Miserable Weekend

I thought I already got through the worst of the freezing temps, but they fell again and I got a bad cold. Worse, I had to work through the weekend with a cough and scratchy throat. So I thought I would make myself feel better with some hot chocolate, but no, that made me nauseous. I had to go home and go to bed at 7pm just to stop shivering so much. The next day, hot tea was better than hot chocolate, but my throat was still sore. At least I didn't have a fever.

I did manage to see Book of Clarence again last week, but I need to get better before I venture out to American Fiction, even wearing a mask. Texas weather is so screwed up.

I did watch Killers of the Flower Moon on Apple TV, but I thought it was overrated. Certainly not worth 3 hours runtime. It focused way too much on stupid Earnest and his complying with every command of his evil uncle. Some scenes were too graphic and sensationalized, feeling heavy handed. I guess Scorsese did the best he could to be sensitive to the Osage, even not subtitling the Osage dialogue, but the movie still felt very much from the point of view of the whites.

Snowed In

This MLK weekend is extremely chilly, with temps below freezing until Wednesday, and I don't want to risk the icy roads. I did manage to go out on the last warmish day last week to a play and the grocery store. I wish I had time to see more movies, though, as it looks like American Fiction finally opened near me but may be gone by next weekend.

I did manage to see The Book of Clarence on Wednesday, but I was late and missed the beginning. I hope I get to see the full thing before it also disappears from theaters. It's a biblical epic like Ben-Hur but has some comedic moments. However things turn serious once we meet the real Jesus and see him perform actual miracles (not tricks). Then Clarence's conscience troubles him about his fraud and he buys the freedom of some gladiator slaves. Plus the Romans capture him and "all the other fake Messiahs" to crucify them, and it becomes more about faith and belief. So not a fully irreverent spoof like Monty Python's Life of Brian. But it was nice to see a real Black Jesus instead of the white bearded guy depicted in Western paintings. (Though there is indeed a white blue-eyed guy among the "fake Messiahs" the Romans capture.)

Meanwhile, the Golden Globes were last weekend and apparently the Emmys are tonight. Dumb awards season. I'm going to try to catch up on some TV and movies on streaming such as Killers of the Flower Moon. I hope it won't be tedious. Just the fact that Scorsese made the film so damn long and refused to let theaters put in an intermission is so pretentious. The operas and theater plays he was comparing his film to, typically DO have intermissions. So he's the one being disrespectful to the art. A person can't concentrate on the art if they need a bathroom break. Yet I hear Scorsese wants his next film to be super-short at 90 minutes.

TV Memories

Meanwhile, in pop culture news, Norman Lear died in December and I watched a 2016 PBS documentary about him. He revolutionized the sitcom genre and founded a political organization to fight back against the rightwing Moral Majority that arose in the Reagan era. Lear also had some flaws, such as having disagreements on how to write the Black characters on Good Times. Eventually he burned out after doing too many shows as once, and he departed suddenly. But over the years he did more show business stuff, such as the recent live revivals of his classic shows.

The British actor Tom Wilkinson also died recently. He was a prolific character actor appearing in British TV and movies, as well as American productions. He could play both villains and good guys, and was always a welcome addition to any film or show. May he rest in peace.

On New Year's Fox aired a 2-hour M*A*S*H special, including some interviews with now deceased stars. It was very moving.

Sad News

The New Year has been very chilly and rainy. I bought an exercise bike and put it together after finally getting some missing parts. I don't have any specific resolution to lose weight, but am trying to generally be more active. Hopefully that will help me keep going.

Meanwhile Eddie Bernice Johnson died. She was an outstanding Congresswoman for years, and leaves a great legacy behind. Jasmine Crockett is now serving in that seat.

Japan suffered an severe earthquake on Monday. I hope they can find more survivors.

I was also scared to hear about a shooting at my local mall last week. If I'd been there that night, I might have been trapped while the police searched for the shooter. I hate that Republicans won't pass more gun control laws. How is anyone supposed to feel safe?