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. 

Friday, September 9, 2022

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Extended Edition)

 


The Desolation of Smaug is the second of what ended up being a trilogy of movies based on Tolkien's book The Hobbit. The first two movies basically tell the story from the book, which is much shorter than any of the Lord of the Rings novels, and then the last movie is adapted from some of Tolkien's other writings. This one is set after Bilbo steals The Ring from Gollum and tells the story of the group's journey to the Lonely Mountain to retrieve the Arkenstone, the object that will allow Thorin to rule all of the Dwarves. The journey to the mountain has its perils including a battle between Dwarves, Elves, and Orcs down a river and an attack by giant spiders. Then it becomes a cat-and-mouse game in the dragon's lair between Bilbo, Smaug (voiced wonderfully by Benedict Cumberbatch), and the dwarves. The end of the movie is basically a cliffhanger that sets up the third movie.

The extended edition of the movie is long, over an hour longer than the theatrical edition. It adds a lot to the storyline. Some of the additions are good, and for others, you can tell why they got cut out for the theatrical release. Of course, the real reason to get this set is the bonus material. As with the first Hobbit release and the LOTR extended edition releases, this has two Appendices, both of which contain over five hours of behind-the-scenes and making-of material. There is also a commentary track on the movie by Peter Jackson and his collaborator Phillipa Boyens, that provides a lot of insight on various shots and the filming process overall. The A/V quality of the blu-ray is great, and the numerous special effects look seamless with everything else.

Overall, the movie is good but does get a bit long at times. Thankfully, it is easy to take bathroom breaks at home because this would be a beast to sit through in a theater. Martin Freeman and Richard Armitage are great as the leads of the movie, and the supporting cast, including Ian McKellen, Ian McKellen, Luke Evans, Lee Pace, Orlando Bloom, and Stephen Fry (among others) is very strong. The extended edition is really best for die-hard fans and/or people who love tons of bonus material. If you do not fall into either of those categories, this set will very much be overkill for you. If you are in one of those categories, however, this is a must-have pickup.

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