Down Cemetery Road (TV 2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Down Cemetery Road (TV 2025): A house explodes. A victim disappears from a hospital and a concerned neighbor investigates, uncovering a government conspiracy. Lots of dead bodies. What causes this show to rise above the ordinary is the tough, spiky-haired private investigator played by Emma Thompson. B+

AppleTV+

Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice (2026)

Rotten Tomatoes

Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice (2026): An action-comedy about gangsters, a single night full of parties, and I'm not kidding, a time machine. Despite the violence that accompanies every party, overall it's a fun ride. B-

Hulu

POTD: Art Gallery Mural

From 2025 06 03 Oaxaca

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in central Oaxaca, Mexico. It shows a mural on the wall of Galeria de Arte Jesús Villafan. If this draws you into the gallery, you won't be disappointed by the artwork for sale inside.

---

"Bright paint on the wall.
Oaxaca's vibrant spirit.
Magic in the sun."
— h/t ChatGPT

POTD: Mercado Benito Juárez

From 2025 06 03 Oaxaca

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Mercado Benito Juárez, in Oaxaca, Mexico. Google describes it as a "bibrant covered marketplace with vendors selling produce, prepared foods, crafts & textiles." Some of those "prepared foods" are insects.

---

"Beneath the high roof,
Vendors call to passing crowds,
Life in every stall."
— h/t ChatGPT

Warning to City Council: Keep it Legal

Re: Legal risk of using executive sessions to fill a vacancy on city council

Yesterday, we covered the Richardson City Council's draft process for filling a vacancy on the city council ("Council Recap: Filling Vacancies"). I wrote, "I fear that if they come down on the side of taking their own deliberations behind closed doors, they run the risk of violating the Texas Open Meetings Act (TOMA)." That's so serious that I feel I ought to pull that risk out and give it a blog post of its own, because I believe the council may very well be getting ready to...BREAK THE LAW.

Council Recap: Filling Vacancies

The Richardson City Council met March 23, 2026. The main draw (for me) was the discussion about the process the city council will use to fill mid-term vacancies on the council. But, first, there were a couple of other agenda items that drew my scrutiny as well.

Monday Night Follies at City Hall

KPop Demon Hunters (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

KPop Demon Hunters (2025): Animation. Girl bands, superheroes, boy bands, demons, all tied together with irresistable, infectious beats and lyrics. What's not to like? Other than the one note appeal I mean? C+

Netflix

Wonder Man (TV 2026)

Rotten Tomatoes

Wonder Man (TV 2026): Struggling actor gets an audition for a remake of Wonder Man, a chance for stardom, if he can hold his super temper in check. A Marvel superhero movie where the main character is three-dimensional and he's not trying to save the world, only himself. B+

Hulu

POTD: Monte Albán

From 2025 06 03 Oaxaca

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Monte Albán, near Oaxaca, Mexico. According to UNESCO, "Monte Albán is the most important archaeological site of the Valley of Oaxaca. Inhabited over a period of 1,500 years by a succession of peoples — Olmecs, Zapotecs and Mixtecs — the terraces, dams, canals, pyramids and artificial mounds of Monte Albán were literally carved out of the mountain and are the symbols of a sacred topography. The grand Zapotec capital flourished for thirteen centuries, from the year 500 B.C to 850 A.D."

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: MULT Graffiti

From 2025 06 03 Oaxaca

Today's photo-of-the-day is of a random street in Oaxaca, Mexico. MULT is an abbreviation of Movimiento de Unificación y Lucha Triqui, an organization working for unification, human rights, and justice for the Triqui people of Oaxaca.

---

"In Oaxaca streets,
Triqui struggles paint the walls.
Hope marching mutely."
— h/t ChatGPT

Nuremberg (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Nuremberg (2025): Russell Crowe plays Hermann Göring on trial. Rami Malek plays the psychiatrist who interviews him in prison. Cat and mouse vibes, but who is the cat and who is the mouse? Mostly talk, little action. A good movie to learn history from. B-

Netflix

Ponies (TV 2026)

Rotten Tomatoes

Ponies (TV 2026): Moscow, 1977. Two secretaries in US Embassy get involved in spy work for CIA. Plot is implausible, but the chemistry between Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson makes every scene between them entertaining. B-

Peacock

Song Sung Blue (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Song Sung Blue (2025): Biopic, not of Neil Diamond, but of a 1990s tribute act. Perhaps because the movie condenses over a decade of their careers, the movie feels rushed. Hugh Jackman does fine work, as does Kate Hudson. Lots of love and respect for Neil Diamond. B-

Peacock

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You (2025): A woman is having a nervous breakdown and spirals downward as her troubles mount as movie wears on. Great one-note acting. Some view it as a black comedy. Try that, as otherwise it's just too bleak. B-

HBO Max

POTD: Oaxaca Street Art

From 2025 06 03 Oaxaca

Today's photo-of-the-day is of a random street in Oaxaca, Mexico. It's a colorful city. That is all.

POTD: Colorful Oaxaca

From 2025 06 03 Oaxaca

Today's photo-of-the-day is of a random street in Oaxaca, Mexico. It's a colorful city. That is all.

The Wheel Award for Excellence in Motion Pictures

Source: h/t DALL-E.

The Academy Awards will be given out Sunday, March 15, 2026. I've seen all the nominees for Best Picture. That means my opinion means something. Right? Regardless, I've ranked the movies in order of my preference for "Best Picture."

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science uses ranked choice voting (RCV) to ensure that the winner has broad support throughout the Academy members. I wish US political elections used something similar (see proportional voting). But that's for another post.

My personal ranked choice of the Oscar nominees is based on the grades I gave the movies immediately after seeing them. In case of ties, I ordered them by my judgment today. Note this is not my prediction of which movie will win but how I would vote, if I had a vote. (The bettors are picking "One Battle After Another". I think "Sinners" could win in an upset.)

The envelope please. The winner of "The Wheel Award for Excellence in Motion Pictures" goes to...

Council Recap: Droning on about Drones

The Richardson City Council met March 9, 2026, with a busy agenda. I'll focus on just one topic: drones.

The council reviewed Amazon's drone operations at its STX8 fulfillment center on Research Dr. near Richardson Methodist Hospital (remember that, it'll come up later). Concerns about noise, privacy, and drone safety were addressed, with Amazon committing to ongoing community engagement, but no specific improvements.

Monday Night Follies at City Hall

"I golf every weekend at Canyon Creek. Drones consistently fly over. We can still talk. We can still hold conversations."

Monday Night Follies at City Hall

A sky full of drones...delivery in under seven minutes and clean plates, too.

Blue Moon (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Blue Moon (2025): At the bar in NY's Sardi's, Lorenz Hart watches his former partner Richard Rodgers celebrate the opening of Oklahoma! Ethan Hawke is masterful portraying a musical genius in decline. With just one set, and one night, it feels like a stage play, one with little dramatic arc. B+

Netflix

Hamnet (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Hamnet (2025): It's not a Shakespeare biopic. Its fiction that uses Shakespeare to tell a story about parental grief. Grief hangs heavily over the whole movie. But eventually Chloé Zhao uses a Shakespearean tragedy to wring a few drops of catharsis out of tragedy. Heartbreaking. Brilliant. A-

Peacock

POTD: No Means No

From 2025 06 03 Oaxaca

Today's photo-of-the-day is of graffiti in Oaxaca, Mexico. I am not an expert on Mexican political movements, but when I see "8M" alongside phrases like "Fuimos todas," "No es no," and "Oaxaca feminicida," I think it signals that the graffiti is connected to the feminist mobilizations that take place annually in Mexico on International Womens Day, March 8 (shorthand: "8M"). The graffiti says the protests were large ("We all went"), they were against violence against women ("feminicida") and they signaled demands for justice, safety, and equality. I might be male, I might be American, but I'm feeling solidarity as I read this cry for justice in a foreign land.

P.S. Today is March 8 all over the world.

---

"Read the foreign words.
The meaning crosses borders.
Justice has no flag."
— h/t ChatGPT

POTD: Volcan La Malanche

From 2025 06 03 Oaxaca

Today's photo-of-the-day is of La Malinche volcano in Mexico, outside Puebla, if you can call any volcano "outside" a city if it presents this view to the neighborhoods at the foot of the mountain. I personally find it scary, but it's probably less likely that a resident of Puebla will die in a volcanic explosion in their lifetime than a resident of, say, Richardson, Texas, will die from a tornado. I wouldn't be reassured by Wikipedia calling it an "inactive" volcano. That plume of smoke suggests to me that could change at any time.

---

"They say 'inactive,'
yet smoke braids the morning air
as summit exhales."
— h/t ChatGPT

The Secret Agent (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Secret Agent (2025): Portuguese. Political thriller set in Brazil in 1977 during the military dictatorship. Tension is already in the opening scene in a desert gas station, builds constantly but leisurely, until it's broken with violence in last few minutes. Too many characters to keep straight. B-

Hulu

Council Recap: Short-Term Rentals

The Richardson City Council met March 2, 2026, with two business items on the agenda. First, the council reviewed the city's regulations for short-term rentals (STRs).

Second, the council held the 2025 annual review of the police department. Given that courts have at multiple times ruled that ICE actions have been unlawful or unconstitutional, Richardson should be credited for not participating in those unlawful activities. In any case, there were no public speakers on the topic of the RPD annual review. Not anticipating any news, I didn't even attend that portion of the meeting. Consider that a win for the city. ;-) That leaves STRs for me to cover.

The Worst Places to Eat in Richardson Last Month

Graphic by City of Richardson.

The City of Richardson is rightly regarded as having some of the best and most diverse dining options in north Texas ("Eat & Drink"). But that doesn't mean every restaurant in Richardson exceeds in every measure. Here is a list of the worst places to eat in Richardson last month, based on the City of Richardson's Health Department Restaurant Scores from inspections last month. Not all Richardson restaurants are inspected each and every month. Only those inspected last month are ranked here. Only the lowest scores are shown.

Random Thoughts: Washington Post Layoffs

2026-02-04: From NY Times: "Washington Post Begins Laying Off More Than 300 Journalists."
Two things.
1. My decision last year to cancel my Washingtpon Post subscription is aging well.
2. Why is it that bad news about a newspaper is never in the newspaper itself, but in a competitor's newspaper?

POTD: Lucha Libre

From 2025 06 01 Puebla

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Arena Puebla, a regular venue for Mexican-style wrestling, called Lucha Libre. The sport is known for its colorful masks, high-flying acrobatics, fast pace, and dramatic characters divided into heroes and villains. A packed house, with a mostly local audience, many dressed as their favorite fighters, shower the ring repeatedly with cheers and boos. You can't help but enjoy the spectacle.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Courtyard of Museo Amparo

From 2025 06 01 Puebla

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in the courtyard of Museo Amparo in Puebla, Mexico. "The Amparo Museum is considered one of Mexico's most important cultural and exhibition centers. It features galleries dedicated to its collection of pre-Hispanic art, one of the most significant in Mexico held by a private institution." I was won over by its beautiful courtyard.

---

"Floor like cobalt sea,
Amber columns holding sky,
Courtyard a retreat."
— h/t ChatGPT

Council Recap: Rezoning for Apollo Middle School

The Richardson City Council met February 23, 2026. Two of the agenda items are worth covering: DART and the Apollo Middle School rezoning. The first was covered in yesterday's blog: "Council Recap: DART". Today we look at Apollo Middle School. In short, the RISD request was approved 7-0.

Council Recap: DART

The Richardson City Council met February 23, 2026. Two of the agenda items are worth covering: DART and the Apollo Middle School rezoning. Both went as expected. The council formally approved the proposed amended governance plan for DART. They also authorized the City Manager to execute an agreement with DART to allow for allocation of DART General Mobility Funds to Richardson. The council also approved the rezoning application by the Richardson ISD to transform Apollo Junior High School into Apollo Middle School.

The Rip (2026)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Rip (2026): Crime story and action thriller starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as Miami cops struggling to deal with a huge cache of cash that crooks and corrupt cops all have their eyes on. Even though you never know who is going to die next, somehow your money is never on Damon or Affleck. C+

Netflix

Sentimental Value (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Sentimental Value (2025): A filmmaker, estranged from his family, wants to make a movie in his old house with one of his daughters in the lead. She and her sister aren't ready to reconcile. Good examination of the intersection of art and personal life. Excellent acting all around. A-

Prime

POTD: Stopping on the Street on my Walk to Church

From 2025 06 01 Puebla

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken on the street on my walk to the Templo de Santa María Tonantzintla in Cholula, Puebla, Mexico. This church was small and nice, but I had seen enough churches. A man shoeing a horse on a small, quiet street on my walk to church caught my eye. Man and horse (and tourist) all seemed satisfied.

---

"Man and beast are still,
A job well done in the sun,
Church ahead can wait."
— h/t ChatGPT

POTD: The Great Pyramid of Cholula

From 2025 06 01 Puebla

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Remedies, a Catholic church located atop the Great Pyramid of Cholula, in San Pedro Cholula, Puebla, Mexico. That's the church at the top of the hill. At the base is a partial reconstruction of the Pyramid that used to go all the way to the top of the hill.

Another photo is after the jump.

Town Hall Tag Team: Omar and Corcoran

On February 18, 2026, UT-Dallas Student Government hosted a town hall meeting with Richardson Mayor Amir Omar. At this third town hall, Mayor Omar shared the stage with Council member Joe Corcoran. Anyone who wants to know what's going on in Richardson government really ought to attend these town hall meetings. They are more informative than a year of attending City Council meetings. OK, that might be an exaggeration, but not by much. I thought the questions from UT-Dallas students were as good or better than those asked at many campaign forums.

Ripple (TV 2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Ripple (TV 2025): Lives of four people in NY come together by random events. Their stories are heartwarming and heartbreaking, with lots of tugs at the heart strings. Made for Hallmark+ (it shows), bought by Netflix, good enough to be greenlit for season 2. C+

Netflix

Council Recap: FIFA-Fo-Fum

The February 16, 2025, Richardson City Council meeting started out like a bureaucratic snooze-fest. There were no public speakers lined up to address the city council. The agenda topics were all "review and discuss," with no decisions to be made, things like FIFA World Cup, senior property tax exemption, Safer Streets Richardson, and Eisemann Center operations. In other words, nothing to ignite fireworks.

I found my mind drifting to imagining watching a TV series pilot. You know, where a standalone episode of a television show is produced to test the show's world, key characters, and storylines, in order to determine if a full run of the series should be ordered. Call the TV series, I don't know, maybe "The Non-Consent Agenda." Should this show be green lit for production?

Bugonia (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Bugonia (2025): Wacky conspiracy theorist (Jesse Plemons) kidnaps a drug company CEO (Emma Stone), convinced she's an extraterrestrial planning to destory the Earth. Most of the movie is them failing to communicate, as the blood and stakes rise in this black comedy. Oscar nominations are deserved. A-

Peacock

A Look at the Primary Race for TX-32

It's primary time in Texas. First, a brief look at the US Senate. Incumbent Senator John Cornyn (R) is being challenged by impeached and indicted, but never convicted, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R). Maybe not surprisingly, polls show GOP voters prefer Paxton. The Democrats have two candidates who are running against each other (James Talarico and Jasmine Crockett). Crockett found fame attacking Trump. Talarico is attacking Crockett. Dems can be their own worst enemies.

Another race to watch is the US Congressional race for Texas District 32, which includes Richardson, although it's weighted to give heavily Republican east Texas a majority. In the Democratic primary is current Richardson City Council member Dan Barrios ("We recommend Barrios...who is running a campaign centered on kitchen-table issues, such as the rising cost of living, housing affordability and opportunities for small businesses." — The Dallas Morning News). Running against him is Anthony Bridges ("Donald Trump and Chuck Schumer are going to HATE me as much as we hate them and their billionaire buddies." — Bridges's campaign website) All I've said before about that race is the effect of Barrios's candidacy on the City Council of Richardson (not their shining hour).

On the Republican side, I have a lot more to say. The pack is circling the seat that was opened up by redistricting. Julie Johnson, the incumbent, was drawn out of her own district. [Correction: District 32 was redrawn to make it harder for any Democrat to win it, not just Julie Johnson.]

POTD: LEY SECA

From 2025 06 01 Puebla

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Puebla, Mexico, at a restaurant we chose to eat at. Food was fine, but we found it odd that the bar was closed, with "LEY SECA" posted over it. The translation is basically: "Yes, we are a bar. No, you cannot drink today." The reason was it was election day. I guess the thinking is that it takes away an excuse the electorate could use for electing bad politicians: "Don't blame us. We were drinking." Texans don't have that excuse for the results of our elections.

---

"Election Sunday,
the barroom stays out of it.
Beer can wait its turn."
— h/t ChatGPT

POTD: Taller Talavera de la Reyna

From 2025 06 01 Puebla

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Puebla, Mexico, at Taller Talavera de la Reyna. It shows ceramic plates arrayed on the ground, some broken. I can't explain it (the plates). I can explain Talavera de la Reyna. "Angélica Moreno founded the Talavera de la Reyna workshop in 1990, with the objective of preserving, rescuing, innovating and valuing one of the most important artisanal processes in Mexico." Today, you can watch artisans at work and purchase their products. It's worth a visit.

---

"Not trash, not display,
just ceramics marking time
through chips and edges."
— h/t ChatGPT

Book Review: Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman

From Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman, by Robert K. Massie:

Amazon

"Traveling toward an unknown country, propelled by an empress’s sentimentality, a mother’s ambition, and the intrigues of the king of Prussia, an adolescent girl was launched on a great adventure. And once the sadness of parting with her father had passed, Sophia was filled with excitement. She had no fear of the long journey or the complications of marrying a boy whom she had met only briefly four years before. If her future husband was considered ignorant and willful, if his health was delicate, if he was miserable in Russia, none of this mattered to Sophia. Peter Ulrich was not the reason she was traveling to Russia. The reason was Russia itself and proximity to the throne of Peter the Great."

Harry Up, We Have a Deadline to Meet

The big news February 9, 2026, was that the Richardson City Council ordered a $223.4M bond election for May 2, 2026. So let's talk about something else instead.

Also on February 9, 2026, the council ordered a Charter Amendment election. There was some urgency involved. Ready or not, this week's council meeting was the last chance for the council to call an election for May, either for a bond package or for charter amendments.

Agatha Christie's Seven Dials (TV 2026)

Rotten Tomatoes

Agatha Christie's Seven Dials (TV 2026): Fast-moving (only 3 episodes) whodunnit set in a 1925 English country house. Like the original, the hero is a smart young woman who is the equal of the superintendent detective investigating the murder. Not bad for a story from 1929. C+

Netflix

The Coming Squeeze on City Budgets

Community Impact.

Community Impact has a straightforward report on the coming challenges for Richardson's finances. The bottom line: "Richardson could see a budget shortfall in the next few years due to the statewide cap on property tax increases."

POTD: Alley of the Frogs

From 2025 06 01 Puebla

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Puebla, Mexico. It shows a street lined with colorful shops and restaurants. It's home to a weekend antique and handicraft market. Why it's called Alley of the Frogs, well, I think that's a relic of history long gone. Something about regular flooding or something.

Another photo is after the jump.

POTD: Biblioteca Palafoxiana

From 2025 06 01 Puebla

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Puebla, Mexico, in a public library founded in the 17th century. It houses thousands of rare books, naturally.

It's also colorful. Another photo showing that is after the jump.