Love, Death & Robots (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

Love, Death & Robots (2019): Sci-fi anthology series. Animation and blended animation/live action. Stories are hit or miss, too many with gratuitous nudity or battles or violent monsters. None really thought-provoking. But entertaining escapism for 10-15 minutes at a time. B-

The Wandering Earth (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Wandering Earth (2019): Chinese sci-fi blockbuster. Sun is dying. Salvation lies in rocketing Earth to another solar system. Things go haywire using Jupiter as slingshot. Preposterous. Absurd. Silly. Non-stop crises. Stock characters. But better than Snowpiercer, barely. D+

Concern Over Growth Sparks A Revolution In Richardson

Elections in Richardson have long followed the pattern of most suburban cities: low interest, low turnout, and long tenure for incumbents.
...
This [year], however, the status quo in Richardson was radically reshuffled. After an unusually spirited campaign, voters dumped three incumbents.

Source: D Magazine.

Just kidding. That D Magazine story is not from this year. Or 2015. It's from 1987. But it's worth reading. It's like seeing Richardson in a funhouse mirror, an alternate universe where the Palisades scandal resulted in the defeat of Mayor Maczka and key council members in their re-election bids in 2015. But in our reality, in case you forgot, Mayor Maczka and four council members ran unopposed in 2015. The issue in 1987 was a familiar one. Only the electoral outcome was different.

Wine Country (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

Wine Country (2019): Six women travel to Napa for a 50th birthday. What happens is less party than mid-life crisis and group therapy. Could have been better if they had picked a lane, either lol comedy or Albee's Virginia Woolf. Instead we get Thoreau's quiet desperation. C+

Long Shot (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

Long Shot (2019): Rom-com with Seth Rogen as speechwriter for Sec. of State Charlize Theron. Surprisingly, the movie works despite its preposterous premise and a gratuitously gross key plot point. Charlize Theron on molly looks like it was as fun for her as for the audience. B+

Review: Bluebird, Bluebird

Amazon

From Bluebird, Bluebird, by Attica Locke:

She wondered if the sheriff had arrived yet, if the mess that had washed up in her backyard this morning was still there, that girl lying out there all alone. She had a vague worry about what all this might do to her business, but mostly she tried to comprehend what in God’s name was happening to the town in which she’d spent all her sixty-nine years. Two bodies inside a week. What in the devil was going on?"


Bluebird, Bluebird is a detective story, set in the fictional small town of Lark, somewhere in east Texas. It has things to say about the state of race relations in east Texas, and about the complex relationships in small towns everywhere. It's this year's selection for Richardson Reads One Book.

What to do at Richardson Square

A developer is looking to build along Plano Rd and Belt Line Rd on land previously used for parking lots for the old Sears in Richardson Square. Obviously, Sears has no need for the parking. Demand for parking at Sears was never great to begin with, so development of some kind is not a bad idea. But here's why this developer's idea is a bad idea.

Knock Down the House (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

Knock Down the House (2019): Documentary about 4 women who challenged Dem incumbents in 2018. One is AOC but all four are worth watching. An inside look at retail politics. AOC won for many reasons but every Democrat should watch her dissect her opponent's out-of-touch mailer. B+

The Ice House Goeth

Many residents of Richardson may not even be aware of the Ice House. I've lived in Richardson since 1984 and this little white building on the south side of Main Street just east of Greenville Ave. has only been like something in my peripheral vision all of that time. It's been standing vacant for as long as I can remember. But I was at least aware of it. I even knew it as "the ice house." As years went by, the most remarkable thing to me was that the ice house was still standing — vacant, ignored, overlooked by time and development, but still standing. If rumors are true, that's all about to change. So, I did a little research. Just a little, but enough to cement its place in my heart.

You (TV 2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

You (TV 2019): Boy meets girl. Boy is charming, if a bit creepy. Girl tends to fall for the wrong guys, and the wrong girlfriends. Things get worse from there, much worse. It's all just plausible enough to suspend your disbelief and go along for the wild ride. B+

Seven Takeaways from City Council Election

Richardson City Council election winners:

• Place 1: Bob Dubey
• Place 2: Mark Solomon (unopposed)
• Place 3: Run-off: Janet DuPuy, Dan Barrios
• Place 4: Kyle Kepner
• Place 5: Ken Hutchenrider
• Place 6: Steve Mitchell (unopposed)
• Mayor: Paul Voelker (unopposed)

My congratulations to the winners and my sincere admiration to all who put themselves out there for voters to judge. I believe strongly in Theodore Roosevelt's words, "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena."

Now, on to this critic's takeaways. It's said that political pundits can always spin a story to explain any election results, no matter how close, in a way that makes it sound like the result was inevitable. So, which story do you want me to spin for you this year?

POTD: Peterhof Portrait Hall

From 2018 08 14 Peterhof

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Peterhof, the St. Petersburg palace built by Peter the Great of Russia. It shows the Portrait Hall. Seeing 368 portraits chock-a-block on the wall is amazing enough, but look closely and you'll convince yourself that all 368 are of the same young woman. Maybe yes, maybe no. Judge for yourself.

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

Avengers: Endgame (2019): It is a satisfying finale to the saga. Tons of characters, tons of action, a simple quest movie but with many complex interleaved timelines. Best parts were when it didn't take its absurdities seriously. Next best were the few scenes without CGI. B-

Idle Thoughts: We're All Going to Die

Tweets from April, 2019:

• Apr 2 2019: Sen. John Cornyn on health care: "In the end we're all going to die, I hate to tell you. Don't dwell on it though!"
• Apr 3 2019: The Highwaymen (2019): Two retired Texas Rangers track down Bonnie and Clyde. This pair is less charismatic than the outlaws, but Costner/Harrelson can carry a movie. They are always a little too late on the scene, making for a slow movie. Seeing Texas in the 1930s is a treat. B-
• Apr 3 2019: Jim Schutze describes Dallas mayoral candidates pandering to whites at the Citizens Matter forum. Schutze calls it the Loons Matter forum. About Jason Villalba, he says, "That man just straight-up loves him some Confederate stone."

After the jump, more idle thoughts.

The Spy Who Fell to Earth (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Spy Who Fell to Earth (2019): Documentary about death of Ashraf Marwan, an Egyptian who spied for Israel in Oct '73 war, or was he a double-agent? Oddly, both countries today consider him a hero. A gripping detective story, a war history, and an enduring mystery. B-

Building Trust

This article was originally published in "Richardson Living" magazine. Read it on that website or read it here. Or read it in print. In mail boxes now.

When it was unveiled in 2013, an artist's rendering for the massive mixed-use Palisades development included a feature that was never built: a pedestrian bridge over US 75 to the Galatyn Park DART station. I personally loved that feature. But people did not love another feature, one that did get built: hundreds of new apartments. This happened despite the campaign statement by then mayoral candidate Laura Maczka (now Laura Jordan) that we don't need apartments near neighborhoods, and despite overwhelming neighborhood opposition during public hearings.

How did we end up in this situation anyway? Suspicion fell on Mayor Maczka and her personal relationship with the developer Mark Jordan. Eventually, evidence uncovered during an FBI investigation resulted in bribery convictions. Development of Palisades now appears to be stalled, with those apartments built but retail and offices lagging. The City is left with a big black eye.

POTD: Room after Room after Room

From 2018 08 14 Peterhof

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Peterhof, the St. Petersburg palace built by Peter the Great of Russia. It shows a hallway that runs along the length of the palace. Actually, it's not a separate hallway at all. More like a series of doors that connect all the rooms. Walking through them, you go through room after room after room. It's quite unlike modern buildings, like hotels, where the hallway is like a spine and the rooms are all off to the side like ribs. I guess that's because the occupants of the palace owned *all* the rooms so there was no need to keep them separate for privacy as one walks around the palace. Or maybe there's another reason that historical architects might be able to explain.

Review: Black Leopard, Red Wolf

Amazon

From Black Leopard, Red Wolf, by Marlon James:

The child is dead. There is nothing left to know. I hear there is a queen in the south who kills the man who brings her bad news. So when I give word of the boy’s death, do I write my own death with it? Truth eats lies just as the crocodile eats the moon, and yet my witness is the same today as it will be tomorrow. No, I did not kill him."

Black Leopard, Red Wolf is an epic African fantasy. It's been described as an African "Game of Thrones." Don't believe it.

POTD: Battle of Chesme

From 2018 08 14 Peterhof

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Peterhof, the St. Petersburg palace built by Peter the Great of Russia. It's a roomful of paintings, one of many such rooms in the many palaces of St. Petersburg. The particular painting that caught my eye is in the upper right of this photo. I noticed it because we had done some homework before our visit to Russia. The Russo-Turkish War (1768-1774) played a part in a Russian television drama, Ekaterina, about the life of Catherine the Great. The painting shows the destruction of the Turkish fleet during the naval Battle of Chesme on 5-7 July 1770. The artist, Jakob Philipp Hackert, who was commissioned to commemorate the great Russian victory in a painting, was not present during the battle so in order that he could imagine the scene a Russian ship was exploded in the port of Livorno, Italy, for him to witness and paint from. Could that make this the most expensive painting ever commissioned?

Building Trust: The Candidates Speak

This Q&A was originally published on the "Richardson Living" website. The candidates’ answers were untouched, minus a few minor grammatical changes for clarity and readability.

Richardson's former mayor Laura Maczka (now Jordan) was convicted of bribery over the Palisades land development. That development now appears to be stalled, with apartments built but retail and offices nowhere on the horizon, despite a hot commercial real estate market in Richardson. All of this leaves the City with a black eye. Where do we go from here? The candidates for Richardson City Council answer two questions.

The Wheel's City Council Voters Guide

Election day for Richardson City Council is Saturday, May 4, 2019. Early voting runs from Monday, April 22, 2019, until Tuesday, April 30, 2019. I attended candidate forums so you didn't have to (you're welcome). I've kept an open mind, but now I have to decide how to fill out my own ballot. It wasn't an easy decision. Pros and cons were unusually balanced this year. You may disagree with my decisions. That's OK. But if I got wrong any of the facts that informed my decisions, that's not OK. I want to hear about factual errors so I can correct things. The only decision that really matters is the one I make when I enter the voting booth.

For those without the patience to read the reasoning that informed my opinions, here's the bottom line.

• Place 1: Jason Clarke
• Place 2: Uncontested
• Place 3: Janet DePuy
• Place 4: Kyle Kepner
• Place 5: Ken Hutchenrider
• Place 6: Uncontested
• Mayor: Uncontested

Place 3 Forum @ The Forum

A meet-and-greet was held Friday afternoon for the Richardson Place 3 City Council candidates at The Forum Club on the upper level of the Shops at Promenade. Dan Barrios, Franklin Byrd, and Janet DePuy met and mingled with about 30 people in this Cheers-like neighborhood bar. Raymond De Guzman, Sr., and Mauri Long also made appearances.

Of Bimbos, Dicks, and Pieces of Shit

The above two tweets were made by two candidates for Richardson's upcoming City Council election. I consider the tweets disqualifying in themselves, but especially so given the responses made by these two candidates after the recent embarrassment the City suffered over a City Council member's own use of social media.

Final Impressions of City Council Candidates

The League of Women Voters of Richardson held a forum for Richardson City Council candidates Wednesday evening at the Richardson Civic Center. About 200 people turned out to hear the candidates answer questions from voters. The threat of storms might have kept some people away, but the off-chance of fireworks on stage might have limited the no-shows. It turned out that the storms stayed away and the fireworks show turned into more of a comedy club as most candidates made a confession of their own run-in with Richardson Code Enforcement. I won't spoil their material. The video from the forum is available on the City's website. You can just watch their comedy sets yourselves. Let me just say that all the candidates seemed genuinely friendly with each other.

Once again, rather than provide a question-by-question account of the evening, I am going to present only the highlights, both roses and thorns, for each candidate.

(As for my earlier impressions of the candidates, from an earlier forum, they can be read elsewhere.)

Shirkers (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes

Shirkers (2018): Documentary about making of a movie in Singapore in '92 by young filmmakers and a charismatic mentor who disappears with the raw footage. Their youthful passion comes through 25 years later in this engrossing detective story about a cult movie that never was. B+

POTD: Self Portrait

From 2018 08 14 Peterhof

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Peterhof, the St. Petersburg palace built by Peter the Great of Russia. It's a self portrait taken by Ellen. That's the two of us entangled in the candle holders of the gilt mirror frame. We could only imagine the effect at night in the 1700s when the gilt ballroom was lined with such mirrors and all the candles were lit and a royal ball was in progress. Oh, and our reflections would still be present of course.

POTD: Peterhof Gilt Ballroom

From 2018 08 14 Peterhof

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Peterhof, the St. Petersburg palace built by Peter the Great of Russia. Originally intended as a summer retreat, Peter the Great happened to visit the French royal court in 1717 and came home with ideas to rival Versailles. The result? Peterhof.

Vanity Fair (TV 2018)

Rotten Tomatoes

Vanity Fair (TV 2018): Modern adaptation of Thackeray's satire of Victorian London. Ambitious social climber Becky Sharp is a charming knave who looks directly at the camera and winks as she schemes and betrays. Makes me want to read the original. B+

It's All Partisan Now

Much has been made in Richardson's City Council election about the presence of party politics in a supposedly non-partisan election. The subject took up way too much space in my own latest blog article. So why am I devoting an entire blog article to it? Because I think what's happening in Plano puts the issue to bed in Richardson once and for all. Like it or not, once the governor of Texas jumps into the fray, the field is open for all.

More Impressions of City Council Candidates

The candidates for Richardson City Council answered questions from the public at a forum sponsored by the JJ Pearce, Canyon Creek, and Reservation neighborhood associations. The forum was held at Mohawk Elementary School. About fifty people attended. Everyone was civil. (That last point should go without saying, but in today's political climate, you never know.)

Rather than provide a question-by-question account of the evening, I am going to present only the highlights that I found provocative.

(As for my first impressions of the candidates, from an earlier forum, they can be read elsewhere.)