NOPE, JAWS, GRAY MAN, HOUSE OF GUCCI +

Here is something I did not expect, from NBC News:

A majority of people in the U.S have had Covid-19 at least once — likely more than 70% of the country, White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator Ashish Jha said on Thursday, citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many have been infected multiple times. 

Let me do some math.  So far, the U.S. has had a little more than 92 million COVID-19 cases.  Our population is 335 million, so I calculated 28%, which is far lower than the 70% cited by Dr. Jha.

• But the World Health Organization reported in April that up to 65% of Africans have been infected by SARS-CoV-2.  If this is true, the continent had 97 times more cases than reported!!!
• Further, the global average should be 16 times higher!
• There is no mention of how asymptomaticity factored into the above.

So if you multiply the actual covid cases by 16, that would mean that the average person in the USA actually was infected more than four times each.  

• That just can't be, for we are better at reporting cases and deaths than many other countries.  
• But if asymptomaticity and other factors can explain being off by a factor of around 2.5, then the 70% figure of Jha seems sensible.

• 
  Shanghai, when it went through a thorough testing period more recently reported a 97% asymptomatic rate.  
• This could have been skewed by vaccinations and previous infections. 
•  In any case the world seems to be settling at a 50% asymptomatic rate, which is higher than the 30-40% being suggested by the CDC.
• So chances are more probable that the actual asymptomatic rate today, because of vaccinations and previous infections, could easily be somewhere between 97% and 50%, making Dr. Jha's contention that 70% of Americans have already contracted COVID-19 reasonable.

Further:

Many have been infected multiple times. In a study that has not been peer viewed that looked at 257,000 U.S. veterans who'd contracted Covid at least once, 12% had a reinfection by April and about 1% had been infected three times or more

How have some avoided this virus?  

• Individual behavior, including genetics, T cell immunity and the effects of inflammatory conditions like allergies and asthma.
• 100-500 genes in your lungs and nasal cavity can help and hurt.
• Genetic variations can harm you or prevent getting infected and recover quicker or not.

• 
  Apparently, those who have had numerous colds in the past from some coronavirus seem to be more immune to COVID-19.  This is because T cells, a type of white blood cell, remember these past infections and help you fight off the virus and, if infected, better recover.  These T cells seem to also resist BA.5.
• Contrary to earlier reports, those with asthma and certain allergies seem to better avoid being infected.   Then again, another study could not find this advantage.

• 
  Having a food allergy halved the risk of infection.  This type of advantage should also work against BA.5.  Maybe my crustacean allergy is helping me.
• THIS IS MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL:  taking precautions like staying home and wearing masks  are more effective in avoiding infection than genetics or T cell advantage.

Since the pandemic started, I have not gone to a movie theater.  Box Office Mojo reports that the #1 movie of the year so far is Top Gun:  Maverick, with $1.3 billion in world-wide revenues.   I alerted you this past Friday to the opening of Nope, which was #1 this weekend, earning $44 million.  Rotten Tomatoes scores of 82%/71%.

Last week I also indicated that the Discovery Channel would be hosting Shark Week, which began yesterday.  So Saturday night, to put me in a proper frame of mind, I reached back and saw Jaws.  Turned out that four years ago, maybe for this same reason, I watched all four Jaws films.  To quote:

The first of the series was released in 1975, directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss and Murray Hamilton, with music by John Williams.  The film was based on the 1974 book by Peter Benchley, who was inspired by the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916.  The movie won an Oscar for Williams (his alternating pattern of the E and F notes on a piano became the standard theme of an approaching shark) and was nominated as a best picture.

Rotten Tomatoes gave Jaws  97%/90% ratings.  The film became the father of summer blockbusters, for it became the first to open across most of the country.  Until then, these potential biggies were leaked out to draw word-of-mouth acclaim.

Dreyfuss in 1973 had success with American Graffiti, but Jaws was Spielberg's first huge hit.  They went on to make Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977.

Sad that Scheider, Shaw, Hamilton and Benchley have passed away.  Benchley regretted he wrote the book, which encouraged public fear of sharks, and created the Benchley Ocean Awards for ocean conservation.  We kill 100 million sharks per year.  Sharks, perhaps 10 humans/year.  17,000 of us die from falls/year.

Last week I also reported on The Gray Man.  Rotten Tomatoes reviewers panned it with a 49% rating, but audiences gave the film 90%.  I can see why, for the production was messy, with over the top action involving the usual international travelogue.  But moviegoers like that stuff.

This was Netflix's most expensive original film.  By comparison, the current Disney Thor, which was #2 to Nope ($68 million budget) this weekend, cost $250 million.  Will there be a sequel for The Gray Man?  I won't say much about the storyline, but the way the movie ended, surely.  There might even be a prequel.

Netflix has another $200 million movie coming by the same directorial team of Joe and Anthony Russo, The Electric State.  Millie Bobby Brown in Simon Stalenhag's graphic novel of a young woman with a sweet but mysterious robot.

Giving equal time to Prime, I have recently also watched, like The Gray Man, two films with low reviewer's, but much higher audience ratings.  The House of Gucci:  RT 63/83 and Don't Make Me Go:  RT 54/78.

The House of Gucci:

• A true story, where Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) in 1997 was sentenced to 29 years for arranging the murder of her husband, Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver), but was released early in 2015, and still receives $1.2 million/year from her deceased ex-husband's estate.
• Directed by Ridley Scott.
• Had quite a cast:  Gaga, Driver, Jeremy Irons, Al Pacino and Jared Leto (Paolo Gucci), who won the Worst Supporting Actor prize at the 42nd Golden Raspberry Awards.

• 
  The soundtrack had nothing by Lady Gaga, but was FABULOUS.
• Very successful, for with a budget of $75 million, earned $157 million so far.

Don't Make Me Go:

• Max Park (John Cho), who gained custody over his daughter when his wife ran off with one of his high school friends, finds out that he has a terminal illness, so goes to his high school reunion mostly to pass on his daughter to his wife.
• A major twist at the end leads to a mostly happy ending.

• 
  I well remember John Cho first feature film, the 2004 Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, with two sequels.  He started acting in the 1999 American Pie.  His father came from North Korea, and John was born in Seoul, coming to the U.S. at the age of 6.  Graduated from Cal-Berkeley, is lead singer for Viva La Union, a Los Angeles garage rock band and played Hikaru Sulu in Star Trek Beyond.  He has developed well.
• Wants to play the role of his preacher father growing up in North Korea through the Korean War.

I moved my Blood Lily bloom into the elevator lobby area:

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