The Hand of God (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Hand of God (2021): Italian. Boy dreams of Maradona playing for Naples. And of sex. He wants to be Fellini, but might end up a cigarette smuggler. He's surrounded by family and friends, each one crazier than the last. Is Naples really like this? An arty coming-of-age film. B-

#VeryTardyReview

The Quiet Girl (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Quiet Girl (2023) Irish. Withdrawn 9-yr-old girl is sent to live with relatives for the summer, where she begins to come out of her shell. Family secrets slowly come out, too. The girl's thoughts are always private, which gives the movie a sense of foreboding. A quiet film about a quiet girl. B+

Book Review: Killing Commendatore

From Killing Commendatore, by Haruki Murakami:

Amazon

"It was a couple of months after I’d moved there that I discovered Tomohiko Amada’s painting Killing Commendatore. I couldn’t know it at the time, but that one painting changed my world forever."

Book Review: Killing Commendatore: Magical realism by my favorite author, Haruki Murakami. An artist, after breaking up with his wife, secludes himself in a mountain cabin belonging to a dying famous Japanese artist whose long hidden secrets emerge from a covered well. A-

After the jump, my full review.

You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023): Coming-of-age tale where a girl learns that BFFs are more important than any crush. For teen girls, mostly, but this old man enjoyed it. Adam Sandler's best movie, because he gave himself a minor role and cast his daughter in the lead. B-

POTD: Sunset on the Mediterrean

From 2022 11 03 Athens

"Sunset's silent bow.
Spain to Greece, voyage complete.
Sounion farewell."
—h/t ChatGPT

This photo-of-the-day was taken in Greece. It shows the sun setting over the Saronic Gulf from the Sounion Peninsula. It's a fitting finale to our cruise of the Mediterranean Sea from Barcelona to Athens.