AI-designed lung drug accidentally makes people younger??

 What won’t they think of next?

Christopher Nolan’s The ‘Odyssey’

Big! Spectacular! Overpowering! Loud! It’s all that and more. Mostly, though, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey (that’s how I’ll always think of it) is about humans warring with other humans, fighting off monsters, or battling the elements. At its best—when it’s not big, spectacular, overpowering, and loud—it’s just about humans, with some royal succession drama thrown in. 

My un-director’s cut would take the first 30 or so minutes to establish what the story is about, edit the intervening 90 minutes to a montage of action highlights, and resume with Odysseus on Calypso’s island. After he comes to, from seven years on Calypso's lotus flower diet, he returns to Ithaca and cleans up the palace. I’d also edit the battle with the suitors, which goes on much too long and is nearly impossible to follow, and cut the remembered sack of Troy, which also goes on too long. They’d be fine as "deleted scenes" on the 4K UHD.

All the actors do great work, and thank goodness for IMDB so we can find out who they were, because the credits go by too quickly to read. To highlight just three I didn’t recognize, John Leguizamo was Eumæus, the loyal servant and teacher of Telemachus (Tom Holland); Bill Irwin was the cyclops, CGI-enhanced, presumably; and Samantha Morton was Circe.

One-half star is subtracted for excessive length, and another half-star for extreme violence, though there is surprisingly little blood and gore for all the stabbings, knifings, sword thrusts, arrow hits, and eating of crew members by Polyphemus the Cyclops. Final rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

NOTE: Watching this on a television is seeing at most one-quarter of the movie. My advice is, don't even bother. See it in a theater or skip it.

‘Phantom of the Paradise’ (Brian De Palma, 1974)

Brian De Palma has a cinematic vision and like it or not it’s on full display in Phantom of the Paradise. It’s garish and over-the-top, and too much is never enough, so if that’s not what you’re looking for go watch some Ozu.

Not only is Phantom inspired by The Phantom of the Opera, but it brings in bits of the Faust legend (selling your soul for worldly success) and The Picture of Dorian Gray (there’s a portrait in the attic that looks like hell while Dorian stays fabulous), plus the shower scene from Hitchcock’s Psycho. And that’s not all. Far from it, in fact. To take one more, the stage set for the final musical number is taken from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and the male singers’ whiteface makeup is inspired by Caligari’s somnambulist Cesare.

Put it all together, stir well, and what DePalma serves the audience is a cautionary tale. Richard Leach (William Finley), who is not a leech but is leeched off, trusts one-named music mogul Swan (Paul Williams) to produce his magnum opus, a cantata based on that hoary old archetype the Faust legend. Swan wants it for the opening program of his rock palace, the Paradise (Dallas’ Majestic Theater), and Leach wants his one-named singer-muse Phoenix (Jessica Harper) to be the featured soloist. Swan, being a person without scruples, steals Leach’s music and Leach, being a true artist without any sense, doesn’t call his lawyer or file a protest with ASCAP or BMI to shut the production down. Plausibility is something in short supply here, as one Gothic horror follows the next, culminating in a spectacular and bloody climax that (once again with the homages) recalls Hitchcock’s Albert Hall scene in both versions of The Man Who Knew Too Much.

Phantom of the Paradise has its devotees—Pauline Kael was one—though to an outsider it doesn’t inspire that level of awe. The acting isn’t great, the production is cheesy, the satire of the music business doesn’t land, and music itself is mostly unimpressive. One viewing is enough to get a good idea of what the fuss was and is about.

Amanda's Mild Takes’ ‘Ls of the Week’ for July 10, 2026

Pay no attention to the bozos in front of the curtain. Everything is going according to The Plan!™

Ls of the Week, July 10, 2026

25 47

 

This is a transcript of the president’s remarks at a press conference with Erdogan before the NATO summit in Ankara, taken from the YouTube video.

28 minutes, 33 seconds

That’s what hurt my relationship with NATO. Because Greenland doesn’t help Denmark. Denmark doesn’t spend money to really help Greenland, but it’s an important part for the United States. And it’s surrounded by China ships and Russian ships. And that’s not going to happen. The ships is, it’s not going to happen. It was Greenland that in my, and it continues to be... That should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark. And when they 

28 minutes, 56 seconds

wouldn’t go along with it and with all the money we spend to help them with Russia and we don’t have to spend any money, we could remove all of our soldiers out of Europe. Because as you probably noticed, Europe’s a very different place than it was 20 years ago. A lot different. Much 

29 minutes, 12 seconds

different. It’s a much different, and they better be careful with immigration and energy. If they’re not careful with those two things, you’re not going to have a Europe anymore. 

 

Okay. Thank you very much everybody.

 

The way it’s punctuated it might seem vaguely coherent on first reading. Looking more closely, he jumps from grievance to grievance, doesn’t finish a train of thought, and is practically babbling. Here it is with my annotations:

 

“That’s what hurt my relationship with NATO. Because Denmark doesn’t spend money to really help Greenland… but it’s an important part [He’s looking for a word, can’t think of it, says “part.”] for the United States. And it’s surrounded by China ships [He can’t think of “Chinese,” says “China.”He may be remembering “China virus.”] and Russian ships. And that’s not going to happen. The ships is... [That’s a blatant grammatical mistake, of course.] It’s not going to happen. [He doesn't say what isn’t going to happen. Something to do with the ships? Denmark won’t give up Greenland? We know they won’t but he’s still obsessed with it.] It was Greenland that—in my [He leaves out opinion.], and it continues to be [“my opinion”?]—that should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark. And when they wouldn’t go along with it... [He doesn’t complete this thought and jumps to the grievance about NATO members not spending enough on their defense.] 

And with all the money we spend to help them [He’s forgotten about Denmark and Greenland, and jumped to Europe.] with Russia... And we don’t have to spend any money, we could remove all of our soldiers out of Europe, because as you probably noticed, Europe’s a very different place than it was 20 years ago. A lot different. Much different. It’s a much different... [It seems to be immigration that he’s trying to think of now, not the money. It takes him a couple of tries to complete the thought.] And they better be careful with immigration and energy. If they’re not careful with those two things, you’re not going to have a Europe anymore. Okay. Thank you very much everybody.” 

 

He can’t put two consecutive sentences together to complete a thought. This is someone who, in my nonprofessional opinion as someone who’s taken several cognitive tests, couldn’t pass the simplest cognitive test.

‘L’s For the Week So Far’ for July 7, 2026

 

It’s Tuesday, and that means it’s time for Amanda's Mild Takes’ “Ls for the week so far!” She keeps track of how everything is going according to The Plan™! so we don’t have to.

 
https://youtu.be/6mt9vJTz4hs

Amanda’s Mild Takes’ Ls of the Week, July 3, 2026

Amanda’s Mild Takes brings us the Ls of the week.

 

Remember: Don’t believe your lyin’ eyes. Everything Is Going According to the Plan!™

Amanda’s Mild Takes’ Ls of the Week, July 3, 2026

 

When comes AI Revolution, we will have grocery buddy!

Come the AI revolution, we will all have a grocery buddy. Maybe named “Penny,” maybe not.

What’s that you say, you don’t want a grocery buddy? Comrade, come the AI revolution you will have a grocery buddy, whether you want one or not.

 

 AI Tidbits from the humans at magica.ai. July 3, 2026.