Donald and His Little Desk

Donald Trump is a man for whom appearances are everything, so it really makes one wonder what he was thinking when he accepted to sit at this tiny desk that makes him look utterly ridiculous.

Keep in mind that this was his first time in front of the press since HE LOST the election to Joe Biden, so you'd expect extra attention being paid to optics.

And yet, this is the best he could manage. A fitting parable of his failed presidency I guess.

The Moon in 2021

Here's a phenomenal visualization of what the Moon is going to look like next year, courtesy of NASA.

I particularly like the different perspectives that allow you to really understand why our satellite looks the way it does as viewed from Earth.

Enjoy:

The 63rd Grammy Awards - The Nominees

Following are the nominees for the main categories. The Grammys have a literal avalanche of categories, so if you're interested in the full list, click here.

The ceremony, hosted by Trevor Noah, is scheduled for January 31, 2021 at 8 p.m. on CBS.

Album of the Year

"Chilombo," Jhené Aiko

"Black Pumas (Deluxe Edition)," Black Pumas

"Everyday Life," Coldplay

"Djesse Vol. 3," Jacob Collier

"Women in Music Pt. III," Haim

"Future Nostalgia," Dua Lipa

"Hollywood's Bleeding," Post Malone

"Folklore," Taylor Swift

Record of the Year

"Black Parade," Beyoncé

"Colors," Black Pumas

"Rockstar," DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch

"Say So," Doja Cat

"Everything I Wanted," Billie Eilish

"Don't Start Now," Dua Lipa

"Circles," Post Malone

"Savage," Megan Thee Stallion

Song of the Year

"Black Parade," (performed by Beyoncé)

"The Box," (performed by Roddy Ricch)

"Cardigan," (performed by Taylor Swift)

"Circles," (performed by Post Malone)

"Don't Start Now," (performed by Dua Lipa)

"Everything I Wanted," (performed by Billie Eilish)

"I Can't Breathe," (performed by H.E.R.)

"If the World Was Ending," (performed by JP Saxe featuring Julia Michaels)

Best New Artist

Ingrid Andress

Phoebe Bridgers

Chika

Noah Cyrus

D Smoke

Doja Cat

Kaytranada

Megan Thee Stallion

Best Pop Vocal Album

"Changes," Justin Bieber

"Chromatica," Lady Gaga

"Future Nostalgia," Dua Lipa

"Fine Line," Harry Styles

"Folklore," Taylor Swift

Best Rock Album

"A Hero's Death," Fontaines D.C.

"Kiwanuka," Michael Kiwanuka

"Daylight," Grace Potter

"Sound & Fury," Sturgill Simpson

"The New Abnormal," The Strokes

Best Alternative Music Album

"Fetch the Bolt Cutters," Fiona Apple

"Hyperspace," Beck

"Punisher," Phoebe Bridgers

"Jamie," Brittany Howard

"The Slow Rush," Tame Impala

Best Progressive R&B Album

"Chilombo," Jhené Aiko

"Ungodly Hour," Chloe X Halle

"Free Nationals," Free Nationals

"____ Yo Feelings," Robert Glasper

"It Is What It Is," Thundercat

Best Rap Album

"Black Habits," D Smoke

"Alfredo," Freddie Gibbs and the Alchemist

"A Written Testimony," Jay Electronica

"King's Disease," Nas

"The Allegory," Royce Da 5'9"

Best Country Album

Lady Like," Ingrid Andress

"Your Life Is a Record," Brandy Clark

"Wildcard," Miranda Lambert

"Nightfall," Little Big Town

"Never Will," Ashley McBryde

Best Latin Pop or Urban Album

"YHLQMDLG," Bad Bunny

"Por Primera Vez," Camilo

"Mesa Para Dos," Kany García

"Pausa," Ricky Martin

"3:33," Debi Nova

Mina - Un Tempo Piccolo

The latest single from one of the most amazing singers ever and a favorite of mine, Mina.

Enjoy:

Mortal Engines

THE GIST: In an unrecognizable post-apocalyptic Earth, people live in towns and cities that move around on enormous wheels and conquer one another in order to survive and prosper. London is one such behemoth and also the place where two strangers meet and decide to stop a dangerous man with tyrannical instincts.

Written and produced by the powerhouse team that brought us The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies (headed by Peter Jackson), Mortal Engines clearly shows promise but ultimately falls short of the greatness it aspires to.

The story is unequivocally interesting and there's plenty of fun to be had. Visually, it is certainly stunning to admire the moving cities.

Hera Hilmar and Robert Sheehan face off against a Hugo Weaving in fine form.

THE BOTTOM LINE: A pity it isn't better because there certainly are many more stories to be mined from such a cool concept. Still, moderately enjoyable.

Grade: 6.5

Overlord

THE GIST: On the eve of D-Day, a small group of American soldiers are sent on a dangerous mission to take out a German radio tower that would otherwise greatly derail the upcoming invasion. When they get to the small French village where the tower has been built, they hear rumors of a secret lab where German scientists are experimenting on French prisoners.

Overlord is a pretty cool movie that expertly blends war and horror genres, with a dash of fantasy for good measure.

Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Mathilde Ollivier, and Pilou Asbæk all do a very good job.

THE BOTTOM LINE: I really enjoyed this, especially for the excellent production values, in spite of the obviously limited budget. Interesting story and well made.

Grade: 7

The Meg

THE GIST: A group of researchers investigating a scientist's theory that the bottom of the Mariana Trench isn't the bottom after all, unwittingly end up releasing the largest marine predator that ever existed in the open ocean.

The Meg is your typical midsummer fluff-flick that's laden with visual effects and light on story development.

Jason Statham does a pretty good job, considering, and he's certainly in top physical shape. Rainn Wilson and Cliff Curtis also star.

THE BOTTOM LINE: I checked this out for the visual spectacle, and wasn't disappointed. I wouldn't recommend it if you're looking for something with any deeper meaning though . . .

Grade: 5

JOE BIDEN IS PRESIDENT ELECT!!!!!!

I haven't really posted about politics in a while, since frankly everything was just too depressing with Trump in the White House, but that changes today since Joe Biden has been declared the winner of their historic matchup!!

This is the breaking news email I got from the New York Times this morning (the red color is my idea):

Joe Biden defeated President Trump and has been elected the next president of the United States. He clinched the Electoral College with Pennsylvania.

Saturday, November 7, 2020 11:32 AM EST

After four tumultuous years in the White House, Mr. Trump became the first incumbent to lose re-election in more than a quarter-century. The election result fulfills Mr. Biden’s decades-long ambition in his third bid for the presidency. It also provides a history-making moment for Senator Kamala Harris, the daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, who became the first woman on a winning presidential ticket.

That's probably the best news ever. Certainly in a long time anyway . . .

Joe Biden prevailed and defeated Trump, and that's just so sweet on so many levels, first and foremost for the fact that Trump HATES LOSING and HE LOST!!!!

I'm writing that again, because it's just too sweet: TRUMP LOST!!! DONALD, YOU'RE FIRED!!

Fortunately, he wasn't able to steal this election just like he did the last, and we get to attach Impeached and One Termer to his anomaly of a presidency, which was marred by scandals, improprieties, rudeness, bullying, petulance, narcissism, racism, and open hostility to and for anything and anyone who disagreed with him or stood in the way of enriching himself and/or his friends.

Not to talk about the damage he did to the image of the United States abroad; to the prestigious place the US used to occupy atop all other nations; to the alliances that have allowed the US to set the tone and direction of countless policies abroad; and the despicable support he happily lent to any strongman and autocrat and despot out there.

Just horrible.

Finally, we can start healing and rebuilding this nation to the high standards we and the rest of the world had grown accustomed to.

And let's not forget that finally we have a woman in the second most powerful office in the world: the Vice President Elect is none other than Kamala Harris!!

Can't wait for January 20, 2021, when the White House will finally have a legitimate and worthy occupant once again after four years of insouciance. 

Storm Front, by Jim Butcher

After reading Turn Coat, the ninth volume in The Dresden Files series (without actually knowing it was even a series) and loving it, I decided to go back at the beginning and read the first volume.

I'm glad I did, because I find the adventures of Harry Dresden particularly entertaining, but I did notice a dip in the overall quality of the writing.

I've actually read that Butcher was challenged by his writing teacher in college to write a story and he came up with Storm Front. The teacher was so impressed, he suggested Butcher try and get it published, which he did, and the rest is history.

Like I said, the quality of the writing is a bit lower than what I found in the ninth volume, so I'm assuming he just got better as a writer in time.

Anyway, I've already started reading the next book in the series, Fool Moon, so hopefully I'll enjoy it as well.

The story centers around Dresden, who is a wizard, and the dangers he faces when someone turns up dead in a pretty unthinkable fashion, which clearly points to the use of some sort of magic.

Good enough.

Grade: 6

American Animals

THE GIST: Four young men come together to pull off one of the most brazen and audacious heists in U.S. history, despite a complete lack of knowledge and experience about logistics.

I picked this movie primarily because I'm a huge fan of Evan Peters's work, so I was very pleased that it turned out to be as good as it was.

From the get-go, the audience is told that American Animals isn't just based on a true story, but it virtually reconstructs the heist based on known facts and the very accounts of the four would-be criminals.

Interspersing interviews of the real perpetrators within the movie itself proves very effective.

Peters, as expected, does a great job, flanked by Blake Jenner, Barry Keoghan, and Jared Abrahamson. The very talented Ann Dowd also has a small part.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Definitely recommend this movie, for its own quality and for the incredible real-life tale.

Grade: 7.5

First Man

THE GIST: A look at the life of Neil Armstrong, both at home with his family and at work for NASA, where he prepares to become the first man to walk on the Moon.

First Man is brilliant director Damien Chazelle's third excellent motion picture in a row, following Whiplash and La La Land.

His attention to detail and deliberate pacing here help build the necessary tension and pathos.

Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy are fantastic, along with Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll, Christopher Abbott, and Ciarán Hinds.

THE BOTTOM LINE: A beautifully shot drama with Academy Award winning visual effects, this is definitely not to be missed.

Grade: 8

Hereditary

THE GIST: The funeral of Annie's mother is soon followed by another tragedy. Then, odd events start hounding her family. What is really going on?

Hereditary is an incredible breath of fresh air in a horror genre whose offerings all too often feels stale and rehashed.

Toni Collette is fantastic as usual, and we get great performances from Alex Wolff, Gabriel Byrne, Milly Shapiro, and Ann Dowd.

THE BOTTOM LINE: If you like horror movies, definitely check this out. It's at times a bit jarring, but overall a worthy ride.

Grade: 8

In Memoriam

 Sean Connery (August 25, 1930 - October 31, 2020)

The original silver screen James Bond is no more.

Aside from setting the bar for what the famed British spy is supposed to look like and act, Connery had a varied career spanning over ninety projects, different genres, and one Oscar winning turn in The Untouchables.

His charisma and striking good looks allowed him to always make himself the center of attention whenever he was on the screen.

He was one of the last great household names in Hollywood.

R.I.P.

Hotel Artemis

THE GIST: In a future Los Angeles beset by riots over water access, the Nurse and her faithful aide Everest attend to wounded criminals in a secret, rigidly structured, members-only hospital billed as a hotel. This particular night, one of the patients is none other than the owner himself.

Hotel Artemis is the kind of movie that stays with you after the credits roll even though the story is not all that original on the whole.

I think that the main reasons are a well-rounded script that thoroughly develops its many characters and the excellent cast that brings it to life, which includes Jodie Foster, Sterling K. Brown, Sofia Boutella, Jeff Goldblum, Brian Tyree Henry, Jenny Slate, Zachary Quinto, Charlie Day, and Dave Bautista.

THE BOTTOM LINE: A plot rich with intrigue and the reverberations that past choices inflict on your present and future life all concoct to bring to life the Hotel Artemis.

Grade: 7

Rampage

THE GIST: A private research facility loses control of a dangerous genetically engineered pathogen, which gets released, infecting some wild animals. They begin growing in size and aggression, as well as developing features and characteristics of extraneous species. A primatologist, a geneticist involved with the initial research, and a hardened government agent team up to prevent the destruction of a major metropolis.

Rampage is nothing more than a vehicle for Dwayne Johnson, and works decently well within the confines of that scope.

He does a good job, along with Naomie Harris and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Walking Dead's infamous Negan), but let's not kid ourselves, the real star here is the big white ape that towers over Johnson in the poster.

In fact, the visual effects are hands down some of the best I've ever seen, and well worth a viewing if, like me, that's the primary reason for you to watch this movie, along with the wholesale mayhem and devastation that's hinted in the poster.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Really, only put this on if you're into VFX-heavy spectacles, otherwise you'll be pretty disappointed.

Grade: 4

Red Sparrow

THE GIST: When the Bolshoi's Prima Ballerina suffers a career-ending accident, she's reluctantly recruited by the Russian Secret Service to become a Res Sparrow, a highly skilled and specialized secret agent. Her first assignment will be to uncover the identity of the mole in the SVR who has been passing information to the CIA.

Red Sparrow is the latest entry in the often revisited secret spy genre (it was released around the same time of the similarly enjoyable Anna).

Overall, the script is tight and well-written, and the story has a few well positioned twists.

Jennifer Lawrence is excellent in the lead, flanked by Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Jeremy Irons, and Ciarán Hinds. Mary-Louise Parker plays a small role, similarly to Charlotte Rampling, who is an absolute delight.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Definitely recommended if you like the genre. It's filled with tension and suspense as one would expect.

Grade: 8