HBO/Cinemax; TV-MA; 471 minutes

I spent my weekend binge watching Strike Back: Season Five, which landed on DVD and Blu-ray last week from HBO Home Entertainment.

If you're not already familiar with Strike Back, then let me give you a quick briefing on the series. Strike Back is loosely based on the novel of the same name by author Chris Ryan. The original season, titled Chris Ryan's Strike Back (or known in American as Strike Back: Origins), aired on Sky1 in the United Kingdom in 2010 and starred Richard Armitage (The Hobbit trilogy) and Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead).

A second season consisting of 10-episodes was ordered with a brand new cast with one little twist - it was co-produced by Cinemax, which meant more violence was added, as well as nudity, sex scenes, and adult language. Season Two was titled Strike Back: Project Dawn in the UK, but here in America it was titled Strike Back: Season One and starred Philip Winchester and Sullivan Stapleton as soldiers who work for the "Section 20," an elite British military group who are responsible for tracking down terrorists. The actors returned for three more seasons - Strike Back: Vengeance (Season Two), Strike Back: Shadow Warfare (Season Three), and Strike Back: Legacy (Season Four).

After a two-year hiatus, the series returned last fall in the UK with a new cast, titled Strike Back: Retribution. Here in the America, the series aired on Cinemax earlier this year as Strike Back: Season Five. The cast include: Warren Brown as Sergeant Thomas ‘Mac’ McAllister, Daniel MacPherson as Sergeant Samuel Wyatt, Alin Sumarwatta as Lance Corporal Gracie Novan, and Roxanne McKee as Captain Natalie Reynolds.


The ten-part season centers around the escape of Omair Idrisi (played by Don Hany), a terrorist who plans on launching a deadly attack. Section 20 is assigned to track down Idrisi and his British wife, Jane Lowry (played by Katherine Kelly), which will take the unit across North Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

Bonus Features include:

• Strike Back Season 5: Declassified - Get an inside look at each episode.
• The New Team - Section 20's new team and tactics they employ to fight terrorism around the globe.

Maybe I have read one too many romance novels over the years, as the topic of "romance" has been on mind as of late, which might explain why I review so many romance novels on this blog. Plus, I might explain why I purchased the DVD of Love & Friendship at a thrift store last week. Actually, I don't why I bought the movie, maybe it has something to do with the fact that I like reading Jane Austen's books (Pride and Prejudice is my favorite!) and I like the actress Kate Beckinsale, who starred in all those Underworld vampire flicks.

Being a male, I haven't always been interested in romance, but the older I get, the more interested I am in romance and the whole "settling down" thing; which probably explains why I have been rambling on for many months about my interest in online dating. With my 37th birthday just around the corner, I guess you can say that I've been feeling a bit lonely, which is another reason reason why my mind has been thinking about romance, marriage, kids, life, and everything else in between.

Dating near 40 or even near 50 can seem a bit difficult to many, but there any many middle age singles looking for romance, relationships, love, and even marriage. Yes, dating can be a big pain in the butt at any age, but all the myths about dating later in life shouldn't scare you off from finding true love.

One of those myths is that everyone is taken by age 40. This isn't true at all. Not all married couples end in happily every after, because, sadly, many of them end up getting a divorce. So there are a lot of divorcees available in the dating pool, which increases your odds in finding a match. That's if you're interested in dating a divorcee to begin with.

I read an article recently that once you hit middle age our brains tends to think like the opposite sex. Sounds crazy, right? Men are supposed to more open to explore serene potency and women are supposed to be enjoy postmenopausal zest. From my understanding, males are supposed to be more comfortable with our feminine side during our middle age years. It's an interesting theory, but I'm not for sure if I believe it or not.

Do you follow other book blogs and if so, who are your top 3 bloggers?

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.
  

My Answer:

There many blogs that I follow on Blogger, but sadly I never have the time to stop by their blogs. Once in awhile I will read a few reviews on random blogs.

Disney; TV-Y; 94 minutes

Available now on DVD from Disney Home Entertainment is Muppet Babies: Time To Play!, featuring 4 twenty-two minute episodes. As added bonus, there are 2 additional episodes, 10 bonus "Show and Tell" shorts, and 6 music videos.

Muppet Babies debuted back in March on Disney Junior. It's a reboot of the 1984-1991 animated series of the same name, which features the Muppets as toddlers, including Baby Kermit, Baby Piggy, Baby Fozzie, Baby Gonzo, and Baby Animal. Baby Scooter and Baby Skeeter are missing from the reboot, though they can be seen in a picture hanging in the background inside the nursery. They have been replaced by a new character named Summer Penguin.

The series is very similar to the original with the Muppet Babies having adventures at the nursery by the use of their imaginations. 

The voice cast include Matt Danner as Kermit the Frog; Melanie Harrison as Piggy; Dee Bradley Baker as Animal; Ben Diskin as Gonzo; Eric Bauza as Fozzie Bear; Jessica DiCicco as Summer Penguin; and Jenny Slate as Miss Nanny.

 Each episode has 2 eleven-minute segments. The segments featured on this DVD release are:

• Sir Kermit The Brave - To battle his fear of darkness, Kermit imagines that he is a knight.
• Animal Fly Airplane - The Muppet Babies use imagination to take a trip Paris, France on a plane that is piloted by Animal.
• Hatastrophe - After Fozzie's propeller beanie flies over the fence and into Mr. Statler and Mr. Waldorf's yard, Kermit leads a mission to rescue the hat.
• Fly South - Gonzo believes that the chickens Camilla, Priscilla, and Beep are going to fly south for the winter.
• The Great Muppet Sport-A-Thon - The Muppet Babies put on a sporting competition, where Miss Piggy learns how to be a good sport.
• You Say Potato, I Say Best Friend - Gonzo's new best friend is a potato!
• Super Fabulous vs. Captain Icecube - Miss Piggy and Summer must work together as superheros to save Kermit from a band of villains.
• Piggy's Time Machine - Miss Piggy can't wait until her birthday, so the Muppet Babies take her on a time machine adventure.

Bonus Segments

• How Kermit Got His Groove - Rizzo the Rat moves out of his mouse hole and causes chaos in the playroom.
• One Small Problem - Tired of being the shortest toddler, Summer has Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker to invent a Enlarge-O Ray, so they can increase her height. However, things don't go as planned, resulting in Summer being shrunken to a smaller size.
• Playground Pirates - To find Miss Nanny's lost earring, Kermit imagines himself as Captain Greenbeard and leads the Muppet Babies on a pirate ship across the high seas in search of the earring.
• The Blanket Fort - Miss Piggy and Summer create a blanket fort called Blanketopia.

Marvel; PG-13; 149 mins

Avengers: Infinity War, the biggest blockbuster of 2018, is arriving today on Multi-Screen Edition (Blu-ray + Digital) Code. It will also be available on 4K Cinematic Universe Edition, which includes a 4K Ultra HD disc, a Blu-ray, and a Digital Copy. The film is already available on Digital HD.

Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, the film stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Josh Brolin, and Chris Pratt, all reprising their roles from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Inspired by 1991's The Infinity Gauntlet comic and  2013's Infinity comic, the film centers around the Marvel villain Thanos (played by Josh Brolin) and his henchmen (Ebony Maw, Cull Obsidian, Proxima Midnight, and Corvus Glaive) on a quest to retrieve the Infinity Stones. Thanos already possesses the Power Stone, which was found on planet Xanda. The Space Stone from Tesseract is in the possession of Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston), who is on a spaceship with Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth), Bruce Banner / Hulk (played by Mark Ruffalo), and the Asgard survivors. Doctor Strange (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) has the Time Stone in New York City and Vision (played by Paul Bettany) has the Mind Stone implanted in his forehead. The Reality Stone is in the possession of the Collector on Knowhere and the Soul Stone is being guarded by Red Skull on the planet Vormir.

Thanos and his goons attack the Asgard ship and collects the Space Stone. Before dying, Heimdall (played by Idris Elba) sends Hulk to back to Earth. Thor barely survives the attack and is later rescued by the Guardian of the Galaxy. Along with Rocket (played by Bradley Cooper) and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), Thor travels to Nidavellir to create a weapon powerful enough to kill Thanos. Peter Quill (played by Chris Pratt), Gamora (played by Zoe Saldana), Drax (played by Dave Bautista), and Mantis (played by Pom Klementieff) travel to Knowhere to find the Reality Stone, but they arrive there too late.


Meanwhile, Doctor Stranger, Tony Stark / Iron Man (played by Robert Downey, Jr.), and Peter Parker / Spider-man (played by Tom Holland) get trapped aboard a spaceship after a battle in New York City against Thanos' lieutenants. The spaceship lands on the planet Titan, where they try to come up with a plan to remove Thanos' Infinity Gauntlet.


Back on Earth, Steve Rogers / Captain America (played by Chris Evans), Natasha Romanoff  / Black Widow (played by Scarlett Johansson), Sam Wilson / Falcon (played by Anthony Mackie), James Rhodes / War Machine (played by Don Cheadle), Vision, Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch (played by Elizabeth Olsen) and Bruce Banner travel to Wakanda to team up with Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier (played by Sebastian Stan), T'Challa / Black Panther (played by Chadwick Boseman), and the Wakandan army, so they can battle Midnight, Obsidian, Glaive, and an army of creatures.


Special Features on the Blu-ray & Digital include:

• Strange Alchemy (5:08) – Share the thrill of characters from across the MCU meeting for the first time—and discover why some were teamed up together.
• The Mad Titan (6:34) – Explore the MCU’s biggest, baddest villain, his trail of influence through the stories, and the existential threat he represents.
• Beyond the Battle: Titan (9:36) – Dive into the climactic struggle on Thanos’ ruined world, including the epic stunts and VFX, to uncover the source of its power. 
• Beyond the Battle: Wakanda (10:58) – Go behind the scenes to find out how the filmmakers pulled off the most massive and challenging battle Marvel had ever attempted. 
• Deleted and Extended Scenes (10:07) 
• Happy Knows Best (1:23) – Tony and Pepper spar over the details of their upcoming wedding—until a hassled Happy Hogan pulls up with an urgent request.
• Hunt for the Mind Stone (1:24) – On a darkened street, Wanda Maximoff and the wounded Vision attempt to hide from Thanos’ brutal allies.
• The Guardians Get Their Groove Back (3:20) – As Peter Quill and Drax quarrel over their failed mission to Knowhere, Mantis interrupts with news.
• A Father’s Choice (4:00) – Thanos confronts Gamora with a vision from her past—and with lying to him about the Soul Stone. 
• Gag Reel (2:05) – Watch your favorite Super Heroes make super gaffes in this lighthearted collection of on-set antics.
• Audio Commentary (approx. 149 min.) by Anthony and Joe Russo, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. 
• Digital Exclusive:
• A Directors’ Roundtable (approx. 32 min.) – Eight amazing directors reflect on how their movies contribute to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s larger storytelling adventure. 

Jimmy Patterson; 280 pages; $13.99

Published earlier this year by Jimmy Patterson (a division of Little, Brown and Company) was Middle School: From Hero To Zero by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts, which I believe is the 10th entry in the series. I read the book earlier this year, but I never got around to writing the review for it; so I reread the book a few days ago and thought I would feature it as a "Back to School Reads."

The book centers on Rafe Khatchadorian, a not so-popular middle grader who's only real pal is Leo, an imaginary friend who represents Leonardo, his twin died of meningitis when they were toddlers. This time around he's headed to London with his classmates for a school trip. Well, actually it's a contest where schools from around the country will write a "Living-Learning Report." The school with the best report will win the Grand Prize of ten thousand dollars worth of books and supplies. One student on the winning team will win a thousand dollar cash prize.

What should have been a fun experience, quickly turns into a disaster when Rafe learns that his bully Miller (AKA Miller the Killer) is also coming on the trip. To make matters even worse, Rafe has to share a room with Miller, who makes him sleep in the bathroom! Then their teacher assigns Rafe as the main editor of the "Living-Learning Report." Most students would be happy about the opportunity, but Rafe isn't, as he's afraid he will mess everything up. Plus, his fellow classmates don't exactly see him as leader. They see him more as a world-class loser.

Can you say this about yourself? Nothing makes me happier than sitting down with a good book.

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.
  

My Answer:

I'm going to slightly disagree. Nothing makes me happier than the smell of printed pages. I can't explain it, but I love the aroma inside of bookstores and libraries. There is something calming about the scent of both old and newly printed books.