Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 14

Day 14 was the rest day in both Max 30 and Power 90, so I did the two recovery routines from Lift 4. I found that my flexibility in the stretch routine is getting better, and the foam rolling is getting a lot of knots out of my hamstrings and calves. Since I slacked on doing these the last couple of rounds of Lift 4, I wanted to do them on the off days from Max 30 and Power 90 since my flexibility has regressed lately. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 13

On Day 13, I did the sweat 1-2 routine (and ab-ripper 100) in the morning and sculpt 1-2 in the evening. Both workouts went well. The yoga in the sweat workout continues to get a bit easier as does the ab-ripper routine. In the sculpt workout, I used 15 lbs for each exercise again. I think next week I will bump everything but the shoulder exercises up to 17.5 lbs and keep doing the shoulder exercises with the 15 lb weight.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 12

On day 12, I just did the Friday Fight workout in the evening. I was busy during the morning and could not do it then, and I did not feel like doing both workouts back-to-back in the evening. I made it a few more minutes into the workout before I maxed out than I did last week. I made it to the 14:50 mark, but could not quite make it to the 15-minute mark where the first scheduled break comes up. Tomorrow, I am going to do both Power-90 workouts since I did not do the Sweat 1-2 routine today.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 11

Day 11 was the last time doing Tabata Power in this round and then in the evening, the sculpt 1-2 workout from Power 90. I was able to make it just over 25 minutes into the Max 30 workout before I had to take an unscheduled break. I wanted to get through the entire thing, but I was too worn out by that point. The sculpt workout from Power 90 went well. I again used 15 lbs weights for every exercise, and did 15 reps for each exercise.  

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 10

Day 10 was Sweat Intervals again in Max 30 and Sweat 1-2 and ab-ripper 100 in Power 90. I again was able to get through the entire 30 minutes in the Sweat Intervals workout without taking an unscheduled break (doing the low-impact modifications). I was more tired in the evening workout so I did not go as hard in that one during the cardio portion. I could tell that the yoga portion is getting a little easier than it was on Day 1, so I am making progress there.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Charmed (2018): Season 3

 

The 18-episode third season of the Charmed reboot aired during the winter, spring, and summer of 2021. The series started late because of the time it took to begin lifting the COVID lockdowns. Thus, like season two, this is another shortened season. The beginning of the season resolves the hanging storyline from season two, which ended early because of the start of the pandemic. Once that is resolved, the writers introduce the main storylines for season three, including writing in a magical allergy (clearly meant to be a fictional version of COVID) that prevented the sisters from touching other magical beings. Two powerful beings known as "The Perfecti" are introduced and the last few episodes introduce the season's "big bad" and entity called The Whispering Evil. All the main cast members return for season three, although the events at the end of the season will shake up the cast going forward. Mareya Salazar is introduced as Josefina, a second cousin of the sisters during the season as a new recurring character.

The blu-ray (and DVD) set is a four-disc set. The episodes can be played with English captions and can be played in a "play all" mode that allows you to pick up where you leave off. The only bonus feature is a short gag reel on the fourth disc. The A/V quality of the blu-ray is very good, and the effects look wonderful in HD. As with seasons 1 and 2, the third season is only available in the US individually on DVD. Only the complete series is available on blu-ray. 

The series keeps the same style and tone as it did during the first two seasons. It primarily uses a serial storyline that builds throughout the season. Unlike the original series, this one incorporates real-world social issues into the storylines, including racism and LGBT issues. Of course, that will piss off a segment of people who will never watch the show, while others may like that, and others may be neutral toward it. I tend to fall into the later camp. The show would have been fine without those elements, but they do not detract from the overall storytelling. The writers do a decent job of juggling storylines for the large ensemble cast, providing material for all the main characters. Although there were episodes in which some characters were used sparingly, so the storyline could focus on one or two characters. The writers also wrote Melonie Diaz's real-life pregnancy into the storyline toward the end of the season. If you enjoyed the first two seasons, you will probably enjoy the third. If you did not like either of the first two seasons, this one is not going to do anything to change your mind. Ultimately, if you have liked the series up to this point, season three is worth watching.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 9

On day 9, I did Tabata Power in Max 30 and the Sculpt 1-2 workout in the evening. I maxed out at the 24:44 mark, which is a little longer into the workout (by a handful of seconds) than I got the last time. For the sculpt workout, I increased the weight to 15 lbs and was able to do 15 reps on all the exercises with that weight (although it was very difficult for the shoulder raises and the 21s in the last block). 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 8

Day 8 was the start of week 2 for both workout programs. That meant the second time doing cardio challenge in Max 30 in the morning, and the Sweat 1-2 and ab-ripper 100 in Power 90. I was able to do all 30 minutes of cardio challenge without taking an unscheduled break. But, I was a bit tired in the evening for the Power 90 workout, so I did not push as hard in that one.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Beerfest

 

Beerfest is a 2006 comedy that spoofs the concept of Oktoberfest. The film was made by the same team behind Super Troopers and the Dukes of Hazard movie (but it was not as good as either of them, and much closer in quality to Dukes of Hazard than Super Troopers). It was directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and stars Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Stoter, Erik Stolhanske, Eric Christian Olsen, and Will Forte. Monique and Cloris Leachman have hilarious supporting roles, and Donald Sutherland, James Roday, and Willie Nelson have cameo appearances. The movie is one of the spate of raunchy comedies released in the early 2000s after American Pie became a huge hit. The crux of the story is that after the death of their grandfather (played by Sutherland), two brothers (played by Stoter and Stolhanske) travel to Germany to spread his ashes. They discover an underground beer drinking competition called Beerfest, where they find out their grandfather allegedly stole a beer recipe from their German cousins. After being humiliated at the competition, they put a team together to compete at the next year's competition to take on the German team.

The Blu-Ray's A/V quality is good but nothing to write home about. The extras include two different commentary tracks on the movie, one with Chandrasekhar and Lemme and one with the other lead actors. Then, there is about a half hour of deleted scenes that can be played with or without commentary, some behind-the-scenes material, and the trailer. The movie is okay, but not great. It is definitely not as good as other films in the raunchy comedy genre, but it does have some funny moments. However, I would say that among stupid comedies, it is more stupid than funny. It has a lot of swearing, some sexual content, and nudity. If you are not a fan of that type of comedy, then you absolutely want to skip this. Even if you are generally a fan of that type of comedy, you may or may not like it. Personally, I would not have gone out of my way to purchase it, but it was delivered by mistake and wherever I purchased it from did not make me send it back. Ultimately, it is an okay comedy, but you are not missing anything if you skip it. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Charmed (2018): Season 2

 

The 19-episode second season of the Charmed reboot aired during the 2019/2020 TV season. Like pretty much all series that year, Charmed's second season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The second season's plot deals with the fallout of the Elders' deaths and a group of humans trying to harness magic. Taking another element from the original series, the sisters fake their deaths, cloaking the house and operating out of a headquarters set up by the Elders that allows them to track witches in trouble and demon activity. The show also establishes its version of darklighters this season, but puts a major spin on what they are. There is some cast turnover this season with Elen Tamaki, Natalie Hall, and Ser'Darius Blain leaving the series. Nich Hargrove returns in a recurring role. Poppy Drayton and Jordan Donica join as series regulars, and Eric Balfour and Peyton List join as major recurring characters. Azura Skye also guest stars in a couple of episodes.  

The Blu-Ray (and DVD) set is a four-disc set. In the US, the individual seasons are only available on DVD, but you can get the complete series on Blu-Ray, which has the individual seasons packaged in a decorative box. The A/V quality of the Blu-Rays is excellent. There are no bonus features for the second season release, just the episodes spread across the four discs. The series continues to use mostly serial story arcs that build with each episode. The special effects are great, the acting is very good, and the writing is mostly good. Like the parent series, the writing can be uneven and a bit silly, in a different way. Where the sisters on the original series were always obsessing over needing a man in their lives, the sisters in this series are always going on about their independence and not needing relationships (but still trying to find one). One thing that I think the show could have benefitted from this season is tying the show to the original series. There was an episode that would have been perfect to name drop the Halliwell sisters (or even have one or more of them appear). However, I think the writers were still focused on having the series stand on its own (even though it does put its own twist on storylines from the original series from time to time). 

Because filming ended early, the season does not end on any cliffhangers or with an episode that feels like a season finale. So, there will likely be hanging storylines from this season that will be wrapped up in season three. Overall, if you liked the first season, you will probably like the second one. Conversely, if you hated season one, nothing about this season is likely to change your mind. Ultimately, the season is entertaining and worth watching.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 7

Day 7 was the rest day in both Max 30 and Power 90, so I did the two recovery workouts from Lift 4, doing the stretch routine first and the foam rolling routine second. The foam rolling absolutely helped. I did not have as many knots in my legs as I thought I would, but I still felt it.   

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 6

Day 6 was the optional rest day in Max 30 (which I took) and Sculpt 1-2 in Power 90. I again used the 12 lb weight for every exercise in the workout. Because there is almost no rest between sets, even the exercises where I could use heavier weights on (like Lawnmowers) still burn by the end of the 15 reps. 

DVD/Movie Review: Ammonite

 

Ammonite is a romantic drama from 2020 starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan. It was written and directed by Francis Lee and loosely based on the life of a British paleontologist named Mary Anning. The supporting cast includes Fiona Shaw, Gemma Jones, James McArdle, and Alec Secareanu. In the film, Mary (played by Winslet) runs a shop in Lyme Regis in Dorset, England with her mother. An archeologist named Roderick Murchison (McArdle) visits the shop with his wife Charlotte (Ronan) who has been sent to Lyme Regis to convalesce after losing a baby, with the sea air being prescribed for her depression. Roderick initially pays Mary to teach him about fossil collecting and leaves Charlotte in Mary's care (much to both of their chagrin) for six weeks while he visits mainland Europe. When Charlotte gets sick, Mary cares for her, and the two fall in love and begin a sexual relationship. 

The DVD is a single-disc release. The only bonus feature is a short making-of featurette featuring interviews with Winslet, Ronan, and Lee. The film is a well-written and acted romantic drama. It definitely has the feel of an independent movie with a slower plot. About two-thirds of the way into the movie, there is some sexual content, including a nude sex scene between Winslet and Ronan. So, it is not exactly family-friendly, but it is not full of gratuitous sex and nudity. Ultimately, if you like independent dramas and are not triggered by same-sex relationships, it is worth watching.    

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 5

Day 5 was Friday Fight Round 1 in Max 30 and Sweat 1-2 and ab-ripper 100 in Power 90.

The Friday Fight workout is slightly different from the others in the first week of Max 30. You do the same kind of five-minute warmup, then ten exercises for a minute each before the first break. After the 30-second break, you do another nine exercises (again for one minute each), and then you get another 30-second break. Finally, you finish with four exercises. So, each exercise in the workout is performed for a longer duration and you get fewer breaks. In this one, I maxed out a little over 11 minutes into the workout. 

The Power 90 workout went fine, but I was still a bit tired from the morning workout, so I did not try to overdo it. The ab-ripper portion of the workout was again a little easier today. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Charmed (2018): Season 1

 

This is a reboot of the late 1990s TV series of the same name about three sisters who are powerful witches who fight evil (mainly in the form of various demons). This version stars Madeleine Mantock, Melonie Diaz, and Sarah Jeffrey as the titular "Charmed Ones" Macy, Mel, and Maggie, and Rupert Evans as their Whitelighter, Harry. The supporting cast includes Nick Hargrove, Ellen Tamaki, Ser'Darius Blain, Natalie Hall, Craig Parker, Valerie Cruz, Leah Pipes, and Virginia Williams. The 22-episode first season aired during the 2018/2019 TV season. The show's premise is similar to the original series, three sisters discover that they are witches whose powers have been activated after the death of a family member. In the original series, it was the grandmother's death, and in this series, it was the mother's death. This series includes characters such as Elders and Whitelighters and various demons. Where the original series was more of a blend of procedural and serial storylines, this series uses much more serial storytelling, with the primary storylines of each episode building on the next. There are some monster-of-the-week storylines, but not as many as the original series had, especially in its first couple of seasons. 

The blu-ray (and DVD) set is a five-disc set. It should be noted that the individual seasons were only released on DVD, but the complete series was released on Blu-Ray after the series ended. All the extras are included on the final disc. Those include a making-of featurette featuring interviews with the showrunners and cast and a short gag reel. The A/V quality of the Blu-Ray is outstanding. The show is actually much better than it got credit for being. It got backlash when it was announced for not including the original cast members. Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs expressed their disappointment. However, the showrunners stated that they had already told that story and wanted to be its own show and be more inclusive, by having the sisters be multi-racial and include LGBT characters. Some people will also hate it because it is "woke," which to the extent that is really a thing, it absolutely is. Within the monster fighting storylines, the show does tackle real-world issues such as sexual assault, discrimination, and the like. So, if that bothers you, you should absolutely steer clear. 

Ultimately, the show is good, but like the original, it has its silly parts (it has a bit of a prime-time soap opera element to it) and the writers sometimes set things up without good follow up. The special effects are light years beyond what the original series had (even in the later seasons). Of course, that has a lot to do with CGI being much better than in 1998, and this show having a larger effects budget since the actors in the show were not big names. The writing is a bit inconsistent but the acting is very good. While I cannot say that everyone who loved the original series will like this one, if you were a fan of the original series (or just a fan of the fantasy genre in general) this is worth checking out.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 4

Day 4 was Tabata Power (for the second time this week) in Max 30 and Sculpt 1-2 in Power 90.

Tabata Power was still tough, even modifying the moves, but it was a little easier than on Tuesday. I was able to make it a little bit farther into the workout before maxing out, but I still could not get through the entire triceps dip sequence without taking a break. I maxed out at a little over 24 minutes, about a minute before the modifier, who is in phenomenal shape, maxes out in that workout.

For the Sweat 1-2 workout, I decided to take a different approach, which I plan to use all through Power 90. Basically, I am going to use the same weight for all the exercises and do 15 reps of each exercise. When I can easily do 15 reps for everything, then I will bump the weight up. That should make it easier to get through all the exercises since the transitions in the workout are very quick, and you do not have much time to grab different weights before you have to start performing the next exercise. For this workout, I used 12 lb weights which were very light for the back exercises, but a little heavier for the shoulder flys and the back scratchers (which I think I am going to swap for Lift-4's one arm triceps extension). I will probably use the same weight for Saturday's workout and then bump it up to 15 lbs next week. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 3

Day 3 was the Cardio Intervals workout in Max 30 and Sweat 1-2 in Power 90.

The intervals workout was definitely challenging. It has several blocks where you do three exercises back-to-back three times, and then you get a 30-second break every five minutes. Each block has an exercise that requires you to be in a plank (e.g., push-up punches, ski-abs, wide-pike ups, burpee lunges, etc.). I barely made it all 30 minutes without taking an unscheduled break (I wanted to take a break a couple of times during the burpee lunges in the final block). If I were not modifying, I would have likely maxed out around the six-minute mark. 

The evening workout was Sweat 1-2 again, and it was easier than on Monday. My flexibility in the initial stretch and yoga portion was a bit better and I did not get as winded in the cardio portion. And, ab-ripper 100 was easier than on Monday. So, overall, both workouts went well.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 2

Day 2 consisted of two full-body workouts, one using all body weight (Tabata Power in Max 30) and one using mostly dumbbell weight (Sculpt 1-2 in Power 90). In the Max 30 workout, I made it just under 24 minutes (during the triceps dips sequence) before maxing out. Basically, in the Max 30 workout, you work chest, legs, core, and triceps, doing each exercise twice. You do each exercise for 20 seconds, actively rest for 10 seconds, then do the exercise again for 20 seconds, actively rest for 10 seconds, then go to the next exercise. Every five minutes, you get a 30 second break. 

In the sweat 1-2 workout, you do three blocks consisting of six exercises that you do 8 to 15 reps. If you have done P90x, you will recognize every exercise; the difference is that there is almost no rest between the exercises. Tony and the two cast members each use mostly the same weight for each exercise, so they are doing light weight for 15 reps. Tony and the female cast member use adjustable weights, which they may adjust between the exercises when the cut scene showing the form of the exercise plays. The male cast member uses a band, and it does not appear that he switches bands. Each workout went well, but the Max 30 workout was definitely harder.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Power 90 Hybrid: Day 1

This was the start of a new workout round and I went back to the original Power 90 workout, which was the precursor to P90x as my evening workout and Insanity Max 30 (following the modifier) as my morning workout. Day 1 was Cardio Challenge in Max 30, and Sweat 1-2 followed by Ab-Ripper 100 in Power 90. 

The idea behind the Max 30 workout is to write down the time you must take an unscheduled break the first time, and each week, have a later "max out" time in that workout. Today, I made it a little under 22-minutes into the workout (while following the low-impact modifier) before I had to break. The evening Power 90 workout was tougher than I expected. It has been ages since I have done yoga, so the few minutes of yoga at the beginning of the workout were tough. The cardio portion of the workout was not too bad because Tony and the two cast members were going slow, but there were a couple of spots where I had to pause for a second and get water. The ab-ripper workout has ten exercises and you do ten reps for each exercise. The exercises get progressively harder as you go through the workout, so the last few were very tough for me to get through all ten reps. 

Workout Update: Lift 4/Shaun 20/645 Cardio hybrid: Day 54

Day 54 was the last full workout of Lift 4. So, in the morning, it was the cardio circuit workout from Shaun 20 and full-body HIIT in the evening. Both workouts went okay but were challenging. 

Workout Update: Lift 4/Shaun 20/645 Cardio hybrid: Day 53

On day 53, I did the Pure Cardio routine from Shaun 20 and the Shoulders (circuit) routine from Lift 4. Shoulders was very hard, and, like last week, I started out with the higher weight for all the exercises but had to drop the amount of weight I used for some exercises by the third set. Also, by the time I got to the burnout round, I could not do full curls with 15lbs and had to drop that to 10 in order to do the curls for the full 30 seconds with proper form. 

Workout Update: Lift 4/Shaun 20/645 Cardio hybrid: Day 52

Day 54 was the rest day for Lift 4, so I did the 645 cardio routine in the evening. Again, I slacked off and did not do either of the recovery workouts. 

Workout Update: Lift 4/Shaun 20/645 Cardio hybrid: Day 51

On day 51, I did the Cardio Circuit workout from Shaun 20, and the legs (50/50) workout from Lift 4. Like the chest and back workout yesterday, the leg workout has the same exercises as last week, but in a different order. Also, like last week's version of the leg workout, you do each of the three exercises for 30 seconds in each set in the HIIT portion. It was challenging, but I was able to use the same amount of weight for this week's workout as I did last week for all the exercises.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Battlestar Galactica: The Remastered Collection

 

This is a box set containing the original Battlestar Galactica series that aired 24 episodes during the 1978/1979 TV season and the 10-episode spinoff series, Galactica 1980, which aired in the winter and spring of 1980. The original series starred Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict, Lorne Greene, Maren Jensen, Laurette Spang, John Colicos, Herbert Jefferson, Tony Swartz, Noah Hathaway, and Terry Carter. Jane Seymour had a guest starring role in the first handful of episodes but left the series early in the season, and Ed Begley Jr. had a supporting role in the three-part pilot episode. If you watch the bonus features, you will find out all the male cast members were bumed when Seymour left because they all had the hots for her. Galactica 1980 had an almost entirely new cast, with only Greene and Jefferson reprising their characters from the original series (although Benedict did appear in what would be the series finale). The main cast members in the spinoff series were Kent McCord, Barry Van Dyke, Robyn Douglass, and Robbie Rist.

The plot of both series involves a war between humans from a different galaxy and a race of androids called Cylons. In the pilot episode, the Cylons lure the leaders of the 12 human colonies (planets) to a peace conference, under the guise of negotiating a truce. The Cylons attack the conference and the 12 colonies, virtually wiping out the humans except for the crew of the Galactica, a battleship (called a Battlestar), and several colonial ships with refugees from the various colonies. The remaining ships start on a quest to find a lost 13th colony, Earth (which is in a different galaxy), while trying to avoid Cylon attacks. The original series was canceled after the first season without the Galatica reaching Earth. In the spinoff series, set 30 years after the events of the original series, Galactica arrives at Earth, only to discover humans on Earth are not technologically advanced enough to fight the Cylons. The Galactica drops off two crew members, (McCord and Van Dyke's characters) to integrate with the humans of Earth and help them advance their technology and then leaves the solar system to lead the Cylons away from Earth.

The Blu-Ray set is an eight-disc set. The original series has six discs and Galactica 1980 has two. Only the original series has bonus features. Those include a commentary track on the three-part pilot episode, including Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict. There are deleted scenes and outtakes for most episodes spread across the six discs, and then, on the final disc, a series retrospective that includes interviews with some of the surviving cast members and the series creator, and featurettes on restoring the series in HD. Galactica 1980 does not have any bonus features. The episodes can be played in a "play all" mode and you can pick up where you leave off if you stop in the middle of an episode. The A/V quality is good to excellent, but because computer-generated effects did not exist when the original series aired, you can definitely tell how fake the effects were when watching the series in HD, probably moreso than if you watched the episodes in standard-definition.

The original series is okay, but very dated and cheesy. Galactica 1980 is dated, cheesy, and mostly bad (although it has some okay moments). Neither series is as good as the 2004 reboot, not only because the special effects were not as advanced, but because Sci-Fi series at the time were not taken all that seriously, so the writing was not all that good and the look and feel of both series was very dated. Ultimately, while neither series is great, the original series is a Sci-Fi classic. If you are a fan of the 2004 reboot series, it is interesting to watch these series to see how the 2004 series changed and adapted the storylines and the various characters.     

Workout Update: Lift 4/Shaun 20/645 Cardio hybrid: Day 50

Day 50 was the start of week 8 (the final week) in Lift 4. I did Shaun 20's Pure Cardio workout in the morning and then Lift 4's chest and back (circuit) workout in the evening.  I was able to maintain the same weight that I used in the chest and back workout last week. It is basically the same workout, but the exercise order is switched around. It was still a challenge because of having little to no rest between the exercises and only a few seconds of rest between the sets.