Reviews, Health, and Other Stuff: 300

Welcome

Welcome to my ever-evolving blog. It started out as a blog on Beachbody workouts and products, mainly when I was a Beachbody coach. I no longer coach, not because I don't believe in Beachbody's programs (I subscribe to Beachbody on Demand and use their workouts every day), I am just not a salesperson and hated that aspect of it. I am more than willing to answer questions about my experiences with their products and the various workouts, and I feel freer to do so without the appearance of giving a biased review of something.

I have also started adding reviews for various things I have purchased like movies, books, CDs, and other products. This was brought about by a fight with Amazon in which all of my reviews were removed over a completely bullshit allegation that I posted a review that violated their terms of service. After going back and forth with the morons in the community-reviews department (even after they admitted that my posts did not violate their guidelines) they restored my account (which took them six months to do), but I have been posting my reviews on my blog to have them preserved in case something like that happens again. And here, I will post uncensored reviews so I will swear from time to time and post reviews that may be longer than Amazon's character limit. Everything I post here on any topic or product is my personal opinion, and I take no compensation for any product reviews I post. I am a member of Amazon's vine program and because I get those products for free, I keep those reviews on Amazon only, but everything I have purchased with my own money, whether from Amazon or some other store/website/outlet, I will post here.

I also plan to do some longer blog posts on various topics, such as how to learn physics, how to get through calculus, and longer reviews of workout programs as I do them. Basically, whatever strikes me as interesting at the time. As you can see if you navigate around the blog, I had many years in between postings. During that time I was going back to school to get an engineering degree, and learning material that I avoided my first time through college was a different experience and one that gave me a lot of insight into how to do well in those classes, which I will try to impart here for those who are looking to get a science or engineering degree.

Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: 300

300 is a movie that very loosely interprets the battle of Sparta between 300 Spartan warriors against the invading Persian army directed by Zack Snyder and starring Gerald Butler, Michael Fassbender, Dominic West, and Lena Headey (among others). This is not, and was never meant to be, a historically accurate version of the 300 Spartans. While it is based on an actual event, it is an adaptation of a graphic novel version of the story. There is a lot of action and over-the-top violence as well as some sexual content and nudity. Personally, I think the best performances in the movie come from Dominic West and Lena Headey.

For those who get the Blu-Ray, the A/V quality (for the initial release anyway) is very good. The visuals really pop and the special effects look authentic. The extras include a commentary track on the movie by Zack Snyder, several making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and trailers. Ultimately, if you are looking for accuracy or a documentary with an accurate representation of the Battle of Thermopylae, this is not it. If you are looking for an action movie with great visuals, good fight sequences, and good acting, you will probably find this to be entertaining and worth the time to watch.

Thursday, July 28, 2022

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: 300: Rise of an Empire

300: Rise of an Empire is set partly during the events of the original movie and mostly after the stand of King Leonidis. It is centered around Themistocles (played by Sullivan Stapleton probably best known for the series Blindspot and Strike Back) and tells a fictionalized version of the Battle of Artemisium and the Battle of Salamis, in which the Greek and Persian Navies did battle. The Persian navy is commanded by Artemisia (played by Eva Green of Casino Royale and Penny Dreadful). Lena Headey, Peter Mensah, David Wenham, Andrew Tiernan, Andrew Pleavin, and Rodrigo Santoro all reprise their roles from the first film. Heady as Queen Gorgo has a larger role in this movie than she did in 300, and Rodrigo Santoro as King Xerxes is more involved in this movie (meaning less of a background character) than he was in the first one.

For those who get the Blu-Ray, the A/V quality is outstanding and there are quite a few extras. Those include about 35 minutes worth of making-of material (broken up into four featurettes), a 20-minute documentary on the real historical figures, and a short featurette on the actor's training regimen to prepare for filming the movie.

As the first movie was, this one is very violent with a lot of over-the-top dismemberment and killing. It uses a lot of slow-motion action, which does get a bit irritating sometimes. There is also quite a bit of sex and nudity, mostly involving Green who is never shy about nudity (or does not seem to be anyway). Of course, it is not a documentary so it does take liberty with, and embellishes real-life events. So, the movie is not going to give you a true history lesson, nor does it try to. It is just meant to be a blockbuster action movie that is loosely based on something that happened in history. The writing is okay, but the overall story is not as good as it was in the original movie, and the acting is good. Green is really the standout as Artemisia playing her as a ruthless and cunning warrior who counts on men to underestimate her. While I cannot say that everyone, even people who really liked the first movie, will love this, if you are a fan of action movies and do not try to overanalyze it, it is enjoyable.