Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Snow White & the Huntsman

 

Chances are, most people are aware of the Snow White story from the Disney cartoon. This is a much different take on the story. The movie stars Charlize Theron as Queen Ravenna, the evil queen who can drain the life from people to stay young and beautiful. Kristen Stewart is Snow White, the "fairest of them all" who, if Ravenna can kill her, will allow Ravenna to stay young and beautiful forever. Ravenna gets the Huntsman (played by Chris Hemsworth) to track Snow White down after she escapes the castle Ravenna has had her imprisoned in since she was a child. He ends up helping her and along with the seven dwarves (who are not a large focus of the story), help Snow White fight Ravenna.

The movie looks and sounds great in HD. There are a ton of great visuals, and the movie makes great use of CGI to, among other things, transform actors like Toby Jones, Nick Frost, and Bob Hoskins, into dwarves. The movie is well written and acted, with Theron basically stealing the show. Stewart gave a good performance as well. Probably not as good as in some of her lower-budget and indie roles, but better than she did in Twilight (although the source material she had to work with there was not exactly stellar).

For those who get the Blu-Ray, the extras include a commentary track on the movie by the director, the visual effects supervisor, and one of the editors of the movie. Then there are several making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes that range from just over a minute in length to just over twenty minutes. Around an hour's worth of material, give or take.

Overall, the movie is very good. Theron is definitely the highlight of the film, but all the actors gave good performances, and it told a good, original, version of the story. It definitely had set up for more stories to be told in that universe, but because of the controversy that came out after the movie was released with Stewart and the married director being caught making out, the movie only got Huntsman focused spinoff that largely ignored Snow White's existence. Even so, it is still a good movie that had a good blend of action and drama and is definitely worth watching.

DVD/TV Series Review: Family Guy: Season 17

 

This is the DVD set for the seventeenth season of Family Guy, and is, as of this writing, the last season that is available on DVD. That is a bummer for those of us who prefer physical media to streaming, but not all that surprising given that DVD and Blu-Ray sets for TV series have very low sales numbers and are pretty much going extinct, especially Fox series as Fox is notorious for wanting their stuff exclusively on their various streaming platforms. In fact, this season includes an episode, "You Can't Handle the Booth" in which the characters from the show do a DVD commentary on an episode, and joke about how a lot of people (especially young people) have no idea what DVDs are.

The episodes are split over three discs, and they are uncensored. They definitely use jokes that cannot be used on the broadcast versions and drop multiple f-bombs. The extras include deleted scenes for most of the episodes, a commentary free track of the You Can't Handle the Booth episode, and a traditional commentary track on You Can't Handle the Booth that includes the writer, producers, and editor in which they discuss the process of making the episode and the layers of doing a regular episode, having the characters do a fake commentary track, and then including dialog by the actors talking to their characters (and including Sarah Paulson as a guest commentator). The episode seems to be either loved or hated by the fans, but it was very complicated to pull off, so the "regular" commentary track is actually pretty insightful.

Realistically, the show has been on long enough now that you will know if you like it or not. The show has definitely evolved over the years, but for those of us who have been watching from season one up to now, it is actually nice that the show does some callbacks to the early episodes (including a return of Lacy Chabert, who voiced Meg for the first thirteen episodes before Mila Kunis took over the role), and making fun of how characters (especially Stewie) has changed over the years. If you are a fan of the show and have the other DVD sets, this is worth picking up to keep your collection complete. But otherwise, you may just want to stick with streaming it.

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 70

Day 70 was the Lean Circuit 1 workout again. I am still finding it challenging, even using the same weight as the first couple of weeks for most of the exercises. I have been able to bump up a couple of them, but mostly I am working with 15 pounds. I have been able to do the plank kickbacks on my toes and can do more of the triceps pushups on my toes (but I cannot go super deep when I do them on my toes). 

Study Aid Review: Ultimate Physics 2 Tutor Vol. 2 - Oscillations and Waves

 

This is a continuation of Jason's series of physics tutors. Where the material falls in your particular class sequence (if you are taking classes and not just learning on your own) will depend on how your school sets up the courses. I took two semesters of calculus-based physics at the community college level, and my teacher barely covered this material, right at the very end of the first semester. I think we had two lectures and one bonus question on the Doppler Shift on the final exam.

The set covers harmonic motion, different types of waves (transverse, standing, interference), speed and intensity of waves, and then ends with a lesson on the Doppler Shift. So, pretty much everything on the subject of waves that is likely to be covered regardless of what type of class (algebra-based or calculus-based) you are taking. The examples he goes through in the set are more geared toward algebra-based classes as they tend to be easier problems than are assigned in calculus-based classes. If you have a teacher that does not cover this material in a lot of detail, then what Jason covers here may be way more than you need to know. Unfortunately, it is hard to get an idea of what your teacher may focus on before you take the class. But, if you have a hard time following what your teacher is saying or if you are just trying to teach yourself the material, this is a good resource if you are an audio/visual learner. If you learn better through reading, however, this is not likely to be of much help to you.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: American Reunion

 

American Reunion is the final (thankfully) nail in the American Pie franchise that started out nearly perfectly with the 1999 original movie that was the 1990s iconic coming-of-age comedy. It spawned two sequels with members of the original cast and many direct-to-DVD spin-off movies that only managed to get Eugene Levy and Chris Owen.

The setting for this movie is (for some reason) the 13-year class reunion of the East Great Falls High class of 1999. It brought back many, but not all, of the original cast members and did the very predictable here is where everyone is in their lives thing. It has some funny moments, but nothing rivaled the original film, or even American Pie 2 or American Wedding, which were themselves not as good as the first movie. The best was when it was kind of breaking the fourth wall and making fun of itself. Some of the original cast members like Shannon Elizabeth had a blink and you will miss them cameos which were pretty pointless. Unfortunately, the movie tended to gravitate toward the raunchy gross-out comedy that worked in the original movie, but not so much with characters that are nearly thirty years old.

The Blu-Ray extras include an audio commentary on the movie with the writers/directors and a video commentary in which pop-ups with the actors appear sporadically to discuss different things from the movie. There are about thirty minutes of deleted and extended scenes, some alternate takes, and a gag reel. Then, there is a making-of documentary and a few short behind-the-scenes featurettes. Some of the extras are pretty good, others not so much, but there is a decent amount there if you like watching them.

Overall, the movie is okay and did finally put an end to the franchise which should have probably just ended with American Wedding. Thankfully, it pretends that the stupid spin-off movies do not exist and just focused on the main group of characters. I think they would have been better off just making the setting the 10-year reunion and having all of the original cast members more involved with more mature humor than the juvenile humor the movie was still using.

Product Review: rooCASE Multi-Angle Black Leather Folio Case Cover with Elastic Hand Strap for Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1 Wi-Fi

 

If you still have the original Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, this is a good case to use (assuming that you do not already have one). Chances are by now there are only a few of us who do so because it was discontinued pretty quickly because of the Apple/Samsung lawsuit so they are hard to come by and nothing on them gets updated anymore so most people who did have one probably scrapped it long ago. But, if you did hang onto yours, this is a very sturdy case that protects it well. The only drawback is that you cannot close the case (meaning it cannot be folded into the closed position) when you are charging the tablet. It can still lie flat, but you have to keep the screen exposed as it is charging. It is only a small point (for me) but could be more irritating to some people. Overall, however, it is a good case and is a good value.

Book Review: Everything T***p Touches Dies: A Republican Strategist Gets Real About the Worst President Ever

 

The subject of the book is evident from the title. It is one of the most accurately titled books ever. Wilson, who was a behind-the-scenes Republican strategist who never got on the t***p train, either at the beginning or after he won the nomination, excoriates everyone involved in the former administration and everyone who supported the prior administration. He goes scorched earth on t***p and anyone who supported him, for whatever reason they did so, and definitely does not wear kid gloves as he criticizes anyone. For the MAGATs out there excoriates basically means to verbally bitch-slap, and verbally means using words. 

There is no doubt about Wilson's feelings toward any person or group of people he discusses in the book. Wilson openly mocks anyone who supported the orange shitgibbon, whether they were the inbred hillbillies with three teeth and even fewer IQ points, the opportunists like Paul Ryan and Bitch McConnell who only supported t***p to get the tax breaks they wanted to pass signed into law and/or to stack the courts with conservative judges, or the evangelicals who actually seem to believe that ol' pussy-grabber is anything close to a good Christian (despite not being able to quote one bible verse or properly pronounce 2 Corinthians). Wilson blends satire in the form of a five-part tragedy of being a White House staffer with comments on real events (like Tillerson calling the orange genital wart a "fucking moron") and uses a lot of snark. And, he backs up his assertions with over 200 footnotes citing different sources.

Wison does not shy away from the fact that he did a lot to stoke the fire under what ultimately became of the t***p base, and fully admits he did a job to make them believe in much of the crazy shit they believe. He also slams the Democrats and their strategists for being so bad at politics as a reason he was able to do what he did as effectively as he did it. He basically says, rightly in my opinion, that Democrats have no idea how to punch back and as a result, the Republicans just roll over them. Refreshingly, he does not try to do some bullshit pandering or mea-culpa trying to claim that he was wrong the entire time, sees the error of his ways, and is now a tree-hugging liberal. He admits that he is still a small-government conservative, and makes no apologies for it. Although he interestingly admits that a lot of the lines and talking points that small-government conservatives have been spewing for decades it total bullshit, so he kinda-sorta admits he was wrong about some things (or just went along with making some shit up). At any rate, he is not exactly a liberal darling and does not want to be one, but he makes no bones about the fact that the Republicans are a threat to democracy. And this was all before the whole January 6th riot and the attempt to steal the election came out. The book was actually released before even the Mueller report was issued. So, hopefully, there will be a follow-up that gets into the even more batshit crazy stuff that came out after this book was released. 

It has a much different tone than other books written about the former administration, but I think that is a good thing because he does not sugarcoat his opinions or try to spare anyone's feelings.

DVD/TV Series Review: American Dad!: Volume Seven

 

By now, anyone reading this very likely knows what American Dad! is a show and has already formed an opinion of it, good or bad. The show continues to have the same format, basically, individual storylines each week (sometimes there are two-part episodes, and the show does refer back to previous episodes from time to time) that get resolved in that episode and the show moves on. By this season the focus of the show has shifted away from Stan's CIA job (although it is still an element in the show) and to the more character-themed story of the week (usually involving Roger and/or Stan, but not exclusively). And, the episodes that involve things like time travel, battling Santa, etc., which become the norm for the show in later seasons start popping up this season.

The show continues to include a lot of good guest stars, some of whom are easy to recognize and others, no so much. This season, the guest lineup included Jason Alexander, Sarah Chalke, Anthony Michael Hall, Hector Elizondo, Lucy Lawless, Hayden Panettiere, Lou Diamond Phillips, Burt Reynolds, Edward Asner, and Carl Reiner.

For those who get the DVD set, the extras include commentary tracks on selected episodes, deleted scenes, a feature on Patrick Stewart, who voices Stan's boss at the CIA, and a portion of the 2010 comic-con panel. So, a good amount of material if you like watching the extras.

Overall, the show is good. While not every show is great, most of them are clever and there are a lot of funny moments. It is much different from Family Guy, which in the long run is good, but it definitely has a similar brand of humor. So, if you like the prior seasons, this is definitely worth picking up.

Product Review: CAP Barbell Workout Bar, 5-Pound

 

I purchased this to use with the P90X2 workout, which incorporates the use of a weighted bar into some of the workouts. It is definitely useful beyond the exercises that are in that workout, for example, you can do squats with it across your shoulders as you would do a barbell squat, you can use it for skull crushers, or even a bench press if you get a version that is heavy enough). I definitely think using one of these is a bit safer than loading up a bar with plates, especially if you are working out at home by yourself. It is definitely a good addition to a home gym.

Product Review: Gaiam Pressure Point Muscle Roller Massage Stick

 

As someone who has very tight hamstrings and hip flexors I love foam rolling to work out knots, pressure points, etc., but it can be a bit of a pain because you always have to get down on the floor and devote probably a half an hour (or more) to doing it, in order to really have it be effective. This is something that you can use for a few minutes at a time, it is small enough to take pretty much anywhere, and you can get the same kind of benefit you can get from a full-sized foam roller. Like with foam rolling, it will probably be uncomfortable the first few times you use it, but the more you do, the better you will feel. It is mostly for use on the legs and hips (because those are really the only areas you are going to be able to use it on yourself very effectively) but if you have someone else around to help you, it can also be effective on your back and arms. I definitely recommend it.

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 69

 Day 69 was the recharge workout. I again had to work most of the day so I was not able to get to the workout until later in the evening so instead of doing x-stretch I just did recharge. Not ideal, but it worked out. 

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 68

Day 68 of CE was Burn it Off. I had very little energy or desire to do the workout today (and I got to it much later than I intended). But, I did manage to make it through, modifying the moves quite a lot. I cannot say it was the best workout I have ever had, but I got through it. 

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 67

Day 67 oF CE was the Lean Circuit 3 workout again. It was easier than the first time around, and it is generally an easier workout for me than Lean Circuit 2. While there is a lot of shoulder work, the moves are shoulder raises, not the variations of the flys which are difficult for me. Even so, it was still a very challenging workout and I was pretty gassed by the end of it.

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 66

Day 66 of CE was the burn intervals workout. For some reason, I was very tired during the workout today. I really had to find the motivation to start it and had to push through once I did start, but I managed to get through it with some heavier modifications than usual. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Dexter Season Six

 

Season six of Deter finds many of the characters at various crossroads. LaGuerta is promoted to Captain, Deb is promoted to Lieutenant, which affects her relationship with Quinn, but also makes for an even more tenuous relationship between LaGuerta and Bautista, as Bautista thinks that it is LaGuerta's fault that he was passed over. Dexter meanwhile, befriends a minister named Brother Sam, whom he initially believes to be a new serial killer, and Deb begins to confront her feelings toward Dexter. There is also a bookend to the Trinity storyline that puts a nail in that arc.

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the series looks and sounds great in HD. The extras, which are only available through BD live (meaning your blu ray player has to be connected to the internet to watch them) include cast interviews, a couple of episodes from the series House of Lies, Californication, and The Borgias. So, very light on Dexter-specific extras which is disappointing.

Overall, the season is good. Better than season five, but not as good as seasons one through three. The season ends on a cliffhanger that definitely changes things for season seven. The writing is definitely not as good under the new showrunners as it was under the direction of Clyde Phillips, but the acting is always great. This season sports a strong supporting and guest cast including Mos Deg, Collin Hanks, Edward James Olmos, and includes Aimee Garcia as a new recurring cast member. I cannot say that people who loved the first 3-4 seasons will definitely like this one, but I think, generally, if you have liked the prior seasons, you will probably like this one. The only real disappointing thing about the Blu-Ray set is the lackluster extras, so if you only get the physical discs when the extras are extensive and good, then you may just want to stream this.

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 65

Day 65 of CE was Lean Circuit 2. This is another very challenging workout, even two weeks into the Lean phase. The upper-body moves are shoulders (the various shoulder flys) and back (doing a bunch of rows) while you are unbalanced doing hamstring curls, leg lifts, etc. I found that I had to use very light weights for most of the upper body moves. It was tough, but rewarding to get through.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Charmed Season 2

 

Season two of Charmed took the show in a slightly different direction. It still used the "monster-of-the-week" format but did things like incorporating music much more into the show, largely by having notable bands and musicians like The Cranberries, The Goo Goo Dolls, and Paula Cole (not signing the Dawson's Creek Theme Song) perform at the sisters' club, P3. So, if you are a fan of the late 1990s/early 2000s music, the show will really give you nostalgic flashbacks. The show also introduced two new characters, Dan Gordon (played by Greg Vaughan) and his niece Jenny (played by Karis Paige Bryant) as the sister's new neighbors. Dan was a series regular the entire season and used to introduce a love triangle into the Piper-Leo relationship, and Jenny was billed as a series regular for a handful of episodes, then was dropped to a recurring character, then written out of the series partway through the season. Dorian Gregory's role was also expanded as the sisters would help Darryl solve various supernatural crimes.

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the show looks okay in the HD format. Sometimes it looks great, and sometimes the HD format really highlights just how bad the special effects still were back then. The CGI was a bit better in season two than it was in season one, but only slightly and you can really tell how fake things were when watching in HD. As far as extras go, there are none. There are no deleted scenes, no gag reel, and no behind-the-scenes material. Just the episodes themselves. And, unlike the season one Blu-Ray set, the episodes are not captioned at all which is a pain for people who are hard of hearing and rely on the captions.

Overall, the show is good, even if a bit cheesy at times. Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs, and Alyssa Milano had great chemistry together, and if any of the tension that has been rumored between members of the cast had started during the filming of season two, it was not evident in any of their performances. The show also included a great set of recognizable guest stars including Dean Norris (who would go on to be a co-star on Breaking Bad), Misha Collins (who would go on to star in Supernatural), Arnold Vosloo (from the Mummy movies), Amy Adams, Billy Drago (the wonderful character actor who played mostly bad guys throughout his career), and French Stewart. If you were a fan of the first season, the second season is definitely worth watching.

Book Review: 11/22/63

 

11/22/63 is a book that is about trying to stop the assassination of JFK. In it, the main character, Jake Epping is told of a portal that can transport the traveler to the past. He learns of the portal from the owner of a diner he frequents who seems to mysteriously age every time Jake sees him. Al, the owner of the diner tells Jake the rules for traveling through the portal, namely that the portal sends the person back to September 9th, 1958 and if the person returns from the past through the portal they come back two minutes in time after they left, with whatever changes made in the past taking hold. Going back through the portal again wipes out anything that was previously changed and returns the person back to September 9th, 1958. Al tells Jake that he was trying to prevent the assassination of President Kennedy, and tries to get Jake to take up the mission. The "main" aspect of the novel is that the past can be changed, but the larger the event someone tries to change, the more the "past" pushes back and tries to prevent the change from happening. As you can expect, Jake does go into the past and tries to figure out how to stop the assassination while also having to live his life in the late 1950s in the south coming from living in Maine in 2011, and dealing with the fact that nearly everything he does, large or small, potentially changes something in the past.

While I would not say I am an aficionado of King's works (I have read a couple of his books and seen some of the movie adaptations of his works) I really liked this book. Even though it is pretty long (over 800 pages) it is a fairly easy read with a reasonable amount of characters in it and good character development. So, I was able to get through it fairly quickly (in about a week and a half) despite the size. The book was based on the premise that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in killing JFK and did not get into the various conspiracy hypotheses, although in the afterward, King did say that while he does not believe in a massive conspiracy, he does concede the possibility that more people than just Oswald were involved, but he chose to approach the story on the belief that there was none and that Oswald was a lone wolf. I cannot say that everyone who is a fan of King's other works will like this book, and cannot say how similar or different it is from his other novels, but I found the book to be a great read with an engaging story and definitely recommend it.

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 64

Day 64 of CE was recharge and abs. Nothing too much to say about either of them. They basically went the same as last week. 

Workout Update" Chalean Extreme Day 63

Day 63 of CE was the Lean Circuit 1 workout again. Honestly, it was just as challenging as it was last week and I was still maxing out on the reps at 10 (most of the time) using relatively light weights (about 15 lbs for most exercises). Being off balance when doing the upper body exercises is very tough and really makes 15 lb seem heavier than it is.  While I still like the Push Circuit workouts more, this is definitely a good workout. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: The Killing: Season 1

 

The best way I can describe the series The Killing is Twin Peaks without the supernatural elements and quirkiness. The series is the US adaptation of a Danish TV show about the murder of a young girl named Rosie Larsen in Seattle Washington, who is found in the trunk of a car that has been submerged in a lake. The season basically deals with the investigation of her death by homicide detectives Sarah Linden (played by Mireille Enos) and Stephen Holder (played by Joel Kinnaman). The story has a lot of twists and turns and a ton of different possible suspects. There are a lot of misdirection and plot twists throughout the season, and the investigation is still ongoing as the season ends at the thirteenth episode.

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the show looks great in HD, with a lot of good visuals of the Pacific Northwest. The extras include commentary tracks on two episodes, an extended version of the season finale, deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and a gag reel. So, a decent amount of material for those who like watching the bonus features.

Overall, the season is very good. There is a lot of character development and not too much is revealed too soon. There are intertwining storylines including the investigation, the family reaction to Rosie's death, and the political race for mayor, which may or may not be a factor in Rosie's killing. The series is very well written and acted, and I think the show definitely took a risk (in a good way) basically casting unknown character actors in the main roles. Joel Kinnaman has gone on to have what is probably the most notable career since the series ended appearing in House of Cards and the Suicide Squad movies, but when the series aired both he and Mireille Enos were relatively unknown and definitely did not fit the mold of series leads. I know some people think the series was too slow, but I think the writers made the correct decision to not reveal the killer in the first season, as it probably would have been the death knell for the series since all the plotlines were tied to the murder mystery. It is definitely not family-friendly as there is some sexual content and a lot of swearing. But, if you are looking for a good combination of mystery and drama, this is definitely worth checking out.

DVD/TV Movie Review: The Incredible Hulk Returns/The Trial of The Incredible Hulk

 

This DVD includes the two TV movies that are kind of, a continuation of the Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno Incredible Hulk series that ran from 1977-1982, The Incredible Hulk Returns and The Trial of The Incredible Hulk. I say kind of because the movies really abandon the main concept upon which the series was created, namely keeping the Hulk out of the comic book realm, which is definitely not the case with these movies. It is interesting that this is the route that Bixby (who was a producer on both movies and directed The Trial of The Incredible Hulk) decided to take because if you have the DVDs or Blu-Ray set of the TV series and listen to the commentaries by Kenneth Johnson, who created the series, Bixby was dead set against playing a comic book character and only agreed to do the show when he found out that David Banner was going to be a regular guy in the real world that was the victim of an accident and not a superpowered hero. As most fans of the series know, it ended very abruptly, being canceled after just seven episodes into the fifth season, all of which were actually filmed at the end of the fourth season because of a possible strike going into the 1982 production season that could have impacted the show being aired on time. Thus, the series was never given the chance to have a proper ending, and these movies should have seized the opportunity to provide one. Instead, they kind of went off the rails.

The first movie, which was made in 1988, about six years after the TV series ended teams up Hulk and Thor (played by Eric Kramer, who has been a character actor on a ton of shows over the years), but the twist is that Thor is called via the Hammer by a guy that David met a decade earlier. In the second movie, David teams up with Daredevil (played by Rex Smith) to take on Wilson Fisk (played by Johnathan Rhys-Davies). Neither of the movies is all that good, the special effects were atrociously bad (although CGI was still in its infancy at the time, and not something that TV movies really had the budget for). Really the only reason to watch them is to see how they continued the story from the series, which they actually did a bad job at.

The movies would have been much better if they would have actually continued the series and involved Jack Colvin a lot more. He did appear in The Incredible Hulk Returns but was used pretty much in the same way he was in the series ( barely), and the character of McGee was never closer to getting the story. Personally, I think a much better way to do the movies would have been to give the show a proper ending with something like having Jack McGee finally find out that David Banner was alive in the first movie, track him down in the second movie, and then end the series in the third movie. Instead, Colvin never reprised the role of Jack McGee after the first movie.

For those who get the DVD set, it is just the two movies. There are no extras aside from a couple of previews that play after the disc loads. Overall, the movies are pretty cheesy (not as cheesy as some of the tv series episodes, but not far from it). They do feel dated now, and you can definitely tell they were made in the late 1980s. Lou Ferrigno still was in great shape at the time, and still looked the part, although he had aged a lot. He looked much older compared to how he looked in the series, even with the green makeup, than Bixby did. If you were a fan of the series, the movies will give you a bit of nostalgia, but that is about it. You are not missing much at all if you skip them.

DVD/TV Series Review: Covert Affairs: Season 2

 

The second season of Covert Affairs picks up after the events of the season three finale in which Ben, Annie's ex-boyfriend, revealed himself to be alive, and their return from Sri Lanka. Ben disappears again and the season basically picks up with the mission-of-the-week format. The main themes throughout the season is again Annie trying to balance her personal life and spy life, especially keeping her sister from finding out about the latter, and revealing more about what Henry Wilcox is up to.

This season again sees a good cast of recurring stars and guest stars, including Jamie Alexander (from the first couple of Thor movies, Agents of Sheild, and later Blindspot), Oded Fehr (from the Mummy and Resident Evil movies), Ben Lawson, Emmanuelle Vaugier, Gregory Itzin (probably best known for his role on 24), and Santiago Cabrera (probably best known for his role on the BBC series Merlin).

For those who get the DVD set, the extras include deleted scenes, a featurette about the filming locations, a comic-con intro segment with Piper Perabo, and a gag reel. Not a ton of extras, but what is included is fine.

Overall, the series continues to be mostly well-written and well-acted. Some of the plots are formulaic and predictable and sometimes the show throws a good twist in that keeps it from being as predictable. The main cast all do a good job in their role, with Christopher Gorham, Piper Perabo, and Sendhil Ramamurthy all doing a great job as the spy characters and Anne Dudek doing a great job as Annie's out-of-the-loop sister. The show has a good mix of action and drama with a bit of humor thrown in. So, if you are a fan of the spy action genre, and you liked the first season, this is definitely worth watching.

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 62

Day 62 of CE was the recharge workout. I had intended to do x-stretch, but I was stuck working until much later than I intended and was not able to get to the workout until later at night, at which point I decided to go with the much shorter recharge workout. I did not do abs since the Lean workouts are so core-focused I felt okay skipping the ab-burner workout for today.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Game of Thrones Season 1

 

This is, of course, the HBO TV series adaptation of the massively popular set of novels by George R.R. Martin. The best way that I can describe the story is if you take a bit of the Arthurian Legend and mix it with Dungeons and Dragons and Lord of the Rings, you will end up with this. It is set on the massive continent of Westeros which is split into Seven Kingdoms, each ruled by a lord who answers to the King, who sits on the iron throne in Kings Landing. At the beginning of the story, the king is Robert Baratheon played by (Mark Addy). Ultimately, the story is about a threat to the kingdom by a group of undead called the White Walkers who are outside a huge wall that guards the seven kingdoms and is manned by the Night's Watch which is basically made up of criminals and non-nobles who are forced into indentured servitude, and a fight to rule the Seven Kingdoms by many different people who claim rightful title to the throne, including the family that was deposed from the throne and exiled from Westeros, the Targaryens.

The show has a very large ensemble cast (that is actually quite pared down from the number of characters in the books). Some of the actors were fairly well known before the series, such as Sean Bean, Ian Glen, and Lena Heady, and others such as Emilia Clarke, Sophie Turner, Kit Harrington, Peter Dinklage, Maise Williams, and Jason Momoa would become stars, because of the series. Some of the actors such as Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Michelle Fairley, Aidan Gillen, and Liam Cunningham were recognizable but not exactly well-known before the series.

The first season basically follows the story of the first novel, with Eddard Stark, the Lord of Winterfell in the Northern region of Westeros being asked by the King to be the "King's Hand" which he agrees to mainly so that he can investigate the death of his mentor. The first season teases a coming war and has a lot of twists and turns packed into the relatively small amount of episodes. It is hard to go into much detail without giving away too much for the few who are reading this who have not seen it yet, but Martin is not shy about killing off characters, so you can be assured that not everyone makes it out alive.

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the show looks and sounds great in HD. There are a ton of extras including commentary tracks on seven of the ten episodes that feature various members of the cast and crew. There are also in-episode guides that pop up information about the show as you watch, a Complete Guide to Westeros that breaks down the family histories of the various ruling families, character profiles, a thirty-minute making-of documentary, a feature about adapting the book to the screen, a feature on the Night's Watch, a feature on the main title sequence, creating the Dothraki language, and an Anatomy of an Episode feature that you can play when watching the episode "A Golden Crown". So, there is a ton there if you like watching the bonus features.

Overall, the show is wonderful. It is well-written and very well acted. It is definitely an adult show as there is a lot of swearing and a ton of sexual content and nudity that leaves little to the imagination. So, if that would bug you, then you definitely will want to skip this. But, if you are into shows that have a medieval setting with a healthy mix of fantasy elements like magic and dragons, then this is definitely worth watching.