The Holdovers

On By Rick McIn moviesLeave a comment

Paul Giamatti is always good.

Reviews were great.

92% Rotten Tomatoes

Sideways director Alexander Payne reunites with Giamatti.

The Holdovers is a 2023 American Christmas comedy-drama film set in 1970.

I wouldn’t say this film is as good as Sideways, but it has something of similar feel.

A cantankerous, unpopular teacher, Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti); a bright, abrasive student, Angus (Dominic Sessa); and Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), the school’s head cook and a recently bereaved mother, find themselves forced to spend the winter holiday together in an otherwise empty New England elite academy …

… it’s about finding family where you least expect it.

Da’vine Joy Randolph won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress, and the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress.

That’s a surprise to me. She doesn’t have nearly the same screen time as the other two stars.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes

On By Rick McIn uncategorizedLeave a comment

Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes is an excellent book. A super popular best seller.

The premise sounded unlikely to me.

Sam’s day takes an unexpected turn after she picks up the wrong bag in the changing room of her local gym. The bag, a genuine Marc Jacobs unlike Sam’s designer knock-off, belongs to Nisha, an American in London and pampered second wife of billionaire businessman Carl. Sam, who works for a printing firm and who is the sole breadwinner in her family, has meetings straight after her gym visit and so has no choice but to wear Nisha’s red crocodile-skin Christian Louboutin heels. The shoes seem to have a hypnotising effect on clients and lead her to land a series of new contracts.

Nisha, meanwhile, declines to wear the tatty flats she finds in Sam’s bag, and leaves the gym in flip-flops and a robe. When she arrives at her hotel for a lunch date with her husband, she finds two men at the door of her room who inform her she is not welcome. Carl, it transpires, has called time on their marriage, cancelled her bank cards and begun a romantic relationship with his assistant. –

Guardian Review

Weirdly, it works. The oddball plot somehow believable.

A feel good book.

Moyes became a full-time novelist in 2002. She had many novels rejected before finally making the jump to NY Times Bestseller lists.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I liked her historical fiction, The Giver of Stars, even more.

Oppenheimer – Book and Movie

On By Rick McIn books, moviesLeave a comment

 “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.”.

Bhagavad Gita

Initially, I wasn’t all that interested in either the long non-fiction book, nor the film.

BUT finally got around to both.

The movie is better. Not perfect, but a fantastic job telling a difficult story.

I streamed it on Prime over 3 nights as it is LONG.

 Cillian Murphy would seem to be the best possible actor to play the brilliant, complicated J. Robert Oppenheimer.

Robert Downey Jr. is excellent.

Matt Damon as Gen. Leslie Groves, as well.

Kenneth Branagh as Niels Bohr is perfect. He has the gravitas to bring depth to Oppenheimer’s hero.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I read American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer (2005) by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin.

Surprisingly, I was quite engaged in his early years. The beginnings of the theoretical Physics that would lead to the nuclear bomb.

Once it got to his downfall due to his security hearing in the McCarthy era. The efforts by Lewis Strauss and the FBI to undermine Oppenheimer — I got restless.

Always conflicted, I wished Oppenheimer had simply walked away from the controversy.

I also read The Oppenheimer Alternative by Robert J. Sawyer, the author being a friend of my brother.

It’s an interesting alternative history of the Manhattan Project historical figures.

Snowpiercer – the movie

On By Rick McIn movies, TVLeave a comment

I didn’t watch Snowpiercer (TV series).

But finally got around to the 2013 post-apocalyptic science fiction film.

Weird.

Why and how did a billionaire build a train that could run around the world?

I can see why some consider it a cult classic. It is philosophical.

It does have a terrific cast.

Rotten Tomatoes reports that 94% of critics gave the film a positive rating.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I’m Flying to Edinburgh 😀

On By Rick McIn travelLeave a comment

Flights are expen$ive in 2024.

BEST deal I could find Vancouver to Europe one way this summer was $498.16 CAD ($364 USD). Includes one piece of luggage, cancellation insurance, and seat selection.

BEST deal was NOT to London, for a change.

Years ago I typically flew Air Transit, a charter. But for the past 4 years WestJet has had the best options to Europe.

Arriving Edinburgh June 1, 2024.

A fun tourist city. I was there in 2009. And in 2018 for Fringe.

I’ll be staying at Castle Rock Hostel under the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle. It’s considered one of the best hostels in Europe.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

James Patterson’s ‘The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians’

On By Rick McIn books, economicsLeave a comment

Nobody calls James Patterson a great novelist.

BUT he has a lot of books. They’ve sold more than 425 million copies. And he’s helped thousands of people earn a living through the book industry.

Not to mention the dozens of author’s he’s promoted by co-authoring.

James Patterson is one of the good guys.

He calls himself a left-leaning political independent — but is disgusted with his neighbour, 4-time-loser Trump.

His 2024 nonfiction title, The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians  takes us inside the lives, and livelihoods, of the everyday heroes surrounding us in the literary trenches: booksellers and librarians.

In a collection of profiles that includes professionals of all types, from school librarians to independent booksellers to big box chain employees, Patterson and his co-author, Matt Eversmann, delve into how these reading gurus inspire young and old every day.

Publisher’s Weekly review – James Patterson’s ‘The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians’

“book joy”

In November 2015, Patterson received the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation.

Patterson has donated millions of dollars in grants and scholarship to various universities, teachers’ colleges, independent bookstores, school libraries, and college students to promote literacy.

In 2013, Patterson took out ads titled “Who Will Save Our Books? Our Bookstores? Our Libraries?” in Publishers Weekly and The New York Times Book Review, which employed the text “If there are no bookstores, no libraries, no serious publishers with passionate, dedicated, idealistic editors, what will happen to our literature? Who will discover and mentor new writers? Who will publish our important books? What will happen if there are no more books like these?”

 1600 Sing Radiohead’s “Creep”

On By Rick McIn musicLeave a comment

Pub Choir in Australia. Awesome.

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“Creep” was the debut single by the English band Radiohead, released September 1992. …

It was reissued in 1993 and became an international hit, likened to alt-rock “slacker anthems” such as ”Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana and ”Loser” by Beck. …

According to the journalist Alex Ross in 2001, “What set ‘Creep’ apart from the grunge of the early nineties was the grandeur of its chords—in particular, its regal turn from G major to B major. No matter how many times you hear the song, the second chord still sails beautifully out of the blue. The lyrics may be saying, ‘I’m a creep,’ but the music is saying, ‘I am majestic.’ …

The chord progression and melody in “Creep” are similar to those of the 1972 song “The Air That I Breathe“, written by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood.[82] After Rondor Music, the publisher of “The Air That I Breathe”, took legal action, Hammond and Hazlewood received cowriting credits and a percentage of the royalties. …

Click PLAY or watch the original on YouTube.

The Gentlemen (2024 TV series)

On By Rick McIn TVLeave a comment

The Gentlemen is a big hit on Netflix.

Guy Ritchie a super skillful creator.

I wish he’d do something without having to rely on the shock value of ultra violence.

Casting is excellent.

Theo James carries the show and almost makes the absurd story believable.

Michael Vu as James “Jimmy” Chang, Susie’s chief weed grower is my favourite.

Edward Horniman has unexpectedly inherited an estate of 15,000 acres (6000 hectares) and the title of Duke of Halstead at the reading of the last will and testament of his deceased father.

He learns that the land has become part of a weed-growing empire run by Susie Glass.

He must navigate a world of eclectic and dangerous characters with nefarious agendas, whilst also trying to protect his home and stay alive.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Cycling 18,000 Miles in 110 Days

On By Rick McIn cycling, travelLeave a comment

My cycling hero — Lael Wilcox — is one of the top ultra-endurance racers of all time.

She does not have a driver’s licence. 😀

In 2008 she and a boyfriend started a trip, cycling over 100,000 miles through 30+ nations.

What’s next?

Guinness Record Attempt: Around the World

My goal is to ride the 18,000 miles in 110 days. The current women’s record is held by Jenny Graham at 124 days, 10 hours and 50 minutes.

At this point, in regards to the record, there’s no distinction between supported and self-supported rides. I’ll be carrying all of my own equipment and food and figuring out all of the logistics on and off the bike. That’s how I like to travel– with a sleep kit and winging it along the way.

I like open-ended adventures and I like competition and riding around the world as fast as I can feels like a great combination of both.

Rue will be documenting my ride and I’d love to encourage people to come out and share a few miles with me along the way.

I’ll be starting in Chicago May 26th.

18,000+ miles without a chamois: Lael Wilcox is aiming to set a world record by circumnavigating the planet in 110 days

Wilcox hopes to set a new Guinness World Record and admits that even she is “really terrified”

Breathless by Amy McCulloch

On By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

Breathless is a murder mystery set on one of the 8000m peaks.

Manaslu

Not a great mystery — but I enjoyed hearing about the challenges of high altitude climbing.

When journalist and novice climber Cecily Wong is asked to summit Mount Manaslu, the eighth-highest peak in the world, it’s a career-making opportunity. She’s been personally invited by Charles McVeigh, one of the most acclaimed mountaineers in the world, who wants her to report on the final leg of his record-breaking series of summits. But there’s one caveat: he won’t give her the interview until she’s scaled the mountain as part of his climbing party.

Amazon

Amy McCulloch actually knows what she’s talking about. September 2019, she became the youngest Canadian woman to climb Mt. Manaslu in Nepal — the world’s 8th highest mountain.

She also summited Aconcagua, in -45C and 90kmph winds, and has visited all seven continents.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.