Star Trek: Enterprise - Complete Second Season [Blu-ray]

The second season of Enterprise is one of the best i've seen yet had has some fine episodes. Here are the synopses.
Shockwave Part II Archer is taken 900 years into the future by Crewman Daniels and becomes stuck there. Carbon Creek
T'pol tells Archer and Trip about her great-grandmother's accidental crash landing on Earth in the late 1950's The story is shown in flashbacks Minefield The Enterprise becomes trapped in an alien minefield later revealed to have been built by the Romulans. Dead Stop The Enterprise encounters an automated repair station and when they dock with it to make repairs, trouble starts A Night in Sickbay Archer's dog, Porthos becomes very ill and Archer stays with him in sickbay
Mauraders The Enterprise is low on deuterium fuel and sets down at a station but the managers say that they don't have enough. It is learned that the Klingons stole much of it


The Seventh
T'Pol is asked by the Vulcan High Command to locate and capture Menos, a Vulcan criminal who has been on the run for many years. The Communicator When a communicator is left behind on an alien planet, Archer and Reed are imprisoned while attempting to reclaim it.Singularity While observing a trinary star system, various members of the crew are working on a variety of tasks from substituting of an ill chef, to building a new captain's chair. Vanishing Point Hoshi begins to believe that she is dead after using the transporter for the first time Precious Cargo
When a group of aliens bring aborad a woman in a stasis pod, Trip's curiosity leads him to open it. The woman inside awakens and says she is being abducted. Catwalk
A radioactive stellar phenomenon is headed for the ship and the crew must take cover for more than a week inside the shielded warp nacelles.
 is attacked while alone in a shuttlepod and has to land on a moon. He subsequently gets stalked on the surface
Stigma
T'pol learns that she has become infected with a communicable disease that is only spread by mind-melding, a forbidden practice among her people. Her job is endangered as a result.
Cease Fire
The Vulcans and Andorians are involved in a territorial dispute that is in danger of becoming an armed conflict. Archer is sent in to arbitrate for them.
Future Tense
The Enterprise encounters a small ship with a dead human aboard but the Suliban and the Tholians both claim it for their own. When it is learned that the ship is fromt he future, Archer is forced to stop them from taking it.
Canamar
Archer and Tucker are mistakenly believed to be smugglers and arrested. They are then put on a ship headed for a penal colony
The Crossing
The Enterprise becomes engulfed in a nebula inhabited by aliens that want to exchange minds with the crew
Judgement
Archer is arrested by the Klingons and put on trial facing a life sentance at Rura Penthe
Horizon
The Enterprise meets up with the ship that Maywather was raised on and he spends time on his old ship.
The Breach
The Enterprise assists in the evacuation of Denobulan geologists from a planet undergoing a military coup d'etat. Several rescuers become trapped in the caves with the scientists and the Enterprise has a short time to leave before being shot at.
Cogenitor
The Enterprise is visiting with a group of alien scientists but Tucker becomes too curious about the species' third gender.
Regeneration
An team of scientists in the Arctic discover the remains of a Borg sphere and two frozen Borg but they reactivate, asimilates the team and takes their ship. The Enterprise is called in to stop them.
Bounty
A Tellarite bounty hunter kidnaps Archer and intends to take him to the Klingons who put a big price on his head.
The Expanse
After an alien probe launches a devastating attack on Earth killing millions, the Enterprise is called to search for the attackers. Silik returns and offers to help Archer find them. It is learned that a race called the Xindi are responsible and doing so because they were told that humanity would destroy them in the future.
The final episode of season 2 kicks off the season long story arc on finding the Xindi that concludes at the beginning of season 4

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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season Four [Blu-ray]

This is the fourth season release of Star Trek The Next Generation on DVD. During the fourth season the Borg are defeated, Wesley leaves the show, Worf resigns from Starfleet, we see a Romulan officer that resembles Tasha Yar and the Cardassians & Trills are introduced.
All 26 episodes are contained on 7 disks.
1) The Best of Both Worlds (Part 2) - Riker is promoted to Captain, who then leads a fleet of starships to Wolf 359 to confront the Borg, but the fleet's efforts are in vain and almost every starship is annihilated.
2) Family - The Enterprise is undergoing extensive repairs while the crew recovers from the Borg invasion attempt. Picard returns home to see his brother.
3) Brothers - Data is "called" home to be given "an emotion chip" but his brother Lore arrives and put things in jeopardy.
4) Suddenly Human - Finding a Talarian training vessel in deep space, the crew discovers that one of the crew is actually a human teenager. Crusher's examinations reveal that his injuries may have been intentional.
5) Remember Me - Dr. Crusher finds herself inside a warp bubble, and the crew on the real Enterprise must enlist the help of a mysterious alien known as the Traveler to pull Dr. Crusher back into reality before her warp bubble shrinks to nothing.
6) Legacy - On Turkana III, the Enterprise is looking for an escape pod containing two men who left a damaged vessel. The Enterprise's liaison is the younger sister of the late Tasha Yar, and no one knows whether or not to trust her.
7) Reunion - The Enterprise is intercepted in deep space by a Klingon battle cruiser occupied by K'mpec, leader of the High Council of the Klingon Empire. Picard is the neutral arbiter to oversee the handover of the dying K'mpec's powerful to one of two contenders.
8) Future Imperfect - While investigating suspicious energy readings on Alpha Onias III, the Enterprise "loses" Riker. He awakens in the sick bay of the Enterprise, told by an older Dr. Crusher that 16 years have passed since that event, and that a virus he contracted on the mission to Alpha Onias III recently became active, causing him to lose all memory back to that event.
9) Final Mission - Picard reveals that Wesley has been accepted into Starfleet Academy. Wes's final assignment on the Enterprise is to accompany Picard on a trip.
10) The Loss - Shortly after counseling crewmember Janet Brooks over the loss of her husband, Troi begins to experience severe pain, and at the same time, the Enterprise is suddenly unable to go to warp speed.
11) Data's Day - Data records his observations of an average day in the Enterprise to be relayed to Dr. Bruce Maddox, a Federation cyberneticist who once wanted to disassemble Data to learn about how he worked.
12) The Wounded - Captain Maxwell of the Phoenix has severed contact with Starfleet and he has been raiding the vessels of Cardassians, a race once at war with the Federation but now peaceful under a treaty.
13) Devil's Due - The Enterprise arrives at Ventax III to retrieve a Federation anthropological team, only to discover that the planet is in a state of chaos and the team has been taken hostage by the Ventaxians.
14) Clues - The Enterprise goes through a wormhole that appears without warning and renders everyone but Data unconscious. As the rest of the crew investigates what happened, they begin to discover that someone's keeping secrets from everyone i.e., Data.
15) First Contact - Riker, having undergone surgery to look like a Malcorian beams down to Malcor III to coordinate other surgically disguised observers, is injured in a riot and taken to a hospital, where Malcorian doctors figure he is not one of them.
16) Galaxy's Child - Geordi is delighted to welcome Dr. Leah Brahms aboard the Enterprise, having already gotten to know through the holodeck in the past. But the real Dr. Brahms is nothing like her holodeck alter ego.
17) Night Terrors - The missing starship Brittain is found by the Enterprise and the away team finds that the entire crew of the Brittain went berserk and murdered each other, leaving a Betazoid who can't speak and whose telepathic "ramblings" to Troi are puzzling.
18) Identity Crisis - Starfleet officers who were on an away team five years ago investigating a mysterious migration of previous explorers to the planet Tarchannen III are beginning to mutate into aliens and migrate to the planet themselves.
19) The nth Degree - Lt. Barclay accompanies Geordi on an away mission and after being scanned, Barclay receives a massive mental "upgrade."
20) Qpid - Q turns Picard and his away team into Robin Hood, and his merry men, Q becomes Guy of Gisbourne, and Vash, is the damsel in distress.
21) The Drumhead - After an apparent sabotage of the Enterprise's warp drive committed by Klingon exchange officer, Starfleet sends Admiral Nora Satie out of retirement to investigate the possibility of a Klingon faction cooperating with the Romulans.
22) Half A Life - Kalon scientist Dr. Timicin is due back on Kalon II so he may carry out a ceremony in which one ends one's life by painless suicide at sixty. Lwaxana tries to convince him to continue living.
23) The Host - Riker risks his own life to serve as a temporary host for a Trill to aid in stopping a war between two moons.
24) The Mind's Eye - En route to an artificial intelligence conference on Risa, Geordi, is kidnapped by Romulans, who send a "copy" to Risa. Under the supervision of a female Romulan who remains in shadows at all times, Geordi is tortured and brainwashed to obey, through his VISOR
25) In Theory - During the Enterprise's investigation of a dark-matter nebula, Lt. Jenna D'Sora, recently having broken up with a longtime boyfriend, becomes attached to Data.
26) Redemption (Part 1) - The Enterprise is summoned to the Klingon home world so Picard may fulfill his final duty as arbiter of the succession of power there. Worf resigns from Starfleet. A Romulan officer shows up from the who bears a very strong resemblance to Tasha Yar.

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The Croods (Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD + Digital Copy)"

I admit, I went into the film thinking this was going to be a total bomb, but a friend had a free ticket for a pre-release showing of the movie, so I thought, why not?
The Croods is a story about one of the last surviving pre-historic families that embark on a road trip looking for a new cave when their old cave is destroyed as the earth is going through many dramatic changes. If that wasn't enough for the Crood family to deal with, there is the father/daughter struggles throughout the storyline that any parent can relate to if they have had teenagers, especially daughters.
When the Croods daughter, Eep (Emma Stone) can't understand her Dad's mentality that "fear is good; change is bad" and having to live by his number one rule "never leave the cave" she starts to rebel and pushes the boundaries set by her Dad, the over-protective, Grug (Nicolas Cage). One of the characters I got a kick out of was Gran (Cloris Leachman) who is their wisecracking grandma who Grug is constantly hoping that she won't make it through their daily challenges. The rest of the Crood family includes Mom, younger brother and baby sister which are more or less "extras" to round out the family dynamic. On their journey to find a new cave, they meet Guy (Ryan Reynolds) who has evolved alot further then the Croods with his ability to make fire and shoes and his pet sloth who doubles as Guy's utility belt. Together they join in their journey in finding a new place to live, which Eep is desperately hoping won't be another cave.
I will admit that there were several moments that the movie was very predictable and the story line could have been a bit better. However,over all the movie was better than I thought it would be. I would suggest paying to see a matinee showing or wait until it comes out on DVD.

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50/50 [Blu-ray]

This might just be my new favorite film.
I went to see this, primarily, because I've always loved the previous works of both Joseph Gordon-Levitt as well as Seth Rogen. The premise, a young man is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and tries to cope with it through humor, was appealing too. On a small sidenote: I'm from Vancouver and the majority of the movie was filmed there, so that was a pleasant surprise.
Adam is 27 years old and is shocked when he is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer on his spinal cord. He relies on his hilarious best friend, Kyle (Seth Rogen); his unreliable girlfriend, Rachel (Bryce Dallas Howard); and his overbearing mother, Diane (Angelica Houston), while he struggles with chemotherapy, doctor's appointments and losing all his hair. His interactions with each of these characters are ultimately hilarious, even when they aren't intended to be. Along the way his doctor sends him to a therapist named Katherine (Anna Kendrick), who is wet behind the ears but wants to specialize in helping cancer patients cope with their diagnoses.
Kyle is a very genuine character who wants to do everything he can to help Adam, although he stumbles along the way. He also takes advantage of Adam's situation as a way to meet girls, much to Adam's chagrin. He makes light of the situation whenever the chance arises, but shows himself to be a very sincere friend at every opportunity. Seth Rogen, actually playing the role he embodied in the real life story this movie is based on, is perfect as the somewhat dimwitted, but loveable best friend.
Rachel is the villain, if there is one. She is a typical flighty young woman who is torn between feeling guilty about Adam's condition and feeling freaked out and trapped by it. The audience can't help but dislike her from the get-go, which ultimately grows into loathing. Bryce Dallas Howard does really well in this role.
Diane is the kind of mom that almost everyone can relate to, whether as their own mother or one of a friend or loved one. She throws herself off the emotional cliff as soon as Adam tells her about this cancer, doing her utmost to support him, even when he keeps her at arms' length.
Katherine, the love interest, is a young woman who genuinely wants to connect with her patients, but who is, at the same time, insecure about her lack of professional experience. She connects with Adam (despite his initial reluctance) and ends up struggling with going above and beyond the appropriate protocol as a therapist.
Last, but never least, Adam: Adam is the everyman. He is hopeful, idealistic and passionate about his job as a radio broadcaster. He is committed to his girlfriend, whom he adores, despite her aloof behavior. He has a tight relationship with his best friend. He loves his mother, but avoids her at all costs because of her smothering behavior. His sudden cancer diagnosis throws his life into a tailspin, but he spends the majority of the movie trying to remain calm and rational about it. He makes friends with his fellow chemotherapy patients, he allows his best friend to use his cancer diagnosis as a way to garner the sympathy of pretty girls, he (reluctantly) follows his insensitive doctor's advice to talk to a therapist about his cancer. As one thing after another seems to go wrong we see him unravel and I think Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance was downright inspirational. He teeters back and forth between denial, anger, despair, pain, fear and humor. Although this role might not be typical Oscar fare, I think a nomination was definitely earned.
The story of 50/50 is based on the real life experience of the writer, Will Reiser. He was diagnosed with spinal cancer at the age of 26 while he was working on Da Ali G show with Seth Rogen. Rogen, much like the character of Kyle, supported Reiser and tried to help him cope through the use of humor. Fortunately, Reiser beat cancer and is alive today to tell the story he went through. Although this movie is a comedy it has an equal number of dramatic moments and is incredibly touching. You'll be struggling not to cry at moments. Making cancer funny is a tricky thing and could easily crash and burn in offending audiences, but Reiser pulls it off beautifully. You won't feel guilty laughing at humorous moments and you'll still empathize with the characters and each of their individual challenges.
I will definitely be picking this up on blu-ray as soon as it's released. Go check it out.

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Aaron Stars Hot Nude Yoga (DVD)

A Nude Attitude -By Alan Bennett Ilagan
What is the hottest piece of yoga apparel today? Your birthday suit. Bring your mat and towel, and leave the clothing and cologne behind. Aaron Star's Hot Nude Yoga program takes the ancient practice of yoga and strips it bare Ð quite literally. Since 1998, Mr. Star has been offering nude yoga sessions from the beginner to the advanced yogi and all are done sans clothing.
Whether you've packed on a few too many holiday pounds or started the season off over-stuffed, it's a new year, and a good time to move towards a healthier body. Though yoga might induce yawns from some, this is no ordinary yoga program. Hot Nude Yoga may change the way you've looked at the ancient practice, bringing with it a modern spirituality and cutting-edge sensuality that has been missing.
Yoga is basically about the body and breathing. Not coincidentally, so is sex. Rather than increasing the disparities between body and soul, Mr. Star's yoga program strives to unite the two. In so doing, the sensual aspect of our physical being can't help but be brought along for the ride. It also makes practical sense if you think about it: yoga is ideally done in loose-fitting clothing, so the body is not constricted. What could be looser than nothing at all?
First of all, being nude in and of itself is so totally freeing!" Mr. Star claims. And being nude just heightens anything that you are experiencing. One of the goals of Tantra is to become more aware sensually, and to increase one's own sensitivity. This is so we can tune into our body's energy and thus channel it to other areas. Some call this energy our latent potential, others call it erotic or sexual energy; I just call it energy.
Being naked is hold your judgment a natural extension of focusing on the basics. It's also a way of opening up completely, a way of extending one's vulnerability, and a way to self-awareness. Our clothing has become our armor, a way of distancing ourselves from others. Mr. Star's yoga method attempts to abolish that distance, and in that respect is surprisingly effective.
There is a rawness which becomes exposed when we shed our clothing, he explains. The process of yoga is a journey inward. How we get there is by shedding our ego. So many of our egos show up in how we dress and in what we wear. By taking off our clothes, we are taking off a part that defines who we think we are. I always say that in my class you never know if someone is a starving artist or a Wall Street broker. In the end we are all the same. That in itself is so beautiful.
Nudity as the great equalizer? Perhaps, but other concerns rear their heads at a nude yoga class. There's always the possibility of an errant erection whenever a bunch of gay men get naked together. How does Mr. Star, for want of a better term, handle those situations?
You don't, he says. I mean, the erect penis should be celebrated, not beaten up. Besides, most people are so into what they are doing that they do not know what is going on around them.
Mr. Star advises to focus on the breathing when Mr. Happy starts doing upward-facing dog. When questioned on whether or not he himself has ever raised an invisible pup tent during class, he confesses, No. I think I am too much in a teacher mode to get turned on in a class.
A down-to-earth guy who enjoys Haagen Dazs coffee ice cream and wears 2xist briefs (when he's wearing clothes), Mr. Star is, at the moment, surprisingly single. He attributes that to a certain restlessness, and his drive and need to keep on the go. When asked what he looks for in a mate, he replies, Adventure, and someone that can keep up with me. I find that is a really hard thing to find. There are not many people who can. And I say that without any ego. It's just true. --Alan Bennett Ilagan
Hi Aaron,
I just wanted to drop you a line to tell you that I have had your four Hot Nude Yoga DVDs now for over a week and have watched and re-watched them, working on some of the movements, though have not partnered off to do any of the practice yet, which I plan to do and look forward to doing. I can appreciate the effort that went into making these DVDs.
I know it looks so effortless for you, and looks like you did nothing to prepare for it because it was all so natural. I know better. I know a lot of preparation, time, effort and money went into making what I consider a true masterpiece. You were so totally relaxed, so totally upbeat, so totally prepared, so totally ready to break into a smile naturally, all the good yoga stuff.

I have done some yoga, always had female instructors, and after watching your Hot Nude Yoga DVDs, I can see how much more beneficial and comfortable it would be to have a male instructor.

You did an awesome job producing these DVDs and they are well worth what they cost. Not only do you know your subject well, but you are able to project so well and so comfortably. You make it so obvious that you know what you are doing, enjoy what you are doing, and, most importantly, BELIEVE in what you are doing. People like you can change the world because you can change the most important element in this world people. You can help them remove many negative feelings they have about themselves, give them confidence, and give them better health physically, mentally and spiritually.

Keep up the great work you are doing.

Thanks. Ron --Ron - an HNY Student from the USA
Columbus Dispatch - Yoga in buff is all about possibilities? by Mark Ellis
Aaron Star, founder of Hot Nude Yoga: I just go wherever people find me.
The 33-year-old New York instructor will bring his Hot Nude Yoga to Columbus for sessions this weekend at the Yoga Shiva studio on the East Side.
A former scuba instructor, Star left his native Washington for New York about 15 years ago, took up yoga to stretch his body after bulking up through gym workouts and became a teacher.
Star has since taken his brand of yoga, with elements of partner and tantra yoga, on the road and to a DVD.
I just go wherever people find me and want me to come," Star said. I try to give as much as I can in that weekend to open minds up to new possibilities.
He talked about yoga from his studio in Manhattan:
--Mark Ellis
If you purchase the complete series, you will receive the special, TANTRA, Disc 4. This fourth DVD cannot be purchased on its own. In this exclusive session, Aaron covers many of the practices he leads in his Hot Nude Yoga classes with an emphasis on mutual body contact, taking up where the PARTNER disc leaves off. TANTRA promotes and encourages touch and breath, while arousing all your senses. This practice is a unique way to take your relationship with your partner to a higher and more sensual plane and infuse a touch of spirituality into your sex life. Shot on a crisp autumn evening in Aaron’s moonlit loft, this beautiful yoga DVD is the perfect compliment to any yoga set. Also, each disc has extra bonus footage. So, shed your clothes with the boys, and stretch into a tranquil downward dog.
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Hit & Run (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy + UltraViolet) (Blu-ray)

Not too many movies around that have this kind of exuberance. This moves like a freight train but you might not want to get out of the way.
Here's the scoop. Yul Perkins (writer/director Dax Shepard) is in the witness protection program with Tom Arnold as his protector. His girlfriend Annie Bean (Kristen Bell) has received a once in a lifetime job offer in Los Angeles. Does Yul break cover for the girl he loves, and if he does, what are the consequences?
I found this entirely engaging. The set up is pretty basic, but, as in any good plot, the details are doled out slowly so the picture becomes more subtle and involved as things progress. Yul is a cool character. He is truly trying to turn his life around and his girl Annie is a big part of that. They have some very witty, Tarantino-esque conversations. They feel good together. The other characters are written well also. Brad Cooper, as Alex Dimitri, is a real card. Too many movies write their villains as shallow, and/or stupid tough guys. He's anything but. His dog food scene alone is worth the price of admission. About the weakest link here is Tom Arnold. I like Tom Arnold. He plays a good second banana, but he is simply too inept to be a Federal Marshall. This is a crazy bunch of people with their own back stories, but the way all the factions come together is really cool and unexpected. Yes there's tension but these folks aren't just shooting at each other and threatening each other. They're having these really great conversations. The car chase scenes are directed really well. Car chases are such old news, it's always good to see some that rise above the fray.
This is a way fun movie. It's tense, funny, clever, well acted and well directed. Is it great art? No. But it delivers, in spades, what it sets out to deliver.

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Letters to Juliet (DVD)

I took a dear elder aged friend to this movie on a bad day in his life, hoping to distract him momentarily from events he couldn't do anything about. Instead, the movie re-invigorated both of us, and brought us repeatedly to tears. Say what you want about "feel good" movies, there are times when they are just what the doctor ordered!
Vanessa Redgrave is the heart of this film. The delicately fearless way she sets out to find her young lover, the grace with which she moves through the ups and downs of a process that could end in heartbreak, the care with which she brushes the young Sophie's hair...she is simply and purely lovely. Women d'un certain age should enjoy the possibilities she presents for aging beautifully.
I also suspect this movie was made after the death of Redgrave's daughter, Natasha Richardson, and so the scenes in which she calls Sophie "my darling" and loves her so freely are especially moving. Hollywood, listen up! Cast more Vanessa Redgraves, Judy Denschs and Helen Mirrens as stars in movies about life after 60, and you'll fill the theaters.

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