Emancipation (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Emancipation (2022): Will Smith gets beaten. Viewers get hit over the head with film's message: slaves weren't given freedom, they fought for it. Like super heroes. Movie is determined to create a new narrative. This mostly made up story is not subtle. But neither was slavery. B-

POTD: Horses, Free if not Wild

From 2022 07 06 Kinderdijk

Today's photo-of-the-day is of horses on the bank of the Rhine River in Netherlands. They look so wild and free, even though they were certainly on some farmer's land whose fences were out of sight for me traveling along the river.

POTD: A Bridge Too Far

From 2022 07 06 Kinderdijk

A modern bridge, not the Bridge Too Far

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Rhine River in Netherlands. If you're of a certain age, you might remember the epic war film "A Bridge Too Far". It depicted a failed Allied military operation in Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II. Thousands of Allied soldiers were air dropped behind enemy lines. The objective was the bridge at Arnhem. Capturing that would cut off the German army from retreat and give the Allies a safe crossing of the Rhine to invade Germany. The problem was that the road to the bridge was a single lane across marshy land, with several key bridges to capture on the way to Arnhem.

The Devil's Hour (TV 2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Devil's Hour (TV 2022): A woman wakes from nightmares every night at 3:33 am. It gets creepier from there. Not a horror movie. A murder mystery with the emphasis not on whodunnit, but on mystery: precognition, parallel lives, or just madness? Resolution is satisfactory. B-

Joyful and Triumphant

O come all ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye o come ye
To Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born the King of angels

"Joyful and Triumphant." I've heard those words sung in that Christmas carol since childhood. But recently at a church concert these same words were belted out by a church choir at the top of their lungs singing songs I have never heard before. Not just one song. The whole concert was one of Christian triumphalism sung loud and proud. To me, Christmas carols never sounded quite so, well, contrary to Christian humility. But that could just be me.

The Patient (TV 2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Patient (TV 2022): Steve Carell as a therapist kidnapped by a serial killer who desperately wants someone to cure him of his urge to kill. Claustrophobic feel. Episodes become more introspective until you don't know who is the patient. Resolution, revealed late, is good. B-

Elections Matter: Book Banning Edition

Source: San Antonio Current.

Richardson ISD and Frisco ISD had school board elections last year. In both cases, some candidates objected to being characterized as being "book banners." The outcomes in the two elections were quite different. The book banners lost in RISD. They won in Frisco ISD. The consequences are now being felt.

POTD: Shoe Rack

From 2022 07 06 Kinderdijk

Today's photo-of-the-day is of a shoe rack in a windmill house in Kinderdijk, Netherlands. Wooden shoes are more a curiosity than footwear seen today, but they did have a historic advantage. Not only do they provide foot protection (think of today's steel-toed work shoes), they were waterproof (good for living on canals and marshes), durable and cheap.

POTD: Netherlands and Windmills

From 2022 07 06 Kinderdijk

Today's photos-of-the-day are from the Netherlands. What's more Dutch than windmills?

Bonus photos after the jump.

The Fabelmans (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Fabelmans (2022): Steven Spielberg's personal coming-of-age tale with three subplots that don't quite mesh: his early love of movie-making, his family's complicated relationships, and a school bullying incident. The family story is best. His mother deserves her own movie. B+