Saturday, July 30, 2022
Product Review: MCR Safety 2235R Economy Polyvinyl Chloride Strap Indirect Ventilation General Purpose Goggle with Clear Frame and Clear Anti-Fog Lens
4k-UHD/Movie Review: Iron Man 3
Iron Man 3 is one of the 2013 entries into the MCU. It brings back Robert Downey Jr., Gweneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, and Jon Favreau, reprising their characters from the earlier movies, and brings in Ben Kingsley, Guy Pearce, Ty Simpkons, Rebecca Hall, James Badge Dale, Miguesl Ferrer, and Jenna Ortega (in a minor role) as new characters. This is the eighth MCU movie (if you watch them chronologically) and the seventh if you watch them in release order. The basic plot is that the US is being attacked by a mysterious terrorist called The Mandarin, who is setting off bombs (and then hacking TV signals to brag about it). When Happy (played by Jon Favreau; not directing this time) is injured in one of the blasts, Tony challenges The Mandarin, which leads to an attack that renders Tony without a functional suit for a good chunk of the movie.
The movie gets unfairly (in my opinion) shit on as being one of the worst MCU movies. While I do not believe that it is as good as the original Iron Man, Avengers, Thor, or Captain America, it is definitely on par with (or even better than) movies like Iron Man 2 and Hulk (which are also not as bad as they are made out to be). It is a one-off story set after the events of The Avengers. Tony is suffering from a form of PTSD and freaked out about what he thinks is coming and what they will be up against. It does partly foreshadow the decisions that lead to Ultron a couple of movies down the line.
For those who get the 4k UHD Blu-Ray, there are two discs. The UHD disc just has the movie itself, and the regular Blu-Ray has all the extras. The extras include a commentary track on the movie by the director Shane Black and the writer Drew Pearce, a 15-minute Agent Carter one-shot (basically a short movie) that shows how Peggy Carter (Hailey Atwell) becomes the director of SHIELD, 16-minutes of deleted scenes, a short gag reel, and a couple of making-of featurettes. So, not a ton, but what was included is good.
Overall, the movie is good, but not as good as some of the other MCU movies. It does further develop the characters of Tony, Pepper, and Rhody, and shows how Tony really completes the transition from selfish jackass to hero. Robert Downey Jr. is again great in his role and Ben Kingsly steals pretty much every scene he is in. Ty Simpkins also does a very good job despite being a relatively young child actor at the time. He had great chemistry with Robert Downey Jr., and the two played off each other very well. The movie is not without its flaws, but honestly, I think those are pretty minimal. There is an end-credits scene (no mid-credits scene) with Tony and Bruce Banner. It is pretty much a humorous scene, and unlike the vast majority of the MCU mid and end credits scenes, does not set up the next movie(s). I generally do think the movie is better upon a second viewing and is definitely worth watching.
For those who get the 4k UHD Blu-Ray, there are two discs. The UHD disc just has the movie itself, and the regular Blu-Ray has all the extras. The extras include a commentary track on the movie by the director Shane Black and the writer Drew Pearce, a 15-minute Agent Carter one-shot (basically a short movie) that shows how Peggy Carter (Hailey Atwell) becomes the director of SHIELD, 16-minutes of deleted scenes, a short gag reel, and a couple of making-of featurettes. So, not a ton, but what was included is good.
Overall, the movie is good, but not as good as some of the other MCU movies. It does further develop the characters of Tony, Pepper, and Rhody, and shows how Tony really completes the transition from selfish jackass to hero. Robert Downey Jr. is again great in his role and Ben Kingsly steals pretty much every scene he is in. Ty Simpkins also does a very good job despite being a relatively young child actor at the time. He had great chemistry with Robert Downey Jr., and the two played off each other very well. The movie is not without its flaws, but honestly, I think those are pretty minimal. There is an end-credits scene (no mid-credits scene) with Tony and Bruce Banner. It is pretty much a humorous scene, and unlike the vast majority of the MCU mid and end credits scenes, does not set up the next movie(s). I generally do think the movie is better upon a second viewing and is definitely worth watching.
Friday, July 29, 2022
Workout Update: Power-90/Chalean Extreme Hybrid: Day 57
Day 57 was the return to the Power-90 workouts, specifically the sweat 3-4 workout and ab-ripper 200. The 3-4 sweat workout has the exact same moves as the 1-2 workout, but they are done faster, and, aside from the kicks, instead of doing two rounds of each three-move circuit, you do three. The kicking sequence is, for some reason, kept to just two rounds. Then in ab-ripper, you do the same moves, just adding 10 reps to each move.
The workout went okay. I did get slightly winded during the cardio portion and had to pause a couple of times during ab-ripper. And, my abs were definitely sore the next day.
Product Review: LG BP250 DGBRLLK Blu-Ray and DVD Disc Player with Full HD Up-scaling and external HDD playback, Black (UK Plug)
This is a Region 2 Blu-Ray player that can be purchased through Amazon UK. Even though I live in the United States, but do have some UK releases of DVDs and blu-rays that have not been released in Region 1 (the US and Canada). Many studios are no longer putting out Region 1 discs (especially for TV shows) for anything but the big blockbuster movies, so I purchased this to have a player who can play the Region 2 (European) DVDs and blu-ray discs in my collection.
This, like the counterpart sold in the US, is a very bare-bones player. It is not Wi-Fi enabled so it does not have any streaming apps which the more expensive, higher-end players have. But it plays all my Region 2 discs just fine, and so far I have had no issues with the firmware being out of date. There is no display on the player itself, but the remote makes it easy to see information like time elapsed and time remaining. For anyone in my situation, in the United States looking for a Region 2 player, this will work fine in the US, you just need an inexpensive plug adapter that can convert a UK plug to a US plug. Once you have that, it powers fine from the 110v outlets. For those in the UK or other Region 2 countries looking for an inexpensive blu-ray player, this is a great option as long as you don't need or want a higher-end player such as a 4K Blu-Ray player, or a player that can connect wirelessly to the internet. If you are in the US you will likely have to pay extra shipping costs to have it imported, but if you have Region 2 discs that cannot play in a region-free player (I have come across a couple), then this is a great option.
This, like the counterpart sold in the US, is a very bare-bones player. It is not Wi-Fi enabled so it does not have any streaming apps which the more expensive, higher-end players have. But it plays all my Region 2 discs just fine, and so far I have had no issues with the firmware being out of date. There is no display on the player itself, but the remote makes it easy to see information like time elapsed and time remaining. For anyone in my situation, in the United States looking for a Region 2 player, this will work fine in the US, you just need an inexpensive plug adapter that can convert a UK plug to a US plug. Once you have that, it powers fine from the 110v outlets. For those in the UK or other Region 2 countries looking for an inexpensive blu-ray player, this is a great option as long as you don't need or want a higher-end player such as a 4K Blu-Ray player, or a player that can connect wirelessly to the internet. If you are in the US you will likely have to pay extra shipping costs to have it imported, but if you have Region 2 discs that cannot play in a region-free player (I have come across a couple), then this is a great option.
Thursday, July 28, 2022
Book Review: Billy Summers
This is a crime/thriller novel by Stephen King about a hitman named Billy Summers, who only kills "bad" people and takes one last job (which he is apprehensive about) to get a final payday and live out his life with a good nest egg. Believing that something is wrong, he deviates from the plan, at which point things go sideways. I will not spoil the plot of the book, but it is basically three parts, the leadup to the hit, where Billy dons a fake identity as a writer to set himself up in a position to make the hit, the aftermath in which he is waiting for things to cool down, and then a revenge story. There are some twists along the way that take the story in a couple of different directions, but that is the crux of it.
Unlike some of his other novels, this one does not have any supernatural elements in it, save one possible sighting of the Overlook Hotel, the haunted hotel from "The Shining" and "Doctor Sleep" (which by this point had burned down) when Billy is in Colorado. I would say that the story is more like the 11/22/63 novel (without the time travel, of course) than it is to books like The Shining, The Stand, etc. The story is set in 2019 and 2020, and yes, King does mention the former guy (and, if you follow King on social media, you know he is clearly not a fan). However, unlike what the bitchy, whiny little MAGAts on Amazon would have you believe, King does not trash him on every other page. In reality, King only mentions his name a handful of times. When he does so, it is mainly in reference to characters in the book being supporters of the former guy or characters whom Billy guesses (because of how they look and act) would be one of his supporters (usually because they are stupid and/or racist). But, if that is enough to trigger you (and probably says a lot about you), then you definitely want to steer clear of this.
I am not a hardcore devotee of King. I have read a few of his novels, some of which I really like (e.g., 11/22/63) and some I am lukewarm about (e.g., It). This is definitely in the category of one that I like. It has very good pacing and is a fairly easy read. It is just over 500 pages long but if you are a fairly quick reader, depending on how much time you can devote to reading) you can get through it fairly quickly. I was able to get through it in less than a week reading between a half hour and an hour before bed each night. While the action in the book is pretty spread out, King does a great job of character development and setting up the action scenes so that the story does not lag too much or get too boring. I definitely recommend it.
Unlike some of his other novels, this one does not have any supernatural elements in it, save one possible sighting of the Overlook Hotel, the haunted hotel from "The Shining" and "Doctor Sleep" (which by this point had burned down) when Billy is in Colorado. I would say that the story is more like the 11/22/63 novel (without the time travel, of course) than it is to books like The Shining, The Stand, etc. The story is set in 2019 and 2020, and yes, King does mention the former guy (and, if you follow King on social media, you know he is clearly not a fan). However, unlike what the bitchy, whiny little MAGAts on Amazon would have you believe, King does not trash him on every other page. In reality, King only mentions his name a handful of times. When he does so, it is mainly in reference to characters in the book being supporters of the former guy or characters whom Billy guesses (because of how they look and act) would be one of his supporters (usually because they are stupid and/or racist). But, if that is enough to trigger you (and probably says a lot about you), then you definitely want to steer clear of this.
I am not a hardcore devotee of King. I have read a few of his novels, some of which I really like (e.g., 11/22/63) and some I am lukewarm about (e.g., It). This is definitely in the category of one that I like. It has very good pacing and is a fairly easy read. It is just over 500 pages long but if you are a fairly quick reader, depending on how much time you can devote to reading) you can get through it fairly quickly. I was able to get through it in less than a week reading between a half hour and an hour before bed each night. While the action in the book is pretty spread out, King does a great job of character development and setting up the action scenes so that the story does not lag too much or get too boring. I definitely recommend it.
Blu-Ray/Movie Review: 300: Rise of an Empire
The Blu-Ray's A/V quality is outstanding. The movie has many CGI effects that really stand out in HD. The Blu-Ray also includes quite a few extras. Those include about 35 minutes worth of making-of material (broken up into four featurettes), a 20-minute documentary on the real historical figures, and a short featurette on the training regimen that the actors went through to prepare for filming the movie.
As the first movie was, this one is very violent, with a lot of over-the-top dismemberment and killing. It uses a lot of slow-motion action, which gets irritating sometimes. There is also quite a bit of sex and nudity, mostly involving Green, who is never shy about nudity (or does not seem to be anyway). Of course, it is not a documentary, so it does take liberty with and embellishes real-life events. So, the movie is not going to give you a true history lesson, nor does it try to. It is just meant to be a blockbuster action movie that is loosely based on something that happened in history. The writing is okay, but the overall story is not as good as it was in the original movie, and the acting is good. Green is really the standout as Artemisia playing her as a ruthless and cunning warrior who counts on men to underestimate her. While I cannot say that everyone, even people who really liked the first movie, will love this, if you are a fan of action movies and do not try to overanalyze it, it is enjoyable.
Product Review: iRobot Roomba i7+ (7550) Robot Vacuum with Automatic Dirt Disposal
The Roomba i7+, when it works, works well. The problem is, if you get one that goes faulty, then it is a total pain. Mine has an issue in which it thinks that the bags, which if the design were better, would not be necessary, are full even when a brand new bag is in the unit, and/or thinks there is a clog in the tube that runs from the base where the robot docks to the bag when the dust bin empties. When I go to clear the clog I almost always find that there is none. Each of these causes the unit to go into kind of a locked mode. Thankfully, if I remove and then reinsert the bag the unit will unlock and it can be used again. Apparently, per an email exchange with their tech support, this is caused by an issue in which the robot and the dock do not communicate with each other correctly. If the unit is under warranty you are all good. If not, you are stuck spending $250 for a new dock/base. Of course, tech support could not assure me that the issue will not repeat itself, so for now, since I can get it to work with the removing and reinserting the bag trick, I will not purchase a new base. So, as far as pros go:
1. It has good suction power and will pick up most dirt on the floor, including edges.
2. The mapping feature is very good.
3. The app makes scheduling cleaning on a regular basis very easy.
4. It has voice assistant integration so you can use an Amazon echo (or similar) device to tell it to start cleaning.
5. The app makes it very easy to figure out how to perform maintenance like removing the brushes and so forth.
As for cons:
1. The issue with the base/dock and the robot is a big pain (if you experience it).
2. The bags are costly and, as I said, should not even be necessary. There are other self-empty robots that empties into a bin that you can just open and dump the dust into the trash.
3. The dust cup does not always empty properly which requires you to remove it and empty it by hand, which kind of defeats the purpose of the self-empty function.
5. It often gets stuck in the same place and does not learn where it gets stuck on the next run.
Overall, if you do not experience the issue with the base and the robot not communicating properly, then I would give this a solid 4 stars (as there still are enough cons to keep me from giving it a five-star rating). I rate this 2.5 stars because I can work around the issue with the base, but it does make using it harder than it should be, which definitely knocks it down from my otherwise four-star rating. For a unit that is as costly as it is, it should not have nearly as many issues as it does.
1. It has good suction power and will pick up most dirt on the floor, including edges.
2. The mapping feature is very good.
3. The app makes scheduling cleaning on a regular basis very easy.
4. It has voice assistant integration so you can use an Amazon echo (or similar) device to tell it to start cleaning.
5. The app makes it very easy to figure out how to perform maintenance like removing the brushes and so forth.
As for cons:
1. The issue with the base/dock and the robot is a big pain (if you experience it).
2. The bags are costly and, as I said, should not even be necessary. There are other self-empty robots that empties into a bin that you can just open and dump the dust into the trash.
3. The dust cup does not always empty properly which requires you to remove it and empty it by hand, which kind of defeats the purpose of the self-empty function.
5. It often gets stuck in the same place and does not learn where it gets stuck on the next run.
Overall, if you do not experience the issue with the base and the robot not communicating properly, then I would give this a solid 4 stars (as there still are enough cons to keep me from giving it a five-star rating). I rate this 2.5 stars because I can work around the issue with the base, but it does make using it harder than it should be, which definitely knocks it down from my otherwise four-star rating. For a unit that is as costly as it is, it should not have nearly as many issues as it does.
DVD/TV Series Review: The Client List: Season 2
+++Warning, this contains a minor spoiler from season one, but no major season two giveaways.+++
The 15-episode second season of The Client List aired during the spring and summer of 2016. It picks up with the police arriving in the middle of Riley and Kyle's argument. Riley, thinking the corrupt officer from season one is coming for her thinks she is going to get arrested, only for Kyle to be the one taken away. As the season plays out, we get the obligatory love triangle between Riley, Evan, and Kyle. Riley takes on more responsibility at The Rub, basically running the business as the manager and quasi-owner while trying to avoid the police and competition from the owner of the local strip club. The actual Client List, with the names of all the clients of The Rub, becomes a MacGuffin throughout the season as all sorts of shady characters are trying to track it down.
The DVD set is a four-disc MOD release with the episodes and no extras. You definitely want to check your discs, as in my first set, disc two, even though it was labeled correctly, had the episodes from disc one.
Overall, the series is good, but not great. It does not have any nudity but does show off Jennifer Love Hewitt's cleavage at every opportunity, and it, of course, has a lot of sexual content. So, it is not family-friendly in the least. It is definitely a cable soap opera and some of the plot lines are eye-roll-inducing. But, it pretty much stays in its lane and does not take itself too seriously. It does end on a cliffhanger that will never be resolved given that the show was canceled after the second season after Jennifer Love Hewitt's pregnancy and a reported dispute over who the father of a fictional child would be in the show. That said, it is not a major cliffhanger, so it is not really a disappointing end to the series, even though it was not intended to be the end. It is a guilty pleasure show, and if you liked season one, you will probably like season two.
The 15-episode second season of The Client List aired during the spring and summer of 2016. It picks up with the police arriving in the middle of Riley and Kyle's argument. Riley, thinking the corrupt officer from season one is coming for her thinks she is going to get arrested, only for Kyle to be the one taken away. As the season plays out, we get the obligatory love triangle between Riley, Evan, and Kyle. Riley takes on more responsibility at The Rub, basically running the business as the manager and quasi-owner while trying to avoid the police and competition from the owner of the local strip club. The actual Client List, with the names of all the clients of The Rub, becomes a MacGuffin throughout the season as all sorts of shady characters are trying to track it down.
The DVD set is a four-disc MOD release with the episodes and no extras. You definitely want to check your discs, as in my first set, disc two, even though it was labeled correctly, had the episodes from disc one.
Overall, the series is good, but not great. It does not have any nudity but does show off Jennifer Love Hewitt's cleavage at every opportunity, and it, of course, has a lot of sexual content. So, it is not family-friendly in the least. It is definitely a cable soap opera and some of the plot lines are eye-roll-inducing. But, it pretty much stays in its lane and does not take itself too seriously. It does end on a cliffhanger that will never be resolved given that the show was canceled after the second season after Jennifer Love Hewitt's pregnancy and a reported dispute over who the father of a fictional child would be in the show. That said, it is not a major cliffhanger, so it is not really a disappointing end to the series, even though it was not intended to be the end. It is a guilty pleasure show, and if you liked season one, you will probably like season two.
Wednesday, July 27, 2022
Study Aid Review: The Linear Algebra Tutor - Volume 1
This is the first of a two-volume set on Linear Algebra that Jason has put out (in addition to his Matrix Algebra tutor, which contains the introduction to Matrix algebra that students generally get in a college algebra course). In this set, Jason does a quick review of the introductory material and then gets into the content that you will get at the beginning of an introduction to linear algebra course (sometimes called elementary linear algebra or something like that). After going through the "basics" such as n-tuples, matrix arithmetic and multiplication, the dot product, and how vectors and matrices are related, he has several sections on solving systems of equations using both row-reduction methods and using inverse matrices. The second method will be used a lot in engineering courses as multiple classes (like Statics, Dynamics, Circuits, etc.) all require solving systems of equations, which is much easier when using inverse matrices.
To be clear, this set (and even combined with volume 2) does not cover 100% of what you will see in class. They do cover the big topics, but they are meant to be a study aid, not a replacement for going to class. This is best for people who are visual learners who learn best by watching examples. Obviously, you cannot interact via DVD, just rewatch and hope the concepts sink in. But, it is much less expensive than using a live tutor. So, there is a bit of a tradeoff. If used correctly, these will absolutely help you learn the material, and if you are taking a class, will help you boost your grade.
To be clear, this set (and even combined with volume 2) does not cover 100% of what you will see in class. They do cover the big topics, but they are meant to be a study aid, not a replacement for going to class. This is best for people who are visual learners who learn best by watching examples. Obviously, you cannot interact via DVD, just rewatch and hope the concepts sink in. But, it is much less expensive than using a live tutor. So, there is a bit of a tradeoff. If used correctly, these will absolutely help you learn the material, and if you are taking a class, will help you boost your grade.
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Breaking Bad: The Complete Series
Breaking Bad was the iconic crime drama that aired for five seasons from 2008 to 2013, spun off one series, and was revived for a TV movie in 2019. Vince Gilligan created it, also serving as the showrunner and directing several episodes. The main characters in every season (detailed below) were played by Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, and Dean Norris. In later seasons, Giancarlo Esposito, Jonathan Banks, and Bon Odenkirk would all have starring roles. The Supporting cast includes RJ Mitte, Betsy Brandt, Laura Frasier, and Jesse Plemmons. The show also had a great recurring and guest cast, including Steven Quezada, Matt Jones, Bill Burr, Danny Trejo, DJ Qualls, and Robert Forester.
For those who may not be familiar with the show, it is about a high-school chemistry teacher named Walter White (played wonderfully by Bryan Cranston) who finds out he has terminal cancer and decides to start manufacturing meth with a former student named Jesse Pinkman (played by Aaron Paul) so he can make enough money to set up his family for life. Throughout the course of the series, Walter transforms from a guy who is in over his head to a horrible character with almost no redeeming qualities who uses everyone around him. Anna Gunn stars as Walter's wife, Skyler. Dean Norris stars as Walter's brother-in-law Hank, who is also a DEA agent who ends up looking for the mysterious new meth dealer. Betsy Brandt plays Walter's sister-in-law, Marie, and RJ Mitte plays Walter Jr. In seasons 3 and 4, Giancarlo Esposito plays Gustavo "Gus" Fring (one of the best bad guys in TV history), a local drug kingpin with a cover as a business owner. In seasons 2-5 Bob Odenkirk played the "criminal lawyer", Saul Goodman, and Jonathan Banks played Mike Ehrmantraut, an enforcer for Gus and private investigator for Saul. The last three also appear on the great spin-off series Better Call Saul.
There are many different Blu-Ray complete series Blu-Ray sets, and the set has been repackaged over the years, including one that includes the TV movie, El Camino. All of the sets include the same bonus features for the main series. The set that I have is the 16-disc complete series set that has shelf-friendly packaging (released in 2014). Where the set really shines is with the extras. There are hours of extras for each season, including behind-the-scenes featurettes, commentary tracks on select episodes, episodes of "Inside Breaking Bad" the post-show wrap-up that aired after many of the episodes, music videos, gag reels, photo albums, deleted and extended scenes, character profiles, a hilarious alternate ending to the series, and more. So, if you love the show and you love watching the bonus material, there is a ton here for you.
The series is widely regarded as one of the best shows of its era. It was wonderfully written and very well acted by everyone in the main cast and the guest cast. Cranston did a great job of transitioning Walter from a wimp to a monster over the course of the series. Aaron Paul did a wonderful job playing Jesse as a guy who got in too deep with Walter and portraying Jesse's love-hate feelings toward Walter, whom he saw as a father figure, yet knew he only cared about himself and money. The series really boils down to the power of greed and how it corrupts. Even though it has been off the air for nearly a decade, the show holds up very well and is definitely worth the investment. It had a lot fewer shows than many shows that aired for five seasons (just 62 total episodes), but it told a great story, and if you are a fan of crime dramas, it is a must-watch.
There are many different Blu-Ray complete series Blu-Ray sets, and the set has been repackaged over the years, including one that includes the TV movie, El Camino. All of the sets include the same bonus features for the main series. The set that I have is the 16-disc complete series set that has shelf-friendly packaging (released in 2014). Where the set really shines is with the extras. There are hours of extras for each season, including behind-the-scenes featurettes, commentary tracks on select episodes, episodes of "Inside Breaking Bad" the post-show wrap-up that aired after many of the episodes, music videos, gag reels, photo albums, deleted and extended scenes, character profiles, a hilarious alternate ending to the series, and more. So, if you love the show and you love watching the bonus material, there is a ton here for you.
The series is widely regarded as one of the best shows of its era. It was wonderfully written and very well acted by everyone in the main cast and the guest cast. Cranston did a great job of transitioning Walter from a wimp to a monster over the course of the series. Aaron Paul did a wonderful job playing Jesse as a guy who got in too deep with Walter and portraying Jesse's love-hate feelings toward Walter, whom he saw as a father figure, yet knew he only cared about himself and money. The series really boils down to the power of greed and how it corrupts. Even though it has been off the air for nearly a decade, the show holds up very well and is definitely worth the investment. It had a lot fewer shows than many shows that aired for five seasons (just 62 total episodes), but it told a great story, and if you are a fan of crime dramas, it is a must-watch.
Product Review: Fasmov Set of 4 DVD Storage Bags
If you are one who still gets DVDs or Blu-Rays these are almost a must-have if you need to move them. Each one holds approximately 35-40 discs, depending on the size of the case. It can hold most box sets, but cannot hold sets that are very oversized (like the M*A*S*H martinis and medicines collection). There are a couple of plastic dividers inside that essentially sections off the interior. They are needed for stability, but they can sometimes limit the number of discs that will fit if you put discs in any particular order. They are fairly sturdy, but you do want to pick them up using both handles otherwise they can rip. I find these much more convenient than using moving boxes as those can get quite heavy. These are very easy to carry and store. Definitely worth the pickup.
Workout Update: Power-90/Chalean Extreme Hybrid: Day 56
Day 56 was the recharge workout. I would say that my flexibility level is the same as it has been for the past couple of weeks. No additional progress. That may change now that I am going back to the power-90 workouts and will get a bit more yoga on the cardio days.
Workout Update: Power-90/Chalean Extreme Hybrid: Day 55
Day 55 was the last Burn it Off workout for this round. It went fine, again pretty much as the past few times I have done the workout. I actually swapped out a couple of the exercises in the workout with moves from Insanity to get a little better cardio effect, which I think makes the workout a bit better.
Workout Update: Power-90/Chalean Extreme Hybrid: Day 54
Day 54 was the final Push Circuit 3 workout for this round. In this workout, I was able to hit the eight rep max for five of the nine exercises. During the four weeks of the Push phase, I was able to increase the amount of weight on just one of the exercises, but if I had one additional week I would finally be bumping up the weight on some. But, I was using between 22.5 pounds and 45 pounds during this workout, so I was lifting pretty heavy (for me anyway) from the get go.
DVD/Movie Review: The Guitar
The Guitar is an independent movie from 2008 directed by Amy Redford (Robert Redford's daughter), and stars Saffron Burrows, Isaach De Bankole, and Paz de la Huerta. The story involves a woman named Melody Wilder (played by Saffron Burrows) who discovers that she has terminal cancer. After losing her job and having her boyfriend walk out on her, she decides to live it up as much as possible, maxing out her credit cards, buying everything in sight, and getting into sexual relationships with a couple of delivery people played by Isaach De Bankolé and the crazy-hot Paz De La Huerta (probably first known for the great movie The Cider House Rules, then the series Boardwalk Empire, and a bunch of indie movies). During all of this, Melody teaches herself how to play the guitar, which is something she always has wanted to do.
The premise of the movie is good, but the execution is a bit off. Of course, you have to suspend your disbelief to think that a person who is diagnosed with terminal cancer is going to be able to rent out a high-end loft and is likely to get a bunch of credit cards (the latter probably being easier than the former). Plus, she does not appear sick until the end of the movie. Having known someone with throat cancer, that is not remotely close to real life. But, you have to accept that you are watching a movie and not a documentary. Certainly, the idea that someone in that position would say (or think) "screw it; I am going to do what I want with the time I have left" is not far-fetched, the issues with the movie are that the pacing can be slow and the dialog can be really dumb at times.
For those who get the DVD, it just has the movie itself. No extras. The DVD is now out of print, so it is expensive to get new. I am not sure if it is on any of the major streaming services, but you can probably find it if you look hard enough. It definitely has the feel of a small-budget independent movie, so if you do not like those generally, this is probably not going to be your proverbial cup of tea. It does have some sexual content and nudity in it, but that does not dominate the plot. I would not classify it as a must-see, but I do not think it is as bad as some make it out to be.
The premise of the movie is good, but the execution is a bit off. Of course, you have to suspend your disbelief to think that a person who is diagnosed with terminal cancer is going to be able to rent out a high-end loft and is likely to get a bunch of credit cards (the latter probably being easier than the former). Plus, she does not appear sick until the end of the movie. Having known someone with throat cancer, that is not remotely close to real life. But, you have to accept that you are watching a movie and not a documentary. Certainly, the idea that someone in that position would say (or think) "screw it; I am going to do what I want with the time I have left" is not far-fetched, the issues with the movie are that the pacing can be slow and the dialog can be really dumb at times.
For those who get the DVD, it just has the movie itself. No extras. The DVD is now out of print, so it is expensive to get new. I am not sure if it is on any of the major streaming services, but you can probably find it if you look hard enough. It definitely has the feel of a small-budget independent movie, so if you do not like those generally, this is probably not going to be your proverbial cup of tea. It does have some sexual content and nudity in it, but that does not dominate the plot. I would not classify it as a must-see, but I do not think it is as bad as some make it out to be.
Blu-Ray/Movie Review: American Hustle
American Hustle is a 2013 movie directed by David O Russell and starring Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Adams, and Jeremy Renner. It is loosely based on a sting operation that the FBI executed back in the late 1970s to early 1980s to take down a bunch of corrupt politicians. Bale and Adams play a pair of scam artists who get caught by an FBI agent (played by Bradley Cooper) in a loan scam. He offers to let them off the hook if they help him take down bigger targets. Jennifer Lawrence plays Bale's erratic wife, who threatens to report him to the police if he leaves her. The movie is mostly a blend of drama and dark comedy that is kind of a heist/takedown movie with some romance (basically a love rectangle) mixed in.
The Blu-Ray's A/V quality is good, but the extras are pretty sparse. Those include about 25 minutes of deleted scenes and a 16-minute making-of featurette. There are also some previews for other Sony movies. What was included was okay, but it definitely did not get a ton of extras, especially for a movie with as much Oscar buzz as it did. Overall, I would say that the movie is good, but not as good as some make it out to be. It does have a great cast and Cooper, Adams, Bale, and Lawrence all nail their roles. Bale, who can get into about any shape that is needed for a role, is nearly unrecognizable as an overweight and balding slimeball. Adams does probably her best work (at least that I have seen) in this movie, and both she and Lawrence are extremely funny. Cooper is great as a crazy FBI agent. Where the movie loses me a bit is the pacing and the plot lines that kind of jump around. It is definitely a movie that you have to pay attention to constantly to follow what is going on.
The Blu-Ray's A/V quality is good, but the extras are pretty sparse. Those include about 25 minutes of deleted scenes and a 16-minute making-of featurette. There are also some previews for other Sony movies. What was included was okay, but it definitely did not get a ton of extras, especially for a movie with as much Oscar buzz as it did. Overall, I would say that the movie is good, but not as good as some make it out to be. It does have a great cast and Cooper, Adams, Bale, and Lawrence all nail their roles. Bale, who can get into about any shape that is needed for a role, is nearly unrecognizable as an overweight and balding slimeball. Adams does probably her best work (at least that I have seen) in this movie, and both she and Lawrence are extremely funny. Cooper is great as a crazy FBI agent. Where the movie loses me a bit is the pacing and the plot lines that kind of jump around. It is definitely a movie that you have to pay attention to constantly to follow what is going on.
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Masters of Sex: Season 1
The Blu-Ray set is a four-disc set with the 12 episodes spread over the four discs. The A/V quality of the blu-ray is very good, and the set has a decent amount of bonus content. The extras include a commentary track on the pilot episode with Sheen, Caplan, Fitzgerald, Sears, series creator Michelle Ashford, and executive producer Sarah Timberman, about thirteen minutes of deleted scenes, and a series of making-of featurettes that total over twenty-five minutes between them all that include interviews with the cast and showrunners.
Overall, the show is very well-written and acted. The show not only tackles the subject of sex and the stigma that it had not only in the 1950s but really exists to this day, but it also touches on the topics of racism, homosexuality, misogyny, and more. There is a lot of nudity, sexual content, and swearing, but chances are people who would not want to see that kind of stuff are not likely to be considering purchasing this anyway. But, needless to say, it is not something that is a family-friendly show. While it does fall into the category of a docu-drama, the show does embellish some things about the actual events, so if you are looking for something that is more documentary than drama, this is not it. But if you are looking for a good, well-acted adult drama, this is definitely worth checking out.
Just as a note, the series had a total of four seasons. The first two were released on Blu-Ray individually in the US, the third and fourth were not. The entire series was released as a Blu-Ray box set that has the same extras and bonus material as the first and second season individual releases. So, if you get this and then want the entire series, you would have to double dip.
Product Review: GLAD ForceFlexPlus XL X-Large Kitchen Drawstring Trash Bags - 20 Gallon Grey Trash Bag
Tuesday, July 26, 2022
Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is the 2013 sequel to 2004's Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. It is directed by Adam McKay and brings back all the main cast members, including Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, David Koechner, and Christina Applegate. The new additions to the cast include Kristen Wig, James Marsden, Greg Kinnear, Megan Good, and Vince Vaughn. The sequel sets the cast in the 1980s. In this movie, Ron Burgandy's (Will Ferrell) career is in a rut while Veronica's (Christina Applegate) is flourishing. Ron ends up at GNN (a riff on precisely what you think), a new 24-hour news network. He becomes a hit in the late-night timeslot, and hilarity (sometimes) ensues. There are two versions of the movie, the theatrical cut and an R-rated cut that adds 25 minutes of running time to the movie and has many harder-edged jokes.
The Blu-ray's A/V quality is very good and includes many extras. The extras include a commentary track on the R-rated version of the movie, about an hour of behind-the-scenes and making-of featurettes, a portion of the table read of the movie, a two-part gag reel, deleted scenes, and over an hour and a half of extended and alternate scenes. So, you get a lot of bonus features if you like watching them. Overall, the movie is good but not as good as the first. It does have some funny moments for sure, and Christina Applegate is great in it, but I do not think it is as consistently funny as the first movie was. The main and supporting cast members were all great in their respective roles and the movie includes a bunch of character actors that you see in many of the SNL comedies and Apatow's movies. There are also a bunch of cameos from A-listers, including Will Smith, Liam Neeson, Amy Poehler, Kirsten Dunst, Tina Fey, Jim Carrey, and more. The movie was definitely commercialized and did copy some from the first movie, but in general, I would say if you liked the original, you will probably like this one too.
Product Review: Ziploc Gallon Food Storage Bags
Product Review: JFJ Easy Pro Video Game, CD, DVD, Blu-Ray Repair Machine
This does work to get discs that are unplayable back to working order. But, it is definitely messy having to sand then doing the buffing and polishing. Just be aware of that. Plus, the amount of buffing solution they provide is pretty small, and replacement is costly (to use the JFJ brand). Plus, you will have to replace the sandpaper pads once you use them a couple of times. So, this is not a one-time purchase. But, if you have a large collection of physical media, this is a good option if the discs get scratched up.
Video Game Review: Batman: Arkham Origins
This is the third game in the Arkham series of Batman games. It is actually a prequel to Arkham asylum set eight years before that game when Batman was still early on in his career. The gameplay and graphics are awesome and keep getting better as more games are released. It is much more challenging than the first two games, which in a way makes sense. If Batman is in his second-year things are going to be harder for him than when he has been fighting crime for eight or nine years. The one nitpicky point is that Batman can do things in this game that he did not do in the other games, set after this one. I get that they want to keep updating the games to make them more exciting and fun, but really at this point in the timeline, Batman should be working with less advanced gadgets and have less ability than he does later on. The only disappointing thing about the game is that Kevin Conroy did not return to voice Bruce/Batman, but Roger Smith did a good job with the voice work. So, if you are a fan of the Arkham games, this is a must-play.
Study Aid Review: The Laplace Transform Tutor
Laplace Transforms are mainly used as a technique for solving some types of differential equations. If you are a math major and have to take differential equations as a semester-long class you will definitely see it there, and if you are an engineering major that has to take the intro to differential equations class (either as a separate class from intro to linear algebra or in a class that combines the two) you will usually have a couple of lectures on Laplace transforms. If you get good instruction on how to do problems involving Laplace Transforms they are not all that hard. If however, your instructor just glosses over them, they can be very tricky.
In this set, Jason introduces the concept of Laplace Transforms, how to derive the basic transforms, then provides a table of transforms (which is generally what you will be allowed to use in class if you need the more advanced transforms). Then he solves a bunch of problems using the Laplace Transforms, including solving several differential equations. As he does in his other math and science sets, Jason goes through everything step-by-step. He does assume that you have the math skills needed to be at this point (so having taken algebra, pre-calc, and calculus I and II). He does not do a recap of the math, but since he rarely skips steps in solving problems (and never does in the first couple of examples he shows on a topic) you do get a bit of a refresher anyway.
Laplace Transforms is a topic that will come up at least a few times depending on what branch of science or engineering you go into. I was an electrical engineering major and I definitely had to use it extensively in one of my higher-level classes and a bit lighter in a couple of other classes. Unfortunately, I did not have a good grasp on the topic after my Calc 4 class (which is where I was introduced to the topic), so I got this to really figure it out. So, if you are a visual learner who learns best by watching sample problems being worked out, this is a great study aid.
In this set, Jason introduces the concept of Laplace Transforms, how to derive the basic transforms, then provides a table of transforms (which is generally what you will be allowed to use in class if you need the more advanced transforms). Then he solves a bunch of problems using the Laplace Transforms, including solving several differential equations. As he does in his other math and science sets, Jason goes through everything step-by-step. He does assume that you have the math skills needed to be at this point (so having taken algebra, pre-calc, and calculus I and II). He does not do a recap of the math, but since he rarely skips steps in solving problems (and never does in the first couple of examples he shows on a topic) you do get a bit of a refresher anyway.
Laplace Transforms is a topic that will come up at least a few times depending on what branch of science or engineering you go into. I was an electrical engineering major and I definitely had to use it extensively in one of my higher-level classes and a bit lighter in a couple of other classes. Unfortunately, I did not have a good grasp on the topic after my Calc 4 class (which is where I was introduced to the topic), so I got this to really figure it out. So, if you are a visual learner who learns best by watching sample problems being worked out, this is a great study aid.
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Lost: Season 6
+++Warning, this contains minor spoilers from the prior season, but no major season six giveaways+++
The 18-episode sixth and final season of Lost aired during the winter and spring of 2010. The first episode of the season starts back on the (seemingly) doomed flight that started the entire series. But, we find out that as a result of the hydrogen bomb that was detonated at the end of the fifth season, there are now two realities, one in which the plane never crashed and one in which it did. So, after doing flashbacks and flashforwards, this season does a "flash sideways" going between the alternate realities and seeing how the characters come out in each one. The season pays off the reveal of the smoke monster and basically reveals all about the supernatural aspect of the island. The end of the series works out to be a bit of a thought experiment (or at least a good discussion point) when it reveals what we are seeing in the flash sideways, and the last shot of the series is a nice bookend to the opening shot in the first season.
The Blu-Ray set is a five-disc set. The A/V quality is again stellar, with the show looking and sounding as good as pretty much any movie. For extras, there are commentary tracks on four episodes, a 40-minute making-of documentary for the final season, an 8-minute recap of the series up to season six, and a few short (under 10 minutes in length) behind-the-scenes featurettes. There is also a series epilogue which ties up a couple of things that the series finale did not. So, all in all, a good amount of bonus material if you like watching the extras.
Overall, the final season was very good. The show ran hot and cold for a lot of people, with many fans disappointed (or downright mad) at how slowly everything played out. I do think being able to binge-watch the series (whether on disc or via streaming) does help with that and makes things easier to follow and, as a result, the series makes more sense. While the ending surely did not and will not appeal to everyone, I do think it was well done, even if not every character got a happily ever after ending. It goes without saying that you definitely cannot jump right into the final season and hope to understand what is going on. The show definitely has a serial storyline that has to be watched from beginning to end. It is, in my opinion, one of the best sci-fi/supernatural thrillers to be on TV in recent memory, and is definitely worth the time to watch.
The 18-episode sixth and final season of Lost aired during the winter and spring of 2010. The first episode of the season starts back on the (seemingly) doomed flight that started the entire series. But, we find out that as a result of the hydrogen bomb that was detonated at the end of the fifth season, there are now two realities, one in which the plane never crashed and one in which it did. So, after doing flashbacks and flashforwards, this season does a "flash sideways" going between the alternate realities and seeing how the characters come out in each one. The season pays off the reveal of the smoke monster and basically reveals all about the supernatural aspect of the island. The end of the series works out to be a bit of a thought experiment (or at least a good discussion point) when it reveals what we are seeing in the flash sideways, and the last shot of the series is a nice bookend to the opening shot in the first season.
The Blu-Ray set is a five-disc set. The A/V quality is again stellar, with the show looking and sounding as good as pretty much any movie. For extras, there are commentary tracks on four episodes, a 40-minute making-of documentary for the final season, an 8-minute recap of the series up to season six, and a few short (under 10 minutes in length) behind-the-scenes featurettes. There is also a series epilogue which ties up a couple of things that the series finale did not. So, all in all, a good amount of bonus material if you like watching the extras.
Overall, the final season was very good. The show ran hot and cold for a lot of people, with many fans disappointed (or downright mad) at how slowly everything played out. I do think being able to binge-watch the series (whether on disc or via streaming) does help with that and makes things easier to follow and, as a result, the series makes more sense. While the ending surely did not and will not appeal to everyone, I do think it was well done, even if not every character got a happily ever after ending. It goes without saying that you definitely cannot jump right into the final season and hope to understand what is going on. The show definitely has a serial storyline that has to be watched from beginning to end. It is, in my opinion, one of the best sci-fi/supernatural thrillers to be on TV in recent memory, and is definitely worth the time to watch.
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Lost: Season 5
+++Warning, this contains minor season four spoilers, but no major giveaways about season five+++
The 17-episode fifth season of Lost aired in winter and spring of 2009. It was the show's second to last season, and, as such, it finally begins to unravel some of the mysteries that have been set up throughout the first four seasons. This season also sees the survivors split not only in location but in time, since moving the island at the end of season four to protect it from the "freighter folk" resulted in time rips so that some characters are back in the 1950s, some are in the 1970s, while others remain in the present day. The show does finally start to explore the island's history, explain what the Dharma Initiative really is, reveals the 'incident' that led to requiring someone to press a button inside a hatch every 108 minutes, explains the time travel, explains why the castaways crashed on the island in the first place, and reveals more about Jacob. Some of the reveals are ham-handed and/or eye-roll-inducing, but some of them really pay off well for the die-hard fans of the show. This season, while again a bit shorter (17 overall episodes) does contain the milestone 100th episode of the series and does again end on a cliffhanger setting up the final season.
The Blu-Ray set is a five-disc set. As with the prior season releases, you get a good amount of bonus material, including commentary tracks on a few episodes, about seven making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes, including one on the 100th episode, a series recap of seasons 1-4, and a gag reel. So, there's a lot there if you like watching the bonus features. Overall, the season is very good. It continues to be well acted and mostly (with some exceptions) well written. The writing does get a bit too clever for itself sometimes, but it does seem like the writers had almost everything planned out and were not just making stuff up on the fly. A big complaint by many fans really from the end of season two onward is that the show was not resolving the mysteries and introducing four or five new questions for every question it answered. I would not say that was the case this season. Major plot elements were explained this season, and while not everything gets wrapped up, you can definitely tell the series is winding down. You definitely need to watch the prior seasons for this one to make any sense as this show is truly a serial story that builds on itself, so if you just jump in randomly, you may enjoy it, but you will not have any idea what is really going on.
The 17-episode fifth season of Lost aired in winter and spring of 2009. It was the show's second to last season, and, as such, it finally begins to unravel some of the mysteries that have been set up throughout the first four seasons. This season also sees the survivors split not only in location but in time, since moving the island at the end of season four to protect it from the "freighter folk" resulted in time rips so that some characters are back in the 1950s, some are in the 1970s, while others remain in the present day. The show does finally start to explore the island's history, explain what the Dharma Initiative really is, reveals the 'incident' that led to requiring someone to press a button inside a hatch every 108 minutes, explains the time travel, explains why the castaways crashed on the island in the first place, and reveals more about Jacob. Some of the reveals are ham-handed and/or eye-roll-inducing, but some of them really pay off well for the die-hard fans of the show. This season, while again a bit shorter (17 overall episodes) does contain the milestone 100th episode of the series and does again end on a cliffhanger setting up the final season.
The Blu-Ray set is a five-disc set. As with the prior season releases, you get a good amount of bonus material, including commentary tracks on a few episodes, about seven making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes, including one on the 100th episode, a series recap of seasons 1-4, and a gag reel. So, there's a lot there if you like watching the bonus features. Overall, the season is very good. It continues to be well acted and mostly (with some exceptions) well written. The writing does get a bit too clever for itself sometimes, but it does seem like the writers had almost everything planned out and were not just making stuff up on the fly. A big complaint by many fans really from the end of season two onward is that the show was not resolving the mysteries and introducing four or five new questions for every question it answered. I would not say that was the case this season. Major plot elements were explained this season, and while not everything gets wrapped up, you can definitely tell the series is winding down. You definitely need to watch the prior seasons for this one to make any sense as this show is truly a serial story that builds on itself, so if you just jump in randomly, you may enjoy it, but you will not have any idea what is really going on.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)