Tag / WetheGeek

by WetheGeek

Is Nudity Nessessary?

unpopularopinioneWow! I love this movie! What amazing acting! What a beautiful plot! What incredible editing! This really is-and that’s a naked person…”

Why do films have nudity in them? Why do they think this is necessary? How does it add to the plot?

There are normally two schools of thought:
One:
The human body is beautiful and when put into shapes, like in dancing or a scene or a pose, making it a medium for art.
Two:
Yes, the human body is beautiful but that beauty should be reserved for your significant other. Seeing a naked body only encourages crude thoughts and shouldn’t be allowed in society.

The idea of beauty in the human body can be seen the best when looking back on Ancient Greece when their sculptures began to sculpt their gods using what we now call “The Golden Ratio”. When creating their perfect gods, the Greeks suddenly turned the human body from imperfect to perfect and soon hundreds of these statues popped up and continued into the Roman Empire.
From there, the knowledge of the Golden Ratio took over, notibally in the great ages of Baroque and Classical, and the human body was made a vocal point and was praised through mainstream arts in not only Classical art styles but also in the abstract and other Modern art styles

Now, I’m not the happiest person when it comes to nudity, I prefer everyone to be fully clothed thank you, but I do understand there is a thing called “Necessary Nudity” in media.

What is Necessary Nudity? It is one of two things:

1. Historically accurate (e.g. the ancient Olympics)
2. A character is in a spot that nudity is a reality (e.g. a brothel)

Sex scenes DO NOT COUNT as necessary nudity. I have yet to see a movie where a sex scene (nude or otherwise) has added to the plot. If you’re going to show that characters love each other, show the little lovey dovey moments, just because they had sex doesn’t mean they love each other.

I may be in the minority here but I’m completely fine with that. I will take a movie with less nudity and more plot any day.

Rant done.
-Mabel

by WetheGeek

Aquaman worth all the waves?

Aquaman

…I guess I should finally talk about the newest trailer. I mean it did happen…

If you can’t tell I’m not terribly excited for this movie. I have about as much hope for it as I did for Venom, which wasn’t a whole lot. DC has been disappointing me a lot lately. They have issues with the comics, poor management of their new shows, misuse of current properties, not to mention the 80% failure rate of the DCEU movies.

I’ve tried to like the DCEU. I really have. Granted I though Man of Steel was at best a 5/10. But Batman v Superman was a 6/10 and Suicide Squad was another 6/10. Wonder Woman was fantastic. I bought it immediately when it came out. It’s an easy 9-9.5/10. But when I walked out of Justice League I had to apologize to my girlfriend. That was the first superhero movie she had ever seen and it was maybe a 6.5-7.

You can always say I’m just a Marvel fanboy who doesn’t know anything. That’s one excuse you can tell yourself. But you’re wrong. I do enjoy Marvel yes. But it’s also incredibly hard to argue against the quality and success of Thor Ragnorok, Black Panther, and Infinity War. Those three hit the MCU out of the park. I admit Marvel has had some bombs like Iron Man 2 and 3, Thor 1 and 2, Age of Ultron and a few others. But Marvel also made giants that put all others to shame.

I should stop myself. This isn’t why the MCU makes better movies. It’s Aquaman.

I mostly ranted because Mark Millar (wrote comics for both DC and Marvel) posted on Twitter “Aquaman trailer just made modern Marvel look like 70s TV Marvel, chums,” Millar wrote in a tweet. “The green gauntlet has been slapped down and DC back in the game. A 5 min trailer so damn audacious, [James Wan], you damn genius!”

I don’t agree.

The DCEU has time and time again shown trailers and cut anything the fans were excited about. Both Justice League and Suicide Squad suffered that fate.

But putting all that aside let’s talk about the trailer. I do think it spoiled too much being five minutes. Here is my plot prediction:

**Spoilers?**

Mera comes to Aquaman needing help. Orm, Aquas half brother is planning to take the throne of Atlantis. But to be king Orm needs the kings trident. So the married couple to be go in search of it. Along the way they are tracked by Black Manta and almost killed. Black Manta was hired by Orm to kill the duo and steal the trident. Manta fails and Aqua gets the trident. He is proven the “true heir”, dons the King Armor, and leads the armies of Atlantis against Orm and his dark demons. Orm turns out to be being controlled by some dark force Aqua has to fight. The final boss fight is poorly lit and the villain is grayish black making him hard to see. Aquaman wins and the movie is over.

Even with all the predictability there are some distinct moments worth mentioning.

Black Manta. He is the sole reason I want to see this movie. He looks absolutely amazing. I’m so ready for him to be on the big screen. As a villain I’ve always found him fascinating.

The King Armor. It’s a call back to the classic orange and green suit. It looks fantastic.

Summary? DC better be bringing something new because I’m very bored with them.

-RytheGeek

by WetheGeek

Ghostbusters (the good one)

We are going to start Spooktober Throwback Thursday off right with a classic geek comedy

Ghostbusters

It’s the 1980’s and Dan Aykroyd is living the big life. SNL is at its peak and nothing can go wrong. Dan along with the help of John Belushi come up with a crazy script about a time traveling SWAT like team fighting ghosts. They titled it Ghostmashers. Seeing the budget (and technology) issues with the first script, Ivan Reitman told Aykroyd to rewrite it. And he did. We finally ended up with what was released in 1984.

I’m going to be honest. You should have seen this in the 34 years it’s been out. But if you haven’t I’ll give you a short recap.

Ghostbusters follows Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson around New York catching ghosts. Aykroyd, Murray, and Ramis are failed Columbia University scientists who get kicked out of school and have to start over. They put together enough money to start a small team to fight and capture ghosts.

New York is strangely exploding with ghosts at this time and the team is in high demand. They hire Hudson to help with the influx. The team is called by Sigourney Weaver to figure out why a demon is hiding in her apartment.

The EPA steps in and screws everything up (typical big government). The EPA accidentally starts the apocalypse by releasing all the ghosts the team had captured. The team discovered the demon in Weavers apartment is responsible and they have to fight it. I’ll let you watch the rest to see how they did.

Ghostbusters is a classic. It’s spun off a ton of material including cartoons, video games, and two other terrible live action movies. If you ignore all the crap it’s helped create you can actually enjoy the movie. It’s funny and charming and not too far down the science fiction path that it gets confusing. It’s very well balanced and includes some amazing talent. Rick Moranis even has a role that he does well. It will definitely make you laugh and probably even cheer as you watch the plucky team fight their was to fame and fortune. It’s iconic and incredible. It’s all memorable and enjoyable from the cast to the music.

I give it a solid 8/10 😃

-RytheGeek

by WetheGeek

Pixverse Part 3: Robot Rise

Part 3- Robot Rise

When we left off I had introduced you to two of the three factions that fight for dominance in the Pixverse, animals and man. I also showed you that animals are intelligent and magic exists.

Now you should meet the ones who destroyed humanity. And you can thank Syndrome for the end of mankind.

Syndrome was in many ways too smart for his own good. In the 1950-60s he created AI (artificial intelligence). You see the intelligence of his creations in the first Incredibles. The Omnidroid destroys part of the city and even learns that it can be controlled. The robot does it’s best to stop the humans from shutting it down.

The Omnidroid uses a special piece of technology. It’s the zero point energy most notably used by Syndrome to freeze the Incredibles in place. This energy seeps into everything over the next 60 years or so.

Supers eventually die out after Incredibles 2 but humanity remains. And so does much of Syndromes technology. Toy Story and Toy Story 2 introduce us to a company that becomes very important later, Buy n Large (BnL). This company was built off of the inventions of Syndrome. They continue to use the AI and zero point energy he created. In many ways they use it very recklessly because it has started to seep into inanimate objects, like toys.

This zero point energy feeds off of human emotions as seen by Syndromes anger and the humans around Woody and the gang.

By the early 2000s animals have continued to evolve. We see this in Ratatouille, Finding Nemo, and Finding Dory. The same zero point energy that affects inanimate objects also changes animals. They have learned how to speak to one another and coexist in harmony.

This all leads us up to the first war. Which we will cover next week.

-RytheGeek

by WetheGeek

Wanna play a puzzle game?

Love puzzle games but can’t find any that is more than one player?

Have you entertained the idea of going to an Escape Room but don’t want to pay $30 per person?

Are your introvert friends clinging to the front door, saying that the Sunlight is burning them when you try to even take them to an Escape Room?

Then look no further than Unlock! the Escape Room like puzzle card game!

Released in 2017, Unlock! offers unique scenarios in which players have to puzzle their way out of within a 60 minute timeframe. The game includes an app that not only provides the countdown but also ambient sounds and clues if the player gets stuck. There are 9 all together, each scenario costing a mere $15!

Though the game isn’t repeatable once you play it, have your other friends play it and watch in glee as the joy on their faces drain when pitted against these puzzles and time limit.

-Mabel

by WetheGeek

Bobs Burgers is Back!

The premiere of season 9 of Bob’s Burgers was last night, and because I’m a millennial, I watched it this morning through Hulu. I was alerted to the season 9 premiere through Josh Gad’s Instagram because he was one of the many guest stars. In this episode “Just One of the Boyz 4 Now for Now” Tina tries to prove she is not boy crazy by walking into a convention center of boys auditioning to for Boyz 4 Now to find her true love. It goes as well for Tina as you would think. The rest of the Belchers take care of a baby rat.

This was another great season premiere for Bob’s Burgers, but my favorite will always be “Work Hard or Die Trying Girl” from Season 5. This season opener had great songs and great guest stars. I really enjoyed all of Tina’s 80s classic movie themed daydreams and the final musical number. It had a great A story, but the B story could have been used later in the season. I, personally, would have loved to see Gene try out for the Boyz 4 Now as a B story.

Top quotes from this Episode:

1: – Bob – “I like the rat more than I like all of you.” 2 – Tina – “He left his shoe! Oh wait… That’s a pigeon.” 3 – Tina – “I’m not boy crazy. I’ve never felt more boy sane.”

-KaytheHuman

by WetheGeek

T.I.M.E. for a new game

Released in 2015 by Space Cowboys, T.I.M.E. Stories is a max four person choose your own adventure board/card game.
Players are introduced to the world of T.I.M.E. agents, where you are sent back in time to prevent human caused anomalies using bodies of people who are already there. You and the other agents have to prevent the anomaly before time runs out. Use logic, planning, puzzle solving, exploration, and dice rolling to play through the mysterious world you’re dropped into. Run time 2-3 hours with seven unique expansions.

I absolutely ADORE this game. It would probably be faster for you to play this game than for me to gush about this game. I will tell you my top two reasons why this is a fantastic board/deck game:
1: the stories-
With eight unique stories, you never know what kind of curveball is going to be thrown at you. Are you a fan of creepy mysteries? Got a taste for fantasy? Historical? T.I.M.E. Stories has got an expansion for you! After you play the base game and understand the rules, each expansion offers players new unique stories with their own mechanics and puzzles that spice up the already enthralling world.
2: you’re against the board-
I’m not a very aggressive person when it comes to games so when I find a game that I have to destroy an inanimate object, I’m happy. I sat down with my siblings, grabbed my brain and played.

Base game: $50
Expansions: $25

*WARNINGS!*
-The approximate game time is a nasty lie. My quickest game was 3 hours long and my lonest was 5. My brother has GMed a 7 hour game.
-Please take the age restrictions seriously! It is 13+ for a reason because of the frustrating puzzles and some ingame topics. There is an expansion that is marked 18+ and it is so FOR GOOD REASON.
-Once you play through a story there’s no reason to play again (in my opinion) unless you’re playing as a GM for a new group.

Happy Gaming!
-Mabel

by WetheGeek

Dial M for Mabel

I’ve always wanted to watch an Alfred Hitchcock but I really didn’t have an idea about which to start with besides “Psycho” and I’m not basic so this is the result.
The plot is about a man who creates the perfect murder plot in order to kill his cheating wife but the murder goes sour and the man has to spend the rest of the movie trying to work with what he has.
I am a decent fan of murder mysteries and constantly listen to the podcast “Unsolved Murders” so it was very interesting to see the film unfold before me because, from the very beginning of the movie, you know the entire murder plot within the first 15 minutes. The way that Alfred directed each scene is gripping and I actually was holding my breath to see if the man is ever caught as he has constant brushes with the law as they investigate the scene of the crime.
Because it was a stageplay before it made it to the big screen, the entire movie works within the confines of the murder house with one exception so you can feel the stress that the man constantly faces as you watch him delicately weaves his murder.
You really need to pay attention to every detail to this movie so I would not suggest watching this as a “relaxation” movie.
-Mabel

by WetheGeek

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Now, most of you are going to be like “I have no idea what that movie is and, more to the point, who you are” but that’s ok, I’ll get to my intro later!
For now I’m going to introduce this wonderful Chinese film that was nominated for 10 different awards after its release in 2000.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a martial arts movie that has many subplots to it but is grossly boiled down to: Man wants to renounce his art, old enemy returns with prodigy and now man wants save the prodigy. Since it’s originally in Mandarin, the movie graciously offers the option for either subbed or dubbed, which are both well done in each respect but I had to watch it in dubbed because the visuals are incredible.
The main reason why I wanted to watch this film was because of how often it was mentioned when people talked about visuals and I was not disappointed what so ever. The martial art is flawless, the costumes are beautiful, the flow from one shot to another is gorgeous!
If you do plan to watch it, do be warned that there is a sex scene right in the middle that adds nothing to the plot.
Happy Watching,
-Mabel

by WetheGeek

Return of the Fire Nation?

This month we were alerted to an interesting new development from Netflix: an Avatar the Last Airbender live-action show. This show would be directed by showrunners Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, a strong positive sign for the quality of the translation to live-action. The show is supposedly going to dive deeper into the cultures and lore of the world of Avatar, and the cast is reported to be pulled from the cultures each nation was based on (for example, the water tribe was based on the Inuit and Sireniki culture). The music will once again be done by the amazingly talented Jeremy Zuckerman, and the overall story will hopefully follow the themes and feel of the original.

The fact that this series is live-action has many fans pointing to the last attempt at a live-action adaptation by Shyamalan, not a great comparison to be made (as the ‘movie’ currently sits at a score of 20 on Metacritic, 4.5/10 on IMDB, and 6% on Rotten Tomatoes). However, the creators of the show had little if anything to do with the film, and efforts certainly seem to be in effect to remove that blemish from memory.

I personally am of two minds about this: On the one hand, I love the Avatar franchise, with its wonderful score, writing, characters, and worldbuilding, and would love to see that come to live-action and draw in a much larger audience. On the other hand, I for one haven’t forgotten the issues with the movie, and in fact, the issues with the other attempts Netflix has made of turning cartoons to live-action (let’s not even get me started on Death Note).

If this works, and I sincerely hope it does, I hope that Netflix and other companies learn from the success, and compare this show to other attempts that failed. The thing that can make or break this series’ success will be the involvement of those who truly care about the source material, but aren’t afraid to make something new. I don’t want EXACTLY the cartoon for this show, nor do I expect it. I do expect something different and new. However, I expect something GOOD.
Although, If Netflix avoids making more cartoon-to-live-action shows, I certainly won’t complain.

That’s been my opinion and update on the Avatar Netflix series, but please, feel free to comment with your opinion. As the man Phillip DeFranco always says “It’s a conversation, so let me hear what you think.”

-Incensum