Author Archives: laurn larson

Diamonds are Forever

15 January 2025 By in Movies Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Den of Thieves 2: Pantera: Big Nick (Gerard Butler) is tracking Donnie (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) through Europe, eventually catching up with him in Nice, France. There, Donnie and the Panther Mafia are plotting a seemly outrageous style heist at the city’s World Diamond Center. Nick, broke and tired, is eager to get a piece of the action.

Unlike the first Den of Thieves, this movie takes on a lighter, occasionally humorous tone. Big Nick dials down his badass-itude, though not entirely. The film focuses more on the meticulous planning of the heist than the actual event, reminiscent of the Mission: Impossible and Ocean’s film series.

The movie recreates, with creative license, the 2003 Antwerp Diamond Heist (Antwerp is the actual diamond center of the world), where $100 million in diamonds, gold, and other valuables were stolen. The heist was executed by a five-man team, four of whom were captured and imprisoned, but the loot was never recovered. The ringleader, Leonardo Notarbartolo, received a ten-year prison sentence, while his three captured accomplices were each sentenced to five years.

Trivia: The Panther Mafia in Den of Thieves is likely inspired and named after the real-life Pink Panthers, a network of international jewel thieves responsible for some of the world’s most daring and glamorous heists. The Pink Panthers were given their moniker by European police due to the similarities between their crimes and the antics in The Pink Panther film series. Art imitating reality in an unbroken circle.

Genre: Action—Crime—Drama–Thriller

Directed by: Christian Gudegast

Screenplay by: Christian Gudegast

Music by: Kevin Matley

Cast: Gerard Butler, O’Shea Jackson Jr.

Film Location: Canary Islands and United Kingdom

ElsBob: 7.0/10

IMDb: 6.6/10

Rotten Tomatoes Critics: 60%

Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter: 79%

Metacritic Metascore: 60%

Metacritic User Score: 6.8/10

Theaters: 10 January 2025

Runtime: 145 minutes

Budget: $40 million

Box Office: $21 million

Source: Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb, Metacritic. Graphic: Den of Thieves 2: Pantera Poster and Trailer, copyright Lionsgate.

Pacific Redwood Organic Merlot

14 January 2025 By in Red Wine Tags: , , , Leave a comment

Merlot from California

84% Merlot, 16% Carignane

Purchase Price: $13.99

Wine Enthusiast 90, ElsBob 89

ABV 13.8%

Aromas of red fruits, cherries on the palate, medium-bodied, smooth, with a short finish. Will go well with vegetables, pizza, and pasta. An easy sipping wine best served slightly chilled.

A very good table wine at a slightly elevated price.

Trivia: Label is from an 18”x24” oil painting by Andrew Power titled “Pacific Redwood”, 2008-2009.

The Last Waltz: A Timeless Rock Odyssey

13 January 2025 By in Music Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

On Thanksgiving Day in 1976, Bill Graham’s legendary Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco played host to an unparalleled musical spectacular: The Last Waltz. Orchestrated by the visionary filmmaker Martin Scorsese and the iconic concert promoter Bill Graham, this five-hour marathon has earned its place in history as the greatest rock documentary ever made.

A star-studded fantasy night where rock, roots rock, blues, and folk giants converged. The Band taking center stage, were joined by a stellar lineup including Bob Dylan, Dr. John, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, and many more. Each performance was a masterpiece, weaving together years of musical brilliance into a single, unforgettable tapestry.

Michael Wilmington of the Chicago Tribune and Rolling Stone have rightfully hailed this epic concert as a monumental achievement, a time capsule of musical greatness that continues to inspire and captivate audiences nearly 50 years later.

The Last Waltz wasn’t just a concert; it was a celebration of artistic vision, camaraderie, and the timeless power of music.

Graphic: The Last Waltz Official Trailer #2, 1978, Copyright Last Waltz Productions.

Sticks His Nose In

12 January 2025 By in Novel Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Lucius, the protagonist of the 2nd century AD Latin novel The Golden Ass, cannot suppress his curiosity nor stop meddling in the dark arts of spells and magic. Attempting to flee from the troubles resulting from his inquisitiveness, he accidentally uses the wrong ointment and turns himself into a donkey rather than a bird. This error leads to a series of comical and mostly bawdy misadventures as a beast of burden, who is thoroughly abused and misused due to his intemperate habit of sticking his nose in.

The story, written by the Roman author and philosopher Lucius Apuleius, who hailed from a Roman province in what is now modern-day Algeria, is characterized as a romance—not in the modern Harlequin sense, but in the Greek meaning of a Milesian tale. A Milesian tale consists of a series of adventurous stories, usually short, humorous, and erotic—a romantic narrative for the ancients.

The translator of The Golden Ass, Joel C. Relihan, takes the meaning of a Milesian romance a step further into what Northrop Frye described as secular scripture. Relihan states that the romance in The Golden Ass is: “A survivor’s tale of descent into a nightmare world of loss and eventual recovery of identity.”

Lucius loses his identity, becoming ludicrous and expendable. But in the end, he prays for salvation, which he receives from the goddess Isis. Ultimately, he is initiated into the secrets of the gods. His transformation from misfortune to enlightenment and spiritual fulfillment is, in the end, the ultimate story of a lived life—a maturing into old age with illuminated and learned experience leading to peace and grace.

Trivia: The Golden Ass has been known by various names, including the author’s title, Metamorphoses, Asinus Aureus (a Latin name which translates to “Golden Ass”), The Metamorphosis of Lucius, and the modern title: The Golden Ass or A Book of Changes.

Source: The Golden Ass by Apuleius. Oxford Bibliographies. Graphic: The Golden Ass Book Cover, Hackett Publishing, 2007.

Choose

11 January 2025 By in History, Philosophy Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Movies such as Pakula’s 1982 “Sophie’s Choice” and Eastwood’s 2024 “Juror #2” depict gut-wrenching moral dilemmas, where every decision is flawed and ethically unbearable.

Moral dilemmas arise when all available options are objectionable, involving transgressions against moral principles. Their resolution often revolves around the “Principle of the Lesser of Two Evils,” where one chooses the least harmful option.

In 1944, President Roosevelt’s health was rapidly deteriorating, and many in the Democratic Party believed he wouldn’t finish his term if re-elected. Despite this, Roosevelt ran for a fourth term but was pressured to find a different running mate with better economic and leadership skills. Vice President Henry Wallace was replaced by Harry Truman, a senator from Missouri, on the ticket.

Roosevelt won his fourth term but passed away less than three months into it, making Truman the 33rd President on 12 April 1945. Within four months, Truman faced the dilemma of dropping atomic bombs on Japan to possibly end World War II or continuing a more conventional war.

Although there were no initial estimates of fatalities before the bombings, aftermath estimates suggested that up to a quarter of a million lives were lost at Nagasaki and Hiroshima. In contrast, continuing the war conventionally was estimated to result in 6 to 11 million additional fatalities.

Truman chose the lesser of two evils: sacrificing a quarter of a million souls to save millions.

Source: Lesser Evil Principle by Dougherty, 2020, Encyclopedia of Business and Professional Ethics. Graphic: Grok Generated.

Fractional Excitons

10 January 2025 By in Physics Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Physicists at Brown University have recently observed a new class of quantum particles called fractional excitons.

Excitons consist of an electron and an electron hole (a quasiparticle, a concept, representing the absence of an electron where one should exist). They allow for energy transfer in a lattice, such as in a transistor. Applying voltage to a transistor influences the movement of electrons and holes through the material. Simplified, this movement can turn the current flow on and off, forming a logic gate.

Despite being composed of fermions, excitons exhibit bosonic behavior and follow bosonic statistics. Fractional excitons, however, show behaviors that don’t fully align with either fermions or bosons. This suggests they belong to a new class of particles with previously unobserved quantum properties.

The researchers speculate that these fractional excitons may lead to advances in quantum computing.

Source: Excitons, Zhang et al, Nature, 2025. Graphic: Quasiparticles, Demin Liu, Brown University 2025.

Joan of Arc’s Trial

9 January 2025 By in History Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

The trial of Joan of Arc began almost 600 years ago, on 9 January 1431 in Rouen, France. She was captured by allies of the British during the siege of Compiègne in 1430 and tried for heresy. Her interrogation and trial began on 21 February 1431 and concluded on 24 May 1431.

Joan of Arc, also known as the Maid of Orléans, played a crucial role in liberating France from British control during the Hundred Years’ War. For her efforts the British burned her at the stake on 30 May 1431.

Joan of Arc was proclaimed a saint by Pope Benedict XV in 1920, who stated that her life was “proof of the existence of God.” She is the patroness saint of France and women.

Father Chatillon, rector of the Orléans Cathedral, where Joan of Arc attended Mass on 2 May 1429 while in the city to repel the British, commented that she “was a girl who was committed at 17 and died at 19, after having seen her mission through by liberating Orléans and by allowing Dauphin Charles VII to be king of France.”

Source: Tadie, NCR, 2020. Graphic: St. Joan of Arc is Interrogated by The Cardinal of Winchester in her Prison, Paul Delaroche, 1824, Public Domain.

Don’t Stop Me Now

8 January 2025 By in Movies Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Venom: The Last Dance: Eddie (Tom Hardy) and Venom (Tom Hardy), together again, possibly for the last time, battle Symbiotes from Venom’s home planet of Klyntar. Supervillain Knull has sent the Symbiotes to collect Eddie and Venom’s Codex. The Codex will free Knull from his prison, originally created by the Symbiotes long ago. Now, they will help to release him. It’s complicated.

Tom Hardy and his symbiotic, parasitic alter-ego, Venom, make the movie worthwhile. Everything else feels like underemployed extras earning points for existing, about as entertaining as toothpaste attempting an exit from a spray bottle, except for Martin (Rhys Ifans). Martin was a fun diversion.

As with the first two movies, it is worthwhile sitting through the credits. Somewhere between the listing of Executive Producers, Producers, Producers of Second Worth, Producers of Wind, and the Second Gaffer from the Last Good Gaffer, there is a hint of what can be, unburdened by what has been—although Hardy has said maybe not never again, so what can be, may have to be burdened by what has been.

Trivia: “Don’t Stop Me Now”by Queen is played while Venom infests a horse and gallops, with Eddie riding on top, at incredible speed, to get to Area 51.

Genre: Action—Adventure–Comedy—Fantasy—Sci-Fi–Thriller

Directed by: Kelly Marcel

Screenplay by: Tom Hardy, Kelly Marcel

Music by: Dan Deacon

Cast: Tom Hardy, Rhys Ifans

Film Location: Cartagena, Spain

ElsBob: 6.0/10

IMDb: 6.0/10

Rotten Tomatoes Critics: 41%

Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter: 81%

Metacritic Metascore: 41%

Metacritic User Score: 5.9/10

Theaters: 21 October 2024

Runtime: 109 minutes

Budget: $120 million

Box Office: $476.4 million

Source: Screen Rant, Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb, Metacritic. Graphic: Venom: The Last Dance Trailer, copyright Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures.

Chateau Lajarre Bordeaux Superieur 2020

7 January 2025 By in Red Wine, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

Bordeaux Red Blend form Bordeaux, France

80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc

Purchase Price: $14.99

Wine Enthusiast 87-91, ElsBob 88

ABV 13.5%

Aromas of black fruits, smooth, slightly acidic, medium bodied with a short finish. Will pair well with beef, pasta, and cheese. Serve slightly chilled.

A very good table wine at an elevated price. Probably not worth paying more than $12.

Ground Control to Major Tom

6 January 2025 By in Music, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

“Space Oddity,” David Bowie’s ode to the loneliness of space, framed as a conversation between ‘Major Tom and Ground Control’, was released in July 1969, nine days before Apollo 11 landed on the moon. Bowie didn’t draw inspiration from the moon landing but rather from Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film “2001: A Space Odyssey.” However, the song was rushed through the production process to capitalize on the American moon shot.

While watching the movie in the theater in 1968, Bowie related to Classic Rock in 2012 that, “It was the sense of isolation I related to. I found the whole thing amazing. I was out of my gourd, very stoned when I went to see it – several times – and it was really a revelation to me. It got the song flowing.”

The song reached #5 on the charts in the UK but only made a slight blip in the US, peaking at #124 on the Billboard Hot 100. As Bowie’s fame increased in the next couple of years, RCA re-released the 1969 album and the song as a single, leading it to rise to #15 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100.

The attached video is Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield’s rendition of the song that he recorded aboard the International Space Station in 2013. With permission from Bowie, he updated the lyrics slightly to reflect current circumstances. The song was the first music video made in space and the first use of an acoustic guitar in space.

Trivia:

  • During the launch of Musk’s Falcon Heavy, with a Tesla Roadster aboard, the car’s sound system was said to be looping the Bowie songs “Space Oddity” and “Life on Mars?”
  • Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space Odyssey drew inspiration from Arthur C. Clarke’s novel of the same name, but also from Clarke’s earlier short stories, particularly “The Sentinel” and “Encounter in the Dawn,” both published in the early 1950s.

Source: David Bowie.com. Where is Telsa Roadster.space. Graphic: Space Oddity by Chris Hadfield, 2013.