Jojo Rabbit (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

Jojo Rabbit (2019): A boy's family shelters a Jewish girl in WWII Germany. An imaginary Hitler mentors the boy to be a good Nazi. It's a comedy. Work with me on this. Nazi Germany through a boy's eyes. Movie does a good job of balancing farce, tragedy, and touching scenes. A-

Echo in the Canyon (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

Echo in the Canyon (2019): Documentary about a magical place and time when the mid-60s California Sound was in its prime. Reminiscences by many of the musical geniuses of how they inspired each other. Lots of 2015 tribute concert. Lots overlooked. Not enough old video. B+

Idle Thoughts: Just Another TV Talking Head

Tweets from October, 2019:

• 2019-10-01: "Jeffress is just another TV talking head, selling his apocalyptic tomes, and always searching for another Other to demonize." -- Rob Wilonsky. (Link)
  Yep. He says he's powerless to bring on the Apocalypse, but that doesn't seem to stop him from trying, no matter what he says.
• 2019-10-01: Downton Abbey (2019) Faithful to the TV series. Julian Fellowes gives every story line that wasn't wrapped up in the series finale a happy ending. If you've never seen it, you'll be lost by all the characters and subplots, and raise your eyebrows at some plot contrivances. B+
• 2019-10-01: Shame on you, President Trump. 45 million people died under Mao's Great Leap Forward. It's time for China to quit honoring that legacy. And it was never time for an American President to honor one of history's greatest tyrants. (Link)
• 2019-10-01: Trump's tariffs have forced Bayou Steel Group, an American steel company, into bankruptcy. They used recycled scrap metal that is largely imported and subject to tariffs to produce new steel. Another failed promise. (Link)

After the jump, more idle thoughts.

POTD: Na Pali Coast

From 2019 01 17 Kauai

Today's photo-of-the-day is of the Na Pali coast of Kauai, Hawaii. Think Arizona's Grand Canyon but where the Colorado River is replaced by the Pacific Ocean. It's spectacular, whether by sea (like this picture) or by land (like the second bonus photo of Waimea Canyon — think Grand Canyon, only green).

Bonus photos after the jump.

Parasite (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

Parasite (2019): Korean. Family of grifters con a rich family. All is going well until a complication arises. Then it's chaos. A black comedy with violence, suspense, and farce. Just when you think writers have written themselves into a corner, they escape. Over and over. A-

The Lighthouse (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Lighthouse (2019): Two men confined in a lighthouse descend into madness. Dark. Unsettling. Intense. Like a punch to the gut. Who's mad and who's sane? What's real and what's hallucination? Is it all damn metaphor? Did you like it is the wrong question for this movie. A-

POTD: Luau

From 2019 01 17 Kauai

You go to Hawaii, you go to a luau, right? We went to Hawaii, so today's photo-of-the-day is from a luau in Kauai.

Bonus photos after the jump.

POTD: Kauai Coffee

From 2019 01 17 Kauai

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Kauai Coffee plantation.
"Grown in rich volcanic soil, touched by abundant mountain rain, warmed by the Pacific sun and cooled by the gentle Hawaiian trade winds. Taste Paradise. One Cup at a Time.™"
Too bad Ellen doesn't drink coffee. I do.

The Laundromat (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Laundromat (2019): Satire with no bite based on "Panama Papers" leak showing how billionaires and corporations use shell companies to avoid taxes and hide corrupt money. Too many disconnected stories. Not even Meryl Streep can save this. Why is she even in it? C+

POTD: Polynesian Red Junglefowl

From 2019 01 17 Kauai

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Kauai. It shows one of the countless free-range chickens all over the island. These feral birds are believed to be descendents of chickens that escaped from coops during hurricanes in 1982 and 1992. DNA analysis shows that they are a mix between the chickens brought by the original Polynesian settlers of Kauai and chickens introduced much later by Europeans. The most interesting fact (to me) is that chickens in South America lack the DNA of Polynesian chickens, suggesting that Polynesians themselves never settled South America. So the next time you hear a rooster crow, know that the story it tells contains much more history than I ever imagined.

Bonus photo after the jump.