Mel Gibson has a peculiar talent.

Racism? it is racism, isn’t it?

Actors being outrageously attractive via artificial means is, meh, I suppose. What I can’t stand is when they load up with so much botox and had so many surgeries that they lose all capacity for acting. Like, you see an actor in a movie giving it all and communicating emotion effectively, and a year later turn into a statue. Completely unable to emote anything at all, face frozen, facial muscles neurologically dead.

I could barely withstand the latest Wuthering Heights with Margot Robbie. Usually anachronistic music, sets or wardrobe doesn’t bother me. Most of the times it is tastefully done or are details that are immaterial to the experience. But lord, this version was so over the top that I sometimes felt like I was watching a fashion show and not a movie. I’m still somewhat warm towards Emerald Fennel, but this movie was a let down for me mainly for that one reason. She is also pretty gross and can’t help but to always include disturbing imagery, even if the script is supposed to be a romantic tragedy. Some of the scenes didn’t subtract anything, but definitely added nothing as well. I think this film failed at what Marie Antoinette (2006) succeeded.

I pay for someone else to hold an encrypted backup of some data. The living data is in my server, they’re just one of the backups in case there’s a fire at my house or something. I pay because I expect legal liability from them to hold my data safely, no freemium shenanigans. And I encrypt because no one can be trusted not to mine my info for AI or sell my shit to a shady third party for profit.

There’s an argument that there’s no such thing as an anti war movie. Basically, movies are a recreative art medium. As such, any movie that intends to hold the attention of the audience all the way through, will make aesthetic or narrative concessions that will accidentally glorify war in turn. Some even go as far as claiming that any portrayal of war, even if negative, is promoting war.

It reminds me of Come and See (1985), which is a great horrible movie. But often some of the things being portrayed are so well framed and filmed that it is truly beautiful at times. Even if the subject material is extremely horrifying. And the hook to keep the audience watching wanders into morbidity.

In contrast with 20 days in Mariupol (2023), which I almost didn’t finish. Because it was true documented horror without any sort of grand narrative. A documentary doesn’t have to tell you war is hell. Movies, however, tend to wax poetic about it and end up romanticizing even the worst parts.

People on social media get irrationally angry when I point out that all science confirms that physical punishment of children for the purpose of behavior change or discipline is a net negative. For both the development of the child and also society as a whole. And as such, any corporeal punishment of children should be considered assault and child abuse. People will desperately defend their right to exert violence on their own children.