#blackAF 1.04

yup, you guessed it. again, this is because of slavery

Kenya gets a bit obsessed with his image as a father. Drea kind of sets him off when she mentions that there is a party coming up. He assumes that it is a birthday party for one of his kids but he can't remember which one has a birthday coming up.

Pops says something that leads him to believe that it is his birthday that's coming up. It turns out that it is a party for the little league team that Pops is on. Word comes down during the party that the coach had a stroke. Kenya volunteers to take over the coaching job. That doesn't last very long.

Fargo 4.08

The Nadir

Josto goes to see Nurse Mayflower again. at her place. They have a wild time together, after which he tells her that he's getting married. She is hurt by the news. She calls the hospital while he is in the bathroom and finds out that Dr. Harvard is doing much better. She goes into panic mode. She gets dressed and tells Josto to get out.

The Last Dance 1.05

Episode V

Michael Jordan wins the MVP award at the 1998 All-Star Game. He was playing against Kobe Bryant who was 19, making him the youngest person to ever play in the All-Star Game. 

Jordan wears the original Nike Air Jordans for his final visit to Madison Square Gardens in March 1998. David Falk, his agent, originally tried to get him deals with Converse and Adidas but neither was willing or able to make him a deal in 1984. Jordan had to be pushed into signing with Nike who offered him considerably more than other NBA players were getting at the time. Jordan had a good game but the shoes hurt his feet when he wore them in 1998. His socks were bloody when he went to take them off after the game.

Sarah Cooper: Everything's Fine

directed by Natasha Lynonne

Sarah Cooper anchors the news. Everything is not fine but Sarah does her best to maintain a positive attitude through all sorts of new segments. She lip synchs to a number of recordings of Donald Trump. Her producer Scooter (Fred Armisen) is there to provide feedback and direct her from one segment to the next.

The Phil Silvers Show 1.13

The Twitch

Col Hall makes another attempt to clean up the gambling at Fort Baxter. Captain Whitney, one of Col Hall's officers who is new to the base, believes he knows just the trick to distract the men from their gambling ways. He organizes a lecture on Beethoven that will be delivered by his wife.

Col. Hall puts Sgt. Bilko in charge of selling tickets to the lecture. He threatens to revoke Bilko's furlough if the room isn't full. Bilko is at a loss until he discovers a way to turn it into a gambling opportunity. He packs the room with GIs who are very eager to get in on the gambling pool.

Knights of Sidonia 1.11

Collision

Gauna 542, the enormous mass which is 8000 times the size of Sidonia, is headed straight for Sidonia. Yuhata, receives permission and has Sidonia change course but the Gauna changes course too and is once again on course to collide with Sidonia. Yuhata orders the preparation of an interplanetary missile to be used against the giant Gauna. She also orders all the Gardes to be equipped with the new weapons that Nagate tested out last episode. Everyone scrambles as they only have a matter of hours before the giant mass will be upon them.

Mr. Inbetween 2.11

There Rust, and Let Me Die

Ray and Dave drive to the spot that Alex described. They let him out of the trunk but keep him cuffed. Ray digs while Dave keeps an eye on Alex, from a distance. Ray finds something but Alex takes that moment to take off running into the night. Gary shows up. They look for Alex but don't find him.

Ray and Brittany bury Ray's dog in the park where he was killed. Brittany spends some time with Bruce. They read from and re-enact a scene from Romeo and Juliet. He starts crying when it is time for her to leave. She doesn't understand why. He doesn't offer an explanation.

Justice League 2.06.B

A Better World - Part 2

Justice Lord Batman has stayed behind to keep an eye on the prisoners, the Justice League. He says enough for Justice League Batman to figure out that the Justice Lord Flash is dead. Justice League Flash tries to escape but the restraints seem to inhibit his powers. He winds up using a trick to convince Justice Lord Batman that he is dead or near death. Justice Lord Batman releases one of his arms which is all the Flash needs.

#blackAF 1.03

still... because of slavery

Joya feels like she is has done a poor job with Izzy, after she catches her recording a dance video with some of her friends. Kenya questions the job he has done raising his sons after he discovers that they haven't taken a shower in over three days. This all happens as Kenya is preparing for the family's Juneteenth celebration and trying to convince Joya that the piece of art he bought recently is worth it.

Thoughts

Drea is still shooting her video about her family but she doesn't figure quite as prominently as she did in the previous two episodes.

Fargo 4.07

Lay Away

Nurse Mayflower makes cookies for Doctor Harvard. She entices him to try one. It is of course poisoned. A minute after he eats it he falls on the floor and starts convulsing. She takes that moment to look at the anonymous letter he received, before she calls for help.

1990 Duke at NC State Men's Basketball

Reynolds Coliseum

Raleigh, NC

February 21, 1990

Duke Blue Devils at North Carolina State Wolfpack

Duke came into this game with a record of 22-4 (9-2 ACC) and ranked 3rd nationally. Their only conference losses were at North Carolina and at Virginia. The Blue Devils were on a four game winning streak at the time.

NC State came into this game with a record of 17-8 (5-5 ACC). Their five conference losses were to Georgia Tech (twice), at Duke, at Clemson, and at home to North Carolina. Their five conference wins were against at home against Clemson, Maryland, Virginia, and at Wake Forest and at North Carolina. They had played 6 games against nationally ranked opponents and lost 4 of them, which included losses to Georgia Tech (twice) and at Duke.

Doctor Who (1963) 12.03.02

The Sortaran Experiment - Part 2

There are lots of twists and turns to this part of the story as there was with the first. The Doctor escapes from the crevasse. Styre, the Sontaran, experiments on Sarah by making her see frightening things that aren't really there. The Doctor finds Sarah after she has passed out. Harry catches up to the Doctor and Sarah. Both are unconscious. Harry goes looking for the alien.

The robot catches Vurral and the other humans and takes them to Styre. Harry almost attacks Styre but the Doctor catches him before it is too late. The Doctor has a plan. He challenges Styre to a duel. Styre can't refuse. Sarah, who has since recovered, and Harry rescue Vurral and the others while the Doctor and Styre fight. Harry also follows the Doctor's orders and sabotages Styre's spaceship.

Doctor Who (1963) 12.03.01

The Sontaran Experiment - Part 1

The Doctor, Sarah, and Harry arrive on Earth by transmat beam. There are no signs of civilization. Sarah and Harry go for a walk. The Doctor stays at the site where they materialized and works on the receptors which seem a bit scrambled.

Sarah thinks she hears something after they have gone a ways but Harry thinks she's imagining things. Harry steps into a trap and falls into a crevasse. He can't climb out. Sarah goes to find the Doctor but he has disappeared.

While Sarah and Harry are gone the doctor hears a noise. He sees a human in a space suit running from a robot. The human falls off a cliff. The Doctor arrives at the body just before the dead man's friends do. They shoot the Doctor which knocks him out and take him back to their camp.

Knights of Sidonia 1.10

Decisions

Nagate, Yuhata, and Izana visit the Gravity Inn which is in a remote area of Sidonia. It was Yuhata's idea. She brings along a book, Strange Tales of Sidonia. One of the legends has to do with Ochiai. His abandoned laboratory is near the inn and Yuhata used her clearance to obtain the key to the tunnels that lead to the lab.

Numi continues to keep an eye on the Ena that looks like Hoshijiro. She reports back to Yure Shinatose, her boss, about her discovery that the Ena is entranced by the Kabizashi.

Mr. Inbetween 2.10

Nice Face

Bruce's condition is getting worse. He wakes up and he's made a mess in the bed. He goes to take a shower. Ray sees the condition his brother is in. He reassures Bruce that it's ok.

Ray apologizes to Brittany for scaring her. He brings her over to his place to visit. She plays Jenga with Bruce and her grandfather, whom she has never me before. She doesn't know what to make of him. Everything seems okay until Ray discovers that his father is there. He sends Brittany into the house.

Ray goes to see Freddy who fires him. The events at his daughter's in-laws (last episode) was just a little too much for Freddy. He has to draw the line somewhere.

Justice League 2.06.A

A Better World - Part 1

Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman fight their way into the White House. Superman heads for the Oval Office while his teammates are stuck dealing with the guards. Superman confronts President Luthor who threatens to press the button if Superman doesn't back off. He taunts Superman until the Man of Steel can't take it and turns his heat vision on the President of the United States. Batman and Wonder Woman make it the Oval Office and stare aghast at the sight before them.

#blackAF 1.02

because of slavery too

Kenya and Joya go to a concert. They do some molly before they go to the concert. They are the oldest people there. They run into their daughter Chloe at the concert. Drea is there filming it all on her phone. Kenya is the one who spots Chloe at the party amd confronts her. Joya is too busy partying and she's the one who got Chloe and her friend tickets to the show.

Thoughts

I think I thought I understood what to expect from this show but I don't. I feel like there are references that are just going over my head. Some things go by so fast that I don't know what happened. I'm having a hard time getting a grip on it. I think the way it is shot and the number of characters has something to do with that. 

Fargo 4.06

Camp Elegance

Ethelrida comes home and finds her parents waiting for her with a birthday cake. This scene felt very creepy, almost like a dream. Something was wrong but the scene doesn't last very long.

The Phil Silvers Show 1.12

The Singing Contest

Sgt. Bilko convinces the platoon that they should enter a singing contest. It is freezing at Fort Baxter, where they are stationed, and first prize is a trip to the Miami, FL. They practice singing but they aren't very good. Bilko bets the platoon's welfare fund against his platoon but then they discover that there's a new soldier in the platoon who has a beautiful voice. Bilko is in a bit of a bind and does what he can to make them lose without telling them that he bet against them.

Built for War (2006)

directed by Steve Broster

This is a DVD Extra that comes on Doctor Who: The Sontaran Experiment DVD. It is a documentary short (39 minutes) about the history of the Sontarans on Doctor Who (1963-1989). The framing device is the investigation of a Sontaran named Gron into what humanity knows about his race.

The Sontarans first appeared in The Time Warrior (1973) which was written by Robert Holmes. Linx, the Sontaran in that story, was played by Kevin Lindsay. The Sontarans returned in The Sontaran Experiment (1975), written by Bob Baker and Dave Martin, as did Kevin Lindsay although this time he played a Sontaran named Styre.

1990 NC State at Georgia Tech Men's Basketball

Alexander Memorial Colliseum

Atlanta, GA

Jan 13, 1990

North Carolina Wolfpack at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Both teams got off to good starts but had only just started playing against other schools in the Atlantic Coast Conference. North Carolina State was 12-2 (1-0 ACC) and was ranked 17th nationally. They had been ranked since the beginning of the season and they had two wins against ranked teams: 18th ranked Pittsburgh and 15th ranked St. John's. Georgia Tech was 10-1 (1-1 ACC) and was ranked 9th nationally. Georgia Tech was still rising. It had one win against ranked opponents: 18th ranked Pittsburgh. Tech's only loss was to Duke that was ranked 10th nationally at the time. The two teams played Pittsburgh within days of one another. Georgia Tech's game was part of that year's ACC-Big East Challenge but NC State's was not.

Gong Shou Dao (2017)

starring Jack Ma

directed by Zhang Wen

length: 23 minutes

This martial arts short film features Chinese businessman Jack Ma fighting various martial arts legends including Donnie Yen and Jet Li. The film is a series of fights without much in the way of plot. The fight choreographers include Yuen Woo Ping and Sammo Hung.

Jack Ma is not a martial arts master.

The movie was released on Singles Day (Nov 11) in 2017.

Knights of Sidonia 1.09

Empathy

The episode opens with a look back 100 years. Yure Shinatose is explaining the council's plan to grow the population of Sidonia in 6 generations to half a million. New children will acquire most of their nutrition through photosynthesis.

Yure calls her Izana, her grandchild, in the present. She hasn't seen Izana much. Izana promises to visit when she gets a chance but doesn't stay on the phone very long. She accompanies Tanikaze to the Extraterrestrial Research Division. He has been summoned by Numi, one of the member of the ERD, because the Ena he brought back in the last episode has been saying his name.

The Last Dance 1.04

Episode IV

Dennis Rodaman does not return on time from his trip to Las Vegas. Michael Jordan has to go get him but when Rodman gets back he is ready to train, eager to play.

Phil Jackson came from Montana. He played professionally for the New York Knicks. He started his coaching career in Puerto Rico. The next stop in his coaching career was the Continental Basketball Association where his team won the championship in 1984. He was hired by the Bulls as an assistant coach when Doug Collins was the head coach. He worked closely with assistant coach Tex Winter. Collins didn't think much of Winter's coaching philosophy. Collins preferred to make Jordan the focus of the team's offensive game, Winter preferred to distribute the offense. Collins was fired in 1989 after the playoffs and Jackson was promoted to head coach.

Mr. Inbetween 2.09

Socks Are Important

Ray takes Brittany and Maddy, Dirk's daughter, to see a movie. They go to a store after the movie. Ray is looking at socks. Brittany and Maddy walk over to look at some bikes after getting permission from Ray. Brittany is still near the bikes after a few minutes but Maddy is gone. Brittany doesn't know where she went.

Ray and Brittany look around a bit but can't find her. They get some help from one of the store's employees but they still can't find Maddy. They go to the security office and take a look at the security footage. They see the man who took her on the tape but his face is obscured.

Justice League 2.05.B

Hearts and Minds - Part 2

The Resistance, including John Stewart and Katma, are under attack from the Legion of the Third Eye. John's ring stops working. He grabs a gun and continues to fight on but the Resistance is badly outnumbered and forced to fall back. Things go from bad to worse until John's teammates (Flash, Shayera, J'onn) and Kilowog show up.

#blackAF 1.01

because of slavery

Drea, one of Kenya and Joya's daughters, is making a documentary. It is part of her application to film school. The documentary is about the family and catches all sorts of stuff on film. There's a little bit about each of her siblings but the biggest spotlight is on her parents. 

Joya is a lawyer who is currently a stay at home mom. Her father is a writer. They live a pretty comfortable life but Kenya is starting to question some of his choices in terms of how he presents himself.

In a Lonely Place (1950)

starring Humphrey Bogart, Gloria Grahame

directed by Nicholas Ray

Laurel Gray (Grahame), an actress, falls for Dixon Steele (Bogart), her neighbor. The police question him after a woman he took home with him turns up dead. She winds up being his alibi. He has a history of having a violent temper and has been arrested before. Her feelings for him become conflicted when his behavior makes her afraid of him. Her fear makes him angry. In the end it turns out that he didn't kill the dead woman but his behavior and her fear of him makes it impossible for them to return to the way things were before.

District B13 (2004)

See my previous post about District B13 for the description. I just finished watching it for the second time. I forgot how short it was. It's fun but it feels a bit light. It could have used some more acrobatics and fight scenes. The escape sequences were my favorite parts of the movie.

Justice League 2.05.A

Hearts and Minds - Part 1

Four members of the Green Lantern Corps (Katma, Killowog, Galius, Arkkis) are on what they think is a simple extraction mission when they are overwhelmed by forces far stronger than them. Killowog is the only one to escape.

The Last Dance 1.03

Episode III

Dennis Rodman talks about his life growing up, his college basketball career, and his early NBA career when he was with the Detriot Pistons.

1986 - Doug Collins becomes the new head coach of the Bulls. He gets along very well with Jordan.

Captain Harlock (1978) 1.04

Under the Flag of Freedom

Tadashi leaves the Arcadia. Kei gives him a device with which he can signal Captain Harlock in case he decides that he wants to join them again. Tadashi goes to his parents grave. There he meets Professor Kusko who has deciphered the symbols on the giant black sphere. The professor explains it all to the Earth's government. He tells them that the Mazone are there to conquer the Earth but the ministers of the government don't listen to him.

Mr. Inbetween 2.08

See You in Your Dreams

Ray talks to Brittany's class about his job. He tells them that he's in security. The kids ask some probing questions but when they get too close to the truth Ray starts joking around.

Ray has another meeting with Kate, the writer. She asks him about how he feels about killing people and how it differs from killing people when he was in the army. He doesn't see it as being any different or at least that's what he tells her. He claims he doesn't feel anything.

Freddy tells Ray that Dirk got into a fight with one of the other bouncers. Freddy hired him on Ray's recommendation. The other bouncer had to go to the emergency room. Freddy is pissed and tells Ray that he's going to fire Dirk. Ray goes around to Dirk's apartment and delivers the bad news.