Cold War (2018) **

Nicely shot in crisp black and white but the central love story fails to convince.

The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes | Goodreads

But over and behind these and other causes of science has been something more universal, something in this age of specialization often unspoken. It is something about understanding the totality of existence, the essential defining reality of things, the entire universe and man's place in it. It is a groping among stars for final answers, a wandering the infinitesimal for the infinitely general, a deeper and deeper pilgrimage into the unknown. It is a direction whose far beginning in the mists of history can be distantly seen in the search for lost directives in the breakdown of the bicameral mind.

Green Book (2018) *

Well acted Hollywood white savior claptrap masquerading as "inspired by true events" biopic. No wonder Spike was so upset at the Oscars.

Greta (2018) **

The great Ms. Huppert sadly underused in this ludicrous thriller.

Dressed to Kill (1980) ***

Enjoyable to watch because it's shot well and it's fun picking out all the Hitchcock tropes being re-done here, even the clunky ending explanatory scene. Ms. Allen was never better.

Gumshoe (1971) ***

Half-hearted attempt at a Chandler update features a stellar cast lead by the great Mr. Finney who makes a good Marlowe.

Neuroscientists read unconscious brain activity to predict decisions — Quartz

Though this is just one study, it’s not the first to show that thoughts can be predicted before they are conscious. As the researchers note, similar techniques have been able to predict motor decisions between seven and 10 seconds before they’re conscious, and abstract decisions up to four seconds before they’re conscious. Taken together, these studies show how understanding how the brain complicates our conception of free will.

Neuroscientists have long known that the brain prepares to act before you’re consciously aware, and there are just a few milliseconds between when a thought is conscious and when you enact it. Those milliseconds give us a chance to consciously reject unconscious impulses, seeming to form a foundation of free will.

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009) **

Nic Cage does a good job in an offbeat take on the "bad cop still does good" genre as unpleasant as that is.

Leave No Trace (2018) ***

A terrific performance anchors this spare, uncompromising tale of a man who just can't abide people any more and the toll it takes on his daughter. Director Granik understands that sometimes the less said makes the film about more than the plot.

Strangers on a Train (1951) ***

A supremely creepy Robert Walker steals the show in this noir thriller that frankly wouldn't be that much without him. Not even master director Hitchcock can make amateur tennis exciting but he gamely tries.

The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) ****

Even in its truncated, clumsily edited final sequence version this is a wonderful example of great ensemble acting. Script and direction better than Kane and one of Welles' best films.

A Star Is Born (2018) **

The first half is better, but overall an undistinguished bit of film making. Well deserved Oscar for best song.

Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970) ****

At the start it strikes you as an over the top satire of domestic relations but thanks to the sharp script and superb performances you come to realize it's merely being observational. Great film.

High Flying Bird (2019) **

Talky, mid-level Soderbergh with some terrific actors and some terrific camera or should that be phone work. The pictures look great even if the flick isn't.

Peter Tork of the Monkees Dies at 77 – Variety

“I have said this before — and now it seems even more apt: the reason we called it a band is because it was where we all went to play,” Nesmith continued. “A band no more, and yet the music plays on, an anthem to all who made the Monkees and the TV show our private — dare I say ‘secret’ — playground. As for Pete, I can only pray his songs reach the heights that can lift us and that our childhood lives forever — that special sparkle that was the Monkees. I will miss him — a brother in arms. Take flight my Brother.”

Shoplifters (2018) ***

Sort of a Japanese Oliver Twist with exceptional performances and the deft touch of a master filmmaker.

Emoji are showing up in court cases exponentially, and courts aren’t prepared - The Verge

The different depictions of emoji across platforms also poses a problem in judicial rulings. For example, depending on what type of phone you’re using, the “gritting teeth” emoji might look a lot different. Not only are emoji designed differently across smartphone platforms, but people interpret the same emoji differently. An earlier design of the grinning emoji on iOS, for example, was interpreted as being far more negative than the same emoji displayed on other platforms.

Despite the potential for emoji to be interpreted in a wide array of ways, emoji experts don’t really exist. “Emoji usually have dialects. They draw meaning from their context. You could absolutely talk about emoji as a phenomenon, but as for what a particular emoji means, you probably wouldn’t go to a linguist. You would probably go to someone who’s familiar with that community, just like they did with the sex trafficking case,” Goldman says.

At Eternity's Gate (2018) *

Maddeningly mis-directed biopic of Vincent van Gogh, painter of some of the loveliest works ever. Such a shame the movie is shot so dark and hazy, jumbled hand held camera work obscuring the fine performances.

Bruno Ganz Dead: Actor Who Played Hitler in ‘Downfall’ Actor Was 77 – Variety

In addition to delivering one of the definitive cinematic portrayals of Hitler, Ganz played an angel who gives up immortality to experience earthly pleasures in Wim Wenders’ classic film “Wings of Desire” (1987). He reprised that role in Wenders’ 1993 follow-up, “Faraway, So Close!”

His celestial performance was so memorable that Ganz once recounted how people ascribed special powers to him when they recognized him in public.

“People in planes said: ‘Ah, no need to be afraid, because with you here, nothing can happen. Now we are safe,'” Ganz told the Danish film journal P.O.V. “Or a mother said to her child: ‘Look, there’s your guardian angel.’ They weren’t joking.”

Walk on the Wild Side (1962) **

Entertaining southern soaper with some nice performances and a pretty good script. Could have used some cuts and the shot quality is uneven. Why on Earth would you soft focus Capucine?