#Bales2023FilmChallenge 2: inspirational “The Lives of Others”, specifically the book dedication at the end. A brave good deed (or an attempted one) recognized and appreciated at last.

#Bales2023FilmChallenge 15: Religious Movie "The Iron Giant" - a sci-fi Christ figure

#Bales2023FilmChallenge 16: set in Boston “The Verdict”

#Bales2023FilmChallenge 17: main character is a service worker “The Grand Budapest Hotel” Is Zero or M. Gustave the main character? Either way it works.

“I’ve been a long way in a very short time / I better close my eyes” Rest well, Todd McBride. youtube.com/watch?v=x0Pd00…

#Bales2023FilmChallenge 18: Filmed in Michigan "Anatomy of a Murder" (1959), largely filmed in the Upper Peninsula.

#bales2023filmchallenge 21: grandma “Minari”

#bales2023filmchallenge Grandpa: Alan Arkin, “Sunshine Cleaning”

#Bales2023FilmChallenge 30: escape “Chicken Run” - great homage to escape movies generally

#Bales2023FilmChallenge 12: filmed in GA - “Spectacular Now” If it ain’t the old Athens bus station!

#Bales2023FilmChallenge 23: engine “Wise Blood” (1979) “Nobody with a good car needs to be justified.”

#Bales2023FilmChallenge 1: compliment “Amadeus”

#Bales2023FilmChallenge 10: siblings Marianne and Elinor Dashwood / “Sense and Sensibility”

#Bales2023FilmChallenge 2: filmed in Italy Il Postino The poignancy goes to another level when “For Massimo” appears on screen after the final shot.

This is Hachikō. He was an Akita born on Nov. 10, 1923 in Japan. He was sold to Hidesaburo Ueno, a scientist at the University of Tokyo. Ueno named him Hachi after the number 8, which is considered lucky in Japan, and the two became inseparable...

#Bales2023FilmChallenge 31: watermelon “The Piano Lesson”

#OTD 15 years ago, we lost a legend. Skip Caray Tribute

Ian Frazier on "True Grit," Predestination, and the impossible charm of Charles Portis for Book Post books.substack.com/p/diary-ian-fr…

One of the best ways to decide between two old guys is to pick the one who isn't a complete piece of shit and whatnot.

George Bush was one of the youngest Navy pilots in WW2 and survived getting shot down and floating in the Pacific for four hours. His crew was killed, and his fellow pilots were captured, executed, and eaten - yes, eaten - by the Japanese.