PicoBlog

What’s your favorite quote from the movie, The Matrix? Do you remember the scene where Morpheus first takes Neo back into the matrix? They’re walking around and Morpheus is literally showing Neo how the world works when Neo gets distracted by a beautiful woman who passes him by. That’s when Morpheus says one of my favorite Matrix quotes, “were you paying attention, Neo? Or were you looking at the woman in the red dress?

Today’s issue of Dust On The VCR is another subscriber request! This film was chosen by Bret Pippen, whom I formally met a few years ago when we competed in the Sidewalk Cinema’s inaugural Bad Movie Marathon fundraiser. He instantly became my top enemy during this event, but when he lasted longer than I did (which would’ve been somewhere north of my 27 hours), I had no choice but to become his ally for life.

Just this week on Keep It, I was mourning Gwyneth Paltrow’s film career. Yes, her ski trial has been endlessly memeable (and Louis and I discussed it on the podcast so I won’t get into it here), but Gwyneth is an ACTRESS. Enough of this GOOP nonsense. She’s made her empire. We need the art again. And I truly, truly loved her in The Royal Tenenbaums, which is still Wes Anderson’s magnum opus to me.

Wes Anderson, the director behind The Grand Budapest Hotel and, more recently, Asteroid City, adapted four short stories by Roald Dahl for Netflix: “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” “The Swan,” “The Rat Catcher,” and “Poison.” These films feature a troupe of famous faces, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Sir Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, Rupert Friend, and Richard Ayoade. In this episode, Greg, P.T., and I unpack their meaning, consider them in the context of both Wes Anderson’s filmography and Roald Dahl’s biography, share our favorites, and contemplate the Netflix of it all.

If you’re a fan of the NFL, you’ve probably heard the term “West Coast Offense.” You have also probably seen or heard NFL content where a coach or player says an incredibly long play-name that sounds like a language only C-3PO could translate. What do all of those terms mean, and why is “West Coast Offense” said so often? The West Coast Offense, has its roots in the 1960’s and 70’s with the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals under legendary coach Paul Brown.

Last month, Westwood (Bergen County) stepped up as one of the 20 districts that eliminated Trans Policy 5756, which requires the schools to develop a confidentially plan with the students that could potentially keep vital information from parents and require teachers/school staff to lie to parents. Policy 5756 is not a mandated policy by law and a few districts never adopted it in the first place. Dropping this policy does not prevent transgender children from using the bathroom/locker room of their choice, nor does it prevent boys playing in girl’s sports.

I saw Maestro over the weekend. I went in with below-the-floor expectations — not because of “Nosegate”, that was overblown anyway — but because I accept that biopics play fast and loose with the truth, sometimes with jarring consequences. So I was pleasantly surprised that Bradley Cooper’s portrayal of Leonard Bernstein, and particularly Carey Mulligan’s of Felecia Montealegre, felt “true” emotionally, even if the film itself didn’t quite hold together. I know this because if I spend the movie’s runtime nitpicking storytelling choices and timing how long certain shots are, it’s not really working for me.

I’m Jefferson Graham, a Los Angeles based writer-photographer, host of the #PhotowalksTV travel photography series, former USA TODAY tech columnist and author of the PhotowalksTV newsletter. The newsletter is free, sponsored by Paul’s Photo of Torrance, California, but I’d love you to show your support with a $5 monthly subscription. ncG1vNJzZmiilZuzpr7SqKWgqpGdrq560q6ZrKyRmLhvr86mZqlnp52utXnAZq2inadis7O7zGaroaGjYsCiuoyfqZqmk57ApLs%3D

So, we took the advice of my pastor friend. We visited the Methodist church in town. I never thought I would go to a Methodist church. The Reformed elitism in me didn’t take them seriously. But you do these things when you are desperate. (I know how bad this sounds, I’m telling on myself.) And in our search, we are basically left with the mainline churches. On the way, I shot up one of those arrow prayers, Lord, I am looking for Christ in your church.