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. 

Tuesday, July 29, 2025

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: The Cloverfield Paradox

 


The Cloverfield Paradox is a 2018 horror/sci-fi/thriller in the Cloverfield movie franchise. It is the third film in the franchise and, as of this writing, the most recent movie, following 2008's Cloverfield and 2016's 10 Cloverfield Lane. It was produced by J.J. Abrams and Lindsey Weber and directed by Julius Onah. It stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Elizabeth Debicki, Chris O'Dowd, David Oyelowo, Zhang Ziyi, Daniel Bruhl, and Aksel Hennie. Donal Logue has a cameo appearance, and Simon Pegg and Greg Grunberg make voice appearances. 

The film is set in 2028, when Earth is at the peak of an energy crisis that threatens the entire human race. As a result, several countries have come together to build and test a particle accelerator aboard the Cloverfield space station that, if it works, can solve the world's energy crisis. After the test, the astronauts aboard the station discover that Earth has seemingly vanished and must figure out a way to get back. There are several twists and turns in the story, and it is primarily a thriller more than it is a monster movie (somewhat like 10 Cloverfield Lane). It does have subtle ties to the other films and does provide an explanation for the appearances of the monsters in those movies, even though the events of this movie are set in the future.

The A/V quality of the blu-ray is outstanding, and the movie looks and sounds great in the HD format. There is about half an hour of making-of and behind-the-scenes content, but unlike the prior film, there is no commentary track on this one. 

Ultimately, the movie is good, but if you are expecting a direct sequel to the other two movies that wraps everything up in a nice bow, or if you are expecting a bunch of monsters, this is not it. That said, if you are a fan of sci-fi thrillers and enjoy the other films in the Cloverfield universe, this is worth watching.



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