Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Alpha Dog

 

Alpha Dog is a 2006 movie starring Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, Ben Foster, Bruce Willis, Sharon Stone, Anton Yelchin, Amanda Seyfried, Shawn Hatsoy, Amber Heard, and Olivia Wilde (in one of her first movie roles), and several other recognizable actors. The movie is a fictionalized version of a true story about the kidnapping that goes sideways and ultimately turns into the murder of a teenager (played in the movie by Anton Yelchin) resulting from a feud over drug money which his brother (played by Ben Foster) was involved in. 

What I think this movie really does is establish the fact that Justin Timberlake has some acting chops. While there are other good actors in the movie, it is not overall what I would consider a standout for the acting performances aside from Timberlake, Anton Yelchin, and Ben Foster. I don't really think that Emile Hirsch worked as a badass leader. He did kind of play him as the guy who hides behind everyone else who did his dirty work, and that part you can buy, but he just did not strike me as a guy that would lead any kind of crew, even the group of morons that followed his character in the movie. The thing you really do get is that none of the parents of the kids (and they were all basically kids) gave a damn about what any of them were doing, and the consequences that followed from it.

The A/V quality of the blu-ray is good, but it did not get the same kind of transfer that the big blockbuster movies get. The extras on the disc include a making-of featurette covering the true story the film was based on and interviews with some of the actors. It is not extensive but does add a little to the story. The movie is well-written and acted. It is definitely not family-friendly as there is a lot of violence, drug use, and some nudity, including a full-frontal shot of Olivia Wilde toward the end. While I do not think it is a must-watch movie, it is worth the time to watch if you like crime dramas. 

Workout Update: T25/Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Day 7

Day 7 was lower body foam rolling from 645 followed immediately by the T25 stretch workout. The T25 routine has a good mix of stretching exercises, including moves like pigeon, and bridge that are much easier to do after 20 minutes of lower body foam rolling. Shaun T definitely does his "focus" word of the day thing a lot in this workout, but I try to just tune that out and listen for the transitions. The cast in this workout are Scott, Derek, Tonia, and Susan. There are really no modified moves during this workout so Tonia is doing the same thing as everyone else. 

Workout Update: T25/Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Day 6

For Day 6 I did upper body foam rolling from 645 and then the two recovery routines from Lift 4. All of them went well and I thought I had a bit more range of motion during the Lift 4 stretch routine than I have had the past couple of weeks.

Workout Update: T25/Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Day 5

Day 5 was leg-focused. In T25 it was the lower focus workout and in Lift 4 it was legs. 

The T25 workout does not have as much cardio (although it does have some). There was lots of variation on squats, lunges, and deadlifts. There is also some balance work. Tonia is again modifying and the other cast members today included Scott, Jan (or Jam), and a new guy named Nate, who Shaun pretty much ignores for the entire workout. Then, you get a three-minute cooldown. 

The Lift 4 workout was the Legs 50/50. As in the prior workouts this week, I used lighter weights for the resistance exercises so I could get a better range of motion in my squats and lunges. That worked out exactly as I hoped as I got much deeper into both the squats and lunges during that portion. I still struggle mightily with triple bear but my goal is just to be able to hold that position (without hopping or stepping) the entire time, then once I can do that, start the hops. 

Workout Update: T25/Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Day 4

Day 4 was ab intervals from T25 and Shoulders from Lift 4.

The ab intervals workout alternates between doing core-focused moves for a few minutes and then doing about a minute of cardio, then going back to more core exercises. The ab exercises range in difficulty level and get progressively harder as the routine goes on. After the workout ends, there is a three-minute cooldown in which you stretch your back, hamstrings, and hip flexors.  

The Lift 4 workout was an interval workout so each block had two resistance exercises and a 30-second HIIT exercise. I was able to do the unmodified versions of the HIIT moves, but I did have to do them slower and pause a couple of times in the second and third sets, especially in the third block.