Have some free time and wondering what to watch, play, listen to, etc.? Well we have some suggestions for you!

Lauren’s Movie Pick: Bumblebee – It’s been a long time since I’ve had mostly positive things to say about a Transformers film, but honestly the biggest complaint I have about Bumblebee is that I haven’t been able to stop singing “I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee, won’t my mommy be so proud of me?” for days now. Which is fitting, because Bumblebee drops the emphasis on the action centric set pieces of Michael Bay’s films for something aimed more towards a younger audience. With his memories of the war on Cybertron lost upon landing on earth, Bumblebee is basically an adorable babe in the woods; if that babe is a bull and those woods are a china shop. Bumblebee leans heavily into the physical comedy laden hijinks and bumbling authority figures that remind me of the films of my youth, and the 80s nostalgia will bring even more adults back a few decades. The depth they try to bring to Hailee Steinfeld’s character in concern to her suffering through the absence of her father doesn’t quite work for me, but I won’t knock the film too much since that was never what I was there for. I was there for my main man Bumblebee, and he didn’t let me down.

Ben’s Movie Pick: The Raid: Redemption – The Raid: Redemption follows an elite group of police officers who get trapped in an apartment complex full of criminals and must fight with guns, blades, and their fists in order to make their way to the man at the top and complete their mission. The film spends barely any (but just enough) time establishing the main character, and quickly dives into some of the best action sequences ever put to film. The stunning choreography and cinematography make sure you really feel the weight behind every shot, punch, kick, stab, and slam, and while each moment of this film is a blast, the last fight steals the show. It’s easily the greatest martial arts battle I’ve ever seen. The Raid is a masterpiece of action cinema and I find myself picking my jaw up off the floor every single time I watch it.

Ben’s Video Game Pick: Borderlands 3 – Borderlands 3 takes everything that’s made me such a huge fan of the cooperative looter shooter franchise and either refines or improves it, creating a sequel that somehow surpasses its masterpiece of a predecessor. Borderlands 3‘s story may not feature another all-time great video game villain like Borderlands 2‘s Handsome Jack, but the new and old supporting heroes, humor, and different worlds – each one containing its own story and characters that intertwine with the main narrative – easily make up for it.

And then there’s the loot.

You want a wrist-mounted rocket launching pistol? How about a grenade that creates a vortex before raining down fire on the enemies it draws in? Or maybe just a gun that shoots other guns? All of those, and so, so much more are just waiting to be found in Borderlands 3. And not only is the variety of weapons, grenades, shields, and everything else straight-up baffling, but they somehow all feel different when used. I’ve put over forty hours into Borderlands 3 now, and have only just scratched the surface of what it has to offer thanks to a ton of endgame content like the True Vault Hunter and Mayhem modes. And I know that I’ll keep coming back to it for a long, long time.

Ben’s Web Series Pick: Dragon Ball Z Abridged – Dragon Ball Z Abridged is a series made by Dragon Ball fans for Dragon Ball fans. While redubbing and retelling the story of the iconic anime, the abridged version gives the action spectacle new life as an absolutely hysterical comedy. The people behind DBZA, Team Fourstar, have a deep knowledge of the original series, its lore, and use that in their reimagining to poke fun at the plot-holes, translations, and characters – such as highlighting that fact the franchise’s pure-hearted protagonist Goku is a pretty terrible father – while still showing their love and appreciation for everything Dragon Ball-related. If you have fond childhood memories of watching Dragon Ball or Dragon Ball Z, I can almost guarantee that Dragon Ball Z Abridged will hit you in both your nostalgia nerves and funny bone.

You can watch the entire series (so far) on Teamfourstar.com

So what do you think about these picks? What content did we miss over the past two weeks while we were spending time with these? Be sure to leave a comment below letting us know about everything (both current and simply new to you) you’ve been consuming lately!

And while you’re here, be sure to check out our recent podcast episodes about Ready or Not and Being John Malkovich, and Zac’s written review of Ad Astra.