Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Justice League Unlimited The Complete Series

 

Justice League Unlimited is an animated series in the DC animated universe that aired for three seasons from 2004 to 2006. It continues the original Justice League animated series but includes many more characters, such as Supergirl, Doctor Fate, Black Canary, and the like. The main voice actors were George Newbern, Kevin Conroy, Phil LaMarr, Carl Lumby, Susan Eisenberg, Michael Rosenbaum, Clancy Brown, Micahel Ironside, and Mark Hamill. Because so many characters were used, there were several actors such as Nicholle Tom, Amy Acker, Morena Baccarin, Dana Delany, and Michael Dorn, just to name a few, who were part of the cast. 

This is what ends up being the final show in the DC animated universe (in terms of the original run of television series), which started in the early 1990s with Batman: The Animated Series and continued with Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, and Justice League. It ran for three seasons on Cartoon Network, each of them being 13 episodes long. Justice League was always a show that the showrunners were not sure would continue, so they were always writing the seasons as if there would be no more episodes. This version of the series not only tied up storylines from prior shows, but it also expanded the number of characters where just about every DC comic hero made an appearance (however brief) over the course of the series.As is the case with the other series by the same showrunners, they pay homage to but do not always fall in lock-step with the comics. Over the course of the series, they adapted the Cadmus storyline (which was itself adapted in the live-action Supergirl series) as well as the Legion of Doom storyline. They basically pack as much as they can into the show and manage to make it a coherent flowing story.

The Blu-Ray set is a three-disc set. The A/V quality is okay, and the show looks about as good as a mid-2000s cartoon that still needs to get a comprehensive HD upgrade can. The extras include commentary tracks on a couple of episodes as well as a couple making-of features where the producers go through the various storylines and how they came up with ideas for the series. One of them was conducted as a sit-down round-table chat conducted by Mark Hamill. A good amount, but far from the level of bonus material on the newly released blu-ray set for Batman: The Animated Series. It also has the plus of being able to stop and pick back up where you leave off, even if that is in the middle of an episode, which was not available in the Season 2 of the original Justice League series. Definitely worth picking up for fans of the show.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Chalean Extreme Day 11

On day 11 I did a low-impact version of 645 cardio in the morning and the Burn Intervals workout in the evening. The interval workout was pretty similar to week 1 in terms of difficulty. I still used 5 lb dumbbells for some of the exercises and 3 lb dumbbells for the shoulder and triceps exercises since those involve doing a lot of very fast reps. 

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Chalean Extreme Day 10

On day 10, I did 645 cardio in the morning and Burn Circuit 2 in the evening. Like the BC1 workout, I was able to increase the amount of weight I used on a couple of the exercises. They were not huge increases, just going from 15lbs to 17.5 lbs on a couple exercises, but it is progress.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Chalean Extreme Day 9

Day 9 was a rest day in CE, so I did the 645 cardio workout in the morning, using higher-impact exercise, and I did the stretching routine from Lift 4 in the evening. Both of them went fine, so there is not really anything to report about either one.  

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Chalean Extreme Day 8

Day 8 was the start of week 2 in CE, which meant the Burn Circuit 1 workout again. And, of course, 645 cardio in the morning. I was able to increase the amount of weight I was using for a few different exercises in the BC1 workout, and did a couple more "regular" push-ups.  

Book Review: Resistance Reborn

 

Resistance Reborn is a main-storyline Star Wars canon novel set between The Last Jedi and the remaining resistance members' escape from Crait and The Rise of Skywalker. The resistance is beaten down, looking to regroup and refill their ranks. The story is set on the planets Ryloth and Corellia, where the resistance members are trying to regroup and recruit, using Leia's old contacts to aid in hiding from the First Order. I will not give too much of the story away, but it blends action, political maneuvering, and a "cat and mouse" storyline.

The hardcover version of the novel is about 300 pages long, and it reads quickly. All the main resistance characters, Rey, Poe, Finn, Leia, etc., appear in the book to varying degrees. But, like many of the "fill-in" novels, the "main" characters do not really dominate the story, and more ancillary characters take a more prominent role. The author does a good job conveying that Rey is feeling lost, having incomplete Jedi training, and losing the one person who could have trained her. She also does a good job conveying split emotions among the rank-and-file resistance members who are left, with some wanting to fight on, and others seeing the fight against The First Order as a losing battle. Overall, it is a good novel that bridges part of the time gap between TLJ and TROS while also leaving a lot of room for further stories from that time period to be fleshed out. It is a moderately easy read, and the chapters are easily digestible lengths so you can read as much or as little at one time as you want. If you are one of those people who only get some, but not all, of the novels, this one is definitely worth picking up.

Book Review: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes [Hardcover]

 

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a prequel to The Hunger Games trilogy of novels. It was written by the series' creator, Suzanne Collins, and published in 2020. The storyline is set around the 10th Hunger Games, 64 years before the Hunger Games in which Katniss competes. Cornelius Snow is 18 years old and tasked to serve as a mentor to the female tribute from District 12  named Lucy Gray Baird. Snow, who is already set to be President in the future, is trying to use the games to restore glory to the Snow family, but he also develops feelings for Lucy and ends up risking his future to help her.

The hardcover version of the book is just over 500 pages long. It reads very much like the original novels, so if you got through those quickly, you can get through this one quickly as well. Collins does a good job laying the seeds for who Snow would become later in his life but makes him much different (and much more of a sympathetic character) in this book. We also find out how the Hunger Games came about, how the games evolved to become a spectacle, and how the treatment of the tributes developed over time. The story does get a bit slow about 2/3 of the way in, but it does pick up in the final couple of chapters. If you are a fan of the original books, this is absolutely worth reading.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Chalean Extreme Day 7

 On day 7, I did 645 cardio in the morning, followed immediately by the CE ab-burner routine. Then, in the evening, I did the Recharge routine from CE, which is a short yoga/flexibility workout. The ab routine was a bit challenging but not too bad, as was the Recharge workout. 

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Chalean Extreme Day 6

On day 6, I did 645 cardio (with low-impact exercises) in the morning and the Burn it Off workout from CE in the evening. Burn it Off is all HIIT moves, most of which are intermediate, but there are a couple of advanced moves in there. There are two low-impact modifiers in the workout that you can follow if you do not want to jump. I modified a couple of the exercises, but for the most part, I did the unmodified versions. 

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Chalean Extreme Day 5

On day 5, I did the 645 cardio routine in the morning and the Burn Circuit 3 workout in the evening. Most of the exercises in BC3 combine a shoulder exercise (a press or lateral raise) with a leg exercise. Since my shoulders are my weak area lifting-wise, I started using 10 or 12 pounds for most of the workout. For the couple of exercises in which you do two lower-body exercises at the same time, I used 20 pounds. 

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Chalean Extreme Day 4

On day 4, I did 645 cardio in the morning and Burn Intervals in the evening. Since the interval workout contains many HIIT exercises, I did a lower-impact version of the 645 cardio workout. It has been a long time since I did that workout, and it was tough. I used light weight (5 lbs for the bicpes curls, rows, and squats and 3 lbs for the shoulders and triceps exercies). I still find Skip irritating as all hell (especially given that he lies about how much weight he is using) and try to tune him out, but I loved seeing my workout crush, Toni, again.  

DVD/TV Series Review: ALF: Season 4

 

The fourth season of ALF consisted of 24 episodes and aired during the 1989/1990 TV season. It was the final season of the show and brought back all of the main characters, although the supporting characters, such as the Ochmoneks, were utilized less this season than in the first three seasons. This season of the show had the most guest stars, some very recognizable, including Casey Kasem, David Spade, Ted Raimi, Dan Castellaneta, and Fran Drescher. James J Bullock joined the cast as a recurring character this season, playing Willie's younger brother, Neal. It appears that the writers may not have known that the series would be canceled, as it ended on a massive cliffhanger (which would eventually be resolved via a 1996 TV movie called Project ALF). 

The DVD set is a four-disc set with just the episodes and no bonus features. However, the episodes do have English captions. For the most part, the series stuck to its formula as a wholesome, family-friendly sitcom, with the occasional (tame) adult-themed joke thrown in. The show did start to address heavier issues (such as hinting at Lynn having sex) but never got controversial. The cliffhanger ending to the series finale was not great (especially back in 1990 when it was not clear that it would ever be resolved), but my guess is the showrunners thought they would get a fifth season to properly conclude the series. The show was getting stale by the fourth season, but it still had some funny moments. It is still worth watching, especially to get the blast of nostalgia if you watched the series as a kid.  

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes

 

Sherlock Holmes is a 2009 action comedy starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Mark Strong, and Rachel McAdams. It came out shortly before and was arguably overshadowed by the BBC series starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, which will pretty much always result in the two being compared in quality, acting performances, etc. Unlike the TV series, the movie is set in the late 1800s with Downey in the titular role, Jude Law playing Dr. Watson, and Rachel McAdams playing Irene Adler.

The storyline centers around a serial killer named Lord Blackstone, whom Holmes takes down at the beginning of the movie. He escapes his execution and then sets in motion a plan to retake America, which was weakened by the Civil War. The character of Moriarty is also waiting in the background but not really revealed during this movie.

For those who get the Blu-Ray, the movie looks and sounds great in the high-definition format. Both the cinematography and the CGI used to bring Victorian-era London to life look wonderful in HD. The extras include about 50 minutes worth of behind-the-scenes and making-of material, as well as a Maximum Movie Mode, which plays the movie with clips of the actors and director Guy Ritchie discussing the filmmaking process. There is a very good amount of quality bonus material for those who like going through the extras.

Overall, the movie is very good. Downey Jr. and Law do an excellent job as Holmes and Watson, and they did not try to be carbon copies of prior live-action versions of the characters. Like Cumberbatch, Downey portrayed Holmes as a quirky, almost antisocial character who always observes and analyzes. Thankfully, Downey and Cumberbatch played the characters very differently, as the character in the movie is depicted as much more of an action hero who is more than willing to jump into a fight and allows Downey Jr. to display his martial arts skills. While I like the BBC series better, mainly because it is set in the present day and can focus more on the secondary characters than the movie can, it is still very enjoyable, and worth checking out.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: The Sinner Season 1

 

The Sinner is a crime drama that aired for four seasons. Each season, the storylines change and include a mostly new cast. Bill Pullman, who played a police detective named Harry Ambrose, is the only character who appears in every season. The 8-episode first season aired during the summer and fall of 2017. The first season starred Jessica Biel, Christopher Abbott, Jacob Pitts, Nadia Alexander, Enid Graham, and C.J. Wilson. Writing an in-depth review of the show without giving away too much is nearly impossible. The basic story in the first season is that a wife and mother named Cora (played by Jessica Biel) kills a seemingly random stranger while on a family outing at the beach, but she has no idea who the person is or why she did what she did. Harry Ambrose suspects there is more to the story and begins investigating Cora's past to try and figure out what drove her to kill a stranger. Needless to say, there is more to the story, which is revealed in parts throughout the eight episodes (via flashbacks), with many twists and reveals.

The Blu-Ray set is a four-disc set. The set is basically a MOD set, although there are a few minutes of deleted scenes on the second disc and no captions. The show does have a lot of swearing, drug use, and sexual content in it. While there is no overt nudity, it still pushes the bounds of what can be shown on basic cable. So, it is not very family-friendly. The story is well-written and well-acted, with Biel and Pullman doing great jobs in the leading roles. The supporting cast, especially Jacob Pitts, is excellent is well. The story is told well throughout the limited number of episodes and never feels too slow or too rushed. It is not a show that will appeal to everyone, but it is definitely worth checking out if you are looking for a good adult drama.

DVD/TV Series Review: Chicago Med: Season 3

 

++++Warning, this will contain season 2 spoilers, but no big giveaways from season 3++++

The 20-episode third season of Chicago Med aired during the 2017/2018 TV season. The season starts off a bit weak (in my opinion), mainly in the resolution of Dr. Charles' shooting. It picked up months down the line with his shooter on trial. That storyline is wrapped up fairly quickly, but the aftermath of it really reverberates throughout the season, affecting Sarah and her relationship with Dr. Charles. Toward the end of the season, Sarah's estranged father is introduced, and he ends up being involved in one of the multiple cliffhangers that ended the season. All of the main characters/actors return for the season. Norma Kuhling is upgraded to a series regular this season, and there are several recognizable recurring and guest stars this season, including Malcolm McDowell, Corbin Bleu, Mekia Cox, and Gregory Alan Williams. There is no "one-Chicago" this season with the other shows, Fire and PD, but several of the cast members from the other shows do appear on Med throughout the season.

The DVD set is a five-disc set. There is no behind-the-scenes material, deleted scenes, gag reels, etc. The only difference between this and a MOD set is that you get closed captions. So, if you only get discs when there are a lot of extras available, you may just want to stick with streaming this one. Ultimately, the show continues to be strong. It does have a soap opera element to it with the various relationships, but the show did a good job again to not make the relationships the focus of the show. Some of the storylines from last season were completely tied up, and others led to ongoing story arcs this season. I will not spoil any for those who have not seen it, but I think much like ER was able to do (for a lot of its run anyway), Med keeps the focus on the hospital and treating patients and then weaves in things about the character's personal lives and relationships. I still would not say Med is as good as the early seasons of ER, but it is the closest to the overall feel of that show I have seen since ER went off the air.

CD/Music Review: The Monkees Live - The Mike & Micky Show

 

The Mike and Mickey Show is a live album from 2020 featuring the two (at the time) living members of The Monkees, Mickey Dolenz and Mike Nesmith. The album was recorded during the first tour for the remaining members after Peter Tork died in 2019 and would be one of the final performances for Nesmith, whose health was failing before he passed away in late 2021. This album has 25 tracks and includes most of the hits, aside from the Theme From the Monkees and some of the less well-known songs from the 1960s. There are also a couple of songs from their last studio album, Good Times.

I was not around for the Monkee's debut on TV and subsequent stardom, but I was a perfect age in 1986 when the 20th anniversary of the TV show came around to become a fan. At that time, the TV show was being rerun on Nickelodeon, MTV, and local syndication. There was a reunion tour by Peter, Davy, and Micky, with Mike joining here and there but not fully participating, as well as a greatest hits album with a few new songs and an album of new material by Davy, Micky, and Peter. Like most, I was definitely hooked by the TV show, and as I got older and learned about the story of the group I became a bigger fan, and always picked up the CDs as they have been released over the years.

As most know, the group started as a fake band for a TV show to capitalize on the popularity of The Beatles, with two actors who had some musical talent (Davy and Micky) and two musicians with some acting ability (Mike and Peter) answering a casting call. They ultimately became a real band, who at the height of their popularity in 1967, sold more albums than any artist or group, including The Beatles. Over the years they have put out reunion albums like "Justus" and "Good Times" as well as doing limited tour dates. It was always mainly Micky, Davy, and Peter touring, but Mike had taken a more active role over time. With Davy and Peter having passed away and Micky and Mike not exactly being Springchickens anymore, this may be the last album that gets put out under The Monkees banner.

This album is very good. Even though Mike and Micky sound older than they did 50 or even 30 years ago, they still sound good and can pull off the vocals well. The album will give anyone who is a fan of the group a bit of nostalgia, and while it is not quite a "Monkees" album without Peter and Davy, it is definitely worth the pickup.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Animal Kingdom Season 2

 

The 13-episode second season of Animal Kingdom aired during the summer of 2017. The season has a couple of big themes. First, there is a Baz versus Smurf for control of the family storyline, with Smurf grooming J. as a replacement for Baz. The second involves Pope working through his guilt for killing Cath by taking care of Lena. Nikki is more of a fixture this season, basically shaking up with Craig while still maintaining feelings for J, which complicates things toward the end of the season. Smurf continues to be awful to pretty much everyone in the guise of motherly love (again, sometimes creepily so), and of course, there are the well-orchestrated robberies. The big score this season is robbing a mega-church after a charity donation day. I will not go into too much detail to avoid spoiling the season for those who have not seen it, but overall, there is a lot of good character development that happens throughout the season. Smurf's past continues to present a problem, and there is a major cliffhanger that ends the season. The show does a very good job of balancing the fact that almost every character in the show is a horrible human being while trying to show a human side to at least some of them and even manages to make some of the characters sympathetic.

The Blu-Ray set is a four-disc set, with the episodes evenly spread across the four discs. It is basically a MOD plus set, with a handful of extras (mostly deleted scenes, then a featurette on the character of Pope on the last disc). There are English captions, and the discs allow you to pick up where you left off, even when your player powers down. So you can stop in the middle of an episode and pick back up automatically without searching for where you stopped, which is always nice when bingeing a TV series.

Overall, the show is well-written and acted. It definitely pushes the bounds of what can be shown on basic cable with swearing, nudity, and drug use. It is definitely not a family-friendly show. But, if you enjoyed the first season, you will likely enjoy this one, with the caveat that the character of Baz is written to be a lot more unlikable this season. It is definitely a unique drama that is less cookie-cutter than some of the shows that are out there. It is definitely worth checking out.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: The Shining

 

The Shining is a 1980 thriller/horror film starring Jack Nicholson, Shelly Duval, and Danny Lloyd. Scatman Crothers, Joe Turkel, and Phillip Stone play the major supporting characters. It is, of course, the iconic Stanley Kubrick movie, which heavily adapted Stephen King's novel (which apparently King either disliked immensely or outright hated) of the same name. It stars Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance, a writer who agrees to become the winter caretaker of The Overlook Hotel on the side of a mountain in Colorado. He moves there with his wife Wendy, played by Shelly Duvall, and son Danny, played by Danny Lloyd. Both Jack and his son have "The Shining" which allows them to see ghosts and other, disturbing, imagery. Over time, Jack is driven crazy by evil living in the hotel.

The movie definitely does not follow the novel to a tee, which may upset fans of the novel as it did King. I do tend to agree with King that his interpretation of Jack as a good guy who slowly devolves over the course of time is not really borne out in the movie. Nicholson never really gives off a vibe that he is a "good" person, and about 45 minutes into a two and a half hour movie, he is already going nuts. Duvall's character was not exactly written as a strong character as she was in the book, and Kubrick totally changed the ending. That said, I do think Kubrick did a perfect job with his interpretation of the story and got great performances from all the characters, including Danny Lloyd, who did a great job for being so young. Nicholson nailed the "nuts" Jack Torrance and you totally could buy that he was off the rails, even if he did not have the kind of progression the character in the book did.

The 4k set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a regular Blu-Ray disc. The A/V quality in UHD is outstanding, especially the visuals at the beginning of the movie on the drive to the hotel and the exterior shots of the hotel. Most of the extras are on the regular Blu-Ray disc. The audio commentary track on the movie by one of the camera operators and Kubrick's biographer is included on both the UHD disc and the regular Blu-Ray disc. The remaining extras include a making-of documentary, which was filmed on the set by Kubrick's daughter, and a featurette on the composer who discusses the music used to score the film. There is a lot of good bonus content, but it does not include the theatrical trailer, which was included in the original DVD release.

Overall, I cannot say that the movie is for everyone. It is very violent, has a lot of swearing and some nudity in it. So, if that turns you off to a movie, then don't even think about this. Also, those who are huge fans of the book may not like Kubrick's adaptation. But, if you can look beyond those things, and are a fan of horror movies, especially those that do not involve an unstoppable killer, this is definitely worth checking out.

Product Review: RIOLAND Stair Treads Carpet Non-Slip Indoor Stair Runners

 

I had the stairs from my front entry to the main floor of my townhouse covered with vinyl plank flooring. When that happened, the dog thought that the stuff was hot lava and would almost jump down the stairs, hurting himself a couple of times. So, I got these to provide some better tread on the stairs. He can now go down the stairs to the front door much easier. 

They are very easy to install, but the sticky backing (which I describe more as tacky than sticky) does not secure them to vinyl plank flooring. After reading some reviews, I decided to cover my bases and get a roll of carpet tape when I purchased these in case I needed it. I used that to secure these at the ends and in the middle (because, as another reviewer noted, the middle pops up because they are folded in the box), which keeps them very secure on the stairs. They are not extremely thick, but they do the job well, making the stairs safer, especially if you walk up them with wet shoes. 

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Knives Out

 

Knives Out is a murder mystery from 2019. It was written and directed by Rian Johnson (his first movie post-Star Wars) and stars Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martelland, Toni Collette. It is what you would get if you cross an Agatha Christie novel with the game Clue and a little bit of Sherlock Holmes mixed in. The main plot is that the patriarch of a wealthy New England family, named Harlan Thormby (played by Christopher Plummer), who is a famous mystery writer, dies on the night of his birthday party, in what, all appearances, looks to be an open and shut suicide. The local police, as well as a renowned private investigator named Benoit Blanc (played by Daniel Craig), who is hired under mysterious circumstances, are investigating the death, looking into everyone who was in contact with Harlan, including his eccentric (to put it mildly) family. All the characters seem to have a reason/motive for killing Harlan. 

The 4k set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a regular Blu-Ray disc. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is wonderful. The cinematographic shots of New England look great in UHD. The UHD disc also includes bonus features, including an eight-part making-of-documentary, a question-and-answer session with cast members and Rian Johnson, fake promotional ads, and trailers. The film is a unique "whodunit" in that the audience knows most of what happened throughout most of the movie, but there are twists that make it clear not all is what it seems, all building up to a classic third-act reveal. While the entire cast does a great job, Craig and De Armas really shine in their roles and definitely deserved their Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor and Best Actress. Overall, it is a wonderful, well-written, and well-acted movie. It is really not something that you can easily just have on in the background, give your partial attention to, and still follow what is going on. But if you are looking for a way to kill a couple of hours with a great, fairly unique story, this is definitely worth checking out.

DVD/Movie Review: Paradise

 

Paradise is a 1982 movie starring Phoebe Cates and Willie Ames. The film itself is bad. It is basically a rip-off of Blue Lagoon, which was probably much more popular than it (Blue Lagoon) should have been. This is actually Phoebe Cates' film debut. She is probably best known for her roles in the Gremlins movies and the 1980s coming-of-age movies, including the iconic scene in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Willie Ames was a child actor and later co-starred in Charles in Charge. They end up running through the desert (seemingly finding every oasis along the way), to get away from an Arab prince (of course named "The Jackyl") who wants Sarah (Cate's character) as a bride. So, yeah it is a bit racist.

The plot of the movie is basically an excuse to have Cates nude about every 15-20 minutes throughout. It was actually filmed before she did Fast Times, and honestly, I am not sure how the nudity got cleared given that Cates was 17 for at least part of the time the movie was being filmed. The movie pretty much bombed, and Cates never had anything to do with it after it was released. Needless to say, it was never something that would have been able to be shown on TV because it would be less than an hour long with the nudity edited out. The movie itself is horribly written, and, as a result, the acting is not all that great either. Cates and Ames have little to no chemistry with each other, so when it gets to the point where they supposedly fall in love, they have less passion than the two Chimps (yes, there are Chimps, too) that tag along with them throughout the movie. If you grew up in the 1980s and had a huge crush on Phoebe Cates because of Fast Times, Private School, and Gremlins, she is the only reason to see this movie. Otherwise, you are not missing anything if you skip it.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Doom Patrol Season 1

 

Doom Patrol is a comic book adaptation that aired for a total of four seasons from 2019 to 2023. The 15-episode first season aired in the Spring of 2019. It starred Diane Guerrero, April Bowlby, Alan Tudyk, Matt Bomer, Brendan Fraser, Timothy Dalton, Phil Morris, and Jovian Wade. It is what you get if you crank the weirdness of Legends of Tomorrow up about 10 notches, add in a bit of shows like Dark Angel and Supernatural, and add a lot of swearing. The Doom Patrol is basically a collection of tortured losers who have all experienced some kind of tragedy in their lives only to be "saved" by a Professor-X-like patriarchal figure they call Cheif (played by Timothy Dalton). Some of the characters from the group were introduced in live-action on the first season of Titans, which in turn was tangentially brought into the Arrowverse through cameos on Crisis on Infinite Earths. They include Elasti-Girl/Rita Farr (played by April Bowlby) who is an actress from the 1950s who was exposed to something during an on-set accident that causes her to turn into a blob-like creature when she gets too emotional, Crazy Jane (played wonderfully by Diane Guerrero from Orange Is the New Black), a character with 64 different personalities whom all have their own powers, Robotman (voiced by Brendan Fraizer from the Mummy trilogy of movies) who is a racecar driver who is injured in a non-racing accident whose brain gets implanted into a robot, and Negative Man (voiced by Matt Bomer from Chuck and White Collar), a test pilot during the 1960s who is exposed to radiation in low-earth orbit and horribly burned when he crashes back to earth, yet lives, and Cyborg, played by Jovian Wade, who in this version is trying to get into the Justice League. The cast is rounded out by Alan Tudyk, who plays Mr. Nobody, the villain of season 1, and also hilariously narrates some episodes, constantly breaking the fourth wall, and Phil Morris (who played Martian Manhunter on Smallville) as Silas Stone. There are also many strong supporting actors, some recognizable, some not.

The first season is all about character development and telling the backstories of the various characters, all while playing out the arc that Mr. Nobody has captured the Chief, and the team is trying to get him back. The show jumps time periods often, with Bomer and Fraiser appearing out of costume in the flashback sequences. It also jumps dimensions and even has characters jump inside other minds and bodies (human and otherwise). It is definitely a very adult show, with a lot of swearing (f-bombs are constantly dropped) and some nudity basically involving Fraiser's human character and his kid's nanny. There is a butt shot from Fraiser, who has not aged very well, and bare breasts by the actress playing the nanny.

The Blu-Ray set is a three-disc set with the 15 episodes equally spread over three discs. The extras include deleted scenes for most episodes, a gag reel, and a short feature on filming the series in Georgia. Kind of hilariously, the swearing is bleeped out in the bonus material, which, given that anyone watching them probably just watched the episodes, has heard anything as bad as what would get bleeped out in the bonus stuff. Overall, the show is well-written and very well-acted. Within all the craziness, it does touch on themes like child abuse, being gay, and closeted, among other real-world themes. It is definitely not a show that is going to be everyone's proverbial "cup of tea", but if you are a fan of comic book shows and movies, it is definitely worth checking out, with the caveats that it is in no way family-friendly and can go out of its way to be offensive.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Alita: Battle Angel

 

Alita is a 2019 Sci-Fi/Action film starring Rosa Salazar, Keean Johnson, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connely, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, and Jackie Earle Haley. The story is set in the 2500s in a dystopian future that develops after what is called "The Fall" which is (as you learn if you watch the bonus material) a war between Earth and Mars (after humans colonize Mars). Almost all the humans left on Earth live either in Iron City or a city that floats above it called Zalem. It is partly an origin story for Alita, who wakes up with no memory of who she is, and partly the story of a class system post-apocalypse, with some cyborg bounty hunters thrown in.

The movie is based on a series of Japanese graphic novels that began in the mid-1990s. It mixes action with some drama and even a few comedic moments. James Cameron wrote a very long script from the graphic novels, then passed it off to Robert Rodriguez to make it a movie-length script and direct the movie when Cameron decided to focus on Avatar and the sequels. I have never seen the graphic novels or the anime series, so I don't know how well this stacks up versus those. However, Cameron (at least from what is revealed in the bonus material) kept pretty close to the source material.

The 4k set is a three-disc set that includes a UHD disc, a 3D Blu-Ray disc, and a regular Blu-Ray disc. The UHD disc and the 3D Blu-Ray just contain the movie, and the regular Blu-Ray has the movie and the bonus material. The film looks great in 4K, and you get a ton of bonus features (somewhere around two hours worth) made up of making-of and behind-the-scenes material, as well as animated featurettes that give a bit of backstory that was not put in the movie to keep it at a reasonable (2hr) running time. The movie is CGI-heavy, using much of the same motion-capture effects used on Avatar, so everything looks pretty seamless.

I cannot say the movie will appeal to everyone. But, if you like post-apocalyptic action movies, this one has good acting and writing and tells a more nuanced story. The creators definitely left the door open for a sequel (and there is more than enough source material), but given that it was not exactly a box-office smash, there is no guarantee that others will be made. They did an excellent job with the film if it does end up just being a stand-alone movie. Given, however, that James Cameron can get any film he wants to be made, there is a good possibility that at least one more movie will result from this one. This is not a film you can have on in the background while doing other things and follow easily. You must pay attention to the movie to understand what is going on. But if you have a couple of hours to kill and are looking for a good action movie, it is definitely worth checking out.

Book Review: Reluctant Hero

 

Reluctant Hero is a book from 2011 written by Mike Benfonte about his experience during and after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Benfonte worked for a telecommunications company on the 81st floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center (just 12 floors below the lowest point impacted by Flight 11 when it hit the building). Benfonte managed to get all his employees to the stairwell (which was luckily not blocked or inaccessible) and heading down. On the 68th floor, he and another employee discovered a woman in a motorized wheelchair who needed help. They put her in an evacuation chair and carried her down the rest of the way. Once outside, they got her to an ambulance but did not get in and ride with her when offered the chance. They were in awe, trying to take everything in and find out what happened (the South Tower had already collapsed), and people were still jumping from the North Tower). As they were walking north, the tower collapsed, resulting in a chilling piece of video footage of Benfonte running past a cameraman as the cloud of debris roared behind him. Benfonte survived, but his life took many unexpected turns post-9/11, which he details in the book.

The hardcover version of the book is just over 230 pages long. In it, he details where his life was at before and leading up to 9/11, the events of the day, and what he dealt with in the aftermath, including struggling with survivor guilt, post-traumatic stress, and the neverending requests for interviews and media appearances.  The book can be harrowing and hard to read, yet at the same time inspirational and uplifting. Benfonte is very open about his struggles with anger and sadness in the years after 9/11, how that affected his life, and what he did to overcome them. It is absolutely worth reading.

Book Review: Star Wars The Skywalker Saga

 

The Skywalker Saga is an illustrated storybook published in 2019 before the theatrical release of The Rise of Skywalker. You need to be aware that this is not a novel. It is more of a coffee table book that summarizes the "Skywalker saga." There are pictures and illustrations of scenes from every "main storyline" movie (the prequels, original trilogy, The Force Awakens, and The Last Jedi), along with a narrative summary of the key moments from each film written by Delilah S. Dawson. 

The hardcover version of the book is about 400 pages long. It is not a retelling of the Skywalker storyline from any character's point of view or anything like that. It does not have anything from the ancillary movies like Solo or Rogue One, nor does it give hints or details about The Rise of Skywalker. Because it is an illustrated book, it is very easy to read. It can easily be finished in a day or two. It is not one of the must-read books, but it is worth checking out as long as you do not expect it to be a novel that fleshes out the storylines or provides details that are not known from the movies.