Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Zero Dark Thirty

 

Zero Dark Thirty is a dramatization of the hunt for, and the subsequent raid to kill Osama Bin Laden, the leader of Al-Quaeda, and the money behind the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The movie stars Jessica Chastain as Maya, a young CIA analyst working for the unit that was tasked with Hunting down Bin Laden. The character is based on a real person but is kind of an amalgamation of all of the women who worked in that unit. Maya is singularly focused on tracking down a lead regarding the courier whose name was given up by a tortured detainee, and after following many dead ends, ends up panning out. The movie is directed by Kathryn Bigelow who also directed The Hurt Locker. The movie gets an undeserved bad rap as glamorizing torture. I never got the impression that the movie was glamorizing it in any way. I looked at it as acknowledging that the government did torture detainees and not skirting around or whitewashing that fact. Whether the actual information that resulted in the courier's name being given up came about as a result or torture or was dramatized for the movie does not, in my opinion, take away from the quality.

For those who get the Blu-Ray, the movie looks and sounds great in HD. There are not a ton of extras, but what was included is good. These include a making-of documentary, a featurette on the building of a duplicate of bin Laden's stronghold, a piece about training the actors playing SEALs, and a featurette with Jessica Chastain discussing her character.

Overall, the movie is well-written and very well-acted. Chastain is a tour de force in this movie, bringing intensity and passion to every scene. She definitely earned and deserved her academy award nomination. The movie is not a straight-up documentary and does dramatize some events and material, but includes a lot of real events in the story (such as the bombing at the base that killed several military personnel and CIA officers) and gave a detailed account of how the actual raid went down. It is definitely worth checking out.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Fringe: Season 2

 

+++Warning, this will contain spoilers from season 1, but no major season two giveaways.+++

Season two begins with Olivia being ejected from the parallel universe. We do not see the follow-up to her meeting with William Bell that ended season 1, immediately, and when she comes out of the parallel universe she is initially in a coma, and then when she wakes up discovers she has no memory. The first part of the season involves Olivia trying to get her memory back, continuing the case-of-the-week format solving the Fringe element cases, and going back to the larger parallel universe story arc. The shapeshifters take on a much larger role this season, and we begin to see the parallel universe versions of the main characters, learning much more about Peter's background in the process. The season ends on yet another massive cliffhanger with the fates of the team members totally up in the air.

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the series continues to look and sound great in the HD format. There are a ton of special effects used in the show, all of which look seamless in HD. For extras, there are commentary tracks on select episodes that include both cast and production members, there are several short analyzing the scene and deleted scene features for many episodes. There is an unaired season one episode, a half-hour-long making-of featurette, and a gag reel. All in all, a lot of bonus material if you like watching them.

Overall, the season is very good. The storylines advance well with the series doing a good job balancing the procedural story-of-the-week cases and interweaving the serial storyline as well. It unravels the larger story arc in relatively small doses at first, then really picks up as the season comes to an end. The writing and acting are all top-notch, especially John Noble, who does a lot with the character of Walter. So, if you are a fan of the sci-fi genre, and you liked or loved season one, this is definitely worth watching.

Product Review: Organic India Psyllium Husk Pre & Probiotic Fiber

 

If you are like many people, hitting your daily recommended level of fiber can be hard to do with just food alone. This is a good way to get a boost of fiber (4g) without having to eat high-fiber food. So far, I have not noticed any fiber cramping or bloating either, which I has definitely happened to me when eating a lot of fiber from fruits or veggies. This also has the benefit of getting you probiotics which are good for overall gut health. It tastes pretty good, but you definitely do not want to let it sit too long in water otherwise it will congeal. I mix it in a Blendjet 2 blender and just chug it, and that works well.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Silver Linings Playbook

 

Silver Linings Playbook is a combination of a romantic comedy and a drama. It stars Bradley Cooper as Pat Solitano, a bipolar man who has spent eight months in a psychiatric hospital after beating up the man with whom his wife was having an affair. He moves back in with his parents (played wonderfully by Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver) and makes it his mission (against the advice of everyone) to win his wife back. Pat is invited to dinner by his best friend Ronnie, played by John Ortiz, and meets Ronnie's widowed sister-in-law with mental issues of her own, Tiffany, played by Jennifer Lawrence. Tiffany agrees to help Pat win his ex-wife back on the condition that he enter a dance competition with her as her partner. From there, the typical will-they, won't-they get-together storyline plays out.

The Blu-Ray extras are okay, but not extensive. There are deleted scenes, a relatively short making-of-featurette, a Q&A session featuring the director and some of the cast members after a screening of the movie, and a couple of featurettes on the dance numbers.

Overall, the movie is very good. Cooper does a great job alternating between depressed and manic, basically acting like he is on speed. He has great chemistry with Lawrence (who is a large source of the film's humor, although De Niro and Copper have some very funny moments too) as well as with De Niro. De Niro himself is great as Pat's football-obsessed father who is trying to help his son but really does not know how to do so. The biggest scene-stealer of the movie is Chris Tucker (of Rush Hour fame). He is only in a handful of scenes as Danny, another patient at the hospital who is embroiled in a fight with the hospital about whether they can keep him committed. He keeps managing to get out only to be hauled back by the cops. It's a small role that is not integral to the rest of the movie, but funny nonetheless. Personally, I like that the comedy in the movie is a bit darker than it is in most romantic comedies. It is a movie that is very well-written and acted and is definitely worth checking out.

Product Review: Redcon1 MRE (7.15 lbs, Blueberry Cobbler)

 

This is a meal replacement powder as opposed to just a protein supplement. The serving size is four scoops, and there are approximately 50 servings per tub. Personally, I use two scoops at a time and then add in another scoop of regular protein powder to keep the carb count low. Plus, I like mixing a chocolate protein powder in with it to get a mix of chocolate and blueberry flavor, which I personally really like. If you take an entire serving, you get 530 calories, 47g of protein, 75 g of carbs (with 8g of fiber), and 4 g of fat. As I said, I take 2 scoops at a time then add in some protein powder to keep the carb count down while still getting a good amount of protein, and generally use it as a replacement for dinner/post-workout.

It blends fairly well, although I did have a little bit of residue at the bottom of the cup after I blended it (I blend it in a Vitamix blender as opposed to using a shaker cup). So, the last bit in the cup was a bit chalky, but not horrible. It tastes very good, at least when adding chocolate protein powder to it. It is definitely a good option for a meal replacement.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Skyfall

 

This is, of course, the third Bond movie with Daniel Craig starring in the titular role. It is unique in a couple of ways. First, the opening sequence diverges a lot from the opening sequences of many of the prior Bond movies where Bond manages to successfully capture or kill someone, or execute some mission that he is on, usually separate from the main story. I have not seen every Bond movie, but the ones I have seen have all opened like that. Second, this movie, unlike Quantum of Solace, is not tied into the storyline from Casino Royale. Of course, anyone who has seen the rest of the Bond films knows that there is a return to that story arc after this movie. The story in this movie revolves as much around M (played brilliantly by Judi Dench) than it does Bond, and Javier Bardem is awesome as the main villain Raoul Silva, in a much different role than his other iconic villain character from No Country for Old Men.

For those who get the Blu-Ray, the A/V quality is awesome, and the cinematography really pops in the HD. format. The extras include two separate commentary tracks on the film, one with the director Sam Mendes, and the other with the producers of the movie. Then there is an hour-long making-of documentary that is split into several parts that can be watched individually or all at once. Then there is a short feature on the world premiere of the movie, the theatrical trailer, and trailers for other movies. So, a lot of good material if you like watching the extras.

Overall, the movie is very good. Daniel Craig has really solidified his role as Bond and by this point all the griping and complaining about him as the lead had pretty much stopped. The movie balances the action scenes with the dramatic scenes very well, and the acting is spectacular. I have not seen all of the Bond movies, but of the ones that I have, it is definitely one of my favorites and well worth watching.

Workout Update: Power-90/Chalean Extreme Hybrid: Day 9

Day 9 was the sculpt 1-2 workout again. This was pretty much the same as Friday's workout in terms of the amount of weight I could use and the number of push-ups I could get through on my toes. The exercises for which the weight was increased from last time were definitely tougher, and on those, I maxed out at just eight reps. 

Product Review: Maxell 190041 Disc Scratch And Repair Kit

 

If you have a CD or DVD that has a minor scratch, one that will cause the disc to skip or pixelate, but not stop completely, this will work to get rid of the scratch and cause the skip to stop. If the scratch is deep enough to cause the disc to freeze entirely, then this is not likely to correct it. I tried it on a disc with a minor scratch and it worked well. On a disc with a deeper scratch, even going through the process a few times, it did not get rid of it.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Django Unchained

 

Django Unchained is a movie you will know within the first few minutes whether you will love or hate. It is set shortly before the Civil War. Christoph Waltz plays Dr. King Schultz, a former doctor turned bounty hunter seeking to buy a slave named Django (played by Jamie Foxx) to get his help in tracking three outlaw brothers who were overseers at a plantation on which Django was enslaved. In return, Schultz offers Django his freedom and agrees to help him find his wife Hildi, played by Kerry Washington who was sold away from Django as punishment. The movie is definitely inspired by the Spaghetti Westerns of the past infused with Quentin Tarantino's over-the-top brand of violence and humor. It has a strong supporting cast including Samuel L. Jackson and Leonardo DiCaprio whom both shine in their roles, as do Waltz, Foxx, and Washington.

For those who get the Blu-Ray, the movie looks and sounds great in the HD format. There is a little over half an hour worth of making-of featurettes and the trailers. Unfortunately, there is no commentary track on the movie, which would have been nice to have. But, what was included was great.

Overall, the movie is wonderful. It is well-written and very well-acted. Yes, it does include the n-word a lot, shows slaves being beaten, and everything. But, keep in mind, that the is set in the south during the 1800s and does not at all sugarcoat what life, and the people were like. It is not telling a "Gone WIth the Wind" type love story between members of the ruling class, the perspective from which the story is told is much different, and includes all the gory details. If that makes you uncomfortable, that may be a good thing. Certainly, Quentin Tarantino's movies are not for everyone, and this is no exception. But, if you are generally a fan of his work, this is definitely worth watching.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Iron Man

 

While, by 2008, there had been other superhero movies like Spiderman and the original Fantastic Four movies made and relatively successful, this is the first movie in what would become a 20+ movie and counting franchise of movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that has dominated not only the superhero movie genre but really the movie landscape as a whole for more than a decade.

The movie is the origin story of Tony Stark (played by Robert Downey Jr.) and his superhero alter-ego, Iron Man. Stark is an ultra-rich, ultra-smart, and sometimes too smooth for his own good, tech genius. He is the head of Stark Industries which is basically a weapons developer that makes weapons for the military and anyone who is the highest bidder. After a demonstration of his newest missile technology for the military in a fictitious middle-eastern country, the convoy he is in is attacked and he is taken, prisoner and forced to make a missile for a group of terrorists. Instead of making them a missile, he develops the first Iron Man suit, breaks out, and upon being rescued, he determines to take the company in a new direction and develop a better suit that he can use to fight bad guys.

The movie has a great supporting cast including Gweneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Tony's assistant and potential love interest, Terrance Howard as James Rhodes, Tony's friend and military liaison, Jon Favreau whom both directed the movie and played Happy Hogan, Tony's driver, Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane, a partner in Stark Industries, Leslie Bibb as reported Christine Everhart, Paul Bettany as the voice of Jarvis, Tony's artificially intelligent assistant, and Clark Gregg, as Phil Coulson.

For those who get the 4k Disc, the movie looks very good in the UHD format, but it does not get as good a video upgrade as some of the other movies have. It is probably not something you would likely notice unless you are a big-time A/V wonk, but it is not a giant video upgrade over the Blu-Ray disc. The audio upgrade to Dolby Atmos is wonderful and the movie sounds great even if you have a modest sound system. For extras, they are somewhat sparse. There is a Hall of Armor interactive gallery with details about the different versions of the Iron Man suits in the movie, about 23 minutes of deleted and extended scenes, and a six different featurettes under the title "The Invincible Iron Man" that can be played all together at one time, that is essentially an hour-long documentary on the history of the character in the comics. It is important to note, that when the movie was originally released on Blu-Ray, it was released in various retailer exclusives that had different bonus content. None of that exclusive content was brought over to this one, so if you have a retailer exclusive Blu-Ray then you will want to keep that one as well (if the extras are important to you).

Overall, the movie is great. Had the movie not worked, there probably never would have been an MCU, and at the time, casting Robert Downey Jr. as essentially in the lead role of not only this movie but the leader of many of the movies that would come after that was a huge risk given his history of drug abuse.. You can tell that he took the role (and the movie) very seriously, and was perfectly cast for the role of Tony Stark. But really, all of the actors did a wonderful job in their roles, whether large or small. I highly recommend the movie if you are a fan of action and/or superhero movies. Whether it is worth the double-dip to upgrade from the Blu-Ray (assuming you purchased the Blu-Ray when it was first released on disc) is hard to say. If you have a great home-theater setup (or plan to build one) then it probably is. If not, the regular Blu-Ray is probably fine.

Product Review: Inno Supps Night Shred - Night Time Fat Burner and Natural Sleep Support - Appetite Suppressant and Weight Loss Support

 

This worked as an okay sleep aid, basically did as much or as little for me as the much less expensive melatonin supplements. As far as any kind of fat-burning or thermogenic effects, I definitely did not see any of that. So, ultimately, for me, this is just a very expensive sleep aid and not at all worth the price.

Workout Update: Power-90/Chalean Extreme Hybrid: Day 8

Day 8 was the sweat 1-2 workout and ab-ripper 100. The workout went really well again, and I got through everything without stopping or even pausing, and was able to modify the cross hops a bit less. I still did the skips but would jump so one foot was off the ground as I did them. So, I am getting closer to doing the unmodified version where both feet are off the ground at the same time. 

Workout Update: Power-90/Chalean Extreme Hybrid: Day 7

Day 7 was the CE recharge workout. In this round I tried to do it without any modifications. I did have to go into child's pose a couple of times in the downward dog segments but got closer to holding myself up for the entire minute each time. 

Study Aid Review: The Engineering Circuit Analysis Tutor: Volume 1

 

This volume covers what takes up about the first month, give or take, of a Circuits Analysis (or Circuits I) class. It starts off with a discussion of the main units that you deal with, voltage, current, and resistance, discusses the basic circuit components, and Ohm's Law, which is the equation that pretty much everything that you do in circuits is based on. Then it touches on power calculations and then the meat of the lessons are Kirchhoff's current and voltage laws, which are the first techniques that are taught for "solving" a circuit. Jason then goes through a discussion of dependent sources, resistors in series and parallel (which is another vital topic that is necessary for later lessons), and ends on voltage and current divider circuits. In all, this material is likely to take you through the first exam in an introductory circuits class.

This DVD set has basically the same format as Jason's various math tutor videos. He introduces a topic and then goes through a bunch of example problems. He spends the bulk of his time on the most important topics, especially those that get built upon. Whether you will find this helpful very much depends on your learning style. If you are an audio and/or visual learner and learn by watching the problems worked out, this will be perfect for you. If you learn by reading and your own trial and error, then this is probably not going to help much. It is also important to note that this volume only covers circuits that use direct current (DC) sources, which is what students learn first. Later volumes cover the circuits that have alternating current (AC) sources, which are the focus of a Circuits II class. Learning this material is indispensable for anyone looking to get an Electrical Engineering degree as circuits is going to be one of the first engineering classes you take. Even if you are not getting an EE degree, you may still be required (depending on your school's requirements) to take a basic circuits class, and this will definitely help in that class as well.

Product Review: Bath and Body Works BLACK RASPBERRY VANILLA Super Smooth Body Lotion

 

This is a great lotion. It is one that because it has a strong scent, a little goes a long way, but it smells very good and does a good job moisturizing dry skin. You could use it as a hand lotion, but personally, I like to use it on my wrists, around where the bands from my Fitbit and Apple watch can irritate and dry out my skin. That works well and keeps the scent from getting too overpowering.

DVD/TV Series Review: Nashville - Season 1

 

Nashville is a prime-time drama that definitely leans toward the prime-time soap opera category centered around the characters of Rayna James, played by Connie Britton (of Spin City and Friday Night Lights), who is an aging country music star whose career is on the downswing, and Juliette Barnes, played by Hayden Panettiere (best known for the series Heroes) who is the up and coming young star whose life is kind of a train wreck. The first season is really all about developing the characters and establishing storylines for the various characters. For Rayna, it is trying to inject new life into her career and dealing with her husband Teddy (played by Eric Close) who is resentful of her fame and decides to run for mayor on the back of her fame, and her ex-flame (and ex songwriting partner) Deacon (played by Charles Esten). Juliette is trying to make it big while dealing with issues in her personal family life that she tries to hide. The big appeal of the show is the musical numbers. Nearly every episode has one or more musical numbers with members of the cast actually singing. Even if you are not a country music fan, which I am not, the music is arranged in such a way that it is not tailored just to a hard-core country music fanbase. And, while not all the actors are great singers, some of them have a lot of talent, especially Sam Palladio who plays Gunnar Scott, and Clare Bowen who plays his girlfriend, and songwriting partner Scarlett O'Connor. Lennon Stella and Maisy Stella (who play Rayna's daughters Maddie and Daphnie are a real music duo out of Canada and are great singers who get a few chances to sing on the show.

For those who get the DVD set, the supplements are okay. There are a few behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and a blooper reel. What was included was okay, but the featurettes could be longer and it would be nice if at least some of the episodes included a commentary track.

Overall, the series is well-written and very well acted. The plot definitely gets a bit soap-opera-like when it involves the various character relationships. There is some sexual content, but nothing you do not see on any other prime-time dramas. Even so, the rest of the storylines are very good, and all of the actors, including the strong supporting and recurring cast which includes actors like Powers Boothe, Robert Wisdom, Jonathan Jackson (who came from the Daytime Soap Opera world), and Chris Carmack (from The OC). The season ends on a pretty large cliffhanger and does a good job setting up the second season. I definitely recommend this if you are looking for a good serial drama.

Study Guide Review: Absolute Beginner's Guide to C

 

This was a book that was required for my intro to programming class, but it can also just be used as a study guide in conjunction with a regular textbook. It is what it says, a beginner's guide to C. If you are anything other than a beginner, then this is going to be way too easy for you. But, if you have very little or no experience with programming in general, and C specifically, this is a good primer. It does have some mistakes in it, that most beginners would need a teacher or someone experienced to point out. That is what knocks it down a couple of stars for me. But, otherwise, it is a good starting point for learning C programming. C is at least somewhat, if not entirely, outdated now, but it is the programming language upon which many other programming languages are built so it is still good to have familiarity with.

Workout Update: Power-90/Chalean Extreme Hybrid: Day 6

Day 6 was the sculpt 1-2 workout again. I was able to max out at 10 reps on a couple of the exercises.  I definitely made some strength gains just within the week as "heavy pants" was much easier, even with 35 lb dumbbells than it was the first day. I was also getting a little bit deeper on the push-ups (although still not as deep as I would like). So, progress is being made.

Workout Update: Power-90/Chalean Extreme Hybrid: Day 5

Day 5 was the sweat 1-2 workout and ab-ripper 100. I made the mistake of doing the workout too close in time after eating so it was definitely not as good as the prior two workouts earlier in the week. I made it through but I definitely had to pause a couple of times and slow things down for fear of puking. I generally try to avoid workout out right after I eat (at least cardio workouts). I thought I had given myself enough time, but apparently not. 

Textbook Review: Karel++: A Gentle Introduction to the Art of Object-Oriented Programming

 

This book is essentially a follow-up to the book Karel The Robot: A Gentle Introduction to the Art of Programming. Where that book was focused on introducing students to C programming, using a much pared-down programming language, this one introduces students to the concepts used in C++ and other object-oriented programming languages. Like the first book, this is tailored specifically to the Karel world and instructions. The programming language used is more complex here, as you would expect. That said, the information in the book is very basic, and it is really intended to be used in an intro to programming class. So, if you have pretty much any programming experience (and still remember it), you will be way beyond what this book will teach you. That said, if you have only done a little programming and do not remember much of it, this will definitely help refresh you on the basic concepts.

Textbook Review: Karel The Robot: A Gentle Introduction to the Art of Programming

 

This is a book that will most likely be used in an introductory programming class. It is really an introduction to the method of problem-solving that programmers face and how to solve those problems without getting bogged down with complicated programming code. Basically, this involves writing simple code to move a robot around a screen, avoid walls, and pick up, or put down beepers, which are something like location beacons. You essentially program the robot to move around the world, avoiding walls, going into rooms, etc., and either placing beepers or picking up beepers. The instructions are written in computer code which tells the robot how to move when to pick up a beeper, and where to put a beeper down.

The book is a very good introduction to programming and computer science as a whole. The material in it is nowhere near as complex as what you will be exposed to if you decide to take classes beyond an intro class, but if you learn this it will give you a good idea of whether you want to continue on learning more complicated material.

Workout Update: Power-90/Chalean Extreme Hybrid: Day 4

Day 4 was the Sculpt 1-2 workout. This time I was able to hit the ten rep max on four of the exercises which will mean an increase in weight next time. I can do more push-ups but still cannot go very deep on them. I have a feeling I will need to drop about another 10 lbs to be able to go as deep when I am doing push-ups on my toes as I can on my knees. 

Product Review: ASICS Men's GEL-260 TR Cross-Training Shoe

 

This is a good, affordable, comfortable pair of workout shoes. They are great for high-impact workouts like HIIT, plyometrics, or interval training, and can also be used in a variety of cross-training workout classes. While they are not running shoes per-se, you could run in them if you wanted to. I do not think they would be great for trail running, but they are certainly running on a track or a treadmill.

Workout Update: Power-90/Chalean Extreme Hybrid: Day 3

Day three of the hybrid workout was the sweat 1-2 workout and ab-ripper 100. This was the second time doing the workout and again, I was able to get through it without stopping or pausing (just modifying the cross hops) and could do all 100 reps of the ab-ripper workout without stopping. So, the workout went well. I do think that I am better at it the second time around than the first round of Power-90 I did. So, even though I am still not in the kind of shape that I want to be in, I am getting better. 

Streaming Series Review: Obi-Wan Kenobi - Episode 3 (Spoilers)

                                 

Episode 3 of Obi-Wan Kenobi sees the first (of what is likely going to be two) confrontations between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader (again voiced by James Earl Jones). The episode starts out with Obi-Wan and Leia on the transport to the planet Mapuzo, having narrowly escaped Reva. When they land and go to the designated meeting point they find no one there and Leia flags down a miner named Freck (voiced by Zach Braff) who is making his way back to town and agrees to give the two a ride. Being a good member of the Empire, Freck also picks up a group of Stormtroopers who begin to question Obi-Wan and Leia. When he slips up and calls her by her real name, the most touching moment in the episode happens when Obi-Wan says he sees her mother when he looks at her. Of course, Leia figures out that Ben knew her mother and asks if he is her real father. Both Ewan McGregor and Vivien Lyra Blair do a great acting job during those sequences. 

The group is stopped at a checkpoint where everything unravels until Obi-Wan and Leia are saved by Tala, played by Indira Varma posing as an Imperial officer, who was the person they were sent to meet. She basically runs a Jedi underground railroad helping Jedi and force-sensitives disappear to prevent them from being captured by the Inquisitors. The real meat of the episode happens when Vader arrives on Mapuzo. Vader and Obi-Wan sense each other and Vader starts randomly torturing and killing the locals to draw Obi-Wan out. Obi-Wan tells Tala to get Leia to safety while he draws the Imperials away. Vader follows Obi-Wan who freaks out and runs away when he sees Vader in all his glory. When Vader finally corners Obi-Wan, to say he hands his ass to him would be an understatement. Obi-Wan is no match for Vader, and the only reason Vader does not kill him is that Vader wants him to suffer. During the confrontation, Obi-Wan asks Vader what has he become, to which Vader replies he is what Obi-Wan made him. In the end, Obi-Wan is barely saved by Tala, which of course leads to Leia being in danger at the end of the episode.

Overall, I thought the episode was good but has some glaring plot holes. The good was the name dropping of Quinlan Voss, who is a character you will know if you watched the animated Clone Wars series or read the novels. He could potentially show up to help at some point. I think the confrontation between Vader and Obi-Wan went the way it should. Vader is at the height of his power and Obi-Wan has been cut off from the force for a decade. Granted, I think having Vader have a wall of fire stop him was silly when he put the same fire out a few seconds earlier, but they needed a way to get Obi-Wan away from him. The end with Reva being at the end of the tunnel that she entered long after Leia was just dumb. Even if she use force speed she would have caught Leia in the tunnel, but this implies that she passed her, killed the pilot, and waited for her to catch up, all without Leia seeing her. 

The series is definitely setting up the fact that Vader and Obi-Wan are going to have a real rematch after Obi-Wan opens himself back up to the force, likely with Qui-Gon's help. We also know Leia is going to be fine and Reva is probably not going to make it out alive given that she was not a character in Rebels. Even knowing all that, the show does a good job ratcheting up the tension to make how they are going to get there a mystery.