Magazine Review: Maxim: June 2000

 

Maxim is a magazine created in 1999 to compete with Playboy, without the nudity. The June 2000 issue was its 30th issue, when the magazine was arguably at its height (and before it was sold off to the MAGA nutcase who currently owns and publishes it). The pictorials in this issue were centered on the women who starred in various WB shows, including Brittany Daniel, Charisma Carpenter, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Katie Holmes, Paula Devicq, and Jessica Biel. Most of the actresses had a single pic and a short bio and in the cases of Daniel and Devicq, short interviews. The main pictorial featured Katherine Heigl, who was starring in her breakout role on the series Roswell. Hers had the most pictures (including an incredible sideboob shot) and included a more lengthy interview. The other notable pictorial and write-up (unrelated to the WB actresses) featured Angelina Jolie, who was in the midst of her wild days as a young adult. 

Some of the articles featured in this edition included one about New Mexico's most notorious serial killer, David Parker Ray, an interview with Dave Grohl, and the usual sex-themed articles in which women were interviewed about things such as penis size and their willingness to engage in various fantasy play during sex. There is also an article profiling various young millionaires and how they made their money, and another about the popular convertibles of the time. Some of the ads were quite hilarious. There were tons of cigarette ads, one for a smart grill, and one promoting the release of the movie Fight Club, available for VHS and DVD rental. Ultimately, you have to take Maxim for what it was (especially back then). It definitely was written to appeal to the frat boy crowd in their late teens and early 20s. Some of the material is definitely cringe-worthy 25-plus years later (as of this writing), but some of the more serious material in it holds up well. 

Book Review: The Tales of Guy de Maupassant (Easton Press Edition)

 

The Tales of Guy de Maupassant is a collection of short stories written by Guy de Maupassant during the 1800s. None of the stories are connected, so it feels very choppy to read them all in one sitting. The topics vary from romance to crime. Some of them are definitely better than others. The best story in the collection, in my opinion, is the one titled "Diary of a Madman," which is about a judge who is revealed to be a serial killer when his diary is discovered after his death. 

The Easton Press version of the book is leatherbound and is just under 475 pages long. It also includes an introduction by the Easton Press editors that extends the length a bit. There are some illustrations throughout the book, but not an excessive amount. The book is included in Easton Press' "100 Greatest Books Ever Written" collection. While I would not go so far as to say it should have been included in that collection, it is interesting to read, especially if you like reading stories from the 19th century. 

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

 

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a 2023 film directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, starring Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Hugh Grant, Daisy Head, Sophia Lillis, Chloe Coleman, and Justice Smith. The supporting cast includes Bradley Cooper and Rege-Jean Page. Goldstein and Daley also co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Gillo. It is, of course, based on the role-playing game and is set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. 

In it, Pine plays a bard named Edgin "Ed" Davis, who was in an order of peacekeepers until his wife was killed by disciples of a wizard that he arrested. He then becomes a thief, teaming up with a barbarian named Helga (played by Rodriguez), a sorcerer named Simon (played by Smith), and a con artist named Fitzwilliam (played by Grant). Ed and Helga are caught during a robbery and are imprisoned for 2 years. After escaping, Ed tries to track down Fitzwilliam and his daughter, Kira, whom Fitzwilliam has been caring for. Daisy Head plays Sofina, a red wizard, working for Fitzwilliam. 

The 4K release is a single-disc release. The UHD disc contains the movie and all the bonus content. The A/V quality is outstanding, and the movie looks and sounds wonderful in UHD, especially on a large screen with a good sound system.  The bonus material includes about an hour of content, including a making-of featurette, featurettes on the heroes and villains, a gag reel, and about ten minutes of deleted scenes. 

I would classify the movie as good (and better than the other live-action D&D movies that have come before), but not great. It has a decent mix of action and humor, and the effects are outstanding. The humor can be a bit much, a bit corny, and a bit cheesy at times, but the writers do stay pretty faithful to the setting. Ultimately, if you are a fan of fantasy films, you will probably find this one enjoyable and worth watching. If, however, you are holding out for something like the Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends series, this is definitely not it. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 64

Day 64 was a rest day, but I did get in a little extra cardio (the 645 cardio workout) in the evening.  

Workout Update: P90X Day 63

Day 63 was yoga, which I had swapped out during the week. I again skipped past the parts that still give me trouble, but I can tell that my flexibility and mobility are getting better in the parts that I do. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 62

 Day 62 was legs and back. I used the same amount of weight for all of the weighted exercises, aside for the toe-roll iso lunges, which I bumped up from 12 to 15 lbs (and felt the difference). And I was able to get more reps on the pull-ups (again using the chair assist). 

Workout Update: P90X Day 61

On Day 61, I again swapped out yoga for kenpo. Nothing new to report about Kenpo. It was fine, nothing much different than the last time.

Workout Update: P90X Day 60

 Day 60 was the shoulders and arms workout. It went well, and I was able to bump the amount of weight that I used on a couple of the exercises up just a bit. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 59

Day 59 was plyometrics. I did not feel as tired during this one as I did after the first recovery week. I was able to jump back into it pretty well.  

Workout Update: P90X Day 58

Day 58 was the beginning of Phase 3, the last block of P90X. This is the block that you do Chest and Back and Shoulders and Arms for weeks 9 and 11 (1 and 3 of the block) and Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps, and Back and Biceps in weeks 10 and 12 (2 and 4 of the block). So, today was going back to Chest and Back. I was able to do more (assisted) pull-ups, but the push-up numbers were not all that different than the last time I did the workout. 

Book Review: Never Forget: An Oral History of September 11, 2001

 

Never Forget: An Oral History of September 11, 2001, first published in 2002, is a collection of stories of people who either survived the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, had loved ones killed in the attack, or helped in the aftermath of the attacks. Some of the stories are very well known if you have watched any of the 9/11 documentaries made over the years, and some are lesser-known. They were created from interviews conducted by authors Mitchell Fink and Lois Mathias with the people involved. All of the stories are at least a page long, and some stretch for a few pages. 

The hardcover version of the book is just under 300 pages. The authors did an excellent job of conveying the emotions of the people who participated in interviews, which, given that the book was published in January of 2002, just a few months after the attacks, were quite raw. Most of the stories are from people who were in New York, either during the attacks or helping with the search-and-rescue efforts. The authors did, however, interview some people who were at the Pentagon and interviewed some of the family members of passengers on Flight 93. Ultimately, it is a very emotional read that provides a lot of detail about things that were not apparent from watching the TV coverage (for those who are old enough to have done so that day) or from the documentaries. It is absolutely worth reading. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Bewitched: Season 6

 

The 30-episode 6th season of Bewitched aired during the 1969/1970 TV season. This season saw the largest cast shakeup, with Dick Sargent taking over the role of Darrin following Dick York's exit after season 5 due to a long-term back injury. David White was promoted to a series regular and added to the opening credits, and Alice Ghostley (who played a guest role in season 2) joined the cast in a new recurring role as Esmeralda, a part-time housekeeper/babysitter who is a witch with spotty powers (much like Aunt Clara). Elizabeth Montgomery returned (albeit begrudgingly) as Samantha (and occasionally Serena), Erin Murphy returned as Tabitha, and Agnes Moorehead returned as Endora. The guest stars this season included NFL star Deacon Jones, Bernie Koppell (who appeared as several different characters), Danny Bonaduce, J. Edward McKinley (who also made multiple appearances as different characters), and Jay Robinson (who also made multiple appearances). Bernard Fox, Maurice Evans, George Tobias, Sandra Gould, and Paul Lynde also made appearances in their recurring roles.  

The blu-rays are, as of this writing, only available in the complete series set, and the 6th season episodes span three discs. The epsisodes can be played with English captions, but the only bonus feature is a commentary track on the season premiere by Herbie Pilato and Johnny Whitaker (who guest-starred in the first episode of the season). The DVD set is a four-disc set. 

The series continues to mostly be a story-of-the-week procedural sitcom. Some elements (such as Samantha's pregnancy) spanned multiple episodes, but for the most part, the episodes are stand-alone. The writers do recycle storylines every so often, and as mentioned above, some of the same guest stars play totally different characters in different episodes. Interestingly, the writers did not address the fact that Darrin looked totally different after recasting the role, even though it would have been easy to explain with a spell gone awry that could not be reversed. The series was getting a bit stale by this point in its run. Montgomery had to be coerced to return (and given a significant raise in the process). Even so, there were definitely some funny moments, and it remained well-acted. Sargent did a good job making the role of Darrin his own, incorporating some of what Dick York did with the character without being a carbon copy of York. Ultimately, if you liked the prior seasons of the series, this one is worth checking out. 

Book Review: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

 

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a 2015 novel by George R.R. Martin set in the Game of Thrones universe. The events occur approximately 100 years before those depicted in the Song of Ice and Fire novels and the Game of Thrones TV series. The story involves a low-born "hedge knight" named Duncan (nicknamed Dunk), who goes by Ser Duncan the Tall, who was knighted by the knight for whom he squired. He looks to make a living competing in various tournaments. While traveling to a tournament, a small boy who calls himself Egg, whom Dunk mistakes for a stable boy at a local inn, asks to be his squire. Dunk ends up begrudgingly taking on Egg, who is definitely not a lowly stableboy, as his squire, and traveling through Westeros and getting into all manner of trouble.

The hardcover version of the book is just over 350 pages. I found that it reads much quicker than the Song of Ice and Fire novels, as there are far fewer characters and the book does not jump between storylines. The book actually has three different stories, with time jumps between each of them. While it does not have as much action or sex as the GoT novels, it is still entertaining. Martin does a great job of focusing the story on the relationship between Dunk and Egg, who have an older-brother-younger-brother dynamic. Of course, everyone wants Martin to actually finish the GoT series, and he received a lot of criticism for going off on side tangents with stories like this. However, if you are a fan of the series (regardless of what you think of Martin's writing pace), you will probably like this one. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 57

Day 57 was a rest day, and I did not do any workout and just enjoyed the off day. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 56

Day 56 was the second yoga workout of the week. Nothing new to say about this one, it is still way too long and has too much in it and I definitely fast forwarded through parts of it. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 55

Day 55 was the second core synergistics workout of the week. I still can't stand this workout and think it is mostly a waste of time, but I got through it.  

Workout Update: P90X Day 54

Day 54 was x-stretch. As I have said before, I like this routine much better than the yoga routine. Again, I could tell my flexibility and range of motion are improving.  

Workout Update: P90X Day 53

Day 53 was Kenpo. It went well, and I am getting faster and able to better keep up with the cast members. While I am not as good as I was when I was actively in taekwondo, I am improving.  

Workout Update: P90X Day 52

Day 52 was yoga. I again only did a portion of the routine, skipping past the parts that I hate doing or still cannot do well. The parts that I did tackle are getting better as my flexibility and range of motion is improving. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 51

Day 51 was the beginning of the recovery week. I did core synergistics even though this was supposed to be Yoga. I did not pay attention to the calendar. Overall, it went pretty much the same as the last time, however I was able to do a few more of the push-up variations. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 50

 Day 50 was a rest day, but I did the stretch routine to get ready for recovery week. 

Book Review: Denied Access (Mitch Rapp Series #24)

 

Denied Access, published in 2025, is the 24th book in the prolific Mitch Rapp series of novels created by Vince Flynn. It is the second book written by Don Bentley, after he took over the series from Kyle Mills, who continued the series after Flynn's death. If you read the books in chronological order, it is now the third in the series, creating a trilogy of novels (along with American Assassin and Kill Shot) detailing Rapp's early days after joining the CIA. The events in the novel (save for the prologue) are set in the early 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In it, Rapp finds himself caught in a conflict between the American and Russian Intelligence services, focused on protecting Greta, whose life has been threatened in the process. 

The hardcover version of the book is just over 400 pages long. It reads fairly quickly, and Bentley mirrors Flynn's overall style and tone for the characters while making the story his own. Because this is set during Rapp's early days, characters like Thomas Stansfield and Stan Hurley are heavily featured, and we learn more about Irene's career in the agency. Obviously, as Bentley indicates in the Author's Note, we will never know where Vince Flynn would have taken the story after the novel Kill Shot, had he continued young Rapp's story, but Bentley does a great job concluding that portion of the story. Ultimately, if you are a fan of the series, this is worth reading.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: 13 Going on 30

 

13 Going on 30 is a 2004 romantic comedy directed by Gary Winick and starring Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, Judy Greer, and Andy Serkis. The supporting cast includes Christa B. Allen, Alexandra Kyle, Sean Marquette, Kathy Baker, Renee Olstead, Samuel Ball, Phil Reeves, and Marcia DeBonis. It also includes Jim Gaffigan, Kiersten Warren, Brie Larson, and Ashley Benson in very minor bit parts. It starts in 1987 with a girl named Jenna Rink (Allen) turning 13. She is a nerdy kid whose best friend is her next-door neighbor Matt (Marquette), who is also nerdy and has a huge crush on Jenna. She desperately wants to be part of the popular group of girls at her school, nicknamed The Six Chicks, led by the most popular girl, Lucy/"Tom-Tom" (Kyle). Jenna ends up wishing that she were "thirty, flirty, and thriving" and, through the magic of movies, wakes up in 2004 as a 30-year-old (played by Garner) in New York City. The last thing she remembers is being humiliated by the Six Chicks at her birthday party, with no memory of the intervening 17 years. She ends up tracking down Matt (played by Ruffalo) and enlists his help to figure out what happened, discovering that she does not like who she ultimately grew up to be.

The Blu-Ray is a single-disc release. The A/V quality is very good, with an outstanding HD video transfer and very good 5.1 channel audio transfer. The bonus content includes two commentary tracks on the film: a director's commentary by Winick and a producer's commentary by two of the film's producers, Gina Matthews and Susan Arnold. Then there are just under a half hour's worth of deleted scenees, a couple of making-of featurettes, a featurette on 80s fashion, a featurette in which the cast members discuss their awkward teenage years, and two music videos (Pat Benatar's "Love is a Battlefield" and Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl," both of which are featured in the movie). Finally, there are trailers for three other films, but not the trailer for 13 Going on 30 itself. 

The movie is a fun and pretty innocent romantic comedy. It is to millennials what the movie "Big" was to Gen-Xers. The best way I can describe the movie is that it is what you would get if you mixed Big with the other huge 2004 comedy, "Mean Girls." Garner, who was still in her run as a TV action star playing Sidney Bristow on Alias, proved that she has great comedic acting skills. She totally made you buy that she was a clueless and innocent 13-year-old in the body of a smoking hot 30-year-old. Greer (who plays the adult version of Lucy) was great in her role, and Ruffalo was perfect for the part of the adult version of Matt. It is not a raunchy comedy by any means; there are some sex jokes and a couple of swear words thrown in, but it is definitely appropriate for a PG-13 audience, and can be enjoyed by adults (especially those who were in middle school or high school in the late 80s/early 90s). There are several laugh-out-loud moments, and the film features a wonderful 1980s soundtrack. While parts of it are a bit corny, it does hold up well even after 20-plus years. It is absolutely worth watching. 

Product Review: Chamberlain 1HP Smart Belt Drive Garage Door Opener with Battery Backup, Camera, and Motion Sensing Wall Control

 

A few years ago, I installed a Chamberlain smart garage door opener with a belt drive at my old house. When I moved, my new place had an old chain drive opener, which was loud and had the small remotes that were the size of key fobs and either had to be put on a keychain or in the center console, making them difficult to deal with, and you basically had to be right at the garage door to open it. So, I decided to get the upgraded version of the opener I had before. 

This is a belt drive, so it is very quiet. I have it on my two-car garage door, and although the door is not heavy or oversized, because I live in a region that can have harsh winters, I decided to go with the 1 HP version over the 1/2 or 3/4 HP versions. It can be controlled via the MyQ app or with the remotes (which are the kind that can be clipped onto your car's sun visor, which is much more convenient than the keyfob remotes, and they have great range as I can open the garage door when I am still down the block before pulling into my driveway. The remotes are pre-programmed, so you do not have to pair them with the opener. If you have multiple garage doors, the remotes can also be paired with another opener so you can open two doors from the same remote. 

This version has a camera and a battery backup, so if the power goes out, you can still use the opener for about 24 hours without having to pull the cord to open and close the garage door manually. And, when the power comes back on, the battery automatically starts recharging. You also get a 30-day trial of the MyQ monitoring service, which alerts you to activity detected by the camera. The app automatically alerts whenever the garage door opens and closes, which is part of the base features, and does not require an upgraded subscription. You can link it to an Amazon account for the "key" in-garage delivery service, which allows Amazon drivers to open and close the garage when delivering packages. 

I purchased the opener through Home Depot and paid for professional installation, which is handled by a local garage door service. If you can afford it, I highly recommend using that, as a pro can install it in a couple of hours, and they recycle your old garage door opener (if you already have one installed). Ultimately, this is a great garage door opener and absolutely worth the price.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Frasier: Season 4

 

The 24-episode fourth season of Frasier aired during the 1996/1997 TV season. All of the main cast members returned for the fourth season, with Dan Butler (who played Bulldog) being promoted to a series regular. The guest and recurring cast this season included Robert Prosky, Marsha Mason, James Earl Jones, Linda Hamilton, Jane Lynch, Zeljko Ivanek, Lisa Darr, Megan Mullally, Pauley Perrette, Jane Kaczmarek, and Bobby Sherman. Bebe Neuwirth made another appearance as Lilith, and Harriet Sansom Harris made another appearance as Frasier's agent, Bebe. The guest callers this season included Marv Albert, Dr. J., Bob Costas, Kieran Culkin, John Cusack, Patty Duke, and Eric Roberts. The show remained a story-of-the-week procedural, with longer story arcs mixed in. The longer storylines this season included the "will-they-or-won't-they" get-together between Niles and Daphnie (including teasing that Niles would get back together with Maris) and a new love interest for Martin. The season ends on a bit of a cliffhanger with Frasier making an impulsive decision to head off to Mexico with a woman he meets in the airport.

As of this writing, the blu-rays are only available in the complete series box set. The individual seasons are available on DVD. In the blu-ray set, the fourth season is a three-disc set that is included in its own keep case. The DVD set is a four-disc set. There is no bonus material included on the fourth season discs, just the episodes that can be played with or without English captions. The A/V quality of the blu-rays is mostly very good, and a significant upgrade from the DVDs. 

By the fourth season, the show had found the format that worked and stuck to it. Some of the jokes are definitely more adult-oriented, but the sex jokes were toned way down from what was on Cheers, especially in the early seasons. The writing and acting continued to be great, and while some things about the show are a bit dated thirty-plus years later, it holds up fairly well. In one eerie bit of coincidence, in the season finale, there is a reference to American Flight 11, which is a flight that series creator David Angell often took when he flew back to Los Angeles, including on September 11th 2001. Of course, that was the first plane hijacked and flown into the World Trade Center that day. Ultimately, if you liked the first three seasons, you will like this one, and it is worth watching.