Fasten Seat Belts
RIP Ruth Bader Ginsberg, 87. Although I probably disagreed with her views across the board, there’s no denying the accomplishments of the petite Brooklyn girl. And although I would love to see another conservative appointment to the Supreme Court so the left cannot use it, ironically, to subvert the law, I think replacing her should be done after the election, even though the counting of votes may be going on into 2021. Given how the President relishes the fight, expect him to go head long into the fray immediately. Just when it seemed politics couldn’t get any uglier. As legendary Mets announcer Bob Murphy often said: “Fasten your seat belts.”
Here’s RBG’s James Madison High School yearbook photo:
The mainstream media has one more honor to ignore as they did the two Nobel nominations. Headline from foxnews.com: “Kosovo gives Trump Order of Freedom for his role in securing deal with Serbia.”
RIP Hall of Fame safety Larry Wilson, who played all 13 of his NFL seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals. The 74th overall pick in the 1960 draft, he switched from RB, a wise move. He had at least two interceptions every season, a career-high 10 in 1966. He finished with 52. He was a master of the Safety Blitz. He was named first-team All-Pro five teams and second-team once. He made eight Pro Bowls. His #8 jersey is one of only five numbers retired by the team. In 1999 he was ranked #43 on The Sporting News’ list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. He was named to the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1994 and to the 100th Anniversary All-Time Team in 2019. After he retired, he coached for a while, then moved into the front office. Well done, sir.
Tiger woods has missed the cut at the U.S. Open. There will be none of the insufferable fawning during the broadcasts or, at least, it will be at a minimum.
Here’s perhaps the most amusing headline of the day: “Maui Invitational relocating to Asheville, North Carolina this season.”
The Friday night movie fix, courtesy of Netflix, was a winner. When I recently blogged about Uncut Gems (2019), directed by the Safdie brothers, written by Richard Bronstein, a friend recommended one of their previous collaborations, Good Time (2017). It’s the story of loving brothers, one mentally challenged, who rob a bank, and the aftermath. It’s a frantic odyssey featuring an assortment of oddballs. Robert Pattinson, proving he’s more than a pretty face, is outstanding as the smart sibling. Benny Safdie plays the other. Along for the wild ride are Jennifer Jason Leigh as the naive girlfriend, and Barkhad Abdi as a security guard. He received a supporting actor Oscar nomination as Tom Hanks’ nemesis in Captain Phillips (2013), his first role. Three actors with whom I was unfamiliar lend sterling support: Buddy Duress, Taliah Webster and Necro, who also has a hip hop career going. The action takes place largely in Queens, where the boys spent part of their youth. Those offended by vulgarity, beatdowns, and sleazeball characters should pass. Lovers of film noir should take a look, even though it’s in color. 81,000+ users at IMDb have rated Good Time, forging to a consensus of 7.4 on a scale of ten. Made on a budget of $4.5 million, it returned only $3+ million at the box office. I hope it turned a profit through DVD sales and rentals and streaming. The brothers are talented and deserve backing. Thanks, Adam. Here are the leads in character:
Given the Jewish holiday and the fact that Asians aren’t buying, I did not expect much action at the floating book shop. If not for Ann, who settled her meager tab, the return would have been zero. At least it was a beautiful day.
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