Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 38

Day 38 was shoulders, glutes, and abs again. This one was challenging, both because of the 7-7-7 format for the shoulder exercises and because the 60-second ab exercises were no picnic either. The glute-focused exercises were not too bad, though one of them requires decent balance, which can be challenging, especially since it is toward the end of the workout when you are already tired. I was able to increase the weight I used for some exercises from last week and will be able to increase some next week.  

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 37

Day 37 was the Phase 2 legs workout, and it is one of the shortest workouts of Dig Deeper, at least so far. Even though it is short, it is challenging. I was able to increase the amount of weight I used for most of the exercises, and I will be able to increase a bit more next week. I also notice my range of motion for the squats and lunges continues to get better.  

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 36

Day 37 was the second Chest and Back workout of Phase 2. I was again able to increase the amount of weight that I used from last week for some of the exercises and kept others the same. The burnout block of weighted push-up rows is still killer, and the hardest exericse in the bunch for me to get through.

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 36

Day 36 was my second go at the total body workout from the Sculpt and Define Phase of Dig Deeper. I was able to increase the amount of weight that I used for a couple of the exercises from last week, however, I kept the weight in the final block (the burnout block) the same. I also noticed that I was able to hold the ab/core exercises longer in all three sets than I could last week. 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Days 34 and 35

The weekend days were the two off days for Dig Deeper. I again did the two-mile walks I have been doing daily for a few months. I also did the P90x stretch routine on day 35. One thing that I noticed is that I was able to get into the low squat and hold it for 30 of the 45 seconds. That was the best I have been able to do in that move for years. 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 33

Day 33 was the final workout of the week and the fifth of Phase 2. It is Biceps and Triceps (and it also incorporates ab exercises in the final three sets). This one has four sets in all. The first block just has a biceps exercise followed by a triceps exercise. In this one, the ab exercises are performed for 60 seconds (once) at the beginning of blocks 2-4, followed by a biceps exercise and then a triceps exercise.   You go back to the 1-3 time-under-tension format for the exercises, so your arms will pretty much feel like cooked spaghetti noodles by the end of it. The final block is the burnout block in which you do 90-degree rotations followed right into triceps kickbacks. You do each for 30 seconds, alternating them for the final three minutes of the workout.

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 32

Day 32 was the Shoulders, Glutes, and Abs workout from Phase 2 of Dig Deeper. This one follows a slightly different format than the first three workouts. This has three blocks and a burnout exercise. In each of the blocks, you do a shoulder exercise, then a glute-focused exercise, and then an abdominal-focused exercise. The difference is that in the shoulder exercises, you lift using a 7-7-7 format: seven reps on one arm, then seven reps on the other, then seven reps with both arms. You do not use the 1-3 tempo, but you are doing two more reps. The glute exercises are performed for 12 reps and do use the 1-3 lifting tempo. The burnout exercise is holding a light weight at 10 and 2  and then doing raises (think the Y-raises if you have done Lift 4), but alternate arms, seven reps with the right arm, seven reps with the left arm, followed immediately by six reps on the right arm, and you pyramid down until you do one rep on the right and one rep on the left. 

It is a tough workout, especially toward the end. The abdominal exercises are all performed for 60 seconds. They are all bodyweight exercises, but they are challenging, especially as you start getting tired. 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 31

Day 31 was the Sculpt and Define phase leg workout in Dig Deeper. It has a similar format to yesterday's workout. This one has three "regular" blocks of work that alternate a quad-focused exercise with a hamstring-focused exercise. You again lift with the 1-3 tempo, going one count up and three counts down. Then, the burnout exercise is squats around the bench for 45 seconds, repeated for 3 sets. In the first set, you use the heaviest weight you used in blocks 1-3; in the second set, you drop down (I used 30 lbs in the first set and dropped to 20 in the second); and in the third set, you just use your bodyweight. It is another tough workout and definitely works your legs well.

DVD/Movie Review: Fair Game

 

Fair Game is an extremely cheesy 1995 action-romance film starring Cindy Crawford and William Baldwin. The supporting cast includes Salma Hayek and several recognizable character actors, including Christopher McDonald, Jenette Goldstein, Miguel Sandoval, Steven Berkoff, Marc MaCaulay, and Dan Hedaya (in an uncredited role). In it, Crawford plays a civil attorney in Miami named Kate McQuean who threatens to have a ship sized to pay for alimony. Unknown to her, the ship is actually owned by a criminal who is in league with ex-KGB members who then target and attempt to kill Kate. Baldwin plays Max Kirkpatrick, a Miami detective assigned to a case in which Kate was hit by a stray bullet during a drive-by shooting, and interrupts the attempt on her life when he goes to her house to follow up on that case. From there, the movie becomes a cat-and-mouse chase in which Kate and Max have to try to avoid the Russians.

The DVD is very bare bones. The movie plays as soon as the disc loads. There are no bonus features on the disc. It does not even have a menu screen, but the movie does play with English captions whether you want them on or not.

The movie was not particularly well-written or acted. It was a low-budget action film that served as a vehicle to help Crawford parlay her extremely successful modeling career into an acting career. She was not a horrible actress, but she was not really given great material to work with. This was also one of Hayek's first roles in a Hollywood film, but her part was very small; she was in just a couple of scenes. You pretty much know what the film is going into it; an action film with two good-looking leads, that plays on the fact that Crawford was one of the biggest (if not the biggest) supermodels in the world at the time. It is hard to expect much when one of the leads is very pretty but with no acting experience, and the other is one of the "other" Baldwins, not named Alec. As I said above, it is very cheesy, and almost nothing in it is realistic or makes a lot of sense. It is basically a movie in which you turn your brain off and just go with it. There is a lot of violence and some sexual content and brief nudity (Crawford is topless a couple of times and you see "notalec" Baldwin's ass), so it earns an R-rating. Ultimately, it is absolutely not a must-see film, but if you want to watch an action movie, you can accept it for what it is, and do not expect it to be something it's not, it is worth checking out. 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 30

Day 30 was the second workout of the Sculpt and Define phase, which was Chest and Back. It features 4 main blocks, each with a chest-focused exercise followed by a back-focused exercise. You are again lifting with the 1-3 tempo, lowering the weights for a count of three, and lifting them for a count of one. Some of the exercises are the same as those in the Phase One workouts, and others are new or variations of exercises previously done. The burnout exercise at the end, which is its own block, is push-up rows. You do three sets that each last 45 seconds, doing as many reps in each set as you can in the allotted time. It is a tough workout, but I definitely felt like I had gained strength during Phase One. 

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Excalibur

 

Excalibur is a 1981 film telling a variation of the legend of King Arthur, co-written, co-produced, and directed by John Boorman. It stars Nigel Terry, Nicol Williamson, Helen Mirren, Liam Neeson (in his first film role), Patrick Stewart (in one of his early film roles), Cherie Lunghi, Robert Addie, and Nicholas Clay. The supporting cast includes, Gabriel Byrne, Boorman's children, Katrine and Charles, and Clive Swift. Over the years, there have been many variations of the Arthurian legend. This is definitely one of the darker ones. Merlin (played by Williamson) was not the noble, wise wizard that he is in other variations, and this version of Arthur (played by Terry) grew up as a commoner only to discover who he was when he pulled Excalibur from the stone. It is very violent and there is some sexual content and nudity in the film. 

The blu-ray release is very substandard. It did not receive a good HD transfer at all, and as a result, the A/V quality is quite bad. The video quality is barely better than a DVD, and the audio is out of sync at times. Also, the menu pages are very hard to navigate and barely respond when you push buttons on the remote. I initially thought the batteries in my remote were dying, but I confirmed they were fine, and the issue was with the disc itself. As a result, depending on what blu-ray player you have, it may be hard to turn on captions or change the audio setting. The only bonus feature is a director's commentary by Boorman. It is also hard to access, given the issue with the menu pages, but once you do, Boorman provides a lot of good information about the film and behind-the-scenes information. 

The movie is okay, but not great. It is actually better to watch it while listening to Boorman's commentary track, because you get a better idea of what he was going for. Without that context, it just seems like the movie never really figures out how it wants to tell the story and does not present a cohesive one. There are time jumps in the movie that make it hard to follow at times. But they had to be used because Boorman wanted to tell the entire story of Arthur's life in a two-hour-and-twenty-minute film. The dialogue was not particularly well written, so despite featuring many great actors, they did not have much good material to work with. It is interesting to see Liam Neeson in his first film, Patrick Stewart early in his film career, and Helen Mirren relatively early in hers. However, there are many other versions of the story that are much better than this one out there. Ultimately, you are not missing much if you skip this, but if you are a big fan of any of the actors or are really into the story of King Arthur, then it is worth checking out.

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 29

Day 29 was the start of Week 5 in Dig Deeper, which meant the transition to Phase 2 of the program, the Sculpt and Define Phase. In this phase the workout splits are different, and the number of reps you do in each set is different. It also incorporates some new exercises into the mix, but also uses some of the exercises from Phase 1. The first workout of the week is a Total Body Workout. It has four total blocks, each with three exercises. Most of the exercises in this workout use a 1-3 tempo to create time-under-tension, so you do 1 second in the lifting portion of the exercise and 3 seconds in the lowering or negative portion of the exercise, performing 12 reps for each exercise. The third block is a burnout block that repeats three of the exercises from the workout (incline chest press, reverse lunges, and hammer curls), which you do back-to-back performing each exercise for 45 seconds instead of doing 12 reps. I started the workout trying to use the same weights that I used for the exercises in last week's upper body 2 and lower body 2. I could use the same for some of them, but went up or down for sets 2 and 3 as needed.

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Days 27 and 28

Days 27 and 28 were the weekend off days. I just rested and relaxed on Saturday, and did the P90X stretching routine on Sunday. I could tell that my flexibility and range of motion have improved, despite not doing yoga or stretching for a couple of months. So, I am definitely going to work that into the rotation. 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 26

Day 26 was Lower-Body 2, and the last workout of Phase 1. It was a good way to end the week and the first phase. I definitely know that I am getting stronger, and since I have been walking daily, including a two-mile outdoor workout to start every day, my stamina is getting better despite not doing high-intensity cardio. 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 25

Day 25 was Upper-Body 2, and the second-to-last Phase 1 workout. I was again able to increase my weights for some of the exercises, but had to keep some of them the same as last week. 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 24

Day 24 was the final total body workout of Phase 1. It went well again, and I was able to increase the amount of weight I used for some exercises. And, like every time I do this workout, I was sweating like crazy at the end of it.  

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 23

Day 23 was Lower Body 1 in the final week of the Dynamic Circuits phase of Dig Deeper. I was able to increase the amount of weight that I used for every exercise in the workout, and my range of motion continued to improve even with the heavier weights. So, while still very challenging, it was a good workout.

Book Review: Star Wars: The Acolyte: The Crystal Crown

 

The Crystal Crown is a young-adult novel set at the end of the High Republic era of the Star Wars universe, written by Tessa Graton. It is centered on the characters Yord and Jecki (played by Charlie Barnett and Dafne Keen in the live-action Acolyte series) when they were both padawans. It is the second (as of this writing) prequel novel to the Actolyte series (which was canceled after the usual bitching and whining by the Star Wars "fanbase"), set an unspecified amount of time before the events in the TV series. In it, Jecki and Yord accompany their masters to a planet called Siline, whose inhabitants emphasize honor and duels to clean up a political mess caused by another Jedi who refused to duel during negotiations to bring the planet into the Republic. Jecki and Yord do not particularly like each other, but are forced to work together when they are enlisted to participate in a coming-of-age series of competitions that draw easy comparisons to the Hunger Games series. 

The hardcover version of the book is just under 440 pages. It reads fairly quickly and has a good mix of action and non-action material. The only other character from the series who appears in the book is Master Sol, although Osha and Vernestra are also mentioned in passing. It does not really hint at the Sith threat (which, at that point, was still unknown) and is very much a self-contained story. Ultimately, the story is okay but not great. It is not one of the novels that I would call a must-read, but if you liked the series and want more stories from that time frame, it is worth checking out. However, you are not missing anything critical if you do not read it. Hopefully, down the line, they will continue the story that the show would have told if it had not been canceled, as that would be much more interesting and critical to the overall universe of stories than this one.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Bates Motel: Season 2

 

The 10-episode second season of Bates Motel aired during the spring of 2014. Vera Farmiga, Freddie Highmore, Max Thieriot, Olivia Cooke, and Nestor Carbonell all returned as series regulars. Nicola Peltz did appear in the first few episodes but was absent thereafter. The recurring cast in the second season included Michael O'Neill, Michael Eklund, Paloma Kwiatkowski, Michael Vartan, Kenny Johnson, and Kathleen Robertson. 

The season begins with the fallout of Blaire Watson's murder, and ambiguity over whether Norman committed it or not. We also learn more about Norma's backstory when her brother (played by Kenny Johnson) shows up. We also learn more about the drug operation that is the backbone of the town's economy, which has reverberations throughout the season. And, of course, Norman gets ever closer to the character from the movies. 

The blu-ray set is a two-disc set. The A/V quality continues to be outstanding. There are extras on both discs, including deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes material, and the "Bates Motel After Hours" episodes that aired on A&E after the season premiere and finale, featuring interviews with cast members and the showrunners. 

The show continues to be well written and very well acted. While it stays true to the overall story established in the original movie, it is very much its own show, and only Norman and Norma's fates are known, so it can still be suspenseful and surprising. All of the cast members do a wonderful job in their respective roles, and the writers balance the ensemble cast well. Ultimately, if you liked the first season, this one is absolutely worth watching.

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 22

Day 22 was the start of the last week of the dynamic circuit portion of Dig Deeper. Today was Upper Body 1. I mostly stuck with the same weight I used last week; however, I was able to increase the weight for the J-rows and the lat raises a bit. The workout does get easier each week (relative to week 1), but even in week 4, it is still challenging and never gets easy. 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Days 20 and 21

Days 20 and 21 were rest days. I still haven't done the optional steady-state cardio, mostly because I have been walking a couple of miles each day to get my cardio in and supplement the lifting workouts.

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 19

Day 19 marked the end of week 3, and was the second lower-body workout of the week. It went well, and I was able to bump up the amount of weight I was using for some of the exercises from last week. 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 18

Day 18 was the second upper body circuit of the week. I definitely like it better than Monday's workout, but it is still very challenging, even just doing 12 reps. I was again able to increase the amount of weight I used for some of the exercises from what I used last week, and was definitely feeling it by the last few reps, especially in the third set of each exercise.

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 17

Day 17 was the total body circuit workout. I like making it to Wednesday, since the number of reps you do in each set is lower than in Monday and Tuesday's workouts. Even so, there are 16 reps in each set in this workout, so you are still doing high volume. Even after doing so many reps, I was able to increase the weight I used for some exercises and can definitely feel myself getting stronger and my range of motion for the various exercises getting better. 

4K-UHD/Movie Review: Everything Everywhere All At Once

 

Everything Everywhere All At Once is a 2022 film written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. It stars Michelle Yeo, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, and Jamie Lee Curtis. The supporting cast includes James Hong and Jenny Slate. It is a very strange film that wraps a family drama into a sci-fi multiverse, comedy (both absurdist and raunchy), and an old Hong Kong Kung Fu action movie. Almost nothing about the movie makes sense, yet by the end, you kind of get it. Honestly, I could describe every scene from the film in detail, and I still could not spoil it for anyone watching the movie for the first time. In it, Yeoh's character, Evelyn Wang, a Chinese immigrant living in California who runs a laundromat with her husband, Waymond (played by Quan). She has a contentious relationship with her daughter, Joy (played by Hsu), and is being audited by a hard-nosed auditor, played by Jamie Lee Curtis. That is where all normalcy in the movie stops. Evelyn discovers a multiverse and that people can use technology to jump into versions of themselves in other universes, accessing the knowledge and abilities of their other selves. Evelyn also discovers that the multiverse is being threatened by a being named Jobu, who can experience all the different universes at once and manipulate matter (and people) at will, and that she is the only one who can stop Jobu.

The 4k set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a standard blu-ray disc. The content is identical on each disc. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is outstanding. It looks and sounds excellent, especially on a large screen with an Atmos surround sound setup. The bonus content includes a making-of documentary that runs about 40 minutes, some behind-the-scenes footage, deleted scenes, outtakes, the theatrical trailer, and previews for other films released by A24 Studios. There is also a commentary track on the film by the two directors. It also comes with a digital code. 

The movie is good, but it is definitely odd. Once the film gets started, characters jump from universe to universe, and it can be hard to follow the first time you see it. You absolutely have to suspend your disbelief, just go with it, and enjoy the wackiness. There is a fight scene where the primary weapon is a fanny pack, another where a Pomeranian is used as a weapon, and a fight scene with sex toys. There are multiple pairs of googly eyes, a black hole in the shape of a bagel, a raccoon as a play on the rat in the movie Ratatouille, and hot dog fingers. The movie also has not-so-subtle nods to The Matrix, Kill Bill, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It is a very unique and chaotic movie. It is extremely well-acted, and you can tell that all of the actors were having a lot of fun in their roles and just going with the absurdity. It definitely earns an R-rating as there is a lot of violence, some sexual humor (but no nudity), and a lot of swearing. Ultimately, I cannot say that everyone will enjoy the movie, but if you do not mind offbeat, multi-genre films, this is worth checking out.

Book Review: Marilyn Monroe: Metamorphosis: A Comprehensive Photographic Journey and Visual Biography of a Hollywood Icon

 

Metamorphosis is primarily a picture book containing pictures from throughout Marilyn Monroe's adult life, spanning from before she began modeling to shortly before her death. It contains many of her well-known and famous pictures, along with some that had not been published before the book was released. There is a mix of color and black-and-white photographs, some of which, even if you are someone who gets a calendar featuring her every year, you probably have not seen. The book has some text. The longest is at the beginning, an introduction that gives a short biography of her life, and at the end, which reprints an interview she gave toward the end of her life. Throughout the book, there are quotes from people who knew and worked with her (and a few from Marilyn herself) that give some insight into her life and who she was behind the scenes. To the extent that you can draw conclusions about her from those, she was a very shy and self-conscious person, and was very much a perfectionist, which often made her difficult to work with because if she did not think she was not doing something right, she would stop, regardless of what the director said. You also get the impression that Marilyn was a character that she slipped into. Many people said that she absolutely lit up in front of the camera (especially when she was getting her picture taken), and that when she was not performing, she was almost unrecognizable.

The hardcover version of the book is just under 300 pages, but since it is mostly pictures, you can easily read the text in a short amount of time. If you want to display it as a coffee-table book, be aware that it includes one of the topless photos from the photoshoot she did before she became ultra-famous. Ultimately, this is one of the best books out there for anyone who is a fan of Marilyn Monroe and is absolutely worth the pickup.  

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 16

Day 16 was Lower Body Circuit 1 for week 3. I can definitely tell I am getting stronger and the workouts are not as much of a bear as they were in week 1. I was able to increase the weight I used for almost every exercise in the workout, and my range of motion is getting better. I will be glad to be done with the 20 rep sets, however, as those can get to be a bit much, depending on what exercise I am doing.

Book Review: Take Me to Your Leader: Perspectives on Your First Alien Encounter

 

Take Me To Your Leader is a book by Neil DeGrasse Tyson published in 2026. It is a book about the possibility of alien life and provides humorous takes on what an actual alien encounter (which Tyson makes clear he does not believe has ever happened) might entail. Like most of Tyson's books, this one mixes humor and science to make the concepts clear and easy to understand. 

The hardcover version of the book has just under 200 pages of substantive content. Then, there are a few pages of notes and an index. The book is well-written, funny, and easy to follow. If you listen to Tyson's podcast or watch or read some of his interviews, you'll find some of the content very familiar. You absolutely do not need a science or engineering background to understand the science content (which is probably lighter in this book than in Tyson's other books). Ultimately, if you are a fan of Tyson or just science (especially Astronomy) in general, this is absolutely worth reading.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Everly

 

Everly is a 2014 genre-mixing film that combines action, drama, horror, and suspense.  It was directed by Joe Lynch and adapted from a story that Lynch wrote with the screenwriter, Yale Hannon. It stars Salma Hayek, Akie Kotabe, Laura Cepeda, Jennifer Blanc, Hiroyuki Wanatabe, Togo Igawa, Gabriella Wright, Masashi Fujimoto, and Aisha Ayamah. In it, Hayek's character, Everly, who has been forced into working as a prostitute for a Yakuza overlord named Taiko (played by Wanatabe), is attacked in the high-end apartment where she is kept prisoner in a building owned by Taiko, when Taiko discovers that she has been working with the police to take him down. Everly manages to kill her attackers with a gun she had hidden, and resolves to try to get to her mother and daughter to get them the money she has stolen from Taiko so they can disappear. She discovers she is trapped in the building as more people come to try to collect a bounty on her head.

The blu-ray is a single-disc release. The movie looks and sounds good in HD, but since it was a low-budget film, it did not get an extremely high-quality transfer. The bonus content includes two commentary tracks. The first is a feature commentary by Lynch, producer Brett Hedblom, and editor Evan Schiff. The second is a technical commentary featuring Lynch and the cinematographer, Steve Gainer. Also included is a music video for the version of Silent Night by Raya Yarborough and Bear McCreary featured in the film. 

The first thing to note is that the film is extremely violent (in a very over-the-top way), with a lot of blood and guts. So if that is not your thing, you should absolutely skip it. There is also a lot of swearing and very brief nudity.  There are easy comparisons to films like Kill Bill and Die Hard, but it is not nearly as good as either of those movies. Hayek does a good job in the role. She is the only person in the movie with any real name recognition, and she absolutely carries it. If you listen to the commentary, you will discover that Kate Hudson originally signed on to play Everly but eventually had to drop out and was replaced by Hayek. It would have been interesting to see what she would have done with the role, as her performance would probably have been quite different from Hayek's. 

Ultimately, it is not a film that will appeal to everyone. The movie is a bit unique in that it is an action film set almost exclusively in a single location, Everly's apartment. Nothing in the film is remotely realistic, so you definitely have to suspend your disbelief and just go with it. If you can do that, it is worth watching, but it is not a must-see.

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 15

Day 15 was the beginning of week 3, which meant doing the first upper-body circuit workout again. It went well,l and I was able to increase the amount of weight I used for most of the exercises. I kept the weight the same for a couple of the exercises as I used last week. I was also able to get deeper into tricep dips, but I still had to bend my knees, especially in the first set, because 20 reps after you have already done 48 reps of overhead extensions is a lot. 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Days 13 & 14

Days 13 and 14 were rest days (with optional steady-state cardio). I did not work out either day, but I did walk a couple of miles around my neighborhood each day to get in some non-impact exercise.  

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Eurotrip

 

Eurotrip is a 2004 teen comedy written by Jeff Schaffer (who also directed), Alec Berg, and David Mandel, starring Scott Mechlowicz, Jacob Pitts, Michelle Trachtenberg, Jessica Boehrs, and Travis Webster. The supporting cast includes Vinnie Jones and Nial Iskhakov. The film also features cameo appearances by Lucy Lawless, Fred Armisen, Kristen Kreuk, Jeffrey Tambor, Diedrich Bader, and Matt Damon. All of the actors making cameos were great, but Lawless and Damon's cameos were particularly notable. 

The basic story is that a guy named Scott (played by Mechlowicz) gets dumped at his high school graduation by his girlfriend (played by Kreuk), and finds out she has been cheating on him constantly. He confides in his German pen pal, Mike (Mieke; played by Boehrs), whom he believes to be a guy. When Mieke suggests that she come visit him, Scott writes an angry email and gets blocked, only to hilariously find out Mieke is a hot girl. He is then convinced by his friend, Cooper (played by Pitts), to go to Berlin to find Mieke. In Europe, they meet up with their friends, twins Jenny and Jamie (played by Trachtenberg and Webster). While there, typical teen comedy hijinks ensue.

The blu-ray is a single-disc release containing the unrated version of the film. It does not include the theatrical version. The A/V quality is good, but it did not get what I would describe as a reference-quality HD transfer. But for an early-2000s comedy, it looks and sounds perfectly fine. There are several extras, including deleted scenes, a hilarious bit about who would get the directing credit since Schaffer, Berg, and Mendel could not share directing credit, a featurette on the nude beach scene, and outtakes. There are two different commentary tracks on the film, each featuring Schaffer, Berg, and Mendel. In the first, they provide a pretty typical director commentary talking about the casting process, the shooting locations, etc. In the second, they basically drink through the entire film, drinking whenever anyone swears, there is nudity, or there is underage drinking shown (and take shots when someone screams). 

The movie is a pretty typical early-2000s raunchy teen comedy. There is a lot of nudity and sex, several drug references, and swearing. There are definitely parts that some people will find offensive, so it is definitely not family-friendly or for those who are easily offended. Ultimately, I would say this is a middle-of-the-road early 2000s comedy. It was not the best of the comedies released at the time, but it was not the worst. It is a movie better known for its cameo appearances than its main storyline, but the main story was still enjoyable. If you are a fan of raunchy comedy, this is worth watching.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Frasier: Season 8

 

The 24-episode 8th season of Frasier aired during the 2000/2001 TV season. All the main cast members returned. The only notable omission from the cast was Dan Butler, who had been moved from a series regular to a recurring character and did not appear at all this season. The guest and recurring stars this season included Saul Rubinek, Jean Smart, Anthony LaPaglia, Alan Tudyk, Teri Polo, Victor Garber, Gary Cole, Kim Coles, Rene Auberjonois, Fisher Stevens, John Glenn, John Michael Higgins, and Jennifer Coolidge. Bebe Neuwirth also reprised her role as Lilith. The show did have some celebrity voice cameos this season, including Stephen King, Wolfgang Puck, Melissa Etheridge, and Bernadette Peters.

The season picks up right where season 7 left off, with Niles and Daphne driving away from her wedding. We discover they only reach the end of the driveway before deciding to go back and face everyone. The first handful of episodes involve the repercussions of ending their respective relationships and provide a way for the writers to present hurdles to them being together. Jane Leeves also took time off due to her real-life pregnancy (which was not written into the show, although her weight gain was), and missed four episodes about 2/3 of the way through the season. As with prior seasons, the show remains primarily a story-of-the-week procedural, with longer arcs and callbacks to earlier episodes mixed in. The big arc this season is Niles and Daphne's relationship. Both David Hyde Pierce and Jane Leeves are hilarious at points this season, and continue to be the highlights of the show. 

As of this writing, the individual seasons are not available on Blu-Ray, only as part of a complete series set. In that set, season 8 is on three discs that are in their own keep case. There are no bonus features included in the season 8 discs, but the episodes can be played with English captions. The individual seasons are available on DVD as a four-disc set. The A/V quality of the blu-rays remained good, though at times the picture quality is not as good, likely due to the condition of the source material (presumably film).

While the show was getting a bit long in the tooth by season 8, it remained good and had very funny moments. The writers did a good job keeping the storylines interesting, especially the main relationship between Niles and Daphne. There were probably not as many laugh-out-loud moments as in the earlier seasons, but it remained well-written and acted. Ultimately, if you have been a fan of the series up to this point, this one is worth watching.

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 12

Day 12 was the final workout of the week, and was lower body circuit 2. It has the same format as yesterday's workout; two blocks with three sets. Each set has 12 reps (aside from the final set of the very last exercise, which has 24 reps). It is still a challenging workout, but easier to get through the second time you do it. 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 11

Day 11 was upper body workout 2. It was the second time doing the workout, and as with the other workouts this week, it was easier to get through it the second time when you know what is coming. Also, having only 12 reps in each set and only two blocks makes it seems like it goes faster, even though the length of the workout is pretty similar to the other workouts. I was able to increase the amount of weight I used for some exercises, but held a few of them at the same weight I used last week. 

Book Review: World Book Encyclopedia of Science: Plants

This is another volume of the World Book Encyclopedia of Science set, first published in 2014 and updated in 2019. This volume is devoted to plants. It covers many common plant types, including where they grow, how they spread, and their various traits. It also provides information on broader scientific processes, such as photosynthesis and evolution (and how plants were used to study evolution), and bios of some of the scientists (such as Darwin) who used plants in their research. 

The plant volume is a bit longer than the volume on space (which as of this writing is the only other volume I have read). This one is just under 300 pages, excluding the index. Like that volume, this one lists the content in alphabetical order and includes instructions for experiments that can be performed at home to study some of the concepts listed in the book. While the set is geared more for school-aged kids (middle school on up), it has enough detail that adults can learn from and enjoy the content without getting bored or lost. If you are interested in plant life, biology, or just science in general, it is absolutely worth reading if you can track down the set or the individual volume. 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 10

Day 10 was the total body circuit workout. Like the first two workouts, this one is a bit easier to follow after doing it the first time. However, I did find myself struggling to keep up with Shaun and the two cast members in the second block/circuit during the bench sit-down squats and transitioning to the ab exercise. In the second and third sets, I was finishing the sit-down squats as they were starting the ab exercise. I was able to raise the amount of weight I used for all the exercises from last week, however. 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 9

Day 9 was lower body circuit 1 again. As with yesterday's workout, I found this much easier to follow (not necessarily easier to do) the second time around. I was able to increase the amount of weight I used for all of the exercises, and my range of motion in the squats and lunges continues to improve. The workout is still tough and very fast-paced, but it is easier when you know what to expect. 

CD/Music Review: Anastacia: Evolution

 

Evolution, released in 2017, is Anastacia's seventh studio album. Like most of her prior albums, this one blends elements of pop, dance, rock, R&B, and soul, mixing slower ballads with faster, more upbeat tracks. There are 13 tracks in all. The only single released for the album was "Caught in the Middle". The album charted modestly overseas in Europe, but did not really get much traction in the US. If you want the physical CD, you will likely have to pay for an import, but it is available digitally. The CD liner contains the lyrics for each track, production notes, a handful of pictures of Anastacia, and a couple of pages of thank-you notes. 

Those who have followed her career know it has been interesting. Although Anastacia hit the music scene around the time people like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera were dominating the US Top 40, she never achieved the same level of popularity in the States as they did. I think her sound was similar enough to younger pop stars that people who had outgrown pop were probably not interested in it, but different enough that the teenagers and college kids who were listening to pop at the time never got behind her. Even though she is much more popular in Europe, she does have a solid fanbase in the US. Even though the album was not a massive hit, it is still good and absolutely worth listening to. Ultimately, if you liked her prior albums, you will probably enjoy this one. 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 8

Day 8 was the start of week 2, which was the first upper-body circuit again.  It is much easier to follow after you have done it once. That is not to say the workout itself gets easier, but once you know what to expect, you can flow from one exercise to the next more smoothly. I was able to slightly increase the weight I used for some of the exercises. However, since you are still doing 20, 16, and 12 reps in the three sets in each circuit, you will probably not be able to significantly increase the weight unless you went way too light on the weights in week one. 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Days 6 & 7

Days 6 and 7 in Dig Deeper are rest days; alternatively, there is a steady-state cardio workout. I just took both days off; however, I walked about 2 miles each morning and did quite a bit of yard work each day, so I was still quite active. It was definitely nice to get a break, given how many reps of weighted exercises you do during the week in each workout. 

Product Review: Zulay Rechargeable Frother

 

This is a rechargeable frother with three interchangeable heads: a single frother, a double frother, and a traditional whisk, which can be used for tasks like beating eggs. The frothing heads are perfect for mixing coffee and hot chocolate, especially if you are adding creamer or protein powder. It also comes with a USB-C charging cable. It has three different speeds. The only negative is that there is only one button, so you have to cycle through all three speeds after it is turned on in order to turn it off. It would be better if it had a separate power button so you can just turn it off and remove it from what you are mixing without having to speed it up, even for a second. That said, it still works well and is absolutely worth the price.

Product Review: ENJOYBASICS 3 Tier Expandable Shoe Rack

 

This is a shoe rack that can expand from just under 18 inches wide to just under 33 inches wide. It is an all-metal rack that is extremely easy to put together. There are six expandable rails that are secured to the end pieces with screws that have a knob end. It does not require any tools to put together. One person can put it together in under ten minutes. They say it can hold up to 12 pairs of shoes. I think it depends on how wide the shoes are, but realistically, it can probably hold six pairs if it is collapsed, and nine to twelve when fully extended. A couple of caveats. It is probably not something that would hold high heels well. It is best for flats or small-heeled shoes. Also, if you have something with a higher top, those will only be able to go on the top rack, and very large boots will not fit on it. It also probably would not hold really small children's shoes because they would probably fall through the rails. However, for a single person, or even a two-adult household, it is perfect and will easily fit in a mudroom, front entry, or front closet. It is absolutely worth the price if you are looking for an inexpensive way to keep a handful of shoes organized. 

Magazine Review: FHM July/Aug 2000 (Issue #3)

 

FHM is a magazine that debuted in 2000 (the July/Aug edition was actually the third edition of the magazine to be printed). It was much in the vein of Maxim, in that it was tailored to late-teen to mid-twentysomething males, both in terms of the articles' content and the pictorials and interviews with models and actresses. The featured interview and pictorial in this issue is with Alicia Silverstone, who is also on the cover. The interview covered her acting career up to that point (including the notorious Batman and Robin film), her animal rights stance, and lame attempts by guys to pick her up. Ali Landry was also interviewed about her rise to fame after being featured in a Doritos Super Bowl commercial. This issue also included interviews with Cheech Marin, David Blaine, Jack Black, and Stan Lee. 

The articles are mostly tailored to topics such as sex, great vacation destinations, men's fashion, and things that were big in pop culture at the time. The most serious article involves the rise of piracy in different waterways.  The advertisements were pretty interesting as well. There are a lot of ads for DVDs (which were gaining in popularity at the time) and the requisite cigarette ads that were still prevalent in magazines. Ultimately, FHM was a good fluff magazine with lots of pictures of hot women and articles geared toward young men. And unlike the few remaining print magazines still around today that are razor-thin and barely have 50 pages, this actually had quite a bit of content and was nearly 200 pages long. It is worth reading if you can track down a copy, as long as you do not expect award-winning journalism. 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 5

 Day 5 is the end of the first week of Dig Deeper (unless you do the optional steady-state cardio routine on one of the two off days). It is the second lower-body circuit of the week. It follows a very similar format to yesterday's workout, with two blocks/circuits with weighted exercises and a core exercise. Each block has three rounds/set, and you perform 12 reps of each exercise in every set. Also, like yesterday's workout, it goes quickly and has a bit of a cardio effect, even though you are not doing any traditional cardio. 

CD/Music Review: Anastacia: Resurrection

 

Resurrection is the 2014 studio album by Anastacia. It was her sixth studio album, and, when it was released, her first album with original material in over five years. Like most of her albums, this one did not gain much traction in the US but was a hit in several European countries. Also, like her prior albums, the songs are a mix of pop, rock, soul, and R&B. It contains more slow, ballad-like tracks than the upbeat dance tracks featured on her earlier albums. Although there are a couple that fall in the latter category.

It contains 10 tracks in all, some of which were written and recorded during her second cancer diagnosis, so some of them are absolutely inspired by her personal experiences. The CD liner includes lyrics and production notes for each track, a few pictures of Anastacia, and the usual thank-you notes on the final page. Overall, the album is very similar in style and tone to her prior albums. I would not say that there is one or two standout tracks on the album, but there are no bad songs. Ultimately, if you have liked or loved her previous albums, you will likely enjoy this one. 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 4

Day 4 is the second upper-body circuit workout of Phase 1. This one has two blocks/circuits, each with 4-5 resistance exercises (mostly using dumbbells, with a couple of bodyweight-only exercises) and an ab/core-focused exercise. As with the other workouts in this phase, each circuit is performed three times, but in this workout, each set has 12 reps. The total workout time, including the warm-up and cooldown, is just under 50 minutes. The "main" portion of the workout goes by quickly, however, since you are almost constantly moving, and the rest periods are short. I was not sweating as much as I was in yesterday's total body circuit workout, but my heart rate did get over 130 a few times. 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 3

Day 3 of Dig Deeper is a total-body circuit workout. It follows a similar format as the first two workouts. In this one, you do four circuits of three exercises: an upper-body exercise, a lower-body exercise, and a core-focused exercise. You also do three sets for each circuit/block. The main difference between this one and the first two workouts is that you do 16 reps in each set, as opposed to the 20, 16, 12 format.  

It is a good workout, but tough. It goes by fast. In some of the exercises I fell behind the cast and was ending the prior exercise while they were starting the next one. There is very little rest between sets or blocks, so your heart rate will get up there, and you will be sweating by the end, even if you do not sweat much while weight lifting. 

Book Review: David Copperfield

 

David Copperfield is a novel by Charles Dickens that was first published in the mid 1800s. It is a fictional coming-of-age story of a boy named David Copperfield who survives a traumatic childhood dealing with a cruel stepfather, being sent to a horrible boarding school, forced to work in a factory, etc. He eventually begins to study law, becomes a successful author, and marries his lifelong friend. Although it is a fictional story, it is based on elements of Dickens' own life. 

The Easton Press version of the book, which is included in Easton Press' 100 Greatest Books Ever Written collection, is just over 820 pages and leather-bound. It is, honestly, a very hard book to read. The pace is slow, there is no tight central plot, and the main character is just recounting what he observes. Unlike some of Dickens' other novels, such as A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations, this one was hard for me to get into, and I often found my mind wandering while reading it.  I never connected with any of the characters, and just found it a slog to get through. While it is interesting because it is based on aspects of Dickens' life, and I wanted to like it more than I did, I would not say it is a must-read. 

Product Review: Pestie

 

Pestie is a bug control subscription service. It claims to be customized to the types of bugs in the area you live. It ships throughout the year, basically quarterly, just before winter, early spring, mid-summer, and early fall. You have the option to pay as you go, when each shipment is sent out, or pay once a year, which has a higher upfront cost but is ultimately less expensive. There are also options for a single application or, if you have a larger area to spray (such as a large deck or patio), a double (XL) application. The first shipment includes a spray applicator and charging cable (which you keep and reuse), a bottle of concentrate, a pair of latex gloves, and a bag for mixing the concentrate (to which the applicator attaches). In every other shipment, you get a new bottle of concentrate, gloves, and bag. The price for a single application, if you pay per shipment, is about $43; on the XL plan, it's about $90 per shipment (as of this writing). On the yearly XL plan (which is what I subscribe to), you pay a little over $200. Either way, it is much less expensive than paying for a pest control company to come out and spray. 

Basically, you fill the bag with water up to the fill line, pour the bottle of concentrate in the bag (and rinse the bottle with water to get everything out), then attach the applicator to the bag, and start spraying. Primarily, you go around the perimeter of your house and spray from the ground about 2 feet up. I also spray around the windows on the ground floor and doors, around my garage doors, and my back deck and patio. I also spray in the unfinished storage room in the basement, around my sliding door, and inside the garage. 

I originally purchased a subscription when I lived in my old townhouse, because my association would not spray around individual units. The main issue at the townhouse was paper wasps, and Pestie really helped reduce their numbers. I moved into a new house last year and had a lot of spiders and boxelder bugs both inside and outside. It took a couple of applications, but I now notice a drastic decrease in the amount of boxelders and spiders inside the house. When I first moved in, there were tons of spiders on the back patio off the basement, and now there are almost none. So, it is definitely working.

The company has wonderful customer service. I had an applicator that was not working correctly, and they immediately shipped a new one. Also, when I discovered that one application would not provide enough coverage for my new house, they sent a second kit out free of charge and switched my subscription to an XL plan. Ultimately, if you are looking for a more affordable pest control option, this is a very good one. 

Revisiting P90X 20 Years Later

 

As readers of this page know, I recently did the original P90X program. The program, which was originally released in 2004 on DVD (and VHS), took the home workout market by storm. Before it came along, most at-home workouts (aside from the handful of other BeachBody workouts that existed at the time) were cardio-based and required little or no equipment. It was created by trainer Tony Horton and released by BeachBody (now BODI). While BODI has stopped releasing DVD workouts, the vast majority of the programs they have released over the years, including P90X, can be streamed through their websites and apps. 

P90X is actually a follow-up program to Horton's original Power 90 program. It contains some of the same exercises, but P90X has more workouts, and they tend to be longer. The program is structured into three phases, each lasting 4 weeks, with a recovery week between Phases 1 and 2 and after Phase 3. In each phase, there are three weight-based workouts, two cardio-based workouts (plyometrics and Kenpo karate), a yoga routine, and an ab routine performed on lifting days. There is also an optional cardio workout that can be substituted for the plyometrics workout and an optional stretching routine that can be performed on the rest day (usually Sunday). In the recovery weeks, you do the yoga routine twice, the stretching routine, the Kenpo workout, and a core-focused workout called Core Synergistics, which you also do twice. In each workout, there is a modifier who performs alternate (usually less intense) versions of the exercises or uses bands instead of weights.

Some things about the program are very good and hold up well over time. Other things are not. The overall mix of exercises and workouts is good, but because you do the same workouts over and over, they do get repetitive. Many of BODI's newer workouts are real-time, with a new workout performed nearly every day. This not only helps avoid repetition and boredom, but does the "muscle confusion" thing (basically switching up workouts so your body does not adapt to what you are doing, which was a big selling point for the program if you watched the P90X infomercials) much better than P90X does. Having a modifier to show alternative versions of the exercises was good, and there is enough time between exercises to get new weights (which some newer programs do not always provide). The things that did not age well over time (or were just silly) include:

First, the warm-ups in each workout were absolutely ridiculous. You do about 3 minutes of calisthenics warm-ups like running in place, jumping jacks, etc. (which is plenty), then 5 minutes or so of stretching. In the Kenpo workout, you do 11 minutes of cold stretching. In a different workout, Tony makes a point of saying you never want to stretch an ice-cold body, then does it in the Kenpo workout. The stretching would have been much better post-workout, and I usually skipped it when I did the program.

Second, the yoga routine was insanely hard and way too long. In Power 90, the only yoga was about 3 minutes of moving asanas (which is the warm-up in P90X) at the beginning of the cardio routines. There was no separate yoga routine. P90X then throws 90 minutes of yoga at you, with some moves so advanced you have no shot at doing them (even if you are in good shape) unless you have been doing yoga for years. Then, he includes a core routine toward the end, despite saying in the ab-ripper-x routine not to work abs every day, so each week you do abs three days in a row. It would be one thing if Power 90 had a 45-minute yoga routine with some of the easier moves included to prepare people for the P90X routine, but this is like going from a backyard kiddie pool to being thrown into the deep end of an Olympic pool.

Third, some of the scripted elements that were meant to be spontaneous were really cheesy. For example, during the shoulders-and-arms workout, the guy in the back "loses track" of how many reps he is doing, and Tony tells the audience to keep track of their rep counts. However, the first time he does it, Tony misses the cue, so he does it again on the next exercise.

Ultimately, P90X is a good program that helped many people get in shape. There are definitely things that could have been done differently or better. For example, I think they should have done totally new routines in each phase of the program, if nothing else, to keep people from getting bored with the repetition. I also think some of the routines could have been shorter, and the muscle groups being targeted in the workouts should have been switched up more. But, hindsight is always 20/20, and while it may not be the revolutionary program it once was, it is still worth going back to from time to time.

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 2

Day 2 of Dig Deeper is the first of two lower-body circuit workouts in the program's first four-week phase.  It follows a very similar format to yesterday's workout. You have two blocks of work that form a circuit, and within each of the circuits/blocks, you perform 3 sets of 4-5 exercises, with minimal rest between the exercises and a short rest between sets. The workout is just under 50 minutes in length, but it is so fast-paced that it goes by very quickly. Most of the exercises are variations of squats or lunges, but the first circuit does include bench step-ups. There is no cardio in this workout (or the entire program), but because the first phase focuses on muscle endurance, and you are doing a lot of reps, your heart will get up into zone 2 or even 3 at times, and you will sweat a bit. As with all of Shaun T's workouts, he does get a bit goofy, and he loves saying the name of the workout multiple times. But if you have done any of his other programs, you know to expect it.  

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 1

Today was day 1 of my next program, Dig Deeper, which is a muscle-building workout by Shaun T on the BODI platform. After finishing P90X, I was trying to figure out what to do next, so I did the 10-minute muscle program and then did the first two weeks of Joel Freeman's 10-minute speed train program. Those are good, especially if you are a beginner, have had a long layoff or break from working out, or want to de-load/recover and still work out in a way that prevents you from losing too much muscle. 

The first day is an upper-body circuit workout. The first month focuses on muscle endurance, so you do a high number of reps with light to moderate weight. This workout has two circuits, each containing 4 exercises (chest, back, biceps, and triceps), performed for 3 sets. In each set, you do all four exercises back-to-back, with little to no rest. At the end of each set, you do a core/ab exercise, then you get a 45-second break before the next set starts. In the first set, you do 20 reps; in the second, you do 16; and in the third, you do 12.  All four exercises in the first block/circuit use weights, and in the second circuit/block, two of the four are performed just using your bodyweight, and the other two use weights. 

You definitely need an assortment of dumbbells and an adjustable weight bench. The transitions between exercises are very quick, especially in sets 2 and 3 of each circuit, so it would be very hard to do this workout with adjustable dumbbells like Bowflex SelectTech or Power-Blocks. That is not to say you cannot use them, but you would need to be very proficient and quick at changing the weight. 

The workout is good, but it is tough. It will get your heart rate up a bit, and you will probably be sweating and tired by the end of it. 

4K-UHD/Movie Review: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial - 40th Anniversary Edition

 

E.T. is the iconic 1982 film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg about an alien who becomes stranded on Earth and befriends a young boy and his family. It stars Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Robert MacNaughton, Dee Wallace, and Peter Coyote in the main roles. The supporting cast includes C. Thomas Howell, K.C Martel, Sean Frye, and future original Baywatch babe, Erika Eleniak. In the film, an alien becomes stranded on Earth after his ship leaves without him. He hides in the shed of a family who live near where he was stranded and is discovered by a young boy named Elliot (played by Thomas), who befriends E.T. and helps him attempt to contact his species so he can get back home. 

The 40th Anniversary 4k set is a two-disc set with a UHD disc and a standard blu-ray disc. Both contain the same content. The original theatrical edition of the film, and several hours of bonus features. Note that this release does not include the 2002 re-release with the additional footage and the CGI enhancements, which is the only thing that knocks it down a star for me. The bonus content includes two new featurettes made for this release, original making-of and behind-the-scenes footage filmed during production, and content created for the film's 20th Anniversary. The bonus content also includes the trailer and promotional content, as well as multiple picture galleries featuring photos taken during the film's production and promotional stills. The A/V quality is very good, and the movie looks and sounds great in UHD. Neither the audio nor the video transfers are quite reference-quality, but if you have a large screen and/or a multi-channel surround-sound system, you will probably not be disappointed.

This is an extremely good, but not great, release. Of course, the movie is wonderful and holds up well even (as of this writing) 44 years after it was made. Some of the cultural references in the movie are dated; however, the overall story holds up very well. It does have a little swearing and includes things that probably would not be included (like the teenagers smoking at the beginning of the movie) if it were made today, but overall it is very family-friendly, mixing drama, humor, and action. And, of course, John Williams' score is outstanding. The bonus content is excellent. The highlight of the archival material is a young Drew Barrymore (who was six when the film was shot) hamming it up on set and being interviewed at the movie's premiere. If this release had included both versions of the film, it would absolutely be a five-star set. Hopefully, when Universal releases a 45th- and/or 50th-anniversary edition, they will include both versions of the film. That is the only thing that would get me to double-dip for a new edition. Ultimately, it is a wonderful film that takes you on an emotional roller coaster, going from suspenseful to funny to dramatic to sad to uplifting. It is well-written, very well-acted, and absolutely worth watching.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Bates Motel: Season 1

 

Bates Motel is partially a prequel to and partially a reboot of the Psycho franchise, which started with the iconic 1960s Horror film by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Anthony Perkins. The series ran for five seasons on A&E from 2013 to 2017, with the 10-episode first season airing in the spring of 2013. The main cast members in season 1 include Vera Farmiga, Freddie Highmore, Max Thieriot, Olivia Cooke, and Nicola Peltz. The recurring and supporting cast includes Nestor Carbonell, Mike Vogel, Keegan Connor Tracy, and Jere Burns. The series tells the story of a young Norman Bates (played by Highmore), who moves with his mother, Norma (played by Farmiga), from Arizona to White Pine Bay, Oregon, where she has purchased a property with a house and hotel out of Bankruptcy after the death of Norman's father. Throughout the season, we learn more about Norma and Norman's past, Norman's mental health issues (which, if you have seen the movie and any of the sequels, you already know about), and that the town and its residents have many secrets.

The blu-ray set is a two-disc set. The A/V quality is excellent, and the episodes look and sound great in HD. The bonus content includes deleted scenes on both discs (about 20 minutes on the first disc and a little under 10 minutes on the second) and a 45-minute interview/Q&A session with some cast members and two of the series' creators. 

The first season is very good. Because it is set in the modern day rather than being a pure prequel to the original film, the writers and cast members have more creative license to tell their own story. While there are certainly elements of Perkins' Norman Bates in Freddie Highmore's performance, he does not try to copy Perkins. Farmiga is outstanding as Norma, playing her as a mix of concerned, overprotected, and creepy when it comes to her relationship with Norman, and combative with almost everyone else. Thieriot is wonderful in his role, which is a bit of a spoiler, so I will not reveal it here, as is Cooke, who plays a friend and classmate of Norman's at his new school and works for Norma at the hotel. Ultimately, it is a great first season that is well-written and very well-acted. The writers do a great job not revealing too much about the various storylines, yet still revealing enough to satisfy the viewers. The series draws inspiration from shows like Twin Peaks and The Killing, so if you were a fan of either of those shows, and/or a fan of any of the films, this is absolutely worth watching.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Erin Brockovich

 

Erin Brockovich is a 2000 fictionalized biographical film about the legal assistant who helped build the toxic-tort case against Pacific Gas and Electric for groundwater contamination in Hinkley, California. It was directed by Steven Soderbergh and stars Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, Aaron Eckhart, and Marg Helgenberger in the main roles, and includes Cherry Jones, T.J. Thyne, and Tracey Walter in supporting roles. Brockovich and the attorney she worked for, Ed Masry, also have cameo appearances in the film.

In it, Roberts plays Erin Brockovich, an unemployed single mother who is injured in a car accident. She is referred to attorney Ed Masry (played by Finney), who assures her that he expects to win her case at trial. After a loss at trial, Erin shows up at his law firm and talks him into giving her a job. She begins working on a real estate case in which the owners of a power plant are offering to purchase a family's house in Hinkley, California. Brockovich discovers that the city's water is contaminated with toxic Chromium being used at the plant.

The 4k set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a standard blu-ray disc. Both discs contain the same content. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is very good. I would not call either the audio or video transfer reference-quality, but for a film that is dialogue-heavy and does not use computer-generated effects, it looks and sounds great, especially on a large screen with a good sound system. All bonus content is included on the UHD disc and carries over from the original Blu-Ray release. That includes deleted scenes that can be played with or without Soderbergh's commentary, a short interview with the real Erin Brockovich, a making-of featurette featuring interviews with cast members, as well as Brockovich and Ed Masry, the theatrical trailer, and two featurettes centered on the 100th anniversary of Universal Studios.

The film is well-written and very well-acted. It is arguably Roberts' best movie and role, and she absolutely deserved the Academy Award for best actress. It mixed humor and drama very effectively and balanced showing Erin Brockovich's complicated personal life with her devotion to the people she was trying to help. There is a lot of swearing, including a lot of sexual humor, but no nudity. The film is a fictionalized docu-drama. The film mostly stayed true to actual events, but some things were changed or added to the story for dramatic effect. Ultimately, it is a great film that is absolutely worth watching and adding to a physical media collection. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Frasier: Season 7

 

The 24-episode seventh season of Frasier aired during the 1999/2000 TV season. All of the main cast members returned for this season. The character of Bulldog was once again made a recurring character, so Dan Butler made fewer appearances this season than in the past couple of seasons. The guest cast this season includes Rita Wilson, Jane Adams, Marg Helgenberger, Jean Smart, Robert Loggia, S. Epatha Merkerson, and Anthony LaPaglia. There were fewer guest callers this season, as the show's focus was mostly outside the radio station. Gloria Estefan was the most recognizable caller this season. Bebe Neuwirth and Trevor Einhorn also reprised their roles as Lilith and Frederick in a great Thanksgiving episode. 

As of this writing, the Blu-Rays are only available in a complete series set. In the set, each season is packaged in its own keep case, and the seventh season has three discs. There are no bonus features on the seventh-season discs, but the episodes can be played with English captions. The individual seasons are available on DVD, and season 7 is a four-disc set with no bonus material.

The show remains very funny in season seven, with many laugh-out-loud moments. It continues to mix story-of-the-week procedural storylines with longer serial arcs. This season, the main serial arc involves Daphne's impending wedding to Simon, and the ongoing teasing of Niles and Daphne getting together. The writers keep finding ways to keep the characters apart; however, the season-ending scene takes a huge leap forward in advancing their storyline. David Hyde Pierce and Jane Leeves continue to be outstanding in their roles as Niles and Daphne, but all the characters are given great material this season, and all of the primary characters get at least one episode centered around them. Ultimately, if you have enjoyed the series up to this point, season 7 is well worth watching.

CD/Music Review: Anastacia: It's a Man's World

 

It's a Man's World, released in 2012, is Anastacia's fifth studio album. It is a collection of 10 cover songs sung by male rock artists. The songs include covers of The Foo Fighters' "Best of You", Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child o' Mine", Oasis' "Wonderwall", and Aerosmith's "Dream On". The physical CD was only released overseas, so you'll have to pay for an import if you want the actual CD. The album can be streamed in the US and includes a bonus track where she covers Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun". The CD liner includes the lyrics and production notes for each track, a few pictures of Anastacia, and a "Thank You" page. Anastacia does a great job covering all the songs on the album. She stays true to the original tracks and does not heavily adapt their arrangements. That said, she incorporates her own sound and style into each one so they are not just carbon copies of the original songs. Ultimately, if you are a fan of her prior albums, especially the more rock-oriented tracks on her prior albums, this is absolutely worth checking out. 

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Emily the Criminal

 

Emily the Criminal is a 2022 crime drama written and directed by John Patton Ford. It stars Aubrey Plaza and Theo Rossi. The supporting cast includes Megalyn Echikunwoke, Jonathan Avigdori, Bernardo Badillo, and Gina Gershon. In it, Plaza plays a woman named Emily who works as an independent contractor delivering food for a catering company, while barely making ends meet. Her coworker connects her with a "dummy shopper" service that runs a fraudulent credit card ring, promising $200 for an hour of work. After making a purchase without getting busted, she is offered the chance to return the next day to make a riskier purchase and earn $2000. She ends up getting sucked in deeper with the group, while falling for one of the leaders (played by Rossi), and soon finds herself in over her head.

The blu-ray release is very bare-bones. There are no bonus features, just the movie itself. The A/V quality is good, but since this is a lower-budget independent film, it did not get the type of transfer that a massive summer blockbuster does. That said, A/V quality is fine for a film that does not rely on CGI effects. 

The movie is good. It is well-acted and mostly well-written, although parts of the movie are a bit predictable. Plaza definitely shows her acting range with this part. Of course, she is most well-known for playing a very dry comedic role on Parks and Recreation, but she absolutely has dramatic acting chops and uses them well in this role. Ultimately, if you are a fan of independent dramas and/or are a fan of Aubrey Plaza, this is absolutely worth checking out. 

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Avatar: Fire and Ash (Steelbook)

 

Fire and Ash, released in 2025, is the third in what will now be at least five films in James Cameron's epic story of humans versus aliens set on the fictional moon, Pandora. For this installment, Cameron returns both as a co-writer, co-producer, and director. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, and Stephen Lang all return from the first two films, as do Joel David Moore, Giovanni Ribisi, and CCH Pounder (although their roles are much smaller in this film). Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Jermine Clement, Jamie Flatters, Bailey Bass, and Filip Geljo all reprise their roles from the second film. The primary additions to the cast for this movie include Oona Chaplin and David Thewlis, who play leaders of two newly introduced Na'vi clans. 

This film expands the plot of the second movie. In the bonus material, Cameron indicates that he originally envisioned a trilogy of films, but as the story evolved and expanded, they needed to split the second and third movies into two films, so (at least as of now, there will be five films. While the first two films focused on the RDA and the Na'vi, this film introduces a new warring Na'vi tribe, the Mangkwan, who also fight the Omaticaya and Metkayina clans. This movie has more character development and focuses a bit less on the symbiotic nature of the Na'vi with other life on the moon and on the moon itself (although that theme is still present). Much of this movie deals with the fallout from the events that ended the second film, and many of the relationships among the characters are fractured (at least to some extent). 

The steelbook release is a 4-disc set, including a UHD disc and two standard Blu-Ray discs. The UHD disc and the first standard Blu-Ray just contain the movie. The second standard Blu-Ray disc contains all the bonus content. Each disc has its own tab inside the case, so no discs need to be stacked on top of each other. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is outstanding (basically reference-quality for both audio and video), as you would expect with these films. The franchise continues to be on the cutting edge of motion-capture animation and computer-generated effects, so the Na'vi look less and less like animated characters, and the live-action and CGI blends pretty seamlessly. It is especially good if you have a large screen and a Dolby Atmos surround system. The bonus content includes a 13-part making-of documentary, which can be played all at once (and runs just under three hours) or individually by chapter. It features interviews with various members of the cast and crew, and walks through all aspects of the movie's production. Then, there is a 20-minute tribute to producer Jon Landau, who passed away in 2024, both theatrical trailers, the music video for the film's theme song, Dream as One, sung by Miley Cyrus, and RDA orientation videos that are supposedly shown to RDA personnel before they are sent to Pandora. The set also comes with a code to redeem a digital copy of the movie. Chances are, if the studio follows the same trend as with the first two films, there will be an expanded edition released later in the year with more bonus content and a longer runtime. So, you will have to decide whether you want to get this now or wait for a subsequent release. 

The movie is entertaining, but it is a bit long, and some of the content feels duplicative of the first two movies. You again get a huge final battle between the RDA and the Na'vi, and another huge fight between Jake and Quaritch (this time both as Na'vi). This one does not end on a cliffhanger, and there is no mid- or end-credits scene setting anything up for the next film. It definitely feels like the middle portion of a larger story, and you definitely need to see the first two films to follow what is going on in this one. You really have to look at these movies in a similar way to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings films: not everything will be told until the final movie. Ultimately, if you liked the first two films, you will probably enjoy this one.