Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Very cool application of physics

- Covid-19 drugmakers pressured Twitter to censor activists 

- Walter Matthau was the best!

- Heh Heh

Worricker Trilogy

Thanksgiving is a time for reflection, over-eating and also for binge watching. What I ended up binge watching on Amazon Prime was the Worricker Trilogy. I highly recommend this smart "spy thriller". I put "spy thriller" in quotes because it isn't exactly James Bond. In fact in the three movies there was just one murder (by boat oar) and the only time you ever see a gun is if they belong to a guard. Maybe the best way to describe the series is a modern John LeCarre meets Walter Matthau's Hopscotch (another personal favorite).

The three movies Page Eight (2011), Turks & Caicos (2014) and Salting the Battlefield (2014) feature some fantastic acting led by the smooth Bill Nighy in the title role of Johnny Worricker. The supporting cast in the three movies includes Rachel Weisz, Michael Gambon, Ralph Fiennes, Winona Ryder, Christopher Walken, and Helena Bonham Carter. Not too shabby - huh?

The politics of the series is tilted left and if there are any bad guys there's a good chance they are American or support the Americans. However, the writing gives Ralph Fiennes who plays the Prime Minister a chance to express his point of view which leaves even Johnny Worricker questioning what is right and wrong.

If you are looking for something smart to watch that is a little off the beaten path - give the Worricker Trilogy a shot. I recommend it.

Hopscotch

One of the more under-rated comedies of Walter Matthau's career was  Hopscotch from 1980. In the movie Matthau plays an older CIA agent who decides to write his memoirs instead of retiring behind a desk. Excellent dialog which you have to pay attention to or you will miss some gems. For instance when Matthau tells Glenda Jackson's character that he's retiring because Myerson (Ned Beatty) has taken over his division - Jackson asks, "See you next Tuesday Myerson?" This was back in 1980! I'm guessing that little insult made it past the censors on a regular basis because it was coming from such an innocuous person in such an innocuous movie.

As a bonus you have a "young" Sam Waterston as Matthau's protege who has to first replace him then find and stop him.

Worth the time to rent or buy.