Welcome

Welcome to my ever-evolving blog. It started out as a blog on Beachbody workouts and products, mainly when I was a Beachbody coach. I no longer coach, not because I don't believe in Beachbody's programs (I subscribe to Beachbody on Demand and use their workouts every day), I am just not a salesperson and hated that aspect of it. I am more than willing to answer questions about my experiences with their products and the various workouts, and I feel freer to do so without the appearance of giving a biased review of something.

I have also started adding reviews for various things I have purchased like movies, books, CDs, and other products. This was brought about by a fight with Amazon in which all of my reviews were removed over a completely bullshit allegation that I posted a review that violated their terms of service. After going back and forth with the morons in the community-reviews department (even after they admitted that my posts did not violate their guidelines) they restored my account (which took them six months to do), but I have been posting my reviews on my blog to have them preserved in case something like that happens again. And here, I will post uncensored reviews so I will swear from time to time and post reviews that may be longer than Amazon's character limit. Everything I post here on any topic or product is my personal opinion, and I take no compensation for any product reviews I post. I am a member of Amazon's vine program and because I get those products for free, I keep those reviews on Amazon only, but everything I have purchased with my own money, whether from Amazon or some other store/website/outlet, I will post here.  

I also plan to do some longer blog posts on various topics, such as how to learn physics, how to get through calculus, and longer reviews of workout programs as I do them. Basically, whatever strikes me as interesting at the time.  As you can see if you navigate around the blog, I had many years in between postings. During that time I was going back to school to get an engineering degree, and learning material that I avoided my first time through college was a different experience and one that gave me a lot of insight into how to do well in those classes, which I will try to impart here for those who are looking to get a science or engineering degree. 

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

Movie/DVD Review: Dick (1999 Release)


Dick is a late 1990s movie starring Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Willams, that spoofed the Watergate controversy that brought down Richard Nixon. The basic concept is that, while on a high-school field trip to the White House Betsy (played by Dunst) and Arlene (played by Williams) accidentally see papers being shredded. Thinking that they know something more than they really do, Nixon (played wonderfully by Dan Heyada) offers them a job as official dog walkers for Checkers, the Nixon's dog in the White House. Of course, this totally backfires on him as when the girls see him being mean to the dog, they almost inadvertently take him down by feeding information to Woodward (played by Will Farrell) and Bernstein (played by Bruce McCulloch).

As I said above, the movie is a spoof of real-life events, with a lot of stuff made up for the movie. It basically plays like a long SNL skit, never trying to be historically accurate or taking itself too seriously. It is a very tongue-in-cheek movie that makes fun of pretty much everyone involved in Watergate, including the "good guys". Because of that it really does not come across as politically biased, although if made today, it more than likely would spark rage on the political right. 

For those who have not upgraded to Blu-Ray and look to get the original DVD release, the extras include a commentary track on the movie with the director and writer, deleted scenes, a gag reel, a making-of featurette, the theatrical trailer, and an isolated music soundtrack. I good amount of material for those who like watching the bonus features.

Overall, the movie is very good, and as I said above, does not take itself too seriously. The acting and writing are great, and it features a great 1970s soundtrack. I am not sure if it is streaming on any of the major streaming services, but if you like the movie or generally like comedies that spoof current or historical events, and prefer physical discs to streaming, then this is a good pickup.

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