From Under The Rock

Ben Wessels
  • 4.8 (4)
  • FILM REVIEWS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

We've all been asked "Have you seen ______?" and faced the horrifying choice between lying and hoping we're not caught in the lie with a follow-up question, or telling the truth and having "WAIT, YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT?!?" exclaimed at us by a beloved friend, family member, or perhaps even a fully out-of-their-lane new acquaintance. We all live under a rock to some extent. So we are here to help. Hosts Sawyer Paine and Ben Wessels dive into movies that they themselves haven't seen and provide you with summary, reactions, and some insights for the next time someone corners you with that question.

  1. 06/29/2025

    Ep. 74 - The Big Short

    This week, in the hopes of finding some light in the current darkness, Ben had the bright idea for us to watch a movie about a previous crisis, because I guess that would make us... feel better? Something about "things have been bad and we made it through before" or some nonsense like that. Anyways, this led to us watching "The Big Short," the 2015 film starring Christian Bale, Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt that chronicles the housing market bubble of the mid-2000s and its subsequent devastating crash in 2008. I feel like we learned a lot about how some of the shadier stuff in economics works, but feeling better? Yeah, that was very much not the result. Join us anyways though!

    1h 8m

  2. 06/20/2025

    Ep. 73 - The Mark of Zorro

    This week we covered The Mark of Zorro, not to be confused with The Mask of Zorro, not to be confused with The Sign of Zorro, not to be confused with Zorro, The Gay Blade, not to be confused with 1975's Zorro, not to be... well, you get the idea. This version, out of 1940, and arguably the original (at least the original with spoken dialogue), is a fantastic and straightforward swashbuckling good time starring Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, and Basil Rathbone. And could a film from 1940 have themes that feel startlingly relevant in today's modern world? I guess you'll just have to listen to find out...

    57 min

  3. 06/07/2025

    Ep. 72 - Game Night

    As shameless nerds and tabletop gaming enthusiasts ourselves, this weeks movie - "Game Night" (2018) - felt like an almost must-watch as we continue to look for ways to distract ourselves from the outside world with a bit of goofiness. Starring Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Jesse Plemons, and Kyle Chandler, this under-the-radar comedy is a thrilling good time from start to finish, and will keep you on your toes with twists right to the very end. Special Thanks to our new Assistant Editor, Oliver Wessels, for his contributions on this one.

    55 min

  4. 05/16/2025

    Ep. 71 - Kung Pow: Enter The Fist

    What can really be said about the 2002 co-winner of the "Stinkers Bad Movie Awards" prize for Most Painfully Unfunny Comedy other than it - 2002's "Kung Pow: Enter The Fist" - is exactly the movie that you think it is and is yet somehow still a seemingly essential part of a certain generation's zeitgeist. We won't lie to you about what you're getting into with this one, but hopefully our companionship will be enough to make the journey a little bit less "painfully unfunny." :') Join us!

    1h 7m

  5. 05/10/2025

    Ep. 70 - The Devil Wears Prada

    This week we covered an all-time classic, and one of Meryl Streep's most iconic performances, "The Devil Wears Prada." Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, Emily Blunt, and others all give excellent performances as well, but as we all know, Meryl is the showstopper. In the social media era, it's almost impossible to have completely avoided references to this movie, so if you haven't seen it, come join us to find out what all is going on around that cerulean monologue or Chanel boots meme you've seen so many times.

    1h 35m

  6. 05/02/2025

    Ep. 69 (Nice) - Stargate

    Hark! A new episode drops! We apologize, friends, we've been navigating some work/life balance adjustments lately and it's been a little tougher than expected to keep up with the editing for the show. In any case, this week we covered 1994's "Stargate." A film that launched several long-running television spinoffs and that honestly surprised both of us with how casually fun it was in the face of horrible, low-budget scifi expectations. Join us!

    1h 38m

  7. 04/12/2025

    Ep. 68 - Top Gun

    Come for the Val Kilmer tribute, stay for us railing against this suprisingly bad film that I think we may have all remembered being way better than it is. I guess that's what a 35-years-later sequel can do for image rehab. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Join us!

    1h 21m

  8. 03/29/2025

    Ep. 67 - Dogma

    Dogma. A wonderful movie about angels, demons, humans, and lots of other bible-y things in between that stars Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Salma Hayek, George Carlin, and Jay & Silent Bob (among others). We're still working on actually making our episodes shorter than the films themselves, but in lieu of that, testing out a somewhat briefer episode description. Maybe it's just the burn out. Maybe I'll update this later. Who's to say? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    1h 38m
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Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

We've all been asked "Have you seen ______?" and faced the horrifying choice between lying and hoping we're not caught in the lie with a follow-up question, or telling the truth and having "WAIT, YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT?!?" exclaimed at us by a beloved friend, family member, or perhaps even a fully out-of-their-lane new acquaintance. We all live under a rock to some extent. So we are here to help. Hosts Sawyer Paine and Ben Wessels dive into movies that they themselves haven't seen and provide you with summary, reactions, and some insights for the next time someone corners you with that question.

Information

  • Creator
    Ben Wessels
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    74
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Ben Wessels
  • Show Website
    From Under The Rock