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.
Thursday, May 29, 2025
4K-UHD/Movie Review: Cloverfield
Monday, October 28, 2024
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Mr. Robot Season 4
The 13-episode fourth season of Mr. Robot aired during the fall and winter of 2019. This ended up being the final season of what was, in my opinion, along with shows like The Americans, Breaking Bad, and Better Call Saul were the best cable dramas of the 2010s. It is nearly impossible to discuss the season's overall plot without giving too much away. Much of the season is about fleshing out Zheng's/Whiterose's story, including a backstory, and Elliot's takedown of both Whiterose's plan (which has been referred to throughout the series) and the group of the 1% of the 1% who run the country. Some of the cast is relegated to more of a recurring status this season (e.g., Portia Doubleday) while the roles of other cast members are expanded (e.g., B.D. Wong, who is terrific playing a dual role). The showrunners did an excellent job tying up all the threads and storylines, mainly in the second half of the final episode, making it clear (seemingly anyway) that the bulk of the story was planned out from the beginning.
The Blu-Ray set is a four-disc set. As with the prior season releases, the show looks great in the HD format, with great views of NY, especially the NYC skyline. The extras are pretty thin, which is the only drawback for me, but really only enough to knock the set down half a star. There are deleted/alternate/extended scenes for every episode and a seven-minute gag reel. There are no commentary tracks, behind-the-scenes material, or series retrospective, which is a shame because there is a lot to be said about how the series ended. It would have been nice to hear the thoughts of Sam Esmil, Remi Malik, and the rest of the cast.
Overall, the season and series were wonderful. It continued to be well-written and acted, and the characters were developed until the final episode. The series still earned a hard TV-MA rating, mainly because of the language and violence. Ever since Tyrell's wife was killed off, and his character took a different arc, the sex was toned way down, but there is liberal use of the f-word, so if swearing gets to you, you will not like the show. The series continued to take chances not only in the character development but also in things like having a dialogue-free episode, which I can only remember being done in season four of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. If you liked or loved the prior seasons, you will enjoy the payoff to the series that this season gives you. On the other hand, if you were not a fan of the prior seasons, this will not do anything to make you like it. I definitely recommend it for those who are looking for a great but very different drama, with the proviso that you absolutely have to watch the series from the beginning to be able to follow what is going on.
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Mr. Robot: Season 3
The 10-episode third season of Mr. Robot aired during the fall and early winter of 2017. This season brings the show back into the "real world" after spending much of season 2 in Elliot's head while he was in prison. It is still about the fallout of the 5/9 hack of E Corp. and setting up a much more massive phase-two attack that was hinted at last season. This season reveals more about the Dark Army and the various operatives they have working for them. It also reveals what Wellick did during season 2, for which he was mostly absent. I will not go into too much of what happens this season because it is hard to do so without giving too much away. I will say that the various characters, even the "good" ones, continue to be morally ambiguous (at best). And some even take a turn for the worse.
The Blu-Ray set is a three-disc set. The extras are okay but not extensive. There are deleted scenes for some episodes, a gag reel, and a couple of behind-the-scenes featurettes. It is definitely not a show that will appeal to everyone. But, if you liked the first couple of seasons (especially season 1), you will probably like this. The blu-rays have unedited episodes (which basically means the f-word is not bleeped out as it is when it airs on TV), and there is violence, sex, and drug use. And, even though the show is set in the past, it does manage to take a few shots at t***p, whom, if you follow the show's creator on Twitter, you know he despises. So, if any of that would turn you off to a show, you probably want to skip this. For everyone else, it is well written and acted, even it is a bit (and sometimes more than a bit) weird. Definitely worth checking out.
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
DVD/Movie Review: The Betrayed
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Book Review: Holly
Monday, August 19, 2024
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Blindspot: Season 3
The 22-episode third season of Blindspot aired during the 2017/2018 TV season. It starts by revisiting the time jump that ended season two. The first couple of episodes fill in the gaps of what happened to the team during the nearly two-year time jump, and then the rest of the season is about the team (the same people, but with a different dynamic after the time jump) trying to take down Roman (Luke Mitchell), who has an agenda of his own aside from just getting back at Jane/Remi that plays throughout the season. All of the main cast members, Sullivan Stapleton, Jamie Alexander, Rob Brown, Audrey Esparza, Ashley Johnson, and Mitchell return as series regulars. Ennis Esmer has a larger recurring role as Rich Dotcom, and Mary Stuart Masterson joins as another recurring character.
The Blu-Ray set is a four-disc MOD set. Unlike some MOD DVD and blu-ray sets it has subtitles and extras. The latter include deleted scenes for most of the episodes, a 6+ min gag reel, and a 4 min behind the scenes with Audry Esparza highlighting her character, Zapata. Good for what is there, but not a ton. It may or may not be worth the extra cost to you. Chances are if you got the discs for seasons 1 and 2 you will want this one to have a complete collection. But if you only get discs when there is a lot of bonus material, then you may just want to stream it. One benefit to the MOD discs, however, is that there is a true play-all mode that allows you to pick up where you left off. Even in the middle of the episodes. That is not something that the "regular" Warner Brothers and Fox blu-ray sets do not.
Wednesday, August 14, 2024
4k-UHD/Movie Review: Aliens
Tuesday, August 13, 2024
Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
The A/V quality of the Blu-Ray is outstanding. The movie looks and sounds great in the HD format and the special effects look seamless with the practical effects. The extras are much like what was included in the Blu-Ray release of the first movie. The most extensive being the Maximum Movie Mode, which allows you to play the movie with behind the scenes material interjected. Then, there are some other behind the scenes features included as well. A lot to go through for people who like the bonus material.
Ultimately, if you liked the first movie, you will likely like this one, as it has a very similar tone and feel with an even better bad guy to be a foil for Holmes. You really cannot compare it with the BBC series Sherlock, as the movies and the series were really their own thing. It just so happens that, unfortunately, were released very close in time, and the series went on to be a very big hit. This, I think, is at least a part of why future movies have not materialized (not to mention Downey Jr. and Cumberbatch's commitments to the Marvel movies). It is definitely worth a couple of hours if you are looking for a good action movie.
Friday, August 2, 2024
4k-UHD/Movie Review: Alien
Tuesday, July 2, 2024
4k-UHD/Movie Review: A Quiet Place
It is a very different movie, especially as a horror movie, because there is minimal sound. Of course, sound is critical to the thrills in most horror movies, and in this one, it is the absence of sound, including background sounds. Even the soundtrack is very understated. The movie pulls off what most TV shows cannot, namely, having little to no dialog between the actors yet still managing to tell a compelling story.
The 4k set is a two-disc set with a UHD disc and a regular Blu-Ray disc. The movie looks great in the UHD format. What the film lacks in sound, it makes up for in visuals and special effects. The UHD disc has just the movie, and then there are about 35 minutes (give or take) of behind-the-scenes and making-of featurettes on the regular Blu-Ray. Overall, the film is well written, very well acted, and tells a unique story on an old theme of a creature-based horror movie. It is definitely worth checking out.
Sunday, June 30, 2024
DVD/TV Series Review: 24: Legacy
This series follows up on the aftermath of a raid that was clearly a take-off on the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden, but this time with the remaining terrorists planning retaliatory strikes in the United States. It centers around the character of Eric Carter (played by Corey Hawkins ), who was a member of a group of army rangers on a mission to kill the terrorist leader. The supporting cast includes Miranda Otto, who is the outgoing director of CTU and wife to Jimmy Smit's character who is a senator with Presidential aspirations, Gerald McRainey who plays the father of the senator, and Teddy Sears as the new director of CTU. There are also some character tiebacks to the original series. Chances are, most people who get this have already seen the series, but I will not spoil anything for those who have not.
The set is only available on DVD. After the series ended, Amazon had a page for a blu-ray release. Still, as is the case with the vast majority of Fox's shows, if it gets a disc release at all, it is only a DVD (although it looks like it was released on blu-ray overseas, so if you have a region-free blu-ray player and want to pay for an import, that is an option. The extras are all on the last disc, just deleted scenes and an 11-minute making-of featurette. Okay, for what is there, but definitely bare bones.
While the series was billed as a first season, it was canceled shortly after the final episode aired. Had the original series not existed, this would have been fine for a 12-episode show. But given what had come before and the fact that it was so centered around the Jack Bauer character, having an event series so far outside the parent show's storylines just did not work well. Plus, the fact that the new characters were not established in any way for a handful of episodes, so there was no way to really get fans to care about them, did not work. What the writers with the story was fine, and the acting was fine, but the series just felt like a square peg being forced into a round hole. I think it would have worked far better if they were at least to incorporate the character of Jack Bauer into the story (say, a mission to try and free him from whatever hole he was likely dropped into at the end of the Live Another Day series), even if Kiefer did not appear, appeared for just one scene at the end, or only appeared in flashbacks would have had fans of the original series more invested in this one. Ultimately, while it was not a horrible series, it was nowhere near as good as the original series was at its best. While it is worth watching but is not a must-watch series.
Tuesday, June 4, 2024
DVD/TV Series Review: MacGyver (2016) Season 1
He partners with Jack Dalton (Eads), who is the muscle to his brains, Riley Davis (Mays), who is a hacker who the team springs from prison, and Mac's best friend Bozer Hires), who is clueless about what he really does. The show is mostly a procedural case-of-the-week drama, much like CBS's other shows, but it does have a couple storylines that keep popping up throughout the season. It also exists in the Hawaii Five-0 universe (both shows have the same showrunners) and had a subtle shout-out to one of that show's season 7 storylines and then a crossover episode a bit later in the season.
The DVD set is a five-disc set. They are nothing more than a MOD release (even though I do not think they are burned on DVD-R). There are no extras of any kind, no subtitles. Just the episodes. The episode titles are not printed on the discs or the case, but they are on the DVD main menu screen when each disc loads. So, there is no reason to have to watch the episodes out of order unless you want to. There is no play-all option, but once the current episode stops playing, you can easily get to the next episode.
Overall, the show is fun and entertaining, much like the Hawaii Five-0 reboot, but the DVD release is lackluster to lousy. If you have a CBS all-access (now Paramount+) subscription, you can stream all the episodes and get better video quality, and you will miss absolutely nothing this DVD release offers. That said, whether you get the DVDs or stream it, the show is very entertaining and worth watching.
Monday, June 3, 2024
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Homeland: Season 6
The 12-episode 6th season of Homeland aired in winter and spring of 2017. This season brings the show back to the United States. It is specifically set in New York and has a few different intertwined storylines, the main one being an attempt at taking down the President-elect. It is heavily influenced by the political climate and events of the past few years. The stories are well done, the acting is top-notch, and I do not think the show is overly preachy with the political elements as some shows can be. It did incorporate an Infowars-like radio show and a social media troll farm into the story and definitely used the real-world political divisiveness and hatred that exists to tell part of the story.
Ultimately, the season is very good. Rupert Friend as Quinn is really the standout this season. We learn in the first episode that Carrie did not end up pulling the plug on him, and when he comes back, he is a shell of his former self, dealing with, among other things, PTSD. He has to go through a range of emotions with the character and does it very well. While he is (in my opinion) the show's "backbone" this season, all the main and supporting actors did a great job with their material. Homeland is definitely a show that has had its ups and downs. I do think they struggled to end the Brody storyline, but now, being a few seasons removed from it, I think the show has recovered quite well. It could have easily gone in the tank after the first two seasons when all was revealed (and there are definitely some out there who think it did). But if you gave up on it during season 3 or 4, I think it has recovered nicely the past couple of seasons and is well worth taking a look at again.
Sunday, June 2, 2024
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Homeland: Season 5
I think the show is holding its own well now that it is a couple seasons removed from getting itself out of the Brody storyline (although there is a good easter egg-like reference to Brody, which happens in an episode that flashes back to Carrie's time in Iraq). The writers packed a lot into the season and had a lot of thought-provoking and almost clairvoyant angles (given what has been going on in the US political scene in recent years. The acting was again top-notch notch, with Rupert Friend, Claire Daines, and Mady Patinkin all standing out at different points. Miranda Otto is a good addition to the cast this year as a character who has ties to almost every character and plays a large role in the season.
The Blu-Ray set is a three-disc set, and as with the prior season releases, the show looks and sounds great on blu-ray. Thankfully, there is still a season-play mode for the discs, so you can stop and catch back up where you left off, even in the middle of an episode. There are only a couple extras. A feature on the evolution of Carrie as a character and a behind-the-scenes feature on using Berlin as the setting for the season. They each run for about 10 min. For die-hard fans of the series, it is a must-get. I think even the people who got sick of the Brody story arc in season 3 will find this one enjoyable.
Sunday, May 26, 2024
Book Review: You Like it Darker: Stories
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
DVD/Movie Review: Secret Window
The DVD extras include a commentary track on the movie by the director, David Koepp, deleted and extended scenes, and a short making-of featurette. The story, as you would expect for a movie adapted from a King novel, is very strong with some twists and turns. The acting was very good from top to bottom. Given this movie was made (2004) while Depp was in the mists of filming the various Pirates movies, it is a good break from his Captain Jack Sparrow character and lets him flex more of his dramatic acting muscles with a little bit of humor mixed in. It is definitely a good way to spend an hour and a half watching a movie that is entertaining but you do not have to think about too much when it is over.
Friday, May 17, 2024
Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The Force Awakens is the 2015 return to the Star Wars movie universe. It was written by J.J. Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan (who also co-wrote The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi), and Michael Arndt, and directed by Abrams. It starred Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Issac, Lupita Nyongo, Domhnall Gleeson, and Andy Serkis (as the new characters in the franchise) and also saw the return of Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hammil, Anthony Daniels, and Peter Mayhew from the original trilogy cast. Of the legacy characters, Ford has the largest role in the movie, and Hammil has the smallest.
I ultimately give this movie an incomplete grade until this Trilogy is played out. There are three main things I think need to be cleared up in the subsequent movies or canon novels that are coming down the line, and then some other things that would just be nice to know. The first big point is obviously who Rey is. That character is obviously the one the whole new trilogy is going to be based around, so an explanation of who she is is essential. Likewise, Snoke's identity has to be revealed. They are setting up that he is an Emperor-like figure, powerful in the dark side. But it is known that during The Emperor and Vader's time, there were two Sith, a master and an apprentice. So there needs to be an explanation of how Snoke came to be in order to make sense of his seducing of Kylo Ren to the dark side. Then I think there needs to be an explanation of the new force powers we see in the movie. Kylo Ren, who J.J. Abrams made clear leading up to the movie is not a Sith lord and is not fully trained, is using powers that have not been shown in any previous movie (I have not seen The Clone Wars or Rebels cartoons, so I am not sure about what has or has not been in them). Not to mention the skills that the other character was able to learn so quickly.
The things I believe some kind of explanation would be nice are why Finn deserted, for example. He was on his first mission early on in the movie, and his only act of disobedience was to defect. That is not something that seems realistic for a soldier who was bred from childhood to be a Stormtrooper and obey orders. Then things like how Mas came to obtain Luke's old lightsaber, what were the main characters doing in the years after Return of the Jedi, etc. Obviously, some of those things will be told in Episodes VIII and IX and likely fleshed out in the new Cannon novels, but when those points are known, then I think this movie's piece in the larger puzzle can be better evaluated.
I do think that there are certainly imperfect parts to the story. Like Leia basically ignoring Chewbacca at a certain point, not going to find Luke herself when they figure out where he was, basically redoing a trench run to blow up the base, and things like that. With that said, I do think the movie made for a very good return to the Star Wars cinematic universe and gave a boost of nostalgia for those of us who grew up with the original films. I am not one of those who utterly loathed the prequels, but I certainly can be counted among those who think that Lucas took on way too much on his own in making them and lost sight of what made the original movies the classics they are. And I am one who loathes the endless of amount of CGI and tweaks and additions that he put into the original trilogy.
For those who get the actual Blu-Ray, the movie looks and sounds great as you would expect. The extras, of course, vary depending on where you buy it, with the studio doling out retailer-specific extras. To my knowledge, none of them have an audio commentary on the film itself. For the Amazon version, the main extra is an hour-long behind-the-scenes and making-of feature called "The Story Awakens," where the cast and crew talk about the process of creating the movie from pre-production and casting to the end. Then there are several shorter features, all pretty much under 10 min on building BB-8, creating the various creatures, breaking down the fight scene in the forest at the end of the movie, John Williams returning to score the movie, ILM creating the digital effects, deleted scenes and a short feature on the charitable work done by the studio, cast, crew etc around the movie. Good for what is there, but sucks that all the bonus content was again split up like is happening on a lot of the major releases. And a commentary track including the various trailers would have been nice. Thankfully Harrison Ford participated a lot in the extras, which is something given his rumored dislike for the character of Han Solo and the movies overall. He seemed appreciative of being in the movie, respectful to the fans, as well as being honest and sincere with that 10-20 years ago, he probably would not have agreed to come back.
There will ultimately be a lot of subjectivity in liking or disliking this movie. It is not perfect, but realistically, aside from maybe Empire Strikes Back, none of the movies have been all that close to perfect. I think most people in their 40s and 50s who were kids or teenagers when the original films came out and loved those will mostly fall somewhere on the like-to-love spectrum on this movie. If you were a casual fan of any of the movies, then I think you will probably be a casual fan of this. If you are one who loved what Lucas did with the prequels and the special editions, then you may fall somewhere between disappointment and hate. Realistically almost everyone has seen this at least once by now, so you know where you fall. While some whiny "fans" shit on the movie (and the prequel series as a whole), I think this is a good movie that was setting up a good storyline. The one thing I do think that the producers can be ripped for is the decision to have three different directors do each movie and have total control over the storyline of each movie. I think the prequel trilogy would have been much better if at least the same writers wrote all three movies. Since that did not happen, the prequel trilogy became a mess. That said, the movie is absolutely worth the time to watch.
Monday, May 13, 2024
4K-UHD/Movie Review: The Abyss
The 4K set is a three-disc set with one UHD disc and two regular Blu-Ray discs. The UHD and the first Blu-Ray disc contain both versions of the movie: the two-hour and twenty-minute theatrical version and the two-hour and fifty-minute extended edition. The extended edition includes more of a US vs. Soviet Union storyline and a threat from the aliens to unleash mega-tsunamis against humans if they humans do not change their ways. Both versions of the movie look and sound great in the UHD format. Cameron's 4K remasters are the subject of much controversy as he prefers to remove the film grain and make the movies look like they were shot on today's digital cameras. Because of that, the movie does look like it could have been shot today, but some of the special effects look a bit cheesy because the limitations of late 1980s CGI are readily apparent in the UHD format.
The third disc has special features, including a recent interview with Cameron in which he discusses the chaotic filing process that runs about 30 minutes, a featurette on the legacy of the movie that runs about 25 minutes, an hour-long making-of featurette that has archival behind the scenes footage and interviews with members of the cast and crew made in 1993, and a text and stills gallery divided into multiple chapters. The bonus material goes into just how crazy the filming of the movie was (almost the entire movie was shot in a huge water tank), with nearly all the scenes shot underwater. You can tell that most of the cast members hated the process but loved the story they were telling. Harris, who nearly drowned a couple different times filming the movie absolutely seemed to hate the process of making the movie but was proud of what they created.
Ultimately, while the movie is not perfect, it is very good, and the UHD release is wonderful. The movie has a great blend of action, drama, and suspense. You can see elements from many of Cameron's other movies, including Aliens (which was made before this one), Titanic, and Avatar (both of which were made after this one) in this movie. It is absolutely worth the time to watch and add to a physical media collection.
Sunday, May 12, 2024
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Homeland: Season 4
The 4th season of Homeland included 12 episodes that aired during the fall and winter of 2014. This season, the main cast includes Claire Danes, Rupert Friend, Nazanin Boniadi, Laila Robins, Tracy Letts, and Mandy Patinkin.
The Blu-Ray set is a three-disc set that includes the episodes and a handful of extras. The A/V quality is very good, and the shows look and sound great in the HD format. The discs have a season-play mode that allows you to stop in the middle of an episode and pick up where you left off. The extras include deleted scenes for some episodes, a few script-to-screen features that detail specific scenes during the season and how they were done, and character profiles. It's good for what is there, but not extensive. Ultimately, the season is good. It is not as good as the first season, but better than the third season. The show definitely had to pivot with the end of the Brody storyline, but that had really played itself out by the end of season three. Even though it could not recapture the feel of season one, it is still worth the time to watch.
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Homeland Season 3
Season 3 of Homeland included 12 episodes that aired during the fall and winter of 2103. In this season Rupert Friend and F. Murray Abraham were promoted to series regulars, and Tracy Letts was brought on as a power-hungry senator named Andrew Lockhart. The third season is good but kind of disjointed. The plot lines seem to jump around until you get toward the end of the season where everything comes together. The first half of the season was really about the aftermath of the CIA bombing at the end of Season 2 that was pinned on Brody. An elaborate plan between Carrie and Saul was hatched to get the person responsible out in the open, but if you think about it too hard it was a plan hatched to catch someone they did not really know was involved with 100% certainly, relied on information they did not have when the plan was set in motion, or that the bait would be taken. So it takes a lot of suspension of disbelief to buy into the whole thing. If you can put that aside, however, the rest of the season is compelling and dramatic, much like the prior seasons were.
The other main point this season was the wrap-up of Brody's storyline. For much of the first part of the season, Brody was not even around or only appeared for most of 1 episode and a few minutes in a few others. Then his story converged on the other storyline. The one unfortunate part of ending that story is that the great story surrounding Dana's response to finding out her dad was a terrorist was also wrapped up, and it was pretty clear that his family will not have a large role in the show anymore. That said, it was definitely time to bring that story, as good as it was for the first season and a half to a close.
The blu-ray set is a three-disc set, with the episodes and extras spread across the three discs. As far as extras go, there is a behind-the-scenes feature on filming the final episodes, deleted scenes, commentary on the final episode, and a feature on Brody's story from the first part of the season. Not a ton, but okay for what is there. All in all, it is not as good as the prior seasons, but does an adequate job of resolving some storylines and moving the show forward.