DVD/TV Series Review: Scorpion: Season 1

 

Scorpion is a series loosely based on the life of real-life genius Walter O'Brien and his think tank of prodigies. The 22-episode first season aired during the 2014/2015 TV season and starred Elyes Gabel, Katherine McPhee, Jadyn Wong, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Ari Stidham, Robert Patrick, and Riley B. Smith.

At its core, the show is a case-of-the-week procedural that includes elements similar to many other procedural crime dramas. In many ways, however, it is a very unique show. It is action-heavy, but it is based around a group of people whose minds are their skill set. The cast, for the most part, is made up of relatively unknown actors, with Robert Patrick and Eddie Kaye Thomas being the most recognizable, followed by Katherine McPhee. Patrick plays Homeland Security agent Cabe Gallo, who has a history with Walter (played by Gabel) from when Walter was a child. The government hires Walter's company, Scorpion, to help with cases only they can figure out. The other characters are a Psychologist, Toby (played by Eddie Kaye Thomas), a Mathematical prodigy with OCD named Sylvester (played by Stidham), and an engineering marvel named Happy (played by Wong), who is anything but Happy. Through a series of events set up in the pilot, they are joined by a waitress (McPhee) who is raising a genius son (Smith). She helps the group interact with normal people, and they help her understand her son. 

The DVD extras include commentary tracks on a couple episodes, deleted scenes for a handful of episodes, numerous behind-the-scenes and making-of featurettes, a gag reel, and a short "thank you" message from the cast members to the fans for supporting the show. All in all, the DVD includes a good couple of hour's worth of extras if you like going through the material.

The show prides itself on being scientifically accurate while taking some liberties to make it exciting. The real Walter O'Brien is a producer on the show, and if you watch the DVD extras, the showrunners detail how they lean on him and other experts to get as much of the science and engineering concepts as right as they can. Of course, some of the elements get embellished because some of the topics in the show could make the show way too boring if not done right. Thankfully, the writers toe that line well, and the actors do a great job in their respective roles. The larger story arcs of the season deal with character development and character relationships. The show does well balancing the larger arcs with the story-of-the-week aspects to keep it from getting too formulaic. If you are generally a fan of procedural shows, especially procedural crime dramas such as Bones, Hawaii Five-0, NCIS, etc., this is definitely worth checking out.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Day 44

Day 44 was the week 7 legs workout in Lift 4. It was a 50/50 workout with a couple of twists. First, you do triple sets for the resistance exercises doing three moves in each block. Then, in the HIIT portion, you do each of the three exercises for 30 seconds with minimal rest in between (and then no rest in the burnout). Unfortunately, I had a pain in my side at the beginning of the HIIT block, which limited how much I could do and how hard I could go. I also took it a bit easy in the 645 cardio workout in the evening, even though the pain in my side was reduced (but not gone) by the evening.  Needless to say, I am looking forward to the recovery workouts tomorrow.

Book Review: Star Wars: Dynasty of Evil (Darth Bane Trilogy Book 3)

 

Dynasty of Evil, published in 2009, is the final novel in the Darth Bane trilogy by Drew Karpyshyn. The story in the book jumps years in the future after where Rule of Two ended. The crux of the story is that Bane, who has become disappointed that Darth Zannah has not yet challenged him for the title of master, starts looking for a way to extend his life (which has been shortened by the obelisks in the second book) so he can take on a new apprentice if she is not up to the challenge. Zannah, however, has begun to plot his overthrow, and the book moves toward their eventual confrontation.

The hardcover version of the book is just under 300 pages. The story is mostly about setting the stage for the showdown between Bane and Zannah. However, intertwined is a story that is a consequence of Bane and Zannah's past actions, the introduction of a Dark Jedi, and a force-powered assassin. All in all, the story moves along very well, and Karpyshyn really has a good feel for how to write the characters now. I will not spoil the ending of the book, but it concluded well, with a little bit of uncertainty. 

The entire trilogy is, of course, considered non-canon, like all the expanded universe novels, but it is not likely to affect the movie universe or any part of the main Skywalker storylines, given when it was set. It is still a generation before the prequel trilogy with no hint of Darth Plagueis or Palpatine in this book.  Hopefully, Disney will one day give the go-ahead for pre-Palpatine novels telling the story of the Sith that will incorporate this story into the canon and flesh out the Sith line from Bane to Sidious. If that happens this definitely laid a good starting point for that kind of story.

Book Review: The Red Bandanna: A Life. A Choice. A Legacy.

 

The Red Bandana is a biography of Wells Crowther, one of the heroes of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Wells worked as an equities trader for Sandler O'Neil on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center South Tower. He was at his desk when Flight 175 hit the building and managed to find the one staircase that survived the crash. Even though he worked in finance, he dreamed of being a firefighter. He had been a volunteer firefighter in his hometown and had filled out an FDNY application shortly before 9/11. Therefore, instead of getting out of the building, he stayed and helped people who were injured, many of whom were on the 78th-floor skylobby, where the wing of the plane made a direct hit. He wore a red bandana around his face, a fact that some of the people he helped to safety distinctly remembered, and ultimately helped his parents find out what happened to him. 

The hardcover version of the book is just over 200 pages. It is both hard to read and impossible to put down. Author Tom Rinaldi interviewed many people from Wells' life, detailing what he was like growing up and piecing together the events of his final hour. Wells was ultimately killed when the South Tower collapsed, having made it down to the lobby just steps away from safety. He was found with a group of firefighters at the command post in the lobby, indicating that he was very likely still trying to help when the building collapsed. It is estimated that he helped about 12 of the 17 people who were at or above the impact zone in the South Tower get to safety. Because of his heroism, he was posthumously made a member of the FDNY after 9/11, and his story was told in an ESPN story and a longer documentary called The Man in the Red Bandana. The book is very sad yet very inspiring and uplifting. It is absolutely one of my must-reads.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Day 43

Day 43 starts week 7 in Lift 4, which is the first "shred" week. Today's workout was Chest and Back as a circuit workout.  Even though this one did not have any HIIT component, I was sweating a lot (which I don't usually do when lifting), especially in the second block. The evening workout was the 645 cardio workout. In this one, I again selected exercises from Insanity, P90X, and Lift 4 to swap out. I was able, for the first time in a long time, to actually run when doing mountain climbers in the first two blocks. In the third block, I did have to do them slowly. So, my cardio strength and stamina are getting better.

Book Review: Dune: The Heir of Caladan (Dune #13)

 

The Heir of Caladan, published in 2022, is (at least for the moment) the final prequel novel to Frank Herbert's original Dune novel. It is the 13th book in the Dune series when read chronologically and is written by the combination of Frank Herbert's son, Brian, and Kevin J. Anderson. It is the third novel in the Caladan trilogy, which sets up the events just before the original book. Specifically, this one sets up Baron Harkonnen being divested of control over the spice production on Arrakis, and what led to Jessica being reunited with Leto and Paul. The book also concludes the storyline about the resistance of some of the Noble houses against Emperor Corrino. 

The hardcover version of the book is almost exactly 400 pages long. It has the same style and tone (and thus reads as quickly or slowly) as the other prequel novels. While the title suggests Paul is the book's focus, he is not. Like the other prequel novels, it jumps from storyline to storyline every 1-2 chapters. While Paul has one of the book's major story arcs, the book alternates between his storyline and the storylines involving Leto, Jessica, the Harkonnens, and Shaddam Corrino. The only group that does not have a major storyline in this book is the Fremen. Since I am reading the books chronologically, I have not yet read the original Dune novel. From what I know of the storyline in the original novel, it seems that this book provides (or at least hints at) the motivations behind the actions of some of the characters in the original book. The book has a good blend of action and suspense and is definitely worth the time to read.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: The Scorpion King

 

The Scorpion King is a 2002 action/adventure movie starring The Rock, Kelly Hu, Steven Brand, Bernard Hill, Peter Facinelli, and Michael Clarke Duncan. This was one of The Rock's early roles, in which he was a headliner (along with The Rundown). At this point, he had appeared as The Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns, but that amounted to basically a cameo role in live-action and then a very cheesy CGI monster role toward the end of the movie, so he was really not in it much. This, of course, is a prequel spin-off, telling the early story of how he became the king.

The movie is enjoyable as a part action, part comedy, with some drama thrown in there. It is not a great script, and The Rock is clearly still feeling out his acting chops here. It is, at its core, an action movie meant to capitalize on The Rock's athletic background. But it also shows that he had the ability to grow into a rather well-rounded actor that he has become, and while I doubt he will ever be winning an academy award for any role he will ever do, he has far eclipsed even Arnold when it comes to acting ability for an action star. The movie is supported by a number of good B-level character actors, including Michael Clark Duncan, Peter Facinelli, Grant Heslov, and Bernard Hill (in Leonardo DaVinci-like role). Steven Brand, an English stage actor plays Memnon the main antagonist of the movie, and Kelly Hu plays Cassandra a sorceress with the gift of foresight. While her role was key to the story, much of what she was there for was to look pretty and stand around in skimpy outfits.

The A/V quality of the Blu-Ray is good, especially given that the movie is a bit older and was on the edge of the DVD/Blu-Ray transition. There is little to nothing in the way of extras, just a commentary track on the film by the director, Russell Chuck. You have to know what you are getting from a film like this. Yes, it is a formulaic action movie, with a very basic plot. The acting was as good as you would expect for a film like this, but it was not Shakespeare by any means. But if you accept it for what it is, it is a good way to kill 90 min when you just want to watch a fun movie that does not require a lot of thought and has a bunch of good-looking people in it.

DVD/Movie Review: Scary Movie

 

Scary Movie is a parody movie from 2000 that was written by Shawn and Marlon Wayans and directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans. It starred Anna Farris, John Abrahams, Marlon Wayans, Regina Hall, Shawn Wayans, Shannon Elizabeth, Dave Sheridan, Cheri Oteri, and Carmen Electra.  The movie spoofed the horror franchise movies of the late 1990s, specifically Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, and late 90s and early 2000s pop culture in general. In a twist of irony, it would itself become a franchise after the Wayans were no longer involved with it, and would eventually become watered down and repetitive. The original movie however was very fresh and innovative. It spoofed more than just the horror movies of the time, it injected pop culture references of the era and made fun of movies like The Sixth Sense, The Matrix, The Blair Witch Project, and even The Usual Suspects. It was mainly making fun of the silliness of the horror franchise movies and would start as almost shot-for-shot takes of Scream, and I Know What You Did last summer and then add a ton of absurdity to them.

Anna Farris was the main character, Cindy Campbell, basically the character Sidney Prescott played by Neve Campbell in Scream. Shannon Elizabeth played Buffy, who was basically the character played by Sarah Michelle Gellar in I Know What You Did Last Summer. The other roles were filled mainly with character actors, and Shawn and Marlon Wayans. Kurt Smith, as the town sheriff, stole pretty much every scene he was in, and Cheri Oteri, as Gail Hailstorm, was hilarious as well. It was definitely a low-brow comedy with crude humor, but it worked because it did not take itself, or the genre it was spoofing too seriously. And because it was really the original spoof (at least of the 1990s/2000s) film that was copied over, and over again with not only multiple sequels under the same name but a ton of other movies spoofing some genre or another.

The DVD extras include a handful of deleted scenes and a short behind-the-scenes feature. Realistically the movie has been out long enough now that anyone reading this will know whether they like it or not. They basically combine the horror/slasher genre with the raunchy comedy genre. It is cleverly written and well-acted. It does not take anything too seriously, and no subject is off-limits to make fun of. It is not a movie that will appeal to everyone, but if you like horror movies and don't mind raunchy comedy, it is worth the time to watch.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Salt

 

Salt is a 2010 action/spy thriller starring Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. The movie is kind of a mix between the Bond franchise, the FX show The Americans, and a combination of plot elements from lots of other spy/secret agent movies that have come down the pipe. In some ways, there is not a lot new here, but the twist of making the main character a woman, Evelyn Salt, played by Angelina Jolie, does add something that makes the movie stand out on its own. The movie is about a CIA agent, Salt, who is accused of being a Russian sleeper agent in the US who will carry out an assassination within a couple days. The movie then basically becomes part chase story, part is she, or isn't she a Russian Spy mystery, that really does not get resolved fully until the end. The main supporting roles go to Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor as fellow CIA agents trying to track her down and bring her in. The movie clearly sets up a possible sequel or even franchise of films that may or may not ever materialize. But even as its own stand-alone movie, it is very good.

The Blu-Ray is a single-disc release that contains three versions of the movie. First, there is the PG-13 theatrical version, an unrated director's cut, which has a different take on a death scene that would have pushed it to an R rating, a twist on the ending of the movie, and a bit more character development, mainly between Salt and her husband. There is also an unrated extended edition, which actually has a shorter running time than the director's cut, which mainly has a totally different ending from the other two films, plus the changed death scene. All three versions of the film are good and are honestly all worth watching. The extras include several behind-the-scenes and making-of featurettes that end up running probably an hour and a half total. There is also a commentary track on the theatrical version of the film by the director Philip Noyce and some of the visual effects and sound crew members. The bonus content fleshes out the overall story and provides a lot of interesting history about the real KGB "illegals" program of placing spies in America and other countries, as well as some of the U.S. history of doing the same thing. And the AV quality of the movie in HD is very good. 

The movie has a good blend of action and suspense and does not reveal too much too soon into the movie. While I cannot say everyone will like the movie, if you are a fan of any of the principal actors and/or director or just generally like the spy movie genre, this is definitely worth checking out. 

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Day 42

Day 42 involved the recovery workouts from Lift 4 early in the day and the 645 cardio workout later in the day. The foam rolling routine definitely felt good, as I had a bunch of knots in my leg muscles.  I also felt like I did better on the cardio, especially doing the harder (at least for me) exercises like mountain climbers and jump switches. 

DVD/Movie Review: Rush Hour 2

 

Rush Hour 2 is the 2001 sequel to the original 1998 movie. It brings back Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan as Carter and Lee and adds Roselyn Sanchez and Zhang Ziyi (who was coming off her role in Crouching Tiger: Hidden Dragon). The cast is rounded out by John Lone, Alan King, Jeremy Piven, and Harris Yulin. Sharp-eyed viewers will also catch a glimpse of a young Maggie Q (who would later star in the series Nikita and Designated Survivor) in a small role.  The film starts out with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in Hong Kong, on the vacation they were going on at the end of the first movie. Chan's character, Lee, does nothing but work on cases, while Carter wants to relax, have fun, and hook up. They end up in the middle of a counterfeit money/money laundering ring that spans from Hong Kong back to the US.

The DVD extras again a director's commentary with Brett Ratner, deleted and extended scenes, a gag reel, making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast and crew, and the trailers. This movie is one of the few sequels that is better than the original movie. This is in part because the original was not exactly a masterpiece, so all it really had to do was improve on the formula that made the first one work. The two main additions to the case in this movie were Zhang Ziyi, who played one of the main villains of the film, and Roselyn Sanchez, who plays an undercover secret service agent. Both have a dance background which allows them to do really well in the fight scenes they are involved in, and of course, the rather gratuitous shot of Roselyn Sanchez in her underwear about halfway through the movie is not bad either. 

Like the first movie, this one is a pretty formulaic buddy cop movie. The main story involves the two main characters becoming closer friends but with a somewhat cliched bit of tension thrown in. The movie does not really take itself too seriously and does a good job of balancing the big fight scenes that Chan's films are known for and Chris Tucker's comedy. Ultimately, it is a very enjoyable sequel with a good blend of action and comedy. If you liked or loved the first movie, you will probably like this one too.  On the other hand, if the first movie did not do anything for you this one will not either.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Day 41

For day 41, I just did the 645 cardio workout. I selected moves from Insanity (1-2-3 Heismans), P90X (jump switches), and Lift 4 (speed skaters and mountain climbers), and then did the regular pulse squats. Overall, it went fine and I was not too tired after yesterday's HIIT workout. 

DVD/Movie Review: Rush Hour

 

Rush Hour is a 1998 action/comedy starring Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Ken Leung, Tom Wilkinson, and Tzi Ma. At its core, Rush Hour is really a more current (at the time) spin on the various 1980s buddy cop movies. As even the director Brett Ratner admits in the commentaries, the script was pretty basic, not all that great, and formulaic. But what he really wanted to do was to blend Jackie Chan's action with Chris Tucker's comedic skill, and what resulted was a very funny movie that probably blew away everyone's expectations.

The storyline is pretty basic. The daughter of the Japanese counsel in America is kidnapped. The FBI takes the case, but the counsel wants a cop he trusts from Hong Kong (Chan) to help work the case. The FBI gets the L.A.P.D. to assign a cop (Tucker) to babysit Jackie Chan's character, and hilarity ensues. The thing that makes the movie work is the Chemistry between Tucker and Chan, and the fact that they both got what they really wanted to do reigned in a bit. Tucker could not go over the top with improvising lines because of Chan's language barrier, and Chan could not have a movie that was essentially one long fight scene. So what resulted was a movie that really did appeal to a broader American audience than, say, Rumble in the Bronx did. It made good use of the character actors that were cast in supporting roles. It has the great action that any fan of Jackie Chan would expect, just not as much of it as in his Chinese films, and Tucker was at the height of his comedic gold status, being just a couple years removed from his roles in Friday and The Fifth Element.

To me, the highlight of the DVD is actually the extras, from the behind-the-scenes features and the director's commentary track on the movie. You really get a sense of what it takes to get Jackie Chan to agree to do a movie (he basically has to approve everything) and some of the obstacles that they faced during the filming. The extras also include deleted scenes, cast and crew biographies, the music video for How Deep is Your Love, and the theatrical trailer. For those who like going through bonus material, it is quite good. While it is probably not going to be something that everyone likes, if you are a fan of action movies (especially martial arts movies) and/or buddy-cop comedies, it is quite enjoyable and worth checking out.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Day 40

Day 40 was the final workout in Week 6 of Lift 4, the legs HIIT workout. It was tough, but it had a good selection of exercises. Triple Bear is the only exercise in that group that I hate.  Then, I did a low-impact version of 645 cardio in the evening.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Day 39

Day 39 was the shoulders workout in Lift 4 (another interval workout) and 645 cardio in the evening. I maintained the increased weight for each set's resistance exercises.  I then did a low-impact version of 645 cardio in the evening to burn a few calories after dinner.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Role Models

 

Role Models is a 2008 comedy starring Paul Rudd, Sean William Scott, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Elizabeth Banks, Bobb'e J. Thompson, Ken Jeong, and Jane Lynch. This movie is pretty typical of Paul Rudd's more recent comedies. Rudd ( who was co-writer on the movie) plays Danny, a guy stuck in a dead-end job, pushing energy drinks on high school students in a stay-off-drugs campaign. Seann William Scott plays yet another version of Stifler. Scott has basically become a character actor playing a version of Stifler in every movie he does. In this one, he plays Anson Wheeler, the mascot for the energy drink company who works with Danny. He is basically a slacker with no responsibility, and that is a role that Scott can play very well. When Danny and Anson end up getting in trouble with the law, they are sentenced to community service, acting as big brothers for a couple of kids (Mintz-Plasse and Thompson) at a place called Sturdy Wings, which is run by Jane Lynch's character. From there, it is a pretty formulaic, raunchy comedy with lessons about growing up, responsibility, and, to some extent, family.

The Blu-Ray's A/V quality is good, but nothing to write home about. The extras include a couple of making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes, a gag reel, and 40+ minutes of deleted scenes. There is also a commentary track on the theatrical version of the film with director David Wain that is pretty funny in parts but mostly just talks about the various aspects of production. The movie is an above-average (but not great) comedy. Rudd and Scott play their characters well, but the standouts are Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Augie Farks, who follows up his great performance in Superbad as a different kind of nerdy kid, who is into live-action role-playing D&D-like games, Bobb'e J. Thompson as Ronnie Shields a foul-mouthed 11-year-old only child of a single mother, Jane Lynch as Gayle Sweeney the director of Sturdy Wings and former cocaine addict who has no problem oversharing about her days as a junkie, and Ken Jeong as King Argotron, the leader of the role-playing group. Elizabeth Banks is also in the film as Danny's girlfriend and lawyer. She does a good job with what she has to do, but once the kids are introduced, her character is pretty much sidelined for most of the movie. 

This is definitely not a movie for everyone. The R rating, is well deserved, mostly for the language. There are a couple brief flashes of nudity and a lot of suggestive sexual dialog. There is not much in the way of actual sex, but there is a ton of swearing throughout the movie. So if that would bother you, then it is best to skip this. But if you are a fan of recent adult comedies (think most of the Apatow movies), then you will likely enjoy this. It is not deep or complex in any way and does not really try to take itself too seriously. It is not something that was ever going to compete for an Oscar or even be mentioned among the greatest comedies of all time, but if you accept it for what it is and what it is not, it is an enjoyable way to pass an hour and a half or so.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Resident Evil Afterlife

 

Resident Evil Afterlife is the fourth installment in the Resident Evil franchise of action/horror movies starring Milla Jovovich. This one, released in 2010, is directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and stars Jovovich, Ali Larter, Wentworth Miller, Boris Kodjoe, and Shawn Roberts. The events of the movie take place sometime after the events of Afterlife, in which Alice finds her other clones. It marks the return of Paul W.S. Anderson to the director role, having written all the movies but directed just the first. It starts out with Alice attacking the Tokyo umbrella facility, trying to take down Albert Wesker, who was shown basically as a hologram in the third movie. She ends up losing her powers and then ends up trying to evade another zombie horde while holed up in a prison and trying to find Arcadia and the refugees she sent off during the events of Afterlife.

I will not say more about the plot because to do so would spoil too much. The film brings back the character of Claire Redfield, played by Ali Larter, and also introduces the character of her brother Chris, played by Wentworth Miller. They are holed up with a new group of refugees, most notably the character Luther West, played by Boris Kodjoe. The climax of the film basically involves trying to take down Wesker and a rescue.

The A/V quality of the Blu-Ray is wonderful. I have the regular version, so I cannot tell you how the 3d version is, but it is much like the other films have been in 2d. The extras include deleted scenes, outtakes, multiple commentary tracks on the movie, and several behind-the-scenes and making of features. By now, almost everyone knows what the movies are and are not. Most likely, if you have liked the other movies, you will still like this one, although you have to be okay with it moving farther from the kind of basic zombie movies that parts 1 and 2 were and having ever-evolving threats. It will not win any acting or writing awards, but it is a good action, sci-fi, and horror blend and makes for an entertaining movie if you enjoy the genre.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Day 38

Day 38 was the rest day in Lift 4, so I did the two recovery workouts in the morning and then did the 645 cardio with higher impact exercises in the evening. 

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Day 37

Day 37 was the Back and Biceps workout in Lift 4, which was a 50/50 resistance/HIIT workout, so I did a less intense 645 cardio workout in the evening. Again, in the Lift 4 workout, I started using the heavier weight I used last week, but I had to reduce the amount of weight I was using in the second and third sets for a couple of them. Overall, however, both workouts went well.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Day 36

Day 36 was the start of Week 6 in Lift 4, which meant another Chest and Triceps workout, and then 645 cardio in the evening. The Lift 4 workout was a circuit workout (so no HIIT), which meant that I selected more intense, harder, higher-impact exercises for the evening workout. Both of them went pretty well, but I did have to drop the amount of weight I was using on the second and third sets of a couple of the resistance exercises. 

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

 

+++Warning, I will assume that anyone reading this has seen the movie already, so there will be some spoilerish material in the review, but I will not give away any major surprises+++++

The Force Awakens is the 2015 return to the Star Wars movie universe. It was written by J.J. Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan (who also co-wrote The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi), and Michael Arndt, and directed by Abrams. It starred Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Issac, Lupita Nyongo, Domhnall Gleeson, and Andy Serkis (as the new characters in the franchise) and also saw the return of Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hammil, Anthony Daniels, and Peter Mayhew from the original trilogy cast. Of the legacy characters, Ford has the largest role in the movie, and Hammil has the smallest.

This movie was written clearly to cater to the fans of the original trilogy who were disheartened by Lucas' abandoning anything close to a good script and overuse of CGI in the prequel trilogy. This movie goes back to the roots of Star Wars, blending many practical effects with CGI, putting out a good story, and getting good performances out of the actors. The focus of the story is very much on the new characters, Rey, Finn, Kylo Ren, BB-8, and Poe. All the original main characters are in the film to various degrees, with Harrison Ford doing much of the heavy lifting, returning as Han Solo. It is very much meant to mirror A New Hope. The journey of the main character is intentionally paralleling the journey Luke took in the first movie. While I am not one who thinks it is an outright ripoff of Episode IV like some do, the fact that they were going for that tone and certainly had scenes that mirrored a lot of what was going on in that movie and had some of the same lines (some subtle and some very much not) I do get the criticism.

I ultimately give this movie an incomplete grade until this Trilogy is played out. There are three main things I think need to be cleared up in the subsequent movies or canon novels that are coming down the line, and then some other things that would just be nice to know. The first big point is obviously who Rey is. That character is obviously the one the whole new trilogy is going to be based around, so an explanation of who she is is essential. Likewise, Snoke's identity has to be revealed. They are setting up that he is an Emperor-like figure, powerful in the dark side. But it is known that during The Emperor and Vader's time, there were two Sith, a master and an apprentice. So there needs to be an explanation of how Snoke came to be in order to make sense of his seducing of Kylo Ren to the dark side. Then I think there needs to be an explanation of the new force powers we see in the movie. Kylo Ren, who J.J. Abrams made clear leading up to the movie is not a Sith lord and is not fully trained, is using powers that have not been shown in any previous movie (I have not seen The Clone Wars or Rebels cartoons, so I am not sure about what has or has not been in them). Not to mention the skills that the other character was able to learn so quickly.

The things I believe some kind of explanation would be nice are why Finn deserted, for example. He was on his first mission early on in the movie, and his only act of disobedience was to defect. That is not something that seems realistic for a soldier who was bred from childhood to be a Stormtrooper and obey orders. Then things like how Mas came to obtain Luke's old lightsaber, what were the main characters doing in the years after Return of the Jedi, etc. Obviously, some of those things will be told in Episodes VIII and IX and likely fleshed out in the new Cannon novels, but when those points are known, then I think this movie's piece in the larger puzzle can be better evaluated.

I do think that there are certainly imperfect parts to the story. Like Leia basically ignoring Chewbacca at a certain point, not going to find Luke herself when they figure out where he was, basically redoing a trench run to blow up the base, and things like that. With that said, I do think the movie made for a very good return to the Star Wars cinematic universe and gave a boost of nostalgia for those of us who grew up with the original films. I am not one of those who utterly loathed the prequels, but I certainly can be counted among those who think that Lucas took on way too much on his own in making them and lost sight of what made the original movies the classics they are. And I am one who loathes the endless of amount of CGI and tweaks and additions that he put into the original trilogy.

For those who get the actual Blu-Ray, the movie looks and sounds great as you would expect. The extras, of course, vary depending on where you buy it, with the studio doling out retailer-specific extras. To my knowledge, none of them have an audio commentary on the film itself. For the Amazon version, the main extra is an hour-long behind-the-scenes and making-of feature called "The Story Awakens," where the cast and crew talk about the process of creating the movie from pre-production and casting to the end. Then there are several shorter features, all pretty much under 10 min on building BB-8, creating the various creatures, breaking down the fight scene in the forest at the end of the movie, John Williams returning to score the movie, ILM creating the digital effects, deleted scenes and a short feature on the charitable work done by the studio, cast, crew etc around the movie. Good for what is there, but sucks that all the bonus content was again split up like is happening on a lot of the major releases. And a commentary track including the various trailers would have been nice. Thankfully Harrison Ford participated a lot in the extras, which is something given his rumored dislike for the character of Han Solo and the movies overall. He seemed appreciative of being in the movie, respectful to the fans, as well as being honest and sincere with that 10-20 years ago, he probably would not have agreed to come back.

There will ultimately be a lot of subjectivity in liking or disliking this movie. It is not perfect, but realistically, aside from maybe Empire Strikes Back, none of the movies have been all that close to perfect. I think most people in their 40s and 50s who were kids or teenagers when the original films came out and loved those will mostly fall somewhere on the like-to-love spectrum on this movie. If you were a casual fan of any of the movies, then I think you will probably be a casual fan of this. If you are one who loved what Lucas did with the prequels and the special editions, then you may fall somewhere between disappointment and hate. Realistically almost everyone has seen this at least once by now, so you know where you fall. While some whiny "fans" shit on the movie (and the prequel series as a whole), I think this is a good movie that was setting up a good storyline. The one thing I do think that the producers can be ripped for is the decision to have three different directors do each movie and have total control over the storyline of each movie. I think the prequel trilogy would have been much better if at least the same writers wrote all three movies. Since that did not happen, the prequel trilogy became a mess. That said, the movie is absolutely worth the time to watch.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: The Punisher (2004)

 

The Punisher is a 2004 action movie starring Thomas Jane, John Travolta, Rebecca Romijn, Laura Harding, Ben Foster, and Will Patton. The story is entertaining and well done for what it is. The movie basically involves two revenge stories. In the first, Travolta's character, crime boss Howard Saint, seeks revenge on Frank Castle for the death of his son during an FBI bust of a smuggling operation. The second involves Castle getting revenge on Howard after Howard orders Frank and his family killed when he finds out Frank's identity. Frank survives the attack on his family and takes on the persona of The Punisher. 

The original Blu-Ray release is a very bare-bones, single-disc release. You just get the theatrical edition of the movie without any bonus content. So, if you only get movies on physical media when there is a lot of bonus content, you may just want to look for this on a streaming service.

This was a comic-book-based movie that occurred before they became popular, so the studio did not invest in anything near the amount of production that goes into today's comic-book movies. Hence, this mainly had B-level actors (depending on where you want to put Travolta and Rebecca Romajn on the hierarchy). There is not a ton of action aside from a few sequences, but it is very violent in those sequences. The storyline is as much about Castle forming the plan to take down Saint and his empire as it is about the execution of the plan. The writing and acting are okay. Both are somewhat over-the-top, tongue-in-cheek at times. Thomas Jane plays the emotionally detached Castle very well but does keep a sense of morality and goodness to him, even when he is doing very bad things. Travolta plays a very good bad guy, even though he does overact at times. Ultimately, the movie is something where if you have a couple hours spare time you can have it on in the background and still easily follow what is going on. It is certainly not the best comic-book movie or the best live-action version of The Punisher, but it is worth checking out if you do not expect it to be anything more than it is.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Day 35

Day 35 was the two Lift 4 recovery workouts in the morning and 645 cardio in the evening. For the evening workout, I did the hardest exercises that I could do for 30 seconds without modifying them. So, I was pretty wiped out by the end and managed to work up a good sweat. 

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Day 34

For Day 34, I just did the 645 cardio workout. It was what I would describe as moderately intense, with exercises that were a bit more challenging for me (like Mountain Climbers and the switches from P90X) but not as intense as plyo jacks.  

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Day 33

Day 33 was Legs in Lift 4, another 50/50 workout, followed by 645 cardio in the evening. The Legs workout was very challenging, mostly because the HIIT moves were very tough, especially after your legs were burned out. Again, I selected lower-impact cardio exercises for the 645 workout.