MOVIE: Inside Out (2015)

by benmweilert1 Comment
Inside OutYear: 2015Rating: PGLength: 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...
Read More

BOOK: The Dawn of Everything (2021)

by benmweilertNo Comments
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...
Read More

MOVIE: Thelma (2024)

by benmweilertNo Comments
ThelmaYear: 2024Rating: PG-13Length: 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...
Read More

VIDEO GAME: Cubism (2020)

by benmweilertNo Comments
CubismYear: 2020Rating: ETime 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...
Read More

MOVIE: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Kingdom of the Planet of the ApesYear: 2024Rating: PG-13Length: 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....
Read More

BOOK: Sea of Tranquility (2022)

by benmweilert1 Comment
Sea of TranquilityYear: 2022Author: Emily St. John MandelLength: 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...
Read More

MOVIE: Palm Springs (2020)

by benmweilertNo Comments
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...
Read More

VIDEO GAME: Mega Man ZX Advent (2007)

by benmweilertNo Comments
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...
Read More

MOVIE: The Fall Guy (2024)

by benmweilertNo Comments
The Fall GuyYear: 2024Rating: PG-13Length: 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....
Read More