Super Sunday
Explain this to me, headline from nypost.com: “Cakewalk Family of ‘anarchist’ baker killed in robbery gone wrong doesn’t want jail time for thieves.” I could understand them not wanting the slimes to face the death penalty, but releasing them and giving them license to kill someone else? That’s insanity, not liberalism.
I love news on marijuana legalization. The pros and cons, ups and downs, unintended consequences, are so entertaining. NYP headline: “Illegal weed is killing licensed California bud shops — NY may be headed for similar fate.” According to the accompanying article by Alex Halperin: “…high taxes, complex regulations, and the booming illegal trade have made it hard to turn a profit in the Golden State.” Although I don’t use cannabis products, I’m not against legalization. I have no idea if the pluses will outweigh the minuses.
For the second straight week Friday night’s movie fix was a big winner, The Dry (2020), an old fashion mystery in a modern setting, rural Australia. Eric Bana stars as a Melbourne detective who returns to his drought stricken hometown, a farming community, for the funeral of his former best friend, who appears to have killed his wife, son and self. The crime also seems to corroborate the guy’s guilt in the unsolved murder of a teenage girl decades ago. Although the pace is slow, the narrative is absorbing, realistic. It was directed by Robert Connolly, who co-wrote the screenplay with Harry Cripps and Samantha Strauss, adapting Jane Harper’s first novel. It received a boatload of nominations in its home country, and wins for screenplay and Stefan Duscio’s cinematography. Among the cast, I recognized only Bruce Spence, who had a significant role in The Road Warrior (1981). Everyone is outstanding, especially Bebe Bettencourt as the victim, seen in flashback. The Church’s terrific Under the Milky Way is used to great effect, not the record but a touching acapella rendition by the young actress. Running time is a shade under two hours. 28,000+ users at IMDb have rated The Dry, forging to a consensus of 6.8 on a scale of ten, too low in my estimation. The violence is tame by today’s standards. Those who prefer action should pass. Photos from Google Images:
Bettencourt:
This is Spence in the iconic film:
Born in 1980, Jane Harper began, as so many successful authors have, as a journalist. The Dry won several awards, including the Crime Writers’ Association of the United Kingdom for the best crime novel of the year. She has written four others. Kudos. Photo from GI:
Nice haul for the floating book shop on what was another mild winter day. My thanks to all the buyers. Here’s what sold: 15 DVDs in Russian, three Play Station discs; three cookbooks; a French grammar guide; Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen; Looking For Me by Beth Hoffman; With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo; and Cheasepeake Summer by Jeanette Baker. I am blessed.
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