4K-UHD/Movie Review: Fast X

 

Fast X is the tenth, and at least as of this writing, the second-to-last installment in the Fast & Furious franchise of movies. It honestly still amazes me that a film about an undercover cop taking down a gang of robbers/street racers turned into a movie franchise that is so far removed from the premise of the original film, but here we are. The movie was released in 2023 and was directed by Louis Leterrier, who took over for Justin Lin, who was still given a writing and producing credit. Nearly every actor from the franchise appeared in the film (with a few exceptions), including Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, John Cena, Charlize Theron, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Scott Eastwood, Helen Mirren, and Jason Statham. The newcomers for this movie include Rita Moreno, Daniela Melchior, Alan Ritchson, Brie Larson, Leo Abelo Perry, and Jason Momoa. Paul Walker was also included via the use of archival footage. His daughter Meadow was also given a small role in the film. Gal Gadot and Dwayne Johnson (or Rock "The Dwayne" Johnson; if you know, you know) also reprise their roles. The latter, of course, being a major surprise, given the falling out The Rock and Vin Diesel had after The Fate of the Furious. 

As many of the films in the series do, this one ties back to prior events. Specifically, it ties back to the events of Fast Five. The opening sequence uses footage from the bridge chase in Fast Five and shows events from the point of view of this film's main antagonist, Dante Reyes (played by Momoa), the son of Fast Five's big bad, Hernan Reyes. He hatches a plot to get revenge against Dom and the team, first to frame them, and then to start taking everyone out. The best sequence is toward the beginning of the film involving a chase through the streets of Rome. 

The 4k set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a standard blu-ray. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is outstanding. It is pretty much at or near reference-quality, and if you have a big screen and a multi-channel Dolby Atmos sound system, you will not be disappointed. All the bonus features are included on the UHD disc. There is around an hour and twenty minutes, give-or-take, of bonus content, including a gag reel, a making-of featurette, scene breakdowns, and a couple of music videos. There is also a director's commentary track on the film in which Leterrier breaks down the movie and its production. 

If you have seen the prior movies, this one is pretty much par for the course. You know what you are getting with the films at this point. A lot of action, much of it completely unrealistic and over-the-top, and okay (at best) writing and acting. Some stunts are so over-the-top that the only way to pull them off was to use CGI animation (which still looks like animation even if it gets better all the time). The theme of family, which has prevailed throughout the series, is really the only serious part of the movies. Everything else is done pretty tongue-in-cheek. It mixes action and comedy (mostly from Gibson, Ludacris, and Cena) with some drama. Momoa seemed to have a blast playing the bad guy in this movie, and if you watch the bonus content and listen to the commentary, you find out that he did almost all of his own stunts, including the motorcycle stunt driving. He was definitely the highlight of this installment. The movie ends on a major cliffhanger, and the final scene and mid-credits tag set up the involvement of more characters in what is planned to be the final movie in the series. Ultimately, if you have stuck with the franchise this far, this is worth checking out. If you have not liked the other movies, especially as the plots became more outrageous, this will probably not do much for you.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Frasier: Season 9

 

The 24-episode 9th season of Frasier aired during the 2001/2002 TV season. All of the series regulars returned for the 9th season. The show continues to primarily be a story-of-the-week procedural, with longer story arcs here and there, as well as callbacks to events in prior episodes. This season sees Niles and Daphne's relationship evolving, Frasier still trying to find someone, and Martin starting a new job. This season also includes the 200th episode, and the largest Cheers reunion to date, with the group going to Boston and inadvertently attending Cliff's retirement party (at a hotel instead of Cheers). John Ratzenberger, George Wendt, Rhea Pearlman, and Paul Wilson all reprise their roles during the episode. The guest stars this season include Bill Gates, Adam Arkin, Larry Gelbart, Allison Janney, Jennifer Jason Lee, Kristen Chenoweth, Brian Cox, Robert Picardo, Anthony LaPaglia, Millicent Martin, Wolfgang Puck, Bridgette Wilson, and Michael Keaton. Keaton plays Lillith's half-brother in a hilarious role. The guest callers this season include Scott Hamilton, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, Keith Carradine, Naomi Judd, Freddie Prinze Jr., Andy Garcia, Pat Boone, Cherry Jones, and Anthony Edwards. The first episode, which aired two weeks after the 9/11 attacks, was dedicated to series creator David Angell and his wife, who were passengers on  Flight 11.

As of this writing, the blu-rays are only included in the complete series set. In that set, the episodes are spread over three discs, which are held in a keep case. The individual season DVD release is a four-disc set. There are no extras with this season's discs, but the episodes can be played with English captions. The A/V quality of the Blu-rays is good and is a definite upgrade from the DVDs. The only drawback is that the 200th episode special that was hosted by Bob Costas, in which he interviewed the cast and showed outtakes from throughout the series, was not included. 

While the series was getting a bit long in the tooth by season 9, the writers did a good job of mostly keeping it from getting stale. David Hyde Pierce and Jane Leeves continued to be the comedy standouts, but all of the cast members do a great job in their respective roles. There are still not as many scenes in the radio station as there were in the first few seasons, but they are mixed in here and there. Episode 21 was titled Cheerful Goodbyes, and was probably the best of the season (for those who were also fans of Cheers). It would have been nice if they could have set the episode at Cheers and been able to get Ted Danson and/or Woody Harrileson to appear as well, but Ratzenberger, Wendt, and Pearlman all stepped back into their characters wonderfully. Ultimately, if you are a fan of the series, this season, while not as great as the first few seasons, is worth checking out. 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 54

Day 54 was the final workout of Phase 2, Bis and Tris. The workout went well, and I was able to increase the weight I used from last week for a couple of the exercises. My form on triceps dips (and range of motion) is getting a lot better, which is nice since I have never been great at them. 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 53

Day 53 was the final shoulders, glutes, and abs workout of Phase 2. I was able to increase the amount of weight I used for two of the exercises, but had to hold them steady for the rest. However, shoulders are my weak spot, so that is not surprising. I do love being able to make use of "getting stuck"/reducing my range of motion, which allows me to use a little heavier weight to challenge myself and work on getting my shoulders stronger.

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 52

Day 52 was my final leg workout of Phase 2. This is my favorite workout of the program so far, and it went very well. I actually increased the amount of weight I used for some of the exercises after the first set, which I rarely do during the workouts. So, my legs are absolutely getting stronger. And, my range of motion in the squats and lunges is getting better as I lose weight overall.  

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 51

Day 51 was the final chest and back workout of Phase 2. As has been the case for the past few weeks, I could increase the weight for some exercises and used the same weight for others as I did last week. I did notice that the core-focused exercises, while still not easy for me, are getting easier.  

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 50

Day 50 was the start of the final week of Phase 2 of Dig Deeper, which meant doing the total-body workout again. Even after 4 weeks, the workout is still challenging. I was able to increase the amount of weight I used from last week for a couple of the exercises. The last burnout round was pretty killer, with almost no breaks between exercises or sets. 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Days 48 and 49

Days 48 and 49 were the rest days for Dig Deeper. I still did my approximately two-mile morning walks and did some flexibility and mobility work each day. I did some foam rolling on Saturday and did the P90X stretch routine on Sunday. This upcoming week will be the last week of Phase 2 of Dig Deeper.

DVD/Movie Review: Fantasies

 

Fantasies is a 1981 film written and directed by John Derek. It starred Bo Derek (credited under the name Kathleen Collins) and Peter Hooten. The supporting cast includes Anna Alexiadis, Phaedon Georgitsis, Nikios Pashalidis, and Kostas Baladimas. The movie was actually Bo Derek's debut. It was filmed in Greece in 1973 and was titled Once Upon a Love, but was not released until 1981 after the movie 10, and an appearance in Playboy magazine made Bo a well-known star. She was about 17 years old when the movie was filmed and began a romantic relationship with John Derek (who was 30 years older than her) and eventually, in one of the most cringe-worthy Hollywood relationships, married him a few years later.

The DVD is a bare-bones release. The only extras are short filmography listings for John Derek, Bo Derek, and Peter Hooten. Otherwise, you just get the movie itself, and it does not play with captions. The film is absolutely awful. The writing and acting are horrible, and to the extent there is a plot, it plods along. In it, Bo and Hooten play Anastacia and Damir. Although Damir and Anastacia are not siblings, they grew up together in the same household after his parents died. He wants to revitalize the island where they live and make it into a tourist attraction, and she dreams of owning a fancy bathtub. The two start to have feelings for each other, despite considering themselves to be like brother and sister. They basically fight with each other through the entire movie while they are trying to figure out if they are in love. The movie does earn an R-rating as Bo Derek is nude a few times (although there are no sex scenes). Of course, the nudity would never be filmed today since she was 17 years old when the movie was made. Ultimately, the only thing this movie has going for it is that it was Bo Derek's first movie. While she was never considered a great actress, she was a big star during the 1980s, mostly because of her looks and willingness to take her clothes off in every movie. If you are looking for award-winning acting and writing, this does not have it. If you want to check it out for the sake of curiosity and accept it for what it is, it's worth watching but probably not one that you would return to much.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Enter the Ninja

 

Enter the Ninja is the 1981 action film starring Franco Nero, Sho Kosugi, Susan George, Christopher George, Alex Courtney, and Constantine Gregory that arguably launched the resurgence of martial-arts movies in the 1980s, specifically the Ninja genre. It was the first of what is called the "Ninja Trilogy," consisting of this film, Revenge of the Ninja, and Ninja III: The Domination. This film has no ties to the other two films, aside from featuring real-life ninjitsu practitioner Sho Kosugi (although he plays different characters in each film). In this film, Nero plays an American who goes to Japan to study ninjitsu. Kosugi plays Hasegawa, a ninja whose family lineage traces back to the ancient samurai, and does not believe an American should be allowed to be trained as a ninja. The film opens with a massive fight scene, which we eventually find out is Cole's final test to become a ninja. Once he graduates, Cole goes to Manila to visit his old war buddy, Frank Landers, who owns a plantation and is being pressured to sell his land by a wealthy CEO named Charles Venarious (played by Christopher George). When Cole dispatches his goons with ease, Venarious hires a ninja (Hasegawa) to take Cole out. 

The 4k release is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc (which just contains the film) and a standard Blu-Ray, which contains the film and the bonus content. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is excellent, and it is an upgrade over prior releases. The bonus content includes a commentary track by film historians Mike Leeder and Arne Venema, and trailers for several other films, including Koshugi's other movies. 

The movie itself is very cheesy and not particularly well-written or acted. It very much has the feel of a low-budget action film with some cheesy comedy sprinkled in here and there. The commentary track is quite interesting as Leeder and Venema give a pretty good breakdown of the film's interesting production history, including the fact that martial artist (and the guy who broke up Elvis and Priscilla), Mike Stone, was originally supposed to play the role of Cole. However, when the producers found out that Franco Nero was in the Philippines, they offered him the role despite the fact that he had no martial arts experience (which absolutely shows when he is doing action scenes), and Stone was relegated to being his stunt double and the fight coordinator. Having Stone in the role would have at least made Cole look the part, as Nero was hilariously bad during the fight scenes and could not even do a proper front kick, much less do anything that came close to looking like a trained ninja. You can also tell the movie did not have anyone paying attention to continuity, because in the opening sequence alone Cole would have a bow and arrow in one scene, then have two swords, then have one sword and a dagger, then would magically have the bow and arrows again, only to have them disappear after shooting an arrow and starting to run without actually dropping the bow. And all the ninjas that it looks like Cole is killing during his test are magically okay despite being run through with a sword or having throwing stars stuck in their forehead.  

Of course, nothing in the movie is all that realistic, and it presents a very over-the-top and exaggerated representation of ninjutsu (which is a real style of martial arts). But it is not really a movie that you watch because you are looking for it to make sense, have great acting, or for the continuity. For many people who were kids in the 80s and into martial arts, this will absolutely be a blast from the past (even if you notice the flaws you did not notice then). Ultimately, if you can accept it for what it is, it is entertaining, even if it is in a Mystery Science Theater 3000  "so bad it's good" way and worth checking out in 4k. 

4k-UHD/Movie Review: The Fall Guy

 

The Fall Guy is the 2024 movie adaptation of the 1980s TV series. It was written by Drew Pearce and directed by David Leitch. It stars Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Hannah Waddingham, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the leading roles. The supporting cast includes Winston Duke and Stephanie Hsu, and there are cameos by Jason Momoa and the stars of the TV series, Lee Majors and Heather Thomas. Gosling plays Colt Seavers, the stunt double of the world's most famous action star, Tom Ryder (played by Taylor-Johnson), and is dating camera operator Jody Moreno (played by Blunt). After he is injured performing a stunt, Colt shuts out everyone and works as a valet at a restaurant. He is convinced to return to stunt work to work on a major production directed by Jody and starring Ryder, arranged by the film's producer, Gail Meyer (played by Waddingham). He is led to believe that Jody asked for him, but when he arrives on set, he finds out there is a lot more to the story, as Jody has no idea he was hired, and Ryder has disappeared. 

The 4k set is a three-disc set, containing two UHD discs and a standard Blu-Ray.  One of the UHD discs (and the standard Blu-Ray) contains the theatrical version of the film and the bonus content. The second UHD disc contains the extended version of the movie (which adds about 20 minutes to the runtime). The only extra on that disc is a commentary track by the director and one of the producers. The A/V quality of the UHD discs is excellent, especially if you have a large screen and a Dolby Atmos surround system.  The bonus content includes commentary tracks on both versions of the film. It is actually the same commentary track on both versions of the movie, just with the discussions during the scenes added to the extended edition removed for the theatrical version's track. The commentary tracks provide a lot of good information on the movie's production, how some of the stunts were done, etc. The other bonus features (which total about an hour) include a gag reel, alternate takes, and several making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes that vary in length from a few minutes to about 20 minutes. 

The movie is very good. It is a great blend of comedy and action, and it seems like everyone had fun making it. It is a movie about a movie as well as an ode to all the people who work behind-the-scenes on films. In fact, the "important" people are made to look the worst in the movie. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is awesome playing an awful character, who was basically written as a stereotypical Hollywood brat/prick, and Waddingham was great as the producer who enabled him. Gosling again proves that he can do comedy, especially deadpan comedy, and Blunt continued to show her range, incorporating action, drama, and comedy into her performance. It can definitely be a little cheesy and goofy (by design), and almost everything about the movie is over-the-top, but it works. Ultimately, if you are a fan of action-comedies, this is absolutely worth checking out.  

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 47

Day 47 was the final workout of week three of Phase 2 in Dig Deeper: bis and tris. This is still a very challenging workout. I had to use the same weight I used last week for almost all of the exercises, but I did increase the weight for the last 3-minute burnout block, alternating the 90-degree rotations and triceps kickbacks. Going from 8 lbs (which was not exactly easy) to 10 felt like a huge jump, especially in the last minute. At the end of the night, I did the upper body foam rolling routine from 645, which helped loosen me up a bit.  

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 46

Day 46 was the shoulders, glutes, and abs workout. This is a harder workout for me, but I challenged myself to increase the weight I used where I could and took advantage of "getting stuck" and not doing lateral raises through the full range of motion, which allowed me to use 15 lbs instead of 12. That burnout at the end is still killer, even with 3 lb weights, but the burn did not hit until I got to the very end, so I am going to try it using 5 lbs next week. 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 45

Day 45 was the legs workout. This is actually my favorite workout of the program so far. It is short, but challenging. I was able to increase the amount of weight I used for a couple of the exercises and will be able to increase the weight for others next week.  

Book Review: Dragonlance: Barbarians Vol 1: Children of the Plains

 

Children of the Plains is set during the early Dragonlance era, about 4000 years prior to the Cataclysm. It was first published in 2000 as a mass-market paperback and co-authored by Paul Thompson and Tonya Cook. It tells the story of the early barbarians/plainsman, specifically a group of nomads and a group of settlers. It begins with a nomadic family being attacked by a group of predators. Only two of the family members survive, although neither is aware that the other lives. One becomes a leader of a nomadic tribe, and the other, through a friendship with a dragon who saved him from the predators, becomes a leader of a group of settlers. Years later, the brother and sister discover the other is alive. Within that story, there is a conflict between humans and elves, humans and elves and dragons, and dragons versus each other. 

The paperback version of the book is just over 300 pages and reads fairly quickly. While it does provide a backstory for some of the conflict between humans and elves that exists in the books set during the War of the Lance, especially the Chronicles and Legends trilogies, it is a self-contained story that does not require reading any of the other books to follow. The story is not nearly as good as in the Chronicles and Legends trilogies, but it has enough action to make it enjoyable. Ultimately, it is not one of my must-reads in the series, but if you are a fan of the Dragonlance series and want stories that add context to the more well-known novels, this is worth checking out. 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 44

Day 44 was the chest and back workout again. I was able to increase the amount of weight from last week for some of the exercises. For those that I had to use the same weight as last week, I will be able to increase the weight next week. So, I am progressing and am getting appreciably stronger and leaner during this phase.  

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 43

Day 43 marked the start of the third week of the second phase of Dig Deeper, which meant doing the total-body workout again. I was able to increase the amount of weight I used from last week for some of the exercises, but I had to keep all of the weight in the final burnout block the same. Even bumping the weight up a little changes the workout quite a bit, especially when you are doing the 1-3 tempo lifts 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Days 41 and 42

Days 41 and 42 were mostly rest days. I did, however, do my morning walk each day, and yesterday did the P90x stretch routine in the evening. My range of motion continued to improve, but was not extremely different from last week.

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 40

Day 40 was the end of week 2 of the second Phase in Dig Deeper, which was the bis and tris workout again. It was again challenging, especially since I increased the amount of weight I used for most of the exercises. I will have to hold them (at least during the first sets) next week, since I was reaching failure in pretty much every set. 

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Desperately Seeking Susan

 

Desperately Seeking Susan is a 1985 comedy starring Madonna, Rosanna Arquette, Aidan Quinn, and Mark Blum in the lead roles, and John Turturro, Laurie Metcalf, Robert Joy, Will Patton, and Steven Wright in supporting roles. Giancarlo Esposito also had a very minor speaking role. It was directed by Susan Seidelman and was filmed in New York and New Jersey. In it, Arquette plays an unfulfilled upper-middle-class housewife named Roberta who reads the personal ads and becomes fascinated by communications between Susan (played by Madonna) and her boyfriend, Jim (played by Joy) that often begin with the line Desperately Seeking Susan. When one of the ads proposes they meet in Battery Park, Roberta goes to spy on the meeting and becomes fascinated by Susan's freewheeling lifestyle. Roberta ends up getting hit on the head, losing her memory, and believes herself to be Susan, and finds herself in danger when she is mistaken for Susan.

This is a single-disc release. It has a decent, but not great, A/V transfer. For the audio-nerds out there, the audio tracks are 2.0 digital tracks, which may not easily play on a 5.1 or 7.1 surround system without messing with the audio settings on your blu-ray player. The bonus content includes the film's trailer and alternate/extended ending. There is also a commentary track on the film by the director and the two main producers. The most interesting part of the commentary was hearing about the decision to cast Madonna, how her mega-stardom really hit as the movie was filming, and how they had to hire more security toward the end of filming because she was getting mobbed every time she was in public. When she was originally cast, she was still mostly popular in the NY dance club scene where she would perform. However, she released the Like a Virgin album while the movie was filming, and that, along with the release of this film really moved her from a star that had a couple of songs with radio play and videos on MTV into the superstar she became. One funny item from the commentary was one of the producers saying Madonna wanted to get into acting because she did not think she would be able to do the kind of performances she did in the clubs when she was 40, but she would be able to act. Of course, she was playing stadium shows well into her 50s and has only been in a handful of movies after making this one. 

The movie is a good comedy, but it is a bit dated. It very much has the feel of a 1980s romantic comedy, but it had a good enough script that it is enjoyable even years later. It is rated PG-13, but it could have easily earned an R-rating. Rosanna Arquette is topless in a couple of scenes, but in shadow and obscured so you do not see much; Madonna is in a see-through bra in a couple of scenes, and there is a lot of swearing and smoking. It is also interesting to see Laurie Metcalf, John Turturro, and Giancarlo Esposito early in their careers. Madonna was okay, despite never having acted before. But she was almost playing a fictionalized version of herself, so she did not have to do a lot. Arquette did most of the heavy acting work, even though she became overshadowed by Madonna's growing popularity. Ultimately, while it is not the best comedy of the 1980s, it is still worth checking out.

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 39

Day 39 was shoulders, glutes, and abs again. This one was challenging, both because of the 7-7-7 format for the shoulder exercises and because the 60-second ab exercises were no picnic either. The glute-focused exercises were not too bad, though one of them requires decent balance, which can be challenging, especially since it is toward the end of the workout when you are already tired. I was able to increase the weight I used for some exercises from last week and will be able to increase some next week.  

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 38

Day 38 was the Phase 2 legs workout, and it is one of the shortest workouts of Dig Deeper, at least so far. Even though it is short, it is challenging. I was able to increase the amount of weight I used for most of the exercises, and I will be able to increase a bit more next week. I also notice my range of motion for the squats and lunges continues to get better.  

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 37

Day 37 was the second Chest and Back workout of Phase 2. I was again able to increase the amount of weight that I used from last week for some of the exercises and kept others the same. The burnout block of weighted push-up rows is still killer, and the hardest exericse in the bunch for me to get through.

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 36

Day 36 was my second go at the total body workout from the Sculpt and Define Phase of Dig Deeper. I was able to increase the amount of weight that I used for a couple of the exercises from last week, however, I kept the weight in the final block (the burnout block) the same. I also noticed that I was able to hold the ab/core exercises longer in all three sets than I could last week. 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Days 34 and 35

The weekend days were the two off days for Dig Deeper. I again did the two-mile walks I have been doing daily for a few months. I also did the P90x stretch routine on day 35. One thing that I noticed is that I was able to get into the low squat and hold it for 30 of the 45 seconds. That was the best I have been able to do in that move for years.