LA

One of the most visible differences of LA today versus LA in 2003 when I moved here: back then, every coffee shop had an employee that would've been the hottest girl in your high school. Now, every coffee shop has an employee that's trans.

Anyone Else Notice This?

A peculiar trait amongst liberals to act powerless when in fact they possess a great deal of power?

In the wake of the Roe ruling, we have Biden's speech, Kamala's lamentations, Nancy Pelosi reading a poem about the lousiness of our country, and AOC calling the decision illegitimate. Bear in mind, we are talking here about the President of the US, the VP, the Speaker, and a Senator with the largest bully pulpit of them all. In other words, four of the most powerful people in the country (and world) - none of who are particularly new at this. And all they need to do is the job they applied for: pass laws. 

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TV: Peaky Blinders S6 

So far, so good. Best writing on TV, I think.

Crazy Thought

Could overturning Roe force Dems to moderate to pass abortion legislation?

I doubt it, but one can hope...

Roe

Like most things, I don't see this as awful as the rest of my fellow liberals. Obviously abortion is not a constitutional right - so pass legislation, you know, like a democracy is supposed to...

Companies Will Pay For Abortions Now

It's what they would call a win-win. 

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Novel: The Butcher's Boy 

Up there with Higgins, Leonard, Winslow - not quite in the same category, but close. Great ending. But for some reason took me awhile to finish. I didn't devour it, yet still enjoyed...

TV: Peaky Blinders S6

Great so far. One of the best written shows on television. But I've watched only scattered seasons - 1, 4, and now 6. 

Great Article

Best article I've read in awhile. One of my old favorites (David Samuels) interviews one of my new favorites Edward Luttwak (I like how he's a new favorite but 79 years old). 

Scattered Thoughts on the Drag Queen for Kid Stuff

1) First real drag show I saw was in my 20s. I was semi-disturbed, so no, I wouldn't advocate for young kids.

2) That said, I did see a Rocky Horror production in college. I found it neither disturbing or entertaining. 

3) My prediction would be if you took the taboo element out of drag shows by making them more "mainstream" the shows themselves would be revealed as completely empty and devoid of dramatic or aesthetic content. The only thing that makes them remotely interesting is the fact they are taboo.

Check The Numbers

Anyone who needs to be convinced of the value of a fixed rate mortgage, only check what their monthly payment would be to buy their house again right now.

Flipside, however: housing prices are going to go down.

Follow the Money

Isn't the point of journalism to have someone figure out how much money big pharma contributes to transgender activism?

Children

I've yet to meet anyone in real life made worse by having children. For whatever that's worth.

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TV: Barry S3 E1

Although I like the show, I can't say that I really missed it. Nor does the return of it bring me great joy.

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Film: Con Air

Perhaps a measure of a good film is this: you start watching to recall the tone and look at the directorial choices and end up staying up way too late and watching the entire thing. 

Also, Dave Chapelle has a major role in this movie!

Sentient AI

Reading the interview with the so-called sentient AI, I found myself intrigued, but moved quickly to boredom -- it felt like listening to a reasonably smart undergraduate embellishing and lying to get into some program or job. Which seems to me reflective of the world view of the programmers.

Why wouldn't a sentient AI speak and write English like an immigrant from Taiwan or Shakespeare? It suggests to me they haven't developed any thoughts or language of their own, but rather are just mimicking their programmers.

Question

Of those 20% of new Yale students who identify as LGBT+, etc, I wonder what percent are also white? My prediction: a lot. 

More broadly, what percent of under 30-trans folks are white?

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TV: Tokyo Vice S1

It's not great, and maybe not even good, but I'm watching it. Decided to pivot away from watching critical darlings in favor of stuff that interests me for more personal reasons. In the case of Tokyo Vice -- the yakuza world and east meets west dynamics.

 

Brief Lesson From the Russia-Ukraine War

From a strategic perspective, the US must maintain 3 things: ability to produce enough food and energy to survive, and to deliver nukes. You see the value of this right now for Russia - they cannot be strangled economically because they have food and energy and no one will invade them and risk nuclear escalation. Note - China imports both food and energy - they cannot produce enough internally to feed or move their own population. This is a strategic disadvantage for them.

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Screenplay: Chinatown

A later draft. Re-read. Notes:

-Extra dialog in the opening scene that nails the "theme" on the head about needing to be rich to get away with murder. Removed from the film.

-Gittes overuses the business cards in the script - to get into Evelyn's house, etc. Only uses to get into reservoir in the film. Much better.

-Initially, Lou doesn't want to investigate Mulray's death b/c he holds him responsible for killing a cousin in the dam accident. It's a nice thought but undermines Lou's role later in the film, so again - film better.

-Someone getting over a summer cold (I think Lou), mortician has a cough. I wonder what this detail was about? I think this as there was a summer cold going around about a week or two ago in LA.

-Extra scene in The Prince (Evelyn and Jake's first lunch, The Prince is where it was shot) where a client's wife comes and confronts Jake. 

-Interesting extra scene with the pilot while flying to Catalina (I believe he took a boat in the film). They talk about Evelyn's backstory - running away to Mexico, etc. Of course, another good cut for the film.

-Plot wise - Gittes has his own motivation to solve the case, Evelyn has hired him to do so, and Cross has also hires to him to find the girl. Similar to Casablanca - this centers the story on our main character - everyone needs/wants him to do something different. It allows us to understand each character's POV through their desire. Screenwriting 101.

-Gittes investigates more after the hall of records scene - goes around to land parcels, etc. All cut from film. 

-The entire final scene was different - the cops show up late. Evelyn finds a gun on the ground, does not have her own. As shot, much more elegant. 

-General thought: the final 1/3 of the film is the strongest element and I wonder if its why Chinatown is regarded as such a classic. All the best scenes of the film come in the final 1/3. The Evelyn and Jake scenes setting up the my sister-my daughter scene are terrific, subtextual, rhythmic, and play exactly on screen as written. Jake and the cops also have a terrific dynamic toward the end - especially Jake's wisecracks.