Here you will find things about fitness and nutrition, mainly (but not exclusively) in relation to the Beachbody programs like P90x and Insanity. And, I will start adding reviews for Books, DVDs and Blu-Rays, and other products. All views and opinions on this blog are my own.
Welcome
Welcome to my ever-evolving blog. It started out as a blog on Beachbody workouts and products, mainly when I was a Beachbody coach. I no longer coach, not because I don't believe in Beachbody's programs (I subscribe to Beachbody on Demand and use their workouts every day), I am just not a salesperson and hated that aspect of it. I am more than willing to answer questions about my experiences with their products and the various workouts, and I feel freer to do so without the appearance of giving a biased review of something.
I have also started adding reviews for various things I have purchased like movies, books, CDs, and other products. This was brought about by a fight with Amazon in which all of my reviews were removed over a completely bullshit allegation that I posted a review that violated their terms of service. After going back and forth with the morons in the community-reviews department (even after they admitted that my posts did not violate their guidelines) they restored my account (which took them six months to do), but I have been posting my reviews on my blog to have them preserved in case something like that happens again. And here, I will post uncensored reviews so I will swear from time to time and post reviews that may be longer than Amazon's character limit. Everything I post here on any topic or product is my personal opinion, and I take no compensation for any product reviews I post. I am a member of Amazon's vine program and because I get those products for free, I keep those reviews on Amazon only, but everything I have purchased with my own money, whether from Amazon or some other store/website/outlet, I will post here.
I also plan to do some longer blog posts on various topics, such as how to learn physics, how to get through calculus, and longer reviews of workout programs as I do them. Basically, whatever strikes me as interesting at the time. As you can see if you navigate around the blog, I had many years in between postings. During that time I was going back to school to get an engineering degree, and learning material that I avoided my first time through college was a different experience and one that gave me a lot of insight into how to do well in those classes, which I will try to impart here for those who are looking to get a science or engineering degree.
Tuesday, May 21, 2024
Book Review: The Red Bandanna: A Life. A Choice. A Legacy.
Monday, May 20, 2024
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)
Blu-Ray/Movie Review: The Scorpion 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
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.
Sunday, May 19, 2024
Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Salt
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
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.
Saturday, May 18, 2024
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
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
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.
Friday, May 17, 2024
Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Resident Evil 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
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.
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.
Thursday, May 16, 2024
Blu-Ray/Movie Review: The Punisher (2004)
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.
Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Day 32
Day 32 was shoulders intervals in Lift 4 and the 645 cardio workout. Both of them went fine. Of course, I selected lower-impact exercises in the evening cardio workout since the Lift 4 workout had a HIIT component. I was able to increase the amount of weight for the various resistance exercises, and again, the microplates really helped. Although, I have discovered that they can fall off the 15 lb dumbbells so when I need to use 17.5 lbs, I do try to use the Bowflex weights.
Blu-Ray/Movie Review: The Martian
Overall, the movie is wonderful. The screenplay was great and the acting is superb on all fronts. I have not read the book, but apparently, the writers did not change much from the book. For those who are into science or engineering, it is enjoyable because they based things on real science, and although they certainly did take liberties with some things, they kept most of those liberties plausible. And for those who are not very science literate, the film did a good job of not being so technical that everything would only be understandable to scientists and engineers. It is absolutely worth the time to watch.
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Primal Fear