Onscreen Offscreen

Week 21: Episode 3

• Josh Dietrich

Share episode

Send us a text

Week 21: Episode 3

Reacher, Night agent season 2, The Crowded room, Primal Hunter book 1, Surprise at Oxford, Because I said so, Yellowstone, Hades 2



Support the show

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Hello, welcome. This is Onscreen offscreen coming at you with our third episode this week. Got a lot of topics, so hopefully we can get through more than one in an episode. Uh, I'll go ahead and get started'cause I'm excited to talk about it with you. Um, my next topic is a book recommendation that came from you. Primal Hunter, I have just finished listening to book one today. I have to, I'm gonna start by asking what was your impression of Book one?

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

I, I love it. Like, I think it gets better, but I, I love it. you've got one, one of the issues with the story is the character voice. I. You, you can tell there's separation there, but it's not as distinct as some fantasy books that you'll read. Um, the action scenes are really cool. I like the world. I like the way it develops. I like the skillset. I just like this book. I like this series. I love it.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Okay. Did you have any problems with Book one?

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Um, I, I see in your notes you talk about Jacob and Jake. I thought that was dumb in Book one. Didn't really like that at all. Um, I think, is William in the book yet? I can't remember. Okay.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Yeah.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

William,

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

and established.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

William, I think gets better later on, but at the beginning he's kind of a soso villain, that I, it, it does get better overall, I wish that they would. Show a little bit more how these other people are trying to survive this change in world. I think that that part of the book is a little weak, where dealing with Jake's character growth and him becoming this primal hunter type character, I really enjoy and found very satisfying.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Okay.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Okay. Tell me your thoughts. Destroy my worldview on my loved, loved book.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Okay. Well if that's the case, then I'll start with my problems with it. I was gonna start with my positives, but I'm gonna start with my negatives'cause you asked for it.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Wreck me.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

You have two main characters in this story.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Mm-hmm.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

You have Jake and Jacob,

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Yeah.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

the big problem with it is the narration is always from the third person.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Okay.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

it is always Jake this, Jake that Jacob, this Jacob, that

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Yeah.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

no matter whose perspective you are in, it is still talking about them in the third person. And it's not even consistent. There are multiple occasions where Jacob. Says Jake, when he is talking about Jacob, it is in parts where you wouldn't really confuse the two characters because they're in completely different places.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Yeah.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

But it does happen, and that's a problem, like

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

I think it was a mistake that they made them, their names so similar, like I,

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Yeah,

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

think it was a good idea.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

and they should not have the same name

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

No, it

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

main characters. They shouldn't.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Ryan. Like, there's so many different names that could have chose something different and there's

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

There,

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

like, there's no reason later in the book that the names are similar. That's helpful. It's just, it was just a bad choice.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

even if that was the case, you could make it rhyme or something stupid like that. Like, or just establish one as your viewpoint character, you.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

later on in the series, and this is a little bit of a spoiler, but Jacob gets a class that's called an Auger, and

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

It's already established.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

oh, do they have him as the

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

That's the end of the first book. Yeah.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Okay. Okay.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Yeah.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

They just start calling him the auger. They almost never call him Jacob anymore. He's, that's just what his title goes by at that point.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Okay.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

they fix a little bit of that.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Okay. Still having them have the same name, bad choice.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Yeah, I

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

them be told in the third person, both sides, bad choice.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

I

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Um,

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

a problem with that.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

it's because the names are the same,

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Okay.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

right? If,

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

That's fair. That's,

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

if it was Jake and Steven, then there's no problem because when they're in the scene together, there's no confusion who you're talking about. Like me as a listener with a DHD. Jake finds the dungeon with the poisons

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Yeah.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

and I go, this makes no sense. Where's his group?

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Oh,

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Wait, no, this is Jake. And then I was like, oh, hey, you know what? I bet it is Jacob because it makes sense for him to kind of need a thing. Jake is already the primal hunter. He doesn't need a thing. So it was Jacob. who did this and then like two seconds later it was like very clearly, no, we're switching to Jacob's perspective. And I was like,

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

huh.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

what?

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

I didn't have that issue. I.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

What's Jacob's thing then? Uh.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

you mean. what you mean.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

So I. was just like, okay, you don't need to have the same name character when you're talking in the third person perspective. I think that is. even a rule. I, was talking to Brandon Chambers, a fantastic author friend of ours, and I think that's one of the rules as you don't have two third person characters, and to have two third person characters with the same name is just like

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Bad idea.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Bad idea. Just bad idea. Um, so I really, I was through the entire book. It bothered me

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Okay.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

the entire time. I was like, why this person have the same name? And because it's third person, you hear the name all the time, so you're always irritated at the stupid decision to give them the same name. Uh, there is so much repetition in this book. Tons of it. Tons of it.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

That happens a lot with other lit RPGs. It's a. It's like almost you can say a trope of the genre that does bug a lot of people.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

It is, I, I mean like repetitive information to establish its importance. Fine, but not once, not twice, but at least three times. The character picks A skill. You read off the skills

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Yep.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

the character always picks. The last one told, they have never picked anything, but the last one that they talk about and they describe it, they decide they're picking on it, and they describe it again.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

I

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

So not only did you already told this information, you were just told this information.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

That is my biggest problem with the series. I think I talked about that with the full series.'cause that is just a problem with the series. Like it's something he should stop doing

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Yeah.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

not a good thing.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Yeah. Like you wanna tell me all the other ones that we know you're not gonna pick because it's not the last one being told Fine. But don't tell me, then repeat it immediately after.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Which he does fix the whole, it's the last one told. He even talks about it in the book as kind of a third wall break later on in the series. It's like, well, I've just kind of picked the last one over and over again, and you all know that that's what I'm gonna do anyway. But he gets to the point where he is got more skills that are interesting. So you don't know exactly which one he is gonna pick, at the same time, you know the first one, that's the lowest rarity he's never going to pick,

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

So,

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

but. What bugs me is when he, like, he gets a new skill that upgrades his old skill and he is like, primal Hunter Vision does all of this and Primal Hunter Vision Plus does all of this with one extra line. Yeah. It's just, I don't

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

and then I'm gonna pick it and then I'm gonna tell you what it is again.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Yep. Yep.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

so it's, it's kind of irritating that it does that. Uh,

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Fair enough.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

the entire first book doesn't even get the characters through the tutorial.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

If that's true,

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Uh, and then I have thought a lot about the importance of the AI in Dungeon Crawler

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

yeah,

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

because it gives us the reader more understanding of the world.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

it does

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

It's.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

in a very charming way.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Yes. This one we're just as lost and confused as the characters, which can be suited seen as a good thing. But I think I finished the first book and I still don't have any idea what is going on. I see that as a little bit of a problem,

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Okay.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

like the first book is where you're doing your world building. Maybe tell me if somebody else is alive out there in the world. Maybe give me an inkling of what the purpose is.'cause a dungeon crawler Carl, it's to make money, it's to be a show, right? I don't know. I'm guessing it's the same plot as Dungeon Crawler Carl, but I have really have no idea. I have no idea. Out of the two TR 3 trillion people on the planet, I don't know what the actual population of the world is. Sorry, I'm not smart enough for that. But why was only 2,700 people chosen?

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

That's, uh, it, it answers that later, but there's multiple little tutorials. All around the world and it's, uh, that's like the tutorial size and

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Okay.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

through tutorials also,

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Okay. Give me an inkling of that somehow. Right? Like, I understand wanting the reader to be just as lost, right?

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Mm-hmm.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

You could still give me something, right? Like I. In a video game tutorial, you still kind of understand where things are going or what's gonna happen after the tutorial. But these people that are surviving are talking like the tutorial, is it? There's nothing after the tutorial, but they know that there's a barrier that's gonna come down when the tutorial ends, or at least they're assuming that.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

So at some point, yeah.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

So what even is, I think it could be done better, and I think the AI narrator or having a narrator of some kind could help this out a lot. I.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

A lot of these kind of lit RPGs leave you with a vague sense of which, uh, there's, there's more answers to that as the story goes on, but it's still not super concrete like it is with, with Dungeon Crawler. There's another one that you might like better'cause it is a little bit more concrete called Life Reset. uh, somebody gets stuck in a video game and they literally can't get out, and the whole idea is to figure out how to get out of the video game. So you have a set purpose. It's, it's my other favorite, like this one Dungeon Crawler and, and Live Reset are my top three. Um, with Completionist as like a four. That one gives you more of a concrete. This is the objective that we're trying to do, and that objective morphs in very unique ways, and maybe you would like that better.'cause this type of lid, RRP G always has a little bit of an obscurity to what the final goal is, kind of like

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

But like and I'm not saying you have to give away a ton of things, right? But in this particular case, right? The one thing I would like make sure happened would give at least a hint about what the tutorial points are gonna be good for.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Okay, so there's some kind of goal you're reaching for,

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Yeah, there's, yeah, so there, there's a reason behind it.'cause right now your guess is good. in mine, I've got no idea. I have no idea what they're gonna be used for. I don't even know if they're gonna be used for anything at this

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

not

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

point.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Jake is trying to protect anybody or like, there's, there's a vague aspect of that, but it's vague.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Yeah.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

or achieve some kind of goal. Like, you know, he likes hunting and he likes playing the game, and he is good at it. That's all you really know.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Yeah, so like What's the motivation between, are they currency, are they just ranking everyone? Is it gonna be like Dun, Carl, or Carl? Where you every, you're gonna be on a leaderboard and based on your tutorial points is where you start on that leaderboard. I don't know. Are they gonna be used for skill upgrades are like. Give me a hint or an inclination, you know?

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

What's the achievement worth? Why not just hide in a village or chill in a

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Yeah, yeah. Um,

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

a safe place and hunker down.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Yeah. so there's, there's just so much obscurity and like when you're playing a video game and you're going through a tutorial, you have some understanding about its purpose.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Yeah.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

This has no purpose.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

some. Of the from software game, some of those, you're like, what? I have no idea what this is about.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Well, the, you can finish that, game and not know what it's about. That's,

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

that's

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

that's different. Like the, it's in line with the rest of it. Um, it's not like we're hiding everything from you. And then when you get out of the tutorial, we're start establishing things. It's not like that, you know? Um. So that being said, right, those are my negative marks on it.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Those are all fair? Absolutely.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

I loved this book.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Yes.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

so invested. I finished book one. I immediately bought a pack of three or five audible credits so that I could get the next three books because. It would be cheaper than buying the books to buy the package of credits.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Okay.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

And the only one that's available on Libby is book one, so I can't even rent the rest, which is

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Dumb.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

dumb.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

little RPG problem. It really is.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Yeah. But anyway, I am so invested, uh, I connect with this character way more than anybody in Dun Crawl or Carl. Uh, the decisions that are made. Like he's going through the class choices. I was like, oh, I'd pick Archer, you know, range. Like I usually go with an Archer class when I play paths of exile. Like That's kind of what I would do, especially since there's not like a distinct like rogue character. Right. That would be my other kind of one to be considering if it were me personally, and it picks the archer. Then he picks the upgrades that I would choose, and he goes into the dungeon with the snakes and he is like, like there's so much that I'm connecting with, with like his decisions that I see myself as that character. I don't see myself as Carl or anybody in Dungeon, Carl or Carl.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

That's

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Right. I'm, I'm more of an observer of dungeon color, Carl and. So far, Jake and I pretty similar. I don't think I would've eaten mushrooms for months at a time, but I mean like I'm not mad at that choice or anything. It's not that far off, and like he did some really cool. things and this is so good. Like it is, I am so bought into it after just book one. Am I like

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

so happy to hear

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

as adoring of it as like Dungeon Carl or Carl? No.'cause I do see these flaws

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Yes.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

and these flaws do bother me. But in terms of enjoyment of the story and the plot and the characters so far, absolutely. Um, do I wish I understood? Um. In future books, does it, uh, explain Kathleen's motivations more going forward? I don't know. I would love to, to understand her character better'cause she makes no sense to me. So far, none.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Do you want me to spoil something?

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

I, mean, go for it. I'm gonna listen to it anyway. I freaking love this story.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

who, who Kathleen is. Who is

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

She's the healer.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Oh No,

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Okay.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

uh. She doesn't last for very much longer. The, the way she goes is cool, but she doesn't last very much

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Okay. Well, basically she just comes down into the dungeon, that's what I'm gonna call it, the dungeon with the group, with Jake and Jacob, and is the hot girl. Then she dates Jacob, but Jake had a crush on her, but he just decides that she was just hot and it didn't really mean anything fine, whatever. But then she's like this quiet girl. She's not very well outspoken. And then the next time you see her, she's second in command of the town. She's Richard's little pet. He's like. Don't tell Jacob, but we're gonna kill your friend. And she's like, okay, you got it dude. And you're like, where did this person come from?

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

They do give ex some explanation for that.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Like where does she get her call from? Where does she just accept this treatment of people from, especially one who picked to be a healer? I'm, I'm interested and skeptical of how they got there and what was going on. It's not like a problem with the story. Like I wouldn't say it's a plot hole because there's a lot of time that. passes between when Jake enters the poison dumb dungeon trials and when they get to the established. 150, 200 member society that they're at. Right. There's, there's a time gap that's there in the story. Could somebody go from being kind of quiet and reserved to being this like power hungry, whatever she is? Sure. I guess I don't got

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

especially in such

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

with it.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

unique and different situation than you've ever been before in your

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Yeah. Yeah. Especially, and you can also establish that like maybe she was quiet because she had just gotten into the dungeon when we started this story. She's still taking it all in. She's not necessarily an entirely different person here, you know? Um, but uh, there's a lot of curiosity there and there's a lot of skepticism there. Uh. I think William is fantastic. Uh, he is the villain that actually makes sense to me. Um, the Richard does not make sense to me. Um, he completely defies any semblance of human nature by doing what he does. Uh, humans are tribalists. We like to gather together. Nobody who's in this situation where everybody's fighting to survival is gonna be like. I'm playing the long game to gain power. No. Once they get established, people start to kind of vie for power, but it would be completely natural that everybody would want to group together. In this situation, I

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

I agree.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

And like nobody does and they already start killing each other and all that kind of stuff.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

They do group together more like it becomes basically two tribes that are fighting against each other.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Well, that, yeah, that's where they're at in wan is it's, it's the two tribes fighting against each other

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

I feel like that's pretty realistic. You would get two different tribes. You always get two tribes. Two tribes. Pretty normal.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

eventually. Yeah. One usually splits off from the other after the power struggle happens. But you wouldn't have somebody like Richard who's just like, yeah, I'm gonna kill everybody who doesn't join my five man group, like. Whereas William is an established Sociopath he clearly does not feel

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Which is very

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

or sympathy.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

I

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

It's a very, he's very clearly like, their loss is my gain.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Yep.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Makes sense? It makes sense.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Yeah,

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

more points, whatever that means for him. He doesn't know, but he wants more points. He wants a bigger number. That's how you establish a fricking villain

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Yeah.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

like that, right? In this world where he's instantly just right. His, his goal is very clearly I'm the only survivor. Survivor of the tutorial.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

I am gonna get all the points I'm gonna get, all the rewards I can possibly get.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Yeah.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Everybody else is in my way. The incentive of the world that I'm in is to take everybody out and get the points

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Yeah,

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

and the

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Richard,

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

else.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

right? His thing is to be getting power, right?

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Yeah.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

So

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

get

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

he

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

underneath them.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

would want to be bringing in as many people as possible. He would not be playing this backhanded crap. That he is doing him, sending people after Jake in the beginning makes sense because he's an established threat,

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Yeah,

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

right? He threatened you okay. Makes sense to go after him

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

and make sure that he's

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Make sure that there's no threat. But anybody who's not an established threat, who's like, oh, I don't know if I trust you. I don't really know you. His goal is gonna be establish the trust. Bring them into the fold. The more people under me, the more powerful I get, the more control I have. So his whole join Me or die thing he does when there's only like 10 people in his group, is what I find a, a problem with. Um,

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Fair enough,

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

especially since they make him so strategic and logical in what he does, right. When.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

not very logical.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Yeah, but when the group that he sends after Jake dies, he's very clearly like, okay, he's trying to bait me. I'm not gonna buy into it. We're gonna go off and do our own thing. We'll deal with this if it comes up again. But clearly I'm not in a position to continue to throw people at this guy.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Hmm.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Makes sense. They clearly set him up very strategic and clever in setting up William and Jake as downfalls for conflict that he's clearly puppeteering Makes sense. Like he's, he's a strategic clear, like makes a lot of sense. There's just some outlier things that he does that it's like, okay, I don't even buy that. I don't buy that at all. Not for your character, not for any human being.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

It just doesn't feel authentic.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Yeah. So when he does those things, he's like, okay, come on, dude. Like that doesn't make sense. Why are we doing that? So yeah. All that being said, I do genuinely love book one. Jake and Jacob are fantastic characters.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

I

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

I said, I see a lot of myself in Jake. I see some of myself in Jacob, uh, not quite as much, but some, uh, all of the other group, like I love the blacksmith guy. It sucks what happened to him because they did what they did with him. I wish they would've established his backstory early. Earlier, so you would feel it as a reader, but they didn't.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

You right.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Whatever. No big deal. Especially since he's clearly just a book one character. Um, William's a great villain. I love his powers. I love his mentality. I love the way he's thinking through things.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

They do a good job writing its mentality and his powers are really cool and the way they develop are super cool.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Yeah. Uh, the way he thinks he's being manipulative by faking emotion, but everybody else clearly sees through it, I think is brilliant and they're using him by letting him think he's using them is so good. It's So clever. Uh. There's the part in the book where you're like, Hey, is anybody really buying his crap? And at that point they very much established that nobody is buying his crap.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

He's

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Um,

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

They're pointing in the right direction. They're using a serial killer

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

yeah,

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

universe.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

absolutely. It's so good. Um, I said I'm so into it. I absolutely love this book. I listened to the entire thing within two days.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

That's awesome.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

That's like a ton for me because normally I just listen when I'm driving. But, and I did while I was driving and through two of my shifts and then for my flight to and from Oahu and back yesterday. So that gave me plenty of time to listen. But like I was just so into it just, and like I still have no idea what's going on. I still feel like Book two is gonna be establishing stuff. Which is,

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

It will be.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

you know, kudos to the author for getting me this into the book without finishing your establishing, you know.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

There is a aspect'cause it is a web novel, so it kind of feels like the book just kind of ends because it kind of just does.'cause he is writing a pa, he is just writing a, uh, a chapter a day. Um, that he posts on Royal Road and different sites like that I'm now reading and keeping caught up with. he's just like, oh, this is about 20 hours of audiobook. That's your book. is about 20 hours of audiobook. There's your next book. so I think it's like book three. You're like, oh, that's the end. Oh. okay.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

okay. No, I thought for, I thought Book one made sense. Um, at least where they decided to end it, I was predicting that they would end it, that book one would be the entire tutorial. They're really like three quarters of the way through it, maybe a little bit more. Um,

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

about that. Yeah.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

so, but I mean, like, I. Plot wise, you've established Jake and his path and now you've established Jacob and his path And they're your two main characters

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Little bit. Yeah.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

and you've established William as your antagonist. Um, I don't know about the consistency of it,'cause it seems like at the beginning the poison is super effective and super duper great. And then five minutes later when he is fighting William, it doesn't seem to be that great.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

It's they,

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

still enjoyable and it was still a super good fight, so I don't even care.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

I think he does a good job of. Increasing power levels and making that feel authentic and earned. That's, that's one of the things I love about the series is everything that our main character goes through to become as powerful as he does, feels earned. And the opponents that he fights, it feels like they also earned it in the same universe, which makes everything feel more, uh. More satisfying, there's a, a fight at the end of the tutorial that is just absolutely awesome. It feels very, very earned. There's a fight at the end of book five that is my favorite fight maybe in anything. I absolutely love it it's because it feels so earned and it's awesome. I'm so excited for you to get there.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Well, the fight scenes are already fantastic.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

They're so good. And those

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

They're so good.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

above and beyond. They're so good.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

The fight scene between him and the other archer at the very beginning.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

It is

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

So good. The fight scene where him and his group was ambushed was really good. The fight scene between him and William was Fantastic. The fight scene at the very end of the book where he barely survives is so good. Uh, again, a, a part where Richard shows how absolutely strategic he is in leaving Jake alive.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Yeah.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

So good. So freaking good. I'm so invested in this story right now. Like I said, I bought book two and book three, so I can keep going'cause I'm very, very into this right now.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

You, I, I don't see any reason why you would stop, especially people say that there used to be a little lull between. six and seven? don't think so. But the first five books are an absolute ride. Like, holy crap. Yes, absolutely. Yes, a hundred percent. Let's go.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Oh, I'm, excited.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

I'm

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

I'm very, very excited.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

cause I love

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Very into it.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

right now. They're, uh, there's a fight that's been building up for like five books and that's what he's writing right now on Royal Road. awesome. so good.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Okay.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Anyway, sweet. I am excited to hear what you think about book two and continuing going forward. My Aren't We on? First topic? First

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

First topic

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

is, uh, the third season of Reacher. Have you watched it at all?

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

No, I never even finished season two.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

You don't need to finish season two. I, uh, if are, are you going to watch it? I do recommend you do it.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

I don't know.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Okay. I. Right now, I'm just gonna say I like the first three episodes of Reacher season three, much better than season two. I'm much more compelled and interested. Other than that, I'm just gonna leave it kind of a short topic, but if you decide to watch it, we can dig into it some more.'cause I, I do think the first three episodes are better than season two.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

What about season one?

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

Um, no, because I wouldn't be. Season one grasps me on the concept and on the character without the characters being established that I cared about them. This one is partly a, partly grasping me because I already care about reacher even though it is still a grasping story. Does that make sense? Okay. But it's, it is good. I, I like the first three episodes. My next topic. It is the crowded room. Um, I have a friend, I have a coworker that I talk to about movies a lot and TV shows, and he loves this show, one of his favorite shows of all time. The acting is really good. I'm sure there's a plot twist that makes it all worthwhile, but I feel like I'm watching the middle episodes of Severance and I'm not finishing the show. bored. The acting is really good. Tom Holland to is that Spider-Man is that guy who plays Spider-Man.

josh-dietrich_3_02-25-2025_161347:

Tom Holland. Yeah.

konlin-gappmayer_3_02-25-2025_191345:

He is phenomenal in the show. Like he's great. Absolutely great. But I just don't care'cause I'm bored outta my freaking mind. Um, I've watched five or six episodes now and there's interesting aspects. Uh, Amanda Siegfried is in it. She's really, really good. I'm interested in the whatever mystery that they're trying to unfold, but I feel like there's so much filler and I just care. I just don't care. It's not worth. I am positive that if I got to the end of the show, I would be like, well, they could have cut out like three episodes and it would've been much better because it is just so fricking slow. Yeah. But anyway, that's, that's that one. And then we'll get through one more real quick, Pixar. So I, I've had, we, we've both had problems with Disney and Pixar and movies that have come out. I decided to give Elemental a try. It looked interesting to me and I really liked Elemental. I thought Elemental was a very charming, enjoyable movie. So, because I liked Elemental, I was like, I've heard light year sucks, so I'm gonna give light year a try. Elemental was good. People said that one was sucked, and I enjoyed that movie. Elemental is absolutely mid-tier in absolutely every way. There is, uh, it basically Buzz Crash lands on the planet and he has to figure out how to harvest things from the planet to to a hyper speed so that they can escape the planet. And every single time he does hyper speed, it causes a time loop. So the people on Earth proceed and the city grows bigger and bigger, and he kind of becomes this myth type character instead of a real human being. And eventually the robots take over and that's where you get Zor or whatever his name is. And everything about the movie is fine. It doesn't feel like something Pixar made. It feels like a B Disney movie. It's not as horrible as people said. It's just totally 100% a five. I, it's just, eh. But after I stopped, after I watched Lightyear, I saw this win or lose show that is, uh, it's a TV show with shorts. It's, each episode is like 20 minutes long, and it was something Pixar made I watched a trailer and it intrigued me. So I decided to click on the first episode. This was a delightful surprise and felt like something that real good Pixar actually would've made. felt like a inside out like that. That's the the aspect that I felt was an inside out kind of feeling. And the first episode, you have this little girl and she's on a softball team and she's nervous all the time and she gets little, like sweat drops on her. And as the nerves build up, the sweat drops kind of congeal and make this monster on her shoulder. That's constantly telling her negative things, constantly weighing her down. as the show goes on, you get more and more, this monster gets bigger and bigger and bigger, and you can literally see the weight of it, just like building on her and, and taking her down and whispering to her head these negative things constantly. And it's just getting heavier and heavier and the anxiety is getting heavier and heavier as she goes up to to bat. And she misses the bat and it gets heavier. She goes to school and she can't do anything right at school. And it gets heavier. And you find out that the coach is her, is her, uh, father, and she's kind of the, the weak link of the team. And he's always celebrating everybody else on the team, but never celebrating her. And at the very end, he says, you're enough. You're okay. And the weight just gets a little bit lighter. And she hits the ba, she hits a. She hits the ball and the weight gets a little bit lighter and she realizes that she can do things and she's not so weighed down and she's not the weak and she's not there just on the team, just because she happens to be the coach's daughter, that she actually matters. And it's a 20 minute episode that has a lot of good lessons, and I found incredibly charming. Like really, really good. So that episode ends, I'm thrilled with the show ready to get on and give it a recommendation. Right. Episode two starts and it is a, uh, a teacher who is the umpire and the umpire is wearing his face shield. And that kind of takes apart in the whole story, but the umpire is. Constantly trying to run away from bad emotions, bad memories, bad thought processes. So he is this, he's this nerdy guy, he's reading a fantasy book and he just puts on his armor and he runs away from the situation and you see him having dated this girl and being really, really close to this girl and connecting with this girl. But then he puts on the armor when she wants to get more serious and get married and he runs away and. Throughout the story, you see different aspects that make him put on this armor and what he has to choose to start taking it off to start connecting with people. To start loving people. And part of it's an internet dating aspect where he, um, at first is not his real self. So he doesn't do very well, but then he starts being his real self. So he connects with people and it lowers his armor and helps him move forward with his life. And he remembers this, this girl that he let go. Who is now engaged and he's thinking about.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

Sorry guys. Got cut off there a little bit. Anyway, I was talking about, uh, win or lose. So this guy is, is figuring out how to take off his armor and it's, and, and. Letting go of the past and moving forward to the future and having a bright future. Having a future that matters to him, is worth investing in, that's worth taking off the armor and risking a little bit in. this episode's fantastic. I thought it was genuinely great. Very, very charming. Good little lessons. Um, it I highly recommend this show, even if it's just these two episodes and the rest suck. I really, really like these two episodes.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

How, how many episodes are there of this show?

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

now just two I, I

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

Oh, okay.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

many there will be, but

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

Oh, it's an active thing. It's not something that just, okay,

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

it's coming out currently there's, there might be a third episode out. I don't know.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

all right. You were phrasing it like there was gonna be a but, so I was waiting for that.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

Yeah, no, it's, the first two episodes are really good.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

Okay.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

I really, really like them.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

Cool. Good stuff.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

Yeah. All right, man. With those three topics outta the way, what is your next one?

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

Yellowstone, do you know what this show is?

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

Yes, I've heard a ton about it. Um, I've watched the first couple episodes. I don't know how many. I felt like there was a lot of sex in it, so I stopped. yeah, I,

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

There's been none so far for me. I'm four episodes in, and I think that you would love this. Show

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

I haven't watched this. I thought I watched this show.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

stars, Kevin Costner, Yellowstone Ranch versus the native.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

Where did I you? I know what the show is. Everybody loves this show. Absolutely loves this show.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

I, this seems like a show right up your alley. Um,

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

I'm not that into westerns.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

it's not a western.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

Okay?

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

That's, that's my review of it is I was expecting, uh, the ranch, I was expecting a Western ish show, and it's not, it's a gang, gang versus gang show. It's a, the Godfather, it's a, that kind of a show. I. I was not expecting a ranch versus a reservation show. I was

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

Okay.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

not expecting the two leaders to be trying to out politic the other person and gain control and power of the other. I was not expecting any of that.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

I haven't watched this. I don't know what I was thinking, but I do know what this is. Um,

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

Okay.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

but yeah, I Okay. That, that sounds interesting.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

Yeah,

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

I have a friend who is watching it currently and loves this show.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

it's good. Uh, it's not really my show, like I was expecting. Kind of like Ashton Kutcher's the ranch. That's kind of what I was looking for.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

Okay.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

And so when I turned it on and it wasn't that at all, I was like, okay, alright. Like it's good. They're doing a good job with this story. It's just not really my thing. So this is probably gonna be a show that I watch occasionally. Um.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

Okay.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

Because it is done so well and it is so clever and interesting. Uh, just feel like it's not necessarily for me, I'm not the, the target audience, but I do think you would absolutely love this show.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

Okay. I have a thought about giving it a shot'cause everybody loves this show.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

I've seen tons of stuff from it, and I had even seen clips from it and a whole bunch of different stuff, but I still was just not expecting

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

This quality or.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

this kind of show. Like I didn't think it was gonna be a. Crime, family drama show. Like the Penguin is, like The Godfather is like, I mean, that's what it is. It's a, it's a crime family versus a crime family or fighting over territory set in Montana

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

Times.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

now it's modern.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

Oh, it is modern. Okay.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

It's modern. It's not like. Wild, wild West. It's modern.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

Okay.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

It's Yellowstone Montana Ranch versus Native American reservation land, and them fighting over control. And the Native American side is, uh, you, you took our land from us, so we're gonna buy it back with all the money you give us from our casinos. And the ranch side is, this is our land now. You're not just gonna take it. And so like the show opens with the reservation land, people having stolen cattle from Yellowstone Ranch, but the. People of Yellowstone can't do it'cause it's essentially like a border crossing into a protected, so they have their own police and their own jurisdictions

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

Okay.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

and they're not going to get their own people in in trouble for it. So the cattle are just kind of there. The Yellowstone people want it back and they like threaten like, Hey, if you try and sell those cattle, we'll we'll be able to get you. They come back and they're like, we're not gonna sell the cattle. We're gonna use them to raise other cattle that'll have our brand on it, and then we're going to eat your cattle. That's what we're gonna do. And it, it's very much political drama like

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

Type show.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

crime family versus crime family. But instead of being in New York or LA, they're in Montana. That's what it is.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

Okay.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

And it's an interesting spin on it. They do a good job with it, and I think you'd really, really like it.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

Okay. I will bite the bullet and give it a shot. If you think I'd like it.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

I do. I think you'd like it.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

I don't know, there's a couple westerns that I like, but there's no westerns that I really love. Yeah.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

I like, I love the Alamo.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

Really?

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

Yeah.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

Yeah. I, there's quite a few that I like, but I. They're just a couple. There's just quite a few I like.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

You like Star Wars?

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

Yeah, but it's a little different.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

Nope. It's a Western in space. That's what it is.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

Is there any cows? No.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

There's Chewbacca.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

Chewbacca ain't no cow. Cows are,

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

It's delicious.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

they're delicious and they suck freaking cows. Cows. I grew up in country and I was around country people. And country people are good people, but holy crap, Joanna. No, I'm not a country person. I would raise cows because I have to raise cows because I get lots of beef. But other than that, no.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

I am pretty sure that's. The same mentality as cowboys. What are you getting at?

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

Um.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

What are you suggest? That seems very cowboy mentality right there.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

No, cowboys are very into the cowboy thing. They love raising pigs. They love raising cows. They love the fact that they have a tractor. They love the fact that they have horses and they won't shut up about their horses, and they love the fact that they could go shoot up on'em out and all that shit. I just, I don't know. Good people. Good people. But cowboys are different. They're different. Absolutely. 100%.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

If you say so. Sure.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

1000%, yes. cool, man. I will, I'll add that on my, I'll actually officially add that on my two, uh, two watch list. Give it a shot. Give it a shot. Okay. Uh, let's do my next What? Let's see. Do you have any more for invincible?

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

Nope.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

No. Okay. I'll just run through mine quick. Two of them in a row. Uh, I'll do the, the sucky one first actually, because I said so is a terrible movie, like legitimately awful, terrible, horrible movie. Wish I would not have watched this movie. I watched it because it has an awesome, awesome cast. has Mandy Moore. She's the main character, tangle what to remember. This is us great actress. Really like her. Keaton great actress. It's got Gabriel Match. It's Harvey from Suits.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

Terrible actor.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

What

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

Terrible actor.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

whatcha talking about. He's great.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

Ed Suits. Have you seen him in

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

I haven't seen

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

anything else?

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

this is the first thing I've seen him in. Anything else ever.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

He's a terrible actor. Go on.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

Okay. He's not good in this. he kinda just plays like a Harvey, a white, a, a watched out Harvey. He plays the Pepsi of Harvey's. This, uh, Tom Everett Scott, an American Werewolf in Paris, one of my favorite movies, Laura Graham, who my wife loves, like, thinks that she's one of the greatest people to ever walk the earth. Piper per Bono Prodo, who plays in Coyote Ugly and Coyote Ugly is one of my favorite ro romcoms. I really love that movie. This movie is cringey. It is a mother who is trying to set up her one single daughter, which sounds fine, but it's terrible. She, uh, goes on an online matchmaking thing and she's interviewing client candidates for her daughter, and nobody's good enough for her except for the one douchey rich guy. then the musician is the Harvey character, who happens to be the good guy. But then Mandy Moore, the daughter. sleeps with both of them the entire uh, thing. And eventually Diane falls in love with Harvey's dad and they get banging too. And it is cringey as cringey can be. This movie sucks. It's terrible. Do not like it. Do not recommend it. Solid. It's a one, it is a one movie. I don't give very many things once. I hate this movie. Not good at all. Terrible.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

I saw a trailer and knew it was crap. So I don't know. What possessed you to turn this on in the first place?

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

It's because of the cast. Like, uh,

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

I don't care. The cast was enough to get past the trailer, like.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

it's, I. It was bad. It was a bad movie. But that leads me to my second movie, which was an absolute pleasantly pleasant surprise. Um, it's called Surprise by Oxford and the trailer is not a good trailer. It doesn't tell you very much about the movie. The trailer makes it seem like it's just a generic romance movie. But the main character is a real person who is a professor. Actually, I think she's the dean at Oxford currently. Um. It's her story about the traumas that she went through as a kid that made her decide that she was gonna dedicate her life to academia. She has a gift. She was very smart and she was going to apply that. in applying that and the pain that she suffers, she throws up these walls and most of the time I hate the whole patriarchy stuff that's in a lot of these, uh, romance shows. It drives me nuts. But in this one. She's using all of the, that typical lingo that you hear from feminists to a wall to keep herself safe. That's why she's using the, talking points. And I actually like that aspect. I, I think it builds up to character, which is something I've really never seen before. Most of the time I think it's just trash. So instead of a. You have a story that builds up a fairly decent, complex character, and then she gets to this university that has a lot of religious history. And with that religious history comes a lot of interesting talking points that they go back and forth on. And it's not quite as compelling as God is. God's not dead, but it has a feeling of that aspect. My wife went to school in London and it was interesting to hear her experiences with the way London teaches versus what you're seeing on screen because she's like, I really identify with this as aspect of the show. It felt very authentic to her education and it was cool to see. A glimpse to what she went through for a year of her life the way that they educate their students. And they go and they theorize about what people that are long dead could have possibly meant. And they theorize and they theorize and they theorize. Where in America we, uh, with our education, we apply? How can we use this information today? Everything is very today and they theorize a lot about the past and past, um, thought leaders and the way that they view the world and these topics. It was, it was interesting to hear her interpretation of these events and how well it was done throughout the movie. So you have a interesting aspect with Oxford being able to see Oxford, a place that I've been to and was really, I. They're kind of important to me and being able to go into these places that I didn't even go, go to and explore more of this destination that I really loved. You get to see the aspect of education and how they teach over there versus how we teach over here. That, from what she said is very well done. The romance is pretty good. Like it, it's a good romance. And then you don't know this, but you realize the movie is a faith-based movie, she's. She doesn't believe in God. She doesn't believe in any of this kind of stuff, but she's walking the same halls that and CS Lewis would talk communicate, and CS Lewis. Was somebody who wasn't a believer. He thought it was all crap. And Tolkien says a couple of really key things that make him think and realize that maybe there is a God, maybe there's something more. And it goes through that in the movie, it goes through these key phrases and key questions that Tolkien asks of CS Lewis that gets him to think and it gets her to think also, she starts to go along a religious journey. I think a lot of religious movies are very poor. They're not well done at all. very like, cram it down your throat. This one didn't feel that way to me. I thought it was an effective faith-based movie. It does come with some of the faith-based tropes of being a little corny at times, one overbearing. It doesn't feel gag worthy. It feels like authentic Just well done, a well written script so you have all of these aspects that are effective and they're good and they come together to make a very pleasant, very pleasant movie. That was surprising and well worth the watch. To me. I really, I enjoyed this movie. Is it the best thing I've ever seen? No, but it was highly enjoyable and overall package that was worth watching.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

So why would you rate this one on a scale of one to 10?

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

7.23 right in there. Like a solid, enjoyable movie.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

Cool.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

Uh, yeah, it's good. Um, and then my last little topic is Hades two had a huge update that I've played many, many hours of like. I, I love eighties two. I love it. And the new boss that they added is very cool. It's a god of monsters and it's just a cool fight. They added another boss, another God, the God of war Aries. The abilities are cool. The way they interact with other gods is well done. I think Hades two is better than Hades one. the reason that I think Hades two is better is it is more complex. one is very hack and slash this one requires more technique to play. I like the, which aspect of it? I like the, uh, I like the characters in it. I like their character interactions really well. I like a lot of the additions that they added to the first one. So you have the complexity, you have very good bosses. You have the ability to go towards Olympus or down towards Hades, down towards hell and. It just makes for a very compelling game that I, I love.

josh-dietrich_4_02-25-2025_165643:

Cool. That's a good game. I love it.

konlin-gappmayer_4_02-25-2025_195640:

It's so good. And I'm so excited for whatever they're gonna do for their next big patch. They have one more big patch, and then they have the official 1.0 release. I think that they might add one more like final, final boss, which would be awesome. How well they do with the progression. Like you go down towards hell and uh, the bot, it's an easier progression. It's a good learning curve experience. And then you go up towards Olympus and it is much harder, like much, much harder. Have you, have you played the updates? Okay. When, how far did you go up? Okay. Okay. Okay. Uh, yeah, it gets significantly harder. They have a, they have a, not a God, what is it called? Same thing that Krones is a titan. They have a titan of time, and he can, he, he's just, he's very difficult. Very difficult and it's fun. And then you have the, the God of monsters thing. Um, typhus super hard. But, uh, yeah, it's a lot of fun and I like the different weapon variants. I like how they're doing the pets. Uh, if you've gotten to that at all. And all the pets have different abilities that are a lot of fun. It's just, it's really good. Okay. The frog. Okay, cool. Yeah, each pet has a very unique ability set and it's, it's just fun and it's, it's the only game I've ever really gotten to speed running with. I am not, I'm in the same minute as the world record holder, but that's just the same minute. He still has got me beat by like 45 seconds, which is crazy, but. Yeah, it's, it's, it's just a lot of fun. Yeah, I was pretty happy about that. It's crazy how fast they are, like nuts. Uh, the, the world record holder right now is 14 minutes in 11 seconds, and I am at 56, 56, 14 minutes, 56. Yeah, I moved quick. I really wanna, I don't know. I don't, it's fun. It's just, it's just fun. Yeah. And it's cool to be able to play something for just 20 minutes. Like I can hop on and I can just rush through as fast as I can, 15 minutes, have a good time, go home or go into whatever next. It's just, it's fun. Uh, all right. With that, let's go to our final topic. Invincible. Oh, good. Oh, should we? Okay, cool. Oh, you're right, you're right, you're right, you're right. Okay, man. Four episodes this week. What the heck?

People on this episode

Contributor

Josh Dietrich

Host
Contributor

Konlin Gappmayer

Host
Contributor

Lauren Ashley Smith

Editor