Workout Update: Power-90 Master's Series Day 54

 Day 54 of the master's series workouts was the core cardio workout. It is definitely not my favorite of the group (mostly because of the Dreya Roll push-ups, which are a harder version of the Dreya Rolls in P90X, which I have never been able to do well). But, it is a very challenging workout, that could have easily replaced the core synergistics workout in P90x. I plan on doing the x-stretch routine today, and then tomorrow starting in with P90x chest and back. 

DVD Review: Family Guy Season 13

 

The big "event" of Season 13 of Family Guy was the crossover with The Simpsons in which the Griffons find themselves in Springfield. All of the major Simpsons characters appeared, and there were inside jokes and callbacks to things from the past of both shows. From there, the season pretty much played out as it always has, basically having a storyline or two of the week in a given episode, but not really any kind of story arc extending through the season.

For those who get the DVD, the episodes are uncensored (they drop f-bombs quite frequently) and, because the show is still popular, you do get some extras. These include a making-of feature on The Simpsons episode, deleted scenes, an animatic version of the episode where Brian and Stewie take Chris through time to teach him history, and commentary tracks on select episodes. My only complaint is that the commentary tracks are not accessible through the extras menu. You have to go into the menu for each individual episode to see if there is one available for that particular episode. So, if you use the "play all" feature to watch the episodes, then go into the extras menu, you have no way of knowing which episodes have commentary tracks and which do not. Aside from that, you get a good amount of material if you like going through the bonus features.

By now, anyone who is considering getting this knows what the show is and what it is not. The jokes can be very offensive and almost no topic is off-limits. While I still think that the original run of episodes from before FOX canceled it after the second or third season was the best, it is still a strong series (if you like adult (sometimes very adult) humor). If however, you have never been a big fan of the show, nothing about season 13 is likely to change your mind. 

Workout Update: Power-90 Master's Series Day 53

 Day 53 was the last cardio 5-6 and ab-ripper 200. I was a bit tired during the workout, but still got it done, and managed to get a good calorie burn. Also, I discovered that yes, the original Power 90 workouts, including the Master's Series workouts, are on Beachbody On Demand. It is definitely not clear if you try to search for them before you sign up. The only indication is that the newer P90 workouts are on the streaming platform. However, once you sign up, if you browse the programs, you will see them in there. It is considered one of their "classic" programs (which, as far as I can tell, includes pretty much every program pre-P90X), but it is there. 

If you have not heard, Beachbody has created a streaming platform that has most, of the workouts that they have ever produced. As far as I can tell, the only workout that was available on DVD that is not on the online platform is the Les Mills Combat workout. I think that was a temporary arrangement between Beachbody and Less Mills, which is likely why those workouts are not on BOD.  And, I believe that at least some of their newer workouts are only released on the streaming platform, and not on DVD. 

There are essentially two different subscriptions you can get. One for just Beachbody on demand which has the workouts like PIYO, Insanity, P90X, etc. You can also subscribe to their BODI service that has live workouts and includes their nutrition platforms Portion Fix and 2B mindset. The best price is if you get an annual subscription. The fee for an annual BOD subscription is $99, and if you add BODI, it jumps up to $299, so it will be about $320 with tax (depending on where you live). You would still need to purchase some program-specific equipment (like the wall/door mount for the 9-week Control Freak program that is used for some of the exercises), although as I was browsing the videos for that program it looks like there is an "off the wall" version that does not use the wall mount. But otherwise, for about $25 per month (or less) you get access to 100s of workouts, and as long as you have something like an Amazon Fire Stick or a Roku you can watch them on a TV. Plus, if you travel a lot you can download the BOD app on your phone or tablet and do them wherever you happen to be without having to lug DVDs around like the old days. 

Anyway, tonight is my last regular workout for the Master's Series, then I will be starting P90x on Monday. I have really not lost much weight over the 8 weeks, mostly because I have not been following a strict nutrition regimen since my mom has been in and out of the hospital this past month.

Workout Update: Power-90 Master's Series Day 52

 Day 52 was the UML workout again. Now having done the workout a handful of times, overall I like it. It is very challenging. A lot of push-ups and a lot of difficult ab moves, some of them are more difficult than any of the moves in the ab-ripper workouts, including ab-ripper-x. It is a relatively short workout, about a half-hour after the 5-minute warm-up and stretch. And, almost all of the moves can be modified to your current fitness level, which is great. The only drawback is that it is on DVD only, so if you want to get a Beachbody on-demand subscription (which is how all the new workouts are being released), you cannot do this one. There is, however, a similar workout from the P90 series which basically replaced the original Power-90 and Master's Series workouts.

4KUHD Blu-Ray review: F9

 

F9 is the latest installment in the Fast and Furious movie saga. As anyone who has followed the progression of the movies knows, it has deviated a lot from the first handful of movies and has become just kind of a tongue-in-cheek action franchise with over-the-top stunts, plots that get more and more stupid over time, and the theme of family. If you watch the Honest Trailer for the movie, it pretty much knocks it out of the park in terms of a review. Basically, the movies are now almost breaking the fourth wall telling the audience, yes we know this is crazy and makes no sense (mainly through Ludacris' and Tyreese's dialogue), but just go with it. 

This version centers around Dom's long-lost and never mentioned brother Jacob, played by the combination of John Cena and Finn Cole (from the great show Animal Kingdom playing young Jacob). The film does (via flashbacks) explain why he was never mentioned, so there is at least that. Of course, he ended up becoming a super spy, working with Mr. Nobody before going rogue and then ends up going against Dom and the crew. Mostly all of the main cast returns (aside from The Rock, who had a very public falling out with Vin Diesel)  as well as some of the old cast. Jordanna Brewster reprises her role as Mia, and as the movie trailer and the box cover to the Blu-Ray spoils, they came up with a way to resurrect Han, with Sung Kang returning to the franchise. Helen Miren has a small role and Jason Statham has a very brief cameo appearance. The film continues to keep Brian alive offscreen and finds ways to keep from having to show him, as the role will never be recast after Paul Walker's death. 

For those who get the UHD set, there are two discs, one UHD and one "regular" Blu-Ray disc. The content on each is identical (including the bonus features). There are two versions of the movie, the theatrical version, and the director's cut, which has a few additional minutes of footage at the beginning of the movie. There is about an hour's worth of bonus features including several behind-the-scenes and making-of features that run anywhere from about three minutes to thirteen minutes, and a short gag reel. So, there is a lot of material for those who like the bonus features.

Overall, the movie is what it is. It makes little to no sense plot-wise and no human could survive the action sequences if they were real. But, as long as you are one that can suspend your disbelief and just enjoy a movie with lots of explosions, car chases, and fights, you can enjoy this. The acting is so-so. You can tell the actors have fun with it and do take the work seriously, even if they know the absurdity of the plot and the stunts. At this point, there have been enough movies that you know what they are and what they are not. So, if you have been a fan, you will probably like this one. If not, there is nothing about this one that is likely to change your mind.

Workout Update: Power-90 Master's Series Day 51

 Day 51 was a rest/stretch day so I did the T25 stretch. I also did ab-ripper 200. Both of those went fine. I can almost actually do all 200 reps without pausing. I did have to pause for a few seconds on the last move after 10 reps. But aside from that, I did not have to stop or pause at all. So, overall, I think the Master's Series workouts went well. I do plan on getting a membership to Beachbody on Demand to do the other workouts. I was going to wait until I finished with Power 90 since the original Power 90 workouts are not on BOD. Just the P90 workouts that were made after P90X3, and are a bit better lead-in to that program than into the original P90X workouts. 

Workout Update: Power-90 Master's Series Day 50

 Day 50 was cardio 5-6 again. The workout went pretty well. About the same as it did the last few times. I am going to wait to do ab-ripper with tonight's stretch (most likely T25 stretch) routine. Just a few more days of the Master's Series and I will be starting P90x on Monday.

Workout Update: Power-90 Master's Series Day 49

 Day 49 was the core cardio workout again. I am not a huge fan of this workout, but thankfully it is just in the recovery week(s). It does remind me of core synergistics from the p90x workout, which I am also not a huge fan of.  I did manage to push through and get a good workout in. 

Workout Update: Power-90 Master's Series Day 48

 Day 48 was the rest day so I did the T25 stretch. Unfortunately, I have still been dealing with a family medical issue, so my schedule for everything has been hectic. So, I did not get a chance to work out until later in the evening, so I picked the shorter stretch workout. It went fine, I was a bit tired, but I got through it.

Workout Update: Power-90 Master's Series Day 47

 Day 47 was the sculpt 5-6 workout again, and using ab-ripper 200 as the warmup. Both ab-ripper and the regular workout went well. I was able to hit max reps on a couple more exercises, and on the tricep dips, I hit a new personal best at 18 reps with legs extended. And, I could tell I am getting a better range of motion on the push-ups. So, overall, a good workout. I have one more week of the Master's Series, then will start in with p90x.

Workout Update: Power-90 Master's Series Day 46

 Day 46 was the cardio 5-6 workout again. As a transition to p90x, I am going to do ab-ripper on the strength training days as a warm-up to the sculpt workout, which is how I plan to use ab-ripper when I do p90x. Overall, this workout was very good. Thankfully, all of the covid booster shot side effects have gone away so I was not feeling chills or super tired like I had been during the last couple of workouts. 

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Explorers

 

Explorers was a mid-1980s movie starring a very young Ethan Hawke (in his first movie role) and a very young River Phoenix (both were around 13 years old at the time the movie was shot). The premise of the movie is that Hawke's character, Ben, who is huge into space, aliens, and science fiction, dreams of what is essentially a circuit that can create a force sphere that can allow for space flight. Phoenix plays Wolfgang, a science nerd who builds the circuit, and Jason Presson plays Darren, a kid that is kind of a loner but gets caught up in the experiment and helps to build a ship. Of course, they end up going into space and meeting actual aliens, but there is a bit of a twist to that part of the story. 

The supporting cast is made up of many recognizable actors including Meshach Taylor, Dick Miller, James Cromwell, and Amanda Peterson, who was another recognizable child actor for those of us who grew up in the 1980s. Robert Picardo played several roles in the movie. He is, of course, probably best known for his role on Star Trek Voyager, but he is almost unrecognizable in each of the roles, including that of the "main" alien. 

For those who get the Blu-Ray, there are two discs, one with the theatrical version of the movie and one with the home video version of the movie. Surprisingly, the theatrical version is a few minutes longer than the home video release. Each disc has the same bonus features, the main ones being an hour-long making-of feature, deleted scenes (that can be played with or without commentary by the director) interviews with a couple different crew members, and the theatrical trailer. A good amount of material for those who like watching the extras.

Overall, the movie, while certainly dated, is still very enjoyable. It has a pretty timeless theme that helps distract from the fact that it feels like a mid-80s movie. Interestingly, if you watch the making-of feature you will find out that the movie was really incomplete, but had to be finished to meet the summer release deadline. So elements had to be taken out, and the edit that was released to theaters was not what the director, Joe Dante, wanted to release. Even so, the movie was pretty well written and well-acted, even though the main actors were kids, and still very green. For many people, this is probably more of a nostalgia movie they remember from their childhood, but if you have not seen it, it is definitely worth checking out.

DVD Review: Dracula Season One

 

Dracula was a show that aired on NBC (which ultimately led to its downfall) in 2013 and starred Johnathan Rhys Meyers as Dracula. The premise is that Dracula comes to London posing as an American Industrialist named Alexander Grayson to bring wireless electricity to the world. In reality, he is trying to bring down a group called The Order of the Dragon that cursed him with immortality and killed his wife. He is aided by Abraham Van Helsing whose family was also killed by the Order. While in London, Grayson falls in love with a woman named Mina Murry (played by Jessica De. Gouw whom most people will probably recognize from her appearances on the series Arrow), who also looks like his late wife. She is betrothed to Jonathan Harker, who is a journalist that Dracula employs to aid in his scheme to bring down the Order.  

The show only got a limited run of 13 episodes. It was hardly enough time to set everything up and really get people invested in the show. It is one of those shows that would have been a lot better off on the CW network and could have easily had a 5+ season run had it not had to pull major network level ratings. Much like the show Constantine, which was on NBC right around the same time, the dark nature of the show (as well as the sex) probably turned a lot of people off, and hence, the show did not get great ratings and was canceled midway through the first season. 

For those who get the DVD set, there are some extras, including deleted scenes, a couple of making-of and behind-the-scenes features, an animated series that shows some of what led up to what airs in the series, and Van Helsing's lost tapes which shows him conducting experiments on vampires. 

Overall, the show is very good, and most definitely deserved a longer run. The end of the season left a lot on the table (it does seem like the final episode was reworked a bit so the showrunners may have known ahead of time that the show was canceled) and had set the show to go in a potentially different direction. And, for fans of hers, it seems that Katie McGrath's character would have been expanded had the show continued. So, even if you like the show, it will leave you feeling incomplete because not everything is resolved by the end of the season. I do, however, think it is worth watching even if you will feel a bit cheated by not seeing a clear end to the storylines. 

DVD Review: Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

 

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, is a comedy from the early 1990s starring Christina Applegate, who was at the height of her fame on the series Married With Children. The movie has a pretty simple premise, the "mom" played by Concetta Tomei took a trip for the summer, hiring an old battle-ax of a babysitter to take care of her kids while she was gone. The babysitter dies, and the kids having no money have to figure out a way to eat, pay the bills, etc, over the summer. Applegate, who plays the 17-year-old daughter, Sue Ellen, applies for a job as a receptionist using a resume she copied out of a guide on writing resumes and ends up with an Executive Assistant position at an apparel company. And from there, of course, hilarity ensues. 

The movie definitely had the feel of a late 80s early 90's movie. Some of the comedy is pretty dated now, and there are some things, like showing Applegate's underage character smoking, would never fly. The movie did have a strong supporting cast including a young Josh Charles, Danielle Harris (who played the little girl in Halloween 4 and 5), David Duchovney, Joanna Cassidy, and several other recognizable character actors. 

For those who get the DVD, the extras are fairly bare-bones (some previews, the trailer, and cast biographies), but it does have closed captions. Overall, it is a dark comedy that has some good moments, but it is not as good as other "coming of age" comedies that came before it like Fast Times, Porky's, or the like, nor as good as some of the comedies that would follow it in a handful of years like American Pie. It definitely feels dated watching it now, but even with those caveats, it is still a decent comedy and worth checking out.  

Workout Update: Power-90 Master's Series Day 45

 Day 46 was a rest day and happened to be Thanksgiving day here in the US. Nevertheless, I still managed to do the T25 stretch video. I actually felt like this was a bit harder than the past couple of times I have done it. Maybe because I have not felt well the past couple of days. But, I made it through.

Workout Update: Power-90 Master's Series Day 44

 Day 44 was Sculpt 5-6 again. I felt a lot better after the effects of my Covid booster wore off, so I was able to get through the workout okay. It did take a bit longer than normal because I had to take more rest breaks, but I made it through. I also used ab-ripper 200 as a warm-up since I had skipped it the day before. That worked pretty well. 

Workout Update: Power-90 Master's Series Day 43

 Day 43 was cardio intervals. I felt very crappy because of the side effects of my covid booster, so I did just one round of cardio intervals (totally skipped round two) and modified a lot. Also, I did not do ab-ripper and saved that as my warmup for the next workout. 

Workout Update: Power-90 Master's Series Day 42

 Day 42 was the UML workout again. This one was tough to get through. I received my covid booster the day before so I was hit with a slight fever and chills yesterday afternoon. I had debated skipping the workout altogether, but I managed to push through. I did have to modify everything and could not hit all the rep counts for some of the moves, but I pushed play and did it.

Workout Update: Power-90 Master's Series Day 41

 Day 41 was another rest/stretch day. I opted to do x-stretch from p90x, which I really like. It is one of my favorite flexibility workouts because it really hits all of the areas (neck, shoulders, and hamstrings) that I (and most people) tend to be very tight and stiff in. There are definitely a couple of moves I have to modify or skip (mostly shoulder stand into plow and bow). And, unlike yoga-x, it never feels like it is going on too long.

Workout Update: Power-90 Master's Series Day 40

 Day 40 was the sculpt 5-6 workout again. I did not have a ton of energy to do this workout because my mom ended up having to go back into the hospital the day before. But, I still managed to get it in, and it was a nice outlet to take my mind off of things. I was able to max out at 11 reps on a couple more exercises, so those will be bumped up next time.

Workout Update: Power-90 Master's Series Day 39

 Day 39 was the sweat 5-6 workout again (along with ab-ripper 200). Nothing really new to report about the workout. It went about the same as it has. I do think I am getting faster, not as fast as Tracy and Tony (who are the ones who do little to no modification), but I can keep up with Larry (who mostly does the modified/slower versions of the move).  I was able to get through all 200 reps of ab ripper, with a couple of pauses. 

Workout Update: Power-90 Master's Series Day 38

 Day 38 was the optional rest or stretch day, so I opted to do T25 stretch again. I again modified it to focus more on hamstring and groin stretches (basically swapping out the downward dog calf stretches for hurdler stretches and then adding dual straight leg stretches and butterfly stretches. As I have said in the last few posts for the stretching workouts I can tell my flexibility is getting better, but it is still a work in progress.

Blu-Ray Review: Superman the Complete Animated Series

 

Superman, the animated series aired in the mid-1990s. It was created and produced by the same team that created the very popular Batman: The Animated Series, and then expanded out into Batman Beyond and Justice League (after this series aired). It aired for three seasons with a total of 54 episodes and starred Tim Daily as the voice of Superman, Dana Delaney as the voice of Lois Lane, and Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor. It also sported a very strong supporting cast including Malcolm McDowell, Joely Fisher, Lisa Edelstein, and Brad Garrett (among others). And, Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, and Arleen Sorkin reprised their roles as Batman, Joker, and Harley Quinn from the Batman series.

The show was, by design, a lot different both in terms of feel and look from the Batman series. The look of the series was inspired both by the Jack Kirby comics and the Max Fleischer animated series from the 1960s. The creators made the choice to have a vulnerable version of Superman that could be hurt, even by things that did not hurt him in other incarnations of the character. This put him on more of a level playing field with the villains. While some episodes referred back to prior episodes and there were some two and even three-part episodes during the run of the series, the episodes were mostly stand-alone so that you did not necessarily have to remember what was going on in a first season episode to get what was going on during a third season episode. Not that it is a big issue when you can watch every episode back to back.

As most hardcore fans are aware, this set was released on DVD years ago. This is the first time it has been on Blu-Ray. The big upgrade you get from the DVD set is that this one does not have the double-sided discs that the DVD set had. In the DVD set, each season had three discs. The first disc for each season was normal, but for some reason discs, 2 and 3 of each season were double-sided, which of course leads to the possibility of discs getting scratched up. Thankfully, this set corrects that. The 54 episodes are spread out over six discs. They did not break the discs up by seasons at all, just had them numbered 1-54. The one downside to the Blu-Ray set is that while most of the bonus material carried over from the DVD set, not all of the commentary tracks were put on the Blu-Ray set. On the DVD and the Blu-Ray, there are commentary tracks for selected episodes. However, there are a few commentary tracks that were included on the DVD set that are not on the Blu-Ray set. So, if you are a fan of the bonus features you may want to hold on to your DVD set. Otherwise, all the making-of and behind-the-scenes features that were included in the DVD set did carry over.

As far as the A/V quality goes, it was cleaned up, but I would not say the transfer was as quality as some older movies have gotten. The WB intro just before the episodes start did not get scaled up so when each episode starts it looks like it will be in standard definition, but from the opening credits on, you can definitely tell the video has been upgraded. 

Overall, the show is very good. It is definitely not just a "kids show" and at times does get very dark (especially toward the end). The series ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. Not so much a cliffhanger in terms of character danger, but would have taken the show in somewhat of a new direction had the series not been canceled. If you are a fan of Superman or specifically this series, it is definitely worth picking up.

Workout Update: Popwer-90 Master's Series Day 37

 Day 37 was the sculpt 5-6 workout again. This was actually one of my best workouts of the master's series workouts. I was able to hit the 11 rep max on four different exercises, one of which already had the weight increase from the last workout because I hit 11 reps last time. I will still be glad to be finished with the Power-90 lifting workouts since, as I have said before, I am not a huge fan of total body workouts. I prefer to split which body parts I am doing resistance workouts on because I personally feel I get a better overall workout. 

Workout Update: Power-90 Master's Series Day 36

 Day 36 was the cardio intervals workout and ab-ripper 200. Cardio intervals is a difficult workout. It could easily be a replacement for one of the other cardio workouts in P90x. It does get a bit easier over the course of time, especially if you do it a couple times a week. The schedule I am following just has it once a week in the second 4-week phase, so it continues to be challenging. Ab ripper 200 went about the same as it has been. I can get through all 200 moves pretty much without stopping or pausing now, but I do have to modify some of the moves.