Started: Man's Fate by Andre Malraux  (This is a reread.  I read this book before in college, as I mentioned in previous blog posts: here, here, here and here).

Check this book out on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/4iGO5Tt                 (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Passenger Pigeons--Interesting Random Facts

I've been reading The Silver Age Teen Titans Archives: Volume 1, which contains reprinted comics from the 1960s.  In the first reprinted issue, from 1964, the villain is Brom Stikk, and the plot revolves around the fact that passenger pigeons were once so common in America, and are now completely gone.

Image from: https://marswillsendnomore.wordpress.com/2013/07/27/robin-kid-flash-and-aqualad/braveandthebold054_13-teentitans9/

(see here and here for more).

I was curious, so I Googled it, and found the Wikipedia article:

The passenger pigeon or wild pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) is an extinct species of pigeon that was endemic to North America.

It mainly inhabited the deciduous forests of eastern North America and was also recorded elsewhere, but bred primarily around the Great Lakes. The pigeon migrated in enormous flocks, constantly searching for food, shelter, and breeding grounds, and was once the most abundant bird in North America, numbering around 3 billion, and possibly up to 5 billion.

Passenger pigeons were hunted by Native Americans, but hunting intensified after the arrival of Europeans, particularly in the 19th century. Pigeon meat was commercialized as cheap food, resulting in hunting on a massive scale for many decades. There were several other factors contributing to the decline and subsequent extinction of the species, including shrinking of the large breeding populations necessary for preservation of the species and widespread deforestation, which destroyed its habitat. A slow decline between about 1800 and 1870 was followed by a rapid decline between 1870 and 1890. In 1900, the last confirmed wild bird was shot in southern Ohio.^[2][4] The last captive birds were divided in three groups around the turn of the 20th century, some of which were photographed alive. Martha, thought to be the last passenger pigeon, died on September 1, 1914, at the Cincinnati Zoo. The eradication of the species is a notable example of anthropogenic extinction.

I found this interesting because:

1) I had never heard of passenger pigeons before, but this 1964 children's comic treats it like their extinction was common knowledge.  Is this a forgotten piece of history?  Did more people know about passenger pigeons in the 1960s, and then it just faded out of public memory?

(Of course it could be just me, but, I ran this by the my mother, sister and brother-in-law, and they had never heard of the passenger pigeon before either.  What about you, dear reader?)

2) It's interesting the huge scale of the reverse, huh?  This went from being the must abundant bird in North America to being extinct. That's a pretty remarkable change.

There's tons more interesting material on the Wikipedia page: everything from their vocalizations, to their relationship with humans to (perhaps most interestingly) the potential resurrection of the species.  Check out the Wikipedia page if you have time.

Psalm 44

(Commonplace Book)

From my reread of The Bible.

Psalms admittedly isn't my favorite book of The Bible.  I like narratives, and Psalms is more poetics.  But one of the interesting things about reading Psalms is seeing how the theology seems to differ from psalm to psalm.  One psalm will assert that God rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked, the next psalm will lament that God allows the wicked to prosper while the righteous suffer.

I read Psalm 44 today, and I thought it was interesting, because Psalm 44 is asserting that God allowed Israel( *) to suffer at the hands of its foreign adversaries despite the fact that Israel had been faithful to God.

This is in contrast, of course, to the narrative of the Deuteronomistic Historian (W), but one thing to keep in mind is that the historical narrative in the Bible may be reinterpreting events to fit its theological conclusions.  The theological conclusion that was reached in the time of the exile was: God allowed us to be conquered because we were unfaithful to him.

But in the years leading up to the exile, it could have been that the Israelites believed that they were still being faithful to God, and couldn't understand why God was allowing this to happen.

(*) I'm using the word "Israel" to refer to both Israel and Judah here.

Anyway, below is Psalm 44.  I've been reading The Jerusalem Bible, but because the NIV is easier to find online, I'm copying and pasting from the NIV:

Psalm 44

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.

1 We have heard it with our ears, O God;

    our ancestors have told us

what you did in their days,

    in days long ago.

2 With your hand you drove out the nations

    and planted our ancestors;

you crushed the peoples

    and made our ancestors flourish.

3 It was not by their sword that they won the land,

    nor did their arm bring them victory;

it was your right hand, your arm,

    and the light of your face, for you loved them.

4 You are my King and my God,

    who decrees victories for Jacob.

5 Through you we push back our enemies;

    through your name we trample our foes.

6 I put no trust in my bow,

    my sword does not bring me victory;

7 but you give us victory over our enemies,

    you put our adversaries to shame.

8 In God we make our boast all day long,

    and we will praise your name forever.

9 But now you have rejected and humbled us;

    you no longer go out with our armies.

10 You made us retreat before the enemy,

    and our adversaries have plundered us.

11 You gave us up to be devoured like sheep

    and have scattered us among the nations.

12 You sold your people for a pittance,

    gaining nothing from their sale.

13 You have made us a reproach to our neighbors,

    the scorn and derision of those around us.

14 You have made us a byword among the nations;

    the peoples shake their heads at us.

15 I live in disgrace all day long,

    and my face is covered with shame

16 at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me,

    because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.

17 All this came upon us,

    though we had not forgotten you;

    we had not been false to your covenant.

18 Our hearts had not turned back;

    our feet had not strayed from your path.

19 But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals;

    you covered us over with deep darkness.

20 If we had forgotten the name of our God

    or spread out our hands to a foreign god,

21 would not God have discovered it,

    since he knows the secrets of the heart?

22 Yet for your sake we face death all day long;

    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

23 Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep?

    Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.

24 Why do you hide your face

    and forget our misery and oppression?

25 We are brought down to the dust;

    our bodies cling to the ground.

26 Rise up and help us;

    rescue us because of your unfailing love.

The Second Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling: Book Review

 (Book Review--Classics, Reread, Children's Literature)

Started: March 4, 2025

This is a reread.  As I mentioned in the video, I originally read The Jungle Books (which combined The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book into one volume) back in 6th grade.  However, since this is my first time reviewing this book on this blog,  according to my new rules, it gets a video only review.

The Second Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling: Book Review

Links to stuff mentioned:

* My review of The Jungle Book: https://youtu.be/5jHagAr4GOc

* My review of the 1967 Disney movie: https://youtu.be/yNT0bijKRJk

* Kaa's Hunting by Steve Donoghue: https://web.archive.org/web/20150320164348/http://www.openlettersmonthly.com/stevereads/2010/03/kaas-hunting/

Related playlists: 

* Books I read in 2025: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7Fev7Uv6_tzuSf84LtYwQu&si=Im1rdozRXrgGnr99

* Book Reviews Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7dao6py7ODX_PkUvrAEch7&si=EJ7CG8iO9IouNaYY

* Rudyard Kipling Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7cFPBSbyoFDZF_J5rOX4p6&si=pNMWdfIxVcmg_a2i

* The Classics Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x53EsuWSZ-z0uFGL_0Jl6F1&si=w_vqZaUj03aL-yEB

* Rereads Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x5dMXnK5v4Yc7a8MF5p32Bx&si=HJZkQ7gk8J-EXB9f

* Young Adult and Juvenile Literature Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x5xhu8yD4fcSu3Lw6jJNDxS&si=nTvuFou1PkhgqZ6E

Support this Blog:

Did you enjoy this review? Consider supporting me on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/joelswagman

Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/JoelSwagman

Check out this book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3D6jujh            (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

The Complete Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy Volume 15: 1953-1954: Book Review

(Book Review--Dick Tracy)

Started: February 22, 2025

(This is my first time reading this book, so according to my new rules, I'm doing this as a video only review.)

The Complete Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy Volume 15: 1953-1954: Book Review

* My review of the first Dick Tracy volume here: https://youtu.be/SNIiK2H_ggs

* My review of volume 13 here: https://youtu.be/TFSI6SRDA_E

Related Playlists:

Dick Tracy Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7MsTIqdx2oSof-kvNCbeVj&si=f151y-QuLV7qPeB9

Graphic Novel Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x6NMoYW6CBw6Qj_cqK8DIeb

Book Review Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7dao6py7ODX_PkUvrAEch7&si=EJ7CG8iO9IouNaYY

Books I read in 2025: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7Fev7Uv6_tzuSf84LtYwQu&si=Im1rdozRXrgGnr99

Support this Blog:

Did you enjoy this review? Consider supporting me on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/joelswagman

Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/JoelSwagman

Check out this book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/435xjZB       (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Started: Candide by Voltaire  (This is a reread.  I originally read it when it was required reading for one of my literature classes in college--as I've mentioned before here, here and here).

Check out this book on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3DlyrOu             (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Starting: The Silver Age Teen Titans Archives: Volume 1

Check out this book on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/4hc4YUU             (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann: Book Review

 (Book Review--History)

Started: March 01, 2025

(This is my first time reading this book, so according to my new rules, I'm doing this as a video only review.)

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann: Book Review

Related playlists: 

* Books I read in 2025: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7Fev7Uv6_tzuSf84LtYwQu&si=Im1rdozRXrgGnr99

* Book Reviews Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7dao6py7ODX_PkUvrAEch7&si=EJ7CG8iO9IouNaYY

* History Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x52uI39vSXVrJvUFjdN9QkL&si=dICJTZngZlwi8WIT

Add this book to my list of favorite Narrative Histories.

Support this Blog:

Did you enjoy this review? Consider supporting me on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/joelswagman

Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/JoelSwagman

Check out this book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4inQfaG       (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Starting: The Second Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling  (This is a reread of sorts.  I read The Jungle Books back in middle school, which combined the stories from The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book, as I discussed in this post.)

Check this book out on Amazon here:  https://amzn.to/3D6jujh        (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

This Week in Booktube: March 2, 2025

(These are the Booktube videos I watched this week. As always, I encourage you also to check out each of the videos I've linked to down below.  Support Booktube.  And let me know what you've watched this past week.)

Google document: docs, pub 

Tell Tale Books: Feb 2025 review and the future

P. English Literature: Author Interview with Marieke Lexmond

Steve Donoghue: Video Response: Stop Reading Books You Hate!

baldbookgeek: 11 Years of Trying to Self-Publish – A Tragicomedy

Reading IDEAS: Agatha Christie Book Haul Beautiful 1950's Cover What's your favourite?

John A. Douglas: February Book Haul

Book Time With Elvis: Time to Bow Out - Channel Update

Bookish: How a Book is Destroying America!: Rand, Reagan, the 80s, Trump, and Elon Musk

Reading This Life: A Year Older, A Stack Taller: My 53rd Birthday Book Haul

BDUB: WOODSTOCK NATION: A TALK-ROCK ALBUM by Abbie Hoffman (Dedicated to Lenny Bruce) MC Mistabil Weldon

Bucky749: Zuru mini brands books : the Quest for Goosebumps.

Mindy’s Book Journey: The Third Rule of Time Travel Book Review

Steve Donoghue: Video Response: How to Deal with a Reading Slump!

CPL Radio: Books of the Week - February 24th, 2025

William's Library: Alternate History And Dystopia Book Collection Part 5

Dane Cobain: February 2025 BookTube Shoutouts [10 CHANNELS]

Steve Donoghue: A Chat with Sam! Answering Hannah's questions!

Michael K. Vaughan: Roger and I Battle Pennywise

jim’s books reading & stuff: No Video Today

Books I’m Not Reading: Book Review: Home by Marilynne Robinson (no spoilers)

Runes of the Lyre by Ardath Mayhar: Book Review

(Book Review--Fantasy)

Started: February 26, 2025

(This is my first time reading this book, so according to my new rules, I'm doing this as a video only review.) 

Runes of the Lyre by Ardath Mayhar: Book Review

Related Playlists

* Book Review Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7dao6py7ODX_PkUvrAEch7&si=kiFeTonJJ3Ux5H1T

* Books I read in 2025: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7Fev7Uv6_tzuSf84LtYwQu&si=Im1rdozRXrgGnr99

* Fantasy and Science Fiction Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x4NClast3lkLp_cQ1Tn-2cb&si=Ri-86gCSMh4U3Sg5

Support this Blog:

Did you enjoy this review? Consider supporting me on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/joelswagman

Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/JoelSwagman

Check out this book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4igAy4P    (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Started: Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

Check out this book on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/4inQfaG             (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Serious question: What is our long term objective in Ukraine?

Is it realistic for Ukraine to win this war?  Can Ukraine actually get back the land that Russia stole?

Or are we simply funding Ukraine for the sake of "making Russia pay"?

I know that in this war Russia is in the wrong, and Ukraine is in the right, but would it save lives and end suffering to just stop the war now?

I honestly don't know myself.  And I won't pretend that I'm well enough informed on the war in Ukraine to have an opinion.

But, based on my Facebook and Twitter feeds from the past 24 hours, I'm a little bit worried that liberals are falling into the trap of just being reflexively against whatever Trump is for.

That being said, let's state the obvious.  Trump and Vance are an embarrassment.  Just look at the way they conducted themselves.  (If you haven't watched the whole video yet, it's worth watching.)

It's impossible to watch this video and not come away with absolute loathing for Trump and Vance, and complete sympathy for Zelensky.  Trump and Vance acted like bullies, Zelensky acted like a dignified patriot.

But, I want to be careful about making the following leap of logic: "Because Trump and Vance are bullies, that means we have to continue to support the war in the Ukraine"

I don't know.  Maybe we do have to support the war in the Ukraine. What do I know?

(As I mentioned in a previous post, I used to be a principled pacifist, but as I've gotten older, I've realized that the world is complex, and sometimes there are no "one-size fits all solutions".  But my gut reaction is still to have sympathy with the pacifist position, so there are my biases.  As always, take my opinions with a grain of salt.)

But one thing I do know is that we shouldn't support the war in Ukraine just because Trump and Vance are bullies.  And after reading Facebook and Twitter this morning, I'm worried that this is where the left seems to be going at the moment: "Trump and Vance are disgraceful, therefore we have to support the war."

Woodstock Nation by Abbie Hoffman: Book Review

 (Book Review--Reread)

Started: February 21, 2025

[This is a reread.  I originally read this book when I was 18.  But as this is the first time I'm reviewing it on this blog, according to my new rules, I'm doing it as a video only review.]

Woodstock Nation by Abbie Hoffman: Book Review

Links to stuff mentioned:

My review of Steal This Book by Abbie Hoffman: https://youtu.be/S87PD0qUjaQ

See also: Abbie Hoffman and The Who (plus John Sinclair)

Related Playlists:

* Abbie Hoffman Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x5HV5E9zZXzhqj7W3LAZAqy&si=MI6yc17LlWF0inRf

* Rereads Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x5dMXnK5v4Yc7a8MF5p32Bx&si=HJZkQ7gk8J-EXB9f

* Book Review Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7dao6py7ODX_PkUvrAEch7&si=EJ7CG8iO9IouNaYY

* Books I read in 2025: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7Fev7Uv6_tzuSf84LtYwQu&si=Im1rdozRXrgGnr99

Support this Blog:

Did you enjoy this review? Consider supporting me on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/joelswagman

Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/JoelSwagman

Check out this book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3QtJtnH    (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs--Movies I've Half Watched

The school I was substituting at today had indoor recess due to rain, and another teacher put this on for the kids to watch during recess.  I saw the first 20 minutes of it.  It looked pretty silly, but also it looked like it had a lot of extended slapstick sequences, that made me think it would be great for my kids.  I may put this on for my kids to watch someday.

Starting: Runes of the Lyre by Ardath Mayhar

Check this book out on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/4igAy4P              (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Thanks once again to Dane Cobain for giving me another shout out:

February 2025 BookTube Shoutouts [10 CHANNELS]

This Week in Booktube: February 23, 2025

(These are the Booktube videos I watched this week. As always, I encourage you also to check out each of the videos I've linked to down below.  Support Booktube.  And let me know what you've watched this past week.)

Google document: docs, pub 

Reading This Life: Here Are 4 Hidden Gems On BookTube You Need To Know!!

Jackie’s Literary Corner: Another Reading Update: At Home Carlyles & Dead Zone

Steve Donoghue: The BookTube Bio Tag!

Bucky749: Paradise Records: Dark Shadows the pharaohs curse review . 

Mindy’s Book Journey: February Mid Month Wrap Up

Books I’m Not Reading: Friday Reads and the Irish Readathon TBR

Michael K. Vaughan: The Avengers #4: Captain America Lives Again!

Steve Donoghue: Epic Comic Book Wednesday: Captain American Lives Again! (Avengers #4)

Bookish: Books To Teach Tag (Black History Month Edition)

Merphy Napier | Books: Regarding Daniel Greene and Naomi King

Steve Donoghue: Library Tour of Doom: The Substance of Things Hoped For!

CPL Radio: Books of the Week - February 18th, 2025

waxwings: Pompeii by Robert Harris (Reading vlog)

Daniel Greene: Proving Naomi King Lied With Their Own Words

Library of a Viking: My Apology to Daniel Greene.

WeReadBooks: (63) Kyle reviews Pompeii by Robert Harris

Eyes of the Storm (Bone #3) by Jeff Smith: Book Review

 

(Book Review--Bone Series)

Started: February 17, 2025

[This is a reread in the sense that I read these same issues before when I read Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic.  However, this is my first time reviewing this volume by itself, so for the purposes of my new review project, I'm going to count this as a video only review.]

Eyes of the Storm (Bone #3) by Jeff Smith: Book Review

* My review of Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic in One Volume: https://youtu.be/gjWmm9UoSDo

* My review of Out from Boneville: https://youtu.be/uQ4IrAn6ar8

* My review of The Great Cow Race: https://youtu.be/blA1kZVfEqA

Related Playlists: 

* Graphic Novel Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x6NMoYW6CBw6Qj_cqK8DIeb

* Books I read in 2025: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7Fev7Uv6_tzuSf84LtYwQu&si=Im1rdozRXrgGnr99

* Book Review Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7dao6py7ODX_PkUvrAEch7&si=EJ7CG8iO9IouNaYY

* Rereads Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x5dMXnK5v4Yc7a8MF5p32Bx&si=JNrop81hE5jmkWTL

* Bone Series Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x5KLbFLyQFO6CTdp_XzdCbs&si=qswidW7z7fU1uvjr

Support this Blog:

Did you enjoy this review? Consider supporting me on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/joelswagman

Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/JoelSwagman

Check out this book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4b2s1Qw         (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Starting: The Complete Dick Tracy Volume 15: 1953-1954

Check this book out on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/435xjZB             (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Movies that I've Half-Watched (Index)

Ever since 2007, I've had a nice simple system for keeping track of the all the movies I've watched.  If I see a movie, I do a review.  Pretty simple, right?

The only problem is, what to do about movies I have only half-watched?  That kind of mucks up my simple little system.

Now, for precisely this reason, ever since I started reviewing movies in 2007, I've tried to make it a rule not to half-watch any movies.  If I'm already halfway through a movie, and I get the urge to turn it off, I force myself to finish the movie so that I can give it a complete review.  And if I anticipate that I won't be able to finish a whole movie, I try to avoid starting it.

But, some times I end up watching half-a-movie for circumstances outside of my control.  For example, recently I've been substitute teaching, and occasionally the lesson plan is just to show the kids a movie.  (This actually doesn't happen often.  But it happens occasionally.  Maybe once every two weeks or so, the lesson plan will be to put on a movie.)  

The class periods are typically about 50 minutes long, so we can't finish the movie in that time.  So we only watch half the movie.  And despite my policy of not half-watching movies, I'm pretty much stuck, because it's my job to stay in the classroom and supervise the kids while they watch the movie.  So, here's a short list of the movies I've half-watched over this past month:

Coco (2017):  I watched the first half of this movie a couple weeks ago at one of the schools I was substituting at.  I had never seen it before. (I stopped keeping up with the Disney animated films years ago, and this was a Disney animated film that came out a few years ago.)  I only saw the first hour of it, but based on the first hour, I thought it was mildly interesting, but not a must-see.  The plot of the film revolves around the Day of the Dead and the afterlife.  It was, I thought, an interesting choice to make mortality the focus of a Disney animated film.  (Usually when we watch Disney animated films, we want to retreat into a fairy tale world where everyone lives happily ever after, right?  Do we want to be constantly reminded of our own mortality when we watch a Disney cartoon?)  The themes of the movie also struck me as being heavy handed. This movie is not subtle about it's theme of following your passions even in the face of obstacles.  Which makes it very easy to predict how it's going to turn out in the end, even if I didn't see the ending.  I mean, I don't know how it's going to happen exactly, but I know that the boy is definitely going to end up pursuing his dream of becoming a musician at the end.

Soul (2020): Another recent Disney animated film that I hadn't seen.   (And really don't remember hearing much about for that matter.)  This movie is yet another Disney animated film that is about mortality and the afterlife. (What is going on?  Is this some sort of trend now?)  This movie starts out really slow and boring, but it picks up eventually.  It has a number of twists and turns that keep you guessing as to where the plot is going.  I saw the first half of this movie 5 times last week.  (The lesson plans was to show it to every class.)  But as of this writing, I don't know how it ends yet.  I may make it a point to watch this movie in full someday, though.  By the time I got to the midpoint, I was hooked.

The Killers (1946)  This movie is based on a Hemingway short story, which is why it was assigned viewing for the high school literature class I was substitute teaching.  In this case, they had seen the first half of the movie the previous day, so I saw the second half of this movie, but not the beginning.  In spite of this, I was eventually able to figure out what was going on and follow the plot.  I really liked this movie.  Now, granted I've always liked old movies, so someone who doesn't like old movies might have a different opinion.  But it had really good acting, really good dialogue, some interesting camera angles, and a lot of twists and turns in the plot.  As I watched it, I thought to myself, "This seems like it must be a film noir classic.  I'm surprised I've never heard of it before.  I thought I knew all the classic film noirs."  Well, goes to show I don't know as much as I thought I did.

If I ever get the chance to sit down and watch this movie in full, I will.

...and that's the list, as of now.  But I plan to keep this index active going forward.  In the future, whenever I half watch a movie (for whatever reason), I'll make a short note of it on this blog, and add it to this index.

February 26, 2025: Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

The school I was substituting at today had indoor recess due to rain, and another teacher put this on for the kids to watch during recess.  I saw the first 20 minutes of it.  It looked pretty silly, but also it looked like it had a lot of extended slapstick sequences, that made me think it would be great for my kids.  I may put this on for my kids to watch someday.