Diary, Curious News, Must Know
Thy NY Times provides an excellent behind the scenes account of the major surprise this year. Majorie Taylor Greene went from being the strongest support to a frequent critic. The Transformation of Majorie Taylor Greene
Click on graphic to get to article.
Movies, Comedy, Drama
After 35 years, Home Alone holds up. It turns out I had never seen the original movie, only the sequel. The film is cute. Macaulay Culkin delivers a spectacular performance for a nine-year-old. If you want to enchant your kids, this is a wonderful holiday movie. I watched an interview with Macaulay Culkin recently on Jimmy Kimmel Live; as an adult now 45 years old, he comes across as charming. He watches the film with his young kids, and they are presently not old enough to realize that the kid in Home Alone is actually their father.Home Alone after 35 years
Movies, Comedy, Drama
Recently, I saw a clip from Forrest Gump, and this inspired me to watch the film again. I had these memories of Forrest Gump: he’s not very smart, and he’s best friends with a Black man who he later goes into a fishing business with in the South of the United States. The film holds up even after 30 years. I found it interesting that I had no memory of the love story that is at the center of the entire film.Forrest Gump after 30 years
Diary, Must Know, Politics
I watch Jimmy Kimmel opening monologue regularly. I am glad that ABC put him back on air and did not cave to the threat’s of Trump and the FCC chair Brendan Car. Jimmy Kimmel is back on air
Never was I so excited to watch his show. I was filled with anticipation. How would he address public about what happened.
See for yourself.
Books, Fiction
I am not sure how I became the owner of this book. I found it on my bookshelf this summer.And the birds rained down
The only thing that was clear is that it was bought in my local bookshop because of its label
on the back cover. Did I buy it? I typically do not buy contemporary novels because I want
novels to have withstood the test of time before I give them my attention. Did someone give
it to me as a present? This is possible. I live in the summer, surrounded by woods, in a
wooden house.
Movies, Comedy
The best thing about this rather uninspired romantic comedy is the destination: I wanted to buy a ticket to Bali as I was watching “Ticket to Paradise.” The second best thing is the chemistry between Julia Roberts and George Clooney. You can sense that the two genuinely like each other. As they tell the story, Clooney would only do the film if Roberts was playing the female part they are having fun. Instead of watching the film, travel to Bali. It just moved on my bucket list.Ticket to Paradise
When Novels Mattered
Important article by David Brooks in NY Times.
He writes: I’m old enough to remember when novelists were big-time. When I was in college in the 1980s, new novels from Philip Roth, Toni Morrison, Saul Bellow, John Updike, Alice Walker and others were cultural events. There were reviews and counter-reviews and arguments about the reviews.
It’s not just my nostalgia that’s inventing this. In the mid- to late 20th century, literary fiction attracted huge audiences. If you look at the Publisher’s Weekly list of best-selling novels of 1962, you find works by Katherine Anne Porter, Herman Wouk and J.D. Salinger. The next year you find books by Mary McCarthy and John O’Hara. From a recent Substack essay called “The Cultural Decline of Literary Fiction” by Owen Yingling, I learned that E.L. Doctorow’s “Ragtime” was the best-selling book of 1974, Roth’s “Portnoy’s Complaint” was the best-selling book of 1969, Vladimir Nabokov’s “Lolita” was No. 3 in 1958 and Boris Pasternak’s “Doctor Zhivago” was No. 1.
Movies, Phantasy
In the past couple of weeks, I’ve been reading more and more alarmed voices calling for a moratorium on the development of advanced AI models. Even researchers who were previously enthusiastic about the positive potential of AI are growing concerned that we may be stumbling into building systems that could turn against humanity—like in one of those sci-fi movies where robots either enslave humanity or wipe us out entirely. Indeed, I just ready a study that expert on AI are more concerned that AI can harm humanity than the general public. Companion
Diary, Politics, Humor, People, Situations
The stock market lost 10% in two days after Trump announced his across-the-board tariffs on all imports into the United States. Yesterday, Elon Musk departed from the Trump administration’s insistence that everything is fine. The first big wedge between Trump and Musk seems to have appeared. See his video message to Italy’s far-right party congress. I am not quite sure how I should classify this on my blog. Humor? Elon Musk is for free trade between USA and Europe
Movies, Drama
Early on in watching Anora, I had the idea that this was a remake of Pretty Woman with a lot more skin than my grandmother would’ve appreciated. But the film then moved far away from a romantic comedy when the friends of the Russian billionaire’s son, Ivan, who plays the Richard Gere character in this film, learn about rumors that Ivan has tied the knot with a hooker. What a shame on the family! Apparently, the billionaire’s parents have given an associate in New York the task of keeping the spoiled son out of trouble.Anora
The film has three parts. The first one takes an attractive, American hooker and a charming young Russian billionaire and seemingly makes them fall in love with each other, although that is not what both of them had planned. In the second part, the adult supervision of Ivan is trying to make this love undone, and the third part I’m not revealing here because I don’t want to spoil your movie-watching experience.
Movies, Documentary
In all the videos I’ve seen about Chris Martin, the lead singer and creative force behind Coldplay, I always get the sense that he is a very nice chap. Some months ago, I discovered that a documentary about the band’s 20th anniversary in 2018 had been released. Watching it, you get the sense that the other three members are also very nice human beings. What makes them nice, in my book, is that none of them are particularly confrontational, so arguing about which songs should go on an album is hard for them, and I can relate to this. Watching a documentary about a successful band gives us the wrong impression that somehow the band’s success was preordained because they had superior skills. But as I found out in college, any band that plays on a college campus on a Saturday sounds amazingly good, and becoming a world-famous band involves a considerable degree of luck. When Chris Martin formed the band with the other members, he already had big plans for becoming very successful, and they are clearly among the few bands that can fill stadiums.Coldplay Documentary “Head Full of Dreams”
Books, Fiction
I was researching how many copies of the Swiss children’s book Heidi have been sold worldwide, as I once heard it was the most popular German-language book ever. During this process, I came across Cornelia Funke, who is listed as a bestselling children’s book author from Germany. I had never heard of her, and my curiosity was piqued. She wrote many popular children’s books, but Inkheart is her most famous one because it was also turned into a Hollywood motion picture. I just finished reading this wonderful book. What appealed to me most is that the story celebrates the love of books.Inkheart
Diary, Politics
As a dramaturgist, Trump is in a class of his own. I am trying not to pay attention everyday what he is doing to keep my mental health, but this morning I read the story in the NYT about this first cabinet meeting, and the role is handed to Elon Musk. Hats off. This is drama at its finest. Full story below.The Trump Show Continues
Movies, Documentary
I recently came across the documentary Love Has Won, which tells the story of a young American woman who formed a cult around herself, convincing her followers that she was “Mother God.” The rise of smartphone technology after 2008, with the introduction of the iPhone and Android devices, has made documentary filmmaking significantly more accessible. Today, the challenge is not the lack of material but rather the task of selecting and shaping the most compelling footage.Love has Won
Movies, Drama
For many years, I have recorded films that I want to see in a to-do list software called OmniFocus. There are 128 items on the films list. One of them is Okuribito (a foreign language film). It is in position No. 5, which means it was recorded many years ago. I searched for the film and found that it is called Departures in English. To my surprise, it won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2009. This was probably how it ended up on my list of films to watch 15 years ago.Departures
Diary, Politics
The WSJ published this beautiful essay by Jacob Berger, a professor of philosophy at Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Why MAGA Folks Should Read Marx Today’s conservative populists will find sympathetic ideas about the failings of capitalism in the writings of the great communist philosopherFrom Marx to MAGA
Books, Fiction
This Chinese novel is deeply moving. The writing is very simple, but it manages to pierce through one’s heart. Set during the Civil War in China, it tells the story of a farmer who gambled away his father’s land and tries to make a living in an increasingly difficult context. First, he is forcefully inducted into the Nationalist army. Then, when the Communists take over, things improve for a while before turning dire. We accompany Fugui throughout his life, starting from his early gambling habits to his marriage and, eventually, his children.To live
Movies, Drama
Shakespeare wrote his play Romeo and Juliet in 1596. I just learned that there have been at least 30 major motion pictures of the play. I once read that there is a new Romeo and Juliet film every year, but I could not confirm this. In any case, Shakespeare’s genius lies in his ability to find, reshape, and invent stories that resonate with human beings across centuries. My first encounter with Romeo and Juliet in a film was in 1996 when Baz Luhrmann cast young Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio in a modernized version set not in historical Verona, but somewhere in the United States. I remember liking this transposition of the storyline into modern America. I just learned about the 1968 version of Romeo and Juliet by the Italian director Franco Zeffirelli because the actress who played Juliet in Zeffirelli’s film (Olivia Hussey) recently passed away.Romeo and Julia
Movies, Comedy
*Sister Act* is a wonderfully funny film that showcases the acting skills of Whoopi Goldberg, who can pull off comedy solely with her facial expressions. It reminded me of the more recent Pitch Perfect movies, where teenagers compete to be the best a cappella group. Here, it’s a choir of nuns in San Francisco who, until Goldberg arrives, are singing completely out of tune. Whoopi is hiding in the convent because her ex-boyfriend wants to kill her. Now with time on her hands, and after some initial challenges in the convent, she becomes the choir leader with wonderful results. If you enjoy comedy and music, this is a film that will lift your holiday spirits.Sister Act
Movies, Drama
I had seen parts of this epic film starring Brad Pitt before, but I had forgotten most of it. I’ve always been fascinated by the Dalai Lama and have long dreamed of traveling to Tibet, which is what drew me to the movie. The plot is compelling. A group of Austrian mountaineers, including Heinrich Harrer (played by Brad Pitt), sets out to climb a formidable peak in the Himalayas. However, their plans are disrupted by the outbreak of World War II, and the group is captured and imprisoned by the British. After escaping from the internment camp, Harrer and his companion, Peter, journey through Tibet for an extended period. They eventually reach Lhasa, the capital city, where Harrer strikes up an unlikely friendship with the young Dalai Lama. Seven Years in Tibet
Movies, Documentary, Drama
We often think of today’s politics as brutal and ruthless. Watching A Royal Affair, which explores the politics of Denmark just before the American and French Revolutions, reminds us that politics has always been a brutal affair. The film is not uplifting, as it portrays the political maneuvering at the Danish court, but it offers an excellent history lesson. After watching the film, I wanted to find out to what extent it was historically accurate. According to Wikipedia—which I generally trust—the film is very accurate in its portrayal of how the personal physician of the king tried to bring Enlightenment values to the government of Denmark.A Royal affair
Movies, Comedy
On Christmas Eve, I stumbled across Charade, a movie starring Cary Grant and Aubrey Hepburn. It is a thriller mixed with romantic comedy. The gender roles in the film are outdated. A leading Hollywood studio would not dare to make such a portrayal today. The dialogues between Grant and Hepburn are very funny. Nobody could be this eloquent in real life—or at least, I have not met anyone who can consistently be intelligent, funny, and persuasive in daily interactions.Charade
Movies, Comedy
If you are looking for a holiday movie that will enchant you, do not choose Our Little Secret on Netflix. The premise sounded promising, but the plot is too predictable, and the characters feel like they were crafted by amateur hands. The only thing I enjoyed was studying Lindsay Lohan’s face and trying to imagine how the once-cute girl ended up with such a swollen appearance. I haven’t seen her since Mean Girls, so I was a bit surprised by her current look.Our Little Secret
Diary, Politics
The Economist reports: President of the united states is a coveted job, at least among a certain type of power-crazed geriatric man. America’s founders nearly made the office more exalted still. John Adams, the first vice-president, thought the president should be known as His Elective Majesty or His Mightiness. The Senate endorsed another form of address: His Highness, the President of the United States and Protector of their Liberties. But the House of Representatives rejected grand titles, and George Washington went along with it to dispel claims that he had monarchical ambitions. The accusations flew anyway, and have been repeated whenever one party dislikes what the president is up to, which is to say most of the time.Why America is vulnerable to a despot
Movies, Drama
If you are hoping to learn a lot about Leonard Bernstein’s artistry, Maestro will disappoint you. There are two moments where one gets a sense of Bernstein’s creative power. Otherwise, the film is dedicated to chronicling his complicated love life. Bernstein is homosexual but marries and has children. Bradley Cooper (director and actor of Bernstein) focuses on telling this story. Bernstein’s musical artistry merely serves as a background that remains largely unexplored. I once saw a little video of Bernstein teaching the history of music in five minutes at Harvard. Given the title Maestro, I was hoping music would be at the center of the film. Perhaps there is a good documentary on Bernstein I can look for.Maestro
Movies, Comedy, Drama
Crocodile Dundee was made with $7 million and took in over $300 million at the box office. It was the commercially most successful Australian film ever. Because the film became so popular, I wasn’t sure whether I had seen it or not. It turns out I had never seen at least the first “Crocodile Dundee” movie, and I fully appreciate why it was so successful. It is utterly charming. A young journalist happens to be in Australia when she hears the news that a man in the outback was attacked by a crocodile and then managed to rescue himself through an ordeal of several days.Crocodile Dundee
Movies, Comedy
This film is inspired by *Pretty Woman. *This time, the girl is a graduate of Stanford University who found out that she can make easy money by not using her degree from the elite university. The boy/man in this film is not rich. In fact, he is so behind in his rent that he reluctantly goes back to his father to get a cash infusion. The more salient new twist is this: our boy/man has a sex addiction.The Escort
Movies, Drama
I love films about music legends such as Marley, Walk the Line, and Ray *because the soundtrack is guaranteed to be excellent. So I could not wait to see *Elvis. It starts out strong but pretty soon it fails to create the magic of great movies that pull you in and make you believe what you see is a real story. Baz Luhrmann, who wrote and directed the film, never lets you forget that the film and Elvis’s true life are different.Elvis
Diary, Politics
The actor does a great job imitating Trump’s mannerisms. It is a well-written piece and made me laugh. SNL funny take on Trump’s indictment
My own sense is that the change that Trump will indicted in Georgia is 80%. At the federal level it put the probability at 50%.
Click on picture below to play video. 
Diary, Must Know
“People who drink a little don’t die sooner than people who never drank, study shows. The findings suggest that the average man can drink up to about three drinks a day and expect to live as long as nondrinkers. Women might want to stop at about two drinks, the research suggested.”A Little Alcohol Won’t Kill You or Make You Stronger
Diary, Curious News
Rupert Murdoch has made it into my blog because he is one of the strongest believers in the institution of marriage that I know (See my previous entry on Murdoch marriage adventures. Not long after his divorce from Mick Jagger’s old flame Jerry Hall, he got himself a new wife at age 92. Here are the details which he shared with one of the newspapers he owns and then a report from the NY Times. By Cindy Adams NY Post Rupert Murdoch. Professionally, the parent of Earth’s media. Personally, the creator of new news himself. Celebrating March, his Nativity month, a new scoop is Mr. Murdoch’s getting married — again. But first, before anything, we discuss the important stuff. Like his bride-to-be’s Asscher-cut diamond solitaire which the almost groom personally selected. He says: “I’m one-fourth Irish.” He presented the ring to her on St. Pat’s Day in our very own NYC. He says: “I was very nervous. I dreaded falling in love — but I knew this would be my last. It better be. I’m happy.”Rupert Murdoch marries again
Rupert Murdoch engaged to Ann Lesley Smith
Diary, Must Know
Washington Post reports: “We found that just 1-3 hours per week of moderate exercise — brisk walking and/or vigorous aerobic exercise such as [high intensity interval training] training — and just 1-2 times per week of strength exercise substantially reduced the risk of death by all-causes,” McDonough says. Given that walking to the bus or store counts, most people should be able to get in 60 minutes a week of aerobic exercise, McDonough says. And the two sessions of strength training doesn’t have to be at the gym, he adds. They can be with any form of resistance, such as gravity, hand weights, resistance bands, or even water bottles or cans from the cupboard, or hefting grocery bags. So cardio or weights or both? If you’re looking to live longer, doing both is your best bet, experts say. Do also strength training
Source: https://tinyurl.com/465xbr9f
Diary, Must Know, Books, Poetry
I gave the chatgpt3 AI toll these three words “morning coffee poem,” and it came back with this poem: Morning coffee, black and strong A sip, a taste, a moment of peace The rich flavor, the bitter bite With each sip, my mind comes aliveAI wrote this poem
A aroma that wakes me up
The warmth of the cup in my hand
A ritual that never gets old.
As the world outside starts to stir
The chaos of the day ahead
Is calmed by this simple pleasure.
A symphony on my tongue
A reminder that this day is mine
And I am ready to conquer it all.
Ideas flow, my creativity flows
I am ready to face the day
Morning coffee, my daily dose.
Movies, Drama
I saw the original top gun movie and was not very impressed. It lacked depth and tried to make it up with too many acrobatic jet fighter stunts. Not surprisingly, I had no plans to see the sequel. But Top Gun Maverick received raving reviews. Every review I read claimed that the sequel was much better than the original. I got a chance to see it on a big cinema screen. Top Gun Maverick is a fantastic film. I was impressed with the storytelling, the camera work, the suspense, and the surprising twists and turns. No wonder that this is the best crossing film Tom Cruise has ever participated in. You can see that all people involved treated it as a labor of love. You can sense that the script was rewritten and reworked many times so that it would reach a level that is rare for action movies made mainly for young people. See Top Gun Maverick. I extend my rare money-back guarantee for it. If you don’t like the film, I will reimburse you for the price of the tickets.Top Gun Maverick
Movies, Comedy
Indian parents, even in the United States, still feel entitled that they can help find spouses for their children. Caucasian parents no longer have those rights. This romantic comedy of a man and woman of Indian descent who are living in the USA and are (n their mid-twenties is very creative. Except for a final scene, the film plays only in the house of the lady. The two seem to be a perfect mismatch. The woman goes on set-up dates by her mother so her mother pays the rent for her house.7 Days
Movies, Drama
Coda is the remake of a French movie. The American version is taking place in a small fishing town in New England. At the center of the film is a high school senior whose parents and older brother are deaf. She has been the translator for her family with the outside “hearing” world for her entire life. But she’s getting tired of this as she wants to lead a more independent life.Coda
Movies, Comedy
This German comedy is based on the book “Why Men Don’t Listen and Women Can’t Read Maps” by Allan and Barbara Pease. The film is funny. I cannot speak about the book because I have not read it. The film argues (explains) that the differences in men’s and women’s behavior are largely due to the different roles men and women had in early human societies. Anyone familiar with evolutionary psychology will know these ideas but they are put on display well in this comedy. The film is staged in Berlin in the year 2006. The internet is already a force in hooking up but we are not yet in the era of everyone having a profile on dating websites. The film is quite funny until the end. But the end is not a real end. The film just stops and you are left hanging. What happened to the other characters we got into?Why Men Don’t Listen and Women park badly (Warum Männer nicht zuhören und Frauen schlecht einparken
Movies, Drama
Sometimes in the 1990s I had vowed never to see another James Bond movie. In my early teens, I watched a James Bond movie every weekend. I described c my teenage love affair with James Bond that came to an end like many teenage love affairs do here: Me and Mr. Bond. But when Daniel Craig took over the role and the producers announced that they would give Bond emotional depth, I wanted to see whether they have achieved this in Casino Royale. They did as I wrote in my review.No Time to Die
Movies, Comedy
Living in LA, a young white journalist writes about the trials and tribulations of finding a partner in the age of social media and online dating. Her recent date conveniently failed to mention a relevant extra-curricular activity: he is already married. Now our heroine is s back on her dating app and soon gets connected to a guy far away in Lake Placid, New York. They are hitting it off well, talking endlessly over the phone.Love Hard
Movies, Phantasy
I do not count myself as a big aficionado of Sci-Fi movies but Dunes get’s my two thumbs up. A marries futurism with features of the Middle Ages. On top, it puts the old theme of a person being the chosen one to lead humanity out of the darkness and mental superpower skills where you and take over the mind of another human being. The film is based on a 1965 novel that was considered unadaptable for the big screen after early flops. But the 2021 version is a success and I loved the attention to detail and learning about life in an inhospitable dessert. I am looking forward to the 2nd installment.Dune
Books, Poetry
First Poem: “Daily I Fall In Love With Waitresses” Daily I fall in love with waitressesTwo poems: Daily I fall in love with ...
by Elliot Fried
with their white bouncing name tags
and white rubber shoes.
I love how they bend over tables
pouring coffee.
Their perky breasts hover above potatoes
like jets coming in to LAX
hang above the suburbs—
shards of broken stars.
I feel their fingers
roughened by cube steaks softened with grease
slide over me.
Their hands and lean long bodies
keep moving so…
fumbling and clattering so harmoniously
that I am left overwhelmed, quivering.
Daily I fall in love with waitresses
with their cream-cheese cool.
They tell secrets in the kitchen
and I want them.
I know them.
They press buttons creases burgers buns—
their legs are menu smooth.
Books, Fiction
I came across the podcast by the Paris Review entitled Making Light. In it is a wonderful short story by Philip Roth. It is one of the best writing ever. Period. I was glued to my chair. The podcast version of the story is superb. The story starts around minute 10 of the podcast. But I suggest you listen to the entire podcast. It is a treat. Listen to Making Light. Amazing Short Story by Philip Roth
Movies, Documentary
Imagine one day you run into someone who looks just like you, whose voice sounds like yours, and whose behavior seems to be a carbon copy of you. If you live in the greater New York area and are between 60 and 70, this is a real possibility, as we learn in the intriguing documentary Three identical strangers. Around 1960, an experiment was made to separate twins given up for adoption. The experimenters did not tell the adopting parents or the children about the existence of the other twins.Three Identical Strangers
Movies, Drama
I loved Slumdog Millionaire and Liondepiction of India. I was particularly moved by the scenes when Lion was lost in India. When novels work well, they depict real social problems and injustices and mobilize us to action. After seeing White Tiger I felt paralyzed rather than mobilized. Charles Dickens’ novels created in the hearts of many people the desire to change the awful working conditions in 19th century Britain. I was disgusted by the murder that the protagonist committed, making me more outraged about the poor storytelling than about social conditions in India. This was not how the writer and filmmaker intended it. I felt that they exaggerated so strongly and came across as so assured that their viewpoint is the correct one that I was turned off. I also did not learn anything new about India or became more sympathetic to the challenges for this gigantic country. Two thumbs down. White Tiger
Diary, Politics, Music, Pop
Hollywood and Nashville came out big yesterday producing two wonderful TV specials in addition to the performance at the inauguration itself. First the Parade Across America Watch on Youtube and then at night the Biden inauguration: “Celebrating America” event hosted by Tom Hanks Watch on Youtube. There were many great performance by ordinary citizens and stars. I am picking out three that you should see if you missed them. My favorite music at the Presidential Inauguration 2021
Movies, Drama
In die middle of February, Donald Trump made fun of this year’s best picture. I watched Trump’s campaign lines. He could not believe that a South Korean film would win an American based movie award. He called for “great American movies” like Gone with the wind to win Oscars. So I wanted to see the South Korean film and see why and how it convinced the majority of the voters of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to do something that it has never done before: To give the best movie award to a foreign film.Parasite
Diary, Must Know, Politics
This a scary poll and hard to believe but it would explain the Trump phenomenon. [...] share of voters who want “a strong leader who does not have to bother with Congress and elections” grew from 25 percent in 1990 to 37 percent in 2017, according to the World Values Survey, which measured attitudes in 48 countries. Source: https://wapo.st/3kuCg4s37% for Dictator in USA
Movies, Drama, Music, The Rest
The premature death of Chadwick Boseman due to colon cancer led to an international outpouring of grief. I had never seen a film with Boseman but I remembered how sad I was when Heath Ledger died much too young. People who knew Boseman gave eulogies that I would have given about Ledger, whose talent I admired deeply. So I wanted to see a film with Boseman. I chose the film about the musician James Brown.Get on Up
Diary, Must Know, Movies, Drama
When I think about the Joker I always see the painted face of Heath Ledger who gave an amazing performance in the Batman movie Dark Knight that unfortunately became his last chance to act.
I decided to watch the film with the Joker now simply called Joker because Joaquin Phoenix won the Oscar for his performance. Make no mistake, his acting is an amazing feat. His portrayal of a mentally deranged person scarily convincing. But my heart was tied to Heath Ledger and I always thought about him while seeing the painted face of the new joker. There is a sense of violence at the center of the film that left me deeply unsettled, especially now that in many parts of the Western world right-wing nationalists seem to be ready to embrace violence to attack democratic institutions.Joker
Movies, Drama
Noah Baumbach recently came out with a new film, The Mariage Story. It seemed to have received good reviews and I wanted to see it. But I thought I should first see his earlier film, The Squid and the Whale, which also covered the topic of divorce. The Squid and the Whale is intense.The Squid and the Whale
Movies, Drama
The farewell is very simple yet it is able to trigger deep emotions in the viewer’s heart. As the title suggests, a family that immigrated from China returns to the homeland to say farewell to their mother who is diagnosed with an illness and will not allow her to live very long. One branch of the family returns from the USA and the 2nd one from Japan. The film does a wonderful job portraying the challenges of any immigrant family anywhere.The Farewell
Diary, Politics
PM: I watched a couple of hours of debate on the first day of the Senate impeachment trial when the two parties fought over the rules. It was interesting to watch the arguments but the senate leader had counted the votes and all amendments to the rules were voted down 53 to 47. Every single Republican senator stayed with the “save our president” coalition. The most interesting questions is whether a few senators after the first 5 days will be willing to call witnesses. Peggy Noonan published the most interesting commentary I have read on the trial in the past couple of days. Impeachment Needs Witnesses on Both Sides Peggy Noonan gives an interesting rationale for why Bolton and Biden should be called as witnesses
Forget Democrats and Republicans. The interests of a third party, History, are more important.
Movies, Comedy
Imagine you know absolutely everything about another person, and you can fully predict what the person will think and do in the future. Would this help or hurt a relationship? This extreme form of knowing someone else does no exist but we all have a sense that we know some people much better than others. Some people we can trust and we can predict with high certainty that they will behave well toward us. Other people, by contrast, are complete wild cards and their unpredictability in thought and action can terrorize us. The perfect secret (Das perfekte Geheimnis)
Diary, Politics
I have two sentiments about impeachment. One the one hand, I am sad that Trump whose actions are clearly worse than what Nixon did and that he will not get removed from office and I pitty Republicans who have to defend actions that are indefensible. But I also acknowledge that congressmen and senators reflect accurately what their masters the voters want. 48 percent want Trump removed and 48 want him to be left in office and face voters judgments next November. Here is a very interesting graphic courtesy of the Walll Street Journal that shows that congressman vote largely reflecting what their constituency wants. Impeachment
Movies, Drama
The attentive reader of my blog will have noticed that I like movies very much. If I had a 2nd chance to start my work life over, I might put all my efforts into becoming a movie critic for a major newspaper. So when a film about Hollywood is made, the city where so much of the history of film has been written, I am obviously curious. Especially, when the director is Quentin Tarantino, who I boycotted for most of my life but warmed up in Django Unchained (here you find my 2012 review).Once upon a time in Hollywood
Never seen before on Breitbart. A story that does not support Donald Trump
Not sure why Breitbart let a critical voice of Trump onto its platform. Have not seen this before.
Continue Reading
Diary, Astute Observations
The public at large believes Trump illegally pressured Ukraine, but the majority does not yet want to throw him out of office. USA today published a great homage to Sherlock Holmes courtesy of an independent senator from Maine. Homage to Sherlock Holmes in current Impeachment Trial
One tree and four seasons
Beautiful picture by Mattia Loki: One tree and landscape throughout the four seasons
Democracy Saved
Boris Johnson tried circumvent democracy. But brave souls in the Tory party saved democracy with great costs to themselves. They were expelled because of their rebellion. History books will remember them.
Continue Reading
Books, Fiction
After many years, I had the chance to reread Kafka’s Metamorphosis. When I first encountered the piece, I was enthralled by the thought experiment Kafka pursued in the story. What if you wake up in the morning and you have turned into a little bug, but you still have your full consciousness? You can still understand what human beings are saying but they cannot understand you anymore and they see you a non-human terrifying, little creature to run away from. How would you feel? How would you cope with this situation?Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis”
Diary, Politics, Travel, Europe
PM: My own sense is that the likelihood of the UK breaking apart has increased substantially with Boris Johnson becoming the prime minister of the UK. Here is a good summary of we know about King Boris. The new PM’s rise to No 10 is the carefully managed product of three decades of a show stage-managed by and about himself.Will King Boris lead the the UK to fall apart
Boris Johnson can’t be found out: we all know he’s bluffing
by Fintan O’Toole in The Guardian
Toni Erdmannn
This film is billed as a comedy. Yes, there are moments that are extremely funny. But mostly Toni Erdmannis a subtle meditation on the relationship between a parent and a child—here a father and daughter. The father is introduced from the first scene as a practical prankster. A few scenes later the daughter is introduced at a celebratory gathering of the mother who has a new partner. As the father arrives the daughter is in the garden where she pretends to make important phone calls for her consulting job.
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Diary
Peter Murmann: Inspring dicussion of the work of theatre director Ivo van Hove in the NY Times (Jan. 9, 2019) By Ben Brantley, Elisabeth Vincentelli and Jason Zinoman Who is Ivo van Hove and why are theatergoers saying such (thrilling) (furious) (mystified) things about him? How did the unassuming Belgian director, who since 2001 has made the theater company Toneelgroep Amsterdam his base of operations, turn into the most important auteur on the international stage circuit — and now a three-time Broadway director?The Demolition Artist: 3 Critics Debate Ivo van Hove
Movies, Drama, Phantasy
This is a fairy tale like no other I have seen before. It feels like a Beauty and the Beast inspired Sci-Fi film set during the Cold War USA of the early 1960s. There is real beauty in the love story between a mute woman and a male creature that comes across as a mixture between a mermaid and robot. He also cannot talk but clearly has intelligence and feelings. The film at times becomes rather annoying when the portrayal of the US government and its personnel becomes a caricature rather than a realistic portrayal what the USA military was like during the conflict with the Soviet Union.The Shape of Water
Diary, Politics
All eyes and ears are what Cohen said this week about been directed by Trump to pay hush money. Pecker cooperating with the special council is clearly worrisome for Trump. The New Yorker reports other interesting facts that suggest to me that Trumps chance of getting elected another term of gone down substantially down this week. This week with Trump
Movies, Documentary
You may have never heard of Gurrumul. I certainly had not when I was asked to see this biopic. After the first 10 to 15 minutes, you realize that you are for a very special story that is deeply moving. It is a remarkable piece of work and I put up there on the level of Searching for Sugar Man, which is my all-time favorite documentary of a musician. The Gurrumul story is so different from Sugar Man that it feels in no way repetitive. But what they have in common individuals whose music and poetic vision is so strong that they find against to odds a large audience.Gurrumul
Movies, Drama
The first third of this Israeli film is almost too hard to bear. A father and mother are visited by the military representatives who bring the sad news that their son has been killed in the line of duty. The next 40 minutes we are shown the horrific emotions that a father would go through at this moment. I was saying to myself, “I am not sure if I want to watch this for another hour or so.” But then the film takes an unexpected turn and we get a break.Foxtrot
Diary, Politics
After 6 countries ganged up on Trump, he refused to sign the final communique. Trump is breaking all the rules but so far we have not seen that he can create more value than he destroys. G7 meeting - one photo sums it up
Let’s hope this chapter ends after 4 more years.
Movies, Documentary
Today successful Hollywood actors are widely admired. This was not always the case. Some years ago, I visited LA and learned about the surprising history of Hollywood. The good society of LA looked down on actors. They were only seen as slightly better than prostitutes and so they were not allowed to live in town. The actors needed to move outside the city in a new area called Hollywood. I was reminded of this history in the opening minutes of The Shop around the Corner, which was produced in 1940.The Shop around the Corner
Movies, Drama
I do not fully remember whether I saw an earlier version of Murder on the Orient Express as a child. There seem to be traces of an old lady on a train traveling for days in my memory. Kenneth Brannah’s film imagines the Agatha Christie story very differently from the images I find the remote corners of my memory. Since I am quite fond of excellent detectives, I enjoyed this remake of Murder on the Orient. When the detective finally solves the murder mystery, I was stunned. The story is excellent and I highly recommend this film if you like detective storiesMurder on the Orient Express
Movies, Drama
This film from New Zealand is quite heavy because of the domestic violence it portrays. But if you willing to stomach some disturbing scenes, it does a wonderful job of portraying the socio-economic conditions of Maori families in New Zealand. If you want to see a film about New Zealand that it a bit easier on the psyche, I recommend the wonderful Whale Rider or last year’s spectacular Hunt for the Wilderpeople.Once were Warriors
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