VIDEO GAME: Wii Sports (2006)

Wii Sports Year: 2006 Rating: E Time Played: ~20 hours Few games have had the immense cultural impact quite like Wii Sports. As the game included with new Wii systems, Nintendo knocked it out of the park for a game that not only was simple to pick up and play but that also was accessible to anyone who could move their arms. While previous generations of launch titles highlighted the graphical capabilities of the system, Wii Sports sold many on the motion controls that were essential to the console itself. With five different sports included in the game, Nintendo chose sports that were simple and common enough that most people just understood how to play them without much need for explanation or tutorial. Kids, adults, and grandparents could all bond over the fun experience of virtual bowling, baseball, or tennis while more serious gamers could perfect their handling of the Wii Remote to master virtual golf or boxing. Of course, the issue here being that...
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MOVIE: Creed III (2023)

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...
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