Saturday was Hayward’s hottest day this year, or so it seemed; so we went to a place where, for a fee, we could sit in coolth for a while. As a bonus, they showed us Hero (英雄), the most gorgeous piece of film we’ve seen in years.

Later: The following weekend was another scorcher, and we saw Vanity Fair, which stinks. Reese Witherspoon (who was so brilliant in Freeway) plays Becky Sharp on one note, and the plot is violently compressed for time. — Anachronism?: the regiment embarks for “Belgium” to meet Bonaparte. The kingdom of Belgium was created fifteen years after the battle of Waterloo; so what would the English have called that country at the time? Flanders, I guess, though Waterloo is not in Flanders proper.

In his blog Literal-Minded, Neal Whitman reports on his toddler’s acquisition of syntax.

Once in a while Netflix makes a booboo: this week they sent me Taxi Driver (1976), which I have already seen, in place of Taxi Driver (1954).

Tuesday: Make that twice in a while.

Wednesday: I imagine that some minimum-wage handler looked at the disc and the mailing sleeve, saw the title Taxi Driver on both, and concluded that the customer is bonkers.

Wednesday, Sep 15: What comes after “thrice”?

Traffic on this site is heavier this month than in the previous eleven, with a spike on August 19 which seems to be a fluke.

Later: September was heavier still. I hope it’s not just me.

Sir George Martin’s new coat of arms

Voronoi cells of nodes of the golden sector spiral, colored according to three different cycles (one for each primary), all with irrational periods.

How to Marry a Millionaire (1953). Formulaic fluff, but fun to watch.

The Trouble with Harry (1955), a farce by Hitchcock, disappointingly thin. Shirley MacLaine’s first film.