Emily the Criminal (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Emily the Criminal (2022): Small budget thriller. Young woman with student debt and a felony record wrecking her job chances, turns to credit card fraud. Things escalate. Starring Aubrey Plaza, who is in almost every scene, determined and ambitious. Don't underestimate her. C+

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.

POTD: Cologne's Flying Ford Fiesta

From 2022 07 07 Cologne and Brühl

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Cologne, Germany. It shows HA Shult's golden-winged car, an art installation on top of the staircase tower of a 16th century armory. Originally intended to remain only two weeks, after which the historic appearance of the building was to be restored, by popular demand the flying car is still there 30 years later.

Flee (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

Flee (2021): Denmark. Animated documentary of story of an Afghan boy whose family flees Afghanistan when Taliban takes over in 1996. They go to Moscow, the only country that would take them, only to face more horrors there. A powerful story, but animation is flat and lifeless. C+

Breakthrough in Student Housing!

Source: Chicago Fit Performance.

Recap: In the November 14th episode of this long-running drama, the City Council withdrew their opposition to an application for a planned development just north of UT-Dallas consisting of three components: A) a student-oriented apartment part, B) a mixed apartment/retail part, and C) a limited-service hotel part. But before voting on it, they directed staff to draw up an ordinance requiring part B construction to begin before a certificate of occupancy could be issued for part A. The landowner and developers reluctantly agreed to this condition. The alternative was clear: denial. The case was continued until December 12, when, if all went as expected, there would be a legal ordinance everyone could agree to and it would be voted into law. That was the plan anyway. What actually happened December 12?

Roar (TV 2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Roar (TV 2022): Eight short stories, all about women, all by Cecelia Ahern. Satire, dark comedy, quirky character studies. All very watchable, if easily forgotten. B-

Emancipation (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Emancipation (2022): Will Smith gets beaten. Viewers get hit over the head with film's message: slaves weren't given freedom, they fought for it. Like super heroes. Movie is determined to create a new narrative. This mostly made up story is not subtle. But neither was slavery. B-

POTD: Horses, Free if not Wild

From 2022 07 06 Kinderdijk

Today's photo-of-the-day is of horses on the bank of the Rhine River in Netherlands. They look so wild and free, even though they were certainly on some farmer's land whose fences were out of sight for me traveling along the river.

POTD: A Bridge Too Far

From 2022 07 06 Kinderdijk

A modern bridge, not the Bridge Too Far

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Rhine River in Netherlands. If you're of a certain age, you might remember the epic war film "A Bridge Too Far". It depicted a failed Allied military operation in Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II. Thousands of Allied soldiers were air dropped behind enemy lines. The objective was the bridge at Arnhem. Capturing that would cut off the German army from retreat and give the Allies a safe crossing of the Rhine to invade Germany. The problem was that the road to the bridge was a single lane across marshy land, with several key bridges to capture on the way to Arnhem.

The Devil's Hour (TV 2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Devil's Hour (TV 2022): A woman wakes from nightmares every night at 3:33 am. It gets creepier from there. Not a horror movie. A murder mystery with the emphasis not on whodunnit, but on mystery: precognition, parallel lives, or just madness? Resolution is satisfactory. B-

Joyful and Triumphant

O come all ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye o come ye
To Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born the King of angels

"Joyful and Triumphant." I've heard those words sung in that Christmas carol since childhood. But recently at a church concert these same words were belted out by a church choir at the top of their lungs singing songs I have never heard before. Not just one song. The whole concert was one of Christian triumphalism sung loud and proud. To me, Christmas carols never sounded quite so, well, contrary to Christian humility. But that could just be me.

The Patient (TV 2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Patient (TV 2022): Steve Carell as a therapist kidnapped by a serial killer who desperately wants someone to cure him of his urge to kill. Claustrophobic feel. Episodes become more introspective until you don't know who is the patient. Resolution, revealed late, is good. B-

Elections Matter: Book Banning Edition

Source: San Antonio Current.

Richardson ISD and Frisco ISD had school board elections last year. In both cases, some candidates objected to being characterized as being "book banners." The outcomes in the two elections were quite different. The book banners lost in RISD. They won in Frisco ISD. The consequences are now being felt.

POTD: Shoe Rack

From 2022 07 06 Kinderdijk

Today's photo-of-the-day is of a shoe rack in a windmill house in Kinderdijk, Netherlands. Wooden shoes are more a curiosity than footwear seen today, but they did have a historic advantage. Not only do they provide foot protection (think of today's steel-toed work shoes), they were waterproof (good for living on canals and marshes), durable and cheap.

POTD: Netherlands and Windmills

From 2022 07 06 Kinderdijk

Today's photos-of-the-day are from the Netherlands. What's more Dutch than windmills?

Bonus photos after the jump.

The Fabelmans (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Fabelmans (2022): Steven Spielberg's personal coming-of-age tale with three subplots that don't quite mesh: his early love of movie-making, his family's complicated relationships, and a school bullying incident. The family story is best. His mother deserves her own movie. B+

Enola Holmes 2 (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Enola Holmes 2 (2022): Sherlock's young sister is still smart, independent, and good with jujutsu. Young girls should still love her. This time, she finds a woman missing from a match factory sweatshop. Clues galore. Her sleuthing skills are over the top and the best fun. C+

Spirited (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Spirited (2022): Modern take on Dickens Christmas Carol, or a mangling of it anyway. Scrooge(s) and the ghosts are hard to tell apart. More a buddy movie with Will Farrell and Ryan Reynolds. Big musical numbers are good, but movie seems embarrassed by them. Worse, NSFK (kids). D+

Inside Man (TV 2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Inside Man (TV 2022): Vicar, trying to protect others, makes increasingly more desperate mistakes, putting his family and himself in jeopardy. Plot holes galore. Halfway around the world on death row, the nemesis he doesn't know he has is just as absurd. Still a fun watch. C+

POTD: Amsterdam's Modern Architecture

From 2022 07 03 Amsterdam

Today's photos-of-the-day are from Amsterdam. Everyone's familiar with Amsterdam's historic canal houses, but architecture hasn't stood still in the city since the 17th Century. Here are just two examples of striking modern architecture: the Eye Film Museum and the NEMO Science Museum.

POTD: Bike Parking

From 2022 07 03 Amsterdam

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Amsterdam. It shows the end of a bike rack in the center of the city.

Bonus photo after the jump.

The Menu (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Menu (2022): Famous chef hosts guests at his restaurant on a remote island, where evil surprises await. The foodies make too easy targets and a suspension of disbelief is needed throughout but manage that and this makes for a delicious black comedy from starter to dessert. B+

The Wonder (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Wonder (2022): Ireland, 1862. Girl hasn't eaten in 4 months yet remains healthy. Miracle? Fraud? English nurse is brought in to investigate. Mystery with a satisfactory resolution. Florence Pugh plays the nurse well, but lacks a strong opposing character to play against. B-

Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Banshees of Inisherin (2022): Two lifelong friends have a falling out. Things deteriorate from there. Ireland, 1923. Loneliness. Lack of opportunity. Quiet. Slow. Both the setting and the movie. More like a short story. A mood piece. A character study. Excellent acting by all. B+

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022): German. Life of WWI recruits from enthusiastic enlistment to weary armistice. Violent, gory, relentless madness of war. Not exciting as much as mind-numbing. Anti-war gem if not for unfortunate touches of German blame-shifting for WWII. B-

POTD: The Night Watch

From 2022 07 03 Amsterdam

Today's photos-of-the-day are from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The first photo shows "The Night Watch" by Rembrandt van Rijn from 1642. It's the best known painting in the Rijksmuseum's vast collection of Old Masters. Almost everyone is familiar with it. But how many photos ever show what people see when they stand with their backs to the famous painting? The second, bonus photo does just that. I think the building itself is an Old Master. Follow me for other unusual views of famous places. ;-)

Bonus photo after the jump.

POTD: Woman Standing in Front of Van Gogh's Sunflowers (X2)

From 2022 07 03 Amsterdam

Today's photos-of-the-day are from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. On the left is Isaac Israels's painting from 1920, "Woman Standing in Front of Van Gogh's Sunflowers". It inspired my own photo shown on the right. How did I do?

Two Month Countdown

Money makes the world go around
The world go around
The world go around
Money money money money money money
Money money money money money money
Get a little money money money
A mark, a yen, a buck or a pound
That clinking clanking clanking sound
Is all that makes the world go around
It makes the world go around!

Source: Cabaret.

The mid-term elections are over. Did you think you'd get a break from election campaigning? Silly you. The former guy's announcement from Florida says otherwise. Closer to home, Friday will be exactly two months from January 18, 2023, the first day for Texans to file for a place on the General Election Ballot for local political office. If you are considering a run for school board or city council, you've got a lot of work to do before then. You can't afford to wait until after the holidays to get started.

The Zoning Process in Richardson is Broken

Zoning is a subject that puts people to sleep, until they wake up in a start to discover something going in next to where they live like a huge warehouse distribution center. Then, zoning is the most important thing in the world to them. Zoning classifies privately-owned land into different zones — residential, commercial, industrial, etc. It's what controls what can get built next to your house. The most common forms of zoning have been around for a hundred years (e.g., Euclidean zoning) and have worked well, or at least have worked understandably, until recently. Now, zoning has become hopelessly confusing. A satisfactory successor system has yet to emerge. Let's take a current case in Richardson as Exhibit A (or more exactly Exhibit Zoning File 22-11).

Of AEDs and Zoning

If you squint your eyes, it kind of looks like a city zoning map.

What do automated external defibrillators (AEDs) have to do with land use zoning? Well, nothing, but that didn't stop Richardson Council Member Ken Hutchenrider from going down a rabbit hole November 14 while deliberating a zoning change request (Zoning File 22-11). The trap was laid by City Manager Don Magner and Director of Development Services Sam Chavez. City staff has been hostile to this zoning change request for years. The property owner keeps coming back with revisions trying to meet the City's objections. The City keeps coming up with new ones. The latest is particularly egregious.

Three-Legged Stool of Mixed-Use Development

Mixed-use development rests on three legs. First, residential. Second, retail and restaurants. Third, businesses like hotels that depend on nearby restaurant/retail to attract customers to their own business. Like a stool, all three legs are needed to provide stability. Unlike a stool, you don't have to have all three legs in place for the first leg to serve its purpose. Richardson has a development application that offers a perfect example.

POTD: Rijksmuseum's Cuypers Library

From 2022 07 03 Amsterdam

Today's photo-of-the-day is of the Cuypers Library in Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum. The museum is home of thousands of masterpieces by artists like Rembrandt and Vermeer. But the Rijksmuseum is also home to a fantastic research library.

POTD: Canal House Gables

From 2022 07 03 Amsterdam

Today's photo-of-the-day is of the gables of a row of canal houses in Amsterdam. The story we heard is that the style of these gables evolved over the decades and centuries, with older styles losing favor and new styles arising as the architecture fashion changed.

Miracle Workers (TV 2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

Miracle Workers (TV 2019): Heaven as a workplace comedy. A slacker God (Steve Buscemi) decides to end the world. The Answered Prayers dept. determines to prevent that. Not a bad concept, but the show runs out of ideas before it runs out of episodes. Won't be watching season 2. C+

#VeryTardyReview

Tár (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Tár (2022): Orchestra conductor's career is threatened when a former protege commits suicide. I recognize a great movie even though the music theory is over my head and the cancel culture storyline is unresolved. Cate Blanchett is brilliant as the aloof and obsessive genius. A-

Mediterranean Antiquities

Ellen and I cruised the Mediterranean Sea with a Viking ocean cruise. Here are the daily posts we made reporting our progress.

1. Guess where we are.

Bullet Train (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Bullet Train (2022): Toyko mafia, Mexican drug cartel, and Brad Pitt as a reluctant assassin. Kidnap for ransom on a train. Or something. Forget the plot. Lots of quirky characters, lots of action. Lots of fun. Just go along for the ride, even if it isn't going anywhere. B-

POTD: Bike. Canal.

From 2022 07 03 Amsterdam

Today's photo-of-the-day is of a bicycle on a bridge over a canal in Amsterdam. Bicycles and canals seem to be Amsterdam's signature impressions. This one is doing its best to stand out.

POTD: Vrouw met Stola

From 2022 07 03 Amsterdam

Today's photo-of-the-day is of a sculpture on a canal in Amsterdam: Vrouw met Stola (Woman with Shawl), by Pieter d’Hont. He made eleven copies beginning in 1957. This one was placed here in 1996, after previously having been vandalized and dumped in a canal. So the stories about bikes in the canals are true, and it's not just bikes that end up in canals.

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022): A London house cleaner wants a Christian Dior dress, so she saves until she can afford a trip to Paris where she wins over the House of Dior with naivety, charm, and persistence. A feel-good story full of charm itself. B+

Central Expressway Speed Trap

Source: Troy Oxford.

Tim Rogers of D Magazine wrote about the Central Expressway speed trap that exists called Fairview. If you don't know about Fairview, it's that's small city of 9,000 between Allen and McKinney east of Central Expressway. It makes up for its small size with hustle on the highway. Mile for mile, Fairview writes 3 times as many traffic tickets on Central Expressway as McKinney, and a whopping 35 times more than Allen.