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, September 14, 2022

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Kingsman: The Secret Service

 


Kingsman: The Secret Service is a 2014 movie starring Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Strong, and Sofia Boutella. It is an action-spy movie with some comedy (mostly dark humor) mixed in. The storyline revolves around Gary "Eggsy" Unwin's (played by Taron Egerton) recruitment by Harry Hart (code name Galahad, played by Colin Firth ) and training in a secret spy organization. His first mission is to bring down an eco-terrorist, Richmond Valentine, who is played wonderfully by Samuel L. Jackson. Valentine wants to reverse climate change by wiping out almost all humans on Earth. There is a strong supporting cast including Sofia Boutella, who plays Valentine's assistant Gazelle and is a double amputee with sharp blades for feet, Mark Strong as Hamish Mycroft / Merlin, Sophie Cookson as Roxanne "Roxy" Morton / Lancelot, Michael Caine as Chester King / Arthur, and even has Mark Hamill in an extended cameo role.

For those who get the blu-ray, the movie looks and sounds great in HD. There are only a handful of extras, the most extensive of which is a six-part behind-the-scene feature titled Kingsman: The Secret Service Revealed. Then, there are image galleries, the theatrical trailer, and previews for other movies. So, while there are not a ton of extras, the making-of documentary is very well done.

Overall, the movie is a very good, over-the-top blend of action and comedy. The action sequences are very violent and gory but in a tongue-in-cheek way (similar to those in Kill Bill) as opposed to the gore in movies like Saw. The acting is wonderful all around. Jackson Hams it up constantly, Firth is great as a buttoned-down English gentleman, and Taron Egerton does a great job as the lead. There is not much in the way of sexual content (aside from innuendo) or nudity until the very end, which is basically a joke that closes out the movie. That said, it is definitely not something that is appropriate for young kids, if nothing else, because of the violence. So, if you are looking for a fun action movie that you put on to kill a couple of hours without having to watch every second of it to be able to follow what is going on, this is a good one.



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