1) Still fighting with myself to not get political in the stuff I write about on here. But…
I’m seeing reports that over 140,000 people have been deported since the start of the current administration, and over 50,000 are currently being detained. For the folks who voted for this, I was wondering:
Has your life improved dramatically over the past five months? You feel safer when you go out at night? Is it easier for you to find work now that you’re not competing with as many illegal immigrants? Economy is doing better and your grocery bills have dropped significantly? Find medical care is easier to get, and cheaper?
I guess I’ll borrow a line from Ronald Reagan:
“Are you better off?”
Really?
Or do you think maybe the administration conned you into thinking many of your problems would be solved if they deported people? Meanwhile, they’ll continue to gouge you on taxes, while the big companies continue to gouge you on food and medicine. And transfer more jobs overseas.
Like I said, I’m not trying to get too political. Just trying to get some people to see that they’re being conned.
2) Recent viewings:
I was looking forward to MICKEY 17 because it’s written and directed by Bong Joon Ho (based on Edward Ashton’s novel). Ho wrote and directed PARASITE, a movie I truly enjoyed, so I went into this one with high hopes. And…well…
Mickey is a guy that dies and is “reprinted” into a clone body over and over for a group of humans attempting to colonize an alien world. Essentially, Mickey is a living “crash test dummy” for the would-be colonists.
The first hour of the movie is fairly entertaining. The next thirty minutes are a decline in quality. And the remaining forty-five minutes (yep, it’s a long movie and feels even longer when you get past the ninety minute mark) are a dumpster fire.
Seriously, there were times when I felt like yelling at the screen, “For God’s sake, just end it already!”
If you want to see a movie about the government using clones for unethical purposes, and what that entails for human rights, then check out MOON, a 2009 movie starring Sam Rockwell. It’s a much better movie, better acted, and like half the running time of this bloated mess.
While watching MICKEY 17, I kept thinking of that old Norm MacDonald joke: “Critics are calling the movie everything from ‘shit’ to ‘fucking shit.’”
So after suffering through MICKEY 17, I saw COMPANION, a movie starring one of the guys from THE BOYS, and one of the gals from HERETIC. There are other actors in the movie, but I can’t be bothered to look up their names right now. Just like I can’t be bothered to look up the names of the two leads. Just trust me, they’re all good in the movie, and when you see them, you’ll be like, “Oh, yeah! THAT person!”
I really enjoyed COMPANION. If MICKEY 17 was the crappy appetizer – cold, soggy, and drowning in cheese – then COMPANION was the filet mignon, cooked and seasoned to perfection.
The less you know about COMPANION the better, so I won’t risk spoiling anything by talking about the plot. Really… All of the little breadcrumbs and plot twists hit better the less you know about the movie. Trust me on this.
I’m caught up on MURDERBOT. Still enjoying it.
Also, new seasons of RESIDENT ALIEN and RICK & MORTY are kicking off, so I’ll be watching those, as well.
And when does the new season of THE BEAR start? End of June? That sounds about right.
3) Favorite joke from my Catholic school days:
“Why did Cain kill his brother? Because he was Abel.”
That’s your Dispatch for the week.
Slade Grayson is a writer who relies on the kindness of strangers. And readers. And sometimes strange readers. You can buy his books here, or buy him a coffee here.