Movies Watched -- Booksmart (2019)

102 minute running time so the right length… but I hated this movie. Rich white kids in suburban L.A., no parents in sight except for Lisa Kudrow playing the usual ditz (she was born in 1963 so she’s an X-er) … girls got in to Yale and Columbia (Rick Singer admissions scandal anyone?) … lots of swearing and gangsta rap and homosexual sex and one comical drug scene that I did laugh about … but it’s morally awfully and lefty and written by women and directed by a woman and out of touch with real American youth, I hope. No one is hurt, there are no real consequences to anything, it just sucks through and through. Dick Brody also loathed it, god bless him, the only mainstream critic who told the truth about this P.O.S. Not a good start for the Rotten Tomatoes Top 100 of 2019 list.

Motherf_ckin' homework time

Movies Watched -- Double Indemnity (1944)

86 minute running time so the perfect length…. snappy dialogue mainly by Ray Chandler, directed by Billy Wilder (Shmuel Vildr) … Barbara Stanwyck as femme fatale, Fred MacMurray the breezy sap … I guess this is the first film noir … it’s a green-go classic, for sure. It was so financially successful that it spawned hundreds of imitators in following years. The idea behind these crime pictures is that American confidence, optimism, charm and naivete is mixed up with some real scheming and violence — it’s complicated. John Farr also liked it.

Straight down the line, baby

My Daily Direct Flights to China

Ithaca to Detroit

Delta … Departs ITH 05:50 … Flight time ~90-120 minutes

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Detroit to Beijing

DL 189 … Departs DTW 14:22 … Arrives PEK 17:00 … Flight time 13 hours 38 minutes

Beijing to Detroit

DL 188 … Departs PEK 19:00 … Arrives DTW 18:50 … Flight time 12 hours 50 minutes

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Detroit to Shanghai

DL 583 … Departs DTW 15:45 … Arrives PVG 19:35 … Flight time 14 hours 50 minutes

Shanghai to Detroit

DL 582 … Departs PVG 11:40 … Arrives DTW 12:15 … Flight time 13 hours 35 minutes

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Ithaca to Washington, DC

United … Departs ITH 05:55 … Flight time ~90 minutes

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Washington, DC to Beijing

UA 807 … Departs IAD 12:50 … Arrives PEK 15:40 … Flight time 13 hours 50 minutes

Beijing to Washington, DC

UA 808 .. Departs PEK 18:25 … Arrives IAD 18:45 … Flight time 13 hours 20 minutes

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Washington, DC to Beijing

CA 818 … Departs IAD 15:10… Arrives PEK 18:25 … Flight time 13 hours 50 minutes

Beijing to Washington, DC

CA 818 .. Departs PEK 12:45 … Arrives IAD 13:10 … Flight time 13 hours 25 minutes

Movies Watched -- High Noon (1952)

85 minute running time so the perfect length, though a lot of the the movie is Gary Cooper walking around town looking for help … obviously inspired by the Hollywood Blacklist (Carl Foreman the screenwriter), but still it’s enjoyable, not a heavy-handed parable. Tall Coop, a principled man, bravely standing up to evil while deserted by the cowardly townsfolk (“Look, Amy. This is my town. I've got friends here.”) … Princess Grace is so young, this had to be her first? Hadleyville, er, Hollywood movie. Great use of the clocks which nearly match the real-time events in the movie. The theme song ballad sung by Tex Ritter (John’s dad), repeated throughout, is a winner for sure. Green-go, this is a classic.

This town ain't that low. [Oh yes it is!]

Movies Watched -- I Wake Up Screaming (1941)

82 minute running time so the right length, but the story wasn’t that great .. two femmes fatale (femme fatales?) … one big creepy detective with a soft voice … noir but it’s 1941 so not really noir, more like pre-noir noir … funny singing number by Betty Grable, “Daddy,” cut from the movie (incl. in bonus material), which was a shame because it was amusing. Even though John Farr recommended this one, I’d say you can give it a miss.

“I know the things I want, and I know how to get them.“

Movies Watched -- Blow Out (1981)

108 minute running time so about 10 minutes too long … De Palma … has more of a 70s feel, but 1981 was pretty early 80s…. gorgeous John Travolta, he never had trouble finding girlfriends … John Lithgow plays a creep, as usual … political assassination, cover-ups, conspiracy stuff … it wasn’t terrible, but on the other hand, it wasn’t very good either. You can give it a miss.

God, that scream is terrible.

Cash on the Nail Is a Fairy-tale

Love so many songs from The Smiths, but my absolute favorites tend to be the lesser known ones like Jeane:

The Smiths - Jeane - Glastonbury 1984

Movies Watched -- Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

79 minute running time so a good length…. lot of cheesy expository dialogue in this one, nearly as bad as an X-Files episode, but this wasn’t terrible … the monster suit was pretty good for 1954 … bathing beauty looked good … not a must-see though.

We've just begun to learn about the water and its secrets

Movies Watched -- The Marriage Circle (1924)

92 minute running time, which is long for a silent movie. Lubitsch, 1923 or 1924 … Viennese high society, unhappily married women, seduction, jealousy, betrayal, etc. Interesting historical artifact, but not a must-see.

Find another doctor, please

Movies Watched -- Hustlers (2019)

104 minute running time, so not too far over the 100 minute upper limit. What are we supposed to think about these strippers who drugged and robbed their clients? They try to conflate the Wall Street mortgage securities “fraud” with the crimes these ladies were committing, but it doesn’t fly. Could there be a more improbable stripper than Constance Wu? She’s obviously sweet and smart, probably grew up in Richmond, Virginia (she did), she can’t dance to save her life, just absurd. Is there a single Chinese-American girl working at Scores? Jennifer Lopez is a more believable stripper (and looks amazing for her age (my age)), but still, none of them was sufficiently dumb and desperate enough to do this. There were some funny bits, but not enough to outweigh the morally repugnant story. Avoid.

Anyone can own one nice suit. You wanna look at their shoes, their watches, briefcases. [I laughed]