Monthly Archives: February 2025

 

It’s been an astonishing start to Donald Trump’s return to the presidency. My thoughts:

 

This Gaza Strip idea might be the one bonkers proposal Trump’s made.

Then again, he has a history of “bonkers” ideas that have eventually panned out.

 

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I am lukewarm on Trump’s executive order regarding males in girls’ sports. I agree with Trump’s move, but I’m not doing handsprings of joy. Why not?

Because for decades now, feminists have been demanding, successfully, that men give women access to every conceivable, traditionally “male arena.” They even got access to the Boy Scouts, for crying out loud.

Yet the minute an outside group (trans athletes) demanded entry to something traditionally female, we heard howls of protest from women’s groups. So yes, I agree with Trump’s ban on trans athletes. But no, I will not celebrate with you, because you are hypocrites.

 

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Vivek Ramaswamy let his inner “I was a high school nerd who was envious of the popular jocks” mentality get the best of him when he criticized American youth. Big mistake. Americans like their jocks better than they like tech companies that hire cheap employees from India.

 

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I’m not sure that the edited 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris is quite so scandalous as conservatives want us to believe.

I mean, isn’t it pretty much standard practice for most news shows to heavily edit taped interviews?

 

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Speaking of feminist hypocrisy … a writer for Decider decided to share her lust for a certain black actor:

 

 

I am trying to imagine the backlash if a male journalist on a mainstream Web site salivated like that over, oh, Zoe Saldana, perhaps.

Using the magic of A.I., we decided to help Nicole indulge her fantasies by placing her on the set of 1975’s Mandingo with star Ken Norton (top picture and below):

 

 

 

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I am not excited about tomorrow’s Super Bowl. I want both teams to lose. Eagles fans are the worst, and I am sick to death of Taylor Swift and her lunkhead boyfriend.

I am, however, looking forward to Bianca Censori’s nude halftime show.

 

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Emilia Perez

 

Is Emilia Perez a great movie? No. Is it a good movie? Yes.

You might not feel that way if you listen to the film’s detractors (“Worst movie of the year!”), nor its champions (“13 Oscar nominations!”). I think the truth, as it so often does, lies somewhere in the middle.

Karla Sofia Gascon plays a fearsome Mexican-cartel leader who hires a young lawyer (Zoe Saldana) to help him accomplish two goals: transition from male to female, and, as far as his enemies know, to drop off the face of the Earth.

Did I mention that Emilia Perez is also a musical?

The songs aren’t particularly memorable, but the choreography and visuals are kick-ass. Kudos to director Jacques Audiard for that. And the acting is very good, especially by Saldana and Gascon.

My pre-viewing misgivings were largely overblown. Yes, the main character is trans, but no, the story isn’t preachy. Yes, the infamous hospital song is bizarre, but it ain’t dull.

The script does have credibility issues, but the big picture is this: The movie is interesting and it’s entertaining. Release: 2024 Grade: B

 

Would I watch it again?  Possibly. Eventually.

 

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The Menu

 

The plot:  A group of snobbish food connoisseurs is invited to an exclusive dinner on a mysterious island, where the courses are served with horrific surprises.

As a movie with a “twist,” The Menu is mundane. You expect some sort of plot surprise, and you get one, but it’s not exactly earth-shaking. The story is like a lesser episode of The Twilight Zone.

But I recommend it anyway, for one reason: Ralph Fiennes.

The late, great Bette Davis said the following in 1971:

“The English, they’ve always had the majority of great male actors. Always. We’ve (Americans) had more women. It’s always been true.”

What Davis said then still rings true today. Fiennes might be our finest British actor. He’s playing a “villain” in The Menu, yet it’s a multi-dimensional bad guy — and you can’t take your eyes off him. Release: 2022 Grade: B

 

Would I watch it again?  Despite fine work from Fiennes, probably not.

 

 

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Above, the best meme since “Let’s Go Brandon!”

 

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As is sometimes the case for me with Trump-related doings, I am of two minds about his clearing-out of the “deep state.”

On the one hand, it seems obvious that entrenched civil servants who are determined to obstruct the president’s agenda — as they were during Trump’s first term — should be uprooted. He is, after all, their elected boss.

On the other hand, haven’t we all been told, for years, that it is extremely difficult for any president to “fire” government employees? How is it that Trump is so effortlessly dispatching them? Is it legal?

 

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I scrolled through some movie listings and noticed Margin Call. I recall liking the film (I gave it a B+), but don’t remember why. That got me thinking about movie reviews in general, and my reviews in particular.

There are so, so many films that are intelligent and well-made, like Margin Call, but that lack the “rewatchable” factor. I am often pleased that I watched a film and will admire it — but then have no desire to see it a second time.

On the other hand, there are many flicks that can only, objectively, be described as “junk.” But I will rewatch them. Movies like Deep Blue Sea. I guess emotion triumphs over reason.

 

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Meanwhile, over at Bluesky:

 

 

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Not sure which is having the worse week, the airline industry or Selena Gomez.

Gomez, who posted a tearful message (above) about her illegal immigrant “people,” also appears in the, uh, controversial Oscar nominee Emilia Perez. (I already pay for Netflix, which is hosting this film, so should I watch it? I can’t decide.)

But I previously formed an opinion about Gomez’s acting chops from watching her in Only Murders in the Building. To say she struggles to hold her own next to co-stars Steve Martin and Martin Short would be an understatement. 

 

© 2010-2025 grouchyeditor.com (text only)

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