Postsecret review 23

 And here's another one. Many of the new/current secrets were boring, so these come from the classic secrets.

"I have furniture for a lifestyle I no longer have." This one is vague but it makes me wonder what caused the former lifestyle to go away. A divorce or something or what? 

"Before I cook -- I spank myself w/ the spatula!!" (over a photo of a chef in a kitchen) This is bizarre and I hope the person only does it when they're cooking for themselves... 

"I'm not mad that my boyfriend broke up with me. I'm PISSED that he didn't give me the boots he already bought for me for Xmas before he dumped me!" (over a drawing of a blue high-heeled boot) Materialistic much? I also wonder what he did with the boots after breaking up with this person.

(written in all-caps handwriting, above a drawing of Lionel Messi with blank/fully white eyes) "just at the peak of every orgasm, I send the energy to Lionel Messi so he can use it in his beautiful play." what. the. fuck. 

"I purposely left this in your car so I knew I'd for sure see you at least once more..." (over an image of a book cover of a book titled This Is Not A Book) I like this one because it seems sort of sweet, I guess, and if I were cleverer (and had a fitting situation) perhaps I would do something like this as well. 

"As editor of my school's yearbook, I would put ugly pictures of people who were mean to me." Petty, but I suppose I can understand doing this. 

Crítica de película: La piel que habito

Ví este película unos días en el pasado. Nunca sabía de este película antes de viendo un tweet de Archillect de una escena. Es una peli con elementos de misterio y suspenso. Hay un poco de tortura también. 

Trata de un hombre, Robert Ledgard, un cirujano plástico talentoso quien perdió su esposa debido a un incendio del auto. Ella sufrió quemaduras muy serias y después de se observando en el vidrio de una ventana, estaba horrorizada y se mató. También, Robert quiere venganza contra un hombre quien violó la hija de Ledgard. 

Ledgard vive en una finca grande en Toledo, España. En su casa, hay un sala donde una mujer, Vera, está cautiva/rehén. La historia de esta mujer es un misterio. Robert trabajaba en creando un piel indestructible y transplantóla en el cuerpo de Vera, reemplazando su piel original. 

Hay más detalles pero no quiero arruinar el argumento. Tiene que verla por uno mismo. Hay una version con subtítulos en íngles. Disfruté esta peli; era interesante y única. También, ver pelis extranjeras me hace sentir sofisticada. El director de esta peli es Pedro Almodóvar. Antonio Banderas representa a Robert. 

Movie review: The Killing of a Sacred Deer

It seems that I haven't had many non-review things to write about recently. I haven't discovered any new-to-me particularly interesting actors or whatnot. Anyways, let's get to it.

I watched this movie shortly after watching another one (The Skin I Live In) that maybe is sort of vaguely similar, but not particularly so.

What I did not know prior to watching this was that it was based off a Greek myth, which does give some insight to the plot. Overall, it was a measured, methodical movie and also sort of... placid. I would categorize it as a drama although some things I've read describe it as horror and/or psychological thriller. It seemed too calm and didn't really have enough intense action in it to really make me think of it as a thriller. There was suspense and conflict in it, but it was all delivered in a very measured, subdued way, almost. 

While it wasn't bad, it also wasn't spectacular or anything and I don't see myself rewatching it of my own accord. Overall I consider it to have been mediocre; it just didn't strike me as that brilliant. If someone else wanted to watch it and I were present, I wouldn't necessarily refuse, but I don't think I'd go out of my way to subject myself to watching this movie again. 

The ending was somewhat unsatisfying but not horrifically unsatisfying. I just don't really have a ton to say about this movie, really. I preferred The Skin I Live in, a Spanish-language movie. I sort of intended to do a full review of that one, perhaps in Spanish.  

Postsecret review 22

 Another one, here it is on this Halloween evening. It seems that quite a few were worthwhile to comment on this time! [Actually, I'm going to finish this later, once a new batch of secrets probably will have been posted.]

"I'm sorry. My lies ruined us

I hope you're ok and happy

I'm not"

This one is rather too vague to know what it's about, but I guess kind of I like the angsty regret conveyed in it? 

"My office gave me this 'random' card during appreciation week. I'm not sure if it's a pat on the back or a slap in the face." The card says "There's no need to be so hard on yourself, you're managing as best as you can." over an illustration of a cute tiger and the secret is written over that. 

This one I like because it's somewhat less generic.  

"When I am really stressed at work, I book a conference room and watch blackhead extraction videos on the big screen. (I'm a C-suite exec and it's time well spent, calms me)."

I... don't quite know what to say about this one. But I guess it makes me wonder about the potentially bizarre habits of other fancy businesspeople? 

"When another woman steals your man the best revenge is to let her keep him!" (over a wedding photo)

This one has some backstory about the author and the person the secret was about, who apparently read and liked said secret without knowing it was about her! It makes me wonder about other situations where the subjects of secrets happened to read secrets that were about them, whether they realized it somehow or not. I guess it's also making me wonder how common it is for spouses to be stolen by others... 

"At the beginning of a relationship, I plan for the end of it." 

Seems a bit fatalistic and also a bit vague, since... how can you know how, when or even if a given relationship will end? I feel like the specific circumstances around how/when it ends (which would be unknowable, most likely, at the beginning of a relationship, unless the writer had specific ideas at that time about how they planned to end it, like "I will break up with this person over the phone in exactly six months from now.") could really impact any theoretical plans one might have for the end. Someone dying unexpectedly would have a different impact than if they or the writer cheated and that caused the end of the relationship. Or maybe they would just happen to gradually drift apart? Lots of different possibilities here. So many ways relationships can go wrong!

"My children hate me because I divorced and remarried but I often wonder if they would still think their father was a hero if they knew what he did to me when I was pregnant. ..with them" (over an image of a pregnant woman, seemingly on a poster about abuse/violence against women and children with some facts: 40% of women abused during pregnancy reported that the abuse began when they became pregnant and 21% of women abused by their partners were assaulted during their pregnancy)

This one is somewhat dark. I wonder what the father did to make the children think he was a hero, even though he abused the mother and they aren't aware of that? 

"I had a dream that you woke up from a coma, you were never really gone. I've cried every night since"

The concept of comas fascinates me for some reason. In a way, I feel like being in a coma could be restful for the person in it. But to the people who know the comatose person, it might not be such a restful experience for them as they might be worried about the comatose person. 

"I think I have a moustache fetish..." (over an illustration of a man's face with a mustache drawn on it) 

I don't. I can't really imagine what it would be like to have a mustache fetish. I think clean-shaven faces look much better.   

"My dad told me which drugs will give me the best high." It must be different to have parents who do/have done drugs and therefore can advise on this matter!! 

"My sister attempted suicide. I am angry because I feel that she took that freedom away from me."

Another relatively dark secret although I don't really see how one sibling attempting suicide necessarily takes that (freedom?) away from the other sibling. 

"It wasn't an erection. I purposely stuck a cardboard tube in the front of my pants, I still act embarrassed like it was one." All I have to say about this one is: but why. 

"hey DICK I threw the ring you gave me off here" (with an arrow pointing to the edge of the Grand Canyon; on a postcard depicting the Grand Canyon)

I wonder how expensive the ring was, and if anyone ever found it in the bottom of the Grand Canyon??

"the person who taught me 'your only as sick as your secrets' has been lying to me my whole life but I know why and understand" (beneath an old photo of a young-ish/not particularly old man and a boy standing next to a car with the side doors open -- the photo appears to be maybe from the 1980s?)

The photo accompanying this one kind of intrigues me, and the secret leaves to the imagination what the subject was lying about. Mysterious! 

"For the first time, my life has promise and direction

I forgive anyone and everyone in the past who has hurt me, even myself.

I bless these experiences and let them go. 

They are no longer a part of my reality

I'm including my rapist too"

This one is kind of pleasantly uplifting/hopeful.

"I am so ashamed of myself I punish myself I escape in alcohol" (over an image of a martini with a fake eyeball in red liquid, a cigar and a few other glasses for alcoholic beverages. The secret is written in those little arrow-shaped post-it notes to mark pages, a word or two on each.)

This one isn't particularly unique or anything, but I liked the image of the fake eyeball in the drink... 

"My TV shows have become my salvation" (inside the screen of a simple drawing of an old-fashioned TV set) 

It makes me wonder which TV shows the writer is referring to, and what circumstances they've found themselves in that mean TV shows are their salvation... seems like a rather grim and also shallow, in a way, existence. 

"My sister admitted trying to kill me twice, after she tried to kill herself this year" (written in neat all-caps handwriting) An alarming situation. This murderous/suicidal sister doesn't sound very stable!

"I bought this pack so that I can mail my secrets in 

Because I can't take this SHIT ANYMORE!!!" (on the label of a pack of index cards)

Yet no actual secret of substance. Tsk tsk. 

"I'm jealous of teen moms" (over a photo of what evidently are two teen moms with large pregnant bellies)

I am not jealous of them and I really do wonder why the secret writer here is. What aspect of that situation do they find appealing? Maybe they just really want children and sooner rather than later? 

"I fantasize about putting a hit on the man who raped me. All it would take is a phone call to do it. He has no idea whose daughter he hurt."

It makes me wonder whose daughter it is! Imagine being able to call a hitman on a whim!

Movie review: The Half of It

This one had intrigued me a bit and today I got around to watching it. It was decent/I liked it, but it wasn't spectacular. A particular scene at the end (the climax of the plot, I suppose) seemed a bit contrived.

The premise is that a high-school student ghostwrites love letters for a football player to a girl that they both like. The letter-ghostwriting intrigued me, though as a whole I think I prefer the movie "Her," even though the letter-ghostwriting has a smaller role in the plot there. 

I think I generally prefer movies that are either a bit more intense and/or profound in some way. Ones with a bit more depth somehow. This one was... relatively light, all things considered. Which is reasonable, it's just not necessarily my thing. 

I'm not generally too keen on movies set during high school/portraying high school students (or at least where the fact that they're in high school is a prominent aspect of the plot), so that also may have been a slight factor in my thoughts here. 

It could've been interesting if the movie developed the character of Ellie's father a bit more; I think there was a bit of a missed opportunity there. 

Oddly I don't have a ton more to say here. I think overall I'd say this movie was just a bit above mediocre, but I just wasn't particularly thrilled with it. Regardless, if the premise interests you, I think it's worth a watch.  

Movie review: An Education

Well, I finally watched this one! What a concept! It certainly has been quite some time since I initially wanted to watch it. It's back on Netflix this month and I've got loads of free time, so I figured why not. It has Peter Sarsgaard in it, which is why I decided to watch it. 

It takes place in the 1960s in Britain and is about a 16-year-old girl's love affair with an older man. In general, the movie wasn't bad, though I think it could've had a bit more depth to it -- as it stands, it seemed a bit superficial. It just didn't quite have the amount of substance that it theoretically could've had -- I was curious to know more specifically about the man's motivations for having the affair; the movie really left that unspecified. 

I actually don't really have a ton to say about it; it was... decent, though not particularly remarkable. Peter Sarsgaard seemed to be able to do a pretty passable British accent, though that's just from my American perspective. 

Watch this movie if you're for some reason interested in it, but don't expect a ton of depth. I suppose that's okay though; not every movie will necessarily be particularly deep or thought-provoking or that sort of thing. I guess I just sort of like my movies with a bit more of an edge to them, and/or a bit more substance to them. This one didn't quite hit the mark on that front. Maybe that was the point though; maybe we're meant to come away from it thinking the relationship portrayed in the movie was ultimately/inherently superficial... 

Postsecret review 21

For the month of August...

"The boy I love told me that he murdered someone. It doesn't bother me at all." (there's an illustration of some sort of Aztec human sacrifice ritual or something, cut and pasted)

Oh, how fascinating to think about! I really wonder more about the context of this one -- who got murdered, what the circumstances and motivation for it was, all that... I wonder how I might react if I met someone and then eventually they told me that they'd murdered someone... 

"If you betray me again, I will tell your family, your friends, your boss, and the IRS EVERYTHING."

Sounds like something out of a show like Ozark (which I never finished watching...) or that sort of thing. The intrigue and money laundering and all that!

"Fuck that! I'm not paying my ambulance fees!" (over the outside of an envelope which appears to be a medical/ambulance bill; postage is from Canada and the envelope says "The Scarborough Hospital")

Well, this is sort of a clever/unique way of avoiding paying ambulance fees. I wonder if it worked?

"I lost my respect for the U.S.M.C. when they tried to coax my fiance to re-enlist through BRIBERY, BLACKMAIL, & THREATS." 

This one is unique; I wonder if this is a common practice? And I wonder what exactly the bribery, blackmail and threats entailed. And I guess it sort of relates to my wonders about what motivates people to join the military in general, in the first place. 

Postsecret review 20

Another one, finally. Here goes.

"Sometimes I think about all of the money I'd have if my parents died." Materialistic much?

[over a postcard photo that says "Philadelphia]
"We grew up together. He's a cop now. He told about how he let a woman suffer an overdose without stepping in to help her. 'That's not a life worth saving,' he said. Even his mom was horrified. He wasn't always like this."
In light of recent events, I assume. I think the narrative of this secret is interesting.

[over a photo of an average-sized woman who is nude] "I think my dad loves me less because I'm getting fatter"
In general, I'd say this is a shallow thing to love a family member less for. There are at least some legitimate reasons to love one's family members less for, but this... doesn't quite seem like one of them. Though I suppose it depends on how fatter exactly the person is getting -- up into the My 600-lb Life territory, it seems a bit more understandable...

"None of my skills are worth anything
I'll work until I die"
It makes me wonder what this person's skills are that apparently aren't worth anything. And/or if they have ever tried or wanted to learn new skills that would be worth something if their current ones aren't.

[in lovely cursive handwriting over a photo of a woman wearing a dress with duct tape over her chest and hands covering her face/mouth]
"I think I fell in love with you... because you were always so gentle when you took the duct tape off. Thank you. for everything."
I think this secret is really interesting partly because of the handwriting, but the content of the secret as well. It's so idiosyncratic. And sort of sweet in a way. I do wonder about the duct tape though -- I assume some sort of BDSM thing? Or is there some other/different context?

"Hallmark is like CRACK for me." I can relate to this one, sort of. At least when I find cards that suit my preferences. All those overly-sappy cards can get lost.

"I still blame you for letting my cat out the day she was killed." Without more context, I suppose I can understand still blaming/resenting someone for this. 

"I recognized your handwriting on a Sunday secret and wanted to say... it'll all be OK. I swear."
This sort of thing is interesting to me; I wonder about how many people out there have read a secret and definitively recognized the handwriting and/or were able to realize the secret was about them based on details/content of the secret and/or the postcard design (some include photos, that sort of thing). I don't think I'd necessarily be able to recognize a secret just based on the handwriting; I'm familiar with the handwriting of some of the people I know, but it's very possible that other people out there have similar handwriting. I can't recall if I've ever noticed handwriting on a secret that looked particularly similar to handwriting I know. If the handwriting and content of a secret both seemed to fit (and if a postmark were visible, if that fit as well) a person I knew, then I could be at least sort of sure, but perhaps still not completely.

Postsecret review 19

And another one.
The current week's secrets are Mother's Day themed.
I don't quite feel like getting to reviewing them right now, but maybe I will later in the week.

Last week's secrets (belated!)
"My biggest fear of becoming a lawyer is becoming a REPUBLICAN"
This is an interesting thought; it complements the subsequent secret about the public radio employee's political beliefs.

"I've been out of the closet for years, but I have to keep my boyfriend a secret because he's a BYU student." (secret is in the Postsecret logo font and BYU is shown on a hoodie, sort of like a collage)
Secrets regarding Mormonism are always interesting.

"I'll be graduating from college soon... without having even been kissed. I feel inhuman."
This is sort of a superficial thing to obsess over and feel inhuman about, in the grand scheme of things. It's not really that big of a deal. Or at least it shouldn't be.

"Sometimes when you came over to our house we pretended we weren't home. Now you are gone and I miss you."
I thought this was an interesting and somewhat unique secret; it makes me wonder what the relationship was between the secret writer and the person the secret is about.

"My public radio job tells me not to admit I'm a dedicated LIBERAL"
I wonder which station the secret writer works for.

"My WEIGHT LOSS secret is Heroin!" (with cartoon faces and speech bubbles drawn around. The speech bubbles say "you look so good!" "God, you're sexy," "Wow! How much weight have you lost?" "What's your secret?")
This is an interesting one. As you know, the concept of drug addiction is sort of morbidly fascinating to me. I wonder how many people have resorted to heroin specifically for the purpose of trying to lose weight.

"I hope I die before I have to worry about retirement"
Morbid, but somewhat understandable, in a way. Live fast, die young, leave a beautiful corpse...

Postsecret review 18

I eat dinner on salad plates now too.

Just a couple secrets from this week seemed interesting enough to comment on. I thought that all the others were boring/mundane.

1) (over a background of an old-fashioned looking map, in black ballpoint ink, all caps handwriting) "In the past 15 years, I have lived and worked all over the world. Everyone thinks my life is glamorous... but the truth is that every time I plan another move, I pray that someone will love me enough to ask me not to go."

I liked the rawness and honesty of this one, and I think it touches on a sense of loneliness that feels fitting right now.

2) "I consider myself
A war criminal
For having served here" (typed text over a postcard-esque image depicting an eagle, American flag, the words "Freedom is not free," "Operation Enduring Freedom" and "Afghanistan.")
This one is interesting to me because sentiments like this about the military are fascinating to me. People who regret having been in the military, that sort of thing. The experience of being in the military is a completely foreign concept to me personally, so I wonder about it.

Postsecret review: coma

Just one secret for now, but I thought it was particularly interesting.

"The brain damage was so bad, I had the option of letting you die. Months later, when they said you'd never again be the person I loved, part of me wished I'd said 'Yes.'"

The concept of being in a coma fascinates me and I wonder what it would be like to be in a coma. Of course that doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to go out of my way to try and be in a coma so I can find out, but I am curious. If I were to be in a coma, I'd hope that it didn't turn me into a vegetable and that I would eventually be able to return to how I was prior to the coma.

This secret makes me wonder how I might react if I were placed in a situation like the person who wrote the secret. Would I choose to let my significant other die, or would I have them continue living, but with severe brain damage? A very interesting rhetorical question.

TV review: Love is Blind (Netflix)

Because I cannot finish anything, I decided to start watching yet another show... (currently in progress: Kim's Convenience, The Good Place, Interrogation, among others.) It is a Netflix show that centers on an experimental dating concept. I'm not even through the first episode yet, but I already have thoughts...

The premise is that two dozen (?) heterosexual (or perhaps bi?) people live in a "facility" and they go on literally blind dates with each other. The men live in one area and the women live in another and they don't get to see their prospective partners at all. The dates (or rather, conversations, take place in pods -- each person is in their own pod, where they can talk to someone else in another pod. They don't get to look at each other, as per the title.

I'd be interested in seeing this done with gay or lesbian people, though some of the logistics would have to be changed around, potentially...

Anyways, this unique concept intrigued me so I decided to start watching this show. My primary thought was that I would absolutely not subject myself to being part of a dating experiment like this. I just couldn't take it.

I want to know more about the logistics of the show -- do they get a certain amount of time with each person, or can they spend as little or as much time with whoever? Maybe it's more structured initially to give each person a chance to see what all the other people are like, to get a feel for their options, but after they've spoken with each person once, they can then choose who they want to continue talking to. It hasn't been exactly specified.

I noticed that they have little notebooks in which they can take notes about the people they talk to, which I thought was kind of interesting, though I guess it makes sense if you're going to be speed-blind-dating all those different people, especially without seeing them.

Some of the first questions that some of the people asked were as follows: where the person is from and about their family. If it were me going on an entirely blind date like such, these would most definitely not be my first questions. I'd first ask the person's name (obviously), then probably about what their job or field of study is. After that, I'd probably go into asking for an unusual/interesting fact about them and/or what the most interesting thing they've done recently is and see how/where the conversation goes from there.

I think that my questions reveal far more insight into a person's personality and interests. Who cares about what their family is like upon initially meeting someone... additionally, where someone is from also doesn't necessarily tell you that much. Not that it's entirely unimportant, but it wouldn't be the first thing I'd ask.

I'm really not a fan of the aesthetic of this show, but the concept is intriguing enough that I'm giving the first episode a chance. The women look so plastic and generic in their hair/clothes/makeup. The men dress more normally but they also have a bit of a plastic-ness to them as well.

Interrogation review continued

Now for a review after I've actually watched a bit of this show. I only watched the first episode so far; that's the only one that you're supposed to watch in a given order, aside from the finale at the very end. The intermediate other eight episodes can be mixed and matched in any way... me being as indecisive as I am, that's gonna be a chore, especially knowing that there's the possibility of certain twists/plot points falling better or worse if the episodes are watched in a particular order. So my experience of watching the show hinges (to some extent) on which particular sequence I decide on.

Potential light spoilers for the first episode: The premise of this show, as shown in the trailer and first episode, is a murder case. A 17-year-old is suspected of murdering his mother in order to rob her of $150 dollars. He is the primary suspect, though it's possible there are other suspects that actually committed the murder.

Peter Sarsgaard plays a detective; I think this is the first time he's ever had a role like that. He has played the other side of the equation (meaning murderers) before. His character is cold and calculating, which is interesting with his milky voice... wow do I love the way he talks. The character definitely has an authoritative air, as you might expect for a detective. It's kind of hot, actually.

Peter Sarsgaard is usually pretty good in any role, and he doesn't disappoint here. From what I've read, his character is supposed to be an antihero of sorts (later, there's an internal affairs investigation into his work) so naturally the tone here regarding his character will be a bit different compared to how the detectives were portrayed in Law and Order.

The main interrogation itself in this episode was done well, I thought. It was tense and riveting; the suspect conveyed a frantic feeling as you might expect of someone being interrogated about a murder. Peter Sarsgaard shouts a bit during these scenes and it made me think of him as Charles Lane in Shattered Glass, confronting Stephen Glass about his fabrication...

The writing of the interrogation scene regarding the detective's lines was straight out of "Criminal Interrogation and Confessions," a book I bought used off Amazon a few years ago because I was curious about this kind of stuff...

The scene of the initial interrogation room shown has a sort of turquoise tint to it, which was interesting to me because in Law and Order (always assume I mean CI unless otherwise specified), the interrogation room was a blueish-gray slate color, if I remember correctly. And the furniture was Emeco Navy chairs.

I have not yet decided which episode I'll watch next; though when I do decide and get a chance to watch it and the rest of the series, I'll most likely make some additional posts.

Recipes by AI

It's been awhile since I last played around with any sort of text generator/neural network AI and posted about it here on my blog. Anyways, that's back!

I read about the weirdness that is AI-generated recipes so I decided to try and generate my own AI recipes...

Cat recipe
Ingredients:
- 3 eggs (greased)
- 1 tbsp water
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 cup sweet corn kernels, cooked and drained
- 1/2 tsp (use 1/4 tsp instead if it doesn't hold up) pepper
- 1 tbsp dried parsley, chopped
Directions:
1. Pour in the 3 eggs, water, sugar and corn kernels.
2. Whisk until well blended.
3. Pour this mixture into your frying pan, sprinkle with salt, pepper, parsley and toss.
4. Once your fruit is done cooking, (1 - 2 minutes), remove it from heat and add syrup and cook for about 5 minutes.
5. Remove your fruit from heat and mix

So there you have it... some kind of weird omelet thing would result, I think. I guess the fourth and fifth steps should probably indicate some kind of fruit side dish rather than being added to the egg concoction.

TV review: CBS Interrogation

What a concept!! This is a new show that I just saw a commercial for last night and I thought I recognized someone shown briefly in the commercial. Turns out that someone was Vincent D'Onofrio. And, guess what, Peter Sarsgaard also is in this show! What a concept indeed.

Though I haven't yet watched this show, it seems quite interesting to me and I'm eager to see it. Two of my favorite actors plus one of my favorite subject matters. The premise is that it's about a true crime murder case, which is being investigated. The detectives interrogate various people in an attempt to solve the case. This show apparently is intended to be watched in any order, which is sort of unique.

I read some reviews that say the watch in any order aspect is sort of a weakness and hinders the show, which may end up being trrue, but I would like to see it for myself before coming to a conclusion there. The reviews suggest that there's perhaps a more ideal specific order to watch the episodes in, though they don't say what order that might be, which makes me a little apprehensive -- what if I don't choose a good order when I watch it? I wonder if any more reviews will come out that specify which order would be best to watch it in. If not, if/when I watch it, I'll try to make note of what might be the most ideal order to watch the episodes in.

Even if the show turns out to be somewhat bad/not good, I think I should enjoy it just for the fact that it has Peter Sarsgaard in it as well as Vincent. Peter Sarsgaard once played a prisoner on another show, The Killing, and that was a pretty magnificent performance. Alas, that show isn't on Netflix anymore plus it was rather heavy and I'm not entirely sure I'd want to rewatch it. Peter Sarsgaard was good in it (obviously) though I think there were some other aspects of it that I thought weren't as well-executed.

Vincent, of course, was in Law and Order, where he played a detective. I assume his character in this show will also be interesting, though perhaps it'll be a markedly different detective character than he portrayed in Law and Order, and perhaps this detective will be a bore. I hope not, though who knows.

I guess this show is perhaps mildly similar to Mindhunter, which I watched the first season of but then got sick of waiting for a second season, so when it did finally get released, I didn't feel like watching it.

Although I haven't gotten the chance to actually watch this show yet (only the trailer), I did find an additional preview spotlighting Vincent's character. Lovely left-handed Vincent*, good as ever.** He plays an internal affairs officer and has some scenes with Peter Sarsgaard!

*Vincent is shown writing and gesturing in the preview. I appreciate alliteration when I get the chance, plus this is also a reference to A Clockwork Orange (lovely lovely Ludwig Van!).
**dramatically speaking; I have to admit that he did look better like 15 years ago. Beauty is fleeting. But he should still be enjoyable to watch in this show, I hope.

TV review: The Good Place

Show review time! I discovered a new-to-me show on Netflix which I've been watching over the past few weeks. It's pretty good and is vaguely similar to Arrested Development.

I just started season 3; season 4 (the final season) isn't on Netflix yet. This show seems to be relatively popular so I guess I'm a bit late to the party.

I think I like this show more than Portlandia -- certainly as far as rewatchability goes. There are only a couple episodes of Portlandia I'd bother to rewatch, whereas pretty much every single AD episode is a fun rewatch (though of course I do have my favorites -- Meat the Veals: "That was before he saw you pounding that sweet piece of Veal!"). Portlandia suffers, I think, from the really good bits/parts getting bogged down in all the other mediocre portions. The snails sketch (in Open Relationship S8E5) is my favorite -- morbidly and gleefully surreal. That's what I like.

Anyways, back to The Good Place -- I could see myself rewatching various episodes a la carte after I've finished the entire show. Overall, it's got an interesting premise and is well-executed. It also has been making me want to read a bit about moral philosophy/ethics.

More on the vague similarity to Arrested Development:
"Stylistically and content-wise they are quite variant, but I found The Good Place possessed very similar surreal, absurdist humor and a densely interwoven plot with many self-references, meta aspects and foreshadowing out the wazoo- definitely some high-caliber writing.

It's directed by Michael Schur who did Parks and Rec and it has a very similar feel but with a completely different story minus the mockumentary style." [source]

Personally I didn't really think it felt that similar to Parks and Rec, though I suppose now that I've thought about it, I can sort of see it. Parks and Rec is an... alright show in and of itself (but also massively overrated/over-popular, I think), though I got bored of it after five (?) seasons or so and never really felt any desire to go back and rewatch any of the episodes I'd already seen.

Crítica de película: Pieles

Esta película está disponible en Netflix ahora. Hoy en la noche, la vi por la segunda vez. Es una película en español, entonces quería criticarla en español también. Pienso que no la critiqué la primera vez, o la critiqué en inglés. Ha pasado... unos años desde escribí mucho en español, pero voy a hacer mi esfuerzo mejor (con la ayuda de wordreference.com).

Pensé que entendí, por lo menos, 85% de esta película. Vi con los subtítulos en español. He la visto una vez antes. Se llama "Pieles," que significa "Skins" en inglés. Trata de unos personajes con diferentes deformidades del cuerpo. Una mujer no tenia ojos y llevaba diamantes rosas en su cara para reemplazar los ojos. Trabaja como prostituta. Otra mujer era enano.

Unos otros personajes: el hombre con quemaduras serias en su cuerpo y cara. Él salía con una mujer con una deformidad facial: un lado de su cara pendía. Esta mujer tiene otro enamorado también, pero ella no le ama a él; ella piensa que solamente su física le interesa a él. 

La mujer con su culo en la cara y sus labios/su boca en su culo... su padre era muy protector de ella y no le permitía salir de la casa. Él tenia mucho miedo de personas malas en el mundo y pensaba que ellos habrían hecho [condicional perfecto] daño a su hija.

El chico con desorden de identidad de la integridad corporal: no quería tener sus piernas; quería cortarlas y ser un siren -- sin piernas. Su madre no le comprendía. Se echó en la calle donde estuvo atropellado por un auto, cortando sus piernas y matándole.   

Muchos de los personajes se cruzaba con las tramas de los otros personajes.

Me encantaron la cinematografía y los colores de la película. Los colores principales eran rosa y púrpura/lavanda -- colores pasteles. Eran tan bonitos. La ropa de las personajes, los muebles de las casas y los exteriores todos son en colores de rosa y violeta. 

También me gustaron el aspecto surrealista de la tema de esta película.

Ver las películas extranjeras me hace sentir muy sofisticada... quiero ver más películas extranjeras.