The Propaganda Game (2015)

IMDB

The Propaganda Game (2015): Look inside North Korea and its brainwashed people. Can't help wondering if I'm not a little brainwashed too. B-

POTD: Above the Treetops

From 2015 11 13 Caribbean Cruise

Today's photo-of-the-day is from deep in the forests and swampland on Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. It's of the archaeological ruins of Dzibanche, an abandoned major Mayan city. It's still relatively off the beaten path, so I'm torn between feeling glad to have seen it before the path gets beaten and feeling sad for beating my own path there.

Inside Out (2015)

IMDB

Inside Out (2015): Children's quest movie, all inside young girl's psyche with cartoon emotions in the lead. For kids, B+. For adults, C+

POTD: Grand Cayman's Green Iguanas

From 2015 11 13 Caribbean Cruise

Today's photo-of-the-day is from George Town, Grand Cayman, where the green iguana is a tourist favorite, but according to the National Geographic, to the locals "this invasive species has long outstayed its welcome." Introduced in the 1980s and once protected, its spread now a threat to the native blue iguanas.

Beasts of No Nation (2015)

IMDB

Beasts of No Nation (2015): African child soldier. Violent, brutal, dehumanizing, heartbreaking. Powerful film-making. Why no Oscar nom? A+

POTD: Belly Flop

From 2015 11 13 Caribbean Cruise

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the cruise ship Liberty of the Seas. It's self-explanatory. Well, maybe one thing needs explanation. That's not me in the photo or anyone else I know.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

IMDB

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015): One long desert car chase with crashes, explosions and grunts. Mind-numbing. Cartoonish. Sexist. "Mediocre." D+

POTD: Come Back to Jamaica

From 2015 11 13 Caribbean Cruise

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the cruise ship Liberty of the Seas sailing from the port of Falmouth, Jamaica. Cheers and a fond farewell.

Come Back to Jamaica
Come back to Jamaica.
What's old is what's new.
We want you to join us.
We made it for you.
So make it Jamaica.
Make it your own.
Make it Jamaica.
Your new island home.

Review: Thomas Becket

Amazon

From Thomas Becket: Warrior, Priest, Rebel, by John Guy

The truly remarkable sequence of events that would allow a middle-class Londoner to rise to a position where he would become the equal of barons and knights, converse regularly with kings and popes, and one day come to defy a king was yet to begin."

That middle-class Londoner was Thomas Becket. This biography lays out that sequence of events from nine centuries ago. As John Guy promises, they truly were remarkable.

After the jump, my review.

Tangerine (2015)

IMDB

Tangerine (2015): Christmas Eve on LA streets with trans prostitutes. Gritty, explicit and alien to this old straight guy. Great acting. A-