Day: December 4, 2018

“Mule” Share

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A director-writer pally has seen Clint Eastwood‘s The Mule, and shared the following:

“I can confide this is B-level Eastwood in the tradition of Gran Torino — a star vehicle for the aging actor and compelling because of his iconic presence and star lineage.

“It’s also in the tradition of Space Cowboys in that it’s a well-made programmer with a certain emotional resonance based on longtime feelings about a star whose career is probably near the end.

“Seeing Eastwood play an actual old man is somewhat jarring to see — to his credit. Think of The Shootist in John Wayne‘s canon.

“The Mule isn’t as elegiac as Unforgiven, but is much more compelling than, say, Trouble With The Curve.

“Bradley Cooper adds some contemporary resonance as it’s compelling to see a current triple threat pursuing an older auteur, lending a unique subtext.

“And yes, there’s a song — ‘Don’t Let The Old Man In’ by Toby Keith.”

John Carpenter’s “The Fog”

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12.4, 7:30 pm: I’m out of surgery and all stitched up. I’ve been awake for roughly 90 minutes. Physically thrown for a loop or what? I seriously underestimated (under-anticipated?) how traumatized I would feel. Groggy, woozy. Surgery began at 2 pm. Three and a half to four hours under the knife. As I was coming out of the cave I was wondering if I might be dreaming. My gradual realization that this fog state was real-world was very slow in arriving. My brain was operating in slow-mo; my ability to form words and speak with any clarity was limited, to say the least.

11 pm: I’m back to my usual lucid self. Well, 85% to 90%. The MacBook Pro is plugged in, etc. I didn’t begin to snap out of it until 9:30 or 10 pm or thereabouts.

Newbie

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Tweeted on 12.3 by Hanna Blanke: “One of my students has used the word ‘fucktangular‘ in an informal essay to describe a situation that was complicated and messy in multiple unpleasant and difficult ways. I am in the presence of greatness and I am stealing this word.”

“Captain Marvel” Flotsam

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The message of the new Captain Marvel trailer, which I’ve seen but can’t paste in this space because I’m lying on a hospital gurney, is “here comes more Marvel flashbang jizz-whizz…you know you want it, you know you do. And even if you don’t, you’re gettin’ it.”

From Randy Newman‘s “I’m Dead But I Don’t Know It”: “I got nothin’ more to say / I’m gonna say it anyway.”

No Question

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Hotshot director to HE: “Joanna Kulig has to be among the Best Actress front-runners. Astounding performance in Cold War. Unfortunately voters will not see her. Academy cinema was almost empty [during last weekend’s] Academy members screening.”

HE to hotshot: “Really? I love her.”

Hotshot to HE: “And the film itself is easily the year’s best.”

HE to hotshot: “Agreed.”

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