Irma Vep (1996)

Rotten Tomatoes

Irma Vep (1996): French. Movie about moviemaking. Fading director remakes a silent movie classic, with the sexy cat burglar played by Chinese star Maggie Cheung (played by Maggie Cheung herself). Confused? Very meta. Very arty. Both homage and satire. C+

#VeryTardyReview

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society (2018): Part love story, part WWII historical drama, part mystery movie, all heart (even a Nazi). I can't think of a movie with a better constructed plot where all the pieces fit just right and go in place at just the right time. A-

#VeryTardyReview

Hypnotic (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Hypnotic (2023): Police detective's daughter is kidnapped. The search to find her uncovers a web of people with power of instant mind control. Silly premise but the movie invests itself wholly in it as the web expands to ever wider reach. C-

POTD: The City of Light at Christmas

From 2022 12 25 Paris

"Louis's power play,
In Place Vendôme's grand display,
Paris's heart today."

—h/t ChatGPT

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Place Vendôme in Paris. Place Vendôme was built by Louis XIV as a grand setting to embody absolute power in the heart of Paris. The Vendôme Column was erected by Napoleon I to commemorate the Battle of Austerlitz.

A bonus photo is after the jump.

POTD: Paris at Christmas

From 2022 12 25 Paris

"Champs-Élysées' charm,
Arc de Triomphe in the night,
Christmas memories."

—h/t ChatGPT

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Paris, France. Christmas in Paris: dream vacation or cliché? Regardless, our whole family gathered last year for Christmas at the home of surplus vowels and accent marks for five days of seeing as many sights as we could fit in.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023): Miles and Gwen join an elite team of Spider-Persons in the multiverse to fight Spot, the villain of the week. A coming-of-age tale in which adults really can't understand or help. Great animation and energy. B+

The Hand of God (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Hand of God (2021): Italian. Boy dreams of Maradona playing for Naples. And of sex. He wants to be Fellini, but might end up a cigarette smuggler. He's surrounded by family and friends, each one crazier than the last. Is Naples really like this? An arty coming-of-age film. B-

#VeryTardyReview

The Quiet Girl (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Quiet Girl (2023) Irish. Withdrawn 9-yr-old girl is sent to live with relatives for the summer, where she begins to come out of her shell. Family secrets slowly come out, too. The girl's thoughts are always private, which gives the movie a sense of foreboding. A quiet film about a quiet girl. B+

Book Review: Killing Commendatore

From Killing Commendatore, by Haruki Murakami:

Amazon

"It was a couple of months after I’d moved there that I discovered Tomohiko Amada’s painting Killing Commendatore. I couldn’t know it at the time, but that one painting changed my world forever."

Book Review: Killing Commendatore: Magical realism by my favorite author, Haruki Murakami. An artist, after breaking up with his wife, secludes himself in a mountain cabin belonging to a dying famous Japanese artist whose long hidden secrets emerge from a covered well. A-

After the jump, my full review.

You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023): Coming-of-age tale where a girl learns that BFFs are more important than any crush. For teen girls, mostly, but this old man enjoyed it. Adam Sandler's best movie, because he gave himself a minor role and cast his daughter in the lead. B-