Mick F

This astonishing and heartwarming story, based on true events, highlights the importance of maintaining hope against all odds. It also explores what fair conditions are necessary for a proper life. The acting is remarkable, with Robert De Niro displaying incredible physical ability as he portrays a patient suffering from full-body spasms. The secondary characters also deliver impressive performances. I was particularly struck by the nurse, played by Julie Kavner, who was beginning her journey to fame as the voice of Marge Simpson at that time. Bonus points for the soundtrack featuring The Zombies' Time of the Season and Jimi Hendrix’s Purple Haze. And for featuring Kevin McCallister’s dad and The Ghostbusters' librarian.

— We call this place the garden.

— Why?

— Because all we do is feed and water them.

A fun family movie! While the plot offers no major surprises, it remains enjoyable and entertaining. I even noticed a wink to Zoolander's Mugatu (or maybe that's just my obsession with Will Ferrell speaking) and Home Alone 2 (pigeons with an arch in the background in Central Park), so bonus points for that! I'm a bit scared to rewatch it with my wife because she might say, “Mick is such a Mack” (I am). As for the kids, they might decide never to eat birds again. Note to self: I’ve never tried canard à l'orange; I should! 🍿

This is my second time watching the film. The first time was at the movie theater, where I fell asleep and woke up confused, unsure of what I had just seen. This time, I watched it at home, breaking it into four or five segments. Again, I dozed off during each part. However, I appreciated the ability to pause and resume the next day. I realized that this movie is 100% a comedy, rather than a family drama about a broken relationship between a mother, her husband, and their daughter. It cleverly weaves fun into these family issues, making them vague enough for everyone to relate to on some level of "what if…?". I enjoyed it much more this time around. 🍿

I watched it by myself. I believe kids need to be teenagers or pre-teens to truly appreciate it. While it's not quite as good as the original Inside Out, it is still very solid. The ending is reminiscent of the one in Monsters, Inc., and it made me shed a tear. Again. 🍿

This is my first rewatch in years. I was inspired to watch it after randomly seeing a video featuring Alexandre Astier commenting on it. The acting is excellent, and the direction is impressive. I wonder if the movie touches on themes of loneliness. 🍿

FiveThirtyEight has shut down.

Its founder, Nate Silver:

Last night, as President Trump delivered his State of the Union address1, the Wall Street Journal reported that ABC News would lay off the remaining staff at 538 as part of broader cuts within corporate parent Disney.

John Gruber expressed frustration about the site not remaining online in an archive state:

But the standard behavior when closing a web publication is to just pull the plug. When the whole company goes under, that’s one thing. But when there’s a parent company, especially a thriving one, there’s no justification for pulling the plug other than spiteful disregard for the work. From the perspective of a company the size of Disney, it would cost veritable pennies to keep FiveThirtyEight’s website around forever. What a disgrace.

I could not agree more. I relied heavily on the site for my past attempts to start a company and my current confidential side project as a data soccer analyst. Which made me feel sad and disappointed about FiveThirtyEight’s fate.

And then this:

Stephen A. Smith has agreed to a new contract with ESPN worth at least $100 million for five years, an agreement that will result in Smith continuing to star on “First Take” on ESPN while scaling back some of his other required appearances on the network, which would free him up to talk even more about politics, sources briefed on the agreement told The Athletic.

This is driving me mad. The coincidence of these two events reflects capitalism at its worst: promoting fast-paced, nonsensical, emotionally-driven rants over data-driven analysis. The only thing I appreciate about Smith — or many other similar pundits — is its hilarious caricature by the Simpsons.

🏀 × ⚽️ × 🏛️

Astier remet le couvert pour une adaptation encore plus réussie que Le Domaine des Dieux. Il aborde subtilement le thème de la mort, de la transmission et même des choses plus poétiques comme “est-ce que tout ce qu’on fait doit être utile”. Du Kaamelott pour enfant, avec un vocabulaire qui sera un peu complexe pour les moins de 6 ans. 🍿

I know some people may not think it’s cool to say this, but I love the Frozen series. The characters, humor, atmosphere, visuals, and, of course, the music are all top-notch. I’m lucky to watch the original version with my kids because the few scenes I have seen from the French version really fall short. It’s a family favorite with a high rewatchability factor and we can’t wait for the 3rd episode. There, I said it. 🍿

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is visually striking and stunning, making it nearly overwhelming. It offers a unique experience filled with laughter and emotional moments driven by poignant, albeit excessive, teenage angst. A quick spoiler alert: the film concludes with a cliffhanger and a To be continued notice, which has not yet been released. Therefore, if you require a story resolution, there’s no rush to watch this movie. 🍿