers of each boss and use them against other enemies. It’s interesting that in the decades of this franchise’s history that there have been so few opportunities to actually turn into these bosses. I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t realize Mega Man ZX Advent was referencing the character introduced in Mega Man X7 until I was almost through playing the game. In a sense, this is the first game where you play as Axl the whole way through.

Story-wise, there’s nothing terribly interesting to write home about here, and the voice acting feels shrill from the DS speakers—both of which are made worse when you have to replay cutscenes near the endgame because you failed to pass the long gauntlet. Still, the draw here is the almost Metroidvania-like collection of boss abilities that help unlock other parts of the world and reward exploration with additional benefits. While there isn’t much benefit of playing as any of the bosses for an extended amount of time, the different control schema for each gives the game some variety.

Much of Mega Man ZX Advent is like its predecessor, Mega Man ZX, which was an evolution of the popular Mega Man Zero series. The controls are fairly tight and the platforming occasionally challenging. Combat takes some getting used to, but mostly in the same “memorize the boss movement and attack pattern” that comes with all Mega Man games. Ultimately, those who can master this game’s controls are rewarded with a challenging and full experience that builds on all the Mega Man games that came before it.

A fun Mega Man game where you actually play as the bosses, I give Mega Man ZX Advent 4.0 stars out of 5.

The Fall Guy
Year: 2024
Rating: PG-13
Length: 126 minutes / 2.10 hours

I have a bit of a soft spot for movies that focus on the creative act of making movies. Most of the time, these “behind the scenes” films focus on the more managerial aspects of movies. In The Fall Guy (2024), there’s a fun meta that ties together stunts for the movie being made and stunts in the “real world” that may bring down the entire production. As a pseudo-heist movie, The Fall Guy is a fun action romp that I found entertaining and educational.

Anyone who has seen Ryan Gosling in Barbie (2023) knows that he has the comedic chops to hold up his side of a film. Honestly, he was the main reason I wanted to see this film, as I was expecting “Ken” levels of machismo, but with maybe a little more intelligence. Gosling definitely delivers, and this is a great film to watch for fans of his work. Emily Blunt is good as well, but so much of the plot is focused on Gosling’s dive into a big conspiracy that ends up being much more entertaining than the interpersonal play between his character and Blunt’s director role.

For a movie about stuntmen and the stunts they perform, there was a lot of interesting information about this process that made its way onto the screen. It’s always interesting to see how Hollywood does practical effects, and this movie plays up that aspect by showing that for the in-film movie, but also at moments where there are scenarios not captured for this meta film-making project. If anything, this film should give you an honest appreciation for all the work that goes into action films. Especially the work by all the talented stuntmen.

A fun action movie filled with stunts on and off screen, I give The Fall Guy 4.0 stars out of 5.

The Optimist’s Daughter
Year: 1972
Author: Eudora Welty
Length: 239 minutes / 3.98 hours

The Optimist’s Daughter is yet another short piece of Pulitzer Prize winning prose that I failed to connect with. Sure, the writing is solid, if not flowery at times. The problem with these kinds of books (Housekeeping also coming to mind here) is that I don’t feel it has anything significant to say. Contrasting Chicago from New Orleans is so common that culture clash is an inevitable trope for any character who ventures into the south from their home in the north.

Family drama always seems to attract prize-winning status. Here, we see the titular optimist’s daughter as she grapples with the death of her optimist father. The death of a patriarch always brings out the worst in people as they try to get as much of the remaining estate they can get their hands on. Not that the titular character isn’t without faults either, as her judgmental nature of her origins only goes away after reminding herself that it was only her close family who was awful and that most people are generally pleasant.

And perhaps what strikes me most with these kinds of Pulitzer winners is how forgettable they are. I barely remembered anything about this book before I finally sat down to write this review. It’s mostly vague feelings at this point, and none of them were strong enough to leave a significant impression on me. This may be due to how short this book was, which was both a blessing and a curse. Ultimately, if you ask me in a few years whether I’ve read this book, I probably couldn’t tell you if I did or not.

A short and forgettable Pulitzer winner, I give The Optimist’s Daughter 3.0 stars out of 5.

Fuirosa: A Mad Max Saga
Year: 2024
Rating: R
Length: 148 minutes / 2.46 hours

Having seen most of the original Mad Max films, Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) was such a shocking visual smorgasbord that it only made sense to capitalize on its success. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) attempts to give us more of the setting, characters, and aesthetic from Fury Road, but with less of the tight octane-fueled pacing of its predecessor. It’s not bad by itself, but its premise certainly rides on Fury Road’s coattails for much of its runtime.

While it’s crazy that it’s almost been a decade since Fury Road came out, I can accept that Anya Taylor-Joy was a passable version of a younger Charlize Theron. The real surprise was how much Chris Hemsworth stole the show, leaning heavily into his Australian roots to give some amazingly authentic craziness to Dementus. That there were so many common elements to Fury Road here meant that it was entertaining to visit this post-apocalyptic world again and soak in the spectacle of it all. Oddly enough, I’d almost like seeing remakes of the first three Mad Max films in this newer style.

Of course, prequels always come with baggage. There’s an understanding of where the characters end up to make the original movie work, and there are necessary story beats that need to happen to get there. Does this mean the explanations Furiosa gives for things like her missing arm are satisfying? Not necessarily. I think it would have been more meaningful if she sacrificed the arm to protect her family instead of what actually happens in the film. As it stands, there’s still enough of the cat-and-mouse chase throughout the film to justify turning your brain off and having a good time.

A prequel for those who want more of Fury Road, I give Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga 4.0 stars out of 5.

LOVE
Year: 2019
Rating: E
Time Played: ~1 hour

When it comes to retro-inspired video games, most seem to pull their influences from the 8-bit or 16-bit systems like the Nintendo Entertainment System or Sega Genesis. Rarely have I seen something that seems to take their cues from further back in the video game pantheon. For all their limitations, Atari or Commodore 64 games still had a distinctive style that made them stand out prior to the boon in the home gaming space dominated by Nintendo and Sega. LOVE feels like an extremely polished Atari game—which is both a good and bad thing.

Platformers have always been a simple game to make on limited hardware. All you need is a few pixels that the player can move around on the screen and a variety of platforms to jump onto. LOVE takes this common idea and puts it into a mostly monochromatic, heavily pixelated space that could have been pulled straight from the home video game market of the early 1980s. The aesthetic is on point, even if it’s much more refined than I think any computer of the time could replicate. These levels are gorgeous, which is fortunate for how often you’ll be dying in them.

Another facet of retro games is how brutally hard they are. LOVE takes this in stride and provides a challenge that’s just frustrating enough to keep you playing but not too frustrating that you’d give up. With 100 lives, you’re meant to conquer the dozen-or-so levels. Since there’s a lot of iterative learning, it’s not difficult to get a handle on the game and work through all it has to offer in about an hour. The short length and insane difficulty is also a hallmark of retro games, which isn’t necessary in today’s gaming landscape.

A much older retro-inspired platformer, I give LOVE 3.5 stars out of 5.

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The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
Year: 2024
Rating: R
Length: 122 minutes / 2.03 hours

It feels like I’ve been waiting for a Guy Ritchie film that is a return to form. I loved his earlier works, but have found his latest projects mostly disappointing. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024) Feels like one of those early Ritchie films, which I truly appreciated. However, despite being based on actual events, it felt a bit like a watered down Inglorious Basterds (2009). The cast and action were great, but the stakes somehow felt shallow and forgettable.

I truly enjoyed the parts of the film that held onto Ritchie’s original style. The ridiculous action sequences and the machismo of the main cast (Henry Cavill, especially) are the kinds of things that I enjoyed in Ritchie’s earlier works. That any of this was even close to what really happened makes it an impressive event that should inspire people to learn more about the history. Including the brief reference to Ian Fleming (author of the James Bond series) was definitely a nice touch considering how this mission could easily be from any of the Bond novels.

The real problem here is that it either tried to stay too close to the actual history or it was too unbelievable to be taken seriously. The result is something that isn’t as memorable as it should be. Infiltrating the prison was a better set piece than the mission they were meant to accomplish, which undercuts the climax. I also felt the stakes weren’t as important to the main cast of characters, even if they definitely could change the outcome of the war if they went differently. Ultimately, I learned a little more about the first special ops squadron, but mostly with a sense of, “Huh. Neat.”

Some classic Ritchie mayhem with a heavy historical anchor weighing it down, I give The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare 3.5 stars out of 5.

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The Ledge
Year: 2011
Author: Jim Davidson and Kevin Vaughan
Length: 288 pages

Humans are incredible creatures. There’s a resilience for life that shows up in the most dire of circumstances. This is prevalent in many mountaineering books—especially the ones about climbing disasters. The Ledge is the harrowing real-life story of survival against the odds on Mount Rainier. Granted, most stories like this are usually framed with the benefit of hindsight, which can also highlight the risks that led to the disaster. It’s amazing that anyone survived this situation, which is what makes this book an entertaining read.

There are a lot of extreme outdoor people in Colorado. My risk tolerance is usually low enough that I think what they do is crazy. I know it’s easy to judge when things go wrong, so it s comforting that the situation that led to the titular ledge was mostly because of bad luck. An alignment of poor conditions can take even the most experienced mountaineers by surprise, just like it did here. I appreciate the decisions made in the moment were still the smartest options available.

While I wasn’t wild about the back-and-forth framing of the disaster interspersed with flashbacks and exposition, it helped break up the intense sections where Davidson climbed out of the icy crevasse. I’m also glad that this book addressed the aftermath of the disaster, including all the PTSD and other mental effects associated with it. So many disaster books just stop at the point where they’re rescued. That there was closure to the events that happened on Rainier helped to tell a complete story. After all, these are the things most people don’t consider when dealing with the severe trauma involved with such a story of survival.

A harrowing tale of mountaineering survival, I give The Ledge 4.0 stars out of 5.

Civil War
Year: 2024
Rating: R
Length: 109 minutes / 1.82 hours

With Alex Garland’s latest film, Civil War (2024), I still maintain my belief that his films use the medium of movies to ask, “What makes us human?” In his previous sci-fi works like Ex Machina (2014) and Annihilation (2018), the genre did most of the heavy lifting with that question. For Civil War, the current heated political climate is the backdrop that shines a harsh mirror on humanity during armed conflict. The framing, however, is truly what makes this film stand out—and it’s not about politics at all.

As a photographer, I understand what it takes to capture a moment without being part of the moment. You need to be present, but neutral. Civil War pushes this concept to its limits within the context of war photography. How does the press capture these atrocious moments while standing by to let them happen? Is documenting the war more important than stopping it? On top of everything, a war photographer must be numb to the things they see through the lens, as these memories surely haunt these photographers until the day they die.

Garland’s stroke of brilliance in Civil War was to make the setting much more jarring than some banana republic or oil-drenched Middle Eastern coup. Thanks to the 24-hour news cycle, Americans are given all the outputs of foreign war photographers. However, we lack the context of the horrors because they don’t take place in a place familiar to us. The sides of the conflict in this version of a Civil War don’t matter—what matters is how easily the safe and stable country we are used to devolves into factions and immediate violence. By bringing the war to our country, the impact of a war photographer’s job becomes all too personal.

An eerie commentary on the neutrality of war photography, I give Civil War 5.0 stars out of 5.

Loop Hero
Year: 2021
Rating: T
Time Played: 2,842 minutes / 47.37 hours

While it seems like every third game these days is a Roguelike, I have occasionally come across a few like Loop Hero, which successfully makes the iterative gameplay loop fun. As a metanarrative on the larger Role Playing Game structure, Loop Hero is strangely fun for a game that automatically fights every battle for you. After all, everyone knows the best part of an RPG is finding better gear and trying to determine which one provides better stats for their character. This is Loop Hero in a nutshell.

Perhaps it’s the combination of Roguelike, Deck Builder, and RPG genres that makes this game stand out. With each round, the player character walks around a randomly generated path. By playing cards obtained through battle, the landscape can change to help (or hinder) the hero. If the hero can survive long enough, a challenging boss appears. It’s sometimes a gamble to obtain more materials to build up the camp or to play it safe and retreat before the enemies become too much for the hero. A lot depends on the luck of the draw.

Even if I died on one run, I still felt like I was making progress in the game. Like any good Roguelike, unlocking better cards or different character classes came naturally by playing the game. I liked the retro-inspired pixel art, but the sound effects were sometimes grating in a way that hearkens back to the Commodore 64. Still, I stayed up way too late on too many occasions to not recommend this game. It’s addictive and fun in a weird way that probably only appeals to spreadsheet aficionados—which is probably why I liked it so much.

A meta RPG Roguelike that was difficult to put down, I give Loop Hero 4.5 stars out of 5.

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Boy Kills World
Year: 2024
Rating: R
Length: 111 minutes / 1.85 hours

Video game movies are gaining some respect after the disastrous jump to the silver screen in the 1990s. It’s interesting, then, that Boy Kills World (2024) takes all the cliches of the beat-’em-up and hack-and-slash video games from the arcades and makes a movie out of a game that doesn’t exist. The problem is this movie also adheres to a lot of the tropes that made the video game movies of the 1990s sub-par to the ones that exist today.

Don’t get me wrong here. Boy Kills World is fun if you just turn off your brain and enjoy the ridiculous ride. Bill Skarsgard is great as the “silent protagonist”—made even better by H. Jon Benjamin’s narration of the character’s internal thoughts. The action is intense and there are a few set pieces that play to the strengths of the more interesting characters. And as a video game movie, its structure of “mini bosses” scattered throughout fully shows it definitely understood the assignment. Unfortunately, a lot of video games don’t have a lot to adapt, and this self-aware film also suffers from that.

The handful of twists in Boy Kills World are woefully telegraphed like a huge Souls-like boss with an unwieldy weapon. It’s not that they’re so obvious, but that they feel uninspired. But that’s to be expected when the main point of video games like the ones this movie tries to adapt is to mow through as many enemies as possible as quickly as possible just to get to the last boss. Other movies have tried the self-aware approach and had it work well for them. Boy Kills World‘s self-awareness falls flat because the thing it’s based on simply does not exist.

An attempt at a self-aware video game adaptation, I give Boy Kills World 3.5 stars out of 5.

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The Call of Earth
Year: 1993
Author: Orson Scott Card
Length: 641 minutes / 10.68 hours

After being so disappointed with The Memory of Earth, I’m surprised I gave the second volume in the Homecoming series a chance. I figured Orson Scott Card could have got things on track by this book, getting rid of all the unnecessary fluff and useless ramblings. Instead, The Call of Earth made it clear to me that I will not be continuing this series. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

I think part of the problem with this series is how it’s written. Having recently read an eye-opening book on identifying “Show versus Tell,” it shocked me how much of this book was written with “Tell” language. Granted, a lot of science fiction and fantasy books have to do this to explain interesting magic or technologies. The Call of Earth, however, spent another whole book stuck in this pseudo-Roman society that most people can easily visualize. I’m still convinced he threw this series together to meet a deadline, because it has never felt that inspired.

What’s most frustrating is knowing that it could be better. I was expecting this book to be about leaving their planet in search of Earth. Instead, they merely talked about it for 10 hours. None of the characters stood out to me, and whatever plot was there was so forgettable, I don’t even care to look up what it was. I get that not every author is going to have all their books be amazing or thought-provoking. But two in a row doesn’t give me much hope that the other three books in this series will be any better.

Another disappointing entry in Card’s Homecoming series, I give The Call of Earth 2.0 stars out of 5.

Sleeping Beauty
Year: 1959
Rating: G
Length: 75 minutes / 1.25 hours

Even though the whole Disney Princess franchise has a target demographic (that’s more aligned with my daughter), I do have a favorite Princess movie. It’s Sleeping Beauty (1959), but not for the reasons you might think. Sure, Sleeping Beauty is one of the few Princess films where the Prince plays a major role—even going so far as to have to fight a dragon to save the kingdom. However, the technical prowess on display here is perhaps forgotten by modern standards. And the fact they use Tchaikovsky for the soundtrack is a huge plus.

As a Princess film, Sleeping Beauty has a few tropes it shares with its sister films. There’s the bumbling father figures, the fantasy creatures added for comic relief, and the (by now) standard house style for all characters. It certainly spends a lot of time in its middle with almost meaningless filler, which doesn’t even pad it out past 75 minutes. I can forgive all of this because I know they created these movies with children in mind. It might be scary at a few key scenes for younger kids, but my 4-year-old didn’t seem to mind.

What Sleeping Beauty really has going for it is the technical beauty that lies beneath the surface. Technicolor made the colors pop, and they took full advantage of it by making the three fairies red, green, and blue. On my wide-screen television, nothing is cropped. In fact, there are actually black bars on the top and bottom to maintain the original aspect ratio. That so many of these technical achievements are now an industry standard (or were the inspiration for them) speaks volumes about this film’s legacy.

A technical achievement while still abiding by the Princess formula, I give Sleeping Beauty 4.5 stars out of 5.

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What the Bat?
Year: 2022
Rating: E
Time Played: ~4 hours

Having played through the ridiculously funny game, What the Golf?, their VR game, What the Bat?, intrigued me. Where What the Golf? deconstructed what it means to be a golf game (or even a video game in general), What the Bat? used VR to demonstrate just how difficult it would be to live with two bats for hands. Luckily, there are buttons and other devices that help you achieve each level’s objective. That still doesn’t make it any easier to control.

It’s odd how there’s almost too much content for this game. Each level only takes a few minutes (if you’re used to your bat arms, that is), but there are just so many levels that it took me quite a few sessions to play through them all. And because it’s easy to just keep going, I found myself worn out from VR sessions that were probably too long as I tried to finish “just one more level” or “just one more world.” Of course, there’s also only so many ways that the levels can ask you to use your bats before it becomes repetitive.

While most people have probably become used to playing a game with bat-like extensions on their controllers (i.e., Beat Saber), using bats for everyday tasks is much more difficult. This is probably the most frustrating part of the game, which is unfortunate because it’s the main premise of the game. Not everything is terribly hard to do, but there are enough challenges that highlight how the limited accuracy of the hand controllers doesn’t easily produce the results you want. Of course, if you’re just looking to have fun with this insane premise, then there are plenty of opportunities to do so.

A hilarious premise that’s still a little too difficult to control, I give What the Bat? 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Year: 2024
Rating: PG-13
Length: 115 minutes / 1.92 hours

Having never seen the original Japanese series of Godzilla movies, I only have a loose sense of their progression from serious to silly. I’ve seen random clips that I couldn’t take seriously, but I also know some of the first films in the franchise were a grim analogy of nuclear war. While Godzilla Minus One (2023) nailed the serious side of Godzilla, the Monsterverse movies have steadily been drifting toward unhinged territory. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024) is merely the latest proof.

There were so many things going on in this movie, it felt like a shotgun approach to see if anything would stick. It was a bit frustrating that the headliner, Godzilla, barely appeared until the third act. The humans were even more caricature-like than previous entries, and I hardly cared about their stories or struggles. When the universe can support any random thing happening, the whole thing ultimately becomes less grounded in reality. Not that these movies were ever truly grounded in reality, but the better ones didn’t suspend my disbelief nearly as much.

Despite the criticism, though, The New Empire had its fun moments of monster mayhem. I wished there were more of them, but the ones we got were well worth the price of admission. Of course, Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) started this trend toward the silliness in this film. You can only really do it seriously once before the plot demands you add in pink energy crystals or cyborg prosthetics for a gigantic ape. As a popcorn flick, I could definitely turn my brain off and just enjoy the CGI carnage. Just don’t think about it too hard.

A Monsterverse film sliding further into “silly” territory, I give Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire 3.0 stars out of 5.

Understanding Show, Don’t Tell (And Really Getting It)
Year: 2016
Author: Janice Hardy
Length: 136 pages

As a writer, I have heard all the little idioms that are meant to help grow us into better storytellers. Unfortunately, while I’ve since been able to grasp concepts like “Kill Your Darlings,” one thing I still struggled with was “Show, Don’t Tell.” I still couldn’t see the difference between “showing” and “telling” because both seemed almost indistinguishable to me. Luckily, someone in my writing group suggested Understanding Show, Don’t Tell (And Really Getting It) as a guide to better understand this writing technique. Now I think I finally get it.

Just like the challenge of identifying passive voice, the problem with the “Show, Don’t Tell” idiom is that it asks the writer to find a problem in their writing that they might not even know is there. This book not only has a great section about identifying the different ways writers “Tell” with their words, but it also includes suggestions on how to fix these issues. Because nothing is more frustrating than finally being able to identify the problem but not having a solution for it. I’d recommend this book for these two strengths alone.

My only gripe is that there are so many ways that an author can “Tell” that it was a little overwhelming to wrap my head around everything. Luckily, this book is short enough that it can easily be read in a day as a refresher before editing. After all, it’s not about perfectly being able to excise all the telling from a manuscript, but about improving the ability to identify these problems and know the simple fixes for them.

A great resource for writers who struggle with this confusing idiom of advice, I give Understanding Show, Don’t Tell (And Really Getting It) 4.5 stars out of 5.

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Free Solo
Year: 2018
Rating: PG-13
Length: 100 minutes / 1.67 hours

For those who view climbing as a serious hobby, most climbing documentaries are a way to live vicariously through those climbers who dare to do something impossible. And while the plot structure of these climbing documentaries all feel nearly identical, there was something special in Free Solo (2018) that made it better than the rest. Perhaps it was the recognizability of El Capitan. Maybe it was the danger involved. Either way, Free Solo was well deserving of its Best Documentary Feature Oscar.

Part of why I didn’t connect with Meru (2015)—the previous film by these directors—was that I had never heard of that mountain before I sat down to watch it. Having never climbed El Capitan, I was at least aware of its significance. Knowing how hard this climb is, the premise of climbing it with no kind of safety gear is intriguing, to say the least. Of course, most climbing movies seem to feature climbers who have more courage than sense, but this was a unique combo that made me want to watch this film way back when it came out.

Just like it’s mesmerizing to watch a master artisan create a new piece of art, it was gripping to watch this man achieve what nobody else had done before. While the titular free solo climb up El Capitan is the crux of this film, it’s really the amazing cinematography that captured this achievement that’s on display here. After all, how does one capture this harrowing adventure up an enormous slab of rock without impeding the one climbing it? The tension for the climb was quite palpable due to the way it was edited, but the visuals really bring home how much danger Alex Honnold was in as he ascended.

A climbing documentary with recognizable risks, I give Free Solo 4.0 stars out of 5.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Year: 2022
Rating: E10+
Time Played: 15+ hours

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is an interesting outlier for one of Nintendo’s longest-running franchises. Most of these games transitioned from 2D platformers to 3D space in the Nintendo 64 era. Games like Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time flawlessly made the jump into the next dimension. Even Metroid Prime successfully brought that franchise into 3D space with the Gamecube. 30 years after its debut, Kirby finally made it to 3D with Kirby and the Forgotten Land.

The game structure is the same as any other Kirby game. Each world is broken into a series of themed levels, followed by a boss at the end of the world. Kirby can inhale enemies and replicate their abilities. The final boss is a literal god. Where previous Kirby games maintained some of their puzzle simplicity by being in two dimensions, Forgotten Land allows more exploration in 3D space while still being constrained to a specific path for each level. As with other Kirby games, there are always secret areas to find and explore in each level that lead to hidden collectables.

Visually, this game is gorgeous. The “mouthful mode” gimmick was a great way to adapt this clearly post-apocalyptic world to Kirby’s standard gameplay mechanic. I also appreciated the copy abilities upgrades, since it helped with the game’s difficulty curve. I didn’t necessarily like the way I had to get the limited resources to upgrade these abilities, but that was also just part of the challenge. Overall, it didn’t feel unfairly difficult, and beating the final boss was an exhilarating battle that came right down to the line. This game perfectly captured the classic Kirby formula and brought it into the 3D world.

Another successful transition to 3D space for a long-time Nintendo franchise, I give Kirby and the Forgotten Land 4.5 stars out of 5.

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Dune: Part Two
Year: 2024
Rating: PG-13
Length: 166 minutes / 2.77 hours

Years ago, when I first read Dune, I struggled to get through the first half of the book. There was so much exposition and world building I had to get through that when the action finally began, I devoured the rest of the story. While I understand the need to split this epic novel into two movies, it meant I was eagerly anticipating Dune: Part Two (2024) after the excellent job Denis Villeneueve did adapting the first half in 2021.

I appreciate that movies have multiple chances to become the iconic versions that their source material deserves. The original Dune (1984) has its own cult status among its fans (many of which are merely David Lynch fans). But the wide audience appeal of an epic story that stands the test of time is the high standard most filmmakers strive for. Few have been able to pull it off, but I think time will be kind to this two-part movie—mostly in part to the strength of its second half.

Stylistically, both parts of Dune are pure Villeneuve. New film techniques he brought to the table here merely enhanced the sci-fi world first thought up by Frank Herbert. The cinematography, set design, sound design, and overall editing of the film all came together masterfully to show Paul’s (Timothée Chalamet) acceptance of his role as avenger of his family and savior for Stilgar’s (Javier Bardem) people. The chosen one narrative might be trite in the whole scheme of things, but it was entertaining to watch, nonetheless. If Denis isn’t a household name after these two films (and Arrival (2016), of course), then people aren’t paying attention.

The best half of the Dune story, I give Dune: Part Two 4.5 stars out of 5.

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Legion
Year: 2018
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Length: 612 minutes / 10.20 hours

Multiple personalities is one of those tropes that some writers use as a crutch to explain why their main character is so good at a litany of unique skills necessary to move the plot forward. And while the main character in Legion suffers from this superhuman trait, Brandon Sanderson still gives him enough weaknesses so that it’s not entirely overpowered. Still, I can appreciate that this concept only took up three novellas (contained in this volume), since it can often overstay its welcome.

Each of the stories revolves around Stephen Leeds, a super-genius investigator who has portioned off his polymath of abilities to different personalities in his head. These personalities take up a physical space around him, even if nobody else can see them. Some of the “rules” around these invisible characters didn’t seem to make much sense since they’re allegedly all in Stephen’s head, but I guess a character like this needs a Kryptonite to prevent him from solving all his problems so easily. I also had to suspend my disbelief with the mysteries Stephen was investigating, mostly rolling my eyes at the unbelievable nature of these concepts.

Overall, though, this trilogy of novellas is a solid read. It’s basically a novel in three parts, as I’ve read full books longer than these three novellas put together. The unique personalities of the “personalities” were all quite entertaining, even if they overshadowed Stephen’s somewhat milquetoast characteristics. The engineer in me wanted to know more about how this specific form of multiple personality disorder functioned, since it was a unique take on the disability. At any rate, if you’re a fan of Sanderson’s work, this is a quick read that proves he knows how to write in short form as well as his standard epic-length books.

An overdone trope that doesn’t overstay its welcome, I give Legion 4.0 stars out of 5.

Anatomy of a Fall
Year: 2023
Rating: R
Length: 151 minutes / 2.52 hours

It’s interesting how I’ve seen a lot of crime dramas before, but rarely (if ever) have I witnessed one from a foreign perspective. Movies like A Few Good Men (1992) or 12 Angry Men (1957) focus on the American justice system. Watching a murder trial in a foreign language and in a different country’s judiciary style was new and exciting for me. Anatomy of a Fall (2023) does a great job of bringing ambiguity to the proceedings enough times as to make one wonder what truth to believe.

The ability of this film to throw a series of twists into the narrative that makes the whole story flip back and forth between guilty and not guilty is an amazing achievement. That being said, despite the marketing for this film making it seem like there was still a question whether the death was an accident or a purposeful moment of murder, I felt the ending put all the pieces together for a unique revelation that left no doubts in my mind what happened. If anything, it’s a tragedy that a situation like this would be ambiguous enough to even go to trial.

While there may also be many cliche twists throughout, the application of these twists in this film set it apart as a masterpiece of storytelling. Its Best Original Screenplay win was well-deserved, and I’m glad it was at least nominated for some of the other big awards like Best Director and Best Picture. I hope Anatomy of a Fall inspires more movies about foreign courtroom dramas, especially if they end up being as high caliber as this one.

A foreign courtroom drama filled with superb twists, I give Anatomy of a Fall 4.0 stars out of 5.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Year: 2012
Rating: E
Time Played: 592 minutes / 9.87 hours

I’ve endured a lot of bad video games in my time. Most overstay their welcome and I eventually just want to get to the end. Others have such cryptic puzzles that I have to give up and use a guide or walkthrough to get me to the end credits. If there’s a skill issue, I have generally just reduced the difficulty so I can experience the full game. It is then a rare case when I legitimately give up on a game. Paper Mario: Sticker Star is one of those games.

I had heard rumors of this games infamy. I figured I could use any of the above techniques to get through it. At almost 10 hours in, I caved and looked at what I needed to do to finish the game and realized how frustrating this task would be. Not only did I have to backtrack through basically every level to find secret items to unlock the next areas, but there were layers upon layers of this and the “flatten the world to look at it differently” mechanic that impeded my progress. There were no creative solutions here, only prescribed gags.

This was, of course, on top of the inventory/battle system. Previous (and future) entries in the Paper Mario series did not restrict the player like this one did. Each item you use in battle takes up space on pages of stickers. There is no way to attack without using an item, so most battles end up being frustrating moments when you’re ambushed by an enemy. Of course, you must use huge chunks of your inventory space for the specific items needed to progress to the next level, let alone hidden door items to obtain that level’s item so you can use it later. I can usually endure a lot of bad gameplay, but this game broke me and I quit.

A convoluted and frustrating mess of a game, I cannot give Paper Mario: Sticker Star a rating.

Kung Fu Panda
Year: 2008
Rating: PG
Length: 92 minutes / 1.53 hours

Many people give animated films flack for being directed at children. DreamWorks movies have historically leaned toward the younger demographic with plenty of fart jokes while still having the occasional adult jokes sprinkled throughout. The problem with discounting the medium on the whole is that there are some things it can do very well. Kung Fu Panda (2008) not only has a great message about playing to our strengths, but it also uses the fact that it’s animated to present some extremely well-done kung fu fights.

Jack Black brings Kung Fu Panda to life with Po, the kung fu obsessed panda who doesn’t fit the physical model needed to practice the martial art. Despite being chosen as the next Dragon Warrior, Po must learn kung fu so he can protect the land from one of the most dangerous practitioners of the fighting style. It’s important for kids to see that he struggles with the traditional teaching methods, but he can still achieve success by learning his motivations and playing to the strengths of what makes him unique as a panda.

The beauty of an animated film comes down to the amount of control the animators have over what’s on the screen. By planning out all the kung fu moves in a series of brilliant battle set pieces, Kung Fu Panda didn’t have to rely on actors being able to perform these amazing stunts. Instead, these kung fu fights were only limited by the imagination of the animators. It’s a lot of fun seeing these battles take place since the kung fu on display is basically a deadly dance between two skilled individuals. Of course, even with all of its strengths, there are still the handful of fart jokes that bring it down a notch.

A powerful message of unique attributes accentuated by brilliant animated kung fu, I give Kung Fu Panda 4.5 stars out of 5.

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Einstein’s Dreams
Year: 1993
Author: Alan Lightman
Length: 140 pages

I can appreciate poetic works that try to string each idea together into a connected narrative. I’ve seen few that have done this as well as Einstein’s Dreams has. Of course, the problem with trying to make all these disparate poems work together is that they are still just brief glimpses into stories that could easily stand on their own. Perhaps that’s the curse of well-written poetry—it leaves you wanting more. I’d almost consider these stories as writing prompts for anyone looking to make an entire book out of the dreams of the world’s best physicist.

Many of the stories in this collection/novel play upon the ideas of general relativity. The way the physics is described and how the people in these worlds live feel legitimately realistic. Of course, sometimes the physics “gimmick” isn’t revealed until the end of a story, thus leaving me in the dark as to what was actually happening as I read through the dream. I didn’t have enough patience to read through these stories again to fully understand the way their worlds worked.

As a cohesive narrative, there isn’t much that advances the story here. It’s mostly focused on exploring interesting applications of theoretical physics in the terms of people and their lives. Some are stronger than others, but they’re all basically the same idea repeated a couple dozen times in slightly different packaging. And maybe I was expecting something more like Shakespeare in Love (1998) where Einstein’s dreams help him break through the concepts he’s trying to discover. Instead, the titular character is only in a few pieces of joining text that frame the whole collection. But at least the prose was pretty.

Poetic exploration of theoretical physics, I give Einstein’s Dreams 3.0 stars out of 5.

Killers of the Flower Moon
Year: 2023
Rating: R
Length: 206 minutes / 3.43 hours

As far as movie topics go, Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) felt like something that hadn’t been addressed on film yet. I did not know about the Osage Nation’s good (and bad) fortune until I saw this movie. So, on top of being educational about a historical subject that isn’t talked about a lot, it also has the huge name of Martin Scorsese behind it as its director. And while it was an interesting film overall, I think Scorsese gets a bit too much leeway in this part of his career.

Much like how I thought The Irishman (2019) was probably an hour too long, Killers of the Flower Moon could have easily had an hour trimmed from its almost 3.5-hour runtime. Of course, this seems to be an issue with well-known directors. Sure, their later works (like Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)) have critical acclaim and are good on paper. However, I think the editors for these directors early in their career helped them establish their status as talented filmmakers. Now, their films just seem bloated because nobody will tell them no.

Acting wise, DiCaprio once again dives into an accent head first (much like his performance in Blood Diamond (2006)). De Niro is still just De Niro, but the standout performance came from Lily Gladstone. As for the plot, considering how rich white men have continued to screw up (and/or steal) everything around them, this movie is quite frustrating because they all got away with it. If they weren’t still getting away with it to this day, maybe this film might have come off a little differently instead of just making me mad that there is so much injustice in this world.

An overly long Scorsese film that highlights the continued greed of rich white men, I give Killers of the Flower Moon 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Year: 2023
Rating: E
Time Played: ~10 hours

For decades, it’s felt like the true innovation of the Mario franchise has been with its 3D titles. It almost became a running gag that the most creative Mario levels were the ones made by fans in Super Mario Maker. Then along came Super Mario Bros. Wonder. While each Mario game has had its own gimmick to make it interesting, this one went all out and had an entire game filled with gimmicks. Each level has something unique to experience, and you never quite know what’s coming next.

Everything in this game is so bright, crisp, colorful, and whimsical. Nothing overstayed its welcome. If anything, I wanted to replay levels because the transformation caused by the Wonder flower was so fun that I wished there was more of it. Some of the Wonder sections were legitimately hilarious, while others really broke the mold for what a Mario game could do. That the core of this game revolved around so many interesting gameplay ideas is merely testament to the inventiveness of Nintendo. Perhaps they’ve let the 2D platformer side of this franchise languish for so long so they could cram decades of ideas into a single package.

As per usual, the platforming in Super Mario Bros. Wonder is crisp and responsive. Even more difficult levels were doable with enough practice to get through the more challenging sections. And the best part is that the difficulty is almost entirely optional. There are enough easy levels that you can get through the game without too much trouble. But for those looking for insane levels that truly test your skills, Wonder has those as well. Being approachable for all ages and skill levels truly makes this a standout entry in the Mario series that’ll be difficult to beat.

The most jam-packed innovative Mario game in decades, I give Super Mario Bros. Wonder 5.0 stars out of 5.

Being John Malkovich
Year: 1999
Rating: R
Length: 113 minutes / 1.88 hours

I have to blame Being John Malkovich (1999) for making me try more films written by Charlie Kaufman than I probably wanted to. While it is a quite peculiar film, it was strange in all the right ways. This movie was saying more than I could comprehend when it hooked me the first time I watched it, but now I can see its deeper meanings having been given the time to see it again with fresh eyes. And perhaps Being John Malkovich was more my introduction to Spike Jonze films, which has been a much better journey.

Kaufman’s writing is bizarre in ways that annoyed me in Synecdoche, New York (2008) and I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020) but worked for movies like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) and Being John Malkovich (1999). Perhaps it’s because the latter two in this list have actual plots. I can appreciate the meta nature of having John Malkovich play himself here, but the whole setup surrounding it is so weird that it might not work in any other context. I mean, a portal into his head that’s hidden on a half-floor of an office building and spits you out on the side of the Jersey turnpike isn’t something you see every day.

What I didn’t realize at first when I fell in love with this odd movie was how the ability for women to be inside a man’s body translated to a trans experience that I wasn’t ready to understand yet. For all its queer elements (i.e., peculiar design and story choices), I only now understand its queer elements (i.e., lesbian and transexual messages). And even if the “straight white man pulling the strings” bit seems a little on the nose now, I can appreciate what it was trying to accomplish at a time where these things weren’t openly talked about.

An odd film with some forward-leaning LGBTQ themes, I give Being John Malkovich 4.0 stars out of 5.

This movie appeared in Cinema Connections:
– #322. Actors Being Usurped
– #323. Puppetry

In the Sky
Year: 2021
Author: Joseph D. Slater
Length: 456 pages

As an author, I am jealous of Joseph D. Slater’s fantasy adventure, In the Sky. I’ve read a lot of these kinds of books, but the first three chapters legitimately hooked me with their rich and well-developed main characters. I wish I could write a hook this engaging. Following three girls who are each on a journey of discovery, I was immediately drawn in by the overly confident pirate captain, the skilled dragon rider, and the sneaky cook’s assistant. The world-building was so thoroughly interesting that I couldn’t wait to read more.

I applaud Slater’s ability to craft a unique world where sky pirates do battle with government-trained dragons—and all through the lenses of these three girls. Every detail was well thought out and brought this imaginative universe vividly into my mind. Of course, sometimes these details felt a little too gory for a book that could easily be for upper middle grade kids. Sure, it brought some weight to the battle sequences to know that people could die in gruesome ways, but I have a feeling some of this comes from the author’s previous experience writing horror books.

Overall, I definitely recommend people read this book. However, my one gripe has to do with the twist in the third act. The more I thought about it, the less any of it made sense. In fact, it almost undid a lot of the logic of the events leading up to it. Still, even this weakness doesn’t negate the fact that I want more from this world. I want a sequel with these girls going out to fight the government and take down the emperor! Until then, the memories from this book will live rent free in my head.

A vividly imaginative world with great main characters and a single glaring plot hole, I give In the Sky 4.0 stars out of 5.

Toy Story 2
Year: 1999
Rating: PG
Length: 92 minutes / 1.53 hours

For all the flack that sequels get, there are the occasional few that surpass the original. Whether it’s flipping the script by making the first movie’s villain the hero (as in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)) or merely having room to grow the characters past their introductory stories (like in Spider-Man 2 (2004)), a well-done sequel should advance the story of the franchise and not just repeating the success of the first film. Toy Story 2 (1999) is one of those rare movies that does an excellent job of advancing the groundwork laid in Toy Story (1995).

Not only does Toy Story 2 now have its original semi-villain, Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), as the hero saving Woody (Tom Hanks), but there’s also room to explore what in means to be a toy in the context of collectors items instead of just as a child’s plaything. Considering how revolutionary the original Toy Story was as the first completely computer-generated full-length movie, it still had a lot of visual rough edges that are hard to ignore by today’s standards. This is where I think Toy Story 2 really shines: its visual polish makes everything a lot more believable.

While there are definitely a lot of top-notch jokes and visual gags in this film, it’s also worth noting the immensely emotional heart that it carries as well. Jessie (Joan Cusack) has an absolutely tear-jerking song that cuts to the core of the theme of the film: eventually, toys are forgotten by the children that once loved them. This would be the turning point for Pixar, which would then show how easily they could make emotionally gripping moments in films meant for families. Even though we could have gotten a straight-to-video cash grab for this movie, I’m glad that it stands as one of the best sequels ever created.

A remarkable achievement for a sequel to a groundbreaking movie, I give Toy Story 2 5.0 stars out of 5.

This movie appeared in Cinema Connections:
– #396. Tim Allen
– #397. Miniature Worlds

Indivisible
Year: 2019
Rating: T
Time Played: ~20+ hours

As video games bleed into different categories like “cinematic” and “art,” it’s interesting to see games like Indivisible that straddle the line between them. With tons of hand-drawn animated sprites, Indivisible was a unique experience that makes it difficult to pin down to a specific genre. Sure, as a platformer, it has unlockable powers that can access new areas like a Metroidvania but it also has multiple characters that can be brought into RPG-like battle sequences. Overall, it’s nothing like any game I’ve played before.

Because of its involved story that weaves each of the 20+ characters together, Indivisible is best played as close to a single sitting as possible. I made the mistake of starting it, getting most of the way through it, and then getting too busy to play it for a few months. As a result, I had to scour the enormous world I had unlocked to find the next section of the game I was supposed to play. I eventually resorted to looking up a walkthrough to jog my memory to where I was in the game. Still, I’m glad I took the time to finish it.

The true innovation of this game is in its battle system. Each of the character designs and abilities are all so unique and interesting that it made mixing and matching each of the playable individuals into a team a fun part of each section of the game. The voice acting is spectacular, even if it might get a little annoying and repetitive during long sections with lots of battles. Still, the hand-drawn style for each character is really striking, and I recommend fans of 2D animation should play this game for that fact alone.

A unique battle experience with fantastic hand-drawn characters, I give Indivisible 4.0 stars out of 5.

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead
Year: 1990
Rating: PG
Length: 117 minutes / 1.95 hours

While there are plenty of perfectly fine adaptations of William Shakespeare plays, I can appreciate the ones that take a different approach than just recreating the source material. Whether it’s making it into a musical like West Side Story (1961) did to Romeo and Juliet or shifting the setting to feudal Japan like Throne of Blood (1957) did to Macbeth, these plays are deep enough to allow for creative interpretations. Case in point is Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990), an adjacent adaptation of Hamlet.

Most people know the events of Hamlet but few consider what these characters are doing when not in the presence of the main character. This movie tries to remedy this by following Rosencrantz (Gary Oldman) and Guildenstern (Tim Roth) as they discuss a variety of intellectual concepts—most of which might just come off as absurdist humor. Covering such ideas as probability, gravity, and logic, these two characters don’t end up doing much of anything interesting when “off stage.” Yes, it might answer the question about what they were doing when Hamlet (Iain Glen) was setting up his plan, but I don’t think many people were asking that question.

Ultimately, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead is still an adaptation of Hamlet. The problem is, there’s so little of the original play there that you start to realize that without it, anything else is mostly just boring. Sure, you get some fantastic performances from Gary Oldman, Tim Roth, and Richard Dreyfuss, but is it worth it when they don’t really have anything to do but talk in circles? This movie is great as a thought experiment when considering the lives of minor characters. That’s the problem, though—they’re minor characters.

A somewhat amusing Hamlet-adjacent story, I give Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead 3.5 stars out of 5.

   1/2

Matilda
Year: 1988
Author: Roald Dahl
Length: 260 minutes / 4.33 hours

Matilda was one of those books I didn’t grow up with. I have no nostalgia for this story, so when I finally got around to listening to the audiobook version, it disappointed me. I know I’m not the intended audience, but what exactly was the lesson being taught here? The main villain was so over the top with her cruelty that I legitimately wondered what Roald Dahl’s home life was like when he was growing up. Sure, sticking up for yourself is a great moral, but come on.

I think the biggest issue I had with this book comes down to how they narrated the audiobook. There’s the way normal people narrate audiobooks, then there’s how people narrate audiobooks for children. The overacting made it difficult to listen to, but not for the reason you’d think. Matilda was such a soft-spoken character that all her lines were whispered. In contrast, all the villainous adults were voiced with shouting. This gave the volume dial on my car whiplash as I kept turning it up to hear what was being said, only to have the narration turn around and blow out my speakers.

As for the plot itself, only one character was likeable. Since everything was from Matilda’s point of view, all adults were bumbling buffoons, and all her peers were slobbering idiots. The kind teacher was the only one who gave the precocious child a chance to prove how extremely intelligent she was, but her backstory was so eye-rollingly tragic as to be laughable. Honestly, most of this book felt like I was a witness to child abuse, and that’s with its somewhat happy ending.

A too quiet and too loud audiobook about an annoyingly precocious child, I give Matilda 2.0 stars out of 5.

The Zone of Interest
Year: 2023
Rating: PG-13
Length: 105 minutes / 1.75 hours

There are few films I have ever seen that use subtlety to such an enormous effect like The Zone of Interest (2023). The raw understanding of what was happening just out of view of the commandant’s house set outside the walls of Auschwitz brought a horror that is hard to describe. And while this film leans a bit heavily on some of its more artistic segments, the actual point it tries to make comes across loud and clear. This point should give us all pause.

The genuine horror that The Zone of Interest provides is how casual it is about the genocide perpetrated by these Germans. This family lives its life as if nothing abnormal is happening mere yards from the home where they cook, clean, and play. Normalizing the thinking of everyone involved—even if it’s as tangential as a wife or child—makes you consider how complicit everyone was in the atrocity of the Holocaust. That they focus on how to get ahead in their careers or how to keep up with the neighbors, all at the cost of human lives next door, makes it even more chilling.

And while the moments of artistry are occasionally there to break up the “monotony” of the German lifestyle, they were often just weird enough to make me wonder what I was watching. Sure, there’s probably a deeper meaning there in the audio-only beginning, infrared night scenes, or modern-day cutaway. However, the stronger statement is showing how easy it is for people to condone the evils in society when they benefit from them. The parallels to current political ideologies are hard to ignore, and for that reason, I think The Zone of Interest is a required watch for everyone.

An artsy look at the complacent horrors of the Holocaust, I give The Zone of Interest 4.5 stars out of 5.

    1/2

Alto’s Odyssey
Year: 2018
Rating: E
Time Played: ~9 hours

While I appreciated that The Alto Collection contained both Alto’s Adventure and Alto’s Odyssey, there wasn’t a lot that differed between the two games. They both were endless-runner snowboarding games with simple gameplay, soothing aesthetics, and chill music. Alto’s Odyssey, however, had a desert setting that gave it enough distinction from Alto’s Adventure through the slightly different application of some of its items, tricks, and gimmicks. Still, it was a lot of the same game I had already played, so there wasn’t a lot of motivation to sink much more time into it.

If I had played this game first, I don’t know if I would have played the original as much as I did, since there were some definite improvements in the way things worked. Wall grinding helped in certain sections, bouncing on balloons and getting caught in tornadoes provided an easy height gain, and the distinctive variety of settings provided their own challenges.That it wasn’t all the same snowy ruins, forests, or villages made Alto’s Odyssey at least interesting to play. I had to change how I interacted with the settings instead of just performing the same tricks repeatedly.

All this being said, tricks were a little harder to come by and were punished for greed more frequently. I also found a lot of the gaps in the landscape to be impossible to cross, even with the right characters or speed. This was frustrating, as the procedural-generated course would kill a good run before it even began. Plus, having some of the “level up” goals locked to specific landscapes made it artificially challenging because I had to play long enough to reach those sections, then perform the required actions/tricks.

More endless-runner snowboarding with slightly different settings, I give Alto’s Odyssey 4.0 stars out of 5.

The Holdovers
Year: 2023
Rating: R
Length: 133 minutes / 2.22 hours

Ever since The Descendants (2011), I’ve appreciated the family dramas that Alexander Payne has brought to the big screen. After loving Nebraska (2013) and ignoring the mistake that was Downsizing (2017), I was ready to give another chance on The Holdovers (2023). I’m pleased to report that I think this film is his finest to date. Not only does it have a heartfelt story, but the way it was filmed made it truly feel like a movie from the 1970s was unearthed and brought to life through modern actors.

The story itself isn’t particularly original. A disliked teacher at a boarding school has to stay with the kids whose parents did not pick them up for Christmas break (the titular “holdovers”). However, the acting of the leads made it a joy to watch. It felt like The Dead Poets Society (1989) with the smart dialogue of a Tarantino film. Paul Giamatti stands out with his fantastic performance, which was merely lifted by similarly spectacular performances by Dominic Sessa and Da’Vine Joy Randolph. The amount of character growth and tough decisions all three go through in this film is enough to recommend it on that merit alone.

Having seen a lot of films in my life, it astonished me how well Payne mimicked the style of films from the 1970s. For most period pieces, the trappings of the era are the only thing the production designer considers. Cars. Clothes. Colors. Here, in a movie set during a time that had its own cultural identity in film, we see the emergence of a truly period piece—one that looks and sounds like it was made in the same era as its subject. I certainly hope Payne continues to make movies in this way, because it really adds depth to the immersion.

An expertly acted and perfect period piece, I give The Holdovers 5.0 stars out of 5.

Uprooted
Year: 2015
Author: Naomi Novik
Length: 1,064 minutes / 17.73 hours

One of my first experiences with the writing of Naomi Novik was with Spinning Silver. This Rumpelstiltskin retelling was quite interesting and complex compared to the original fairy tale it was based on. Realizing this was the second in a “series” (of which I’m using this term loosely), I eventually sought this book’s predecessor. Uprooted seems to be an adaptation of eastern European folktales, but with more of the romance aspect that I expect from these kinds of fantasy books.

As with other fairy tale retellings, Uprooted starts off with plenty of tropes from the Grimm fairy tales. Dragons stealing maidens from their families, peasant farmers in poverty, things like that. It continues into the predictable tropes of the Dragon being misunderstood and the fair maiden resisting his cold personality long enough to have him warm up to her. Fortunately, this book is deeper than the tropes it was based on. The depth of the story is partly why it’s much longer than the common folktales it might be based on.

I appreciated the magic system and the descriptions of how it felt to use this magic. I thought the cursed woods trope was developed in a much more interesting way than you usually see in these kinds of stories. The eventual romance between the two characters was telegraphed for a while, leading to a slow burn that was fairly erotic. About my only qualm with this book was the audiobook narration. The narrator had an authentic sounding eastern European accent, which fit the story’s potential origins, but at the cost of being unable to understand what she was saying sometimes.

A deeply rich fairy tale with both old and new tropes, I give Uprooted 4.0 stars out of 5.

Past Lives
Year: 2023
Rating: PG-13
Length: 105 minutes / 1.75 hours

With the varied and expansive amount of films that have been made, it’s a little bizarre that one as simple as Past Lives (2023) hasn’t been made before. Sure, there are plenty of star-crossed lover stories out there, but none as realistic as the one presented here. Usually, there’s some amount of “destiny brings them together” that provides hope to the audience. Much like the endings of Broadcast News (1987) or La La Land (2016), the fairy tale expectation doesn’t align with the reality that many people experience.

For all its simplicity, Past Lives does a good job of showing the stages of a long-term and long-distance friendship. Each section gave the genuine impression of being filmed at the time it was meant to occur (without relying on the same level of dedication as Boyhood (2014)). The filmmakers expertly brought the characters’ authentic feelings to the screen. And maybe the emotions were slightly more reserved because of the culture of the two lead characters, but perhaps it works better to show that a childhood friendship can also contain deep levels of love.

Of course, with something so simple as missed opportunities between close friends, there isn’t much more here than this basic conflict. The language barrier adds some awkward moments in the third act, but that’s also where some of the most profound statements of this film reside. Past Lives provides comfort for those who have to make the tough decisions to move on. There’s something romantic about waiting for the perfect person—especially when you’ve already met them—but the reality is that perfection is always the enemy of good enough.

A simple film about the eternity of close connections, I give Past Lives 4.0 stars out of 5.

Alto’s Adventure
Year: 2015
Rating: E
Time Played: ~40 hours

The Alto Collection was one of the first non-Steam games I installed on my Steam Deck. I wanted a simple game like Alto’s Adventure to ensure that I could play games from other stores (like Epic). Then, I ended up playing this game more than any of the other games I had on Steam. Alto’s Adventure was equal parts relaxing and exhilarating. I could easily zone out and play this game for hours while simultaneously watching something, which made it perfect for playing on the Steam Deck.

Alto’s Adventure‘s strengths come in its simplicity and its aesthetic. There’s only one button to press to get the snowboarding titular character to jump, spin, or glide. The silhouetted atmospheric perspective made it easy to see what was happening at a glance. I also enjoyed the chill music that matched the endless snowboarder vibe. The more I played, the more I could unlock, both through the in-game currency and by accomplishing three goals per experience level. These goals ramped up in difficulty, requiring me to get better at playing it until I had obtained the best character in the game.

This game had a finely tuned risk and reward system that made me regret being greedy. Finding that balance between an extra trick off a grind or smoothly landing was something that hounded me throughout my hours of playtime. And while most of the mistakes were of my own doing, there were occasionally setups in the procedural-generated landscape that felt like a cheap way to end my run. Still, I had an enjoyable time with the game, and the only reason I stopped playing was because I knew I could play indefinitely.

A chill snowboarding game that can easily suck up a lot of time, I give Alto’s Adventure 4.0 stars out of 5.

Poor Things
Year: 2023
Rating: R
Length: 141 minutes / 2.35 hours

To the people who complain that Hollywood doesn’t have any original ideas, I’d argue that the bizarre films of Yorgos Lanthimos more than make up for this lack of unoriginality. Look no further than his latest Oscar-nominated piece, Poor Things (2023). A fever dream-like take on both the Frankenstein mythos and feminism, this movie succeeds at providing deeply thoughtful critiques of society while also being strange enough to have me wonder “what the heck did I just watch?” Considering the similar sentiments I had for The Favourite (2018), this tracks.

The real crux of this film was Emma Stone’s performance as Bella Baxter. Her evolution from infant to enlightened woman—all while in the same body—was spectacular. It was as if her character experienced all the benefits of her rapidly developing mind, but without the regression seen in stories like Flowers for Algernon. If you’re uncomfortable with sex (either depictions of or discussions of), then this would not be the movie for you. That the story uses prostitution to promote the independence of women by removing the shame associated with full control of their sex lives is something to be applauded.

However, while there are amazing humorous roles like Mark Ruffalo as Duncan Wedderburn, the uncomfortable part of this film comes with the realization that Duncan’s desires are easily transferrable to most men. Guys like Duncan only have enough power in a relationship when their partner has the mind of a child. They want to oppress women like Bella because they won’t be able to control them once they’re smart enough to realize Baxter’s fixation on a child-like mind borders on pedophilia. Yet again, we have a harsh reminder that men need to be better.

An odd film filled with numerous heady ideas, I give Poor Things 4.0 stars out of 5.

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands
Year: 2022
Author: Kate Beaton
Length: 430 pages

Having only really experienced Kate Beaton’s web comic, Hark! A Vagrant and her sillier material, I was interested to see how a graphic novel of her life would play out on the printed page. I was shocked to find her somewhat whimsical style had so much emotion for a story that was assuredly a difficult one to tell. Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands is as gripping as it is frustrating that such working conditions remain this dangerous for women.

Telling the story of how Beaton paid off her student loans from art school in the fastest way possible, Ducks highlights the misogyny and sexism present in the (frankly) male-dominated field of petroleum. Working on the oil sands isn’t safe in a physical sense, but add to that the “hanging with the guys” tropes that eventually lead to assault. It was hard to read sections of this book, knowing that men should be better than this. Beaton pours her trauma out on the page and it stuck with me in a way that only a graphic novel like this could convey.

I’d say that this book should be required reading for both men and women going into these fields, but I know it probably wouldn’t change anything. There’s too much inertia to effect the significant changes that would need to happen. This shouldn’t lessen discussions about the depression, substance abuse, and suicide that men in these jobs endure, but instead highlight the tenuous strengths and inevitable weakness of humans pushed to their breaking points. For some, though, it is a lifestyle. For the lucky ones, they make it out alive in as little time as possible—which is still long enough to have lasting negative effects on their lives.

A deeply moving memoir about women working in a male-dominated field, I give Ducks 5.0 stars out of 5.

Maestro
Year: 2023
Rating: R
Length: 129 minutes / 2.15 hours

There is nothing worse to me than a movie that tries too hard to be a good movie. Maestro (2023) was a film I looked forward to, but its execution left me sorely disappointed. Maybe it’s my current distaste for biopics featuring famous men who cheat on their supporting wives—either with other women or, in this case, men. But this wasn’t the whole problem. Like a reverse “Springtime for Hitler” from The Producers (1967), Maestro was trying so hard to be a good movie that just ended up being mediocre.

I get the sense that Bradley Cooper is desperate to win an Oscar. He has directed a few films now that felt so needy for critical affirmation that they fail to miss the key tenet of actually being good. The question is whether he more desires the Best Director statue or the Best Actor one, and I think it’s the latter. Ironically enough, if he gave some other actor the limelight, I think his strengths as a director might have room to flourish. We see hints of this with Lady Gaga in A Star is Born (2018) and Carey Mulligan here in Maestro.

However, despite having Leonard Bernstein as the focus of this film, there was barely any music in it. It almost felt like there were scenes shot for this movie not because they made sense for this narrative but because they were used to better effect in more successful films. Sure, there were a few good bits that might have stood out by themselves, but it ended up being a jumbled mess that didn’t understand what made these scenes stand out in the first place. Holistically, Maestro just didn’t work.

A frustrating movie that didn’t understand how to make itself great, I give Maestro 2.5 stars out of 5.

  1/2

American Fiction
Year: 2023
Rating: R
Length: 117 minutes / 1.95 hours

As an author and a creative, American Fiction (2023) spoke to me in ways that I have yet been able to put into words. Similar to how La La Land (2016) highlighted the sacrifices and compromises we must make to achieve our artistic dreams, American Fiction revealed the difference between high art and lowbrow entertainment. I feel the struggles and concerns of Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Jeffrey Wright) are ultimately the same for any creative person who doesn’t want to lower their standard just to be successful.

While the plot about Monk being frustrated that the manuscript he wrote as a joke ended up being wildly successful is the focus of this movie, I can understand the need for other character development outside this main thread. It doesn’t paint Monk as a likable character, which humanizes him and brings him down from the ivory tower of academic literature. Showing these interactions with those he might consider lesser than himself highlights the contrast between the works he wants to be known for and the one he accidentally succeeded with. Are his opinions valid? Sometimes, but it’s important to show that even he can be wrong.

Finally, the humor in this film was amazing. Jeffrey Wright’s fantastic performance is the glue that holds all the jokes together, even if most of these gags were mostly cerebral or commentary on white culture. The plot itself felt like the “failing to success” trope from the equally hilarious The Producers (1967)—and I give that comparison with the highest praise. And while the ending felt a little too meta and noncommittal, this was the only weak point in a solid film that had important things to say about black culture and entertainment.

A sharply hilarious examination of art versus entertainment, I give American Fiction 4.5 stars out of 5.

    1/2

Paper Mario: The Origami King
Year: 2020
Rating: E
Time Played: 1,590 minutes / 26.50 hours

About ten years ago, I think Nintendo perfected a “craft” vibe with games like Kirby’s Epic Yarn that they’ve been milking for a decade now. These games look hand-crafted in a way that’s extremely charming and visually stunning for how homemade they appear. The Yoshi series has used this craft aesthetic multiple times, but the franchise ripe for such things is none other than Paper Mario. In The Origami King, the paper-craft feel of origami is merely accentuated by the plot and game-play.

As a pseudo role-playing game, The Origami King has a peculiar way of executing its battle mechanics. Each battle is a ring puzzle that requires the player to line up enemies or find a path to the center to attack the boss. The boots and hammers Mario uses are breakable, but easy enough to acquire and equip that it wasn’t frustrating to lose them in mid-battle. Occasionally, partner characters would help out in battle, which made things move that much faster. At the very least, I didn’t dread the random encounters.

This series is known for its grand storytelling, and this game is no exception. There are great character moments, even if some of the supporting characters feel a little bland/flat (har har) when compared to previous entries like Thousand Year Door. I’m still not sold on the 4th wall breaking bosses, though. The worlds weren’t entirely generic, but had some fun references that the adults would definitely get. Ultimately, though, this game looked great, was fun to play, had a unique gimmick, and gave me hope that the Paper Mario franchise isn’t dead yet.

A fun and creative “craft-like” Paper Mario game, I give Paper Mario: The Origami King 4.0 stars out of 5.

After Earth
Year: 2013
Author: Peter David
Length: 547 minutes / 9.12 hours

It’s weird how a bit of hindsight brings a work into full focus. I never watched the movie After Earth (2013) because of its critical reception among audiences and critics alike. I figured maybe I would give the novel a try, not realizing it was not some work that the movie adapted, but instead a novelization of the movie itself. This was clearly a Will Smith passion project and never have I seen such blatant self-inserts in a work of fiction.

While the author of this novelization may be Peter David, Will Smith was behind much of this plot. Seeing the home life of the adult character in this book mirroring the home life that we know between Will and Jada is cringe-worthy. What’s worse is that these characters (either the Will or the Jaden stand-ins) were so flat and boring as to be completely worthless. The plot that drives their adventure felt so juvenile that any group of six-year-olds could think it up playing on a playground. It’s almost laughable that there were signs this was meant to be a bigger series.

Ultimately, After Earth is frustrating. It’s a mediocre story with lackluster ideas. But, since a rich and famous person wanted to make it, Hollywood and Random House spent a lot of money to get it made. Thinking of all the fantastic (and nearly hidden) indie stories out there that will never get the amount of exposure that this bomb got makes me sad for the entertainment industry. Sure, sometimes there are breakthroughs, but these are rare as the rough edges of interesting works are sanded off to become marketable to the masses.

A nepotism story with no subtlety, I give After Earth 1.0 stars out of 5.

Wonka
Year: 2023
Rating: PG
Length: 116 minutes / 1.93 hours

Wonka (2023) was one of those movies that I had low expectations for. A prequel to a well-known IP, there’s only so much that can be done that’s not just straight call-outs to the source material—and this includes knowing how things will end to set up films like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971). Still, with these low expectations, I had quite a bit of fun watching Wonka. It’s not extraordinary, but it delivers on most of its nostalgia factors in ways that are modern and entertaining.

With the real world crumbling all around us, it was encouraging to see a movie like Wonka that embraced the grit needed to survive and thrive. The hope gained through forming a community and the endless optimism of Wonka (Timothee Chalamet) were contagious and uplifting. The creativity of the different candies and the funny running gags (like the bribed Chief of Police (Keegan-Michael Key)) helped with its entertainment factor. Still, there were a few elements that stuck out as being inconsistent—not only within this movie alone, but with the greater lore of Willy Wonka.

I appreciated the whimsical musical approach Wonka started with. After all, there were many songs present in the original 1971 film. However, neither is really a musical, and Wonka seems to forget that it could use songs to convey information about half-way through. And while an optimistic titular character is more of an uplifting way to tell this story, it seems inconsistent with the mad, bitter, and reclusive Willy Wonka that Gene Wilder played in 1971. This was the same disconnect I got with Cruella (2021), where they were so focused on telling an original story that they forgot to consider what the character eventually becomes (and is mostly known for).

A fun bit of entertainment that sometimes forgets where it’s going or where it came from, I give Wonka 3.5 stars out of 5.

   1/2

Q.U.B.E.: 10th Anniversary Edition
Year: 2022
Rating: E
Time Played: 565 minutes / 9.42 hours

It’s wild to me that I decided to play Q.U.B.E., especially after I wasn’t particularly satisfied with the sequel, Q.U.B.E. 2. Something in me had a hankering to play a first-person physics-based puzzle game, and I figured I had this game for free in my library, so why not? Even as a 10th Anniversary Edition—which mostly just extended the playtime with a few extra features—I felt other games in the genre were better than this. If anything, it made me appreciate the sequel a little more.

The main game-play mechanic in this game is a glove that can create a variety of different cubes that can help the player move through a series of rooms on a mysterious space station. There are a lot of different cubes that you have to learn how to use as the game progresses. It felt like there were almost a dozen by the end that had a frustratingly large number of combinations. As far as the plot, it was interesting, if not hard to grasp due to the way the audio came across.

Where the sequel felt too easy, this game had a steep learning curve for applying new cubes to each puzzle. I had to give in and watch a tutorial video just to figure out the second half of this game. Most of the solutions didn’t feel intuitive because of how complex they became once there were over six different cubes to use. That there also needed to be precise 3D platforming for some of these puzzle solutions to work was a tough challenge to overcome as well.

An OK physics-based puzzle game that gets way too complex, I give Q.U.B.E. 2.5 stars out of 5.

  1/2

Ferrari
Year: 2023
Rating: R
Length: 130 minutes / 2.17 hours

Almost ten years after his previous film released, Michael Mann is back with a biopic about the private and public struggles of one of the greatest carmakers. The irony of Ferrari (2023) is that the women surrounding him seem much more interesting than the man himself. Even the fittingly named Adam Driver doesn’t seem to transform into Enzo Ferrari as much as just be Adam Driver with some extra makeup on and an Italian accent. To say that I was disappointed that there wasn’t more racing in a movie about Ferrari would be an understatement.

Ferrari is yet another biopic that tries to show the struggles of a famous man whose extramarital affairs complicate things that otherwise wouldn’t be nearly as complicated. Perhaps this is why Penelope Cruz’s performance as Laura Ferrari was the standout role in this film, as she was the only one holding his empire together despite him having birthed an heir through his mistress, Lina (Shailene Woodley). It doesn’t make me sympathetic to his plight, that he has to financially support his business and two families. Someday, maybe we’ll get a biopic about a faithful husband, but Ferrari isn’t it.

After absolutely loving Ford v Ferrari (2019), I was expecting more of a racing movie here and it did not deliver. Sure, it was there as a subplot (with a shocking twist), but the amount of time spent on the racing aspect of Ferrari’s life felt so minimal as to have been an afterthought. My expectations were high for this film, considering Mann’s previous works like Heat (1995) and Collateral (2004). I don’t know if a different leading man would have saved this film for me, or if a more focused script would have helped. Either way, this was not the Ferrari movie I wanted.

A disappointing movie both from a Ferrari and a Michael Mann perspective, I give Ferrari 2.5 stars out of 5.

  1/2

Humble Pi: A Comedy of Maths Errors
Year: 2019
Author: Matt Parker
Length: 314 pages

Growing up, I was never the type of kid who complained to my math teacher with the common saying, “When am I going to use this in real life?” Instead, I was always trying to find the weird and fantastical things that made math interesting. Unfortunately, many people get to adulthood and work on important engineering projects having probably asked that “real life” question at some point in their past. Humble Pi is a collection of many such stories of when math goes wrong in real life.

I can appreciate how Parker formatted this book to poke fun at some of the common math errors that have led to real-world situations. Things like the page numbers counting backward, the chapter numbers being poorly rounded, or that there are 314 pages in a book with “Pi” in the title are not lost on me. I had heard of many of these amusing anecdotes about math, but learned plenty of new ones that gave me a good chuckle as simple oversights nearly led to disasters.

My only qualm with Humble Pi is the tonal whiplash of the stories. It’s hard to keep laughing about mathematical foibles when every third story is how an error led to the deaths of hundreds of people. These stark reminders of the importance of checking and double checking our calculations were quite sobering. But when the very next story is making light of a fairly innocuous mistake in a jocular manner, it feels a little disrespectful of the people who lost their lives in the previous story (or the next one). Either way, this is an important book to read if you’ve ever wondered what “real life” math can (and can’t) do.

Some amusing and sobering examples of “real life” mathematics, I give Humble Pi 4.0 stars out of 5.

Saltburn
Year: 2023
Rating: R
Length: 131 minutes / 2.18 hours

Saltburn (2023) flew under my radar almost undetected until I learned it was by the same director who did Promising Young Woman (2020). Since the blunt themes Emerald Fennell used in her previous film stuck with me, I gave Saltburn a try. Unfortunately, the magic that had me riveted in Promising Young Woman mostly had me cringing in Saltburn. Sure, there were still those shocking twists, but everything else on top of that was just…ugh. And maybe those shocking moments were the whole point.

The acting in this movie was superb, especially Barry Keoghan as Oliver. I’m going to try to not give anything away, but his whole character arc felt like what The Count of Monte Cristo would have been if Edmund was the villain. That he throws himself into these uncomfortable moments so easily really sells the commitment to the part that Keoghan had here. There were other standout performances like Jacob Elordi’s Felix and Rosamund Pike’s Lady Elspeth, but they are almost insignificant compared to Keoghan.

Of course, despite all those weird moments, they kind of define this movie’s examination of obsession and usurpation. To cut them out does a disservice to the lengths that we sometimes go to get what we want. That we might do similar things when nobody else is watching is perhaps what makes it uncomfortable to watch as it shines a gross mirror on our baser tendencies. Ultimately, this doesn’t excuse the fact that there were several moments that had me going, “I wish I hadn’t seen that.” These scenes are stuck in my memory instead of the much more compelling third act, and that’s the true shame of Saltburn.

A gross look at obsession, I give Saltburn 2.0 stars out of 5.

Bayonetta
Year: 2009
Rating: M
Time Played: 690 minutes / 11.50 hours

As a somewhat sheltered person, I wasn’t particularly aware of Bayonetta until the character appeared as a DLC character in Super Smash Bros. for the 3DS/Wii-U. The concept of a woman in black spandex with guns as high heels was ridiculous enough that I eventually had to check it out. After all, I had heard good things about it and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Sure, it has loads of fan service, but it was also pretty fun to play as well.

For a game that came out 15 years ago, it does show its age graphically in spots (especially in the cut-scenes). Fortunately, the big boss battles—which are often just a series of quick time events—were amazing spectacles that looked amazing. However, it was still occasionally frustrating to have to re-do an entire boss battle because I lacked the reflexes to hit a particular button at the right time. But when things line up, it’s incredibly satisfying taking down an enormous titan with a lot of razzle dazzle.

I’m not especially good at hack-and-slash games like Bayonetta. I know I need to string combos of different moves together, but I can never quite remember the button sequences when I’m in the middle of a hectic battle. As such, I played through this game on the easiest difficulty just so I could get through all the plot and reach the end of the game. Perhaps these two things made it a little boring to play in spots, but the overall story was worth it to see all the way through. After all, I probably wouldn’t have even finished this game if I hadn’t made it enjoyable to do so.

A flashy and tongue-in-cheek hack-and-slash game that was pure entertainment, I give Bayonetta 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Migration
Year: 2023
Rating: PG
Length: 83 minutes / 1.38 hours

If there’s one thing I took away from Migration (2023), it’s that Illumination has finally matured as an animation studio. Sure, just like there’s a Disney/Pixar/DreamWorks “style,” Illumination has a look to the characters in their movies (especially the humans) that makes them immediately distinguishable. In Migration, there was less of that distinctive style, but the freedom to match what the movie needed to tell its original story about a family adventure. If this is what taking risks looks like, then I think it was a successful foray into more original fare.

The voice acting was superb, mostly because there were only a few characters whose voices were immediately obvious who they were. I do wonder if director Benjamin Renner’s previous work, Ernest & Celestine (2012), helped shape some of the voice acting decisions, because they certainly fit the characters well. The animation also feeling closer to a 2D traditionally animated film while still being completely 3D CGI was a nice touch that set it apart from other animated movies (but not quite as extremely as Into the Spider-Verse (2018) or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023) have done).

And while the plot wasn’t anything to fly home about, the core lessons it was trying to get across were solid enough for any kids watching to understand what it was trying to say. Even the more childish gags that are common for this kind of film were fairly rare, which felt refreshing considering the studio this film came from. Of course, this also was helped by a pretty good villain that drove most of the movie’s later conflict. Kids might be scared at a few points, but my daughter seemed to enjoy it overall.

A cute family adventure from Illumination, I give Migration 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Housekeeping
Year: 1980
Author: Marilynne Robinson
Length: 332 minutes / 5.53 hours

As I’m working my way through Pulitzer winners and finalists, I approached Housekeeping with skepticism. I knew nothing about this book other than its inclusion on these lists for “high literature.” Having now read it, this book completely underwhelmed me. I’m going to include this with other books of literature like One Hundred Years of Solitude or Ulysses, both of which I found extremely boring and lacking of any kind of plot that I could latch onto. At least this was short and had some occasionally flowery prose.

Even now, thinking back on what I read, I can’t pick out anything significant that happened in this book. That I’m having trouble remembering what it was about should indicate how little impact it had on me. I vaguely remember there being something about an aunt who was a drifter and the bigger metaphor of “home is where the heart is.” And, of course, extrapolating to the title, I can estimate that we must keep our hearts clean so we can live our best lives. Of course, this is all spit-balling as even the synopses I’ve read to remind me of the plot don’t help much either.

If Housekeeping left me with anything, it was a feeling. Like an ephemeral sense that the words that were used were meant as fluid poetry in narrative form. Would I recommend this book on its feeling alone? Probably not. But that’s fine. Just because a book has many accolades and lots of people like it doesn’t mean that I also have to enjoy it. Perhaps I’m more of a shallow reader for not “getting” these books of high literature, but I also know life is too short to spend time on unsatisfying books.

The essence of a deep poetic treatise on life but in an extremely boring package, I give Housekeeping 2.0 stars out of 5.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
Year: 2023
Rating: PG-13
Length: 157 minutes / 2.61 hours

I think it’s hard to appreciate how The Hunger Games movies did a decent job of adapting the source material for the big screen while not evolving into a behemoth of a franchise. That Suzanne Collins made it clear that there was only the three books, and she didn’t want to do anything else until she was ready was a welcome change from an entertainment industry that likes to squeeze as much money out of popular things as fast as possible. With this in mind, I can applaud The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023) for being respectful of the original trilogy while also trying to expand the narrative in prequel form.

While not a completely necessary prequel, it was still interesting to see how early versions of the Hunger Games were run. Of course, our knowledge of how they eventually evolve into something worse is only staved off by seeing just how Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) “lives long enough to become the villain.” Having not read this book yet, the over 2.5-hour length of this movie felt a bit much a times as they tried to cram everything into it.

Still, through an ironic twist of fate, movies about the Hunger Games are still entertaining for the same reasons the Hunger Games are entertaining. These characters are bizarre, but interesting. Rachel Zegler was the best choice for the role of Lucy Gray, which should come as no surprise for anyone who saw West Side Story (2021). Even the famous actors (like Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage, and Jason Schwartzman) add the gravitas needed to make The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes not just another prequel cash grab.

The Hunger Games prequel that deserved to be made, I give The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes 4.0 stars out of 5.

Pokémon Go
Year: 2016
Rating: E
Time Played: ~170,000 minutes / ~2,862 hours

Ever since Pokémon swept the world in the mid-1990s, fans of the franchise have longed to live in a world where they could actually interact with these creatures. On its surface, Pokémon Go scratches that itch by fusing a location-based game with the successful franchise. I can literally go out in the tall grass and catch virtual Pokémon on my phone. I really enjoy this concept and play the game daily, but there are still plenty of things that it could improve upon.

I understand the need to prevent players from cheating, but the need to be connected to the internet constantly—especially when exploring less urban areas with poor cell service—makes this game entirely too frustrating to play. The only times I can consistently trust that the game will work correctly are when I’m sitting on the couch at home connected to Wi-Fi. This game has had several controversies from its developer, and it’s sad that a few easy fixes could make it much easier (and more fun) to play.

Depending on your play style, this game could be a huge time and money sink, an aggravating walk through the park, or an enjoyable thing to do while out and about. My goal is to “catch them all,” which has taken a lot of work. While there are plenty of features that require a dedicated friend group to accomplish, there’s still plenty to do as a solo player if you know what you’re doing. Taking advantage of events is key, but don’t let the fear of missing out (FOMO) distract you from the fact that it’s just a game and these opportunities will probably come around again in the future.

A great concept for Pokémon but with many frustrating quirks, I give Pokémon Go 3.0 stars out of 5.

The Marvels
Year: 2023
Rating: PG-13
Length: 105 minutes / 1.75 hours

The problem with extremely critical and vocal reviews of a movie like The Marvels (2023) is that often the problem is the fans themselves. There’s an amount of misogyny that’s present in fans of comic books that is difficult to ignore here. And with so many people saying this movie is bad just because it’s led by three women, it comes as a bit of a surprise when it’s actually pretty passable. Granted, it still relies heavily on having seen almost everything else in the MCU, but we’ll get to that in a second.

While I’ll admit that I’m still watching these movies because it’s basically a sunk cost fallacy, I found The Marvels to be entertaining. It’s maybe not as goofy as any of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, but it has heart based on the characters’ connections. It also has perhaps one of the most underappreciated twists that had me laugh out loud (let’s just say it has to do with an entire planet that can only communicate via singing). If you’re not looking for anything deeper than fun entertainment, then this surely fits the bill.

However, part of the reason I enjoyed this movie as much as I did is that I had already done all the homework. I had seen both WandaVision and Ms. Marvel shows on Disney+, as well as the original Captain Marvel (2019). And while the connections between these characters made sense, it also felt a bit like the top executives not knowing what to do with these characters and just throwing them all in a movie together to “keep the brand alive.” Even I’m tired now of these movies and needing to keep up with everything.

A surprisingly entertaining movie grasping at the end of Marvel’s relevance, I give The Marvels 3.0 stars out of 5.

Exit Strategy
Year: 2018
Author: Martha Wells
Length: 226 minutes / 3.77 hours

Until now, I’ve enjoyed the somewhat serial format of the novellas from the Murderbot Diaries series. Each story grows the story of the main character with a concise plot that does a little world building along the way. It didn’t matter if the characters changed between each book, as the focus was always on the first person perspective. With Exit Strategy, we loop back to the beginning as old faces come back into the major thrust of the plot.

I appreciate that there seems to be an overarching narrative across this series. Now that things are connecting together, it feels like a much more thought-out universe instead of the “flavor of the month” stories that the series could have become. Granted, with each one being so short, this book feels like a solid arrival in the second half of the entire story arc—maybe even the pivotal half-way point. The more the titular Murderbot learns about their universe, the more they cannot silently stand by and let things happen. There’s no more time to be passive.

Perhaps the best part about each iteration of this series is how the SecUnit grows to become more human. There are legitimately tough decisions that come up in these novellas that cause the main character to face a choice that either reinforces their programming or pushes them down the path away from those murderbot tendencies. And while Exit Strategy didn’t have quite the impact of Rogue Protocol, there’s at least an end in sight for where this sequence of events will logically take us. I’m hooked now. I want to see how this all ends.

Familiar faces return as the larger plot comes further into focus, I give Exit Strategy 4.0 stars out of 5.

The Boy and the Heron
Year: 2023
Rating: PG-13
Length: 124 minutes / 2.07 hours

Studio Ghibli films—specifically the ones directed by Hayao Miyazaki—are immensely beautiful and imaginative. The distinct visual style in movies like Castle in the Sky (1986), Princess Mononoke (1997), and Spirited Away (2001) is nothing but consistent. In the latest (and perhaps last) film by Miyazaki, The Boy and the Heron (2023) still maintains the beautiful 2D animation that everyone loves from this studio. The one trick with these films is that sometimes I feel the plot is a little lost in translation from Japanese to American audiences. This isn’t anyone’s fault, but it left me feeling a little lost.

While I understood the major coming-of-age themes present in The Boy and the Heron, there were so many fantastical elements in it that I felt I may have missed something from one scene to the next. Perhaps I was too tired to give this movie the adequate attention it deserved, but there were many times where I’d blink and suddenly the movie had moved on to a different location or subplot with little warning or foreshadowing. It was a little hard to follow because of this, and maybe if I saw it again I’d give this a better rating.

Overall, though, The Boy and the Heron is a visual achievement. In an age where most films are 3D CGI, this one at least looks like it’s put together with high-quality hand-drawn animation. Everything was so colorful and expressive, whether it was the titular Heron or the army of parakeets. It’s a little saddening that we won’t get these creative fantasy visuals from Miyazaki anymore, but at least he went out on the top of his game in this department.

A visual masterpiece that was a little hard to follow at times, I give The Boy and the Heron 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon
Year: 2021
Rating: E
Time Played: ~270 minutes / 4.50 hours

With the overabundance of Roguelike games these days, I appreciate that Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon at least put a unique spin on it. As a puzzle game, it’s really no different from a Tetris or Panel de Pon. However, the difficulty curve is such that you need to unlock items/health with the resources gained from multiple runs. Getting to the end, unfortunately, can be a matter of luck of the draw as much as it is your skill of the game.

Using the retro-inspired characters from the Shovel Knight series makes the Pocket Dungeon aesthetic work. Even if you haven’t played the original game, the characters are visually interesting and have quite a lot of personality. The game developers added new characters specific to this game that also mesh well with the established bosses and enemies. Because everything has a pixel-art feel to it, I had no trouble playing this on my phone. In fact, the “pick up and play” fusion of Roguelike and Puzzle made it easy to play a round here and there when waiting for something.

What makes this game perhaps a little more difficult than a “match three” puzzler is the rhythm aspect. Somewhat similar to Crypt of the Necrodancer, there were many times where being off rhythm caused me to take more damage than I would have liked. Additionally, once I finally reached the end credits, I felt little motivation to keep playing. This has been my main issue with Roguelikes (like Dead Cells), where there’s a lot of focus to get to the end, and a lucky run gets me there but I know I probably won’t be able to repeat it.

A unique genre blend of Roguelike and Puzzler, I give Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Year: 2023
Rating: PG-13
Length: 154 minutes / 2.57 hours

If you want proof that Hollywood won’t let a good franchise die, look no further than Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023). The original 1980s trilogy stands pretty well by itself, but the first reboot, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) was so odd that it took almost another 20 years for the franchise to try anything else. Dial of Destiny merely exacerbates the problem of trying to resurrect this franchise by not transitioning off Harrison Ford (like it tried to do in Crystal Skull) but instead doubling down on de-aging technology and nostalgia.

There’s a huge section in the first part of this movie that was so CGI heavy, I could have sworn I was watching a video game cut scene for 30 minutes. De-aging Harrison Ford still has the same issues that all other de-aging techniques seem to have (mainly, a kind of “uncanny valley”). None of the other characters were interesting or engaging, and that includes the ones brought on for short cameos to move the plot forward. I was falling asleep by the dramatic climax, and I don’t think it was entirely because I was sleep deprived.

What’s perhaps most frustrating with Dial of Destiny is that they could have actually made a decent film. Even within the first three films, the two where the artifact being sought after was a religious relic were the better ones. That they could have had a Lance of Longinus movie instead of the unbelievable Dial of Destiny further reinforces that nobody who made this film knows what makes a good Indiana Jones film. I sincerely hope this is the last we’ll see of this franchise, because this movie was an insult to everything that came before it.

The worst Indiana Jones movie ever made, I give Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny 1.5 stars out of 5.

1/2

Bullshit Jobs: A Theory
Year: 2018
Author: David Graeber
Length: 759 minutes / 12.65 hours

Every so often, I read a non-fiction book so eye opening that it continues to stay with me long after reading it. These are the books that point a light at something so obvious that I have to wonder why I didn’t see it that way before. And perhaps these are the best non-fiction books because they can pull an entrenched mind out of the status quo to look at the system surrounding it with an entirely new perspective. Bullshit Jobs is one of these books for me.

I’ve been fortunate to have worked at a job that I like for about 15 years now. But even within these comfortable confines, I see much of what Graeber talks about when he refers to these so-called bullshit jobs. It’s present in the bureaucracy, the middle managers, and the micro managers. That almost all jobs today have some element of BS in them shows how pervasive it is in society. Learning the reasons these jobs still exist despite decades of technological efficiencies and improvements is mind-numbingly simple—and equally frustrating.

However, being educated is only half the battle against these kinds of jobs. Actionable plans to get rid of these jobs were scarce in this book. And while I appreciated (and stand by) his intended solution, a few other options that could be enacted in the near term would have been nice. After all, this glut of bullshit jobs keeps unemployment low while also depriving people of the freedom to pursue more fulfilling—albeit not as well paying—creative endeavors. As it stands right now, this book is good at making us aware of the problem, but not necessarily being able to pull ourselves out of it.

An eye-opening book with few solutions, I give Bullshit Jobs 4.0 stars out of 5.

Godzilla Minus One
Year: 2023
Rating: PG-13
Length: 124 minutes / 2.07 hours

While the original Godzilla franchise has been around for 70 years, I must admit that I’ve only ever seen the American versions of this Japanese monster. This includes the travesty that was Godzilla (1998), as well as the much better Monsterverse iterations like Godzilla (2012). Having never seen a Godzilla film in its original Japanese context, I was curious to try Godzilla Minus One (2023) for my first foray into the “official” Godzilla franchise. What I found here was better than I could have ever imagined—and for multiple reasons.

Coming from decades-old movies that used people in rubber suits fighting among miniatures, Godzilla Minus One uses just enough special effects to make the scale of the monster believable. However, this version of Godzilla still looks a bit like the version that had a guy inside a rubber suit. Plot-wise, there are a few great sequences that make this an incredibly solid movie. From the boat chase inspired by Jaws (1975) to Godzilla’s trademark destruction of a major city to the quite intelligent plan to take down the nuclear monster, there is never a dull moment in this film. Underpinning it all is the human element, which is as uplifting as it is (at times) heartbreaking.

Contextually, Godzilla has always been about the nuclear fear that came from the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan. In this “prequel” to the core Godzilla franchise, Godzilla Minus One follows Kōichi (Ryunosuke Kamiki)—a former kamikaze pilot—after his country was defeated during World War II. Not only did the appearance of Godzilla come at a devastating time for Japan, but it gave them a chance to fight and reclaim their damaged national honor. Ultimately, this film was perhaps the best place for me to come in and experience a true Godzilla movie.

The best Godzilla film I’ve ever seen, I give Godzilla Minus One 5.0 stars out of 5.

Pokémon Masters
Year: 2019
Rating: E
Time Played: 50,800 minutes / 846.5 hours

A defining feature of the Pokémon franchise has not only been the amount and variety of Pokémon the player can catch, but how the characters who use these creatures for battles also have unique traits and personalities. While these characters might have more screen time in the anime compared to their in-game representation, they ultimately have a favorite Pokémon that they use for battling. Pokémon Masters fulfills the dream of many fans by allowing us to actually play as high-level trainers.

This game is a free-to-play gatcha mobile app, which should tell you all you need to know about it. The gameplay is simple, but the “gotta catch ’em all” mechanic is collecting all the different characters. This includes “Synga Suit,” holiday costumes, and a glut of other variants of the fan-favorite characters. There are plenty of ways to upgrade these characters, most of which require you to battle other trainers for key materials. The more powerful your team, the easier this is. Those with luck or lots of money to sink into the game can easily obtain these powerful characters.

As a truly free-to-play experience, there is a lot of grinding, but the game doesn’t take up more than a few minutes a day to go through all the daily tasks. I’ve been playing in this style since it launched and I have 270 characters, a good chunk of which are maxed out on their stats. By now, playing this game is just a routine, but I appreciate some of the thought put into the costumed characters and the types of Pokémon they use. Partly because of the way the game emphasizes collecting these characters, it feels a bit like a virtual action figure collection.

Simple gatcha gameplay coupled with collecting all the human Pokémon characters, I give Pokémon Masters 3.0 stars out of 5.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Year: 1954
Rating: Approved
Length: 102 minutes / 1.70 hours

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) is one of those musicals during the golden age of musicals that I was aware of but had only seen bits and pieces of. I found a DVD of it a while back and finally got around to watching it. As far as musicals go, it’s colorful and has a few good songs that are sung well by the cast. Unfortunately, the content is dated and is almost cringeworthy by today’s standards.

I will give some leniency that this film represents an era that was not entirely enlightened when it came to women. The Wild West was about survival as much as it was about the loneliness that came with it. While I’m sure there were more men than women out in these regions, it doesn’t excuse how these seven brothers went about obtaining their wives. That they’d even consider the plight of the Sabine women (which they pronounce “Sobbin'”) as an appropriate plan to get wives speaks volumes about the media literacy of these characters.

At first, I thought Seven Brides for Seven Brothers would be more about bringing the feminine touch to this rowdy group of guys. Even if Adam (Howard Keel) wooed Milly (Jane Powell) correctly—albeit incredibly fast—forcing her to get the rest of the brothers into marriageable shape felt sexist. And while I enjoyed the amazing choreography in scenes like the barn-raising (and the resulting brawl), I just can’t get past the fact that this movie condones kidnapping women like that. Perhaps if the brothers had presented themselves as better alternatives to the townsfolk as potential suitors, then they wouldn’t have had to resort to this tactic. As it stands, the Stockholm Syndrome solution doesn’t sit right today.

Great musical trappings on an otherwise troublesome plot, I give Seven Brides for Seven Brothers 3.0 stars out of 5.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Year: 2007
Author: Junot Diaz
Length: 960 minutes / 16.00 hours

I picked up this book because it was on a list of Pulitzer Prize winners and I figured that was a good enough metric to give it a shot. I was not disappointed. Told from a few different perspectives, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is a fantastic look into the lives of Dominican Americans. I could tell the author was writing from deeply personal experiences, and the result was riveting.

There’s a lot I don’t know about the Dominican culture, but I felt this book was an eye-opening look into their history. Told as personal anecdotes from the characters, it was wild to see the effects of living under a dictator. However, even once someone escaped from that oppression, life in America wasn’t an easy walk in the park either. The effects of racism might not be as bad as having your daughters sold to a dictator, but they still aren’t pretty. Using these point-of-view stories to convey all this made the experience of reading this book feel more authentic.

This audiobook also included a short story by the same author, “Drown.” While this story wasn’t quite up to the quality of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, a lot of the author’s style was still present. Of course, this style felt a little rougher than his Pulitzer Prize-winning work, but it was interesting to see how it evolved between the two. Ultimately, the Pulitzer Prize can be a somewhat subjective metric for whether a book is good or not. Here, it’s spot-on and I think people should read it because of its award-winning status.

An excellent and authentic examination of the life of a Dominican American, I give The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao 4.0 stars out of 5.

Creed III
Year: 2023
Rating: PG-13
Length: 114 minutes / 1.90 hours

It’s a little weird to me that each time the Rocky franchise gets further into its sequels, it ceases to understand what made the original work so well. People don’t want to see someone living in opulence (or owning a robot butler) confronting the ghosts from their past. Instead, they want to see the underdog go the distance to show what they’re made of. And while Creed III (2023) mostly falls into this trap, it has a few moments about fatherhood that shine through.

After Creed (2015) and Creed II (2018) pulled out the biggest connections to the Rocky franchise with Rocky Balboa and Ivan Drago, respectively, I wasn’t sure where this franchise would go from there. It didn’t feel narratively strong to look backward at Adonis’ (Michael B. Jordan) past with Damian (Jonathan Majors) since any generic boxing film could have used those story beats. Sure, it makes it more personal and gives the Creed spinoffs more of their own identity away from the Rocky franchise. However, I don’t particularly care to root for someone successful like Adonis, because then he’s not really overcoming anything.

The one credit I’ll give this film for going down the “confronting your past” plotline was the chance for minor characters to shine. Tessa Thompson as Bianca has been a great part of these movies, and the addition of Mila Davis-Kent as Adonis and Bianca’s daughter is really what solidified what this movie was trying to say. Learning from our past as parents to help mold our children—especially the children who are heading down the paths and mistakes we’ve made—is a fantastic lesson for anyone who wants to be a role model for the younger generations.

An uninspired plot with a few bright spots about mentoring our children, I give Creed III 3.0 stars out of 5.

Gato Roboto
Year: 2019
Rating: E
Time Played: 210 minutes / 3.50 hours

Here’s the hook: you control a cat who can also pilot a mecha robot. That’s Gato Roboto. It’s a simple Metroidvania, both in length and graphics, but the charm of the concept itself makes it worth a play-through. It almost reminds me of Earthworm Jim (where a worm pilots a humanoid power suit) without all the weird gross-out elements. Despite its straightforward concept, Gato Roboto has a bit of a learning curve. Fortunately, given enough time and practice, it can be beaten in a couple of hours. Your mileage may vary given how used to Metroidvanias and Souls-like games you are.

Plot-wise, Gato Roboto has some amusing little twists and turns that help drive the game forward. I love that the principal antagonist is a rat/mouse in a variety of mecha robots. There isn’t too much backtracking/looping involved here, which usually lengthens how long it takes to get through a Metroidvania—thus the shorter length of this game. All the standard upgrades that you’d find in a Metroidvania are here, so expect to get dashing and double-jump abilities as you play through each individual area.

The real challenges here are the boss fights. There’s no way around their difficulty other than to “git gud” and memorize their attack patterns, using the Metroidvania skills you’ve obtained to dodge and stay alive. I found that sometimes I’d have to put it down for a few days to clear my head before tackling the boss with fresh energy. Overall, though, I thought this game had the right amount of difficulty, gameplay length, and charm. I didn’t feel compelled to 100% it, but I got most of what it offered in my singular play through.

An amusing concept for a Metroidvania, I give Gato Roboto 4.0 stars out of 5.

Renfield
Year: 2023
Rating: R
Length: 93 minutes / 1.55 hours

Sometimes, a movie comes along that has a fun concept and delivers on it. Renfield (2023) asks, “What if Dracula’s servant realizes his boss is toxic?” With all the modern progress that’s been made in worker’s rights, this ridiculous combination is just hilarious enough to work. There’s a lot of lore surrounding Dracula, so a story that’s set in the present time plays the contrasts for laughs. That this movie is even canonically connected to Dracula (1931) makes it feel like a heartfelt sequel to its almost 100-year-old predecessor.

The two actors who make this movie work are none other than Nicholas Cage (Dracula) and Nicholas Hoult (Renfield). Cage basically (and almost literally) gnaws on the scenery as he’s allowed to ham it up as the iconic monster. Hoult has shown he has great acting talent in recent movies like The Favourite (2018) and The Menu (2022). Renfield shows he knows how to play a straight role in such a way that makes Renfield’s genuine nature a funny character arc of growing independence. There are other standard comedy actors here as well, including Ben Schwartz and Awkwafina, but they’re nothing to write home about.

As an R-rated Dracula movie, Renfield leans heavily into the violence that comes with vampires and vampire-powered individuals. This gore might be over the top at times, but I think the campy nature of it leans into the comedy (like a 80s action flick). Even if the plot feels a little thin, it at least delivers on its premise of Dracula’s familiar realizing his employer is narcissistic and toxic to him as an individual. As long as you’re looking for a fun film to turn your mind off to, then this certainly fits the bill.

A modern Dracula take crossed with workers’ talk therapy, I give Renfield 4.0 stars out of 5.

Summer Knight
Year: 2002
Author: Jim Butcher
Length: 673 minutes / 11.22 hours

A piece of advice given to most writers is to make their characters suffer, then document how they grow. In Summer Knight, Jim Butcher puts Harry Dresden through the ringer. Not only is Dresden on the edge of being homeless and dead from starvation, but he finds himself tangled up in the politics of the wizards and faeries. As usual, the world-building in the Dresden Files is fantastic and multi-layered. Sure, there are still the problems that keep popping up in this series, but they seemed less when Dresden was focused on merely staying alive.

With each book in the Dresden Files, I find the deepening lore fascinating. In Summer Knight, we finally learn about the council of wizards and see how unique Harry is when compared to others from the organization. In learning about more of his past, it’s easy to see how Dresden has come to this impasse with the council. Furthermore, Grave Peril had mere hints of the faerie world and workings that Summer Knight fully expanded upon. While a lot of the world-building looks like mere politics, that it’s as well thought out as this shows to Butcher’s talent here.

While there are still bad examples of “men writing women” in this book (which is the case throughout the series), at least it seemed a bit toned down from the previous books. Dresden’s backstory made him a bit more likable in this book, as there were at least explanations why he is the way he is. I enjoy his somewhat unorthodox way of handling magic battles and can’t wait until he’s truly trained to be a more precise magic user to really see his talent emerge.

Some great world-building and main character exposition for the Dresden Files, I give Summer Knight 4.5 stars out of 5.

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Napoleon
Year: 2023
Rating: R
Length: 158 minutes / 2.63 hours

On paper, this movie had a lot going for it. Ridley Scott, partnering with Joaquin Phoenix again after the wildly successful Gladiator (2000) felt like this was a surefire entertaining film. Instead, the few scenes of military action were the only things that made this movie worth watching. Usually, when I watch a biopic about a famous individual like Napoleon Bonaparte, I’d expect something eyebrow raising that I didn’t know before. Napoleon is not that kind of film, as it is filled with history that I already knew, and I don’t consider myself a scholar of Napoleon.

A lot of biopics tend to either show the genius of their titular character or cast light on their odd behavior (despite their angelic public persona). Napoleon has moments of both, each of which undercuts the effectiveness of the other. I can’t take his military success seriously when he has such peculiar bedroom habits, and I find his weird behaviors inconsistent with the occasional moments of strategic genius. That he was successful at all seems a tremendous stroke of luck. Ultimately, Napoleon is not a likable character, which makes watching him for over 2.5 hours a tedious endeavor.

Napoleon seemed to drive home that Ridley Scott is a talented director if he has great source material. Unique screenplays and adaptations like Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), Gladiator (2000), Matchstick Men (2003), or The Martian (2015) remain as iconic high marks of his filmography. But with every standout movie, there’s a Robin Hood (2010), Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014), or Napoleon that pulls from mostly known public domain stories. Next time, I think I might use this guide to determine whether I’ll use his name recognition before watching one of his movies.

A disappointing and generic history lesson about an odd Frenchman, I give Napoleon 2.5 stars out of 5.

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Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp
Year: 2017
Rating: E
Time Played: ~150 hours

Before Animal Crossing: New Horizons came out, I had played none of the previous entries in the Animal Crossing franchise. Once I got into New Horizons, I was hooked on the gameplay mechanic and wanted more. Luckily, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp was a free and easy way to continue playing an Animal Crossing game even if I didn’t have my Switch on me. As a free-to-play mobile game, I could log in and do the daily tasks that most Animal Crossing games have, just with the convenience of it being on my phone.

While I didn’t play this game at launch, picking it up around 2020, it was clear that some of the standard “predatory” free-to-play practices had been added a few years prior. It locked a lot of the rare or seasonal items behind loot boxes that required real money to purchase. Even some of the “free” items came with extensive time commitments to obtain them. Still, if you’re like me and have the fortitude to never spend any money on free-to-play games, Pocket Camp can be enjoyable for quite a while.

I eventually stopped playing Pocket Camp when I realized there wasn’t anything else to get. I had unlocked all the characters and leveled them up to get their unique rewards. I had crafted basically everything I could (including most of the extremely expensive “golden items”). Granted, it took me a few years of playing regularly almost every day to achieve this level of completion and I don’t regret those hours spent. However, there’s nothing new other than some slightly re-skinned holiday rewards that come out every year. It scratched my Animal Crossing itch, and that’s about it.

An easier version of Animal Crossing you can play on your phone, I give Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Leap!
Year: 2016
Rating: PG
Length: 89 minutes / 1.48 hours

In searching for movies to watch with my daughter, I figured Leap! (2016) was a good fit since she is actively interested in dance/ballet. She seemed to enjoy it, but I wasn’t entirely impressed. I’m willing to give animated films a try when they aren’t from big studios with lots of gravitas, but this one felt just generic enough as to be almost indistinguishable from the swath of cheap direct-to-streaming fare that clogs these services. I will grant that the animation looks pretty good for 2016, but visuals aren’t the only thing that makes these kinds of movies tick.

The story in Leap! is mostly your generic “follow your dreams” fare that most movies directed at kids have done before. Common tropes of persevering and working hard are here, as usual, but with the slightly more troubling trope of lying to catch a break. Sure, gatekeeping isn’t a great way to discover new talent, but when the success of an underdog is pinned on a few moments of dishonesty, it spoils the eventual success they receive—not to mention the almost required third act reveal that the main character has been deceiving everyone until now.

What’s frustrating here is there was potential for a better movie here, but it’s held back by the cheap laughs that kids will give it. Victor’s (Nat Wolff) plotline felt almost forgotten for most of the film until it suddenly comes into play at the end. If he was more involved with Félicie (Elle Fanning) training to be a ballerina, it would have been less frustrating than him being pulled away through ridiculous means every time when the two of them get close. Still, if you’re looking for something to pass the time with your kids, Leap! can easily fit the bill.

An OK animated film filled with lots of generic tropes, I give Leap! 3.0 stars out of 5.

The Road to Little Dribbling
Year: 2015
Author: Bill Bryson
Length: 844 minutes / 14.07 hours

I keep forgetting that Bill Bryson’s books are hit-or-miss for me. I’ll read one and think it’s great, then proceed to another and find myself disappointed. Perhaps I’ve already read the good books from his bibliography and now all I’m left with are the ones that aren’t. I’ll usually forget that I’ve been disappointed after a few months or years of not reading Bryson, which inevitably leads me to remembering his good books and giving it another shot. The Road to Little Dribbling is another book I’d put on the “bad” pile.

While I never read the book that preceded this one, I didn’t need any context to determine The Road to Little Dribbling’s major flaw. As a Millennial, I am often annoyed by Boomer-age people who bemoan that things “used to be better.” They’ll moan about prices being lower, quality being better, and everyone living happily together in blissful togetherness. Those sentiments are the entire basis of this book. Maybe it’s supposed to be read as humor, but most of this book felt like the spiteful mutterings of a grumpy old man.

The issue with memoirs is that the main character is usually the author. In this book, the main character is not likable by any means. He talks down to everyone and paints them as idiots. The few slightly amusing bits were only when he proved to be the fool in a scenario that had gotten him hot and bothered. Listening to this audiobook in the car, it felt like I was driving around with someone who I would not have given a ride to in the first place. None of the positives of his journey stuck out to me because every other commentary provided was full of sour gripes.

A memoir full of whiny complaints about how the past was better, I give The Road to Little Dribbling 2.0 stars out of 5.

Elemental
Year: 2023
Rating: PG
Length: 101 minutes / 1.68 hours

I initially wasn’t too sold on the concept of Elemental (2023). The idea that elements live together in a city felt a bit too close to Zootopia (2016) to be truly original. However, Pixar (generally) has a good handle on stories, and I eventually gave this one a shot. I was surprised to find not only an approachable love story—which is rare for Pixar—but a touching look at expectations from immigrant parents and what it’s like to integrate into a society that isn’t made for you. As always, the visuals were striking, and the emotions were heartfelt.

While the movie poked fun at certain human-based design decisions for the city (like when both main characters easily pass through a chain-link fence), the overall concept felt thought out enough to truly invoke the ethnic boroughs that many cities have for immigrants of similar ethnic backgrounds. Choosing the fire people to be the “odd element out” was a smart move since air, earth, and water usually work well together and are negatively affected by (or negatively affect) fire. That sense of not belonging in a new space just based on who you are struck home.

With the latest string of Pixar films focusing on parent-child relationships, Elemental feels a bit more grown up than dealing with a missing parent (Onward (2020)) or handling the changes that come with puberty (Turning Red (2022)). Even Luca (2021) seemed more focused on younger children leaving the nest instead of independent adult children who want to pursue their own dreams. That’s probably why Elemental successfully managed to bring romance into a production company that has focused on non-romantic stories for over 20 years.

A visual treat that explores themes of immigration and following our dreams, I give Elemental 4.5 stars out of 5.

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Nintendo Badge Arcade
Year: 2015
Rating: E
Time Played: 6,490 minutes / 108.17 hours

Don’t let the enormous amount of playtime fool you. Free games on the Nintendo 3DS (like Pokémon Shuffle, Pokémon Rumble World, and Pokémon Picross) rewarded playing regularly, and this one certainly tried its hardest to get me to pay for more playtime. I get why people lose a ton of money on actual claw machines, since this game is basically a digital version of these devices. The desire to collect all the “badges” from each machine kept me playing for a long time—well after the game itself had stopped being updated.

The enticement of free plays each day made me value the occasional bonus tries that I’d get for playing the practice machine in the lobby. The problem was, even with extra plays, there were some machines that had badges arranged in such a way that it couldn’t be cleared without purchasing more tries. When the extra free tries dried up when the 3DS eShop closed, I lost the motivation to keep playing. Granted, I had collected over 1,000 of the games badges by that point, so I got as close to completing the game as I think a reasonable free player could get.

Perhaps what made this game special was that the badges you’d earn in this game were used to decorate the main menu of the 3DS. Of course, I never used even close to a fraction of the badges I earned, but I could see the appeal considering how much blank space I have on my home screen. Still, locking unique decoration icons behind a paywall (and playwall, since you still had to play the game to get them) felt a little sketchy, especially coming from Nintendo.

A novelty game to unlock 3DS decoration icons, I give Nintendo Badge Arcade 3.0 stars out of 5.

The Shining
Year: 1980
Rating: R
Length: 146 minutes / 2.43 hours

Stanley Kubrick is one of those directors who can make a great movie in any genre. From science fiction like 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) to political satire in Dr. Strangelove (1964) to historic epics in Spartacus (1960), it’s no wonder that he could excel in horror with The Shining (1980). The descent into madness in an isolated mountain hotel was done with such expert craft that this film stands as a pinnacle of the genre even today. It might not be an exact representation of the Stephen King novel, but it works well for the big screen.

Kubrick succeeds in the emotions of unease here through clever application of cinematography and sound design. The audience gets the full experience. We’re along for the ride down at Danny’s (Danny Lloyd) level. We feel small and insignificant in the vast open spaces of the hotel and its nearby hedge maze. The building insanity in Jack Torrance’s (Jack Nicholson) mind is perfectly captured in the discordant sounds that crescendo during a long zoom in on his awkwardly smiling face. Everything together makes this an unnerving slow burn of horror.

And while the somewhat lengthy running time gives room for this gradual descent to madness, there are a few parts that seem only to exist to shock the viewer. I know horror is supposed to have those moments that make you cringe. But when they don’t seem to add anything to the narrative, then what purpose do they have? For what it’s worth, Jack Nicholson is what truly makes this film great. His range from serious to insane is on full display here and it looked like he could lean into some overacting that didn’t seem cheesy.

Horror the likes of which only Stanley Kubrick could deliver, I give The Shining 4.0 stars out of 5.

This movie also appears in Cinema Connections
#148. Stephen King
#149. Jack Nicholson

Rogue Protocol
Year: 2018
Author: Martha Wells
Length: 226 minutes / 3.77 hours

By this point in the Murderbot Diaries series, I’m used to the short length of these stories. I appreciate that there’s still an overarching plot that the books are driving toward, but the bite-size adventures of the sentient AI robot are also entertaining by themselves. Now that the series is in a good groove by book three, I was glad to see the introduction of a foil to compare and contrast the main character’s interactions with the humans.

The rogue SecUnit continues to find himself deeper into the shady dealings of humans, but with each interaction, he’s finding it harder to hide who he is and what he’s doing. That these “missions” he gives himself are a significant amount of effort for someone who would much rather be lazy and just watch vids all day seems contradictory until you realize that it’s great character development—even if it’s subtle. Raising the stakes with each book also helps to make this one the best one in the series to date. There has to be a point soon when things become fully out of the SecUnit’s control.

It’s always interesting to me how the characters that have stuck with me through the series (aside from the main character of course), are the other AIs and robots. In Rogue Protocol, I immediately fell in love with Miki, who showed the other side of human-robot relations as a pet/mascot. The contrast between Miki and the SecUnit was a fantastic plot device and I would love some kind of spinoff with those two characters (or characters like them). Unfortunately, the abrupt ending to this book left me a little disappointed, as I felt there needed to be more time with the characters to get their full range of emotions after the climax.

A great book filled with contrasting human-robot relations, I give Rogue Protocol 4.5 stars out of 5.

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Tangled
Year: 2010
Rating: PG
Length: 100 minutes / 1.67 hours

Tangled (2010) is one of those movies that hit me at a vulnerable time in my life. Shortly after I bought it on Blu-Ray, I ended up watching it at least once for ten days straight. I had the soundtrack memorized and I still cry at the pivotal scenes. I danced to the lantern song at my wedding as the first dance with my wife. Clearly, I’m going to give this movie full marks here, but even over a decade later, I think it holds up.

After college, I moved out of my home state and was finally living on my own. Even with a good job and a handful of new friends, I related to Rapunzel’s (Mandy Moore) first song of the movie: When Does My Life Begin? There were societal expectations that I didn’t feel like I met, so seeing Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi) grow to accept non-toxic masculine traits—thanks in part to a musical tavern full of roughnecks—helped encourage me to keep going on the path I was on.

Some people argue about which Disney villain was the most evil, and I argue it is 100% Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy). Using manipulation and gaslighting to keep what she has obtained through ill-gotten means, Gothel is a terrifying look into people who exist in the real world. The emotional abuse Rapunzel suffered might initially seem fun, but Tangled goes all in to show what it looks like to break free from this kind of imprisonment. While many movies feature self-sacrifice, Tangled does it in the best way. Don’t take it at its Disney cartoony facade, Tangled is a deep and life-affirming film that everyone should watch.

An animated film that’s deeper and more real than most give it credit for, I give Tangled 5.0 stars out of 5.

This movie also appears in Cinema Connections
#313. Grimm Fairy Tales
#314. Stockholm Syndrome

Super Mario 3D Land
Year: 2011
Rating: E
Time Played: 676 minutes / 11.27 hours

There are few certainties in this life, but one of them is that Nintendo usually releases a Mario game to show off their new hardware. It might not be right at the launch, but it’s usually within the first few years—like Super Mario Odyssey. The Mario game that rolled out alongside the Nintendo 3DS was none other than Super Mario 3D Land. While it showed off the capabilities of the 3D screen that doesn’t need special glasses, its levels rehashed a lot of what had already been done in Mario games before.

Sure, the 3D effect in this game is quite striking. For handheld hardware, the game looks gorgeous. The thing is, it added nothing to the gameplay other than a third dimension to the visuals. And it’s not like its predecessor, the Nintendo DS, couldn’t also handle some level of 3D Mario platformer since it had Super Mario 64 DS. Still, having a 3D Mario platformer that had this level of visual polish was a nice introduction to what the 3DS could do. Not needing 3D glasses to get this effect is still an amazing feat in my book.

The thing is, most of the levels in this game felt like I had already played them before. There were the old standards like haunted houses and Koopa castles alongside other platforming challenges that looked like they were 3D versions of Super Mario World levels. Still, the portability of the 3DS made Super Mario 3D Land an easy pick-up-and-play game, as each level would only take a few minutes if I didn’t get stuck on a part where I kept dying (ironically enough, because of the added depth of field).

A Mario game with great polish for the 3DS, but lacking in new level design, I give Super Mario 3D Land 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Year: 2023
Rating: PG
Length: 99 minutes / 1.65 hours

I don’t have a lot of nostalgia for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Sure, I played the arcade game quite a few times and saw some episodes of the original TV show—it just wasn’t one of those franchises that stuck with me through the years. With this in mind, what made me watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)? Honestly, I’m intrigued by the new wave of stylized animated films, and this movie fits the bill. I’m glad I gave it a chance.

Of the four words that make up this franchise, the one I felt was never accurately represented was the first one: Teenage. Most of the iterations of these four mutated reptiles I’ve seen focus on the “Ninja” part of their background. Here, these characters truly feel like teenagers, and the choice to make them closer to 13 than 19 was a refreshing take on the franchise. Even with each turtle keeping their foundational characteristics (i.e., Leonardo is the leader, Donatello is the tech guru, etc.), they still found room to grow into those roles in this semi-origin story.

Visually, the style takes a little getting used to. It works well in some fantastic action sequences but gets almost too “sketchy” in a few spots that had my eyes straining to figure out what I was looking at. At the very least, I’m glad that they took a risk to give it a different style so it would stand out. I think there’s a winning combination here with its distinctive visuals coupled with fresh stories that resonate with people who are deeply affected by the nostalgia of the franchise. It feels new but grounded in what made it popular.

A fresh visual and narrative take on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that emphasizes the teenager-ness of the characters, I give Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 4.5 stars out of 5.

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I Am Not Okay With This
Year: 2018
Author: Charles Forsman
Length: 160 pages

I’m open to a lot of visual styles for graphic novels. It can be what elevates a mediocre story to something profound, but it can also tonally clash with the message and leave a muddled mess. Storytelling in this format is a challenge to pull off and few have been able to do so successfully. I Am Not Okay With This unfortunately falls into the other camp here. Even if this were just a novel without the “graphic” part, there’s not much to recommend it.

Filled with cliches about what it’s like to be a teenage girl, I Am Not Okay With This suffers from the “men writing women” trope. None of the interactions felt believable or realistic. Instead, they seemed forced through what a man thought these interactions should be based on minimal or merely pop culture research. None of it had the feel of anyone who has lived as a teenage girl in similar situations—psychic powers notwithstanding. This was why it leaned so heavily on the tropes commonly associated with girls in puberty and the male fetishes that go along with it.

I wasn’t sure if this was trying to be edgy by focusing only on heavy subjects like sexuality, bullying, and suicide, but the simplistic art style felt too childish to accomplish any of these goals with any level of gravitas. There wasn’t even a satisfying conclusion to anything, which would only be frustrating if this book wasn’t such a quick read. I’m sure it’s less of a time commitment than watching the Netflix show, but I still probably wouldn’t recommend it (even if I haven’t seen the Netflix show to compare against).

A mismatched graphic novel obviously written by a man, I give I Am Not Okay With This 2.0 stars out of 5.

Ocean’s Eleven
Year: 2001
Rating: PG-13
Length: 116 minutes / 1.93 hours

While I usually agree with people who say that remakes are worse than the originals, Ocean’s Eleven (2001) is an exception. Not only did it bring the same amount of star power that made the original stand out, but it had a heist that was much more entertaining and compelling than its predecessor. Having re-watched it recently, I found it still stands up over 20 years later, even if it’s starting to show its early-2000 edges. I still think it’s a classic that works because of its complexity and scale.

It’s impressive how there are so many big names in this movie, yet they all have their room to shine. There’s a reason many of them are still making great movies today, and their talent is on full display here. And perhaps the collective charisma of this all-star cast makes the heist they pull off so thrilling. Sure, I already knew how they were going to do it, but I still noticed details I hadn’t picked up on in all my previous viewings. The stakes were definitely higher than the 1960 version, that’s for sure.

For all the “cool” and “suave” mannerisms and dialogue, I can see how it would appeal to a younger version of myself. Even if Danny (George Clooney) wanted to show Tess (Julia Roberts) the true nature of her new love (Andy Garcia), he did it in a way that feels more arrogant than I remembered—and the scene where he interrupts their dinner proves my point, I think. The high-contrast and saturated look of this film feels like it fits stylistically with the early-2000s—which unfortunately hasn’t gotten much better since then. Overall, though, Ocean’s Eleven is a fun remake that was strong enough to merit two sequels.

A star-studded and entertaining heist film, I give Ocean’s Eleven 4.0 stars out of 5.

VirtuaCreature
Year: 2021
Rating: E
Time Played: 41.3 hours

Back in the ‘90s, the digital pet craze led by the Tamagotchi toys taught kids how to take care of a pixelated animal. These pets needed basic things like food, entertainment, and attention or their mood would deteriorate. They could even “die,” which was a threat that kept kids playing with them regularly throughout the day. While this fad has since faded away, there are still remnants of these digital pets around today. One such example is the game VirtuaCreature—a hybrid between Tamagotchi and Pokémon.

The simple graphics of VirtuaCreature brought the vibe of Tamagotchi to my computer and Steam Deck. There is also the option to battle these creatures in a rock-paper-scissors style battle that pulls at least a limited influence from Pokémon. These creatures evolve given enough experience through training and battling, but they also have a mood that can sour if you let them get too hungry/full or lose too many battles. It can be difficult to improve the creature’s mood, but knowing what helps and what doesn’t (which isn’t clearly explained) makes it easy enough to train the creature to the maximum level.

The biggest problem I have with this game is the “countdown timer” mechanic that you usually see in plenty of free-to-play games. Sure, this game was free, but it’s designed to keep you coming back and continuing to play. Since the creatures’ stomachs empty in real-time (much like Tamagotchi did), I needed to check in with them a few times a day to make sure they were well fed. After a while, this game became a chore, and I hadn’t even realized until I sunk a ton of time into it. So, if you want to recreate the stress of keeping a digital pet alive, then this is the game for you.

A digital pet game that might be a bit too addicting, I give VirtuaCreature 3.0 stars out of 5.

Us
Year: 2019
Rating: R
Length: 116 minutes / 1.93 hours

I’ve been reluctant to jump on the Jordan Peele bandwagon. This has mostly been because I rarely watch horror films. What initially won me over was the social commentary Get Out (2017) provided. NOPE (2022) was an interesting take on alien films that spoke to the inherently violent nature of animals. With these two movies in mind, I finally filled in the gap and watched Us (2019). Unfortunately, my lack of desire to watch this film when it came out seems to have been justified as I ask, “What was the point?”

I don’t want to spoil too much, but the twist was pretty easy to spot quite early on. Once the premise became clear, the movie seemed to be an excuse to just have the characters fight each other to the death—sometimes in the bloodiest way possible. Even the ending didn’t seem to be anything profound unless I’m missing something deeper that was lost through the ridiculous concept that this movie tries to sell. That there’s no explanation for anything other than “this exists, isn’t that weird?” really doesn’t help.

One of the best elements of Peele’s other films was the suspense and build-up. While there was some suspense in Us, there wasn’t a lot of it once the violence started. This is probably due to the lack of understandable motive that I already discussed above. I still think Jordan Peele’s movies have some merit, but after watching Us, I think they’re a bit hit-or-miss right now. My reluctance to see everything he puts out might still be less now that I’ve seen everything he’s put out, but I’ll also keep some of that skepticism until I see what others think first.

An odd concept with no real explanation, I give Us 2.5 stars out of 5.

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The Dark Tower
Year: 2004
Author: Stephen King
Length: 1,731 minutes / 28.85 hours

For a series that spanned over two decades, it’s nice to see that The Dark Tower ends on a titular high note. Other series may lose steam or fade to mediocrity as the stories to tell become less interesting. Or the author dies. While this series narrowly avoided this fate, the meta subplots in the last few books were well out of the way for the grand finale that is The Dark Tower. I’m almost disappointed that more of the books in the series weren’t like this, since there were actual stakes involved.

I don’t normally think of Stephen King as an “action” writer, but the fight sequences in this book were absolutely superb. These enemies had the “final boss” gravitas that made the battles so entertaining to read. That there was an incredible new superpower introduced in this book makes me wish we had more stories about that character since it was such a great ability. It’s always a mark of a great ending that I almost want to keep reading to see what else happens in this world—even with all the loose ends tied up.

King definitely understood that he was never going to write the most satisfying ending for the Roland saga since it had built up for 20+ years. His solution was a great way to both leave it as the best ending we’d ever imagine while also providing a satisfactory conclusion to the Gunslinger finally arriving at the Dark Tower. That there were as many happy endings in this book as there were made the experience of saying goodbye that much more bittersweet. The Dark Tower isn’t a perfect series, but it’s solid from start to glorious finish.

The best ending that the Dark Tower series could ask for, I give The Dark Tower 5.0 stars out of 5.

The Creator
Year: 2023
Rating: PG-13
Length: 133 minutes / 2.22 hours

Knowing how rare new science fiction movies are, I was interested to see what The Creator (2023) would say about artificial intelligence. Even if we’re currently seeing a rise in generative AI tools, the AI in The Creator are more like the replicants in Blade Runner (1982). And while Gareth Edwards hasn’t had a lot of movies under his belt, he’s proven that he can handle big franchises like Godzilla (2014) and Star Wars (with Rogue One (2016)). Unfortunately, this “original” film feels highly derivative of these previous movies in his filmography.

Plot-wise, much of The Creator cribs from Rogue One. The big orbiting doomsday device that looms as a threat over key battle sequences gives off big Death Star vibes. That there’s a MacGuffin that’s supposed to save the world/universe which causes the main character to undergo great sacrifice is yet another parallel that’s hard to ignore. Granted, many consider Rogue One to be a great film, so another military sci-fi that copies a lot of elements from it is bound to be great as well. I agree that there were some interesting technology concepts explored in The Creator, but the premise didn’t click for me.

Maybe the bigger issue I have with this film is how it tells us things we already know. Since it’s set in a future version of our world, it just reinforces the fact that the United States can be an imposing military force in Asia for no other reason than to maintain a global domination of military might. As the Vietnam War showed us, the locals who are being targeted by the U.S. military-industrial complex have enough grit and tools to stand up to the oppression of the American military. Overall, its message seems weak despite its impressive visuals.

A somewhat derivative “original” sci-fi film, I give The Creator 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Deepest Sword
Year: 2021
Rating: E
Time Played: 41 minutes / 0.68 hours

There are plenty of reasons I like Deepest Sword. It’s a simple gameplay gimmick with wide-ranging applications. It’s a quick play-through that doesn’t overstay its welcome. Most of all, it has a cute pixel art aesthetic and amusing dialogue for the dragon at the end of each level. There was a lot of love and care put into a game like this, and it shows. It almost feels nostalgic for the little freeware games I used to play growing up and I can half imagine it sitting on some floppy disk in my parents’ basement.

As a physics-based puzzle game, the challenge scales with the size of your weapon. Each level increases the length—and by proxy the weight—of the sword. After the first few levels, I was hooked. While it uses basically the same layout for each level, the limitations of my sword forced me into different paths that led to the dragon I was meant to slay. I quickly had to learn different techniques to move around the level, as the massive sword became more of a hindrance than an asset. Of course, this was not without its challenges.

My only qualm with this game is that it didn’t have the proper platformer “lead-up” technique that’s common for those kinds of games. A few of the puzzles stumped me and had to look up how to accomplish them. Some were only solvable by some very precise movements, others used techniques I hadn’t considered using with the sword because there wasn’t anywhere to learn or practice them before I had to use them. Still, despite this difficulty curve, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the solution before I finally gave up and looked it up.

A cute and unique physics-based puzzle platformer, I give Deepest Sword 4.5 stars out of 5.

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Annihilation
Year: 2018
Rating: R
Length: 115 minutes / 1.92 hours

While I’ve never quite been fully on board with the works of Alex Garland, I recognize there’s something about his movies that makes me want to see them, eventually. I appreciated his approach to Artificial Intelligence in Ex Machina (2014), but it took a while for me to get around to his next work, Annihilation (2018). His style of science fiction borders on horror, but more importantly, it emphasizes one philosophical question in particular. What makes us human? Instead of exploring the Turing Test as he did in Ex Machina, Annihilation focuses on the larger scale of the universe to answer this question.

Even if it takes a while to establish all the exposition, Annihilation does its best work in unraveling the mystery surrounding the return of Kane (Oscar Isaac). Most of this is done once the main character, Lena (Natalie Portman) arrives in the anomaly and can explore the bizarre alien effects on our world. The suspense that builds in step with the horror is well done and the Christopher Nolan-esque ending still had me scratching my head and trying to piece together what I had seen into a comprehensible answer.

Perhaps the closest parallel I have for this movie is Denis Villeneuve’s Enemy (2013). Some things define who we are, but how do we know if we’re the real us if there’s someone else who looks like us and moves like us? Is it just our personality that defines who we are as humans, or is there something deeper that others can’t mirror? How do we handle being replaced by an entity that surpasses us on several levels? While most of the answers to these questions are not directly stated in Annihilation, Alex Garland succeeds in fusing horror, science fiction, and philosophy into an entertaining package.

A psychological horror that asks what it means to be human, I give Annihilation 4.0 stars out of 5.

Infected
Year: 2008
Author: Scott Sigler
Length: 684 minutes / 11.4 hours

Stephen King has written most of the horror I’ve read. In deciding to branch out from the master of the genre, I saw the cover for this book in the listing of audiobooks for my library’s reader app and thought it looked interesting. While the horror here was more body/gross-out horror—which I didn’t have any issue with—there are other, deeper problems with this book. I’ll grant that in terms of audiobooks, it was an interesting recording with the sound effects and “alien voice” bits. However, I can’t say I recommend this book based on those merits alone.

Perhaps this is an artifact of the times, but a book that came out in 2008 has not aged well at all. First, is the abundance of “men writing women” tropes that not only minimize the female characters to minor roles but doesn’t consider that perhaps not everything has to be about sex. Furthermore, while the main character was a person of color, there were a lot of negative stereotypes and mildly hidden racism that came through. Reading this book made it feel like I had gotten inside the head of a “bro” guy, and it was pretty cringe.

I think the biggest problem was that this book was too cavalier with its “gross-out” factor without having enough suspense to justify the constant violence. When I didn’t care about any of the characters and the vignettes that split off to explore one-shot characters didn’t give me enough time to be empathetic for them, then who cares about the violence that happens to them? More often than not, the pacing felt so slow that I had to check how much time was left, hoping that at some point it would go faster.

A horror story that was scary for reasons other than its violence, I give Infected 2.0 stars out of 5.

Castle in the Sky
Year: 1986
Rating: PG
Length: 125 minutes / 2.08 hours

Having only seen a handful of Hayao Miyazaki films, I finally got around to some of his earlier works. Castle in the Sky (1986) might not seem special by today’s standards, but in the era when it was released, I’m sure it was quite a bold statement. As a steampunk-styled adventure, there’s a lot in this movie that has since been copied and adapted into other works (case in point, my younger brother noticed that it’s almost an identical plot to Mega Man Legends which came out a decade later).

As Miyazaki’s third film, Castle in the Sky sees many of his established visual styles and themes (like flying girls) that he has used in many of his following projects. Even with a relatively simple plot, the gorgeous animated visuals are always a major draw for Miyazaki movies like this. There’s a charm that’s hard to describe, but it’s there in the heart of this film. That it still seems polished by the standards of today’s 2D animated films is a testament to the attention to detail that this filmmaker infuses into everything he touches.

My only problem with Castle in the Sky is its pacing. There’s a significant amount of action early in the film which kept me riveted. However, as the plot continued and explanations became perhaps slightly more convoluted, things slowed down enough that I had trouble staying awake for the ending. It was still an enjoyable watch, but I think I may need to do another rewatch in the future when I’m better equipped (read: well rested). At the very least, this is one of those films I hope to share with my children someday, as it is imaginative and full of lessons that would serve them well.

An animated steampunk treat the likes of which only Miyazaki could deliver, I give Castle in the Sky 4.0 stars out of 5.

   1/2

Mom Hid My Game!
Year: 2016
Rating: E
Time Played: ~1 hour

Mom Hid My Game! is one of those simple puzzle games that feel like they would easily fit into a larger mini-game structure (like the WarioWare series). Its simple gameplay makes for quick rounds of play, which comes in handy for the iterative process of determining the solution. Even its simple visual style hearkens to the peculiar games in the WarioWare franchise. Of course, with such limited objectives in such a game, there wasn’t much to do in Mom Hid My Game! once I completed all the puzzles.

The premise of Mom Hid My Game! is explained in the title itself. A young child is trying to find the handheld gaming system that his mother has taken away (likely due to how obsessively the child plays it). The obstacles that separate the child from his game are as simple as doors and drawers and as complicated as an enormous hole in the living room floor. In each puzzle, the mother is close by, just waiting for her child to find her and get in trouble for trying to find his game. There is an ending—for what it’s worth—that ultimately shows the child the consequences of his obsession.

While this game only took me about an hour in total to complete (which was via my daughter’s direction for each level), I enjoyed the Japanese humor throughout. Seeing the mother obviously “hiding” to catch the son was amusing, and the moments of more surreal humor were also equally funny. I almost purposely “failed” each level to see how the child would be caught (or hurt) in each situation to fully experience all the humor involved. It’s probably not worth more than $0.99, but if you need a quick, cheap game for a couple of chuckles, this is a good one to buy.

A short and humorous puzzle game, I give Mom Hid My Game! 3.5 stars out of 5.

   1/2

The Patriot
Year: 2000
Rating: R
Length: 165 minutes / 2.75 hours

Over the years, I’ve seen most of The Patriot (2000). Having now purposely sat through the entire thing (and the Extended Cut, no less), I can see parts of its appeal. Now, I’m not going to watch a Roland Emmerich movie for any kind of historical accuracy. That Emmerich set The Patriot during the Revolutionary War is merely a backdrop for over-the-top action sequences. Some of its political statements are cringeworthy now, but there’s an amount of entertainment here that is hard to ignore. And that’s what this movie is: entertainment.

The star power in The Patriot is hard to ignore. Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Jason Isaacs, Chris Cooper, and Tom Wilkinson all deliver outstanding performances. In particular, the “win at all costs” Colonel William Tavington (Jason Isaacs) was a great motivator and foil for Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) to avenge the losses he endured during the film. This subplot comes off as ridiculous in a historical film but works well for an action film. Fortunately, there are moments of humor to offset the brutal violence that runs throughout.

However, with a film made with the hindsight of future historic events, there are several scenes that mostly just made me roll my eyes. While I’m sure there were individuals from the south who shared sentiments that were more in line with their northern countrymen, the whole “we solved racism!” segments are so corny as to detract from the movie as a whole. But again, there are a ton of tropes that would not be forgiven for a purely historical film but can mostly be shrugged off in the context of this action movie.

A Roland Emmerich action movie set in a historical time period, I give The Patriot 3.5 stars out of 5.

   1/2

Morning Star
Year: 2016
Author: Pierce Brown
Length: 1,310 minutes / 21.83 hours

After the disappointment of Golden Son, I was leery of starting on the last part of the Red Rising trilogy. Oddly enough, this book was actually somewhat interesting, but in a way that made the first two books seem unnecessary. There was definitely a lot of action in this book, which is part of what made it more exciting than the others. And as far as a book that’s supposed to wrap up a trilogy, Morning Star certainly doesn’t leave too many loose plotlines when it ends. I still think the world-building is forced with all the Roman imagery and sci-fi tech, but at least now it’s over.

As with the previous books, I still had trouble with keeping track of all the different characters and their motivations. The main character was pretty straightforward (if not bluntly so) and his love interest just felt like she wanted to do whatever he was doing. Everyone else had weird names that made it hard to track who was who and which side they were on. At least the plot was simple enough that I could follow what was happening.

The biggest question that came from this book was, “What was the point of trying to get into (and be rejected from) the high society?” It seems to me the only reason to have the first two books was to give the main character a love interest from a caste that was above his station. I think if it could have worked some elements of the first two books into this one, then it could stand by itself. After all, the idea of an oppressed population rising to defeat their wealthy overlords is probably the most interesting concept in this series.

A trilogy finisher that could have been a standalone book, I give Morning Star 3.5 stars out of 5.

   1/2

White Noise
Year: 2022
Rating: R
Length: 136 minutes / 2.27 hours

It’s funny how I’ve always heard Noah Baumbach’s name in discussions revolving around directors I appreciate. Usually, when the conversation of scripts comes up with directors like Wes Anderson or Greta Gerwig, Baumbach gets a mention. While I couldn’t name a film of his that I had seen, his name was recognizable enough that I felt I had to give White Noise (2022) a try. After wishing I had those 2+ hours back, I realized I had seen one of his movies, Marriage Story (2019), which I also didn’t particularly care for. Now I know.

Granted, White Noise has some interesting bits. However, it never sticks with them long enough to fully conclude them. Instead, it flits from idea to idea, mostly making no sense at all (hence the title of the film, I suppose). There’s a lot of talking in this movie, but most of it feels so random that I wonder if the screenplay was written by one of Shakespeare’s monkeys who was having a particularly good day. If the movie is trying to say something, it is literally lost in the noise of the movie itself.

After peeking at Baumbach’s filmography, I think I’ll stick to films that he co-wrote. Something about this and Marriage Story makes me think collaboration is a better path—or at least one that’s more focused. And maybe there’s something deeply profound that I was supposed to pick out of this movie and I just didn’t get it. If so, fine. I’ll enjoy the small portions that made sense and just move on to another movie that doesn’t seem cobbled together from disparate ideas. I still think getting the “white noise” point across could have been handled better.

A nonsense movie that had brief moments that made sense, I give White Noise 2.0 stars out of 5.

Nintendo Labo – Vehicle Kit
Year: 2018
Rating: E
Time Played: ~5+ hours

Nintendo’s cardboard peripheral line, Labo, is a magnificent case study of the Switch’s ability to be customizable. For the “03” Vehicle Kit, the Switch joycons are used to control three different vehicles. From steering wheels to gas pedals, this kit provides a setup that emulates the feel of driving, flying, and diving. Even with the flexibility of these vehicles, there are limitations built into the game that make exploring less than ideal. It’s certainly fun to put the cardboard together, but it feels like a waste when I haven’t even spent the same time using the vehicles.

As with the other Labo kits, the sturdy cardboard is easy to manipulate. Using the Switch as an instruction booklet is a great way to provide slow-motion steps that also allow for moving the camera to get a better view. These instructions also go over what sensors in the Switch are being used to provide the emulated motions of the vehicles in the game. The cardboard building portion is a lot of fun—similar to building a Lego set. However, this is the case for all the Labo kits, so this isn’t unique to the Vehicle Kit.

For the “gameplay” itself, I found the learning curve for controlling the different vehicles was a little steep. Sure, driving the car was a standard steering wheel setup. However, the joystick for the plane and the two-wheel setup for the submarine were a little more difficult. I would have liked to play around with these vehicles more, but that there’s a limited gasoline meter that needs to be regularly refilled felt like it limited the exploration. At least the little minigames were fun, albeit too short to make a full game.

Another fun Labo build with some gameplay limitations, I give Labo Vehicle Kit 3.0 stars out of 5.

Disenchanted
Year: 2022
Rating: PG
Length: 119 minutes / 1.98 hours

It’s interesting how the “direct-to-video” sequel has changed now that streaming is the ubiquitous delivery method. Movies that studios still want to capitalize on but don’t want to spend money on putting in theaters. Disney has taken this route with many of its animated films in the 1990s, releasing multiple sequels to beloved classics. Even The Disney Channel used to be a place for them to put cheap movies. Now, with Disney+, we see movies like Disenchanted (2022) filling the space that used to be occupied by VHS releases. It’s unfortunate because these sequels could be much better than they are.

I loved the self-aware nature of Enchanted (2007). That Disenchanted held most of the same cast was encouraging, but clearly not the magic needed to recreate the energy of the original. The parody (and adherence to) traditional Disney princess stories in Enchanted made it a fun tongue-in-cheek film to watch. This sequel felt too adherent to the formula to make fun of it. Sure, it plays off the “evil stepmother” trope, which was entertaining for a bit. The songs and music felt uninspired and forgettable. Nothing clicked in this movie, and its “direct-to-video” status on Disney+ is well-earned.

The real problem with Disenchanted is how it had better potential. The “fish out of water” trope from Enchanted worked to highlight how ridiculous the Disney princess lifestyle was. Instead of bringing magic to the real world for the sequel, Disenchanted should have flipped the script and had the real world interacting with—and butting heads with—the fantasy world (akin to how WandaVision did it). To have real-world people react to how different the princess fantasy realm was to their normal life would have been much more entertaining. As it stands, Disenchanted was a disappointing mess for someone who loved the original.

A partly uninspired sequel to a fantastic self-aware princess story, I give Disenchanted 2.0 stars out of 5.

Bone, Vol. 1: Out from Boneville
Year: 2005
Author: Jeff Smith
Length: 138 pages

Bone is one of those comics I’ve always been aware of but haven’t gotten around to reading until now. It’s interesting how the visual style of the titular characters evokes an older style of comics, while the other characters in the world feel more modern. The storytelling runs at a pretty fast pace that kept me turning the pages to see what happens next. There’s some pretty good humor here, as well as tense situations to keep it from becoming too silly. I can definitely see the appeal and why it’s been a notable comic since its origins in the early 1990s.

My only qualm with this book has to do with the main characters. The three “Bones” feel out of place in the fantasy realm, let alone our world. It also took me a while to distinguish visually between Fone Bone and Phoney Bone, which was only aided because this book mostly follows Fone. These characters are quite expressive for their simple design, which helps. I understand their simple white design would make producing the (originally black and white) comic easier, but they’re so jarring when everything else is so detailed.

It’s funny how the Japanese isekai genre has picked up in recent years, only to have been solidly pre-dated by Bone. The concept of a group of people being transported/lost in an unfamiliar fantasy world is a huge genre today. The fantasy world-building Jeff Smith does in this first volume definitely holds to a lot of fantasy tropes while also taking humorous turns that make the world unique. I’m glad I picked up the colorized version of this first volume and I’ll definitely be reading the next volume when I get the chance.

A bold take on the isekai genre in an American style, I give Bone, Vol. 1 4.0 stars out of 5.

The Whale
Year: 2022
Rating: R
Length: 117 minutes / 1.95 hours

Darren Aronofsky is the kind of director who makes movies that have moments that are hard to watch but you must see at least once. With his style established in such films as Pi (1998) and Requiem for a Dream (2000), he has continued with this over the decades with varying levels of intensity. The Whale (2022) is the latest film to conform to Aronofsky’s early directorial oeuvre. It’s a simple film—which happens when adapting a stage play—but with heart-wrenching depth. That it works so well in an on-screen format is a testament to Aronofsky’s talents.

Brendan Fraser’s performance of Charlie carries this film. There’s not a lot of representation of morbidly obese people, but Fraser makes it seem realistic. Granted, Aronofsky also makes it gross quite a few times, but that’s to be expected. That Charlie seems to always be in the frame, as if Aronofsky gravitationally locked the camera to him in the small space of his apartment, speaks to the genius of the directing. Each of the minor characters orbiting Charlie also have rich and complex lives, which merely adds depth to how they interact with a man who is literally eating himself to death.

Perhaps the reason I feel this film is so superb is how connected I was to the characters. After all, with the limited setting of a stage play, the strength of the narrative comes from who the people are. Everyone here has flaws, but they’re realistic enough to become invested in the twists and reveals as they happen. By the end, I just had to sit quietly so I could process everything I had just witnessed. It’s a heavily emotional film and—much like Aronofsky’s other movies—I still suggest everyone see it at least once.

Deeply moving and superbly directed, I give The Whale 5.0 stars out of 5.

Pokémon Violet
Year: 2022
Rating: E
Time Played: 45+ hours

I’m conflicted. Pokémon Violet is one of those games that would be so much better if they changed one thing. Even though it’s something that doesn’t directly affect the gameplay. Even if all the other mechanics in the game are fun. Sure, I got used to it, but that doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it. Perhaps they should have delayed the game instead of adhering to a strict release schedule. After all, other games have done well by delaying to add that extra layer of polish. Unfortunately, I don’t think anything’s going to change.

Visually, Pokémon Violet is a tough pill to swallow. All the Pokémon models look fantastic, which just makes the look of the rest of the game a disappointment. I don’t think it would have mattered if I experienced more of the game in long shots, but the number of close-up focus moments that show jagged jpeg-artifact textures were too many to ignore. Even though the visuals don’t directly affect the gameplay, they’re frustrating to see. Other games on the same hardware look a lot better, so it’s not necessarily the limitations of the Switch hardware. If only they provided a patch with high-resolution textures, then I’d rate this game much higher.

Aside from this visual gripe, I loved a lot of what Pokémon Violet had to offer. The open-world format was something that was long overdue—including being able to see all the nearby Pokémon and decide whether I wanted to fight them. The story (all three parts of it) was superb. All the music was catchy and probably some of the best in the franchise. There were a lot of changes to the standard Pokémon formula in this game, and I think most of them worked flawlessly in advancing the franchise.

A fantastic entry in the Pokémon franchise that suffers from a lack of visual polish, I give Pokémon Violet 3.5 stars out of 5.

   1/2

Barbie
Year: 2023
Rating: PG-13
Length: 114 minutes / 1.90 hours

I’ll admit that the only reason I watched Barbie (2023) was because Greta Gerwig directed it. I loved her style in Lady Bird (2017) and Little Women (2019). Going into Barbie, I was prepared for a full commentary on feminism, especially through the lens of the “perfect woman” that so many girls grew up with. And while the casting was flawless, there still felt like moments where Barbie could have gone deeper with the subject matter but declined due to pressure from Mattel. Its writing was smart and snappy, but it’s also a movie about a beloved childhood toy.

Of course, a lot of Barbie wouldn’t work if the cast was different. Margot Robbie is the epitome of the classic Barbie look. Ryan Gosling gnaws on the scenery and almost steals the show (thus enforcing the patriarchy, ironically enough). Other standout performances go to Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, and America Ferrera. That there are two movies about a beloved childhood toy with Will Ferrell as the “business antagonist” is weird enough, but it definitely works for him. It definitely seemed like everyone had a lot of fun making this movie, and it shows.

It’s also interesting how The LEGO Movie (2015) and Barbie become self-aware that they are toys used by children to live out creative fantasies. However, Barbie has a bit more baggage (figuratively and literally) to unpack. Discussing the unfairness of the patriarchy is a heavy burden, and Barbie handles it well at a surface level. Because, ultimately, a pithy plan to distract men and abolish the patriarchy can work in a made-up world like the Barbie universe—but not in the real world. And maybe that’s why I’m a little disappointed. I expected a scathing solution to the systemic problem to come from Greta Gerwig, but the movie ends up playing it safe.

A well-cast, well-written lens through which to examine feminist problems, I give Barbie 4.0 stars out of 5.

The Memory of Earth
Year: 1992
Author: Orson Scott Card
Length: 635 minutes / 10.58 hours

Having read through Orson Scott Card’s science fiction Ender’s Game saga and alternate reality historical fantasy Alvin Maker series, I was comfortable starting a new series from him. The Memory of Earth is the first book in the Homecoming series. As a post-apocalyptic story, there are definitely elements of science fiction and fantasy in this book (however, I wouldn’t quite call it science fantasy). And while there are elements of his writing in the previous series I’ve read that I don’t much care for, I really didn’t like The Memory of Earth.

I’m not sure if this book was so bad due to publisher deadlines or if Card wasn’t getting honest feedback on it. As it stands, everything in this book feels generic. The post-apocalyptic setting has all the annoying “let’s have an in-world complicated name for items from modern technology” tropes that don’t really add anything. The plot itself didn’t stand out as having anything interesting to say other than to set up a better book in the sequel (perhaps). I also didn’t connect with the forgettable characters, which is probably why this fell so flat for me.

The distinguishing feature of Card’s other books has always been the strength of the characters. Ender—and even to an extent, Bean—were characters who had personality. Alvin may have been the god-like author self-insert, but at least there were qualities about him that made him interesting. None of the characters in The Memory of Earth stood out in any significant way. And since I didn’t care about the characters, their endless exposition about some truly interesting ideas fell flat. It really is disappointing because I know Card can do better than this.

A disappointing post-apocalyptic story from Orson Scott Card, I give The Memory of Earth 2.5 stars out of 5.

  1/2

Air
Year: 2023
Rating: R
Length: 111 minutes / 1.85 hours

As a child of the 90s, I never gave much thought to Nike shoes. They were always this popular brand that—in my child-like brain—would make me run faster and jump higher. I had no idea that the singular reason they were so ubiquitous in my childhood came down to one incredibly risky decision to bet the entire company’s future on a single athlete. That this athlete was Michael Jordan is what made this deal as historic as it was. Air (2023) does a great job of giving the audience a look behind that fateful curtain.

It’s fascinating to me how a third-tier company like Nike used to be below shoe producers like Adidas and Converse. I also had no idea these other companies had the foreign commitment to excellence (Adidas) or star power (Converse) to place them above a company mostly known for jogging activewear. Despite these obvious choices, Air really tells the story of advocacy. Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) had a gambling addiction, but his experience with big payoffs made him see Jordan’s potential. Of course, nobody saw Michael Jordan’s potential more than his mother, Deloris (Viola Davis).

There’s a lot to recommend Air. It hits that “sports underdog” trope in an interesting way. The plot buildup was riveting—especially when the team came up against problems (like shoe design standards). The weird problem I have with this movie has to do with its all-star cast. These actors have proven to be excellent in their craft in other films. Here, though, it feels a bit distracting to have all these big names together because I don’t see them as the characters they’re playing. Instead, I just see Ben Affleck and Jason Bateman having a conversation with Matt Damon. I see Viola Davis being Viola Davis. Still, despite this odd qualm, I still think Air is a good watch.

A star-studded look at a risky Nike decision, I give Air 4.0 stars out of 5.

Fez
Year: 2012
Rating: E
Time Played: 312 minutes / 5.20 hours

When it comes to indie games, I appreciate how much can be done with minimal graphics. These pixel-based games have a charm that’s difficult to get right but really shines when they’re successful. Fez is such a game. As a puzzle platformer, the genre isn’t original. However, pivoting in 2-D planes to create a 3-D game is an ingenious way to expand the gameplay. Of course, this also makes it a little difficult to keep track of where you are and where you’re going. But with such relaxing visuals and sound design, spending extra time in this game isn’t a bad thing.

There are limitations to the pixelated style that make navigating the half-dozen worlds difficult to memorize. Sure, there are gimmicks in each world that define how you move around it, but knowing where to go to solve a larger puzzle within the game can be challenging. That there are so many branching paths that need backtracking to explore every corner of the Fez universe is both a blessing and a curse. There’s a lot to explore, but you’ll also be going through the same hub locations a lot as well.

With minimal plot, I appreciated the somewhat meta ending that played on how games from decades ago would behave. These games definitely inspired Fez and its visual style hearkens back to the time when you had to use pixelated graphics because that was all the computers could render. After getting to the credits, I had little desire to reach a 100% play-through. There were enough missing items that I knew where they were located, but did not know how to unlock them or get to them. Still, I enjoyed myself playing the amount of the game that I wanted to.

A retro-inspired puzzle platformer with a mind-bending gameplay mechanic, I give Fez 4.0 stars out of 5.

Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning (Part 1)
Year: 2023
Rating: PG-13
Length: 163 minutes / 2.72 hours

When it comes to the Mission: Impossible movies, you know what you’re going to get. Tense countdowns. Action set-pieces. Tom Cruise running. Even though the Impossible Mission Force (IMF) has overcome many obstacles in the past, there’s always a question of whether this latest mission will be too much for them. With Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning (Part 1) (2023), the threat is so large that this movie only covers half of it. As long as you’re OK with not having a conclusion to the full plot, this movie is fun and full of action.

With Artificial Intelligence (AI) being a current hot topic, using it as the antagonist of this film felt like it fit right into the cultural zeitgeist. Not that AI has been a new villain by any means (as 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) has shown). Considering the (fictional) power of this AI, the Maguffin of the two-piece key to control it was a great way to drive the plot and the action. The ebb and flow of the double and triple crosses provided just enough twists to make the friends and foes always in a state of limbo.

Of course, a Mission: Impossible movie is always going to be a Mission: Impossible movie. I’ve enjoyed them for many years for all the reasons stated above. However, if it’s not your thing, then you’ll probably be bored with the same old car chases, just in different foreign locales. At the very least, the female lead (Hayley Atwell) for this film was an excellent addition to the team, as it came with some weighty decisions on her part. I’m definitely interested to see how they conclude this two-part movie when Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning (Part 2) comes out next year.

Another exciting half-entry in the Mission: Impossible franchise, I give Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning (Part 1) 4.0 stars out of 5.

Song of Susannah
Year: 2004
Author: Stephen King
Length: 822 minutes / 13.70 hours

Six books into the Dark Tower series, and I’m glad that things are wrapping up. I felt Wolves of the Calla was only as good as it was because it was clearly a ripoff of The Magnificent Seven (1960). And with so many of the books in this series focusing on the men of the ka-tet, it was nice to get a book that mostly focused on Susannah’s experiences. A lot of weird stuff happened in this book, but at least it laid the groundwork for the last entry in the series.

Perhaps the weirdest part of this book was its meta-narrative with Stephen King. I was a little surprised this fourth-wall-breaking move worked as well as it did. Then again, King clearly hinted that this was a possibility in the previous book in the series. Author self-inserts usually take the form of the main character living out the author’s fantasies. However, literal author self-inserts are a little rarer. It also felt like King was trying to remind himself why he started on this Dark Tower series at all, which doesn’t instill a lot of confidence in the reader.

I wasn’t wild about the somewhat cliffhanger ending, but it didn’t matter too much as I knew I could jump into The Dark Tower shortly after finishing this book. It’s mostly frustrating because there are a lot of things that are cut short in this book that clearly will be resolved in the next. Song of Susannah gathered King’s top ideas from his previous works, making it almost a “greatest hits” from his bibliography. That there’s been some good action in books five and six of the series bodes well for the conclusion.

A meta setup for the last book of the Dark Tower series, I give Song of Susannah 4.0 stars out of 5.

RRR
Year: 2022
Rating: Not Rated
Length: 182 minutes / 3.03 hours

While I have watched some of the “classics” of Indian cinema, I haven’t kept up to date on this brand of foreign cinema. Nothing stood out enough for me to seek it out and watch it. That was until a friend of mine suggested I watch RRR (2022). He described it as the most “anime-style live-action movie” he’d ever seen. This intrigued me, so I watched it. He wasn’t wrong. It oozes machismo while also telling a compelling story about fighting against British occupation. And just to make sure that you know it’s an Indian film, there’s a great song and dance sequence that won an Oscar for Best Original Song.

RRR reads a bit more like an American action film, especially in how ridiculous it is. Of course, that’s part of the reason I really love this movie. Sure, there’s a lot of violence, but the creative ways that it’s used made me laugh out loud at least a few times. Even despite its 3-hour runtime, there are enough action set-pieces scattered throughout to make its pacing fast enough to never lose interest. That these action sequences seem to one-up themselves just adds to the enjoyment.

Movies are made from many parts working together, and RRR has all of them working on all cylinders. Acting, directing, cinematography, sound, and music are all superb, thus creating a superb product. Even the CGI animals (which are a little jarring at first) are a great addition in a few pivotal scenes. My only disappointment comes not from the film itself, but that I can’t own it outright. That I have to have Netflix to watch this film at all is a disservice to the masterpiece that everyone should watch.

A magnificent hyper-action movie from India, I give RRR 5.0 stars out of 5.

Golden Sun
Year: 2001
Rating: E
Time Played: ~22 hours

After the initial rise in popularity of Role-Playing Games (RPGs) in the 1990s, there was a bit of a lull in the genre. Square had established itself with hits like the Final Fantasy series and Chrono Trigger, and Game Freak had slightly reinvented the genre with Pokémon. With some of the “golden era” games from this genre coming from the Super Nintendo, it made sense to see the next notable RPG come in the form of Golden Sun on the similarly powerful Game Boy Advance. Using some tropes of the genre, Golden Sun felt original in its combat and class structure.

The introduction of the Djinn mechanic made Golden Sun a blast to play. As pseudo-onetime spells, the Djinn were fun to find in the Overworld and powerful to use in battle. I wasn’t necessarily a fan of how they’d randomly seem to change the class of the characters. The elemental mixtures sometimes made it so I couldn’t use a Djinn (or their summons) because I’d lose an ability I needed to solve Overworld puzzles. I would have appreciated an in-game guide that detailed all the classes I’d unlocked so I’d know which abilities they had and could plan accordingly.

The plot of Golden Sun was pretty standard for RPGs. However, the dungeons were visually well-developed and had interesting puzzle gimmicks. While random encounters are usually annoying in most RPGs, the battle animations in Golden Sun were dynamic and flashy, thus making these fights fun when they happened. Similarly, the boss battles were epic, and felt satisfying when I defeated them. All of this was also accentuated by the game’s music, which is excellent for its time. Overall, anyone who enjoys RPGs (or maybe wants to get into them) would not go wrong with Golden Sun.

The best RPG the Game Boy Advance has to offer, I give Golden Sun 4.5 stars out of 5.

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The Sea Beast
Year: 2022
Rating: PG
Length: 115 minutes / 1.92 hours

It’s weird how there’s been such a shift in CG animated films that something like The Sea Beast (2022) feels like they made it years ago. The realism in CGI has reached a point where movies from studios that aren’t Disney, Pixar, or DreamWorks look gorgeous. Since there’s been a leveling of what animated films can look like, the plot has become more important to these kinds of films. Unfortunately, while The Sea Beast looks great, its plot feels derivative of How to Train Your Dragon (2010), just with pirate-like characters instead of Vikings.

That there aren’t a ton of sea-faring stories out there, let alone animated ones, makes The Sea Beast a unique setting. With so many fantasy worlds set in medieval Europe, basing one off the slightly more modern sailing age feels fresh. I’m a little surprised that there weren’t more inventive uses of the technology of that era, since the monsters were much more sizable than the ones from the real-world timeframe. Even the “new technology” that made the hunters obsolete just felt like a standard ship with some increased firepower.

Aside from the main character (voiced by Karl Urban), most of the characters in The Sea Beast didn’t feel particularly memorable. I appreciated some of the hinted backstories for the characters without diving deep into flashbacks, but that should be standard world-building for any fantasy world like this. I’m not wild about plots that make advancements in technology (which might save lives in hazardous situations) out as villains. However, the only reason it’s really acceptable here is due to the other cliché plot about nature only being dangerous when it’s threatened by humans. Still, if you can ignore some of these things, The Sea Beast is a fun adventure.

A somewhat derivative but gorgeously animated adventure, I give The Sea Beast 3.5 stars out of 5.

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A River Runs Through It
Year: 1976
Author: Norman Maclean
Length: 236 minutes / 3.93 hours

I love how books can give insight into things we might not otherwise know. How, when someone “writes what they know” in an autobiographical sense, the reader gets to experience that slice of their life. I’m not interested in fishing—in any of its styles. And yet, A River Runs Through It gave such a clear picture of what it’s like to go fly-fishing that I felt like I had actually experienced it. I’m still not interested in trying it in real life, but now I feel like I get it.

Of course, A River Runs Through It isn’t entirely about fly-fishing. There are other universal themes, like fatherhood, brotherhood, sonship, and unity with nature. I can also appreciate that there is a Christian tilt to the main character without being judgmental of the choices his family has made. This unconditional love speaks to what Christianity is all about. That’s not to say that the actions of his family aren’t frustrating to read about, it’s just that going fly-fishing is something that washes away any bad blood.

While it’s a quick read, A River Runs Through It doesn’t need much to convey the author’s genuine attitude toward life. Because it’s not about the details of actually fly-fishing that reveal how knowledgeable Maclean is at the sport. There weren’t any facades that tried to paint the main character as a saint. All the characters had flaws, just some were more obvious than others. An accurate examination of an individual’s life says more about what they’ve accepted than what they wish they’d wanted to be. And perhaps being in the “natural environment” where they’re the most comfortable is the whole point of this book.

A heartfelt love letter to family and fly-fishing, I give A River Runs Through It 4.0 stars out of 5.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Year: 2022
Rating: PG
Length: 104 minutes / 1.73 hours

It’s honestly been so long since there have been any movies from the Shrek franchise. I had almost forgotten Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) was a sequel to a spinoff that came out 11 years ago. Animation has changed a lot in that time, and this movie shows that traditional CGI animated fare is now following a much different look. Even with the change in animation style, The Last Wish excels at the thing that made the Shrek movies great: unique takes on well-known fairy tales.

It surprised me how dark parts of this film were, considering its target audience. When the titular character has to come to terms with his own mortality in the form of death as a deadly sickle-wielding wolf, it gets perhaps a bit too scary for younger children. Sure, there are comic relief characters like Perrito (Harvey Guillén) to lighten the mood. However, I don’t know if I’ve run across an animated film quite like this that deals with hubris (among other heavy topics) in a way that children could understand.

With the MacGuffin of the “Last Wish,” the plot moved at a pretty good pace until the third act. Perhaps there were too many subplots to wrap up. Between the fundamental conflict of Puss (Antonio Banderas) wanting his lost lives back, Goldi (Florence Pugh) wanting her biological family back, and Jack Horner (John Mulaney) wanting raw power, there was a lot to resolve. And even the resolutions we got felt cliche for the setups they had. Still, this film is another great example of the sequel being better than the original. At the very least, it’s more memorable.

A creative take on fairy tales and weighty subject matter, I give Puss in Boots: The Last Wish 4.0 stars out of 5.

Mega Man X Dive
Year: 2020
Rating: T
Time Played: 23,340 minutes / 389.00 hours

Having played almost every single Mega Man X game, the one thing I felt was missing from these games is the variety of player characters. Sure, you can start playing as Zero in Mega Man X4 and as Axl in Mega Man X7. You can even play as Vile in Maverick Hunter X (a Mega Man X remaster). But what if you could play as the Mavericks? Heck, what if you could play as Mega Man from other Mega Man franchises? Mega Man X Dive delivered on this premise.

As a free-to-play mobile gatcha game, most of the gameplay was rather shallow once you’d gotten through all of it. The new content wasn’t much different from previous events, boss rushes, or speedrun challenges. At a certain point, all I was doing was collecting resources to power up the characters and weapons I had obtained. I’m disappointed that the end-of-service is likely on the horizon since the Taiwan server closed down recently. I’m not sure I want to start over with Mega Man X Dive Offline since I sunk so much time into this game already.

Still, for a franchise that Capcom seems to have forgotten about, I had fun playing “Mega Man X lite” while it lasted. The crossover characters with Monster Hunter, Devil May Cry, and Street Fighter were a lot of fun. And yes, there was likely a bit too much fan service for the handful of female characters that were canonically in the Mega Man franchise. But in the end, I expected as much for a free-to-play mobile gatcha game. Maybe if the Offline version of the game gets deeply discounted, I’ll pick it up again.

An OK game to satiate starving Mega Man fans, I give Mega Man X Dive 3.0 stars out of 5.

Nimona
Year: 2023
Rating: PG
Length: 101 minutes / 1.68 hours

It’s funny how I initially read about Nimona (2023) as an upcoming animated film on Netflix, which inspired me to read the graphic novel, which itself made me watch the animated film when it came out. And while the movie was good, it was missing some of what made the graphic novel great. But that’s always going to be the challenge of adapting a book into a movie. Using the source material as inspiration helped make this film a tight story that works for the medium.

Sure, I would have liked to have seen an animated film in the distinctive style of the graphic novel. The emotions and climax didn’t have enough time to get deep enough—like they did on the printed page. Still, I can accept that movies like The Shining (1980), Ready Player One (2018), and Nimona are distinct and different, but just as good as the books they’re based on. An exact adaptation is pointless when the source material already performed this service. Nimona hit the right amount of frenetic action and visual gags that could only work in the animated format.

As a PG-rated movie, they replaced the edgy bits of the graphic novel with some childish jokes to appeal to a younger audience. Even so, Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz) was wonderfully sadistic and her “evil” expressions made me laugh out loud. Overall, the voice acting was superb, and the animation was clean—or at least as clean as the recent trend of “stylized” animation can be. Is it as game-changing as the book? Not really, but it’s a fun film to watch. And, as I said in my review of the book, the more science fantasy stories we have like this in the world, the better.

A fun animated film inspired by the graphic novel of the same name, I give Nimona 4.0 stars out of 5.

How to Make Your Baby an Internet Celebrity
Year: 2014
Author: Rick Chillot
Length: 128 pages

I’m starting to think that these satirical “how-to” books genuinely only have one joke. If you’ve read the title and a few pages, you get the joke. Books like How to Talk to Your Cat About Gun Safety or How to Traumatize Your Children wear out their singular joke much too fast. While How to Make Your Baby an Internet Celebrity doesn’t have a lot of depth, at least it has cute pictures and diagrams of babies.

Humor books with a “bit” like the ones mentioned above are usually better when they fully commit. That’s why I prefer The Baby Owner’s Manual for its ability to translate raising a baby into car mechanic terms. How to Make Your Baby an Internet Celebrity isn’t quite that clever, since you might read it not knowing it’s satire and try these techniques on your own baby. And perhaps my appreciation of satirical humor comes when it’s so ridiculous that you can’t take it seriously. I’d almost wager that there are some people out there blogging about this very topic and are very serious about it.

With the fast growth of the internet age, one thing that becomes clear here is how this book feels dated almost a decade after it was released. On the flip side, it’s almost prescient in its examination of how algorithms control almost everything we see on the internet nowadays. Almost as a case in point, half of this book is filled with cute pictures of babies. If the satire doesn’t quite hit, at least you get to see professional pictures of adorable children.

One-joke satire that’s half-saved by its cute pictures, I give How to Make Your Baby an Internet Celebrity 3.0 stars out of 5.

Zero Dark Thirty
Year: 2012
Rating: R
Length: 157 minutes / 2.62 hours

There are a few key moments from cinema that stick with me, even years after watching them for the first time. Zero Dark Thirty (2012) is a little frustrating to watch, but I suppose that’s the whole point. Maya Harris (Jessica Chastain) had to deal with excessive government bureaucracy to avenge the United States after September 11th. That the last 30 minutes of this movie is the most gripping sequence I’ve ever seen is a testament to the payoff for two hours of buildup.

What strikes me with this film is how raw it feels. It’s unflinching in its depiction of torture. It doesn’t hesitate to show that the U.S. would do anything to get back at those who killed so many on American soil. The problem is that it seems to insinuate that continuing in this extreme manner would have brought the eventual result a lot sooner. These red tape holdups were there to prevent Americans from becoming terrorists themselves—at least in the eyes of the public and the world. Don’t get me wrong, it makes for a thrilling watch despite being uncomfortable to watch.

The problem with all the setbacks Maya encountered in her quest to find Osama Bin Laden was that it made this movie perhaps 30 minutes too long. The second act seems to drag as everyone around her loses interest in her objective. It’s great that she’s stubborn enough to persist so we could get that fantastic ending. However, the trigger for this operation seemed to come out of nowhere. The stars finally aligned for Maya to get the support she needed, but it felt so sudden as to make me wonder what changed in leadership to allow it to happen.

A gripping third act preceded by the fight against U.S. bureaucracy, I give Zero Dark Thirty 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Hue
Year: 2016
Rating: E
Time Played: 270 minutes / 4.50 hours

The strength of a 2-D puzzle platformer boils down to how well its gimmick works. In this genre, you move from point A to point B and collect items in tough spots for an added challenge. It’s how BoxBoy! + BoxGirl! works, and it’s how Gris works. If the puzzle aspect is lacking, then the game just becomes a platformer. And making an interesting platformer is its own challenge. Fortunately, Hue has a well-done puzzle gimmick. Using colors to solve puzzles also gave this game a natural difficulty curve that was satisfying to complete.

I’ll applaud Hue for having some semblance of a plot that explains why changing the colors of the background is the main mechanic. I’m not wild about the student falling in love with her professor, though. It’s also obvious that these sections of exposition could have easily been edited out since they occur in corridors that are just long enough for the narrator to finish speaking. Yes, the story was nice, but sometimes just having a 2-D puzzle platformer is enough without having to explain why it is the way it is.

I felt the length of this game was just about right. I’m sure I probably could have spent a lot more time backtracking to find all the hidden items, but just getting to the end was enough for me. The color change mechanic was creative, and playing on my Steam Deck made it easier to control compared to using a keyboard and mouse. With each new color unlocked, the puzzles became more complex but it also became harder to hit the right color as quickly as I needed while platforming. Still, it’s an enjoyable game and worth a playthrough for anyone who likes the genre.

A well-done 2-D puzzle platformer gimmick, I give Hue 4.0 stars out of 5.

Oppenheimer
Year: 2023
Rating: R
Length: 180 minutes / 3.00 hours

Christopher Nolan’s filmography has been building to this movie. Over decades, Nolan has had gimmicks in his films that make them stand out. Oppenheimer (2023) uses many of them to create a compelling story that’s half scientific discovery and half political drama. That a movie like this—about unleashing the Pandora’s box of nuclear weapons—hadn’t been made like this before is perhaps the more impressive feat. The way Nolan weaves the two halves of the story together is masterful. However, the actors definitely do a lot of heavy lifting here.

It took me a second viewing to piece together that the black-and-white segments followed Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.) while the color segments focused on J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy). This visual stylization hearkened back to the way Nolan made Memento (2000) unique. The shifted timelines between the black-and-white/color segments evoked Dunkirk (2017)., I’m just glad that I could actually understand what everyone was saying, unlike in Tenet (2020). Ultimately, the way Nolan films his movies with practical effects adds a layer of realism that can’t be faked. The emotional realization of what they had just released on the world still gives me chills.

Of course, the style and way a movie looks can only take it so far toward greatness. The actors in Oppenheimer all turned in excellent performances. It would surprise me if Robert Downey Jr. and Cillian Murphy didn’t receive nominations for acting Oscars when awards season hits. Similarly, Emily Blunt and Florence Pugh helped to showcase the scientist’s womanizing tendencies. Even the minor characters like Niels Bohr (Kenneth Branagh), General Groves (Matt Damon), and Ernest Lawrence (Josh Hartnett) were portrayed to their fullest. Overall, Oppenheimer is a timeless film that builds upon Christopher Nolan’s already successful cinematic career.

An all-star acting tour de force backed by Nolan’s brilliant directing, I give Oppenheimer 5.0 stars out of 5.

Nimona
Year: 2015
Author: N.D. Stevenson
Length: 266 pages

It’s a rare treat to find a graphic novel with well-rounded characters, an interesting story, and an art style that has range. Even if it started as a webcomic, Nimona shows a surprising amount of depth for the medium. Sure, some of the early parts were clearly encapsulated in a serial format, but they were a quick way to introduce the characters and setting. When the story has some room to grow, it gets even better. It’s definitely a page-turner, and I devoured it as fast as I could.

The heart of Nimona is its characters. Flipping the hero’s journey on its head and focusing on the villain’s perspective was a fun touch. Nimona’s chaotic nature was a fun contrast to Lord Ballister Blackheart, who just wanted to do his villainous revenge alone. Perhaps the biggest surprise was how naturally the book handles LGBTQ+ themes. None of it felt forced or odd, even in a science fantasy setting. It was just there, with no winking nods or awkward attention brought to it. Then again, it was also a fantastic adaptation of the “enemies to lovers” trope—or would it be “lovers to enemies”?

As someone who likes to write science fantasy stories, I absolutely loved the science fantasy setting. It has all the trappings of a medieval time, just with video chats, laser guns, and dragons co-existing in a way that makes perfect sense. This is the kind of thing I can completely get behind. If anything, I hope this book inspires more writers to jump into this genre, as I desperately want to read more books like this. It’s like the best parts of sci-fi and fantasy brought together in an awesome (but also deeply moving) story.

A science fantasy graphic novel with excellent characters, story, and art, I give Nimona 5.0 stars out of 5.

Asteroid City
Year: 2023
Rating: PG-13
Length: 105 minutes / 1.75 hours

At this point, when I see a Wes Anderson film, I know what I’m getting. Not just the visual aesthetic or the almost monotone line delivery from every actor. Instead, there’s a framing that either brings the disparate narrative together (like in The French Dispatch (2021)) or acts as a lens (like in The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)). Now that we’re almost 10 years into this phase of narrative framing (with a few exceptions like Isle of Dogs (2018)), it’s finally gotten to the point of being distracting.

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the base story that’s being told in Asteroid City (2023). It hearkens back to some of Anderson’s earlier works that dealt with the death of a loved one (a la The Darjeeling Limited (2007)). The science fair subplot was fun, and the whole military lockdown of the second half was entertaining. Just by itself, the core plot of Asteroid City—while perhaps too short for a full-length feature—is a great movie that pulls in all of Anderson’s tropes. Again, I know what I’m getting into with his movies, and this one is no exception.

My only problem with this film is its framing. There was only one segment from the framing that made me laugh out loud (partly because of Bryan Cranston’s perfect delivery). These segments almost felt too patronizing. Like, Wes Anderson wanted to be sure he got some heady points across to the audience, so he made them in dramatic black-and-white to emphasize what he was trying to say. These feel jarring and I don’t think they really add anything other than an extra layer to distance the audience from the ridiculous nature of alien contact. If only he was confident with the core concept, it might have been a better film.

An entertaining Wes Anderson film with some unnecessary framing, I give Asteroid City 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker X Saurian
Year: 2008
Rating: E
Time Played: 1,055 minutes / 17.58 hours

After playing through the first Mega Man Star Force game, the experience underwhelmed me. I absolutely loved the Mega Man Battle Network games, so I figured this “evolution” of the formula would still keep my interest. Unfortunately, after two games of this, they haven’t won me over. Sure, some mechanics that made the Battle Network games fun find a home here in the sequel, but the whole series just feels so far separated from the original series as to not even be related.

I think some of what attracted me to the Battle Network series was the link between it and the robot masters of the original series. In the Star Force series, the enemies have either been based on constellations (as in the first game) or mythical creatures (as in this game). Neat themes, sure, but they don’t link to my inherent Mega Man nostalgia. I actually stopped playing this game for quite a few months before forcing myself to pick it up again and finish the main story.

Ironically enough, it wasn’t until I “unlocked” most of the secret codes present in the game that it actually became fun to play. I loved the little transformations that Mega Man could do in this game, as it was a quick boost to the power levels and evoked the style-change mechanic from the Battle Network days. Sure, the second half of the game lacked much of the challenge that had caused me to put it down in the first place, but at least I was enjoying myself again. I’ll still probably be a completionist and play the next (and gladly, last) game in this series, but not until I forget about playing this one.

More of the same Star Force gameplay without many improvements, I give Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker X Saurian 2.5 stars out of 5.

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Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Year: 2006
Rating: R
Length: 84 minutes / 1.40 hours

As far as mockumentary films go, Borat (2006) is at least in the top five. It may have not been as groundbreaking as This Is Spinal Tap (1984), but its use of real people’s reactions to a parody of Eastern European stereotypes still shocks today. Perhaps having experienced some of the American sub-cultures that were mocked is what makes those parts of this film funny to me. It certainly has its gross-out moments, but Sacha Baron Cohen’s performance is iconic.

I think what makes Borat one of the best mockumentary films is its unscripted nature. Sure, they wrote Borat’s dialogue in such a way as to provoke people (or get them to open up about their own racism/sexism/homophobia). However, the responses from these people feel completely genuine. The ones who accept Sacha Baron Cohen’s bit and try to play their part straight are perhaps the funniest moments in the movie. Plus, I don’t know if I can trust ice cream trucks after watching this.

While a lot of this movie is funny, the sexual and scatological jokes haven’t aged that well. I never cared for the extended sequence of two naked men wrestling through a hotel when I watched this movie the first time, anyway. For such a short film, some sequences seem to go on a bit too long past the point of being funny. I wonder if they just left the camera rolling long enough for these people to incriminate themselves and didn’t want to cut anything from that footage. At any rate, this mockumentary borders on an unflinching documentary of cringe-worthy American sub-cultures. And if we can’t laugh at ourselves, then maybe we’re taking a movie like Borat too seriously.

An unscripted mockumentary that ranks in the best of the genre, I give Borat 4.0 stars out of 5.

Solutions and Other Problems
Year: 2020
Author: Allie Brosh
Length: 519 pages

My first introduction to Allie Brosh’s work—as I’m sure is the case for many—was the “all the things” meme. For those looking for more depth from these drawings, look no further than the humorous illustrated memoir, Solutions and Other Problems. I have never quite read a book like this. When I picked it up off the shelf, I was expecting a graphic novel, only to be surprised with big chunks of text between illustrations. Clearly, the best of both worlds here. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll be glad you read this book.

While it might be easy to discount the simple drawing style at first glance, many illustrations in this book prove to be quite exquisite. The stories themselves, which are not all silly or humorous, aid this distinction. Solutions and Other Problems subverted my expectations by being both hilarious and deeply profound. I’ve never read a book that had both a story about an obsessed kid stealing things from a neighbor’s house and an examination of loss and depression. And yet, they both work in this context.

As these essays are deeply personal, I can say I don’t particularly agree with some of the choices presented here. And that’s fine. Everyone is different, and these are definitely the stories the author wanted to convey. I just don’t want to endorse this book without providing the caveat that I probably wouldn’t do things the way the author did them. Still, if you’re going through some tough times, then perhaps this book will help break through to you with its humor while also comforting you with the idea that your feelings are valid and shared by other people.

The best half-graphic novel/half-memoir I’ve ever read, I give Solutions and Other Problems 4.0 stars out of 5.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Year: 2023
Rating: PG
Length: 140 minutes / 2.33 hours

Without fail, I have watched wildly successful movies gain sequels that were too big for just one movie. The latest entry in this Trilogy Conundrum is none other than the animated Spider-Verse series. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) was a stylish and refreshing animated film that won the Best Animated Feature Oscar. Its sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), is equally good in both storytelling and animation. However, the size of such a story being stretched over two films affected some of this movie’s pacing.

I am increasingly becoming a fan of the “stylized” animated movies like Into the Spider-Verse and Across the Spider-Verse. Pixar can show how realistic CGI animation can be, but I found truly creative CGI animation in other studios like this one. This “cartoony” style lends itself to the humor of the fight between Miles (Shameik Moore) and Spot (Jason Schwartzman). It’s also versatile enough to be serious when it needs to be. If anything, it is able to highlight the visual differences between the different universes.

Superfans of the Spider-Man franchise likely got tons of references from decades of Spider-Man iterations. Even if this is your first introduction to the character, it’s likely you already know about the “canon events” that make up the central theme of this movie. Although it was enjoyable to see Spider-Man in different settings, the film’s second half was sluggish as it built up to the next movie’s premise. Not knowing where they were going to cut to a “To Be Continued” card made the last bit seem endless. Still, I’m excited to watch the last part of this trilogy since the first two parts have been solid.

A solid Trilogy Conundrum entry in the Spider-Verse saga, I give Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 4.5 stars out of 5.

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Spirit of the North
Year: 2020
Rating: E
Time Played: 458 minutes / 7.63 hours

Spirit of the North is a game about death, rebirth, and the beauty of Iceland. Without knowing much about it, I selected this as the next game my daughter and I would play through since it had no dialogue and seemed to be fairly straightforward. And while I was worried that the random corpses littering the game’s levels might scare her, I don’t think she fully understood what they were as we played. I enjoyed the ambiance of the music and the beautiful scenery, but the game had some issues.

While the beautiful scenery was quite immersive, any time the fox interacted with any of it, the graphics felt dated, like PlayStation 2-era graphics. It was also difficult to control the fox at times, especially when requiring precise jumps to reach secret areas. I also found the portions in the caverns/caves were extremely dark, to the point of being unable to see where I was going or what I was doing in those areas. Added on top of all of this, there were at least two or three times when I got stuck and could not figure out how to progress, which made me resort to watching a few playthroughs just to progress.

It’s a little odd that such a linear game like this would provide any challenge. I understand the need to control how the levels progressed, but I almost feel a small open-world concept could have been more engaging. Still, some puzzles and platforming sections were clever in a way that evoked Metroidvania mechanics. I also appreciated the non-verbal narrative that explored topics of death and rebirth that I could then share with my daughter.

A beautiful game that was difficult to play, I give Spirit of the North 3.0 stars out of 5.

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3
Year: 2023
Rating: PG-13
Length: 150 minutes / 2.50 hours

Ever since the original Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), it felt like this corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was left to do its own thing. These movies didn’t have many cameos or connections to the larger MCU except for introducing characters who fought in the Avengers films. Perhaps because of this level of separation from the core MCU, the Guardians of the Galaxy movies have felt more stable tonally than the rest of the MCU films. You can probably thank James Gunn for that.

While I consider the first Guardians movie to be one of the best superhero (or even sci-fi) films ever made, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 (2017) diving into Peter Quill’s (Chris Pratt) origins wasn’t quite up to snuff. And while Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 (2023) is another origin story, it felt more impactful than its predecessor. After all, the one character of the group we didn’t have any in-depth background on was Rocket (Bradley Cooper). This film remedies that in a way that’s both emotional and a fitting cap on the adventures of the original Guardians group.

In the post-Endgame MCU, movies like this feel rare. Sure, there’s room for more adventures for this new group of Guardians, but wrapping up character arcs is a much more impressive feat. Letting things come to a natural end without forcing any hints of the next tie-in or cameo was refreshing. The villain also felt unique but threatening. It was also nice to get a more realistic resolution to the relationship between Peter and Gamora (Zoe Saldana)—kind of like at the end of Broadcast News (1987). Overall, the Guardians films are great by themselves, which Volume 3 epitomizes.

A fitting and distinct wrap-up for the original Guardians, I give Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 4.0 stars out of 5.

Sword of Destiny
Year: 1992
Author: Andrzej Sapkowski
Length: 768 minutes / 12.80 hours

In the second collection of short stories that start the Witcher saga, Sword of Destiny helps to further broaden the setting and characters that would eventually be used in Blood of Elves. Following somewhat chronologically and expanding upon ideas first covered in The Last Wish, this collection continues to flesh out characters like Geralt and Yennifer while also introducing characters like Ciri. While they’re fine stories by themselves, they pale in comparison to long-form novels like Blood of Elves, mainly because of their episodic nature.

I applaud author Andrzej Sapkowski for using these short stories to introduce the world-building of the Witcher series. While some writers might just make character sheets for their characters, he actually puts them in interesting situations to see what they would do. From a writing standpoint, I’d recommend this method of concept development as it gives certain edge cases or rarer character interactions to see where the limits of the characters lie. After all, figuring out what works in short form helps the longer pieces feel grounded. It helps when there are such strong characters to work with, though.

My only qualm with this collection was that nothing was particularly memorable. Sure, if I had read this before Blood of Elves, I might feel differently. As it is, I already know how Geralt handles himself, what drives Yennifer, and how Ciri has more going for her than even she knows. Since I’m writing this review many months later, I had to remind myself what even happened in it. Some stories in this book were covered in the first season of the Netflix adaptation, which made remembering them easier. Still, it’s a solid collection and should be required reading for anyone who wants to get into the Witcher series.

Another great, but hardly memorable, collection of short stories, I give Sword of Destiny 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Cocaine Bear
Year: 2023
Rating: R
Length: 95 minutes / 1.58 hours

Back when I was in college, the most ridiculous concept for a movie was none other than Snakes on a Plane (2006). Now, almost 20 years later, the only movie that comes close to that level of ridiculous plot is Cocaine Bear (2023). Of course, being a ridiculous premise doesn’t make it a good movie by any means. Not even the fact that it’s loosely based on true events can help its lack of plot. But how much plot can you really fit into “bear snorts a ton of cocaine”?

Part of the problem with Cocaine Bear is that it doesn’t quite lean into the ridiculousness. There are too many moments that try to play the situation as seriously as possible. Despite all the stupid death scenes, there weren’t nearly as many knowing winks toward the camera to make it into a violent dark comedy. Instead, Cocaine Bear sits in this weird limbo of not being taken seriously while also holding tight onto the “true events” designator. If it went in either direction, it might have been a better film.

It’s also astonishing to me that this movie was only 95 minutes long. There were at least three separate plotlines, which felt like maybe two plotlines too many. The unfocused nature of the narrative jumping back and forth between park rangers, drug dealers, and (un)happy campers left me feeling bored. For a movie as short as this and a premise ripe for escalating into a cocaine-fueled fight to the death, I was not expecting to look at my watch as many times as I did. Sure, the movie has some novelty for bringing unbelievable events to the big screen, but that’s about it.

A surprisingly boring film about a drug addict bear killing people, I give Cocaine Bear 3.0 stars out of 5.

Pokémon Rumble World
Year: 2016
Rating: E10+
Time Played: 10,653 minutes / 177.55 hours

When I first got my Nintendo 3DS in 2016, I downloaded all the free games I could. As a Pokémon fan, I was glad to have such titles as Pokémon Picross and Pokémon Shuffle to satiate my need for puzzle games. I also downloaded Pokémon Rumble World. As the free-to-play version of the game, there were a lot of things locked behind currency that took an incredibly long time to access. The game wanted you to spend enough money to buy the game (at full price) so you could access everything.

As is the case with any Pokémon game, Pokémon Rumble World focuses on the “catch them all” aspect. Each balloon you unlock lets you visit a randomly selected area with a specific elemental theme (e.g., volcano, beach, castle, factory, etc.). By battling hordes of the Pokémon found in these areas, they occasionally become “wobbly” and are caught once fainted in this state. As a Gen VI spinoff, this game includes the Mega Evolution mechanics that occasionally prove useful if you have a powerful enough Pokémon that can use it.

With cute little Pokémon sprites, Pokémon Rumble World was a chore to play. Sure, there were some battles with powerful legendary Pokémon that were intense, and the “story mode” (such as it is) provided its own challenge. However, the grind to build up the powers of the Pokémon—let alone to get the chance to catch powerful ones—dragged out this simplistic game much further than I would have liked. Sure, I dumped an embarrassingly huge amount of time into this game because I’m stubborn about not spending any money on a free-to-play game. It doesn’t mean I enjoyed it.

A grinding chore of a Pokémon spinoff, I give Pokémon Rumble World 2.5 stars out of 5.

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The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Year: 2023
Rating: PG
Length: 92 minutes / 1.53 hours

I’ll admit that I was skeptical about this movie going in. Some of the casting decisions were questionable, but I also knew Nintendo would have a much tighter hold on their intellectual property after Super Mario Bros. (1993). An animated take on a simple video game concept was the better way to go, but I also know Illumination has a reputation for somewhat “cheap” CGI movies. All this being said—nostalgia is a heck of a drug. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) is bright, colorful, and a lot of fun to watch.

I felt like the character designs were definitely on-point—which wasn’t hard to do when Nintendo already has 3D models of almost every character that appeared in this movie (something the previous attempt at this movie did not have). While the plot was simple, it’s not like a game from 1985 really had that much plot to go off, anyway. If anything, they had to add a lot (like the Mario Kart segment) to pad out the runtime to be long enough. I also felt the choice of songs not from the video games ruined the feel of the movie for the portions where they were included. Either the songs clashed tonally with what was going on or were so cliché as to be groan-worthy.

Still, as a long-time fan of Nintendo, I appreciated all the little details that the team added. Whether you’ve played the old stuff or the newer games, there were probably quite a few references that you’d get. And while I had my doubts about some voices, a few—like Jack Black as Bowser—really nailed the feel of the characters. They played the nostalgia factor up quite a bit, but overall it was a fun popcorn flick.

A fairly good adaptation of a fairly simple game, I give The Super Mario Bros. Movie 3.5 stars out of 5.

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The Legion of Regrettable Supervillains
Year: 2016
Author: Jon Morris
Length: 256 pages

With the success of comic book movies in the last decade, it’s sometimes hard to forget that these films don’t explore all of what the pulpy medium offered. The rise in popularity of comics in a few different “eras” inevitably led to saturation in the medium. When something becomes saturated, creators don’t care as much about what they’re putting out, since everything sells. This is how a book like The Legion of Regrettable Supervillains can collect quite a few foes that were better left forgotten.

If there’s anything this book does well, it’s showing how simple and bland the early years of comics were. Perhaps I’m just used to the modern era that’s had decades to figure out which superheroes and supervillains work best. Many of the early comic villains are forgettable, indicating a lack of imagination on the part of their creators. Unfortunately, since this book collects a lot of these villains in one place, it is boring to get through. After a few pages of supervillain puns, I got the “joke” this book was trying to make. And it just kept going.

While I understand organizing this book chronologically showed how these regrettable supervillains evolved over the years, I think it might have had more variety if it just stuck to being exclusively alphabetical. After all, it would have kept my attention a little better if I learned about a villain like Lepus before being reminded that M.O.D.O.K. exists. Perhaps my surface-level interest in comic books (especially the classics) is why it took me a while to get through this book. Still, if you want to be a super-fan of this medium, you might already know about Doctor Voodoo, which might make this humorous commentary on him a moot point.

A slightly amusing gimmick that highlights the lack of early comic book creativity, I give The Legion of Regrettable Supervillains 3.0 stars out of 5.

Léon: The Professional
Year: 1994
Rating: R
Length: 110 minutes / 1.83 hours

There’s something oddly satisfying about watching a professional do their job. The ease with which these people do the thing they’ve trained extensively to do is almost mesmerizing. While this usually applies to creative types, with Luc Besson’s Léon: The Professional (1994), a skilled assassin is equally fun to observe. What makes this movie endearing is the simple life that the titular Léon (Jean Reno) lives. Additionally, the performances by Natalie Portman and Gary Oldman shine through here in some uncomfortable ways that make this movie both timeless and of its time.

While the action sequences in Léon: The Professional are top-notch, the characters make the movie so much better. Since most people never encounter a professional assassin, there’s just this assumption that they’re always out killing people. Instead, there’s understandable caution and an almost savant level of adherence to rules that keep these professional killers alive to cash in on the next death they’re hired to accomplish. That Léon would risk his safety to rescue Matilda (a young Natalie Portman) showed that he wasn’t a heartless murderer. And while Léon is skilled at killing, knowing that he has weaknesses when it comes to reading and money makes him a well-rounded character.

Still, seeing Portman and Oldman early in their careers is worth the watch here. I constantly quote Oldman’s “Everyone!” even if the reality of his character highlights the corruption of government law enforcement. Similarly, Portman delivers an impressive performance that feels like it crosses the line between a girl crushing on an older man and something much more inappropriate for a girl of her age. In the end, Léon: The Professional is an entertaining film and a must-watch for anyone who likes these actors or the works of Luc Besson.

Superb performances that highlight the simple life of an assassin, I give Léon: The Professional 4.0 stars out of 5.

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
Year: 2020
Rating: E
Time Played: 193 minutes / 3.22 hours

As I go through my backlog of free games I received from the Epic Games store, I’ve been trying to find games I can play with my daughter. Alba: A Wildlife Adventure seemed like it would be a good fit for us to play together, and It certainly was. Alba is a fairly simple game and doesn’t take that long to play all the way through. In fact, I 100% cleared the game in the almost three-and-a-half hours we played together.

Set on an Iberian island, Alba follows the adventures of the titular character who is spending some of her summer with her grandparents. With her handy smartphone, Alba must collect pictures of all the different wildlife on the island, filling up a digital field guide in the process. Along the way, Alba must help clean up the island and repair the wildlife preserve that was closed after a suspicious fire. The simple art design and controls made for a charming play-through, even if its re-playability level is low.

My only qualm with the game is the somewhat heavy-handed and cliche resort developer plotline. I know it’s probably closer to real life than I’d like to admit. It just feels overdone like it came out of a Saturday Morning cartoon from the 80s or 90s. If anything, there seemed to be some nuance from the residents of the island, who could see the benefit of a resort bringing much-needed tourist money to the island despite the conservation area being destroyed to do so. In the end, though, the title character collected all the pictures of animals and saved the day, showing how we need to live in harmony with nature around us.

A short and charming game about conservation, I give Alba: A Wildlife Adventure 4.0 stars out of 5.

Tetris
Year: 2023
Rating: R
Length: 118 minutes / 1.97 hours

Every time I hear a movie is being made based on a video game that doesn’t have any story, I always wonder what those movies are going to be about. With Tetris (2023), the plot centers on the distribution rights for the titular puzzle game. While it’s interesting to see what happened to bring Tetris to its status as a worldwide cultural icon in gaming, the film really just boils down to the legal and international gymnastics that needed to occur. The Cold War setting did much of the heavy lifting for the suspense, but we already know how things turned out.

I’m still confused about who this film was for. It seemed like they were trying to appeal to gamers by showing the history of one of the founding games of the industry. However, providing little pixel art cuts to explain how distribution rights for a video game were different between the arcade and home console versions seemed more patronizing to gamers than something that added to the movie. Even if this movie was meant to appeal to people who like legal drama, there was a lot of back-and-forth and waiting around as people “raced” to bring this game to market.

The only interesting development that this movie showed was the legal loophole that was found when Nintendo started making handheld video game systems. And if you want to glorify the man who leaned forward and ignored the rules to get this game out of the USSR, then this movie is for you. For me, it didn’t seem as interesting as I was expecting it to be, and my expectations were already pretty low for a movie about a 1980s puzzle game.

A legal drama with a slight video game veneer, I give Tetris 3.0 stars out of 5.

Michael Strogoff: Courier to the Czar
Year: 1876
Author: Jules Verne
Length: 416 pages

While we mostly know Jules Verne for his science fiction stories, it’s hard to miss the fact that his books are also quite adventurous. Even though Michael Strogoff: Courier to the Czar isn’t one of his famous works, it may be one of his best. This book was something my father wanted his children to appreciate, and now that I’ve read it a few more times, I truly understand how ahead of its time it was.

Even if Michael Strogoff isn’t explicitly a science fiction novel, Jules Verne still sneaks plenty of science into this race across Russia to save the life of the Czar’s brother. Of course, since it is an adventure novel, Michael Strogoff certainly has a lot of adventure between Moscow and Irkutsk, with some scenes feeling like they were pulled out of a modern action film. The tension of sneaking behind enemy lines to deliver an important message never lets up. I don’t want to give too much away, but there are quite a few well-written twists that show Verne’s mastery of this “Russian James Bond.”

Of course, there are still some tropes that are an artifact of the time when it was written. Cultural stereotypes are present and the age difference between Michael (a 30-year-old man) and Nadia (a 16-year-old girl) is uncomfortable considering how the story ends. Also, Verne describes Michael as this specimen of a man that borders on eye-rolling machismo. Still, there are plenty of interesting characters, including Alcide Jolivet and Harry Blount, who provide some humor in an otherwise serious adventure. If you like Jules Verne books, you’d definitely like Michael Strogoff.

A hidden gem of a Jules Verne adventure, I give Michael Strogoff: Courier to the Czar 4.5 stars out of 5.

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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Year: 2023
Rating: PG-13
Length: 134 minutes / 2.23 hours

I have a lot of hobbies and interests that are considered “nerdy.” Partly because of this, I have avoided Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) so that I am not fully subsumed by the culture. Despite this evasion, I have still picked up enough lingo and understanding of D&D to not be completely lost when watching Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023). I think, even without this loose knowledge of the tabletop role-playing game, this movie is a great heist film with a fantasy setting that should appeal to most people who have never encountered D&D before.

What helps make this movie approachable is how it doesn’t seem to take itself seriously. You can almost imagine the individuals around the table making their decisions and dice rolls as the dungeon master throws ridiculous situations at them. Chris Pine’s performance anchors the humor. His bard character was easily riffed on by the other characters. Plenty of the action sequences are fun and made more meaningful by the character growth (or “leveling up”) that happens as the group progresses in the campaign to stop the evil sorceress. For a D&D movie, it definitely feels like a game of D&D is being played.

What amazed me about this movie was the emotional depth and connection to the characters. Sure, there were plenty of tropes and MacGuffins that are common to this type of game. However, when life-or-death decisions come to play, I was surprised to find my eyes filling with tears. Perhaps the appeal of the “found family” trope helped make these moments more emotionally impactful. After all, you don’t go on a grand adventure with someone without developing close bonds with them. I hope we get to see more of this D&D party in future films because this one worked quite well.

A fun and emotional foray into D&D that requires no previous experience, I give Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves 4.5 stars out of 5.

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The Northman
Year: 2022
Rating: R
Length: 137 minutes / 2.28 hours

Robert Eggers doesn’t have many films under his belt, but he already has a bit of a cult following for his bizarre movies. Films like The Witch (2015) and The Lighthouse (2019) are distinct by themselves. However, these movies certainly have a psychological aspect that might leave certain viewers scratching their heads. Taking a more traditional storytelling approach, The Northman (2022) still has elements that make it distinctly a Robert Eggers film. It leans heavily on a plot that’s familiar to most high school English students, however. While it’s certainly less thought-provoking than his previous works, it’s perhaps what makes The Northman the most approachable of his filmography.

Disguised behind the Norse setting, The Northman is basically Hamlet. Most of the story beats are similar to the Shakespearean play. That is, except that the duel between a man and his usurping and murdering uncle was much more epic in this movie. Considering the timeless nature of the Bard’s works, it’s not unusual to see them adapted with different cultural trappings like this. Heck, I consider one of the best adaptations of Macbeth to be the samurai film, Throne of Blood (1957). Eggers’ approach of using Vikings to tell this tale has the same effect while also allowing for some creative freedom.

As always, there is a psychological aspect to Eggers’ films. The Northman doesn’t dive too deep into this realm (like The Lighthouse did). Still, these strange sequences should be expected. Partly because the overarching plot is so familiar, it’s difficult to find anything deeper in this film that would leave room for discussion or debate. If you have seen none of his films, I’d suggest starting here to get a sense of whether you want to dive deeper into horror with Eggers’ back catalog.

A Norse Hamlet that’s Eggers’ most approachable film yet, I give The Northman 4.0 stars out of 5.

Golden Son
Year: 2015
Author: Pierce Brown
Length: 1,143 minutes / 19.05 hours

After reading this book (or more accurately, listening to it), I’m on the edge of whether I’ll continue this series. I thought Red Rising was OK for what seemed like a Hunger Games rip-off. Perhaps my problem with this one was trying to listen to it while caring for an infant. Or it was that it’s been three years since I read the last book. Maybe the genre (or what’s become of it) really doesn’t appeal to me. At any rate, I had trouble engaging with this book at all.

It didn’t help that I only vaguely remembered the main character and what his goal was. This sequel didn’t seem to have any of the recurring characters from the previous book, or at least it didn’t pull from that cast of characters very much. I understood the need for a revolution against the higher classes via infiltration, but the motivation of the main character still felt hollow. Especially now that he was among the elite, I found myself not caring about anything that was happening. It was as if he knew he was going to win no matter what, so why even bother rooting for him?

The plot itself felt convoluted, and I caught myself frequently wondering what had actually happened. A few scenes stood out to me, but they seemed to omit the larger context of what made them significant. I still question why this series is so heavily into Roman mythology and aesthetic when its sci-fi roots are clearly trying to take control at every turn. That may actually hit at my core problem with this series: it doesn’t even know what it’s trying to be.

Confusing, boring, and unengaging, I give Golden Son 2.5 stars out of 5.

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John Wick: Chapter 4
Year: 2023
Rating: R
Length: 169 minutes / 2.17 hours

One thing I can appreciate with a franchise like John Wick is how it knew when and how to end. Some franchises seem to think that they have something significant to add even if the ninth entry in their long-running universe was the same plot as the previous eight. And while I had lost some of my faith in the John Wick franchise as it became more ridiculous with each iteration, perhaps my low standards made this last entry in the franchise that much better. John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) was a fitting and classy end to a set of movies that re-defined the action genre.

I loved the simplicity and steady, fast-paced choreography of John Wick (2014), but the world-building in John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) and John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) started adding too many things that complicated the base elements of what made the first movie work. John Wick: Chapter 4 successfully wrapped up a lot of these loose ends created in expanding the franchise’s universe in a way that was super classy and satisfying. Sure, this movie was perhaps a little long and could have deleted a location or two, but it was entertaining, to say the least.

Of course, there is still quite a bit of suspension of disbelief in this movie. Fighting in a club where the members don’t react to the violence around them. Oblivious French drivers who don’t care that there’s active gunfire near a famous monument. A staircase that seems endless but also is just long enough to give the protagonist time to get where they need to go. I’m able to overlook a lot of these things because of the fantastic choreography and cinematography (like the top-down perspective). It’s a little sad we won’t see more of this kind of movie instead of the previous two, but it’s worth it for a conclusive ending.

A much-improved franchise-ending entry for John Wick, I give John Wick: Chapter 4 4.0 stars out of 5.

Haven Park
Year: 2021
Rating: E
Time Played: 281 minutes / 4.68 hours

When I started playing video games with my 3-year-old daughter, I purposely tried to find games that favored exploration. Then I could let her dictate where we would go and what we would do. And while the big empty world of Sable was a good start, I thought Haven Park was cute enough and open-ended enough to fit the Animal Crossing niche. And this way I wouldn’t have to restart my Animal Crossing island either. Even if it was a little short, Haven Park gave me some quality time with my daughter.

With a story that’s closer to A Short Hike, Haven Park allows you to build up campsites based scattered around an island. You get to choose what to put in each site, at which point campers will arrive and demand other amenities. It was difficult to keep track of all the different sites, but repairing the broken bridges, fences, and lamps was also an engaging game mechanic. The clean graphics had a simplicity that evoked a tilt-shift style similar to the Link’s Awakening remake. Even with a toddler dictating how we played, there still wasn’t much more than about four hours of gameplay here.

While we finished a fair amount of the game’s achievements, I found portions of this game frustrating. First, the map could have been much better. I spent more time trying to figure out where we were on the island using the marginally useful map than actually playing the game. There’s also a bit of a curve for building materials. It left me without necessary crafting items for the limited camp decorations through a good chunk of the game. Near the end, I had too much of everything. Despite receiving the “fast travel” option at the end of the game, it isn’t as fast as it could be and it didn’t help to motivate us to finish the rest of the achievements.

A cute camp management game similar to Animal Crossing and A Short Hike, I give Haven Park 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Year: 2022
Rating: PG-13
Length: 139 minutes / 2.31 hours

Hollywood has woefully underutilized the mystery genre for some time. It probably doesn’t help that there aren’t a lot of mysteries being written that have been adapted to the big screen. The two modern examples that come to mind are Gone Girl (2014) and The Girl on the Train (2016) but they’re darker than the classic mysteries by Agatha Christie. That Hollywood is still releasing movies based on Christie’s works (like Murder on the Orient Express (2017)) or Christie-adjacent works (like See How They Run (2022)) shows there’s a desire for ensemble-based mysteries. Glass Onion (2022) is the breath of fresh air in this somewhat stagnant genre.

I’m glad that Knives Out (2019) did well enough to warrant a sequel with Daniel Craig’s fantastic character, Benoit Blanc. Glass Onion takes that same humor and applies it in a biting satire against the hyper-wealthy and “influencer” types that all need to be taken down a peg anyway. Of course, this is in alignment with other satires of the ultra-rich that also came out this year: The Menu (2022) and Triangle of Sadness (2022). Fortunately, all three movies are fantastic and I enjoyed every one of them for the social commentary they provide.

As far as mysteries go, Glass Onion does a fantastic job of providing a setup and a midpoint twist that changes the whole perspective of the entire film. It still has the necessary trappings of these kinds of mysteries, with the “someone on this island is the murderer” locked room setup. However, the execution of these genre tropes was quite entertaining. I hope these Benoit Blanc mysteries keep coming because they are now a “must-watch” in my book. Rian Johnson certainly has a goldmine here.

A comedic mystery poking fun at rich influencers, I give Glass Onion 4.0 stars out of 5.

Snowpiercer – The Prequel Part 2: Apocalypse
Year: 2020
Author: Matz & Jean-Marc Rochette
Length: 104 pages

After the somewhat disappointing Part 1 prequel to Snowpiercer, Part 2 was only slightly better. While the previous book in this prequel series was fairly generic with its apocalyptic scenarios, the Apocalypse portion of this trilogy gave personality to the story. Now that there are characters the reader is following, it’s easier to relate to the plight of humanity. This still doesn’t negate the fact that I know how things will eventually end up since I’ve already seen the Snowpiercer (2013) movie.

What makes this volume more interesting than its predecessor is that we get to see how humanity would really act in an Apocalypse situation. Once the end of the world finally comes, all bets are off. For the “doomsday cult,” their plan hinges on unhinged individuals. For the Snowpiercer project, it’s not so easy to control tickets when everyone wants to board. And for humanity, we see exactly what lengths people will go to for survival—even if they might not be considered the best our species has to offer. So, you know, business as usual for an Apocalypse.

While I’m getting more used to the art style for this series, the one thing still nagging me in the back of my head is the Snowpiercer project. Even knowing that the world is ending via a climate catastrophe, the fact that the train was just ready to go precisely when everything went wrong seems unbelievable. Sure, I get the parallels to the Biblical story of Noah’s Ark. However, the convenience of being prepared at the exact right time instead of well before or (more likely) shortly after the Apocalypse starts seems highly suspect.

A slight improvement on Part 1 with some still unanswered questions, I give Snowpiercer – The Prequel Part 2: Apocalypse 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Triangle of Sadness
Year: 2022
Rating: R
Length: 147 minutes / 2.45 hours

It speaks to the state of current society when 2022 churned out not one, but three films that focus on the absurdity of the rich. While The Menu (2022) focused on the “foodie” culture that surrounds so many wealthy individuals, Glass Onion (2022) highlighted those “influencers” who try to disrupt industries. The one film I feel best captured the satire of the ultra-wealthy was definitely Triangle of Sadness (2022). The humor was the darkest of all three, but it went further than the other two in exposing the uselessness of the rich.

The first act sets up all the ridiculous things that rich people do. From absurd reasons to dump a romantic interest to how little money they actually have on hand, the audience gets a glimpse into their absurd world of opulence. Once the yacht enters the picture in the second act, we see all the different varieties of rich and how they almost have their own language. Then the tables turn. Wealth cannot control the weather or a person’s bodily functions. By the third act, the roles have been reversed and the invisible working-level people prove they have much more worth when money is not involved.

Without the third act, Triangle of Sadness merely highlights the disconnected world of the rich. By flipping the situation around, this film shows that the wealthy have no inherent value or anything to contribute to society. Once the currency shifts from dollars to donuts, useful skills become much more valuable. And for those who are merely trying to survive in a neoliberal society, they must adapt and learn all the skills that the rich have offloaded to those they consider “beneath them.” This is the brilliance of Triangle of Sadness.

Highlighting the uselessness of the rich, I give Triangle of Sadness 5.0 stars out of 5.

Sable
Year: 2021
Rating: E
Time Played: 1,092 minutes / 18.20 hours

Every once in a while, I’ll get a game for free via Epic Games that makes me want to jump right in and play it. Despite having hundreds of other games I’ve claimed for free in my library, I loaded up Sable and started exploring. I’m still trying to fill the “climb things, then jump off and glide” game mechanic that I enjoyed in Breath of the Wild that Genshin Impact partially met. The adventure aspect of Sable appealed to me, but the art style made me want to download it and play through it immediately.

The cel-shaded style of this game is something I hadn’t seen in other games before. Honestly, it’s the game’s greatest appeal. The scenery feels hollow and desolate, which matches the sci-fi sandy crash of a group of colonizing spaceships. And while there’s not a ton of lore to speak of, there are definitely a lot of interesting places to explore. They felt a bit samey by the end of the game, but at least there was enough variety to get me to the end credits. And I also appreciated that there weren’t a ton of things to collect or do so I could move on to the next game.

Graphically, I think the stylistic choices of Sable cover up some of its weaknesses. Even with a simplified design, there were many times when the stuttering frame rate was noticeable. Clipping was prevalent throughout a lot of the game, but it didn’t affect the gameplay too much. The emptiness felt appropriate for this game, but it also made traversing a bit of a chore. I also could have used some way to move time faster when needed for a few of the puzzles. Still Sable’s lack of enemies or harm to the player character made for an enjoyable time with my 3-year-old daughter.

A game with a unique visual style that leans into how empty it is, I give Sable 4.0 stars out of 5.

Women Talking
Year: 2022
Rating: PG-13
Length: 104 minutes / 1.73 hours

Some conversations are difficult. Things that people in power want to be covered up are often the conversations that need to happen the most. And while revealing these topics to the public is a great way to raise awareness, sometimes the most impactful way to effect change is to band together. A unified front against an egregious sin does more than merely asking those in power to stop. Women Talking (2022) takes on the heavy topic of sexual assault and makes it a not-so-simple conversation about what to do in a helpless situation.

While I feel She Said (2022) received more visibility, the heaviness of the circumstances of these Mennonite women hit significantly harder. Granted, neither film really captured the tension the way Spotlight (2015) did. It’s great that movies like this are coming out, despite being heavy topics that require introspection into the systems that enable them. Heck, even Promising Young Woman (2020) poked at all the excuses those in power used to justify continuing this abuse. What gives Women Talking a distinct edge on the same topic is their utter helplessness. If they leave this abusive colony, they don’t have the skills to survive in the modern world.

Even if this movie was quite proficient in its acting and handling of a sensitive topic, my only qualms come from frustration. Frustration about how they still need a man to make their conversation happen. Frustration that a society allegedly based on Christian values lets this collective rape continue to happen. And finally, frustration for these women who are so powerless that they develop Stockholm Syndrome. This is not a fun movie. It might even be a little boring. However, it’s an important conversation as we continue to break down these wicked systems.

A conversation that’s equally tough and frustrating, I give Women Talking 4.0 stars out of 5.

Snowpiercer – The Prequel Part 1: Extinction
Year: 2019
Author: Matz & Jean-Marc Rochette
Length: 90 pages

One of the best original sci-fi movies to come out in the last decade, in my opinion, was Snowpiercer (2013). The story originated as a 1982 French graphic novel under the name of Le Transperceneige. While I haven’t read the original source material, I decided that a prequel graphic novel was probably pretty safe to read. I figured the events leading up to the world ending and a perpetual train being launched wouldn’t spoil anything for me (I also haven’t seen the TV show either).

While it’s only a scant 90 pages, part 1 of this prequel trilogy, Extinction, had nothing I didn’t already know in it. Most of the plotlines in this book were fairly generic end-of-the-world-type stories. Each one obviously would lead to the last of humanity boarding this infinitely running train, which was no surprise. It probably didn’t help that there weren’t that many distinct characters to latch onto in this book to make it more relatable. I understand that it’s laying the groundwork for the next two books, but it almost felt that this part of the prequel series was unnecessary.

Perhaps I’m more inclined to cleaner art in graphic novels I like to read. This book had a rough, almost sketch-like style I found to be unpolished. Maybe that was the feeling the illustrator was going for, but some scenes were hard to parse visually because of how dark and thick the lines were. Granted, I still want to go back and read the original graphic novel to see if the style fits better for the actual post-apocalyptic story. However, for this “real world” setting, the art style feels too heavy even for a pre-apocalypse story.

A somewhat unnecessary story with a heavy visual style, I give Snowpiercer – The Prequel Part 1: Extinction 3.0 stars out of 5.

Tár
Year: 2022
Rating: R
Length: 158 minutes / 2.63 hours

I hate to say that Tár (2022) is what’s wrong with Oscar nominees, but it’s really what’s wrong with Oscar nominees. I had only seen a trailer for this movie once and it was a vague two minutes of Cate Blanchett blowing smoke, followed by her briefly conducting an orchestra. There was nothing to indicate to me what this movie was about. Then it was released on the coasts, never making it to the Colorado Springs cinemas until it was nominated for Best Picture and I was given the chance to watch it.

Tár is weird. It’s psychological and unapologetic about never explaining itself. I get that it’s intended as an almost “out of body” experience following the titular character around. The “artsy” aspects of Tár’s clearly untreated mental illness left me scratching my head more often than not. Still, I enjoy classical music and attending the Philharmonic, so it was interesting to see what goes on behind the scenes for a conductor. Even if the conductor is an entirely unlikable character. It takes a little while to figure out exactly how much she’s unlikable, but the results are clearly there.

Despite its obvious Oscar-bait qualities, Tár is an interesting examination of cancel culture. There are moments where the bubble of Tár’s inflated ego is prodded with the consequences of her actions. It’s subtle at first, but that she remains so oblivious to the overwhelming sentiment against her is partly what makes this an interesting film to watch. It’s almost amusing how oblivious she remains to the things happening outside of her that she’s basically blindsided by the results at the end. Maybe its the schadenfreude of having a successful individual face the consequences of their narcissism that redeems this movie.

A “weird” psychological examination of a narcissist being canceled, I give Tár 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Portal 2
Year: 2011
Rating: E10+
Time Played: 8.5 hours

While Portal felt like an innovative leap in gameplay, its bare-bones test chambers left a little to be desired for the variety of puzzles. Fortunately, four years after the release of Portal, Valve released the masterpiece that is Portal 2. Everything about the original game was taken into consideration and improved significantly. The environment was chock-full of lore, the gameplay added interesting mechanics with the addition of the gels, and the characters were funnier than ever. Even playing through this game over a decade after my first time still felt fresh and entertaining.

Exploring the different areas of Aperture Laboratories (in various levels of decay) brought a much-needed ambiance to the series that was merely enhanced by the narrations of Cave Johnson (J.K. Simmons). That the game acts as a sort of prequel and sequel to the original merely emphasizes how well-considered its story is and how much lore can be crammed into a physics-based puzzle platformer. And with more than one character able to talk in this game, the dialogue between them—or their commentary about what was said—is even funnier than the original.

Playing with the various mechanics in this game is the most fun I’ve ever had in a first-person POV game. The “aha moments” when a puzzle just clicked were frequent enough to keep me playing. That I use this game as a gold standard against which all other physics-based puzzle platformers are compared says something about the quality of this game’s puzzles (unlike the somewhat cheap knockoff, Q.U.B.E. 2). With new mechanics added at regular intervals with settings to match, this game was just the right amount of everything. Even if you haven’t played the original Portal, this game is a must-play for everyone.

A significant improvement on an already well-done gameplay concept, I give Portal 2 5.0 stars out of 5.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Year: 2023
Rating: PG-13
Length: 124 minutes / 2.06 hours

I’m not sure how much more of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) I can take. After a lackluster Phase 4, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) is what they chose to kick off Phase 5? Don’t get me wrong, I truly enjoyed the first Ant-Man (2015). However, this was because I saw it more as a comedy heist film than as an action-packed superhero film. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) initially indicated this shift for me, but now Quantumania has cemented the averageness of Marvel movies in my mind.

The part that hurts most is that they could have leaned more into the comedy. They tried with M.O.D.O.K. (who had a fantastic comedy spin-off TV show before being in the MCU) but most of those jokes were childish at best. I have to give them props for making this bizarre character make sense in the greater scheme of MCU continuity. However, even Paul Rudd’s expertly comedic delivery of his lines was few and far between and not enough to save this movie from being the same as all the rest. Even just including Luis (Michael Peña) would have helped a lot.

The fact of the matter is that I’m tired of these movies. The more they have to lean into creating fantastic worlds through extensive CGI, the less I want to see them. I know there are tons of unique universes to explore in the MCU, but nothing seems to set them apart from each other. Sure, this one is “small” but it’s so far down in the small as to be indistinguishable from an alien planet in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). I might give the MCU one more shot in theaters for the final Guardians film, but for everything else I’m just going to wait for it to show up on Disney+.

A weak start to MCU Phase 5 with another “samey” Marvel movie, I give Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania 2.5 stars out of 5.

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Virtual Boy Works
Year: 2021
Author: Jeremy Parish
Length: 176 pages

A few years ago, I found myself down a YouTube rabbit hole and stumbled across Jeremy Parish’s “Works” series of videos detailing the history of video games. Specifically, he was making videos that chronologically documented the games released for the Nintendo Entertainment System,  Game Boy, Super NES, and Sega Genesis. One system that I was able to watch all the way through was his series on the Virtual Boy, Nintendo’s oft-maligned 32-bit console. This book is a written-down version of the scripts from that series.

While I enjoyed the bite-size chapters on each of the 22 games for the system, the few additional chapters on fan games were a nice addition that wasn’t part of the YouTube series. The book also included a pair of blue/red 3D glasses so readers could catch a glimpse of what these games might have been like (it works OK, but it’s no Virtual Boy emulation on a VR headset). Also having some background on the technology between chapters that talked about the games was a nice respite and made me realize how innovative this failed console was for its time.

For what it’s worth, Virtual Boy Works (the book) really just is a printed-out version of the scripts that went into the YouTube videos. Unfortunately, this also meant the formatting wasn’t the greatest for this full-color book. I understand the Virtual Boy aesthetic was very much about red and black, but printing an entire book with this color scheme made it a little hard to read—which was ironic given the Virtual Boy’s notorious eye strain issues. The formatting of the text also didn’t feel quite polished despite the high-quality photos of the games that were included in each chapter. Still, it’s a nice book to have with my video game collection even if I don’t actually own anything from the Virtual Boy.

A nice collection of YouTube scripts about one of gaming’s most spectacular failures, I give Virtual Boy Works 3.5 stars out of 5.

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All Quiet on the Western Front
Year: 2022
Rating: R
Length: 148 minutes / 2.46 hours

There has been a trend in recent years of remaking films that had previously been nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture. Movies like A Star is Born (2018) didn’t win the highest prize in previous years like West Side Story (2021) did in 1961. The latest in these remakes is All Quiet on the Western Front (2022), a German-language film based on the 1929 book of the same name that had a Best Picture-winning adaptation in 1930. And while visually beautiful, I think this new version misses parts of what made the 1930 version stand out.

I’ll admit that I haven’t read the book these movies were adapting. However, there was a powerful message that the 1930 version conveyed that was missing in this newer version. Both successfully showed that war is hell and completely pointless for those fighting on the front lines. And while the 2022 adaptation made the horrors of World War I trench warfare much more cinematic, there wasn’t that much character growth for the main character. Sure, he becomes jaded from the experiences he endured. However, he then could not pass these lessons on to the young boys who were so blinded by propaganda as he was when he joined.

Perhaps this is my main qualm with the 2022 version: emphasizing the pointlessness of war. While I agree with this statement, the approach was heavy-handed. Through expertly shot scenes and an ominous, earworm-worthy three-tone sound, it gave the audience a front-row seat to all that’s wrong with war. But this analysis hasn’t changed in the almost 100 years since the original adaptation won Best Picture. What makes this observation more meaningful is when the characters push back against the pointlessness. When they help others break the cycle of propaganda to reveal the true cost of war.

A visually stunning but somewhat hollow adaptation from a century ago, I give All Quiet on the Western Front 3.0 stars out of 5.

Portal
Year: 2007
Rating: T
Time Played: 3 hours

When it comes to video game mechanics, it feels like most of the foundational concepts were born in the early years and merely perfected over time. The endless puzzle possibilities of Tetris. The platforming of Super Mario Bros. The first-person-shooter perspective of Doom. It still amazes me that a game made in 2007 could combine these foundational elements of video games into something truly original. Portal is more than its gameplay, though, which is part of what makes its story so iconic—enough to be part of some of the earliest memes.

While the length of this game makes it feel more like a tech demo, the gradual reveal of the game’s story adds some heft to its impact. As the player slowly uncovers the reality of their situation and the insanity of the expertly written GLaDOS, the portal mechanics become less about solving puzzles and more about trying to survive. That the one-sided banter of the homicidal AI is as funny as it is helps to make this game less dark than it could have been. Just the comedy alone makes this game worth playing.

My first play-through of this game was over a decade ago, so I gave the recent “with RTX” version a try. The 2007 graphics weren’t the greatest, but the RTX upgrade makes the game look better. Granted, it’s still not a 100% perfect game even with the graphical improvements. A few of the earlier puzzles require a bit of a sharp learning curve to solve, even for someone who has played through them once before and knew the solution. Fortunately, for those gamers much better at this type of game, there are now levels with increased difficulty for those masochists. Overall, though, Portal is a foundational video game in many regards and should be played at least once.

Innovative gameplay with hilariously written monologues, I give Portal 4.0 stars out of 5.

M3GAN
Year: 2023
Rating: PG-13
Length: 102 minutes / 1.70 hours

I’m not usually one to watch “horror” films, so I was going to pass on M3GAN (2023) until a friend requested to see it together. By genre standards, this PG-13 cross between Child’s Play (1988) and The Terminator (1984) was light on blood and gore that could have bumped it up to an R rating if they showed more of it. Perhaps this was intentional to emphasize the horrors of Artificial Intelligence (AI) overall. Because we all know unchecked machine learning algorithms will always lean toward some kind of murder.

I think if you go into this movie understanding that it’ll be goofy, then you can munch on your popcorn as it hits all the standard tropes. It’s not quite funny enough to be part comedy, but there are some chuckle-worthy scenes sprinkled throughout. From a sci-fi perspective, though, any robotics or AI rules that you’d usually see in these scenarios were mysteriously absent. No offhand reference to Asimov’s Laws, no cheeky nod to 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). That we’ve had cautionary tales about robots and AI since the 1950s just shows that this concept of villainous AI/robots isn’t that new.

And maybe that’s my main qualm with this film: AI being used as a buzzword to rehash old concepts. With advances in ChatGPT, deep fakes, and Boston Dynamics robots, we’re seeing the rapid advancement of these traditional sci-fi concepts in real time. M3GAN has merely taken these trendy topics and put them in a formulaic plot. Does it also poke fun at corporate tech practices that prioritize profits over safety? Sure, but it adds nothing to the current commentary of the current capitalist environment in which we live. In the end, I think M3GAN was trying to say something important, but ended up just being a fun popcorn flick.

A buzzword filled light horror movie that’s good for a few chuckles, I give M3GAN 3.0 stars out of 5.

What If? 2
Year: 2022
Author: Randall Munroe
Length: 354 pages

As a fan of XKCD, I’ve loved the What If? spinoff series despite how irregularly Randall has updated it. Considering there have only been five new posts in the last five years, and they were all in the months leading up to the release of this book, I needed a good dose of What If? Partly because it had been so long since I had read any What If? posts, all the chapters in this book felt fresh and hilarious. Now that I read through it, I’m sad that I’ll have to wait another eight years for a third book in the series.

Randall always has a down-to-earth style of describing incredibly complicated scientific concepts. This means What If? 2 is quite educational once you get past the ridiculous premises that readers have sent in. It’s also nice how each chapter is easily readable in a few minutes so that I could just pick it up and get a good laugh before moving on to something else. After all, this book is straight-up funny. This should come as no surprise—again—given the absurd questions readers asked Randall.

It felt like this book had more new content than the previous book in the series. This might not be true, but it felt that way because I hadn’t read any of the posts that made it into this book in several years. This was my main qualm with the first book: that it was just a printed-out part of the internet. In this sequel, there weren’t just new questions answered but also quick little sections that covered easily answerable questions (as compared to its predecessor’s highlights of disturbing questions with no answers). Overall, I found it to be a fun read and I’m counting the days until What If? 3 comes out.

Hilarious and scientifically accurate answers to oddball questions, I give What If? 2 4.5 stars out of 5.

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NOPE
Year: 2022
Rating: R
Length: 130 minutes / 2.17 hours

I don’t know why I’m so skeptical of watching Jordan Peele’s horror films. Once I got around to seeing Get Out (2017), it blew me away with how strong its premise challenged normal horror tropes. And while I haven’t seen Us (2019) yet, I didn’t need nearly as much convincing to give NOPE (2022) a try. I feel alien-themed horror is a bit of a niche genre with sci-fi entries like Alien (1979) being more prevalent than Earth-centric invasion movies like Signs (2002). NOPE (which can be interpreted as an acronym for “Not Of Planet Earth”) definitely falls into the latter category.

Overall, I appreciated the slow build-up to the alien reveal. Leaving hints about the cause of various strange events was a great way to add suspense until we finally got to see the alien in question. The alien itself was also a fantastic deviation from the standard “little green men” that usually occupy these kinds of films—truly an “alien” being on display here. This also made the motivation of the characters to capture this creature on film as incredibly realistic as it was completely relatable.

My only qualm with NOPE is that it felt it needed to hammer home the point that animals (aliens included) are inherently violent beings. The bits with the murderous monkey snapping felt quite uncomfortable and out of place, and I think it would have been a stronger film without them. Sure, it tied into the rodeo run by Steven Yeun’s character, but maybe there could have been a subtler way to show how animals will react violently when cornered. After all, most animals have a fight-or-flight response and have to resort to attacking when there’s no chance of escape.

A superb alien horror film by Jordan Peele, I give NOPE 4.0 stars out of 5.

Baseball
Year: 1985
Rating: E
Time Played: 30 minutes / 0.5 hours

Recently, I’ve been filling out my collection of NES games and added the classic Baseball for a few bucks from a used game shop. I hadn’t actually played this specific game growing up, having instead experienced the Baseball game Nintendo released for the Game Boy. Having a free evening one night, I got the cartridge cleaned up and running on my NES so I could play a round. While not considered one of the “standards” of the system, Baseball still shows the quality content Nintendo released with their first home console. Even with the limited graphical quality of the NES, Baseball uses what it needs to convey the game simply and efficiently.

I’m sure Baseball plays differently in 2-player mode against another human, but the brief nine innings I experienced against the AI were enjoyable. Never did I feel the computer player was unfair in its fielding or batting. Similarly, I enjoyed the amount of freedom I could exhibit in fielding and pitching—the latter of which had quite a few pitch options to choose from. Perhaps my previous experience playing on the Game Boy allowed me to understand the controls right off the bat (har har), but the buttons seemed intuitive to control both sides of the game.

What Baseball is potentially missing in its brevity is the pull to continue playing after finishing a nine-inning round. If I had lost, I might have considered a rematch to see if I could beat the computer. As it was, there wasn’t much to incentivize me to play again once I got through a single game. Perhaps if there was a tournament mode, I would have played for a few hours instead of the brief 30 minutes it took to get through all nine innings.

A great pick-up-and-play classic from Nintendo’s early days, I give Baseball 4.0 stars out of 5.

Cars 2
Year: 2011
Rating: G
Length: 106 minutes / 1.35 hours

If anyone asks me for my unpopular movie opinion, they’re likely going to hear that I think Cars 2 (2011) is the best entry in the Cars trilogy. While it still doesn’t hold a candle to the superior works that Pixar released before it, Cars 2 took a risk by adapting the spy genre to its kid-friendly films. I was never much of a fan of NASCAR-style racing, so pushing these characters into worldwide Grand Prix races felt much more exciting to me. Still, I can see why some didn’t like this pivot.

As with most of the Cars movies, I never cared much for Mater (Larry the Cable Guy). The forced comedic relief always felt like it was based on how cringe-worthy they could make the character. Unfortunately, Mater had a much larger role in this movie, which only marginally worked because of how it felt like The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997). Despite this, there were a lot of new characters in this film that felt well-rounded and meant for the “adult jokes” the kids wouldn’t quite get (for example, Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) being the car James Bond normally drives).

Plot-wise, Cars 2 has a lot going for it. After only having raced in NASCAR races, Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) had to contend with other racers who could easily outpace him, thus providing room for some character growth. Contrasted with all this, we have the “spy” plot that introduces the concept of lemons into the Cars universe. Expanding the idea of sentient cars outside the small town setting of Cars (2006) made the franchise feel more grounded in its extrapolation of the concept. After all, cars aren’t exclusively an American thing, despite what our car-centric infrastructure might have you believe.

Building up the Cars lore while riffing on the spy genre, I give Cars 2 4.0 stars out of 5.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrels Just Want to Have Fun
Year: 2021
Author: Ryan North
Length: 224 pages

After reading the second collection of The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, I was a little worried that this third collection would be more of the same. Comedic situations involving a variety of Marvel heroes and villains punctuated by some silly squirrel-based shenanigans. And while The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrels Just Want to Have Fun has these things, there was also a fair amount of character growth for the titular superhero.

I appreciated that this volume included some of the lore surrounding Squirrel Girl, especially since we’ve only seen her in modern settings in most of these issues. Knowing what it was like growing up as Squirrel Girl helped ground the character a little more and make her relatable. The arc where she teamed up with Ant-Man was also entertaining because of the change of scenery (everything is in New York, give Canada a chance!). Still, these comics were a bit “samey” to the rest of the ones in the previous two volumes.

What really struck me in this collection was the “flying squirrel” arc. Being unbeatable can become a bore after a while, so giving an antagonist that was clever enough to push Squirrel Girl to grow as a hero was a refreshing change. Perhaps my exposure to shonen-type mangas where the characters power up and grow stronger in each arc is what drew me to this story. Because while having the powers of and over squirrels is a neat trick, being able to fly is a significant upgrade to this superhero’s arsenal of abilities. Plus, flying squirrels are inherently cool creatures anyway.

More Squirrel Girl adventures with good character growth added in, I give The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrels Just Want to Have Fun 4.5 stars out of 5.

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The Banshees of Inisherin
Year: 2022
Rating: R
Length: 114 minutes / 1.90 hours

After the masterpiece that was Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), I was ready for the next film from Martin McDonagh. I appreciated the dark sense of humor he had in Seven Psychopaths (2012) and I understood his bizarre fascination with “boring” from In Bruges (2008), but for some reason, The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) didn’t quite hit for me. It’s likely because the premise is a metaphor for something I don’t entirely understand. On a second watch, I did laugh at the jokes more and I always thought the setting was pretty, but it still didn’t click.

Going in without completely understanding what this movie was about, it immediately struck me how stupid the prime conflict is. It felt like Colm (Brendan Gleeson) took far too long to admit why he didn’t want to be friends with Pádraic (Colin Ferrell) anymore, and his reason was quite stupid. I can’t stand the “conflict because the characters don’t communicate” trope, which was only compounded by his reason being that Pádraic was boring. That he “cut off his nose to spite his face” to get his point across just felt insane.

Now, after watching this movie for the first time, others informed me that this was a metaphor for the Irish civil war. Having little to no knowledge of Irish history, I would think that the whole conflict was stupid if it was based on the conflict between Colm and Pádraic. Of course, maybe that’s the point. War is stupid, but instead of just showing the ugly side of this stupidity like in All Quiet on the Western Front (1930 or 2022), it pokes at the irrational nature of the conflict. Still, for McDonagh’s first foray into the historical genre, Banshees retains his humor and penchant for shocking violence.

A metaphor via Irishmen who can’t properly communicate with each other, I give The Banshees of Inisherin 3.0 stars out of 5.

LEGO Builder’s Journey
Year: 2021
Rating: E
Time Played: 133 minutes / 2.22 hours

I’ve played a lot of LEGO games over the years, but none of them quite matched the experience I had when playing through LEGO Builder’s Journey. Early LEGO video games hit a lot of different genres until they settled into the “action adaptation” model that most LEGO games occupied in the early 2000s. Builder’s Journey felt both classic and new in its minimalist puzzle platformer format. It’s only a shame there weren’t more levels to explore, but at least it told a tight story in the few hours it takes to get through it.

Each level of Builder’s Journey conveys a small piece of an overarching narrative that’s communicated without a single word. This kind of storytelling is impressive in its own right, but even more so considering LEGO didn’t lean on the expressiveness of their iconic minifigs. Instead, the characters are made of simple bricks that hop around the bonsai-like models, requiring the player to get them from Point A to Point B in each level. It’s a charming experience and astonishing how expressive these characters can be with their limited movements.

While it only took me a few hours to play through all the levels in this game, the difficulty on a few of the later levels seemed artificially high due to how poorly lit they were. Most solutions were obvious from the get-go, but there were a handful of these puzzles that took a few dozen tries to get right. This weird difficulty spike—while fitting the narrative quite well—felt out of place in an otherwise simple game that even kids could enjoy. Regardless of these few flaws, Builder’s Journey was a refreshing LEGO game after years of “same old, same old.”

A quaint LEGO-based isometric puzzle platformer, I give LEGO Builder’s Journey 4.5 stars out of 5.

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Avatar: The Way of Water
Year: 2022
Rating: PG-13
Length: 192 minutes / 3.20 hours

It’s weird to me to see so many “science fiction” fans bash the Avatar franchise and then in the next breath complain that there aren’t any new intellectual properties in the genre. Considering how recently these movies came out when compared to franchises like Star Wars, the Avatar films are the new intellectual properties in the genre. That there seems to be an overarching plan for the franchise gives me hope that James Cameron knows what he’s doing. If Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) is any indication, he’s done his homework with its world-building.

I know people complain about the weak plot of these movies; but maybe with the state of the world, we need to reiterate stories about the harmful effects of colonialism and capitalism. As always, the visual spectacle of The Way of Water is on par with—if not significantly better than—Avatar (2009). A lot of what you see on the big screen has been difficult to accomplish with CGI—until now, apparently. And sure, it’s a bit hard to tell all the different Na’vi apart at times, but it doesn’t detract from the experience.

What strikes me most about The Way of Water is the world-building that continues to bring the planet of Pandora to life. Things like an eclipse providing moments of darkness and distinctly different Na’vi based on their environment of upbringing are excellent examples of the depth of thought that went into creating this sci-fi universe. And while this movie falls into the conundrum of being a sequel that requires another sequel despite the first movie being a strong standalone entry, I’m interested to see where this franchise goes from here.

Another visually stunning sci-fi film that’s burdened with laying the groundwork for future entries, I give Avatar: The Way of Water 4.0 stars out of 5.

Hellboy: Weird Tales
Year: 2014
Author: Mike Mignola
Length: 261 pages

I have rarely read comics or graphic novels prior to seeing their movie adaptations, and Hellboy is no exception. I enjoyed the 2004 movie and its 2008 sequel but only just now picked up this anthology collection of Hellboy comics. It’s difficult to know where to start with any western comic series, so Hellboy: Weird Tales was actually a perfect injection point for me since nothing from these comics is necessarily canon. Instead, I was able to enjoy other artists’ take on this demon-fighting character’s adventures.

As with any anthology collection, not everything in Weird Tales is great. Still, there were a few comics that I enjoyed over the others. I appreciated the parody of comic books in the “Lobster Johnson” section and the manga-like “Hot” that also felt appropriate given the Japanese setting. The art style and punchline of “Haunted” were both entertaining. “Flight Risk” was bold and action-filled. “Family Story” and “The Dread Within” both had great twists. “Love is Scarier than Death” felt like it gave a side of Hellboy that might not be seen often.

Considering that the only thing that ties any of the stories together is that they share the Hellboy universe, there are some drastically different styles in this omnibus. If you’re reading this for more of the original artist’s work, you’d probably be better served looking elsewhere. Still, if you come in with an open mind, you might find some interesting storylines that are neatly wrapped up by the end of each of their respective comics. As bite-sized little pieces, I got to know some of these characters better and now I feel obligated to track down more of these collections from the canon since this collection has piqued my interest.

A good jumping-off point for getting into Hellboy, I give Hellboy: Weird Tales 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Spectre
Year: 2015
Rating: PG-13
Length: 148 minutes / 2.47 hours

After the practically perfect Skyfall (2012), my expectations for what a Bond film should be were considerably heightened. And while Spectre (2015) still contained some elements that made me enjoy Skyfall, it missed that small little “aha!” moment that brought everything together for me. Sure, Spectre was directed by Sam Mendes, brought back franchise-famous villain Blofeld (Christoph Waltz), and had characters with emotional connections to Bond (Daniel Craig) that spanned across movies in Craig’s tenure, but it lacked the spark to make it fully work. Perhaps it was just abiding by the idiom that lightning can’t strike twice.

That’s not to say that Spectre is a bad Bond movie, it just has a lot to compare against. The modern style and action that Craig’s Bond has are still better than some of the sillier entries in the long-running franchise. There’s a drag in the second act that probably could have been tightened up with less time in the Alps. The action doesn’t feel memorable either, which might just be because there’s so much of it—and so much of it feels repeated from previous Bond films. Chases involving cars and motorbikes are fairly common now, but at least the helicopter bits in the beginning felt new.

I appreciate that the thread of connections from all the way back in Casino Royale (2006) and Quantum of Solace (2008) is given more of a solid explanation and organization through the eponymous Spectre. That these films aren’t exclusively one-off movies with deus ex machina plots helps recommend Spectre in terms of the whole Craig set of Bond films. I’m glad that there was at least one more movie to wrap things up after this one, though.

An OK Bond film after a hard act to follow, I give Spectre 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Super Kirby Clash
Year: 2019
Rating: E
Time Played: 50.50 hours

As I have mentioned in other reviews, I have an amount of patience that allows me to play games that try to encourage the use of micro-transactions. These games usually have a currency used for upgrading and a timer to prevent continued play. Super Kirby Clash is Kirby’s version of this formula but with an online Player vs. Everyone (PVE) emphasis that sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t (as is to be expected with any online games—especially Nintendo’s). Still, I played through almost all of this game because it was fun.

I think this was another one of those games that comforted me during the height of the COVID pandemic. Quick little boss battles were just long enough to pass the time and just challenging enough to incentivize me to upgrade the equipment of my main battle class (mage, by the way). And while it took quite a long time to fully max out the best armors and weapons for the four battle classes, there were enough little goals that rewarded me along the way to keep me playing. Could I have reached this point a lot faster if I spent real money on this free-to-play game? Certainly, but I’m a miser.

And while there are definitely a lot of boss types pulled from the Kirby franchise in this game, there is a lot of repetition. It’s not even that these bosses are that different, but that they just have more health and deal more damage. This is fine if you’re battling with a team of level 100s that make quick work of the enemies. However, about half the time I experienced network issues, or I had to carry inexperienced players through a boss that I had played dozens of times before. Still, for a free game, it gave me a good 50 hours of entertainment.

A Kirby free-to-play game with lots of bosses and network issues, I give Super Kirby Clash 3.5 stars out of 5.

   1/2

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Year: 2022
Rating: PG
Length: 117 minutes / 1.95 hours

Disney has dominated the fairy tale adaptation for so long that it’s refreshing to see something like Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022) take a different approach to the story of Pinocchio instead of merely copying the 1940 version. Fittingly enough, using stop-motion for this movie was a great way to be creative as well as align with the whole “talking wooden puppet” motif. And while the time jump into World War II Italy obviously doesn’t make this a faithful adaptation of the original work, it’s at least grittier than the more colorful animated versions have come to represent.

I appreciate all the work that goes into stop-motion animated movies. I enjoyed Aardman’s Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) and Laika’s Kubo and the Two Strings (2016), so it’s nice to see other animation companies like ShadowMachine enter the feature-length movie realm with their work. That being said, the human characters felt a bit off in this, sometimes looking more like the puppets from Team America: World Police (2004) than characters distinctly different from the titular character who is supposed to be a puppet. Despite this, the animation itself is smooth and has Guillermo del Toro’s distinct visual style.

Story-wise, this version of Pinocchio has some interesting elements that take the idea of a living, sentient puppet to a few logical conclusions. The consideration of Pinocchio’s immortality (or at least tree-like longevity) was a plot point I wasn’t expecting, even if it worked quite well. And while I understand del Toro’s obsession with including fascists as villains in almost every movie he directs, it feels a bit tiring here (probably because of real-life fascists being in the news all the time). Still, in a year that saw three separate Pinocchio movies, Guillermo del Toro’s version definitely elevated itself above the rest.

A visually distinct and uniquely told stop-motion take on Pinocchio, I give Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio 4.0 stars out of 5.

Artificial Condition
Year: 2018
Author: Martha Wells
Length: 202 minutes / 3.36 hours

After being disappointed with the length of the first entry in the Murderbot Diaries series, I’m glad that I stuck with it and read the second book, Artificial Condition. While All Systems Red was necessary to introduce the concept of a sentient (and pacifist) murderbot, this book was much more interesting from a narrative perspective. At this point, I’m used to the short length of these stories, but after reading this book now I have to know how the rest of the series plays out.

The titular murderbot in this book felt much more fleshed out (ha ha) as a character. Having moved past the phase where it recognizes that its sentience is an anomaly, the challenge of fitting into society as a murderbot or as a human as the circumstances warranted was much more enthralling. The interactions with other AI like ART were much more entertaining than merely hearing about how the murderbot liked to binge TV shows. Perhaps the fact that much of the exposition covered in the first book is now out of the way, I felt this book didn’t feel as much like an info dump.

Now that the murderbot is on its own, the goal of learning about its past is something that is not only interesting to read but provides a lot of opportunities for great action sequences. The author expertly puts the main character in situations where it has to use its AI advantages to make life-saving decisions despite the core code of its being originally designed to kill humans. The amount of character growth from the first book to the end of this one is definitely what will bring me back to finish out this series.

An improvement from the first book in the Murderbot novella series, I give Artificial Condition 4.5 stars out of 5.

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Babylon
Year: 2022
Rating: R
Length: 189 minutes / 3.15 hours

If there’s one thing in common with Damien Chazelle’s films, it’s how they center on the sacrifices people endure to pursue their dreams. Whiplash (2014) focused on the physical limits someone might endure to become a successful drummer. La La Land (2016) highlighted how relationships and careers might need to take a second seat to pursuing a dream. First Man (2018) showed how a family might suffer to pursue something greater. Following this trend, Babylon (2022) gives light to the inability of some who have attained their dream—sometimes at great personal cost—to keep it in an ever-changing world.

I can succinctly state the problem with Babylon as “I didn’t need to see that.” Clocking in at over three hours long, there were plenty of storylines that could have been cut. For instance, we’ve already seen Brad Pitt’s story of a famed silent film star struggling to find relevance in the talkies through the Best Picture, The Artist (2011). In fact, the whole of Babylon comes off as a gritty remake of Singin’ in the Rain (1952). Additionally, within the first five minutes, there’s elephant defecation and a woman urinating on a man—and this is well before Margot Robbie has projectile vomiting later in the film.

It’s tragic that Babylon could have been better. There are significant moments that worked really well and highlighted the differences and difficulties working with sound. There’s also excellent subtext about making it in this era of Hollywood through hard work (if you’re non-white) or just plain luck (if you’re white). Topping everything off is the ear-worm-worthy score by Justin Hurwitz, which should win all the awards it deserves. I wanted to like Babylon more, but there’s only so much that can recommend it without having to also suggest fast-forwarding through other bits.

A bloated, if not occasionally poignant look at the Hollywood transition to talkies, I give Babylon 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Chrono Trigger
Year: 2008
Rating: E10+
Time Played: 34.27 hours

I’ve tried to play through Chrono Trigger for a few decades now. Ever since my family lucked out and found this game in a Super Nintendo bundle at a garage sale, I’ve played through the first half of this game multiple times. Heck, I even bought it on the Wii virtual console because I had such fond memories of it, despite never having reached the end credits. It wasn’t until I bought this game (again) for the Nintendo DS that I could truly appreciate the top-notch game Chrono Trigger from beginning to end.

While I definitely appreciated some of the improvements the DS version made to the game (including automatic running and visible health/magic bars), the base game is mostly identical to the SNES version from 1995. What’s amazing about this game is how it truly changed the JRPG formula by putting the battles right there on the screen with no cuts or transitions. Additionally, the “open world” this game provided after the first half of the game was complete is something that modern gamers might take for granted now but was revolutionary for its time in the 16-bit era.

The thing I think makes Chrono Trigger timeless (ha ha) is the collection of top-notch elements. Memorable music. Unique characters. Intertwining plotlines. Vivid settings. Ultimately, its time travel mechanic (which is partly why The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has held up over time as well) is what helps cement this game as one of the best games ever made. That the game nudges you to explore all the open-world portions before diving into the final boss is just testament to how it made grinding levels something you didn’t even notice you were doing because you were out exploring all the game had to offer.

A mold-breaking JRPG that can easily claim the title of “best video game ever,” I give Chrono Trigger 5.0 stars out of 5.

The Menu
Year: 2022
Rating: R
Length: 107 minutes / 1.78 hours

I want to chastise the advertisers of The Menu (2022) for making me almost miss this gem of a movie. I usually pass on horror films, so the ads for this one made me think that the “twist” would be something more like Soylent Green (1973). Instead, I was given the treat of a wildly dark comedy that plays off all the prestige and pompousness of foodies and high-concept restaurants. Sure, some moments are horrific during their brief appearances, but I would hardly put this movie in the horror category. The Menu has something to say and is actually quite funny about how it does it.

What makes The Menu work is definitely because of the performances of its top-billed actors. Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Nicholas Hoult all act their hearts out, likely adding to how funny this satirical take on foodie culture ended up being. Almost as a bonus, this film is not even entirely about the problems with the kinds of people who go to these types of restaurants. Addressing the critical nature of the culinary arts, sexual harassment in the workplace, and the gatekeeping of “event dining,” The Menu is seriously smarter than it has any right to be.

It’s honestly not surprising that the modern king of satire, Adam McKay, was involved with this movie. While he may not have directed, I definitely see hints of his other satirical works present here. And while The Menu isn’t nearly as silly as Don’t Look Up (2021) or the cutaways in The Big Short (2015), that it plays so much of its comedy as a straight parody of fine dining is what makes it wildly hilarious. Ultimately, if you passed on this movie because you thought horror isn’t for you, try it as a (more accurate) dark comedy satire.

A brilliant dark comedy satire of foodies and fine dining, I give The Menu 5.0 stars out of 5.

The End of the World
Year: 2013
Author: Don Hertzfeldt
Length: 224 pages

I was first introduced to the works of Don Hertzfeldt via his Oscar-nominated short film, Rejected. The bizarre humor immediately struck a chord with me but the simplistic animation style (with a 4th-wall-breaking ending) made this short a classic that I still quote to this day. Since then, I have still mostly kept up with the little animation projects Hertzfeldt has done over the years. As a graphic novel, The End of the World seems like a logical step for the animator, and it works, but only in a few spots.

Despite Rejected being mostly silly, his other works (which retain his signature stick-figure style) are silly but with a profound message that seems out-of-place coming from someone who animated a character screaming of the woes brought on by a bleeding anus. The End of the World has a lot of one-off jokes that don’t quite land, but the longer narrative bits have some poignancy to them. What’s truly interesting is that the best bits from this book eventually found their way into his second Oscar-nominated short, World of Tomorrow.

If you’re a fan of Hertzfeldt’s work, then by all means pick up this book to support the artist. Considering that World of Tomorrow is available on his YouTube channel, you’d probably be better off just watching that short than flipping through the pages of this book. Not that reading this book will take you that long, but that the animated version is more in line with Hertzfeldt’s other works. Then again, if you don’t understand Hertzfeldt’s type of humor, there’s no way that you’ll likely enjoy World of Tomorrow or this book.

At times both silly and profound, I give The End of the World 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Toy Story
Year: 1995
Rating: G
Length: 81 minutes / 1.35 hours

One benefit of having children is revisiting movies from my youth. I saw Toy Story (1995) in theaters and was immediately struck by how amazing it was that they made the entire film with computers. While this is no longer something that causes awe, there is something about the first movie to make this leap. Almost 30 years later, Toy Story shows its age in some of its visual aspects. However, the cinematography and storytelling here are top-notch and often made me ignore the CGI which is comparatively less polished than today’s effects.

To Pixar’s credit, they did the best they could by focusing on slightly easier-to-animate characters than humans or animals. The people and pets in Toy Story look horrific (sometimes on purpose) but there has to be grace for the limitations of the time. Still, with the immense flexibility of the digital camera, some shots in Toy Story that would have been impossible in a live-action context are played for maximum effect here to make the world of toys seem absolutely massive. Underlying all of this is some fantastic cinematography that does not skimp on the fundamentals of visual storytelling.

While Toy Story is not the first movie geared toward kids to appeal occasionally to adult humor (look no further than Genie’s references in Aladdin (1992)), I still laughed at new visual gags decades later that I finally understood as an adult. There’s a wide range of emotions that I still feel watching this film. From the unease of Sid’s bedroom to the soaring victory of Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz (Tim Allen) arriving back in Andy’s care, this film hits a lot of emotional beats despite its “kid movie” status. Is it a perfect movie? Not quite, but it certainly pushed the door wide open for CGI-animated films for decades to come.

An impressive (for its time) visual treat with surprisingly strong fundamentals, I give Toy Story 4.5 stars out of 5.

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Mega Man X4
Year: 1997
Rating: KA
Time Played: ~8 hours

Much like how I enjoyed Mega Man’s evolution to Mega Man X when the franchise evolved to the 16-bit era, I equally enjoyed Mega Man X4’s jump to the next generation of console gaming. There’s some amount of “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” here, which has honestly been what the Mega Man and Mega Man X franchises have touted for decades. And yet, the improvements that came with the jump in processing power were put in the few spots where it mattered. This refreshing upgrade brought back some of that “cool factor” that appealed to me with Mega Man X.

Ever since Zero’s introduction in the first Mega Man X game, it took way too long for him to be a fully playable character. Sure, there are small sections you can use him for in Mega Man X3, but Mega Man X4 truly makes Zero their own character with a unique fighting style that would eventually find its way into the future franchise installments of Mega Man Zero and Mega Man ZX. In fact, while playing with X can lead to a more conservative approach to battle by attacking enemies from a distance, Zero’s style requires the player to come in much closer to the action, thus naturally increasing the difficulty.

My nostalgia may be showing, but I think the visuals and music for this title are some of the strongest in the Mega Man X series—in part because of the upgrade to PlayStation hardware. The fresh new characters of General, Colonel, Iris, and Double were a welcome change to the (still cool) Vile. I also liked the anime cut scenes included in this game, even if I have to admit that some of the voice acting makes me cringe. Still, the fact that this game had voice acting at all was a tremendous step up from the games on the Super Nintendo. Overall, Mega Man X4 is one of the few games in the franchise that I regularly replay.

Another cool upgrade to the Mega Man X franchise, I give Mega Man X4 4.5 stars out of 5.

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Skyfall
Year: 2012
Rating: PG-13
Length: 143 minutes / 2.38 hours

To me, one weakness of the James Bond franchise has always been the detached nature of the timeless character of James Bond (Daniel Craig) to anything from his past. He’d go off on some globetrotting mission to save the world while never having the stakes come anywhere close to where he lived—whether currently or when he was growing up. As such, the character of James Bond always felt like a caricature. An invincible man who always packed his plot armor before jetting off to a tropical paradise to deal with some megalomaniacal genius.

I feel Skyfall (2012) is the absolute pinnacle of Bond films because it makes the main character human. The brilliant way Sam Mendes used Javier Bardem as the antithesis to Craig’s Bond to highlight how loyalty is a two-way street is such a chef’s kiss that I can’t even begin to explain how it broke the mold for Bond villains. Visually, Skyfall benefits again from Mendes’ vision as a director who already made Academy Award-winning films. Aside from Bardem, the casting of new characters Q (Ben Whishaw) and Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) were welcome additions to the now-established fold of Craig’s Bond and Judi Dench’s M.

While most Bond films stand as their own separate piece of British spy craft, it wasn’t until the last moments of this film that I came to realize (with a gasp) that the Daniel Craig movies up to this point in the franchise were merely prequels to established canon. There is certainly some nostalgia for the classic elements from the Sean Connery and Roger Moore eras, but adding in some heavy backstory about Bond’s origins placed this movie firmly in modern action territory.

The absolute best Bond film, I give Skyfall 5.0 stars out of 5.

This film appears in the following posts:
Cinema Connections #240. Sam Mendes
Cinema Connections #241. James Bond

Story Engineering
Year: 2011
Author: Larry Brooks
Length: 278 pages

Every successful author eventually concludes that they have something to provide for the neophytes of the craft. The problem is that the most insight any individual author might provide for someone who wants to get into writing stories has probably been said before. In Story Engineering, I was hoping for some useful tips on structure but instead was accosted with incredibly biased opinions from the author (and his obsession with a handful of books). He seems to think there is only one singular way to be successful and his book is the only way to understand it. I’m used to biased non-fiction, but not nearly this much of it.

I think that all writing methods have their benefits and downsides, but if you were to corner the author and ask him about pantsers (i.e., people who write by the seat of their pants via “exploratory writing”), he’d probably admit that they murdered his mother. In describing his successful publishing endeavors, I got the sense that the author didn’t realize that he was incredibly lucky to have achieved the successes he did, cementing in his mind that it was the only way to be successful. The irony is how he includes several examples of successful authors who follow the pantsing method and how their books still abide by this stringent Story Engineering structure.

When I see the idiom “burying the lede,” I often think of clickbait articles or newspaper columns that take forever to get to the point. This is the first time I’ve encountered burying the lede for an entire book. It takes forever for the author to get to the point, and by then it’s difficult to remember what we were even supposed to glean from it. There might be some useful information here, but it’s so bogged down in obvious things that every other author who has written a book on writing has already said.

No new writing tips in extremely biased non-fiction, I give Story Engineering 2.0 stars out of 5.

The Expendables 3
Year: 2014
Rating: PG-13
Length: 126 minutes / 2.10 hours

When the first Expendables movie came out, the premise of a ton of washed-out action stars coming together in a single film amused me. It wasn’t that great, mostly because I thought to myself, “These are the only guys they could get?” Partly because of this, my standards had been lowered for the second film in the franchise and I found it was an absolute blast with a lot of big names that the first movie was missing. Then they made a third one and ran out of names.

What set the first two Expendables movies apart was the 80s action film machismo that made the concept of bringing these actors together so amusing. Now? It seems like they’re reaching the bottom of the bucket for these types of actors—mostly because I don’t consider them as the over-the-top action stars that the rest of the crew is. I mean, Kelsey Grammer? Really? Plus, now they’re bringing in fighters like Ronda Rousey, who really isn’t an actor, even in her somewhat natural element of fighting people. The franchise already jumped the shark when they had Chuck Norris in the second movie anyway.

All this being said, the plot wasn’t too terrible. Unbelievable? Yes. I don’t see any relation between Mel Gibson and any of the Expendable crew, so it was a bit of a stretch to even maintain my suspension of disbelief. Oddly enough, I was about as bored with the action in this entry in the Expendables franchise as I was with the first one. Everything just felt overly gray and the cuts between all the different bits of action left me confused as to what exactly was happening. Then again, this is bound to happen when you need to give so many actors screen time.

Continuing the farce after jumping the shark, I give The Expendables 3 2.5 stars out of 5.

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Mega Man X
Year: 1994
Rating: E
Time Played: ~3.5 hours

Growing up as a fan of the Mega Man franchise, Mega Man X was a hugely successful jump from the 8-bit era to the 16-bit era. The basic Mega Man mechanics were the foundation that X built upon, improving many aspects of the 2D platformer that needed some innovation. Yes, nostalgia may cloud my thoughts on this game, but it’s hard to deny how it affected the franchise for the better. It might not be on the level of Super Metroid in how it changed the gaming landscape, but its influence is definitely present in modern games today.

Visually, Mega Man X is a treat. From underwater and underground levels to jungles and snow bases, each of the eight animal-themed maverick bosses are unique and memorable. The soundtrack is undeniably excellent, evoking the hard rock riffs that pay homage to the original Japanese protagonist’s name of “Rockman.” Furthermore, the presence of a small amount of plot gave this game much more gravitas and emotional impact than anything in the original Mega Man series could do. I cared about Zero, despised Vile, and trembled at the power of Sigma. Overall, the “cool factor” for this game is pegged at its maximum levels.

This isn’t even mentioning how the upgrade system made the game much more approachable than just memorizing enemy patterns, thereby making its difficulty something that could be conquered. Heart Tanks were a small reward for exploration and E-Tanks were better than the consumable versions in the original Mega Man series. Then there’s dashing and wall climbing. This single mechanic changed so much about how Mega Man games play—even more than when Mega Man 3 introduced sliding. Throw in the amusingly overpowered Hadouken secret unlock, and this game truly has it all.

The coolest Mega Man transition to 16 bits, I give Mega Man X 5.0 stars out of 5.

The Fabelmans
Year: 2022
Rating: PG-13
Length: 151 minutes / 2.52 hours

Steven Spielberg has been directing films for so many decades that it’s actually a little surprising that the semi-autobiographical The Fabelmans (2022) took this long to materialize. Because of his years of success as a filmmaker, I already knew some details of Spielberg’s rise to the successful director that he is today. Granted, I’m not sure how much of the family drama in The Fabelmans is a direct influence on Spielberg’s life or if he manufactured it for the movie itself. Still, it is interesting to see the early budding talent presented in this movie and be able to extrapolate to movies like Jaws (1975), Saving Private Ryan (1998), and Schindler’s List (1993).

Perhaps my one qualm with this movie is that it’s a bit too long. I understand the desire to show the entire life of Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle) to understand the context of the origins of his filmmaking passion, but there could have been much shorter ways to show these moments instead of dedicating almost the entire first act to something that was much less exciting than the rest of the film. Even if it started in the second act, The Fabelmans easily captures that struggle between family and living the life of a dedicated creative.

I really appreciated the conversation about how pursuing a creative passion can really be a challenge for an individual’s personal life. Similar to how the leads in La La Land (2016) had to choose between themselves and their dreams, The Fabelmans shows how having an additional way to communicate (in this case, via filmmaking) can sometimes break through barriers and expose hard truths. The unblinking eye of the camera often sees more than we want, whether the bipolar disorder and affair of a mother or how a bully sees themselves as the hero.

A thoughtful if not slightly long autobiography of Steven Spielberg, I give The Fabelmans 4.0 stars out of 5.

The Wind Through the Keyhole
Year: 2012
Author: Stephen King
Length: 627 minutes / 10.45 hours

Backstory can often be a difficult element to work into a series. To keep the action in the present and moving forward, there’s rarely time to go into the background of the characters, let alone the main character of the series. This is why side stories like Fairest and The Wind Through the Keyhole exist. There’s a subtle need to explore the troubled past of a main character, but to get into the depth of their backstory requires a significant amount of words that won’t fit into already full books in the main series.

In The Wind Through the Keyhole, Stephen King lets the reader see the origins of Roland the Gunslinger. What’s interesting here is that King does so in a series of nested stories, almost evoking something from Inception (2010) or Cloud Atlas. After all, a single story hardly affects real people but is instead a string of interactions that themselves were influenced by the past events of other characters’ lives. And while knowing these stories doesn’t add to the whole of the Dark Tower series, they confirm some things that Roland alluded to from his past.

With many moments in the core Dark Tower series being used to show character development for the rest of the members of the ka-tet, The Wind Through the Keyhole provides the foundation for the titular Gunslinger that was mostly missing from the main series. Considering that King wrote this book almost a decade after the series concluded, it’s no wonder that the universe of Mid-World feels as rich as ever in this side story. Adding this mid-series book after the fact meant that King still had more to clarify and The Wind Through the Keyhole definitely delivers.

A Dark Tower side story with plenty of character background, I give The Wind Through the Keyhole 4.0 stars out of 5.

Little Boy
Year: 2015
Rating: PG-13
Length: 106 minutes / 1.77 hours

When it comes to movies with strong Christian messages, often the resulting movie is weak for a variety of other reasons. This might be because of poorly written characters, plot holes, or an overall lack of cinematic quality in the movie itself. This is why I absolutely adore Little Boy (2015). There are many great Christian values presented here, including faith and accepting others. However, the little twists put in the plot of this World War II story make it just that much better than a generic Christian film. If only more Christian movies were made like this, then maybe the (valid) stigma against Christian media might be reduced.

Perhaps the one aspect of Little Boy that strikes me as the most unique is the xenophobia against Hashimoto (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa). There have been plenty of movies about World War II, but you don’t see many of them addressing the racism against the Japanese living in the United States. That Father Oliver (Tom Wilkinson) encourages the titular Little Boy (Jakob Salvati) to befriend the harassed Hashimoto just goes to show the Biblical concept of loving others despite what they (or their countrymen) have done to you. We could definitely use more of that today.

And while some may downplay acts of God as mere coincidences, these moments in Little Boy are quite amusing twists that drive the conversation of faith in the little seaside town. There were points where I laughed out loud when the connection between something and its eventual resolution finally clicked (e.g., “Little Boy” having more than one meaning). Overall, Little Boy is charming, challenging, and poignant in ways that make me recommend more people see this hidden gem of a movie.

The right way to do a Christian movie on faith and accepting others, I give Little Boy 5.0 stars out of 5.

Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion
Year: 2021
Rating: E10+
Time Played: ~2 hours

Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion is one of those games that got me to play it based on the name alone. That it also only took up two hours of my time was also a plus. A cutesy action-adventure, Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion is just silly enough to not be taken seriously, but not absurd enough to be ultimately funny. I definitely played through it shortly after adding it to my vast video game library, but I also was glad that it was a free game I got as part of my Amazon Prime subscription.

As an action-adventure title, there are easy comparisons to The Legend of Zelda games, as well as the Metroidvania genre here. You collect items in dungeons that you need to defeat that dungeon’s boss and advance to the next part of the map. Where successful versions of these games succeed is by making it clear what needs to be done next after an objective is accomplished. Unfortunately, there were several times during my play-through of this game when I was wandering around, trying to talk to everyone and figure out where I needed to go next to advance the story.

I’ll admit that the concept of the main character committing tax fraud is funny, but it never really goes any further than that. What was more striking were the moments that had something deeply sinister hiding in the subtext. You could easily label this game “post-apocalyptic” and it would fit. All this being said, some of the controls felt a little loose, which led to me dying more than I would have liked for a game that was still fairly simple to beat.

A simple action-adventure game with bizarre undertones, I give Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion 3.0 stars out of 5.

Quantum of Solace
Year: 2008
Rating: PG-13
Length: 106 minutes / 1.76 hours

Ever since the turn of the millennium, many film franchises have taken to starting over; reinventing themselves for this modern era. From superheroes like Batman and Superman to age-old classics such as Rocky and Rambo, these franchises have been going back to the drawing board in order to pull in ticket sales. The James Bond franchise is no different. In 2006, the ranks of Sean Connery, Roger Moore, and Pierce Brosnan gained Daniel Craig as the new James Bond.

Quantum of Solace is a rather rare Bond film as it actually has a connection to its predecessor, Casino Royale (2006). It also has all the elements of the franchise. There are the spectacular opening credits, Bond girls, fancy car chases, and gunfights. Somewhat missing from the mix is the legendary set of gadgets, which was also missing from Casino Royale. Instead, an impressive graphical user interface on all the computers and cell phones (think Minority Report (2002)) replaces the somewhat obscure and specific gadgets. The film feels like an action film from the Bourne series, with vehicle chases and somewhat jittery camerawork that becomes hard to watch at times. Quantum of Solace starts with a car chase and uses any available vehicle to drive the action, including a motorcycle, boats, and airplanes. However, the action lulls in the second act, which drags the movie towards the final, fiery fight.

Daniel Craig has been hailed as the Bond closest to the literary image created by Ian Flemming. Craig takes the character and gives Bond depth and complexity to match his martini. The villain is real enough but feels like a bitter Al Gore who is using global warming to scare people into giving him control over everything. With a set of unknown actors (except for Judi Dench, and now Daniel Craig), the Bond franchise is starting over from the string of Pierce Brosnan films which tended towards celebrity and over-the-top silliness.
Fueled by action sequences and lightened by British wit and charm, this film should be enjoyable for both those wanting to become familiar with Bond films and those diehard fans. It’s definitely worth the price of admission.

The start of a connected Bond storyline, I give Quantum of Solace 4.0 stars out of 5.

The Last Guardian
Year: 2012
Author: Eoin Colfer
Length: 459 minutes / 7.65 hours

The Last Guardian—the final book in the Artemis Fowl series—could not have gotten here any faster. In my mind, the series was basically over once they did the “time travel” book in the fifth entry, The Time Paradox. That The Atlantis Complex felt like the weakest in the series meant I didn’t have high hopes for this wrap-up of the series. Fortunately, the downward trend since the third book did not continue here, and it finished on a satisfying high note.

Perhaps due to this being the last book in the series, the whole “deus ex machina” style of returning everything to normal by the end of the book seemed to go out the window here. This allowed for some truly exciting developments—not the least of which includes the death of main characters. Using not one, but two of the series’ best antagonist was also a smart move to increase the stakes to the highest they’ve ever been in the entire saga. All these things combined into an entertaining ending that reminded me why I kept with this series for so long.

There wasn’t any reason to hold anything back in this book, and Eoin Colfer flawlessly left everything with a satisfying conclusion. Sure, there were some romantic aspects of the titular character’s life that I would have liked to have seen wrapped up slightly differently, but I also understand that this middle-grade series never had that as its strong suit (other than the “will they/won’t they” between him and Holly Short). Ultimately, would I read this series again? Probably not. However, I would pick up a few entries to read again, and this is definitely one of them.

Ending the Artemis Fowl series on a high note, I give The Last Guardian 4.0 stars out of 5.

Casino Royale
Year: 2006
Rating: PG-13
Length: 144 minutes / 2.40 hours

For almost 40 years, the adaptation of the first book in Ian Flemming’s James Bond franchise was a parody of the action movie the Bond films had become. Even with only four movies in the Bond franchise released at the time, Casino Royale (1967) made fun of all the goofy gadgets, girls, and guns that were staples of Flemming’s works. Fortunately, when it was time to reboot the character with Daniel Craig, Casino Royale (2006) received the remake it truly deserved.

Cut down to its base elements and filmed in a more modern style, Casino Royale is a much grittier take on the Bond franchise that lets the action set-pieces and skillful spy-craft take center stage. Sure, there are still Bond girls here, but this time there’s a deeper connection with characters like Eva Green’s Vesper Lynd (which you can take much more seriously than characters named “Pussy Galore”). It then comes as no surprise that Daniel Craig’s version of James Bond feels like a real person with weaknesses and not just some caricature of a successful British spy.

While there is a lot to commend this film when compared to the goofier films in the long-running franchise, it’s not an entirely perfect movie. The overarching plot is thin and the Bond villain (masterfully played by Mads Mikkelsen) is really nothing more than a banker with a menacing scar. And while some people might complain about the re-casting of Bond, M (Judi Dench), and Felix (Jeffrey Wright), I think these actors perfectly capture the essence of their characters. After all, bringing Bond up to modern standards requires some reassessment when it comes to the long-standing tropes that led the first Casino Royale to be made in the first place.

A strong James Bond reboot for the modern era, I give Casino Royale 4.0 stars out of 5.

This film appears in the following posts:
Cinema Connections #307. Card Games
Cinema Connections #308. One-Eyed Villains

Mario’s Picross
Year: 1995
Rating: E
Time Played: 666 minutes / 11.1 hours

For as many Picross games as I’ve played, I figured I should probably go back and play the “original” picross video game, Mario’s Picross. Since most picross (or nonogram) puzzles are merely black-and-white pixelated images, it made sense to put this concept on the monochrome Game Boy. And while there’s nothing significant to write home about in this entry, I can’t help but feel that more recent iterations of picross have spoiled me when compared to the early versions of picross to hit the home console market.

Some of the charm that Mario’s Picross has comes from the artistic style of the puzzles mimicking the “Mario style” (i.e., inanimate objects with elongated eyes). Aside from these puzzles being in-theme for a Mario game, they’re still the fairly basic objects that you’d expect out of a Picross game. I’m sure they crammed as many puzzles as they could into a Game Boy cartridge, but it felt like there wasn’t a lot of content for this game compared to other games that came later. I completed all the puzzles in just over 11 hours, as compared to the dozens of hours I’ve spent on other Picross games.

I know it’s not fair to compare Mario’s Picross to its successor, Mario’s Super Picross since the SNES version has more power in its 16-bits to work with. However, considering how both games came out around the same time, it’s a little disappointing to see how limited the Game Boy version of this concept is when the superior version is clearly on the SNES. Even small animations or secret levels would have given this game a little more to recommend it. Heck, even some puzzles with higher difficulty would have been nice. Instead, it’s about 11 hours of the same kinds of puzzles with only minimal difficulty increases for each of the different modes.

A solid start for Picross video games that was immediately overshadowed by its successors, I give Mario’s Picross 3.5 stars out of 5.

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She Said
Year: 2022
Rating: R
Length: 129 minutes / 2.15 hours

After the gripping Best Picture winner Spotlight (2015) brought to light the struggles of journalists to expose systemic sexual abuse in our society, it’s a little sad that the somewhat similar She Said (2022) hasn’t gotten the same amount of attention. And perhaps that’s just highlighting the continuation of the issue at hand: sexual assault rampant throughout the Hollywood film industry. One wonders if this introspective piece would have done better without Spotlight‘s shadow looming over it or the movie industry wanting to continue to silence the voice of these women.

She Said has plenty of gripping moments where women put their entire careers on the line to become named sources to out the deplorable practices of producers like Harvey Weinstein. The trouble is, the whole movie plays out quite similarly to how Spotlight did seven years ago. If you want to see more thrilling investigative journalism that brings to light the abuse of power that continues rampant in this world, this is the movie for you. If you’ve had enough of these exposés that show a problem and only offer a small step toward a solution, then maybe pass on this one.

For what it’s worth, this relatively recent outing of Weinstein (and others) that led to the #metoo movement is more a testament to the bravery of the few who stepped forward to admit something was wrong. It’s difficult to think of a world before people freely spoke up about these abuses, but the cracks in the dam holding back the vile actions of people in power needed to come crumbling down at some point. I’m glad movies like She Said still exist to document these major turning points, even if there’s still plenty to do to remedy the situation.

A #metoo version of Spotlight, I give She Said 4.0 stars out of 5.

Shadows in Flight
Year: 2011
Author: Orson Scott Card
Length: 383 minutes / 6.38 hours

You know how sometimes a series has overstayed its welcome? How, even though the author has wrapped up most of the loose ends, there’s another story afterward that only exists to extend the series even farther than it has already come? The only times I can forgive these extensions is if the story in question isn’t particularly long. For instance, the “epilogue” story in Marissa Meyer’s Stars Above is a great way to show the characters settling into normal life after the main conflict ends. Shadows in Flight is almost unnecessary, but at least it’s short.

Shadow of the Giant was a satisfying conclusion to the Ender’s Shadow saga, so the fact that Shadows in Flight exists is merely to wrap up Bean’s story even if the rest of the world had already reached its peaceful conclusion. After all, one question remained from this series: can those with Anton’s Key be cured of their premature death and still keep their incredible gifts? This story sets out to answer that question and give Bean the (second) send-off he deserved. Fortunately, it’s a relatively short book, since there isn’t much else to say on the matter.

The problem is, there’s nothing particularly new in this book when compared to the other eight books in both the Speaker for the Dead and Ender’s Shadow series. This is perhaps because the three new characters (Bean’s children) were repeated archetypes from their respective namesakes. It’s always nice to have a little more content in the Ender universe, but even I think this feels like a post-it note scribbled on the back of the end of the series.

Wrapping up the final loose ends of the Ender’s Shadow saga, I give Shadows in Flight 3.0 stars out of 5.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
Year: 2022
Rating: PG-13
Length: 108 minutes / 1.80 hours

When it comes to biopics, there seems to be a natural attraction to musicians. The rise from obscurity into the descent of the artist via “sex, drugs, and rock & roll” is so ubiquitous, the script practically writes itself. We’ve seen it time and time again with such movies as Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), Rocketman (2019), and Elvis (2022). Because of this (or possibly in spite of it), the parody biopic of “Weird” Al Yankovic, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022) hits all the notes you’d expect of these kinds of films, but in a way that’s so tongue-in-cheek, it’s basically poking out the other side.

Having been a fan of Weird Al for some time now (and recalling his first movie, UHF (1989)), it is amusing to see how some elements of truth shine through in this mock-u-drama. Some of the casting choices were quite hilarious, including the cameos played by Rainn Wilson, Dmitri Martin, Conan O’Brien, and Jack Black. And while the overarching plot gets kind of silly with an almost Rambo-esque rescue of Maddona (Evan Rachel Wood), it plays off all the musician biopic beats perfectly to show how ridiculous some of them can be.

My only qualm with the film is that I had to watch it through the Roku channel. Sure, I’m glad it was free to stream, it’s just that the Roku website and streaming interface weren’t that great. My internet might not be the best, but I spent most of my time pausing and buffering the film. Meanwhile, every time it froze, the movie would continue silently in the background until the bandwidth caught up, skipping ahead recklessly and causing me to rewind to catch the part I missed. This frustration ruined a lot of my experience and I can’t wait until it comes out on Blu-Ray so I won’t have to deal with that issue.

A spot-on parody of musician biopics hosted on an unfortunate streaming service, I give Weird: The Al Yankovic Story 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Picross 3D: Round 2
Year: 2016
Rating: E
Time Played: 3,310 minutes / 51.17 hours

When I bought Picross 3D, I assumed it was a 3D game for the Nintendo 3DS. While I still enjoyed the three-dimensional gameplay of that Nintendo DS game, I knew the capabilities of the 3DS would easily enhance the puzzles presented in such a game. Fortunately, the developers of the first game came out with a sequel for the 3DS. Picross 3D: Round 2 is basically the same game as Picross 3D, except that you get to see the finished puzzles with the Nintendo 3DS stereoscopic top screen once you’ve completed them.

This sequel has an additional facet to the gameplay that the first game did not possess. While Picross 3D was more or less a standard extrapolation of Picross, this game introduced two colors into the gameplay. Blue blocks are solid, and yellow blocks are corners or other edges that round out the puzzle you’re solving. This allowed for more nuanced puzzles that weren’t nearly as blocky as the ones in the first game. However, I struggled against the control scheme for marking these different colored blocks for a good quarter of my play-through before I finally edited the button layout to be more intuitive to my play style.

Just like my play-through of Picross 3D, I finished all the puzzles at the maximum difficulty—mostly because I reset any puzzle I made an error on so I could get the maximum points for each one. I appreciated the larger multi-puzzle models created by solving several smaller puzzles. And while you don’t actually solve the puzzles on the 3D screen (instead using the natural touchscreen/stylus interface), it was nice to see these puzzles in 3D once I completed them—thus living up to the “3D” in the title.

A great follow-up to the original Picross 3D, I give Picross 3D: Round 2 4.0 stars out of 5.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Year: 2022
Rating: PG-13
Length: 161 minutes / 2.68 hours

As the last film in the fourth phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) proves that there was no plan for this phase other than to clean up the remains of the Infinity War saga. To its credit, though, Wakanda Forever was burdened with finding an in-universe replacement for the titular Black Panther after the untimely passing of Chadwick Boseman. However, considering how most of Phase 4 was passing the mantle from one hero to the next generation, it fits well within this theming.

There’s a line in Avengers: Endgame (2019) where Naka (Lupita Nyong’o) states that Wakanda is aware of an anomaly on the ocean floor near their country and that they were handling it. This throwaway line was likely played for laughs, but it’s peculiar how Wakanda was woefully unprepared for the invasion of their land by underwater enemies, even though they clearly knew about it three years ago. Phase 4 of the MCU has highlighted how difficult it is to maintain continuity in a franchise as huge as it has become.

Even though Marvel has introduced new characters in movies outside their own standalone works since the early Phases, I would have liked something more dedicated to introducing Ironheart (Dominique Thorne) considering how influential Iron Man was to the MCU. I also would have appreciated action sequences that weren’t so dark or hard to follow, because I can’t honestly recall any of them that happened in this movie. Overall, I felt the end of the MCU Phase 4 was average—which aligns with the MCU Phase 4 as a whole. Here’s to hoping the next Phase actually goes somewhere.

Phase 4 MCU’s average movie to end an average phase, I give Black Panther: Wakanda Forever 3.0 stars out of 5.

The Man in the High Castle
Year: 1962
Author: Philip K. Dick
Length: 505 minutes / 8.42 hours

While I haven’t seen the Amazon TV series based on this book, I have had enough awareness of the basic premise going in. An alternate reality where the Allies lost World War II felt like such an interesting concept that I had to read the book that spawned this idea. Of course, I also enjoy Philip K. Dick’s writing for the same reasons: he has novel ideas that he executes well. Unfortunately, I found The Man in the High Castle to be underwhelming.

To Dick’s credit, his world-building for a history where Japan took over part of the United States after World War II felt quite thorough. Little subtle ways that people act, economies based on American antiques, as well as other differences that made sense with such a drastic change to history. The problem is, Dick was so focused on world-building that he forgot to write an actual story. None of the characters really stick out, and the titular Man in the High Castle is a Maguffin at best. I was left disappointed, which is rare for a Philip K. Dick story for me.

Maybe modern action thrillers have ruined this story for me, but when there are vast swaths of text dedicated to counterfeit antiques instead of forced cultural changes for the residents of the United States, a story like this can get boring quite quickly. If I had to pinpoint the worst part about this book, it’s that the ending was not at all satisfying. There should have been something that better explained the book that told of an alternate history, considering how provocative the rest of this book made it seem.

An underwhelming execution for a top-notch idea, I give The Man in the High Castle 2.5 stars out of 5.

  1/2

One Piece Film: Red
Year: 2022
Rating: PG-13
Length: 115 minutes / 1.92 hours

One challenge of making movies for such a long-running anime series like One Piece is that there are so many characters and aspects of the canon that it’s hard to make a film that includes fan-favorite characters in a way that makes sense with the overall story. With Eiichiro Oda on board for One Piece Film: Red (2022), we finally have a movie that could easily be part of the canon for the series while also having stakes high enough to warrant the characters who appear to save the world.

While I definitely enjoy One Piece movies that string together powerful moves from the best characters, like Stampede (2019) did, most of the time the villains for these movies are so separated from the series as to be completely inconsequential. For Red, including Shanks’ family was a smart way to make the story relevant to the wider One Piece world without having to ret-con much. This also allowed a variety of characters to make appearances, some of which haven’t been seen in the series since their arc ended years ago.

Perhaps the best part about Red is how the threat of the villain achieving their goal is significant enough to put the entire world in danger. We are finally at the part in the mainline series where world-ending events are likely to be common, so stepping this level of significance up for a movie makes sense here. It also allowed powerful characters to make appearances in this movie because the threat was so great—thus making their inclusion something that made sense. Overall, fans of One Piece will probably enjoy this film, and those who aren’t might enjoy the catchy songs included in it.

A One Piece film with significant characters and world-ending stakes, I give One Piece Film: Red 4.5 stars out of 5.

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Pistol Whip
Year: 2019
Rating: T
Time Played: 4+ hours

While Beat Saber likely convinced many people to jump into owning a Virtual Reality (VR) headset, it should be noted that it is hardly the only music rhythm game out there. Now, imagine if you mashed the rhythm game portion of Beat Saber with the polygon-person shoot-’em-up action of SUPERHOT. The result is Pistol Whip, a full-body workout with great songs and visceral reactions to being shot (and shooting your enemies). With so much free content released for this game, you’d almost be stupid to not get it—even if you already own Beat Saber.

Before some of the later updates, Pistol Whip had the same problem most VR music rhythm games have: boring or repetitive backgrounds. Each song would play, and you’d only focus on the beats you need to hit to progress to the end of the level. However, with the “western” and “sci-fi” updates, there’s at least some variety in the scenery as you ride the rail and shoot the bad guys. Even if none of the songs are easily recognizable (in the base game or DLC packs), they’re still driving enough to get your heart pounding as they play.

The one aspect of Pistol Whip that I think truly sets itself apart from other music rhythm games is the main gameplay mechanic. Beat Saber has its swords and Synth Riders has its orbs, but the guns in Pistol Whip are resources you need to manage as you play. You have to make your own rhythm with each shot, reload, and (literal) pistol whip instead of having the beats fly at you with a prescribed motion. It’s thrilling, satisfying, and about as close that any average Joe like myself has to being John Wick without actually killing anyone.

The best gun-based rhythm game, I give Pistol Whip 4.0 stars out of 5.

Black Adam
Year: 2022
Rating: PG-13
Length: 125 minutes / 2.08 hours

I find it somewhat bizarre that DC released a successful movie with Shazam! (2019) only to follow it up with this spinoff that didn’t seem to add anything to the DC Extended Universe other than to do a quick introduction of other characters. Other characters, mind you, who were much more interesting than the titular Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson). Instead of letting individual characters have room to build their own lore, this just felt rushed—a common trait of most DCEU movies, to be honest.

As far as the action goes, there are a few really well-done set pieces that are visually entertaining. It’s always fun to watch an overpowered superhero use the full extent of their powers. The real trick, though, is that you’d likely get a similar Marvel movie with The Falcon, Ant-Man, and Doctor Strange as the hero team sent to stop Captain Marvel. This is why DC really needs to focus on the characters themselves and not just their powers—there are too many similarities with their Marvel equivalents that have already proven to be successful. They’ve been trying this copy-and-paste method for years and it’s still not working out.

Overall, Black Adam (2022) is an average superhero film. As far as I can tell, nothing of significance happens that will affect other films in the DCEU. We’ll have to wait for the Shazam! sequel to determine if this movie was completely pointless. What this movie really highlighted is that Dwayne Johnson is not that great of an actor (which might come as a surprise for some). Alternatively, I also think this movie showed that a Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan) film would have been significantly more interesting than what we got here.

Another average superhero film in the fumbling DCEU, I give Black Adam 3.0 stars out of 5.

The Heroine’s Journey
Year: 2020
Author: Gail Carriger
Length: 305 pages

When I started writing over a decade ago, I subconsciously modeled my story structures off the stories that I enjoyed. I didn’t go into my first novel with the plan to make it the typical “Hero’s Journey,” and the result was far from it. The stories I was writing seemed to work, even if they didn’t abide by the known structure many authors had used before me. The problem was, I didn’t have a name for the style of story I was writing. After reading Gail Carriger’s book, The Heroine’s Journey, I can finally label the stories I write.

Carriger makes it clear that stories that follow the Heroine’s Journey don’t always have females in the lead role. Instead, the Heroine’s Journey is the antithesis of the Hero’s Journey. Where the Hero’s Journey is about individual achievement and sacrifice, the Heroine’s Journey is more about building community to tackle a problem larger than any one individual. There are a lot of YA works out there that hold to the Heroine’s Journey much more than the Hero’s Journey, which is probably why it can hold its own in today’s society.

As with most books on writing, there are plenty of examples provided in The Heroine’s Journey. This helped me identify where I was using this structure in my writing, since these comp titles correlated with what I had already written. My only qualm with this book is in some of the formatting. There were quite a few moments where I couldn’t tell if the author was trying to emphasize a point, use a quote from one of the books she had written, or just break up the pages of normal text with something different. Still, if you can get past these odd moments, there is a lot of truth within these pages.

A non-traditional story structure with a proven track record, I give The Heroine’s Journey 4.0 stars out of 5.

Amsterdam
Year: 2022
Rating: R
Length: 134 minutes / 2.23 hours

Ever since I saw Silver Linings Playbook (2012), it convinced me that David O. Russell’s films were good. When American Hustle (2013) and Joy (2015) didn’t quite live up to my expectations, I figured it was a fluke. They were OK movies, just not to the caliber I had expected. I was cautiously optimistic about Amsterdam (2022) since it advertised such an all-star cast. Then again, the other movies also had all-star casts as well. Let’s just say that this movie was probably my third strike against seeing any more David O. Russell films.

Now, don’t get me wrong—the acting in Amsterdam was great. These interesting characters were fun to watch, and it’s clear that Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington are all talented actors (along with the many other actors involved, which would take too much space to list them all). The angle of injured military veterans was another element that I hadn’t seen in a lot of movies, so that was another aspect of this film that I thought gave it merit. Unfortunately, the biggest problem with Amsterdam is its plot.

I don’t mind non-linear storytelling, but usually—when a director uses this method—it’s clear what the plot is about. It took way too long in this movie to get to the point. I was watching it and wondering to myself, “What is this movie even about?” all the way until the start of the third act. Sure, trying to play the mystery angle to obfuscate why these characters are involved can work for a whodunnit, but this is not one of those movies. When everything came together in the end, it was a satisfying ending—it just took way too long to make any sense prior to that point.

An all-star cast in a less-than-stellar plot, I give Amsterdam 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Walkabout Mini Golf
Year: 2020
Rating: E
Time Played: 4+ hours

It’s funny how Virtual Reality (VR) can encapsulate both the most banal things (a la Job Simulator) and the most fantastic (a la Moss) almost in the same breath. The prime example of this fusion is in Walkabout Mini Golf. Most people have played mini golf, but few have done so on a space station or in a haunted castle. Sure, some better real-world courses work hard to bring that sense of fantasy, but rarely for more than a hole or two.

In Walkabout Mini Golf, the gameplay feels fantastic. Mini golf in VR like this is fun, even if you have to sit through an entire course worth of holes in a particular theme (like a Pirate Island or Arizona). Sometimes, the physics might feel a little frustrating when trying to get a precise shot; but overall, the golf doesn’t feel any worse than the golf mini-game from Wii Sports—which is a compliment. Finding the secret balls for each hole is also fun when they’re easy to spot and maddening when they’re well hidden. If they did not lock only parts of the game behind finding these elusive balls, then I’d be fine with it.

VR is still one of those video game mediums where it pays to have more party games than first-person experiences. I think Walkabout Mini Golf solves both problems by having a huge amount of content for one person to play (with some neat Downloadable Content for those who are interested) while also showing the unique ability of VR to transport players of all types to fantastical places to play a simple game of miniature golf. I’d almost say this is a must-have for any owner of an Oculus headset.

Engaging mini golf in fantastical VR worlds, I give Walkabout Mini Golf 4.0 stars out of 5.

Minions: The Rise of Gru
Year: 2022
Rating: PG
Length: 87 minutes / 1.45 hours

It always felt weird to me that the prequel spinoff series to Despicable Me started with Minions (2015), set well before these yellow tic-tac creatures even met their eventual boss. As a true prequel to the main series, Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) was the movie the previous Minions movie should have been. And while it definitely lives up to the somewhat immature nature of these films from Illumination, I am constantly in awe of how visually impressive these movies look despite not coming from Disney, Pixar, or Dreamworks.

While definitely still geared toward children, Minions: The Rise of Gru definitely has its moments that parents forced to watch along with their kids will chuckle at. In particular, the names of the villains are puns well above little ones’ heads but are quite amusing for the adults who know (Nun-Chuck (Lucy Lawless) being my favorite). I mean, they even got Jean-Claude Van Damme to voice Jean-Clawed. It’s goofy, and you can turn your mind off to enjoy the flashy colors for almost an hour and a half.

My only gripe is that this movie didn’t quite integrate its A and B storylines that well. Sure, they come together at the end to save the day, but they might as well have been two separate movies: one where the Minions train and one where Gru (Steve Carell) is mentored by Wild Knuckles (Alan Arkin). Still, as far as origin stories go, there are enough references to the main Despicable Me series to explain how everything got started prior to the first Despicable Me (2010) movie. I only hope that this movie marks the end of the Minions spin-off series since there’s really nowhere else to go with it now.

The Despicable Me prequel the first Minions movie should have been, I give Minions: The Rise of Gru 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Grave Peril
Year: 2001
Author: Jim Butcher
Length: 378 pages

The third book in the Dresden Files, Grave Peril continues the adventures of Chicago’s resident wizard as he takes on ghosts, godmothers, and ghoulish vampires. While it’s definitely an improvement from Fool Moon, Grave Peril still has some of the misogynistic flaws of the series’ titular character. On the plus side, we finally get to delve into deeper lore for the series. And we get Michael. He’s the best new character in this series and by far my favorite for many reasons—mainly because how he does things differently than Dresden.

I’ll admit that it took me a while to get through this book, which felt odd considering the action was superb, the writing was proficient, and the story was thrilling. For some reason, I didn’t feel the motivation to continue reading and went weeks between picking it up and continuing. I think if I had read it all as quickly as possible, then it might have earned another half-star. I know it’s not this book’s fault for my inability to focus on reading to save my life (thanks to the pandemic; I think). Perhaps there’s something subconscious about this book that prevented me from devouring it, though.

Since the Dresden Files are mainly written through the POV of Harry Dresden, this might be my biggest qualm right now. I absolutely adore all the new characters introduced in this book, but I cringe at all the obvious instances of “men writing women” that have persisted since book one. In fact, I’d almost rather have an entire series from Michael’s point of view, because he seems much more interesting in his denim-wearing, sword-wielding ways. I’ll still continue with this series, but only to see where it takes Michael.

Great new characters and a deeper dive into the lore, I give Grave Peril 4.0 stars out of 5.

See How They Run
Year: 2022
Rating: PG-13
Length: 98 minutes / 1.63 hours

When it comes to certain actors, I’ve enjoyed their previous work enough that I’ll watch them in anything now. Since Iron Man 2 (2010), I’ve liked what Sam Rockwell has done, whereas Lady Bird (2017) felt like Saoirse Ronan’s breakout role for me. Having both these actors together in the same movie was a guarantee that I’d want to see it. Considering how the trailers made See How They Run (2022) look like a fun little whodunnit comedy, I was looking forward to how these actors would play off each other.

Ronan’s earnest police detective paired with Rockwell’s hardened investigator was a fun match-up for this movie. It’s not necessarily laugh-out-loud funny, but it’s cute when it’s amusing. That the “lessons” Rockwell’s character inadvertently gives to Ronan’s up-and-comer end up being the key to solving the case just makes it that much more fun. The other actors that surround this investigative duo do a fine job as well, if not perhaps playing their parts a little over the top. The cross-cutting of scenes was also an interesting artistic choice for this film, making it almost feel like a comic book at times.

As far as mysteries go, this one is more akin to a tangential meta Agatha Christie mystery that evokes The Mousetrap without actually being that play in particular. This, of course, means there’s the classic—almost formulaic—layout of false leads and suspicion of the main character. The meta elements were an interesting touch that made me laugh as they came into focus. Overall, though, See How They Run feels generic, even with the star power behind its leading roles. Good for a smile or two, but not much else.

A cute buddy cop meta whodunnit, I give See How They Run 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Genshin Impact
Year: 2020
Rating: T
Time Played: 350+ hours

Having played many free-to-play games, there’s usually a point where you run out of stuff to do and the game ceases to be fun. Usually, this is when the time-based resources run out and you have to wait to keep playing the game. It surprised me how many hours I put into the free-to-play action-adventure game, Genshin Impact before I hit this wall. Even when I reached this point, I still had plenty of diverse activities to do to keep me occupied for hours at a time. With regular story updates, it’s almost overwhelming how much you can get out of this game without paying anything.

Part of Genshin Impact’s appeal is its somewhat Breath of the Wild-like open world and visual style. While it leans a bit more on anime influences for its character designs (of which there are plenty of characters to play as in this game), Genshin Impact‘s world might be even larger than the huge version of Hyrule that appears in Breath of the Wild. There are settings from traditional fantasy to Chinese- and Japanese-inspired realms to geographic locations like a towering icy mountain and dark mine. And while both games have limited basic enemy types, Genshin Impact is always adding new bosses to challenge your skills.

One reason I picked up Genshin Impact was that I could play it on my phone. Synching progress between my brief sessions out and about and the times I’d sit down to play at my computer was nice, but because this game is so incredibly massive, it’s now too big to play on my phone without me having to delete all the other apps on it. Consequently, I now play it less than I used to, even if I have even more story content to unlock now. Still, I enjoy playing this game occasionally and welcome all the free updates it gets every few weeks.

An enormous free-to-play game that evokes Breath of the Wild, I give Genshin Impact 4.0 stars out of 5.

Interceptor
Year: 2022
Rating: R
Length: 99 minutes / 1.65 hours

I heard about this movie from some co-workers and I decided to turn my mind off for a night and watch it. I’m glad that it was on Netflix because I would not have paid money to see this generic action thriller. It felt to me like someone was perusing the internet, trying to find interesting military resources to integrate into an action film. Then they found SBX. While this floating military asset is an interesting place to set an action film, there’s nothing special in the plot to really demand it.

A few things I couldn’t get past in this movie were the motivations of the villains and the accent of the main character, Captain Joanna Collins (Elsa Pataky). I had trouble believing a Captain with such a strong eastern-European accent would be as successful in the United States military as she was. Then there are these random scenes with Chris Hemsworth working in a Best Buy. I still don’t know what that was about. If this movie was trying to be Die Hard (1988) on a floating military platform, it wasn’t unique enough to pull it off.

The thing is, Interceptor (2022) could have been a lot better if it wasn’t about terrorists launching missiles to attack the United States. There are moments that feel like they’re on the edge of discussing some seriously under-addressed elements of military life, but then they just gloss over them and make the lead out to be some manly badass instead of a woman who has endured trauma. What a better movie this would have been if it had adequately fought against sexual harassment of women in the military instead of using it as a cheap plot point that didn’t end up meaning anything.

Generic action with extremely brief hints of something much better, I give Interceptor 1.5 stars out of 5.

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The Key House
Year: 2022
Author: Mike Curtis
Length: 227 pages

***THIS BOOK WAS RECEIVED FROM THE AUTHOR***

Growing up, I never read many middle-grade adventure books. I understood the appeal of a series like The Hardy Boys, but I was drawn more to Encyclopedia Brown. Even without this pre-existing knowledge of the genre, The Key House seems to hit all the required tropes for those who want something along the lines of a mystery/adventure. This is both a strength and a weakness of this book, as it feels done before (significant The Goonies (1985) vibes) but is familiar enough for young readers to know what to expect.

The trouble is that the few points where The Key House strays from the middle-grade adventure tropes stick out. Most of these adventures don’t involve parents at all, so it’s not until halfway through the plot that it feels like this story can actually do what it needs to. The characters felt somewhat generic—like they belonged in Leave it to Beaver more than in the mid-1990s. This was a bit jarring when they interacted with a more “modern” world (relatively speaking, considering how it’s set ~30 years ago). Sudden bursts of specific knowledge from the kids (like a European orphan crisis being brought up at dinner) were also out-of-place enough to pull me from the story.

In terms of the moral, The Key House tries its best to have one of its main characters overcome the character flaw of pride. With a few key examples provided in the narrative, it makes some sense that the eldest boy would have trouble with feeling superior to others. However, these moments feel second-hand and this flaw doesn’t play into the plot of the treasure hunt enough for it to be significant. Still, for young readers, this book should be right up their alley.

A middle-grade adventure Goonies fans will enjoy, I give The Key House 3.0 stars out of 5.

The Bob’s Burgers Movie
Year: 2022
Rating: PG-13
Length: 102 minutes / 1.70 hours

Let a television show get popular enough, and eventually, you’ll see a movie get made of it. This is true for older shows like Get Smart (2008) as well as modern shows like Bob’s Burgers. It seems that animated shows have finally “made it” when they get their first animated movie. South Park, The Simpsons, and SpongeBob SquarePants are among the ranks of well-known animated sitcoms that made the leap to the big screen. Now Bob’s Burgers joins their ranks with The Bob’s Burgers Movie (2022).

The challenge for a 30-minute animated show expanding to a feature-length movie has always been the strength of its intertwining plotlines. For this movie, introducing an enormous sinkhole that’s blocking the entrance to the restaurant ups the scale of normal shenanigans, especially on the first day of summer when people are ready to go out to eat. Add to this a murder mystery that the Belcher kids are trying to solve and you’ve got a solid plot on your hands. And since this is Bob’s Burgers, there are a few more songs than in a normal episode, making this a pseudo-musical as well.

Visually, the movie version of this show looks crisp and clean, with shadows adding depth to the normally flat Sunday evening show. The few set pieces are exciting and well-placed to keep things interesting—to the point where I wondered how the Belchers were going to get out of their predicament. Adding in some lore to the Bob’s Burgers canon in this film also made this an enjoyable watch, as it helped develop the characters we’ve known for over a decade. Overall, fans of the show will enjoy the movie, even if it’s cinematic comfort food.

A successful jump to the big screen for Bob’s Burgers, I give The Bob’s Burgers Movie 4.0 stars out of 5.

Pokémon Quest
Year: 2018
Rating: E
Time Played: 105+ hours

There are a lot of games I play that are part of the free-to-play structure. Pokémon Quest was one of them. I say was here because there really was no motivation to complete the Pokémon series slogan of catching them all without finally giving in and paying for the items needed to make grinding for these rare Pokémon much easier. If I had given in and paid for the necessary items to make the game completable, I’d be spending nearly $30, and this is not a $30 game. When a game can play itself without player input, it’s hardly even a game.

Presented in a pixelated Minecraft style, Pokémon Quest is probably closest to the Rumble side series of Pokémon games. With a few limited moves, the Pokémon you play with in this game are sent into different biomes to take down the Pokémon that live there. While there is some amount of strategy for how you set up your team of three Pokémon so that you can let the game play on automatic mode without your Pokémon fainting, once you have the META figured out, it basically plays itself. Often, I’d start a round while watching a TV show, only occasionally glancing down to confirm that the level was complete.

There were times near the late stages of the game when it was legitimately fun, and the challenge was enough for me to take control of my Pokémon for a few levels. Still, the main “capture” mechanic for this game was too random for my tastes. Cooking food in your camp that would attract Pokémon based on the ingredients never felt like something I could control to get what I wanted. Instead, I had to pay for the ability to speed this process up or run it in parallel with multiple pots of food. Since I refused to do so, my Pokédex remains incomplete, even if all the levels were defeated.

A somewhat fun free-to-play game that is not worth the $30 it tries to get you to spend, I give Pokémon Quest 3.0 stars out of 5.

Three Thousand Years of Longing
Year: 2022
Rating: R
Length: 108 minutes / 1.80 hours

When I saw the posters for Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022) at my local movie theater, I couldn’t easily figure out what it was about. A while later, I saw an article headline that told me that George Miller directed it, so I figured I’d give it a chance. I had seen no trailers or ads for it, but I figured the director of Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) and Happy Feet (2006) would have something interesting for me to see.

I found it a little ironic that this movie about storytelling was meandering with its own storytelling. Granted, it had three millennia to cover in less than two hours, but the framing of it felt a little odd. There are so many in-between moments in the hotel room that could have been used to intersperse modern life with ancient tales. I will give credit here to the somewhat unique nature of the plot, as the movies about genies or djinn are so few as to be counted on a single hand. Dealing with magical beings who grant wishes is a topic that felt fresh and grounded in George Miller’s hands.

Visually, plenty of this movie is a treat. If you can get past some of the uncomfortable moments of nudity, that is. The ancient times covered in the Djinn’s (Idris Elba) stories are filled with the fantastic and the grounded. Tying in lore from historical moments was a nice touch with just enough of a twist to make it interesting. Unfortunately, the chemistry between the two main characters didn’t strike me as particularly strong. Considering that most of the movie is about their connection, this is probably why I didn’t care for the “modern” moments of the film.

A pretty good George Miller film that misses the storytelling mark, I give Three Thousand Years of Longing 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Pity the Reader: On Writing with Style
Year: 2019
Author: Kurt Vonnegut Jr. & Suzanne McConnell
Length: 721 minutes / 12.02 hours

People will always ask successful writers how they do what they do. What tricks do they have? What techniques make their writing timeless? Kurt Vonnegut is definitely a successful writer, so we’d want to know how he writes so we can apply his lessons to our own work. I picked up this book thinking it was like Stephen King’s On Writing, not initially realizing that this book was released over a decade after his death. Consequently, this book was a disappointment.

I would say that Vonnegut did not actually write any of this book. If he had, I’m sure it would have been much shorter. Instead, we get a pseudo-biography of the man who wrote such classics as Slaughterhouse Five and Cat’s Cradle. This is a book written by Suzanne McConnell. And while she may have been close enough to Vonnegut to glean a few extra writing tips, his writing already contained most of these portions of advice. It’s nice to have them collected here in one place, but they are so diluted by anecdotes from his life as to almost be hidden in this book about how to write.

It’s almost ironic that they titled this book Pity the Reader. I pity any neophyte writers who are looking to one of the greats of American literature for any sage advice. Over a decade after Vonnegut died, this book feels like a cash grab. A flashy bit of literature with his name on it, meant to sell copies to the unwitting weekend novelist or stay-at-home mom who writes on the side. He probably would have hated it, if for no other reason than him not seeing any profits from it.

A misleading book that takes advantage of Vonnegut’s name, I give Pity the Reader 2.0 stars out of 5.

Full Metal Jacket
Year: 1987
Rating: R
Length: 159 minutes / 2.65 hours

As a self-proclaimed film buff, I have to admit that it’s almost criminal that I’ve gone this long without fully watching Full Metal Jacket (1987). After all, I have seen most of Stanley Kubrick’s filmography and I understand the importance of his oeuvre. I think my hesitation is that I’ve already seen most of this film just through the memes that it eventually spawned. That, and doing more of a “straight” take on a war movie after the perfect satire that is Dr. Strangelove (1964) felt like a disservice.

Even though this movie is almost three hours long, it really feels like two completely separate films smashed together. I don’t believe any other film before or since has quite captured that “boot camp” feel that the first half of this movie does. It’s spawned so many quotable lines that it stands on its own without a need to follow up. Then we jump into war and it feels a bit more generic—even if it still contains a few memorable lines as well. By 1987, it felt like we already had plenty of these kinds of war movies that show how all the training goes out the window once you get into the field.

The one thing that definitely redeems the second half (and enforces the whole movie, to be honest) is the subtle way that Kubrick shows mastery of cinematography. It doesn’t bring attention to itself, but the little things stand out as different. Like how everything at boot camp is in focus, highlighting how no soldier is special or deserving of specialized attention. Or how a long one-shot introduces so much exposition about fighting on the front lines of the Vietnam War without saying so explicitly. This is the brilliance of Kubrick, and Full Metal Jacket is not immune to it.

Two different films united by Kubrick’s genius cinematography, I give Full Metal Jacket 4.0 stars out of 5.

Murder by Numbers
Year: 2020
Rating: T
Time Played: 35+ hours

I haven’t played many visual novel games, so it only figures that the first one I fully completed was also a nonogram (or picross) game. Murder by Numbers mixes the point-and-click adventure of a visual novel mystery with the blocky puzzle styling of nonograms. Divided into several “episodes,” the player follows an actress who plays a detective on TV as she solves actual crimes with the help of a mysterious robot known as SCOUT. It’s cute and the characters are pretty fun; however, there are a few things I would change.

The most frustrating part about this game was how close I came to completing it 100%, only to find that I could not go back and find one puzzle I missed in one of the episodes and instead had to go through the entire episode again. Since the game gives you an update of how close to “S Rank” you are for each episode, I was banging my head against the wall trying to find the missing puzzle, eventually resorting to a guide to help me. All the puzzles should be discoverable at the end of each episode to prevent this gameplay flaw.

Aside from this one weakness, I appreciated how the pixelated images that were used as clues in this game were merely the limitations of SCOUT’s visual processing. This helped explain the low-resolution picross puzzles you have to solve. I also liked how these common objects (which are usually the subjects of nonogram puzzles) had an actual context within each episode’s mystery instead of just being some random duck or palm tree puzzle. Finally, despite being part of the flaw I mentioned earlier, I liked searching for clues/puzzles since it enhanced the mystery part of the game.

A perfect blend of mystery visual novel and picross puzzler, I give Murder by Numbers 4.0 stars out of 5.

Stan & Ollie
Year: 2018
Rating: PG
Length: 98 minutes / 1.63 hours

The duo of Laurel & Hardy is one of those classic acts that seems to come up when people talk about comedy. I’d certainly heard of them before, but I would be hard-pressed to tell you what one of their famous bits was. On the flip side, most people know the “who’s on first” bit from Abbott & Costello. Sure, Laurel & Hardy’s comedy was mostly physical, so there’s not a lot of clever wordplay to remember or easily recreate. Until I watched Stan & Ollie (2018), I never knew how hard they really had it.

Focusing on the two comedians trying to gain traction after determining that they were being screwed by the big production companies, Stan & Ollie is funny when these two men (aptly performed by Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly) are in their element. The problem is, it’s heartbreaking to see them try so hard and struggle to get nowhere without the exploitation of the big production companies that originally made them famous. Perhaps that dichotomy is what hits so hard in this film: the knowledge that they were successful, but the inability to capitalize on it by themselves.

While it’s important for films like this to highlight how artists are often marginalized so that others can profit from their success, it makes for a depressing movie. The bits of comedy shown on their tour was fun, but knowing the struggles in the background—and how they kept going despite them—is hard to watch. Additionally, focusing on the difficult downfall of these two comedians doesn’t seem nearly as entertaining as seeing their rise to fame. Still, the poignant moments of this film make it worth a watch for anyone who even remembers who Laurel & Hardy were.

Moments of levity interspersed between heartbreaking artistic struggles, I give Stan and Ollie 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Supernova
Year: 2019
Author: Marissa Meyer
Length: 992 minutes / 16.53 hours

If there’s one thing I appreciate about Marissa Meyer’s writing, it’s that she has a conclusive ending in three to four books. The Lunar Chronicles wrapped up everything nice and tight in four books, and the Renegades trilogy does the same thing with the last book, Supernova. After all, I enjoy reading a tight set of three or four books instead of a meandering series with dozens of entries. That being said, I wasn’t a fan of the epilogue in this book, but at least everything else concluded in a way that made sense for the narrative arc of the whole trilogy.

In the first two books of the Renegades trilogy, I had some assumptions about the big questions Meyer presented to the reader. Who really killed Adrian’s mom? How would Nova eventually be found out? Who is Phobia? While Archenemies really hit it out of the park by introducing the moral gray area of super-powered humans, I was a little disappointed with how this book answered the remaining big questions of the trilogy. At least Meyer actually answered them instead of letting them remain mysterious.

While there wasn’t a lot of evidence to back up my theory, I thought that Adrian’s mom would have died accidentally after being exposed to Max’s power. That’s what made sense to me. However, the canon answer for her death definitely works and has a much more meaningful explanation despite it being slightly paradoxical and almost a non sequitur in my opinion. In the end, Supernova completes a fantastic series that asks hard questions about superheroes that other series like Invincible and The Boys have managed to do in their own right.

Answering the questions of the Renegades trilogy while also faltering in the epilogue, I give Supernova 4.0 stars out of 5.

Bullet Train
Year: 2022
Rating: R
Length: 127 minutes / 2.11 hours

There’s something inherently exciting about being trapped on a train with a murderer. It’s why Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express has done so well for almost 100 years. In this more modern take, Bullet Train (2022) fills this titular high-speed form of transportation with a half-dozen unique killers with ties to a mob boss known as “The White Death.” Ridiculous at times, Bullet Train is fun and full of action while also being the repeated poster child for the literary concept of Chekhov’s Gun.

With Brad Pitt in the leading role as the “unlucky” assassin with the codename “Ladybug,” a lot of the comedy comes from the coincidental alignment of particular circumstances that pull Ladybug further into the conflict. There are almost Mr. Bean levels of close calls for Pitt’s character as he finds himself tangled up in the parallel plans of his fellow assassins. Of course, the number of mistaken identity tropes in this film almost qualifies it to be Hitchcockian in nature. Because what good story on a train doesn’t have at least a little mystery involved?

Where Bullet Train excels is in the way it shows the audience things that become important later in the story. Sure, there are a lot of little things that might not seem important, but it wasted none of these moments. This may also be with the way this movie was filmed, with the hand-to-hand combat being John Wick (2014)-like and the big action set pieces focusing on those Chekhov’s Guns just before it used them for their ultimate purpose. Granted, with so many unique characters, it was a little difficult to keep everything straight at times. But when things lined up, the result was often satisfying.

Fun action with dozens of telegraphed moments, I give Bullet Train 3.5 stars out of 5.

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Picross 3D
Year: 2010
Rating: E
Time Played: 4,199 minutes / 69.98 hours

By now, I’m entirely on board with the whole concept of nonogram puzzles. Often referred to as “picross,” I have had better experiences with these games using a touchscreen and stylus, which was why I picked up Picross 3D for the Nintendo DS. The few other picross games I played on the DS were definitely enhanced by the fact that I could use the stylus to select the blocks I wanted to mark. The third dimension is what sets this game apart from regular picross games.

While Picross 3D still suffers from the puzzles common to picross (mainly everyday objects and things), by making the puzzles three-dimensional, there was just enough novelty to make the game interesting to play. Instead of selecting boxes to fill in to create a black-and-white image, Picross 3D has the player chisel away at a box, eventually revealing a 3D model if everything is chosen correctly. Granted, these models are still relatively “low resolution” like most picross puzzles are. Even some of the larger puzzles can’t escape their blocky appearance, which is fine given what this game is.

This game is good for a mindless puzzler, even if sometimes the touchscreen controls can be frustrating when you accidentally select the wrong box and have to start a puzzle over. After all, it was easier to just restart a level to get the perfect score instead of just finishing it after taking the penalty for the error. Even so, the controls are simple to pick up and learn and the way of thinking three-dimensionally eventually becomes second nature by the later puzzles of the game. I 100% completed this game, and it surprised me to learn I had spent 70 hours on it, playing regularly every night for a few weeks.

An innovation to the standard picross formula, I give Picross 3D 4.0 stars out of 5.

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Year: 2021
Rating: PG
Length: 90 minutes / 1.50 hours

The documentary format is so ingrained as a genre of film that it can be quite easy to take the same visual style and plot structure and apply it to something that doesn’t actually exist. In the case of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021), the audience gets a glimpse into this peculiar little creature named Marcel (Jenny Slate) who lives in an Airbnb with his grandmother—both of which are shells that have shoes and can talk. Equally charming and meta, this film is a cute piece of fluff.

While I never saw the short films this movie was based on, they must have been significant enough at the time (roughly a decade ago) for me to feel like this was a familiar piece of media that I had somehow missed from my childhood. The stop-motion style of these small creatures helps to show the challenges they face in a world that is suited to creatures much larger than they are. It’s amusing to see the solutions Marcel and his grandmother created just to live their lives in this Airbnb.

Plot-wise, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On gets a little meta with the 60 Minutes angle. What’s more frustrating is how the ending doesn’t really carry much of an impact because it begs the question of how thoroughly the humans actually tried to help Marcel find his family in the first place. Of course, this is also on top of the “get a divorced couple back together” subplot that feels played out in this day and age. Still, regardless of these flaws, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is a cute little movie that any fan of mockumentaries should watch.

A cute mockumentary with a fairly basic plot, I give Marcel the Shell with Shoes On 4.0 stars out of 5.

Blood Ties
Year: 2015
Author: Quincy J. Allen
Length: 322 pages

While I haven’t read many steampunk stories, the genre is intriguing to me for a variety of reasons. Mostly, the aesthetic is a way to combine genres typically set in historical eras with other elements of science fiction or fantasy. In Blood Ties, steampunk is the overlay on a western, but with fantasy elements mixed in for a distinct flavor I haven’t read before. And while its unique elements are its strengths, there were a few parts of Blood Ties that felt unfinished—or at least written in a way to force the reader to pick up the next book in the Blood War Chronicles.

I appreciated that this book addressed some of the logistical challenges of steampunk. Metal is often heavy, so the fact that the main character had to ride something sturdier than a horse was a welcome detail. The zeppelin ride also seemed to take up much of the book’s length, which is likely an accurate portrayal of how long it would take to travel from Colorado to California. I also thought that the unique language used for the “secret code” was a nice touch since most books end up using a common language that any well-read individual can easily decipher.

There were a few qualms I had with this book which were minor, but there were enough of them that added up. I felt it was difficult to separate Jake and Cole as distinct characters, mostly because many other characters had such unique personalities. I also wasn’t pleased about how the beginning of the book teased this “magic,” but then rarely (if ever) showed it in action again—likely to tease me into reading the next book. Finally, there were quite a few instances of “men writing women” that made me roll my eyes, even if it’s obvious the author wrote this book for men.

Some smart steampunk with a collection of minor issues, I give Blood Ties 3.5 stars out of 5.

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