The Numbers For 2016

This was the 4th year in a row I didn't take a drink.

I went on two vacations. One to Richmond(to visit Matt), the other to Portland(with Nicole).

I did 50 shows with Deep Schwa and the team celebrated its 20th anniversary.

I did 42 shows with Sight Unseen.

I conceived and directed 1 play, Blockbuster, which had 8 shows.

I released 8 episodes of my podcast Hindsight Hour which constituted the second season.

I wrote 59 poems, 7 essays, and did 10 readings.

I self published 1 collection of essays.

I saw 73 movies in the the theater.

I read 56 books my favorite of which was Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison.

I went to 0 concerts.

I went to 1 dance performance.

I went to 1 musical(Hamilton).

I went to 1 play(The Flick).

I went to 3 weddings.

I went to 1 memorial.

I rode my motorcycle for 7 glorious months.

I met my new born niece Maris for the first time.

I celebrated 3 years with an incredible partner.

'Passengers' A Review

Passengers is a scifi romance about a generation ship on a hundred year voyage to colonize an Earth like planet. As a result of asteroid damage Jim Preston(Chris Pratt) is awoken. After spending a year in solitude he decides to wake up Aurora Lane(Jennifer Lawrence). They fall in love, she eventually discovers his deceit, and they come together in the end to save the ship. Some might think this brief synopsis is a spoiler but given how predictable and obvious the plot is the arc is relatively intuitive.

Pratt and Lawrence both have considerable charm but Pratt's relatively narrow range and Lawrence script restriction make both performances boring, incongruous, and at points disturbing. The main issue of the story is one of its three disparate plot points- essentially the Stockholm Syndrome of Lawrence's character. And this is handled with such flippant indifference it, essentially, hamstrings the entire movie. Pratt doesn't convey the darkness and duplicity that would make it believable and Lawerence's character is written as a two dimensional foil.

It's clear a lot of money was spent on the movie and all the space stuff looks really cool. But without a cogent narrative it doesn't really matter. There are three different movies contained within the bloated and unfortunate Passengers. An isolated-in-space tale(the first act with Pratt alone), a space thriller about a creep who manipulates a woman into falling in love with him(the second act), and a caught in space disaster(third act). Any one of which is a movie that could and probably would work with the two leads and production design but taken together it is a fatty, emotionally flat, and periodically offensive piece of collage.

Slick and shiny but utterly lacking nuance or even passable narrative logic.

Don't See It.

'Assassin's Creed' A Review

Assassin's Creed is a fantasy adventure movie based on the popular video game series. The movie opens on Aguilar de Nerha(Michael Fassbender) a 15th century assassin taking his oath. The movie then flashes forward to the 80's to a young Callum Lynch witnessing the death of his mother presumably by his father's hands then fleeing the authorities. The movie flashes forward again to Callum Lynch(Fassbender again) as an adult on death row about to receive a lethal injection. He is saved by Sophia Rikkin(Marion Cotillard) a doctor(?) who has developed psuedo time travel technology in order to "cure aggression"(or something?). Sophia puts Callum in a machine to relive his long ago ancestors life in order to track down the Apple Of Eden which holds the genetic code for free will and the ability to shut it off(gasp!).

Fassbender and Cotillard, wonderful actors, fail to give life to this incredibly convoluted and hokey story. The movie might have worked better if the actors allowed in a little more camp and humor but are bogged down by their self seriousness. Jeremy Irons fairs a bit better because of his innate wryness but for the most part the leads and the supporting cast commit so hard to the shaky ludicrous premise that it makes it even less believable not more. The efforts of the performers deserve respect but the context in which they give them is utterly laughable.

Clearly a lot of money was spent on the visuals but they come off more absurd than gripping. The "time travel" machine and the holograms present-day Callum interacts with are just plain silly, maybe the conceit works within the context of a video game but on the big screen it is awkward. The story itself its just to complicated and defiecent in logic to function. The past, the present, the machine all in and of themselves would work but together the narrative is a bloated mess.

A spectacular video game adaptation failure.

Don't See It.

Ethiopian Food

spongy soft
and slightly sour-
the bread is the base
for the dining hour

creamy curries
simmering stews
stuffed with spice
delight the chew

fingers are fine
to slurp and shovel
a satisfied stomach
brooks no rebuttal

Better To Give

The saying "it is better to give than to receive" is so old and oft repeated it has almost lost its meaning. But with most platitudes and cliches there is truth in it. Because the reality is that with giving(whether it be emotional, chronological, or material) there is a reciprocation involved. Doing something for someone else(be it buying something, preparing a meal, what-have-you) gives you satisfaction, gives you purpose. There is an interchange there of feeling that simply receiving an object doesn't provide. Because when we are giving to others, being of service, it is enriching for us. It makes us feel good. It reminds us we are not all important, all knowing, or particularly unique. We all have needs. We are one of many. We are not alone.

This holiday was a bit more unusual than years past for me and my family. My dad got in a car accident on Tuesday(not his fault, someone blew a red light), which resulted in a cracked rib. He's recovering but, quiet reasonably, wasn't up to doing much over the holiday. My 5 month old niece is teething and subsequently my sister and brother-in-law have been run a bit ragged. All this taken together my mother and I were the ones that did a fair amount of the cooking, cleaning, and decorating for the holiday. With five people, a baby, and a dog that's not nothing.

Not to say I was put upon just that it was proportionally more work for me than in years past, work I was happy even grateful to do, it got me thinking and put some things in perspective. It made me realize how much my parents do around the holiday(and did in general when we were growing up), the kind of energy all the minutia takes. Now, as an adult myself and with my parents not old but aging, I realize its time perhaps for me to contribute a bit more substantially when it comes to the more basic stuff. And I'm not talking anything grandiose I'm talking making sandwiches and scrubbing sinks, that kind of thing. And doing those various things over the holidays made me feel good, made me feel like all those years my folks and sister were taking care of things I now have an opportunity to pay it back a little. Take care of my family, in small ways, as they've taken care of me for so long.

This is all to say it was a good holiday, perhaps more challenging than usual but good. I had the opportunity to step up in a substantial way, maybe for the first time, and I did. It's always great to spend time with family, double so if you can contribute to the well being of it, however slight. Because when you are of service, when you share of your time and energy, it almost always comes back. Today I offer help, tomorrow I'll probably need it.

'The Fits' A Review

The Fits is a a coming-of-age drama about Toni, an eleven-year-old who trains with her brother at a boxing gym in the local community center. After watching the girls' dance team rehearse she reluctantly decides to join. Toni(Royalty Hightower) is quietly torn between boxing and the comfortable and companionable world of her brother and his friends and the more alluring, complicated, confusing dynamics of the girls and young women of the dance team. The situation becomes even more complicated when older members of the dance team begin to have inexplicable violent fits.

Hightower gives an incredible subtle performance, quiet but rich with emotion and subtext. The supporting cast full of mostly unknowns all give remarkably poised and engaging turns, conveying a solidity and authenticity that give the story striking, seemingly effortless, depth.

Visually the film has the potential to be mundane, its just a community center in a city, but the weather seems perpetually overcast, the interiors strangely shadowed. The cinematography evokes not only the uncertainty of youth but an eerie sense of precarious foreboding. The score helps to elevate the routine to the uncanny in a way that singularly captures adolescence.

A fresh and beguiling take on a familiar subject.

See It.

Paranoia

It can be infectious.

Our neighbor
in the wake
of our post-Thanksgiving
burglary
has become increasingly
fearful
of innocuous
pedestrians
and comes knocking
jittery and wary
to warn,
her panic
contagious.

And so
in preparation
for Xmas travel
I stash valuables
in nooks and crannies
at the back of drawers
draped in laundry
and in the toolbox
in hopes of foiling
wouldbe
holiday hooligans.

Best to be prepared, some say.
Better still to live fearless.
Burglars and robbers be damned.
For, terrified or tranquil, the winds of winter blow.

'Rogue One' A Review

Rogue One is a scifi action movie, the first stand alone feature in the Star Wars universe, that follows the theft of the Death Star plans as referenced in 1977's A New Hope. The film opens on Jyn Erso as a child hiding out on a mostly deserted planet with her parents. Empire soldiers come and take her father away as it turns out he was a defector and former chief engineer of the in-construction Death Star. Jyn is taken in by family friend Saw Gerrera(Forest Whitaker). Years pass. Jyn(Felicty Jones) now an adult is an Empire prisoner and is rescued and recruited by the Rebellion. Jyn teams up with Cassian Andor(Diego Luna), his wise-cracking droid K-2SO(Alan Tudyk), and later Chirrut Îmwe(Donnie Yen) and Baze Malbus(Jiang Wen) as they slink and battle their way in opposition to the Empire.

The cast boasts astounding talents with the bulk of the film falling on Jones and to a lesser extent Luna, both who give engaging intense performances, but are prevented by time and narrative from being especially layered. Tudyk provides some much needed snarky charm and both Yen and Wen give the film the series' customary(and necessary)mystery and mysticism. The film is thick with talented actors who are all pleasing to watch but the focus is more on the spectacle and the plot. There is some character development and some moments of emotional depth but the momentum of the story propels us past any potential meditations on identity. Which is all well and good. It's not a character study but a war/heist film set in a galaxy far  far away and succeeds as such.

Visually the film is dark, foreboding, and rich. We are given a glimpse of the dirt and muck and toil of the war we have previously only seen waged on metallic walkways or in the forests of Endor. Both visually and sonically the tone is dark and evocative punctuated by moments of despair and doom as well as rapturous courage and resigned sacrifice. The battles are intricate and sweeping, all the new worlds and cultures we are shown- rich. Rogue One expands and augments the world building of Star Wars in a most satisfying way.

Combo war epic and tight heist thriller, the first standalone Star Wars movie delivers but leaves you wanting a bit more.

See It. 

'Jackie' A Review

Jackie is a biopic about first lady Jackie Kennedy,(Natalie Portman) her time in the White House and the days in the wake of JFK's assassination. The film uses Theodore H. White's(Billy Crudup) Life magazine interview as the spine of the narrative which it flashes back from.

Portman gives an incredible performance, strong and captivating, at times impressionistic. A real power house turn. As the film is mostly about style and tone heightened by immaculate costume design, cinematography, and uncanny score all revolving around Portman's titular Jackie the supporting cast doesn't have much to do. They are all serviceable but they have, justly, little focus. Peter Sarsgaard as Bobby, Greta Gerwig as Nancy Tuckerman, John Hurt in the somewhat befuddling role of Father Richard McSorley, and Crudup, all great actors, all function as foils for Portman rather than fully flushed out characters. And given how dynamic Portman is that's not really a problem.

All the design elements create an ethereal almost abstract feel and this is incredibly successful for the majority of the film but it either over stays its welcome or fails to sustain its eerie magnetism. Either way the film loses its footing in the third act, meandering when it should be definitive, protracting sequences which should be crisp. The film, essentially, ends multiple times but then circles back for another five minutes of obliqueness repeatedly which only serve to detract from the impressive work already done.

A provocative engaging production design paired with an evocative lead are marred by a failure to finish.

Rent It.

'La La Land' A Review

La La Land is a musical romance about two aspiring artists Mia(Emma Stone) and Sebastian(Ryan Gosling) who have a handful of chance encounters before they begin dating. Mia struggles to get her acting career off the ground and Sebastian bums around as a jazz musician. There's singing and dancing and a dating montage. Mia, frustrated with auditioning without booking anything and under Sebastian's encouragement writes a one woman show. Sebastian, after overhearing a conversation Mia has with her mother decides to go legit and join a friend in a modern jazz fusion band. Their divergent paths cause a rift in their relationship. Will their relationship survive their artistic ennui?

Gosling and Stone bring their considerable charm and chemistry to bear and although their voices and dancing are proficient they are far short of dazzling. Their strength is their acting and there are few scenes where they are allowed to do so. There are a few numbers where they hit a certain grace and resonance but it is momentary and bookended by lackluster competence. There are some great people in the supporting cast but they don't have much to do. John Legend, J.K. Simmons, and Rosemarie DeWitt are particularly wasted.

The film certainly has a lot of style, impressive camera work and vibrant colors, but it lacks any semblance of substance. The leads are not only two thin, attractive, privilaged, incomprehensibly economically stable individuals that achieve their dreams with little to no adversity they display almost no personality until the film's third act. We virtually know nothing about who these people are until the film is almost over. Despite the best efforts of the actors the characters are simple flat sketches in place so that they can sing and dance rather than singing and dancing for any actual emotional purpose. If there's any comment or message on romance, Hollywood, ambition, artistic integrity, it is muddled to the point of being lost.

Superficially entertaining. A throwback that doesn't have the performative finesse of its inspiration or the character complexity of the contemporary.

Don't See It.

The Ticking Clock

In high school
time seemed interminable
each May an eon
each summer an eternity.

In college
much the same
with perhaps
more contention and melancholy.

But age
is a tricky thing
and at some point
the years start to pass with increasing rapidity

My father
ever the analytic
says perception is proportionate,
a year to a child is a substantial slice, to an adult a paltry fraction

For me
it seems life has gained momentum
inertia after shedding the unease of youth
now time holds mostly relish- and savor is always brief

The Fragility Of Belief

I'm currently reading Stephen King's meditation on horror Danse Macabre and one of the themes he returns to repeatedly is the idea of belief, the suspension of and the ability to. How important but tenuous belief can be in relating a tale, how as we age the more difficult it can be to give ourselves over to a story. But how important imagination and narrative are for us as kids but also, maybe even more vitally, as adults.

The sentiment echoes a lesson I learned when I was an angsty and unagreeable middle schooler. Every year from 5th to 8th grade I went to Camp Loan Oak which was a week long sleepover camp. A couple years I went there my sister was a counselor and I got to know the staff pretty well. One of her closest friends there Ted was my counselor one week when I was going into 7th grade. One night we were sitting around the camp fire roasting marshmallows for s'mores and telling ghost stories. The foreboding mood was heightened by the parks proximity to a graveyard.

After I and some of my fellow campers fumbled through paraphrased versions of Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark Ted told a "true story" about a counselor who, walking by the graveyard one evening, came upon a lost camper and gave her his sweatshirt, it being a cold evening, and as they cut through the graveyard on their way back to the lodge the camper disappeared. The sweatshirt was on a nearby grave, a kid who had died some thirty years before. Spooky. I was genuinely shaken and in an effort to bolster my non-existent courage I said "that didn't happen!" and made some joke which effectively deflated the eerie delicious atmosphere. I think some of us were relieved by my outburst but there was also a feeling of regret, something had been dispelled. Ted looked at me and said "No Steve. No it didn't." with such sarcastic scorn, such reproach and disappointment I felt like I'd been slapped. I was ashamed.

The next day Ted let it go and we were friends again but it stuck with me. Thinking about it Ted's story had cast a spell on us, we anxious and posturing 12 year olds, and I had broken the magic. And not because it was a bad story or poorly told but because it was successful, because I was truly scared. And had shied away from that precious precarious manifestation of imagination fearing as opposed to relishing how truly miraculous and fleeting it was.

Stories are not only entertainment they are solace and signpost, escape and enlightenment. And the belief we feel while watching a movie, reading a novel, or hearing a tale around a campfire is fragile and should be cultivated and respected. For without stories how would we face the bleak and mundane realities of life.

'The Edge Of Seventeen' A Review

The Edge of Seventeen is a coming-of-age comedy about anti-social teen Nadine(Hailee Steinfeld) as she deals with her best and only friend Krista(Haley Lu Richardson) dating her jock seemingly unflappable brother Darian(Blake Jenner). Nadine's teacher Mr. Bruner(Woody Harrelson) is her sarcastic and reluctant confidant as she navigates the affections of dorky Erwin(Hayden Szeto), the disregard of bad boy Nick(Alexander Calvert), and the collapse of her only friendship.

Steinfeld as the lead puts in a vulnerable, diverse performance but is periodically restricted by the somewhat illogical demands of the script. She shines brightest in her scenes with Harrelson, where both actors display magnetic chemistry and convey substantial emotion while trading quips. These are also the moments that Nadine feels the most real. Richardson and Jenner put in decent turns but are constrained by limited screen time with Steinfeld, perfunctory character development, and the somewhat cliched plot machinations. Kyra Sedgwick is underutilized as Nadine's mother having one or two great moments but an arc that is lacking.

The dynamite cast and engaging subject matter is restrained by the sheer number of problems with which its lead has to contend(not only a dead father but the desertion of a best friend and romantic travails any one of which would be worth the film's attention) as well as the sometimes flawed emotional heights the script requires. We get a glimpse into the mind of a young teenage woman but we are prevented from a full view by distracting genre conventions.

A fresh and compelling take on the coming-of-age story but prevented from real catharsis or discovery by a convoluted narrative.

Rent It.

Coming Cold

each year it is unpleasant
which seems unfair
as it is the same
year after year after year,
the annual winter
should come as no surprise
but regardless of preparation
we can only but survive,
days are short and chill
nights are long and colder still
there is comfort only in-doors
devoid of freshness and of thrill,
perhaps there is enjoyment
in labored icy breathing
in the slip and slide of a snowy evening
for me, I wait for spring and summer Eden.

Idea Fish

The past two months I've been shadowing a level one class at iO. It's been an engaging experience and I've learned a lot from Jessica(the teacher). One of the most interesting things about it has been seeing fledgling improvisers learn the basics, some of them with little to no context for the medium. It's been almost ten years since I took my first class and so the eager yet unformed mindset of some of the students is very refreshing but in some ways challenging. A couple of the students that have struggled a bit more have asked a version of that most mystifying question "where do I get ideas?"

In some ways I think improv, more so than other artforms because of its immediacy, is the discipline of inspiration itself. That, in application they are practically synonymous and trying to explain or teach how to be inspired is almost impossible because it will inevitably turn to how I am inspired as opposed to how one is inspired. This is through no fault of the teacher, there are as many ways to be inspired, to seek and cultivate inspiration, as there are fish in the sea and all you can ultimately impart is your own experience. You can talk in abstractions but for most students abstract instruction is at best inapplicable and at worst confusing. What I try to do is make clear various options or avenues I see during a scene or piece in hopes that it will jump start some internal analysis or imaginative spark. Some students want to know not only how to do it but how to do it right and in improv(in all art) that desire shows a fundamental misunderstanding of what creation is.

There are techniques and tools, forms and rules that can be taught but I think imagination itself can't(it can be strengthened). And most of the time I think when students ask questions about ideas it comes more from a place of natural frustration rather than true lack of ability. The one and only answer to the question "where do I get ideas?" is "I don't know." It is a question that all(famous) creative people get asked frequently but which all almost unilaterally answer with a deflection or a convoluted metaphor. Director David Lynch talks about ideas not being created but discovered. It's a theme writer Stephen King talks about a lot, currently I'm reading his non-fiction book on horror Danse Macabre, and he infers something similar. He talks about the genous of some ideas(a dream, an image of a rabid dog, a busy highway) but their amalgamation and how the book unfolds as he's writing he chalks up to will, talent(also unexplainable), and mystery.

In improv, and I think in all creative endeavors, the job of the teacher isn't to teach how but to help the student on their own path of discovery. To assist in cultivating an individual mode of inspiration. In teaching how we can only hope to produce imitators. Leading a student on their own path is much more difficult and perhaps imperfect. We can't help but impart some of our own personal process to those we hope to teach but it is certainly a more noble and, ultimately, more fruitful attempt.

And on talent, not everyone has it. Improv more so than other disciplines seems to call a lot of hopefuls because it seems relatively accessible. This is great for the improv teaching business but not so great for improv itself. Some folks can grasp how it works but lack the real creative drive that makes improv fun and exciting. King downplays talent(or natural ability) and says some talent is needed but discipline and will are the real necessities of the artist. And I agree up to a point but I've seen many tenacious improv hopefuls who simply do not get it, who do not have it, but keep on doggedly taking classes and performing in seedy locales year after year after year in hopes of a breakthrough that will(seemingly) never come. Not every person is a creative person. And although that can be a tough lesson its a lesson the teacher shouldn't be so afraid of imparting.

Where do ideas come from? I don't know. But I do know where I draw some of my inspiration- personal experience, fiction/TV/film, human observation. How that translates into characters and narrative I can't really explain, its mostly intuitive. That's a muscle you just have to build over time.

Stress

there is no benefit
to the draining
electronic drone
of nerves
particularly
in a sterile office
where even plying
considerable effort
is banal
and unexciting,
worry is as thankless
as a job done well.

Generosity

After the Sight Unseen show tonight the team gave me a card along with a donation from lots of improv friends to help Nicole and I bounce back from getting burglarized. It was an incredibly moving and stunning gift. An unfortunate thing happened and it was unpleasant but the outpouring of support that followed it was overwhelming, I've never felt so immediately and thoroughly taken care of, never been the recipient of this kind of kindness en masse. Nicole quoted It's A Wonderful Life "No man is a failure who has friends" and with the popularity of the film and its association with Christmas it may be a platitude at this point but that didn't undermine how right and appropriate and meaningful the sentiment was for us in the moment. The whole experience made me realize there are some things that can't be stolen. We are beyond grateful.

Our friends and family have not only given us warmth and support(both financial and emotional) but they've also given us strength. I'd like to think I'm relatively independent and capable, both practically and emotionally, and that may be true to a certain extent but that attitude can get in the way of asking for help when its needed. We all need help from time to time, whether we realize it or not, and its important to seek it out and ask for it as well as accept it when its offered. It doesn't make you weak or needy, in fact it makes you stronger. At least that's how I felt this week. Bolstered up and enlivened. Thanks again to all those who reached out with kind words and encouragement.

Theft

Monday Nicole and I's apartment was burglarized. I came home from work and found the kitchen window wide open. I went through the house and noticed that our TV, computers, and Nicole's jewelry drawer were gone. Nothing was damaged or knocked over, there was no mess, it looked like they were in and out in less than five minutes. Our neighbor was also hit.

I couldn't find our cat so my initial reaction was one of concern for her, once I found her(hiding under the bed) and made sure she was alright I had some time to soak in what had happened. I felt inconvenienced and sad about the loss of the photos on my computer but I wasn't angry, I wasn't despairing. I called Nicole and when she got home we called the cops. The officer who came was patient and calm but cautioned us these type of things don't typically have a speedy resolution.

The other big loss was two pearl necklaces Nicole had from her grandmother who has passed. The necklaces along with the photos were the two things that hurt the most because of their sentimental value but the other things- the TV, the computers- didn't bother us that much. They were just things.

A lot of friends have reached out over the past couple days offering support which has been incredibly kind and for which we're both really grateful. It's been odd though because the reaction seems disproportionate to what happened. Perhaps I've diminished it and am not really facing it but I don't really think so. Ultimately what they took were just objects, stuff, that, sure, would cost money to replace but it brought into sharp relief all the really incredible things I, we, have in our lives. I'd like to think Nicole and I are already relatively connected on a day-to-day basis but the burglary solidified and strengthened our partnership, we are handling this situations as a team and there's nothing like adversity to temper a relationship. With all the friends and family reaching out, some people who we haven't heard from in a while, it makes me realize how rich our lives are with those people that care about us. We have decent jobs that pay us well with understanding bosses. Food in the fridge. Our first real Christmas tree. Ms. Kitty(our cat). And simple health. Being alive. Nothing like a crime to make you realize how much you take for granted.

With the energizing care of friends what's a TV? With the unshakable support of family what's a laptop? With your loving partner by your side what can't you face?

'Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them' A Review

Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them is a fantasy film, a continuation of the Harry Potter universe, about British wizard Newt Scamander(Eddie Redmayne) who travels to NYC on his way to Arizona in 1926. Newt quickly encounters Mary Lou Barebone(Samantha Morton) the leader of the ominous anti-magic group New Salem Philanthropic Society, mistakenly exchanges briefcases with baker Jacob Kowalski(Dan Fogler), and runs afowl of Tina Goldstein(Katherine Waterston) a former Auror for the Magical Congress(MACUSA).

Redmayne give a good performance as the eccentric anti-social Newt who displays hidden depths as the film goes on. Waterston is decent as the co-lead but bears the burden of much of the exposition and plot forwarding. Fogler and Alison Sudol as Queenie, Tina's mind-reading sister, are the real stand outs. They give charm, emotion, playfulness, and much needed heart to the film. Morton is somewhat underutilized as the villainous cult leader and Colin Farrell as the suspect chief Auror is good although isn't given material enough to be great.

The real star of the film is the world building. Outside the constraints of the original series author and screenwriter J.K. Rowling and director David Yates have plied their considerable imaginations to bring to life the wizarding world at large with lots of interesting magical creatures and slowly creating the magical mythology of the US. The period setting, beasts, and magic practiced are all writ in sharp and pleasing detail. The magic especially is engaging as the characters are all adults and practice it with substantial more fluidity and grace than in the HP series. Although not exactly narratively tight the film is a fun and entertaining first installment that sets considerable groundwork for what promises to be a rich and interesting expansion of the Harry Potter Universe.

Fantastic magical action, engaging performances, a good start.

See It.

'Christine' A Review

Christine is a biographical drama about Sarasota television news reporter Christine Chubbuck(Rebecca Hall) as she struggles with job fulfillment, romance, and depression. The film opens on Christine doing a fake interview with Nixon ostensibly for her reel, we then follow her as she prepares a segment for that evenings news broadcast. She produces interesting pieces although not in the "if it bleeds, it leads" style the station manager Michael(Tracey Letts) has been asking for. She has stilted but still relatively warm interactions with all her co-workers, volunteers at a local children's hospital where she does puppet shows, and lives with her mother to varying degrees of normalcy. As the film progresses Christine falls short of the high romantic and professional goals she has set for herself which thrusts her into deeper and deeper despair.

Hall gives a tour de force performance, the most meaty and ecstatic of her career, she finds an incredible balance of the mental illness and anti-social nature of Christine with a lively sense of charm, wry humor, and empathy. You never question that her mother and co-workers like her but you understand clearly that they are challenging relationships. Letts gives a great turn as the harrowed boss, he and Hall share some entertaining combative scenes which are underscored by the clear affection and respect between the characters. Michael C. Hall, Timothy Simons, Kim Shaw, and most notably Maria Dizzia round out the news room and give dimension and emotion to the ensemble. Christine although not a success as she would see it is liked and respected by her co-workers, there is no cliched bullying or ill treatment. In reality we seemingly get an engaging look at how a local news room may have functioned during that time and are invited into their seemingly insular club with warmth.

Rich visuals, an eerie foreboding score, and the use of super 8 footage and repeated scenes of the news team manipulating film serve to elevate this already captivating tragedy to real artistry.

A stunning lead, a rich ensemble, sharp  engaging production design.

Don't Miss It.

Restless

We have a long history
of zoomorphizing
applying
fox cunning
dog loyalty
lion regality
housecat fastidiousness
to our fellow humans
but perhaps the most apt,
our most true kin
is the shark
with whom we share
the grave and incessant need
for movement
the only destination
forward
the only moment
the next
and the next
and the next
constantly reaching
never arriving.

'Nocturnal Animals' A Review

Nocturnal Animals is a story-within-a-story melodramatic thriller about the ennui of rich and stylish LA artist Susan Morrow(Amy Adams) as she grapples with the infidelity of her husband Hutton(Armie Hammer) and plunges into the manuscript of her ex-husband's novel also titled Nocturnal Animals. The narrative shifts from Susan dramatically supine on beautiful furniture reading the novel to the actual plot of the novel to flashbacks filling out Susan and her ex-husband Edward's(Jake Gyllenhaal) brief and overwrought marriage.

Adams is stunningly misused as the vapid and emotionally uncomprehending lead. As one of the greatest actors currently working, not to mention her excellent turn in just last weeks Arrival, her terrible performance can be fully attributed to an obvious and spurious script and contrived directing. Gyllenhaal is not awful as Edward/Tony(the father in the novel) but this seems like his latest in a long list of tortured Oscar nomination grabs. Hammer, although given a thankless part, is bland to the point of irritation. As time goes on the promise he showed in The Social Network seems more and more to have been a fluke. Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the novel's villain lacks any menace or dimension, a wasted effort, another "handsome" actor whose early promise(Kick-Ass) has yet to bear fruit. Michael Shannon as the novel's detective is the one bright spot of the entire film, imbuing the character with his always constant immediacy, wry humor, danger, and emotional complexity.

The main problem with the film is that the story is uninteresting, trite, recycling. The Adam's character and its machinations are uncompelling, the character is rich, oblivious, and pretentious. The novel narrative is an overused and off putting plot device- hooligans assault a man's wife and child while he is rendered impotent then seeks revenge. In this day and age that kind of plot device is boring and offensive. The characters lack dimension and emotion and the story in which the navigate we've seen countless times. Everyone looks very good though.

All style, no substance. Worst of the year contender.

Don't See It.

'The Eagle Huntress' A Review

The Eagle Huntress is a documentary about young Mongolian girl Aisholpan who attempts to be the first female eagle hunter. The film opens on an eagle hunter in the mountains releasing his golden eagle after seven years of service. Accompanying this is narration describing the long patriarchal tradition of nomads hunting with golden eagles. For the remainder of the film we follow Aisholpan as she goes to school, is trained by her father to eagle hunt, competes in a eagle hunting competition, and ventures out on the winter ice to hunt for herself.

The landscape is beautiful but what has even more grace is Aisholpan herself who navigates her unprecedented passion with bravery and a quiet assurance, her uncompromising drive to be an eagle hunter pairs with her unwavering confidence that she has the right to do what she wants to do to make her, in a way, transcend the incredible boundary she is breaking. She is a unique and captivating young woman who happens to be doing this thing no one has ever done before. What also becomes clear is the devotion, love, pride, and support of her family which is unflinching in the face of some shockingly brazen sexist posturing.

Although the film focuses mostly on the actual fundamentals and nature of eagle hunting, which is fascinating and majestic in and of itself, the subtleties of the ancient male-only president being broken are what make it so powerful.

An inspiring and poignant true story that affirms the power of the individual.

See It.

Bundled Up

There is comfort
in being prepared-
the warmth
of a sensible jacket,
the snug fit
of a knit cap,
the security
of suitable gloves-
that wondrous equilibrium
when the outfit
both shields
and compliments
the chill breeze,
for a moment
impregnable
and perfect.

Proper packaging bears fruit.

'Tower' A Review

Tower is a documentary about the 1966 shootings at University of Texas at Austin. The film contains archival footage, animated reenactments, and interviews woven together with an artistry which elevates the film beyond the straight-forward PBS style documentary it may at first appear to be. It recounts the 96 minute shooting on 8/1/66 in almost real time from the perspectives of the victims, participants, and onlookers spending almost no time on the identity or possible motivations of the shooter.

What becomes abundantly clear is the confusion and the terror the event provoked and how long it took for what was happening to become clear. In this age of cell phones and instant communication the way not only the event unfolded on campus but throughout the world is fascinating. It creates a stark contrast to the bloated media landscape in which we live today. After the event has been set up the film turns away from the specific circumstances and delves into the numerous acts of human compassion and bravery the tragedy provoked.

The fluid cuts and transitions from animation to real footage create a more visceral recounting of the event than a more cut-and-dry recitation of the events would be. We certainly get substantial who was where when type of information but time and again the film turns away from the specific facts to what the individuals who experienced it were thinking and feeling in the moment. And that focus is what is engaging and heartbreaking and inspiring. It makes the film rise above the historical into something much more potent.

A visually complex and emotionally captivating memorial, emphasizing collective courage over individual cruelty.

Don't Miss It.

'Arrival' A Review

Arrival is a science fiction thriller about government recruited linguist Dr. Louise Banks(Amy Adams) learning and communicating with one of twelve seemingly benign alien envoys spread all around the world. The film opens on a flashback montage of Banks' daughter's childhood, illness, and premature death. when Banks' is pulled into the alien mystery flashbacks reoccur and strengthen as she delves deeper and deeper into the alien language. She is partnered with astrophysicist Ian Donnely(Jeremy Renner) and supervised by Colonel Weber(Forest Whitaker). The team eventually has to race against time to discern the alien's intentions before other governments engage in full on warfare.

Adams gives a nuanced, emotive, definitive lead as she almost always does. Complex and strong she facilitates our engagement not only with the central linguistic mystery and the international tension but provides the sorrow and strength of the individual. Renner is decent as, essentially, the sidekick but doesn't have a ton of screen time, nor is he really needed. Whitaker is the only one to equal the presence of Adams and gives a kind and confident turn as the Colonel in charge without unnecessary macho posturing or authority. The remaining cast are all serviceable but the film is not really about them and so they are, justly, on the periphery.

The cinematography of the film is dark and compelling. There are wide establishing shots that utilize CGI but the majority of the action and the focus is on the intimate. Adam's character entering the alien ship and interacting with the aliens. The effects and visuals employed are engaging not only in their detail and ability to heighten and accent the moment but in their welcome restraint. The effects serve to augment the tension initially but then over time they intensify and clarify the emotional and political stakes. For a film with aliens and smoke writing this melding is especially impressive.

The film is satisfying not only as thriller and science fiction but is inspiring as allegory especially so given our current socio-political climate. Adam's gives us a strong, scientific lead who focuses on the commonalities with the aliens as well as good old human hard work, understanding, and compassion to avoid a potential international crisis.

An important and prescient piece of filmmaking.

Don't Miss It.

Perseverance

The irony is that fatalism is futile. There is no benefit to doom. Certainly a moment of despair or a time of mourning is something we are all entitled to. But remaining in a place of fear, wallowing in ennui does not serve us personally nor does it effect the society in which we remain. We move on by moving forward, we survive by taking action.

Yes, this election has been brutal. Yes, this outcome is heartbreaking and terrifying. But out of this pain, out of this loss there are opportunities. This pain provides an opportunity to come together as compassionate humans. Provides a real and compelling chance to unite. Not only is it a time to reach out to our friends and family for fellowship but it is a time to connect more broadly, rigorously exercise our empathy and understanding, because only by recognizing each other as thinking feeling valued humans can we hope to weather the coming trials. It also allows us an enemy that is distinct. Apathy has slowed progress for years, with hate and aggression writ large and loud on a national scale there are no excuses left, we must and will take action.

On taking action. To men I suggest this is a time to listen and follow more than speak and lead, whatever the conversation, whatever the battle it is not for us to define. What we can all do, the tools of progress and change remain what they have always been- organize, march, vote, donate. Social organizations will need financial support in the coming months and years more than ever. And aside from the philanthropic we vote with our dollars, research the companies you are giving your money to and be discerning about where and what you purchase.

And life goes on. Life endures. The sun will rise and set tomorrow. There'll still be Thanksgiving and 2017 will still come. We still have to commute and go to work and decide what to do on Sunday afternoon. There are still pleasures, large and small, still love and companionship and joy. The future may look bleak but its reality is something we can determine. We have the choice on how to proceed and I suggest moving forward with hope and kindness. For even the smallest act of generosity can make a ripple that becomes a wave. One day at a time, one hour at a time, one moment at a time we can make the choice not to succumb to darkness but to live in the light.

Fear is the mind-killer. Struggle not submission.

Be True

As you wept
in our bed
I did not know
what to do

I could not know
your despair
or the pain
that ran through you

There are things
that can be shared
but others only
to be endured

Sometimes words
cannot heal
and assurances
have no weight

So I gave what I had-
my ears
and the warmth
of my embrace

For today
it was enough.

'Moonlight' A Review

Moonlight is a lyrical and rich coming of age drama set in Miami focusing on the same character, Chiron, over three different time periods. The film opens on Juan(Mahershala Ali) a drug dealer as he checks in on one of his corners. A group of kids chase Chiron in this first act called Little(Alex Hibbert) who eventually hides in an abandoned apartment. Little is later found and befriended by Juan. Little's controlling mother Paula(Naomie Harris) has a burgeoning but object's to Juan's involvement in her sons life. The second act follows the solemn and introspective Chiron(Ashton Sanders) as he navigates high school and develops a deeper connection to his childhood friend Kevin. The third act sees Chiron now called Black(Trevante Rhodes) as a drug dealer in Atlanta as he returns to Miami to reconnect with Kevin(André Holland).

Across the board the entire cast gives incredibly dynamic, layered, passionate performances. All three actors that play Chiron do so with a depth, nuance, and believability that is magnetic. Although there is some physical resemblance between them the three actors manager to each capture the spirit of this compassionate soul. Ali gives one of the most confident and compelling performances of his career with little flash but incredible weight. Harris as Chiron's mercurial mother conveys such complexity in the somewhat limited screen time she has. Holland as the third iteration of Kevin exudes a quiet calm, playfulness, and empathy that is stunning in its beauty. Truly from the smallest to the largest role there is no casting misstep. A perfect ensemble.

The saturated and compelling visuals paired with the affecting at times eerie score serve not to heighten the narrative but meld with it, imparting just as much information and emotion as the characters and dialogue. At times surreal and dreamlike, at times hopelessly real Moonlight is cinema exceeding its potential. Poetic and stirring with a striking human resonance.

One of the best films of the year.

Don't Miss It.

'Doctor Strange' A Review

Doctor Strange is a superhero film about obnoxious genius neurosurgeon Stephen Strange(Benedict Cumberbatch) who's hands are crippled after an auto accident. After modern medicine offers no solution he travels east to delve into mysticism and magic for an answer. Under the tutelage of The Ancient One(Tilda Swinton) and Karl Mordo(Chiwetel Ejiofor) Strange learns of the fight against fallen student Kaecilius(Mads Mikkelsen) and his service to malevolent being from the Dark Dimension Dormammu.

Cumberbatch is charming and wry as the titular hero, offering a pleasing and engaging lead if a character relatively similar to Iron Man's Tony Stark. Rachel McAdams as the love interest is grounded in reality and provides a freshness previously unseen in the MCU. Swinton, Ejiofor, and the villainous Mikkelsen all put in fun turns but depth is sacrificed for visual splendor and action.

The imagery of the film is incredibly rich doubling down on the ascetic of Inception with its kaleidoscoping cityscapes and interiors. The magic is also captivatingly rendered, an original realization of the "mystic arts" helps elevate the playful if relatively formulaic plot.

Fun and likable performances, fresh and stunning visuals, if a somewhat too tried and true origin story.

See It.

A Child's Cruelty

Once like
little beasts
we children
bared our teeth
and bit
to bleed
knowing not
nor caring
whose pain
it guaranteed,
deeds
were done
without
regard
to blame
or shame
or need,
for youth
grasps no
consequence
nor the sting
of empathy,
only time
can reach
and teach
those
necessities.

On Grief

We all grieve in our own way. Whether we commiserate or sit silently, whether we weep or anger, whether we recount memories or distract with humor. We all have our own process we must deal with in order to come to terms with loss. What we cannot do is bottle it up and ignore it. We must engage with our grief, we must feel, we must face it, the pain is ours to be experienced and grappled with and incorporated into ourselves as we move on. It is not some foreign thing to be scorned, as difficult as that can be.

Last week a friend passed away. He was 25. It is a tragedy and it is painful. He was funny and joyful, always grinning with an easy loud near-constant laugh. The fact that he is gone is a shock and as the days go by it still seems unreal, more like a dream or ill conceived prank rather than reality. Like any moment there'll be news there's been some mistake. It will take time.

As I mourn I try to crystallize my memories of James. Our conversations, the time we sat together during shows, the times I saw him perform, our hugs. And more importantly than that I keep in my heart and mind his unbridled joy not only of comedy but of life, his open and relentlessly positive disposition. I will carry that with me forever, as a remembrance and as a guide.

When it comes to death, that frightening and inevitable counterpoint to life, compassion should be our watchword and gratitude our touchstone. The burden of life can be heavy but in sharing it becomes lighter. We all struggle. In reaching out and connecting, in seeking understanding and empathy that struggle is weathered. Each day is precious, each friendship, relationship, family member, success, pleasure, triumph are to be relished and remembered. There is tragedy and cruelty and sometimes it strikes close to home. But there is also love, joy, and companionship. Seek it out and savor it.

The world is capricious. Sometimes life can be fleeting. This is how we go on. One step at a time. One day at a time. Fortifying ourselves with the warmth of friends and family we trudge the road of happy destiny. For today, today we are here.

'Jack Reacher: Never Go Back' A Review

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is an action/thriller a sequel to the 2012 Jack Reacher. Reacher(Tom Cruise), a former military police Major and current psuedo vigilante, develops a friendship with Major Susan Turner(Cobie Smuthers) over the phone after they worked together uncovering a human trafficing ring. When he goes to DC to visit her she is arrested and Reacher gets embroiled in a black market arms cover up.

Cruise shows his age in this uninspired return to Reacher. Although he brings his movie star charm to any role he plays his recent string of action heroes(save for Edge of Tomorrow) have all been relatively flat with this installment being the least compelling. Smuthers as his co-star is strong and has heart but can only do so much to elevate this pedestrian sequel. Danika Yarosh as Samantha Dayton also give a good turn but is also constrained by the conventions of the plot.

The film suffers from Lee Child's corny dialogue more suited to his paperbacks than the screen as well as action sequences which range from unreal to the bizarre. The climatic fight itself between Reacher and the assassin that has been following him the whole film is characterized not by excitement but with an aged weariness.

Boring and borderline incoherent.

Don't See It.

'In A Valley Of Violence' A Review

In A Valley of Violence is a western about a man, his dog, and revenge. Passing through sparsely populated Denton on the way to Mexico Paul(Ethan Hawk) and his dog Abbie are confronted by young hot head Gilly(James Ransone) who Paul lays out after being incessantly provoked. Marshal Clyde Martin(John Travolta) tells Paul to get out of town and never come back which he does. Camping that night on his way to Mexico Gilly and three thugs ambush Paul, kill his dog, and leave him for dead. He returns to Denton for revenge.

Hawk is adequate as the man-with-no-name stand-in but only manages flashes of menace and pathos, there is a casualness to the performance which seems incongruent with the story it is actually in. Ransone is also relatively unharmonic in his role as heavy, he mugs and shouts and there isn't a whole lot of reality to his performance, there are moments of fun but mostly it seems like he is playing it as if it was the present rather than the past. Travolta is the one big surprise, providing depth, emotion and some wry humor. He isn't given much but he takes full advantage and puts forth a complete and compelling character. Taissa Farmiga as Mary-Anne is another bright spot, she brings energy and wit but unfortunately isn't given anything beyond psuedo-love-interest.

The biggest issue of the film is that it is derivative, the main crux of the plot is literally the same as John Wick. That on top of the numerous western tropes that the film blandly recycles. There is nothing at all new about the film save for the glimmer from Travolta and Farmiga and a couple cinematic flares, not enough to rise above mediocre.

Predictable and plain.

Don't See It.

Hunger

In college I had a mentor
who said an actor is always hungry
and I think, perhaps, he meant
that an actor's life can be capricious
and meals to be indulged
because they could be few
but I also think he meant two things
when he said one
which he often did
for the gnawing tickle of hunger
can sharpen inspiration
make one more attuned to creation
force an alertness to the moment
so that it may open up to artistry
whereas, perhaps, the comfort
of a belly constantly full
breeds complacency
and dulls the edge of imagination,
I say perhaps because
Jack was never one for explanations.

'Cameraperson' A Review

Cameraperson is a documentary/visual-memoir from cinematographer Kristen Johnson. The film is a collection of scenes and scenettes filmed but unused from all of Johnson's career. Ranging from landscapes to interviews to home footage all cut together not on narrative or content but on mood and feel, one flowing into the next, creating a remarkably evocative and emotional portrait of a true soldier of cinema.

An incredibly moving portrait of a life behind the camera. The film lays naked stark beauty and startling cruelty. Revealing more about the world, life, and the human spirit with images and quiet moments than most ambitious plots can achieve. We are shown Afghanistan, Bosnia, and various locations in the US but they are all tied together by life's inevitable tragedies as well as its enduring grace. By people. By kindness. By survival and heartbreak.

A magnificent, stirring piece of art. A powerful and potent film full of heart and hope.

Don't Miss It.

Naked Enthusiasm

Exciting
to see such
bright and
shining faces
eager, open,
and naive.

Odd to recall
the energy
of innocence,
how easy
it once was
to believe.

'The Accountant' A Review

The Accountant is an action movie about Christian Wolff(Ben Affleck) an autistic black market super-accountant who's also a weapons and combat expert. We follow Wolff as he takes on a seemingly innocuous case at a robotics company where he meets Dana Cummings(Anna Kendrick) a fellow numbers nerd and discovers some illicit booking. Congruently we follow Feds Ray(J.K. Simmons) and Marybeth(Cynthia Addai-Robinson) as they try to track down Wolff. As the story progresses flashbacks reveal how Wolff was molded by his military father.

Affleck is sufficient as the autistic assassin, along with action he provides enough understatement and eccentricity to be believable but also enough unwitting humor to make the movie, perhaps unintentionally, campy. This is the latest in Kendrick's seemingly endless parade of quirky love-interest/side-kicks and although she is always fun to watch does not offer anything fresh. Simmons and Addai-Robinson are both great actors but aren't given much purpose in the story. Bernthal as the heavy is magnetic as always but he as well is given relatively short shrift as far as character depth. Overall the performances are fun and serviceable but never seem to go beyond simply entertaining.

Objectively the movie is pretty ludicrous yet it does a relatively good job of balancing and embracing the absurdity. Although not a full on parody the movie is a good action movie that doesn't take itself very seriously. Or perhaps the humor is unintentional, either way it is enjoyable.

Entertaining if unchallenging.

Rent It.

'13th' A Review

13th is a Netflix documentary by Ava DuVernay which focuses on race in the US criminal justice system. The title is in reference to the 13th Amendment which abolished slavery however with the provision "except as a punishment for crime". Through archival footage, contemporary news, and talking-head interviews DuVernay investigates and elucidates the systemic and ever evolving ways the US government suppresses and monetises minorities and the poor. The film covers 1865-1968 rather quickly and digs in starting in the 70's with the War On Crime, War On Drugs, and the beginning of the prison industrial complex. The film gradually moves forward chronologically marking the increase in the US prison population along with the institution of mandatory minimums, the privatization of the prison system, special interest writing legislation, profiling, police violence etc.

The film relates a vast amount of information with clarity and momentum. It breaks down complex issues in a relatable understandable way. As the title suggests the film acknowledges that although slavery was abolished by the 13th amendment those in power simply reframed the rhetoric and policies that were utilized in order to profit on and subjugate minorities, African-American's in particular and African-American males in specific. This was done by capitalizing on stereotypes, with rhetoric and legislation, and making criminality, in the public mind, synonymous with blackness.

13th is vital in our current time. It provides a concise and propulsive summation of our current state of the nation. It gives us the what and the why in no uncertain terms. And although it does not provide a website for us to go to and donate or a piece of legislation to call our congressmen regarding it is a loud and compelling call to action. We must participate, we must protest, we must hold our elective representatives accountable.

Important and inspiring.

See It.

Weight

I've always craved
fried meats
and sweet treats.
Always effortlessly gained
or struggled to lose
Always been aware
of society's passive judgement
Always internalized
that dreaded word
FAT
Never had a period
of physical constant
Never forgot
my thighs, rolls, or gut
Never had pants
that didn't wear out in the crotch
BUT
Despite the media's constant bombardment
and peoples thoughtless comments
the reality is that I
not the proverbial other
define my worth
and though I must contend
with image expectation
I need not compromise, bend, nor break
to the poison spouted about weight.

'The Birth of a Nation' A Review

The Birth of a Nation is a historical biopic about Nat Turner, played by writer/director Nate Parker, and his 1831 slave rebellion. The film opens on a ritual with Nat as a boy being told by an unnamed man that he is meant to lead. Mrs. Turner, the plantation mistress, notices that Nat can read and gives him the bible and helps him with his reading. Years pass. Nat as an adult falls in love with a fellow slave Cherry(Aja Naomi King) and is made to preach to adjacent plantations in order to quell any rebellious sentiments. After seeing the degradation of his fellow slaves as well as personal abuses he leads a group of slaves in an uprising.

Parker as the lead has flashes of real brilliance and inspiration in the midst of a mostly conventional and sedate performance. King as the romantic lead is serviceable but entirely reactive. Aunjanue Ellis as Nat's mother provides some much needed emotional dimension but seemingly exists only in relation to Nat. Arnie Hammer as Nat's master is out of his depth and gives a relatively flat turn. Jackie Earle Haley is underutilized as the villain, hitting caricature not character. The cast boasts considerable talent but they are all hamstrung by the script and the formulaic tone.

Visually the film is unremarkable, nothing deficient but nothing dynamic. There are two moments of magical realism(a dream sequence and a prophetic image of a bleeding ear of corn) which show promise but which the film doesn't carry through on and seem almost from a different film. The score is incredibly distracting with multiple unnecessary syrupy orchestral swells which detract as oppose to heighten important moments.

The plot itself is problematic. The female characters are all underdeveloped and exist only in relation to the male characters(not an uncommon cinematic shortcoming but still a glaring issue). This is especially noticeable in the two rape scenes in the film which only serve to further Nat's motivation. These are relatively egregious examples of Hollywood's often used trope- rape-as-plot-device which in 2016 in our current artistic climate we cannot give a pass to. Nat's transformation is also muddled and although there are rousing moments we never get a real sense of the basic what and why of the story. One can't help but compare it unfavorably to the considerably more dynamic 12 Years A Slave.

An admirable if flat and unsurprising freshman offering from writer/director/star Nate Parker.

Don't See It.

Youth Of Today

I went back to Rockford this weekend to visit my family and Adam and his boys. Maintaining the connection with my oldest friend and watching his boys grow up has been one of the great honors and pleasures of my life. Perhaps some might view it as mundane, biology plus biology, but being a part of Ethan and Eli's lives, being there as they learn and grow and develop interests is truly miraculous. Ethan read us a book at dinner and as a fourth grader his reading is more sophisticated than mine was in middle school. Eli has shot up like a weed since I saw him over the summer and is now in kindergarten and clearly flourishing. Adam and I watched the Cubs game while the boys watched BMX videos, Ethan's new obsession.

Also got to catch up with my sister and spend some time with my niece Maris. They were in town to take some family photos and my mom and I went along to help. It's a real incredible thing to witness and be a part of, new life and growth, where even something as gross as baby puke seems wonderful.

Perhaps because I'm getting older and biologically more interested in children or perhaps, inevitably, with age comes perspective and I've come to see the beauty in coos and crawlings, in little victories and childhood defeats. Been able to truly see and appreciate all the small changes, insights, and progress kids make as they grow. It's such a gift and I'm so grateful to have such wonderful friends and family and doubly grateful I'm in a position I can show up and be apart of the next generation.

Gossip

For one mostly devoid of vice
I derive great pleasure in knowing
who is naughty and who is nice
have no fear, discretion is ongoing.

I no longer drug or drink
so excitement can be spare
I'm happy to play shrink
and be an attentive ear.

After losing all social drama
there's a void left for spectacle
vicarious the modus operandi
either real or uncredible.

At times I miss emotional theatrics
the thump and hiss of turmoil
but it is enough, periodic secrets
to be apart but not embroiled.

'Operation Avalanche' A Review

Operation Avalanche is a faux-documentary thriller depicting the faked moon landing conspiracy. A group of  four CIA audio visual nerds come off an assignment assessing the threat level of Stanley Kubrick and wind up being assigned to investigate a suspected Russian mole at NASA. Our four heroes lead by Matt(played by writer/director Matt Johnson) discover NASA doesn't have the technology to pull of the moon landing so begin shooting footage to assist in an international deception.

Although energetic writer/director and lead Johnson is so goofy and harmless he undermines the tension he attempts to create. The acting overall is somewhat minimal the focus being more on the technique and the plot. There is a lack of depth and nuance to almost every performance perhaps because the film is, deliberately, rough around the edges. Even so the relatively rudimentary acting doesn't really detract from the overall experience.

What's most compelling about the film is its cinematography, either actually using 8mm, 16mm, and 35mm camera's or digitally recreating those various camera's effects the images themselves create a rich and transportive experience. It's clear that Johnson loves movies, making movies, and the history of movies and that excitement and joy comes through in the extremely varied and elegant construction of the film. He's not much of an actor but he is one hell of a filmmaker.

The plot itself is a bit unclear and silly but the filmmaking technique and the energy(if not the talent) of the cast propel this rough and exciting indie.

Rent It.

Street Talk 27

After work, outside a bodega. A drunk man crouches two feet in front of the door talking to himself.

Drunk Man: Wha we got...Hmmm...is that...

As I open the door and start to walk in the Drunk Man lunges into the door way with me. For a moment we're scrunched in the door frame shoulder to shoulder. Partly my momentum and partly a wave of anger propel me forward and jostle him in the process. Essentially forcing my way in first. I immediately regret it but it happens so quick I don't know how to respond.

Drunk Man:(seemingly much more sober, standing by the entrance shuffling through his bags) What? You think you tough? You think you strong? You ain't that strong.

I stand in line to buy cigarettes looking straight ahead not saying anything.

Drunk Man: I'm ready. You want me to teach you something, you want me to show you something. Who are you, you nothing. You ain't that big, I'd whop you easy. I'm right here. You in some big rush. Everyone in a rush.

He continues to make vague threats as he rummages through his bags, presumably finding whatever he came back in to the store for. As he leaves he makes a big show of holding the door for two people who are entering. As if to, justly, shame me for my rudeness.

After I purchase my smokes I walk home feeling gross. Dirty. Certainly the Drunk Man was off putting and perhaps deliberately antagonistic but everyone deserves respect regardless of their condition. There is no benefit in being baited to matching unpleasantness with the same. Acting out of anger or aggression, lashing out, is never satisfying. There is no righteousness in it even if in the moment there is some fleeting justification.

Although distressing it is a good reminder. Whether on a commute, dealing with people professionally, friends, collaborators, total strangers, what-have-you it is better to be gracious, kind, and forgiving. It makes for a much happier life.

'Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children' A Review

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children is a fantasy movie based on the young adult novel of the same name. Jake(Asa Butterfield) is a young teen friendless in Florida until he discovers that the fantastic stories his grandfather(Terence Stamp) have been telling him may be true. He sets off with his dad(Chris O'Dowd) to Wales to track down the children's home where his grandfather grew up. He discovers the stories are true and the home, positioned in a time loop repeating the same day in 1940, is populated by some peculiar children indeed.

Eva Green as the titular Miss Peregrine is electric, her considerable charisma and magnetism on full blast. Unfortunately she has hardly any screen time and the brief glimpses we get of her only put the already struggling lead Butterfield in harsher relief. Butterfield is awkward and gangly with all his teen insecurity on display, he is almost totally unbelievable because we can see him trying so hard. The peculiar children themselves are almost universally delightful, each with distinct looks and personalities, it makes you wish the plot wasn't so rushed so that they could actually have a chance to exist outside the "action" of the plot. O'Dowd's plays an incredibly confusing neglectful, immature, alcoholic(?) dad who not only doesn't fit in the story he doesn't seem real. The dynamic Kim Dickens as Jack's mom is stunningly underutilized appearing in, I believe, less then ten seconds of the film. Overall the cast are all good(some great) actors but either due to the lurching momentum of the script or muddled direction only half of them are actually successful in their roles. This is to say nothing of Sam Jackson's almost kabuki villain.

Visually the movie is imaginative and striking with vivid colors, imagery, and the characteristically Burtonesque touches of macabre. The story hurtles along so quickly we never get a chance to really care about whats happening or any of the characters its happening to. So much is cramed into the convoluted plot they forgot to stop and have some fun.

An uninspired adaptation with imaginative visuals and a brief but excellent performance by Eva Green.

Rent It.

I Saw You Leo

It's been ten years
since our Potbelly lunch
and eleven
since we shared a summer
as camp counselors
in northern Wisconsin
easily the worst of my life
but when I saw you
at the Second City
your name came back
with surprising alacrity
and I hope you understood
with my smile and
brief touch of your shoulder
that I saw you
and maintain some affection
for our brief connection
but I had no desire
to stop and reminisce
about those awful months
spent on that ugly lake front
surrounded by rich boys
and their perverse petulance.

Or perhaps
I did not want to be reminded of who I was then-
Sick, alone, and twenty-one.

Let Them Spin, We Will Win

This is a historic presidential election. The first woman major party nominee who is on track to be president, Hillary Clinton. Some of the singularity and importance of this has been lost due to Clinton's opponent, xenophobic sack of wet falafel Donald Trump, and the resulting exhausting negativity of both campaigns.

Last night was the first presidential debate and unequivocally Clinton won. Before the debate parallels were drawn to the 2000 election where Gore was wooden and scornful of Bush's lack of intellectualism which backfired. Clinton was prepared, poised, and calmly assertive. Paralells have been drawn to the 2008 election because of its historic nature. And leading up to that election it was a similarly "close race" with the subsequent Obama win. Through the lens of history this narrative of Trump "gaining ground" is suspect.

Not to say Clinton isn't flawed or that she will be any more progressive than the somewhat disappointing but steady tenure of Obama but there is only one outcome this election can and will take. The outcome of a Trump win is too bleak to even fathom and for those skeptical of Clinton John Oliver did an excellent piece on their respective scandals.

Certainly the state of the union is in need of massive reform and Clinton may not be able to deliver the kind of sweeping change the nation so desperately needs but things will get better. Slowly but surely. And perhaps pave the way for an honest-to-goodness progressive in the not too distant future.

Regardless of Trump's pandering, his provocative hate-speech, his appeal to the reptile in us all he will fail. His campaign will equivocate, rant, and pervert, its what they do. Let them spin, we will win. There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come. A woman will hold the highest office in government. 45th president of the United States Hillary Clinton.

'The Magnificent Seven' A Review

The Magnificent Seven is a western, a remake of the 1960 film of the same name itself a remake of the Japanese original Seven Samurai. The film opens in 1879 on a small mining town Rose Creek which is under the increasingly tight and violent rule of Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard). Searching for help Emma Cullen(Haley Bennett) encounters and persuades bounty hunter Sam Chisolm(Denzel Washington) to assist. Chisolm rounds up six rough and tumble warriors to stand up the robber baron and the inevitable confrontation ensues.

Washington's magnetism has not decreased with age, he is eminently watchable as always, especially refreshing with the glut of narratives with moral ambiguity, he is a hero plain and simple. The rest of the seven, although mostly underdeveloped, give playful performances with a couple nice flourishes. Notably Vincent D'Onofrio as the squeaking voiced barely sane religious mountain man and Byung-hun Lee and Ethan Hawk as Goodnight Robicheaux and Billy Rocks respectively who exhibit an understated romantic chemistry. The big misfire of the group is Chris Pratt as Joshua Faraday whose punching a bit above his weight. Without his normal levity to lean his typical charm isn't in full force and he fails to reach the sought after levels of menace and nihilistic bravado. Bennett does a good job, although not exactly showcased she fights and isn't a romantic interest, a success in and of itself even if her character lacks dimension(they all do).

The landscapes of the film are stunning, the gun play and horse work thrilling, there is only half a dozen CGI dynamite induced explosions which are slightly distracting but don't detract from the mostly evocative and transportive world the film builds with its production design and stunt work. The characters aren't as fully flushed out as you might like but the performances make up for most of those gaps and the script provides brief moments of illumination for the characters. flushing out the various perspectives with back story and inference with a surprising elegance. There are certainly over-the-top moments and periodic cliched moralizing but as a whole it works. In our current climate a film this straightforward is a rare pleasure.

Excellent action, great cast, and an unapologetic heroic yarn.

See It.

Snap Shot

I remember sitting outside my grandfather's hospital room.
As he lay dying.

Too afraid to be in the room for long
I hugged him and said "I love you"
and my father, perhaps, realizing
it was too much for a seven-year-old
or recognizing my wide-eyed panic
excused me into the hall.

I knew he was sick
and the illness grave
but I did not believe it possible that he could die,
did not think death itself was real
more a construct of fiction
displayed in Bambi and Princess Bride
not in life.
In fact I was convinced
of his recovery,
the vaulted figure of my grandfather
could not die
because I loved him.

And so I sat
alone and maybe bored
waiting for the trip to Baskin Robbins my father had promised.

The Necessity of Hope

Wrote this for Quenchers tonight.

Regardless of who you support this political season, regardless of your desired outcome, it is inarguable that it is toxic. Defined not by policy or ideals but baseness, negativity, and disdain. It calls to mind the 2008 election by comparison, which although certainly contentious, carried with it the promise of hope, the pledge of change. The idea that we could be better.

We live in a postmodern era. Culture and the arts predominantly defined by irony and detachment. Morality sacrificed for self reference. Heroism traded in for ambiguity. This movement is especially prevalent in this our Chicago comedy community. Not to say that it doesn’t have its place or isn’t entertaining. But absurdism, irony, breaking the fourth wall, anti-comedy, these things certainly have value but they, almost by definition, lack heart. They offer a safe reserve for the artist, a shield, from which to comment behind without risk. If everything is stupid, if you don’t put any real belief or idealism into your work, if you don’t put anything on the line, you can’t be judged. Can’t be ridiculed. Sincerity and faith, hope and optimism are dangerous because they can so easily be undermined. But in our world which is increasingly chaotic and cruel we are in need of these things more than ever. In need of inspiration to lift our spirits, hope of a brighter future to look toward. Faith that, perhaps, there is goodness in the world.

Here’s the thing despair is easy. Watch the news for ten minutes or spend $10 at the liquor store for rot gut and you can know futility. I’ve been to the darkness, I know what it is, there was a time I thought it wasn't worth it, conceded that the world at large was broken and my life as I knew it lost. Apathy is cheap. Misery cheaper still. If you’ll excuse the oft used metaphor. Falling down was easy. Getting back up took actual effort. There came a point where I made a decision. Enough. I clung to the small sliver of faith that I had that things would work out. I gathered all the shreds of hope I could muster that maybe I could have a better life. And over time I did. And it was not irony that helped me but hugs, companionship, and the liquid gold of sunrise on the lake.

Recently a friend was robbed at gunpoint. Irony, detachment, and moral grayness did not help them navigate the encounter or help them after. It was bravery that allowed them to endure and the love and support of friends that helped them get back on their feet. Another friend is seeking treatment for addiction and mental illness, absurdism does not help bolster their courage. The kindness and understanding of the ones they love does. Another relationship problems, another stress, another professional displacement, and another and another and another. We all have problems and face challenges on a daily basis. But we also have kisses, soft hands lovingly held, ice cream, unexpected gifts, and snorting laughter. The doctrine of our postmodern society does not fuel our perseverance, does not provide examples of grace, does not instill in us hope or offer the promise of joy, only persuades us from participation, only offers the safety of indifference. In the moment, perhaps, this is enough- escape. But in reality, in life, this is a recipe for dissatisfaction. Without emotional risk there is no reward.

When you hear words like hope, faith, love, truth, sincerity you may think them cliche or sickly sweet. It may call to mind Lifetime movies or family friendly entertainment. You may shy away from them as precarious or uncool. And I understand. But these ideas are not only what make life worth living but allow us to keep living it. In our world where terrorism, murder, and bigotry are on display every day it is the artist’s job not only to entertain but to move, not only to amuse but to inspire, not only to divert but to enliven. To remind us that while there is heartbreak there is also the glory of new life, of fears overcome, of first kisses, of ferris wheels, of warm embraces, of bedtime stories, of good conversation shared over hot coffee, of triumph.

Recently I was in the Target checkout line and the person behind the counter asked me my profession I replied “Insurance” they then told me they had recently had a fender bender and had some coverage questions. We talked for a couple minutes and I think I somewhat assuaged their claim related fears. We connected. And perhaps this interaction is mundane when compared to the striking majesty of nature or the symphony of true love but none the less there was a beauty to it. Two strangers for a moment sharing space and time.

I am uninterested in the absurd for its own sake, I am unaffected by witty remove, I am bored by non-sequiturs and quasi-surrealist presentation. I am unimpressed by deliberate and winking lack of commitment. I want to know what you think and need and believe. I want to know who you are. I want to know what thrills you what angers you what brings you joy. I want to know your pain because I will recognize it and together we can heal.

If you are called to irony stylistically I suppose I cannot fault you. But if you use it because its easy, to avoid judgement, as security, you are acting out of fear.

I believe things will work out. I believe, although flawed, most people are good. I believe that, given time, empathy is possible with almost anyone. I believe everyone deserves kindness and an attempt at understanding. I believe if we all made a concerted effort to treat each other with respect the world would improve faster than we could imagine. I believe my art should promote these beliefs.

We live in trying times. Tragedies and threats a daily occurrence. Now more than ever we must have hope. Cultivate it in ourselves and inspire it in others. Remember the joy of the apple orchard and pumpkin patch, the delight of friendship, the exhilaration of romance. We are the ones that shape tomorrow.