Musings of a Wandering Writer

Of all the movies I planned on watching with my family on Christmas Day, this was so far from the list that I didn't even know it existed. Despite that, I was drawn to its simple premise, as well as Trey Tucker's abs. Indie films might be hit-or-miss, but I feel like even the worst of the bunch are more interesting than the increasingly formulaic blockbusters we're inundated with today. * Where You Can Find It:  I saw this one on Amazon Video, where it is available for free to Amazon Prime members. General Information  What Lies Below is an indie horror film released on 4 December 2020. It was directed and written by Braden Duemmler with Vertical Entertainment distributing. Reading up on this film's background information was a little harder than usual as there's not much out there on this one (it doesn't even seem to have a Wikipedia page). Some research on Duemmler seems to show that this is his first feature length film (he's directed two short films prio...

Back when I did my review of season 1 of Bosch (which you can read here ), I pondered how this show might be impacted by the mainstream media's increasing coverage of police shootings and police misconduct. I haven't gotten much closer to getting an answer on that, however this season makes it clear that it's not worried about criticism aimed at its subject material. * Where You Can Find It:  I watched this one on Amazon Video where it is available for free to those have Amazon Prime accounts. General Information  Season 4 was released on Amazon Video on 13 April 2018 with season 5 pre-approved two months earlier. Thus far in this series, this season is the first to be based off of only one of Michael Connelly's Bosch novels: Angel's Flight . Strangely enough, I didn't notice any marked difference between this season and the previous ones despite the fact that the story was seemingly slimmed down. Like season 3, this season has no Metascore, but Rotten Tomatoes ...

When I first started this blog, one of my first references to entertainment centered around the brilliance of Michael Mann's direction of films like Heat and Collateral . In fact, I've probably referenced Michael Mann's works more than any other director as much of his work is near and dear to my heart. I was first introduced to his works with the television series, Miami Vice (which coincidentally is the first item I reviewed on this blog ). Back when this film came out, I was incredibly excited to see it, but the poor reviews came in and it fell off my radar. After a bit of rediscovery, I decided to finally give it a chance and see if Mann still has that style I love so much. 1 Where You Can Find It:  I checked this one out on Amazon Video, where it is available for rent/purchase. General Information  Blackhat is an action thriller film released on 16 January 2015. It was directed and co-produced by Michael Mann under Legendary Pictures with Universal Studios as the di...

After finishing season 2 (you can see my review for that here ), I had come to terms with the fact that this was an above-average detective show that would never truly reach the heights of its own potential. Words cannot describe how ecstatic I was when I started this season and had all my expectations blown away! This season came out swinging and presented an incredible story that explored everything I wanted and more . * Where You Can Find It:   This season is also on Amazon Video where it is free for those with Amazon Prime accounts.   General Information  Season 3 released on Amazon Video on 21 April 2017 with season 4 already approved for renewal. As before, this season is based off a group of Michael Connelly's Bosch book series: The Black Echo ; A Darkness More Than Night ; and The Drop . Although I've previously been against this blending of stories, I think this season handles it the best. Unfortunately, season 3 does not have a Metascore, so I checked out Rotten...

I must admit that although my reception to Bosch season 1 wasn't all that positive (you can see my review for it here ), I enjoyed it well enough to jump into season 2 with no hesitation. There's something very relaxing about this show (must be the jazz music) that makes it very easy to watch. * Where You Can Find It:   This season is also on Amazon Video where it is free for those with Amazon Prime accounts.   General Information  Season 2 of Bosch hit Amazon Video on 11 March 2016 with season 3 getting greenlit for renewal on 1 April 2016. Like season one, it is based on an amalgamation of Michael Connelly's Bosch novels, with this season gaining inspiration from Trunk Music , The Drop , and The Last Coyote . I can't help but wonder if taking influence from multiple books per season negatively impacts the show. Season 1 seemed to struggle with its dual-focus on the Waits and Stokes storylines, and I can't help but wonder if this was the same situation in this seas...

While I'm waiting on season 5 of The Expanse to release, I thought I'd reach deep into my backlog and try something I've been looking into since I first heard about it. I wasn't sure what to expect with this show. Part of me thought it might just be like  Law & Order: Los Angeles , or maybe a modern-day version of Columbo (but edgier, because it's the 21st century and that's how we roll these days apparently). When this first came out, I was pumped to check it out, but I had a lot going on back in 2014, so it sort of just fell to the wayside. Apparently, life went on and by the time I turned around, the series had racked up 6 seasons and I hadn't even gotten started! I'm glad I finally got my feet wet with this one, and I'm excited to delve the depths and see what happens in future seasons.   1 Where You Can Find It:   I saw this one on Amazon Video where it is free for those with Amazon Prime accounts. General Information  Bosch is an American...

Note: I want to preface this review by stating that this is an Early Access game. As such, this game is not formally released. I intend to return to this review and update it when the game is formally released so that any further updates are fully captured. I think we can all agree that 2020 has been a pretty awful year, but I must admit that it has given me plenty of time to branch out and try new things. As I mentioned in my Hunt: Showdown review ( which you can see here ), I'm not a big fan of multiplayer only games. Beyond that, I am vehemently against trying Early Access games too, as I find a lot of those games go years before finally being published/completed (if they even ever get that far). I prefer to wait and get the full experience than see an unfinished product. What a shock it was that when I tried this game out, I not only had a blast, but quickly became addicted! As of 2 December 2020, this game is only available on PC, where it can be purchased on Steam. * Genera...