Movies Watched -- The Card Counter (2021)

112 minute running time … this was terrible, just comically bad. Llewyn Davis was a interrogator at Abu Ghraib, served eight and half years in Leavenworth prison then started gambling professionally, though only at places with really cheap chairs, then he met a big black girl and maybe fell in love, and then a goofy white kid who wanted to kill mustachioed Willem Dafoe, former Army guy, Llewyn’s old commander … geez, I hope John Farr didn’t recommend this, who is responsible for wasting a precious borrow and my time on this piece of crap? Shoot, it was John Farr who misled me again! Gay men love Llewyn Davis and will recommend any movie that he’s in, no matter how awful.

Shame on you, Paul Schrader, for making this garbage. One star.

Surf’s up, dude

You'll Come Apart And You'll Go Black

Nadia Reid with a cover of the classic by Mazzy Star, “Fade Into You” … great stuff:

Movies Watched -- The Square (2008)

106 minute running time. This was a not very well made Crime-Doesn’t-Pay thriller from Australia … a beautiful young woman, who is married to a tow-truck driver with a mullet?!?, has an affair with a boring old guy (improbable) … it’s a small town, everyone knows everyone else … they plan to run off together (where?) after stealing the tow-truck driver’s tiny stash of ill-gotten money (how did he get it?) as well as the kickbacks the old guy is getting from a construction project … there are various twists and turns in the story, but they’re not very well done. I saw that there were 25 minutes worth of blessedly deleted scenes included on the DVD, but I don’t think any of it helped the story work.

At first I was going to give this a not-good not-bad rating, but upon reflection, I’m going to go with a bad rating. Don’t see this, you’ll just get frustrated and annoyed by the poor story telling. John Farr said this was “noir done right,” but he’s wrong.

God, it's all talk, isn't it? You and me, and going away, and leaving your wife.

The Inquiring Mind of Brian Lamb (VIII)

When interviewing Mark Edmunson on Booknotes:

LAMB: Do you have a favorite, or favorite words that you like to use when you write?

Fighting For Your Art

Nadia Reid with “Oh Canada” … she’s a Kiwi with a Chrissie Hynde sound, discovered via the Spotify algo. I dig it:

I've Had Swings

There’s a great section of this podcast (from 7:21 to 16:42) where Doug Polk and Jason Strasser talk about the advantages poker players have if they start to trade … Strasser says:

"Coming from poker to trading ... where I was way ahead was that I had lost money before. That's the thing I had. I've had swings. I know what it's like to have a downswing. I felt like I was stronger mentally."

You should listen to that whole ~nine minute section closely.

I Still Have Value

Mayaeni with “Underdog” … thought this was Rozzi the first time I heard it, but no, just someone with a similar sound. I dig it:

Movies Watched -- Cargo 200 (2007)

In Russian. 89 minute running time. Horror movie of sorts, based on “real events” that happened in 1984 in the Soviet Union… psychopathic guy who turns out to be a police chief kidnaps a teenage girl … pretty interesting to see how screwed up the place was (and is, I suppose) … rape, murder, torture, necrophilia … yeah, it’s dark… I didn’t hate it, but this is not something the average person should ever see, it’s just too horrifying.

UPDATE: Upon reflection, I really liked this. Three stars (recommended). Green-go.

Captain Zhurov

Movies Watched -- The Constant Gardener (2005)

129 minute running time …. way too long and convoluted and who cares about this murder and conspiracy when the story is this badly told? Boooorrriinnnggg. Ralph Fiennes mincing around as a wimpy British diplomat in Kenya, Rachel Weisz as his pain in the ass wife. You can give it a miss, I wish I had.

You can have me if you show me the letter [slutting for justice]

Movies Watched -- Tell No One (2006)

In French. 125 minute running time but felt like a lifetime. God, this was an awful movie. How John Farr, who is normally a RELIABLE recommender of movies, could mislead me this badly is just inexplicable. Tell No One is absolute crap, a convoluted, ridiculous story … yes, I know, it’s a French movie so a certain degree of absurdity should be expected, but this goes beyond the pale.

“Hitchcock would be mighty proud of this thrilling, fast-paced mystery.” Are you insane, John Farr? Hang on, the internet says director Guillaume Canet “is sexy and many gay men wish he was gay.” This may explain things. Do NOT see this movie and warn everyone you know NOT to see it, if they ask about it.