Alan:
Hello Heroes! Merry Happy, and all the trimmings!
What I’m reading!
Words of Radiance - by Brandon Sanderson. Listen, I’ve been working on this for several months. My reading time has decreased significantly (so many kids things in Nov/Dec!) and also this book is a million pages. I read the first two Stormlight books as they came out, but then waited until the whole series was done. Now I’m going to finish them. It’s going to take me forever. I’m enjoying it but honestly? Too long. A bit bloated. Too many POV characters. Not nearly as bad as Wheel of Time at its bloatiest, but still. Could have used a significant edit, IMO.
What I’m watching!
Avatar: Fire & Ash is probably the least good Avatar (blue cat-people, not elemental magic people) film. Which means I still absolutely loved it. I love this world. I love these characters! (Yes, they have deepened into real characters, not just broad archetypes, which they kinda never were to begin with. Don’t get me started.) I want 10 more movies on/about Pandora. Get to work, Jim.
I’m gonna see Marty Supreme, Anaconda, and probably Zootopia 2 (again) this week. I love Christmas break!
What I’m playing!
The Drifter. This is a… masterpiece? It’s a classic point-and-click adventure (even on Mac!) but instead of being silly like Monkey Island, it’s dark and dour and has great twists, and the writing is great, and it’s just a solid good time. The puzzles are only occasionally frustrating, too!
Ace Combat 7. These games LOOK fantastic, but the gameplay always seemed silly to me. For context, my very first video games were hardcore simulation games back in the late '80s-early '90s. I grew up wanting to be a fighter pilot. I have played DCS (iykyk). And man, the stories are silly. And the dialogue is laughable. And the arcadey-ness is arcadey. But you know what? I’m “flying” a “fighter jet” through the air, making things go boom in a very 80’s action movie way. I’m sold.
Watch Movies! (And television, and read books, and play video games)
Jono:
Hello all, and happy holidays! This month I've been enjoying a lot of new films in theaters! Zootopia 2 (episode coming soon) and Rental Family were both wonderful. Wake Up Dead Man may be my favorite in the Knives Out trilogy. I'm excited for Hamnet, Eternity, and Avatar: Fire and Ash, which I plan to catch over the holiday. I also caught classics like Die Hard, The Shining, and Sense and Sensibility in theaters this month.At home I've been catching up watching Stranger Things (awesome) and reading Dickens' A Christmas Carol. I've been enjoying my time with family and loved ones. What have you all been up to? What have you been watching and reading?Love and light to you all!Jonathan