Arrowsmith (1931) **

There are many interesting aspects to this film (the photography, minimal soundtrack, shots with one actor's back to the camera in dialogue) but not enough to overcome the glorification of The Scientist as something above us normal slobs. Nice Ron Colman performance.

Eureka (1983) **

Seems like there's a big chunk of narrative that is missing. Aside from the first third, what's left is not very engaging. A waste of the divine Ms. Russell.

Zola (2020) **

Directed with style and featuring a couple of terrific leads it's undermined by a slight script which doesn't seem to go anywhere.

Legend of the Lost (1957) **

Boilerplate Hollywood actioner is beautifully shot and well paced.

Ten Nights, 250 Songs, Only One Elvis Costello

In the end, Costello played 250 songs. Many were reinterpretations and most were a revelation; the scope of the project took me back through so many periods of my life. I asked him whether he regarded the stint as a sort of reappraisal, a consideration of his legacy.

EC: I’m probably the least nostalgic person in the room. I don’t know what an adventure like this suggests about the future, but I don’t ponder that place any more than I do the past. The road ahead can’t possibly be as long as that behind us. Pete Thomas is three weeks older than me and I told him when we were approaching our UK retirement age, “OK pal, you’re on ‘Route 66’ now, and you’d better enjoy it, because there are less theme songs up ahead. Just ‘76 Trombones’ and ‘77 Sunset Strip’ and then it is a clear and silent road until we get to ‘99½ Won’t Do’.”

But any reminiscences should not be taken for a longing to return. Legacy is the last thing on my mind. I know it sounds idiotic, but I wasn’t much more than 30 when people started kindly asking me how I might be regarded by posterity. Posterity, my arse. Posterior more like it. I won’t be here, why the hell should I care? We live now, whenever the songs were written. Onward.

Mother Night (1996) ***

Nick Nolte is terrific in this bleak, uncompromising adaptation of the Vonnegut novel.

White Mischief (1987) **

Top cast, lushly photographed, well produced but really needed a much stronger, surer directorial touch.

Chan Is Missing (1982) **

Admirable indie needs just a bit more polish to be something more than that.

Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart (1985) ***

Touching look at Chinese-American lives in mid-80's SF Chinatown. Might be director Wayne Wang's best.

Deep End (1970) **

Snapshot of early 70's London is well shot and Ms. Asher is stunning but the lead can't pull it off.

The Big Mouth (1967) *

Jerry's films are often not very funny, but just as often they are impeccably shot, lit and produced. This fits that mold.

Thunder on the Hill (1951) **

Weird whodunit set in an English country convent/hospital maintains interest despite some hammy performances and Hollywood clichés.

An Almost Perfect Affair (1979) **

Mediocre rom-com made watchable by the Cannes location shots and the wonderful Ms. Vitti.

Small Time Crooks (2000) **

Woody miscast himself here and he just can't pull off the lovable low class loser role and it really needs someone else (Hoskins?) because the jokes are not that funny by themselves.

Autumn Tale (1998) ****

Rohmer's best, a gorgeously filmed adult rom-com with a marvel of a performance from Alain Libolt. The film is charm itself.

Charade (1963) ***

Audrey, Cary and Paris would be more than enough for any flick but this one also has a sharp script and a deft directorial touch.

The Whistle Blower (1986) **

Paranoid spy procedural is well made but gets a bit heavy handed in the final act.

Dream Lover (1993) **

Not so successful noir but it's beautifully shot and has the spectacular Ms. Amick as the femme fatale.

The Suspect (1944) **

Top notch cast in a tight, well directed noir that leans more toward character study. The great Henry Daniell shines in support.

Filming 'Othello' (1978) ***

80 minutes listening to Orson Welles is 80 minutes well spent.

The Bedroom Window (1987) **

For the first two thirds it's a well shot and well designed Hitchcock homage. Unfortunately it goes off the rails in that last third and that is where Hitch would have worked his magic.

Three in the Attic (1968) *

Nicely shot but this slice of late 60's pseudo counter culture doesn't hold up even as satire.

Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957) **

Heavy handed satire is lushly photographed, the leads are terrific and the script has some nifty dialogue and genuine laughs. That heavy hand becomes oppressive as the flick wears on however and ends up being insufferable.

The Misfits (1961) **

Star power to burn here but only Marilyn comes out shining. But I guess if you can buy Monty Clift and Clark Gable as cowboys, well then you'll get what you deserve.

Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time (2020) ***

An obsessive love affair from a brain surgeon's POV. Beautifully shot with a magnificent performance by Natasa Stork. Ambitious but doesn't quite get there.

Before I Go (2021) *

The first 20 minutes are terrific but the script can't sustain it and descends into drivel. What's worse is it wastes a fearless Ms. Sciorra and a criminally underused Robert Klein. Major sins.

Donkey Skin (1970) **

Stunning cinematography and production design but the songs are mediocre at best and it's dragged out for too long.

La Cérémonie (1995) ***

Isabelle, Sandrine, Jacqueline and Virginie shine in a bizarre chracter study turned thriller, a la Highsmith.

Welcome to Collinwood (2002) **

Top cast and a brisk pace help a lot but not enough. This reboot of an Italian neo-realist dramedy just doesn't translate well.

Mighty Aphrodite (1995) **

Well deserved accolades for Ms. Sorvino in this intermittently hilarious send up of Greek tragedies.

Sour Grapes (1998) **

Just a tad too far-fetched, but a pretty good little comedy with a terrific performance by Mr. Bierko.

Orpheus (1950) ****

Imagination and creativity on abundant display. So many audacious scenes that work. A masterpiece of cinema.

Everyone Says I Love You (1996) **

The musical numbers are worth the price of admission which is fortunate because the script isn't.

Runaway Train (1985) **

Brutal actioner with mythical aspirations doesn't quite make it. The effort and enthusiasm are laudable for the most part, laughable in other parts.

Seduced and Abandoned (2013) ***

Top-notch doc in the manner of Welles about movies and how to get the money to make them. Entertaining and surprisingly poignant.

Anything Else (2003) *

Woody and the leads are badly miscast and the script has not much to say. Disappointing.

Stephen Wolfram - Computational Foundations for the Second Law of Thermodynamics

So how does this relate to the Second Law? It’s what makes it possible for a system like rule 30 to operate according to a simple underlying rule, yet to intrinsically generate what seems like random behavior. If we could do all the necessary computationally irreducible work then we could in principle “see through” to the simple rules underneath. But the key point (emphasized by our Physics Project) is that observers like us are computationally bounded in our capabilities. And this means that we’re not able to “see through the computational irreducibility”—with the result that the behavior we see “looks random to us”.

And in thermodynamics that “random-looking” behavior is what we associate with heat. And the Second Law assertion that energy associated with systematic mechanical work tends to “degrade into heat” then corresponds to the fact that when there’s computational irreducibility the behavior that’s generated is something we can’t readily “computationally see through”—so that it appears random to us.

Play Misty for Me (1971) **

Nice to see the Carmel-Big Sur area in all its early '70's glory, when a DJ at a tiny jazz station could afford a cliff house right on the ocean. The script has a few gaping holes and Clint's direction meanders quite a bit but it's a charming stalker flick, if there is such a thing.

La fille de Monaco (2008) **

A jarring third act sinks what was an hilarious comédie romantique. Stunning debut for the lovely Ms. Bourgoin.

Judy (2019) **

Well photographed and Ms. Zellweger is superb. Too bad the script and direction are awful.

The Remarkable Mr. Kipps (1941) *

Too literal adaptation of a Wells story fails to make cinematic impact wasting a fine Mike Redgrave.

Helena Bonham Carter: ‘​I’ve got so many issues, but as you get older you go: whatever’

What’s yours [complex]?
I’ve got so many issues, but as you get older you go: “Whatever.” The curse of being young is you take your complex too seriously. Or you take your opinion of yourself too seriously. As soon as you’re a bit older, you tell the demons to shut up because they’re boring.
Does that make you happier?
There’s no doubt that I’m happier now with my 56-year-old envelope than I was any time before that.

King Lear (2018) **

For the first two thirds of the film it is beautifully produced and colorfully shot, then the director makes the foolish decision to start desaturating the color until it ends up looking like your run-of-the-mill Marvel flick. Superb cast nonetheless.

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010) **

Would have been better without Josh who is glaringly miscast.

Man Hunt (1941) *

Talky actioner is too long and too heavy-handed.

Billion Dollar Brain (1967) *

Makes Moonraker look like Hamlet. Mike Caine, Françoise Dorléac and the great Oskar Homolka are the only reasons to sit through this.

The Minus Man (1999) **

Another flick with excellent parts but lacks the sure handed direction to bring it all together.

Beat the Devil (1953) **

An example of a film with many exceptional parts that just doesn't add up to much. Shot by the great Oswald Morris, and featuring the lovely Ms. Lollobrigida.

Variety (1983) **

Loved the snapshot of early '80's NYC but the third rate script and direction is a let down.

Florence Pugh called John le Carré an “old f*cking fart,” which… inspired him?

The new friendship turned out to be a very good one, at least for Le Carré, who would lament to Pugh a year later that he was suffering from a serious case of writer’s block, to which Pugh replied, “What do you mean your writing days are over? Just keep writing. Keep stretching your brain. Do it.” And it worked.

The Pale Blue Eye (2022) *

Deadly dull and shot in perpetual shade and darkness. Half the time you can't see the actors' complete faces but when you can, you see they're struggling to say the lines. Complete waste of Ms. Gainsbourg.

Moonlighting (1982) **

Clever socio-political allegory is wonderfully made on a shoestring, but Jeremy Irons just seems lost from start to finish. Not sure if it is him, his performance or the character poorly written.

The Shout (1978) ****

Lots to chew on here or maybe nothing at all. Expertly directed puzzle picture offers spectacular scenery, beautiful images and a top cast.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016) ***

Episodic look at the addictive pull of war-time journalism succeeds with a top-notch cast, solid script and direction.

Tangerines (2013) ***

Effective anti-war fable told with restraint and humanity.

2022 In Review: Movies

** All The Old Knives
** Hustle
** The Menu

* Bullet Train
* Glass Onion
* Interceptor

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) *

Apparently we're still working out how to light a digitally shot flick, so there's not even beautiful images to watch as the completely un-engrossing "story" unfolds. Is it just me or is Dan Craig completely miscast?

The Children's Hour (1961) ****

Superbly directed, acted and photographed. A stage adaptation that works. Needs to be studied by contemporary directors so they can learn how to keep more than one actor in focus in the same shot.

Pociag (1959) **

Euro-noir aboard a night train to the Polish seaside is atmospheric and minimal but marred by an inferior print.

A Kind of Murder (2016) ***

Very well made Highsmith adaptation. Superbly cast with a sharp script, well paced and shot.

2022 In Review: Music

**** Katy J Pearson - Sound of the Morning
**** Starcrawler - She Said

*** Alvvays - Blue Rev
*** April March - In Cinerama
*** Asteroid No. 4, The - Tones Of The Sparrow
*** Barrie - Barbara
*** Berries, The - High Flying Man
*** Beths, The - Expert in a Dying Field
*** Blushing - Possessions
*** Cate Le Bon - Pompeii
*** Color Green - Color Green
*** Diane Coffee - With People
*** Dream Syndicate, The - Ultraviolet Battle Hymns And True Confessions
*** Elvis Costello - The Boy Named If
*** Flasher - Love Is Yours
*** Frontperson - Parade
*** I Was A King - Follow Me Home
*** Inflorescence, The - Remember What I Look Like
*** KT Tunstall - NUT
*** Liam Gallagher - C'mon You Know
*** Linda Lindas, The - Growing Up
*** Momma - Household Name
*** Oceanator - Nothing's Ever Fine
*** Paranoyds, The -Talk Talk Talk
*** Phoenix - Alpha Zulu
*** Sadies, The - Colder Streams
*** Say Sue Me - The Last Thing Left
*** St. Lucia - Utopia
*** Stella Donnelly - Flood
*** VA - Under The Bridge
*** Wilco - Cruel Country
*** Yumi Zouma - Present Tense

** Aldous Harding - Warm Chris
** Dentist - Making A Scene
** EELS - Extreme Witchcraft
** Eddie Vedder - Earthling
** Fancey - Star Dreams
** First Aid Kit - Palomino
** Hatchie - Giving the World Away
** Jordana - Face The Wall
** Kiwi Jr. - Chopper
** Lauren Balthrop - Things Will Be Different
** Paranoid Style, The - For Executive Meeting
** Party Battleship - Sweet Thing
** Rusty - The Resurrection Of Rust
** Sun's Signature
** Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Cool It Down

Noises Off... (1992) **

Funny but ultimately exhausting this is about the best you can do in adapting a theatrical farce into film. Some things are better left to the stage.

American Gigolo (1980) **

This time the "hooker with a heart of gold" is a dude but that doesn't help and the flick hasn't aged well. Not particularly insightful nor relatable, it is nevertheless well cast and well made except for the nagging problem of the script.

Game 6 (2005) **

Mike Keaton is terrific in an ultimately unsatisfying flick that nevertheless has entertaining aspects.

Bullet Train (2022) *

Unoriginal action flick that's not funny, not exciting, not even particularly well made. Not sure where the $90 million went. Tiresome.

Dune (1984) ***

Stunningly art directed, designed and shot, this ultimately silly space opera is a wild ride.

The ‘Twitter Files’ Is What It Claims to Expose (NY Magazine)

In sum: The New York Post published a story based on data that was apparently — but, at the time, unverifiably — Hunter Biden’s. That story falsely purported to offer “smoking gun” evidence of Joe Biden’s corruption, when it actually provided no such thing. Faced with warnings from federal law enforcement about impending foreign hacks, and a story based on apparently stolen emails sourced from Rudy Giuliani, Twitter’s content moderation team chose to suppress the Post article. That decision was internally controversial, and even those who supported it said that they wished they had more information about the source of the emails. Within 24 hours, Twitter reversed course. It is possible that this reduced the ultimate reach of the Post’s story, which, given that story’s mendacious content, probably would have been beneficial to public understanding of the Trump-Biden race (after all, there was exponentially more evidence that Donald Trump had used public power to advance his family’s private business interests than evidence that Biden had done so, yet the Post’s story conveyed the opposite impression). But it’s also possible that Twitter’s decision actually increased the story’s prominence by endowing it with an aura of forbidden knowledge. Separately, when the Biden campaign flagged tweets that featured pornographic images, Twitter responded by enforcing its own rules.

The Looking Glass War (1970) ***

Slick spy procedural stays true to the le Carré spirit if not the letter. Interesting Tony Hopkins performance; nice 70's snapshot.

The Menu (2022) **

Begins well and you think you're in for a delicious absurdist dramedy but it doesn't stick to it and becomes a slasher flick that doesn't resonate.

Remember My Name (1978) **

Altman-esque LA-noir is an actor's showcase with many fine supporting performances and a great femme fatale lead. Tony Perkins tries hard but just can't convince as a construction worker.

Johnny in the Clouds (1945) **

Doug Montgomery's performance is the main interest in this Brit WWII soaper.

Lawmakers Set to Propose Record $847B for Defense, $45B Over Biden’s Request

Indeed, the Pentagon is the only federal agency that has never passed an audit. Critics point out that over half of the defense budget goes toward private contractors like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, resulting in huge profits for these companies; in the first three quarters of 2022, while the public has been suffering due to inflation, Lockheed Martin made over $4.2 billion in profit, while Raytheon reported an operating profit of over $3.9 billion.

The Long Good Friday (1980) **

Mob trying to go legit UK style. Likes to go for the gory visuals even if they don't make a lot of sense.

Night Tide (1961) *

Starts promisingly but you soon realize this "thriller" has no thrills and not much else.

Great Expectations (1974) ***

Stellar cast rises to the occasion and makes you forget about the simplistic direction. Well produced and a literate, witty script.

Jabberwocky (1977) **

Uneven, too long and too soon after Holy Grail. Still, the production is well done and foretells great things for Gilliam.

Bell Book and Candle (1958) ***

Lots of subtext to consider in this colorful, witchy rom-com featuring a lovely Ms. Novak(a bit too much with the eyebrows though) and the miscast but very good Jimmy Stewart. Stellar supporting cast.

The Pied Piper (1972) **

Impressive art direction, costuming and a number of fine British character actors in a children's film that hammers home its anti-authority message bluntly.

The Sign of Four (1983) **

Slightly better support for Ian Richardson's second effort as Holmes. More coherent if nothing else.

The Fourth Victim (1971) *

Poor attempt at a Hitchcockian thriller. Mike Craig is ok but he doesn't have a lot to work with here.

The Kiss of the Vampire (1963) **

Featuring an original oddball take on vampirism and the typical lush Hammer photography, it's enjoyable if a bit silly.

The Music of Chance (1993) ****

Terrific mind bender subtly directed with a transformative James Spader and a restrained Mandy Patinkin.

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1983) *

Ian Richardson and Denholm Elliott are let down by shoddy directing in this confusing Holmes adaptation. Disappointing.

Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971) **

Hammer Films sure knew how to light and photograph a motion picture. This one is no exception which makes it enjoyable along with the lovely Ms.Beswick, even though the story is a bit silly and needlessly graphic.

American Friends (1991) **

Handsomely mounted period piece about an Oxford don who gives it all up for love doesn't quite hit the heights for which it aims.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) **

Dick Lester relies too heavily on extreme closeups and compensates with frenetic cutting, but the material and performances are enough to make the entire production enjoyable.

Couple mistakenly given $10.5m from Crypto.com thought they had won contest, court hears | Cryptocurrencies | The Guardian

In May 2021, Crypto.com intended to refund Manivel $100 but she was erroneously transferred $10.47m. The company did not notice the mistake until an audit was conducted in December.

A worker in Bulgaria, who processed the refund, had entered the wrong numbers into an Excel spreadsheet, Michi Chan Fores, a Crypto.com compliance officer, told the court.

Not only should Crypto.com be forced to honor the payment, they should also be assessed treble damages for using Excel to process anything to do with actual cash.

Fascination (1979) *

Poorly executed would be horror flick is still better lit and photographed than most current movies.

The Cry of the Owl (2009) **

This condensed Highsmith adaptation probably doesn't make a lot of sense if you haven't read the novel, but it's a watchable noir at face value.

The Hidden (1987) ***

Prime example of a "B" picture transcending its genre and budgetary limitations with imagination and skill.

Persuasion (1995) ****

One of the finest Austen adaptations and an exceptionally well made film from top to bottom despite the television origins.

Hotel du Nord (1938) **

Stagey melodrama has its moments but not enough of them.

Endless Night (1972) **

Faithful Christie adaptation could have used a more assured hand at the controls.

Mr. & Mrs. Bridge (1990) **

Paul and Joanne playing against type, she overcomes it superbly, he cannot. The picture is well made and enjoyable but the ending, while artistically successful, makes the film fall flat on its face.

Summer with Monika (1953) ***

Young love turns sour when reality bites. Some iconic scenes from Bergman and a blazing performance by Ms. Andersson.

Doctor Faustus (1967) **

Nicely shot and produced, with a fine performance by Dick Burton, this faithful adaptation of the Marlowe play comes across as an academic exercise rather than an involving film. Still, it's colorful, watchable and Liz looks great.

Caught on a Train (1980) ***

Dame Ashcroft is superb in this two-hander that captures the horrors of overnight transport in Europe at the time.

Castle in the Air (1952) **

The lead is just not up to the task as the marvelous Ms. Rutherford steals the show yet again. More watchable than other Brit-coms of the time.

The Swimmer (1968) ****

Supremely atypical Hollywood flick is an engrossing character study and an example of how far humans go with delusions when reality hurts. The only other actor besides Burt who could have possibly pulled this off is Chuck.

Ministry of Fear (1944) **

Entertaining spy thriller with a smidgen of Greene left intact. Carried well by a top notch cast.