After staging his own suicide, a crazed scientist uses his power to become invisible to stalk and terrorize his ex-girlfriend. When the police refuse to believe her story, she decides to take matters into her own hands and fight back. Starring Elisabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and Aldis Hodge. Released February 28th, 2020.
Nine-year-old Sophie catches JJ, a hardened CIA operative, spying on her family during a routine surveillance operation. In exchange for not blowing his cover, JJ begrudgingly agrees to show the precocious girl how to become a spy. What at first seems like an easy task soon turns into a battle of wits as Sophie proves you don’t need much experience to outsmart a seasoned agent. Starring Dave Bautista and Chloe Coleman.
Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don’t know where they are — or how they got there. In the shadow of a dark internet conspiracy theory, ruthless elitists gather at a remote location to hunt humans for sport. But their master plan is about to be derailed when one of the hunted, Crystal, turns the tables on her pursuers. Starring Betty Gilpin, Emma Roberts and Hilary Swank. Released March 13th, 2020.
After he and his wife are murdered, marine Ray Garrison is resurrected by a team of scientists. Enhanced with nanotechnology, he becomes a superhuman, biotech killing machine – Bloodshot. As Ray first trains with fellow super-soldiers, he cannot recall anything from his former life. But when his memories flood back and he remembers the man that killed both him and his wife, he breaks out of the facility to get revenge, only to discover that there’s more to the conspiracy than he thought. Starring Vin Diesel and Sam Heughan. Released March 13th, 2020.
Old movies about viruses and deadly outbreaks are making a come back into the spotlight and even trending most likely as a direct result of the current novel coronavirus that has now been deemed a pandemic according to The World Health Organization (WHO).
Most notable, is the movie “Contagion” a film from 2011, that is now the 2nd most watched Warner Brothers Film so far in 2020 and has reached the 10th spot on Apple iTune’s most rented movie this year. Yet “Contagion” is only one example of other movies that share the same recurring theme of disease and viral outbreaks.
All around the world, current blockbusters are postponing release and premiere dates, which makes this a perfect time to enjoy some oldies but goodies in the comfort of your own home.
Click to Buy “Contagion” – Available on Amazon and on Walmart.
Released in 2011. When Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) returns to Minnesota from a Hong Kong business trip, she attributes the malaise she feels to jet lag. However, two days later, Beth is dead, and doctors tell her shocked husband (Matt Damon) that they have no idea what killed her. Soon, many others start to exhibit the same symptoms, and a global pandemic explodes. Doctors try to contain the lethal microbe, but society begins to collapse as a blogger (Jude Law) fans the flames of paranoia. Available on Amazon and a on Walmart.
Click to Buy “World War Z ” – Available on Amazon and on Walmart.
Released in 2013. When former U.N. investigator Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) and his family get stuck in urban gridlock, he senses that it’s no ordinary traffic jam. His suspicions are confirmed when, suddenly, the city erupts into chaos. A lethal virus, spread through a single bite, is turning healthy people into something vicious, unthinking and feral. As the pandemic threatens to consume humanity, Gerry leads a worldwide search to find the source of the infection and, with luck, a way to halt its spread. Available on Amazon and on Walmart.
Click to Buy “12 Monkeys” – Available on Amazon and on Walmart.
Released in 1995. Traveling back in time isn’t simple, as James Cole (Bruce Willis) learns the hard way. Imprisoned in the 2030s, James is recruited for a mission that will send him back to the 1990s. Once there, he’s supposed to gather information about a nascent plague that’s about to exterminate the vast majority of the world’s population. But, aside from the manic Jeffrey (Brad Pitt), he gets little in the way of cooperation, not least from medical gatekeepers like Dr. Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe). Available on Amazon and on Walmart.
Click to Buy “Outbreak” – Available on Amazon and on Walmart.
Released in 1995. A dangerous airborne virus threatens civilization in this tense thriller. After an African monkey carrying a lethal virus is smuggled into the U.S., an outbreak occurs in a California town. To control the spread of the disease, a team of doctors is brought in that includes a contagious disease expert (Dustin Hoffman) and his ex-wife (Rene Russo). Once the Army intervenes to handle the situation, though, the doctors must fight against the clock to save the town and its residents. Available on Amazon and on Walmart.
Click to Buy “Pandemic” – Available on Amazon and on Walmart.
Released in 2016. After a devastating virus outbreak, the world is plunged into a state of chaos. Zombies roam the streets, while survivors fight to stay alive. With the human race under threat, an armed rescue team target the undead. Rachel Nichols stars as a doctor who leads a group to find survivors of a worldwide pandemic. The film is shot in a first-person POV, similar to first-person shooter video games. Available on Amazon and on Walmart.
Click to Buy “Mayhem” – Amazon also Available on Walmart.
Released in 2017. Derek Cho is having a really bad day. After being unjustly fired from his job, he discovers that the law firm’s building is under quarantine for a mysterious and dangerous virus. Chaos erupts throughout the office as the victims of the disease begin acting out their wildest impulses. Joining forces with a former client who has a grudge of her own, Derek savagely fights tooth and nail to get to the executives on the top floor and settle the score once and for all.
Find books on COVID-19, health and many other topics at our sister site: Cherrybooks on Bookshop.org
Official Movie Release and Premiere Timing Reconsidered
The 25th James Bond movie and the last one to star Daniel Craig “No Time to Die” has officially been delayed. The premiere in London was originally set for March 31st and worldwide release April 10th, yet due to the increasing global outbreaks of COVID-19, the movie and production company gave word that the film will now be released in November of this year.
The official word is said to be the result of an open letter written by a popular Bond fan website named MI6-HQ that addressed EON, MGM, and Universal about the health concerns relating to the movie release. (see link for full letter):
“With the Coronavirus reaching pandemic status, it is time to put public health above marketing release schedules and the cost of canceling publicity events.
Major events around the world have already been canceled or postponed due to health risks. Leading tech companies have banned travel for hundreds of thousands of employees, including Amazon and Google. All before the US and UK outbreaks expand.”
quote from MI6 Staff / www.mi6-hq.com
MGM, Universal and Bond producers, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, announced today that after careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace, the release of NO TIME TO DIE will be postponed until November 2020. pic.twitter.com/a9h1RP5OKd
Two days after the letter was written, @007 the official Twitter page for the Bond movie took to social media to make the announcement of the delay. All in all this seems a wise decision as the public attendance of large numbers of people for any venue is in question due to the outbreak and the danger associated with close contact in enclosed spaces.
The entire film industry, concert and music industry and even live sports face a potentially huge challenge if this situation worsens. At this stage both the spread of the virus and the extent of quarantine measures that could become mandatory in the U.S. are unclear.
In Asia, not only mainland China but also Korea and Japan can be seen as initial examples of what could be in store for us in North America. In Europe, most notably Italy and in Iran things have already progressed beyond what we have seen thus far in the U.S.
Ultimately the question remains whether the spread of the infection can be contained, and yet, it is precisely measures such as the postponement of large public events that could be seen as part of the prophylactic response, and could help to prevent the kind of tragedy that China has already experienced.
Trend in Cancellations and Postponements Rising as Concerns of Infection Increase
Click to Buy “The Ghost Map” and at the same time help Lynxotic and All Independent Local Bookstores. Also Available on Amazon.
The list of events being cancelled due to fears of an increase in Coronavirus cases and even a possible eventual quarantine situation arising in the U.S. is getting longer daily. Some recent examples include the South by Southwest festival (also known as SWSX), scheduled to kick off on March 13th in Austin TX and yet is considering a cancellation after both Facebook and Twitter indicated that they would not send employees to the sow this year. The huge festival’s organizers must reconsider, it seems, after a petition online has been signed by over 40,000 people calling for the cancellation of the event. In some countries there is a ban on public gatherings altogether, naturally in China but even in Switzerland where there is a ban in place on any gathering that expects attendees in excess of 1000.
The effects on vast swaths of commerce, such as the $2.5 trillion trade show industry are looming large and could have a ripple effect throughout the economy as a whole. The Mobile World Congress, now known as MWC, originally scheduled for February 24-27, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain, for example, which is the world’s largest trade show for the Mobile Phone Industry has just been cancelled, and each of these kinds of large gatherings will mean a directly correlated drop in hotel, travel and restaurant revenue in the cities affected. To date more than 24 trade shows and conferences have been cancelled or postponed worldwide due to the concerns about the spread of the coronavirus.
Originally set for production in late fall of 2020, during a call regarding Tesla’s recent third quarter (Q3) report, it was revealed to investors that they now plan to start Model Y production much earlier, and deliveries could be in full swing by Summer 2020. Elon Musk commented on the new schedule, “There may be some room for improvement there, but we’re confident about summer 2020”.
According to recent news, the arrival date for Model Y is rapidly approaching. However, the specs and relevant prices for the Standard Range, Long Range, and Performance versions should remain unchanged. Prices will range from the Rear-Wheel Drive Long Range version for $48,690 and Performance Range at $56,690. Those prices include include potential incentives and gas savings of $4,300.
The reason for this change in schedule as reported from the Q3 presentation comes from the “learnings and efficiencies gained from our Gigafactory in Shanghai, China” while producing Model 3.
Model Y is built on the same third-generation platform as Model 3 and shares many of the same components, which will most likely aid in the overall production process and keep the accelerated date for deliveries. Tesla has planned to extend their production operations and have already begun installing equipment for Model Y in their Fremont, California factory as well as the Gigafactories in Nevada, Shanghai and eventually in Europe.
The Model 3 is the by far the most popular EV sedan in the market. Bloomberg reported over 500k car registrations for the model, while other competition comes nowhere near Tesla in EV sales.
Tesla’s other models are all mainly based on sedan body styles (aside from Model X) and the shift to a different body style will be a pivotal move for the company as compliments the current buying trends for larger cars. “It’s the body style of choice,” said Michelle Krebs, senior analyst with Cox Automotive.
Model X is SUV-sized but more luxury priced, whereas the Model Y will be Tesla’s first midsize crossover, which allows consumers a more affordable alternative. Musk tweeted prior to the March 2019 review that Model Y is approximately 10% larger than Model 3 and will have normal doors rather than the falcon wings found on the Model X. Another unique feature with be the all-glass roof, giving drivers an unobstructed view of the sky. The Model Y can seat up to 7 passengers with an optional third row, with more seating and storage versatility; the second row seats can be easily folded for increased storage needs. Additionally, the Model Y’s lift gate will have a low trunk, making it easy to load and unload.
Model Y, being an SUV, is about 10% bigger than Model 3, so will cost about 10% more & have slightly less range for same battery
The more affordable Standard Range version is not yet on the site, but it’s expected to be priced at $39,000. The Standard Range version has a later production date and is anticipated for early 2021. Ahead of its official release, Model Y is available for order in North America, China and parts of Europe for a deposit of $2,500.
All new Tesla cars have standard advanced hardware capabilities with software updates to continuously improve a driver’s experience over time. The Model Y will have Autopilot, Smart Summon, and Full Self-Driving Capability. Autopilot features that have been designed to enable the vehicle to help with navigation, and as well as steer, accelerate and break within its lane automatically, which does require the driver to pay attention through supervision.
There are eight cameras that allow 360 visibility, twelve sensors to detect objects in the road and a forward facing radar to allow for optimal safety and aid in emergency braking, collision warning, and blind-spots. Smart Summon is another feature that will allow your car to come find you in a parking lot. Eventually, Full Self-Driving Capabilities will be fully introduced with software updates available in the future, with pending regulatory approval.
The specs for the official Model Y lineup are as follows:
Standard Range
Range: 230 miles
Top Speed: 120 mph
0-60 mph: 5.9s
Price: $39,000
Deliveries: Early 2021
Long Range – Rear-Wheel Drive
Range: 300 miles
Top Speed: 130 mph
0-60 mph: 5.5s
Price: $48,000
Deliveries: Summer 2020
Long Range – Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive
Range: 280 miles
Top Speed: 135 mph
0-60 mph: 4.8s
Price: $52,000
Deliveries: Summer 2020
Performance – Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive
Range: 280 miles
Top Speed: 150 mph
0-60 mph: 3.5s
Price: $61,000
Deliveries: Summer 2020
Tesla Model Y
Tesla EV-brand Upper Hand with Crossover Competition
Crossover cars, which function a lot like family-sized SUVs, have long been produced by gas-engine automakers, and these same companies have also attempted to sell electrical versions of these vehicles.
Some current EV crossovers are already in the marketplace (I- Pace from Jaguar, Niro EV from Kia, e-Tron from Audi, Leaf S Plus from Nissan, Bolt by Chevy, and Kona Electric from Hyundai). Ford with a “Mustang-inspired” EV crossover SUV. However, because they are primarily known as internal combustion engine (ICE) makers, their EV sales tank compared to their ICE vehicle sales.
Tesla can and most likely will take advantage of perfecting the missteps and limitations of their competitors. The standout between Tesla and other EV crossovers is that Tesla is still the only company solely focused on electric versus other gas-powered or ICE counterparts. Thus, Tesla has an advantage as they enter the crossover arena with Model Y because of their notoriety for producing all-electric vehicles.
Arguably, Tesla’s price range was one of the biggest obstacles in its way in regards to selling EVs to the general public. This predicted affordability touted by a brand name for prestige EV production is going to make going ‘all-electric,’ an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuel, all the more possible for everyone.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter February 21st to share and clarify a few details about the upcoming Cybertruck. One such change will be the dimensions to the body width, originally set for 84 inches shown during the unveiling in November 2019, will actually be closer to 82 inches. The adjusted dimensions of the truck will allow owners to more easily fit their pickup into most standard size garages.
He spoke how the EV Cybertruck’s active ride height and active damping systems are “game-changing”.
Current Cybertruck Dimensions- Width: 82″, Height: 75″, Length: 225-231″, and Wheelbase: 149.9″.
Also noted by Musk, all Cybertruck models will come standard with the innovative upper laser blade lights that illuminate the top of the windshield.
Btw, in some prior tweets I’d said production Cybertruck would be ~80” wide (vs ~84” body width at unveil). This is slightly too small. Will be closer to 82”, but come standard with upper laser blade lights.
When asked about a payload/towing calculator, the co-founder revealed that the EV pickup truck will indeed have features to indicate real-time changes in acceleration, braking, cornering, speed, range, elevation changes and towing and drag impact.
The payload and towing calculator will be a valuable feature for owners to understand and assist them in any necessary towing adjustments to achieve the optimal truck driving experience.
Yes, will also show real-time changes to max acceleration, braking, cornering, speed on gradient & range, latter factoring in route elevation changes & cargo or tow mass & drag impact
According to Cybertruck Owners Club, there is some indication that over 500,000 pre-orders have already been booked (an average of nearly 6,000 daily) – this is the result of calculations based on Tesla’s pre-order numbering system and with members sharing their reservation number. The EV pickup will be seen on the road in the next couple of years and with such high pre-orders its clear there is a high demand for more sustainable driving options in the truck / SUV market.
Production for the Tri and Dual Motor AWD Tesla Cybertruck are set to begin late 2021, with the more affordable Single Motor RWD model in late 2022.
With the production over a year away, there will surely be more updates and tweets regarding the final version of the futuristic looking Cybertruck.
1917 The Irishman Jojo Rabbit Joker Little Women Marriage Story Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood Parasite√ Ford v Ferrari
“Parasite”
Best director
Bong Joon-ho, Parasite√ Sam Mendes, 1917 Todd Phillips, Joker Martin Scorsese, The Irishman Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
“Joker”
Best actor
Joaquin Phoenix, Joker√ Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory Adam Driver, Marriage Story Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes
“Judy”
Best actress
Cynthia Erivo, Harriet Renée Zellweger, Judy√ Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story Charlize Theron, Bombshell Saoirse Ronan, Little Women
“Ford vs. Ferrari”
Best film editing
The Irishman Jojo Rabbit Joker Ford v Ferrari√ Parasite
Best supporting actress
Laura Dern, Marriage Story√ Florence Pugh, Little Women Margot Robbie, Bombshell Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell Scarlett Johansson, Jojo Rabbit
Best cinematography
Roger Deakins, 1917√ Rodrigo Prieto, The Irishman Lawrence Sher, Joker Jarin Blaschke, The Lighthouse Robert Richardson, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Best sound mixing
Ad Astra Joker 1917√ Ford v Ferrari Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Best sound editing
1917 Ford v Ferrari√ Joker Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Documentary short feature
In the Absence Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)√ Life Overtakes Me St. Louis Superman Walk Run Cha-Cha
Documentary feature
American Factory√ The Cave The Edge of Democracy For Sama Honeyland
Best costume design
Sandy Powell & Christopher Peterson, The Irishman Mark Bridges, Joker Arianne Phillips, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood Jacqueline Durran, Little Women√ Mayes C. Rubeo, Jojo Rabbit
Best production design
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood√ The Irishman 1917 Jojo Rabbit Parasite
Live-action short film
Brotherhood Nefta Football Club The Neighbors’ Window√ Saria A Sister
ScarJo in JoJo Rabbit
Best adapted screenplay
Steven Zaillian, The Irishman Greta Gerwig, Little Women Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit√ Anthony McCarten, The Two Popes Todd Phillips & Scott Silver, Joker
Best original screenplay
Rian Johnson, Knives Out Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story Sam Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns, 1917 Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood Bong Joon-ho, Parasite√
Animated short film
Dcera (Daughter) Hair Love√ Kitbull Memorable Sister
Animated feature film
“Toy Story 4”
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World I Lost My Body Klaus Missing Link Toy Story 4√
“Once Upon A Time In Hollywood”
Best supporting actor
Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood√ Al Pacino, The Irishman Joe Pesci, The Irishman Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Makeup and hairstyling
Bombshell√ Joker Judy Maleficent: Mistress of Evil 1917
Visual effects
Avengers: Endgame The Irishman The Lion King 1917√ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Music (original score)
Joker√ Little Women Marriage Story 1917 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Music (original song)
“I’m Standing With You” from Breakthrough “Into The Unknown” from Frozen II “Stand Up” from Harriet “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from Rocketman√ “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” from Toy Story 4 “Glasgow” from Wild Rose
“Parasite”
International feature film
France, Les Misérables North Macedonia, Honeyland Poland, Corpus Christi South Korea, Parasite √ Spain, Pain and Glory
Politics is a Shady Business filled with DoubleSpeak, even more so if you are a Reality TV Star, it seems
Reams of digital paper and endless words have been expended in efforts to document the attempt to “ask”, coerce, bribe, blackmail or otherwise instigate a quid pro quo with president Zelensky of Ukraine: The release of promised military aid, already approved by congress but blocked by the White House, in exchange for the announcement, by Zelensky, that there was an investigation (real or imagined) by Ukraine into Joe Biden.
Other than the typically bogus claim by Trump, that Ukraine did not feel pressured, and the carefully worded quote from Zelensky, below, There has been little to no comment or investigative reporting on the bigger question beyond the question:
Why didn’t Ukraine and Zelensky simply comply with the “do us a favor, though” request and just announce the imaginary investigation?
Anonymous
As mentioned above much digital ink has been spilled speculating on possible reasons why this might be, but very little follow up or digging has been initiated or reported. This seems unusual with motives to resist this “non-pressure”, if you take Trump’s version, or outright blackmail which the facts imply, being potentially important in proving or at least shedding light on Trump’s motives (which are obvious unless you listen to Republican explanations).
Little is reported of any direct comment from Ukraine or Zelenskyy as to the real reason the “ask” was never considered or acted on. The paragraphs below from the Time.com interview are a carefully worded evasion of an answer, highlighting the difficulty for Ukraine in dealing with this issue without even more problems potentially to follow.
The War that Russia Denies ever Existed is at the Heart of the Matter
One obvious thought, also seldom mentioned, regarding reasons not to do this favor for Trump would be the understanding that, as Putin and Russia’s top preference for US President, Trump would be the last person Ukraine should want to see re-elected! And, talking about sanctions against Russia, as Zelensky mentioned often in the transcript of the call with Trump, below, these are the same sanctions that Trump tried to cancel immediately after his inauguration, before he was blocked from doing so by Congress.
The excerpt from the call that pertains to the “ask” is shown below, but the vague and submissive tone is only understood in context when compared with the more candid, yet still veiled, response to questions in a later interview:
We are great friends and you Mr. President have friends in our country so we can continue our strategic partnership. I also plan to surround myself with great people and in addition to that investigation, I guarantee as the President of Ukraine that all the investigations will be done openly and candidly.. That I can assure you.
– Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
Excerpt from the Time.com interview with President Zelenskyy:
Interviewer: When did you first sense that there was a connection between Trump’s decision to block military aid to Ukraine this summer and the two investigations that Trump and his allies were asking for? Can you clarify this issue of the quid pro quo?
”Look, I never talked to the President from the position of a quid pro quo. That’s not my thing. … I don’t want us to look like beggars. But you have to understand. We’re at war. If you’re our strategic partner, then you can’t go blocking anything for us. I think that’s just about fairness. It’s not about a quid pro quo. It just goes without saying.”
– Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
Interviewer: : Do you have any trust in Putin going into these talks?
”I don’t trust anyone at all. I’ll tell you honestly. Politics is not an exact science. That’s why in school I loved mathematics. Everything in mathematics was clear to me. You can solve an equation with a variable, with one variable. But here it’s only variables, including the politicians in our country. I don’t know these people. I can’t understand what dough they’re made of. That’s why I think nobody can have any trust. Everybody just has their interests.”
– Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
Clearly, there is a visible difference between what is said on the official phone call and in the interview with Time.com. Clearer still would be the real truth on the “Ukrainian perspective” which will likely only be available once Trump is no longer president. Any more candid response from Zelenskyy would endanger him and his country and make them vulnerable to retaliation for telling the truth.
Full Transcript and Relevant Excerpt from July Call
As follows the full excerpt pertaining to the “favor” from the unclassified transcripts released in September (full transcript follows):
The President: I would like you to do us a favor though because our country has been through a lot and Ukraine knows a lot about it. I would like you to find out what happened with this whole situation with Ukraine, they say Crowdstrike… I guess you have one of your wealthy people… The server, they say Ukraine has it. There are a lot of things that went on, the whole situation. I think you’re surrounding yourself with some of the same people. I would like to have the Attorney General call you or your people and I would like you to get to the bottom of it. As you saw yesterday, that whole nonsense ended with a very poor performance by a man named Robert Mueller, an incompetent performance, but they say a lot of it started with Ukraine. Whatever you can do, it’s very important that you do it if that’s possible.
President Zelenskyy: Yes it is very important for me and everything that you just mentioned earlier. For me as a President, it is very important and we are open for any future cooperation. We are ready to open a new page on cooperation in relations between the United States and Ukraine. For that purpose, I just recalled our ambassador from United States and he will be replaced by a very competent and very experienced ambassador who will work hard on making sure that our two nations are getting closer. I would also like and hope to see him having your trust and your confidence and have personal relations with you so we can cooperate even more so. I will personally tell you that one of my assistants spoke with Mr. Giuliani just recently and we are hoping very much that Mr. Giuliani will be able to travel to Ukraine and we will meet once he comes to Ukraine. I just wanted to assure you once again that you have nobody but friends around us. I will make sure that I surround myself with the best and most experienced people. I also wanted to tell you that we are friends. We are great friends and you Mr. President have friends in our country so we can continue our strategic partnership. I also plan to surround myself with great people and in addition to that investigation, I guarantee as the President of Ukraine that all the investigations will be done openly and candidly.. That I can assure you.
UNCLASSIFIED
Declassified by order of the President
September 24, 2019
MEMORANDUM OF TELEPHONE CONVERSATION
SUBJECT: Telephone Conversation with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine
Participants: President Zelenskyy of Ukraine Notetakers: The White House Situation Room
Date, Time July 25, 2019, 9:03-9:33 am EDT and Place: Residence
The President: Congratulations on a great victory. We all watched from the United States and you did a terrific job. The way you came from behind, somebody who wasn’t given much of a chance, and you ended up winning easily. It’s a fantastic achievement. Congratulations.
President Zelenskyy: You are absolutely right Mr. President. We did win big and we worked hard for this. We worked a lot but I would like to confess to you that I had an opportunity to learn from you. We used quite a few of your skills and knowledge and were able to use it as an example for our elections and yes it is true that these were unique elections. We were in a unique situation that we were able to achieve a unique success. I’m able to tell you the following; the first time you called me to congratulate me when I won my presidential election, and the second time you are now calling me when my party won the parliamentary election. I think I should run more often so you can call me more often and we can talk over the phone more often.
The President: (laughter) That’s a very good idea. I think your country is very happy about that.
President Zelenskyy: Well yes, to tell you the truth, we are trying to work hard because we wanted to drain the swamp here in our country. We brought in many many new people. Not the old politicians, not the typical politicians, because we want to have a new format and a new type of government. You are a great teacher for us and in that.
The President: Well it is very nice of you to say that. I will say that we do a lot for Ukraine. We spend a lot of effort and a lot of time. Much more than the European countries are doing and they should be helping you more than they are. Germany does almost nothing for you. All they do is talk and I think it’s something that you should really ask them about. When I was speaking to Angela Merkel she talks Ukraine, but she ·doesn’t do anything. A lot of the European countries are the same way so I think it’s something you want to look at but the United States has been very very good to Ukraine. I wouldn’t say that it’s reciprocal necessarily because things are happening that are not good but the United States has been very very good to Ukraine.
President Zelenskyy: Yes you are absolutely right. Not only 100%, but actually 1000% and I can tell you the following; I did talk to Angela Merkel and I did meet with her I also met and talked with Macron and I told them that they are not doing quite as much as they need to be doing on the issues with the sanctions. They are not enforcing the sanctions. They are not working as much as they should work for Ukraine. It turns out that even though logically, the European Union should be our biggest partner but technically the United States is a much bigger partner than the European Union and I’m very grateful to you for that because the United States is doing quite a lot for Ukraine. Much more than the European Union especially when we are talking about sanctions against the Russian Federation. I would also like to thank you for your great support in the area of defense. We are ready to continue to cooperate for the next steps specifically we are almost. ready to buy more Javelins from the United States for defense purposes.
The President: I would like you to do us a favor though because our country has been through a lot and Ukraine knows a lot about it. I would like you to find out what happened with this whole situation with Ukraine, they say Crowdstrike… I guess you have one of your wealthy people… The server, they say Ukraine has it. There are a lot of things that went on, the whole situation. I think you’re surrounding yourself with some of the same people. I would like to have the Attorney General call you or your people and I would like you to get to the bottom of it. As you saw yesterday, that whole nonsense ended with a very poor performance by a man named Robert Mueller, an incompetent performance, but they say a lot of it started with Ukraine. Whatever you can do, it’s very important that you do it if that’s possible.
President Zelenskyy: Yes it is very important for me and everything that you just mentioned earlier. For me as a President, it is very important and we are open for any future cooperation. We are ready to open a new page on cooperation in relations between the United States and Ukraine. For that purpose, I just recalled our ambassador from United States and he will be replaced by a very competent and very experienced ambassador who will work hard on making sure that our two nations are getting closer. I would also like and hope to see him having your trust and your confidence and have personal relations with you so we can cooperate even more so. I will personally tell you that one of my assistants spoke with Mr. Giuliani just recently and we are hoping very much that Mr. Giuliani will be able to travel to Ukraine and we will meet once he comes to Ukraine. I just wanted to assure you once again that you have nobody but friends around us. I will make sure that I surround myself with the best and most experienced people. I also wanted to tell you that we are friends. We are great friends and you Mr. President have friends in our country so we can continue our strategic partnership. I also plan to surround myself with great people and in addition to that investigation, I guarantee as the President of Ukraine that all the investigations will be done openly and candidly.. That I can assure you.
The President: Good because I heard you had a prosecutor who was very good and he was shut down and that’s really unfair. A lot of people are talking about that, the way they shut your very good prosecutor down and you had some very bad people involved. Mr. Giuliani is a highly respected man. He was the mayor of New York City, a great mayor, and I would like him to call you. I will ask him to call you along with the Attorney General. Rudy very much knows what’s happening and he is a very capable guy. If you could speak to him that would be great.
The former ambassador from the United States, the woman, was bad news and the people she was dealing with in the Ukraine were bad news so I just want to let you know that. The other thing, There’s a lot of talk about Biden’s son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the Attorney General would be great. Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look into it… It sounds horrible to me.
President Zelenskyy: I wanted to tell you about the prosecutor. First of all, I understand and I’m knowledgeable about the situation. Since we have won the absolute majority in our Parliament, the next prosecutor general will be 100% my person, my candidate, who will be approved, by the parliament and will start as a new prosecutor in September. He or she will look into the situation, specifically to the company that you mentioned in this issue. The issue of the investigation of the case is actually the issue of making sure to restore the honesty so we will take care of that and will work on the investigation of the case. On top of that, I would kindly ask you if you have any additional information that you can provide to us, it would be very helpful for the investigation to make sure that we administer justice in our country with regard to the Ambassador to the United States from Ukraine as far as I recall her name was Ivanovich. It was great that you were the first one who told me that she was a bad ambassador because I agree with you 100%. Her attitude towards me was far from the best as she admired the previous President and she was on his side. She would not accept me as a new President well enough.
The President: Well, she’s going to go through some things. I will have Mr. Giuliani give you a call and I am also going to have Attorney General Barr call and we will get to the bottom of it. I’m sure you will figure it out. I heard the prosecutor was treated very badly and he was a very fair prosecutor so good luck with everything. Your economy is going to get better and better I predict. You have a lot of assets. It’s a great country. I have many Ukrainian friends, their incredible people.
President Zelenskyy: I would like to tell you that I also have quite a few Ukrainian friends that live in the United States. Actually last time I traveled to the United States, I stayed in New York near Central Park and I stayed at the Trump Tower. I will talk to them and I hope to see them again in the future. I also wanted to thank you for your invitation to visit the United States, specifically Washington DC. On the other hand, I also want to ensure you that we will be very serious about the case and will work on the investigation. As to the economy, there is much potential for our two countries and one of the issues that is very important for Ukraine is energy independence. I believe we can be very successful and cooperating on energy independence with United States. We are already working on cooperation. We are buying American oil but I am very hopeful for a future meeting. We will have more time and more opportunities to discuss these opportunities and get to know each other better. I would like to thank you very much for your support.
The President: Good. Well, thank you very much and I appreciate that. I will tell Rudy and Attorney General Barr to call. Thank you. Whenever you would like to come to the White House, feel free to call. Give us a date and we’ll work that out. I look forward to seeing you.
President Zelenskyy: Thank you very much. I would be very happy to come and would be happy to meet with you personally and get to know you better. I am looking forward to our meeting and I also would like to invite you to visit Ukraine and come to the city of Kyiv which is a beautiful city. We have a beautiful country which would welcome you. On the other hand, I believe that on September 1 we will be in Poland and we can meet in Poland hopefully. After that, it might be a very good idea for you to travel to Ukraine. We can either take my plane and go to Ukraine or we can take your plane, which is probably much better than mine.
The President: Okay, we can work that out. I look forward to seeing you in Washington and maybe in Poland because I think we are going to be there at that time.
President Zelenskyy: Thank you very much Mr. President.
The President: Congratulations on a fantastic job you’ve done. The whole world was watching. I’m not sure it was so much of an upset but congratulations.
President Zelenskyy: Thank you Mr. President bye-bye.
Blake Lively is often referred to as one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood, but if anyone thinks that the former “Gossip Girl” actress is just a pretty face, her new movie “The Rhythm Section” is bound to challenge that shortsighted assumption.
Lively is hardly recognizable in “The Rhythm Section,” sporting shorter hair, a number of disguises, and a lot of makeup to make her appear like an “average” woman rather than a head-turning dame. However, as it should be with any actor or actress, it is the performance that matters, not the looks—leave praise for the latter to the hair and makeup department.
In the film, Lively plays Stephanie Patrick, a woman who loses her family to a plane crash. After learning that the crash was no accident, but an orchestrated event, she goes on a vengeful quest to violently punish those responsible. It is a long way from “Gossip Girl” or “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” and is a rare example of Lively taking the leading role in a blockbuster movie.
The movie comes in part from Eon Productions, one of the companies that produces the James Bond films. Thus, “The Rhythm Section” is presumably in good hands. Unfortunately, unless it is adapted from a Hunger Games book or attached to a DC, Marvel, or Star Wars franchise, female led action movies do not have a great track record for success. Even when backed by experienced producers and offering star-studded casts, movies like “Columbiana,” “SALT,” “Lucy,” or this year’s “Charlie’s Angels” all missed their critical or commercial marks.
This is likely due to the fact that the American action genre is deeply rooted in masculinity, emerging from the James Bond suaveness of the 1960s and becoming manlier throughout the 1980s with Rambos, Terminators, and John McClanes filling the screen with muscles. Developing a strong female action hero is thus a novel thing that runs somewhat contrary to the genre’s conventional iconography. Even the action movies that do employ female leads often sexualize them or contrarily place them into the overused woman-who-is-too-good-for-womanly-things archetype.
Emancipated Production Concept?
It is almost as if Hollywood is afraid of mixing femininity and action. “The Rhythm Section,” however, may test that notion, for Blake Lively’s character is a mother seeking revenge after losing her children. From Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Commando” to Liam Neeson in “Taken,” the vengeful or savior parent role is often allocated to the father figure. Perhaps “The Rhythm Section” will finally offer audiences a much needed touch of maternal badassery.
It also helps that Reed Morano directs the film. Known for her work on Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Morano has been quite effective at blending feminist themes and action-packed content on the small screen. Hopefully, she can carry this same affinity over to a feature film.
Jude Law and Sterling K Brown support Lively’s performance in “The Rhythm Section.” The movie is an adaptation of Mark Burnell’s 1999 novel of the same title—the first of four books he wrote about Stephanie Patrick. Burnell also wrote the screenplay for the film, and if it is a hit, there could be future sequel adaptations in store for Lively and the team. The movie comes out on January 31st.
Whenever a political movement on the side of justice takes place, Hollywood usually hops on it and renders it the plot of a movie in due time. In the worst of circumstances, this model is exploitative and undermines the actual movement. In the best of circumstances, however, this same model can teach lessons, champion real world heroes, and inform larger audiences of unsung stories.
Sometimes, those topics can hit close to home for filmmakers, though. Particularly, the #MeToo movement and the women who unveiled the systemic sexual harassment in the entertainment industry is a rich, dignified story that deserves a quality retelling. One would think, however, that Hollywood wouldn’t want to produce such a film because of how many entertainment industry executives were tangled up in a number of sordid cases. That would be the unsettling assumption, but lo and behold, Annapurna Pictures and director Jay Roach made “Bombshell” this past year, a critical and commercial hit of a film that shares the fresh, true story of real women who took down Fox News executive Roger Ailes for sexual transgressions.
The success of “Bombshell” may have paved the way for a new (perhaps overdue) breed of films that take on the workplace sexual harassment and misogyny. Already, we are getting a second one.
“The Assistant” comes out on January 31st, and upon viewing the trailer, it explores many unsavory aspects of workplace misconduct. Written and directed by Australian filmmaker Kitty Green, an eerie drama that dances along the lines of horror, it had its debut at the Telluride Film Festival in August, where Bleeker Street acquired it for this oncoming wider distribution.
Ozark Standout in Leading Role
Julia Garner of “Ozark” stars as the titular character, a recent college grad and aspiring movie producer who lands her first industry job as an assistant to an entertainment tycoon. As she goes through the day-to-day woes of working as an assistant—long hours, uncomfortable interactions, and covering for her darkly mysterious boss—it slowly becomes more apparent that something suspicious is going on behind closed doors.
Her boss is bringing young women into his office and asks the assistant to lie about it when his wife calls. There are mistakes in the bookkeeping that she is told to ignore. Corruption, misinformation, and borderline criminal activity bleed through every pore of the business’ higher-ups, and to make matters worse, it seems as if the boss is also engaging in inappropriate sexual activity.
The assistant works to uncover the truth and make it public. In doing so, she risks her job (and possibly her entire career) in a highly competitive industry. More than that, she also risks her safety, for damaging the reputations of powerful people does not come without consequences.
The movie is a raw portrayal on an unfortunately commonplace situation. Having the story take place in an entertainment mogul’s office will draw parallels to the current Weinstien trial. Barring the possibility of a supernatural twist at the end, the sad reality is that “The Assistant” is not based on one true story, but on thousands of true stories both told and untold, remembered and forgotten. It is a thriller that many have lived through, and many have taken to the grave. At last, it gets representation.
This was the year that a Real Path to Long awaited Trends Begins
CES, happening in Las Vegas during the first work week of the year, is touted as the launch platform for everything new in tech for consumers. In the days of CDs, DVD.s, Flat Screens and other 20th Century wonders, that was mostly true. New releases of better TVs or innovative ways to consume entertainment could change a lot in 12 months.
In recent years, along with the rest of the tech world, we have seen instead the constant incremental “iteration” based progress, from the gradual slowing of Moore’s law to the constant criticism of why the iPhone is still just an iPhone. Then there’s the ultimate non event of watching the same content on “HD” or 4K or 8k , or maybe next year 16k “ready” screens, and so on.
Looking to shop newest products featured at CES? Check Amazon’s Selection. (Lynxotic may receive affiliate benefit)
Then, in the last few years the new new tech began to arrive. Ever evolving Drones, Robotics, AI software combined with new hardware for aquiring and processing visual information have all been a standard element and and represent an ever larger footprint at the show. Added to that are now transportation “concept” innovations and the “smart home” and iOT has morphed into the sustainable city and connected communities.
What was big this year is that these ideas, prototypes and start-up brands for the most part, are nearing the point where they could actually have a place in consumer technology and not just as a sneak peek at what might “someday” be possible.
Here are a few examples that caught our attention, by no means an exhaustive or comprehensive listing but just what stood out during a random sampling of what was on offer and display.
Sustainable Transport and Smart Cities as Upgrade to “Smart Home” products that are now Old Hat
At the top of the list from this category, admittedly to large to even start to dig into, is the “Personal Liberation Device” from Unagi which is a over achieving descriptor for an electric scooter to own, not rent. Especially if you are tired of the stacks of abandoned “Limes” or maybe are not a fan of everything in your life turning into an Uber for this and Air B&B for that, this is a truly realistic and attractive alternative.
Slim light foldable and boasting dual motors (like the Tesla Model 3) in the top model there’s a hellava lot to like in the design. Maybe steep at around 1k but this is a practical, durable (by all accounts) owned item to be cherished, not a rental to take your frustrations out on.
All of us who support green energy and a sustainable future can take heart in the progress made, in a single year, if not in the final breakthroughs, at least in the intention to take on bigger projects and issues, such as the various transportation and EV exhibits as well as a large hall dedicated to Smart Cities and how AI can improve and enhance lives, while at the same time exhibiting a zero carbon footprint.
Robotics are Still not Quite Mainstream but getting Very Close
One odd feature of CES is that many of the same Companies are back every year and even occupy the same spot on the convention center floor. This makes it easier to find them, sure, but also jogs the memory as to the changes in what is being featured. Some seem to have tweaked and refined what is essentially the same idea or product, such as the Omron Robot vs. Human ping pong presentation. Even there you could see major improvements, meant to show the accuracy and versitility of robot arms and AI.
The applications for various robotics based products at a consumer or pro-sumer level is still an ongoing and developing area with the costs vs. the uses (often still not known as these products have not previously existed) being the primary obstacle. But very soon, as soon as CES 2021 there will likely be major breakthroughs in this category that you will hear about and even start using.
T9 Robot – World’s Most Advanced and Programmable Robot. T9 Is both vehicle and robot, transmuting instantly through voice or app control. Three intuitive and easy programming platforms make coding fun with T9’s advanced robotics and artificial intelligence
There were others that came with changes that seem like a new generation of capabilities and uses. In 2019 there were various companies showing “toy” robots that were meant to bring the science of robotics to the consumer level as a learning tool to help kids (and adults) experiment with programming and even building robots for home use and experimentation.
The cost of these, including the LEGO version of the idea, seemed to be a big impediment to wide adoption at the consumer level and a Prosumer market is not really a niche a significance in the space yet. What has changed, and this is a refrain across the show in general, is that the same relative high price points are producing much more capable and potentially usable products that could entice more engagement and interest.
Robosen Robotics is an example, initially a successful Kickstarter project, now beginning a commercial phase with it’s T9 product that was presented. This T9 Robot also comes with included programming software and has a “wow” factor that was missing in some of last year’s products. Using voice or app control it is billed as the “world’s most advanced”.
T9 features more than 3,000 State-of-the-Art Components and 22 Proprietary Servo Motors
Camera tech combined with software and AI is beginning to get Serious
Pilot 1 360º 8k Camera System
Chinese and US-China ventures are leading the way in the efforts to go beyond GoPro and Drone photography. For example, last year, a variety of 360º camera systems all seemed to be just “nearly there” and products in search of a use and market rationale. No more. An example is Pilot 1 from PiSoftTech that has increased the functionality of last year’s hardware product offering and, most significantly added free accompanying AI enhanced software and phone app which vastly extend the usability for prosumer and even consumer users.
An example is a function specifically designed to automatically produce and edit 3D virtual tours, such as those used for real estate web listings, at a very high quality just by doing the walkthrough with the camera running. No editing or post production required. There is also a use for carmakers and even aftermarket resellers for a 360º recording for your car that not only shows your surroundings but your own position as well.
All in all the updates in a single year on various 360º photographic products are impressive and most of the progress is due to software and AI contributions to the ease of use and power of production added.
Aging Mogul and CEO Eye Disruption with Innovative Mobile Platform
In a market apparently oversaturated with online video streaming platforms, it may seem like an inopportune time to start up a brand new service for audiences to consume content on their personal screens. This outlook, however, has not stopped Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman, two aging entertainment tycoons, in raising over a billion dollars to fund their novel mobile streaming project, Quibi.
Katzenberg and Whitman is, on paper, a corporate match made is heaven. Katzenberg was the chief of Walt Disney Studios during its 1990s animation renaissance and then went on to create DreamWorks with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen. Whitman, meanwhile, was a tech mogul, formerly serving as CEO of eBay and Hewlett-Packard. Both in their sixties, these two veteran experts in their respective industries have recently combined their knowledge to launch Quibi—an upcoming streaming service made for the smallest of screens. Namely, mobile devices.
Of course, watching content on a smartphone or tablet is nothing new. Almost every streaming service has a mobile app, and YouTube alone has a seemingly endless amount of free content for viewers to watch wherever is convenient. Nevertheless, while most of these platforms hold true to the philosophy that the bigger-the-screen-the-better, Quibi embraces the small, personalized screen format exclusively, working it into their very production model.
Can “Turnstyle” Take Off along with 10 min “Quick Bites”?
Quibi is incorporating new technologies and resources to make their content highly personalized and appropriate for smartphone screens. Perhaps the company’s most innovative initiative is its “Turnstyle” format, whereby all content is made for both vertical and horizontal screens.
Unlike most mobile videos that are best watched horizontally, Quibi content will adjust for the phone’s orientation. Thus, there is no optimal way to watch Quibi; viewers can do so however they deem comfortable and switch back and forth in a seamless fashion.
Furthermore, Quibi has factored in the short attention spans of young audiences using mobile devices. Realizing that most mobile viewers seek quick bursts of information or entertainment, Quibi aims to keep its shows between seven and ten minutes long, providing episodic gusts of action often ending on cliffhangers. Moreover, the company is also looking to expand its daily video programming, whereby new content comes out each day.
While this high-turnover temporal model may appear as a mere means of reducing costs for the up-and-coming Quibi, Katzenberg and Whitman are far from pinching pennies for the service. Estimates claim that Quibi will pay its creators up to $125,000 for every minute of scripted and unscripted content, and around $10,000 for the daily programming. This is a bold, yet consciences effort to ensure quality, thus helping Quibi stand out amongst the competition and justify its subscription cost—$4.99 a month with ads, or $7.99 without ads.
The prospect of quality content on Quibi is further confirmed by the copious prestigious names already attached to the service. As aforementioned, Katzenberg and Whitman are far from beginners in the industry, and they have long lists of professional connections. Hence, Steven Spielberg, Guillermo Del Toro, Steven Soderbergh, Sam Raimi, Anna Kendrick, Kevin Hart, Jennifer Lopez and Zac Efron amongst other A-list names have already committed to Quibi.
Likewise, the company already has investment deals with some of the biggest studios in Hollywood including Disney and Warner Brothers, and will have content connected to ESPN, NBC News, and BBC.
Quibi’s exhaustive and impressive list of attached talent is made possible in no small part thanks to Katzenberg and Whitman’s networking prowess. However, the company is also incentivizing its creative minds with unprecedented terrain to explore on.
Additionally, Quibi promises its talent the right to retain ownership, after a specified interval, over creations. That way, no projects or characters are eternally bound to Quibi—directors can take their ideas to new platforms if need be and can keep all merchandizing and marketing rights to themselves. In a world where syndication dominates the entertainment industry, this is a very rare and appealing offer.
”Too Rich to Fail” Motto seems Apt, and Resonates with with Big Name Talent
Some of the shows on Quibi are already well into production or even post-production. Sam Raimi is working on an anthology series titled “Fifty States of Fright,” where he will be going back to his early horror roots as a filmmaker. Meanwhile, Steven Soderbergh is directing a suspenseful series called “Wireless” for the platform.
The projects that have garnered the most buzz, however, include a documentary series on DC and Marvel Comics spearheaded by “Avengers: Endgame” directors Joe and Anthony Russo, as well as a revived continuation of the hit Comedy Central show “Reno 911!” Projects from Spielberg and Del Toro are yet to be fleshed out, but the two filmmakers’ unparalleled reputations are likely to bring Quibi even more interest.
In short, the industry is certainly on board with Quibi. The real question now is whether or not consumers will be into it. With so much free content to scroll through on one’s phone, many viewers might not see adequate reason to pay a monthly fee for particular shows—especially when they are already paying for Disney+, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and other services.
Quibi is certainly showing creativity in their use of the mobile platform and they definitely have a lot of promising talent in their corner. Nevertheless, some might deem Quibi’s mobile innovations as excessive gimmicks, and their talent as impressive, but not quite alluring enough of an end to justify the means.
A lot of skepticism existis that this entirely new format, in terms of show length, cost and price as well as the somewhat wacky “turnstyle” tech has a chance to become established. In some ways it is similar to Apple TV+ in the sense that the massive cash hoard backing each service (Quibi at least $1.4 Billion, Apple TV+ $6 Billion+) will ensure that, regardless of how long it takes to become popular with the public, in the end they are “too rich to fail”.
We won’t really know until April 6th, when Quibi officially launches and enters into the streaming war as a tactical and unpredictable underdog.
ScarJo and Joker cast shadows over the hope for new faces
On the morning after a Critics Choice Movie Awards ceremony that heavily paralleled the Golden Globes—“Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood” won best picture, Joaquin Phoenix won best actor, Renèe Zellweger best actress, Brad Pitt best supporting actor, Laura Dern best supporting actress, etc., the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences released their nominations for the 92nd Oscars, the pinnacle of the awards season that will take place in early February as per tradition at the famed Dolby Theater on Hollywood Boulevard.
Renée Zellweger as “Judy”
The Oscar Nominations for 2020 offer the usual suspects in most categories. Like the Critics Choice Awards’ Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Golden Globes’ Foreign Hollywood Press, the Academy is big on yesteryear’s work from Tarantino, Mendez, and Scorsese. Likewise, they favor performances from Phoenix, Pitt, and Zellweger.
That being said, there are still a few head turners on this year’s nomination list, from the names included, to the names left out, to the handful of names that dominated.
First off, it should really be no surprise at this point in the awards season that Netflix got a lot of love for its 2019 filmography.
The Academy nominated both Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” and Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story” for best picture and Fernando Meirelles’ “The Two Popes” appeared in several categories as well.
This bodes well for the streaming service that clearly spent the year trying to produce and promote prestigious original content.
If one film dominated the list, however, it was Todd Phillips’ “Joker,” which garnered eleven nominations including best picture, best director, and best actor.
This is significant as not every year does a movie based on a comic book character lead the race, especially not when that comic book character is a controversy-inducing villain brought to the screen by the director of “The Hangover.”
Nevertheless, “Joker” stood out amongst the competition. In terms of noms, the film was narrowly followed by “The Irishman,” “Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood,” and “1917,” all fellow best picture contenders that received ten nominations each.
Moreover, while there weren’t really any surprises on the best actor or best actress fronts, Scarlett Johansson managed to snag both best actress and best supporting actress nominations for her respective roles in “Marriage Story” and “Jojo Rabbit.”
Snubs and Overlooked Talent that was Coincidentally Diverse Abounded
Adam Sandler went unsung for his groundbreaking performance in “Uncut Gems,” and critic favorites Awkwafina from “The Farewell” and Jennifer Lopez from “Hustlers” were similarly snubbed, not receiving any accolades from the Academy despite earning praise elsewhere.
This brings us to the biggest elephant in the room, which has been a persistent topic for the past few Academy Awards—how diverse are this year’s nominees?
The noticeably whitewashed 2016 Oscars sparked this long overdue conversation about diversity in the Awards. Since then, the Academy has been seemingly more inclusive, nominating and honoring racially-charged films like “Moonlight,” “Get Out,” “BlackKklansman,” and, “Black Panther”, feminist features like “Lady Bird” and “Roma,” and queer narratives like “Call Me By Your Name” and “The Favourite.”
This year, however, despite all of the progress over the past couple of several telecasts, the Academy seems to have relapsed into yet another celebration of a white male dominated Hollywood. The only big 2020 nominees that deviate from this norm are Greta Gerwig’s female-centric “Little Women” and Bong Joon-ho’s Korean “Parasite.”
Both of these films were nominated for best picture and Bong Joon-ho was nominated for best director.
The rest of the nominations in these categories are filled with the work of white men. Characteristically, the films are overwhelmingly white as well—from the Western European World War I narrative in “1917,” to the Nazi-Germany satire in “Jojo Rabbit” to a movie literally titled “The Irishman,” there is not a whole lot of diversity going on.
Likewise, many of these movies also sideline female characters to subordinate roles such as wives, mothers, and girlfriends to the male leads.
While these skewed nominations may be mere products of their not being as many women or minority filmmakers in the industry, that very underrepresentation is a testimony to Hollywood’s systemic gender and racial inequality both in front of and behind the camera.
Thus, when the red carpet rolls out on February 9th, we can expect to see a lot of talent on it, but probably not as much color as we’d prefer.
Following the success of last year’s hostless ceremony, the Academy also recently announced that the event will again not have a host. Hence, there will be no central figure on stage to comically quell (or egregiously highlight) the Academy’s systematic issues regarding representation.
Still, if the Golden Globes were any indicator, we will probably still hear a lot of social commentary through the acceptance speeches.
In total, the Academy has taken a big step back this year, not showing the level of diversity that the public might desire or expect.
However, the Academy Awards are only the opinions of a handful of aged industry professionals. Just because they don’t recognize certain talent does not mean that there won’t be eventual recognition, at the latest once the demographics change in the voting block (cold comfort till then).
Academy Awards, Oscars, Joker, Scarlett Johansson, Whitewashed Hollywood, Netflix, Bong Joon-ho, Todd Phillips, Awkwafina, Jennifer Lopez, Movie,
The Naked Display of Abandon in Shanghai was a Signal to The Next Generation
It’s not because Tesla’s stock is at a high. It’s not because SpaceX is passing milestone after milestone. Elon Musk is on a mission, and it’s the same one we all need to be on, starting now: to save the world.
There’s a kind of liberation in facing death, like the movie protagonist racing in a stolen car, chased by the killer bad guy, not worried about the tires or how much fuel is being used: it’s adrenaline pumping survival mode, right here, right now.
And yet, with the metaphorical woman of his dreams (who is actually us and the planet) in the passenger seat, the protagonist, and all of us vicariously, feels more alive, in what could be his final moments, than in all his life to this point.
That’s why he’s dancing.
Many say 2019 was the year that the Climate Crisis, formerly known as global warming, could no longer be doubted by any sane or unbiased person. A few dozen catastrophic, clearly anomalous weather events will do that.
And now, as the new decade dawns, Australia burns and #WWIII trends on Twitter, we are all starting to feel like we are in that stolen car.
Elon Musk is a little different from the rest of us. Not because of his money or success or brains or celebrity. Because he has been on this mission for practically his entire life.
And now we need to join him.
Tesla is and always has been on a mission. Not to “dominate” the EV sector of the auto industry, as is so often written. Not to achieve success as measured by profit or cash flow positions. It’s on an energy mission . See it’s stated for all to see on its twitter account:
So many constantly trumpet the refrain that solving the climate crisis is all about austerity and sacrifice, and certainly there will be plenty of that.
And the deniers say that changing the system is not worth it if there is even a minuscule chance that we are not doomed. Really? How much Exxon stock do you own ? But what it will really take is a revolution in thought and the contagious motivation of an entire generation. And humans are not prophylactically inclined !
It’s Elon Musk and Tesla’s genius, shared with Apple that they understand that you can change the world if people are moved by aspirational, beautiful, sexy dreams of a better life. Not some granola style golf cart of functionality.
An iPhone is the best, most powerful hand held computing device ever imagined and, oh yes, it’s a sexy, sleek fashion statement that you can love with all your heart as well. Ditto on the last part for every Tesla also, from the Model 3 to the Cybertruck.
That mission is bigger than being a car maker, or battery manufacturer or even tech design firm. It’s a mission to replace the current, suicidal, Fossil Fuel based infrastructure with a sustainable one. Worldwide. Right now. Before it’s too late to matter.
Companies that have a higher mission than just “profit for shareholders” have not just a higher moral ground from which to operate but a true motivation that literally pulses like a beating heart throughout the enterprise. Often overlooked is the mission that Steve Jobs imbued into the soul of Apple and the higher mission of providing the best tools that technology is capable of.
Looking forward, for perhaps the first time in human history, the challenges are sharply defined, as are the methods and players in the game. Massive evil forces, created by humans must be countered by small and also equally massive forces just as human, oriented toward a better world and more, the best of all possible worlds.
In truth, within the total devotion and capitulation to a higher mission lies freedom, inner peace and, ultimately success and prosperity, potentially for us all.
Not a hard choice when compared to pain, suffering and, ultimately the extinction of all life on this planet.
In short, it’s Utopia or Oblivion, folks.
So, thank you Elon Musk, for showing us the steps to the dance, and for having the bravery to show us with those awkward, unselfconscious moves that, you too, are learning as you go.
Now we all just need to apply ourselves, like Greta Thunberg inviting Meatloaf to examine scientific evidence, to the task of finding the joy in changing everything that’s wrong with our world, starting with the energy infrastructure, and replacing it with a better, cleaner, less tainted one.
— 🌎 Positive Energy Action (@PosEnergyAction) January 7, 2020
There is a paradox here, though. See it? If we are running for our lives from the most fearsome danger we’ve ever faced, and we are not concerned about money, power or the trappings of fame, then why does it sometimes seem like a better life is so close we can almost reach out and touch it?
Tesla Roadster – Photo / Tesla
Because that’s the secret. If we did all dance like Elon, devote ourselves to a higher cause, and put aside our worldly squabbles over money, power and fame, maybe, just maybe, we will survive and prosper, beyond all our imaginings. And that stolen car? It’s a Tesla Roadster hitting on maximum torque in Ludicrous mode.
And with every discovery shared, solution compounded and mission surpassed, we can escape together and let go of the past’s villainous errors. With luck to find a future worth all our hopes and dreams.
Blue Sky Studios has made a mix of movies over the years. Being the animation subsidiary of 20th Century Fox, Blue Sky hasn’t become a household name quite like Pixar, DreamWorks, Illumination, or even Sony. The studio found initial success with “Ice Age” in 2002, which sparked a five movie, fourteen-year franchise that still remains very popular overseas. In between these Pleistocene Epoch-themed successes, they have also produced movies such as “Robots,” “Rio,” “The Peanuts Movie,” and “Ferdinand.”
There is nothing wrong with any of these movies. Some of them even managed to fare well at the box office. Critically, however, none of them have really made an enormous splash, and they tend to fall behind films made by Blue Sky’s competitors.
As of this past March, though, 20th Century Fox has been under Walt Disney Studios’ control, making Blue Sky a Disney property. Therefore, Blue Sky’s next project will be the studio’s first to be released under Disney’s watch.
That next release is titled “Spies In Disguise,” and despite getting its release date perpetually pushed back since January, the film will finally hit theaters on December 25th.
Although “Spies In Disguise” will be Blue Sky’s first release under Disney, the project entered into development back in 2017—long before the Fox acquisition. Likewise, production predominantly took place in 2018. Thus, Disney really didn’t have much oversight in the making of the movie.
The film is partially based off of a 2009 animated short titled “Pigeon: Impossible,” directed by Lucas Martell. This feature adaptation will be the directorial debuts for Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, both of whom have worked in the animation and art departments on previous Blue Sky productions. Meanwhile, Brad Copeland (“Ferdinand”) and Lloyd Taylor (“The Wild”) wrote the screenplay.
The first personnel that Blue Sky signed onto the project, however, were actually the two star voice actors: Will Smith and Tom Holland, both recognizable faces with fairly familiar voices (especially the former). The studio casted these two as the leads way back in 2017 during development.
In the film, Will Smith plays superspy Lance Serling, a suave hero who continually saves the world from destruction—the cartoon character design even looks a little like Smith. Holland, on the other hand, plays Walter Beckett, Serling’s tech officer who invents gadgets to aid the spy on his missions. The plot takes off when Serling ingests Beckett’s latest creation—a “biodynamic concealment”—which zanily turns him into a talking pigeon.
Humbled by this change in species, Serling must team up with the nerdy Beckett to save the world from archvillain Tristan McFord, who is voiced by Ben Mendelsohn. Along the way, the two protagonists learn the perks of being a pigeon when it comes to spying, creating many quirky, action-packed, and humorous instances in the process.
There is no telling what critics might say about “Spies in Disguise.” The animation looks good (it is computer animated with sharp edges and caricature-esque figures in a similar style to “The Incredibles”). Simultaneously, the casting is on point and the story seems funny enough. However, with “Frozen II” still being in theaters and family-friendly sensational blockbusters like “Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker” also coming out in December, “Spies In Disguise” will have a lot to compete with, and will most likely fall to the wayside for most moviegoers.
On May 25th, 1977, 20th Century Fox released a low-budget, science fiction fantasy film from an up-and-coming director named George Lucas. That movie was called “Star Wars,” and to everyone’s surprise at the time, it became a worldwide sensation that would change the face of cinema and culture forever. In the forty-two years since “Star Wars” came out, the lowly first film has inspired four sequels, three prequels, several TV shows, millions of action figures, hundreds of comics, dozens of books, numerous parodies, and countless spin-offs—not to mention video games, soundtracks, accessories, clothes and other kinds of merchandize that have been embraced across the globe.
In 2012, George Lucas sold his creation to the Walt Disney Company, and since then, new Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has revamped the franchise with additional content, starting with “Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens” in 2015 and continuing with “Star Wars: Episode VIII—The Last Jedi” in 2017, along with some spinoff anthology movies and cartoon TV series in between.
Now, “Star Wars: Episode IX—The Rise of Skywalker” is just days away. This is the movie that will mark the end of the original Star Wars story that began in 1977 with episodes IV, V, and VI, continued at the turn of the millennium with episodes I, II, and III, and now wraps up with the recent Disney movies. Altogether, episodes I-IX make up the “Skywalker Saga,” as they focus on the members of the Skywalker family that the original movies revolve around.
Much has already been said about “The Rise of Skywalker,” and there is certainly a lot of pressure on director J.J. Abrams (who also directed “The Force Awakens”) to successfully follow up on Rian Johnson’s divisive “The Last Jedi” and also bring the saga to a satisfying, impactful close.
With the return of “Force Awakens” and “Last Jedi” stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, and Oscar Issac, “Rise of Skywalker” will be many fans’ last chance to see these actors’ beloved characters on screen. Also, veteran characters from Episodes IV, V, and VI portrayed by original actors Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, Ian McDairmid, and the late Carrie Fischer will also appear in the movie, creating acute senses of nostalgia and authentic emotion.
However, as heavy as “Rise of Skywalker” might be, fans can take solace in the fact that although the Skywalker Saga is ending, Star Wars as a whole is not really going anywhere. Perhaps we may not be getting any further content focusing on characters like Luke, Leia, Rey, or Anakin, and we may not be seeing another movie in the theaters for a while. Nevertheless, under the supervision of Disney, the forty-two year old franchise is bound to continue for many more. In fact, we have already seen the next steps taking shape.
With the launch of Disney+, Lucasfilm has recently made a boom with its first ever live-action series, “The Mandalorian.” Spearheaded by executive producer Jon Favreau, the show has received wonderful reviews from critics and fans alike and it has already been renewed for a second season.
Disney+ has announced two additional live-action Star Wars series as well, each of which will focus on a pre-existing character. One will center on Cassian Andor, the rebel hero played by Diego Luna in 2016’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” The other will be about Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Jedi master first portrayed by Alec Guinness in the original “Star Wars” and then portrayed by Ewam McGreggor in the prequel trilogy. McGreggor will be reprising the role for the series. Evidently, at least a couple familiar faces from the Skywalker Saga will be sticking around the Star Wars universe. We can probably even expect a few surprise cameos from other fan-favorite characters and actors as well.
Aside from television, Respawn Entertainment recently released “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order,” a videogame with a storyline fit for the Star Wars cannon. The same goes for “Vader Immortal” a VR experience that Disney is releasing on a one-episode-at-a-time basis. Disney also opened “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” in its theme parks earlier this year, offering its patrons an immersive narrative experience within the Star Wars universe. Clearly, Disney is taking Star Wars into experimental and expansive new territories.
Then, of course, there are still the movies—the medium from which all this fanaticism and transmedia entertainment began. While it might seem like there is nothing left for Star Wars to say after “Rise of Skywalker” closes the book on the original story, in actuality, there are many more books yet to be opened in the Star Wars universe. Rian Johnson has already been approved for his own spinoff movie trilogy, and with anthology films like “Rogue One” and “Solo” already finding success in between the Skywalker Saga movies, we can expect to see Star Wars back on the big screen soon enough.
In total, “The Rise of Skywalker” may be a little bitter sweet. We are excited to see the last chapter of this larger-than-life story, but we are also sad to say goodbye to it. Happily, though, Star Wars is one of Disney’s most lucrative pieces of intellectual property right now. Episode IX will likely be Disney’s biggest hit this year after “Avengers: Endgame,” and 2019 has been a very successful year for the company.
As long as Disney is chasing profits—which they do oh so prolifically—we can expect to see more Star Wars growing and expanding into different forms of media while also keeping a foot in their filmic origins. For even though the story famously takes place a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… Star Wars will never really stray too far from its Earthly home and its die-hard fans that have stuck with it through and through.
They all said it would be boring. That you should skip this year’s model and wait for September 2020. That it would be ugly. And were they wrong? In all the ways that matter, yes, once again they were all wrong. Here’s why:
[Want specs and highlights and a list of reasons why this is a device worth upgrading to? See below.]
First take a look at some of the announcements that just broke regarding possible anti-trust violations by Google, Facebook and Amazon. And, yes, apple is on the radar too, according to reports.
Although it is easy, and, for many, tempting, to lump Apple in with the gang of violators, it is wrong in one extremely important respect.
Click to see “Steve Jobs” and help Lynxotic and all independent bookstores
In each case, the huge and monopolistic tech behemoths are guilty, not of the traditional price gouging necessarily, which is the simple minded way to define monopoly, but rather, in the most egregious and damaging area for society as a whole: stifling and impeding innovation in order to preserve monopoly advantages and profits.
Is there a better search engine than Google? A better eCommerce web site than Amazon? A better social media network than Facebook and it’s owned subsidiaries?
In every case the answer is maybe there could be, but we will never know as long as these massive monstrosities control the majority of the business models, in each case, that they originally innovated, but now seek only to monopolize.
In order for innovation to continue, make no mistake, other companies would not only need ideas and a creative drive, but also resources. Resources that the marketplace could easily provide, if not virtually completely controlled by the existing giants. Better search engines, better social media platforms and most of all, more and better ways to buy products online.
Only the death of these companies could guarantee that those dreams become a reality.
Photo / Apple
Apple Stands Alone as the One True Innovator (Along with Tesla for EVs)
What about Apple? Apple is based 100% on the need, desire and belief in innovation. Steve Jobs set this drive in motion and embodied the DNA of a person with a core goal to innovate at all costs. Apple continues to follow that credo, chapter and verse.
Today’s September Special Event was nothing less than a re-affirmation of the pure focus on any and all innovation, as a core principal and goal.
What innovations were announced? The reality is that the list is so long that it will take dozens of articles to detail the changes to our shared digital lives that have been announced and are being released by Apple in 2019.
Disclaimer: Here at Lynxotic we have a saying: “The Second Wave is Coming” and it is about the eventual results and improvements to our digital lives that this article, and the Apple Event today, are all about.
Lynxotic
Often the focus in the media seems to be on the price of a phone, if its new camera is improved enough to be worth buying instead of a cheaper Samsung, and similar, perfectly valid concerns. Apple’s focus is more on finding a way to take us into an unknown, better, future, for technology, communication and creativity.
The first Mac computer was very expensive, many would say overpriced, but without it where would the state of computing and tech be today? And the iPhone being in reality a hand-held computer with a voice calling feature was predicted to be a failure and criticized as unneeded by many. How’d that work out?
No different now, critics are bound to say, that the iPhone 11 pro announced today “only” has enormous advances in iPhone camera technology, not only for shooting photos but for virtually “pro” potential for videography.
Machine Learning and the 3 Layer approach to design
As the features and capabilities of the new devices from Apple become more advanced it becomes more and more difficult to fashion the improvements into a single product feature or change.
Wired magazine says “it’s all about the cameras”, is that really true? In a way, yes. The iPhone 11 Pro has no less than three 12 megapixel cameras, along with a triple-lens array. In some modes featured in a presentation from Filmic all three cameras were shown recording video simultaneously.
But the real story, underneath the story, is more complex. The M.L. or machine learning capabilities (A.I. But not?) that are only possible within an ecosystem that builds its own chips, creates its own operating systems and application software, as well as its own hardware. Then, from the design stages to final end user, tweaks each to maximize the overall performance.
Machine learning within the iPhone has been quietly growing over the last two years and is starting to pick up steam. However, because the ways that the triumvirate of processors, software and hardware work together to make the impossible possible are so complicated they are seldom mentioned. It also appears that these updates are also happening in between iOS upgrades, under normal operations and aided by iCloud.
Make no mistake, the results and improved capabilities that arise from this constant innovation are going to change our digital lives for the better.
DL
This may seem trivial. Who cares about better photos? Better videos? Increasingly, as we live more and more in a digital world, the quality of the experience of that “surrogate” world matters. It is barely a subject being discussed, but going forward it will become more and more meaningful as various technologies converge and evolve in tandem.
That is The Second Wave. And just like the first wave that started in 1984 when Steve Jobs announced the 1st Macintosh, Apple will be at the forefront of the creative innovation, even while Google, Facebook and Amazon do their best to stifle innovation and maintain their strangle-hold on their little empires.
The Second Wave will slowly rise and a richer more creative digital life will emerge. Thanks, in part, to the announcements at the Apple Special Event today, especially the iPhone 11 Pro and it’s great new cameras.
(Apple: “The new TrueDepth camera introduces a new 12MP camera with a wider field of view to capture selfies, and next-generation Smart HDR enables more natural-looking photos. Expressive selfie videos take on a whole new look with the TrueDepth camera that now records 4K video at up to 60 fps and 120 fps slo-mo.”)
Additional Features
The new Apple-designed U1 chip uses Ultra Wideband technology, the first ever in a smartphone, for spatial awareness. With iOS 13.1 coming on September 30, AirDrop gets even better with directionally aware suggestions.
Face ID, the most secure facial authentication in a smartphone, gets up to 30 percent faster and easier to use with improved performance at varying distances and support for more angles.
Spatial audio provides an immersive surround sound experience and Dolby Atmos delivers powerful, moving audio to iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max.
Gigabit-class LTE up to 1.6Gbps and Wi-Fi 6 allow for even faster download speeds2 and Dual SIM with eSIM.3
Civil Disco-Bedience: Inspired Dance Protest Outside UN Climate Conference in Madrid
When it comes to the climate crisis, there is an unfortunate oversaturation of negative news. Rising temperatures, polluted oceans, wildfires, hurricanes, floods and more—all against the backdrop of political inaction. It does not always paint the most uplifting picture.
Even protests are often (rightfully) fueled by frustration and anger. While climate rallies are in the world’s best interests, their participants are usually an aggressively determined and ambitious crowd. Such is what it takes to fight the systemic behemoths that are behind climate change.
A first phase consisted of a kind of shock tactic to try to emphasize the seriousness of the dangers faced by all. “Die-ins” were a way to illustrate, almost literally, the consequences of inaction. Stopping traffic or blocking commerce was a way to force the public and the media to take notice.
The Extinction Rebellion has been putting on protests since May 2018, but it has become particularly active in the past few months. Its rallies can sometimes be perceived as extremism. Multiple members of the group have been arrested for their uncompromising actions and their protests have been made illegal in the city of London.
Then the floods, droughts, fires and extreme weather events started to become commonplace. Scientific reports showed the undeniable connection to man-made climate change. Global Warming became Climate Change then a Climate Crisis. The fear became palpable.
It appears that, even as at least some attention is being paid at the UN Climate Conference in Madrid, a major shift could be emerging in world opinion. World leaders are coming together to follow up on the 2015 Paris Accords and seek to come to sound agreements for the planet’s future.
More importantly, there is a massive shift in the auto industry with carmakers anticipating an eventual end to internal combustion engine (ICE) production in favor of electric vehicles (EVs).
Sometimes it’s necessary to look past the threats and the doom and try to imagine a world where the human race rises to an extinction level threat and not only survives but prevails. To imagine a world where energy is abundant and comes from the sun, from wind power and as yet unknown clean, sustainable energy sources.
Like driving a beautiful, clean, zero emission Tesla on beautiful mountain roads, charged from solar sources, and marveling at a better world all around. A Great fantasy today, but what kind of changes, to our ways of thinking, to our current corrupt infrastructure, to all that stands in the way, would it take to make it a reality?
A tiny first step could be for those that no longer need convincing that the Climate Crisis is real to come together and announce to the world, and more importantly to one another, that the journey towards, not just survival, but to a better life has begun. And what better way to do it than by….. dancing.
This week, the grassroots environmental organization known as the Extinction Rebellion blocked out Madrid’s busy Gran Via to dance in the street—enacting what they are calling “civil disco-bedience.”
Following the Unspoken Ethos of Elon Musk “Save the Planet and have Fun Doing it” is the new Mantra
In Madrid the protestors expressed nothing but upbeat vibes, as hundreds flooded the roads to jam out and move their bodies to songs of celebration and life, not death.
As several members of the party stated, the Extinction Rebellion has tried just about every option in the book to get politicians on board with prioritizing climate change. Sadly, very few of its efforts have been rewarded. Now that all of the leaders are at the conference talking out potential solutions, there is not much left for the organization to do.
Always savvy when it comes to public backlash and highly motivated for a more than righteous cause, it appears that the group has decided that there must be joy, exuberance, energy and even a celebratory atmosphere to the consciousness raising efforts, if they are to succeed.
So they dance. In the cold December air, some go shirtless and all express sentiments of optimism for the future. They stand for saving the world, and are having fun doing it. Hopefully, the politicians meeting inside Madrid’s IFEMA facilities are feeling as progressive as the protestors are, and will find some sort of innovative compromise before the Conference ends on December 13th.
As various groups come together searching for ways to act against the threats of the Climate Crisis and in favor of solutions and changes that will enable a life on earth that does not depend on burning carbon to live, they are realizing, it appears, that finding each other and reinforcing their mutual love for life and this planet may be the first, best, test in what will be humankind’s greatest challenge.
The citizens of earth ultimately have the power to decide the future. Now, and soon, that decision will be made, one way, or another. Perhaps celebrating this certainty by dancing on the streets of Madrid in the winter of 2019 may not be a bad way to acknowledge and affirm those truths, and begin the dance toward changes for the better.
You ever hear the one about the cop, the songbird, the psycho and the mafia princess? “Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” is a twisted tale told by Harley herself, as only Harley can tell it. When Gotham’s most nefariously narcissistic villain, Roman Sionis, and his zealous right-hand, Zsasz, put a target on a young girl named Cass, the city is turned upside down looking for her. Harley, Huntress, Black Canary and Renee Montoya’s paths collide, and the unlikely foursome have no choice but to team up to take Roman down.
In the Warner Bros. Pictures film, Margot Robbie (“I, Tonya”) returns as Harley Quinn, alongside Mary Elizabeth Winstead (“10 Cloverfield Lane,” TV’s “Fargo”) as Huntress; Jurnee Smollett-Bell (HBO’s “True Blood”) as Black Canary; Rosie Perez (“Fearless,” “Pitch Perfect 2”) as Renee Montoya; Chris Messina (“Argo,” TV’s “Sharp Objects”) as Victor Zsasz; and Ewan McGregor (upcoming “Doctor Sleep,” the “Trainspotting” films) as Roman Sionis. Newcomer Ella Jay Basco also stars as Cassandra “Cass” Cain in her feature film debut. Directed by Cathy Yan (“Dead Pigs”) from a script by Christina Hodson (“Bumblebee”), the film is based on characters from DC. Robbie also produced, alongside Bryan Unkeless and Sue Kroll.
Black Widow is an upcoming American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is intended to be the twenty-fourth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film is directed by Cate Shortland, written by Jac Schaeffer and Ned Benson, and stars Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, alongside David Harbour, Florence Pugh, O-T Fagbenle, and Rachel Weisz. Set after the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016), the film sees Romanoff on the run and forced to confront her past.
The latest (number 25) in the James Bond franchise, “No Time To Die” features Daniel Craig in his fifth outing as the MI6 agent James Bond. Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, Rory Kinnear, Jeffrey Wright, Léa Seydoux, and Christoph Waltz reprise their roles from previous films, with Rami Malek, Ana de Armas and Lashana Lynch joining the cast.
Development of the film began and confirmed in 2016. It will be the first film in the series to be internationally distributed by Universal Pictures, acquiring the rights following the expiration of Columbia Pictures‘ contract after Spectre. In the United States, United Artists Releasing holds the rights. Universal will also release the film on home media domestically.
Directed by Clint Eastwood and based on true events, “Richard Jewell” is a story of what happens when what is reported as fact obscures the truth. “There is a bomb in Centennial Park. You have thirty minutes.” The world is first introduced to Richard Jewell as the security guard who reports finding the device at the 1996 Atlanta bombing—his report making him a hero whose swift actions save countless lives.
But within days, the law enforcement wannabe becomes the FBI’s number one suspect, vilified by press and public alike, his life ripped apart.
Reaching out to independent, anti-establishment attorney Watson Bryant, Jewell staunchly professes his innocence. But Bryant finds he is out of his depth as he fights the combined powers of the FBI, GBI and APD to clear his client’s name, while keeping Richard from trusting the very people trying to destroy him.
The film stars Oscar winners Sam Rockwell (“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”) as Watson Bryant and Kathy Bates (“Misery,” TV’s “American Horror Story”) as Richard’s mom, Bobi; Jon Hamm (“Baby Driver”) as the lead FBI investigator; Olivia Wilde (“Life Itself”) as Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Kathy Scruggs; and Paul Walter Hauser (“I, Tonya”) stars as Richard Jewell. Oscar winner Eastwood directed from a screenplay by Oscar nominee Billy Ray (“Captain Phillips”), based on the Vanity Fair article “American Nightmare—The Ballad of Richard Jewell” by Marie Brenner.
A Sleeper Perhaps but Talent beneath the Camp and Quantity
On December 3rd, the National Board of Review (NBR) announced its award recipients for 2019. The NBR celebrates excellence in the art of filmmaking, and its annual awards stand as testaments to that celebration and a precursor for the Academy Awards in February.
This year the NBR viewed over two hundred movies from blockbusters to indie flicks and they finally came out with their top picks. As a big win for Netflix, the Board gave Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” the honor of Best Picture. Meanwhile, Quentin Tarantino won Best Director for “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.”
Neither of these wins is necessarily surprising. From a critical perspective, these two cinematic epics were probably the most highly rated films of the year, and their directors are a couple of the most renowned auteurs still working today. Similarly, on the talent side, Academy Award winning actress Renée Zellweger won Best Lead for her role as Judy Garland in “Judy.” Fellow Oscar winning actress Kathy Bates won the Best Supporting Actress title for her performance in “Richard Jewell.” And then, to no one’s shock, three-time Oscar nominee Brad Pitt won Best Supporting Actor for Tarantino’s film.
Again, most of these outcomes were relatively expected. The real shocker on the awards list, however, falls under the Best Actor category, where the NBR deemed Adam Sandler’s role in “Uncut Gems” the greatest leading performance of the year—and this is a year where he was competing with Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Joaquin Phoenix, and many other revered stars.
The fact that Adam Sandler is a talented actor is not necessarily a revelation. The fifty-three year old performer has had a very respectable career. In the nineteen-nineties he made headlines as a regular on “Saturday Night Live,” and starred in widely-appreciated comedy films such as “The Waterboy,” “Happy Gilmore,” and “Billy Madison.”
In the past decade or so, however, Sandler has been reimaged as a less-than-stellar leading funny man. With critical monstrosities such as “Grown Ups,” “Grown Ups 2,” “Jack and Jill,” “Pixels” and “The Cobbler” under his belt, Sandler is not as loved as he once was, and his brand of humor is often seen as predictable and patronizing.
“Uncut Gems” is not a comedy in the traditional sense, though. Instead, it is a crime-dramedy indie flick directed by Josh and Benny Safdie of 2017’s “Good Time.” Sandler, likewise, does not play his go-to goofy-dad character, and his performance is more than just an amalgamation of potty jokes and funny voices. While he still portrays a family man in the film, he plays a New York City jeweler deadest on making money through a series of high-risk bets. His actions lead him into a maze of perilous actions as he fends off against real-world enemies while trying to keep his family and finances afloat.
In short, “Uncut Gems” is a neo-noir style dark comedy. It is a long way off from “Big Daddy” and “The Wedding Singer.”
The film also won Best Original Screenplay for its script, which the Safdie brothers wrote with Ronald Bronstein— another person they collaborated with on “Good Time.” “Uncut Gems” also made the NBR’s list for top ten movies after “The Irishman,” falling in with titles such as “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood,” “Jojo Rabbit,” “Marriage Story,” “Ford v Ferrari,” and five others features.
Adam Sandler responded to his recognition with jested ambition. On “The Howard Stern Show,” he jokingly threatened to make a new movie worse than anything he’s ever made before if he does not win an Oscar for the film. Clearly, the man has a sense of good-humored self-deprecation. At the same time, though, even he knows that his work in “Uncut Gems” is above standard. The mere fact that Sandler is promoting the film is a telling fact, as the actor/producer rarely does press tours for his own work.
Of all People Adam Sandler as Best Actor at the Oscars?
As unexpected as Sandler’s potential appearance at the 92nd Academy Awards may be, perhaps it is subtly overdue. Despite his more recent body of work, Sandler has a long list of impressive titles to his name. He was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2002 for his performance in “Punch-Drunk Love.” During Sandler’s run on “SNL,” the show was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards and his return to the show as the host this year earned him an Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series nomination. He has voice acting recognition from the Annies and Behind The Voice Awards, a Funniest Actor nom from the American Comedy Awards, and is in the running for Best Actor at the 2020 Independent Spirit Awards.
Maybe an Oscar—or at least a nomination—is not as far off as it might seem for Adam Sandler. Last year Viggo Mortensen won Best Actor from the NBR, and was then nominated for an Oscar months later. Two years before that, Casey Afleck held the NBR title, and he went on to win the Oscar that following February.
This could be a turning point for Sandler, a moment where his career gets a much needed second-wind. It could demonstrate his talent to a wider audience and make him a contender for more serious and mature roles in the future.
The NBR awards ceremony will take place in New York City on January 8th, where Sandler will be honored. “Uncut Gems” premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in August, screened again at the Toronto Film Festival in September, and received positive reviews throughout. It comes out in limited theaters across the U.S. on December 13th and will have a wider release on Christmas Day.
Oscar buzz and predictions are building ahead of the Golden Globes, which are traditionally used as a gauge of what will most likely be among the Oscar nominations. The Globes are slated for January 6th, 2020 and the Oscar’s, a.k.a. 91st Academy Awards telecast is on Sunday, 24 February.
Some of the films that are getting the most buzz and are favored to be in the running can be seen by peeking at the trailers (with links to our in depth articles) below:
New Zealand director Taika Waltiti’s movie “Jojo Rabbit” was released October 18th. The critic’s reactions have been positive, and the film won the Toronto Film Festival audience award putting it in line, if past years winners are any indication, for a possible Oscar nod. Waititi was also awarded the Festival’s new Ebert Director Award.
Waltiti is known for directing wacky comedies such as “What We Do In The Shadows,” “Hunt For The Wilderpeople,” and the borderline parody Marvel hit, “Thor: Ragnarok.” His latest film, “Jojo Rabbit” follows this same vein of outrageous, yet charming humor, but there is one key difference… “Jojo Rabbit” focuses on Germany’s Nazi party during World War II, making its hilarity just a touch more complicated.
More specifically, “Jojo Rabbit” is about a young boy in the Hitler Youth. Like many German kids of the time, he aspires to be a Nazi soldier when he grows up. He buys into the party’s ideologies and believes their propaganda. That is until he comes face to face with a Jewish girl and learns, despite what the Nazis have taught him, that she is harmless, pleasant, and appealing.
On the surface, the premise seems like the bones of a complex and sophisticated historical drama. With Waltiti behind the camera, though, such is obviously not the case. Instead of dry historical accuracy, Waltiti makes the Hitler Youth look like a summer camp filled with likable children and goofy leaders. Most boldly perhaps, Waltiti himself plays Adolf Hitler in the movie, but rather than depict him as the brutal dictator that he was, Waltiti makes him out to be the kind-uncle archetype, a socially inept, hilarious motivator and idol for the children in the story.
Quentin Tarantino has had success with his ninth movie, “Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood”. In a slight departure from his stark early 70s styled crime dramas, this time Tarantino pays homage to the late- 60’s genre and his love for his hometown, Los Angeles.
The film takes place in 1969 Hollywood, amidst the chaotic events of that year, including the infamous Manson Murders. Much like The Altamont Free Concert, as chronicled in the film Gimme Shelter (with it’s high profile murder during the show), the gruesome, violent Manson murders are often cited as an historical moment marking the end of the free love 60’s and a pivot towards the darker times in the me decade of the 70’s.
The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Rick Dalton, as an actor on a Western television series alongside Brad Pitt as Cliff Booth, Dalton’s stuntman. The two work and live closely together as they carry out their urban cinematic adventures. The characters and their friendship are said to be based on 70’s icon Burt Reynolds and his stuntman Hal Needham.
Even before seeing “Joker” the origin-story from Warner Brothers, there is a sense that this is an epic not easily categorized within the Comic-Book movie genre.
Starring Joaquin Phoenix (Oscar nominee for “Walk the Line”, “The Master” and “Gladiator”), directed and co-written by Todd Phillips (“Borat” and “The Hangover Trilogy”) and with Robert De Niro (as TV host Murray Franklin), the focus on how Arthur Fleck becomes “Joker” screams a muted, uneasy tension, that’s oozing from every pixel revealed so far.
In “Joker”, Batman’s Gotham City is a cesspool of dirt and depravity where Arthur appears doomed to live and die encircled with nothing but depression and humiliation. Mentally Ill and mercilessly tortured by the “sane” members of society all around him, he finds some respite in his chosen career of clown-for-hire and hopeful comedian wannabe by night.
The potential for the story to transcend the genre of Comic book heroes and villains is hinted at in the placard with the words “we are all clowns” scrawled on it, that can be seen in a flash, about halfway through the new trailer (above).
Followed by scenes showing mobs of clown-mask-wearing demonstrators / rioters (shades of anonymous, Guy Fawkes, Antifa and Hong Kong), there’s an implication that an anti-social movement is growing up around, and identifying with, the anger and twisted humor of the emerging “Joker” super-villain character.
The real life parallels to the fictional world of Gotham City and the way many could relate, after having suffered similar fates to those that produced the madness into which Arthur descends, are scary, already in previews, and could portend a film that is not only horrifically entertaining, but thought provoking, when seen in the shadows of current events and today’s zeitgeist.
In the wake of so many “uplifting” but heavily computer assisted films where Comic book superheroes battle cartoon villains (and each other) the emphasis on live action grit and human emotions and failings is, at first look, refreshing and terrifying (in an interesting way), and that seems to have hit a nerve with the general public, judging from the $1 billion plus bos office take so far.
From “Logan” and “Walk The Line” director James Mangold, “Ford v Ferrari” follows the true story of American engineer Carroll Shelby who is solicited by Henry Ford II to build a car that can beat Ferrari at the 1966 Le Mans World Championship in France. Shelby, determined to complete Ford’s ambitious task, insists on putting the wild and loose British driver Ken Miles behind the wheel. What ensues is the fast-playing tale of a couple eccentric and erratic people infiltrating a world filled with professional industrialists to take on the impossible.
Matt Damon plays Shelby in the film and Christian Bale as Miles. Rather than one being the lead and the other being a supporting role, both actors are co-leading the film, making them both eligible for Best Actor in a Leading Role nominations at the Oscars come February.
Rumors Already Predicting big things for the iPhone 12: 5G plus Starlink will only Add to the Furor…
Seems like just yesterday that Apple Inc. released the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro. Consumers are still riding high on the hype and performance of these latest smartphone models. Nevertheless, Apple is already looking to the future and creating estimates for the iPhone 12 in 2020. According to Digitimes, Apple expects that the iPhone 12 will be one of the company’s most successful models.
While the 11 and 11 Pro are expected to have sold 80 million units by the end of 2019, Apple predicts that they will receive over 100 million orders for the 12 next year.
Apple anticipates such high figures for the iPhone 12 in part due to oncoming innovations in 5G and satellite Internet. While the software and hardware details of the new phone remain shrouded in mystery for now, there is high confidence that the device will be built for the latest advances in Internet speed and 5G networking—a powerful upgrade that is bound to bring in many customers.
Right now, the term “satellite Internet” may seem like something slow, old-fashioned, and used only by people living in remote locations where traditional broadband sources are unavailable. This may be the case at the moment, but new technology known as “Low Earth Orbit” micro-satellites could bring satellite Internet access with fiber optic speeds and beyond. Constellations of these micro-satellites could not only deliver the internet to more people around the world, they could potentially reinvent satellite Internet as a high-speed and perhaps even premiere way for virtually all people to get online.
Many tech companies have been trying to perfect micro-satellites and get the upper hand and dominate the skies. Leading the charge is Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which intends to cover the stratosphere with thousands of low-orbit satellites through its StarLink initiative. The company has already gotten approval by the FCC to launch several thousand micro-satellites into the sky, and they intend to keep launching more until they have a massive interconnected network of satellites orbiting the globe.
Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson & OneWeb, Google, and Facebook are all playing competitive catch up with SpaceX on the micro-satellite front. Jeff Bezos has been pursuing Project Kuiper, a satellite-oriented task which aims to provide worldwide broadband access via space. While certainly not as far along as StarLink, Kuiper plans to have hundreds of satellites in the sky in the near future.
Google has an alternative route to Low Earth Orbit micro-satellites, relying on weather balloons with antennas to stand in for cell towers and provide service to greater areas—an initiative that the company has coined “Loon.” Simultaneously, Facebook tried to make headway with its “FreeBasics” project, whereby the social network also wants to get more people active and connected on the web, and, of course, logged into its Social Network.
5G Speeds will be the Big Upgrade but the extended Competition and Coverage of Satellites are Next
After purchasing Intel’s 5G modem unit earlier this year, and with 5G modems by Qualcom already widely expected to be in the iPhone 12, Apple is uniquely positioned to be at the forefront of this looming expansion of mobile data networks and satellite internet access points.
It’s important to remember that 5G and satellite internet both have the potential to be much faster than current broadband connections. However, the roll out timing is uncertain and the speed increases will depend on various systems and stages of network build as well as many other factors. For example, an ultra fast satellite system is being built by LeoSat which will be used by Enterprise level customers at up 5.2 Gigabits, close to double the speed of fiber, but this will be exclusively business users, at least initially.
It is the sheer breath of competition and the wide array of systems in the mix that insures that there will be more options, and more speed coming online by 2021. Not only for mobile phones but for mobile laptops and as wireless home and business routing systems also.
What all this means, in a nutshell, for Apple, is that more people will want to buy smartphones that are capable of accessing these newer, faster internet providers. If StarLink (or any of the other upcoming satellite services) can provide a greater fraction of the world with Internet access, more people will desire the latest devices to make full use that Internet. Likewise, these consumers will also want the device that is most compatible with 5G and micro-satellite technology.
Given Apple’s record, the company will probably release the iPhone 12 in September, 2020. 5G will already be in an ongoing build-out phase, with T-mobil launching on December 6, 2019 and Verizon, AT&T and Sprint already in the mix. StarLink will likely not be up and ready by that time—they are aiming for an initial roll out to start as early as mid 2020 and with continuous expansion to 2022 and beyond. However, the project will certainly be further along in becoming a worldwide sensation, with launches of multiple satellites happening every few months.
With 5G speed, and an Operating System fit for the latest forms access in its arsenal, and with the fastest chips and most powerful software and systems to accommodate the added bandwidth, the iPhone 12 has the potential to be a blockbuster of historic proportions, even by Apple’s high standards.
More than 200k in pre-orders and Future buyers posting Proof Online as a Badge of Honor
The Cybertruck unveiling at the SpaceX adjacent Tesla Design Center on November 21st was one for the the ages. The initial reaction by the throngs of invited press (invitations were required and very hard to come by for the ultra-anticipated event) was to run with the obvious: smash proof window failure and wild twitter responses to the extreme throw-back-style design.
Elon Musk even pre-revealed what the general look the truck would be before the event, as if he was concerned that people needed a preview to reduce the shock of seeing the radical concept without a prior hint of what was to come.
Electric motors also have insane torque. If we load both trucks to the max, electric still wins. Physics is the law, everything else is a recommendation.
And then, within 24 hours of the unveiling, literally 100s of online media outlets pumped out articles, perhaps with a ratio of two or three to one ridiculing the design, or the issues with the on-stage window demonstration vs. the minority actually digging deeper into the truck itself and how it might actually fare in the real world. One outlet even speculated that the whole concept was 100% fake and that there was no chance that any truck, at least not similar to this one, would ever be produced.
In the run-up to the epic unveiling, Musk hinted that the truck would possibly be influenced by the “Blade Runner” aesthetic and cyberpunk ethos and might be like “an armored personnel carrier from the future”. And how spot on those hints turned out to be!
Once the pre-orders started to flood in, something changed, big time.
Within 72 hours Elon had tweeted milestones for the $100 fully refundable pre-orders. First that approximately 160k and then more than 200k orders had been taken. Not quite at the level of the Model 3 pre-orders, and at a much lower cost (Model 3 was a $1000 deposit) but, for an unveiling that was considered by the press, generally, to be a failure and even worthy of mocking and derision, this was an abrupt, if not surprising turn-around.
Not surprising because this type of press-vs-the public behavior is commonplace in all areas of commerce and entertainment. Just last summer, Disney’s Lion King was almost universally panned by critics, then went on, predictably, to be one of the biggest financial successes in movie history. Cybertruck is unlikely to be that extreme as it bounces back from the initial negativity coming from the press, but what the bounce back says about Tesla, climate change and the future is an even more fascinating story, to observe and speculate on, than that cute and cuddly digital cat.
[gdgallery_gallery id_gallery=”30″]
Tesla’s Support and Status as a Hero in the Fight against the Fossil Fuel Industrial Complex and ICE automakers runs deep and strong
The speculation on why Elon Musk chose to design and offer this vehicle at this time has obviously run rampant. There are many theories, most of them pretty silly, and, short of a detailed announcement from the man himself, there can be no definitive statement.
However, now that the pre-orders are proving to be robust and the company’s stock has rebounded (probably unrelated but, that’s another story), the possibility of a “crazy like a fox” story behind it all begins to make more sense.
Reason Cybertruck is so planar is that you can’t stamp ultra-hard 30X steel, because it breaks the stamping press
One interesting development is the tweets of the deposit receipts as a badge of honor among the faithful. This could just be folks who love everything about the truck and it’s radical design and features.
It could also, however, be something larger in play. Once the truck concept vs. the EV concept is taken into account the process of observing social and commercial trends in this case becomes very interesting.
Factoid 1: Incidents involving Tesla charging stations being blocked and vandalized have generally been perpetrated by strange rogue Pick-up truck owners and there has been an exaggerated hate and pride in driving a gas guzzling anti-Tesla. It’s bizarre to think that Tesla in this case could be creating a kind of counter force to these oddly “pro-gasoline” wackos who seems to see Tesla as some sort of flashpoint for their retro-oil-fetish. And, the Cybertruck is bulletproof (!?).
Factoid 2: While it has been well documented that Tesla stands virtually alone against the power structure of the entire world in its crusade to rid the world of ICE vehicles ASAP, the degree to which the general public has a strong desire and motive to support the company and its products, above and beyond a love for the products themselves or its leader, is as yet an unknown quantity.
In the press at large (many who are beholden to the ICE power structure) Tesla is often seen as just another carmaker selling wares, while customers may have a deeper connection as they search for ways to support solutions to the climate crisis as individuals. This could be a major and growing force in the days and months ahead, and can be a powerful resource to help to keep Tesla afloat even when Elon Musk decides to tackle challenging and even outlandish ventures.
Factoid 3: Perhaps more fantasy based than fact supported, the connection between the climate crisis as a motivation to buy and EV truck may go even deeper and wider than just the battery power. As a virtual disaster survival vehicle with various features that would be potentially life saving in a post-catastrophe situation – such as being employed as a bug-out vehicle to escape a flooded urban area. Various features seem to be conceived in response to a potential dystopian fantasy, but could be extremely valuable in a real emergency. The almost tank like durability, the shatterproof windows (as long as a sledgehammer doesn’t hit the door first), the battery powered cooking facilities in the camping-mode version, even the optional ATV come to mind.
“an armored personnel carrier from the future.”
– Elon Musk
Taking this thought experiment to its furthest possible conclusion its not hard to imagine a future (the Cybertruck could be on streets by perhaps 2021-2022) where the factions who support ICE trucks and the anti-fossil fuel “warriors”, each become radicalized and clash in some crazy mad max survival contest on US highways.
A more Optimistic stroke of Genius could also have played a role
Another very interesting possibility is that Elon Musk, known for being a master playing in marketing ventures, as well as being dedicated to sharing the EV market gladly with “competitors”, who he sees more as partners, once they take up the mantel of helping to accelerate the global transition to sustainable energy transportation.
It is no coincidence that GM, Ford, and many others have announced EV truck projects and details in the wake of the Cybertruck unveiling. It is a given that they will be watching very closely as Tesla ventures in to the traditional automakers most lucrative market segment.
“Trucks have been the same for a very long time like 100 years, we wanted to try something different,”
– Elon musk
For Musk and Tesla, however, it is clearly a win-win if you understand the higher purpose and motivation that infuses all activities within the company and yet is often misunderstood by others.
Tesla’s mission is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.
If the Cybertruck does not command a large market share and somehow ends up like the DeLorean that it resembles, it will have, nevertheless, been a huge success in forcing the hand of the legacy automakers toward offering more EV options asap.
The legacy ICE carmakers cannot afford to wait while hoping that Tesla will fail. That phase of the battle over sustainable vs fossil-fuel transportation is over. Tesla is a force to be reckoned with and the Cybertruck, along with its on-going army of supporters who’ve ponied up C-notes, are making themselves seen and heard and stand as a warning that it’s not only the climate that’s changing on this planet.
