VIDEO GAME: Cat Quest (2017)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Cat QuestYear: 2017Rating: 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...
Read More

MOVIE: Inside Out 2 (2024)

by benmweilert1 Comment
Inside Out 2Year: 2024Rating: PGLength: 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...
Read More

BOOK: The 5 Love Languages of Children (1995)

by benmweilertNo Comments
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...
Read More

MOVIE: Wallace & Gromit – The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-RabbitYear: 2005Rating: GLength: 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...
Read More

VIDEO GAME: The Bridge (2013)

by benmweilertNo Comments
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...
Read More

MOVIE: A Quiet Place – Day One (2024)

by benmweilertNo Comments
A Quiet Place: Day OneYear: 2024Rating: PG-13Length: 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,...
Read More

BOOK: The Nolan Variations (2020)

by benmweilertNo Comments
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"...
Read More

MOVIE: Lilo & Stitch (2002)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Lilo & StitchYear: 2002Rating: PGLength: 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...
Read More

VIDEO GAME: Castlevania – Circle of the Moon (2001)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Castlevania: Circle of the MoonYear: 2001Rating: TTime 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...
Read More