Manual Transmission a Dying Breed

Added on by C. Maoxian.

From this depressing article: “There are [only] 27 new cars available in the United States with a manual gearbox.“

  1. Aston Martin Vantage

  2. BMW 2-Series and M2

  3. BMW M3

  4. BMW M4

  5. Chevrolet Camaro

  6. Chevrolet Spark

  7. Dodge Challenger

  8. Ford Mustang

  9. Genesis G70

  10. Honda Civic and Civic Type R

  11. Hyundai Accent

  12. Hyundai Veloster and Veloster N

  13. Kia Forte GT

  14. Lotus Evora GT

  15. Mazda 3

  16. Mazda MX-5 Miata

  17. Mini Cooper Hardtop and Clubman

  18. Mitsubishi Mirage

  19. Nissan 370Z

  20. Nissan Versa

  21. Porsche 718 Boxster / 718 Cayman

  22. Porsche 911

  23. Subaru BRZ

  24. Subaru Impreza / WRX / STI

  25. Toyota 86

  26. Toyota Corolla

  27. Volkswagen Golf and Golf GTI

  28. Volkswagen Jetta and Jetta GLI

The World Is So Small 'til It Ain't

Added on by C. Maoxian.

Never heard of “Mac Miller,” but he was apparently a white rapper who died young … I like this cover of his song, Small Worlds, by a hip dude named Rayland Baxter:

Distance Ain't No Friend Of Mine

Added on by C. Maoxian.

Love her voice and the song, Nyah Grace singing Black Coffee. I don’t drink coffee, but I do have the occasional chai as a treat. I hear some Norah Jones notes on the piano … I wonder if Nyah is half Indian (subcontinent)?

Movies Watched -- Nobody Knows (2004)

Added on by C. Maoxian.

141 minute running time which means it was only 40 minutes too long … I liked this one though, I could easily cut out 40 minutes with a fan edit and turn this into a green-go recommended movie, but Kore-eda does not have a ruthless editor (which he needs) so the record will reflect that I liked it but can’t recommend it, Farr did though (“a film of strange, disarming beauty that packs a wallop”) … once again, Kore-eda exploring unusual family situations, in this case a mother abandoning four kids (totally unthinkable, especially in Japan), but it’s based on a true story … the child actors are good, but no women or children should watch this (tough guys only).

I really should do a fan edit of this one and cut out 40 minutes of fat and turn it into a fantastic movie, but who has the time for that? (I do.)

She has grown

Movies Watched -- Our Little Sister (2016)

Added on by C. Maoxian.

127 minute running time which means that it’s 30 minutes too long … this is a Kore-eda movie recommended by John Farr … this one was a little too cutesy for me, Kore-eda is forever interested in unusual family structures, and in this movie he injected a 15-yo step-sister into a trio of young adult women … I wondered if they would have been so welcoming if their little step-sister wasn’t so beautiful … Japan’s demographic problem on full display here because these three young women, who were all attractive, were unmarried and didn’t have children … I wasn’t thrilled with this, of course I didn’t hate it, but it was a little more heartstring-tuggy than I like.

Dad was kind but useless

Movies Watched -- Suspiria (1977)

Added on by C. Maoxian.

99 minute running time but felt like an eternity … didn’t help that both the picture and audio quality on my DVD were terrible, but this was clearly an awful movie … low budget, dumb story badly told by someone named “Dino Argento,” and the soundtrack by the “Goblins” was unbearable, they could use it to break detainees at Guantanamo … I guess this is a cult movie (because it’s so bad) since some hip dude recommended I watch it, but you don’t have to make the same mistake that I did … avoid.

Are those glowing eyes outside my bedroom window?