BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (2022): Mexican. Iñárritua's surreal epic about a fictional film director's family and career (even this movie is in the movie). BARDO sometimes soars with beautiful imagery and dream scenes, but the story is pedestrian. C+

Meet the New Boss Same as the Old Boss

The Dallas Morning News reported that mayoral candidate "[Bob] Dubey said [Mayor Paul] Voelker’s “micromanagement from the top down” has deterred some council members and residents from speaking at council meetings."

Candidate Dubey won. It's Mayor Dubey now. Monday night the public got its first chance to see how the new regime is changing how council meetings are run, presumably opening them up, encouraging more open deliberations by council members. I'm here to report that from my perch in the cheap seats at the back of the house, the new boss looks a lot like the old boss.

WAIW: R2-D3 and R2-D4?

Where Am I Wednesday!

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

Answer is after the jump.

The Traitors (TV 2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Traitors (TV 2023): Reality show. Goal is to out the "traitors" before they "murder" the rest. With meaningless contests earning money for the prize pot to pad time. Stupid rules, even stupider players. It's a game of chance, but they play it like a game of trust. C-

The Law According to Lidia Poët (TV 2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Law According to Lidia Poët (TV 2023): Italian. In 1883 Turin, a feminist fights for the right to practice law while defending people falsely accused of murder. Based on a real woman. The murder mysteries aren't original, but the subplots are. Matilda De Angelis is a star. B-

POTD: Sète Street Art

From 2022 10 23 Sète

This photo-of-the-day is from Sète, France. It shows one of the many street murals that adorn this city.

A bonus photo is after the jump.

POTD: Sète, Venice of the Languedoc

From 2022 10 23 Sète

This photo-of-the-day is from Sète, France, known as the "Venice of the Languedoc" for its network of canals. "It is a port and a seaside resort on the Mediterranean with its own very strong cultural identity, traditions, cuisine and dialect." It's overshadowed by Marseilles, Saint Tropez, Cannes, Nice and Monte Carlo, but it's worth visiting anyway. We happened to be there because Viking cruises thought so, too (and it's a convenient stop for a cruise between Barcelona and Marseilles).

A bonus photo is after the jump.

Betting Line on Mayor Pro Tem

The 2023-2025 Richardson City Council was sworn in Monday, May 17, 2023. Other than canvassing the election results and swearing in the new Mayor and Council, no business was conducted. The first order of business next week at the May 24 meeting will be selecting a new Mayor Pro Tem from among their ranks. The following is The Wheel's highly unscientific, subjective-as-heck, just-mostly-guesswork betting line on who that will be.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023): Latest superhero movie has action, humor, and heart, but not much of a plot. What's the end goal here, to save the galaxy or save a raccoon? Lots of CGI fighting. I kept asking myself, is this character GGI? is anything real? C+

Beef (TV 2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Beef (TV 2023): Two broken strangers have a road rage incident that spirals out of control in tit-for-tat revenge. Works when the two leads share the screen, but doesn't when the story enlarges to involve family and friends. Strong final episode doesn't quite save it. C+