BOOK: The Core (2017)

by benmweilertNo Comments
The Core Year: 2017 Author: Peter V. Brett Length: 1,778 minutes / 29.63 hours While it took me a while to finally get around to the last book in the Demon Cycle series, I'm glad I put the time in to complete it. The initial concept laid out in The Warded Man was so interesting that I had to see it play out to the end. The Core wraps up this series with an ending that was mostly inevitable while also managing to add more subplots that merely padded out an already large conclusion to this series. Overall, my main qualm with the Demon Cycle series is that it is a prime example of "Men Writing Women." This trope is evident in many places across this series but seems most egregious in The Core with its depiction of childbirth (especially the one at the beginning). I understand that many fantasy worlds are based on medieval Europe, but that doesn't mean the writer has to be...
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MOVIE: Old (2021)

by benmweilertNo Comments
OldYear: 2021Rating: PG-13Length: 108 minutes / 1.80 hours Say what you will about M. Night Shyamalan's films, but I think he's truly returned to form since 2016's Split. And while Glass (2019)—the conclusion of the Unbreakable trilogy—was a little unsatisfactory, his latest film, Old (2021), is another win in my book. I appreciate when filmmakers fully explore an idea in their movies, and Old is precisely that. Shyamalan imagines all the different permutations of the concept of rapid aging and fits them into a scenario and his trademark plot twist that works incredibly well. Part of the fun of Old is how the characters slowly discover that they are trapped on a beach where time moves much more rapidly than they are used to. The problem-solving and conflicts that arise from this unsuspecting group of victims are fun to watch as they realize that their lifespans are a ticking clock that limits how long they can stay there. I appreciate that most...
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VIDEO GAME: SUPERHOT (2016)

by benmweilertNo Comments
SUPERHOT Year: 2016 Rating: T Time Played: 4+ hours When I started playing PC games a year ago, I recalled being intrigued by a game where time only moves when you do. The game? SUPERHOT. Don't let the low-polygon count and high-contrast graphics distract you from how fun this game is to play. The core gameplay mechanic is so excellent that this aesthetic works to its advantage. After all, there's something satisfying about watching your enemies shatter into thousands of pieces in slow motion. While the function of this first-person shooter is like SUPERHOT VR, they are two different games. I found the VR version easier to pick up and play, mostly because I haven't played many first-person shooters on the PC. I eventually trained myself to adapt to the tighter keyboard and mouse controls to make it to the end credits. Additionally, I have played through SUPERHOT on the Nintendo Switch, which is somewhere in-between the ease of the VR version and the two-handed...
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MOVIE: Evangelion – 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time (2021)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time Year: 2021 Rating: R Length: 154 minutes / 2.57 hours One of the classic series of anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion, is both exceptional spectacle and moments of "WTF?" It balances the line between post-apocalyptic survival and psychological horror. While it's always exciting to see large "robots" fighting alien creatures, a lot of Evangelion's appeal comes from the struggles of its characters. Sure, there's plenty of fan service (which is a staple of the series), but there is also an equal amount of philosophy that makes you question what it means to be human. Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time (2021) is the last movie in the Rebuild of Evangelion series. This series has attempted to bring the flashy 1990s action anime into stunning HD while also attempting to fix some of the original's more confusing aspects. It's difficult to pin down Evangelion's "true" version. Still, I think the Rebuild series does a fine job of maintaining some of the...
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BOOK: Stars Above (2016)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Stars AboveYear: 2016Author: Marissa MeyerLength: 581 minutes / 9.63 hours Something I feel is underappreciated in book series is when authors don't try to cram in as much material and side stories as possible to pad each of the books to be longer than they should be. Keeping the core books of a series concise helps drive the main plot forward without requiring larger and larger volumes to tie up all the loose ends introduced along the way. The Lunar Chronicles excels in this. Look no further than the "prequel," Fairest, and the collection of short stories and epilogue that is Stars Above for proof of this restraint. I can appreciate that worldbuilding will often create so much content that it doesn't always make sense to include it in the actual storytelling. Still, some origin stories might seem interesting, only to find out that most of these moments of exposition happened along the way as the character's motives are revealed to the...
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MOVIE: Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Die Hard with a Vengeance Year: 1995 Rating: R Length: 128 minutes / 2.13 hours It's interesting to go back and see certain points in a movie franchise where you could tell that they were already running out of ideas. I still think Die Hard (1988) is a fantastic action movie, and it's almost its own genre of action films. Movies falling into the "Die Hard on a/in a [BLANK]" category have since cemented its cultural significance. As of right now, the only Die Hard I haven't seen is Die Hard 2 (1990), but Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995) marks where the franchise departs from its roots. I will say that the casting for this movie was quite delightful, with excellent performances by Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jeremy Irons. I can also appreciate how this film tried to tie back to the original by using the original director and the fantastic work of Irons' antagonist. Action-wise, it's what you'd expect from a...
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VIDEO GAME: Q.U.B.E. 2 (2018)

by benmweilert1 Comment
Q.U.B.E. 2 Year: 2018 Rating: T Time Played: ~5 hours Q.U.B.E. 2 is one of those random games that I decided to play on a whim. Fortunately, it was free to me as a perk of having Amazon Prime. After completing this game, I don't think I would have paid for it otherwise. I knew nothing about this game going in, but it was at least interesting enough for me to see it all the way through to the end. That being said, it's a bit derivative of other first-person physics puzzle games that came before it. The more first-person physics puzzle games I play, the more I realize that Portal 2 is the definitive game in this genre. This is mostly because other games tend to rip off on Portal 2, and Q.U.B.E. 2 is one of these ripoffs. While Q.U.B.E. 2 takes itself seriously in the narrative it runs through the game (as compared to Portal 2's occasional humor), the stakes never seem to...
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MOVIE: John Wick – Chapter 3: Parabellum (2019)

by benmweilertNo Comments
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum Year: 2019 Rating: R Length: 130 minutes / 2.17 hours When the first John Wick (2014) came out, I thought it was just another action movie and paid it no attention. After a friend finally convinced me to see it, I was in awe of the "gun-fu" action sequences. Having a steady camera with amazing choreography made this series stand out enough that I saw the sequel in theaters. Unfortunately, I wasn't as impressed with Chapter 2 (2017), as it leaned heavily on developing the lore of The Continental. To add insult to injury, it also fell into the Trilogy Conundrum: a fantastic standalone movie with a sequel that requires the third installment to wrap up the plot (e.g., The Matrix (1999)). While I praise the simplicity of the first movie in this series, things have gotten ridiculous by Chapter 3 (2021). Yes, there are still some action sequences that maintain some of that excellent choreography. However, there were...
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