DVD Review: Bitten Season Two

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from season one, but no major season two giveaways. +++

The second season of Bitten picks up shortly after the events of the Season 1 finale. The entire pack is looking for Malcolm to bring him to justice for the attack on the pack and killing Phillip, which Elana is still reeling from (to some extent). She has embraced her role in the pack and has come to accept her feelings for Clay after finding out that he bit her to protect her. In the first episode, that storyline is combined with the new storyline that will play out for the rest of the season, that is the arrival of Witches. The season is kind of wolves v. witches theme, and kind of a wolves and witches team up to prevent a threat to each group.

The show continues to be very violent and has a lot of sexual content (and as much nudity as they could get away with). There may be a bit less sex this season than in season one, but not much less, and they definitely take advantage of showing off the ridiculously good-looking cast. All of the characters continue to evolve, especially Nick and Jordan, and all of the actors do a great job with their characters.

For those who get the DVD, the extras include deleted scenes, a portion of the NY comic-con panel discussion, a feature on the fight choreography, a gag reel, and the episode of the aftershow (that aired in Canada I believe) for the season finale. All, in all, about an hour and a half of bonus features, which is getting rarer and rarer for DVD sets.

Overall, the season is good. The show will definitely not appeal to everyone, but I think most fans of sci-fi and fantasy will like it. I have personally never read the books that the series was adapted from. According to the showrunner, this season deviated quite a bit from the second book, so people who are fans of the book may not like it that much. But, if you are a fan of the genre or just a fan of Laura Vandervoort from her Smallville or Haven days, it is definitely worth checking out.

Product Review: TP-Link AC750 WiFi Extender

 

I have a split-level townhouse that results in multiple Wi-Fi dead zones. I have a couple of these, and they all but eliminate the dead spots where I either get a very weak signal or no signal at all. They are very easy to set up. You plug the extender in near your router, press the WPS button on the router and the WPS button on the extender, wait for them to pair (all the lights on the extender to stop blinking), then unplug the extender and move it to where you want to boost the signal. My router is on the main level and I have one of these in my basement and one on the third level in my bedroom. I will very likely get another one when I set my theater room up on the fourth level. I definitely recommend these.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: The Dark Knight

 

The Dark Knight has the distinction of being in a class of sequels that overtake the original movie. It is, of course, the follow-up to 2005's Batman Begins, which pays off on the tease of the arrival of The Joker that occurred at the end of Batman Begins. The Joker was played, controversially until people actually saw the movie, by Heath Ledger. Internet chat rooms were lit with how horrible a casting choice it was, and as it turns out, Leger provided certainly one of the best, if not the best, live-action performances of The Joker ever. He definitely made the character his own and did not try to copy what Cesar Romero or Jack Nicholson did with other performances. I was, of course, Ledger's last full performance on film as he tragically died shortly after filming wrapped. His performance was so good that it won Ledger a posthumous Oscar.

The plot of the movie is basically Batman v. The Mob v. The Joker v. The System, all of which work with and against each other at times, and all of which are, at least to some extent, either corrupt or doing something less than righteous. The movie brings back much of the cast from the first movie, including Bale, Freeman, Caine, and Oldman. The role of Rachel Dawes was recast with Maggie Gyllenhall replacing Katie Holmes. While I think Gyllenhall did fine, I would have preferred the continuity of keeping Holmes in the role. Apparently, however, it was Holmes' decision not to return for the sequel so she kind of left everyone in the lurch. The big addition to the cast was Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent, the new District Attorney of Gotham. As pretty much everyone knows, Dent becomes Two-Face, and the one change I would have made to the movie would be to have Two-Face be unleashed a bit earlier in the movie so he had more screen time. But, Eckhart did a good job with the character for the short time he got to play the full version.

For those who get the Blu-Ray, the movie looks and sounds great. The extras include several making-of and behind-the-scenes features, features about the various characters, stills galleries, trailers, and more. A lot of extras for those who like to watch them.

Overall, the movie is wonderful. The acting is great, and the writing is mostly good. There are some plot points that are kind of dumb, but they are very minor. Ledger's performance was definitely the highlight of the movie, even though he was not in nearly as many scenes as it seems like he was, and it rightly deserves its praise as one of the best comic book movies of all time.

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 14

Day 14 was recharge and Ab-Burner. Both went well. I like doing recharge twice a week as opposed to the recommended one time, and I think doing it separately from the Burn it Off workout works well. Ab burner was much easier the second time. In the Burn Circuit phase, I think there is enough ab work in the regular workouts that you do not have to do ab burner more than once a week, but I may do it a couple days a week once I get to the other phases.  

Product Review: Mr. Pen- Small Hammer

 

This is great for putting picture hangers on the wall, or small things like that. The one area where you lose a bit of functionality because it is shorter than a "regular" sized hammer is if you are trying to remove nails, it is not as long a lever, which may be a bit problematic. That aside, it is a very good hammer, especially if you have smaller hands. If your hands are the size of baseball gloves, then this is definitely going to be way too small for you to use.

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 13

Day 13 of CE was the 28 minute Burn it Off workout. I felt that my cardio endurance improved a lot from last week, probably because of the Burn Intervals workout mid-week. I was able to push harder on the exercises and did not have to pause as much. I still had to modify the burpees and cut it short at seven instead of the full ten, but that was really the only one I could not finish. 

Book Review: Helter Skelter

 

Helter Skelter is the novel written by Vincent Bugliosi, the lead prosecutor in the prosecution and conviction of Charles Manson and his followers for the series of murders that they carried out in the late 1960s, including the murder of the actress Sharon Tate. The book details not only the crimes but the investigation that was carried out and the prosecution of those involved. Most interesting, especially for those of us who are lawyers, is the strategy Bugliosi used to convict Manson even though he did not help carry out the murders, and his followers were basically brainwashed cult members who were reluctant to flip on him.

As anyone who has read any of Bugliosi's books, he has a pretty snarky writing style and is not shy about sharing his personal feelings about the people he is writing about. So, his characterization of Manson and his band of followers could be quite humorous at times. The book is organized into multiple parts that detail the murders, then detail the killers, the investigation of the crime, determining a motive, catching those involved, and the trial and its aftermath. It is a very entertaining read and provides a lot of information that only Bugliosi and a handful of other people were privy to. So, if you are a history buff and/or a true crime enthusiast, this is definitely worth reading.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Chuck Season 1

 

Chuck was a series that ran from 2007 to 2012. The basic premise was that a guy named Chuck (played by Zachary Levi) who works at a fictional equivalent of the Geek Squad (called the Nerd Herd) in a fictional version of Best Buy (called Buy More) had a supercomputer called the Intersect (basically a database with all the CIA and NSA secrets) beamed into his brain by his old college roommate who happens to be a CIA agent. He ends up with a CIA handler named Sarah (played by Yvonne Strahovski) and an NSA handler named John Casey. The theme of the show is basically a case of the week procedural in which Chuck has to use the information in his head to stop some evil plot. Much of the comedy is brought in by the fact that Chuck cannot access the information at will, and it comes to him in flashes, usually at some inopportune time.

The show definitely lives up to the hype that its die-hard fans give it. Unfortunately, the year it premiered the Bionic Woman reboot series got all of NBC's promotional budget and Chuck was hardly mentioned at all. For a lot of people, the allure to the show was the commercial that featured Yvonne Strahovski in lingerie (which she was in a lot during the series), but it was really a well-written and well-acted show that should have gotten a bit longer run than it did. Levi and Strahovski are great as leads playing fake boyfriend and girlfriend. They have great chemistry, and of course, the show teases the "will they or won't they" get together all season. All of the actors, including the group of rather pathetic Buy More ancillary characters, are great. Whatever you may think of Adam Baldwin in real-life, he does a great Job as Casey, a guy with no people skills forced to work in a store interacting with customers. Joshua Gomez steals nearly every scene he is in as Chuck's best friend, Morgan.

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, it looks and sounds great in the HD format. The extras include deleted scenes, a 27 minute "Chuck on Chuck" feature that has Levi and Gomez discussing the show, a gag reel, and clips from various actors casting sessions. All in all, a decent amount of material.

Overall, the show is great. It is old enough now that most people reading this likely know a lot about it, but if you are one of the few just trying to figure out if you should watch it, it lives up to the hype that die-hard fans give it. If you are a fan of 80s pop culture you will see a lot of references, especially as the season goes on. While the first season is short, just 13 episodes, it sets up the characters and the story well, and really makes you care about all of the main characters. The acting and writing are top-notch, especially the romance angle between Chuck and Sarah, and Chuck trying to keep his "regular" life and his spy life separate. I highly recommend it.

Product Review: Utopia Bedding All Season 250 GSM Comforter - Soft Down Alternative Comforter

 

This is a comforter that can be used in the summer (for those of us who need a blanket to sleep, even when it is warm) or winter. It is lightweight and very soft. You may, depending on how many blankets you need, want to have multiple blankets or a weighted blanket underneath it because it is so light. But, overall, it looks and feels great, and I definitely recommend it.

Product Review: TiVo TCD649080 Series 2 80-Hour Dual Tuner Digital Video Recorder (2008 Model)

 

This was really the best of Tivo. Because of streaming these boxes have pretty much gone extinct, but in the days of cable and satellite TV, this was great to get a ton of DVR space, and the guide was usually much better than what you got with any of the cable or Satellite TV services. And, it organized the recordings very well so you could always find what you wanted to watch easily, and if you had an entire season of a show recorded, the episodes would always be in order, which you cannot always get even on the streaming services' DVRs (Sling TV definitely comes to mind). The only drawback to it is that you have to pay for the expensive box, and then a monthly fee on top of that. But, if that is in your budget and you still have cable or Satellite TV, this is a good option.

Book Review: Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

 

Reclaiming history is a massive book on the Kennedy Assassination by the noted prosecutor and author Vince Bugliosi. It is broken into two "books". Book One, titled "Matters of Fact: What Happened" discusses the Assassination, the various investigations, the evidence, details Oswald's past and movements, and the mountain of evidence against him, and pointing to the fact that he was the only shooter.

In the second book, titled "Delusions of Conspiracy: What Didn't Happen", Bugliosi swats down the most prevalent conspiracy theories, refuting them point-by-point with detailed evidence and citations to bolster his conclusions. Of course, his ultimate conclusion is that there is no proof of conspiracy. He is quite condescending to most of the major conspiracy theorists, holding a special derision for Mark Lane and Oliver Stone, and makes no bones about the fact that he finds most of the conspiracy advocates to be batshit crazy.

The book reads like an extremely long law review article. Almost every sentence is footnoted, and many of the footnotes include a paragraph or more of text. The amount of text in the footnotes can probably fill their own book. As a result, it is not exactly the easiest thing to read but it provides a lot of detail. Obviously, the Kennedy Assassination is one of the most contentious points of debate in history. For people who don't believe there was a conspiracy, this book will just deepen their resolve. For those who do, nothing Bugliosi says, including the fact that such a conspiracy would require multiple people to stay quiet forever and never reveal anything, or that many of the various conspiracies contradict each other, will ever change their mind. So, it is pretty likely if you think that Oswald acted alone you will love this book and if you think something more nefarious was behind the Assassination, you will hate it. Personally, I think it is worth reading regardless of where you stand on the conspiracy issue, if nothing else, just for the fact that it is one of the most detailed books on the Kennedy Assassination out there.

DVD/TV Series Review: House of Cards Trilogy

 

This is the series that essentially served as the source material for the American series starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright. If you have watched the US version and then watch this, you will definitely see things that influenced the US series, as well as things that the US series changed a lot.

The BBC series spanned three seasons, all very short (just 4 episodes per season) that ran from 1990 to 1995. It starred Ian Richardson as Frances Urquhart, a whip for the conservative party in Britain's House of Commons, who maneuvers his way into being elected Prime Minister. Like Spacey's Frank Underwood, he will do whatever it takes to get and then hold power. The first season really deals with Francis' rise to power, and the political maneuvering it took to get there. The second season is about Francis' feud with the new King of England as if Elizabeth was no longer going to be queen in 1993, and the third season is about Francis' downfall.

For those who get the complete series on DVD, there are four discs total. Each season has its own disc, then there is a fourth disc with bonus material. There are only two bonus features. One is an 8-minute segment from a talk show featuring the writer hearing it from people who were ticked that his fictional king was making fun of Prince Charles. The second is a documentary about the history and functioning of Westminster Abbey, the palace that houses the British Parlament.

Overall, if you are a fan of the US series and watched that first, as probably most people in the US did, it is interesting to watch this to see what is similar and what was changed. For example, the character that would end up as Cory Stoll's character in the US version was totally different, and the storyline with the reporter, played by Susannah Harker in this series and Kate Mara in the US series, was expanded quite a bit in the US series. Some of it is a bit lost in translation if you are not familiar with how the political system in England works, and some of the slang terms used in England will probably make no sense to Americans. That said, it is still enjoyable. Like the US version of the show, there is drug use, and in the third season, some nudity, so it is definitely an adult series. While I cannot say fans of the US series will like it better, or even as much as they like the US version, this is still worth watching.

Product Review: BGment Blackout Curtains for Bedroom - Grommet Thermal Insulated Room Darkening Curtains for Living Room, Set of 2 Panels (42 x 63 Inch, Navy Blue)

 

These are really good blackout curtains. They do not keep a room 100 percent dark on their own. If you get direct western sun in the late afternoon and do not have a sheer curtain behind these, a bit of light will come through. But, once the sun is down, you will not get any light coming through these unless they are not closed all the way. You get two panels per pack, so it is a very good deal. I definitely recommend these.

Product Review: TiVo AG0100 Wireless G USB Network Adapter for TiVo Series 2 and Series 3 DVRs

 

The earliest Tivo boxes did not have built-in Wi-Fi. This was a plug-and-play adapter that connected to the box via a USB port. It was super easy to install and allowed your Tivo to connect wirelessly to your internet, which was much more convenient than using an Ethernet cable. So, if you have one of the old Tivo boxes, this is definitely worth picking up.

Blu Ray/Movie Review: Batman Begins

 

As many are probably aware, the live-action Batman franchise was effectively killed off by the horrible 1997 film Batman and Robin. Christopher Nolan, who at this point was probably best known for the movie Memento, decided to revive the franchise by grounding it in "reality". Basically making Gotham city look real, doing so by filming much of the movie in Chicago, and using more realistic gadgets. The end result was a huge success that eventually led to the three movies of the "Nolan Trilogy".

Batman Begins does just what you would think. Tells the origin story of Batman. We see the murder of Bruce's parents in the beginning, then it time jumps to when Bruce is a young adult. He ends up training with Raj al-Ghul and returning to Gotham with a mission to clean up the city. The movie stars Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, and Cillian Murphy. Then, there are many recognizable actors such as Ken Wanatabe, Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer, and Jack Gleeson. The movie was very well-written and acted. It did not try to copy any of the movies (or the TV show) that came before it, which was, in my opinion, the key to its success.

For those who get the Blu-Ray, the movie looks and sounds great in the HD format. For extras, there are several making-of featurettes, an in-movie experience that has a picture-in-picture display as the movie plays that has interviews and commentary by the cast and crew. There is additional footage, a spoof of the movie done for the MTV movie awards, a stills gallery, and the trailer. So, a ton of extras for those who like to watch them.

Overall, the movie is great. Definitely darker (and 1000 times better) than the Joel Schumacher entries, and much different than Tim Burton's versions. So, if you are a fan of Batman or even superhero movies in general, this is definitely worth watching, and if you love the extras that come with the physical discs, worth the pickup.

DVD Review: Alien Quadrilogy

 

This is the set of original Alien films starring Sigourney Weaver, the one that started it all, directed by Ridley Scott, the very good follow-up Aliens, and then the two that kind of delved into the "hot garbage" category, Alien 3, and Alien Ressurection. All of the movies got an upgraded version of the movie and a TON of extras per movie. The best of which, in my opinion, was for the first movie. Those included the Director's Cut with an introduction by Ridley Scott, and a deleted footage marker, so you can see what was not in the theatrical version of the movie, a new commentary track that included Ridley Scott, many of the actors, and one of the producers and the editor. And then you get a bunch of making-of features, storyboards, stills, the original draft of the script, a creature design featurette, and more.

Aliens received a similar treatment with a special edition of the movie being included, along with the theatrical version. The special edition had an intro by James Cameron and a commentary track that included Cameron and many of the cast and crew members. Then it got a ton of behind the scenes and making-of features, a large production gallery of photos, visual effects features, and more.

Alien 3 also got a special edition, but the director, David Fincher, refused to participate in the re-release, so he was not involved in anything. Hence, the commentary track just included a few of the crew members and a couple of cast members. There were still a ton of making-of and behind-the-scenes material, stills galleries, deleted scenes, and the like for this one.

Alien Ressurection also received the same kind of release, with a special edition and a theatrical edition, a new commentary track on the special edition with the director, some cast members, and some crew members, and then a ton of behind-the-scenes material.

So, each movie has two discs devoted to them, then the final ninth disc just has more special features those include documentaries, laser disc archives (the extras included on the laserdisc releases of the films), original trailers and TV spots, and even more stills, for each of the various movies.

Overall, this set is wonderful. I have heard that some of the transfers to the Blu-Ray version of this, Alien Legacy, were kind of so-so. Because of that, I have never upgraded, because I love the DVD set that much. If there is ever a 4kUHD release of this set, I may bite the bullet and upgrade, but until then I definitely recommend this to anyone who is a hard-core fan of the Alien franchise and loves DVD extras.

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 12

Day 12 of CE was Burn Circuit 3. The upper body exercises in this one are mostly shoulders again, but working the front and sides of the shoulder as opposed to the back, which is the focus in Burn Circuit 1. It does not have any chest work at all, aside from three push-ups as one of the "extreme" sets toward the end of the workout. The leg exercises are mostly squats and lunges combined with calf raises (basically raising up onto your toes after you do the squat or lunge). So, the moves are all pretty challenging, but the workout is short (only 32 minutes including the warm-up and the cool-down) so it goes by quickly. I definitely have gotten stronger even over the course of two weeks, because I was able to hit the 12 rep max for nearly every shoulder exercises this workout, which means the weight will be increasing next time.

Product Review: Illuminator Self Powered 4-in-1 FM Radio / Alarm / 3 White focused LED flashlight / Mobile phone charger Crank Powered

 

If you need something when the power goes out, or when (god forbid) if you go camping and do not have another power source readily available, this can give you a flashlight for a few minutes, can be used as a radio, and can give you a very brief mobile phone charge. But, it in no way will give you 30 minutes of flashlight power for one minute of hand cranking. You get more like 10 minutes. So, it is not totally worthless, but with the advent of portable solar chargers that you can put out in the sun and then plug into your phone to give it power, and can then use your phone as a flashlight, to get the radio, etc., this is really just outdated, especially for how it actually performs vs what the marketing says it is capable of.

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 11

Day 11 was Burn Intervals again. The only thing notable is that I had a sore ankle today so it limited my jumping. So, I basically did everything low impact. The only move I was not able to do the entire set was the sumo burpees, but I was able to get through 10 of them. Everything else went well.  

Audio Book Review: Ultimate Goals

 

This is a better program than Tracy's other well-known program, The Psychology of Achievement. This one really expands on the concept of goal setting, and provides a lot of concrete steps on how to form realistic goals, and then how to try and implement them. Realistic being the key word there. He is very blunt about the fact that someone who is unemployed with no money in the bank is not going to make a million dollars in thirty days, so setting a goal to have a million dollars in thirty days, or even a year when you are in that situation is not realistic. Tracy has a nice conversational style of speaking, that is easy to follow. He can be a bit hokey sometimes, but usually not irritatingly so. This is definitely worth listening to multiple times.

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 10

Day 10 of CE is the second round of Burn Circuit 2. Even though this one is a bit longer than the other BC workouts, I like it the most. It really gives a good burn in the biceps and triceps when you are done. And, one reason I tend to like CE more than P90X is that you only have to do 12-15 push-ups per workout, as opposed to hundreds in some of the P90X workouts (depending on your fitness level). I did max out at 12 reps on a couple of the exercises so those will be increasing in weight next time. On a couple exercises, I could barely make it to 10 reps, so overall, my weight selection was pretty good. 

Audiobook Review: The Psychology of Achievement

 

The Psychology of Achievement, by Brian Tracy, does have some good advice and information in it. Specifically, how to talk to yourself and goal setting. He does say things like you should tell yourself that you like yourself but literally repeating "I like myself" over and over. While that is a bit hokey, the discussion about figuring out your goals, and then cementing those goals by saying things like "I make [insert income per year]" or "I weigh [insert goal weight]" and writing down your goals on a daily basis are sound and helpful. Some of the law of attraction stuff is, as it has always been, kind of dumb, but he does go beyond just advising you pretend that you are something, but visualizing it and then taking concrete steps to make it happen. He also advises things like meditating (what he calls going into solitude) for 30-60 minutes, listening to "tapes" on a daily basis, whether self-help, something you want to learn, topical seminars, etc. Basically, that translates to these days listening to TED talks or informational podcasts. He also gives advice on how to brainstorm effectively and gives a lot of tips on becoming more creative.

All in all, it amounts to good advice to making yourself more productive and successful. The advice is generally practical (like do not set a goal that is unreasonable or incongruent with your current situation) and helpful. It will not turn you into a success overnight but will give you the skills, that if you implement them, help you become more successful.

DVD Review: Due South Season 2

 

The second season of Due South was the last one to be broadcast on CBS. It kept the case-of-the-week procedural format but did have callbacks to prior storylines. One of which resulted in the wonderful mid-season episode Juliet is Bleeding, which returned to the storyline between Ray and Frank Zuko, and guest-starred Carrie Ann Moss, who would of course go on to star in The Matrix in a few years. The Victoria storyline was mentioned a couple of times but never revisited, which I think was unfortunate. This season also introduced new characters that would appear multiple times throughout the series' remaining run including Camilla Scott as Fraiser's new boss, Inspector Thatcher, and bringing back the compulsive liar, Ian MacDonald, from season one. Leslie Nielsen also made his first appearance as the Mountie Sgt. Buck Frobisher. Romana Milano who played Ray's sister Franchesca also had a larger role this season.

The DVD series does not include any extras, just the episodes. The season continued to be well-written and acted. In the second season, the show was mostly still serious, with some comedic elements mixed in. It was not until after the CBS cancellation and picked up by Alliance and aired in Canada and in syndication in the US that it transitioned into a dramedy. As the show does not stream anywhere (that I am aware of) if you want it getting the DVDs is the only way to watch it these days (as I do not think it plays in syndication any longer either). It is definitely worth the pickup.

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 9

Day 9 of CE was the first of the two rest days, so I again did the recharge workout. I could tell that I was a bit more flexible from when I did the workout on Sunday afternoon. So, I think I am going to stick with doing that one twice a week in the Burn phase and then may add a different flexibility workout into the rotation during the Push or Lean phase.  

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 8

Day 8 of CE was the second round of Burn Circuit 1. I definitely still found it challenging, but not quite as difficult as last week. There were a couple of moves that I was still guessing a little low on the weight I was using, so those will be bumped up for next week, but overall, I was able to max out at 10 or 11 reps for each move so the weight was spot on.