Monday, January 10, 2022

From "The More Things Change..." Dep't: CPC Edition

"Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose."
("The more things change, the more they stay the same.")
— Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, 1849.

From the December 13, 2021, Richardson City Council meeting minutes:

City Plan Commission

Motion to: reappoint Joe Costantino and Gwen Walraven for a term effective 08/01/2021 to 08/01/2023; to appoint Sibyl LaCour as a full member effective immediately for a term ending 08/01/2023; to appoint Bryan Marsh as Chair for the remainder of his term and Stephen Springs as Vice Chair for the remainder of his term; and to appoint Nate Roberts as an Alternate for an unexpired term ending 08/01/2023. Motion by Councilmember Justice, seconded by Councilmember Corcoran, and approved unanimously.

From the (few) CPC meetings I've attended, Walraven and LaCour were "furniture" members of the CPC, contributing nothing but their votes in support of the majority, and Bryan Marsh was the leader of that majority supporting the establishment position against needed change. Seeing them all reappointed is no surprise. What is a surprise is that the motion was made by Jennifer Justice and seconded by Joe Corcoran. Was I fooled by their candidacies into believing they would bring change or have they succumbed to the indoctrination into the "Richardson Way"? The vote was 7-0.

Encanto (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes
Encanto (2021): Disney animated musical. Huge ensemble, mostly female. Latina power. Abuela's magical house gives magical gifts to all except Mirabel. When magic stops, it's up to Mirabel to save the day. Everything is enchanting. Grading for family viewing, it's a hit. B+

Friday, January 7, 2022

The Lost Daughter (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes
The Lost Daughter (2021): Woman vacations alone in Greece. Events cause her to revisit regrets from her past. Dialog is scarce and emotions are suppressed. Movie needs voiceover narration by Olivia Colman's character to explore the question, can one be an "unnatural mother"? B+

Thursday, January 6, 2022

Landscapers (TV 2021)

Rotten Tomatoes
Landscapers (TV 2021): Couple is suspected of murdering wife's parents. Is their story believable? Original filmmaking with surreal elements. Less a mystery than a compelling character study. Olivia Colman is outstanding as the mousy wife, David Thewlis as the caring husband. B+

Wednesday, January 5, 2022

The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes
The Matrix Resurrections (2021): Tired franchise resurrected with nothing new to add. Lots of dialog about how dead characters are alive again. Token "bullet time" fights. Overstuffed with world-building. No chemistry between Neo and Trinity. Keanu Reeves's hair is still good. C+

Tuesday, January 4, 2022

Don't Look Up (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes
Don't Look Up (2021): Two astronomers detect a comet headed towards Earth and can't convince anyone to care. Of course, half of America consider it Fake News. A satire that doesn't quite land because today's reality is satire. If it hits, we'll deserve it. Loaded with stars. B-

Monday, January 3, 2022

My New Year's Message

Happy New Year, America. I hope you survive. You see, I've been growing more and more concerned with the fragile state of our American democracy. I no longer take solace in the fact that America has faced crises before and somehow survived, perhaps because of our fundamental values, perhaps because of dumb luck. "Past performance is not indicative of future results" is the usual legal boilerplate language used in ads for financial investments. It's time we apply it to American democracy as well, which is being attacked in plain sight.