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. 

Sunday, July 31, 2022

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Banshee: Season 1

 


Banshee was a crime-drama/action series that aired on Cinemax from 2013 to 2016. The 10-episode first season aired during the winter and spring of 2013. The series starred Anthony Starr, Ivana Milicevic, Lili Simmons, Hoon Lee, Ullrich Thomsen, Ben Cross, Trieste Kelly Dunn, Matt Servitto, and  Frankie Faison. 

Starr plays Lucas Hood (not his real name), a recently released ex-con who has spent 15 years in prison and who, through a crazy twist of fate, becomes the sheriff of Banshee, a small town in PA abutting an Amish community. There, he finds that his ex-girlfriend, played by Ivana Milicevic, is married with a couple of children and hiding out from a NY crime boss named "Rabbit" ( played by Ben Cross). Lucas discovers that the town is basically run by an ex-Amish gangster named Kai Proctor (played by Ulrich Thomsen), and the two immediately become enemies. Lucas struggles to stay on the right side of the law while pretending to enforce the law.  Frankie Faison plays Sugar Bates, a retired former boxer and ex-con turned bar owner. Hoon Lee plays Job, a computer hacker, and Hood's criminal accomplice; Matt Servitto plays Brock Lotus, the longest-serving member of the Banshee Sheriff's department who was passed over for Sheriff. Trieste Kelly Dunn plays Siobhan Kelly, another deputy sheriff and Lili Simmons plays Rebecca Bowman, who lives a double life as a devout Amish by day and a rebellious and sexually promiscuous party girl by night. She also happens to be Proctor's niece.

The Blu-Ray set is a four-disc set with episodes and a decent amount of extras. The show's A/V quality is very good, and it looks and sounds great in the HD format. It is probably not a must-see in HD because there is not much in the way of special effects or things of that nature, but I think the colors pop very nicely and some of the landscape shots look great in HD. For extras, there are commentary tracks on six of the ten episodes, a making-of documentary called Banshee Origins that is split into 15 segments, a featurette on the opening title sequences and all the easter eggs and clues that are in each opening credit sequence, deleted scenes, and a trailer for season two.

Overall, the show is great. It is well-written and very well-acted. Be warned, however, that there is a lot of violence, sexual content, and nudity (mostly by Milicevic and Simmons, but pro wrestling fans may also recognize C.J. Perry, who was Lana in WWE topless in a sex scene with Starr). So, it is definitely an adult show that is not family-friendly. So, if that would turn you off to a show, you are best to skip this. If, however, you are looking for a drama that is compelling and not like anything else out there, this is definitely something you should check out.

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