Book Review - The Wizard's Butler by Nathan Lowell

I'm not a fan of most fantasty, but I do like magic in the modern world and I like reading about occupations I've heard little about.

The Wizard's Butler by Nathan Lowell is a contemporary fantasy book telling the story of a man who becomes a butler for an old man claiming to be a wizard. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Premise. The premise is really unusual. While I've read several stories of magic users in the current time, I've read very few about a traditional butler in a modern times, and it is the butler angle that makes this a unique and enjoyable story. The magic is done well too, but it nothing special or unusual.

Characters. The characters are all really interesting by themselves but also have great chemistry with each other.

Story. The main plot is a greedy relative trying to steal a dying relative's estate, but the twists of a butler and magic elevate it to a different type of story and experience. It moves at a good, gentle pace giving the reader time to enjoy the peculiar parts of this world and the characters' histories. I never found myself getting bored.

Details. The author includes a lot of details about the mansion where this story takes place and the role of butler for such an estate. Before reading this I didn't think the daily routines of a butler could be interesting, but the author found a way to make it fascinating.

The Bad

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What I Would Like to Have Seen

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Overall

The Wizard's Butler by Nathan Lowell is a contemporary fantasy book telling the story of a man who becomes a butler for an old man claiming to be a wizard. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read. The premise is really unusual. While I've read several stories of magic users in the current time, I've read very few about a traditional butler in a modern times, and it is the butler angle that makes this a unique and enjoyable story. The magic is done well too, but it nothing special or unusual. The main plot is a greedy relative trying to steal a dying relative's estate, but the twists of a butler and magic elevate it to a different type of story and experience. It moves at a good, gentle pace giving the reader time to enjoy the peculiar parts of this world and the characters' histories. I never found myself getting bored. The characters are all really interesting by themselves but also have great chemistry with each other. The author includes many details about the mansion where this story takes place and the role of butler for such an estate. Before reading this I didn't think the daily routines of a butler could be interesting, but the author found a way to make it fascinating. I highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.

    
 

Movie Review - Venom: Let There Be Carnage

I love comic books, but I've never like the Venom character in comics. When I heard he was getting his own movie a few years ago, I was not at all excited. But the trailer looked pretty cool so I went and saw it and absolutely loved it! I was excited to hear a sequel was coming, but also a little worried: would it live up to the first film's high standard, or would it be a disappointing money grab?

Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a 2021 live-action action horror movie based on characters from Marvel Comics. It is rated PG-13 for violence and language and is appropriate for teens and up.

The Good

What a Sequel Should Be. Most sequels are poor remakes of the first movie with more action, more special effects, and less story. This movie was a true continuation of the first. It didn't try to bring dead or irrelevant characters from the first movie back. It did show us how the characters had grown and progressed in the time since the first movie in a way that was consistent with what had already been established. And it introduced new characters and situations that fit the world already created.

Actors. This movie could not have been better cast. Everyone fit his or her role perfectly.

Characters. The characters were so entertaining and had such enjoyable chemistry between each other. I want more.

Story. The story was so tight and logical. Someone spent sometime writing it. The pacing was perfect; the movie never dragged.

 

The Bad

Too Short. While I appreciate the movie was trimmed down to only the essential story and this prevented any lag, I still felt there was more story to tell and we were cheated of it. 

 

Overall

Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a 2021 live-action action horror movie based on characters from Marvel Comics. It is rated PG-13 for violence and language and is appropriate for teens and up. Most sequels are poor remakes of the first movie with more action, more special effects, and less story. This movie was a true continuation of the first. It didn't try to bring dead or irrelevant characters from the first movie back. It did show us how the characters had grown and progressed in the time since the first movie in a way that was consistent with what had already been established. And it introduced new characters and situations that fit the world already created. This movie could not have been better cast. Everyone fit his or her role perfectly. The characters were so entertaining and had such enjoyable chemistry between each other. I want more. The story was so tight and logical. Someone spent sometime writing it. While I appreciate the movie was trimmed down to only the essential story and this prevented any lag, I still felt there was more story to tell and we were cheated of it. The pacing was perfect; the movie never dragged. I highly recommend this film and give it 4.5 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

    

Movie Review - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Even though I am a huge comic book fan and have read more comics than I can count, I had never heard of the character Shang Chi before. But the trailer looked interesting, so I thought I'd give it a go.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a 2021 live-action action movie based on Marvel Comics. It is rated PG-13 for violence and language, and is appropriate for most ages.

The Good

Character Interactions. This movie had several interesting characters that had enjoyable interactions between each other. The interactions make up the bulk of the movie and are the most interesting parts.

Action Scenes. There are three major action scenes, and all are very well choreographed and exciting the watch. The only downside to them are they all look like lots of wire work and like they came from a video game, but that doesn't take away too much from the enjoyment.

 

The Bad

Pacing. This movie is over two hours long and feels like it is over two hours long. The pacing is a little slow.

Story. The story is pretty predictable without any real surprises. It was probably the weakest part of the film. All the challenges are easily overcome with several convenient plot points stuck in just the right place to advance the story.

Fantasy Realm. Part of this movie takes place in a fantasy dimension filled with strange creatures. Only the creatures aren't that strange or creative or even interesting. The fantasy dimension is also disappointing after so much build up. 

 

Overall

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a 2021 live-action action movie based on Marvel Comics. It is rated PG-13 for violence and language, and is appropriate for most ages. This movie had several interesting characters that had enjoyable interactions between each other. The interactions make up the bulk of the movie and are the most interesting parts.  There are three major action scenes, and all are very well choreographed and exciting the watch. The only downside to them are they all look like lots of wire work and like they came from a video game, but that doesn't take away too much from the enjoyment. This movie is over two hours long and feels like it is over two hours long. The pacing is a little slow. The story is pretty predictable without any real surprises. It was probably the weakest part of the film. All the challenges are easily overcome with several convenient plot points stuck in just the right place to advance the story. Part of this movie takes place in a fantasy dimension filled with strange creatures. Only the creatures aren't that strange or creative or even interesting. The fantasy dimension is also disappointing after so much build up. This is an entertaining film worth two hours if you happen to watch it. But there is nothing special or wonderful, so if you never see it you aren't missing out on anything. I give it 3.5 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

    

Book Review - Thank You For My Service by Mat Best

I'm a big fan of entrepreneurs and hearing how they stumbled into their businesses.

Thank You For My Service by Mat Best is a nonfiction book telling the story of a teenage boy who joined the military, his experiences in the Middle East, and finding a purpose and direction after coming back to civilian life. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Stories. Mat is a great storyteller. He makes even the most mundane events sound exciting. He injects so much personality into his tales and has a great way to insert his wild opinions and commentaries into stories without interrupting the flow.

Lessons. Mat made a lot of mistakes and learned from most of them. He isn't afraid to share his mistakes or successes with others. He's very honest and doesn't fake humility or pride.

The Bad

Language. The language is definitely adult. It adds a certain humor and personality to the book, but some people may not be able to get past it.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

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Overall

Thank You For My Service by Mat Best is a nonfiction book telling the story of a teenage boy who joined the military, his experiences in the Middle East, and finding a purpose and direction after coming back to civilian life. Mat is a great storyteller. He makes even the most mundane events sound exciting. He injects so much personality into his tales and has a great way to insert his wild opinions and commentaries into stories without interrupting the flow. Mat made a lot of mistakes and learned from most of them. He isn't afraid to share his mistakes or successes with others. He's very honest and doesn't fake humility or pride.  The language is definitely adult. It adds a certain humor and personality to the book, but some people may not be able to get past it. I highly recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5 eReaders.

    

Movie Review - Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins

I loved the G.I. Joe cartoon and toys growing up. I enjoyed the live action movies from a decade ago. So I was excited to see a new movie and a new take on the franchise.

Snake Eyes is a 2021 live-action action movie based on the G.I. Joe toyline. It is rated PG-13 for violence and language, and is appropriate for teens and up.

The Good

Second Half. This movie was pretty boring and pointless with no direction until the second half when a story is finally introduced and something other than random fighting begins. It action becomes interesting and I started to care about the characters and what would happen to them.

 

The Bad

Casting & Acting. The movie was poorly cast and just as poorly acted. The actors didn't really fit the characters they were playing. And everyone was so stone faced and unemotional about everything. I had a hard time caring about what was going on when the characters seemed to care just as little.

Snake Eyes is the Bad Buy. For some reason the filmmakers decided to make Snake Eyes the bad guy and then quickly redeem him in the end in a very unbelievable twist that everyone magically accepts. I understand the idea of wanting a character arc where the character learns and grows, but this was just sloppy writing.

More About Storm Shadow. While Snake Eyes appears in almost every scene, the movie is really Storm Shadow's story. It follows his rise and fall. The film should have been titled Storm Shadow.

Changed the Mythology. I don't have a problem with filmmakers taking liberties with the source material and making changes if those changes are interesting and make a better story or lead to more compelling characters. I do have a problem with making changes that don't improve on the source material. This movie did not improve upon the source material.

Fights & Action Scenes. The fights were pretty mediocre and badly filmed. And then halfway thru the characters suddenly developed the power of flight after a fairly realistic and grounded take. And the flying didn't even look good.

 

What I Would Like To Have Seen

I wish they would have stayed truer to the mythology and done a better job casting, acting, and story writing.

Overall

Snake Eyes is a 2021 live-action action movie based on the G.I. Joe toy line. It is rated PG-13 for violence and language, and is appropriate for teens and up. This movie was pretty boring and pointless with no direction until the second half when a story is finally introduced and something other than random fighting begins. It action becomes interesting and I started to care about the characters and what would happen to them. The movie was poorly cast and just as poorly acted. The actors didn't really fit the characters they were playing. And everyone was so stone faced and unemotional about everything. I had a hard time caring about what was going on when the characters seemed to care just as little. For some reason the filmmakers decided to make Snake Eyes the bad guy and then quickly redeem him in the end in a very unbelievable twist that everyone magically accepts. I understand the idea of wanting a character arc where the character learns and grows, but this was just sloppy writing. While Snake Eyes appears in almost every scene, the movie is really Storm Shadow's story. It follows his rise and fall. The film should have been titled Storm Shadow. I don't have a problem with filmmakers taking liberties with the source material and making changes if those changes are interesting and make a better story or lead to more compelling characters. I do have a problem with making changes that don't improve on the source material. This movie did not improve upon the source material. The fights were pretty mediocre and badly filmed. And then halfway thru the characters suddenly developed the power of flight after a fairly realistic and grounded take. And the flying didn't even look good. I do not recommend this film and give it 2.5 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

   

Book Review - Life After the State: Why We Don't Need Government by Dominic Frisby

I've been a Libertarian since studying Economics in college and seeing how incentives are much more effective to drive people and nations than regulation and force.

Life After the State: Why We Don't Need Government by Dominic Frisby is a nonfiction book about unintended consequences that always follow regulation and government programs. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Explanations. So often well meaning people do things to help others only to have their efforts backfire and actually make the problems they're trying to solve worse. This book explains how that happens, why that happens, and how to avoid that.

Examples. The author uses many examples from around the world and quotes actual numbers to support and illustrate his points. I appreciate the variety and the specific numbers he gives.

The Bad

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What I Would Like to Have Seen

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Overall

Life After the State: Why We Don't Need Government by Dominic Frisby is a nonfiction book about unintended consequences that always follow regulation and government programs. He clearly explains why well-meaning people do things to help others see their efforts backfire and actually make the problems they're trying to solve worse. This book explains not only how that happens and why that happens, but also how to avoid it. The author uses many examples from around the world and quotes actual numbers to support and illustrate his points. I appreciate the variety and the specific numbers he gives. I highly recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5 eReaders.

    

Movie Review - War With Grandpa

It's rare to come across a PG movie these days, especially one that is entertaining.

War With Grandpa is a 2020 live-action comedy. It is rated PG for mild content and is appropriate for all ages.

The Good

Casting. This movie was perfectly cast. Everyone does a great job and fits their role perfectly.

Concept. The concept is pretty clever. Grandpa is too old to live on his own, so his daughter forces him to move in with her family and displaces her son to the attic sparking a war. The point of the movie is to show the damage that comes from any war, no matter how small. It gets a little heavy handed at the end, but otherwise it good.

 

The Bad

Prosaic. The movie is very enjoyable, but if you've seen the trailer and/or thought about what could go into such a movie, you won't be surprised. Nothing was especially clever or surprising.

 

What I Would Like To Have Seen

I wish they would have been a little more clever and imaginative in the different situations and pranks.

Overall

War With Grandpa is a 2020 live-action comedy. The concept is pretty clever. Grandpa is too old to live on his own, so his daughter forces him to move in with her family and displaces her son to the attic sparking a war. The point of the movie is to show the damage that comes from any war, no matter how small. It gets a little heavy handed at the end, but otherwise it good. This movie was perfectly cast. Everyone does a great job and fits their role perfectly. While the film is very enjoyable, but if you've seen the trailer and/or thought about what could go into such a movie, you won't be surprised. Nothing was especially clever or surprising. It is rated PG for mild content and is appropriate for all ages. I recommend this film and give it 3.5 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.