Saturday, May 11, 2019

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+




Friday, May 10, 2019

Review: Bluebird, Bluebird

Bluebird, Bluebird
Amazon
From Bluebird, Bluebird, by Attica Locke:
Open quote 

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.

Thursday, May 9, 2019

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.

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

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+




Tuesday, May 7, 2019

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.