This Monster Needs to Die

“The Social Dilemma” has some cheesy, dramatic elements to it, sure. A little overkill at times. But I do recommend everyone see the film. After watching it, I don’t necessarily want to delete all my social media accounts, as I do view social media as part of my “job,” so to speak. However, I do significantly want to change my approach to social media: how much I use it, when I use it, etc. Especially in relation to my “real-life” relationships without screens attached.

The Rise of a Brothers Zuniga Star Wars Episode IX Review

I got my brother, Andy, to join me in a review of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” – mere minutes after watching it! You’re gonna love it. Or you’re gonna hate it.

Anything Mentionable is Manageable

I saw the new Mr. Rogers movie, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” It’s unlike any other movie I’ve seen. A unique story structure, beautiful set design, and phenomenal acting. “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” is a movie that will stick with me for a while. I was teary-eyed the entire way – both from the sheer beauty of this story and its haunting connections to my own.

Jurassic Brothers: A “Jurassic World” Recap that Has Nothing to Do with Dinosaurs

I saw Jurassic World on opening weekend alongside 4.6 billion others. Not quite opening night, because that level of commitment is reserved for more sacred stuff like Star Wars. (175 more days. But who’s counting?) Chris Pratt playing with raptors? Riding alongside them on a motorcycle? Some sort of big bad hybrid dino? Even though the trailers […]

I Don’t Want to Be Your Hero

I saw Boyhood while #RunningTo took me to a coffee shop in High Point, North Carolina. I watched all 166 minutes of it on my laptop. I’m sure the baristas were wondering what in the world was with that bearded wanderer who kept erupting into teary hysterics. I could write a dozen blog posts about the film itself — the simplistic plot, the […]

My Road Trip Finally Ends This Weekend and I’m Terrified

Nine months. Nine months and a week, actually. 40 weeks: that will be the ultimate span of this #RunningTo road trip. Before I left southern California last May, I had no clue how long the road would wind. Your guess would have been as good as mine. Two months? Seven? Seventy times seven? The longer I […]

What’s Your Favorite Friendship Story?

I’m currently taking my pretty little time drafting a second book. I’ll soon divulge more info on that venture in an upcoming newsletter (sign up, won’t you?). In the meantime, though, I had a question for y’all. I was hoping we could have an extensive dialogue in the comments below. Here’s the question: What are […]

TMZ Reviews: “Camp”

“For the whole week, I couldn’t wait to go back to my real life, you know? Now I feel like my real life is fake and camp is real.” Last summer, I did not — much to my lingering chagrin — return to Camp Ridgecrest. Ridgecrest was that magical (though often daunting) land from the […]

TMZ Reviews: Blue Like Jazz

I recently saw Blue Like Jazz. What’s Blue Like Jazz, you ask? Isn’t that a book, you ask? How can one “see” a book, you ask? Why was this a real thing, you ask? Well, I can answer all but one of those. Blue Like Jazz was originally a book, yes, but it is now […]

Unleashing Your (Toy) Story

As a semi-seclusive writer paradoxically desperate for community, I jumped on the opportunity to attend an “art of storytelling” gathering with fellow creatives at my church. And it was there I became convinced that Toy Story 3 is one of the greatest stories of all time. But don’t just take my word for it. Donald […]