Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

IMDB

Pirates of the Caribbean (2017): Jack Sparrow's an old drunk. Movie franchise is just old. Too many characters. Too many ships. Too much. D+

POTD: Politics Gone

From 2016 10 09 Alexandria

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the streets of Alexandria, Virginia.
From before the election.
When America was Great.

Review: Hillbilly Elegy

Amazon

From Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis , by J.D. Vance:

I didn’t write this book because I've accomplished something extraordinary. I wrote this book because I've achieved something quite ordinary, which doesn't happen to most kids who grow up like me. You see, I grew up poor, in the Rust Belt, in an Ohio steel town that has been hemorrhaging jobs and hope for as long as I can remember. The statistics tell you that kids like me face a grim future—that if they're lucky, they'll manage to avoid welfare; and if they're unlucky, they’ll die of a heroin overdose, as happened to dozens in my small hometown just last year."

I had high expectations from this highly-praised 2016 bestseller. It would explain the mentality of poor and lower working class whites, of Fox News viewers, of Trump voters. Or so I thought.

What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

IMDB

What We Do in the Shadows (2014): Mock doc. Cult classic. 4 vampires share a flat and house chores in NZ. Clever concept lacking a plot. C+

POTD: Cavalier Antiques

From 2016 10 09 Alexandria

...or Palace Cleaners. You decide. Today's photo-of-the-day is from the streets of Alexandria, Virginia.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)

IMDB

King Arthur (2017): Giant elephants, squids and Kung Fu George in medieval England. Knights with no armor. Over-acted, over-stuffed. D+

Show Us Your Privates

To the command "Show us your papers" we can now add "Show us your privates." After previously approving a draconian anti-sanctuary cities bill, the Texas House now has approved a so-called "bathroom" bill with only the fig leaf of an amendment to claim it's not discriminatory. It is. Despite what the legislators might try to have you believe, all you need to know is that the bill keeps transgender students out of bathrooms that match their gender identity.

"If they are biologically considered to be a female, they must use that [facility]," [Chris] Paddie said in laying out this amendment. "Otherwise, there will be accommodations made for them to use a single-occupancy facility."

Source: Texas Tribune.

Local representatives Angie Chen Button, Linda Koop, and Jason Villalba all voted in favor of this discriminatory bill. Sine die can't come soon enough. Neither can Election Day 2018, when I can register my own vote — against legislators who discriminate. We are living in hard times.

The Lobster (2015)

IMDB

The Lobster (2015): Hotel where singles get turned into animals. Black comedy with deadpan, robotic style. Watch Black Mirror instead. D+

Snatched (2017)

IMDB

Snatched (2017): Mother/daughter buddy comedy. Amy Schumer gets the good lines, not Goldie Hahn. Better than my low expectations for it. C+

POTD: PDA in VA

From 2016 10 09 Alexandria

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the streets of Alexandria, Virginia, where a public display of affection brightens the day.