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.
Monday, January 2, 2023
DVD/TV Series Review: Hawaii Five-0: Season 7
Tuesday, November 1, 2022
DVD/TV Series Review: Hawaii Five-O (2010): The Sixth Season
The sixth season of Hawaii Five-0 relies more on the procedural, case-of-the-week stories as opposed to new serial arcs. The big serial arc that runs through the season involves Gabriel Waincroft, who continues to go after the team, including attacking Adam and Kono on their honeymoon. There are also callbacks to episodes from the prior season, the big one involving Lou returning to Chicago to attempt to get his ex-partner Clay Maxwell (guest star Mykelti Williamson) to confess to killing his wife. Between the case-of-the-week stories, the team goes through a cat-and-mouse game with Waincroft that lasts until the end of the season. This season also sees a ton of guest stars including Julie Benz (from Buffy and Angel), Sarah Carter (who had a recurring role on Smallville), Carol Burnett, and Sung Kang (from the Fast and Furious movies). Michelle Borth leaves the show as a series regular this season, which is really the only notable cast shakeup.
The extras for the DVD are pretty much the same as they have been in the past couple of seasons. Mostly deleted scenes, gag reel, and a short behind-the-scenes featurette. And, of course, the show is only available on DVD after the first few seasons getting blu-ray releases with a lot of extras.
Overall, the show continues to be a good action procedural that has some drama and humor mixed in. The writers do a good job juggling the large cast, and giving each character good material. Of course, Steve and Danny get the most storylines and screen time, but even the more ancillary characters like Max and Jerry get something to work with. Unlike the past couple of seasons, this one does not end on a big cliffhanger. We know the fates of all of the characters as the season finale ends, which is actually a nice change. So, if you have been a fan of the prior seasons, you will probably like this season as well.
Thursday, September 15, 2022
DVD/TV Series Review: Hawaii Five-0 (2010): Season 5
The fifth season of Hawaii Five-0 continues the serial story arcs that have run throughout the previous seasons and add in the procedural case/story of the week that has worked for the show up to this point. This season still has reverberations of Doris' actions and subsequent disappearance in the prior season. Her (and Steve's) connection to Wo-Fat is finally revealed this season. There is a multi-episode story arc that involves Danny's brother Matt, that requires Danny to risk his career in order to save his brother, and there is the beginning of a story arc that involves Lou and his best friend from Chicago (played by (Mykelti Williamson), and the season ends on a suspenseful episode that involves a nuclear threat. The season sees a lot of recognizable guest stars including Melina Kanakaredes, Michael Imperioli, Jaleel White, Frankie Valli, Robert Knepper, and Lilli Simmons, and Carol Burnett (to name a few). Terry O'Quinn makes a couple of appearances as Joe White, and Michelle Borth returns for an episode as Catherine after having left the show as a series regular last season.
For those who get the DVD set, the extras are fairly similar to prior years with the exception of no commentary tracks. There are a couple of od making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes, a feature on the 100th episode (which occurs about halfway through the season), a feature on the music, a feature about the episode Daniel Dae Kim directed, deleted scenes, and a gag reel. So, if you like watching the bonus material this still has quite a bit to go through.
Overall, the series continues to be strong. It has a good blend of action, drama, and humor, and it manages to be a serious show that does not take itself too seriously. The 100th episode acts both as a present-day story and a flashback episode bringing back characters from prior seasons. The show does a good job juggling the large ensemble cast, which is made even larger with Jorge Garcia being promoted to a series regular this season, with almost every character getting one episode central to that character. There is a great Jerry and Max-centric episode in which they attend a convention of Elvis impersonators and an episode that is a total spoof of the movie The Hangover. So, if you have been a fan of the prior seasons, this one is definitely worth watching.
Monday, August 29, 2022
DVD/TV Series Review: Hawaii Five-O (2010): The Fourth Season
Season four picks up immediately after the events that ended season three, with the ambush in Wo-Fat's cell. Of course, Steve makes it out and manages to arrest one of the gunmen. This eventually leads to a standoff with a group called NLM, who take hostages at the Palace to secure the release of the gunman. The story also ties directly to Kono and Adam's storyline in which they are hiding out in Japan. Obviously, the team is reunited and then the story-of-the-week procedural aspect starts to play out again. This season sees a couple of notable additions to the cast. First, Chi McBride (from Pushing Daises) joins the cast as Lou Grover, a former Chicago cop who joins the Hawaii SWAT team and clashes with Five-0. He is initially a recurring character but gets upped to a series regular partway through the season. Also, Jorge Garcia (from Lost) joins the cast as a local conspiracy theorist named Jerry, who acts as a consultant for the team. This season does not really have a huge cliffhanger the way seasons two and three do, but it is more of a storyline transition.
Unfortunately, from season four onward, the season sets were only released on DVD despite the first three seasons having been released on Blu-Ray. For those who follow the physical media market well know, physical disc sales, (especially Blu-Ray sales) for TV series sets have always been notoriously bad, so around 2013-2014, all but the most popular shows or special effect heavy shows were no longer released on Blu-Ray and either just did not get a physical media release, or was just released on DVD. While the show still does look good, especially when played on a Blu-Ray or 4k player that will upscale the video, it is a step down from true HD. Fortunately, this was released at a time when they were still including a significant amount of extras on the disc sets. So, this one has audio commentary tracks on select episodes, several making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes, a featurette on Chi McBride's character, deleted scenes, and a gag reel, among others.
Overall, the show continues to be good. The large ensemble cast is juggled well, but clearly, Steve and Danny are the two main characters, and Alex O'Laughlin and Scott Caan have great chemistry. The guest cast this season is good as well with Henry Ian Cusick (from Lost), Nick Jonas, Terry O'Quinn, Robert Knepper (from Prison Break), Michael Madsen, and Melanie Griffith, among others making appearances. There are some good episodes that focus on Danny and Grace's relationship, as well as involving Lou's family. So, if you have been a fan of the show for the first few seasons, it is definitely worth watching.
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Hawaii Five-0: Season 3
Season three picks up right after the events of the season two finale. We find out the fates of Kono and Malia who were kidnapped by the dirty cop Frank Delano. We also get the reveal of Steve's mother, Doris (played by Christine Lahti), after the big reveal that she was alive, and find out that she faked her death for a reason that reverberates throughout the season. From there, the show reverts to its story of the week format with the serial arcs being intertwined throughout the season. Of course, the relationship between Steve and Doris is a huge part of the story as their reunion does not go swimmingly. There are two big throwbacks to the original series this season. One is a remake of the episode Hookman, which was directed by and guest-starred Peter Weller (of Robocop fame) that uses some of the same shooting locations that were used in the episode of the original series. And, Ed Asner's character from the original series was brought back in a case that involved art theft. Michelle Borth was promoted to a series regular this season, and Terry O'Quinn made several appearances as Joe White. There were also several notable guest stars this season including Carlos Bernard (from 24), George Takei (from the original Star Trek), Terrence Howard, Jimmy Buffett, and Rumor Willis playing a love interest for Max. The series ends on a couple of different cliffhangers, one involving Steve and one involving Kono and Adam.
For those who get the Blu-Ray set, there are a lot of extras including deleted scenes, a feature on the Hookman episode, an audio commentary on Hookman, and a commentary track on Pa'Ani. Then there are two season-three specific making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes that each run 20+ minutes, a script-to-screen supplement that looks at the process of making an episode, a feature on the worldwide fan base of the show, and a nine-minute gag reel.
Overall, the season is very good. While the storyline with Steve and Doris is the focus of the season, this season gives Kono a significant storyline, and Grace Park does a great job. As does Ian Anthony Dale who has a large part in that story arc despite still being a recurring character. There are also a couple of episodes that incorporate Danny's daughter, Grace (Teilor Grubbs) into the storylines now that she is getting older, which also gives Danny more to do than just be Steve's bickering sidekick. The show is still action-heavy, but blends in drama, humor, and suspense and has a huge family theme. It is well-written and very well acted. So, if you liked the first couple of seasons, this is definitely worth the pickup.
Friday, August 26, 2022
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Hawaii Five-O: Season 2
The season is again a combination of procedural case-of-the-week stories and serial arcs that span throughout the season. There are a couple of different crossovers with NCIS: Los Angeles, including a two-episode crossover in the second half of the season in which Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J appear on Five-0 and Daniel Dae Kim and Scott Caan, appear on NCIS. The season ends on yet another cliffhanger with a major reveal that involves Steve and sets up what the large story arc for season three will be.
For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the A/V quality is great once again, especially the visuals of Hawaii. The extras include commentary tracks on two episodes, a few making-of and behind-the-scenes documentaries, a featurette on the NCIS crossovers, a featurette on real-life Navy Seal training, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
Overall, the series continues to be strong in its second season. It does a good job balancing the large ensemble cast and has great guest stars and recurring stars. Ed Asner guest stars as his character from the original series August March, James Caan (of course Scott's father) makes a guest appearance and basically rips on Danny the entire time. Jimmy Buffett, Patty Duke, and Robert Englund also make guest appearances as do William Sadler, Michelle Borth, and Will Yun Lee, who steals every scene he is in as Sang Min. The show has a good blend of action and drama with some comedy (usually in the form of the Steve-Danny bickering) mixed in. It is well-written and acted, and while it does rely heavily on the original series, it is not a carbon copy of the original show. So, if you are a fan of police procedurals, this is a good one to watch, but definitely watch season one first so you are up to speed with the characters and the storylines.
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Hawaii Five-0: Season 1
The series is mostly a case-of-the-week procedural that does have some serial threads that span throughout the season. Those mainly involve the character of Victor Hesse (played by Buffy's James Marsters) and a former Chinese government agent turned criminal, Wo-Fat, played by Mark Dacascos. The series also had a strong recurring cast including Taryn Manning as Steve's sister Mary Ann McGarrett, Jean Smart as Governor Pat Jameson, Taylor Wily as Kamekona Tupuola, Will Yun Lee as Sang Min Sooh (who is a criminal who sometimes acts as an informant for Five-0, Michelle Borth as Lieutenant Catherine Rollins a love interest for Steve who helps on cases from time to time, and Masi Oka (from the series Heroes) as Dr. Max Bergman, Chief Medical Examiner. Some of those characters would have larger roles in later seasons, and others would be reduced. The season ends on a major cliffhanger going into season two with the fates of multiple characters hanging in limbo.
For those who get the Blu-Ray, the show looks and sounds great in HD. The visuals of Hawaii are awesome, and the handful of special effects that are used in the show look great. The extras include several making-of featurettes titled "Shore Lines: The Story of Season 1," "Grace Park's Hawaiian Tour," "Legacy" (which compares the reboot with the original series), "Picture Perfect: The Making of the Pilot," "Re-scoring the Theme Song", "Inside Comic-Con," (which has a portion of the Comic-Con panel), and "Inside the Box" (which refers to a toolbox figuring prominently in the season's story arc). Also included are deleted scenes, a gag reel, CBS launch promos, and cast and crew audio commentaries on two episodes. So, there is a good amount of material for people who like watching the bonus content.
Overall, the series is a good police procedural. It has a good blend of action and drama, with a strong theme of family. O'Loughlin and Caan are great as McGarrett and "Dano" who bicker like an old married couple. O'Loughlin does a ton of his own stunts (which led to a back injury that would plague him throughout the run of the series) and does a great job as the series lead. The writers do a great job developing the characters and getting the audience to care about them, which is critical to the success of a series like this. They also do a good job paying homage to, but not being a carbon copy of, the original series. So, if you are a fan of police procedurals, this is definitely a good one to check out.
Thursday, March 10, 2022
DVD Review: Hawaii Five-O (2010): The Final Season
Season 10 of the show was not meant to be the final season, but when Alex O'Laughlan announced that he would not be returning to the show for an 11th season, the powers that be ultimately decided to cancel the series. So, the season finale that was supposed to be just a goodbye to the character of Steve McGarrett, ended up being the swan song for the show. And, for the most part, because of the already emotional nature of the show, it worked. In fact, the cast was told while they were shooting the series finale that the network decided not to pick up the show, so all of the emotion from the actors was very real.
Season 10 picks up shortly after the events of the season nine finale. We find out what happens in the aftermath of Jerry being shot. Jorge Garcia had already decided to leave the show, but he comes back for the first episode to allow Jerry to be written out. Most probably know the fate of the character already, but I will not spoil it. The big new addition to the cast this year was the addition of Sparticus and Arrow alumn, Katrina Law. I had only seen her on Arrow, so it is definitely weird hearing her talk in her normal voice, and not with Nyssa's accent. She plays Quinn, an MP who gets wrapped up in a Five-0 case and ends up joining the team. All the other characters are kind of at crossroads in their various lives. Steve is still reeling from the death of Joe White in the prior season, both Steve and Danny are trying to move on from their respective loves, Tahni and Junior have the will-they, won't-they get together dance going, Adam has moved on from Kono, this time being the one involved with someone with ties to the Yakuza, and Lou is adjusting to life as an empty nester.
The season pretty much follows its hybrid procedural-serial format. There are cases of the week that get intertwined with the larger story arcs that have prevailed throughout the show's run. In fact, old storylines are revisited again this season, and as a result, we see some old characters like Max, Doris, Wo-Fat, and even Victor Hesse. There were notable omissions from the season, including Teilor Grubbs (Grace Wiliams) or Joey Defore (Charlie Williams) even though there was a perfect opportunity to have them appear in the finale. Nor did Taryn Manning make an appearance as Steve's sister Mary, and there was definitely a storyline that would have allowed for her to appear. And of course, the notable omission of Grace Park (Kono) and Daniel Dae Kim (Chin) who left the show because of a contract dispute after season seven. Chances are, even if it had been known earlier that the series would be ending after season 10, there were likely too many hard feelings for either of them to come back. About halfway through the season, there was a crossover with Magnum PI one of the other 80s reboots that were developed by Peter Lenkov with Jay Hernandez, Perdita Weeks, Zachary Knighton, and Stephen Hill appearing on Five-0, and Megan Rath, Katrina Law, and Beulah Koale appearing on Magnum.
For those who get the DVD set, the extras include deleted scenes for select episodes and then on the final disc a twenty-three series wrap-up feature, an eleven-minute interview with Alex O'Loughlin discussing the evolution of his character and his decision to leave the show, and a four-minute gag reel. All in all, a decent amount of material.
Overall, the season was good. I think it could have been better if they had been more prepared for the series ending. Given that Alex O'Loughlin had hinted for years that he could not do the show much longer given the physical demands and the fact that he hurt is back pretty badly early on in the series, they should have really known that with him goes the show. The show obviously survived with major cast turnover in the past, but unlike shows like ER that did survive major cast members leaving, the character of McGarrett was the show, and the show would never have been able to survive without him. But, like I said above, given that the final episode was a send-off for the character of McGarrett it worked okay as a series finale, but would have been better with a couple more tweaks to the ending.