It seems weirdly specific to wish a merry Christmas to 19th-century railway construction workers living near Edinburgh, and with children, but … For Leith navvy dads!

How is it that every hotel in the world has a different model of coffee maker, all of which operate differently, and none of which are supplied with instructions. I JUST NEED A CUP OF BLOODY COFFEE!

I see Google are advertising their new phone with a song about a class A drug that can cause mini-strokes, brain shrinking, mood disorders and tremors; impair problem-solving, decision-making, spatial understanding, vocabulary, attention, learning, and memory, and increase the risk of dementia.

#Christmas #Caturday #Catfight

BlueSky accidental commentary

A while back I was on @severinfilms.bsky.social BluRay of “Viy”, talking about Russian/Soviet horror & scifi. Here’s a @letterboxd.social list of the films I mentioned, plus more. It’s still very incomplete, so I might expand it, but it’s a sort of starter pack to the subject. boxd.it/QjiKI/detail

If you've ever wondered how to watch a film, this might answer some questions. Or it might not. open.substack.com/pub/johnlema...

It's #GreyCup Day. #RoughRiders vs #Allouettes. If you don't know anything about #CanadianFootball or the #CFL, this might help. Slightly. Regina - the Game's Afoot open.substack.com/pub/johnlema...

If you like Kurt Vonnegut. Or if you don't like Kurt Vonnegut. open.substack.com/pub/johnlema...

Let the celebrations commence! youtu.be/W5wtaMQYJGY?...

Amused to see that the episode of The X-Files that visits (the fictional) Steveston Massachusetts was shot in (the actually existing) Steveston in Richmond, Metro Vancouver. So at least they didn’t have to change that street sign.

One of those excruciating self-promotional moments, this time at least justified by the fact that it's Shostakovich's birthday. open.substack.com/pub/johnlema...

When your name's Chase Infiniti you haven't really got any other choice than to appear in a Thomas Pynchon adaptation, have you?

Apparently there’s a new AI thing called ZeroGPT. But it’s uncannily close to another product with a similar name. Imagine - an entire product based on stuff you’ve stolen.

Scrolling through my @letterboxd.social I came across this #LetterboxdSentence

Why, when trying to map a journey across Canada, does Google Maps take any opportunity to divert you into the USA when there are more straightforward routes wholly within Canada?

@bcferries.bsky.social raising so many questions. “No pets allowed” “But pets can use this staircase. The one also used by orca.”

Given that people are wanging on about "The Salt Path Debacle", I thought I might weigh in on "The Salt Path Debacle". Salt(y) Thoughts, by @riley_leman substack.com/@johnlemanri...

David Shire (88 a couple of days ago) had a blistering run between 1974 and '76. I was delighted to guest on "Tipping My Fedora" to talk with Sergio about "The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3", "The Conversation", "Farewell, My Lovely" and "All the President's Men" www.podbean.com/pw/pbblog-y2...

What do Ennio Morricone, Jerry Goldsmith, Michael Small and me have in common? They all feature in "Tipping My Fedora", the essential pod-guide to all things Noir, in which I talk with Sergio about neo-noir film music from the 1960s and 70s. www.podbean.com/pw/pbblog-y2...

#Dollarama Swift Current AB is closing. Just watched staff dumping trolley loads of stock into skips rather than move it back to the warehouse.

Here I am, talking about neo-noir film music…

Chaika on #caturday

Chaika in the morning. #caturday

For those unaware of the fact, an espresso martini (the middle class vodka and Red Bull) is quite poky.

Funky cardinal becomes pope.

Watched Columbo: “A Bird in the Hand” featuring a fictional NFL team called the Stallions, that plays in green. Amused to see that all the footage is a CFL game: Saskatchewan Rough Riders and Edmonton Elks (as they are now…) #roughriders #edmontonelks #cfl #Columbo @theelksherd.bsky.social

Is it going to be Stanley Tucci?

First asparagus of the season. Just have to work on getting them all the same size.

Here is a work for poets - Carve the runes Then be content with silence.

A confused cat(urday) #caturday

If anyone's looking for a copy of The Great Gatsby... www.pulptheclassics.com/bookpage.php...

I remember seeing this at the BFI a long time ago. A early colour film guide to various tartans #TartanDay youtu.be/IbWtviN4BG0?...

I have tariffed the penguins that are on Heard Island and which you were probably assuming did not export goods forgive me they were taking advantage of us so cunning and so cold

People are rightly remembering Val Kilmer for “Heat”, “Batman Forever”, “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”, “Top Secret”, “The Doors”, “Tombstone” and all the rest. But a shoutout to the autodocumentary “Val” where he looks back with astonishing honesty at his life and career. youtu.be/7AzK05Zv9zw?...

@tippingmyfedora.bsky.social Some Wellesiana for you…

Canadians (and maybe others) will have heard about the end of this "icon"* *NB the footnote. johnlemanriley.substack.com/p/setting-up...

Three excellent shows at @vanartgallery.bsky.social. Eastern European experimental art, Jean-Paul Riopelle, and a beautifully hung room of Emily Carr. #artsky #cancon

Is the “Confined Space Simulator” inside this confined space? And is the “Real Confined Space” inside that, like a matryoshka?

Sputnik on #caturday

If you're into gentle alternate history comedies influenced by the Iranian second new wave, Canadian surrealism and indy-quirk-formalism, this might be for you. #FilmSky #Movies #Cinema # CanCon open.substack.com/pub/johnlema...

Odd to think that Michael Caine and Quincy Jones were born on exactly the same day. youtu.be/_KoyWjD9V4I?...

Hopefully this will be the commentary track on a forthcoming Blu.

RIP Sofia Gubaidulina. When she was criticised by the Soviet Composers’ Union for “pursuing the wrong path, Shostakovich told her, “I would like you to continue down this path.” Her violin concerto, “Offertorium” combines Bach and Webern, but is completely her. youtu.be/xvHeTWOfL1c?...

It’s grammatically correct for quite a bit of the time and won’t scare you with anything creative.

Most of what you need to know about hippopotamuses.

A really nice interview with Jonathan Rosenbaum, and some vague news on yet another stab at Welles’ “Don Quixote”. www.brightwalldarkroom.com/2025/03/06/i...

Belated #WorldBookDay entry. By the way, Not For Sale.

Looking forward to cracking this open. “Black Tuesday” from Eureka Masters of Cinema. Good chance to have another listen to the podcast from @tippingmyfedora.bsky.social www.podbean.com/media/share/... before diving into his full-length commentary and other goodies on the disc