After blowing lawn leaves this afternoon (52°), I happened upon the 2013 movie Lone Ranger. I'd seen it before and knew it was bad. I wasn't disappointed, its just as bad years later. I could never figure out if this spoof was intended to be that bad or just was.

 

Have not watched it yet myself, but the +1 says The Man Who Invented Christmas is very good. It's about Charles Dickens.

 

When did in-car cameras begin? Certainly not in the 60s. I don't think it was common until this millennium, but I rarely watch racing on TV.

 

Found with a quick google..."At that 1979 Daytona 500, Benny Parson’s car was the first to carry an in-car camera, which Emmy Award-winning producer Bob Fishman of CBS helped develop. Parson’s car also had one in 1980. The first two years the cameras were stationary. Then in 1981 cars driven by Terry Labonte and Richard Childress were equipped with cameras that could be panned and tilted by remote control."
-History of In-Car Cameras | Sports & Entertaintment Media

 

Thanks Mike.
And Merry Christmas to all.

 

We went a saw "Uncut Gems" yesterday. It had good reviews on IMDB but it was a stinker in my opinion. There was nothing but constant yelling between the actors, plus Adam Sandler's character was someone you hate after a few minutes. Save your money! I wish I had.

 

Bang the Drum Slowly-It's December, the perfect time to watch a baseball movie. Actually, this is more than just a baseball movie. It's about friendship and dedication and all of the good things that can happen when people work together. A nice, heartwarming story. A bit predictable but worth watching. You don't have to know anything about the game to enjoy this movie. 97 minutes well worth spending. Remember it's December and this is the perfect time to think about baseball.

 

We watched Downton Abbey. It had all the same actors and set if you watched the series on PBS like we did. We both thought it was good but not great.

 

I watched it. Liked it but did not love it as much as the +1 did.

 

Finally went to see Rise of Skywalker: It evoked a sense of relief rather than wonder, joy, or satisfaction...relief that I have finally watched the end of the triple trilogy and don't have any more films in the Skywalker story to anticipate or dread.

The movie itself was just ok as an action-adventure-soft Sci Fi flick. It had some nice little tributes to the Star Wars cannon but it also had a ton of plot holes and a few pointless scenes that should have been left on the cutting room floor. It was also very predictable.

Of interest to hard core Star Wars geeks, both active and recovering: I've heard Rise described as a middle finger by director J.J. Abrams to Last Jedi director Rian Johnson, for what Johnson did to the story line established by Abrams' The Force Awakens. It is true that several scenes were deliberate anti-call-backs to specific bits from Last Jedi. I won't go into details as they would constitute spoilers.