The Odyssey

broderic on August 26, 2026

The Odyssey had MAGA up in arms.

“A black is Helen of Troy?!!?!?” “A trans is Achilles?!?!?”

“Nolan is woke!”

How wrong they are. The Odyssey is rather conservative. Odysseus laments that he is ushering in the death of his culture. That’s conservatism in a nutshell — protection of the status quo.

And yet, The Odyssey isn’t MAGA. It recognizes that even their enemies are deserving of respect.

BTW, we saw it in IMAX. The visuals were huge, but the sound was just about deafening that my watch complained about loud sounds a few times. To watch Nolan do his IMAX thing was just about worth it.

3 of 5 stars.

The Invite

broderic on August 26, 2026

The Invite is a comedy feels like one of those indy movies from years ago — back when we had a great film industry. It was directed by one of the leads, Olivia Wilde, and features intimate performances by some decent actors. And also another cringe hilarious performance from Seth Rogan. I went in not expecting anything and hoping for a good time, and I came out satisfied.

The plot revolves around a couple who have recently sent their daughter to college. They are left at home and invite their neighbors for dinner. The beleaguered husband, Rogan, wasn’t really wanting to host a dinner, and Wilde was over eager. She felt that they needed it as a couple, and when during the dinner it got toasty, then their marriage felt like it was over. I can’t do it justice because it was very subtle in its humor, but I got it. It was cringey for a bit.

I think it was fine and worth a visit to the theater.

3 of 5 stars.

I Bought A Skateboard

broderic on August 9, 2026

I bought a skateboard. It’s a Girl Mike Carroll. It’s 8.375″, and I got Indy trucks for it. I wanted to try skating around again except I find it very unstable.

Perhaps I need a wider deck? Or less hard wheels? Maybe I need a cruiser?

The Books of Summer: the first batter

broderic on August 9, 2026

I stopped reading books when I started reading blogs, yet I pick them up now and then. Since I started obsessing about baseball I thought I should read some stories about the game. It’s a way of easing back into reading and learning more about the game. I’ve finished four so far. Here’s a little summary of them.

First up is Money Ball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis. It’s an attempt to understand how certain teams are still winning in this age of high-priced free agency. They do it all through looking for players who are cheap and who can get on base most of the time. To be on base means to not be out, and the outs are highly valuable for winning teams. The fewer at bats that results in an out the better for the team. If you can find young cheap players that could contribute a better on base percentage then you have a chance to compete.

This is similar to Earl Weaver’s philosophy.

The Graveyard Book

broderic on August 9, 2026

Was going to be a solid B, but the ending, as all children stories must, was sweet, hopeful and sad pushing the book’s grade up a notch.

B+

Springfield Sucks!

broderic on August 6, 2026

Who is this guy? Says he wrote the “Lemon of Troy” Simpsons episode from back in the day. Sounds good. Best. Episode. Ever.

Obsession

broderic on July 31, 2026

I saw Obsession with my mom. She said she wanted to watch a scary movie and Obsession was the only one I hadn’t seen that was playing. It was in its third week and it still was being played. It is going very, very strong at the box office. Anyhow, my mom wasn’t scared by it, but I was scarred.

Obsession is a very disturbing movie. I don’t want to dwell on it because that could be me. I’ve thought to myself, “they never fall in love with me,” and “if only.” Selfish thoughts when it comes to romance. Never love.

It was frightening because that could be me. I guess that why it is a horror film.

I’m writing this several weeks after seeing the movie. I was obsessed with it for weeks after because of its horrifying. I guess it is an obssession.

3 of 5 stars.

Backrooms

broderic on July 31, 2026

At the end of Backrooms as we were leaving, the couple in front of me turned to me and shrugged — a shrug that said, “What the fuck did we just watch?” It was a horror film — a bit scary, a bit shocking, and a ton of unreal.

Absurd? Surreal? Sure. Unnerving? No Unsettling? Yes.

It’s the backrooms. A place you don’t want to find yourself.

It’s just freaky thing. I was perplexed but enjoyed myself. At least for the most part I wasn’t hiding behind the brim of my cap.

3 of 5 stars.

When I first heard… “Stakes is High”… I was…

broderic on July 2, 2026

It’s 30 years since they released this album. It is my favorite De La. While I don’t remember where I was hearing “Stakes is High” for the first time, I know that I listened to it all that summer. It was the summer before turning 25 — my popular time. It was the time when I had my green Jetta and a ten disc CD changer in the trunk. It was also the time when I was a drunk, fun loving person.

I think the most vivid memory for me from listening to the album at the time is when Lacy invited me to meet up with her friends in Little Italy for a late, late dinner. We had just closed Ruby Tuesday. She said let’s go. While not really into her except for her being female, I went. Driving into Baltimore and it was “Itsowezee” bumping on the radio after midnight. Who the fuck were her friends but just other servers just like us…