The Best In Hell, But Not Anywhere Else

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the best of hell

I finally got around to watching the 2022 Russian war film The Best In Hell, and was underwhelmed. Not unexpected, but disappointing nonetheless. A thoughtful and poignant Ukraine war film would actually be valuable now. The Best In Hell parades itself as such a film, but underdelivers and focuses on all the wrong things. The … Read more

Joker: Folie à Don’t—Filmmaking as Penance

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A burning clown

Seldom is a sequel widely recognized as superior to its predecessor, with most follow-ups struggling to recapture the relevance or dynamism of the original. There are exceptions—Aliens comes to mind. But they are few and far between. As often as not, a sequel is a shameless and hamfisted cash grab, with remakes typically no better. Yet … Read more

The apology culture and timeless evil

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I hate the apology culture when a modern politician/statesman/intellectual of any kind makes a solemn speech addressing some “oppressed” “minority” and apologizes for things of the past like slavery. I think it is silly to argue whether or not prominent figures of the past — for example, George Washington, Alexander Pushkin, Ivan Turgenev, etc. — … Read more

How To Get a Residence Permit To Russia in 2024

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Tonight my Russian teacher invited me to talk with her about getting a residence permit in Russia.

“The Russian government has released a list of 47 countries and territories whose citizens are eligible for its new “Shared Values Visa” (SVV) program. Let’s talk about how to obtain this visa and what opportunities it provides for living in Russia. I have invited an American who has been living in Russia for two years to an interview, and he will tell you more about how to prepare to come to Russia and live comfortably there.”