SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE FLICKS / SIX MAJOR REVIEWS OF WILD HORSE NINE

 By PillartoPost.org--John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell bring Martin McDonagh's dark comedy to the screen. Critics agree about the acting. Almost everything else is up for argument.

 Martin McDonagh, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, In Bruges and The Banshees of Inisherin, returns with Wild Horse Nine, a black comedy involving two veteran CIA operatives sent to Easter Island in 1973, shortly before the military coup against Chilean President Salvador Allende. 

John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell play the agents, with Steve Buscemi, Parker Posey and Tom Waits appearing in supporting roles. 

The film opened in American theaters November 6. Its early critical reception ranges from outright admiration to serious objections about its handling of political violence, guilt and redemption. 

Here is how six major review outlets see it. 

1. TIME OUT — FIVE STARS 

Review by Phil de Semlyen | September 3, 2026 

Time Out offers one of the film's most enthusiastic endorsements, awarding five stars and suggesting that McDonagh may have made his finest film yet. The reviewer considers Malkovich's performance a triumph, particularly his ability to transform a morally compromised intelligence officer into a figure of unexpected poignancy. The review admires the outrageous dialogue, the chemistry between the leads and the film's treatment of mortality. Beneath the comedy, it finds an aging man confronting the consequences of a life devoted to violence. 

Copy & paste for compete review: https://www.timeout.com/movies/wild-horse-nine-review-2026

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2. ROGEREBERT.COM — THREE & A HALF STARS 

By Matt Zoller Seitz | Venice Film Festival review 

RogerEbert.com sees something deeper than an eccentric buddy comedy. Its review examines how McDonagh uses friendship, Catholic notions of redemption and the approach of death to explore whether men responsible for terrible acts can recognize their moral failures. Malkovich and Rockwell receive particular praise, along with Buscemi. The reviewer acknowledges the film's leisurely pace and wandering conversations but argues that its apparently incidental exchanges gradually acquire emotional significance. 

Copy & paste for complete review: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/wild-horse-nine-martin-mcdonagh-sam-rockwell-john-malkovich-film-review-2026

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3. FINANCIAL TIMES — THREE STARS 

By Danny Leigh | November 5, 2026

The Financial Times finds much to admire in Malkovich's performance and McDonagh's sharply written exchanges, but questions whether the film successfully balances farce and tragedy. Its central reservation concerns redemption. Can a CIA veteran involved in supporting brutal political interventions be transformed into a sympathetic figure simply because he is dying and beginning to regret his past? 

The review finds moments of inspired comedy but suggests the screenplay makes reconciliation with its protagonist too convenient. 

Copy & paste for complete review: https://www.ft.com/content/52643872-ed99-4e6b-a893-0d248ad67c60

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4. THE GUARDIAN — THREE STARS 

By Peter Bradshaw | September 3, 2026 

The Guardian finds McDonagh returning to familiar territory: argumentative men, extravagant language, sudden violence and an uneasy relationship between affection and cruelty. Bradshaw enjoys the verbal sparring between Malkovich and Rockwell but considers the film less charming and less consistently amusing than the director's best work. The American political backdrop brings additional machismo and bloodshed without necessarily strengthening the comedy. The verdict is mixed: worthwhile performances, some entertaining passages, but hardly another In Bruges. 

Copy paste for complete review: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/sep/03/wild-horse-nine-review-sam-rockwell-john-malkovich-martin-mcdonagh

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5. EURONEWS — A STRONG ENDORSEMENT WITH RESERVATIONS 

By David Mouriquand | November 6, 2026 

Euronews sees the film as a satisfying collection of McDonagh's familiar strengths: ferocious language, eccentric characters, philosophical digressions and melancholy comedy. Malkovich dominates the assessment. The critic considers his performance among his best and suggests he will be a serious contender during the coming awards season. 

But the praise comes with reservations. The film introduces American interventionism as a substantial political subject without fully exploring it, while its female characters receive less development than the central male partnership. 

Copy & paste for complete review:

https://www.euronews.com/2026/11/06/euronews-cultures-film-of-the-week-wild-horse-nine-guns-coups-and-suicidal-birds

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6. THE NEW YORKER — THE DISSENTING VOICE 

By Justin Chang | October 30, 2026 

The New Yorker delivers one of the sharper objections to McDonagh's film. Chang admires the actors' abilities and the island cinematography but challenges the screenplay's moral perspective. For him, the historical suffering surrounding the Chilean coup becomes secondary to the emotional predicament of an American intelligence officer. 

The review also finds the film's shifts between political satire, sentimental friendship and mortality insufficiently convincing. Its central complaint is that McDonagh asks audiences to extend sympathy and forgiveness to a protagonist whose actions have contributed to enormous human suffering. 

It is an unusually pointed challenge to a film that many other critics find deeply moving. 

Copy & paste for complete review:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/11/09/wild-horse-nine-movie-review

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SUMMATION: THE CRITICAL DIVIDE 

By PillartoPost.org | Film Review Roundup | November 7, 2026 

Six critics, six perspectives, and one unmistakable point of agreement: John Malkovich is the chief attraction. Where they disagree is over what the film accomplishes beyond its performances. Some see a darkly funny meditation on death and friendship. Others see an entertaining screenplay struggling to reconcile its sympathy for aging CIA operatives with the deadly consequences of American foreign policy. Perhaps that is the question McDonagh wants moviegoers to argue about afterward: Can a man who has spent his life doing terrible things become sympathetic simply because he has finally begun to understand what he has done?

A film shouldn't be criticized simply because it offers a tilted view of a world event. That's like demanding a cross-country road trip or a barstool conversation in a Tribeca saloon explain the human condition. You can't take all the anguish that came out of Chile and expect to squeeze it between the doors of a crusty old sedan. Keep it in perspective. This is a barstool conversation turned into a movie. If the conversation doesn't work for you, finish your drink and move on to the next joint.

FRIDAY POLI-TIK CARTOONING

 

PillartoPost.org, above and below:

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AND FINALLY, ONCE & FOR ALL, FINGERS CROSSED, MAYBE SOONER, DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU IN THE ASS AS YOU LEAVE PREDICTION:

THURSDAY TRAVEL / JUST ONE OF CALIFORNIA'S DRAMATIC NORTH BEACHES

Crescent City delivers a California coast of crashing surf, rocky headlands and towering redwo ods. Near the Oregon border, this working harbor town rewards travelers seeking salt air, forest trails and an unhurried escape. 

Founded in 1853 as a shipping and supply center for gold miners, Crescent City endured a devastating tsunami in 1964. Today, its downtown tsunami walking tour recounts the destruction and recovery. 

Follow Pebble Beach Drive for Pacific panoramas and offshore sea stacks. Battery Point Lighthouse, illuminated in 1856, welcomes visitors when tides permit access. Nearby Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park trades ocean thunder for the quiet grandeur of ancient trees. 

For lodging, Lighthouse Inn is a leading choice, earning strong traveler reviews for comfortable accommodations near the harbor. Breakfast is included. Dining standouts include Chart Room Restaurant for chowder, fish and chips, and sea lion watching; SeaQuake Brewing for craft beer, pizza and local fish; and Schmidt’s House of Jambalaya for Cajun flavors. 

Start mornings at Paragon Coffeehouse (above) or SeaFront Baking Company. Browse downtown around Third Street for boutiques, gifts and local finds, including Johnston’s Gift Garden Home and Tsunami Beach Company. Then return to the waterfront: Crescent City’s finest attraction remains the restless Pacific, providing an ever-changing finale to the day. 

Crescent Beach Overlook

AMERICANA / OLIGARCHISTS TAKE HEED; AMERICA'S REAL POWER HAS SPOKEN

Day before elections, 2026

An American Warning America woke up Wednesday morning with a political hangover. Not the ordinary kind that follows a bitter election, but one that raises an uncomfortable question: How long can a nation's governing class dismiss the frustrations of its citizens before those citizens decide they've had enough? 

 The French discovered one answer in 1789. America offered a different answer on November 3, 2026. Rather than storming a palace, voters went to the polls. Rather than overthrowing a monarchy, they changed the balance of power in Congress. 

 Yes, the circumstances were vastly different, but the historical comparison deserves consideration. France had its aristocracy, America its billionaires. France had a king and queen insulated by court privilege. America has elected leaders, powerful donors and political institutions increasingly scrutinized for their relationships with concentrated wealth. 

 The question is not whether another revolution is coming. It is whether those entrusted with power recognize the warning signs when voters deliver them. After all, the ballot box is one of democracy's greatest inventions. It allows a restless nation to make itself heard without overturning the furniture or chopping heads.

AMERICANA / AH, ELECTION DAY LIKE IT MIGHT BE AGAIN SOMEDAY

By PillartoPost.org in the style of the great Norman Rockwell

 

MEDIA MONDAY / CHANCES ARE GOOD FOR A DEMOCRATIC PARTY LANDSLIDE.

 

By PillertoPost.org daily online magazine staff--International media coverage sees Democrats favored to take the House, with a real—but less certain—chance of winning the Senate as well. As of today, October 19, a Democratic sweep is a credible possibility, not a settled forecast.

Three international outlets frame it this way:

• Reuters, October 19: Democrats are widely expected to capture the House; the Senate remains too close to call. reuters.com

• The Guardian, October 6: Republican difficulties have spread into normally safe states, creating additional Democratic opportunities. GOP campaign money remains an advantage. theguardian.com

• Al Jazeera, October 3: Democratic momentum has expanded the competitive map; Republicans are spending heavily on defense. Al Jazeera

The strongest fresh signal: Today’s Reuters/Ipsos poll gives Democrats a 47%–35% advantage among registered voters asked which party they would support for Congress. Trump’s approval is 31%. That national lead does not translate directly into Senate victories, which depend on individual state races. reuters.com

Democrats need a net gain of four Senate seats to reach 51. A 50–50 split leaves Republicans in control through Vice President Vance’s deciding vote. investing.com

Five likely early priorities if Democrats win both chambers: This is my synthesis of the reporting, rather than an announced five-point Democratic program.

1. Investigate administration conduct. Take control of committees, hold public hearings and subpoena records and testimony concerning alleged abuses. reuters.com

2. Challenge Trump’s appointments. Use Senate control to scrutinize or block judicial and senior administration nominees. reuters.com

3. Put household costs and healthcare first. Advance measures addressing insurance, housing and living expenses, putting Republicans’ responses on record. reuters.com

4. Confront tariffs and presidential war powers. Pursue legislation challenging those policies and restoring congressional oversight. reuters.com

5. Use budget negotiations to demand concessions. Both chambers would give Democrats greater leverage over spending and debt-limit agreements. reuters.com

Winning Congress would give Democrats substantial investigative and blocking power. Trump would still have his veto, and most Senate legislation would still face the 60-vote hurdle. reuters.com

What is the USA and international media saying about a blue wave; a real demo trouncing

Worked for 7s

Tom, yes—“blue wave” is now an explicit theme in American coverage, and international reporting describes conditions that could produce a substantial Republican defeat. A trouncing across both chambers remains a possibility, rather than the consensus prediction.

Here is what representative outlets are saying as of October 19:

Outlet	What it is reporting
CNN — United States, Oct. 18	Its average of recent national congressional polls puts Democrats nine points ahead—a serious warning for Republican candidates. Transcripts
The Washington Post — United States, Sept. 18	Its headline explicitly describes Democrats becoming bullish about a “midterm wave,” citing encouraging battleground polling, high prices and Trump’s unpopularity. washingtonpost.com
Cook Political Report — United States, Sept. 22	Charlie Cook calls it a “red undertow”: voters punishing Republicans, without necessarily embracing Democrats. He sees substantial GOP danger but says the scale remains uncertain. Cook Political Report
Reuters — international, Oct. 19	Today’s Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Democrats ahead 47% to 35%, their largest advantage this cycle, with Trump’s approval at 31%. reuters.com
Le Monde — France, Oct. 3 editorial	Sees Republican vulnerability in both chambers, linking it to Trump’s unpopularity, inflation and foreign-policy decisions. It also warns that electoral boundaries favor Republicans. lemonde.fr

How big a beating are analysts contemplating? A September Brookings commentary estimated 25–30 Democratic House gains, enough for a substantial rebuke of Trump, although its author stopped short of calling that a landslide. That is one analyst’s estimate, not an agreed forecast. Brookings

What could keep the wave smaller? Reuters’ October 12 analysis specifically examines why Democrats might fall short of a landslide: favorable national sentiment has fewer competitive House districts through which to produce gains. Its latest assessment still calls the Senate too close to call. MarketScreener

PILLARTOPOST.ORG says the coverage supports the possibility of a genuine Republican drubbing—especially in the House. It does not yet support confidently predicting a Democratic landslide in both chambers.

AMERICANA / WILL ELECTION DAY EVER ARRIVE?

 

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL / MUSIC FOR THE EYES / INDIA

 

San Diegan Craig M., whose travel photography appears below, stands before the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. One of the world's most celebrated architectural landmarks, the white marble mausoleum was commissioned by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1631. Construction began the following year and was completed in 1648 under the direction of court architect Ustad Ahmad Lahori. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, the Taj Mahal remains a monument to enduring love and Mughal artistry. Scaffolding surrounding its minarets is part of ongoing restoration work by the Archaeological Survey of India to repair masonry cracks and preserve the historic marble.

Editor's note: Captions for Craig's photographs appear at the end of this article.

MORE ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER: CRAIG, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

Earlier this year, we introduced readers to Craig, a good friend of this publication and a retired professional pianist who makes his home in North Park, San Diego's historic Arts & Crafts neighborhood.

After a rewarding career in music, Craig now enjoys the freedom to travel the world, trading concert halls and piano keys for distant landscapes and the click of a camera shutter.

Recently, he generously opened his portfolio of travel photography to PillartoPost.org. Our first photographic journey with Craig took readers to the Netherlands on September 1, 2026. This time, his camera takes us to India.

For Craig, the transition from music to photography has been a happy discovery. As a professional musician, he learned that every performance demanded precision. A wrong note could not be retrieved once it reached the audience.

Photography, he discovered, is music for the eyes, with one welcome difference: It's considerably more forgiving. Nobody boos when you miss a picture.

Still, the two art forms have much in common. A piano and a camera are instruments that reward patience, discipline and an artistic eye—or ear. Both challenge the performer to capture something memorable.

Craig has found enormous pleasure in approaching each photographic outing as another artistic performance, this time with light, color and composition replacing melody, harmony and rhythm.

PillartoPost.org thanks Craig for sharing his travels and his remarkable photographic eye with our readers.

And where will his camera take us next? Craig has promised a surprise destination in Italy. Stay tuned.

INDIA PHOTO CAPTIONS: 

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CAPTIONS:

1. Boats at Sunset — Ganges River, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh Golden-hour sunlight silhouettes traditional wooden rowboats on the Ganges River. The wide river, misty atmosphere and timeless boating activity capture a serene evening in India's ancient spiritual city. 

2. Market Boy — Northern India, Possibly Delhi or Uttar Pradesh A smiling young street vendor stands beside his weighing scale and fresh bananas at a bustling local bazaar. Devanagari writing on the background wall suggests a Hindi-speaking region of northern India. 

3. Cycling with Dad — Possibly New Delhi A father pedals his young daughter to school along a leafy, tree-lined roadway. Wearing her school uniform, she rides balanced on the crossbar of his classic black bicycle. 

4. Kedar Ghat — Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh Young men perform synchronized exercises along the distinctive red-and-white striped steps of Kedar Ghat, overlooking the sacred Ganges River in Varanasi, northern India's spiritual capital. 

5. Dal Lake — Srinagar, Kashmir A vendor rows a wooden shikara boat loaded with colorful marigolds across the calm, glassy waters of Dal Lake in Srinagar, Kashmir. 

6. Golden Temple — Amritsar, Punjab Seven young women pose beside the sacred reflecting pool of Amritsar's illuminated Golden Temple, Sikhism's holiest shrine, where pilgrims gather for prayer and religious observances. 

7. Historic Doorway — Possibly Ahmedabad, Gujarat An old bicycle rests against weathered wooden doors beneath a crumbling brick archway. Faded paint and remnants of a Calico Cloth sign suggest Ahmedabad, once famous for its textile mills. 

8. Qutb Minar — Delhi Framed by intricately carved sandstone ruins, Delhi's thirteenth-century Qutb Minar rises above its historic courtyard. The 72.5-meter victory tower represents one of India's most celebrated examples of Indo-Islamic architecture. 

9. Dal Lake — Srinagar, Kashmir Two boatmen navigate the tranquil waters of Dal Lake beneath dramatic white clouds and the majestic backdrop of the Zabarwan mountain range. 

10. Sadhu — Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh An ascetic Hindu holy man, known as a sadhu, dressed in traditional saffron robes and a turban, sits peacefully on the stone steps of a ghat in Varanasi. 

11. Traditional Tailor — Possibly Srinagar, Kashmir Wearing a patterned skullcap and warm cardigan, a smiling tailor guides white fabric through a vintage manual sewing machine inside his compact, fabric-lined workshop, possibly in Srinagar, Kashmir. 

12. Woman in red — Rajasthan An Indian woman dressed in a vibrant red traditional sari or ghagra choli smiles warmly while standing outside a village home in rural Rajasthan.

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