Odin

One Eye
All Father
by nature fallible
yet powerful
far-seeing
long-reaching
and worthy
of worship.

Give me the gods
in all their might
and folly
over cold
omnipotence
so easily perverted
by human whim
omniscience
subsumed
by man's corrupt ambition.

Give me the gods
who's message is
in story, song,
and allegory
not explicit rules
writ in stone
faultless
to be weaponized
for mankind's subjugation
of his fellow.

Give me Odin
who hung himself
on the World Tree
as sacrifice
not for judgement
or sin
but wisdom
for himself
and we, the folk.

Broon

In high school
at the Renn Faire
I saw his first show
and returned for them all
throughout the day
he was part jugglar
part comedian
part aspirational speaker
and didn't attempt to be period
I was captivated
in my youth I only knew he was unique
that his act was different
not only
from the other Faire shows
but anything I had seen
not in audaciousness
but honesty and directness
returning now and seeing him again
he held up to my high esteem
equally exciting and enlivening
and now I realize
upon reflection
his blend of comedy
and sincerity
put me on the creative path
I've walked since.

In our chaotic cultural time
it is artists
that are our warriors
not sitcom stars
or social media personalities
who can reach, teach, and change
it is those in tights on
wooden stages
in 100 degree heat
that can halt the flood of hate
advocating understanding
between the Red
and the Blue.

'Alpha' A Review

Alpha is a historical adventure movie about a small tribe of hunter-gatherers in Europe 20,000 years ago. The chief Tau(Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson) leads the annual steppe bison hunt days journey from their village. He brings his son Keba(Kodi Smit-McPhee) along for the first time, part of his coming-of-age. After an injury Keba is left for dead and connects with an injured dire wolf. The two form a shaky alliance and begin the journey back home.

Jóhannesson is surprisingly understated and effective, all of the characters and performances have a surprising amount of sensitivity. There is an awareness of how brutal this existence must have been but there is no brutality. Smit-McPhee shoulders the bulk of the burden and a lot of his choices tend towards sulking but he's serviceable, doubly so given much of the movie is CGI and his canine co-star is also frequently digitized.

The narrative doesn't really go beyond what you see in the trailer, it's predictable but fun. There are some elements that could have been heightened, some interesting aspects that could have been leaned into, in order to take the story beyond what it is- relatively pedestrian. But even so there are some beautiful scenic shots, some cool prehistoric beasts, and the tale of the first doggo. It's tough not to enjoy.

Unsophisticated, a little on-the-nose, but entertaining.

Stream It.

Everybody Poops

is what they tell to kids
but that isn't exactly true
I knew someone
who only deuced
at work
Monday through Friday
another person
poopooed
just once a week
and it would take them
forty five minutes
me
I'm a regular, everyday
drop and dumb
kinda guy
point is
shitting ain't easy.

'Minding The Gap' A Review

Minding The Gap is a documentary about two young skateboarders in Rockford, IL. The film begins by introducing Zack and Keire as two skateboarders unprepared and mostly uninterested in adulthood. We follow them as they glide around the city on their skateboards and talk through their childhoods and potential futures. What begins as a typical skateboard-doc becomes something much more emotional and complex as we discover both Zack and Keire as well as the filmmaker Bing Liu came from abusive homes. Skateboarding is a way to rebel but also to take back control of their bodies. Time passes and the Zack and Keire stumble towards the future and something like adulthood.

Subjects Zack and Keire are remarkably at ease and open in front of the camera, perhaps because Liu is also a local and somewhat of a peer, they share their history and surprising(sometimes even to them) insight about life and their own lives. Zack has an undeniable charm and Keire has a nervous affability that make them both captivating subjects. Abuse is the real subject of the film, skateboarding is only the entryway but serves as a running metaphor for escape and hope. The real message of the film, the real topic, is handled with remarkable care and dignity, rarely has there ever been a film that investigates abuse with the complexity and lack of judgement that Minding The Gap displays and perhaps because of that it actually reckons with and elucidates some real truth.

Visually the film is surprisingly assured, with meditative flowing skateboarding shots and striking slice-of-life moments and casual interviews that bring you into the world of the film in a way a "message" documentary rarely does.

Having been born and raised in Rockford there is something particularly gripping about the film as I recognize almost all the locations as well as the subjects. But the themes, the ideas, the behaviors are universal. If you aren't someone like Zack and Keire you knew someone like them growing up. If you didn't struggle to(or aren't struggling now) to become an adult I don't believe you.

One of the biggest surprises of 2018.

Don't Miss It.

'Crazy Rich Asians' A Review

Crazy Rich Asians is a romantic comedy about NYU economics professor Rachel Chu(Constance Wu) and her boyfriend Nick Young(Henry Golding) who asks her to go to Singapore with him for a wedding and meet his family. Unbeknownst to Rachel, Nick is the heir to a family owned and operated massive real estate corporation. As Nick attempts to introduce and bring Rachel into the circle of his friends and family there's a clash both cultural and economic which threatens their relationship.

Wu plays an excellent everywoman and brings her considerable magnetism to bear with grace, relatability, humor, and an effortlessness that is not only engaging but begs for future leads. Golding plays this version of Prince Charming with standard panache but also a unique sensitivity and empathy that the archetype doesn't typically exhibit. Their chemistry is casual, fluid, and appealing, above all their relationship and how they interact is believable and although there is a formulaic turn at one point how both of the characters react is not. The other stand out is Michelle Yeoh as Eleanor, Nick's domineering mother, the screenplay and her performance give the role more dimension and nuance than is usually given to the "overbearing" parent. The supporting cast is thick with big comedic turns and more straightforward performances that really bring it to life.

Although a somewhat conventional narrative at first glance both the all-Asian cast and the Singapore setting reenergize a genre that can be all too predictable. And as a showcase of Asian faces and culture there is something contagiously celebratory about the entire film. The message is universal, it's about finding out who you are, about evolving, and finding your place. It's appeal is international. The setting is beautiful, the costuming is superb, and the although not a musical the score(and the fun, upbeat, pointed performances) makes it seem like it could be.

A feel-good, beautiful, romantic adventure.

See It.

Botanic Garden

 Yesterday was Nicole and I's 5th anniversary. As part of the celebration we went to the botanic garden today. Expansive and beautiful!

Confidence of Youth

Some years ago
we young
auspicious
burgeoning adults
quested for
some local nosh
in Chinatown
successful
we sat and I
at my most
hubristic
ordered the spiciest
item on the bill-o-fare
delieverd
it was delicious
raptuours
at least at first
but soon
I realized my doom
my scalp began to tingle
face to flush
pours to spill
there rose a heat
that water, milk,
nor deep heaving breaths
could quelch
but I soldiered on
and stuffed my face
until my brain
hit an incendiary peak
and sanity itself
was on the brink
with white bursting
in my eyes
ears ringing
with cymbal crashing
nose, a torrential spigot
beaten, bested
I recovered in the bathroom
a modern day Icarus
humbled not by sun
but spice.

'The Meg' A Review

The Meg is a monster movie about an underwater research facility that penetrates the sea floor discovering another ecosystem beneath. This discovery unleashes a monster shark- the megalodon- into our unsuspecting waters.

Jason Statham as the rescue-diver hero Jonas is well cast with all his scowling gravitas and is even given a sense of humor and a little heart making this one of his more multi-faceted performances. The supporting cast is diverse and all turn in good, serviceable performances but they aren't asked to stretch much, nor should they, this isn't that type of movie. It's not about the characters, although there is a low-key love story and tortured pasts to be overcome, it's about the really really big shark.

With a great mix of practical effects and CGI The Meg feels almost like a throwback to a certain type of undemanding and fun 90's popcorn flicks. There is a small pacing problem, there's a false ending that is drawn out a little too long, but overall the movie sets out to and succeeds at its main objective- to entertain.

For it's scope and spectacle it may be a perfect choice for a multiplex escape on a hot smoldering summer afternoon but as far as its cinematic merits-

Rent It.

'BlacKkKlansman' A Review

BlacKkKlansman is a biographical crime film that follows the first African-American Colorado Springs detective Ron Stallworth(John David Washington) who infiltrates the local KKK by impersonating a prospective member on the phone. His partner Flip Zimmerman(Adam Driver) plays his double in real life and the two begin an undercover investigation.

Washington gives an incredibly ambitious and dynamic performance. He has a natural charm and humor that are perfectly balanced with his somewhat nasal voice, impetuousness, and a striking naive confidence. It's really a layered and pitch-perfect performance with material that rangers far and precariously and tone which Washington(and the cast) navigate with easy assurance. Driver is the straight man to Washington's more far ranging character. He has a solid, determined, affable, almost kind presence in the film(which is welcome) and he has a quiet little arc that resonates and serves as both a potent reminder as well as assurance. Laura Harrier as Ron's love interest Patrice Dumas gives a self-assured, comfortable, and strong performance carving out space in a film crowded with great turns. Topher Grace plays David Duke with a nerdy, bookish menace which feels startlingly authentic. The other KKK members are all buffoons to a certain extent but time is taken with the characters and with their portrayals that give them dimension, they are not just villainous characters. They are strikingly stupid and frighting depictions of reality. They are subjects of derision but the fact they are a threat is never ignored or forgotten.

The script is Lee's best since Inside Man and the most vital since Bamboozled. In some ways 2015's Chi-Raq feels like a warm up to this. Even though the film is set in, presumably, the late 70's it is the first since the 2016 election to address with clarity and authority our current climate. It's mix of humor and horror, struggle and triumph, gags and violence is truly masterful. It has a couple typical Lee flourishes, most notably a stellar barn-burning speech by Corey Hawkins as Kwame Ture, a montage during that speech of faces, opening with Gone With The Wind and actual footage of Charlottesville, but overall the cinematography is relatively restrained for Lee(there is no direct address). There are many striking scenes but one that is lasting is the KKK members watching Birth of a Nation cutting from the actual film to the characters eating popcorn and guffawing.

The film is a palatable shot-across-the-bow of the American public. Spike Lee is warning us, reminding us, that history repeats itself. He does this with an engaging and compelling feature. And, ultimately, the film is hopeful. There is no cynicism here. We are shown it is not too late, there is still opportunity for change.

Don't Miss It.

The Ghost Around The Corner

Regret is shadowy
tied inexplicably
to mercurial memory
both unreliable
for who can know
who felt what
and when
or
what could have been
and yet
a surprise encounter
unearths
what was forgotten,
delicious shame
like a potent cheese
unwrapped with ease
floods my nose
and stings my eyes
and for a moment
I reel with unease.

There was a time
I feared the past,
the thoughtless
destruction
in my history,
terrified
to walk the streets
and perchance
confront the damage
I had wrought
but
over years
I've worked
to heal and build
rather than demolish
yet still
from time to time
I glimpse a
Ghost
around the corner.

Work/Life Balance

I've managed a coffee shop
slung bar food
counted bills & run coin
booked loans
answered phones
responded to emails
with prescribed scripts
called "macros"
sold insurance
serviced insurance
underwritten insurance
and all "work" encroached
on my "life"
passively demanding more
(time, energy, mental real estate)
than I was content to give
despite all the lip service
"progressive" companies
pay to it
the best work/life balance
would be
no work at all.

Baskin Robbins

How far you've fallen
no longer the franchise pillar
once you were
spliced with Dunkin
and sometimes
paltry sandwich chain
TOGO
forgotten,
dusty,
sidelined
but it was not always thus.
Once you were
the coveted summer destination
with vast counters
housing countless flavors
stretching out for obscene durations,
to my child's eyes
you were a vibrant smorgasbord.
Although your selection was bountiful
and your wares tasty
I held you in high esteem
for what you meant to my family.
On a bad day, after a soccer game,
or pre-birthday celebration
you were treat, reward, and consolation.
I won't forget
the summer bike rides
mom and dad and sis and me
our purpose- scoop, sundae, cone
a cool reprieve, vitality.
I will remember you like
once you were
not like how you are now.