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