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Over the past couple of weeks, my wife and I finally sat down and watched the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I'd seen bits and pieces over the years and had tried watching them before, but I'd always end up falling asleep. It turns out that had more to do with my undiagnosed sleep apnea than the movies themselves. I'm really glad I finally got to experience the trilogy from start to finish.

Overall, I had a great time with the series.

The extended editions never felt like they were dragging for me. If anything, I appreciated getting more time with the characters and the world. It's easy to see why these movies are considered classics. The cast is fantastic, the music is incredible, and Middle-earth feels like a real place instead of just another fantasy setting.

We're working our way through The Hobbit trilogy now, and at the time of writing we still have the third movie left to watch.

So far, I'd say I've enjoyed The Lord of the Rings more overall. That said, Martin Freeman has absolutely been the highlight of The Hobbit movies for me. His version of Bilbo is incredibly likable, and he brings so much charm to the role that it's hard not to enjoy every scene he's in.

One of my favorite visuals so far has been Smaug swimming through the mountain of gold. The whole sequence immediately reminded me of Scrooge McDuck diving into his money bin. It's such an over-the-top visual, but it works, and it's one of those scenes that's going to stick with me.

One thing I wasn't expecting was how much The Hobbit would improve my appreciation for Bilbo.

Before watching these movies, Bilbo's role in The Lord of the Rings always felt a little strange to me. It was basically, "Here's the Ring. Good luck, Frodo." Seeing everything Bilbo went through, how he found the Ring, and how it slowly began influencing him gives so much more context to his character. It makes his relationship with the Ring feel earned instead of something that just happened before the story began.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the trilogy wraps up, but I honestly can't imagine my overall opinion changing dramatically. So far I've enjoyed all of these movies, with The Lord of the Rings still holding the edge.

After we finish The Hobbit, my wife has informed me that we're watching the 1977 animated The Hobbit next. I'm looking forward to seeing how it compares. If it changes my opinion in any meaningful way, I'll probably come back and post an update.

For now, I'm just happy I finally crossed these movies off my list. Sometimes there really is a reason a series becomes a classic.

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This review discusses major moments from Season 15**

I absolutely loved this season from start to finish.

After how much I enjoyed Season 14, I was excited to see where the show would go next. Somehow, Season 15 managed to be even better. It took everything that worked in the first new season and leaned into it even more.

Ten episodes just wasn't enough. By the time I reached the finale, I was already wishing there were ten more.

One thing that really stood out was how heartfelt so many of the stories were.

The episode where Hank tries to help Peggy through menopause was one of my favorites. It perfectly captures who Hank Hill is. He doesn't always understand what someone is going through, and he certainly isn't great at expressing his emotions, but he'll do everything he can to support the people he loves. Everyone deserves a Hank in their life.

The relationship between Bobby and Connie also gets some great development. Instead of pretending every relationship is perfect, the show lets them disagree, argue, and work through their problems together. That's one of the things King of the Hill has always done well. Relationships take work, and the show isn't afraid to show that.

There are plenty of great comedy moments too.

Luke Jr. is a fantastic addition, and I loved seeing Boomhauer, Bill, and Kahn team up. That group ended up being one of my favorite parts of the season, and it was especially fun seeing Kahn taken down a peg. Dale is somehow even more Dale than ever, and I mean that in the best possible way.

If I had one criticism, it's how the show handled Nancy and John Redcorn.

I wasn't a fan of suggesting that Nancy was cheating again. One of the things I appreciated about the original series was that she grew beyond that storyline. It felt like she had earned that redemption, and it showed real growth for her character.

I understand why the writers may have gone in that direction, especially since it serves as something of a farewell to John Redcorn following the passing of Jonathan Joss. Even so, I don't think it was the right choice. Unless I missed something, the only indication that Nancy was cheating again came from a reference to internet comments. Internet comments say all kinds of things, and I don't think that was enough to undo years of character development.

It's not a huge issue. It was just the one nitpick I had in an otherwise fantastic season.

Overall, Season 15 reminded me why I love King of the Hill. The humor is still there. The heart is still there. The characters still feel like real people instead of caricatures, and that's something very few sitcoms can pull off after all these years.

I'm already ready for more. Ten episodes flew by, and now I'm just sitting here hoping we don't have to wait long for Season 16.

Rating: Worth a Watch

I went into Roofman not knowing much beyond the basic premise: a guy robs McDonald's restaurants by drilling through the roof, escapes prison, and hides inside a Toys "R" Us. It's such a bizarre true story that I was immediately interested.

The movie ended up being a lot more charming than I expected.

Channing Tatum carries the film. He's just an incredibly likable actor, and I found myself rooting for Jeffrey Manchester more than I probably should have. Several times throughout the movie I had to remind myself, "This isn't a good dude." He's stealing from people, holding employees hostage, lying to everyone around him, and constantly making selfish decisions. But Tatum brings so much warmth to the role that it's easy to get caught up in wanting things to work out for him.

That's probably the movie's greatest strength—and maybe its biggest challenge. It humanizes Jeffrey without pretending he was a hero.

Kirsten Dunst is excellent as Leigh. She's been showing up in movies and TV for what feels like forever. I still remember first seeing her in Bring It On back when I was in middle school, and she's continued to be one of those actors who always seems to elevate whatever she's in.

Juno Temple has a relatively small role, but she's always fun to see. I really became a fan of hers after Fargo, where she absolutely crushed it.

Jimmy O. Yang also pops up briefly, and I'm always happy to see him. Between Silicon Valley and his stand-up comedy, he's become one of those actors whose appearance immediately makes me smile.

Peter Dinklage is fantastic as the Toys "R" Us manager. His character walks the line between being frustrating and oddly entertaining, and Dinklage makes the most of every scene he's gets.

What surprised me most is how funny the movie is. Even with the serious subject matter, it balances the comedy and drama well enough that it never feels like it's making light of Jeffrey's crimes. Instead, it focuses on the absurdity of the situations he finds himself in while still reminding the audience that his actions have consequences.

If you're expecting a high-octane heist movie, this isn't really that. It's more of a character-driven crime comedy with a surprisingly big heart. Knowing it's based on a real story only makes some of the stranger moments even more enjoyable.

Overall, I had a good time with Roofman. It made me laugh, had a strong cast, and kept me engaged from beginning to end. It's not a movie I'll probably revisit often, but it's absolutely worth watching if you're looking for something a little different.

Rating: It's Fine

This is one of those movies that's really easy for me to enjoy... as long as I don't think of it as an adaptation of Ready Player One.

On its own, it's a fun sci-fi adventure packed with references to games, movies, anime, and pop culture. Seeing so many iconic characters and worlds sharing the screen is genuinely entertaining, and it's hard not to smile when another familiar character pops up.

The problem is that it barely feels like Ready Player One.

Watching the movie gives me the impression that someone came up with a generic story first, then tried to fit the book into that framework, instead of taking the book and adapting it into a film. The major plot points, character arcs, and challenges that made the novel so memorable are either heavily changed or replaced entirely.

Some of those changes are understandable. The book spends a lot of time inside Wade's head, and many of its challenges revolve around older games and obscure trivia that might not translate well to a blockbuster movie. But instead of finding creative ways to adapt those moments, the film often swaps them out for entirely new sequences that lose much of what made the original story special.

That leaves the movie in an awkward spot. It's entertaining enough that I'll happily watch it if it's on, but it's also disappointing because I know how much better the story could have been.

I still consider Ready Player One one of my favorite books. It deserved more than a single two-hour movie trying to condense everything into one adventure.

If I could choose, I'd love to see it revisited as a streaming miniseries or even a trilogy of films. Give the characters room to breathe, let the challenges unfold naturally, and stay closer to what made the novel such a fun read in the first place.

Until then, the movie lands squarely in the "it's fine" category. It's a fun popcorn flick full of geeky fan service, but as an adaptation of one of my favorite books, it's pretty lackluster.

Xander and I played the lets go series in tandem

This was one of those games that sat in my backlog for years after I bought it. It was fun finally getting through it together and sharing the adventure with him.

One more game completed, one less game sitting on the shelf waiting to be played. On to the next one!

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This 1969 AMC AMX was one of my dad’s favorite projects. He absolutely loved that car — they’re pretty rare, and he always appreciated how unique it was. He found it sitting in a barn, rusted and neglected, and saw the potential it still had. Over the years, he brought it back to life piece by piece — spending countless evenings in the garage working on it, tuning, painting, and talking about what he’d do next.

He had the car before I was even old enough to drive, and he kept working on it right up until shortly before he passed at the end of 2019.

After he was gone, we had to let the car go. It wasn’t an easy decision, but I like to think someone out there is enjoying it the way he always hoped it would be — out on the road, not sitting in a barn.

Today would have been his birthday, and it felt like the right time to share some photos of his AMX — the car he poured so much time and heart into.