Movies Watched -- Owning Mahowny (2003)

Added on by C. Maoxian.

105 minute running time … the story of a bank manager from Toronto who had a gambling problem and embezzled from the bank to cover his debts … until he got caught. Philip Seymour Hoffman is pretty good and Mini Driver is definitely cute … it wasn’t good enough for me to recommend, though John Farr did. John Hurt plays a good sleazy casino man; his best role of course was in The Elephant Man.

I promise.

Social Determinants of Health Screening

Added on by C. Maoxian.

Why was I asked these questions before an upcoming appointment with my doctor? Can anyone explain to me?

  • Within the past 12 months, you worried that your food would run out before you got the money to buy more.

  • Within the past 12 months, the food you bought just didn’t last and you didn’t have money to get more.

  • In the past 12 months, has lack of transportation kept you from medical appointments or from getting medications?

  • In the past 12 months, has lack of transportation kept you from meetings, work, or from getting things needed for daily living?

  • In the last 12 months, was there a time when you were not able to pay the mortgage or rent on time?

  • In the last 12 months, how many places have you lived?

  • In the last 12 months, was there a time when you did not have a steady place to sleep or slept in a shelter (including now)?

“For more immediate support related to food, housing, transportation and other social services, call 2-1-1.”

I had no idea this existed, but I do pay 38% of my income to the tax man….

Movies Watched -- XXY (2007)

Added on by C. Maoxian.

In Spanish. 86 minute running time. The story of a girl was was born with BOTH female and male sex organs, which must be like a one in a billion thing … further muddies the gender confusion/dysphoria debates that now abound … Director Lucia Puenzo is an Argentinian nepo-baby (her dad is Luis Puenzo) … I wasn’t too thrilled with this … there was a brief “Boy’s Don’t Cry” scene which was much milder than BDC — that one scarred me for life. This was NOT a John Farr recommendation and I have no idea why it was in my queue. You can give it a miss for sure.

I’ll show you mine if you show me yours … hold up! wait a minute! somethin’ ain’t right!

Movies Watched -- In a Better World (2010)

Added on by C. Maoxian.

In Danish. 118 minute running time so at least 20 minutes too long. I got this in part because John Farr recommended it, but mainly because I was so blown away by Trine Dyrholm’s performance in Troubled Water that I wanted to see more of her acting (and her great tits). It also starred Kai Proctor (from Banshee), whom I’ve always liked. Anyway, the story was sort of contrived, I wasn’t too thrilled with it … it’s not bad, in the old days I’d give it a “yellow” consider seeing it rating. But it ain’t a green-go for sure. Yes, “the ethics of nonviolence in the face of sociopathic evil and rage” is interesting, but this was made by a woman…. it won the Oscar for best foreign film in 2010.

You killed him you psychopathic monster…

Movies Watched -- Rapt (2009)

Added on by C. Maoxian.

In French. 125 minute running time so at least 30 minutes too long. Kidnapping movie. I wasn’t thrilled with this. Boring and you kind of wanted the kidnappers to kill this guy. I did laugh when the cops would open ransom envelopes with their bare hands and run to drop box locations in train stations. Pointless in the end. No idea why John Farr recommended it. I certainly don’t.

Vie difficile

Categories of College Selectivity, By State

Added on by C. Maoxian.

I found this nice list of college selectivity and thought I’d re-present it by state. You should NOT consider attending any college below these top two tiers, unless it is your state university and cheap. There are fewer than 100 “selective” colleges in the entire United States.

First Tier:

California:

  • California Institute of Technology

  • Claremont McKenna College

  • Harvey Mudd College

  • Pomona College

  • Stanford University

  • University of Southern California

Connecticut:

  • Yale University

Illinois:

  • Northwestern University

  • University of Chicago

Maine:

  • Bowdoin College

  • Colby College

Maryland:

  • Johns Hopkins University

Massachusetts:

  • Amherst College

  • Harvard University

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  • Tufts University

  • Williams College

Minnesota:

  • Carleton College

Missouri:

  • Washington University

New Hampshire:

  • Dartmouth College

New Jersey:

  • Princeton University

New York:

  • Barnard College (womens’ college)

  • Columbia University

  • Cornell University

North Carolina:

  • Duke University

Pennsylvania:

  • Swarthmore College

  • University of Pennsylvania

Rhode Island:

  • Brown University

Tennessee:

  • Vanderbilt University

Texas:

  • Rice University

Washington, DC:

  • Georgetown University

Second Tier:

California:

  • Scripps College (womens’ college)

  • University of California, Berkeley

  • University of California, Los Angeles

Colorado:

  • Colorado College

Connecticut:

  • Trinity College

  • Wesleyan University

Florida:

  • University of Miami

Georgia:

  • Emory University

  • Georgia Institute of Technology

Indiana:

  • University of Notre Dame

Iowa:

  • Grinnell College

Louisiana:

  • Tulane University

Maine:

  • Bates College

Massachusetts:

  • Boston College

  • Boston University

  • Brandeis University

  • Northeastern University

  • Smith College (womens’ college)

  • Wellesley College (womens’ college)

Michigan:

  • University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

New York:

  • Colgate University

  • Cooper Union

  • Hamilton College

  • New York University

  • University of Rochester

  • Vassar College

North Carolina:

  • Davidson College

  • Wake Forest University

Ohio:

  • Case Western Reserve University

Oregon:

  • Reed College

Pennsylvania:

  • Bucknell University

  • Carnegie Mellon University

  • Haverford College

  • Lehigh University

  • Villanova University

Texas:

  • Trinity University

Vermont:

  • Middlebury College

Virginia:

  • University of Richmond

  • University of Virginia

  • Washington and Lee University

Movies Watched -- Monsieur Lazhar (2011)

Added on by C. Maoxian.

In French. 94 minute running time. A movie about tragic death and grief and guilt and troubled children and lonely adults and public school politics and the French language and refugees and bureaucrats, etc… definitely wouldn’t fly in Murka, but I really liked this (yes, a green-go). I probably saw it a decade ago and just re-watched it and still liked it (a little heavy-handed in parts, but that’s ok). Bring your tissues.

Menteur!