The Beguiled (1971) ***

Well made southern Gothic thriller.

Elvis Costello on New 'Hey Clockface' Album, 'Armed Forces' Boxed Set - Variety

“I think there was a little irony in the way Nick recorded it originally,” Costello says, recalling that Lowe first had the idea of gently satirizing hippie sentiments with “Peace, Love and Understanding.” “But if you’ve ever heard him perform it in recent years, he sings it very much like the lament that it deserves to be. I think both approaches to the song are really appropriate. I like all the versions of the song that I’ve heard. Sometimes it takes you a moment to hear it again in a different way, but I’ve had reason to sing it as a ballad, as a rocker and somewhere in between. I’ve heard Bruce Springsteen sing it and Chris Cornell sing it, and Josh Homme sang it with Sharon Van Etten. I mean, there’s some really good versions. Nick’s version with a choir earlier this year was beautiful. You know, it shouldn’t be needed now, but we still have to sing it. How long, how long must we sing this song — as Bono said, you know?”

The Hoax (2006) ***

Another good Dick Gere performance anchors this well directed tale that reminds us the biggest lies are perhaps the ones we tell ourselves.

The Witches (1967) **

Nice showcase for Ms. Mangano and swingin' 60's styles but otherwise forgettable, dated comedy.

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020) ***

Some hilarious moments thanks to the terrific Ms. Bakalova.

Grace of My Heart (1996) **

Biopic of Carole King-esque songwriter never rings true and the songs are not very good. Good cast struggles.

Slaughterhouse-Five (1972) ****

One of the best adaptations of Vonnegut. Ron Leibman is hilarious as the unhinged GI with the long enemies list.

Dancing Lady (1933) *

Blatant studio concocted drivel only worth seeing to be convinced of its awfulness. Lots of great stars completely wasted.

Come and See (1985) ***

Harrowing depiction of Nazi genocide in this case with Belarusians. Lots of POV and actors directly facing the camera shots which works because the actors are phenomenal especially 16yo Aleksey Kravchenko.

A Passage to India (1984) ***

Perfectly paced and nicely produced, the only flaw being a somewhat exaggerated performance from Banerjee.

Lost Highway (1997) **

Mysterious and moody but it plays more like a greatest hits album of Lynch tropes.

Agatha (1979) **

Disappointingly sabotaged by ill-advised casting of and the acting of Mr. Hoffman. Beautifully shot and produced period piece but a waste of a lovely Ms. Redgrave.

Posthumous (2014) *

Supposedly showcases Berlin but this is not a pretty picture by any means. Forgettable.

The Unknown (1927) **

Weird little silent melodrama featuring some amazing footwork by Lon Chaney beating Dan Day-Lewis to the punch by 62 years.

Congress Gets Ready to Smash Big Tech Monopolies - BIG by Matt Stoller

What makes these platforms unusually dangerous is that they are gatekeepers with surveillance power, and they can thus wield “near-perfect market intelligence” to copy or undermine would-be rivals. For Apple the dominant facility is the App store, for Google it’s the search engine, Maps, adtech, etc, for Facebook it’s social media, and for Amazon it’s the marketplace, AWS, Alexa, Fulfillment, and so forth. They exploit their gatekeeping and surveillance power to extract revenue, fortify their competitive barriers, and subsidize entry into new markets.

Over and over, the report just lays into the Federal Trade Commission and Antitrust Division for refusing to enforce monopolization laws and failing to stop mergers, even when they had evidence that such mergers were anti-competitive. The four companies bought more than 500 companies since 1998. However, "for most, if not all, of the acquisitions discussed in this Report,” it says, “the FTC had advance notice of the deals, but did not attempt to block any of them." What were the priorities of the agencies? "Both agencies have targeted their enforcement efforts on relatively small players—including ice skating teachers and organists—raising questions about their enforcement priorities." Ouch.

Romance (1999) **

It's a very frank and obviously exaggerated look at relationships from a woman's perspective. Director Breillat definitely has her own style and point of view to say the least.

Nights in Rodanthe (2008) **

Preposterous weepie is well played by Mr. Gere and Ms. Lane.

Former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson dies at 84 | FOX 2

Gibson’s first contract out of college was with the Harlem Globetrotters, not the St. Louis Cardinals. His roommate during the 1957-58 season, the late Meadowlark Lemon, told the Omaha World-Herald “I thought Bob was a better basketball player than a baseball player,” Lemon said. “I think Bob could have played with any NBA team. He was that good.” Gibson told the paper that basketball had been his number 1 sport, and that if the Minneapolis Lakers had signed him, he never would have played pro baseball.