Thursday. Naturally, I went to the matinee (not IMAX, though) of Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey. Homer has survived nearly three millennia because every generation finds a different Odysseus, and Nolan’s version is no exception. Among the reviews I read afterward, Forbes struck me as the most balanced, while The Economist was considerably harsher. My own reaction fell somewhere in between. During the Calypso scenes I kept thinking not of Homer but of Dr. No. Charlize Theron, white linen, tropical beaches—it almost felt as though Nolan were tipping his hat to the iconic Ursula Andress–Sean Connery imagery from Dr. No. Given Nolan’s lifelong affection for Bond, I found myself wondering whether that visual echo was intentional. (He has mentioned its influence on Inception and Tenet.) If Quentin Tarantino ever decided to make his own version of The Odyssey, would that be Pulp Poetry?
Friday. I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with Mila Milićević of Elevate about entrepreneurship where beyond SmartOps and OrganJet, I discuss VocalID and BilliontoOne. You may enjoy the visual that I used that connects my academic interest with entrepreneurial activity. Here is the video link.
Saturday and Sunday. The World Cup reminded me (recall my 2022 post Mbappe v Messi) why knockout football remains one of the greatest forms of storytelling. Cape Verde had earlier pushed Argentina to the limit. England-France game was easily the most entertaining soccer that I have seen in decades. And in the final, Spain (with two teenagers!) needed extra time – in large part because they just didn’t close on so many of their shots, and honestly, they were so much better that it should have been (at least) 2-0 without overtime – to defeat Argentina.
Here is my updated spreadsheet.
I also finished Widow’s Bay, easily the most engaging and innovative streaming series that I have watched this year. Hope it wins several Emmy awards. It joins The Diplomat, The Pitt, and Slow Horses among my favorites who are also competing this year.
