Lectures estivales.
Un peu de retard sur mes lectures.
Fini de lire : Feu, de Maria Pourchet. Lu sur recommandation de Nicolas Matthieu. Des qualités indéniables, mais un énième adultère bourgeois, genre un rien gonflant.
Fini de lire : Les Vivants, de Ambre Chalumeau. De gros défauts et de belles qualités. Des passages vraiment tordants sur la vie en prépa. Très prometteur pour l’avenir.
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Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom, 2023 - ★★★
Ce n'est pas le meilleur Astérix, mais ce n'est pas le pire non plus. Il y a quelques bons gags, mais le meilleur moment pour moi a été la toute fin. Entendre Obélix parler de "quand on sera grands" m'a vraiment touché. Ce court instant de poésie, larmichettes à l'appui, m'a incité à revoir mon évaluation à la hausse.
Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom, 2023 - ★★★
Ce n'est pas le meilleur Astérix, mais ce n'est pas le pire non plus. Il y a quelques bons gags, mais le meilleur moment pour moi a été la toute fin. Entendre Obélix parler de "quand on sera grands" m'a vraiment touché. Ce court instant de poésie, larmichettes à l'appui, m'a incité à revoir mon évaluation à la hausse.
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The Wild Robot, 2024 - ★★★★
This is a lovely movie featuring standout animation. It is beautiful and truly has a big heart.
The Wild Robot, 2024 - ★★★★
This is a lovely movie featuring standout animation. It is beautiful and truly has a big heart.
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Wish, 2023 - ★★½
The animations and story are both lovely. However, the film gives a sense of déjà vu that prevents it from standing out. This seems intentional, as the movie was released to celebrate the 100th birthday of The Walt Disney Company, paying homage to its history. The end credits feature a fun quiz highlighting previous Disney movies and characters.
Wish, 2023 - ★★½
The animations and story are both lovely. However, the film gives a sense of déjà vu that prevents it from standing out. This seems intentional, as the movie was released to celebrate the 100th birthday of The Walt Disney Company, paying homage to its history. The end credits feature a fun quiz highlighting previous Disney movies and characters.
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The Lost Daughter, 2021 - ★★½
It is true that parenthood, especially motherhood, can be challenging, and there are very few films that explore this subject. It can be comforting to see a mother on screen struggling with mixed feelings about her children. However, despite the strong performances from the cast, the thriller atmosphere did not resonate with me. I also found the main character unlikable, and I am growing weary of stories centered around petty bourgeois adultery (I'm looking at you, Nicolas Matthieu and Maria Pourchet).
The Lost Daughter, 2021 - ★★½
It is true that parenthood, especially motherhood, can be challenging, and there are very few films that explore this subject. It can be comforting to see a mother on screen struggling with mixed feelings about her children. However, despite the strong performances from the cast, the thriller atmosphere did not resonate with me. I also found the main character unlikable, and I am growing weary of stories centered around petty bourgeois adultery (I'm looking at you, Nicolas Matthieu and Maria Pourchet).
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Malcolm in the Middle’s Bowling episode is a masterpiece.
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Le week-end dernier, j’ai eu la chance de voir Oasis en concert à Manchester. Je ferai une version longue vite, mais voici le résumé rapide :
- Quel pied
- Richard Ashcroft fut une énorme claque
- Pas le meilleur concert d’Oasis que j’ai vu musicalement parlant (on se souvient tous de l’Olympia, puis du Zénith de 2005 non ?)
- Mais l’environnement (contexte, fans, etc.) était parfait
- Le feu d’artifice à la fin de Champagne Supernova m’a fait tirer une petite larme
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AI is becoming such a bland word.
It reminds me of the Skinner’s Sense of Snow Simpsons’ episode, when kids are stuck at school during a blizzard:
— Marge: This is terrible! How will the kids get home?
— Homer: I don’t know. Internet?
You could reuse that joke with AI, and it would be even better. AI is turning into a vague term, a one-size-fits-all infaillible oracle and authoritative figure, used to address any issue we encounter. What a joke!
Don’t get me wrong, I do not underestimate tools such as ChatGPT and Claude. I use them daily, but I apply judgment to ensure they make sense for the task at hand.
But look at this segment from The Daily Show. “AI says” is becoming the new “studies show”—a phrase that sounds authoritative but often masks lazy thinking. If AI could not find a single instance of Donald Trump using “enigma”, then it must be true: Donald Trump never used the word “enigma”. Then the Daily Show shows Trump saying “enigma” multiple times. This is both hilarious and deeply sad.
Let’s buckle up and get ready to call bullshit on a lot of AI-authority claims in the months and years to come.
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I watch The Daily Show pretty much every day. It’s a good way to cope with what is going on with Trump. The latest edition with Jon Stewart was particularly good. The Epstein files piece, the bit about the cancellation of Colbert’s late show, and the gospel song finale were all awesome.
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Icarus, 2017 - ★★★ (contains spoilers)
This review may contain spoilers.
Icarus begins as an exploration of doping in amateur cycling but quickly transforms into a high-stakes exposé of Russia’s state-sponsored doping program, focusing on whistleblower Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov.
Personally, I was more intrigued by the outcome of the first section of the movie. I was astonished that the effects of doping did not yield any results. Does this mean that other amateur cyclists are also doping?
However, the high stakes in the second part are more significant. Rodchenkov is both likable and, at times, untrustworthy and somewhat sketchy.
The footage of Lance Armstrong aggressively lying to people’s faces serves as a poignant reminder that fraud is disheartening. This echoes the sentiments expressed by Steve Carell’s character in The Big Short.
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Icarus, 2017 - ★★★
Icarus starts with an exploration of doping in amateur cycling but evolves into a critical investigation of Russia’s state-sponsored doping program through the lens of whistleblower Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov.