Saturday, September 30, 2023

POTD: Moulin Rouge on Christmas Night

From 2022 12 25 Paris

"Outside, lights ignite,
Moulin Rouge on Christmas night,
Snapshot's sweet delight."

—h/t ChatGPT

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Paris. No trip to Paris is complete without a visit to the Moulin Rouge cabaret. Unfortunately, tickets for Christmas Day are not only very expensive, but sold out far in advance. So a snapshot of the outside will have to do. Ah, the memories of an imagined visit!

Friday, September 29, 2023

Blackberry (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes

Blackberry (2023): Meteoric rise and fall of the world's first smartphone. There's the introverted tech genius, the undisciplined techies around him, and a brash marketing genius who knows how to turn it into gold...until the crash comes. Better than most such stories. B+

Thursday, September 28, 2023

Council Recap: Goals

Source: DALL-E

At a special Saturday meeting of the Richardson City Council on September 16, 2023, the Council deliberated its goals for the 2023-2025 term. I can't provide a link to the video because there is no video. The Council decided not to televise this meeting. But in attendance was Justin Neth. If you haven't been reading his reports from City Council meetings, you are missing the best way to follow what's going on. He usually keeps his opinions to a minimum (unlike yours truly) and covers the whole meeting (unlike yours truly). I couldn't attend in person, so my opinions on this goal-setting meeting are entirely drawn from Justin Neth's own report (in which he offers his own cogent opinions).

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

WAIW: Saigon Central

Saigon Central

Where Am I Wednesday!

Fifty points to the first person to identify where this photo was taken.

Answer is after the jump.

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Bones of Crows (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes

Bones of Crows (2022): Canada. Life story of a Cree woman who was removed from her parents and raised in Canada's abusive residential school system. Elements of her life deserve a whole movie of their own. Some acting is stilted. Many images are beautiful. Overall, it's moving. B+

Monday, September 25, 2023

Council Recap: More Housing for UTD

Source: DALL-E

At the September 11 City Council meeting, the Council approved a request (ZF 23-06) to rezone 36 acres on Waterview Parkway north of UT-Dallas from technical office use to a transit-oriented, mixed-use, planned development. The vote was 5-1 (Dan Barrios voted no; Jennifer Justice was absent.) What makes this case complicated is that the property is owned by two different entities — UTD and a private developer. What makes this case simple is that one of the applicants is UTD. Usually, UTD gets what UTD wants. This case was no exception. I have two reactions.

Friday, September 22, 2023

Morocco Earthquake Aftermath

Earthquake damage in Marrakesh medina

We are on location in Marrakesh, Morocco. Life here has recovered from the recent earthquake. Some serious building damage is visible in the medina, but most buildings show nothing more than the expected wear and tear on thousand year old buildings. We didn't go into the nearby Atlas Mountains where the earthquake was centered and damage was more widespread. Recovery there will take much longer. We were thanked several times by Moroccans for coming to Morocco despite the earthquake. Tourism is important to the local economy. We are having a great visit throughout the country. Don't hesitate to make Morocco your vacation destination.

Thursday, September 21, 2023

Irma Vep (1996)

Rotten Tomatoes

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

Tuesday, September 19, 2023

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes

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

Monday, September 18, 2023

Hypnotic (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

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-