Carlos Hernandez

Swamp Monsters is a look into the rise of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. If you're from Florida like I am and cover the news for a living, the book won't really surprise you. There were a few tidbits that I found interesting such as the first time Trump and DeSantis battled, some insider information from former DeSantis aides, and an analysis of why DeSantis has faltered on the national stage. The book can get repetitive sometimes in presenting facts which is probably intended for people who might not really know DeSantis well. I wish the book covered the impact of DeSantis in Florida a little more instead of quickly highlighting how he used culture wars and then moving on. Also the book only lightly covers Trump and covers him much more towards the end, but I think more insights into Trump's view of DeSantis would be great. It's probably hard to get many people to go on the record since this is all still happening in real-time, but still it's definitely a topic that will be discussed in the future. The book paints DeSantis as a force to be reckoned with, personally I've always believed DeSantis a more of a fraud trying to paint himself as an Alpha male and some parts of the book seem to agree with that analysis. Overall, it was a good read and not too long. It took me about a week to read it. Recommend.

Once I Was You is an inspiring read and an even better audiobook. I have followed Maria Hinojosa in her podcasts through Futuro Media and knew I wanted to see what she had to say in this book. It tells her life story and how she became who she is, while exploring the U.S. immigration from the 1970s to the end of the Trump Administration. I appreciate the way she tells her story, all the jokes and fun - yet also the serious tone and care she takes to humanize and discuss those who most people seem to forget about all around us. I hope her book will inspire others to take action whether its through their own dreams or to grow a heart and care about all Americans including migrants who come to our nation for a chance at survival. This was an enjoyable experience and I know it won't be long before I pick it up again. Bravo. I recommend this book to anyone interested in immigration or in the life of a successful journalist who has made in impact all around us.

I knew that the Mulan remake was going to be a traditional Chinese fighting film instead of paying homage to the cartoon (which is one of my favorite) so I already walked in with lower expectations. I don't feel like the movie was really terrible or great. There are some good scenes and the fighting is about what you would expect in old Chinese movies. One thing I notice again and again in Disney remakes is that they often fail to capture the raw emotion and feeling that the classics had. I did not feel the same connection between Mulan and her fellow soldiers or her love interest. Even the part with the emperor does not have the same punch that you feel in the cartoon when Mulan saves all of China. After this I just wanted to watch the cartoon and can positively say that this version is really inferior without Mushu, the songs, or the old storyline and I don't think I would purposely watch it. Also that actress sucks for injecting herself into politics and attacking the Hong Kong protesters who have had democracy stripped from them. Very disappointed that Disney was chasing the cash and still didn't make a decent remake.

The Rise of Skywalker is a fitting ending to the Star Wars series has compelling emotional scenes and wraps up pressing questions from the trilogy. The action scenes and battles make the film breeze by and the acting is top notch. J.J. Abrams is forced to waste time explaining decisions made in The Last Jedi that creating continuity issues from The Force Awakens, but manages to masterfully tie everything in together in a nice way. The friendship of Rey, Finn, and Poe is admirable and reminiscent of Luke, Leia, and Han Solo. Although there are many parallels between the prequel and original trilogy, The Rise of Skywalker makes its own path and own ending that is refreshing and different. Characters grow and change for the better. There is no better development than Kylo Ren or Ben Solo who has been enjoyable to watch in all 3 movies in the sequel. This movie truly made me a fan though. Rey is the ultimate hero and her growth and strength from beginning to end as well as her conflict were great for the story. I will watch this movie again and again.

The Joker wasn't a bad movie, but it wasn't a great movie either. The sound was turned all the way up some reason during our movie screening. I wasn't really a fan of The Joker's daddy issues and the whole backplot was pretty unnecessary. The actor who played the Joker was sufficiently creepy, but to be honest I prefer the Joker in the Dark Knight. The worst was these weird scenes where the Joker is dancing to some random music multiple times during the movie. Can't imagine this being appropriate in any other comic book movie. There were some scenes were Gotham was done well, but actually this Gotham wasn't quite as dark or enticing as Gotham normally is as a city. It just looked like a slummy Atlanta or Detroit. Overall - all this movie really made me do was question the audience around me which was audibly laughing in very unfunny scenes in an effort to make moviegoers uncomfortable. I think more security should be assigned to these movie theaters. This movie is best rented, but honestly I have no desire to ever watch it again and it perfectly skippable just like everything else DC has been putting out lately.

Killerman was a pretty good action flick. The suspense was good, Liam Hemsworth did a great job. Some of the plot is hard to wrap around and the ending leaves some room to be desired, but the movie was an overall experience left me with a satisfactory feeling. The cinematography and shooting style is reminiscent of a past era of gangster films. This may have been more of a passion project, but overall it was a decent film. I'd recommend it.