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TV: Diddy Documentary E1

Better doc than I expected.

TV: Haunting of Hill House E2

Well done.

Free Money

These Trump accounts are dumb. $250-500 to every child. The dummies (most folks) will gamble it on bitcoin, sports cards, film school, or timeshares. The smart folks will put into target date funds or VTI and will make money, but they will have made money anyway and don't need it.

High Comedy

So in addition to Quentin Tarantino and Barak Obama, now Olivia Nuzzi releases her favorite paranoid thriller films from the 70s. Why not?

Thanksgiving Weekend in California

Two semi-local news stories: a shoot out at a kids birthday party in Stockton and a shootout at a Santa Clara mall. Both targeted, but horrific. Just a glimpse into Gavin Newsom's California. I simply don't see how anyone thinks this guy has done a good job as either mayor or governor. Does anything matter to Democrats other than "electability."

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Film: Caught Stealing 

A film right up my alley. Crime film set in 1998, centered around an ex-baseball player, made by an auteur filmmaker, terrific cast. And I enjoyed the film, but nevertheless felt like it missed the mark. How? Tone. Meant to be darkly humorous and none of the comedy worked. I didn't laugh even though I could tell the moments were supposed to be funny. I found it a bit odd for Aronofsky to be doing a sort of Guy Richie impersonation. I'm all in favor of filmmakers evolving their style and so I support the effort, but I can't really say it landed for me. Some nice shots but tbh, I'm not sure I could've identified it as an Aronofsky film without the credits. 

AI or Not?

I cannot tell if this press conference with Josh Shapiro passing a law about hair discrimination is AI or not. 

2022

Reading some random screenplays from 2022's blacklist for a student assignment and damn, what a gloomy mood people were in.

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TV: All Her Fault miniseries

By the end, this show becomes unintentional Trump propaganda. Because the majority of Americans would rather live in our actual 2025 world with Trump as Pres than the world this show imagines. Could've been a satire of middle aged female madness, but instead takes itself seriously. Beyond being bad on every dramatic level, the key thematic takeaway of the show is it is perfectly morally acceptable to steal babies, murder husbands, and participate in corruption to get your kid into fancy private schools . The "peaceful resolution" of the show - is two middle aged women sitting together drinking wine - having jettisoned their husbands in different manners. For all the decades of investments in female empowerment, this is the big beautiful worldview they can come up with? Drinking good wine and sitting together with a bestie. Shit, the Sicilian ladies in Godfather had it better than these women - at least they had more people to sit around with and a better view. 

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Film: Sirat

Three terrific elements here: faces of the cast, location filming, music. A few sequences - shots - that were incredible. But the movie? Disinterested in the characters or telling a story which makes it hard to enjoy. I mean people aren't avatars for ideas - especially not very interesting ones. 

TV: All Her Fault

Ridiculous, terrible, laughable, but somehow watchable. Even engaging. Should be studied why this shit sometimes works.

TV: The Chair Company

Makes me laugh.

Book: Adventures of Pinocchio the original book

One of the best children's books I've read. Dark, weird, full of wonderful lessons about life. 

Exactly

No, NYC is not a city of international law. It is America. 

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Film: Frankenstein

There is a sequence in the film when the monster picks up Paradise Lost to read and that's when I turned to my wife and said, "let's turn this off" and she agreed. 

--

Was this GDT's idea? Or Netflix's? Hey guys - I was thinking here we could do a sequence where the monster goes around helping on a farm and learns to become an English professor. Good?

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The two new and era defining genres of the last 10 years: Middle Aged Woman Wanders Around and Aktschually,  the Monster Is The Good Guy.

This Is Called Stalking

The quest by an unknown Hollywood actor to cancel an unknown Hollywood actress. 

I Find This To Be The Weirdest Thing In The World

Never ever once have I ever "wondered" about black people's hair, never ever felt the urge to "touch it," never ever to be honest, ever thought about it at all. It might be the least interesting topic of all topics in the entire universe. I'm being serious here. But I hear black women talk about this a lot - and here is Michelle Obama - who one would think might have other things to think about or do - lecturing whitey about how not to be worried about her hair. What the hell is going on here? What is she even talking about? She's straightening her hair because of white beauty standards? WTF? If that were so, just don't do it. I don't like Facebook. So I don't do it. I don't like pilates. So I don't do it. Seriously. How much power and money and worldwide acceptance does one need in order to cut and wear their own hair the way they want? My sense is that everyone on the planet save for young children pretty much get the choice on how to wear their hair. It barely costs a thing. And yet here we have Michelle Obama - pretty much the closest thing we could have to a queen on earth - complaining that she can't wear her hair the way she wants. If you think on this, it is seriously the most bonkers thing on the planet. And tells you something about people who ask you to think or believe or do something that helps validate them-- they'll never be happy.

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Film: Red Rooms

By no means do I recommend this film to the average viewer, but fans of serial killer stories and independent cinema - someone who might like a film like Holy Spider - for them, I'd call it a "must see." Or, Ryan Murphy fans should watch it to see how it can done in a more interesting manner.

That this film is more or less unknown suggests to me the death of indy cinema, murdered by wokeness. The film isn't easily categorized but it is "about" the depravity lurking for us within the internet. Which seems to me "relevant" and "timely" and "purposeful" all those buzzwords the wokie folks tell us are important. It initially presents itself as a courtroom thriller, but quickly jettisons the concept. On the surface, it is also about women who fall in love with criminals and killers, but that's not the most interesting question asked in the film.

The movie got reviewed and can be found on AMC+ via amazon prime. On Rotten Tomatoes, it is one of these films with 75+ critical reviews and only 250+ audience reviews - now there are entire categories of films whose central viewership are "critics". I don't mean critical darlings. I mean literal critics - if you add up these numbers we are talking about 30% of the people who've actually seen (and I suppose rated) the film are critics. That's just weird. 

All that said, it was "refreshing" to feel like I "found" a film - a recent movie that was fascinating and totally flew under the radar. 

Gavin Newsom's Legacy

UCSD students can't do basic grade 1-grade 8 math. This is UCSD, one of the more prestigious UC colleges - oddly, known for their science programs. This isn't some right wing conspiracists calling this out, this is coming from the faculty who observe through the classroom, the kids can't do basic shit. Why has this happened? They will say learning loss from the pandemic. Okaaaayyy... Maybe if the AP scores went down a bit, or the kids couldn't do calculus like they used to. No...this is remedial stuff. Stuff my elementary school kids could actually do. And we have freshman college students unable to pass these basic tests. 

Why has this happened? We all know why. The entire CA educational establishment spent the last decade working on "equity" issues, DEI, and putting up land acknowledgements while lowering any and all standards to laughably low levels. And to cover it all up, they make it illegal to NOT participate in the DEI of it all. So they insist on letting in total incompetents into college. The total incompetents they refused to teach for 12 years or hold to any standard. 

So why will we get socialism in NYC and rent control in our cities? Because people cannot do math. 

Damn

That's what I call heroic. 

Streaming

I wonder if one of the fallouts of the streaming system will be people start watching more streaming movies vs TV shows? Like the ratio shifts...

Japan-China-Taiwan

While China - I suppose - has a claim on why they should "control" Taiwan, it being in their sphere of interest...Japan could make a similar, counter-claim. And note, both have. If you go to Taiwan, it was ruled by Japan from something like the 1860s-1945. A lot Japanese buildings and structures everywhere. 

We Are So Cooked

Paramount making 15 movies year, all of which sound lame. 

Childcare

Mandami apparently wants to make more childcare free in NYC. I love this. His constituency of broke, downwardly mobile, childless young folks who voted for him will now be paying for their fellow citizens childcare now. Hilarious. 

Attack the Central Nervous System

I actually quite agree with this idea: the Republicans should get rid of the charitable tax deduction. It's a no lose for them. If Dems "complain" about hurting the non-profits they can retort: we're not stopping you from contributing to non-profits - just contribute your post-tax money all you want. But of course, the Republican churches might complain. I'd still say the same thing...

The 50 Year Mortgage

I agree it's a dumb idea but it is an idea. We got people around here voting for rent control, an even worse idea... If someone supports rent control, I imagine they would also support the 50 year mortgage because it would get more folks into ownership positions in homes. 

Seems Not Good

On the impact of Somali clans on the Minneapolis mayoral election. 

Genocide

The different between the holocaust and the Palestinian "genocide" is the Jews in the holocaust didn't strategically trigger the holocaust to shame the Germans in the eyes of the rest of the world.

Also, the Palestinians modeled their resistance on the FLN in Algeria. The Algerians wanted to collapse the French colonial state by triggering a nasty response by the French such that the French couldn't live with themselves. I view this as a tragic strategic miscalculation by the Palestinians. See the difference between the French and the Israelis - the Israelis have no home country to go back to. So they picked a fight with the only group with more at stake than them. And this group happens to be richer, better organized, and more moral. So that explains why the Palestinians keep losing.

Middle Age

When buying things, I now think about how to dispose of them. Where will they go? Too easy to buy shit and pile up junk. Then you need to buy the space to store it. We should all think about these things more. I told my wife when we bought a Peloton it would become an expensive clothes hanger.  It's not even that, just something in the way now. 

Healthcare and Housing as a Right

When people say this all they mean is they want someone else to pay for theirs.

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Film: Ballad of a Small Player 

In the same way Liberals will never criticize to the Left and MAGA will never attack to the Right, I will never insult a gambling film where I like the lead actor. 

PS - the move to go by Lord Doyle alone worth 5 stars on letterboxd for me.

Halloween

At what point in life should one no longer wear a costume? Surely the answer cannot be never. I ask this as I see adult everywhere dressing up. I cannot imagine folks in nursing homes do this. So when?

Compelled Speech

This is called compelled speech and is illegal. 

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Book: Dog Soldiers

Quite an exciting and good read. Conjures up 70s vibes of strangely competent individuals lost in a hellscape of moral degeneracy, corruption of authority, and violence. Also, been awhile since I read a what I'd call a drug book - where not only the characters use, but its quite clear the author used as well. Can't say that about many things you see mainstreamed these days. I don't know if my reading comprehension went down, but sometimes I got lost when certain characters were discussed or referenced in the story. It felt like the writer assumed I knew who these people were, but I didn't. I sometimes get this same sensation reading George Higgins books. Not sure what that's about.

Rent Control

Leftists going for rent control all over the place. Why don't we call this what it is: welfare. These are for the most part able bodied people who want to live in awesome areas but can't afford it. They want welfare from landlords instead of earning more money or moving to a more affordable place or cutting back on luxuries.

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Film: House of Dynamite 

Or is it better understood as a movie-of-the-week with high production value?

I loved the opening 5 minutes but did not at all like where the movie went structurally or thematically. My thematic takeaway from the film was that people in really important positions of power will get distracted by small family matters when they should be focused on their task.

Retard Proofing

New Yorkers how will you be retard proofing your life?

Ballgame

For awhile I've been feeling this World Series is a metaphor for something. Now I realize it is death.

Just Throw Them Out

Students demanding for a professor to be fired because he is Jewish and served in the Israeli military in the 1980s.  Violates every standard of any functioning instution.

Obama

Obama out here doing ads in favor of Prop 50. I'm old enough to remember when we went through this whole redistricting fiasco and "solved" the issue with an independent commission. Now, not enough for CA Democrats to control the entire state, they need to rig more votes to seize back control of Congress. Nice work, supposedly the party of "democracy."

Last time Obama stuck his nose in CA politics we got Karen Bass instead of Caruso and our city burned. And rebuilding remains a distant pipe dream. The homeless issue is as bad as ever.

So again, Obama will probably help swing 50. And again, California will descend into the blue abyss.

"Open Air Prison"

A reminder the reason the Palestinian territories are a so-called "open air prison" is because they launched the 2nd infitada, a wave of suicide bombing attacks on Israel and Israel did what they needed to do to stop it. Also, a reminder the far Left at the time said "There's nothing you can do to stop suicide attackers," and yet, Israel basically did. The same way they said "You can't defeat Hamas" because Hamas is an idea. And yet, Israel did. What the Left should really say is simply: we root for Hamas and hope they will defeat Israel. Just be more honest.

New York

8 million plus, you can't find a Republican who can beat Mandami. In New York fricking City. What a joke.

You make your bed, I guess.

I don't get this whole Republican movement to "run away" from cities and industries. Are these people the biggest pussies on the planet? What do I expect of them? To compete. To win. To fight.

Chunky AOC

Some pics on internet have AOC looking a little chunky...she's misspeaking a lot last night. That's a sign of preggo brain. You heard it here first. No punishment if I'm wrong.

Hamas Slaughter

The only interesting thing about a Palestinian on Palestinian bloodbath will be how the global left finds a way to blame Israel. 

Trans Stuff

Seems to be fading away amongst the youth. Soon it will feel like a Hootie and the Blowfish tattoo, only tougher to remove. I predict a great number of once trans people who will hold fury in their heart toward their parents and school counselors and therapists who lead them down the primrose path. What is the job of an adult but to look out for the long term interests of children who are not yet capable of doing it for themselves?

Israel

How come people who hate Israel always end up in alliance with the most heinous, cartoonish villains on the planet. Doesn't it ever give them pause? If they had half-a-brain they'd see how it undermines their argument. Or perhaps it is the argument itself that attracts the cartoonishly evil...

Ceasefire Now

Now that Trump got the ceasefire, why aren't the "ceasefire now" folks celebrating? Hint: they too are busy prepping shrines and buying up masks and posters for the next October 7th...

Good Lord

Why don't we just flush the state down the toilet if we vote this Katie Porter in. I didn't think our CA politicians could be worse than Newsom or Harris or Gascon or Bass. We can. Here she is.

And all this makes 100% sense...abusive toward her husband, divorced, had a restraining order against her. She seems like an evil mom from school who everyone avoids like the plague. I wouldn't invite her to a party, much less vote for her.

Neo Confederates

I never bought any of the civil war talk but I now witness Democratic politicians routinely arguing to not obey the law. The basic concept of a sanctuary city is an excuse not to obey immigration law. Why they do this, I have absolutely no clue whatsoever. Who dreams of a borderless, lawless world? Psychopaths.

My question now - since cities feel entitled to not follow Federal law, will they also not follow state law? Newsom wants to pass this housing bill and LA / Karen Bass is against it. If he signs it, will she obey it? Why? Why not? How is it any different than the immigration law and enforcement?

Amurrica 

Americans spend a lot of time practicing criticism and comparatively little time working out the problems of building something.

Boomers - A Final Act

Interesting observations of boomer protestors raging at the dying of the light. 

Methinks it possible for the boomers to have a noble last gasp, some sort of massive effort towards returning America to the type of place they grew up.

Good Question

Why do progressives, who supposedly believe in progress, end up recycling old, failed ideas. 

Yes

"I don’t think we fully appreciate the extent to which the generative AI conversation is driven by literal autists in tech who don’t relate to creative works the same way normal people do"

It does feel like the best model of this new world is that we're all being forced into a giant D&D game. Personally, I preferred the world ruled by jocks although I see why it didn't work for a lot of people. Problem is, the techies and other weirdos who don't see how bad this D&D game is for normies. In fact, they really can't. 

Best evidence of my claim: people having less sex. 

Fascinating

I guess this is what they mean globalize the infitada. 

On the cusp of either ceasefire in Gaza or total destruction, numerous Islamicist organizations attack across Europe and Turkey. Not a coincidence these things.

Who The Hell Is This Woman!

Wow is all I can say.

Radio Silence

The best offer for ceasefire in Gaza since October 7th, arranged by Trump with support from all the major Arab players in the region. Where is the "ceasefire now" crowd? Radio silent. These are the same groups who were organized enough on October 8th to put out Hamas shrines. Now they are actually close to getting what they "claim" they want and silence.

It tells you everything. They don't want a ceasefire at all. They want what Hamas wants. Murder, mayhem, and death. 

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TV: The Paper E1 and 2

Pilot bad, second episode better.

TV: Chad Powers Pilot

A few okay bits and some good casting torpedoed by one really bad choice -- an unwatchable manic pixie gay friend. 

Fat Generals

I'm fine with Hegseth promoting fitness but does it apply to the commander in chief? 

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Script: The Apartment

Speaking of masterpieces, this is one. Irony upon irony upon irony. And the entire second half of the film takes place in - you guessed it - The Apartment.

But what makes it masterful is how the drama captures how life and love works. 

With One Battle, yes there is a theme nicely articulated in this review. But let's be fair, this is PTA telling the audience something whereas Wilder is revealing the audience something. There's a difference.

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Film: One Battle After Another

A PTA action film lauded by critics and letterboxd viewers as a masterpiece? A movie night out with the boys where PTA and Leo and Chase Infiniti show up to the theater to introduce the film? This should be just about as good as it gets for me at this point in life. And it was a great evening and an enjoyable film.

But a masterpiece? That is the question isn't it? Or, that's the question we are being forced to contemplate in THE DISCOURSE. I would argue too soon to tell and I'll need to watch it at least 1-2 more times to process. But...here are some thoughts-

1) My personal favorite parts of the film are the emotional dad out of place in this new world stuff both from Sean Penn and Leo. But is this masterful? I feel like every B and C level dad action film contains similar jokes and social commentary. Is it elevated here because of the intensity of Leo and Penn's performances? I suppose. Does it have more prestige power? For sure. Is it particularly innovative or insightful? Not really. But I still really like it.

2) The camera work and scene work is alive and playful and the film itself propulsive. It didn't drag. I was pulled along the entire time. For that, the film should be lauded. I have no hesitation about wanting to go back to watch the movie a second time in the theater. Maybe that's an indication of a masterful work...probably the best indication, actually. 

3) The plot and social commentary. Here's where I differ most from the consensus. While I see how people feel argue the film is very "of the moment," I think the movie has nothing to do with how it feels to be alive right here and right now. And perhaps this is my biggest gripe with the film. For all the contemporary themes and superficial relevance, this feels like a hallucination of a world that doesn't even remotely exist. In other words, I don't buy it. A white power secret organization? A black nunnery? A weather underground type of terrorist network? As compared to say, Eddington, these storytelling elements feel caught between a Roger Moore James Bond film and There Will Be Blood.

4) The Comedy. Yes, the theater laughed. People keep saying the film is funny. I laughed at moments. But let me be honest here - the laughs felt a bit like being at a party where other folks are high and finding something HILARIOUS and you're laughing, but not from deep within the soul. The bits don't seem to me funny on the page. They aren't written jokes, but rather played jokes. They depend on the performances so much. On some level, credit must be given to PTA to get that humor out of the serious actors but again...we come back to the masterpiece question. A masterpiece would have better writing. There, I said it.

5) The Car Chases. Some of the best and most innovative I've ever seen and one of the main reasons I would like to watch the film again.

Assassination

I do not support assassination, except in the case of AI actresses. 

Illiteracy is a Policy Choice

And Californians support it and vote for it.  Despicable. This is the legacy of Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris, Eric Garcetti, Karen Bass, and all the other CA politicians of their generation. 

Violence

Right wing vs left wing violence right now, today strike me as differing in character. My impression of shootings and attacks coming from the "right wing" are committed largely by lunatics with no coherent worldview, and are externally coded as "right wing" by the media and the Left. To give an example, the guy who shot up an Asian massage parlor. He was motivated by sexual rage and racism, which in and of themselves are not what I'd call political motivations. The guy who attacked Nancy Pelosi's husband seemed to me primarily delusional and conspiratorial. You can argue he had "political" motivations, but them seem to me dwarfed by his madness.

But left wing violence strikes me as primarily and explicitly political. Meaning there there are coherent political goals being organized through the violence. And these political goals actually have different kinds of support throughout what we would call The Left. Many lefties overly support Luigism, they wish cast "taking out Trump," and support attacking ICE. Most sane lefties will not overtly support certain tactics - like shooting up tv stations and ICE facilities, but they basically support the broader idea of opposing fascism by any means necessary. They stop short of supporting the violence against Kirk, but many of them feel he "brought it upon himself."

Now consider how the Right responds or would respond to the Asian massage parlor shooting or the Paul Pelosi attack. No where on the Right will have anyone saying anything about how the Asian masseuses "brought it upon themselves" or that the Paul Pelosi attacker "had a point." Not even close. In fact, the right sees these people for what they are: nuts. The Left sees their assassins/attackers as "going overboard" but "not totally wrong."

So yeah, there is a difference in character here and one needs to be very blind not to see it.

Liberal World Order

Another day, another leftist political murder. At this rate, it's about once a week now. 

Apparently, the guy attempted to shoot up an ICE facility, mistakenly killed two illegal immigrants and then shot himself. I cannot imagine a better metaphor for what leftism looks like to most Americans these days. Incompetence, unintended consequences, and suicide. And you wonder why we have Trump. 

There Is A Solution 

To all the madness of the world: playing baseball in the early evening. 

Paul Kingsnorth

Is worth listening to. 

So many nuggets of wisdom...one of which is that our "culture" is already dead and we shouldn't be pretending it isn't anymore. 

Assassination

Some guy was just convicted of an attempted assassination of President Trump yet somehow we treat Jimmy Kimmel being off the air for 3 days as bigger news...

Liberals

Do any liberals find it concerning that left wingers are shooting up TV stations, killing conservative activists, targeting Republican and Democrat officials, and tried two times to kill Trump?

Do they intend to do anything about it or just push the both sides narrative?

Percentages

What percentage of those outraged by the Kimmel suspension actually watch the show? My guess: 15%. Which tells you what product they are most interested in: the outrage experience.

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TV: Slow Horses S2 E1 

This is a good show. 

Palestine

All these countries are now recognizing Palestine as a state. Notable exceptions being the people it actually impacts - both the Israelis and the Palestinians. Only a small detail. 

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Film: Highest 2 Lowest

Turned off after 25 minute, I couldn't bear to see Spike, Denzel, or Kurosawa be treated this way. I need to forgot this ever happened. 

TV Show: The Studio E1 and 2

This strikes me as a show for people who like the Nicole Kidman ad before AMC films.

There are more cameos in 2 episodes of this than all of Entourage. How much did they spend on this thing?

This show portrays Hollywood as hell. But...not yet clear to me whether the show is aware of it or not.

Marty Scorcese cries at the end of the episode 2. It should be know this is the man who stayed up all night plotting the murder of a studio executive who wanted to change the ending of Taxi Driver only talked out of it by some more level headed filmmakers (these are rumors). I doubt he would cry.

TV Show: Seinfeld S9

Generally considered a "bad" season considering the finale. Clearly running on fumes with respect to ideas and overacting and self-awareness plague the main cast and yet...many of these episodes are absolute bangers. Reverse Peephole and The Cartoon are great little episodes. 

Tik Tok

"Trump also said this week that the United States government would receive a “tremendous fee” for putting the deal together."

Seems to me our country is becoming more like a corporation. Kimmel went afoul of HR. We take a cut of Intel and Tik Tok to pass along to our shareholders (citizens).

Not a good trend. 

Draw The Line

Libs now saying "we draw the line" at government censorship. Were they vocal about Biden admin demanding Facebook take down information about vaccine side effects? Were they equally upset about Obama weighing in on Roseanne Barr's cancellation? Or the use of progressives use "soft power" within institutions to censor? 

Do I like what Trump admin did? No. Do I think what Kimmel said was that bad? Not really. But let's face reality here - we're in a culture war that the liberals dialed up to 11. Conservatives are gonna punch back using the leverage they can where they can. They found something here. Is this a chilling moment about free speech? I don't see it as some sort of different boundary that's been crossed. Does anyone? Really? Yes, I want a detente. But what does that mean for Kimmel in reality? Back on the air for 2-3 more years? Then a podcast. Is our body politic much different either way? No.

A Compromise

Kimmel brings on Roseanne as his co-host.

Part of Me Wonders...

If ABC jumped the gun on Kimmel to anger him and get him to quit in protest so they could cancel the show and pin the blame on Trump. 

The Leave Us Alone Crowd

From the left wing perspective, how should the "leave us alone" crowd fight back against left-wing totalitarianism / wokeness / cancel culture, etc. I'd like to know. Because it seems like every effort has been deemed racist or fascist. 

Free Speech

Everyone seems to be worried about free speech with the Kimmel situation. But let me tell an example and see what you think...

I sometimes read a Reddit thread called r/Burbank for local information. A few weeks ago, an anti-ICE thread began popping up in the Burbank thread because of video of raid ICE supposedly did on a local business here in Burbank. This thread had 100s of entries all of which were strongly against ICE and some of which were threatening harm against ICE. 

The only problem - Burbank PD and the local newspaper already reported the video was NOT of ICE, but rather LA Sheriff's doing some type of drug bust. 

So I posted the article to the ICE thread and said this was violating the terms of the discussion board on two levels: spreading misinformation and promoting violence (against ICE).

What was the moderators response?

They booted me off the anti-ICE thread because of a different rule: no voices allowed in support of ICE.

Consider this. I wasn't even commenting on ICE, nor did I want anything to do with the ICE thread. It only came to me because I was on the r/Burbank thread. So I wanted the correct information to be out there. But instead, they opted to violate their own stated rules: pushing disinformation and promoting violence. 

Now you tell me...is this the free speech we want? Because this is what free speech mostly feels like in left-coded spaces. 

Podcasts

This is one of the best episodes of anything I've listened to in a long time about a subject I wasn't curious about at all.

And man, how did Ezra Klein become one of the voices of "my" generation? He's insufferable. He makes Ben Shapiro seems like a good hang. Someone recently wrote Yglesias and Klein were LLM voice before LLMs and think they are onto something. Aggressively neutered men.

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Script: Ladybird

Why does Greta Gerwig's perspective work for me, but Lena Dunham's does not?

For The Record

I've never seen the terms "demon" and "demonic" thrown around so much in the public discourse. For the record, no, I do not believe the Left are possessed by demons. And no, I don't like the direction of the discourse. But do I think the woke are a huge, major problem that fantasize about murdering their opponents and wishcast it into existence? Yes I do. Do I think exorcisms would help. No, I do not.

But if our options for "fitting into" somewhere in American society are reduced to hardcore Christianity and some version of Wokism, I feel that the Woke people are really, really, really not going to like the outcome. 

The Genocide Crowd

Find me someone who supports Israel's actions against Iran and Hezbollah but thinks the war in Gaza has gone too far. You can't. This is why I find the genocide argument hard to buy. It's inseparable from an Israel-shouldn't-exist argument. So what do I call what Israel is doing? War. An evil, ugly, war. This is what I understand war to be. And why it should be avoided, if possible. In any real war, both sides commit crimes by the standards of peacetime. This war started with a crime! My biggest critique of Israel is not having a faster path/strategy to victory against such an inferior opponent. And yes, the human toil is terrible and horrible. But I think inevitable so long as Hamas remains in power and Israel remains a country. So either, Israel can dismantle itself as Jewish state. Or, Hamas can surrender all weapons and political authority. I see the latter as more plausible. Until then...both sides have chosen their path. I'm not so sure it matters what the rest of us do. I suppose the powers that be can force both sides into a corner only to rehash this same play over in 5-10 more years. Is this what the "stop the genocide" crowd wants? Would kicking the can down the road work? 

So Weird

I just came across a youtube channel where a pretty girl watches old movies and comments on the movie while watching. Is this where we are? 

No Prominent Left-Wingers Calling For Violence

Yet knowing fascists are evil and there are groups like antifa whose entire purpose is to violently attack fascists, here is Kamala Harris calling Donald Trump a fascist.

Lord of the Flies

Yikes - what's happening in Nepal. 

Honestly, I'm surprised the kids in Western nations haven't attempted to seize the pension and retirement assets held by boomers yet. They're too distract by systemic racism and transphobia and other meaningless topics.

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TV: Alien Earth thru E6

These futuristic lab facilities for housing alien monsters seem less secure than a Wuhan lab. 

Book: The Quiet American by Graham Greene

Getting more interesting around page 150. Some great insights into what you might call middled aged love and fears of being alone. 

Book: Tales of A Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

Times have a changed...a few examples...

In this book a 2 year old falls on his face and loses his teeth and no one seems to think it's much of a big deal, including the 2 year old.

The same kid has a birthday party and the parents just leave their other 2 year olds at the party and come back 1.5 hours later. 

A fourth grader does a 20 page report for class with two classmates about fixing the New York City transportation system. I can barely get college students to write a 7 page paper now about movie adaptations.

TV: Beavis and Butthead Pilot

My kids loved it, but I had to turn it off for content purposes. Did not want to explain masturbation.

Film: Puss and Boots The Last Wish

Good for teaching screenwriting, what can I say

Script: The Fugitive, early draft

In it, Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) turns out to be the "bad guy" who wanted revenge against Kimble because he let his wife die in a triage situation. Yeah, ridiculo. Interesting, however, what they knew about the story at this early stage and on some level how bad the script was...yet...it had many elements that remained in the final movie. A great study of how a bad script can be quite close to a great script. 

This Is A Good Conspiracy

Were TMZ staffers cheering Charlie Kirk's death or cheering because of a car chase at the exact same moment?

I Disagree

Mainstream media are reacting to the Kirk killing with the appropriate sobriety. But the Left side of the aisle are still willfully blind to what's happening here. They want to make this an issue of political violence on "both sides" is rising. That is wrong. Straight up. Or even if partially right, it obscures the issue. The issue is political violence on the left has become normalized, supported, and tolerated ever since 2016. The immediate left-wing reaction to Trump's election from the get-go became fantasizing for his murder. No one can deny this. I guarantee every single left winger around the entire country has been in a social situation where someone made a joke about killing Trump. Anyone who says something differently is misremembering or lying. The casual use of terms like "fascist" and "genocide" and "racist" to describe any political opponents is deliberately laying groundwork for violence to be committed against your political opponents. This is the problem. 

Political Murder

There's a chance right at this moment, with the glimpse into the abyss, to move back from it. 15% of the far left crazy liberals won't do it. I can only imagine the thoughts being expressed on Blusky and Reddit right now. But the so-called "rest of them," and the normies who were silent every time they heard their peers quietly make pro-Luigi or "if only the Trump shooter hadn't missed..." comments can indeed, if they want to, stop participating in the madness and put the loonies back into place and force their politicians to do the same.

This Is Actually Correct

A democrat calls boob jobs and filler "gender affirming care." 

Gender treatment and boob jobs DO fall into the same category - but it's called cosmetic surgery. It is not medical care. It's making someone look the way they want to look. 

Now personally, I find this to be a waste of money most of the time but if people want to do it, we live in a free country. And I think it can even be good for some people when used in moderation. The problem with the so-called "gender affirming care" is putting it into the category of medically necessary treatment. Boob jobs are not what we would call medically necessary treatment. The question is about whether medical insurance (government and private) should be paying for these things. I think the answer is quite obviously NO, especially if we care anything at all about the cost of medicine. 

Said Better Than Me

"If you are even 1% happy someone has been shot because you disagree with their opinions, you are the problem."

Right Winger

Charlie Kirk has died. 31 years old. I didn't listen to the guy much, but as I understand it, his schtick was to go to colleges and debate left wingers. Real horrible stuff. Now watch the left wingers push the blame onto him and Trump for "hate speech." Hate speech on the left is anything they disagree with. These people are fucked up and deserve nothing but misery.

Right Wing Violence vs. Left Wing Violence

When is the last act of violence committed by a right winger that received any tacit endorsement or celebration by the mainstream right wing? 

Whereas-

Trump attempted assassination

Luigi 

And now Charlie Kirk

All receive tacit, quiet cheerleading on the Left. Fuck them.

Ben and Jerry

Angry at parent company for not supporting their political attitudes. 

If you want freedom to express political opinion through business, you can't sell out. Sorry. No sympathy.

Sometimes

When I read quotes or selection on the internet, I sometimes don't know anymore whether they are earnest or mocking. 

Sounds Like The Next Thing Trump Should Solve

No one can find the tv ratings of the WNBA since Caitlin Clark injury.

A Conflict

Too many people in China accept being slaves, but too many people in America think they are kings. 

But Bandara Is Not in Control of Ukraine

This analogy falls completely apart when you realize a far right wing lunatic is not the power in Ukraine. 

If Ukraine was indeed governed by a group "worse" than Russia in no way would we support them.

'Mickey (James Gandolfini) May Do Time' Scene | Killing Them Softly

Gandolfini

No one breathes like Gandolfini.

Ned Beatty's NETWORK speech-by Paddy Chayefsky

Was He Right?

Maybe, maybe not. At least consider there is a still a thing as the USA whereas IBM, AT&T, Dupont, Exxon, etc, no longer hold quite as much sway...

Stones

These kids have more stones than Malcolm Gladwell, one of the premier public intellectuals in America. Think about that. 

Bad Idea

Surgeon commits insurance fraud to get his legs cut off. "

Hopper had suffered from body dysphoria since childhood and saw his feet as an “unwelcome extra” and a “persisting never-ending discomfort,” said defense attorney Andrew Langdon.

No words.  

Troll Level: Big Boss

Trump DOJ considers ban of transgenders from owning guns. 

You see the trap he's laid? Is he going to get Democrats to support gun rights? By their own logic, they should support the ban and hope to extend it, but in so supporting, tacitly acknowledging that trans people are mentally unwell. 

Big Boss level.

And You Wonder Why They Don't Thrive

Houthi children vow to drink American blood. 

I think our elementary school kids could take 'em, but most Americans (not me) would not boast or talk about this.

What We're Up Against
 

Logging

TV: Alien: Earth e1+2 

The majority of TV shows the critics laud, I find bleh...I explain why to interested parties...thrillers don't work as good in TV, the ideas are derivative from the movies, acting caliber lower...and then the argument changes to - but you gotta admit, it's good for the TV show. I guess...but isn't that a bit of a bait and switch? I thought it was supposed to be good for an addition to the Alien franchise. Now it just needs to be good "for a tv show?" With a budget far far beyond most tv shows. Married with Children is good for a "tv show." It's made on one set. This seems to have the budget of Avatar. I dunno. I don't think it is good compared to similar scale and budgeted productions. Also, not particularly original. Even the casting seems to remix face-types from the first Alien. But you can't get faces like Yaphet Kotto and Harry Dean Stanton anymore. Too much lotion and shit. Also, why did the Alien slaughter hundreds of people and then just decide to kidnap one of the main characters at the end of episode 2? I'm confused by some stuff. 

Logging

Documentary: The Truth About Jussie Smollett 

The real subject of the documentaries should be the middle aged white ladies who want to revisit the case and believe they've unlocked some huge conspiracy. They are the most fascinating characters in this saga.

Logging

Book: The Sympathizer

One of those books I forced myself to finish and probably cost me reading two other, better books instead. The humor and voice of the author were fine for awhile, the story I did not find particularly meaningful. Like a decent party that goes on for too long. Why shouldn't a novel be 100 pages long? Who established they must be 200 or more and then any important, award-worthy novel must be 300+? When did this come into being?

Elon Is Not An Engineer

Would be like saying James Cameron is not a screenwriter.

The Books...

...also became less pleasurable. 

Trans Rights

Anyone else get the sneaky suspicion something else going on here. 

Logging

Film: The Naked Gun 2025 Reboot

Really enjoyed the first half. But in the second half of the film it cared too much about the plot. You sense the shift when they introduce one really bizarre little sequence that bore no relation to the rest of the film to split it in two. Puzzling. 

Film: Americana

It was a Paul Walker Hauser weekend! I enjoyed this one, landed a real emotional punch in the end that snuck up on me.

Film: A Working Man

I expected better from Ayers...not sure what happened with this movie/idea. Basically, the movie is just Taken but with a bunch of another, not-entirely-related criminal storylines going on in parallel. Really quite odd if you look very closely.

Book: The Golden Compass

Just getting started, but so far one my favorite reading-with-child books...

Infitada

Wouldn't the "anti-genocide" argument be strengthened by not wearing the Hamas outfits? 

Asking for a friend.

The Worst Things

Trump is doing are flying under the radar. 

Yes, the dumbification of the masses is one of the great problems of our day.

Amurrica

We're gonna make a TV show about the Altadena rebuild before we actually do the rebuild of the city.

Our country is so dumb and useless sometimes. Just let China rule the world already.

Complaining About Ukraine Getting Money

The fatass boomers like Bannon complaining about Ukraine getting pensions and Americans not...the one big difference - they're fighting a war, and their fight benefits us.

Sorry Bannon, they didn't weasel into investing in Seinfeld reruns and get fuck you money to do podcasts. 

Immigration

Why don't Democrats just go all-in on legal immigration reform? Make it easier to come to the US legally. Seriously, why don't we just target certain needs like - childcare, or engineers, or farmworkers, or knowledge workers, or restaurateurs, or hot chicks, or whatever the fuck you want?

It's telling they don't. Because a major cohort of the party likes dysfunction and disorder for strange psychological reasons. 

"Fascism"

The best argument against what liberals call fascists would simply be making their cities functional, fun, and livable. Which doesn't seem like such a tall order. Like bus stops that aren't homeless shelters, public parks where families can go and hang out safely, and commercial areas that people can shop and people watch. 

For All The Europeans

Who think Trump is "betraying" Ukraine to Putin, I would like to hear their strategy for the war. Do they plan to win it? How? Do they plan to cheerlead until the last Ukrainian male is dead? Do they expect America to join the war and fight on Ukraine's behalf? Have they weighed the probabilities of these things happening and working? I really don't understand their position at all.

And for the same types - what is their hope for Israel-Palestine? Do they want the US to pressure Israel to stop the war? Keep Hamas in power? Charge Bibi with crimes and put him in jail? And then what? Establish a Palestinian state? What to do with the Israeli state? Does that get to remain? Or become dissolved? Put all Israeli military, etc into jail? What is the plan here? Trials? Do we think the Israelis will go for this? Who will bring this justice? The Europeans? Do they want to sanction Israel until they are broke? Has this plan worked against Russia? I find all their positioning on the world very confusing and naive.

It seems to me, should Hamas stay in power we will see the exact same Oct 7->post Oct 7th dynamic continue to play out. I should think this would be undesirable, hence step 1 - get rid of Hamas. 

If This Is Gen X...

...then I identify as Gen X. 

Logging

Film: Cloud

Many fascinating ideas...should've just been about success and envy, but then got lost in shenanigans and plot holes. Needed another screenplay pass, it felt like. 

Film: Barbarian

Missed this one first time round. Once I got past fundamentally dumb decisions by characters (horror genre suspension of disbelief), I settled in to enjoy it. Not to be taken too seriously but spoiler alert - how and where did they shit living that far underground? 

Guy Who Threw A Sandwich

So I guess he lost his job and will be charged with a felony, but his real shame and humiliation is being caught on video throwing the sandwich and then running away on video. Coward. 

Inheritance Tax

Anyone who believes in inheritance tax or equity in any fashion should first renounce their own inheritance (the one they stand to receive, not one they plan to give). If they remain uncommitted, you know what they propose is just theft.

Bad Books

The thing about bad books - they take so long to read, they really prevent you from reading the good ones.

We Have A Problem

Yahya has become a popular boy name in the UK over the past year. 

"The West" under attack from all sides and I still think we gonna win.

Interesting Take

Look at cities these days. Libertarians were wrong, church ladies were right.

War on drugs is over. Drugs won.

Mistakes

I'd rather China was making these mistakes during the real deal rather than learning from them as they prepare. 

Here's The Proper Response

Fuck off. Go write your own musical and produce your own play and you get to choose the cast.

 

Tons of Problems With Trump

There are tons of problems with Trump, none of which electing Democrats will help solve unfortunately. 

The Horror

Zuckerberg's home school violated Palo Alto city code. Oh no, kids were learning math!

Yep

"The pathetic thing about modern socialists (that you can’t unsee once you see it) is that what they clearly think should happen is that companies should compete under capitalism, so that the socialists can figure out which ones are going to be successful and which ones aren’t, and then the idea is that socialists should get to take over the successful ones, now that all the initial risk is in the rearview mirror."

Socialists and movie critics, cut from the same cloth.

Logging

Film: Spaceballs

Please don't tell my kids or their friends, but I don't actually find this movie very funny. I'll take The Naked Gun any day.

Serenity Now, Insanity Later

ChatGPT earily similar to modern therapy. 

I'd take a homeboy, buddy, friend, even dad-pal over a random therapist any day (exceptions apply to great therapists).

The Only Relevant Question

Is whether the next President will be Vance or Rubio. If the Republicans play their cards right, it will be both for 16 more years. 

Here Rubio points out how France and Macron just enabled Hamas to keep their dumb resistance going.

The pro-Palestinian movement in the West is the only remaining card Hamas has left to play. Their Persian and Arab sponsors have dried up. They are done for, only propped up by the long shot hope that Western pressure on Israel will keep them alive to murder Jews another day and terrorize their own population into submission.

Logging

Film: The World's End

This film basically predicts Brexit. It's about 5 British dudes from a small British town who discover things are a changing in their town (and country). Robot aliens have replaced the vast majority of the people not because of some nefarious agenda, but rather so that humans can become "better" and join the rest of the galaxy in being nice and gentle and happy. It's basically a rejection of the EU-ification of the UK.

Also, you know the film was made before 2016/2017 because they just have 5 white dudes as friends. Made a few years later and you'd have mandatory diversity. 

I Agree With All These Things

And the folks behind Let Grow. 

More freedom for kids.

Logging

Film: Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Texted a friend this:

Poor Cameron's dad. Guy has to deal with a hypochondriac son with depression, probably a wife with similar condition for the past 17 years. He has one peaceful outlet - restoring a Ferrari. Guy works hard to provide for his family and needs this one little thing to take his mind off things and what does his dipshit, ungrateful son do? Destroy it while ditching school and then thinks he's a hero for it.

Other revisionist takes 

--Ben Stein teaching how tariffs don't work in econ class and no one is paying attention. Cut to 2025 when all those dumb yuppie kids are now the MAGA braintrust or the MMT economists

--Rooney is a good dean of students and should have his contract renewed. He does need to stop Ferris Bueller otherwise there will be trickle down effect of truancy across the school.

--Is Sloan British? Why does she have such hairy arms? I guess this isn't a take, but at moments she dips into a British accent. Ferris has a British flag in his room. Or is this just how hot girls in Chicago spoke in the mid-80s

--Is the depiction of the parking attendants racist or not? The only black and hispanic guys in the film do blue collar work and steal the Ferrari, so on the surface they are criminals not to be trusted. But they are also the only people in the film to outfox Ferris Bueller. So are they the true geniuses? The platonic ideal of the film's ethics?

--The film is very patriotic in a way. Bueller tells us he doesn't believe in -isms, he believes in himself. He totally dismisses European socialism by saying: I'm not European. Interesting framing, if you think about it. What does it mean to be "not European". It means he's American. Also consider the Twist and Shout parade sequence. What is going on in this parade? There seems to be some type of German-esque celebration, but the predominant image is that of the American flag. The film is a pure celebration of what some people call "American exceptionalism" embodied by Ferris Bueller himself. 

Good Insight

Nothing wrong with therapy, but it almost entirely depends on the quality of the therapist. Which poses another question: how do you measure the quality of the therapist? What do you measure it against? As a baseline, I would like to see a study that measures well-being against several different paths:

1) Man goes to therapy

2) Man joins softball team

3) Man goes to church

4) Man does nothing

5) Man starts drinking

See who has measurably better mental health in 6 months.

Question

What offer is on the table from the Palestinian side to stop the war? 

Check Sources

When writers use sources to prove the opposite. 

Leaving America

Rich coastal liberals fleeing America prove their critics are 100% right. These are people who don't love and value their country. I suppose that's fine, no one should be forced to love their country. But I don't be mad when your fellow countrymen a) accuse you of it and b) don't care for your dysfunctional values.

Europeans

Have the most hilarious relationship to reality and diplomacy. The Brits weigh in, want a ceasefire by September or else they'll recognize a Palestinian state. Causing Hamas to back out of negotiations since why negotiate when they can get what they want by not?

The Europeans occupy this interesting position where they do not take the blame for any of the things that happen in the world, and yet weigh in with preening moral sentiment and proclamations as if they bear any impact. So Russia invades Ukraine. Everyone in Europe opposes it, yet they do nothing but try to persuade the Americans to help. They don't send troops or arms and don't have any levers to pull but to follow the American lead. And this is in their interest, supposedly. Now with respect to Israel and Palestine - they have no interest in the matter and no power. They yell, hector, lecture both sides and none of it matters. They declare this and that. None of it matters. They blame Hamas, then they blame Israel, then they blame the US, they blame everyone but themselves. And then they make a declaration that will not and cannot be enforced by them or anyone else. Bizarre people.

Logging

Film: Friendship 

Doesn't totally work. Robinson better in sketch bits than say carrying a movie with a performance. A number of things don't make sense, among them why Kate Mara married this guy.

Cognitive Advantage

Zuckerberg thinks Meta glasses will give people a cognitive advantage, but I foresee a corresponding disadvantage in passing down ones genes. Tradeoffs...

The Palestinian Side

If they have such a strong case, why do they fake it so much?

I Agree With This

If you run, you run. You wouldn't have AI do it for you. Same with writing and other things.

I let AI read, but I appreciate human responses more.

Logging

Film: Napoleon Dynamite

Underrated as a kid-appropriate film.

Film: Top Secret

Not kid appropriate...one of the funniest bits in the movie went over my kids head...Val Kilmer gets put into East German prison. His manager comes in and is like I've spoken to everyone - the ambassador, the police chief, the secret service, the CIA, and I still can't figure out how to give my wife an orgasm. Val Kilmer pulls out some sort of anal dildo device and gives it to him. Then he leaves, thanking Val Kilmer for his help. Then Val Kilmer gets out of jail for totally different reasons. Later we find out his manager died because he didn't realize the voltage was more powerful in East Germany. This film is rated PG.

Public Service Announcement

Genes and jeans are two different words. Thank you for your attention to this matter. 

Interesting Take

Does it apply to George Floyd? 

Logging

Film: Eddington

Still processing, but some preliminary thoughts:

-Could you pitch this film as Jaws but the shark is ourselves?

-First reaction was that this felt like a paranoid fever dream 70s movie and I loved it for that

-On second thought I felt like the characters were a bit shallow, like a perception of how people are from the lens of being online but then I wondered if this was intentional

-About 15 years ago this would've been considered an interesting film, but a bit of a hot mess. Today it feels like it will be one of the best films of the year

-Couldn't 100% tell if it was a satire or meant to be taken seriously/metaphorically 

-Do not marry Emma Stone under any circumstances

-I did not find any of the political ideas in the film remotely offensive. Do others?

-Loved loved loved the antifa on private jet element of the film, although I imagine others will poor taste will not. It's the best part of the film and by that I mean the chase and climax.

-Anyone who says the film doesn't tie up neatly into a message is using too much AI.

-One element I like about the film are some important questions about the characters are raised but not answered. For instance, was Emma Stone abused by her father or did she have something with Pedro Pascal or both? Also, what did happen to Pedro Pascal's wife?

-One element I didn't like as much about the film was the sense of place felt completely artificial and fake. Like all these rich woke people liked next door to a reservation in the middle of nowhere. Bullshit. But again, that's why the film feels either metaphorical or satirical. 

Still processing

UPDATE:

-There is a really dumb question that gets asked in meetings sometimes, which is: what is the movie you wish you had written/made? I cannot fathom answering this question, I almost don't even want to talk about it because it's so pointless and dumb and perhaps misses the entire point of writing and moviemaking to begin with. But Eddington might be A answer, although of course I would never say this to anyone who actually asked the question so...

Fascinating and Not At All Surprising

Exercising can be more effective than anti-depressants for depression. 

But where's the money in that?

I Hope So

Reading to your children every night is the best school they will get. 

My recommendations for all parents--

Bible Stories (start around age 5). Get a simple version of the Bible - I use the Action Bible

Greek Myths (start around age 8-9). Someone somewhere recommended D'Aulairies  

Logging

Film: Suzhou River

Been trying to figure out something to say intelligent about the film. I'd say a good watch for cinephiles, especially those curious about Chinese cinema. The movie is poetic, abstract, at times confusing. But nevertheless the filmmaking technique feels innovative and original and somehow works. Basically, the cameraman starts off as a character in the film disappears (and you barely notice) only to reappear later. Great acting, beautiful camera work. But can't say I'll remember the film nor that the film will create a lasting impact on me. In fact, I give it 50/50 odds I've seen the film before and can't fully remember it all.

Film: Napoleon Dynamite 

Never realized this was a kids movie. Makes it better than I remember.

France Announces Palestinian Statehood

Has as much impact as me announcing that I'm a billionaire. 

Next France will announce a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war.

A Picture Is Worth 1000 Words

In some cases. 

Solutions

Real food, go outside, less screens = no obesity for kids (and adults).

A public policy that would help in urban areas is to not let parks, libraries, and other public spaces turn into defacto homeless shelters but of course libtards are too distracted by other issues and concerns to address those matters.

The Baby Bust

Yes, it's a huge demographic problem. Thankfully, there is an easy and fun solution. 

Science

I'm sure the science won't be followed on this one in any meaningful public policy way. 

Scary and Retarded

So yeah, if you take this guy at face value, it's pretty weird. But the thing is, he probably works part time at board game shop and his opponent makes millions a year as a "public intellectual." Maybe this guy should debate Peter Thiel or Elon. This would be like  watching Bradley Beale in a JV high school game. You could be fooled by watching into thinking Bradley Beale was the best basketball player to ever exist.

Screentime

There comes a time in summer where the best screentime policies for children become violated in an extreme manner. Typically around July 20th.

Beginnings

The first half of Taxi Driver is about a guy trying to bed a girl way out of his league.  

The first 25 minutes of The Equalizer is about a hardware store worker trying to read a bunch of famous books.

The first 25 minutes of Falling Down is about two different guys - one trying to get through his last day on the job without incident and the other trying to make a phone call to his estranged wife.

I think this is what Tony Gilroy means when he says "start small."

Be Careful Out There

Chatgpt made a guy think he found a significant scientific breakthrough.

If I were to teach class on using AI, I would include Her in the syllabus. Also I believe, the Seinfeld episode "Serenity Now" should be mandatory viewing in all schools to teach people to beware of easy solutions to mental problems. Serenity now means insanity later.

Logging

TV: Atlanta S1 E2

In jail lock up episode, one of my single favorite tv episodes from any show of all time. 

TV: FNL S4 E1

What they did to reboot this show in S4, genius level. Also, they found Michael B Jordan. Give them some credit.

Script: Taxi Driver

Can't believe he wrote this at age 26. 

Agree

The assessment of Palestine/Palestinians seems to me correct. I don't believe their problems with Israel are uniquely anti-semitic, but are rather political in nature. Or at least they were. No more than Americans in the 1940s were uniquely anti-Japanese. Although, to be fair, the original hostility toward Israel has morphed into what could easily be described as anti-semitism, even if it didn't start that way.

But whatever. The fundamental problem with the Palestinians are refusing to acknowledge their position or to accept their lack of power. I know, they will claims justice, justice, justice. But let me ask this - why do no other communities from this period deserve justice, justice, justice. What of the German citizens who were savaged by the Soviets? What of the Chinese displaced by the Communists? What of all the Eastern Europeans who were similarly "occupied?" To me, it just seems pathological at this point to even care about your great grandparents losing a home. And even if that is wrong, even if you should care, the relevant point is that if you can't actually do anything about it but blow yourselves up or murder random Israelis then it seems like you ought to reconsider your life decisions.

The Game

LA won't let people who lost their homes in the fires rebuild without going through onerous bureaucratic hurdles. Now, they offer to buy the land to put up "low income" housing.

Who knew the Soviet Union reconstituted itself in California. Despicable.

Deadline

Nearly ever headline on deadline about Emmy nominations right now says something about "first time in history..." followed by a fill-in-the-blank. Sort of dilutes the "first time in history" thing... Call it "first time in history" inflation.

Logging

Film: Sorry, Baby 

Positive critical response to this film is a good example of the spread of a negative emotional contagion.  The A24-verse can be said to serve this demographic. It's a bit more whimsical and light than other misery porn entries, yet the defining characteristic of the main character is her contemplation of suicide. Where do these suicidal thoughts come from? I don't want to give it all away, but suffice to say, the "incident" didn't merit that reaction, in my opinion. The word snowflake came into my frontal cortex.

The film also lacks structure and hence a climax. It doesn't feel like it builds toward anything. More like a long, flat line. 

A good "first film" by any measure and impressive achievement for the writer/director/star, but not a great movie, nor my kind of movie at all.

Did like the academic setting, though.

Climate Change

Interesting how the topic absolutely disappeared from the world's agenda the moment national security issues came to the fore.

Underestimated issue in general - timelines. Impossible to focus on long or medium term issues when faced with short term crises.

RFK

Not only normal, but awesome. People giving him shit for taking his family fossil hunting? That's an awesome idea.  

We've Lost the Plot

Since we're talking about whether Superman is an illegal immigrant. As one of my kids used to say, jeez weez. 

Safetyism

This all sounds about right. 

Logging

Film: Howard the Duck

70mm series. Lea Thompson deserved an Oscar. How do you act with a midget in a duck suit? Very impressive. 

Popularity Overrated in Geopolitics

Would you prefer to be in Ukraine or Israel's position? Ukrainians are popular round the world, yet their reality is daily bombardment by an evil enemy who kidnaps their children and wants to brainwash them into being Russian. Their front is a slaughterhouse for their young men. Israel on the other hand is now "unpopular" round the world, but they can sleep at night because their enemies are decimated. 

Who would you rather be?

Point is, the only time it was "popular" to be American in my adult life was post-9/11. So take that as you will. 

Logging

Film: The Searchers

70mm screening at the Egyptian. One of the great pleasures of living in LA. Packed theater. Amazing crowd. Amazing film. Several impressions - surprisingly funny on this watch, a bunch of romantic slapstick bits. Implication in the film that John Wayne is a crook and a racist. The runtime for such an epic film only about 2 hours. It goes by fast. Very economical storytelling. Really, pretty close to a perfect movie. Music though doesn't age great.

Film: A Quiet Place, Day One

Needed something more from this movie. The family, emotional stuff helps propel the other two. This one needed more relationship situations or some good old fashioned alien killing. It had neither, so it just became internal and meditative without frankly much to say about the characters other than they were experiencing trauma. Relying too much on the cat to generate sympathy.

Logging

Film: Crash (Cronenberg)

So many thoughts on this film...but the main one being - the characters have so much freedom back in 1996 compared to 2025. None of movie feels plausible today because the characters would be far too constrained to do what they do throughout the film. And it isn't the government, but rather work demands, social demands, etc. Fascinating. Haunting.

Social Security

Everyone thinks we've got a crisis with Social Security, but I believe there is a fix. The system was designed and sold as an insurance system, but we gamed it into a pension system. Therefore, rich people need to give up on some of benefits that turns their retirements into easy living. The system is meant for grandma to have a roof over her head and get groceries, not to fund an inflation protected annuity for those with assets in the 5-25 million range. The true benefactors under this system are the children and charities who will inherit the unspent assets for people with too much dough to spend in their lifetimes. Is that what social security is for?

Value Investing

Is not in fashion at all. But here's why I tilt. 

Value stocks rise with inflation. So when you need the money, it's there. This is an important point. 

Just read any story about booms and busts. People buy 13,000 square foot homes in Midland Texas during oil booms when they have a huge net worth. 2 years later, they find themselves in millions of dollars of debt, in possession of oil rigs and homes they can't sell for 20% of what they paid for them. The point is not having the money, but having the money when you need it. 

Brains

Most people are too dumb to understand why capitalism works, including myself. But I am smart enough to know socialism doesn't, whereas many of my fellows in the State of California are not.

Code Breaking

People on the internet arguing about Mamdani calling himself an African American on a college application. Let's discuss.

1) Detailed arguments supporting Mamdani inadvertently argue for getting rid of affirmative action. They rest on the point: it's absurd to categorize on race. Exactly. 

2) The offended people are American blacks, an important coalition in the Democratic party. Why? Because Mamdani and everyone else damn well knows what African or Black heritage means. (Mamdani is Indian, okay. That counts in our world as Asian, South Asian specifically).

3) The Mamdani gamble/predicament is that the noisiest and most likely to call foul on the claim of his African American heritage are likely to overlap with his pro-Socialist, anti-Western views. Think AOC, Briahna Joy Gray, etc. These people will give him a pass, I'm positive. An interesting political question will be whether this "group" now outweighs the group who might actually be offended - someone like Stephen A Smith, for instance.

4) The worst case scenario is that we are indeed already in a 1984 type of situation where the unwritten "rules" for this type of thing are deliberately opaque so that who possess "power" dictate whether Mamdani broke the rule or didn't break the rule. Very dark, Russian-esque. 

Deep Risks

1) Inflation

Combat with: hard assets, inflation protected bonds, value stocks, stocks in general, fixed rate mortgage (negative bond)

2) Deflation

Combat with: cash

3) Confiscation

Combat with: nearly impossible to do, but...Roth IRA? Some might say crypto or foreign real estate

4) Devastation 

Combat with: nearly impossible to do, but...community ties in out-of-the-way places? Insurance, if possible?

Many Weird Things

If you were in a coma in the late 1990s and woke up today, one of the weirder things would be to discover that in the Jurassic Park Franchise apparently humans and dinosaurs now live amongst each other? 

That factoid alone would suggest something has gone very awry in the world, perhaps even moreso than Donald Trump being President.

Logging

Film: F1

Perfectly enjoyable but not A-plus level. A hair below the joys of Top Gun Maverick. A bit too long. Poker scene was forced. But still lovely to be in a packed theater with gorgeous images and actors and a classic stranger comes to town story. 

UPDATE/NOTE: Prior to F1, I hadn't seen a trailer. Was there a trailer? I'd only seen posters and heard of it. Meaning I went in with no sense of the story whatsoever. It got me thinking - maybe this is a way to regenerate interest in films - tell us less about them. Then we actually have a reason to go. Often, trailers tell us waaaaay too much. Just give us vibes. Brad Pitt, car racing. I'm in. No need to tell us more. So even though this story was familiar, I didn't mind it. Don't give us so many hints about the story...just let us vibe.

UPDATE/NOTE 2: Is there anything to be made of Joseph Kosinski's mother being from French-Canada, same as Denis Villeneuve, the two biggest and best studio filmmakers out there right now?

What To Do With Dumb People?

Genuinely difficult question. Our answer over the past 25 years or so seems to be: let them feel smart by letting them into college and make "learning" easier. 

The result: far left and far right become pseudo intellectual morons who want to drag the world down. It was so much better when they did blue collar jobs, drank beer, and rooted for sports teams. 

America

Still remains a mysterious place to me.

"People are pouring baby oil over one another"

"It's not RICO, it's freak-o"

Maybe movies are having a hard time because real life so magical. 

Random Thought

An amusing aspect of Brokeback Mountain is how shitty Jack and Ennis are at all their jobs. 

Logging

Film: Love Hurts

More interested in "being a movie" than reflecting life or human existence. The tone doesn't totally work. Ke Huy Quan does a Jackie Chan impersonation. He's not terrible but also isn't Jackie Chan. I wonder if the casting sheet for one the characters read simply: he drinks a lot of Boba. Still, I watched the whole thing.

TV: The Day of the Jackal

Terrible end of the season "twist," undermined the entire show. Reminds one of how cheap and pointless television can be.

Did anyone watch this show? I've never heard a soul talk about it. I go online. Rotten Tomatoes very vague - don't even show numbers. Then go onto IMDB - over 100k ratings. So someone watched. 

But I can't find anything intelligent written about the show on a brief perusal of the internet. Maybe I'll check chatgpt.

No Less Absurd Than Other Political Platforms

Hot people for hot people. "Ugly people do not deserve to hold office." 

Remember A Couple Months Ago

When Trump critics cited the plunging stock market as a sign of his policy failures. Does this mean those same critics will regard new all-time highs as policy success? 

Indeed

Good readers are hard to find. 

A Phenomenon, Again...

Once again when I offer extra credit in a class, the results are: A-students who don't need extra credit do it. Students whose grades could actually benefit from it don't.

All Socialists need a model to explain this phenomenon. Should I redistribute the extra credit?

Fascinating

Summary about Chinese car-making. A good model on how grit and competition work over the long haul and why not to be deterred by failure.

Is She Drunk?

She thinks Biden deserves a victory lap for the stalemate in Ukraine-Russia and the Iranian nuke situation?

Say Whatever You Want

About Trump, but he seems to be addressing and on top of the issues of the day. You might not like how he's handling them, but he addresses them. This is so foreign to the Democrats who literally ignore the relevant issues or just let the issues coast along. And then prioritize "non-issues" endlessly.

My Bias

If I were campaigning against this NYC mayor candidate it would be along the lines of his nepo-baby luxury beliefs and far left liberal madness NOT the fact that he lived outside the US for some part of his life and is a Muslim. 

Weird Theory

School needn't be difficult to learn a lot. Working on a theory that school could 2x the amount of material learned while simultaneously being easier and less of a grind.

My only issue with this theory is that perhaps learning to grind is itself a useful skill, though I'm not 100% convinced.

Me Either

"I'm upset that my parents never got rich enough for me to become a socialist."

Key Point

For those who seem to think the Iranian program was only set back a small amount or not at all. 

Lastly, as Iran starts thinking about digging up that 60% HEU and rebuilding its program, it now has to contend with the almost certain possibility that Israel and/or the United States will strike it again as those efforts begin in earnest.

The timeout works because the child knows the consequences of future misbehavior. Yes, Iran can continue toward the bomb. However, the people who must do it knowingly put a target on their back (and are incentivized to snitch to Mossad). Plus, the Iranians risk doing the work only for it to be blown up again.

Logging

TV: The Day of the Jackal S1 E1-E2

Strong set pieces, acting, and production value. So why isn't it very compelling? Because thrillers don't work terribly well in TV format. TV requires dimension and relationships, so they give the Jackal a wife and kid. The fucking Jackal! Not gonna work. Imagine the TV version of No Country for Old Men where Anton Chigurh goes home to deal with his gay son. Fuggetaboutit.

TV: Poker Face S2 E1

I can't figure out why I liked the first three episodes of S1 and abruptly stopped watching, and never felt a reason to go back. One theory is the format. I always liked mystery-of-the-week shows like Columbo, Murder She Wrote, even Scooby Doo. The problem with Poker Face - it's not a mystery! We know what happened. The format of the show is actually a short film from the villain's POV, followed by a truncated procedural from Natasha Lyonne's POV. In theory, this should work because I like procedurals and I like short films. But here's the rub - in the mixing of genres, they remove the two elements I like most from each. In short films, it's all about the tone and style. Story doesn't matter as much. But the tone and style of Poker Face is set. Once you've seen it once, you get it. Quirky, "intelligent" humor, for the avante garde college student. Good, great. Get it. Even like it. But the pleasure of short films is seeing a new, original, unexpected tone and style or place. What are the pleasures of the procedural? The mystery, the puzzle, the whodunit or perhaps even why dunnit. But in Poker Face we know who and we know why, so the only tension is seeing HOW Lyonne cracks the case. And it's not as compelling. The show knows it, so it leans on the charm of the performers. I suppose whether the show works rests on this question. It does seem like actors are "having fun" and yes, I put that in quotes. 

Good Idea

Villenueve to direct James Bond. 

American Socialists - the Lena Dunham Crowd

Rich kids who can't compete at the highest levels use their social charisma and terrible policy ideas to gather support amongst the lower 85% within elite and semi-elite society. I don't see this as a winning formula. These are the kids who had advantages but couldn't get into Ivies or semi-Ivies or elite professions - so you see them coming from Oberlin, Bowdoin, Boston University, etc., and having done jobs like aspiring rapper, waitress, assistant, etc. All they want to do is redistribute status away from the strivers toward themselves, but will incidentally turn our cities into shitpiles.

Iran and Nukes

We don't know the extent of the damage, but many of those who opposed any strikes seem pleased it "only" set back the program a few months. They don't see the irony that doing nothing would not have set back the program at all.

If these people were parents, they wouldn't discipline their kids, arguing to themselves that the kids would probably misbehave in the future anyway.

Suggestion to New York...

Run a Republican. Why not? This socialist nepo baby got 430,000 votes in a primary. You don't think a Republican can beat that?

Immigration

It is true that if Trump were serious about cracking down on illegal immigration, he would go after the employers rather than the ICE raids. Similarly, if the Iranians were serious about getting revenge, they would unleash terror cells around the world.

Perhaps these theatrical stunts are better for everyone. What do you think?

Local Hearts Foundation

I give it a 40% chance someone in this organization gets convinced of an awful, heinous crime within the next 5 years. People will then say, "I can't believe it."

The guy is driving around in a white van picking up vulnerable immigrants with promises of food and money.

Narcissim vs Ideology

Would you rather have a leader who desperately wants to be loved and admired by his "people" or a person guided by ideology? Which option has better checks and balances and leads to better outcomes?

Irony

Could closing the Straight of Hormuz ironically benefit the United States as a net energy exporter?

Wow, And Just in Time For Father's Day

Karl Marx's dad shits all over his philosophy. 

Incredible.

Reminder

Trump is actually moderate on illegal immigration. He's prioritizing sending back criminals, not the regular hardworking folk. 

Value Proposition

Can someone explain the value proposition of AI making movies or writing novels or journalism? Say you drive down the costs. What does this achieve? More movies and novels and news articles? Has anyone out there seen all the movies or read all the novels they want to? I doubt it. In fact, my lists are too long already.

It's like AI is designed to put Hollywood out of work so they can get back to the real fun stuff like gardening and washing dishes and raising kids. 

When you step back, the thing makes no sense. Why invest trillions in this? Why not invest trillions in solving real problems? Like maybe AI could solve medical problems or have a military function, but that's not what we see right now.

What I've Been Saying

"Watching Morning Joe talking about California and Trump and Newsom and the military and I'm seeing Republican dominance of American politics for the next two decades unless these people stop being psychotic"

Democrats been captured by the mentally insane wing of the party.

PS - Pitch: to hold elected office one needs to pass a mental health check. Reasonable, right?

"Fascism"

LA Times reports 330 illegals detained. Hundreds protest. Consider the population of LA area - around 12 million. The turnout and stakes of this situation is smaller than a high school football game. 

Live action role playing for all involved. 

What Am I Missing?

Republicans and Democrats see immigration differently. Republicans want to crack down on illegal immigration. Democrats don't. Republicans won the national election handily and thus control policy. They won the debate politically. California Democrats think it doesn't matter, they want to oppose how the Federal government enforces immigration policy under vague reasoning like "democracy is under assault." I think what they are attempting to argue is that what Trump is doing violates rights. But they can't articulate what rights. So what they are really arguing is that it's "mean." Their actions in this matter are seditious.

I Don't See the Argument

Maybe ICE raids are brazen, cruel, and unnecessary. But I don't see how they are illegal. Newsom and Bass are encouraging insurrection and non-compliance with federal law. We live in a country last time I checked.