Review: The Idiot

From The Idiot by Elif Batuman

I didn’t have a religion, and I didn’t do team sports, and for a long time orchestra had been the only place where I felt like part of something bigger than I was, where I was able to strive and at the same time to forget myself. The loss of that feeling was extremely painful. It would have been bad enough to be someplace where there were no orchestras, but it was even worse to know that there was one, and lots of people were in it—just not me. I dreamed about it almost every night."

Amazon

Elif Batuman's debut novel is a first person account of her freshman year in college, followed by a summer teaching English in Hungary. She has a keen eye for detail. She shows wry humor throughout. You learn about love and linguistics along the way.

Slow Horses (TV 2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Slow Horses (TV 2022): Slough House is where MI5 sends agents who screw up. No one wants them to do anything but this team of spies can't help getting involved in a terrorist kidnapping. Back story secrets and coverups at HQ add to the intrigues here. Gary Oldman is superb. B+

Ted Lasso - S01 (TV 2020)

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Ted Lasso - S01 (TV 2020): Workplace sitcom. American football coach is hired by English soccer team. He doesn't know the game. He cares more about being nice than winning. Occasionally funny. That it won Emmys is a sign viewers are tired of mean. Or that the sitcom is dead. B-

#VeryTardyReview

Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

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Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022): Dr. Strange is under attack in an alternate universe. Great CGI. No plot arc. Marvel squeezes as many characters into the movie as they can. Afterwards, I wished I lived in a universe where I hadn't spent 2 hours on this movie. D+

Hang on, UTD Students, Housing is Coming...Maybe

On May 17, 2022, The City of Richardson's City Plan Commission (CPC) recommended approval of an application for development of a 5-story apartment building with up to 171 units to accommodate 529 beds on the north side of UT-Dallas at Richardson. It's been a long, hard road to get (back) to this point. The application now moves to City Council, where it has to be considered an underdog for getting approval there, too.

The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)

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The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021): I first read this >50 yrs ago. Seeing it acted now reinforces my love of it then. Stark, stylized cinematography with larger than life, mostly bare, stage-like sets. The acting is powerful. The witches are great. The abridged script feels rushed. B+

The Outlaws (TV 2021)

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The Outlaws (TV 2021): 7 misfits performing community service bond despite widely different backgrounds. A duffle bag full of drug money raises the stakes. More comedy than thriller. Can writers resolve all their predicaments by end of series? No, but by then you don't care. B-

Moon Knight (TV 2022)

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Moon Knight (TV 2022): Marc/Steven and a superhero struggle with dissociative identity disorder and a pair of fighting Egyptian gods. Story runs out of things to say well before its short six episode run concludes. A miss by Marvel. C-

Silicon Valley - S01 (TV 2014)

Rotten Tomatoes

Silicon Valley - S01 (TV 2014): Satire about computer nerds trying to strike it rich with a tech startup. 8 years old, but it still feels fresh. The nerds and the VC billionaires are equal targets. The characters are all ambitious and earnest, but each is unique in own way. B-

#VeryTardyReview

Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (TV 2022)

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Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (TV 2022): Magic and Kareem are here, but this is owner Jerry Buss's story. Characters are surface thin. Script takes too many liberties with history. But it's watchable, maybe even if you don't follow the NBA. Maybe. B-