The Cheese Stands Alone

Th 1/31/19 Up 6am; cloudy, not as cold, but the temperature was hovering around zero when I pulled the trash bin to the curb this morning. It was too cold for a pickup on Wednesday. Temps to crack the mid teens later. Watched 'AMERICAN ANIMALS' (Xfinity)  An interesting heist movie, but I put off watching it because of the photo for the film- four figures with bird heads, and the description that it was about a book robbery at 'Transylvania University'. I thought it would be some kind of a fantasy film because I didn't realize that Transylvania  University actually exists- it's in downtown Lexington, KY, and the film's photo refers to the theft of very rare Autobahn books that are archived at the university. Watched 'RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS' (Amazon Prime) Gritty tale of growing up in Astoria, Queens, NY in the mid 80's. Star-studded cast; Robert Downey Jr./ Shia Labeouf/ Chazz Palminteri/ Diane Wiest. Midway through the film I got a call...

We 1/30/19- DOWNED BRANCH/ POLAR VORTEX Up 545am; "The Springfield area will be colder than the top of Mount Everest and the North Pole and some parts of Antarctica,” said National Weather Service". Sunny and temps could reach 50 on Sunday. I noticed that a large branch from one of the pine trees in the backyard has fallen on a neighbor's shed. I can't tell if it's straddling any utility lines. Watched 'HAPPY AS LAZZARO' (Netflix) A crooked land owner, The Marquise de Luna, has a collection of families living on her tobacco farm as modern day serfs. Lazzaro is a 'good man', 'saint', holy fool', who befriends her son, Tancredi. In a random accident, Lazzaro falls off a mountain, and apparently dies. About twenty years later he comes back ( Christ figure? ghost? saint? apparition?) and finds most of  his old village living in a city. The more that Lazzaro tries to do the right thing, the more he is thwarted. When he goes to a bank t...

Tu 1/29/19 Up 650am; bright and sunny with frigid temps and far below zero wind chills, and tomorrow it will be even colder! It's so cold that school is cancelled.....FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS. Watched 'CHURCHILL' (Xfinity) (Brian Cox/ Miranda Richardson)  Some fine acting, but apparently the premise of the film is not even close to being historically accurate. Winston Churchill WAS NOT against the Allied Invasion at Normandy, and this is the biggest bullet point of the film. It is true that a couple of years before 'Operation Overlord', Churchill was doubtful, but by 'D-Day' he was completely on-board with the plan. Cox, however, does a good job portraying Churchill's battle with depression (The Black Dog) and Richardson, as his wife, is both believable and inspiring, yet it's too bad that the film was so historically inaccurate. Then, 'LOST IN THE SUN' (Amazon Prime) Another semi-sweet surprise.  A stranger picks up a teenage boy right af...

Mo 1/28/19 I awoke around 3am and finished 'EXIT WOUNDS', then I used the phone to check the news and weather. After about a half hour, I lost the internet signal- 'ken is disabled'. When I got out of bed at 550am, I turned on the PC and all was well. I wonder what happened? Overcast with some light rain and it's 37 degrees! This is probably the high for the day as temps are to plunge to the single digits with far below zero wind chills  tonight. Wrote up 'EXIT WOUNDS' for the blog. 'BLADE RUNNER 2043' (Xfinity)  I had seen this before, but I'm not surprised that I didn't remember until almost forty-five minutes in. Almost three hours, and very slow, deliberate, and nearly glacially paced. A female replicant has given birth and the child must be found because robots CAN NOT reproduce and an LAPD 'blade runner' (Officer K- R. Gosling) must find the child. To his dismay,  he learns that he is 'it', and he also has a tw...

Su 1/27/19 Up 545am; More frigid temps, sunny, low teens to low twenties. Strange Weather Pattern Approaching- temps to rise almost to forty, then rain, and then temps back to single digits on Monday. Monday morning could be one for the books....or nothing. Watched Netflix disc, 'WONDERLAND' At the twilight of his career, John C. Holmes, adult film superstar, is addicted to drugs and tells his criminal friends of a plan to rob a rich Los Angeles restaurant and nightclub owner. They do the heist and get over a million in cash, drugs, and merchandise. In retaliation, the restaurateur organizes a hit on the gang and four people are bludgeoned to death in the apartment on Wonderland Avenue; with Val Kilmer, Kate Bosworth, and Eric Bogosian. Then, 'HOME AGAIN' (Reese Witherspoon)  A woman with two young daughters living in LA invites three aspiring young film makers to live in her guest house. An odd rom-com because it reeks of such excessive privilege and entitlement ...

Sa 1/26/19 Up 6am; very cold with snow showers beginning later this morning. Less than one inch predicted and temps only to low twenties. Wrote up 'THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME' by Mark Haddon for the blog. Watched Netflix disc, 'SLENDER MAN' Four high school girlfriends watch a video that allows them to call up 'Slender Man'. They become entrapped by this entity- a faceless spirit that steals young people and has been around in numerous cultures since the dawn of time; a very interesting soundscape. Then, 'LIMEY' Terrance Stamp plays a very English ex-con (he sometimes uses Cockney rhyming slang) who comes to LA to investigate the death of his daughter. She was supposed to have died in a car accident, but he isn't buying it. His daughter had been working for a shady record company mogul (played by Peter Fonda) who killed her accidentally when she threatened to turn him in to the police. Stamp murders a slew of bad guys i...

Fr 1/25/19 Up 6am; low single digits with wind chills of fifteen and twenty below zero. Watched Netflix disc, 'MEMOIR OF WAR'   Based on the experience of an actual French writer whose husband was arrested by the Germans in Occupied France near the end of the war. She tries to find out where he is by contacting a French cop working for the Germans. Weeks after war's end, she learns that he is alive and at the Dachau concentration camp. Members of her resistance group are bringing him back to Paris, but he is so sick that he only has days to live. He recovers, but she decides that she is not in love with him, and takes up with her lover who was also a member of the group. 'The Lover' and 'The Divorce' are only covered in the last minute of the film and this causes more than a little confusion. The, 'WONDERLAND' (Amazon Prime) A collaboration between ten Swiss film directors that examine the Swiss national character in an entirely different light...

Th 1/24/19 Up 5am; Frigid!! Low teens to low twenties and zero-ish wind chills . Watched 'LEAVING LAS VEGAS' (Xfinity) Nicholas Cage and Elizabeth Shue in a classic love story set against the ravages of acute alcoholism. The film doesn't make you want to get wasted, but makes you wish you had a love like Ben and Sera. 'THE WHOLE YEAR INN'/ THE HOLE YOU'RE IN'; Lou Rawls in a small cameo role as a cabbie. Then, 'ACRIMONY' (Xfinity) Taraji P. Henson ('PROUD MARY) stars in a Tyler Perry film about a woman scorned. Melinda meets a boy and falls in love during college. Robert has been going to school and developing a battery that charges itself, and she marries him and bankrolls his research during twenty years of marriage.  They divorce just before he sells his invention for millions, and then she goes on a rampage because she feels cheated out of the life that should have been hers. Litigation, attempted murder, and death ensue. Not a bad film...

We 1/23/19- Book Club/ PSA OK!! Awoke at 645am after a very strange dream: I was in a shopping mall with Thunder and Nick McCoy, Terry's son. A store had a 'Pets Only' setup where other dogs and cats were not allowed. Thunder was loose and got into this area. A vet said that Thunder had to be 'treated' and it cost five dollars. I said that I didn't care about the money, but the cat that he showed me was not Thunder. I looked all over for Thunder and even told a store owner that he was wearing a collar that said, 'Thunder Warden'- she laughed. Then, Nick disappeared and I spent the rest of the dream searching for both of them to no avail. High 30's and windy; rain and 'wintry mix' is in the forecast all day. Temps are supposed to radically drop later. Wrote a reply to Janny's email from yesterday, then watched the last half of 'SICARIO': DAY OF THE SOLDADO' 10am- PC 'Off' to skim 'WE OWN THE SKY'. Rere...

Tu 1/22/19 Up 7am; This is considered sleeping in? Overcast with temps in the upper twenties. Rain predicted to begin late this morning and lasting all night- to high 30's. Then watched, 'THIS IS CONGO' (Xfinity) A documentary about wars in the Congo as seen from the prospective of a Congolese Colonel fighting with his men on the Eastern edge of the country near the city of Goma. He's young, ambitious, and is later murdered by members of his own staff. These wars have been going on for decades with no end in sight, and the people are forced to accept in fear and poverty as a way of life. The film was a fascinating eye-opener. Then, 'PROUD MARY' Black female enforcer for a Bostonian organized crime family saves a young black boy from a mob boss; action packed and surprisingly well written if a tad hard to believe- nice vintage soundtrack. 1pm on the machines at the 'Y'. 45" Walk (Reality TV all workout). 45" Recumbent Bike. 45" Cros...

Mo 1/21/19 Awoke to realize that I had forgotten the call to Elsie's....Oh, shucky-darn!! Up 515am; Frigid! Single digits early- to low twenties and partly cloudy. Watched '12 STRONG' (Xfinity) Shortly after 911 a team of twelve American Special Forces was sent to Afghanistan to strike back at the Taliban. They kept the Northern Alliance alive and managed to defeat the Taliban in a major battle that was to last two years- they did it in three weeks. Most of the action took place on horses. I wonder how much of this was fact, and how much was John Wayne balderdash. Then, 'THE BLACK COAT'S DAUGHTER' a.k.a 'FEBRUARY'(Amazon Prime) Directed by Anthony Perkins son and stars Julia Roberts daughter. A strange film and I had to consult two YouTube videos to unravel what was presented. Two girls are forced to spent a winter break at their boarding school because no one can pick them up. One of the girls becomes possessed by a demon and stabs and beheads e...

Su 1/20/19 Up 540am; coldest day of the year...so far. Cloudy and temps in the single digits early- high to be 14!! Ordered two Henning Mankell novels on Amazon Watched 'ALPHA DOG' (Amazon) A terrific True Crime film (Nick Cassavetes- dir.) about a group of suburban wanna-be gang bangers who kidnap a fifteen year old boy because his brother refused to pay a very large drug debt. The kid befriends his kidnappers, but they kill him anyway; star-studded cast Justin Timberlake (his first film), Sharon Stone, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, Harry Dean Stanton, and a very young Olivia Wilde. Watched several YouTube videos about the film. Then, 'I FEEL PRETTY' Amy Schumer/ Michelle William (she was a knock-out!!) Overweight young woman who lacks self confidence feels that she is magically transformed into a beautiful woman- she isn't, but the fact that she thinks she is changes her life for the better. When she loses 'the magic', her life reverts, but this is w...

Sa 1/19/19 Up 540am; Not one flake, so far. It looks like we've dodged the bullet on this one. Low 30's and overcast- it looks like it could snow a foot, but.....At the end of the day, only a very light dusting, but temps will dive into the single digits tonight. Coldest day of the year! Wrote up 'WE OWN THE SKIES' for the blog. Watched Netlfix disc, 'BOUNDARIES' Vera Farmiga/ Christopher Plummer. A Road Movie from Seattle to LA. A woman, her teenage son, her father, and several dogs travel down the coast, selling weed and stirring up trouble along the way; Wry and well written. Then, 'PIMP' A fierce young black woman from the Bronx becomes a pimp and tries to save her girlfriend, her mother and her own life- she fails; Another gritty urban folktale. Heading to FitClub South 1230pm. Dropped the disc at the Wabash PO and on the machines at South by 1pm. 45" Precor (MASSIVE ATTACK). 45" Recumbent Bike (LINES AND SHADOWS- Wambaugh). 45...

Fr 1/18/19 Up 6am; cloudy with temps at the freezing point all day;  WINTER STORM WARNING-  four to six inches beginning at 6pm this evening and to continue all day on Saturday. Watched Netflix disc, 'TULLY' An amazingly fresh, 'uncomfortable' comic drama about the physical and emotional trauma of being a mom. Charlize Theron is superb as a woman with two kids who must deal with an unplanned pregnancy as she turns forty and her hapless husband is oblivious to her needs. The new baby overwhelms her and she conjures a completely fictional 'night nanny' (Tully- this is actually her character's maiden name) and you don't realize she is imaginary until the film is nearly over. Then, THE DOMESTICS (Xfinity) Set in a post-apocalyptic world where the US government has poisoned the population and the survivors have formed blood thirsty gangs that violently fight for ascendancy (metaphor for the United States congress?). An estranged couple travel to Milwauk...

Th 1/17/19 Up 6am; overcast with some light drizzle. A 'Winter Warning' until 9am, but it's not cold enough to make that much of an impact. Cloudy all day and temps hovering around 32. Copied the 'Cheese Blog' to Dropbox, and then wrote up 'THE BRASS CUPCAKE' for my book blog. Watched 'DEN OF THIEVES' (Xfinity)  WOW!!! I just took a blind chance and had no idea what it was about, and I was completely blown away! Maybe the best bank heist film ever. Gerard Butler/ 50 Cent/ and Ice Cube's son, as the 'surprise' mastermind of a super-duper criminal escapade. Los Angeles is the bank robbery capitol of the world- there's a bank heist every 47". 'The Big Caper' in this film concerns the LA branch of the Federal Reserve. As the reserve counts money deposited by local banks, they destroy old currency, and the serial numbers on this cash is permanently wiped. Now it's completely untraceable if they can save it before it...

We 1/16/19 Up 630am; overcast, very light drizzle early- to near freezing. Watched the last half hour of 'BURN COUNTRY' (Xfinity) Melissa Leo/ James Franco. I was confused when I watched it last week, and slightly less confused. Maybe Xfinity has made some upgrades because the transmission seems to be much improved, although it could be that the traffic is light. Then 'MOLLY'S GAME' (Xfinity) Jessica Chastain is terrific as the owner of a super exclusive, high-end gambling operation, and the feds shut her down. I'd seen this before, but well worth a second look. It's written by Aaron Sorkin who is also the writer of 'WEST WING'. I wish I could have seen his Broadway play, 'TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD' with Jeff Daniels as Atticus Finch. 1210pm- PC off to read and later it's either FitClub West or LA Fitness. They hit the street with the plow- two times!! Anxiety builds as I wait for the call from Dr. Ellison's office (didn't...

Tu 1/15/19 Up 620am; light freezing rain and the roads will be a mess till early afternoon and side streets really bad- (10am) the driveway looks treacherous...cat litter??? Cloudy and not quite to freezing all day. (the driveway was not an issue, but streets had not melted a bit, and the ruts on Westview were like it hadn't been plowed). Wrote up 'POWDER' for the blog. Watched Netflix disc, 'SEARCHING' What a powerful mystery/thriller!!! A father learns that his high school aged daughter is missing and that he wasn't as close to her as he believed. The entire movie is told primarily through the girl's social media/ phone texts/ emails/ computer interactions as the father frantically culls through her laptop trying to get clues as to where she might be. Shot in thirteen days and it took a year and a half to edit. Called Dr. Ellison's office and set up an appointment for blood work at Koke Mill. I had to call Dr. Fenner's office so that they c...

Mo 1 /14/19 Up 6am; single digits early; cloudy to about 30. Re-watched most of 'THE LAST LAUGH' because I apparently wasn't paying enough attention last night. Then watched 'Mientras Duermes' ('SLEEP TIGHT') (Amazon Prime) Luis Tosar in a Spanish thriller about a concierge in an apartment building in Barcelona. He is obsessed with a young woman and invades her room and sleeps beneath her bed at night. And, his creepy behavior escalates. I was pleasantly surprise by how good this was. Wrote the Chat Wrap. Will read for a bit and in the Accord by 1230pm; hit the 'Y' by 1245pm. 45"Walk (Reality TV all Workout). 45" Bike. 45" Cross. 30" Bike. 45" Cross. A little bit of a change-up, but it's getting crowded with people and their New Year's Resolutions...I'm over 35 years into this trend. Home to read downstairs for over an hour and listened to the World Saxophone Quartet. Into the tub to listen to an earl...

Su 1/13/19 Up 620am; we got an additional inch last night. Westview has not been plowed (and an additional inch between early this morning and now- 11am), but looks passable. Snow is still in the forecast until late this morning- Cloudy and temps won't crack 30. Watched 'BLOOD DIAMOND' (Netflix) Leonardo Dicaprio as an Rhodesian mercenary in a political war/thriller whose character is involved in the 'blood diamond' trade. He teams up with a black fisherman who has hidden a one hundred caret diamond when he was abducted by black freedom fighters. A little on the preachy side, but still worth a look; one of Dicaprio's better roles. Will do the Weekly Cleaning and then to Planet Fitness. I want to be back home before dark because the roads are dicey (and icy!). AND AT NOON THE PLOWS ROLLED THROUGH....I don't think I could have been more surprised if I had seen a giraffe stroll up the street. 1205pm I re-shoveled the drive and walk, and the barrier of...

Sa 1/12/19 Up 630am; about five inches have already fallen and it's supposed to continue all day. Now it could bring a foot of snow! Wrote up 'THE LITTLE FRIEND' for the blog. Watched 'LENNY' (Amazon Prime) An amazing performance by Dustin Hoffman and I disagree with Roger Ebert's critique of the film. He said that a documentary about a comedian should portray the comedian as funny. But I feel that Lenny Bruce was not so much a comedian as he was a 'bemoaner of  sanctimony, pietism, and humbug'. He demanded that his audience see the world as it is and not as they might wish it to be, and to confront and root out hypocrisy at whatever the cost. And that..... ain't that funny at all. 11am- Several more inches of snow have fallen since I awoke and I'm going to read for a while: Not leaving the house and I wonder if the snow plows will hit Westview anytime today. Later this afternoon I'll take a swipe at the driveway and the walk, but I...

Fr 1/11/19 Up 640am; twenties and snow begins late this afternoon. It could bring nine inches when it's all over on Sunday morning. Watched 'DEVIL'S GATE' (Netflix Disc) Set in desolate North Dakota where a missing mother and son police case morphs into a possible battle with demons or fallen angels, then changes to the initial stages of an alien invasion; not bad. Then I watched the last bit of 'THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE' again. Father and son are killed and the authorities ship the witch off to another coroner's office??? Then the next 'MONEY HEIST'. I checked the email and learned that I was denied AGAIN for the $30 reimbursement for the dentist. I called YSA and the clerk was very helpful. While I was on the line she called my dentist and had them fax the necessary info. I should get the reimbursement in three to five days- A surprisingly pleasant experience. 1220pm- I'm dropped the disc downtown, hit BLH for a new keyboard for the...

Th 1/10/19 Up 650am; sunny, temps to 30. WINTER WARNING- snow begins Friday afternoon thru Saturday; 5-7 inches expected. Watched Netflix disc, 'BENT'.  Clive Owen as a German homosexual who is caught up in 'The Night of The Long Knives' at the end of June, 1934. Hitler used a crackdown on 'moral turpitude'(homosexuality) as a screen to murder his political rivals. Owen's character ends up in Dachau falsely identifying as Jewish and meets a man and falls in love. They must move a pile of rocks, one at a time, and when complete, they must move them back. An odd presentation and definitely retains the feel of a stage play, but fairly effective. Mick Jagger has a nice role as a transvestite singer and owner of a decadent cabaret. He sings a sentimental love song in drag while swinging on a trapeze. Wrote a reply to 'mine subsistence' at Nextdoor, and then watched the next episode of 'MONEY HEIST'. 1230PM- pc OFF and will read. 145pm to...

We 1/9/18 Up 7am; sunny, breezy, temps in the twenties all day. Watched 'SLEEPLESS' (Amazon Prime) Jamie Foxx has been deep undercover in the Las Vegas police department for two years working on drug smuggling and police corruption. The film is a smorgasbord of car chases, kidnapping, fight scenes, and over-the-top subplots and eye-rolling themes; about what you'd expect- with Michelle Monaghan and Dermot Mulroney. Then the next 'MONEY HEIST' (Amazon Prime) Hostages and gang members are all wearing red jump suits and the money presses are rolling; took some strong antihistamines for the head cold and napped through the latter half of the show. 1130am- PC is Off and I'm in the chair reading.  Learned the lighted keyboard won't arrive till 1/11- I ordered the damn thing on December 31st! 145pm to Planet Fitness. 45" Walk (YOU/ watched news about Trump's Oval Office Wall Address last night). 45" Recumbent Bike (TV/ YOU). 45" Cross (...

Tu 1/8/19 Up 6am; sunny, cooler, upper 40's early, and a wind advisory beginning late morning. Wind gusts could be as high as 45 mph, and temps will fall drastically. Tomorrow it won't get out of the thirties. Wrote the 'Late Wrap' and sent it. Watched 'MIAMI VICE' (Netflix) The 2006 version with Collin Farrell and Jamie Fox; dir. Michael Mann- some nice character work by Eddie Marsan. Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs go undercover to crack an international drug ring. Sonny falls for a beautiful Chinese-Cuban business woman who is one of the leaders of the cartel; A sizzling Slam/ Bang/ and Thank you Mam of a movie. Then the first episode of a Netflix Spanish crime TV series called' MONEY HEIST'. A criminal mastermind assembles a crew to invade the Royal Mint of Spain, take hostages, and then lock themselves in the building. At the end of segment one, I have no idea where it's going, but I am certainly locked in. Noon- Wrote a reply to ...

Mo 1/7/19 Up 630am; threatening and rain to begin before 8am and continue to noon, 1/4 inch expected, but temps almost to 60. It looks like the 'upload error' at Google Play is a bug in the program because I am not alone. Watched 'AND BREATHE NORMALLY' (Netflix) A powerful film about Poverty and Asylum Seekers set in bleak Iceland. A young woman and her son are more or less homeless, yet she has begun a new job with airport security. While on the job she confronts a woman trying to seek asylum in Canada, but is detained by Icelandic authorities. This touching film is about how these two women are able to help each other; equal parts depressing, and uplifting. Made a post at Google Play Forum to see if I can find an answer to the 'upload error' problem. What I really want to learn is that the programmers are working on it. 1030am- PC on sleep. Read 'MY LITTLE FRIEND' until 1245pm and on the machines at FitClub West by 1pm. 45" Octane (LI...

Su 1/6/19 Up 630am; breezy, mostly cloudy, to about fifty. Watched Netflix disc, 'THE SOCIAL NETWORK' Based on the book, 'THE ACCIDENTAL BILLIONAIRES' that chronicled Mark Zuckerberg's launch of Facebook. The Facebook name refers to the original intent of the site which offered college guys a way to rate girls by how they look. Jesse Eisenberg is perfect as Zuckerberg. Then 'KRYSTAL' (Netflix) Watched the first 20" ......and then switched to a Youtube video by The Moscow Project about Russian collusion and the Trump campaign. There were two election campaigns in 2016; The Trump campaign to elect Donald Trump, and the Russian campaign to elect Donald Trump. With all the people involved in Trump's inner circle that had clear and obvious Russian ties, you'd have to be an idiot to believe that they did not collaborate to reach the same end. June 9, 2016 meeting Trump's people admit that they were there to get dirty info on Hillary Clint...

Sa 1/5/19 Up 615am; sunny and to mid 50's. This is January? Listened to Terry Gross podcast about the damaging effects of the American misdemeanor system on the working poor. Then watched Netflix disc, 'GENERATION WEALTH' (Amazon Studios) Documentarian and photojournalist, Lauren Greenfield, examines the negative effects of Globalism. Capitalism, Consumerism, and Narcissism are now the dominant social and cultural forces that rule the most powerful nations of the world. All dying empires have imploded due to a selfish display of ostentatious wealth right before their end- only this time the flame out will destroy the entire planet. Neat Segments; A Chinese Oligarch lives in a house that is a replica of the American White House and behind the home is a life sized recreation of Mt. Rushmore. My favorite photo is a diamond and jewel encrusted pendant of the face of Jesus. Then, 'THE LAST SUPPER' (Amazon Prime) Two hit man share a final meal. McCarthy has been c...

Fr 1/4/19 Up 715am; partly sunny, to mid 40's. Watched 'BIRD BOX' (Netflix) Sandra Bullock/ John Malkovich; Out of the blue, Steve Rambach sent me a note that I should watch this. Not a bad Post-Apocalypse Thriller. It's about some kind of a worldwide attack that causes people to commit suicide if they open their eyes. The Spirits/ Monsters/ Aliens are never shown and this is probably the biggest strength of the film, but much of the story-line is nearly impossible to be believed. I suppose it's possible to drive a car with the windows covered using only the GPS system, but how were they able to locate one lock, on one door of a particular grocery store?  And, the heroine manages to get 'Boy' and 'Girl' to the sanctuary (a blind school...who wudda thunk?) and she reunites with her pregnancy doctor who just happens to be working there. Some nice riot scenes and nifty car crashes- just can't get too much of those! Watched the complex episode ...

Th 1/3/19 Up 630am; bright,sunny, and to the low 40's. Wrote up 'THE FINAL TESTAMENT OF THE HOLY BIBLE'. Watched 'THE HUMANITY BUREAU' (Netflix) Nicholas Cage in full-on sensitive, bad-ass mode. Set in the dystopian future of 2030 where the American government has instituted a plan to conserve resources, 'New Eden'- marketed as a kind of 'New Sun City' it's really a death camp/crematorium where nonproductive citizens are gassed and burned. The movie's 'hook' is a kind of mashup of 'SOYLENT GREEN and The Holocaust; hokey, yet somewhat appealing. Then watched the first two out of four episodes of 'XX' (Netflix); 'THE BOX'- the kids and dad starve to death as mom wonders why, 'THE BIRTHDAY PARTY'- mom hides dad's body in a bear costume while she frantically prepares for her daughter's birthday party. 1145am- Decided to hit FitClub West early. 45" Octane (GET HAPPY). 45" Walk (Realit...

We 1/2/19 Up 630am; overcast, temps to just above freezing. Watched 'THE SHOW' (Amazon Prime) A scathing look at the ratings driven world of Reality TV. After an onscreen murder during 'MARRY A MILLIONAIRE', producers decide to run a show called, 'THIS IS YOUR DEATH'. Contestants allow their suicides to be filmed before a live audience for cash. The questionable idea is that they are doing this 'for the betterment of their families'; thought provoking and well worth a look. Then this last episode of, 'OLIVER STONE'S UNTOLD HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES'. From the birth of the League of Nations to the end of WWII- this is a lot to take in and would require many viewings, but satisfying nonetheless. At some point, I'd like to revisit the entire series. Then the last episode of 'HAPPY!'. No doubt this one is already a cult holiday classic. 145pm- LA Fitness. 45" Walk (BILLIONS). 45" Recumbent Bike (THE LAST TESTAME...

Tu 1/1/19  NEW YEAR'S DAY Up 645am; cloudy and cold, temps to just above freezing. No more standing water on the street. It looks like we had over two inches of rain Sunday and Monday. At some point it must have been particularly intense or the basement area would still be dry. Then 'CELLULAR' (Netflix) A young man gets a call on his cellular phone from a woman who has been kidnapped- mayhem ensues. The bad guys are crooked cops and the woman's husband has a videotape of them murdering two drug dealers in cold-blood and stealing their cash; Kim Basinger/ Chris Evans/ Jason Statham/ Jessica Biel. Remember when Nokia made nearly every phone? Then 'A TWELVE YEAR NIGHT' (Netflix) The film is about several 'leftists' who were kept in isolation for over 12 years after a 1973 military coup in Uruguay. They were housed in medieval prisons, had nothing to occupy their time, and they were not even allowed to speak to the guards or other prisoners; "A su...