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For those of us throwing those AARP offers in the trash with disgust and/or gusto, the fact that Trick is more than 25 years old is a disquieting reality. The movie itself, though, is a treasure that deserves, if not a reappraisal, then at least a revisit.

The 1990s was an interesting decade, sort of a coda between the horrific 1980s of AIDS and Reagan and the subsequent world of September 11 and the internet. In New York, there was a sense of stability, easygoing innocence and discovery. ...

True crime as a genre has reached such a fever pitch that it no longer needs an introduction, it just is. Here in LA, we're bombarded with billboards for the latest "Monsters" installment, all about Ed Gein, who, I gather, was the inspiration for Norman Bates or the Silence of the Lambs or the silence of the leatherface or something. My feeling about this follows the axiom -- roughly -- chop me up once, shame on you, chop me up a hundred and fifty times ... well, you can see where I'm going....

One of those great words with at least two very different meanings. Number one: the goal of everyone on social media -- create a "brand" for yourself and maximize its value. Number two: the imposition of a mark to indicate (usually) something unhappy -- the scarlet letter itself, or in a more cruel intention, the hot end of a poker with the symbol of a ranch John Wayne always seemed eager to impress upon the back end of a cow. In either case, the "brand" is a thing that defines you, and if...

I googled Mick Herron, creator of "Slow Horses" and the new show, "Down Cemetery Road." To my consternation, I discovered we are of the same age -- in fact, we are the same age. It used to be that stories about grizzled, cantankerous characters were created by grizzled, cantankerous writers, people who resembled my grandparents. This recent discovery, coupled with a visit to the mirror, revealed the inevitable: I look like my grandparents. So I guess the world is still, in some ways, in...

A couple of interesting items on cancel culture in the news. The motivating action in "Fulfillment City" is Lydia's "cancellation," and the whole concept is fascinating and disturbing. Wall St. Journal runs sort of a survey of what it is and how it's happened ...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/.../01/cancel-culture-kimmel/

... while Jezebel has a neat story about the new Julia Roberts film, "After the Hunt" vs. Cate Blanchett's "Tar." I have to admit I liked "Tar" and felt it got short-changed...

Having to admit I avoid usually network programming, I was delighted to discover "Elsbeth" on CBS. I knew of but never watched the various Goods -- Fight and Wife -- and didn't realize Elsbeth is a spin-off. But I'm really getting into and enjoying this series about an unusual type of investigator. Carrie Preston is fresh and delightful in the lead, and the roster of guest stars is pretty stunning. I'm just saving up my nerve and pennies to try and add Hulu to my cable service -- I'm told...

Previewing in London and New York, A Private Life stars Jodie Foster as an American psychologist in Paris investigating the death of one of her patients. Not much yet on the film, but advance reviews praise Foster's dry wit and sensibility, as well as her French language. As with any good film about France, the goodies are plentiful: lush interior design, crisp landscapes of Parisian streets and parks, lot of dishware, furniture and lamps to ogle, and a jazzy soundtrack.