Movies Watched -- Gate of Flesh (1964)

In Japanese. Weird one. Made in 1964 but based in the summer of 1945, post-war Tokyo, about a band of five prostitutes … interesting set design, made on a shoestring … a pornographic movie of sorts, though made within a strictures of Japanese movie codes at the time … elements of bondage and sado-masochism … the story wasn’t very good, but issues of love and lust and jealousy explored when an ex-soldier now-criminal enters the prostitutes’ world … if you’re interested in Japanese culture and director Seijun Suzuki’s work, you should see it, otherwise you can give it a miss. Two stars (not terrible, but not recommended).

Bukkake money shot, circa 1964

A Shout In The Wind Falls On MTV

Coco with “Empty Beach” … Maia Friedman is good looking enough to rock the bald … lovely voice too, I dig it:

Arturo Fuente Hemingway

I often smoke Arturo Fuente Hemingways, usually Signatures or Classics. It’s a really great, smooth smoke which you should try if you haven’t already. Like my buddy Miguel, I don’t smoke many cigars longer than 6” anymore because I’m getting less patient as I age. The small ring gauge on the Hemingways is deceptive since this is still a really big (and great) smoke.

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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: