Random Thoughts: Russians Win the Space Race to the Moon

Tweets from July, 2022:

• 2022-07-05: For All Mankind - S01 (TV 2019): Alternative history of NASA where Russians win the Space Race to the Moon. A few references to alternative facts that people familiar with history will appreciate, but also a lot of soap opera storylines and convenient plot developments. B-
• 2022-07-07: Review: Sea of Tranquility: A time travel story in which a glitch in time brings centuries together. And sends characters from earlier novels into alternate timelines. These stories slowly weave together into a mesmerizing whole. B+
• 2022-07-10: In a world of Jenna Ellises, be a Simone Biles.

After the jump, more random thoughts.

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• 2022-07-13: Come From Away (2021): Stage musical about small town that opens their hearts and homes to passengers from 38 jumbo jets diverted to Newfoundland after 9/11. Story told through singing to the audience. Fast. Energetic. An uplifting tale out of tragedy. America needs this now. A-
• 2022-07-20: Cyrano (2022): Musical unexpectedly starring Peter Dinklage. A love triangle. His love is built on a lie. Her love is misplaced. Cyrano's love can't be expressed. Beautiful retelling of the classic love story. A-
• 2022-07-21: Navalny (2022): Documentary about a Russian dissident who was poisoned by Putin, recovered and returned to Russia where he was imprisoned and remains so. His investigation into who poisoned him (Putin's agents) is a fascinating detail, as is Putin's refusal to say his name. B+
• 2022-07-22: C'mon C'mon (2021): Man with issues with his mother, sister, and own past relationships, finds himself unexpectedly taking care of his nephew, a 9-yr-old boy with his own emotional issues. It's complicatead. Joaquin Phoenix can play Joker. He can play quiet family man, too. B-
• 2022-07-22: Better late than never.
• 2022-07-26: Elvis (2022): The movie is rushed only because Elvis reinvented himself many times in his short career. Col. Parker gets as much time as Elvis and Tom Hanks may get a supporting Oscar nod, but it's Elvis's movie. Hanks is a convincing con man and Austin Butler has electricity. B+
• 2022-07-26: The only thing the public hates more than the American health care system is the fear of change to the American health care system.
• 2022-07-29: Book: Cloud Cuckoo Land: A mashup of the fall of Constantinople, a modern-day crime thriller, and a future sci-fi journey to another star, all connected by an ancient Greek story. The characters are memorable, the plots compelling, but the sum is less than the parts. B+