Don't Cry For Me Venezuela!

A couple of weeks ago, Donald Trump addressed the nation in prime time.  

A president making a prime time speech is usually a big deal and my wife Andrea immediately went into panic mode.

"He's going to declare war on Venezuela!"

I deduced he was going to just do his usual angry delusional rant about how great he is and how everyone else who is not him sucks.

And I was right.

This past Saturday morning, der Führer declared he would speak to the nation.

No, not to announce he's going to declare war on Venezuela.

No, he already done did that.

In the wee early hours of Saturday morning, the United States hurled a few missiles and bombs into Caracas, the capital of Venezuela and under cover of the chaos that strike created, kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's largest military complex,
is seen from a distance after a series of explosions
in Caracas on January 3, 2026

Maduro and Flores were spirited out of Venezuela for a rendevous with a jail in Brooklyn NY where they would await what U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi  called “the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”

"The full wrath?" Why does everyone in the Trump administration have to talk like super villain henchmen? 

"Yes, Ming, oh great and merciless one! Flash Gordon will face the full wrath of Mongo justice on Mongo soil in Mongo courts!"

Speaking of Ming the Merciless....

Trump set up a press briefing for Saturday morning and Andrea felt that we should watch it.

Yes, Donald Trump is indeed a goddam motherfucking dementia addled moron but is also regrettably a goddam motherfucking dementia addled moron who is President of the United States and our country just attacked another country and abducted their leader so yeah, maybe we should watch and see if he can explain himself.

I doubted he could.

And I was right.

Bless his shriveled calcified brain, der Führer did try to stay on message for a minute or two. 

Then he devolved into needless boasting.

He cited the strike on Caracas and capturing the president and his wife as one of the greatest military operations since World War II.

Then he compared it to the tactical strike on Iran's nuclear facilities which Trump declared was a complete and total success.

He managed to sneak in an insult at Jimmy Carter. 

Then he thanked the National Guard for cleaning up Washington DC where they have no crime now.

Wait! What? 

Somehow an overnight strike on another country and taking that country's leader became a rambling rant about how crime infested Democrat cities are and Los Angeles was a burning hellpit of crime until he sent the National Guard in, insulting Democrat governors, so forth and so on.

I turned to Andrea and asked, "Why are we listening to this shit?"

So we flipped over to TBS which was running Friends.  The episode was where Monica's parents find out that Monica is Richard Burke's (Tom Selleck) "twinkie in the city".  

I felt more informed as an American citizen from a 30 year old Friends rerun than whatever bullshit Trump was spouting.

Before we turned away, Trump announced the United States will be running Venezeula until they can get a government in that will do what we tell them. 

Trump can't fucking run the United State and he wants to add Venezeula to his not-to-do list?

The "What Other People Say" Deparrtment

#1 - There's this channel I follow on TikTok (and on YouTube) called "letsdiscusssomething" where this dude "listens to Trump's speeches so you don't have to".  Here's his take on Saturday morning's rambling presentation.

#2 - There'sExactly what is the beef with Maduro? Click this link for the criminal charges he faces from "the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”

#3 - There'sWhat's the real reason Donald Trump throwing down with Venezuela? Click here for Fred Kaplan's take and yeah, it's all 'bout dat oil! 

#4 - There'sIf you think striking Venezeula will satisfy Li'l Donnie's itchy trigger finger, click this link for what he wants to do next.

In a phone interview with Fox News, Trump warned that “something will have to be done about Mexico".   

This shit's only going to get worse, ain't it? 

Movie Time: Justice League: The New Frontier

 It's Movie Time! 

Today's movie post is about an animated film that was released in 2008 based on the acclaimed graphic novel by writer/artist Darwyn Cooke, DC: The New Frontier.

Based on that book, Justice League: The New Frontier chronicles the gathering of various super heroes and adventurers in 1959 to combat a global supernatural threat. I had an opportunity to watch this movie a few months ago.  

An unknown entity, named "The Centre," is born from the Earth itself and witnesses the evolution and extinction of the dinosaurs, and the rise of humanity.

The Centre does not particularly care for that last bit and decides that humans need to be destroyed.

We meet our various protaganists who will over time come to stand against the Centre's machinations.

United States Air Force pilot Hal Jordan has some serious PTSD from his time in the Korean War. He will go on to become Green Lantern.

Kyle "Ace" Morgan, Hal's wingman from Korea, will become one of the Challengers of the Unknown.

J'onn J'onzz, the erstwhile Martian Manhunter, is stranded on Earth from a science experiment gone wrong and lives among humans as Gotham City Police Detective John Jones.

Slam Bradley is an ace detective and Jones' partner on the Gotham City police force, unaware of his partner's alien origins.

One person who has deduced Jones' true nature is Gotham City's masked vigilante, Batman. 

Police scientist Barry Allen employs his super speed as The Flash to fight crime and help people. And avoid the sinisters machinations of a paranoid U.S. government that doesn't trust this new masked super hero running around. 

Rick Flag is a dedicated soldier and loyal American heading up a secret mission to travel to Mars.

King Farrady is an American spy serving a secret and maybe sinister agenda.  

Wonder Woman is on Paradise Island, ostracized from the outside world she refuses to capitulate to with man's rigid ideas about law and justice. 

Superman is still around and doing his thing because he is prepared to suck up to the U.S. government.

All these characters and more intersect with the Centre's growing manipulation of minds, creating doomsday cults and influencing people in positions of authority.

The Centre physically manifests itself as a flying, living island protected by mutant dinosaurs, attacking Paradise Island where a mortally wounded Wonder Woman barely escapes in her invisible jet to warn the human race.

Then the Centre turns it's deadly attention to attacking Cape Canaveral. 

The Flash, Green Arrow, Adam Strange, the Challengers of the Unknown, and the Blackhawks join forces to defend the Cape after Superman is apparently killed by the monster. 

Hal Jordan (Green Lantern), Martian Manhunter and King Faraday arrive to join the fray as a complex plan is formed to defeat the Centre.  It will involve the require the powers and skills as well as cooperation of everyone.  

It is an epic battle fraught with risks and dangers but (HUZZAH! and, uh, SPOILERS!) our accumulated good guys save the day.

And then after all the work is done, Aquaman shows up. Really, dude? Where were you when shit was going down? Oh, but he has brought Superman back so, never mind, good going Ocean Man! 

In the aftermath of the Centre's defeat, The Flash, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Superman and Batman decide to form the Justice League. 

And we get a flash forward to the coming new age of heroes with an inspiring speech from John F. Kennedy.  

The "It's That Person Who Was In That Thing" Department

This movie has quite an impressive voice cast  

Batman was Jeremy Sisto from Law & Order & FBI.

Green Lantern was David Boreanaz  from Bones.

As the Flash, we get THE Neil Patrick Harris  

Wonder Woman  was Lucy Lawless from Xena Warror Princess and My Life Is Murder.  

Superman was voiced by Kyle MacLachlan from Twin Peaks and Fallout.  

Kyra Sedgwick was Lois Lane and Brooke Shields was Carol Ferris.

And playing himself,  John F. Kennedy (via an archival recording.)

Justice League: The New Frontier is based on one of my all time favorite comics, DC: The New Frontier  written and drawn by Darwyn Cooke and published by DC Comics in 2004. 

The book was a financial and a critical success, winning a bunch of industry awards. 

Sadly, Darwyn Cooke passed away in 2016 but DC: The New Frontier  stands as testament to his talent and creativity as well as the lasting impact of his legacy.   

And Justice League: The New Frontier is a strong reflection of Cooke's masterwork. The animation evokes Cooke's art style and retains the power of his story.  DC animation pros writer Stan Berkowitz and producer Bruce Timm have a steady grasp on bringing Cooke's work to life on screen.

Movie Time: Grand Hotel

Hello there! 

It's Movie Time!

It's the first movie post for a NEW YEAR so naturally, we're gonna start with an OLD MOVIE! 

We're going back to 1932 for a pre-Code drama called Grand Hotel.

The film opens with Doctor Otternschlag, a disfigured veteran of World War I and a permanent resident of the Grand Hotel in Berlin. Hanging out in the lobby, he observes "People coming, going. Nothing ever happens."

Well, he better be wrong because that won't make much of a movie.

And he is wrong.

What follows is a tangled web of deceipt, seduction, theft.... and murder!

The current residents of the Grand Hotel include a mishmash of humanity.

Baron Felix von Gaigern is the scion of a wealthy family that is no longer wealthy after the Baron spent it all but appearances must be maintained. He pads his wallet via card games and occassionally as a jewel thief.

Otto Kringelein is an accountant who is living the life in luxury at the Grand Hotel. He has a terminal illness and he can't take his savings account with him.

General Director Preysing is a rich industrialist who is at the hotel to close an important deal to make himself richer. Here's a coinkidink: Preysing is Kringelein's former employer.  

Flaemmchen is a local girl looking to make good as an actress but takes temporary work as a stenographer for Preysing. She's done some modeling work and shows Preysing the magazine covers she has appeared on. Preysing likes what he sees.  

Grusinskaya rounds out our cast, a prima donna Russian ballerina whose career has reached it's peak.  She has returned from a performance at the theater, paxcing her room and talking to herself. Overwhelmed by sadness and anxiety, she contemplates taking her own life.

But Grusinskaya is not alone. Prior to her arrival, the Baron had snuck into her room to steal some jewelry. While hiding, he overhears her speaking of suicide so he reveals himself to intervene and save her life.

Grusinskaya and the Baron while away the hours in deep conversation as their affection for each other takes root and they fall in love.  They spend the night together.

(Yes, this is pre-Code but you're gonna have to use your imagination if they had sex or just cuddled.) 

The next morning, the Baron returns the stolen jewels and Grusinskaya invites him to accompany her on her tour to Vienna. An invitation he accepts. 

But....

Baron Felix von Gaigern still needs money as he is deep in debt to a gang of criminals.  With Grusinskaya's jewels off the table, he needs another source of cash.

So the Baron's path crosses with Otto Kringelein who is pretty damn proficient at card games. The Baron and Kringelein start up a card game, hustle some suckers into the game and collect a lot of money.  The Baron plans to keep ALL the card game winnings and also steal Kringelein's own stash to clear up his debt with the bad guys. But Kringelein is such a sad sack what with his upcoming death and everything, the Baron lets him keep the money.  

But....

Baron Felix von Gaigern still needs money which brings him to poking around Preysing's room for valuables. Preysing catches the Baron, they get into a fight where Preysing bludgeons the Baron with a telephone and....

Wait! This can't be right!

Preysing kills the Baron?

Well, fuck! I liked that guy! 

(The Baron, I mean. Preysing's a prick!) 

Flaemmchen saw all this shit go down and tells Kringelei who calls the police and Preysing is arrested for murder.  

Grusinskaya departs for Vienna, expecting the Baron to accompany her.

Oh dear, who is going to break it to our forlorn ballerina?

Kringelein offers to take care of Flaemmchen who in turn suggests they seek a cure for his illness. 

Wait! That was an option? 

As all our guests (save for a very dead Baron) leave the hotel, Doctor Otternschlag is still hanging around and opines "Grand Hotel. Always the same. People come. People go. Nothing ever happens."

What the hell. We got a troll review-bombing a movie from within the movie?

Opening night for Grand Hotel
in New York City, April 1932

Grand Hotel gives us Greta Garbo's iconic "I want to be alone" line. It was a line that resonated with Garbo's real life obsession to avoid the public scrutiny that comes with fame.  

Prior to Grand Hotel, Greta Garbo had become quite famous as a movie star in silent films.  

With her striking Nordic beauty, the Swedish born actress captivated movie going audiences.  But when the movies turned to sound, would she survive the transition?

The answer was yes as her Swedish tinged accent was as enticingly exotic as her lovely face.

Garbo's first sound motion picture was Anna Christie (1930) which the film studio promoted with the catchphrase "Garbo talks!".  It was the highest-grossing film of the year.

Greta Garbo wasn't the only big star in Grand Hotel. It was MGM chief Irving Thalberg who wanted to stack the deck with a whole bunch of MGM's biggest stars. It was a risk to put so much star power into one movie. What if that sucker bombed? But thankfully Thalberg's gamble paid off and Grand Hotel was a big success and influenced casting decisions for other movies going forward.   

The cast list for the stars of Grand Hotel

• Greta Garbo as Grusinskaya, the dancer
• John Barrymore as Baron Felix von Gaigern
• Joan Crawford as Flaemmchen, the stenographer
• Wallace Beery as General Director Preysing
• Lionel Barrymore as Otto Kringelein
• Lewis Stone as Dr. Otternschlag

Grand Hotel was also influential with it's multiple intersecting storylines featuring different characters. 

The success of Grand Hotel is considered instrumental in helping MGM survive the ravages of the Great Depression.   

In 2007, Grand Hotel was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Grand Hotel is a classic film that lives up it's reputation as a deeply engaging movie with strong production and powerful performances from a legendary cast.

Now, if you don't mind....

"I want to be alone."

Why Bless Your Heart: It's Your Friday Video Link

Emma Banes is the star of today's Your Friday Video Link.

Emma posts videos offering the perspective of a very Southern woman on various perspectives on life 'n' stuff.

Your Friday Video Link#1 is Emma giving us her New Year's Resolutions. 

In Your Friday Video Link#2, Emma addresses Small Town Gossip for women in the South.

Your Friday Video Link#3 offer Emma's Southern approach to when men get sick and her total lack of chill for his drama.

Your Friday Video Link#4 is a woman living her life and trying to get shit done while Emma offers her Southern fried narration.

Well, bless your heart, I do hope you enjoyed that.

Emma Banes can be found on TikTok @ezsnb and Instagram @ezsnb as well as You Tube @ezsnbofficial

We're back with Movie Time tomorrow.

Remember to be good to one another.  

Is 2026 Really a New Year?

Today is January 1st, 2026, New Year's Day!

Huzzah? 😕

As I look down from this pinnacle of a new day looking into a new year, I can't help feeling a sense of dread.

That everything we endured in 2025 is just an awful prologue for something even worse.

Will 2026 be 2025: Part 2: Electric Boogaloo?

I don't want to be cynical. I would like to be a more positive person.

Yes, I do believe the glass is not half empty but half full.

But I also believe the water is poisoned. 

So I am very cautious, peeking out to tentatively assess the temporal terrain of the year to come.  

Yeah, I don't like the looks of it out there.

But I guess we gotta try.

Happy New Year.... I guess?  

Remember to be good to one another.