The Great Wall (2016)

IMDB

The Great Wall (2016): Mercenaries fight monsters less scary than a horde of roaches. Western greed vs Chinese trust. Stunning visuals. C+

The Wheel Award for Excellence in Motion Pictures

The Academy Awards will be given out Sunday evening. This will be the first time in history that I've seen all the nominees for Best Picture before the Oscar is awarded. That means my opinion means something. Right? All in all, 2016 had a good crop of movies, better than the choices in 2015. "La La Land" is the heavy favorite for Best Picture, but four or even five of the movies deserve consideration.

My ranking is based on the grades I gave the movies immediately after seeing them. In case of ties, I ordered them by my considered judgment today. Note this is not my prediction of which movie will win, but which I would vote for, had I a vote.

Jackie (2016)

IMDB

Jackie (2016): Partly gut-wrenching, partly ghoulish. I remember 1963. I remember her dignity. For me it will always be too soon. A-

POTD: Happily Ever After

From 2016 09 10 Montreal

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal. The happy couple is unidentified.

Bonus photo after the jump.

Arrival (2016)

IMDB

Arrival (2016): Talking to aliens is hard. So is talking to each other. But Amy Adams has a gift. Non-linear thinking is key, somehow. ?? B-

Candidates in Upcoming Local Elections

The deadline has passed for filing to run for Richardson City Council. The deadline has passed for filing to run for two of the three seats on the RISD school board up for election this year. The third seat, an open seat to fill the remaining term of Kris Oliver, has a deadline to file of March 6. So the races are (mostly) set for the May 6, 2017, election. So far, things have played out as expected.

Late Winter in the Steger Garden (2017)

From Flowers

Review: The Oddfits

Amazon

From The Oddfits, by Tiffany Tsao:

The boy was clearly and unmistakably oddfitting. Oddfittingness emanated from his every pore; it enveloped him like a cloud; it hung on him and exceeded him as if it were a baggy, oversized T-shirt that came all the way down to his scrawny little ankles."

An odd boy must decide whether to abandon his home and go on a Quest to explore an odd fantasy world. Easy. Short. Odd.

After the jump, my review.

Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

IMDB

Hacksaw Ridge (2016): Every war movie cliché in the genre, including slow-motion combat porn. But Desmond Doss was a real-life hero. B-

POTD: Cultivating Her Garden

From 2016 09 09 Quebec City

"We must cultivate our garden," Candide said in reaction to scenes of human cruelty in Voltaire's famous novel. Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Rue du Petit Champlain in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, where a nun appears to take Voltaire to heart.

Bonus photo after the jump.