Strays (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Strays (2023): Raunchy comedy about a pack of stray dogs. Humor is poop and dick jokes. Who is the audience? Its crude humor seems aimed at adolescent boys, but its R rating should keep kids out. Movie avoids an F because of its talented dogs. 95% of the scenes use real dogs, not CGI. D+

Napoleon (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Napoleon (2023): The subject is too big to capture in a biopic. 25 years of Napoleonic Wars stuffed in a 2.5 hr movie is too much. Only history buffs will understand it all. Joaquin Phoenix's performance is disappointing. He's a coiled spring that never snaps, too mechanical, lacking passion, in both war and love. Oddly, I still liked it. B-

Nyad (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Nyad (2023): Annette Bening plays the egocentric Diana Nyad, whose goal is to be the first to swim from Cuba to Florida w/o a shark cage. Jodie Foster plays her friend and trainer. Their outstanding performances raise this sports movie of inspiring tenacity (or unhealthy obsession) above cliché. B-

All the Light We Cannot See (TV 2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

All the Light We Cannot See (TV 2023): WWII draws together the stories of a blind French girl and an underage German radioman until they intersect in the last violent days of war. Plot relies on too many tropes, but teens won't know that. Regardless, this adult enjoyed the movie, too. B+

POTD: Pretty as a Picture

"Botanic beauty,
Wellington's garden unfolds.
A stroll through joyous."
—h/t ChatGPT

From 2023 03 11 Wellington

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Wellington Botanic Garden in Wellington, New Zealand. I won't compare different cities' botanic gardens. I find them all joyous. Wellington's is no exception. It's a wonderful place for a romantic stroll.