Hour 21: A Film and Interactive Media Blog

Halo: Campaign Evolved (2026) "Sleep well?” "No thanks to your driving, but yes." "So you did miss me." -Halo: Campaign Evolved (2026) It's surprising what names hold just below the surface, and what a person's life reveals in the recollection. We may think we have a person figured out until they offer us a completely new perspective. A new vantage point that allows us to witness them grow, change and show us an aspect of their personality that we never considered before. Yes, what is in the name? Better yet, in the case of Halo: Combat Evolved, what is beneath a helmet. In all honesty, that is where the truth resides. Beneath the helmet, and concealed by its name. Even still, over the years and through many iterations, Halo: Combat Evolved has conveyed a poignant reality about every sentient weapon of war. In its enigmatic and stalwart presence, the Halo franchise continually ponders the question of humanity, and the cost of its protection. This i...

Over The Garden Wall (2014) "Though I am lost, my wounded heart resides back home, in pieces.” "Maybe I can help you? I mean, you guys are lost right?” "These woods are no place for children. Don't you know the Beast is a foot here.” -Over The Garden Wall (2014) What Over The Garden Wall hides behind its façade of stone, is a realm of mystery and intrigue, interwoven with the medieval diction of the poetry of fire and love. This beautiful animated miniseries seeks for the heights of hope, even in the darkness of despair. It is storytelling at its most sincere, and yet unwound. Still, Over the Garden Wall is able to discover a contemporary heart In the midst of a classic sensibility. A beating heart that drives it onward and upward towards the light in the darkness. Put simply, Wirt and his brother Greg traverse the travails of a dark forest, seeking a path home. Over The Garden Wall evokes the innate charm of both animation and story, which find a delightful ming...

  Amazing Grace (2006) “I need an answer, Wilbur. Do you intend to use your beautiful voice to praise the Lord or change the world?” "Mr. Wilberforce, we understand that you are having problems choosing to do the work of God or the work of a political activist.” "We humbly suggest that you can do both.” -Amazing Grace (2006) It is providential how God's grace enters our lives at the precise moment it is needed. Unexpectedly changing our perspectives in the midst of routines that have trapped us in cycles of complacency and forgetfulness. Now, imagine for a moment that God-given grace arriving centuries after the diminishment of an entire race, down to nothing more than slaves to be bought and sold. In reality though, the mind's eye is not required for this experiment. For, it was never an imagined state, mournfully it was a tragic reality of everyday life. So, all that is required of us, is a look back into the annals of history. Where, someone's seemingly obv...

  Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) “Tell me who you are.” “This isn't you.” “Are you Peter Parker or are you Spider-Man?” -Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) Until Spider-Man: Brand New Day, I never really gave it much thought, the true cost of heroism. Sure, we all know the parameters, it's almost become routine at this point. “With great power, comes great responsibility”. I guess that is the benefit, if you can call them that, of our unasked for struggles. They force us to grow, to change and to realize that we cannot do this all on our own, heroism is never just a singular endeavor, it requires support, we cannot do it on our own. This may seem callous, but it's true, just because we have the ability to save someone's life, doesn't mean the weight of every life has to be on our shoulders. Another truth arises from that point. When we measure our differences without support, they are isolating, aren't they? More often than not, we do not choose our dif...