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Stellar cast makes ‘The Holdovers” a winner

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:17:26 GMT

Like a lost novel by J.D. Salinger, “The Holdovers” arrives out of the mists of time. Directed by two-time Academy Award-winner Alexander Payne (“The Descendants”) and written by David Hemingson (TV’s “Black-ish”), the film is set at Barton, a fictional Catholic prep boarding school outside of Boston in 1970, where the students torment one another and the teachers, well, the teachers also torment the students. Chief among these is bearded, goggle-eyed ancient history professor Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti of Payne’s 2004 hit “Sideways”), who wears a sweater vest and corduroy pants and jacket and hands out exam papers sporting a plethora of Ds and Fs with great relish.When one of the many privileged and entitled students objects, pointing out that he won’t get into Cornell with this grade, Hunham offers to let them retake the test after the Christmas/New Year break when most, but not all of the students will be reunited with their families. Angus Tully (the tall, Adam...

Lucas: White males maligned in Biden’s America

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:17:26 GMT

I was shocked when I first read the headline.It said, “Report: Humans Still Putting ‘Untenable Burden’ on White Males.”The headline was over a news story by the usually reliable and respected State House News, so it had to be accurate.But what was the story? A sympathetic understanding of the burdens of being a white man in today’s America?Or simply a headline and story ridiculing white males, something that is common in the woke world we live in?I put my reading glasses on and re-read the headline.To my chagrin, the headline actually read: “Report: Humans Still Putting ‘Untenable Burden’ on Right Whales.”The story told how the Right Whales, once so abundant, were in general decline off the North Atlantic because of human activity, activity that was creating an “untenable burden” on the whale species.The New England Aquarium said the whales were being caught up in fishing gear entanglements and hit in vessel strikes.This does not take into consideration the potential damage to the w...

‘All the Light We Cannot See’ timely tale of fighting darkness

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:17:26 GMT

Among Hollywood’s A list directors, Shawn Levy has triumphed with “Stranger Things” and a lengthy collaboration with Ryan Reynolds which will continue with “Deadpool 3.”This week’s “All the Light We Cannot See” is something different.  Adapted from Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2014 bestseller, “Light,” set in Occupied WWII France, represents the filmmaker’s first dramatic period piece.“This was definitely new ground for me,” Levy, 55, said in a Zoom interview. “I’ve done different kinds of storytelling in film and TV but I always wanted to tell a story that was more straight-ahead drama and, even more juicy, if it could be historically set.“Why this particular story was irresistible to me? It was epic in scale but also had this very emotional intimacy. It’s rare you find a story with both. But that’s what Anthony Doerr’s novel achieved: It felt both huge and also human scale.“As a director, that’s the dream story to tell. Where you can flex so...

Moore: Green energy transition running out of gas

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:17:26 GMT

One of the textbook marketing flops of all time was the Ford Edsel sedan, which was heralded as the hot new car in the late 1950s. All the automotive experts and Ford executives said it was a can’t-miss. Henry Ford (the car was named after his son) guaranteed hundreds of thousands of sales.But one big thing went wrong: Nobody ever bothered to ask car buyers what they thought of the new car. As it turned out, they hated it. So instead of sales of 400,000, Americans bought 10,000, and the model was embarrassingly discontinued.The obvious lesson for the industry: You can’t bribe Americans to buy cars they don’t want. Given the all-in approach to electric vehicles at Ford and General Motors, it’s clear that Detroit never got the message.Last week, Honda and GM announced an end to their two-year collaboration in building a platform for lower-cost EVs. Honda execs said it was too hard.Amazingly, less than 10% of all new car sales over the last two years were EVs. T...

Breakout performances make ‘Radical’ soar

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:17:26 GMT

A “To Sir with Love” for a new generation, Mexican drama “Radical” from writer-director Christopher Zalla (“Blood of My Blood”) features an award-worthy turn by superb lead actor Eugenio Derbez as an idealistic teacher of disadvantaged children and break-out turns by several members of its youthful cast. The film, based on a Wired article, tells the tale of Sergio Juarez Correa (Derbez), a sixth-grade teacher at Jose Urbina Lopez Primary School in Matamoros, Mexico in 2011, where gangs employ and recruit school-age boys. Heavily-armed soldiers maintain checkpoints, and schools are in decline.On his first day at a new post, Sergio runs afoul of the principal whose first name is Chucho (a fine Daniel Haddad), as well as a jaded fellow teacher. Some of Sergio’s students are experiencing “pubertad.” Others look more like children. In spite of her diminutive size, Lupe (a fiery Mia Fernanda Solis) is cook and caregiver at her home, where her mother has just had another baby. Sergio...

Editorial: New House Speaker on to something with debt commission

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:17:26 GMT

Getting the nation’s soaring debt under control should be a national priority. But many special-interest groups don’t agree.Last week, newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson told his colleagues that he would soon hold a vote on forming a bipartisan commission to study the nation’s fiscal trajectory.“The greatest threat to our national security is our nation’s debt,” he said. “We know this is not going to be an easy task, and tough decisions will have to be made. But the consequences if we don’t act now are unbearable. We have a duty to the American people to explain this to them so they understand it well. And we’re going to establish a bipartisan debt commission to begin working on this crisis immediately.”The speaker’s comments exude common sense. The deficit this past fiscal year hit $2 trillion. The debt has soared past $33.7 trillion. The interest payments on the debt now exceed defense spending and will continue to crowd out other priorities. Simply borrowing more money to f...

Dear Abby: She wants to outlaw in-laws for holidays

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:17:26 GMT

Dear Abby: My daughter’s in-laws have no place to go on holidays. They have two children, but haven’t spoken to one of them in several years, so my son-in-law is their only family close by.I enjoy entertaining and having family over, but I really don’t care for their company. It’s a different vibe when they’re here because her father-in-law, “Sam,” and my husband drink too much and talk politics (both activities I avoid). They know how I feel, but make comments behind my back, thinking I don’t hear them.My husband loves their company and goes out often with my son-in-law and Sam. My daughter understands how I feel. She doesn’t like to cook or entertain, but will host a holiday once in a while. However, it doesn’t solve the problem, because I end up doing a lot of the work and I miss not entertaining in my own home. Please advise. — Catch-22 in New YorkDear Catch-22: I’m not sure why you feel it’s your resp...

University of San Diego launches Master's program in restorative justice

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:17:26 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A new Master's program is coming to the University of San Diego that will be the first of its kind in California.A graduate program in restorative justice -- called the Master of Arts Restorative Justice Facilitation and Leadership -- is set to be launched within the university's School of Leadership and Education Sciences in the fall 2024 semester.The 17-month program will be one of only four that center the alternative criminal justice approach across the U.S. Southwestern College raises Filipino flag As opposed to the traditional punitive approach, restorative justice uses a collaborative method to address harmful incidents, seeking to examine its impact and then determine what can be done to repair it while also holding the person who caused it accountable for their actions."Restorative justice is a much needed approach to harm and conflict in our highly divided society," said Dr. David Karp, director of the USD Center for Restorative Justice in the School of Lead...

St. Paul Academy advances to state championship; beats Holy Family in overtime

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:17:26 GMT

The St. Paul Academy and Summit Spartans defeated the Holy Family Catholic Fire 2-1 in overtime in the Class A boys state soccer tournament semifinals Wednesday night.The first 40 minutes were mostly a battle of defenses, with only two goals total being scored between the two teams in regulation. The only goal of the half came from St. Paul Academy’s Liam Sullivan in the 24th minute to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead, which they carried into halftime.The second half had a lot of the same defense-focused strategies from both teams. Holy Family tied the game at one apiece with a goal from senior Jas Czeneszew in the 53rd minute. Both teams’ defenses remained strong for the rest of the half, with the game staying tied at one for the remainder of regulation.Knotted at one, the two teams entered sudden death in the overtime periods. With one minute left to play in the first overtime period, the fate-sealing goal was scored by St. Paul junior Ethan Peltier in the 89th minute, giving the Spar...

Ivan Prosvetov stars in first Avalanche start, helps halt brief losing streak

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:17:26 GMT

One of the biggest question marks for the Colorado Avalanche when the 2023-24 season began: Could the club find someone to help out Alexandar Georgiev in net?It took a while for him to get his chance, but Ivan Prosvetov’s first impression was certainly a strong one. Prosvetov stopped 27 shots in a 4-1 win Wednesday night against the St. Louis Blues to help the Avs end a two-game losing streak.Georgiev started the first eight games of the season, but coach Jared Bednar said it might be time to give him a breather Tuesday, and then tabbed Prosvetov as the starter the following day. This wasn’t a particularly sharp performance from the rest of the Avs, particularly for stretches in the first two periods, but Prosvetov looked locked in for a guy who had a little more than eight minutes of action this season.“I knew my job coming in here,” Prosvetov said. “They told me I have to be patient, and I was. I was in the backup spot last year, so I know how to take...