Role Play (2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

Role Play (2024): Kaley Cuoco plays a suburban mother who moonlights as a killer for hire, without her family's knowledge. Cuoco is unconvincing in the role, even more so when she is exposed and the movie turns into an action thriller. They should have tried a comedy. C+

POTD: Carpaccio di Polpo

"Manfredi tempts with
Italian dishes sublime.
Next time, translate first."
—h/t ChatGPT

From 2023 03 22 Newcastle

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at sea aboard the cruise ship Viking Mars, sailing from Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. They say you should travel and experience new places, people, and cuisines. That's how Ellen and I ended up in Manfredi's®, a specialty restaurant featuring Italian dishes, with an appetizer of Carpaccio di Polpo in front of Ellen. Who knew it translates to thinly sliced octopus served raw? We didn't. Did she eat it? You'll have to ask her.

POTD: Riding the Wave

"Surfers carve the sea.
Newcastle's big waves dance high.
Kangaroos in flight."
—h/t ChatGPT

From 2023 03 22 Newcastle

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. Surfest in Newcastle "is the largest surfing festival in the southern hemisphere," according to its own marketing material. Our day in Newcastle happily coincided with the 2023 festival.

TIL: The Bestest Good News for our Times

Today's bestest good news: Today I Learned that so-called peak carbon emissions may be at hand, thanks to the growth of solar and wind power.

Rustin (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Rustin (2023): Biopic of Bayard Rustin, the organizer of the 250,000-person March on Washington in 1963. Highlights history as it's seldom told — while fighting racism, the civil rights movement had elements of sexism and homophobia within its own ranks. Colman Domingo is excellent. B+

Blue Beetle (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Blue Beetle (2023): DC superhero movie. Teenager accidentally gets handed a package with an alien bot that gives him super powers. Rest of movie involves warding off villains who want to recover the bot. Some humor, some budding romance, lots of fighting but no guns. Biggest plus is the extended Latino family love. C-

A Murder at the End of the World (TV 2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

A Murder at the End of the World (TV 2023): Whodunnit set in Iceland. Billionaire who made fortune in AI invites 12 people to an isolated retreat when murders start. Tension rises as the host gets more controlling and a young hacker gets close to solving the murders. Emma Corrin is superb. B+

11° and Snow

11° and snow. This is what Dallas woke up to this morning. It's like Christmas morning. It's how we know the Packers were here and left a lump of coal in Jerry Jones's stocking and flew home to the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.

A bonus photo is after the jump.

POTD: Farewell to Sydney

"Sydney fades away,
Beckoning us, "Come again."
Now, new ports await."

—h/t ChatGPT

From 2023 03 20 Sydney

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken from our cruise ship as we departed Sydney, Australia. You see a lot of ports on a cruise, but our stays were always too short. They say take a cruise to sample what you'll want to come back to explore at more leisure.

After the jump, another view.

POTD: A "Funky High-Energy Area"

"Multicultural
Neighborhood invites delight.
Darlinghurst's essence."
—h/t ChatGPT

From 2023 03 20 Sydney

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Sydney, Australia. According to Google, "Inner-city Darlinghurst is a funky, high-energy area with cafes, sleek multicultural restaurants and intimate cocktail bars. Oxford Street, a centre of the city’s LGBT scene, has nightclubs that thump with music, plus stylishly restored pubs. Edgy shops on Crown Street sell records, offbeat fashion and vintage apparel. Art galleries, independent theatre companies and live music venues draw a young, chic crowd."