Here you will find things about fitness and nutrition, mainly (but not exclusively) in relation to the Beachbody programs like P90x and Insanity. And, I will start adding reviews for Books, DVDs and Blu-Rays, and other products. All views and opinions on this blog are my own.
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.
Sunday, August 24, 2025
4k-UHD/Movie Review: The Crow (1994): Limited Edition Steelbook
Sunday, March 23, 2025
4k-UHD/TV Series Review: The Penguin
The 4k set is a three-disc set. The eight episodes are spread across the three discs. Each disc has bonus content, including the eight "Inside Gotham" segments that played after the episodes aired on Max and included interviews with the cast and showrunners about the events of the particular episodes. Then, there are several behind-the-scenes featurettes that range in length from a few minutes to just under ten minutes and cover different aspects of the series. The A/V quality of the episodes in the UHD format is outstanding.
The series is very well-written and acted. The writers do a great job with character development, especially for Oz, Sophia, and Victor (played by Feliz). They have to balance making Oz human and showing why he is a true villain. They do a fantastic job of making him almost sympathetic and then having him do something truly despicable to take all that sympathy away. Farrell is outstanding in the role of Oz, and Milioti is a tour-de-force as Sophia. While the show has the same look, tone, and feel as The Batman movie, it does not include Bruce Wayne/Batman, Selina Kyle/Catwoman, or Jim Gordon (although Selina is name-dropped), and we do see the Bat symbol in the sky in the final episode. It does have a lot of violence and swearing. It also has some suggestive sexual content but no nudity (although there are a couple of shots that get close to showing nudity). So, it is definitely not appropriate for young kids. If you liked The Batman movie, this is absolutely a must-watch. Even if you have not seen the film, the show provides enough context from the film to follow along with the story without getting lost. Ultimately, it is a wonderful series that is worth your time to watch.
Sunday, February 16, 2025
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Gotham Season 5
From the beginning, Gotham has been telling origin stories for the various characters that would eventually be part of the Batman universe. It has really been the first live-action telling of the story during the period from when Bruce Wayne's parents were killed until he becomes Batman. The show would have benefitted from a 10-season run to give David Mazouz time to grow up to a point where he could believably be Batman. Even though he got taller throughout the series's run, at age 19 (as he was during this season), he was still not very muscular, and he still looked like a teenager, so it was hard to buy him as being intimidating in the suit.
The final season picks up months after the events that ended season 4. For most of the season, up through episode 11, the show did its take on the "No Man's Land" story from the comics. It was a very different telling of that story from the version shown in The Dark Knight Rises, the final film of the Nolan Trilogy of movies. You must suspend disbelief to buy the story as a whole, given that a few bridges blowing up would not really be enough to keep help from coming in, getting people out, etc. That said, it was very well done and did provide a way to introduce Bane, played by Shane West, into the story. That part of the season was mostly about tying up that last storyline, introducing some new elements (such as the birth of Barbara Gordon, who will become Batgirl), and resolving storylines of the various villains.
The final episode does a time jump. It will not be giving anything away to say we see Batman in the final episode. That much was given away before the season even started. It was a decent series finale, but it did feel a bit too rushed. It should have been a two-hour finale with more interactions between the characters. After watching it again, I know why the showrunners made the choices in the final episode they did, but it may leave some people unsatisfied. The big controversy surrounding the final episode was recasting Selina and replacing Cameron Bicondova with Lilli Simmons (probably best known for the series Banshee). Bincondova has said that it was her choice not to play the older Selina, and to me, given Selina's role in the finale, it was not a huge deal.
Overall, I think the show did a good job with the shortened season and ultimately took the story where the writers and producers intended it to go. That said, I do think that because there were 10 fewer episodes than the usual 22 episodes, the writers were trying to pack a ton of material into the limited number of episodes to give all the characters a show that at least highlighted, if not was centered, around them, that it did not tell the story as well as it could have been told.
For those who get the blu-rays, the 12 episodes are on two discs. They are (thankfully) the blu-ray sets that allow you to play all and pick up where you leave off if you stop midway through an episode. The extras include deleted scenes from some episodes, a portion of the NY comic-con panel with some of the actors and producers, a 15-minute behind-the-scenes featurette on the final season, and a 38-minute featurette on various DC comic villains (not only from the show, but the other DC shows like Arrow, Flash, and Krypton). So, it has a pretty good amount of bonus content, especially considering how light some TV series sets being released on physical media these days are on bonus features.
Overall, it was a good show that had a pretty good run. I cannot say everyone will like how the show ended, but given that there was no guarantee that the show would even get a final season, I think they did the best they could with the number of shows they had to work with.
Tuesday, December 3, 2024
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Luke Cage Season 1
The show is well-written and acted. While Mike Colter does much of the heavy lifting, the rest of the cast comprises many great actors, some great character actors and others of more notability. It is a true ensemble cast, however, because when the show aired (and arguably even now), none were really A-list actors (although Mahershala Ali is getting close). While set in NY like the other Netflix shows, it tells its own story and has its own feel.
The Blu-Ray set is a four-disc set. The A/V quality is good, but the set is light on extras. It is a bit more than a MOD set, though, as it has a 22-minute roundtable discussion with some of the cast members with interview clips of the showrunners. It was not bad for what was included, but it was not a ton of material. If you are a fan of Daredevil and Jessica Jones, this is definitely worth checking out.
Friday, November 15, 2024
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Daredevil Season 2
Like season 1, the show is very violent. There are many fight scenes and lots of blood, not to mention language and sex that you do not get in the MCU movies or Agents of Shield. So, it is definitely a more adult show. It continues to be well-written and acted, and with just 13 episodes the season goes by quickly. For those who get the blu-rays, it is just a MOD set. There are no extras or bonus material. So, really, the only reason to get the discs is if you have a collection of the other movies and TV shows and just want this to have it complete or are one of those who prefer physical media over streaming. But, if you only get discs with a lot of bonus material and extra features, you will probably just want to stream this.
Monday, October 21, 2024
DVD/TV Series Review: The Gifted Season 2
The 16-episode second season of The Gifted aired during the 2018/2019 TV season. It ended up being the series' final season, as it was canceled without getting a full season run. It is a bittersweet end because the season was very good, and the writers were clearly setting up a third season that would have taken the show in a different direction, but the show was canceled after the season aired. However, it provided a decent ending to the initial storyline that was the focus of season one.
This season can best be summed up by mutants vs. mutants vs. humans. One team of mutants consisted of the inner circle, formed after Lorna and Andy decided to go with the triplets and split from the mutant underground. Both groups faced a threat from a group of anti-mutant humans, eventually led by Jace after his dismissal from sentinel services, who are basically a group of vigilantes who hunt down mutants. Peter Gallagher (of The OC and Covert Affairs) comes in part-way through the season to play an anti-mutant television personality who stirs up trouble. In large part, the entire season is a metaphor for today's political climate.
Every episode provides a back story for each main character told through flashbacks. It is the main vehicle for character development this season. I will not give too much of the story away, but the crux of the season is about stopping an all-out war between mutants and humans.
The DVD set is a four-disc set. It is a basic MOD set with no extras of any kind and no subtitles. The set has 16 episodes, which can be played individually or in a play-all mode. So, the only reason to get this is if you bought season one on DVD and want it to have both seasons. Otherwise, there is no benefit that you will get with the DVDs versus streaming the show.
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Smallville Season 9
This season saw its share of notable guest stars, including Julian Sands, Brian Austin Green, Pam Grier, Annette O'Toole (reprising her role as Martha), and Michael McKean, reprising his role as Perry White. The season ends on a few cliffhangers and definitely sets up some storylines for the final season.
The Blu-Ray set is a four-disc set. The show looks and sounds great in HD for those who get the Blu-Ray discs. The extras include deleted scenes for many episodes, commentary tracks on a couple of episodes, a feature on Zod, and a feature on the two-part Justice Society of America episode. A decent amount for those who enjoy going through the bonus material. Even though the show definitely felt near the end of its run, the fact that all the old storylines were finally wrapped up and the show is set more in Metropolis than in Smallville, it felt like some new life was injected into the series this season. Having Zod as the big bad throughout the season made Lex's absence less noticeable. Although, the show was still not the same after Michael Rosenbaum's departure. It is definitely worth picking up the set, though.
Tuesday, September 10, 2024
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Smallville Season 8
The season picks up 4 weeks after the events of the season 7 finale with Lex having confronted Clark in the fortress. We find out that Lex and Clark are missing, with the members of the Justice League (with Justin Hartley now upped to series regular) searching for Clark and the new acting CEO of Luthorcorp, Tess Mercer (played by Cassidy Freeman), looking for Lex. We find out that Jor-el took away Clark's powers and destroyed the fortress so Lex could not control him. Needless to say, Clark is found and Lex remains a shadowy figure in the background for most of the season. I will not go into too much detail to avoid spoiling the season for the handful of people reading this who may not have seen it yet, but there is definitely a big bad that threatens everyone, and we get to see Smallville's take on the Legion of Superheros and the Suicide Squad (although the show calls them the injustice league). There are fewer notable guest stars this season than in prior seasons, although fans of the current Flash series will recognize Jessica Parker Kennedy, who played Barry and Iris' daughter Nora West Allen, and Tori Spelling reprised her role as Linda Lake in one of the episodes toward the middle of the season.
The Blu-Ray set is a four-disc set, and the show looks and sounds great in the HD format. The extras are much like the prior seasons. Deleted scenes for most episodes, commentary tracks on a couple of episodes, a feature on the season's big bad, a feature on Alison Mack's directorial debut, and a feature on the episode Legion. As was the case with the season 6 and 7 Blu-Ray sets, there is not an episode menu screen that will allow you to choose which episodes you want to watch. All the episodes play in a play-all mode when the disc loads, and then the extras menu loads once all the episodes play (or you hit the disc menu button). But, you can pick up where you left off even if you stop in the middle of an episode and turn your player off.
Overall, the season is very good. It ties up all the storylines from the Smallville setting and moves the story primarily to Metropolis. There are a handful of scenes at the Kent Farm and the Luthor Mansion, but most of the action occurs in the city. The acting and writing are both very good this season, with Cassidy Freeman doing an outstanding job in the role of Tess Mercer. The character was definitely a "replacement" for Lex, but the writers did a good job not making the character a carbon copy of Lex, and she did not try to emulate Rosenbaum's performance. While I still think the show was getting a bit long in the tooth, and any of the seasons from 7-10 could have ended the show, I think its direction in this season gave it a bit of new life. Erica Durance really expanded her role as Lois, including an episode where she had to play Chole in Lois's body and nailed it. Allison Mack was also great (again) in her role as Chole. She has been a standout really in every season, and everyone in the commentary tracks and bonus featurettes went out of their way to praise her acting and her work directing the episode she directed this season it makes her post-Smallville life choices all the more baffling.
Overall, if you liked the prior seasons, you will probably like this one unless Lex or Lionel Luthor were your favorite characters. The show suffered a bit without Michael Rosenbaum as Lex, but it pulled off his absence about as well as possible. The show continued to develop even the original characters and did a good job working the new characters into the story. Overall, I think season 8 was a much stronger season than seasons 6 and 7 and is definitely worth checking out.
Sunday, September 8, 2024
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Smallville Season 7
There would be more cast turnover this year, with Annette O'Toole leaving the series as a series regular at the end of Season 6. Her character became a federal senator and moved to Washington, DC. Aaron Ashmore was promoted to a series regular as Jimmy Olson, Justin Hartley continued as a recurring character playing Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, James Marsters recurred in his role as Brainiac, and Phil Morris recurred as Martian Manhunter. The big addition to the cast was Laura Vandervoort, playing Kara Zor-El, otherwise known as Clark's cousin Supergirl. This would also be the final season for both Michael Rosenbaum and Kristen Kreuk as well as showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. This season's notable guest stars included Dean Cain (the last live-action Superman/Clark Kent before Tom Welling), Christina Milian, Mark McClure (who played Jimmy Olson in the original movies), Sam Jones reprising his role as Pete, Aaron Douglas (of Battlestar Galactica playing a different role than his role in season 1), and Helen Slater, who was the first to play Supergirl in live action in the early 1980s movie. And, in keeping with the show's tradition, this year's visiting band was One Republic.
The Blu-Ray set is a six-disc set. The series continues to look and sound great in HD. The extras include commentary tracks on a couple of episodes, deleted scenes for most episodes, an animated feature on Supergirl, very similar to the one on Green Arrow in the extras for season 6, and a roundtable discussion with some of the different actors who played Jimmy Olson, including Aaron Ashmore, Mark McClure, Sam Huntington (who played Jimmy in the 2006 movie Superman Returns), and Jack Larson. Basically, all the actors who played Jimmy in live-action except for Michael Landes and Justin Whalin, who played Jimmy on Lois and Clark.
Overall, the season was good, with some great moments. But this was really the first season that it felt like the show was hanging on too long. It helped that some of the storylines got wrapped up, and the show definitely was set up to go in a new direction after the events of the season finale. The writing and acting were very good with both Michael Rosenbaum and Allison Mack shining in their portrayals of Lex and Chloe, respectively. I always thought Mack would go on to be a star after Smallville and definitely would not have pegged her for joining a cult. The show had really changed from the early seasons by this point, so if you were a die-hard fan of the first couple of seasons I cannot guarantee that you would like this one as much. But, generally, I would say if you have liked the show up to this point, you will probably like it this season.
Saturday, September 7, 2024
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Smallville Season 6
I will not go into too much of the storylines to avoid spoiling the few people who may not have seen the series yet. The only hints that I will give are that there continues to be more cast turnover as Annette O'Toole would leave the show as a series regular after this season, and the show sets up her exit storyline about 2/3 of the way through the season. Overall, the show moves more and more away from the setting of Smallville to Metropolis, with the Daily Planet becoming more of a base of operations for Clark and Chloe.
The Blu-Ray set is a four-disc set. The A/V quality is very good, and the show looks and sounds excellent in the high-definition format. The extras include deleted scenes for most episodes, a feature on the character of Green Arrow, a series of very rough animated episodes detailing Oliver's turn into Green Arrow, and comic sequences that extended some of the storylines. A decent amount for those who like going through the bonus features. The only quirky thing about the Blu-Ray release is that there is no real episode menu that allows you to select the episodes one-by-one. The first episode on each disc starts playing once the disc loads and if you hit the menu button it just takes you to the screen with the bonus material. But, if you stop before watching all the episodes on the disc, it will allow you to pick up where you left off, even in the middle of an episode.
Overall, the season is very good. It is definitely a season that transitions from some of the old storylines to set up new ones. All of the actors do a great job with their characters, and the writers do a great job balancing the storylines for the large ensemble cast. Each of the main cast members gets at least one stand-out episode. Michael Rosenbaum and Tom Welling both take a turn at directing episodes this season. Allison Mack is yet again great in her role as Chole (again making the craziness that her personal life turned into after the series ended all the more baffling and sad), and Erica Durance does a great job making Lois her own. In fact, of all the versions of Lois that have been in live-action, hers has arguably been the best of them. The only storyline that I did not really care for was the Clark-Lana-Lex love triangle, but thankfully that was resolved by the end of the season. It is definitely worth picking up.
Friday, September 6, 2024
DVD/TV Series Review: Smallville Season 5
The show pays off on the prior season's storyline, showing the Fortress of Solitude payoff to the whole story of the cave and the key from Clark's ship, continues to work toward Smallville's version of the Justice League, with Aquaman making an appearance this season, and sets up the next major "big bad". And, of course, this is the season that Chole finally knows about Clark, although she is not the only person who has discovered Clark's secret. This season also sees the first major cast member departing and being written off (the second if you really considered Pete Ross to be a major character, I personally viewed the character as more of a high-school buddy/ sidekick of Clark as opposed to a major character). The 12th episode of the season also marked the show's 100th episode, and it marked a major turning point for the season and the series.
The DVD set is a six-disc set with the bonus features and episodes spread across the discs. The extras include deleted scenes for most episodes, commentary tracks on a couple of episodes, including the much-panned (even by the showrunners) "vampire" themed episode, and a thirty-minute behind-the-scenes feature on making the 100th episode. A decent amount of extras for those who like watching them.
Overall, the season is very good. There are some great and not-so-great episodes (see the aforementioned vampire-themed episode). Apparently, the network wanted the show to do more themed episodes during the season, and the vampire episode was one and pretty much a dud, while the Chrismas episode, which did a version of It's a Wonderful Life for Lex, was great. I would say that chances are if you enjoyed the prior seasons, you will likely enjoy this one. If you did not like the prior seasons, you may or may not like this one. It just depends on what you did not like about the prior seasons. If you were not a big fan of the "freak of the week" episodes from the first few seasons, those took a big step back this season. The show was much more about the large, intertwined story arcs. If however, you were not a fan of the main characters, then you will still probably not like the show this season.
Wednesday, September 4, 2024
DVD/TV Series Review: Smallville Season 4
The season continues to interweave the story of the week episodes within the larger themes of the season, mainly being the story involving three stones with Kryptonian symbols on them. The series continues to get a strong lineup of guest stars including Michael Ironside, Eric Johnson (reprising his role as Whitney in a flashback), Peyton List, Cobie Smulders, Jane Seymour (who has a major recurring role), Sarah Carter (reprising her role as a powered love interest for Clark, and Chris Carmack who guest-starred in an episode which to sharp-eyed observers from MN used the Twin Cities skyline as a backdrop. The show also brought in Margot Kidder, who of course played Lois in the movies, for appearances in a couple of episodes. Her appearance in the first episode was supposed to be done by Christopher Reeve, who had a scheduling conflict during filming and then passed away early into the airing of the season. His death was written into one of the episodes with the character of Virgil Swann dying off-screen leaving a last message for Clark. And, for early 2000s music fans, the band Lifehouse, whose songs appeared more than once on the show, played the senior prom.
The DVD set is a six-disc set. The extras included for this season's release are similar to what was on the DVD sets for the first few seasons. There are commentary tracks on select episodes, deleted scenes for most episodes, a feature on Lois Lane, which included all the living actresses who had played Lois, except for Teri Hatcher, and a feature on the writers of the show and the process they go through to write an episode. A good amount for those who like to go through the extras.
Overall, the series continued to be very strong, weaving in elements of the Superman Mythos, yet keeping its own spin on things. Characters advanced, especially Lex and Chole, and the show managed to weave in a decent amount of humor (mostly in the Lois-Clark interactions). The show also moved away from the high school element with really only a few episodes really focused on the school at all. The show also got around the loose "no tights, no flights" rule again, this time more creatively than the first couple of times. Clark's secret was also discovered by more people, some who conveniently forgot others who unknown to Clark do not. There was a great Lex centric episode that really displayed Michael Rosenbaum's acting chops, and Allison Mack continued to shine as Chole all throughout the season (again making her post-Smallville life even more sad because she should have been able to use her role on the show to springboard to much more). The finale sets up the next season's "big-bad" and again leaves characters in some Jeopardy. Overall, if you were a fan of the first few seasons, this one is definitely worth checking out.
Tuesday, September 3, 2024
DVD/TV Series Review: Smallville Season 3
The season again hosts a bevy of notable guest stars, including the aforementioned Rutger Hauer, as well as Jesse Metcalf, the returning Shawn Ashmore and Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Ian Somerhalder (who has a recurring role, mostly involving Lana), Missy Peregrym, Martin Cummins, Megan Ory, Sarah Carter, and a very young Adrienne Palicki. Christopher Reeve also makes what would be his last appearance as Virgil Swan. And, for those who were relatively young during the show's original run, most will appreciate the early 2000s soundtrack that the series boasts.
Overall, the series is clearly transitioning from the "high school" life of the characters (which ultimately is good given that Tom Welling was about 27 during the filming of the third season, 10 years older than Clark was on the show) to the early adult life of the characters. This season would see the first of the main cast turnover, with Sam Jones leaving at the end of the season. Really, his character is the only one that had very little to do and almost no development during the season. And, since the gig as Clark's sidekick was pretty played out, it was probably the right time for him to move on. The series gets a bit darker this season and closer in tone to today's DC series. The acting and writing are top-notch, and the special effects improved.
The DVD set is a six-disc set. For extras, there are commentary tracks on select episodes, with Michael Rosenbaum and Allison Mack being the standout contributors from the cast, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and volume 2 of The Chole Chronicles, which is part live-action and part comic book stills, going through a side story not seen in the show, and adding a bit to one of the episodes. As good as Mack is it still amazes me how her life spiraled after the show ended because looking at how much she contributed to the show and the extras, and how good she was at all of them, she was, of all the main cast members, the one who could be predicted to have a great post-Smallville career.
While I cannot say that the show will appeal to everyone if you are a fan of the Superman mythos or superhero shows or movies in general, it is definitely worth checking out. The extras are good enough that picking up the physical discs makes it worth it (for those who prefer physical media).
Monday, September 2, 2024
DVD/TV Series Review: Smallville Season 2
The DVD set is a six-disc set. The extras include deleted scenes for select episodes, a gag reel, two commentary tracks on the Red Kryptonite episode (one with the showrunners and one with Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum, Kristen Kreuk, and one of the writers), and a commentary track with the showrunners on the episode that Christopher Reeve appeared. There is also a feature on the Superman mythology and multiple short featurettes under the heading "The Chole Chronicles," which basically features Chole investigating/interviewing background characters.
Overall, the season is a solid follow-up to season one. All the actors are more seasoned and the show shifted slightly away from the weekly high-school drama. There is the obligatory love triangle story between Chole, Clark, and Lana, with the writers trying to stretch out getting any characters into an actual relationship as much as possible. Allison Mack continued to do a great job as Chole, which makes her post-Smallville life even crazier as she should have gone on to have a much longer career after the show ended. Sam Jones is given a bit more to do other than just being Clark's sidekick, and Jonathan and Martha are given more extensive storylines, which are independent of just raising Clark. Michael Rosenbaum continues to shine as a version of Lex, who is somewhere between a loyal friend who wants to be a good person and the evil mastermind he is destined to become. Ultimately, I would say that if you liked season one, you will likely like (or love) this season even more. If you were a bit lukewarm to season one, the second season improved on the first season enough that it is worth sticking with the show.
Sunday, September 1, 2024
DVD/TV Series Review: Smallville Season 1
The pilot starts with Clark's ship crash landing, but the twist is that it occurs as a part of a metro shower in which the remnants of Krypton fall to earth and decimate the town. It also spreads meteor rocks (aka Kryptonite) all over Smallville, which is basically the cause of all the weird happenings in the town since that day. The first season is about establishing the characters and Clark's role as a protector. It was basically him going against a Kryptonite-powered "freak of the week," but there was a larger arc involving Clark and Lex. Lex has been banished to Smallville to run a Luther Corp fertilizer plant by his father Lionel (played by John Glover) after Lex has been in too much trouble in Metropolis. In this version, Lex and Clark are friends, with Lex being an "older brother" type of influence on Clark, who also believes that Clark is hiding something.
In addition to the main ensemble cast, the show boasts a host of guest stars, including many who would go on to be quite famous before they made it big. Some recognizable guest stars in the first season include Lizzy Caplan, Amy Adams, Tony Todd, Kelly Brook, Azura Skye, Shawn Ashmore, Evangeline Lilly, and Adam Brody. Fans of the Battlestar Galactica remake will also recognize Aaron Douglas and fans of The Wonder Years will recognize Dan Lauria, the dad from that show.
The DVD set is a six-disc set. The extras include commentary tracks on the pilot and second episodes of the season from the show's creators, deleted scenes on those two episodes, and an interactive tour of Smallville showing the main locations in the show. It is not an extensive amount of extras, but what was included is good.
Overall, the show is well-written and acted, especially given how many unknown actors made up the main cast. In my opinion, Michael Rosenbaum did the best job of all the live-action Lex Luthors, having a balance of wanting to be a good person but being so ambitious he will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. So, he does not just have to play an evil mastermind like Hackman in the movies, John Shea in Lois and Clark, and even Jon Cryer in Supergirl has to play. Allison Mack also did a great job as Chloe, making her post-Smallville life even sadder because she had the potential to have a great career based on her work on the show, especially in later seasons. While those two really stood out to me, the entire cast does a great job. Welling plays a young Clark well, doing a similar balance that Lex does, but in his case, he has to balance wanting to use his abilities to help people against wanting to have a normal life and be a normal kid.
It can be argued that this show launched the "Arrowverse" currently playing on the CW. Of course, there have been many live-action superhero shows from the 1950s (Superman), 1960s (Batman), 1970s (Wonder Woman), and 1990s (Flash and Lois and Clark). But unlike Smallville, which had a 10-season run, most of those shows only lasted a few seasons (at most). Had Smallville not been as successful as it was (given on a smaller network, the WB, which eventually became the CW), Arrow would not have been made. The Arrowverse should really be called the Smallvilleverse. While you do not get the whole Superman effect (there was a strict "no-tights, no-flights" policy that the showrunners stuck to for most of the show's duration (especially in the early seasons), so Clark is not flying around the town in a cape. The show also sports a great early 2000s soundtrack.
If you are a fan of the current Arrowverse group of shows, this is a must-watch. Likewise, if you are a fan of the Superman mythology overall, it gives a good backstory that is really only glossed over in the movies. I definitely recommend it.
Friday, August 30, 2024
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Krypton Season 2
This season introduces Lobo (played by Emmett Scanlan) as a new character and incorporates more of Doomsday (who was teased at the end of Season 1). The Doomsday storyline includes a back-story for him, showing why the blood of a Zod and an El was needed to release him from the containment. There are also expanded roles for characters like Kem and Nyssa from their more supporting season one roles. The season finale was definitely setting up a third season that would have included more of Lobo and revolved heavily around Nyssa and Seg.
Overall, the season was very good but incomplete because Sy-Fy pulled the rug out from under the show and canceled it after the season was completed. It was an original show that was not tied into the "Arrowverse" shows (although Cameron Cauffe was apparently approached to have a cameo in the Crisis on Infinite Earths mega cross-over, but could not appear due to scheduling), and told a great story. With the proviso that it leaves the fate of a major character up in the air and is likely to never be resolved, it is definitely worth checking out.
Wednesday, August 28, 2024
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Krypton Season 1
One of the big themes of the first season was Krypton’s class system. The planet was being led basically by a combination of the Church (by the Voice of Rao) and the Military (Led by members of the Houses of Zod and Vex). The arrival of Brainiac (played by Blake Ritson) throws the leadership in disarray. The House of El is ostracized, and Seg is trying to redeem his family’s honor, protect the ones he loves, and save the planet. The series also introduces the time-traveler from Earth, Adam Strange (played by Shaun Sipos), who warns Seg of the threat to his grandson.
The Blu-Ray set is a two-disc set. It does have extras, including deleted scenes, making-of features, and a part of the comic-con panel with Cameron Cuffe and the showrunners. There is a decent amount of material if you like the extras. And the show looks and sounds great in HD.
Overall, the show is very good. Because it is on basic cable, it can get away with more violence and swearing than other DC shows. There are some sexual situations, but no outright nudity. So, it is definitely a more adult show. The supporting cast is solid and includes unknown actors and actresses like Wallis Day and Georgina Campbell, as well as recognizable character actors like Colin Salon and Elliot Cowan. The writing and acting are both very strong, and the season ends on a big cliffhanger going into season two. If you are a fan of the other DC shows, it is definitely worth checking out.
Wednesday, August 21, 2024
4k-UHD/Movie Review: Spiderman: Far from Home
Spiderman: Far From Home is one of the 2019 films in the massive MCU slate of movies. It stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Marissa Tomei, and Jon Favreau (reprising their roles as Peter Parker, MJ, Ned, May, and Happy). It also features MCU alumni Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders (in smaller roles) and brings in Jake Gyllenhaal as the film's antagonist, Quentin Beck/Mysterio. It picks up months after Endgame when the world knows Iron Man, Black Widow, and Vision (and thinks Captain America) are all dead. The snap is referred to in the movie as "the blip" because the people who were snapped out of existence came back to the same place they were instantaneously, as far as they were concerned. May (who, of course, learned Peter's secret at the end of Homecoming) and Peter are using his identity as Spiderman for charitable fundraising, and he is getting ready to go on a summer trip to Europe with his class and has an entire plan to tell MJ how he feels about her. In the process, Peter gets sucked into a mission from Nick Fury involving the character Mysterio, played by Jake Gyllenhall. I will not say too much about the movie itself to keep from giving too much away, even though the trailer gave away a lot, both with footage that ended up in the film and footage that was cut. However, I will say it strikes a good balance between mourning Endgame's events and the first movie's comedic elements. The writing and acting were again great, and it sets up a lot of what is to come.
The 4K set is a two-disc set that includes a UHD disc and a regular Blu-Ray disc. The AV quality of the movie in UHD is wonderful, and it looks and sounds great as you would expect. The extras include previews that play after the disc loads before the main menu pops up. There are some different previews on the 4k disc vs. the regular blu-ray disc, which has all the other extras on it. Then there are deleted/alternate scenes, a gag reel, and multiple behind-the-scenes and making-of clips. It amounts to a little over an hour's worth of material. Overall, it is an excellent continuation of the MCU storyline. Thankfully, the spat between Sony and Disney was resolved so Spiderman stays in the MCU because the movie was clearly setting up a direction for the character which would have had to be scrapped if Marvel lost the rights again. I definitely recommend it.
Saturday, August 17, 2024
4k-UHD/Movie Review: Avengers Endgame
The 4K set is a three-disc set with a UHD disc and two regular Blu-Ray discs. The UHD disc only includes the movie, which looks and sounds outstanding in the UHD format. One of the regular Blu-Rays has the movie with an intro by the directors and can be played with a commentary track featuring the directors and writers of the film. The other regular Blu-Ray disc has all of the extras. There are seven different featurettes, the longest of which is a featurette on Captain America, and the shortest of which is about Thor. Then, there are about five minutes of deleted scenes and a short gag reel. If you are a fan of the other movies, this is a must-get. It is one of the best (if not the best) of the entire group of 23 movies. It is well-written and acted that is funny at times, emotional at times, and action-packed from start to finish. It is a good send-off for some characters and a good reset point for others. I will not spoil which characters fit into which category, but chances are anyone who has read about the future plans (or attended comic-con) will know.
Friday, August 9, 2024
DVD/TV Series Review: Batman Beyond: The Complete Series
It is a very different series from the original Batman series. Kevin Conroy returns as an old (and even more grizzly) Bruce Wayne but really fills the Alfred role for Terry McGinnis. He does a great job with the voice work again, just as he did in the original series. The series also has tie-ins with both the original Batman series, as well as the animated Superman series. The time jump is a bit weird because the original animated Batman series looked like it was set in the 1940s or 1950s, and part of this series looks like it was set in the mid to late 1990s with CD Rom and cell phone technology, but then also has flying cars and makes Gotham look like a futuristic Toyko or Bejing. They never do nail down when it was supposed to be taking place, and all the showrunners said in the bonus material is that it was set 50 years after whenever the original series was. There is no actual series finale in this set. It just ended with a regular episode. The real wrap-up to the series was done on an episode of Justice League Unlimited, which actually aired after this series but is set earlier in time when Bruce Wayne was still young.
The DVD set is an eight-disc set with three seasons spread across the 8 discs. There are two discs for the 13-episode first and third seasons and 4 for the 26-episode second season. There is also a bonus disc that has a couple other show-specific features and then an hour-and-a-half-long documentary on the history of DC Comics and all that had spanned from it, including the TV series and movies (up to about 2008). The other extras are commentary tracks for some of the episodes, some making-of featurettes, which were interviews with the producers of the show, and trailers for some of the other animated shows and movies. Thankfully, there are no double-sided discs like there were for the Superman series. A good amount of bonus material for what is included.