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.
💻
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.
🏛️ × 🍿
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.
🍿
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.
Le record de la maison vient d’être battu pour le monde Cataclysm de Tower Fall (aka le feu d’artifice) en mode co-op : 7:29.699. Pas peu fier.
🕹️
Encore une compile. Voici Un Printemps 2024.
Françoise Hardy a les honneurs de la pochette. Sly & The Family Stone, The Magnetic Fields, Nada Surf ou encore France Gall sont au programme.
🎵
And Their Children After Them, 2024 - ★★★
J'avais énormément aimé le livre. C'était la première fois que je lisais un auteur qui rentrait sans doute en 3e quand moi-même attaquais la 6e. Et forcément, son ton me parlait.
Si le film reste fidèle au livre, il y a forcément eu des coupes, et le ton me parle globalement beaucoup moins. Bref, si vous avez le temps ou l'envie, préférez le livre.
🍿
And Their Children After Them, 2024 - ★★★
J'avais énormément aimé le livre. C'était la première fois que je lisais un auteur qui rentrait sans doute en 3e quand moi-même attaquais la 6e. Et forcément, son ton me parlait.
Si le film reste fidèle au livre, il y a forcément eu des coupes, et le ton me parle globalement beaucoup moins. Bref, si vous avez le temps ou l'envie, préférez le livre.
🍿
Mike Davidson, writing about the fires that destroyed Pacific Palisades last January.
What I will say though is that if we want to avoid more catastrophes like this, collective action is the only solution.
I haven’t even mentioned the idea of human-induced climate change at all in this post, because it frankly doesn’t even matter at this point. Extreme weather is here, whether we caused it or not. Even if you believe, as some people do, that the earth just does this stuff on its own, it’s beginning to kill us at an accelerating clip, and that should be something we can all band together against. Right? (…)
Earth is raining calamities down upon us that should unite us as a species. Will we do what we did during the pandemic and turn against each other again? Or can we use this even bigger, spiraling threat to put our disagreements aside and perform the collective action necessary to maintain human life on earth?
The planet will be just fine without us. It is we who are endangered.
In Mike’s words, the fires were an “ever-present, existential threat”, yet they were not in people’s face enough to take proactive measures. The example of how Los Angeles fought smog between 1980 and 2000 is both encouraging and perplexing. We could mitigate and adapt to climate change much more quickly than we currently do.
🌱 × 🏛️
The Adam Project, 2022 - ★★★
The Adam Project is a hybrid child of Terminator, Back to the Future, Deadpool, and a lost scene from Good Will Hunting. It shouldn’t work – but somehow, it mostly does.
It’s a fun, family-ish adventure with just enough heart to make the time-travel chaos land. I’d probably wait until my kids are 10+ to show it – there’s quite a bit of violence and some heavy themes – but I’d happily watch it again.
Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo bring such warmth to their roles that you can’t help but be pulled in. Also, that house? I want it.
Of course you’ll cry at the end – the movie knows exactly where to hit you.
Not the greatest, but undeniably likable. Comfort sci-fi with a soft center.
🍿
The Adam Project, 2022 - ★★★
The Adam Project is a hybrid child of Terminator, Back to the Future, Deadpool, and a lost scene from Good Will Hunting. It shouldn’t work – but somehow, it mostly does.
It’s a fun, family-ish adventure with just enough heart to make the time-travel chaos land. I’d probably wait until my kids are 10+ to show it – there’s quite a bit of violence and some heavy themes – but I’d happily watch it again.
Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo bring such warmth to their roles that you can’t help but be pulled in. Also, that house? I want it.
Of course you’ll cry at the end – the movie knows exactly where to hit you.
Not the greatest, but undeniably likable. Comfort sci-fi with a soft center.
🍿
The French Connection, 1971 - ★★★★
After watching Hoosiers, I unintentionally dove into a Gene Hackman retrospective. That led me to The French Connection, William Friedkin’s gritty thriller that predates his work on The Exorcist.
What struck me most wasn’t the car chases (though they’re as intense as legend suggests), but a quiet, brilliant sequence on a subway platform – a tense game of cat and mouse between cop and suspect that relies entirely on body language, suspicion, and timing. The film captures a pre-digital world of investigation: long hours of surveillance, tailing suspects through the city with no radio backup or GPS, just instinct and determination.
It’s a lean, street-level thriller, and the avant-garde jazz score gives it an unpredictable, edgy momentum — a sound that still feels bold even today.
Footnote: the movie starts in Marseille, and at one point, we see the giant Pan Am sign on the building of the same name in the background. Marseille… Panam… Funny, right?
🍿
The French Connection, 1971 - ★★★★
After watching Hoosiers, I unintentionally dove into a Gene Hackman retrospective. That led me to The French Connection, William Friedkin’s gritty thriller that predates his work on The Exorcist.
What struck me most wasn’t the car chases (though they’re as intense as legend suggests), but a quiet, brilliant sequence on a subway platform – a tense game of cat and mouse between cop and suspect that relies entirely on body language, suspicion, and timing. The film captures a pre-digital world of investigation: long hours of surveillance, tailing suspects through the city with no radio backup or GPS, just instinct and determination.
It’s a lean, street-level thriller, and the avant-garde jazz score gives it an unpredictable, edgy momentum — a sound that still feels bold even today.
Footnote: the movie starts in Marseille, and at one point, we see the giant Pan Am sign on the building of the same name in the background. Marseille… Panam… Funny, right?
🍿
Again, Letterboxd is amazing. Their commitment of web standards allows me to choose my next movie simply by visiting this URL: https://letterboxd.com/dirtyhenry/watchlist/on/favorite-services/type/stream/by/shuffle/.
This link filters my watchlist to show only the movies available to streaming services I subscribe to, and randomizes the order. My strategy? I just pick the first movie that appears. It’s that simple.
I like losing the context of when or why I added a movie to my watchlist. I trust that my past self picked these films for a reason. This approach saves me time and helps me avoid indecision.
🍿 × 💻
RIP Bernard Lacombe. Encore une belle une de L’Equipe. ⚽️
Notre retard se rattrape à grands pas. Après Un Été 2023, et Un Automne 2023, voici donc Un Hiver 2024.
Franz Beckenbauer a les honneurs de la pochette, et comme d’habitude, vous y trouverez quelques pépites.
🎵
Hoosiers, 1986 - ★★★
Hoosiers is a charming underdog sports film that balances grit and heart. Gene Hackman delivers a compelling performance as a man seeking redemption, battling his inner demons while offering others a shot at their own second chance. Beneath the surface, the film quietly underscores a deeper message: the discipline required not just to succeed, but to truly belong to something greater than oneself. 🍿
Hoosiers, 1986 - ★★★
Hoosiers is a charming underdog sports film that balances grit and heart. Gene Hackman delivers a compelling performance as a man seeking redemption, battling his inner demons while offering others a shot at their own second chance. Beneath the surface, the film quietly underscores a deeper message: the discipline required not just to succeed, but to truly belong to something greater than oneself. 🍿