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. 

Showing posts with label Malin Akerman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Malin Akerman. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Rampage

 


Rampage is a 2018 film that is a blend of action-adventure and monster movies. It stars Dwayne Johnson, Naomie Harris, Malin Akerman, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jake Lacy, and Joe Manganiello. The film is based on a 1980s arcade game, where you played as creatures destroying the city. The movie is like a combination of Jurrasic Park and Godzilla, with a bit of Independence Day, the rebooted Planet of the Apes, and every film about a company run by evil people mixed together. And any movie in which The Rock is an indestructible hero.

The basic plot is that a company run by Malin Akerman's character is doing genetic experiments on rats in space, to make them essentially invulnerable to anything. The space station blows up, but canisters with the serum being used on the rats end up crashing to Earth and infecting a wolf, alligator, and gorilla. The Gorilla, George, is in a habitat run by Dwayne Johnson's character, who is a primatologist (and because he is 6'5" and 300lbs of muscle, ex-military) who works with George. Naomie Harris plays a scientist who worked for the company on the serum, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan is an FBI agent responding to the Rampaging animals.

The movie is a good blend of action, comedy, and a bit of drama. Of course, it makes The Rock an indestructible hero who can survive getting shot, being in crashing planes and helicopters, and falling buildings, and not only walk away but keep fighting. So, in that way, the movie is clearly tongue-in-cheek. The Rock also continues to show that he is a decent comedic actor and an excellent action star. And he can be self-deprecating and does not seem to take himself too seriously.

The 4k set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a regular Blu-Ray disc. The film looks and sounds great in UHD, especially with a large screen. All the extras are included on the second, regular, Blu-Ray disc. Those include several behind-the-scenes and making-of featurettes (averaging about 10 minutes long), as well as a short gag reel. There is around an hour, give or take, of extras. Overall, it is an enjoyable action movie if you can suspend your disbelief and not take it extremely seriously. If you are a fan of The Rock's films, especially the newer ones like San Andreas or Hobbs and Shaw, then you will very likely enjoy this. If you are not a big fan of action movies as a whole, especially ones with lots of explosions and monsters, then this is not going to do anything for you.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Heartbreak Kid

 


The Heartbreak Kid is a 2007 comedy starring Ben Stiller, Malin Akerman, Michelle Monaghan, Jerry Stiller, Rob Corddry, and Danny McBride. The movie was directed by the Farrelly brothers. The plot is pretty simple. A lifelong bachelor named Eddie (Ben Stiller) finally decides to get married, but only after knowing the bride, Lila (Akerman) for a few weeks. On the way to and during the honeymoon, he discovers she is totally crazy and, while on his honeymoon, starts to fall for Monaghan's character, Miranda.

The A/V quality of the blu-ray is excellent. While there is not much (if any) in the way of special effects or CGI, the location shots look wonderful, and the video transfer looks especially good on a large screen. The extras include a commentary track by the Farrelly brothers, deleted scenes, a gag reel, the trailers, and a handful of behind-the-scenes featurettes. If you are expecting a traditional romantic comedy, this is not it. It is more like a spoof of a romantic comedy, with jokes that can get very vulgar. So if those kinds of comedies are not something you find entertaining, then stay away from this one. Malin Ackerman totally plays up the crazy role and runs with the totally over-the-top jokes. The part of the movie that is the more traditional romantic comedy is when Stiller's character meets Miranda and tries to woo her, but it is coupled with trying to keep her from learning about his wife. 

Ultimately, this is a good comedy that is definitely not family-friendly or for those who don't like the more vulgar kind of humor. There is a lot of swearing and sexual content (both nudity and sex jokes) in the movie. If you are offended by that kind of material, it is best to avoid this one, but if you do like that kind of humor, then it is worth checking out.