Aging Disgracefully
Aging Gracefully
Zoe Saldana is aging well for 46. And her Oscar chances are looking good, too.
© 2010-2025 grouchyeditor.com (text only)
“We’re gonna win so much, you may get tired of winning”
— Donald Trump
I used to think those words were hyperbole, but lately, not so much.
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Things seem to be going awfully well for Trump’s new administration. Too well? What’s the word or term for the feeling, when everything’s rosy, that things are about to take a nasty turn? Let me ask A.I.:
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Perhaps it’s true that artificial intelligence will spell doom for mankind. But for the moment, my interactions with A.I. tell me that it’s often incredibly unreliable — or just messing with me.
I will ask it something like, “Which of these six movies are in the Criterion Collection?” and A.I. will answer with three titles. I will check Criterion’s web site and learn that five of the six titles are in the collection. I will mention this to A.I. and will get a reply like, “My apologies! It appears that yes, five titles are in the Criterion Collection. My references may have been outdated. Thank you for the correction!”
This happens not just occasionally, but all the time.
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On the positive side, Musk wrote this:
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For my money, this is the best Super Bowl commercial. It’s silly and stupid and bizarre, but also hilarious.
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I used to pride myself on scouring the Web and finding women you might not suspect of showing skin, showing skin.
So how on Earth did I manage to overlook these G.O.P. babes showing skin?
Lauren Boebert
How could any of us forget when Colorado congresswoman Lauren Boebert, 38, got caught giving some dude a handjob in a crowded Denver theater? Presumably, after they were so rudely escorted out of the building, they went somewhere more private where the lucky guy could empty his ballsack between Lauren’s lovely legs (above).
Anna Paulina Luna
Her Wikipedia entry says she’s 35, so presumably these pics and the video of the Florida congresswoman peddling her bare ass were filmed back in her 20-something modeling days.
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© 2010-2025 grouchyeditor.com (text only)
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.
© 2010-2025 grouchyeditor.com (text only)
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.
© 2010-2025 grouchyeditor.com (text only)
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)
My goodness — what a first week in office for the Orange Man!
The right appears positively giddy with Trump’s flurry of executive orders and cabinet appointments. The left seems too shell-shocked to muster more than a feeble objection.
People like Victor Davis Hanson and Tim Pool, both of whom I haven’t seen smile in four years, don’t seem to know what to do with themselves. To put it mildly, Trump is surpassing conservatives’ wildest dreams.
I’m a geezer now, and I’ve been alive for 13 American presidents — 14 if you count Trump twice — but never have I witnessed a new president keep so many campaign promises. And in just one week.
Of course, as expected, the courts and political opponents will see to it that not all of Trump’s early initiatives will come to fruition. But a lot of them probably will.
Will history label Trump’s second term a resounding success, or will he indeed turn out to be the new Hitler?
Either way, it’s going to be interesting.
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One thing hasn’t changed about Trump: his predilection for surrounding himself with good-looking ladies. Although they long ago left “the blush of youth,” Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi both qualify as political MILFs.
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Speaking of hotties, the Army chick pictured above appeared in my X feed, and I thought I would impress her with my sparkling sense of humor.
But then I watched the short video she posted:
OK, so she might not be impressed by my clownish behavior, but I do resemble the fat guy she approves of.
© 2010-2025 grouchyeditor.com (text only)
24Jan
by J.D. Vance
I can’t explain why, but J.D. Vance remains something of an enigma to me. Netflix produced a movie based on this book, and I watched it. I also follow politics, so I’ve witnessed Vance’s rise from obscure politician to vice president of the United States. And now I’ve read this autobiography, the book that brought Vance to national prominence.
And yet, I have a tough time saying what I think of the man. His resume is certainly impressive. But what really makes him tick?
Hillbilly Elegy chronicles Vance’s life in the hills of Kentucky and in southern Ohio, from his childhood to early adulthood. It was a rough upbringing. For a kid like Vance to not only survive “hillbilly” culture, but to go on to bigger and better things (Marine, Yale Law School, and a little thing called the vice presidency) is borderline miraculous.
Vance’s description of his family life is absorbing. But he comes off somewhat detached from relatives and all the lower-middle-class chaos he endured. Maybe it’s this detachment that serves him so well in politics — and which makes him such a tough egg to crack.
© 2010-2025 grouchyeditor.com (text only)
Whining (Whinging?)
Last week I said that Tim Pool hosts my favorite podcast. That’s true. But it doesn’t mean that I have no issues with the beanie boy.
Pool’s obsession with the phrase, “being on the wrong side of history,” drives me nuts. He seems to equate the word “history” with “wins.” He believes that a lot of Democrats are softening on Trump to avoid the perception of being on the wrong side of history. Because Trump won. Bullshit.
When Germans supported Hitler in the 1930s, and then he won power, were those Germans on the right side of history? After all, Hitler did win. Were Democrats on the right side of history four years ago when they voted for Biden, who then won?
There’s a reason history is about the past, and not the present. While things are happening, we have no idea if they are “right” or if they are “wrong.” The future will determine that.
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One more complaint about Pool: Why on Earth does he persist in saying “whinging,” as opposed to “whining”?
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On the one hand, good for Bondi. On the other hand, Schiff is such a clueless tool, I don’t see how even a six-year-old would be unable to “destroy” him.
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“I think George Bush was mad that Saddam Hussein tried to assassinate his daddy.” — Phil Labonte on Bush’s decision to invade Iraq
Entire books are written about momentous subjects like why we go to war, or why someone ran for president.
But sometimes the simplest explanation is correct. I suspect that Labonte might be right about Bush. I also suspect that Donald Trump ran for president (the first time) because he was mad at Obama for humiliating him at a press banquet.
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Final Whine of the Week
I am, sadly, a Minnesota sports fan. We are a cursed bunch. Take a look at this chart, detailing the pitiful “success” of our four major-league sports franchises:
We also endure insults from the national sports media, such as the lack of respect shown to our Vikings prior to the team’s loss on Monday to the Los Angeles Rams:
I’ll stop whining. Or whinging.
For now.
© 2010-2025 grouchyeditor.com (text only)
Timcast IRL is my favorite podcast. I came to this conclusion after suffering through Joe Rogan’s softball interview with Mark Zuckerberg. When it comes to his guests, Rogan is clearly more comfortable discussing jujitsu with Zuckerberg, or professional wrestling with Donald Trump, than more substantial topics.
Tim Pool and company eschew the softballs for more hard-hitting stuff. The downside for Pool is his location. He streams the podcast from somewhere in the boonies of West Virginia, which reduces the availability of good guests. Too often, the show features some no-name, local politician. But when he gets a meatier guest (like Nancy Mace, above), Pool is often must-watch.
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Two pearls of wisdom this week from Mary Morgan on “Pop Culture Crisis”:
On bitter, whining celebrities — “That’s what you would think about people in Hollywood, though: that they were bullied in high school, or they were uncool theater kids, and then they got rich and famous, so it’s fine. But no, they’re still filled with resentment from it. So, it just never goes away.”
On short haircuts for women — “You will always look better with long hair, no matter what. No woman looks better with short hair.”
I agree about the haircuts … to a point. Once a woman reaches, perhaps her 50s, long hair begins to make her look desperate to retain her fading youth.
Later in the week, Morgan popped up on Tim Pool’s podcast and warned leftists gloating over Trump’s “convicted felon” designation that it could backfire. Just as Trump’s infamous mugshot added to his “cool” status, so might the term “convicted felon.”
I imagine beer mugs and t-shirts are already in the works.
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I am happy to report that season three of the U.S. version of The Traitors is off to a good start.
But I am upset with Peacock. Try as I might, I am unable to find out when the new seasons of Traitors Australia and England will debut. A.I., unsurprisingly, was unable to find this information for me.
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I think Trump should consider doing to wealthy California residents what Biden’s FEMA did to poor North Carolina hurricane victims: withhold financial aid from anyone who voted for Democrats. I’m just kidding. Sort of.
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I am still waiting for an apology from boy wonder Zuckerberg for Facebook’s role in censoring conservatives during and before recent elections.
I watched about an hour of his interview on Rogan’s podcast and, after hearing Zuckerberg’s excuses about how difficult his job is and how much “pressure” he was under to censor right-leaning voices, I’d had enough.
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I finally watched A Quiet Place: Day One. I am pleased to report that it checks most of the necessary boxes:
→ The heroine is a dying black woman. She wants nothing more than a slice of pizza before cancer or the aliens get her.
→ The main straight-white-male character sobs a lot, regularly announces that he’s “afraid,” and — spoiler alert! — is saved at the end by our brave heroine, who sacrifices herself for his sake.
→ There are no cute dogs in the movie. Dogs presumably share too many traits with toxic males. Instead, there is a feline for the childless cat ladies in the audience.
© 2010-2025 grouchyeditor.com (text only)
Saltburn
Saltburn falls into the “love it or hate it” category.
I loved it and I hated it. Let me try to explain ….
The plot: Shortly after meeting big-man-on-campus Felix at Oxford, young Oliver is invited to Saltburn, the aristocratic home of Felix and his, uh, eccentric family. Drama ensues.
What I loved:
It’s a film with a point-of-view so strong that it feels more original than it actually is. I noticed similarities to The Talented Mr. Ripley and to Brideshead Revisited. That didn’t bother me because: A) Writer-director Emerald Fennell infuses her story with enough passion, and memorable scenes, that it seems fresh. This is the kind of personal film that used to be routine in the 1970s. B) If you’re going to borrow from other stories, you can do a lot worse than The Talented Mr. Ripley and Brideshead Revisited. C) It’s a black comedy. Black comedies (good ones) are in short supply these days. D) I am a sucker for lifestyles-of-the-rich-and-famous settings, especially when the photography is as striking as it is in this movie.
What I hated:
Hate’s a strong word. Let’s go with “dislike.” A) I disliked the fact that, as a straight male, I am not likely in this movie’s target audience. Many scenes are tailored to the “female gaze” or the “gay gaze” — take your pick. I will not harp on this because, lord knows, I am a fan of movies with the “straight male gaze.” B) I am not disposed to enjoy bodily fluids on the screen. There are two scenes (the ones you probably heard about) featuring bodily fluids. Yuck. Release: 2023 Grade: B+
Would I watch it again? Eventually, yes — although I might skip the last five minutes of the movie (if you know, you know).
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The Fall Guy
The recipe for a romantic action-comedy: Take two well-established, glamorous movie stars; put them in an exotic location; give the director a decent budget; marinate all of that in a script with romance, action, and comedy.
My question: Why does that formula work so well for something like 1984’s Romancing the Stone, yet fall so flat in The Fall Guy?
The plot: Ryan Gosling plays a dimwitted stuntman who pursues the girl of his dreams, a movie director played by Emily Blunt, on the set of her debut film being shot in Australia. When the vainglorious star of the movie goes missing, complications, danger, and stunts galore ensue.
This sort of comedy worked well for Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner in Stone, so why not here?
The problem is in the script. Everything (and everyone) has been “dumbed down” so as not to offend anyone in the audience.
We aren’t intended to like Gosling’s character even though he’s a lunkheaded man-child; we are intended to like him because he’s a lunkheaded man-child. You know, the way a 12-year-old adores The Three Stooges.
We aren’t intended to like Blunt’s character because she’s an empowered “girl boss”; we are intended to like her because, when the chips are down, she can morph into a female Bruce Lee.
This kind of nonsense might amuse the average 12-year-old, but it made me cringe. Romancing the Stone was unbelievable, but clever. The Fall Guy is just plain dumb. Release: 2024 Grade: D
Would I watch it again? No way, Jose.
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My Old Ass
The plot: During a drug-induced hallucination, a Canadian teen (Maisy Stella) meets her 39-year-old future self (Aubrey Plaza), a mystery woman who imparts advice in hopes of improving both of their lives.
When I finished watching this charming movie, I thought of another film I watched — and loved — more than a decade ago. Like My Old Ass, low-budget Short Term 12 (2013) featured a breakout performance from a young actress (Brie Larson) and a story that caught me off guard with its heartfelt sincerity.
And yet, 11 years later, I can’t recall a single thing about the plot of Short Term 12. Will the same thing happen to me with My Old Ass? Is it another “little” movie I like very much — and then forget? I hope not. Release: 2024 Grade: A-
Would I watch it again? Yes.
© 2010-2025 grouchyeditor.com (text only)