Blu-Ray Review: Chuck Season 2

 

The second season of Chuck is where the series really hit its stride. The beginning of the season involves a storyline of a second intersect and the possibility of Chuck getting his normal life back, which is a blessing and a curse for him given his feelings for Sarah, and not wanting her to leave. Of course, plans go awry, and (since the show went on), he does not end up getting out. The season also expands the role of Fulcrum and the evil organization trying to get their hands on the intersect. This season also involves more of the Buy More group of characters, with hilarious results. We also get a ton of pop culture references in the season, the best of which is a "Die Hard" themed Christmas episode, that included Reginald VelJohnson, and an episode with a bunch of Back to the Future references, including a DeLorean.

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, there are a handful of short making-of and behind-the-scenes features, an 18-minute featurette on the stunt work, and a gag reel. Some sets have the 3D version of the episode Chuck vs. the Third-dimension and others have just the 2D version. There is also 10 minutes worth of webisodes. So, a nice amount of extras for those who like bonus features.

Overall, the season was great. The show continues to be well written and acted. This season also saw a ton of guest stars including, Melinda Clark (from the OC), Michael Clarke Duncan, Nicole Ritchie, Michael Strahan, Jordana Brewster, Morgan Fairchild, Bruce Boxleitner, Scott Bakula, Chevy Chase, Tricia Helfer, Jerome Bettis, and more. Matt Bomer also made an appearance as Bryce Larkin to throw a wrench not only into the intersect storyline but the Chuck-Sarah relationship. If you are one of the few people reading this who knows nothing about the show and are just trying to figure out if you want to watch it, I highly recommend it. It has a great blend of action, comedy, and drama (and having Yvonne Strahovski in lingerie on a regular basis does not hurt either). You definitely need to watch the first season in order for the second season to make sense because the show is much more of a serial storyline than a procedural one. And, if you liked or loved the first season, you will probably feel the same way about this one.

Product Review: OULII Toilet Flush Lever Handle Universal Toilet Handle Replacement for Toilet Tank (Side Mount)

 

I got this to replace the part on my existing toilet that had rusted through. The one that I was sent did not have any holes to hook the chain onto, but I could hook the chain over the bar and then use duct tape to keep it in place. So, it is not exactly how it is supposed to work, but it gets the job done. The only reason I knocked it down to three stars is because of the quality control issue of letting a defective part get shipped out.

Product Review: Coolmax ES-300 Esata to USB Adapter

 

If you have an external eSata drive but have a laptop with just USB ports, this will do the job. My laptop was able to recognize the drive without a problem, and everything worked fine.

Product Review: MANGROOMER Do-It-Yourself Electric Back Hair Shaver

 

The best way to describe this is that it works well until it doesn't. The one I owned went through batteries like crazy, and eventually putting in new batteries would not power it. And, because it is made of cheap plastic, the hinge broke and got stuck in one position. Thankfully, it was in the open position so I could still use it until the battery thing made it non-functional, but it was not as easy to store like that. So, it worked as intended until it did not, so I would look for other options.

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 15

Day 15 of CE was the third round of Burn Circuit 1. I could tell in this workout that I am getting appreciably stronger. I was able to max out at the 12 reps on most of the exercises, aside from the very last shoulder raise at the end. And, I was able to do two of the three ultra slow pushups (8-counts up and 8 counts down) at the end on my toes, and go all the way down so my chest touched the ground. I still had to do the last one on my knees, but I am making progress.  

Product Review: WD My DVR Expander 500 GB eSATA External Hard Drive

 

I purchased this hoping to be able to expand the storage capacity on my Tivo 2 DVR. Unfortunately, this does not work with that series (although it may work with later versions of the TiVo DVRs) so you definitely need to make sure this is compatible with what you are trying to hook it up to. You can use it as an external hard drive for a regular computer (you may need to format it), but it is pretty bulky and not something most people are likely to use these days as external drives are getting smaller and smaller.

Product Review: Reebok Men's RBK Integrity Trainer Cross Training

 

These fit very well, have good stability, and are quite comfortable. They are very good for higher impact exercises like plyometrics or jumping that running shoes are not designed for. So, if you are doing workout programs like P90X or Insanity (or any other program that has a lot of jumping), these are a very good option. It would be great if there was a high-top version that provided a bit more ankle support, but even so, they are good shoes.

DVD Review: The Algebra 2 Tutor - 6 Hour Course

 

I found Jason's material years ago when I started taking math classes to get what would eventually turn into an Electrical Engineering degree. I was not a great math student my first time through college, so I was looking for any kind of study material I could find to help get myself ready for the classes I would have to take.

This set of DVDs covers much of the material that you would see in an intermediate algebra level course in college, as well as some of the material that you get in a college algebra course. At six hours it does not, obviously, cover an entire semester's worth of material. It starts out with graphing equations (pretty much of lines), then gets into the slope of a line, writing equations of lines, solving systems of equations, equations with radicals, fractional exponents, and then ends with polynomial equations and the quadratic formula. So, it covers a lot of key material, but as I said, it does not get into everything in a full semester-long course. But, if paired with Jason's other sets, the advanced algebra and matrix algebra tutors, you will get about 85-90% of what you will see in a college algebra course.

One thing to be aware of, this is a lecture-like series of videos with Jason standing in front of a whiteboard working on problems. So, you have to know what your particular learning style is. Even though it is lecture-like, it is not exactly the same kind of lecture you will get in a "regular" class, where professors tend to go through the theory ad-nauseum. Jason explains just enough of the theory to get you to understand the concepts but then goes through a bunch of example problems, step-by-step. He explains each step as he goes along and then recaps the process after the problem is fully worked out. He also gives hints about what can trip people up, and things to watch out for when solving problems. He also encourages students to go back and work the problems on their own to drill the concepts into their heads.

Overall, this is a great set, and if you are an audio and/or visual learner, this will help you a lot. It is a lot cheaper than an in-person tutor, but the trade-off is the lack of ability to ask questions or get help with real homework problems which you can get with an in-person tutor. With those caveats, it is definitely a good investment for anyone needing extra help with math or just wanting to learn the material on their own.

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.