DVD/Movie Review: Kill Bill, Vol. 1

 

Kill Bill is a revenge story written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Volume 1 was released in 2003 and starred Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Chiaki Kuriyama, Vivica A. Fox, Julie Dreyfus, Daryl Hannah, and Sonny Chiba. David Carradine and Michal Madsen also appear in the movie but have much larger roles in Volume II. Volume I gives you bits and pieces of the story, but the entire story is fleshed out in Volume II.  In Volume 1, we see Uma Thurman's character (just called "The Bride") beaten and shot during her wedding rehearsal. We find out that she is attacked by the assassin squad she used to be a member of, led by the titular Bill. She awakens from a coma 4 years later and starts picking them off. Volume I introduces all the main characters (somewhat) and shows The Bride, although Bill is never shown. You just hear his voice. The story kind of jumps around a little (somewhat to the way it did in Pulp Fiction), but it is really not that hard to follow if you pay attention.

You have to know what you are getting into with a Tarantino movie. There is lots of over-the-top violence and gore, off-color humor, and bad language. If any of those are immediate turn-offs for you when choosing a movie, don't even think about this one. You will hate it. If you can accept those things and you like his other films, you will very likely love this one. Volume 1 is actually the more violent and gory of the two films, although there is a lot in both. The gore, however, is so extreme it is more tongue-in-cheek than it is real. Like chopping off arms and gallons of blood spewing out like a geyser. It is meant to be more humorous than scary and is far less believable than what you would get in a horror movie. The movie is kind of a combination of a Western, with the 1970s martial arts films. Right down to The Bride having to go through tons of subordinates to get to her main target in the climactic fight scene.

The bonus content is relatively light. There is a about 20-minute making-of documentary and trailers for some of Tarantino's other movies. Hopefully, subsequent releases will get more extensive extras, especially if Tarantino ever makes a follow-up. Ultimately, whether you like this or not is totally subjective. If you are a fan of Tarantino's other movies, this is very much in a similar vein. It definitely deserves its R rating and will not appeal to everyone. For everyone else, though, it is a great story, well acted, funny in parts (although very dark humor), and has lots of action. If those are the kinds of things that appeal to you, it is definitely worth the time to watch and/or worth adding to your physical media collection.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Jonah Hex

 

Jonah Hex is a movie from 2010 starring Josh Brolin, John Malkovich, Michael Fassbender, Michael Shannon, Wes Bently, Lance Reddick, and Megan Fox. This film seems like it would have been much better as a sequel than the original movie. I have a feeling, however, that the filmmakers were concerned this was the only shot they had at a Jonah Hex movie (and it probably was) and decided to tell this one instead. The problem is that the backstory is so rushed that there is not much in the way of character development. You get the basic details (Hex was a soldier in the Confederate army, who refused to execute an order of his commanding officer, Quentin Turnbull (played by John Malkovich) and in the process kills Turnbull's son (who also happens to be Hex's friend). Hex's family is then killed in front of him, he is branded on the cheek (giving the facial deformity) and left to die. In the process of being healed by the local Indian tribe, he gains the power to talk to the dead.

The A/V quality of the blu-ray is okay, but not what I would consider to be reference quality. The special effects look pretty seamless, and the colors and contrast look good in HD. The extras include a picture-in-picture mode that allows the movie to be played interspersed with interview segments with the cast and crew. There is also an 11-minute backstory on the character of Jonah Hex, focusing on the comic book origins and about 5 minutes of deleted scenes.

Overall, the movie is okay, but I think Hex's origin story should have been fleshed out in detail. The entire movie clocks in around 80 minutes and that story is probably given less than 20 minutes. Aside from knowing who the good guy and bad guy are, we have no real reason to be invested in any of the characters. This is a shame, given that the supporting cast is made up of some very good actors (Michael Fassbender, Lance Reddick, etc). Megan Fox was pretty much the same as always. She looks pretty and has a couple good one-liners, but her character is not in the movie all that much until the end. And again, there is no backstory for her character so the only reason we are supposed to care about her character is she is pretty and loves Jonah Hex. I think the movie would have been better served to have been a little longer, with the first half giving a true backstory of the events that lead up to the start of this movie, then Hex going after Turnbull initially, and then his transition to a bounty hunter. If that movie did well, then a better version of this movie could have been made and with characters that people actually are invested in, they may have been able to get at least a couple movies from the story.

I have never read the comics, but from reading other reviews, it seems like the filmmakers diverged a lot from the source material. If you are a fan of the comics and changing the story would piss you off, then I would say skip this entirely. For everyone else, the movie is entertaining enough. It could have been better, but with the short running time (especially for comic book movies) it gets in and out pretty quickly.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 21

Day 21 was the final day of MBF, which was the dynamic recovery routine. Again, I did the 15-minute cardio routine from 645 as a warm-up for the MBF workout.  I cannot really say that my flexibility improved all that much during the three week period, but it did not regress either. Starting tomorrow, I am going to do another round of Lift 4, which I plan to do in the mornings, and then do the 645 cardio workout in the evening. But, in that one, I am going to try to do more challenging exercises (like plank jacks and mountain climbers) to keep improving my stamina. 

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 20

Day 20 was the final Power Ignite workout from MBF. I did not do the 645 cardio workout, however. The cross-climber plank-jack combo in the third block was especially brutal, even though we only had to do 12 reps.  The push-up block changed to do inchworms to 2 push-ups, but instead of doing 8 total, it was dropped to 6. 

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 19

Day 19 was the final resistance-focused workout (full body burn) in MBF and the 15-minute cardio routine from 645. The MBF workout was very challenging again, especially in the unbalanced blocks. That was especially the case since some of the exercises were done standing on one foot. In the 645 workout, I still swapped out the jump lunges since my knee was still a bit sore. 

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 18

Day 18 was the last core cardio workout from MBF and, of course, in the evening the 15-minute cardio routine from 645. In the MBF workout, I was able to do seven full rounds and most of an eighth round during the AMRAP portion. So, that increased from five rounds in the first week to 7.8 rounds in week three. So, my cardio/stamina has improved. 

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 17

Day 17 was the upper body burn workout in MBF and cardio from 645. The range of weight I used in this final workout was 8 lbs (for the kneeling lateral raises in the final block) to 17.5 lbs (for the first two sets of the presses in the first block). I had to drop that down to 15 lbs for sets three and four. It was another very tough workout, even using light weights. 

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 16

Day 16 was the Core Circuit workout, which again used the same jump rope moves we did in weeks 1 and 2. In the 4-minute AMRAP round, I was able to do five full rounds and just over half of a sixth round. So, in the three weeks, I was able to go from 3.5 rounds to 5.6 rounds during the AMRAP portion. And, in the evening I did the 15-minute cardio workout from 645.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 15

Day 15 was the start of the final week of MBF, which meant week three's "lower body burn" workout. The format of the workout is the same as the other resistance workouts--two blocks of two unbalanced exercises followed by a combination of the two exercises, doing two sets on each side, and two blocks of three sets of two balanced exercises. The weights I used ranged from 12 lbs to 20 lbs. In the fourth block, which has narrow squats followed by calf raises, I started at 20 lbs but ended up having to drop to 15 lbs to keep my form in the squats. In the evening, I did the 15-minute 645 cardio workout. I changed up some of the exercises to compensate for a sore left knee, but got it done.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: JFK Director's Cut

 

JFK is a 1991 movie about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, directed by Oliver Stone. The movie stars Kevin Costner as New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison and includes a whole host of other A and B-list stars including Gary Oldman and Tommy Lee Jones. The movie sparked a lot of controversy, even before it was released. The topic of the film has been (and will likely continue to be) one of the most controversial topics in American history. Unfortunately, the lines of who will like and dislike this movie will most likely fall squarely within whether that person believes there was a conspiracy to kill Kennedy or not. I honestly think regardless of where you stand on that subject, this movie is entertaining and worth watching.

Stone definitely believes there was a conspiracy, even while acknowledging in the notes included in the book portion of the director's cut of the film that it is possible there was none. Where he opened himself up to criticism is that he did not pick a single hypothesis and go with that. While the movie is centered around the alleged involvement of Clay Shaw, Stone basically threw out all the various possibilities that have been put forth over the years from Cuba to the mob, to the CIA orchestrating the hit. He couches the various hypotheses in the story by using words like possibly, maybe, etc, to describe what could have happened. Stone does a great job weaving in old news and archived footage with scenes that he filmed. So much so that it was hard to tell at times where the real-life footage ended and the movie started. Stone's stated intention however was to provide all of the "theories" that are out there, and let the viewers make up their own minds. To that end, regardless of whether you believe that was the responsible way to approach the film, it succeeds. Another way Stone leaves himself open to what is probably the most valid criticism is that he included material that was just plain inaccurate. The big one that comes to mind is the trial scene recreating the magic bullet when he placed Kennedy and Connelly directly in line with each other on the same level. In reality, Connelly's seat sat lower and off-center, which when taken into account omits all the turns that the bullet would have to do in the whole "left, then right" sequence of the film, which was one of the most powerful sequences in the movie.

The lynchpin of the film's quality, regardless of whether you agree with the substance, was the acting. Many A or B list actors who were alive at the time had a role in the film. Some little more than cameos, but it really was a who's who when it came to the cast. I think Costner did a great job making Jim Garrison much more of a heroic figure than he really was. Garrison's overall reputation outside the JFK case was pretty checkered. The film boasts a cast that includes Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, Walter Matthau, John Candy, Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Oldman, and Kevin Bacon, among many others. There was not one bad performance in the bunch.

I am not sure how long the theatrical version of the movie is. If memory serves, it was just under three hours. This clocks in at just under three and a half hours, with a lot of additional and extended scenes. Including a 5 minute or so narrative at the beginning of the movie that describes Kennedy's presidency up to that point. There are also a few features included as extras along with even more deleted scenes. Chances are anyone reading this by now already has a strong opinion of the movie. For those who do not, as I said regardless of your position on whether there was a conspiracy or not, you can still enjoy the acting and the non-fictionalized historical aspects of the movie. If nothing else this will always be a movie that is a conversation starter and a thought piece.

Book Review: The Athena Project

 

The Athena Project is a novel published in 2010 and written by Brad Thor. The novel is a spin-off to Thor's Scot Harvath series (which in 2010 included 9 novels). The main characters in this book were introduced in Thor's 2010 entry in the Harvath series, Foreign Influence. In this book, the members of the Athena team, Gretchen Casey, Julie Ericsson, Megan Rhodes, and Alex Cooper, are assigned a mission to hunt down an arms dealer responsible for providing explosives used in an attack in Rome that killed several Americans. They discover a larger plot involving a combination of old World War II-era technology and a modern-day threat.

The hardcover version of the book is just over 300 pages, which is just slightly shorter than most of Thor's novels in the Harvath series. Harvath does make a couple of appearances in the book, but he is not a major part of the overall plot. There are actually a couple of different storylines that run parallel to each other. The main one involves the Athena team members. The second one involves an undercover FBI agent who is in too deep with a Russian spy. Each of the storylines is tied to the overall plot of the book but mostly separate from each other. The book is a good action-suspense thriller. While I like most of the novels in the Harvath series more than this one, this is still an enjoyable read with a good story. It is definitely worth the time to read if you like Thor's other novels or just like the spy novel or action-thriller genres.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Jennifer's Body

 

Jennifer's Body is a 2009 movie starring Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried, Adam Brody, J.K. Simmons, Amy Sedaris, and Chris Pratt. The movie was written by Diablo Cody and is a blend of horror and comedy. The movie does as much to make fun of the horror genre as it does to actually be a horror movie itself. It tells the story of two lifelong friends (Fox and Seyfried) that have grown apart, and Seyfried's character only realizes it after Fox's character is possessed by a demon and starts killing off the boys in their high school. It is not just a hack-and-slash kind of movie, and if that is something that you need in a horror movie, then best to just skip this. 

The A/V quality of the movie on Blu-ray is very good, and for those who do get the discs, there is quite a bit of behind-the-scenes and making of material. You also get the theatrical and unrated versions of the film. The unrated version just adds a little more footage but is not radically different than the theatrical version. There are commentary tracks on both editions of the movie by Cody and the director of the movie, Karyn Kusama. Then there are deleted scenes, a gag reel, trailers for other movies, and almost an hour's worth of making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes.

Ultimately, whether you like this or not is going to be totally subjective. I don't think you have to like it because Diablo Cody wrote it, or a particular actor or actress is in it, but chances are if you are fans of any of the individuals involved, and the horror genre (depending on your tastes) you will like it. There are funny moments, gory moments, and even dramatic moments in the story, and they all work well. The acting is decent to good. The script was good. The script was generally much better than what you get in a lot of horror movies, but there were some eye-rolling moments here and there. There is not the gratuitous nudity that you get in a lot of horror movies. Megan Fox is in some skimpy outfits, but everything stays covered up. There is however a good two-minute sequence of her and Amanda Seyfried making out which is as spectacular as it sounds (if you are into that sort of thing). So, if you are looking for something that is not a cookie-cutter kind of horror movie, this is worth the time to watch.

DVD/Movie Review: The Island

 

The Island is a 2005 movie directed by Michael Bay and starring Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Sean Bean, and Djimon Honsou. It was one of the few Michael Bay movies (along with Armageddon, Bad Boys, and Pearl Harbor) that is not explosion-laden the entire time. While there are explosions in this movie, to be sure, there is also good, quality acting, a story with some substance to it, and comedic elements that were not stupid or cheesy. The movie also has a good supporting cast including Michael Clarke Duncan and Steve Buscemi.

The premise is that rich people can pay 5 million dollars to have themselves cloned as an insurance policy. Think instant organ donation. The clones are marketed as being held in stasis until needed, where in reality they are kept alive in an almost cult-like community until needed. That is as much of the story as I will give away, but the movie centers around the ethical dilemma that surrounds the program.

The acting in the movie is good all around. Scarlett Johansson (who was in her first major role after Lost in Translation) and Ewan McGregor play the parts of the escaped clones very well. McGregor also has to play the "real" person who interacts with his clone which he also does a great job with. Sean Bean plays the main bad guy role as the one who runs the cloning center. He did very well portraying the fact that his character basically had no morals and only cared about money. I personally think the best supporting performance was from Djimon Hounsou who basically plays a bounty hunter tasked to track down the escaped clones. He has to strike a balance between a guy doing the job he was hired for, and not truly believing in the ultimate purpose.

The DVD has a handful of extras, including a director's commentary track on the movie and a few making-of featurettes. Excluding the commentary track, the bonus features clock in at around half an hour in total. 

It does have some of the hallmarks of a Michael Bay summer blockbuster, but even if you are only lukewarm to his other movies, this one is worth giving it a chance. It is definitely more than just things blowing up. While it is certainly not an Academy Award winner or something that will keep you thinking about it for days after you watch it, there is enough substance to the story to make it worth seeing.

DVD/Movie Review: Into the Blue

 

Into the Blue is a 2005 movie starring Paul Walker, Jessica Alba,  and Scott Caan as a group of friends living in the Bahamas. Ashley Scott plays Caan's girlfriend, Amanda, and Josh Brolin plays the antagonist, Bates. The main selling point for the movie seemed to be having Jessica Alba (then in her early to mid-20s) swimming around in a bikini. The first third of the movie basically shows off the main cast members in swim trunks (Walker and Caan) and bikinis (Alba and Scott), focusing on Alba and Scott swimming or lying around wearing very little, with lots of (covered) T&A shots. The story picks up as the group, when exploring a shipwreck, discovers a crashed plane filled with cocaine. Of course, the owners of said cocaine discover that the "heroes" know the location of the drugs, and the predictable hijinks ensue.

The DVD extras include deleted scenes (that can be played with or without commentary by the director), a director's commentary track on the movie, scene tests for Scott Caan, Paul Walker, and Tyson Beckford, and a making-of featurette. None of the extras are that extensive, but they are about what you would expect for this type of movie.

Ultimately, the movie is not an Academy Award winner by any means. It has great visuals (both landscape and flesh variety), decent action, and a pretty easy-to-follow plot. The movie is a pretty standard action thriller. There is not a lot of character development or great acting in the movie. I think Walker is better in this movie than he has been in any of the Fast & Furious films. Alba's character is a toned-down version of her Dark Angel character (she has some of the snarkiness of that character but less ass-kicking ability).  Ashley Scott and Scott Caan's characters are actually pretty unlikable, and pretty much the reason for all the trouble that ensues. Josh Brolin (in his pre-No Country For Old Men fame) does a good job as the ultimate bad guy in the film. It is a little long (clocking in just under two hours), but the pace moves fairly well, so it does not feel like the movie is too long. All in all, it is an okay way to kill a couple of hours.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Inception

 

Inception is a 2010 film written and directed by Christopher Nolan (and made between his Dark Knight movies). It stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page (before transitioning), Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, and Michael Caine. DiCaprio plays Dom Cobb, a professional thief who can hack into a person's mind through their dreams, extract information from the person, and/or implant a thought into the person's mind. That part of the story is relatively simple to follow. The film's complexity comes from the rules of what can be done, how the mind fights back, how time reacts differently, and how there can be multilevel dreams (or dreams within dreams). You may have to watch the movie a couple of times to track all those nuances, but they make the movie great.

The audio and visual quality of the Blu-ray are wonderful. If you get the two-disc edition (which is really three discs because there is a DVD copy of the movie included), you get the film on one disc and a separate disc with bonus features. The bonus features include a documentary that focuses on the science of dreaming, a short animated story, some artwork, trailers, and TV spots.

There are a couple of storylines going on in the movie. The main story is a tale of corporate espionage, in which Ken Watanabe's character hires DiCaprio's character to implant an idea into the head of a rival corporation. The subplot basically reveals how Leonardo Dicaprio's character discovered that inception (the idea of planting a suggestion into the mind through a dream) works and the consequences of that action. The story can be hard to follow at times (especially the first time you see it) because it cuts back and forth between different levels of dreams and jumps between the two storylines.

The acting in the film is top-notch. You see many supporting actors from the Dark Knight movies in this one. Christopher Nolan is one of those directors who, like Tim Burton, uses many of the same actors over and over. The main cast is the Dicaprio, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Ken Watanabe, and Marion Cotillard. They all do great jobs in their respective roles. The subplot involving Dicaprio's and Cotillard's characters was the most intriguing part of the story, and the scenes where those two were interacting were very powerful. Many people know that the ending leaves things rather open-ended. I know some people hate that you are never given a definitive answer, but I like how the filmmakers leave it up to the viewer to imagine.

If you are a fan of Nolan's other movies (especially the non-Batman movies), I would say this is definitely worth a look. If you are a fan of thriller/suspense movies with some action in there as well, it is also worth a look. If you love the movie and want the most bonus material, get the two-disc edition, not just the single-disc edition.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 14

For day 14, I did the 15-minute 645 workout, immediately followed by the Dynamic Recovery routine from MBF.  The dynamic recovery routine was exactly the same as last week, but because the workout is in  "real-time" you don't have to watch the exact same workout from week 1 (which keeps the program from getting boring).

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 13

Day 13 was the Power Ignite workout in MBF and is the only workout I did today to give myself a bit of a rest. The format was the same as last week, with two shorter EMOM blocks (each 5 minutes long) followed by a third, longer (10-minute) block. The first block has you doing dumbell swing walks. Those are the same as last week's dumbell swings, but you step forward and backward between the swings. The second block is inchworm to push-ups, and the final block alternates dumbell sledgehammers and plank jacks. So, while the workout is short, you will definitely be tired by the end of it. 

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 12

 Day 12 was week 2's full body burn workout in MBF and, of course, the 15-minute 645 routine modified with exercises from T25 and Lift 4.

The MBF workout was another tough one. It followed the same format as the other lifting workouts, two blocks of unbalanced exercises and two blocks where you use both weights (or use your body weight) for the exercises. I again had to go very light with most of the exercises. You have to not only account for no rest between the sets, but you also have to account for the amount of weight you need for both exercises. Many times, the exercises are paired such that you need a lighter weight for one of the two exercises so you have to use the lighter weight for both because you flow from one exercise directly into the next.

Book Review: Star Wars: The High Republic: Defy the Storm

 

Defy the Storm, published in 2024, is a young-adult canon novel set during the early part of Phase 3 of the High Republic (approximately a year after the destruction of the space station Starlight Beacon) written by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland. The main characters in this book are Avon Starros, the daughter of one of the Nihil bigwigs, and Vernestra Rwoh, who has been out of contact with the Jedi order for the year after the loss of her master and her Padawan, Imri, whom she believes died in the attack on the space station. Avon tracks down Vernestra to tell her that Imri is alive and comes up with a plan to get Vernestra past the Stormwall and into the Occulusion Zone to help Imri and others get out. 

The hardcover version of the book is just over 450 pages. If you have read the other High-Republic novels, including the young-adult and junior novels, most of the characters in the book will be familiar. The story is more or less self-contained, but it does end on a tease  (not quite a cliffhanger) of where the larger storyline will go next. I would not necessarily classify this as one of the must-read novels, but the story is entertaining, so it is worth the time to read.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: The Incredible Hulk

 

This is the 2008 reboot of the live-action Hulk starring Edward Norton, Tim Roth, William Hurt, and Liv Tyler. It was also the second entry into the MCU (which was not, at the point it came out, assured to be as long-lasting and prolific as it became). This is not a sequel to Ang Lee's version of The Hulk (which is pretty widely panned, and mostly for good reason). I think that Eric Bana and Jennifer Connely did a good job in their roles and were the only good things that movie had going for it, but the screenplay was weird, and the CGI Hulk looked very fake. This, thankfully, pretends that version never existed. The purpose of this movie is twofold. The first was to help establish the MCU and set up the eventual Avengers movie. The second was to bring a movie version that paid homage to the series and the comic. The movie included the requisite Lou Ferrigno cameo and a posthumous cameo of Bill Bixby via a clip played on TV.

I think Norton did a great job as Bruce Banner in this movie. It is unfortunate that he was replaced (although I do think Mark Ruffalo did a fine job as Banner in The Avengers), although if the rumors of Norton being difficult when it came to making this film are true I can see why he was. Norton did a great job portraying the conflicted nature of Banner and the frustration and fear that the character feels. I also think he has fairly good chemistry with Liv Tyler, who played Betty Ross, which was necessary given the role her character played in the story. The movie does set up a possibility of a sequel, but obviously, Marvel has put higher stock in the Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor franchises (and the Avengers team-up movies). Whether a sequel to this movie ever gets made, and if so whether it continues the story started here remains to be seen.

I think the CGI Hulk is far better in this movie than it was in the Ang Lee version. I think it was one of the things that detracted from that version of the movie, but the technological advancements in CGI have come a long way, and while the Hulk does not look totally realistic, it looked a lot better. Ferrigno has gone on record saying he thinks that Hulk should be played by a real person, but given that the Hulk is supposed to be 9 feet tall, that is just not practical. If you notice in the film, while Ferrigno is substantially bigger than Norton, he is not that much taller. And they would have had to go back to the tricks used to film the series, like cutaways and filming Ferrigno (or some other actor) from below to make him look taller. A CGI Hulk just works better. Especially for the battle scenes. There is just really no way they could have done any of the battles (especially the end battle with Abomination) without the CGI.

The A/V quality of the Blu-Ray is outstanding. The special features consist of some behind-the-scenes material, making of documentaries, deleted scenes, and trailers. In all, if you are a fan of the Marvel series of movies, while this movie is not as strong as the first Iron Man or the Avengers movies, it is on par with most of the other MCU movies and is definitely worth the time to watch and adding to your physical media collection (if you have one).

DVD Review/TV Series Recap: In Plain Sight - Complete Series

 

+++Fair warning, this will contain minor spoilers from throughout the series. +++

In Plain Sight was a procedural series about a US Marshal that aired on the USA Network from 2008 to 2012 and starred Mary McCormack, Frederick Weller, Nichole Hinz, Paul Ben-Victor, and Lesley Ann Warren. The story is centered around Mary Shannon (played by Mary McCormack), who is a witness protection inspector in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Each episode contains a case of the week storyline, which pertains to some new witness (or witnesses) who need protecting, and more arc-driven storylines involving Mary's personal life. That is mainly centered around her dysfunctional mother, sister, and other agents in the Albuquerque office.

McCormack does a great job with her character, playing Mary as harsh, cold, and uncaring at times, yet the exact opposite at others. Her more tender side is covered by a smart mouth and sarcastic wit. Fredrick Weller plays her partner Marshall perfectly as well. The two have great chemistry, and throughout the series, it is implied and teased that he loves Mary but there is never an overt will they get together vibe, really ever, over the run of the series. To the extent anything between them is teased in the background, it is resolved at the end of the series. The other story that plays out well throughout the series is Mary dealing with her family issues. While Mary does have to deal with her screw-up sister and flighty mother, it is the fact that her father abandoned the family that is the big serial storyline that goes through the entire series, and the resolution is done very well.

There are a couple of options for full-season sets. One that packages the individual DVD seasons together and one that is a complete series set. As far as extras go, both sets appear to have the same content. The first few seasons have a small amount of extras such as some deleted scenes, commentary tracks on select episodes, and a gag reel. There are no extras for seasons 4 and 5. Ultimately, I think the series did a good job of not being too repetitive. The weekly cases were entertaining and were not repetitive. The various characters evolved over time, and the show did not hang on too long to the point where it got stale. I also think the fact that the seasons were kept short (13 episodes from seasons 1-4 and 8 episodes in the last season) kept it from getting flat. The series is well-written and very well-acted. It is a very good procedural drama with some humor mixed in, and it is absolutely worth the time to watch.

DVD/Movie Review: I Still Know What You Did Last Summer

 

I Still Know What You Did Last Summer is the 1998 sequel to the 1997 horror/suspense movie I Know What You Did Last Summer. The movie brings back Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr., and Muse Watson to reprise their roles from the first movie and adds Matthew Settle, Brandy (the 90s pop/R&B singer), Mekhi Phifer, Jennifer Esposito, and Jack Black (in a hilariously awful role). The events of this movie are set a year after the events of the first film. In this one, Julie and her college roommate, Karla (Brandy's character), win a trip to the Bahamas via a radio contest. Julie, Karla, Karla's boyfriend Tyrell (Phifer's character), and his friend Will Benton travel to Tower Bay, where Julie starts receiving the same kind of notes that Ben Willis sent in the first movie, and of course, the murders start.

The DVD has a handful of special features, including the music video from Jennifer Love Hewitt's song, How Do I Deal, a making-of featurette, and trailers. The movie is bad. The first one was okay but was probably only as popular as it was because of the movie Scream and because of Sarah Michelle Gellar's popularity because of Buffy (which started the same year). This one is far worse than the first movie and probably only got a sequel because Scream made horror movies cool again. The only difference was that Scream was actually creative and made fun of silly movies like this one. This movie has every horror/slasher movie cliche that Scream made fun of. I am all for having to suspend disbelief when watching one of these movies, but things like the killer being able to move bodies around in a short period of time (which there is a bit of an explanation for) and leave no trace of blood (which there is not) are just stupid. The plot twist in this movie is easy to spot from a mile away, and we are subjected to Jack Black as a dreadlocked stoner.

The two things this one had going for is that the dialog was not as schlocky and stupid as it was in the first one (although it was close), and despite the tease at the end of the movie, they thought better of making any more of these. And, JLH was (and still is) hot as fire and looked great in a tank top. Like the predecessor, I do not think this is a must-see or must-own. If you are looking for a horror movie to watch for an hour and a half, it is not the best and not the worst.  It is definitely not a movie that is worth multiple viewings, however.

Book Review: Blowback: A Warning to Save Democracy From the Next t***p

 

Blowback is a book by Miles Taylor, a former Department of Homeland Security staffer, published in 2023. As many are likely aware, Taylor also wrote the very controversial op-ed piece in the New York Times published under the pseudonym Anonymous. In the book, Taylor describes his time in the former administration and gives a first-hand account of the orange genital wart becoming more and more unhinged as time went on and detailing all of the crazy shit that agent orange wanted to do at the southern border (which he became more and more obsessed over the course of time). Taylor makes it clear that he always despised t***p and that he, like many in the administration, thought t***p was dangerous and stupid (and dangerously stupid). Taylor also makes it clear that he only agreed to join the DHS because he respected John Kelly and knew that there had to be "adults" in the administration to keep little donny diapers in check. And, the only reason Taylor stayed as long as he did was because anyone who replaced him would be a MAGA asshat who would be slovenly loyal to t***p and completely unqualified for the job. 

The hardcover version of the book is just over 300 pages, not including the index. Taylor discusses the span of his political career first as a Congressional page, his work at the DHS, his decision to write the initial Anonymous op-ed and the follow-up book, his decision to speak out against the administration under his own name, and ultimately reveal that he was Anonymous. Taylor also discusses how his life started to spiral out of control during that time and what life has been like since then.

The overall subject matter of the book is clear from the title. It is basically a warning that the Republican party of old is dead and gone, that t***p will not go away easily, and that t***pism will be around long after he finally does. And Taylor makes clear that, if given power again, the next t***p will succeed where the orange dipshit failed the first time because they will get around (or ignore) all of the guardrails, and there will be no adults in the room this time. Taylor also discusses that most of those who were said adults in the first administration are not exactly profiles in courage and will not speak out because of fear of political retribution (and physical harm by the MAGAT cult members). The book is absolutely a must-read.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 11

Day 11 was the core circuit workout in MBF and the 15-minute cardio workout in 645. I again did the MBF workout in the morning on an empty stomach and the 645 workout in the evening. 

The core circuit workout used the same jump rope exercises as last week in the cardio portion but did switch up the exercises in the core portion. The "main" core/cardio exercise was plank jacks, which you do two sets of in each core block. Then, the last four minutes is the AMRAP block in which you do the same four exercises as in the week 1, day 4 workout. This week, I was able to get through seven rounds, two more than I did last week. The 645 workout went well once I was warmed up (so rounds two and three) and did not have to modify any of the moves after the first round.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: I am Legend

 

I am Legend is a 2007 post-apocalyptic monster/horror movie directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Will Smith, Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Salli Richardson, and Willow Smith.  This unique story was adapted from a 1954 novel by Richard Matheson. In it, a group of scientists think they have found a viral cure for cancer, and like other viruses, it can jump from person to person (aside from the few with immunity). The unintended side effects are the people it does not kill outright turn into vampires. Smith's character is alone (aside from his dog) in New York City, trying to find a cure for the virus.

The blu-ray is a single-disc set with two versions of the movie, the theatrical version and a version with the alternate ending (which is the better version of the story), and a handful of bonus features. The bonus content includes several making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes and a series of short animated comics. The A/V quality of the movie is great, and most of the special effects are seamlessly blended with the practical elements. The big exception, however, is that when we do get to see the vampires, they are CGI and look very fake.

The movie is very good, especially given that it relies on a single actor for the vast majority of the time. Smith does a great job playing a guy who is clearly going crazy from being by himself for three years yet is brilliant in his moments of lucidity when he works on a cure for the virus. It is one of the better acting jobs he has done in his career. I like the alternate version because it fleshes out the story of whether the vampires are becoming sentient beings vs just mindless killing machines. It really goes deeper into the ethical dilemma of whether it is right to "cure" them. It is a question that the film does not really answer in either version, but it does make you think. As of this writing, there is talk of a sequel being made based on the alternate ending, so it is worth the time to watch the alternate version of the movie.

Apparently, the movie diverges a lot from the source books, which upset a lot of fans. If that is something that would take away from your enjoyment of the movie, then you should probably skip this. If you are a fan of Will Smith, the sci-fi kind of dramas and stories (especially ones that do make you think some), and can let the movie stand on its own, you will probably find this enjoyable. My only real gripe with the film is the fact that they made the vampires CGI. I do not think that there was a big need to do so, and the film could have been even more effective if you put real actors in that role.