Ponies (TV 2026)

Rotten Tomatoes

Ponies (TV 2026): Moscow, 1977. Two secretaries in US Embassy get involved in spy work for CIA. Plot is implausible, but the chemistry between Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson makes every scene between them entertaining. B-

Peacock

Song Sung Blue (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Song Sung Blue (2025): Biopic, not of Neil Diamond, but of a 1990s tribute act. Perhaps because the movie condenses over a decade of their careers, the movie feels rushed. Hugh Jackman does fine work, as does Kate Hudson. Lots of love and respect for Neil Diamond. B-

HBO Max

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You (2025): A woman is having a nervous breakdown and spirals downward as her troubles mount as movie wears on. Great one-note acting. Some view it as a black comedy. Try that, as otherwise it's just too bleak. B-

HBO Max

POTD: Oaxaca Street Art

From 2025 06 03 Oaxaca

Today's photo-of-the-day is of a random street in Oaxaca, Mexico. It's a colorful city. That is all.

POTD: Colorful Oaxaca

From 2025 06 03 Oaxaca

Today's photo-of-the-day is of a random street in Oaxaca, Mexico. It's a colorful city. That is all.

The Wheel Award for Excellence in Motion Pictures

Source: h/t DALL-E.

The Academy Awards will be given out Sunday, March 15, 2026. I've seen all the nominees for Best Picture. That means my opinion means something. Right? Regardless, I've ranked the movies in order of my preference for "Best Picture."

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science uses ranked choice voting (RCV) to ensure that the winner has broad support throughout the Academy members. I wish US political elections used something similar (see proportional voting). But that's for another post.

My personal ranked choice of the Oscar nominees is based on the grades I gave the movies immediately after seeing them. In case of ties, I ordered them by my judgment today. Note this is not my prediction of which movie will win but how I would vote, if I had a vote. (The bettors are picking "One Battle After Another". I think "Sinners" could win in an upset.)

The envelope please. The winner of "The Wheel Award for Excellence in Motion Pictures" goes to...

Council Recap: Droning on about Drones

The Richardson City Council met March 9, 2026, with a busy agenda. I'll focus on just one topic: drones.

The council reviewed Amazon's drone operations at its STX8 fulfillment center on Research Dr. near Richardson Methodist Hospital (remember that, it'll come up later). Concerns about noise, privacy, and drone safety were addressed, with Amazon committing to ongoing community engagement, but no specific improvements.

Blue Moon (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Blue Moon (2025): At the bar in NY's Sardi's, Lorenz Hart watches his former partner Richard Rodgers celebrate the opening of Oklahoma! Ethan Hawke is masterful portraying a musical genius in decline. With just one set, and one night, it feels like a stage play, one with little dramatic arc. B+

Netflix

Hamnet (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Hamnet (2025): It's not a Shakespeare biopic. Its fiction that uses Shakespeare to tell a story about parental grief. Grief hangs heavily over the whole movie. But eventually Chloé Zhao uses a Shakespearean tragedy to wring a few drops of catharsis out of tragedy. Heartbreaking. Brilliant. A-

Peacock

POTD: No Means No

From 2025 06 03 Oaxaca

Today's photo-of-the-day is of graffiti in Oaxaca, Mexico. I am not an expert on Mexican political movements, but when I see "8M" alongside phrases like "Fuimos todas," "No es no," and "Oaxaca feminicida," I think it signals that the graffiti is connected to the feminist mobilizations that take place annually in Mexico on International Womens Day, March 8 (shorthand: "8M"). The graffiti says the protests were large ("We all went"), they were against violence against women ("feminicida") and they signaled demands for justice, safety, and equality. I might be male, I might be American, but I'm feeling solidarity as I read this cry for justice in a foreign land.

P.S. Today is March 8 all over the world.

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"Read the foreign words.
The meaning crosses borders.
Justice has no flag."
— h/t ChatGPT