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.
Friday, September 5, 2025
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Black Sails: Season 2
Tuesday, August 19, 2025
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Black Sails: Season 1
The blu-ray set is a three-disc set. The A/V quality is terrific, with the episodes looking and sounding great in the HD format. All the bonus features, which consist of several making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes. The longest is a nine-minute inside look at the series. The rest are shorter (ranging from a minute and a half to about three minutes). All totaled, the bonus content runs a little less than half an hour.
The series has an excellent mix of action and drama. There are a lot of characters and several storylines going on, and it can be hard to keep everything straight, especially if you have it on in the background. It is absolutely not a family-friendly show, as it has a lot of violence, sexual content, nudity, and adult language. The series does not have wall-to-wall action; indeed, in many episodes, there is minimal action and almost all political maneuvering. However, when it does include action, the action sequences are exceptionally well done. Ultimately, if you are a fan of pirate stories and/or the real-life history of the region, it is worth watching.
Monday, March 31, 2025
4k-UHD/Movie Review: Babygirl
The 4k release is a single-disc UHD release. The movie looks and sounds fantastic in the UHD format. The extras include a commentary track on the film by Rejin, which provides a lot of insight into the story and the filming process, some behind-the-scenes material, and deleted scenes. The movie is good, but it will definitely not appeal to everyone. It has a lot of sexual content, some nudity (much of the sex is covered up, but there are some nude scenes including topless and butt shots of Kidman), and a lot of swearing. Kidman does a great job playing a character who is not very emotive, which packs a punch the few times she expresses emotion. Despite having some star power, the film feels more like an indie movie than a big-budget blockbuster. Ultimately, it is a good film, so it is worth watching if those things do not dissuade you.
Saturday, March 8, 2025
DVD/Movie Review: Ammonite
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Blu-Ray/Movie Review: City of Angels
Sunday, February 16, 2025
DVD/TV Series Review: Bull: Season 6
DVD/TV Series Review: The Good Doctor Season 2
The 18-episode second season aired during the 2018/2019 TV season. It picks up shortly after the events of the first season, with Glassman having resigned as president of the hospital because of his brain cancer diagnosis and Dr. Andrews taking over. Shaun is obsessively "helping" Glassman through his treatment and continues his struggle to fit in as a surgeon and as a member of the surgical team.
There are some cast shake-ups this season, with some characters leaving and others getting a more expanded role or upped to series regulars. Most of the main cast members, including Freddie Highmore, Antonia Brown, Paige Spara, Richard Schiff, Hill Harper, and Nicholas Gonzalez, all return. Chuku Modu's character is written out, and Fiona Gubelmann, Chistina Chang, and Will Yun Lee all have expanded roles. Daniel Dae Kim, who is an executive producer of the show, has a guest-starring arc about 2/3 of the way through the season, which shakes up things for everyone at the hospital. The show does a good job of providing the large ensemble cast with good material to work with and providing depth and development to the characters. We learn more about the backstories of Dr. Park, Dr. Lim, and, to a lesser extent, Dr. Reznick and Dr. Melendez. The season ends not so much on any cliffhangers for the characters but more as a set-up for big season-three storylines.
The DVD set is a five-disc set. The extras include deleted or extended scenes for most episodes, which are included as special features on each disc. Then, there is a gag reel and a handful of short behind-the-scenes features on the final disc. Excluding the deleted scenes, there are about 20 minutes of material and 45 minutes, give or take, if you include the deleted scenes. So, it has a decent amount of extras compared to what is being put out with the ever-fewer series that get physical media releases. One thing to keep in mind if you are in the United States is that only seasons 1-3 received a Region 1 release on DVD. The remaining seasons are available in Region 2 releases, so you need a Region 2 or Region-free DVD or Blu-Ray player to watch those (and likely pay a higher price for the DVD sets).
Thursday, February 13, 2025
DVD/TV Series Review: Bull Season 4
The show continues to use a mostly procedural case-of-the-week format. The writers juggle the storylines for the large cast well, giving every character either a storyline or at least an episode centered on them. There is much less focus on TAC's jury selection process this season. In fact, it is skipped in some episodes, which generally makes the episodes flow better. The writers also tackle some real-world topics like the college admissions scandal and the myriad of high-profile sexual abuse/harassment cases, which is kind of ironic given the allegations made by Eliza Dushku against Weatherly after her recurring role in prior seasons.
The DVD set is a four-disc set. The extras include commentary tracks on the first episode and the episode that Weatherly directed. Then, there is a 15-minute behind-the-scenes featurette featuring interviews with the cast and crew, mainly focused on having to end the season early because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is not a ton of bonus material, but more than is included for the handful of shows that still get physical media releases. The AV quality is definitely not as good as Blu-Ray sets, but a lot better than most MOD DVD sets.
Ultimately, the season is good. The show continues to be well-written and acted. You will probably like this one if you have been a fan of the show's prior seasons. On the other hand, if the show has not done much for you up to this point, nothing about this season is likely to change your mind.
Tuesday, February 11, 2025
DVD/TV Series Review: Bull Season 3
As most are aware, there is a major plotline at the beginning of the season, which was necessitated by one of the main cast members leaving to take a directing job. I will not give away who the person is and how the person is written off, but the storyline is wrapped up pretty early on. As the season goes on, all the characters get a chance to shine in their own stories, even if for just an episode. The show continues to do a good job juggling a large ensemble cast. There are some soap opera-like moments, mainly involving Bull's personal life, that get mixed into the weekly storylines, but the show's focus is still on the cases. The season does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, but different than last year's.
The DVD set is a five-disc set. The episodes can be played either in a "play all" mode or individually. The extras include deleted and extended scenes for select episodes, but the only way to see them is to play the episodes one at a time. They are not listed as separate special features, and if you do the play-all mode, it just kicks you to the main menu at the end of the last episode on the disc, and you will never see which episodes have deleted scenes. The remaining bonus content includes about 30 minutes of making-of, and behind-the-scenes material is included on the last disc. Not surprisingly, there was no mention of the allegations of Eliza Dushku against Michael Weatherly stemming from her short arc at the end of season one, despite it causing at least some controversy during season three.
Overall, if you have enjoyed the prior seasons, chances are you will enjoy this one unless you really liked the jury selection process that was a huge focus of the first two seasons. As I said above, that gets cuts way back this season. The show still does take some of the shortcuts that all legal dramas take, and while it does get some of the legal stuff correct, it is not perfect. That will probably only bug the lawyers out there, however. The acting and writing remain good, and I think the writers keep the show interesting. So, ultimately, if you liked the first couple of seasons this one is worth watching.
Sunday, February 9, 2025
DVD/TV Series Review: The Finder: The Complete Series
Friday, January 31, 2025
4k-UHD/Movie Review: Bohemian Rhapsody
Monday, January 27, 2025
DVD/Movie Review: Daddio
Monday, December 16, 2024
DVD/TV Series Review: Hawaii Five-0 Season 9
The DVD set is a six-disc set. While it does include some extras, they are very bare-bones. Deleted scenes are spread throughout all the discs, then there is a short (4.5-minute) gag reel and a 20-minute behind-the-scenes featurette on the final disc. As others have noted, the final two episodes are swapped on the DVD. Making it more confusing, the menus on the title screen are correct, listing the episodes in order, but they play in the wrong order. So, unless you are careful, you will see the season-ending cliffhanger before the episode that sets up the events of the final episode. Of course, over time, the studios have been putting out increasingly poor-quality DVDs with fewer extras. So, the only reason to buy this (especially if you subscribe to Paramount+, where you can stream it) is to keep your DVD collection complete (if you prefer physical media to streaming).
Saturday, December 7, 2024
DVD/TV Series Review: Hawaii Five-0 Season 8
To balance out their departures the show brought in Meaghan Rath, who plays Tani, a police academy washout with McGarrett-like tendencies, and Beulah Koale, who plays Junior, a former Navy Seal looking to get on to the task force. The series also upped Ian Anthony Dale to a series regular. The writers did not split up Adam and Kinon, instead, oddly keeping them married, with her gone for the entire season. The addition of the new characters breathed a bit of new life into the series and allowed the show to do the kind of character development it had not done for quite a while, given that most of the other cast members had been on the show for a long time. That said, it was pretty crappy that Park and Kim were not paid the same given that for the first few seasons, before the additions of Chi McBride, Masi Oka, and Jorge Garcia as series regulars, those four characters basically built the series.
The show kept the case-of-the-week format it used throughout its run and tied in longer arcs throughout the season. One of the longer arcs involved Adam, as did the season-ending cliffhanger. This season's notable guest stars included Joey Lawrence, James Frain, Randy Couture, and Vincent Pastore (who plays Danny's uncle in a few episodes). Michelle Borth and Terry O'Quinn also reprise their roles as Catherine and Joe White in different episodes. The show did a good job balancing out stories for all the characters, which was helped by Scott Caan's notably reduced schedule during the season.
The DVD set is a six-disc set. The extras include deleted scenes for select episodes spread throughout all the discs. The final disc has a behind-the-scenes feature (about 23 minutes), a short feature on the new characters/actors, an animated "cargument" between Steve and Danny, and a gag reel. So, the set includes a decent amount of bonus content, but not as much as was included in the sets for the first few seasons. And, of course, as has been the case from about the fourth season onward, there is no Blu-Ray release available, just DVDs.
Overall, while the show is getting a bit "long in the tooth" I would not say it is entirely stale. While the show does suffer a bit from the loss of Grace Park and Daniel Dae Kim, the overall feel did not change much. If you have been a fan of the prior seasons, you will probably like this one. On the other hand, if you have not really liked the show up to this point, nothing about this season will likely turn you into a fan.
Sunday, December 1, 2024
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Prison Break Event Series
The nine-episode event series/fifth season of Prison Break aired in the spring of 2017, about seven years after the fourth and (at the time) final season. This series came about when Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell began working together on The Flash and reminiscing about their days on Prison Break and that it would be nice to revisit that story. There was already an unaired storyline from season 4 that showed events that occurred during the time jump to the last scene and set up Michael faking his death, and this series took things from there.
The series starts with Lincoln receiving a picture that intimates his brother is still alive and (again) in prison. He discovers that Michael is indeed in a prison in Yemen, under an assumed name, and is considered an ISIS-sympathizing terrorist. As was the case for almost every season of the show, not everything is what it seems, and for having just nine episodes, the show is packed with twists. Some of the twists worked, and some were kind of silly. The series does retcon the date of Michael's death listed on his headstone, having him die in 2010, most likely to match up with the seven-year break between the original series finale and the event series.
This series serves as a way to give the fans a better ending for the main characters. It also blends in characters from the original series, both in large and small roles, although not every character from the original series appeared in the event series. There are also many new characters, mainly from the Yemen prison part of the story. Given the limited run of the series, there was not a lot of time to develop any of the new characters in detail, but the show managed to give them some depth. The main cast for the event series included Wentworth Miller, Dominic Purcell, Sarah Wayne Callies, Paul Adelstein, Rockmond Dunbar, Robert Knepper, Amaury Nolasco, Mark Feuerstein, Inbar Lavi, and Augustus Prew.
The Blu-Ray set is a three-disc set. The only extra is an approximately 11-minute making-of feature on how the series was put together. It was okay, but not as extensive as the bonus materials included in the prior seasons. Given, however, that TV series on physical media (especially on Blu-Ray) have sharply declined since the original series went off the air, it is not all that surprising that the extras are very light. The Event Series was released on Blu-Ray separately, but it is easier to find on DVD (especially in the US). The easiest way to get it on Blu-Ray is by getting one of the complete series sets that includes it.
Overall, it is a good series that brings back popular characters and gives them more of a "happy" ending than they got in the original series. I do not think it as good as the original series, at least not the first couple of seasons, but I do think if you enjoyed the original series, you will likely enjoy this. And, it does give the series a full four-season episode count, essentially replacing the episodes that were lost due to the season-three writer's strike.
Saturday, November 23, 2024
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Prison Break Season 4
The 22-episode fourth season (and original final season) of Prison Break aired during the 2008/2009 TV season. The fourth season packs a lot into the 22 episodes, starting with two episodes that essentially finish the season three storyline, which was cut short due to the 2007 writer's strike. We find out what happened to the Sona prison and where the various characters end up after the escape (which involves a bit of a time jump). It is not spoiling anything to say that the reveal that Sarah was not killed (Sara Wayne Callies resolved her contract dispute and returned to the show), and from there, the rest of the season involves the group trying to take down the company, mainly surrounding a McGuffin plot point called Scylla. There are some returning characters from prior seasons, as well as new characters, notably a Compay hitman played by Cress Williams, who would go on to play very different characters on Hart of Dixie and Black Lightning, and if you saw those shows before this one, his performance as a bad guy is even more impressive, and Michael Rappaport, who plays a Homeland Security agent with a deal for the team.
The show has a lot of twists and turns, as it did in prior seasons, but I think some of them were things that would have been revealed last season if season three actually had a full season run and was not cut off at 13 episodes. So, it just feels like the season jumps around a lot. There are a lot of reveals, and as you should have come to expect from the show by now, not everyone makes it out unscathed. One thing I think the show did a great job of is not giving a happily-ever-after ending to all the characters.
The Blu-Ray set is a six-disc set. It should be noted that the Blu-Ray release contains the original 22 episodes that aired but does not contain the two unaired episodes (which are available separately under the title The Final Break), which aired as a TV movie and bridges a time-jump gap that occurs in the series finale. The extras include commentary tracks on select episodes, mainly from the writers of the particular episodes. However, some cast members appear on a couple of the commentary tracks. Then, the final disc has a little over a half hour's worth of behind-the-scenes material (broken up into three featurettes).
Overall, I think the season ended the series in a good way. Of course, it did not end up being the end of the series, as a limited event series aired in 2017 and gave the show a much better ending. But that was not a given thing when the fourth season was shot. The acting and writing were still top-notch, and the show still managed to do a lot of character development, even with the established cast. Because of the show's serialized nature, you need to have seen the prior seasons before watching this to really get what is going on. If you liked the prior seasons, then you will most likely enjoy this one.
Saturday, November 16, 2024
Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Prison Break Season 3
The 13-episode third season of Prison Break aired during the 2007/2008 TV season. It does yet another reset of the show, this time finding the group again in over their heads, with Michael, T-Bag, Alex, and Bellick in Sona, the prison in Panama where the inmates literally run the asylum. Apparently, the prison is modeled after a real prison in Brazil where the guards stay outside the prison, and inside it is a "Lord of The Flies" scenario. We know that The Company wanted Michael in prison, and we learn within the first episode that it is because they want him to break someone out. From there, the rest of the season is a take on the season one breakout, but with Michael having to plan on the fly and improvise, with Lincoln and Sucre trying to help him from the outside.
This season was a bit uneven due mainly to it being cut short by the 2007 writer's strike, getting just 13 episodes instead of the standard 22. Sarah Wayne Callies was pregnant and in a contract dispute, which led to a significantly reduced role for her character. There are new characters introduced the main ones being Jodi Lynn O'Keefe who plays Susan B. Anthony/Gretchen who is basically a cleaner for The Company, Chris Vance as Whistler, another prisoner, Danay Garcia, as his girlfriend Sophia, and Robert Wisdom as Lechero, the inmate who basically runs the prison in Panama. As with the prior two seasons, there are quite a few twists and turns, and not every character is who they seem.
The Blu-Ray set is a four-disc set. For those who get the blu-ray set, the extras are all on the final disc. There are no commentary tracks, as for the first two seasons. There is a 25-minute behind-the-scenes featurette and a 40-minute director's take feature, which is basically the director of each episode doing a scene breakdown from that particular episode. You can play all 13 at one time or one by one. The extras are rounded out by a short between-takes feature, which basically has some actors saying what they do between takes and a feature on the breakout episode. It is over an hour's worth of extras, so for those who like watching the bonus material, it definitely makes picking up the blu-ray set worth it.
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.
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Lethal Weapon Season 3
The series picks up just after Riggs gets shot at the end of season two, and we find out within the first episode that he died, then there is a six-month time jump and we find out that his brother committed suicide, and that was it for the Riggs storyline (aside from a couple of throwaway lines during the season that mentioned him). The series then focuses on the new Lethal Weapon, an ex-CIA agent named Wesley Cole (played by Sean William Scott), who is new to the department trying to put his past behind him and connect with his 12-year-old daughter.
It is mostly again, a case-of-the-week series, but there are a couple of storylines that play out across multiple episodes. I do think Scott did a great job with the character of Cole. Given that he has mostly played Stifler or slight variations of Stifler his entire career (with a couple of exceptions), this showed he has a range beyond the raunchy comedies. Maggie Lawson (best known for the series Psych) was another good addition to the cast as Cole's ex-wife who is trying to put her past with Cole behind her, yet still, have an amicable relationship with him for the sake of their daughter. One major defection from the cast (aside from Crawford) was Jordana Brewster, who basically left the show after a couple of episodes.
It is a fairly standard MOD set for those who get the blu-ray set. The fifteen episodes are spread over three discs. It has captions and a true "play all" mode that allows you to pick back up where you stop, even in the middle of an episode. There are no extras like commentary tracks, making-of, deleted scenes, or behind-the-scenes material. It did try to keep a similar feel to the prior two seasons, and I think the writers and cast did the best they could, given the mess they had going into the third season. However, it was not the same show without the character of Riggs.
Monday, November 11, 2024
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Prison Break Season 2
The 22-episode second season of Prison Break aired during the 2006/2007 TV season. It picks up immediately after the events of the Season 1 finale, with the plane having taken off and the escapees running through the field to get away from the enclosing police. It then shifts the series to a cat-and-mouse game between the authorities, led by a new antagonist, FBI agent Alexander Mahone (played by William Fichtner), and the escaped convicts. There is a ton of cast turnover this season, with some cast members being written out of the show entirely and some having their roles drastically reduced (the best example of which is Stacy Keach). Some roles (such as Agent Kellerman and CO Bellick) are expanded. In the second season, the show has no qualms about killing off characters, no matter how important. Like with the first season, almost every episode ends on a cliffhanger, putting one or more characters in danger. So, being able to watch the entire show in one, two, or three sittings, as opposed to having to wait months to see how everything plays out, is very satisfying.
The Blu-Ray set is a six-disc set. It is much like the first season release, with the one exception that if you use the play all mode and stop in the middle of an episode, it will NOT pick up where you leave off when you restart the player. So, I just watched them episode by episode. The extras include commentary tracks on select episodes (sometimes more than one track per episode) and, on the final disc, about 50 minutes of making-of featurettes.
Overall, the writing and acting in the show continued to be very strong. I think all the actors do a good job making the audience love or hate their characters, as called for, and the writers do well to show that the characters are not all bad, or all, good, and the actors do a great job bringing out the human side in even the worst characters. The overarching conspiracy was given a larger focus this season, but you can tell some things needed to be tweaked because of actor availability or lack thereof in season two. But, it seems that the show was able to follow the overall outline that it has been using pretty well.
If you liked or loved the first season of the show, then chances are, even though the show takes a much different track after the escape, you will probably feel the same way about the second season. Conversely, if you did not like the first season then there is probably nothing in this one that is going to lure you back. It is definitely a serialized show, so you cannot just jump into it without seeing it from the beginning without being pretty lost. Plus, without all the character development, you will definitely not get the full effect. So, for those who did not see the show when it originally aired and are thinking about bingeing the show now, I would say start at season one, and see how you like it. If you do, then season two is definitely worth picking up.