The Big Picture Podcast: Top 25 Movies of the 21st Century

The Big Picture Podcast: Top 25 Movies of the 21st Century

1. ✔ The Social Network (2010)
2. There Will Be Blood (2007)
3. ✔ 25th Hour (2002)
4. Inglourious Basterds (2009)
5. ✔ Lady Bird (2017)
6. Mulholland Drive (2001)
7. In the Mood for Love (2000)
8. ✔ Parasite (2019)
9. ✔ Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
10. Marie Antoinette (2006)
11. ✔ The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
12. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
13. ✔ Get Out (2017)
14. ✔ Moneyball (2011)
15. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
16. ✔ Oppenheimer (2023)
17. ✔ Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
18. Before Sunset (2004)
19. Spirited Away (2001)
20. Melancholia (2011)
21. ✔ Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
22. Children of Men (2006)
23. ✔ Something's Gotta Give (2003)
24. The Handmaiden (2016)
25. ✔ Michael Clayton (2007)

Valentine's Day 2026

Rather than going out to dinner, we decided to stay close to home for Valentine's Day this year. In the morning, we shopped for the ingredients for Caroline Chamber's easy-but-fancy valentine's menu. In the afternoon, we watched the third round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

We spent some time in the afternoon debating a movie to watch. Originally, we had talked about watching the Social Network. The Big Picture Podcast ranked the Social Network as the best movie of the last 25 years. We decided to pivot to something more romantic. Bouncing the Big Picture list of the 25 movies and the New York Times list of top 100 movies of the last twenty-five years against Chatgpt and Gemini, we ended up settling on Before Sunset. More on the movie in a future post.

We had a nice dinner in the Garden Room of crab cakes, garlicky broccolini and risotto.

After the movie, we had eclairs for desert and exchanged gifts. I got Sharon some new everyday steak knifes, while she got me an original painting that she had bought in Sausalito.

Adventures with Dawson

After our hike in the Newell Open Space Preserve, Sharon and I stopped for a brief visit at Drew and Carmen's.

At Newell Open Space Preserve

Sharon and I hiked at the Newell Open Space Preserve. We covered 5.9 miles in two and a half hours. Climbing steadily in the first half of the hike, we gained 748 feet of elevation.

We hiked up to the Lynch Canyon Open Space where we hiked last March. We took a side trip up the Pairie Ridge Trail in Lynch Canyon. We stopped for a late lunch at the picnic tables at the junction the North and South Loop Trails. Sharon said that she enjoyed hking in Lynch Canyon more...

At Ancil Hoffman Golf Course

There are some advantages to living in California; afternoon golf in February.

Debbie, Jim, Sharon and I played nine holes at Ancil Hoffman on Thursday afternoon. We teed off at 2:28 pm. To my surprise, the course was sold out for the afternoon!

I had popped over to the driving range before lunch to hit a medium bucket of balls. Unfortunately, I never felt super comfortable...

I am continuing to struggle over the first couple of holes. I started to make more consistent contact on the fourth hole. Going back and looking at the tracked shots, I was pretty happy with how I played the last six holes. The tracked shots over the last six holes are shown after the jump.

Like the fourth hole at William Land Park, I was in the bunker pin high on the 6th hole and took a 10!?! After the lesson with Jimmy last week, I feel like my chipping is slightly improved.

I scored an honest 61; I counted every stoke. On the bright side, I played the whole round with the same ball. With the course packed, it took us over two and half hours to play nine.

Round Up of • Clubs • Halls • Fraternities • Dick Heringer at UC Davis

Calpha was a college fraternity. More specifically, it was the "Calpha Agricultural Fraternity" founded at the University Farm, which is now UC Davis, in 1912.

It was one of the original eight fraternities at the university. In 1954, it became the California Epsilon Chapter of the national fraternity, Phi Delta Theta.

California Aggie, Volume 51, Number 7, 26 March 1953

ROUND UP of • CLUBS • HALLS • FRATERNITIES •

CALPHA
   Attention Sigma Nu: Little Man has just been attacked by a snow plow. We have now acquired our own tow truck. Our hearts go out to Dave Remos, Ralph Gomma, Dick Heringer, Willie Crites, Bob Isaacson, and Bob Fifield, whose cars were or are on the sick list. Body and fender man wanted. The Reno trips have cost our boys a few dollars, although Bob Isaacson and Les Craggs came home satisfied. Bob Jacobson is finishing his pledge duties at Fort Ord.
   Fred Terza, Don Meyers, and Jack Little, recent alumni, were our guests on Monday. One happy note. Distillers are switching from fifths to quarts, and so are we.

Dick Heringer and Joyce Abbott at UC Davis

Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush

My book for January is Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush by Jon Meacham. It fits into my long term project to read books about all of the presidents.

Bush had an interesting path to the Presidency. Rather than going into investment banking with his father and grandfather, he headed to Texas to make his fortune in the oil business. His career and political positions included:

• Navy Naval Aviator: Served during World War II (1942–1945).
• Oil Industry Executive: Co-founded Zapata Petroleum and presided over Zapata Off-Shore Co.
• U.S. Representative: Represented Texas's 7th district (1967–1971).
• U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations: Appointed by President Nixon (1971–1973).
• Chairman of the Republican National Committee: Served during the Watergate era (1973–1974).
• Chief of the U.S. Liaison Office in China: Served as the de facto ambassador (1974–1975).
• Director of Central Intelligence (CIA): Headed the agency from 1976–1977.
• Vice President of the United States: Served two terms under Ronald Reagan (1981–1989).
• 41st President of the United States: Served from 1989–1993.

To secure Bush's confirmation as CIA Director, President Ford had to make a rare concession: he promised in writing that he would not consider Bush as his vice-presidential running mate in the 1976 election. Rumsfield and others thought that by getting him appointed as Director of the CIA it would permanently take him out of the running for the office of the president.

A lot took place for the four years that Bush was president, including: The Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989); Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (1989); The End of the Cold War; The Gulf War (1990–1991); Invasion of Panama (1989); Tiananmen Square Protests (1989); Savings and Loan Crisis; and the LA Riots (1992). By the end of his term, a mild recession and high unemployment began to overshadow his foreign policy successes. Most of the presidental biographies that I have read covered periods that I wasn't alive. 1990, 1991 and 1992 were a very personally tumultuous period for me. As a result, my recollection of this period is seen through a haze. I probably don't remember these events as clearly as I should.

I was surprised to learn that Bush was diagnosed with Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disorder that causes an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism), while he was in office. Additionally, the book paints a picture of Bush being ambivalent about running for reelection. The last part of the book talks a lot about George W Bush's presidency and George H W Bush's relationship with Clinton. I enjoyed the book. Bush was a very decent person.

Two footnotes. For a few hours on July 16, 1980, the Republican National Convention was in a frenzy over rumors that Gerald Ford would join the ticket. When that deal stalled, Reagan called Bush at his hotel to offer him the spot instead. At the time, I was on a fishing trip with my dad in Elko, Nevada on our way to the Ruby Mountains. My dad was extremely excited about the prospect of a Reagan/Ford Republican ticket.

In the fall of 1992, I was visiting the Nooters in Washington, DC. Eating dinner in their backyard with their friends Sara and Barkey, Sara spent the night hammering on me about George H W Bush, particularly in regards to a woman's right to choose. After being more liberal in his earlier years, Bush had leered to the right on abortion; he supported the goal of overturning Roe v. Wade and a national ban on abortion. Partly based on the discussion that evening, I voted for Clinton in November of 1992. It was the first time that I had voted for a Democratic presidential candidate.

Train Dreams

Friday night, Sharon and I watched Train Dreams on Netflix. We are working on filling out our Oscar's dance card. Train Dreams is nominated for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screen Play.

Train Dreams is a period drama film directed by Clint Bentley. He co-wrote the screenplay with Greg Kwedar,. It is based on the 2011 novella by Denis Johnson.

The film stars Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything, The Brutalist) , Nathaniel Arcand, Clifton Collins Jr., John Diehl, Paul Schneider, Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), F1), and William H. Macy. It is narrated by Will Patton.

The film recounts the 80 years of the life of Robert Grainier around Bonners Ferry, Idaho. After a sudden, devastating tragedy leaves him alone in the wilderness, Grainier lives a life of profound solitude as he experiences the rugged beauty and shifting myths of a vanishing frontier.

Sharon and I were expecting a depressing movie. It really wasn't. At an hour and forty-five minutes, it is a tight well-told story. With so many movies stretching to 2 1/2 to 3 hours, it was a refreshing change. I told Sharon when it was over that I enjoyed it more than the more widely lauded Sentimental Value. It is not going to win best picture, but I enjoyed it more than I expected.

Super Bowl LX

Sharon and I did a pre-Super Bowl hike around Ancil Hoffman Park and through Effie Yeaw Nature Center. We explored an area in Effie Yeaw along the river that we haven't hiked before. We covered four miles in an hour and forty miles. We feel blessed to have this resource outside our back door.

In the late afternoon, we went to a Super Bowl Party at our neighbors Greg and Michele's house. This is the third straight year that we have gone to their house for the Super Bowl. The group included Greg and Michele, Jim and Debi, Ed and Mary Lou, Brad, Heidi and Clark, Joan and Brett? and Sharon and I.

The Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots by the score of 29 to 13. The Seattle defense sacked Drake Maye six times. Rolling up 135 yards on 27 carries against New England, Kenneth Walker was named Super Bowl MVP.

Dinner with Holly and Van

Saturday night, Sharon and I met Holly and Van for dinner at Chu Mai. We split Duck Liver Mousse [shaoxing gelee, shaved fennel, perilla, rau ram, cashews, served with chinese donut], Lobster & Shrimp "Cheung Fun" [rice noodle sheets, pickled shiitake mushrooms, garlic butter sauce, nuoc cham], Charred Napa Cabbage [vietnamese furikake, radish, perilla, garlic oyster sauce], Fried Rice with Seasonal Vegetables [with fried laughing duck farms duck egg and tofu] and special Taiwanese Fried Chicken.

Celebrating Sharon's birthday, we had Mochi Cornbread Fruit Cobbler for desert.

The food was very good.

Amelia's Baptism

Saturday afternoon, Sharon and I went to Amelia's baptism at St. Ignatius Church. Sharon is Amelia's godmother, while Sharon's brother Tim is her godfather. There was one other family having their twin boys baptized at the same time. Our group included Tom, Eric, Tim, Terry and Steve, Kevin and Leah, Lydia, Sharon and I and several friends of Kevin, Leah and Amelia.

Sharon and I went to Lydia's christening in November of 2015.

Afterwards, everyone went back to Kevin and Leah's house. They have a tradition of smoking cigars after the baptism. Passing out cheap gas station cigars, I skipped the tradition. I had a bad experience ten years ago; the cigar didn't agree with me...

Cronan Ranch Hike

Sharon and Jeana spent the day hiking at Cronan Ranch.

Donna - Over the Years

Happy Birthday, Donna!

2026 Kings versus Grizzlies

Larkin and I met Snipes and Tomasin at the Yard House for dinner (Ahi Poke). Afterwards the four of us went to the Sacramento Kings versus Memphis Grizzlies NBA basketball game. I got four tickets from Drew and Kyle: Section 218, Seats A19 to A22.

It was a tight, back-and-forth contest. Neither side could truly pull away. Both the Sacramento Kings and the Memphis Grizzlies reached an 8-point advantage at different stages of the game.

Grizzlies rookie Cam Spencer (Snipes was calling him Gavin McBuckets) was the hero late in the fourth. He hit a deep 28-foot three-pointer with 18 seconds left to push a one-point lead back up to four and seal the game. The Kings lost the game by the score of 129 to 125.

Doomantas Sabonis was the high scorer for the Kings. He had 24 points on 10 for 18 from the field and 4 for 4 from the free throw line. Sabonis added 15 rebounds. He played very little in the second half; he scored 20 points in the first half.

Ty Jerome was the high scorer for the Grizzlies. Playing only 21 minutes, he scored 28 points on 10 for 14 from the field, 3 for 4 from three and 5 for 6 from the free throw line.

The loss was the Kings' 10th straight defeat. The Kings are currently sitting at 12-40, which officially marks the worst record through 52 games in the Sacramento era (since 1985). The Grizzlies won their second in a row despite playing without several key players due to recent trades and injuries.

It is clear to me that the Kings are just tanking at this point. They played their two youngest players--Carter and Clifford--down the stretch. Larkin noted that Christy isn't getting as animated as he used to...

The only good news is that the Kings have all of their own first round draft picks over the next five years!

Year	First-Round Picks	Second-Round Picks
2026	Sacramento's own pick	Sacramento's own pick Charlotte's pick (via SAS)
2027	Sacramento's own pick San Antonio's pick (Unprotected)	Sacramento's own pick Charlotte's pick (via SAS)
2028	Sacramento's own pick	None (To Portland via CHI/MEM)
2029	Sacramento's own pick	None (To Houston via WAS)
2030	Sacramento's own pick	None (To San Antonio via IND)

The Kings have 2 wins and 3 losses in games that I have seen in the 2025-2026 season.. I am going to try and take Lee to a game in March.

Chipping Lesson

Wednesday morning, Sharon and I took a chipping lesson from Jimmy, the pro at Ancil Hoffman.

Volvo XC60 T8 - Day #2,653

Monday afternoon, I took the Volvo in for the 60,000 mile servicing. It has 61,900 miles on the odometer.

It continues to amaze me how little I have been driving. I have averaged 8,515 miles a year on the car since I bought it in October of 2018. The year that I was working in Sonora for Adventist Health I drove almost 40,000 miles...

1954 Football Team Photo - Dick Heringer at UC Davis

I have a football picture of my dad in the "My Life" series. Although it is tagged as 1954, given that he is wearing a different number than this picture, I suspect that the My Life picture is from 1953.

California Aggie, Volume 53, Number 1, 16 September 1954

TOP ROW: Coach Will Lotter, Wayne Sawyer, Bob Maulhardt, Mike Noviss, Tom Parker, Doug Cagle, Tom Pain, Rav Londen, Dave Murry, Dave Dixon, Mike Hill, Duane Damron, Don Donsing, Chuck Synold, Bill Bear, Craig James, Howard Coker, Jim McGinniz, Coach Bill Dutton. MIDDLE ROW: Francis Luskufa, Kermit Tarke, Paul Goiter, Larry Timko, Jerry Myers, Jim eynolds, Ted Johnson, Richard Heringer (#47), Bob Warren, Bill Lleweljyn, Don Turner. BOTTOM ROW: Ken Crandall, Larry Sevison, John Lewis, Mell Voss, Chuck Messick, Walt Titcomb, Lloyd Harris, Steve Bartok, Bob Jones, Paul Clary.

Dick Heringer and Joyce Abbott at UC Davis

Andor - Season One

Sharon and I finished watching season one of Andor. I think that it has taken us six months to watch all twelve episodes. I am pretty sure that we started watching the series last summer before we went to Africa.

Star Wars: Andor is a series created by Tony Gilroy for the streaming service Disney+. It is part of the Star Wars franchise and a prequel to the anthology film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Sharon, Jack and I watched Rogue One on Chistmas Day of 2016. Rogue One is a prequel to the original 1977 Star Wars film.

Diego Luna reprises his role as Cassian Andor from Rogue One. The series also stars Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona, Stellan Skarsgård [Sentimental Value], Fiona Shaw, Genevieve O'Reilly, Denise Gough, Faye Marsay, Varada Sethu, Elizabeth Dulau, Ben Mendelsohn, Benjamin Bratt, and Alan Tudyk.

Andor received twenty-two nominations for Primetime Emmy Awards. It won five for its second season in 2025, including Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for the second season's ninth episode: "Welcome to the Rebellion".

I am looking forward to watching season two and then rewatching Rogue One. Hopefully, we can work our way through season two in less than six months.

2025 Pedometer ++

I walked 6.2 million steps with Pedometer++ in 2025. The last three months of the year were difficult.