DVD/TV Series Review: House, M.D.: Season 2

 

+++Warning, this contains minor spoilers from season one, but no major spoilers from season two+++

The second season of House uses pretty much the same format as season one. It is mostly (about 95%) a case-of-the-week medical procedural, that also intertwines story arcs that span multiple episodes. At the beginning of the season, the main story arc involves Sela Ward's character Stacy, House's ex-wife who showed up in season one seeking his help with her new husband's medical condition. House keeps trying to win her back (and Ward was basically a series regular) for about the first third of the season. Other arcs involve Cuddy looking into getting pregnant via a sperm donor, Wilson and his wife (who we still don't meet) separating, and a Cameron versus Foreman conflict that appears later in the season. The season finale ends on a major cliffhanger going into season three. As in season one, there are numerous recognizable guest stars this season, for some of whom their guest-starring role was one of their first big breaks. Some of this season's guest stars include LL Cool J, Ron Livingston (from Office Space), Cynthia Nixon (from Sex and the City), Elle Fanning, Julie Warner, Howard Hessman (from WKRP), Greg Grumberg (from Heroes and Alias), Michelle Trachtenberg (from Buffy), Jake McDorman (from the series Limitless), Lance Guest, Jayma Mays, and Elias Koteas (from Chicago PD).

For those who get the DVD set, the extras include commentary tracks by Executive Producers David Shore and Katie Jacobs on two of the episodes, a blooper reel, a collection of clips on all the times it was not Lupis, cleverly titled "It Could be Lupis", two alternate-take scenes in which Cuddy and Cameron do the scene in "Valley Girl" speak, which is pretty hilarious. The most extensive feature is a roundtable discussion with the cast members and the writers and producers entitled "An evening with House", in which everyone discusses the show, their characters, etc.

Overall, the show is very good. It is well-written and very well acted. There is still a lot of character development going on, and the show does a good job being as medically accurate as possible while still embellishing for dramatic effect. Chances are, anyone reading this by now has at least an idea of what the show was like, but if you are one of the few that has not seen it, it has a good blend of drama and humor and is definitely worth checking out.

Book Review: Doctor Aphra

 

Dr. Aphra is a story set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back when Vader is trying to find out who the rebel who blew up the Death Star is. This is also a time when he is in trouble with the Emperor and actively scheming behind the Emperor's back. One of the people whom he uses to figure out Luke's identity is Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra, who has a doctorate in archeology and is kind of a bounty hunter who hunts information as opposed to people. She is joined by two droids with a taste for murder, (and any murder will do) Triple-Zero (the same model protocol droid as C3P0) and Beetee. Aphra is snarky, smart-mouthed, and selfish, which definitely does not endear her to Vader, and is always looking for an angle to get the upper hand on whomever she is dealing with.

The book is written as a script and is basically a narration of a recording Aphra is making for her ex detailing her dealings with Vader (should she be killed in the process). Some of the legacy characters including Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, C3P0, and R2 make appearances in the book, some for very short periods of time and some more extended. Aphra's description of them at the beginning is pretty hilarious. Basically, the book details exactly how Vader found out that Luke was alive and that Obi-Wan (and others) made it seem like Padme was still pregnant when she died. The book is just under 300 pages but is a relatively quick read (as I think the books that are written as a script tend to be). If you are one that reads (or listens to) some, but not all, of the canon books, this one is definitely worth the time to read.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 2

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from season one, but no major season two spoilers+++

The second season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has a lot going on. One of the main arcs is the fallout from the reveal (In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which occurred at the end of the first season) that HYDRA had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. and that Ward was a double agent. There are a bunch of really good recurring characters in the Hydra storyline including Reed Diamond (playing Werner Reinhardt / Daniel Whitehall) and Adrian Pasdar (from the series Heroes) as major Glenn Talbot.

Then, there is a major story arc involving Skye and her father (played by Twin Peaks' Kyle MacLachlan), which ties into the Inhumans storyline (and brings in many great recurring actors such as Dichen Lachman and Luke Mitchell. Then, there are the tie-ins to the movies that were released during the second season, primarily, Avenger's Age of Ultron, and a loose tie-in with Guardians of the Galaxy, which reveals the race of the blue-skinned alien that we saw in season one and again in season two. Jamie Alexander makes another appearance as Lady Sif, and Cobie Smulders makes an appearance as Maria Hill. The two main additions to the regular cast are Nick Blood as Lance Hunter and Adrianne Palicki as Bobbi Morse. Hailey Atwell also reprises her role as Agent Carter for a cameo in the season premiere.

As far as the blu-ray set goes, it is a MOD set that is an Amazon exclusive. Thankfully, it is still priced reasonably well, so if you prefer physical media to streaming, you can get it on blu-ray. Just be aware, that after the second season, Amazon stopped the exclusive manufacturing, and to get the show on blu-ray you have to find an imported version. The final two seasons were not released on blu-ray or DVD in any mass format and so the only way to get them is to find a bootleg version (if you want one of those). So, it is not easy to keep a collection together, so if that is a big deal to you, then you may want to just stream it. The second-season blu-ray set is very light on extras. Just deleted scenes and a blooper reel.

Overall, the season is very good. While it does still have tie-ins to the MCU movies, the show really does start to stand on its own this season. Of course, as the seasons go on the show becomes less tied in with the movie, and is not "filler" to get from movie to movie as it seemed to be in season one. The acting and writing are both very good, and even though many of the cast members like Chloe Bennet, Iain De Caestecker, and Elizabeth Henstridge were still relatively new (at least in major TV roles), they do some of the best work in the show. And, Ming-Na Wen is always awesome. Of course, the Marvel Universe is basically one long (and large) intertwined story, and the show very much fits into that, but it also tells a good stand-alone story that is definitely worth watching.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day 16

Day 16 is the first new workout in Insanity Max 30, Tabata Strength. This is a difficult one. The workout follows the 20 seconds on 10 seconds off format where you do each exercise twice before moving on to the next one. It is divided up into segments, but at the end of each segment there is a 30-second long recovery move, that is sometimes a move from the OG version of Insanity, like mummy kicks. Thus, there are no breaks during the workout. And, it is made even harder by having a lot of pushups. I would say the workout is about 75% pushups, 15% squats, and the rest cardio. It is funny that only a few people in the workout actually wrote the time they maxed out on the board despite taking a lot of breaks. The only people who I think legitimately did not max out were the modifier, who is Scott (Shaun T's husband) again, and Sarah, the cute short one that was to Shaun T's right in the front row. Thankfully, Shernita was nowhere to be seen in this one because she would have been dogging it about six minutes in. I managed to make it to just over 11 minutes before I had to max out and I was pretty gassed by the end.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Marvel's Agent Carter: Season 1

 

Agent Carter is set after the events of “Captain America: The First Avenger” and the 2013 “Agent Carter” Marvel One-Short short film. In the first season, Peggy (Hayley Atwell) works for the Strategic Scientific Reserve investigating Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper, also reprising his role from "Captain America"), who is accused of selling weapons to America’s enemies. He enlists Peggy to help prove his innocence. She teams with Stark’s butler, Edwin Jarvis (James D’Arcy) to track a secret organization called Leviathan that is trying to steal Stark’s more dangerous inventions. Peggy often butts heads with the other members of the SSR, especially her boss Roger (played by Shea Whigham) and agent Jack Thompson (played by Chad Michael Murray). She has to fight against the blatant misogyny at the SSR where her only real ally is another agent named Daniel Sousa (played by Dollhouse's Enver Gjokaj). Her best friend outside of the SSR is played by Lyndsy Fonseca (from the Kick-Ass movies and Nikita TV Series).

This is more like a mini-series, with the season lasting just eight episodes. It has a good blend of action and comedy, especially in the scenes between Atwell, Cooper, and D’Arcy. There are definitely some tie-ins with the Captain America movie, as you would expect, but the show really tells its own story apart from the larger MCU franchise. Atwell does a great job as the series lead, as does the entire cast. Bridget Regan plays a great foil for Peggy as a Russian sleeper agent from the program that preceded the Black Widow program.

The Blu-Ray set is a MOD Amazon exclusive. The only bonus content is a short blooper reel. Otherwise, the is no behind-the-scenes material, commentary tracks, etc. It is worth picking up if you can find the blu-ray set at a reasonable price. But, given it is just eight episodes and there is not really any extra content to speak of if you cannot get it at a reasonable price, streaming it is probably the better option.

Book Review: Star Wars: The Old Republic - Deceived

 

This is a Star Wars Legends story (meaning not a part of the canon storyline of the movies and the books that have been put out since Disney acquired Lucasfilm). It involves a Sith Lord named Darth Malgus, who ransacks the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and kills Jedi Master Ven Zallow while on On Alderaan the Jedi and Sith are trying to work out the peace treaty. Jedi Knight Aryn Leneer, who had sensed her Master Zallow's death in the Force, turns her back on the Jedi Order to go to Coruscant, find out who killed her former master, and kill the murderer.

There are a couple of intertwined plotlines in the novel. Aryn looking for Malgus and the Jedi-Sith peace negotiations. Malgus hates that the Sith Empire is negotiating peace with the Jedi, and Aryn hates that the Jedi are negotiating a peace treaty with the Sith after the Sith attacked the Jedi Temple. The crux of the story is whether Aryn will fall to the dark side in her quest for revenge and Malgus's plan to take over the Sith Empire. The book has pretty steady pacing, with the action spaced out well, and does a good job with character development. The Legends timeline is set about 3500 years before A New Hope, so not even Yoda is around at the time of the events of the novel. Even though none of the "major" Star Wars characters are in the book, it is no less entertaining than any of the novels that were set after Return of the Jedi. Of course, it is not part of the official Star Wars canon anymore, but it is still worth reading if you are one who picks and chooses different Star Wars novels to read.

Book Review: Among the Heroes: United Flight 93 and the Passengers and Crew Who Fought Back

 

Among the Heroes is a book about Flight 93, one of the planes hijacked in the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks. It was the only one of the planes that did not hit the intended target because the passengers and crew fought to regain control of the plane. The book is excellent not because it details the events of the day (which it does) but because it tells the story of the people on the plane, including who they were and what their lives were like before that day while they were traveling that day, and as much as the author could piece together, what they did during the hijacking. The author interviewed the families of all but one of the passengers and crew members and thus told a very human story about the people caught up in the horrible events. And, it includes information that has not been included in other documentaries and in other books, like the story of the boyfriend of one of the passengers who tried to switch his flight to Flight 93 so they could travel together. He had a flight that connected to Minneapolis and then was going to San Fransico, and because of the price, he did not switch flights and ended up in Toronto, where he learned of her fate. The author was also able to interview the family members of the pilot hijacker and people who knew him here in the US. His family refused to believe that he was involved in the hijacking and said he did not hate America while admitting they had not heard from him after 9/11, and the people who knew him in the US were amazed that he had anything to do with the attacks because he acted kind and easygoing, and never indicated any hatred toward America.

The book does not really tell the story of the flight in a detailed timeline. It chronicles the events from the time the flight crew arrived at the airport, then cuts to talking about one of the people, and then goes back to the events of the day. So, it would be something like "the plane started boarding at "x" time" and then discuss the life of one or two passengers or crew members, and then continue with the timeline like "the plane pulled back from the gate at "y" time. The author does not speculate about events that have not been confirmed, like whether the passengers and crew successfully got into the cockpit or not. He did point out, however, that given how low the plane was flying and the speed it was going, it would have been unlikely for a commercial airline pilot (much less anyone who was likely still alive on the plane during the fight with the hijackers) to save it from crashing.

It is a very well-written book that is very sad (as all the books about 9/11 are) but does a wonderful job honoring the people and their families. It is definitely worth reading, and at just under 300 pages, it is a fairly quick read. I highly recommend it.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day 15

Day 15 was the Cardio Challenge workout again. I made it past the twenty-minute mark today, maxing out at just over 21 minutes. The last two rounds of moves definitely wear me out though, so I am not sure if I will make it past 25 minutes in the first round of this. But, I can tell my cardio endurance is getting better, so I am making progress. 

DVD/TV Series Review: Parks and Recreation: The Complete Series

 

Parks and Recreation (or Parks and Rec) was another mockumentary show from the creators of the US version of The Office (Greg Daniels and Michael Schur) that aired from 2009 to 2015). It starred Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, an overeager and chipper worker in the Pawnee Indiana Parks and Recreation Department who wants to do her part to save the world. She is gung-ho about civil service, politics, government, etc. In contrast, her boss, Ron Swanson (played by the great Nick Offerman) is a Libertarian who hates government and is only working in government in order to grind it to a halt. The supporting cast includes Aubrey Plaza, who plays the apathetic twenty-something April, her doofus of a crush Andy, played by Chris Pratt, the guy who was always looking for a side gig, Tom, played by Aziz Ansari, Leslie's "best friend" Ann played by Rashida Jones, Donna played by Retta, in later seasons Ben played by Adam Scott, Chris played by Rob Lowe, and Jerry/Larry played by Jim O'Heir.

The show is a pretty standard sitcom that has a story or theme of the week that the characters have to navigate. The comedy style is much like the other mockumentary shows like The Office and Modern Family in which the jokes are either set up or performed, and then there is some kind of follow-up, either a reaction shot of characters in the background or cutting to one of the characters being interviewed by the documentary crew, or something like that. The humor is all over the place, given the wide range of acting styles of the cast members. Ron's humor is much more gruff and deadpan, while Leslie's is more chipper and upbeat. Chris Pratt does a great job playing a dimwitted doofus who thinks he is a rockstar, and pretty much everything Aubrey Plaza does is awesome.

The complete series set is just the individually packaged DVD seasons in a box set. There is nothing new if you have already purchased the individual seasons. There is also a blu-ray version of the complete series set out there that, from the looks of it, has the same overall content as the DVD set. The big reason to get the physical discs (beyond just preferring them over streaming, as many of us do) is for the extras. Each season has a bunch of extras, including commentary tracks on many episodes, deleted scenes, gag reels, fake PSA spots, and more. One of the best extras is a great joke that Chris Pratt made during the comeback story scene that cracked everyone up and is included in one of the gag reels.

Overall, the series is wonderful. It is very well-written and acted. It did take a couple of seasons to really find its footing and did have some cast turnover after season one. But, once it found the formula that worked it was strong all the way to the end. There were a ton of great guest stars, including people like Will Arnett, Tatiana Maslany, Jenny Slate, Patton Oswalt, and even the occasional DC politician. While the entire cast is great, Aubrey Plaza and Nick Offerman were the standouts to me. His scenes with his real-life wife, Megan Mullally, who plays his ex-wife, Tammy II, were pure gold. While it is a show about politics, and certainly, it was easy to tell the political leanings of the showrunners, it made fun of both parties, Democrats and Republicans alike. And it holds up well even after having been off the air since 2015. I highly recommend it, especially if you like political comedies.

DVD/TV Series Review: American Dad Volume 10

 

Volume 10 of American Dad! is a MOD Amazon Exclusive DVD set that contains all the episodes of season nine of the show spread across three discs. By now, most people are likely aware of what the show is like. But for those who are not, it is a story-of-the-week adult animated show created by Seth McFarlane (who also created Family Guy) who also voices several characters on the show. The main characters are the Smith family, led by Stan Smith who is a CIA agent who also harbors an Alien named Roger, who disguises himself as various "characters" he comes up with. The weekly story usually involves one of those two, but also can involve Stan's wife, Francine, one of their kids, Steve or Hailey, and/or one of the side characters.

The show is definitely not family-friendly, especially the DVD versions which have uncensored episodes which often include the actual swear words (including f-bombs) which are not beeped out. There are no DVD extras, just the episodes themselves, but so the only reason to get the DVDs is to have the uncensored episodes (which are not included when streaming the show). The episodes this season include a spoof on the movie Poltergeist, a parody of the show Breaking Bad, and the first evil Christmas-themed episodes, which would become a running gag throughout the run of the series. The episodes are mostly self-contained, but occasionally there are two-part episodes, and the episodes sometimes refer back to prior episodes.

Overall, the show is still good. It found a formula that works and has stuck with it. It can certainly be argued that it is getting a bit long in the tooth, but I do think they still tell entertaining stories. I would say that there are not as many laugh-out-loud moments as the earlier seasons had, but it is still funny. So, if you are a fan if the show it is still worth watching. If you have never liked the show, however, this season is not likely to change your mind.

Supplement Review: Pre Workout + Weight Loss | Six Star Pre-Workout Explosion: Peach Mango

 

This is a good pre-workout that works well to give me an energy boost in the morning before I work out but does not make me too jittery or make my heart race. The peach-mango flavor is okay. Not as good as some of the peach-mango flavored drink mixes, but not something that you have to chug because it tastes awful either. I definitely recommend it.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day 14

Day 14 was the back and biceps workout from p90x. Most of the weights I used remained the same from last week, but I was able to max out at 10 reps on a few of the exercises this time. So, next week I will be increasing the weight on those. I was also able to do a couple more pull-up moves for almost all the variations except corn cobs, which are very tough using 110 lbs of resistance bands. Tomorrow morning is back to Max 30.  

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day 13

Day 13 was the Recharge workout from CE. I was not feeling very well yesterday but did want to get some kind of workout in, so I switched my Sat and Sun routine, hoping I would feel better tonight. Which, thankfully, I did. Even though I was not feeling great, I did find that I was more flexible during the workout than I had been the last couple of times I did the routine. So, that was something positive.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Jurassic World

 

Jurassic World is the 2015 reboot of the Jurrasic Park franchise starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt, Nick Robinson, Ty Simpkins, Katie McGrath, Irrfan Khan, Judy Greer, and BD Wong (reprising his role from the original movie).  In an era of reboots for both movies and TV shows, it was really only a matter of time before it happened to Jurassic Park. In this movie, the site of the original park on the island of Isla Nubar is rebuilt and opened as Jurassic World. Apparently, nobody learned at InGen a lesson from the events of the first three movies and are hell-bent on creating a dinosaur zoo, which goes about as well as you expect it to. The only legacy character that appears in the movie is BD Wong's Henry Wu, who is still making new breeds of dinosaurs, which again, goes about as well as you would expect. 

The crux of the story is that Park Operations Manager Claire (played by Bryce Dallas Howard) needs to "reinvigorate the public's interest" in the park. Her nephews Gray (Ty Simpkins) and Zach (Nick Robinson), fly over to visit her and get a tour of the park, but she is too busy and passes them off to her assistant (played by Supergirl and Merlin's Katie McGrath) and, of course, they get in mortal danger when things hit the fan. Chris Pratt plays the male lead, Owen, who is a velociraptor trainer, who butts heads with everyone in charge at the park, including Claire. None of the other legacy characters like Alan Grant, Ian Malcolm, or Ellie Sattler appear, although one of Ian's books is on display in one of the early scenes. The movie does have some nice tie-ins that pay homage to the original movie, some that are very obvious, and others you have to be kind of sharp-eyed to spot.

For those who get the blu-ray set, the movie looks and sounds great, as you would expect. The A/V quality is wonderful. The extras include deleted scenes, a featurette titled "Chris and Colin Take on the World" is an in-studio conversation with actor Chris Pratt and director Colin Trevorrow, a featurette titled "Dinosaurs Roam Once Again" about the updated special effects used here, a thirty-minute making-of documentary titled "Welcome to Jurassic World" that includes interviews with executive producer Steven Spielberg and producer Frank Marshall, a featurette titled "Jurassic World All-Access Pass" takes a closer look at the design of the park itself, Chris Pratt gives a brief tour of the park's visitors' center, and finally a featurette titled "Jurassic's Closest Shaves" that include attack scenes from all of the movies in the franchise.

Overall, the movie is good. It is not as good as the original 1994 movie, but I think it is somewhere between Jurassic Park II and the original movie in terms of quality. The characters make a lot of bad decisions, as they always seem to do, and there is the really goofy scene of Bryce Dallas Howard running from a dinosaur in heels. Even though you have to give her credit for being able to sprint in heels, it is pretty cheesy. And, of course, the movie continues to play into the myth that a T-Rex (yes, the T-Rex makes an appearance) cannot see you if you stand perfectly still. But there are a lot of good action scenes, Howard and Pratt have really good chemistry, and if you do not nitpick it to death and just enjoy it, it is well worth watching.

Book Review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

 

Obviously, people have wildly different opinions on The Force Awakens, which was the movie that brought the Star Wars franchise back to theaters. This is a pretty standard novelization of the movie, although it is not a word-for-word reprint of the movie. Some of the dialogue gets changed slightly, and there is some material that was deleted from the movie (one particular scene involving Chewbacca and Unkar Plutt) that appears in the book. It fleshes out the story a bit and adds some context, but it does not give away anything that was not revealed in the movie (e.g., Rey's backstory).

So, ultimately, how you feel about the book is likely going to mirror how you feel about the movie. Personally, I liked the movie, although I strongly disagreed with having three different writers for each movie in the trilogy who could pretty much do what they wanted with the story. Although the different writers were more of an issue with the next installment, The Last Jedi. I think The Force Awaken developed the new characters well, incorporated the legacy characters fairly well (with one exception), and set up the new trilogy well. So, if you liked the movie, this is definitely worth reading.

DVD/TV Series Review: Castle: Season 7

 

+++Warning, this contains minor spoilers from season six, but no major spoilers from season seven+++

The seventh season of Castle opens with Beckett and the team discovering the Castle had been abducted in the aftermath of the car accident that ended season six. Then it jumps ahead a couple of months when Castle resurfaces, found abandoned at sea with no memory of what happened to him or where he has been. That pretty much sets up the serial storyline of the season in which the team tries to figure out what happened to Castle, and it gets mixed in with the procedural case-of-the-week stories. The stand-alone episodes usually involve some murder mystery, but there is one in which Castle imagines that he is transported to an alternate universe in which he and Beckett never fell in love that was kind of an It's a Wonderful Life spoof. There are also a couple of episodes that call back to an earlier season storyline. So, while the show is a procedural crime drama, it is best to watch it from the beginning as opposed to jumping right into it at some random point.

For those who get the DVD set, the extras include commentary tracks on two episodes, the season premiere that includes director Rob Bowman, actors Jon Huertas and Seamus Dever, and writer David Amann, and on the 15th episode which includes actors Nathan Fillion and Michael Mosley, director Rob Bowman, and writer Andrew Marlowe. Then there are deleted scenes, a gag reel, and a commercial for Castle's book.

Overall, the season is good, but it seems that the alleged tension between Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic does start to bleed through into the show. They definitely act professional on screen, but it does seem like they are starting to have fewer scenes together as the season went on. The show does have a good blend of drama and comedy and the acting is always great. So, if you are a fan of police procedurals and like shows that fall more into the dramedy category than a straight-up drama, this is definitely still worth watching.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day 12

Day 12 was the second time doing Friday Fight Round 1 in Max 30. It is still hard, but I was able to get farther into it than I did last week.  Last week I made it to 11:19 and this week I made it to 13:20. By next week I would like to make it to about 16-minutes, give or take. Basically, getting to the 15-minute mark where the break is and then in the first move or two after the break to max out. We will see how that goes.

Book Review: Midnight Sun

 

Chances are, most people are aware of the story told in the Twilight series, either through reading the books, seeing the movies, or both. This is basically a remastered version of the original novel, told from the perspective of Edward instead of Bella. It tells the same overall story but gives insights into things that were not shown or told in the original book because everything was told from Bella's point of view and what she was experiencing. So, we get much more interaction between Edward and the other members of the Cullen family and see how he was trying to deal with his feelings for her, and hers for him.

Certainly, some of the issues with the original books still remain. This is largely a young adult love story and so can get sappy and schlocky in parts. The author's writing does get panned quite a bit, which is mostly unfair. No, she is not Shakespeare, but she does not try to be or even pretend to be. She is telling a contemporary (at least as of the early 2000s) teenage love story set in a world of vampires. Yes, some of the choices she makes, like the vampires sparkling in direct sunlight as opposed to being burned to a crisp and dying are kind of silly, but I think that was because she was trying to do something unique.

Overall, whether you loved, hated, or were lukewarm to the original novel you will probably feel the same way about this. It is not likely to change your mind either way. The novel is basically to set up the larger story and develop the characters (although it does tell its own self-contained storyline as well). It will be interesting to see if she does the same thing with the other novels, but overall I think this allowed for more of the story to be fleshed out and was able to focus on different characters than the original novel did.

Product Review: Midland XTC260VP3 High Definition 720p Wearable Action Camera

 

This came out at a time when not every phone had a camera capable of taking video or was as sturdy as they are now. So, for those who wanted to take short video clips of things and not have to invest in a full-sized camcorder, this was a very good option. It can be mounted on a tripod and has a waterproof case, which is still a benefit over many of today's phones. You need a memory card to insert into it to save videos, and regardless of the size of the card you use with it, it automatically shuts off after 30 minutes of recording. So, you have to restart it every thirty minutes if you want longer videos. But, for taking short video clips, it works.

DVD/TV Series Review: Hawaii Five-0 (2010): Season 5

 

+++Warning, this contains minor spoilers from the prior season, but no major season five giveawyas+++

The 25-episode fifth season of Hawaii Five-0 aired during the 2014/2015 TV season. It continues the serial story arcs that have run throughout the previous seasons and adds in the procedural case/story of the week that has worked for the show up to this point. This season still has reverberations of Doris' actions and subsequent disappearance in the prior season. Her (and Steve's) connection to Wo-Fat is finally revealed this season. The season includes a multi-episode story arc that involves Danny's brother Matt, which requires Danny to risk his career to save his brother. There is also the beginning of a story arc that involves Lou and his best friend from Chicago (played by (Mykelti Williamson). The season ends with a suspenseful episode that involves a nuclear threat. The season sees a lot of recognizable guest stars, including Melina Kanakaredes, Michael Imperioli, Jaleel White, Frankie Valli, Robert Knepper, Lilli Simmons, and Carol Burnett (to name a few). Terry O'Quinn makes a couple of appearances as Joe White, and Michelle Borth returns for an episode as Catherine after leaving the show as a series regular last season.

The DVD set is a six-disc set. The extras are similar to what was included in the releases for the prior years, with the exception of no commentary tracks. There are a couple of making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes, a feature on the 100th episode (which occurs about halfway through the season), a feature on the music, a feature about the episode Daniel Dae Kim directed, deleted scenes, and a gag reel. So, if you like watching the bonus material this still has quite a bit to go through.

Overall, the series continues to be strong. It has a good blend of action, drama, and humor, and it manages to be a serious show that does not take itself too seriously. The 100th episode acts both as a present-day story and a flashback episode, bringing back characters from prior seasons. The show does a good job juggling the large ensemble cast, which is made even larger with Jorge Garcia being promoted to a series regular this season, with almost every character getting one episode central to that character. There is a great Jerry and Max-centric episode in which they attend a convention of Elvis impersonators and an episode that is a total spoof of the movie The Hangover. So, if you have been a fan of the prior seasons, this one is definitely worth watching.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day 11

Day 11 is the last day of the Tabata Power workout. I was able to make it to the 24-minute mark, again maxing out during the tricep dip sequence. The workout went well, but I would have liked to have been able to push to the 26-minute mark. But, that workout has so much tricep work because every push-up in the push-up sequence is some variation of tricep push-ups, my arms were basically jelly by the time the triceps sequence hit. 

Book Review: Star Wars: The Old Republic - Revan

 

Revan is a character that was introduced in the Knights of the Old Republic video game. He was a Jedi that turned to the dark side and joined the Sith (back before the Rule of Two was instituted, so he was one of many Sith) and then eventually turned back to the light and redeemed himself. The novel is written by Drew Karpyshyn who also wrote the wonderful Darth Bane trilogy of novels. The novel really tells the story of Revan after he has turned back to the light but before coming back to the Jedi order. When the book opens he is married to Jedi Master Bastila Shan and is experiencing insomnia due to a recurring nightmare he believes is part of his forgotten past as the Sith Lord Darth Revan. He believes that there is some threat to the galaxy that he cannot pinpoint and seeks help to regain his memory.

The novel has ties to the Mandalorian Wars and has a parallel plot that involves the Sith Council and a plot against Emperor Tenebrae, who is known to the Old Sith Empire as Darth Vitiate. The book has a lot of action and suspense and has very good pacing, so, it is a pretty quick read. Of course, the novel is not canon even though the character of Revan is because of references made to him in the Clone Wars series and subsequent canon novels. However, his backstory has not been told in canon. And, there are definitely elements of this novel that have been retconned, such as the mask of Mandalore being replaced by the Darksaber as the artifact that bestows leadership of the Mandalorians. And, the fact that Jedi were allowed to marry. Even though it is not canon, it is still a very good novel and worth reading if you are one who picks and chooses which Star Wars novels to read.

Product Review: Reebok Men's CrossFit Nano 3.0 Tactical Training Shoe

 

I tend to prefer high-top shoes for when I am doing high-intensity cardio workouts, especially plyometric workouts that have a lot of jumping because my ankles tend to roll pretty easily. So, when my old cross-training shoes got too old, I replaced them with these. Unfortunately, these do not have a lot of support at all. They are extremely lightweight which may be good for some things, but definitely not for others. And, they are pretty narrow which may or may not be an issue for you. So, I have almost never used them for cardio workouts but do use them from time to time if I am just lifting. But, if you like lightweight shoes, then this is a pretty good option.

Book Review: Star Wars: Into the Void: (Dawn of the Jedi)

 

Into the Void is a novel that is set thousands (about 25,000) years before the events of A New Hope, about the founding of the ancient Je'daii Order (which was the precursor to the Jedi. The story is basically about a brother and sister named Lanoree and Dalien. She is a powerful Je'daii ranger, and he has no force power and hates the Je'daii order. There is a larger plot that involves a cosmic gateway called the hypergate, the opening of which would risk destroying the galaxy.

Overall, the story is good, but given that the book was written before Disney took over Lucasfilm, it is relegated to Legends status. Given where it appears in the timeline, parts of the story may or may not ever be folded into the canon, but it really does not cross into any of the "official" eras, like The High Republic, that are in the canon material. The Je'daii has some similarities with the Jedi order, but as you would expect, there are some differences too. For example, the Je'daii used swords that were imbued with the force, but they were not lightsabers like the Jedi used. So they were more like very strong Samurai swords. The story has a good mix of action, drama, and suspense. It definitely set up the possibilities of more stories from that era being told, but of course, with Disney taking over, that will probably never materialize. It is still a good story that is worth reading, however.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Kingsman: The Secret Service

 

Kingsman: The Secret Service is a 2014 movie starring Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Strong, and Sofia Boutella. It is an action-spy movie with some comedy (mostly dark humor) mixed in. The storyline revolves around Gary "Eggsy" Unwin's (played by Taron Egerton) recruitment by Harry Hart (code name Galahad, played by Colin Firth ) and training in a secret spy organization. His first mission is to bring down an eco-terrorist, Richmond Valentine, who is played wonderfully by Samuel L. Jackson. Valentine wants to reverse climate change by wiping out almost all humans on Earth. There is a strong supporting cast including Sofia Boutella, who plays Valentine's assistant Gazelle and is a double amputee with sharp blades for feet, Mark Strong as Hamish Mycroft / Merlin, Sophie Cookson as Roxanne "Roxy" Morton / Lancelot, Michael Caine as Chester King / Arthur, and even has Mark Hamill in an extended cameo role.

For those who get the blu-ray, the movie looks and sounds great in HD. There are only a handful of extras, the most extensive of which is a six-part behind-the-scene feature titled Kingsman: The Secret Service Revealed. Then, there are image galleries, the theatrical trailer, and previews for other movies. So, while there are not a ton of extras, the making-of documentary is very well done.

Overall, the movie is a very good, over-the-top blend of action and comedy. The action sequences are very violent and gory but in a tongue-in-cheek way (similar to those in Kill Bill) as opposed to the gore in movies like Saw. The acting is wonderful all around. Jackson Hams it up constantly, Firth is great as a buttoned-down English gentleman, and Taron Egerton does a great job as the lead. There is not much in the way of sexual content (aside from innuendo) or nudity until the very end, which is basically a joke that closes out the movie. That said, it is definitely not something that is appropriate for young kids, if nothing else, because of the violence. So, if you are looking for a fun action movie that you put on to kill a couple of hours without having to watch every second of it to be able to follow what is going on, this is a good one.