There’s no high with ‘Cocaine Bear’

Continued from page 5

‘80s – Scandal’s “The Warrior,” Berlin’s “No More Words” and Depeche Mode’s very appropriate “Just Can’t Get Enough.”

And in another bit of trickery, “Cocaine Bear” was shot largely in rural Ireland, which the creators say closely resembles the Georgia mountain wilderness. Actually, that reminds us of what else bears famously do in the woods. These filmmakers left us a pile of it.

“Cocaine Bear,” a Universal Pictures release that hits theaters

Friday, is rated R for “bloody violence and gore, drug content and language throughout.” Running time: 95 minutes. MPAA definition of R: Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Retorts: Trapped in your 15 minutes

Russia and – just possibly –Jackie.

Now we are seeing a new level of paranoia about the idea of the “15-Minute Neighborhood.”

Originated by some wellmeaning urban planners, the 15-Minute idea is to rethink zoning so that you could find most of your needs: groceries, medical and dental services, a restaurant, gas station, Starbucks – wait, there already is a Starbucks on almost every corner – nearby.

If you could do all the stuff close by, the theory goes, you could walk or ride your bike to those places and not drive a polluting car and/or make traffic a nightmare. Sounds innocent enough, if perhaps impractical. But conspiracy theorists have hopped into the saddle and rode this idea off the ledge of sanity. In Europe, there have been widespread protests and even violent clashes with police based on the notion that the 15-Minute Neighborhood is just another word for ghetto, or suburban concentration camp. You wouldn’t be allowed outside your Neighborhood without permission, and armed guards would patrol the perimeter checking passes. Fines and even prison could follow. That, of course, is not anywhere near the truth, but the idea is spreading because …. see first line of this article.

Jim Tortolano has been writing Retorts since he was bitten by a vampire and became immortal, proven by all the tired old jokes he tells. For more on the “15 Minute Neighborhood” or “City,” go to: https:// www.codastory.com/newsletters/oxford-15-minute-cityconspiracy/ or https://www. bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-02-27/no-15-minutecities-aren-t-a-threat-to-civilliberties .