Fast X (2023) - 2 out of 5 car explosions
The movie is a montage of cameos, nonsensical plots and over the top stunts all in the name of family. As a die hard fan of the franchise, I loved it. As a moviegoer - wow it was thin.
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Radicalized by Cory Doctorow (2019) - 3 of 5 stars
The commentary is, of course, the strongest aspect of the book. Unfortunately, I found the stories and the framings distracted from the messages carried in the book.
Radicalized by
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Rebel Without a Cause (1955) - 4/5 red jackets
Tonight we watched this classic for the first time. The story is a bit hard to follow and reading more about it reveals how much subtext there was which we missed, but it was still an excellent movie and makes me so sad that we didn't get to see more of James Dean.
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The Booksellers (2019) - 2.5/5 Rare Books
Watched from LA to Seattle today. I came across it on Amazon Prime and downloaded to my plane for the flight.
Overall it was interesting, but there was no central tentpole aside from looking at rare book buyers, etc. It starts to suggest books are dying, then it points out they aren't. It says the book buyers are the final generation, and then has some who are optimistic.
It was an interesting insight into these people, but yeah - it meandered and left me at the end wondering what I could have watched instead.
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The Lost Leonardo (2021) - 4/5 Mona Lisas
I ended up watching this documentary on the way down from Seattle to LA and found it quite interesting and entertaining. It's an interesting story with a lot of twists and turns along the way.
It follows a story about a possibly discovered lost painting by Leonardo Da Vinci, the "Salvator Mundi" aka "The Savior of the World" which depicts Jesus Christ. I was recounting the documentary to friends last night and it is a wild story. It also puts, front and center, the very real truth that high end collector art is used for washing funds (central to this story is a Russian oligarch) and also for general tax evasion, etc.
It also definitely reminded me how much I enjoy documentaries. Need to watch more.
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To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995) - 3.5/5 high heels
What a delightful film from a bygone era.
"I don't think of you as a man. And I don't think of you as a woman. I think of you as an angel."
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The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Season 5: 3/5 laughs
I felt the last season was a bit disjointed as I didn't really enjoy the hopping around in time as it worked to make a cohesive story which answered questions.
Entire Series: 3.5/5 laughs
Overall, I thought it was a fine show, which had some high highs and some low lows in the narrative.
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Babylon (2022) - 2 out of 5
Continuing our Brad Pitt theme today, Katie and I found ourselves watching Babylon this evening. And, I think the two featured quoted on Rotten Tomatoes really nail it.
Babylon's overwhelming muchness is exhausting, but much like the industry it honors, its well-acted, well-crafted glitz and glamour can often be an effective distraction.
Babylon has some entertaining moments and its ambition is impressive, but the movie's chaotic and disjointed execution makes it difficult to really enjoy.
I found it slow and uninteresting once it left the frenetic initial pace of early film making. And ultimately I asked myself why I cared about this movie and I struggled to find an answer.
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Heat (1995) - 4 out of 5 Guns
Finally watched this movie with Katie tonight. Neither of us had seen it before. The cast in the movie is incredible.
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Poker Face, Season 1 -- 5 out of 5
I loved the show. Best show in recent memory as far as I'm concerned.
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Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) - 3 out of 5
Definitely overdue in watching this, but I just couldn't make it to the theaters and haven't had a major drive to dive into the movies again (still haven't seen the new Ant Man either.)
We put it on tonight and overall I enjoyed it. I loved the silent opening montage to honor Chadwick Boseman, and overall I liked the story. I enjoyed the Mayan origin they gave Namor and think it's an interesting way to manage the dynamic of the character.
It's also interesting to know more characters after having played Marvel Snap. I didn't know who Ironheart was, for example, and now I do.
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Sharper (2023) - 2 of 5
I mentioned in passing yesterday that Katie and I watched this on AppleTV+ yesterday. The cast looked solid and is what pulled me in.
Sadly, this movie was very lackluster. The plot was formulaic and predictable at almost every step of the way. Additionally, one of the cast members was just a glorified cameo. I won't say who, but they were one of the main reasons I was interested in watching and were only in a fraction of the film.
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Kushiel's Dart - 2 of 5
Kushiel's Dart is adult high fantasy fiction. It is not my normal cup of tea but I was drawn to it and found it's setting interesting. The main character is a woman who is masochistic and is raised to utilize that as a form of courtesan. The story itself takes a spin off of Judeo-Christian narratives with thinly veiled name changes, as well as the European map being renamed.
The tropes and ideas are not subtle, but the story itself is one of political intrigue. As is often the case I found the ending a bit of a let down after the intricate build up. Additionally, it lacks a pay off I was looking for.
This is a story which rides on the characters in it and the rest is just window dressing. There are two more in the series but I don't see myself seeking them out.
Kushiel's Dart by
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"The Spy Who Came In From The Cold" - 3 / 5 Encoded Messages
I was in the mood for a spy novel so I checked this out from the library via the Libby app. I didn't realize it was the third in a series, though I don't know how much linear narrative there is given how this one went.
Overall, I really enjoyed the narration but the story was only so-so for me.
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Wednesday (2023) - 4 Things out of Five
Overall, I enjoyed the show's first season. It has some fantastic casting and that really carried some middling narrative. But, if you enjoy the Addams Family, you should enjoy this show.
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The Traitors, Season 1: Rating: 3 out of 5 Murders
Hosted by Alan Cumming, a group of reality stars and "normal" people gathered in a castle in Scotland to play what amounted to a very slow and drawn out game of Werewolf. It is a social deduction game where a group of players are secretly murderers and the rest of the group has to pick them out and eliminate them before they murder the entire group.
There were some interesting twists and turns along the way. By far Alan Cumming's attire played an outsized role as a character in the show.
It provided an excellent show for me to yell at and question peoples' judgment, but as a show goes I wasn't heavily invested and didn't really care who won.
If it returns for a second season, I think I would watch but I also wouldn't care particularly if it didn't return.
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The Recruit - 1 out of 5
Was checking out The Recruit on Netflix and have immediately ejected a few minutes into episode 4 because it involves a B-plot regarding a CIA developed AI-driven torture robot used for interrogation which, in testing, ripped an agent's arm off.
Just, the most confoundingly dumb and absolutely enraging plot line for the show to suddenly introduce. Up to this point, the show had been largely technologically grounded. I cannot tell you the last time a show I've watched took such an absurd hard turn in it.
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Bullet Train (2022) - Four Lady Bugs Out of Five
What a crazy and over the top movie. A neon lit, Tarantino-ver-the-top, and with an incredible soundtrack. A good way to spend my already altered mental state of sickness this morning, cuddling with dogs, and watching it on Netflix.
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SAS Rogue Heroes - 3 out of 5 cups of tea
Yesterday we binged this show, it's only six episodes long. My mother-in-law had heard about it, and as she loves World War II media and had read the book it was based on. It's a production of the BBC, and it tells a fictionalized adaptation of the birth of the SAS during World War II.
Overall I enjoyed it, the music has a lot of classic rock, making it feel much more modern at times than a period history piece. It isn't must-watch TV, but it kept us engaged through the six episodes.
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My 2022 Movies
Sat down tonight and attempted to collect all my movies watched this year. I'm sure there are more I haven't thought of. I'll update it as I think of them. There are a number I haven't seen yet but will eventually.
Loved it
Everyone should watch these movies.
- Bros (2022) - A fantastic love story. I really loved it and seeing Billy Eichner act and not just run down the street screaming at people.
- Glass Onion (2022) - Watched it last night and absolutely loved it. It might be better than the first.
- The Woman King (2022) - Fantastic. I am a huge fan of Viola Davis.
- Weird: The Al Yankovich Story (2022) - Watched this in a crummy hotel with my brother and it will be a "core memory" for the rest of my life. But even aside from the means of how I watched it, it is a fantastic absurdist comedy.
Liked it
If it sounds like your thing, consider my recommendation you watch it.
- Doctor Strange and Multiverse of Madness (2022) - I believe my description afterwards was "It was a very Sam Raimi movie.
- Everything, Everywhere, All at Once (2022) - I had no idea what it was going into it and I loved it.
- Spirited (2022) - Ryan Reynolds and Will Farrell are just so damn likeable.
- The Courier (2020) - Watched this with my wife and mother-in-law. It was fine. If you enjoy purposefully paced period pieces, this is for you.
- The Greatest Beer Run Ever (2022) - We didn't know what we were getting into with this one, and we didn't particularly care for what we got.
- The Lost City (2022) - A fun romp comedy, but not a lot of meat on the bone.
- White Christmas (1954) - I might have seen this when I was younger but I have no real memories of it. So we finally watched it this week and it is a charming story.
Meh
Your call on whether to watch it or not.
- Death on the Nile (2022) - I love Agatha Christie but found this movie completely underwhelming.
- The Adam Project (2022) - There's been worse and it almost crests into "Liked it" but I just never see myself rewatching it, which is the other threshold between Meh and Liking it.
- The Batman (2022) - I'm a sucker for Batman movies. Initially I put this in "Liked it" but as I was writing this, I remembered all the things I disliked about it.
- The Gray Man (2022) - Formulaic and easily predicted.
- Thor Love & Thunder (2022) - I wanted to love it, but the story just lost me and I couldn't bring myself to care.
- Top Gun Maverick (2022) - Vacuous Americanism. Like Chinese food, an hour after leaving the theater I found zero desire to discuss or think about the movie further.
Disliked it
You should probably pass.
- Falling for Christmas (2022) - Watched it with friends and booze. Don't do it unless you have both.
- Moonfall (2022) - It just wasn't good.
My other posts for 2022:
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Glass Onion: A Knives Out Movie - 5 out of 5 mysteries
Just watched the movie on Netflix and greatly enjoyed it. I caught part of it, but definitely didn't completely figure it out. Looking forward to watching it again with complete knowledge and spotting things along the way.
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Review: Bros (2022)
Katie and I finally sat down to watch Bros, and holy shit is it a good movie. I really enjoyed it.
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Review: Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Daisy Jones & The Six by
This isn't the normal sort of book for me, but I love Almost Famous and based on the blurb I read, it felt like it might be in the same space. The book is about a group of people, Daisy Jones, and the band, The Six. It's set in the 70s predominately and it takes you through the journeys of all the people, on a journey to stardom. The book is surprisingly touching and even brought me to tears. Overall I loved it and highly recommend it for folks.
Here are a handful of my favorite lines, none of which spoil anything for future readers.
I think you have to have faith in people before they earn it. Otherwise it's not faith, right?
I guess I'm saying… if you redeem yourself, then believe in your own redemption.
I'll tell you: If a friend lied to me the way I lie to myself, I'd say, "You're a shitty friend."
You can't love someone back to health and you can't hate someone back to health and no matter how right you are about something, it doesn't mean they will change their mind.
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Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) - 5/5 stars
Katie and I finally got around to watching Everything last night. We had meant to see it in the theater but then life got in the way, and then it just languished in our "eventually" list. So, last night, we finally sat down and turned it on.
To be honest, even with hearing the positive reviews, I had very little idea of what it was before we watched. So, to say it wasn't what I expected, would be unfair as I had no real expectations.
It was, to put it mildly, very good. It was engaging and it carried an important message. It was also quirky and weird as hell, but we really enjoyed it.
As I posted on Mastodon yesterday: I wish I could have been a fly on the wall as Michelle Yeoh saw the script for Everything Everywhere All at Once.
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"Ministry of the Future" By Kim Stanley Robinson
The Ministry for the Future by
This book is exactly why I read science fiction. Set in the modern to near future, it delves into the climate crisis and what might be needed to recover and save the planet. It is not an easy read, dragging at points, with different characters, viewpoints, and even writing styles. But, I found it incredibly rewarding and enjoyable. But, more importantly, it pushed me and my perspective on things. It made me even more burningly aware of the climate crisis around us and how we, as a people, and me as an individual, aren't doing enough.
Highly recommend!
What follows are excerpts I highlighted while reading the book. Some are interesting tidbits, some are philosophical, and some were moments I enjoyed in the book.
Chapter 20
But it’s important also to take this whole question back out of the realm of quantification, sometimes, to the realm of the human and the social. To ask what it all means, what it’s all for. To consider the axioms we are agreeing to live by. To acknowledge the reality of other people, and of the planet itself. To see other people’s faces. To walk outdoors and look around.
Chapter 28
The Hebrew tradition speaks of those hidden good people who keep the world from falling apart, the Tzadikim Nistarim, the hidden righteous ones. In some versions they are thirty-six in number, and thus are called the Lamed-Vav Tzadikim, the thirty-six righteous ones. Sometimes this belief is connected with the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, and God’s promise that if he could be shown even fifty good men in these cities (and then ten, and then one) he would spare them from destruction. Other accounts refer the idea to the Talmud and its frequent references to hidden anonymous good actors. The hidden quality of the nistarim is important; they are ordinary people, who emerge and act when needed to save their people, then sink back into anonymity as soon as their task is accomplished. When the stories emphasize that they are thirty-six in number, it is always included in the story that they have been scattered across the Earth by the Jewish diaspora, and have no idea who the others are. Indeed they usually don’t know that they themselves are one of the thirty-six, as they are always exemplars of humility, anavah. So if anyone were to proclaim himself to be one of the Lamed-Vav , this would be proof that actually he was not. The Lamed-Vav are generally too modest to believe they could be one of these special actors. And yet this doesn’t keep them from being effective when the moment comes. They live their lives like everyone else, and then, when the crucial moment comes, they act. If there are other secret actors influencing human history, as maybe there are, we don’t know about them. We very seldom get glimpses of them. If they exist. They may be just stories we tell ourselves, hoping that things might make sense, have an explanation, and so on. But no. Things don’t make sense like that. The stories of secret actors are the secret action.
Chapter 37
He would say we are all like quarks, which are the smallest elementary particles, he told us—smaller even than atoms, such that atoms are all made up of quarks held together by gluons. He made us laugh with these stories. And like quarks, everyone had a certain amount of strangeness, spin, and charm. You could rate everyone by these three constants
Chapter 40
The orienting principle that could guide all such thinking is often left out, but surely it should be included and made explicit: we should be doing everything needed to avoid a mass extinction event. This suggests a general operating principle similar to the Leopoldian land ethic, often summarized as “what’s good is what’s good for the land.” In our current situation, the phrase can be usefully reworded as “what’s good is what’s good for the biosphere.” In light of that principle, many efficiencies are quickly seen to be profoundly destructive, and many inefficiencies can now be understood as unintentionally salvational.
Chapter 54
Yes. You can short civilization if you want. Not a bad bet really. But no one to pay you if you win. Whereas if you go long on civilization, and civilization (therefore) survives, you win big. So the smart move is to go long.
Chapter 55
Strategy comes from below and tactics from above, not the reverse
Chapter 64
Rent goes to people who are not creators of value, but predators on the creation and exchange of value.
Chapter 69
This was the world’s current reigning religion, it had to be admitted: growth. It was a kind of existential assumption, as if civilization were a kind of cancer and them all therefore committed to growth as their particular deadly form of life. But this time, growth might be reconfiguring itself as the growth of some kind of safety. Call it involution, or sophistication; improvement; degrowth; growth of some kind of goodness. A sane response to danger— now understood as a very high-return investment strategy! Who knew?
Chapter 72
The Midwest has been treated like a continent-sized factory floor for assembling grocery store commodities, and anything that got in the way of that was designated a pest or vermin and killed off.
Chapter 74
He wrote that they had a saying in their cold little villages, to deal with the times when fishermen went out and never came back, or when children died. Hunger, disease, drowning, freezing, death by polar bear and so on; they had a lot of traumas. Nevertheless the Eskimaux were cheerful, the man wrote. Their storm god was called Nartsuk. So their saying was, You have to face up to Nartsuk. This meant staying cheerful despite all. No matter how bad things got, the Inuit felt it was inappropriate to be sad or express grief. They laughed at misfortunes, made jokes about things that went wrong. They were facing up to Nartsuk.
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