The Hague: Fin

After 8 months The Hague had our last show tonight. It was a very eclectic group and our time together fun and challenging. Everyone had their own style and more often than not we would come together, clash, and create something that worked despite the disparity of our different approaches. Sometimes it didn't work which is no rarity in improv. And when it didn't it was never boring, everyone on the team is strong, aggressive, and opinionated so our failures were just as interesting as our successes. Sometimes we were water and vinegar other times we were vinegar and baking soda. There were always surprises.

I don't feel any regret. For me the desire for the luster and love- the cultivating of a close knit group- faded after my first iO team FireCup. It's not as if we weren't friends but we were all, or at least I was, more concerned with the shows and the quality of the improv than with hanging out with each other a ton. I'm grateful for our time together and for a chance to get to know the people on the team I didn't and to spend more time with the people on the team I did. I took pleasure in most of the shows, pride in some, and I learned something from them all.

The two people that made the whole experience exceptionally special for me were Rich and Caitlin. Caitlin I've been friends with for over a decade and aside from one directing scene in college where I was Richard III and she was Lady Anne we never got to perform together. I consider it a great gift and something I'll very much miss, seeing her each week and improvising with her. The Hague gave us a chance to reconnect and get close again. Rich on the other hand I did not know. I knew who he was but we had no connection. When he was added I think we were all a little cautious. We had no need to be because although Rich is perpetually dry he is open. I loved playing with him despite, at times, his moves and ideas going directly counter to mine. It was frustrating but stimulating. He made me stretch. And he became a friend, not something I anticipated given his outward reserve and sarcasm.

Of course I loved playing with everyone else. I always love playing with Julia, James, Pants, and Ellen who I've been on teams with on and off for a couple years and it was a treat to be on a team with Mark and Dan who I had known previously only tangentially.

It was a good run and a good team. Improv can be fleeting and ethereal. Sometimes the teams are too.

'The Broken Circle Breakdown' A Review

The Broke Circle Breakdown is a Belgian musical drama.The non-linear film explores the relationship between Elise and Didier, their love of American bluegrass, and their burgeoning family centered around their daughter Maybelle. The film skips and jumps from past to present back to past, showing Elise and Didier's first meeting, concerts, their accidental pregnancy, their marriage proposal, more concerts, and Maybelle's eventual cancer diagnosis and treatment at age 6. At points visiting the same scene more than once. The fluid nature of the narrative structure allows the film to build and defuse tension quickly without getting bogged down in depressive ruts.

There is an alien, almost bizarre, quality about The Broken Circle Breakdown. The American traditionals sung in perfect English juxtaposed directly after with lilting Flemish is some what jarring and the story itself takes many twists and turns subverting normal "Hollywood" expectations. There is a sweet melancholic authenticity to the film, it is at times heartrending in its realism, and exuberant in its emotional discoveries.

The film is intense, at times overwhelming, but ultimately deeply moving. The ending is disappointing, unharmonious, almost belonging to a different story. But the journey and the questions that are raised are satisfying and reinforce love, faith, and perseverance.

See It.

Season 2 Intro

Tisher, Tim, and I have been working hard over the past couple months on our improvised comedy radio serial and we're finally ready to start releasing episodes. Bubble Boys Season 2 promises more idiocy, lunacy, and idolatry than the original. New episodes each week with an array of amazing guests. Listen to the intro below and look for episode one next week.

The Cold

No work today due to hazardous weather conditions. This relentless cold is draining. My mobility is hamstrung or at least the effort it takes to travel doesn't seem worth it most of the time.

Today I've obsessively cleaned my apartment and reorganized my movies and books. I watched the first three episodes of True Detectives(shows promise) and started a collage. I checked how much a tape player would cost and then I read for a little bit.

Now I sit and think of things to do, potential projects, and come up blank. Ice gathers on the window sill and the pane is frosted over. Soon I'll be able to go for a walk, run, ride a bike, or browse a book shop without having to bundle up and concentrate my will. This winter has been daunting and the extremity of the cold makes it drag on and on.

But the end is in sight, it must be. One more month or six weeks or eight. Sooner or later, warmth is inevitable. Spring gathers. We wait. Time ticks.

"You can't get too much winter in the winter." -Robert Frost

"In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer." -Albert Camus

The Snap

I've had the desire to be an artist as long as I can remember. I took piano lessons for a while but didn't have the discipline to practice. I took art classes in school and out from age 7 to 13 but showed no facility with any medium or ability to bring my ideas to actuality. I first got on stage at age 8 in a production of the Pied Piper, I was Councilman #3, and was intrigued. At age 11 I was in a staged production of a number of Aesop's Fables. It was the first time I got laughs from an audience, I was hooked and decided I wanted to be an actor.

Through middle school and high school I was in a number of plays and musicals. I cultivated my modest singing and dancing abilities. I had fun but I wasn't totally satisfied. I didn't feel like I was getting to express myself fully, I felt like acting fell more on the side of interpretation rather than creation. There was still something I wasn't getting, an undiscovered outlet.

Recently I've been reading, per Clayton's recommendation, this fantasy series Mistborn. In the books they describe the pivotal moment in someones life wherein they discover their magical abilities as "snapping". The moment I had my creative snap wasn't onstage but in my dorm room.

My college roommate was a guitarist and bassist, he turned me on to a bunch of musicians and I turned him on to a couple too. Fall of 2003 we were big into Tenacious D, Keller Williams, and Martin Sexton. One evening we were sitting around, Bob was playing guitar and I was playing Final Fantasy X on mute. For no particular reason we started singing- improvising lyrics and harmonies. By the end we had a complete song with a double chorus and two free-form verses, it was called "Trees".  We performed it a couple weeks later at Theater of Ted, a weekly sign-up variety show, and got a great response.

It was the first time I put out something  I created, the first time I felt a genuine collaboration. Bob and I wrote and performed songs the remainder of college and he taught me how to play guitar. Writing and performing original music gave me a unique satisfaction, a satisfaction I hadn't gotten from straight acting. A feeling of originality, singularity of purpose, and direct artistic expression. I continued to act but I became increasingly frustrated with speaking others words. That discontent eventually led me to improv and sketch comedy.

Soul of a Man

There's this new movie coming out called Son of God evidently cut from The Bible miniseries. I have no intention of seeing the movie but this song was in the trailer and it struck me. I got goosebumps despite the over-the-top subject matter. Come to find out it was also used for the Mad Max video game trailer. It's a cover of one of my favorite songs by 30's blues musician Blind Willie Johnson.

'Lone Survivor' A Review

Lone Survivor is a military drama based on the true experience of Marcus Latrell and his SEAL team in Afghanistan. The film follows the SEAL team from their base on a surveillance mission in the Afghan mountains. They objective is to identify two Taliban leaders in a small town. The mission is disrupted when three goat herders discover the team. After debate the goat herders are released and inform the local Taliban of the whereabouts of the soldiers. They are surrounded and attacked.

There are two striking things about the film. First the performances given by the four SEAL team members and the brotherhood that they portray. The second is the military tactics employed by the SEAL team in opposition to the 200 Taliban members that engage them. The film feels true from the dialogue to the deaths.

The film doesn't pass judgement on the war, those in power, or the Afghan natives. It's purpose is to show the courage and love of the US Navy SEALs, to remember those that have fallen. Lone Survivor paints a complex portrait of an even more complex situation. The film allows and encourages us to be proud of our military in the midst of an untenable position.

Although Mark Wahlberg is top billed it is the supporting cast that brings the film to life.

See It.

Compelling Copy

I'm back in Rockford for the weekend and while I was indulging in some cable I saw this ad. I'm not an Apple guy. I don't have a MacBook, an iPod, an iPhone, or an iPad. I'm not going to run out and buy one or all of those things. But. This may be the most striking 90 second spot I have ever seen.

Steve's Guide To Physical Altercations

1. Avoidance- Fights should only be engaged in as a last resort. Talking things out in a reasonable manner is good, walking away is best. But there are times when situations escalate or call for things to go into the physical realm.

2. Surprise- In a fight that must be fought there's no such thing as a cheap shot. If the person is distracted take advantage, if you can trick them to turning their back do so. If someone is staring straight at you yelling and pointing is not effective. One effective tactic is lobbing something at the persons face- a handful of change, garbage, whatever you have. You can disorient them and get them off balance.

3. Strike Through- When striking someone follow through with your blow. If you're trying to hit someone in their stomach don't aim for their stomach aim behind the stomach. You'll get my power and be more stable.

4. Speed over Strength- Don't be so much concerned with how hard you hit, be concerned with how many times you hit. Throwing a punch or a kick as hard as you can usually telegraphs the blow and the other person can avoid or block it. Land sharp quick blows and wear down your opponent. Most fights come down to stamina.

5. Squishy Parts and Joints- You want to get the fight over with as soon as possible. Some places on the body are more tender or fragile than others- go after those places. The eyes, neck, armpit, kidneys, stomach, crotch, knees, and feet. If the person can't walk well, see straight, or breathe easily the fight is over.

6. Avoid the Head- A fight is not a boxing match. Your fists are your weapons but they are also easily broken. The head is thick and hard and many a hand is broken on a skull during a fight. It's a tempting target but most fights are not ended with a KO.

7. Be Ready To Go All The Way- The best way to not have to fight is to make it clear to the other person by attitude and speech that you are 100% ready to fight. Now I don't mean posturing or showboating or trash talking. You have to be ready to lose. You have to be ready to make the other person pay for every inch. You have to be ready to dig down deep and put all your energy and will into a fight and even if you're beaten and broken not to give up. If it's clear to the other person that you are determined and willing to give this clash absolutely everything you have most of the time they will back down. Most people are not capable of going the distance.

For further reading and strategy see The Powell Doctrine.

Graffiti 114

With the feverish popularity of The Wolf of Wall Street its a good time to reexamine, expose, and reflect on that most noble of pursuits: American Greed.

"Look around. Oil companies guzzle down the billions in profits. Billionaires pay a lower tax rate than their secretaries, and Wall Street CEOs, the same ones the direct our economy and destroyed millions of jobs still strut around Congress, no shame, demanding favors, and acting like we should thank them. Does anyone here have a problem with that?" -Elizabeth Warren

"It has always seemed strange to me... the things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling, are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest, are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second." -John Steinbeck

"Even in a time of elephantine vanity and greed, one never has to look far to see the campfires of gentle people." -Garrison Keillor

Clouds and Shadows

I never saw things in the clouds.
I never laid on my back in the grass and pointed out the dragon or the truck or the butterfly.
I only saw clouds. White and thin and distant.
I saw things in the dark.
I saw things in the corners of unfinished basements.
In closets and under beds.
In the woods at night at the edges of the fire light.
Fractured faces, moist mouths.
Grasping hands and twitching tongues.
I saw hungry things when I could not see.
In the blackness of my inside eye.

Imagination is seldom kind and often cruel.

Balance

Recently when people have asked me how I am I've said "I'm happier than I've ever been." And it's the truth. Now life isn't all ups, I haven't become wildly successful and I still have credit card debt. But I've discovered that happiness is closer to contentment than constant elation. There are periodic victories and moments of great joy but mostly things are simply good and I've found a great deal of satisfaction in that.

Everything stems from my sobriety. It's the linchpin. With my illness neutralized(with vigilance) I can pour energy, previously focused on self-destruction and basic survival, into those things that interest me and bring me joy. I can be a good friend, a good family member, a good boyfriend. I can conceive and execute my creative ideas with confidence and precision. I can see all the movies I want to see.

Happiness isn't about doing amazing things(parasailing), visiting exotic locations, or eating decadent foods- though it can be part of it- its about balance. Putting energy into and being fulfilled by different aspects of your life- work, friends, family, hobbies, romance. Finding that sweet spot where you're freely giving and freely getting. Focus too much on one thing and the scale starts to shift.

I am very much in love. Nicole has filled out my life and opened my eyes to how an honest relationship can work. Being with her I've learned the value of compromise, to look at it as a furtherance rather than a hindrance. There is very little effort involved but a lot of communication. We don't talk constantly, we don't hang out all the time, we don't define ourselves by each other. We make each other a priority and we relish the time we spend together. We don't let our relationship get in the way of friendships or creative endeavors and we don't let friendships or creative endeavors get in the way of our relationship.

Needless to say Nicole is a major reason why I'm happy. So is my sister's upcoming wedding. So is Bubble Boys season 2. So is Deep Schwa. So is coaching again. So is planning vacations for the spring and summer.

Work is boring and can be draining. I don't make enough time to call my family. I make mistakes. I feel guilt and anxiety. I'm not perfect.

In short: I'm human. And so are you.

Photo Shoot

Today Tisher and I got dressed up and went out to Montrose beach and Marty was kind enough to take some pictures for the forthcoming season of Bubble Boys. It was freezing but surprisingly beautiful. Snow whipped with sand and everything frozen.

I imagine the pictures will turn out well, how evocative they will be of 1943 and WWII remains to be seen- Tisher and I in dress cloths being buffeted by the wind. But with some imagination, standing there coatless on the iced-over beach head, you can get a glimpse of what that fear might have been like, what determination it might have required. Bubble Boys is a comedy show and we've tried to exaggerate, lampoon, and absurdize 40's tropes and premises. We've endeavored both consciously and subconsciously to be respectful or at least walk the line around outright mockery.

Season 2 will be much more crass, bizarre, edgy, goofy, and dark than season 1 but hopefully not offensive. A teaser will be released January 29th.

Keys

Unease builds
brick by brick
walls in worry
and stigma stink

clairvoyant visions
of dancing doom
stolen secrets
a ransacked room

Anticipation
and apprehension
(then) anticlimax
authentication.

Street Talk 16

Outside a Dunkin Donuts a woman with bleach blond hair who looked and sounded like Gus from Disney's Cinderella waited for me.

Woman: You got fifty cents?
Me: Sorry.
Woman: Asshole.

There are many perks to living in a big city like Chicago. Being constantly hit up for money and cigarettes ain't one of 'em.

Steve's Top 5 Movies of 2013

Top 5:
12 Years A Slave
The Act of Killing
American Hustle
Philomena
Stories We Tell

Top 5 Disappointments:
Anchorman 2
Elysium
Her
Kick-Ass 2
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Most Overrated:
The Wolf of Wall Street

Most Underrated:
Museum Hours

Honorable Mentions:
Deceptive Practices
I'm So Excited!
The Summit
This Is The End
The Way Way Back

Worst Movie of the Year:
Blue Jasmine

Performances of the Year:
Amy Adams & Christian Bale, American Hustle
Steve Coogan & Judi Dench, Philomena
Chiwetel Ejiofor & Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years A Slave
James Franco, Spring Breakers
Matthew McConaughey, Mud

Scenes of the Year: 
Llewyn auditions for Bud Grossman, Inside Llewyn Davis
Irving confronts Rosalyn, American Hustle
The Whipping, 12 Years A Slave
Stealing the air-compressor, Nebraska
Theodore meets Catherine for lunch, Her

Groh Show #18

This episode Danny gives us a 2013 recap and a 2014 plan of action. We talk in depth about The Wolf of Wall Street, the sanctity of ideas, and cheese sandwiches.

Survival

This is the second in Beanpole and I's quote collaboration. David Mitchell is one of my favorite authors. In his book Cloud Atlas he uses this quote. Originally, come to find out, a Japanese proverb.

"The weak are meat the strong do eat."

'The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty' & 'Saving Mr. Banks' Reviews

The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty is a feel good comedy directed and starring Ben Stiller as the titular Mitty. Walter Mitty is a negative asset manager for Life magazine on the eve of it's take over. He is unassuming, shy, and frequently lost in his imagination. When the negative for the final cover of the magazine is lost he sheds his skin and travels the world to track it down.

From beginning to end the film lacks that which it most earnestly wants to have- heart. Stiller's performance is shallow and distracted maybe from doing double duty. Mitty goes through no transformation, we don't see a change, he simply turns on a dime from mild-mannered to adventurer for no particular reason. The film operates at a hyper pace moving from location to location so quickly there is no time to appreciate the beauty the filmmakers obviously went to great lengths to provide. The scope of the film is so large its actual narrative is lost.

The film can't decide whether it wants to be a comedy or drama and fails to achieve either. There is a cuteness about everything that rings false. The wonderful supporting cast is wasted because it seems they were given no direction. Sean Penn as famous photographer Sean O'Connell seems to be the only one to strike the proper balance of humor and gravitas and his appearance is brief, one scene the high point of the film.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is reminiscent of Stranger Than Fiction without the balance, mystery, or spirit.

Rent It.

Saving Mr. Banks is a historical comedy about the struggle to make Marry Poppins. The movie follows the efforts of Walt Disney(Tom Hanks) to procure film rights from P.L. Travers(Emma Thompson) the author of the series. The story follows Travers collaboration/confrontation with Disney and his production team  juxtaposed with flashbacks from Travers' childhood in the Australian outback.

Ultimately the Disney made production casts Walt Disney as the charming, affable, reasonable good guy and P.L. Travers as the protective, high strung, quasi-sympathetic villain. The sympathy the movie attempts to construct is developed through the telling of Travers unsettling childhood however Thompson's strident performance makes her entire back story ineffective. Hanks as Disney is likable but two dimensional, nothing particular interesting but pleasant to watch.

The narrative itself isn't particularly interesting which begs the question- why make it? Rumor is a company was going to make the movie when Disney purchased the rights, possibly to protect the image or portrayal of its patriarch.

In any case, Saving Mr. Banks is calculating. It is interesting because it tells the story of a film most people already love. Its manufactured touching moments are touching. Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson draw attention because they are two extremely charismatic and talented actors. But the movie wears off fast, like a sugar high. Upon reflection it's poignant moments reveal their dullness.

Saving Mr. Banks is contrived by-the-numbers sentimentality that works.

Rent It.

Introspection

I've been a little worn out lately. Not sleeping right, constantly on the go. It takes its toll. Some people thrive on a busy schedule I have to temper mine with moments of solitude. Quiet time where I can reflect and recharge. Find the balance.

The moon helps.

Johnny Cash: The Life

I am abashed to say it but what turned me on to Johnny Cash was the trailer for Walk The Line. The summer of 2005 was one of my darkest most lonely periods. I was a camp counselor at an affluent all boys 9 week camp in northern Wisconsin. I hated the entitlement of the boys, I hated the elitism of my co-workers(most former campers), and I hated the dirty mediocrity of the grounds. I felt trapped. Three weeks in I crashed and totaled my beloved 1999 Buick Regal in the woods while driving under the influence. I was almost fired but was allowed to stay through the remainder of my contract. I was in a hellish purgatory. Stranded and alone I found my solace in movies. The Woodruff movie theater offered little in the way of variety, with nothing else to do and with a blossoming depression I went to Stealth. Easily one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Before the movie they ran the preview for the Johnny Cash biopic. I saw a solitary man dressed in black and heard the haunting beginnings of the track Folsom Prison Blues. I was inspired. I felt like someone was telling my story.


When the summer was over I got a pair of black cowboy boots, a couple black button ups, and a couple pairs of black slacks. I wore all black almost every day for a year. I began to voraciously consume as much Johnny Cash music as I could. From the original Sun records to the American records. I began to learn his songs on guitar. He became my hero. The music and the man resonated with me- love, loneliness, rebellion, addiction, compassion, struggle, and redemption.


I still wear black often and listen to Johnny Cash but his influence has become more internal. He contributed to my sense of justice and individuality. I still turn to his music for comfort and motivation. I recently finished the biography Johnny Cash The Life which was exhaustive in its detail. The most interesting was the extensive discography- why songs were written, what inspired them, what influence they had. The most surprising thing was the debunking of certain Cash myths. His sobriety and fidelity were the two big ones. It was unsettling.


This past week I burned the midnight oil racing through the book. I couldn't put it down. I learned more about the real life of Johnny Cash. The truth from the fiction. A line often repeated in the book is "he never let the facts get in the way of a good story" and after reading it I decided I like the fiction better. Whatever the ups and downs in the personal life of Johnny Cash, whatever his flaws, they ultimately don't change or undermine what he means to me. It doesn't change the singular way in which I hear his music. Doesn't effect his artistic impact. And for the man and the music I will be eternally grateful.

Graffiti 113

I've been thinking more and more about going back to school. Getting in an MFA program for acting. Maybe this is a sign.

"We are taught you must blame your father, your sisters, your brothers, the school, the teachers - but never blame yourself. It's never your fault. But it's always your fault, because if you wanted to change you're the one who has got to change." -Katherine Hepburn

"Because in the school of the Spirit man learns wisdom through humility, knowledge by forgetting, how to speak by silence, how to live by dying." -Johannes Tauler

"The ultimate goal of the educational system is to shift to the individual the burden of pursing his own education. This will not be a widely shared pursuit until we get over our odd conviction that education is what goes on in school buildings and nowhere else." -John W. Gardner

'The Wolf Of Wall Street' A Review

The Wolf of Wall Street is a black comedy of greed, drug use, and decadence based on the memoir of Jordan Belfort. The film follows Belfort played by Leonardo DiCaprio, in his most unlikable and uncomplicated role, from his start on Wall Street to his founding of a penny stock company that launches him into the financial stratosphere.

The film is shot beautifully, scored perfectly, acted energetically, and paced flawlessly. The three hours does not feel long but it does lack substance. All the characters, save for Belfort's first wife who is in the film for less the ten minutes, are unlikable. They show little to no depth or complexity. All the characters are money-drunk and sex-crazed. Scorsese and DiCaprio claim the film is a comment on the Wall Street life style but there is no comment to be found.

The drug scenes, sex scenes, and scenes portraying grotesque wealth come off very cool. The way they are shot, the way they are scored, the inherent lack of consequence for any of the characters makes all the behavior seem almost acceptable and certainly fun. You get caught up in the hedonistic pleasure of it all only to check yourself and your left with a soiled feeling. There is also rampant misogyny throughout the film the most disturbing of which was an employee for Belfort shaving her head for $10,000.

The film does not simply show these behaviors as Scorsese claims, it glorifies them. It doesn't do it intentionally but the way the film was made, the quality of it, makes these terrible men and awful things they do seem thrilling.

Ultimately there is no point to the film. No comment. No story begging to be told. This story has been told a number of times over the past thirty years from Wall Street to Boiler Room to Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps with an actual point of view.

The Wolf of Wall Street is impeccable in its construction but soulless in its execution.

Don't See It.

Breaking 3

Mike was in town for a couple of days so he was able to make The Night Shift show tonight. The dynamic of the group is probably the easiest and most successful I've ever been apart of, impov and otherwise. Everything is very easy, everyone is very open, there is no judgement on people or their time or their level of participation. I would say we're close friends but its not as if we see each other a ton or stay in particularly close contact. I think it creates a very rare atmosphere of absolutely no pressure/all joy that make our shows incredibly fun to be in and, for the most part, exciting to watch.

During our show I broke twice. The first time we had set up a group scene at a restaurant. There was only four chairs so I grabbed a piano bench and one of those wooden TV dinner stands from back stage. Molly was perched precariously on the TV tray and about a minute and a half into the scene, which was developing into an intervention for my character, the TV tray broke and Molly almost fell. All six of us burst of laughing and almost immediately after started screaming and running around. I couldn't stop laughing. I was caught up in the chaotic absurdity of it all.

Already in a laughing mood towards the end of the show apropos of nothing in the scene Meaghan said "There's Sheryl Crow" Damian turned around and affirmed "Hey that is Sheryl Crow". We all paused, I think, to see if anyone would peel off to play her and no one did. For whatever reason that hit my funnybone hard. I lost it, I lost it so completely everyone else started losing it. I pushed out a line and the lights were pulled. I can judge the quality of the show but I think we all felt a palpable jubilation.

My Lost Youth

After our last project Beanpole asked me to send him a couple quotes and lines of poetry that spoke to me which he would then use for inspiration. This is the first in the series.

Got introduced to this stanza in this scene from In The Bedroom.

There are things of which I may not speak;
 There are dreams that cannot die;
There are thoughts that make the strong heart weak,
And bring a pallor into the cheek,
 And a mist before the eye.
  And the words of that fatal song
  Come over me like a chill:
  'A boy's will is the wind's will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.'
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Stark Blast

Frozen nose hairs inside nostrils
kissed by ice cap runoff sludge

Skin exposed and thus in danger
mindless- sheep bleet and buzz.

Arctic air invades a city,
masses cowed by frostbite threats

If I live to be a-hundred
the cold will be my one regret.

Weird iO Conversations 4

Tonight before Schwa, one of the guys on the first team grabbed me as I walked by. He was a close talker.

Guy: I forgot your name.
Me: Ah...Steve...(we shake) What's-
Guy: (interrupting) Do you know Ariel D----?
Me: I'm sorry?
Guy: Ariel D----. Do you know her.
Me: Um. Yeah. I use to coach her. She's a good friend.
Guy: Is she single?
Me: (unbelieving) Is she single?
Guy: Yeah. Is she single.
Me: Ah...I don't really know.
Guy: (staring intently, unmoving)
Me: ...um...I don't think she was a couple months ago...but now...who knows?
Guy: OK. Thanks.
Me: Ah. Yeah. (realizing Ariel would decimate this guy) Go for it man!

'47 Ronin' & 'Anchorman 2' Reviews

47 Ronin is a fantasy action movie based on the 18th century masterless samurai who avenged their masters murder. Keanu Reeves stars as Kai a half breed raised by a group of magical monks whom he flees. Kai is taken into the service of Lord Asano where he is roundly outcast and treated as inferior. Due to treachery and witchcraft Lord Kira manufactures the downfall of Lord Asano and usurps his land and becomes betrothed to his daughter Mika. The remaining masterless samurai are now ronin, doomed to disgrace. A year passes and the remaining ronin gather and seek revenge.

Fantastical creatures, shape changers, and magical weapons weave together to make a surprisingly entertaining movie. Reeves, the presumable protaganist, is out shown by the Japanese leads and supporting cast, in this case Reeves is more a hindrance than an asset. His deadpan and inscrutable performance almost seem not to be one at all and the love story between Kai and Mika is distracting as well as unfulfilling. Reeves doesn't have enough screen time or lines to detract in any meaningful way to a good popcorn adventure.

The fight choreography and CGI mesh well to propel a narrative that clips along to a logical however odd conclusion. 

Rent It.

Anchorman 2 is the long anticipated sequel to the 2004 Anchorman. Ron Burgandy is back and this time he's pioneering the 24 hour news cycle with GNN- Global News Network.

Fans of the original will certainly enjoy this follow up, at the very least for nostalgic sake. All the performers return and heightened on their previous portrayals from the original but there is something most assuredly lacking.

What is most evident in Anchorman 2 is effort. The movie is chock full of surreal gags and absurdist circumstances, some of which solicit a fair amount of laughs, but ultimately the sequel tries too hard to top the original. The characters, already caricatures to begin with, go so far they no longer resemble actual people. Anchorman was the culmination of  the Adam McKay and Will Farrell collaboration suppressed by SNL that exploded into an electric break-neck comedy. This movie is forced. Farrell and McKay may be too old, or too successful, to recapture the spastic irreverent brilliance of their original.

Enough laughs but nothing surprising or inspired.

Rent It.

We All Owe A Death

Stephen King's Dark Tower series is one of my favorites, I just finished reading it again. One of the lines is "we all owe a death", it's a line King has used in a couple of his books, a version of the line originally from Hamlet. It always struck me and strikes me still.

I don't think about death often. I don't fantasize about it, I don't fear it. But I suffer no illusions regarding it's inevitability. I was given a gift, life, by some entity more powerful and knowing then I will ever be. A fleeting thought passing through some cosmic creature. And to that entity a debt is owed, the price of life is death.

Sitting on the train finishing one of my favorite books I read the line and sat back and reflected. If I died today I could accept it. Not because I desire it but because I am content and happy. For the first time in a long time I've been living well, have been of service, have been finding joy in things little and large, have been freely expressing love and receiving it from friends, family, and Nicole. There would be nothing I wish I would have said, no regrets to weigh me down. I would want more and be saddened by the snuffing of my little flame but bitter- no. I am grateful for my days, each and every one.

After years of misery and addiction I'm learning how to live. I look to the future with hope and nothing more.

'Inside Llewyn Davis' A Review

Inside Llewyn Davis is the latest film from the Coen brothers, a musical set in the 1961 Greenwich Village folk scene. The film follows the life of struggling musician Llewyn Davis for about a week. Everything about the film from the music to the colors is understated. Reserved.

The film is allegorical without a conventional narrative structure, simply a glimpse into Llewyn's, possibly cyclical, life. It is unclear whether Llewyn is suppose to garner sympathy or scorn, probably both. He is talented but egotistical, charismatic but self-involved, proud and pathetic, admirable and juvenile, uncompromising. He is, in short, polarizing. Portrayed by the versatile Oscar Issac Llewyn shines when he plays, all irritants and insecurities fall away and we see a stripped down artist, an enigmatic creative machine.

We watch Llewyn struggle externally as a musician and struggle internally with the choice to be a musician. The film portrays the daily grind of an artist and asks the question "Is artistic expression fulfilling in and of itself?" Is making it financially the goal?

The sound track is impeccable and infectious. It fills out the world and brings to life a subdued melancholy, creates an authentic somewhat stagnant scene poised for the revolutionary Bob Dylan. The cast is full of interesting actors putting in engaging sometimes quirky performances. The only weak link is Carey Mulligan, her portrayal is strident and one note, partial fault could be given to the script for underdevelopment. There is so much music in the film there may be a little shortage on actual scenes. The characterizations are so interesting and the dialogue so layered, most notably a dinner scene with two older professor friends of Llewyn, we are left wanting just a little more.

A puzzling, thick, magnetic film that is difficult to get a hold of but gratifying to reflect on.

See It.