Andor (TV 2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Andor (TV 2022): Life of Cassian Andor before the Rebellion. Darker and grittier than other Star Wars offerings. Less woo-woo or comic relief. Episodic structure: a money heist, a prison break, a manhunt and spying, with some family drama tossed in, too. Not bad for Star Wars. B-

Where the Crawdads Sing (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Where the Crawdads Sing (2022): A coming-of-age tale. A romance. A murder mystery. A courtroom drama. Loneliness, shunning, abuse, and most of all, persistence. Movie moves quickly and deliberately through lots of events in the story. True to the novel and almost as good. B+

Read my review of the novel: Where the Crawdads Sing.

POTD: Entry Hall of Schlösser Brühl

From 2022 07 07 Cologne and Brühl

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Castle of Augustusburg in Brühl, Germany. The palace was built in 1725 and served as the residence of the prince-archbishops of Cologne. It reminded me of the posts on Facebook by people seeking to sell homes in Richardson. This entry hall would be a killer feature for those homes. ;-)

Bonus photo after the jump.

POTD: Cologne at Night from the River Rhine

From 2022 07 07 Cologne and Brühl

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Cologne, Germany. Merry Christmas.

A Christmas Story Christmas (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

A Christmas Story Christmas (2022): Grown-up Ralphie steps in to fill his old man's shoes at Christmas. A sequel to the 1983 classic that no one asked for. Lots of original cast members. It takes a long time for it to work its magic, but in the end, I was won over. C+

Ticket to Paradise (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Ticket to Paradise (2022): Divorced couple brought together and forced to play nice at daughter's wedding in Bali. Only the casting of Clooney and Roberts causes this movie to rise above a Hallmark channel movie. Tracy and Hepburn could pull this off in the 1940s. Not today. C+

WAIW: Life on the Road

Where Am I Wednesday!

Fifty points to the first person to identify where this photo was taken.

Answer is after the jump.

Black Adam (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Black Adam (2022): The plot is a mess. The list of characters endless. The acting non-existent. The casual violence shameful. The CGI action needs a gearbox. Honestly, I can't think of one positive thing to say about this movie. D-

Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio (2022): This is not Disney's 1940 wooden boy, nor the 1883 book's. Familiar plot points are there but with key differences. Fascists? WTH? Characters have darker motivations. The look is different, too. The stop-motion animation is beautiful. B-

POTD: Cologne Cathedral's Goat

From 2022 07 07 Cologne and Brühl

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Cologne, Germany. It shows two of the many gargoyles on Cologne Cathedral. The church dates back to the 1200s but it was heavily damaged in WWII (as, sadly, so much of Europe was). During restoration, one of the new gargoyles was made in the shape of a goat. The goat is the mascot of the Cologne football club "1. FC Köln". Maybe God really does take sides in sports.

Bonus photos after the jump.