Book Review: Merlin's Tour of the Universe: A Traveler's Guide to Blue Moons and Black Holes, Mars, Stars, and Everything Far

 

Merlin's Tour of the Universe is a book by Neil deGrasse Tyson, first published in 1989 and updated in 2024. In it, Tyson answers letters written by people asking science questions. He responds as a fictional character, Merlin, who is an alien who has visited Earth many times over thousands of years from his home planet in the Andromeda Galaxy. Within the responses, he explains concepts from almost every branch of science, including complicated astrophysics, with letters grouped in different topics that make up the chapters of the book. 

The hardcover version of the book is moderately long at just under 280 pages of substantive text. None of the responses to the letters is very long. Most are a paragraph or two. The shortest responses are a sentence or two long, and the longest are about a page. It is relatively easy to read and reads quickly. Although this was Tyson's first book, it is very similar to the style and tone that he has maintained in his subsequent works. He makes the topics easy to understand, and you do not have to be a scientist or engineer to follow what he is saying. It is absolutely worth reading if you are a fan of Tyson's, like or love science (especially astronomy), and/or just want to learn more about science. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Cheers: Season 3

 

The 25-episode third season of Cheers aired during the 1984/1985 TV season. All of the main cast members returned for season three, although there would be some upheaval in the cast as Nicholas Colasanto became ill and passed away during production. Because of Shelly Long's and Rhea Perlman's real-life pregnancies, episodes were shot out of order (since Long's pregnancy was not written into the show). Because of the shooting schedule, Colasanto's character, Coach, would appear more sporadically as the season went along and make a couple of appearances posthumously. The writers would usually insert a line or two explaining his absence in the episodes in which he did not appear. The main addition to the series this season is the character of Frasier Crane, who is brought on as a recurring character as a love interest for Diane and rival to Sam. Dan Hedaya made a couple of appearances as Carla's ex-husband, Nick, as did Jean Kasem, who played Nick's new wife Loretta. The other recognizable season three guest stars included Carole Kane and Michael Richards.

The blu-ray set is a three-disc set and reproduces the content of the original DVD releases. Again, the individual seasons are not available on blu-ray; you can (at least as of this writing) only get the blu-rays in a complete series set. The A/V quality of the blu-ray release is very good. The extras are all included on the final disc. Those include clips of Norm talking about his wife Vera (who never appear on screen), clips of Carla making fun of Cliff, clips of Fraiser's key moments in the season, a virtual tour of the bar, and a tribute to Nicholas Colasanto (which features interviews with Ted Danson, George Wendt, and Rhea Perlman talking about Colasanto and what he brought to the show and the character of Coach.

The series really found its footing by the third season. The show continued to be a mix of procedural weekly storylines and longer serial arcs. While the show's focus remained on Sam and Diane's relationship, the writers continued to expand the storylines for the supporting characters, particularly Cliff and Norm. Each of the supporting characters received at least one show devoted to him or her. As was the case in the first two seasons, there are definitely jokes that would probably not be used if the show were made today, and there are quite a few adult jokes, so while the series is mostly good-natured and wholesome, it is not entirely family-friendly. Ultimately, if you liked the first couple of seasons, this one is worth watching.

Book Review: Heretics of Dune (Dune #20 Chronological Order, #5 Publication Order)

 

Heretics of Dune, published in 1984, is the fifth of the original six novels in the Dune saga written by the original author, Frank Herbert. It is the 20th book in the saga (including the novels co-authored by Frank's son, Brian, and Kevin J. Anderson) if you read the series chronologically. In this novel, there is another significant time jump from the prior book. This book is set 1500 years after the events of God Emperor of Dune and Leto II's reign, with his "golden path" having been implemented. After an event known as "The Scattering," in which humans spread out across the universe, power is divided among three groups: the Ixians, the Bene Gesserit, and the Tleilaxu. A new matriarchal group called the Honored Matres begins to wreak havoc throughout the Old Empire through violence and sexual conquest.

The length of the book will depend on which version you have, but it is generally around 400 pages. The story is not all that easy to follow, especially since, aside from Duncan Idaho, most of the characters are new (because of the time jump). And this version of Duncan is a ghola (basically a clone), so he is really not the same character as in the original novel. The story also jumps around a lot, so it is not all that easy to follow what is going on, and the overall point of the story is not all that clear until the last couple of chapters. To me, because Herbert had the massive time jumps between his Dune novels, by the time you get to this one, it is so far removed from the original story that it does not really feel like it is part of the same story. It is just a new story set in the same universe, with the names of the original characters dropped in here and there. Ultimately, I would describe this as an okay story that improves toward the end of the book. I would not, however, call this a must-read, especially if you were only really invested in Paul's arc, since that story has almost nothing to do with the events in this book. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: The Big Bang Theory: Season 9

 

The 24-episode ninth season of The Big Bang Theory aired during the 2015/2016 TV season. This season saw another milestone episode for the show, specifically the 200th episode. All the main cast members returned, as well as many of the "regular" recurring cast members such as Laurie Metcalf, John Ross Bowie, Wil Wheaton, Christine Baranski, Sara Gilbert, Bob Newhart, and Stephen Hawking. Keith Carradine also returned to reprise his role as Penny's father, and we get to meet two more family members of the main characters: Leonard's father, played by Judd Hirsch, and Sheldon's grandmother, played by June Squibb. BBT is indeed a rather formulaic show. It found what works, and it definitely sticks to it. That said, even in season 9, the main characters are still developing and evolving, as are the relationships between the various characters. Yes, the requisite science and nerdy pop culture references are there. There is another Star Wars-centric episode, which got to see the return of Bob Newhart decked out in Jedi robes, and Wil Wheaton attending The Force Awakens premiere dressed as a Vulcan, but the show continues to be very humorous and entertaining, even though it may not be as much for some people as it was in the first couple seasons.

The relationships of the characters continue to be the centerpiece of the show. All the couples on the show go through a period of transition in their relationship, and even Raj does a complete 180 from his days of not being able to talk to women unless drunk, with pretty humorous results. Overall, I think if you have found the show enjoyable in the past few seasons and have not felt it getting stale, then you will also enjoy this season. If it has been getting stale for you, then you may not.

The blu-ray set is a two-disc set. The extras include the comic con panel, a few short behind-the-scenes features, including one devoted to the 200th episode, and a gag reel. Definitely good for what is there. Unlike one of the other reviewers, I had no problems with episode 12 not playing or missing in my set, so it is not a problem that affects the entire lot of blu-ray sets out there.

4K-UHD/Movie Review: Cloverfield

 

Cloverfield is a 2008 horror film produced and conceived by J.J. Abrams (it was one of the first movies produced by his production company, Bad Robot), written by Drew Goddard, and directed by Matt Reeves. It starred Michael Stahl-David, Odette Yustman (now Anabelle), Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller, Lizzy Caplan, and Mike Vogel. It is a monster movie, heavily influenced by the old Godzilla movies, that involves a creature that destroys New York on the night of a going-away party for Stahl-David's character, Rob Hawkins. The premise of the movie is that footage from a personal camcorder is recovered in what is left of Central Park. The tape begins with footage of Rob and his girlfriend Beth (played by Yustman) spending a day together, and is intercut with footage of the day of the party, the events of the party, and the creature's destruction of the city. T.J. Miller's character, Hud, is tasked with recording the party and encouraging the partygoers to film farewell messages for Rob. The events of the film are mostly shown from the point of view of what Hud is filming and narrating. 

The 4K set is a two-disc set, containing a UHD disc and a standard Blu-ray disc. It also has a code to redeem a digital version of the film. There are a couple of different 4K releases, including a steelbook edition, each of which has the same content. The UHD disc only includes the film, while the regular Blu-ray disc contains the film and all the bonus content. The extras include a director's commentary track by Matt Reeves, a gag reel, a making-of documentary, featurettes on the visual effects and creating the creature, a few deleted scenes, and a couple of alternate endings. The film can also be played in an investigation mode, where facts about the characters and the events in the movie are displayed while the movie plays. Reeve's commentary had a lot of interesting information about the production process. 

The movie is good, but different. It was a low-budget film that was intentionally made to appear like a home movie, so the camera shakes a lot and does not always capture everything that is happening. The best way I can describe it is a cross between Godzilla and The Blair Witch Project. While the A/V quality is excellent and it looks wonderful in UHD, it has a distinctly different look and feel compared to major blockbuster movies. The film is very short (under an hour and a half, with the credits), which was almost necessary given the way the movie was filmed. It is well-written and acted, and the cast, despite being filled with young, relatively unknown actors, does a great job in their respective roles. It is much more suspenseful than it is gory, and for most of the film, the creature is shown only very fleetingly. That said, there is some violent content and a lot of swearing, so it is not suitable for young kids. If you're a fan of the horror genre, especially monster movies, this is worth watching. If you have a physical media collection, it's also worth adding to it. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 70

Day 70 was a rest day. I did do the Lift 4 stretch workout, but did not foam roll. It was nice to have a day off from workout out since I have been pretty gassed this week. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 69

On day 69, I just did the Sculpt 3-4 workout from Power 90. I was able to increase the amount of weight I used on a couple of the exercises, and actually had to break out the micro plates to get the "heavy pants" (bent over back rows) to 27.5 lbs.  

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 68

Day 68 was Friday Fight Round 1 in Max 30, Sweat 3-4, and Ab-Ripper 200 from Power 90. I could only get to the 8:26 mark in FF before maxing out, and once I did, I took a lot of breaks, but I was trying to do as many unmodified exercises as I could. The evening workout went fine. There is nothing major to report from that one.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 67

Day 67 was Tabata Power again in Max 30. I made it to the 23:38 mark before maxing out, which was a significant improvement from Tuesday. In the evening, I did Sculpt 3-4 from Power 90. I did not increase the weight for any of the exercises from the last workout, but I did hit 10 reps easily on a couple of the exercises, so I will be increasing the weight next time. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 66

Day 66 was Sweat Intervals from Max 30 in the morning and Sweat 3-4 and Ab-Ripper 200 from Power 90 in the evening. Both workouts went pretty well. I made it to the 11:30 mark in Sweat Intervals before maxing out. I was a bit tired in the evening workout, but I got through it.  

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 65

Day 65 was Tabata Power from Max 30 in the morning and Sculpt 3-4 from Power 90 in the evening. In the Max 30 workout, I was able to get to the 16:10 mark before maxing out doing a mix of unmodified and modified exercises. My intent is to do every exercise in each circuit unmodified at least once before I switch to modifying, then max out when I cannot go any further. In the Power 90 workout, I was able to increase the amount of weight on a couple of the exercises.  

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Cheers: Season 2

 

The 22-episode second season of Cheers aired during the 1983/1984 TV season. All the main cast members returned for the second season, with John Ratzenberger being promoted to a series regular and included in the main credits. The show started gaining popularity in the second season, and as a result, it was able to bring in Dick Cavett for a cameo and recognizable guest stars such as Markie Post, Christopher Lloyd, and Dan Hedaya.

The show continued to primarily use a story-of-the-week procedural format, but also called back to storylines from previous episodes. The prominent serial arc was Sam's (played by Ted Danson) relationship with Diane (played by Shelly Long). The second season picks up immediately after the events that ended season one, with Sam and Diane kissing and agreeing to try to have a relationship. To say their relationship did not go smoothly was an understatement, with the two constantly bickering throughout the season. Even though their relationship was the primary storyline throughout the season, the writers gave all the cast members great material to work with, and all the characters received at least one episode centered on them.  

The blu-ray set is a four-disc set. Again, at least in the US, the blu-rays are only available as a complete series set, with each season packaged individually inside a decorative outer box. The A/V transfer is very good, and the play all mode allows you to pick up where you leave off if you stop before watching all the episodes.  The individual seasons are only available on DVD, which is a four-disc set. The extras are all on the third disc and are transferred over from the DVD release. Those include interviews with some of the cast members, some of which included archival footage from an Entertainment Tonight segment, and some of which were from interviews with Danson, George Wendt, and Rhea Perlman made after the series ended. Then there are three different featurettes showing clips of Cliff's, Norm's, and Carla's best moments of the season and a gag reel. 

The show really starts to hit its stride in the second season. It is a good comedy, but some of the jokes are absolutely dated and would not work today. For example, there are jokes about being gay that would probably not get past today's censors, and a segment where Sam and Diane repeatedly slap each other that would not fly today. That said, the series is mostly good-natured and enjoyable. While there is no overt sexual content, there are jokes that are definitely suggestive, so it is not entirely family-friendly. Ultimately, if you liked the first season, the second season is worth watching. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: The Big Bang Theory: Season 8

 

+++Warning: The review contains spoilers from prior seasons and hints, but no major giveaways, from season 8. If you have not seen the previous season, proceed with caution. +++

The 24-episode 8th season of The Big Bang Theory aired during the 2014/2015 TV season. All of the main cast members return for the 8th season, as do many of the primary recurring cast members such as Carol Ann Susi, Regina King, John Ross Bowie, Wil Wheaton, Laurie Metcalf, Christine Baranski, and Stephen Hawking (in another voice appearance). This season's notable guest stars include Stephen Root, Billy Bob Thornton, LeVar Burton, Nathan Fillion, and Kevin Smith (in a voice appearance). 

The show seems to be one that people either really love or really hate. It has been around long enough that most people know where they fall. It continues to focus on the relationships between the main characters, then tells various ancillary stories of the week while working in some larger ongoing themes. This season the big stories are Leonard and Penny's ongoing engagement and not setting a date for the wedding, Leonard and Sheldon co-authoring a physics paper that gets them some notoriety, and Sheldon and Amy's relationship. There are other stories about Stuart mooching off Howard's mom following the destruction of the comic book store last season, Raj's parents, and Raj's new relationship that develops now that he can actually talk to girls without being drunk. A couple of the stand-out episodes of the season are the Billy Bob Thornton guest appearance, Sheldon and Leonard's mothers meeting each other, and the season finale, which ends on a pretty big Sheldon/Amy cliffhanger. There is also a storyline about 2/3 of the way into the season that leads to some great Howard and Bernadette scenes and shows off the acting chops of Simon Helberg.

The blu-ray set is a two-disc set. The A/V transfer is very good, and the show looks and sounds great. For extras, on disc one, there is a relatively short writer's panel (and Wil Wheaton's appearance) from Comic-Con and a behind-the-scenes feature on Billy Bob Thornton's guest appearance. The second disc has a feature on a group of contest winners who were taken to the set and sat in the studio audience, a short feature on Kaley Cuoco, Jim Parsons, and Chuck Lorre getting stars on the Walk of Fame, a tribute to Carol Ann Susi, and a gag reel. Definitely good for what is there.

If you have loved the show and do not think it has gone stale then you will love this season. If you have hated the show either because of the laugh track or any other reason, this season is not really going to do anything to change your mind. Thankfully the show is popular enough that the studio is still released on blu ray, for those of us who get the discs and prefer that format. The show definitely lays the groundwork for where it is going next season. As other reviewers have said it would be good if the show took some of the focus off the relationship of the main characters and incorporated more of their families into some episodes. That said, however, if you love the show this is definitely worth adding to your collection.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle

 

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle is a 2003 action/comedy film that is the direct sequel to the 2000 film Charlie's Angels. McG returned to direct the film, which brought back Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu to reprise their roles as the Angels Dylan, Natalie, and Alex. Crispin Glover, Luke Wilson, and Matt LeBlanc also reprised their roles from the first movie. The additions to the cast included Demi Moore, Robert Patrick, John Cleese, Shia LeBeouf, Justin Theroux, Bernie Mac, and Ja'Net Dubois. The film also features several cameo appearances, including Carrie Fisher, Pink, Robert Forester, Bruce Willis, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, and Jaclyn Smith, reprising her role as Kelly Garrett from the TV series. 

The plot involves a pair of rings that contain and unlock a list of people in the witness protection program. The list is stolen and set to be sold to various criminal organizations. A couple of revenge plots are intertwined within the story, and we get a bit more backstory about Crispin Glover's character. 

This is a single-disc release containing both the theatrical version of the film and an unrated version that adds a few more minutes to the runtime, mostly by adding more violence to a couple of the big fight scenes. The extras include several commentary tracks on the film. There is an audio and a telestrator commentary by McG. The audio tracks are exactly the same, but the telestrator commentary is annotated with things being circled in the background of some of the scenes while McG talks. Then, there is a commentary track by a couple of the writers. The theatrical version can also be played with a trivia track similar to the old show, Pop-Up Video, where information about the movie is displayed in pop-up boxes while it plays. Then there are several different making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes, a preview for the 2019 reboot, and the music video for Pink's song Feel Good Time. 

Ultimately, the movie is a fun action-comedy. It is similar in style and tone to the first movie. It does have a lot of adult humor that skirts the bounds of what can be included in a PG-13 film. There is also a scene where the Angels are nude in shadow so you cannot really see anything except for a brief flash of sideboob from Drew Barrymore. Of course, the big draw when the movie came out was that this was Demi Moore's return to movies after a hiatus of about six years. She was phenomenal in the role and looked fantastic. It seems all the actors had fun in their respective roles and did not take themselves too seriously. The big change from the first film is that Bill Murray did not return. The writer's commentary track touched on Murray's absence, stating that they knew they would have to go in a different direction with the Bosley character when it was clear that Murray would not be back. There was no mention in any of the bonus content of the conflict between him and Lucy Liu in the first movie. They came up with a good way to have Bernie Mac be the new Bosley and did include a picture of Murray in one of the scenes. If you liked the first movie, you will probably like this one. Like the first film, this one takes a lot of suspension of disbelief and has some plot holes, but if you do not overthink it and just enjoy it for what it is, it is worth watching.   

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

 

Cheers was the long-running sitcom set in a Boston bar about the lives of the bar workers and patrons. The 22-episode first season aired during the 1982/1983 TV season. It starred Ted Danson, Shelly Long, Nicholas Colasanto, Rhea Perlman, and George Wendt. John Ratzenberger, who would later become a series regular, had a recurring role in the first season (although he was in most episodes). Harry Anderson (who is probably best known for his role on the sitcom Night Court) had a recurring role, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tip O'Neil, was the season's notable guest appearance. 

In the show, Danson plays Sam Malone, an ex-pitcher for the Boston Red Sox who had to retire because he was an alcoholic. He runs a bar called Cheers that he bought before he retired, but manages to refrain from drinking. Long plays Diane Chambers, a grad student at Boston University who is left by her fiancé in the pilot episode and becomes a waitress at the bar. Colasanto plays a bartender named Ernie Pentusso, nicknamed "Coach" because he used to be a coach in the major leagues. Perlman plays a cynical waitress at Cheers named Carla, and Wendt plays Norm Peterson, a regular at the bar who spouts one-liners. The show is a procedural sitcom. It is not about anything in particular, just the lives of the people who work in and frequent the bar. The one major storyline in the first season was whether Sam and Diane, who were attracted to each other but also annoyed each other, would get together.    

The blu-ray set (which is not sold separately, only in the complete series set) is a three-disc set. It matches the content of the four-disc DVD set that was released years ago. The A/V quality of the blu-ray is very good, and the episodes look and sound excellent in the HD format. All the extras, which were also carried over from the DVD release, are on the final disc. Those include an interview with Ted Danson (filmed in 2003 after the series ended), clips of Sam and Diane arguing, clips of Coach dispensing wisdom, clips of Norm's various entrances, and a trivia game. 

The series is good but dated. While the show is well-written, it definitely has jokes that would fly in the 1980s but would not work if it were made today. It was very well-acted. All the actors had great comedic timing and seemed to have very good chemistry. If you watched the show during its original run, it is a good blast from the past. If you are watching it now because you remember the show but did not watch it regularly (or because you watched the spin-off series), even though it is dated, it is still worth watching.   

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: The Big Bang Theory Season 7

 

The 24-episode seventh season of The Big Bang Theory aired during the 2013/2014 TV season. All the main cast members return for the seventh season, and many regular recurring and guest cast members, such as Regina King, Christine Baranski, Kate Micucci, John Ross Bowie, Kevin Sussman, and Laurie Metcalf, also appear. The celebrity cameos/guest appearances this season are Bob Newhart reprising his role as Professor Proton (in a hilarious Star Wars-themed episode), James Earl Jones, Carrie Fisher, Bill Nye, Stephen Hawking (in a voiceover), and, of course, Wil Wheaton. 

The show continues to use a blend of procedural and serial storytelling. By this point in its run, the show found a formula that worked and stuck to it. That is not to say the show has not evolved. In fact, much of this season is spent pointing out exactly how the various characters have changed. Almost all the characters end up in very different places by the end of the season than where they were at the beginning. Howard and Bernadette are the exceptions, having settled into a fairly stable married life. Toward the end of the season, comic book store owner Stuart begins to take a larger role in the series.

There are a couple of different blu-ray sets out there. The original release was a five-disc set with two blu-rays and three DVDs. It was later re-released as a two-disc blu-ray set. The A/V quality of the blu-rays is outstanding. My only critique is that the "play all" feature does not allow you to pick up where you leave off if you do not watch all the episodes on the disc in one sitting. As far as extras go for those who get the Blu-rays (or DVDs), there is a lot of behind-the-scenes material, a Comic-Con panel with the writers, a making of the Star Wars day episode, and a gag reel. All in all, probably around an hour's worth of bonus material. Definitely enough to make those who like going through that stuff happy.

Ultimately, the show continues to be well-written and acted. The brand of comedy will certainly not appeal to everyone, but if you were a fan of the first six seasons, you will probably like or love this one. On the other hand, if you did not like the earlier seasons, this one is not likely to convert you. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 64

On day 64, it was back to two-a-day workouts. I did the cardio challenge workout from Max 30 in the morning, and Sweat 3-4 and Ab-Ripper 200 in the evening from Power 90. My approach to the Max 30 workouts is to do unmodified exercises for as long as possible in each block, then switch to modified. That way, I can work my way up to doing a fully unmodified round.  I will count maxing out when I have to take a break from the modified exercises, which this time was at about 12:50 into the workout. I did the unmodified version of every exercise in the workout for as long as I could in the first round of each block. For some exercises, that was the entire 30 seconds, and for others, it was about five seconds. In the second and third rounds, sometimes I started with the unmodified versions and switched to the modified, and for some exercises, I just did the modified versions in the second and third rounds. That was tough and emphasized how much harder the high-impact versions of the exercises are than the low-impact versions. The Power 90 workout went fine. I have taken to doing the Ab-Ripper workout as the warmup since the Power 90 warmup is pretty useless by today's standards, where he warms up with a ton of static stretching. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 63

Day 63 was a rest day in Power 90, so I did the Lift 4 stretch workout. I did not do foam rolling, however. I think I am maintaining my flexibility, but am not really improving it during this round. If I had unlimited time to work out, I would follow the cardio workouts with a few minutes of yoga. I do plan on getting the bike before the end of the year to do the bike workouts in the morning, so I may start doing the "five-er" yoga routines after that to try and increase my flexibility. We shall see.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 62

Day 62 was Sculpt 3-4. I did manage to increase the amount of weight I used on a couple of the exercises, but for the most part, I used the same weight as last time.  

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 61

Day 61 was Sweat 3-4 and Ab-Ripper 200 again. Both workouts went fine. I do not really think I made much improvement from the last workout, but did not backslide either.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Charlie's Angels

 

Charlie's Angels is a 2000 action-comedy based on the 1970s TV series of the same name. It stars Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, Cameron Diaz, Bill Murray, Sam Rockwell, Kelly Lynch, and Crispin Glover in the main roles. Tim Curry, Matt LeBlanc, Luke Wilson, Melissa McCarthy, Tom Green, LL Cool J, and Alex Trebek have smaller roles (or cameos). John Forsythe reprised his role from the TV series playing the voice of Charlie, while Barrymore, Liu, and Diaz played the Angels. Murray plays Bosley, who is the go-between the Angels and Charlie. The plot involves misdirection about who the true bad guys are, but the meat of the storyline is that someone is trying to track down Charlie as a part of a revenge scheme, using the Angels and Bosley as unwitting pawns in the plan.

The 4k set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a regular blu-ray disc. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is outstanding and is a massive upgrade over the DVD release and a decent upgrade over the 1080p release. Most of the extras are on the regular blu-ray, but the UHD disc has the teaser and theatrical trailers for the movie and a sneak peek at the 2019 reboot/quasi-sequel written and directed by Elizabeth Banks. The extras on the regular blu-ray were carried over from the prior physical media releases and include a commentary track by director McG and cinematographer Russell Carpenter, several behind-the-scenes featurettes featuring cast interviews, a blooper reel (which are the same bloopers shown in the end credits), deleted scenes, and two music videos.

The movie is a bit dated, but it holds up pretty well even after 25 years (as of this writing). It has a good blend of action and humor, and Barrymore, Diaz, and Liu had no qualms about looking silly. They did work their asses off to do a lot of the stunts. And, they were all hot as fire. Some of the humor is a bit cheesy, and Tom Green is annoying, as always. While Barrymore, Diaz, and Lui seemed to have great chemistry, there was no mention in any of the bonus material of the tension between Murray and Liu that would lead to the role of Bosley being recast in the direct sequel, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. Ultimately, this combines a good action movie and a silly comedy. If you can accept it for what it is and what it is not, it is worth watching. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: The Big Bang Theory: Season 6

 

The 24-episode sixth season of The Big Bang Theory aired during the 2012/2013 TV season. All the main cast members returned for the sixth season, with Kevin Sussman being upgraded to a series regular and put into a "bromance" storyline with Raj. Many of the often recurring and guest cast members appeared this season, including Wil Wheaton and John Ross Bowie. Stephen Hawking made another guest appearance (via the phone), as did LeVar Burton. The "new" guest and recurring cast this season included Howie Mandel, Buzz Aldrin, Kate Micucci (who had a multi-episode arc as a love interest for Raj), and Bob Newhart, playing the Professor Proton character that would be used several times on The Big Bang Theory and the spin off series, Young Sheldon. 

The original blu-ray release was a five-disc set with two blu-rays and three DVDs (back when the studios thought people purchasing blu-rays wanted the DVDs too). Later sets have been released with just the two blu-ray discs. The extras included cast interviews, a portion of the PaleyFest panel discussion with the cast and showrunners, and a gag reel. The show continued to be well-written and acted. As in past seasons, the writers blended serial arcs with procedural stories of the week. The serial arcs mostly involved the relationships between the various couples. However, early in the season, the first few episodes showed Howard on the International Space Station, and later in the season, Raj had a couple of different storylines. The show mostly sticks to being a traditional sitcom, but also has some dramatic and emotional moments. The show is not entirely family-friendly as there are some very adult jokes, and Kaley Cuoco is put in some skimpy outfits from time to time. Ultimately, if you liked the first five seasons, you will probably like this one. If not, nothing about this season is likely to change your mind. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 60

Day 60 was Sculpt 3-4 from Power 90. The workout went well. I was again able to do more of the bodyweight exercises, and have better form, and was able to increase the amount of weight I was using on several of the lifting exercises. So, overall, it was a good workout.  

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 59

Day 59 was Sweat 3-4 and Ab-Ripper 200 in Power 90. They both went fine, although I did not feel like I had as much stamina in this workout. That is probably because I am taking the week off from Max 30. It is a bit of a double-edged sword doing the two-a-day workouts. My cardio stamina is better, but the second workout is very tiring.  

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 58

Day 58 was Sculpt 3-4 from Power 90. I was able to increase the amount of weight I used for a couple of exercises, but I was able to easily hit 11 reps on quite a few of the exercises, so the next time I do the workout, I will increase the amount of weight on those. I also got deeper on my push-ups than I have in a long time, so I am making progress. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 57

Day 57 was the start of week 9 in Power 90, which was the full second phase where you only do the 3-4 workouts. So, today was Sweat 3-4 and Ab-Ripper 200. Both went well, although I was a little tired by the time I had a chance to work out. I am taking a week off from Max 30, so I can finish the four weeks of month-1 workouts at the same time as I finish this round of Power 90.

Book Review: Spymaster (Scot Harvath Series #17)

 

Spymaster, published in 2018, is the 17th novel in the series of action-thrillers centered around the character of Scot Harvath, written by Brad Thor. The setting for this novel is in Europe, where several high-ranking NATO officials have been killed. Also, American vehicle convoys have been attacked, and parts for banned missiles have been stolen. Evidence points to Russia's involvement, and Harvath must go after a Russian cell in Sweden without igniting an all-out war that would invoke Article 5. 

The hardcover version of the book is similar in length to Thor's other novels, coming in at just over 320 pages. Many of the regular characters from the prior novels return in this one, and there are also new team members. While the book does not focus on character development, Thor does continue to develop the characters to keep them fresh. Much of the story is wrapped up by the time the novel ends, but a cliffhanger ending will go into the next book. Ultimately, if you liked the previous novels in the series, you will probably like this one. Thor uses the same style and tone that has worked for years, yet still keeps the challenges and adversaries for Harvath fresh. So, if you are a fan of the series, this is worth reading.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 56

On day 56, I did the stretching recovery workout from Lift 4. I would say my flexibility has improved very slightly, but not a ton.  

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 55

On day 55, I did the Sculpt 3-4 workout from Power 90 in the evening. It went well, and I again used heavier weights for some of the exercises where I could. I treated this more like P90X, trying to get to the point of being just before failure around 10 reps, which meant bumping the weight up for many of the exercises. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 54

Day 54 was Friday Fight Round 2 in Max 30 and Sweat 3-4 and Ab-Ripper 200 in Power 90. I made it through both workouts, but I was a bit tired today. I had a lot going on so I had to sandwich in workouts between other things, which I hate to do. But, I got them both done.  

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 53

Day 53 was Max Out Strength and Sculpt 1-2. There was nothing major to report from either workout. I did make it through all 30 minutes in the Max 30 workout, and the 1-2 workout was fairly easy. Starting next week, I am going to do Max 30 again, but unmodified (at least until I max out) to see where I am really at since the unmodified workouts are a lot harder than the modified ones.  

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 52

Day 52 was Max Out Sweat from Max 30 and Sweat 1-2 (and Ab-Ripper 100) in Power 90. This is the last week of the transition weeks in Power 90, so for the next few weeks, each workout will be the 3-4 workouts. Both workouts went well. I again made it through the Max 30 workout without taking unscheduled breaks, but barely. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 51

Day 51 was Max Out Power from Max 30 in the morning and Sculpt 3-4 in the evening. I again made it through all 30 minutes of the modified Max Out workout and I bumped the weight I was using in the Sculpt workout up a bit for many of the exercises. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 50

Day 50 was the start of the final week in Max 30. I did Max Out Cardio again and managed to get through all 30 minutes of it (again following the modifier). In the evening, I did Sweat 3-4 and Ab-Ripper 200. Each of those went well, but as I have been in the evening workouts, I was more tired for this one. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 49

On day 49, I just did the stretch routine from Lift 4. It went fine. There was nothing great or horrible about it.  

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Career Opportunities

 

Career Opportunities is a 1991 coming-of-age romantic comedy. It was written by prolific 80s writer and director John Hughes and directed by Bryan Gordon in his first major directing role. The film starred Frank Whaley, Jennifer Connelly, Dermot Mulroney, and Kieran Mulroney in the leading roles. The supporting cast included John M Jackson, Jenny O'Hara, Noble Willingham, Barry Corbin, William Forsythe, and John Candy (in an uncredited cameo role). The movie was filmed in 1989, but because of post-production issues and reshoots, it was not released until 1991. 

In the film, Whaley plays Jim Dodge, a 21-year-old slacker with little to no ambition and a reputation as the "town liar" in his small Illinois town. His only friends are a group of pre-teen kids who are the only ones who believe his lies about how wonderful his life is. In reality, Jim gets fired from every job he manages to get, and is content to live at home forever. His father gives him an ultimatum to get (and keep) the job he lined up at the local Target as a night janitor, or he will ship him off to St. Louis to work as a gardener. Connelly plays Josie McClellan, the daughter of the town's rich real-estate developer. She has the reputation of a spoiled rich girl and a tease, but the film reveals her life is not as idyllic as it seems. During Jim's first shift, he is locked in the store (seemingly alone) but discovers that Josie is locked in with him and the two bond until they are taken hostage by two criminals (played by Dermot and Kieran Mulroney) who are on a crime spree throughout the state.

The 4k set is a two-disc set released by Kino Lorber containing a UHD disc and a regular blu-ray disc. The A/V quality is outstanding, and the film looks and sounds wonderful in the UHD format. It is a considerable upgrade over the DVD release. The film has two commentary tracks (both recorded around 2023). One of the commentary tracks is by director Bryan Gordon, and the other is by the Chicago Critics' Film Festival producer, Erik Childress. Both tracks are good and provide a lot of information about the film. Gordon's commentary talks about the production, things he liked and did not like about the movie, and things he would have done differently if he made the film now. Childress' track focuses much more on the overall story, and the lost potential for the film to delve into Josie's storyline more. The other bonus content, available on the regular blu-ray disc, includes an interview with Dermot and Kieran Mulroney where they discuss how they got into acting and their work on the film (that runs about 15 minutes),  an interview with the director of photography (that runs about 11 minutes), and the trailer (along with trailers for Uncle Buck, The Hot Spot, and Some Girls). 

The movie is good, but uneven. It has a mix of comedy and drama, and the drama gets a bit dark when Josie reveals that she is being physically abused by her father and her motivations for wanting to get caught shoplifting. The movie is only an hour and 22 minutes long (including credits), and a lot was cut out (which you can tell from things in the trailer that did not make it into the film). It was revealed in the commentary tracks that neither Gordon nor Hughes liked the final product. Hughes even wanted his name taken off the film (which the studio refused to do). It was also revealed that Connelly was pissed off at how the movie was marketed, over sexualizing her character. Given that teenage boys were the film's target market, it is not surprising that it was marketed around Connelly's looks and assets (which got me to go see the film when it was released), but she was never told that would be the case. The movie is well-acted (all the actors did a good job with their characters), but the writing is uneven. There are definitely some funny moments in the film and some good dramatic moments, but it feels disjointed (probably because of the reshoots that the studio required). Ultimately, it is an okay movie that does take some suspension of disbelief to buy what is going on (such as why a department store would only have one employee on the overnight shift to clean when in reality there would be people stocking shelves, more than one person cleaning, and there would at least be security cameras being monitored).  It is not nearly as good as Hughes' big hits like Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Home Alone, etc. That said, it is still worth checking out as long as you do not try to overanalyze it too much.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 48

Day 48 was Sculpt 3-4 in Power-90. I eased back on the amount of weight I used for this workout because I was very tired by the time I was able to get time to work out last night. I was not trying to max out on the amount of weight I was using, but still trying to challenge myself.   

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 47

Day 47 was Friday Fight Round 2 in Max 30 and Sweat 3-4 and Ab-Ripper 200 in Power 90. I am getting some stamina back after taking most of last week off, although I was quite tired in the evening workout since I did not get much sleep last night. I did get through FF Round 2 without taking any unscheduled breaks, which actually surprised me a bit. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: The Big Bang Theory: Season 5

 

The 24-episode fifth season of The Big Bang Theory aired during the 2011/2012 TV season. All of the main cast members returned for the fifth season, with several of the prominent recurring cast members such as Christine Baranski, Aarti Mann, Wil Wheaton, Kevin Sussman, Laurie Metcalf, and John Ross Bowie appearing throughout the season. This season's notable guest appearances included Brent Spiner, Leonard Nimoy (in a voice role), Stephen Hawking, real-life astronaut Mike Massimino, Courtney Ford, and Lance Barber. Of course, Barber would later be cast as Sheldon's father in the series Young Sheldon, but his appearance in this season was very funny. 

This set is a five-disc set, containing two blu-rays and, for some reason, three DVDs. This set was released at a time when studios thought people purchasing blu-rays of TV series would also want the DVDs. The bonus content includes a featurette on the show's one hundredth episode, a gag reel, a featurette on the production crew, and interviews with the cast about the season's storylines. The season continued to blend procedural stories of the week with longer serial arcs. The season picks up with the fallout, with Raj and Penny ending up in bed at the end of season 4. This season's major serial arcs involved the relationships between Penny and Leonard, Amy and Sheldon, and Howard and Bernadette. Howard probably has the most character development of any of the characters this season, but all of the characters were given good storylines, and the cast was given good material to work with. If you liked the prior seasons, you will probably like this one. If you didn't like the previous seasons, this season is not likely to change your mind. Ultimately, the show continues to be well-written and acted and is worth the time to watch. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 46

Day 46 was Sculpt 1-2 from Power 90 in the morning and Max Out Strength from Max 30 in the evening. Both workouts went well, even though I was still feeling taking most of last week off. I did manage to make it all the way through the Max 30 workout without taking an unscheduled break, but there were a couple of spots where if I had to go about five seconds longer, I would have needed to stop.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 45

Day 45 was Max Out Sweat in Max 30 and Sweat 1-2 and Ab-Ripper 100 in Power 90. I definitely had to take the workouts a bit slower, but each were easier than the workouts on Monday and Tuesday.  

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 44

On day 44, I did Max Out Power in Max 30, Sculpt 3-4 in Power 90. I restarted this week because I was dealing with a family medical issue last week, was very tired, and did not feel like working out once a day, much less twice. It was definitely challenging jumping back in after (almost) a full week off, but I made it through.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Basic Instinct

 

Basic Instinct is the 1992 erotic thriller starring Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone. It was written by Joe Eszterhas and directed by Paul Verhoeven. The supporting cast includes George Dzundza, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Denis Arndt, Leilani Sarelle, Wayne Knight, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Mitch Pileggi. In the film, Stone plays a novelist named Catherine Tramell. Her boyfriend is killed with an ice pick at the beginning of the movie by a woman whose face we never see while having sex. Douglas and Dzundza play police detectives investigating the murder. Tramell begins playing mind games with Douglas' character, telling him that she is going to base the lead character in her new novel on him. The movie is essentially a who-done-it that throws a lot of misdirection meant to make it ambiguous as to whether Catherine is really the murderer or is being set up.

The 4k set is a three-disc set containing a UHD disc and two regular blu-ray discs. The A/V quality is excellent.  While some of the scenes still have some imperfections and grain, many of the scenes show a lot more detail than any prior physical media releases of the movie. The UHD disc and the first regular blu-ray have the same content, the movie and some bonus features. The second regular blu-ray disc just has additional bonus content. The bonus features include three commentary tracks on the film: the original 1993 commentary track by Verhoeven, a second commentary track that was created for the special edition DVD release featuring Verhoeven and the director of photography, Jan De Bont, and a third commentary track by Professor Camille Paglia. The first two contain a lot of good information about the movie, the casting processes (especially casting Stone to play Catherine Tramell), and all the controversy the movie's production garnered. Paglia's track is not as good. It seemed like she wrote a scene-by-scene breakdown of the movie for a college lecture and just read it word-for-word. It does not seem like she was giving an authentic reaction to just watching the film. 

The rest of the bonus content on the UHD (and first regular blu-ray) disc includes a couple of new featurettes featuring interviews with the cast and crew that were made for the 4k release, and some of the archival featurettes that were transferred over from earlier physical media releases (such as a featurette on how the movie was edited for television, original screen tests by Stone and Tripplehorn, a TV spot, and the trailers, as well as an archival interview with Stone). The rest of the bonus content on the second regular blu-ray disc is all archival content transferred from the prior physical media releases, including the original making-of featurettes (including one from the VHS release of the film), storyboard comparisons, and the like. Some of the material on this disc (such as the screen test and trailers) is duplicative of the material on the UHD disc. Note that some 4k sets are UK imports, meaning that the UHD disc is region-free and will play in the US, but the two regular blu-rays are region-locked, so you will need a region-free or Region-2 player to watch them. The Lionsgate Steelbook edition is a US release so all the discs will play in on Region-1 players.

The movie is a good thriller, but some things about it would probably be changed if it were made today. It is absolutely not family-friendly, as it contains a lot of nudity (including the infamous interrogation scene), swearing, and sexual content. The movie's ending is ambiguous as to whether Catherine is guilty or innocent, but Verhoeven definitively answers that question in the commentary tracks and other bonus material. The bonus material is where the set really shines. It has hours of bonus content, and even in the newly added bonus features, all the participants discuss all aspects of making the movie and the controversies surrounding making the film (including the reaction from the gay and lesbian community before and after the film came out). Verhoeven and Stone still wildly disagree as to whether she was made aware of what was going to be shown in the upskirt shot in the interrogation scene, but Stone admits, while she was pissed that she was never told that her crotch would be visible, that it worked for the movie. Ultimately, it is a good movie that is worth the time to watch, and if you like going through bonus content, the 4k version is a must-add to your collection.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 43

On day 43, I did the Max Out Cardio workout from Max 30 and Sweat 3-4 and Ab-Ripper 200 in Power 90. Both workouts went pretty much the same as the last time, but I did notice in the runners lunges in the yoga portion of Sweat 3-4, I could get much lower than I have up to this point. So, my flexibility is getting better. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 42

On day 42, I did the Sculpt 3-4 workout from Power 90. It went fine. I again used 20 lbs for the back exercises and calf raises and 12 lbs for the other exercises (except for shoulder raises, which I dropped back to 10 lbs since I never felt my form was all that good using 12).  I could get deeper in the push-ups and calf raises, so I am making progress.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: The Big Bang Theory Season 4

 

The 24-episode fourth season of The Big Bang Theory aired during the 2010/2011 TV season. This season was a bit of a shakeup for the show as it included many more serial arcs and the weekly procedural storylines. The largest arcs of the season involved Sheldon and Amy's, Howard and Bernadette's, and Leonard and Priya's (Raj's sister) relationships. Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch started as recurring characters but were basically added to the main cast, and Aarti Mann (who played Priya) appeared in multiple episodes. Wil Wheaton, John Ross Bowie, Kevin Sussman, and Laurie Metcalf all reprised their recurring characters. The guest cast this season included Steve Wozniak (one of the creators of Apple), Katee Sackhoff, George Takei, Neil deGrasse Tyson, LeVar Burton, Brian Greene, Joshua Malina, Eliza Dushku, Eric Andre, Jessica Walter, Rick Fox, and Keith Carradine (who has a great appearance as Penny's father).

The blu-ray set is a two-disc set. There are more extras for this season's physical media release. The extras are spread across both discs and include three "actor on actor" segments in which the cast members ask each other questions about the season, a segment about the live audience experience during a taping of the show, a gag reel, and a segment on the musical group The Barenaked Ladies and the music video for the theme song. This is the season where the show found the format that would work for the rest of its run. The writing and acting continue to be top-notch, with all the actors/characters getting good material to work with. The cast members appear to have great chemistry with each other and seem to have a lot of fun with the characters. The season ends with a couple of big storylines that will carry into the fifth season. Ultimately, if you liked the first few seasons of the series, this one is absolutely worth watching.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 41

On Day 41, I did Sweat 3-4 and Ab-Ripper 200 from Power 90. I was a bit tired during the cardio portion because I did not sleep well the night before. However, on the ab workout, I actually felt much better than I did on Tuesday. I still had to pause on the last few moves, but for the most par,t I could do the 20 reps of the majority of the exercises without stopping. 

4k-UHD/Movie Review: American Pie [UK Import]

 

American Pie is the iconic 1999 coming-of-age teen comedy written by Adam Herz, directed by Paul Weitz, and starring Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Seann William Scott, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Alyson Hannigan, Shannon Elizabeth, Natasha Lyonne, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, Eugene Levy, and Jennifer Coolidge. Chris Owen, Christina Milan, Casey Affleck, and Eli Marienthal have more minor supporting roles, and the members of the band Blink 182 have cameo appearances. 

The movie is set in the fictional town of East Great Falls, Michigan, and centers around a pact made by a group of friends in their senior year of high school (Biggs, Klein, Nicholas, and Thomas) to lose their virginity by prom. The film launched the careers of the younger actors (most of whom were in their early to mid-twenties when the movie was filmed, except for Thomas) and helped revive the careers of Eugene Levy and Jennifer Coolidge. It is primarily a raunchy comedy with more serious moments between various comedic moments. While all the cast members do a great job in their roles, Hannigan and Levy steal most of the scenes they are in. 

The 4k set is a two-disc set from the UK containing a UHD disc and a regular blu-ray disc. The UHD disc includes both versions of the movie, the theatrical and unrated versions. The UHD disc is region-free and will play on US (Region A) players. The regular blu-ray is region-locked to Region B and appears to be coded so it will not play on region-free players. When I put it in my Region 2 player, the blu-ray disc loaded to the menu, and although the menu page had sound, when I tried to play the movie or the bonus feature, no sound came out. The only extra on the UHD disc is the original DVD commentary track featuring Herz, Weiz, Biggs, Scott, and Thomas. All the other extras are on the regular blu-ray. Most of them are carried over from the original DVD release (such as the outtakes, music videos, trailer, etc.). However, not all of the bonus content from the original release is included. There are a couple of new featurettes included specifically for this release, but as I said, none of those played with sound. The A/V quality of the movie on the UHD disc is outstanding and is a significant upgrade from the DVD.

The movie is good and holds up relatively well even after twenty-six years (as of this writing). There are certainly things in the film that probably would not be included or significantly changed (like the scrambled porn scene, the webcam scene, etc.) if the movie were made today. Some of the themes in the film are timeless to growing up and will remain true forever. The movie is definitely raunchy (it really revived the raunchy teen comedy genre) and has a lot of sexual content and dialog, although only one real nude scene (in which Shannon Elizabeth is topless). The unrated version of the movie is nearly identical, with the only real change being to the pie scene to make it raunchier than in the theatrical version. Ultimately, the movie is good, even if it is a bit dated. This release could have been better if all the extras had been put on the UHD disc. If you are in the US and don't care about watching the bonus content, it is worth the pickup since the UHD disc will play on your player. If you want the bonus content, you may want to wait and see if the movie gets a US release. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 40

Day 40 was Friday Fight Round 2 in Max 30 and Sculpt 1-2 (which was supposed to be yesterday's evening workout) in Power 90. I again made it through the Max 30 workout without stopping (aside from at the scheduled breaks). I felt that my stamina was a bit better than it was in the workout last week. And, in the Power 90 workout, the range of motion on my push-ups is improving. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 39

On Day 39, my schedule got mixed up a bit because I had an appointment in the morning, and by the evening, I did not feel like doing two workouts back-to-back. So, I just did Max Out Strength in Max 30. I barely (and I mean barely) finished without taking unscheduled breaks, with the caveat that I was going slower and using less range of motion on some exercises.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Charmed (2018)

 

This is the complete series of the Charmed reboot that aired for four seasons from 2018 to 2022. It was created by the original series' showrunner, Constance M. Burge, and starred Melonie Diaz, Madeleine Mantock, and Sarah Jeffery as the three sister witches known as the "Charmed Ones." Rupert Evans also starred as Harry, the whitelighter guardian of the sisters. The supporting cast included Ser'Darius Blain, Ellen Tamaki, Nick Hargrove, Jordan Donica, Poppy Drayton, Valerie Cruz, Natalie Hall, Craig Parker, Eric Balfour, Peyton List, and Lucy Barrett. 

The reboot series shared some similarities with the original series, but was also very different. While some similar storylines were used, the reboot series used much more serial storytelling where the episodes built on each other and did not have as many monster-of-the-week storylines. It also included real-world issues in the storylines, and definitely took a more "woke" stance (to the extent that is really a thing) on social issues. The series did get flack for not tying more closely to the original series or including any of the actors from the original series, although the showrunners indicated that was by design saying that they wanted to tell the story from a different standpoint. They came up with a clever explanation for why the Halliwell sisters are not mentioned in the series, however, if the show had continued, the writers were clearly setting up a tie-in to the original series.

The blu-ray set is a 16-disc set. Each season has its own case, holding anywhere from two to four discs, that is packaged in a decorative outer box. At least in the US, the blu-rays are only available in the complete series release, the individual seasons were only released on DVD. Most of the seasons have bonus content, including behind-the-scenes material featuring interviews with the cast members and showrunners, and gag reels. 

The series pays homage to, but is not a carbon copy of the original series. Some aspects of the reboot series were much better than the original series. For example, the special effects in this series are light-years beyond those in the original series. This version has much more diversity in the cast and in general the storylines are a bit less cheesy than in the original series. Although, this one  definitely has some of the same kind of soap opera-ish elements to the storylines that the original series had. Ultimately, this series was good, but if you really loved the original series this one might be too different for you. That said, I do think it is worth the time to check out.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 38

On Day 38, I did Sweat 1-2 and Ab-Ripper 100 in the morning and Max Out Sweat in the evening. Doing the Max 30 workout in the evening was definitely hard. I did manage to make it through the workout without breaking, but I will admit my range of motion and speed on some of the exercises was much lower than it would normally be. 

Book Review: Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire

 

The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire is a 2024 cannon novel written by Chris Kempshall and published in 2024. It is written from the point of view of a historian with the Resistance after the events of The Rise of Skywalker, chronicling the rise, fall, revival, and second defeat of Emperor Palpatine. The book is basically a summary of all the canon material from The Phantom Menace through The Rise of Skywalker. It is written more like a history book than a novel, and highlights major events and individuals in the Empire, the Rebel Alliance, the First Order, and the Resistance. It even includes footnotes to different sources. 

The hardcover version of the book is 375 pages long (excluding the index). If you have watched the various movies, live-action and animated series, and read some of the novels, you will know most of the information included in this book. Even so, there is some new material that has not been detailed, including more detail on some of the ancillary characters who didn't get much screen time in the movies. Ultimately, while I would not call this one a must-read, if you are more than just a casual Star Wars fan, it is worth your time to read. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 37

Day 37 was Max Out Power in Max 30 and Sculpt 3-4 in Power 90. I again barely made it through the Max 30 workout without an unscheduled break, but if the third block did not switch to the core exercises when it does, I would have maxed out because I could not do another plank-based move at that point. In the Power 90 workout, I increased the weight for the back exercises up to 20 lbs and the forearm exercises up to 8 lbs. I kept the weight for the rest of the exercises the same.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 36

On day 36, I did Max Out Cardio in the morning and Sweat 3-4 and Ab-Ripper 200 in the evening. I again made it through the Max 30 workout without any unscheduled breaks (but not easily). In the evening workout, I was a bit tired, but I was able to get through it all and the extra 100 reps in the core portion, but I did have to pause a few times. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: The Big Bang Theory: Season 3

 

The 23-episode third season of The Big Bang Theory aired during the 2009/2010 TV season. All of the main cast members returned, and the show introduced new characters who would eventually become either series regulars or prominent recurring characters, including Melissa Rauch, Mayim Bialik, and Wil Wheaton (who plays a fictionalized version of himself). The show also brought back Laurie Metcalf, Carol Ann Susi, John Ross Bowie, Kevin Sussman, Christine Baranski, and Sara Gilbert to reprise their roles. The show also continued to get notable guest stars this season, including Lewis Black, Danica McKellar, Yeardley Smith, and Judy Greer (in a role almost as good as her role as Kitty on Arrested Development). The season picks up with the group returning from the North Pole after three months. Penny and Leonard finally make a go at a relationship, which runs into some speed bumps throughout the season. The show primarily sticks with the story-of-the-week format while calling back to previous events and jokes here and there. 

The blu-ray set is a two-disc set. The extras are on the second disc and include a set tour, a featurette where the cast answers questions about the season, and a gag reel. All totaled, the bonus content runs around a half an hour, give or take. By the third season, the show had found its footing and did not deviate much from what made it successful. While Sheldon, Leonard, and Penny are the show's focus, the writers give all the characters good material to work with, and all the actors do a great job. So, if you liked the first two seasons, this is worth watching.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 35

Day 35 was the two recovery routines from Lift 4. I missed doing them last week, but it felt good to get back to them. Especially the foam rolling, which I definitely needed. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 34

Day 34 was sculpt 1-2 from Power 90. Nothing really to report about this one. It went about the same as it has. Next week starts the second transition phase in which you do the 3-4 workouts with the 1-2 workouts sandwiched between them. It should be interesting to see if that makes either of the workouts harder or easier.  

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 33

Day 33 was Friday Fight Round 2 in Max 30 and Sweat 1-2 and Ab-ripper 100 in Power 90. I barely managed to get through all of FF round 2 without an unscheduled break. This is similar to round one, in that after the warmup, you go until the halfway point without a break. Then you get one additional break at about 26 minutes in. The Power 9 workouts were easy by comparison.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw

 

Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw is a 1976 action-thriller/crime drama starring Lynda Carter, Marjoe Gortner, Merrie Lynn Ross, Jesse Vint, Belinda Balaski, and Gene Drew. In the film, Carter plays Bobbie Jo, a waitress at a drive-in restaurant who wants to be a country music singer. She hooks up with a thief named Lyle Wheeler (played by Gortner). After they start running from the law, they meet up with Bobbie Jo's sister (played by Ross) and her boyfriend (played by Vint), and the four end up on a robbery and murder spree throughout the southwest while being pursued by a local sheriff. 

The A/V quality of the blu-ray is decent, but the film did not get an extensive restoration for the blu-ray release. It mostly looks good, especially if you like transfers that preserve a lot of film grain, but some film damage occasionally comes through. The extras include two different commentary tracks on the film, one by the movie's director, Mark Lester, and one by writer John Harrison. Lester discusses all aspects of the film and the process of making the movie. Harrison goes off on many tangents, including what many of the people involved in the movie did later in their careers. The extras also include separate interviews with Lester, Balaski, and Ross, the theatrical trailer, and two radio spots. The bonus content is quite interesting, including addressing the fact that Carter, who found religion after making the movie (and became massively popular because of the Wonder Woman TV series), did not want much to do with the movie and its promotion because of the nude scenes.

The movie is more of a cult classic than a great film. The best way I can describe its plot is that it is what you would get if you mixed the real-life Bonnie and Clyde and Billy the Kid stories with The Dukes of Hazzard. Much of the movie would have been written differently if it had been made today, including having Lyle follow Bobbie Jo home from work without talking to her and having her willingly jump in his car instead of calling the cops on him for stalking her. The movie's big attraction is that Carter was a couple of years removed from winning the Miss World USA pageant and had just filmed the Wonder Woman Pilot when the movie was made. Carter was absolutely gorgeous in her mid-20s, and the movie is one of the only (if not the only) times she went topless on film (and they are spectacular). Some of the dialogue is very cheesy by today's standards, and almost everything about it is unrealistic. That said, it is a decent low-budget action movie and is worth checking out.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 32

Day 32 was Max Out Strength in Max 30 and Sculpt 3-4 in Power 90. Max Out Strength was hard, and even doing the modified moves, I only made it 13 minutes and 44 seconds into the workout before maxing out. The longer sculpt workout went well, even with the faster pace.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: The Big Bang Theory: Season 2

 

The 23-episode second season of The Big Bang Theory aired during the 2008/2009 TV season. All the main cast members returned for season two. The show added new characters who would become prominent recurring cast members, including John Ross Bowie (as Barry Kripke), Kevin Sussman (as Stuart, the owner of the comic book store where the boys hang out), and Christine Baranski (as Leonard's mother, Beverly). Sara Rue had a multi-episode arc as a love interest for one of the characters, and Sara Gilbert reprised her recurring role as Leslie Winkle. This is the season in which the show also started to get recognizable guest stars, including Octavia Spencer, Summer Glau, Jodi Lynn O'Keefe, Riki Lindhome, and Michael Trucco. Charlie Sheen has a small cameo, as does real-life Nobel Prize-winning physicist George Smoot.

The Blu-Ray set is a two-disc set. The extras are all on the second disc. Those include a behind-the-scenes featurette, which includes interviews with the cast members and showrunners; a featurette on Professor David Saltzberg, the show's science consultant; and a gag reel. The show continues to be a strong comedy. It sticks mostly to the procedural story-of-the-week format, but the writers refer back to events from prior episodes occasionally. The writers continue to develop the characters and give all the actors great material to work with. There are definitely some jokes that would probably not be included if the show were written today, but even after sixteen years (as of this writing), the show holds up well. Ultimately, it is a good sitcom that is worth watching if you are into nerd pop culture and science.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 31

Day 31 was the Max Out Sweat workout in Max 30 and Sweat 3-4 and Ab-ripper 200 in Power 90. The Max 30 workout was hard, even modifying. I made it a bit over 19 minutes into the workout before I maxed out. So, I should be able to do all 30 minutes by the end of the four weeks. I was definitely tired during the Power 90 workout so I did it lower-impact and a bit slower than usual. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 30

On Day 30, I did Max Out Power in the morning and Sculpt 1-2 in the evening. I barely managed to make it through Max Out Power without taking a break. If the push-up section about halfway through the workout had been ten seconds longer, I would have maxed out there. But I made it through. The Sculpt 1-2 workout in the evening went fine. I think I am going to bump the weight I am using for the back exercises up to 20 lbs soon and shift back to 12 lbs for the shoulder exercises so I can maintain good form.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 29

Day 29 started Week 4 in Max 30 and Power 90. In Max 30, that meant transitioning to Phase 2 of the workout and doing Max Out Cardio. It is similar to the cardio circuit workout, but it does not have as many breaks, and there is a one-minute power move at the end of each block before you get to the break. I got through the entire 30 minutes without taking any unscheduled breaks. This week is another transition week in Power 90, doing the 1-2 workouts with the 3-4 workouts sandwiched between them. So, I did Sweat 1-2 and Ab-Ripper 100. Both went well without much difference from last week. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 28

On day 28, I did the Sculpt 1-2 routine from Power 90 in the evening. I am still dealing with family stuff, so my workout schedule was still messed up, but I finished all the workouts for the week (aside from the Lift 4 recovery routines).  

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Babygirl

 

Babygirl is a 2024 drama written and directed by Helina Rejin. It stars Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, and Antonio Banderas in the leading roles and Esther Rose McGregor, Sophie Wilde, and Izabel Mar in the supporting roles. Kidman plays a high-powered CEO of a robotics company named Romy Mathis. Romy has an unfulfilled personal life and uses a prim and proper facade, an air of control, and an attitude of not being bothered by anything to mask many insecurities. She begins having an affair with a young intern at the company, Samuel (played by Dickinson), as she explores her submissive side. 

The 4k release is a single-disc UHD release. The movie looks and sounds fantastic in the UHD format. The extras include a commentary track on the film by Rejin, which provides a lot of insight into the story and the filming process, some behind-the-scenes material, and deleted scenes. The movie is good, but it will definitely not appeal to everyone. It has a lot of sexual content, some nudity (much of the sex is covered up, but there are some nude scenes including topless and butt shots of Kidman), and a lot of swearing. Kidman does a great job playing a character who is not very emotive, which packs a punch the few times she expresses emotion. Despite having some star power, the film feels more like an indie movie than a big-budget blockbuster. Ultimately, it is a good film, so it is worth watching if those things do not dissuade you.