Monday, January 8, 2018

Darkest Hour (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes
Darkest Hour (2017): Good depiction of the free world on the brink. Great acting by Gary Oldman. Good history allows a new generation to see current events in a new light. Unexpected thought: could Donald Trump be our era's Winston Churchill? A-









Friday, January 5, 2018

OTBR: The New Virginia Avenue Tunnel

Latitude: N 38° 52.710
Longitude: W 076° 59.694
A child on a road trip with his family asks, "Where are we?" and the father answers, "Let's check the map. We're off the blue roads [the Interstate Highways marked in blue on the road atlas]. We're off the red roads [the US and state highways]. We're off the black roads [the county highways]. I think we're off the map altogether." It was always my dream to be off the map altogether.

After the jump, a few of the random places (and I mean random literally) that I visited vicariously (not actually) last month that are "off the blue roads".

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Vote for Change

Have you ever noticed how education professionals (school boards, adminstrators, teachers, etc.) have historically taken a low profile on election day, but then caravan to Austin when the legislature opens? Have you thought like me that this is backwards? That laws and regulations and policies helpful to public education are decided in the voting booth, not afterwards? In these early days of 2018, I'm hopeful that this is changing.

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Raw (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes
Raw (2017): French. Vegetarian gets a taste for meat in first year in vet school. Bloody. Violent. Lurid. But yet...you feel for our girl. It's not her fault. Worst. School. Ever. B-









Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Downsizing (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes
Downsizing (2017): Interesting concept bogged down by not-so-interesting treatment of global inequality, climate change, and threat of human extinction. Cut Matt Damon. Cut subplot with Christoph Waltz. Give Waltz the lead. Or Hong Chau, who steals the movie. C+