People

starved for social satisfaction
each incremental interaction
moves from banal to benefaction

luscious becomes a loose-lipped greeting
colossal the closed-mouth meeting
each one all too fleeting

embedded in our DNA
the tribe, the group, the human cadre
perhaps the lesson is we not they

'The Vast Of Night' A Review

The Vast Of Night is a period scifi film that takes place in a small town in New Mexico in the 1950's. It follows two teens- a DJ Everett(Jake Horowitz) and a switchboard operator Faye(Sierra McCormick)- as they discover and investigate a mysterious radio signal over the course of an evening while most of the town is at a high school basketball game.

Horowitz and McCormick give wonderfully dimensional performances, conveying the period with an ease in affectation and looseness that bolster the already fluid and immersive feeling of the film. Horowitz, looking a little like Buddy Holly, channels this kind of straight-laced Beat charm and McCormick a sensitive but discerning exuberance. Neither overtly "plays" their age and it is exceedingly more believable because they don't act as if being a teen is synonymous with being obtuse. Although they are the main focus the supporting cast, full of unknowns, all do well and there are a couple stand out monologues from a radio caller and a reclusive old lady. The cast was clearly assembled methodically, with a focus on realism which gives the creeping dread of the unknown outside force even more weight.

Visually the film is stunning, especially for an indie. There are protracted takes where the camera follows Faye as she runs through the town or by itself gliding through fields and streets, it's beautiful but also compounds the tension as the film progresses. A minimal score and diegetic period hits of the time make for an incredibly immersive and surprising piece of filmmaking.

A simple exceedingly effective throwback science fiction yarn. Reminiscent of a quality Twilight Zone episode.

Currently streaming on Amazon.

See It.

Uncertainty

What comes next?
I don't know either.
But whatever it may be
it is certain
that it will come.

The Earth has spun 4 billion years
and it will spin for billions more.

'The Lovebirds' A Review

The Lovebirds is an action/romcom about a couple on their last legs who reignite their spark after getting drawn in to a baffling criminal plot. The movie opens on Jibran(Kumail Nanjiani) and Leilani(Issa Rae) the morning after a one night stand, the spend the day together and begin a relationship. Flash foward four years and they are fighting and truculent. On their way to a friend's dinner party they hit a bicyclist and then are accosted by a strange man chasing the aforementioned bicyclist. They flee the scene and begin a night of careening from place to place in a baffling inept attempt to uncover the mystery they find themselves in.

Nanjiani and Rae are very funny and have incredible presences and charm, their chemistry is decent, but the script fails them again and again forcing them for the majority of the run time to be a hectoring, virtually insufferable couple, throwing themselves into preposterous situations in which they act absurdly. There are moments of actual heart in which the two excel and in which you can see the potential the movie had but their charm alone cannot surmount the banality of the story in which they are confined.

A clear knock off of the far superior Game Night there is no real life in the movie save for that of the leads injected by sheer force of will and talent. The premise that starts the couple off on their journey is so absurd as to be completely disconnecting and that trend continues until it is too late. By the time the movie finally finds it's stride, in the latter third, it's too late and most of the interest and good will has been squandered.

Nanjiani and Rae have some wonderful improvisational flurries at points but the humor and the action are pretty much a failure to launch.

Available to stream on Netflix.

Stream It.

'The Painter And The Thief' A Review

The Painter And The Thief is a documentary about Czech painter Barbora and Norwegian thief Karl-Bertil. At the beginning of the movie we learn that during a showing of Barbora's two of her prized paintings were stolen in broad daylight. The suspects are quickly apprehended and at the trial Barbora approaches Karl-Bertil and asks him to sit for a portrait which he agrees to. What then follows is an unlikely, as well as co-dependent and clearly unhealthy, friendship.

The conceit of the movie is certainly interesting, this exceedingly unlikely meet-cute, and the two main subjects compelling human beings but the result is rather a gross portrait of two messy struggling people, more voyeurism verging on exploitation than compassionate portrayl. Not that they are gross people but both Barbora and Karl-Bertil are so clearly and transparently unwell and destructive that there is no real insight to be found, no real transformation, no real story save for the utterly common and mundane condition of suffering. Not to minimize either of the subjects however there is nothing new or revelatory about what's happening and without some light, without hope the movie ultimately offers not much more than the morbid fascination of a car wreck.

Karl-Bertil is an addict, there is no fascinating darkness to him, no hidden depth to be primed. Not to say he isn't a complicated interesting man but for the majority of the movie he is simply hitting bottom, the desperation and pain of an addict is sad, heartbreaking even, but what it is not is fodder for fascination. Thankfully he seems to, eventually, come out clean but there is little time spent on this part of his story, there seems to be little to know awareness about what addiction even is especially from Barbora herself. She repeatedly asks him about the paintings, why he stole them, what he did with them, and his response is he was blacked out, which she can't accept. The movie doesn't really question this, but the simple truth is he is a drug addict, that is the answer, there is no hidden allure to her art, some hidden magnetism between the two, which the movie tends to imply. He was high, he saw them, he stole them, that's it.

Barbora also clearly has some mental health issues of her own with a traumatic past that the movie refers to. Her relationship with Karl-Bertil is meant to be sweet but the reality is it's co-dependent, enabling, and almost vampyric. It's not interesting it's sad and sometimes gross. That doesn't mean that these two aren't good people but they are in a very bad place during the course of the movie and it is struggle and suffering that shouldn't be recorded because its questionable that it actually offers anything to them in the way of clarity or epiphany or we as audience members for that matter.

Towards the end of the movie Barbora's boyfriend attempts to have a couple conversations with her about her behavior, her relationship with Karl-Bertil, we see them in couples therapy and he asks some remarkably pointed but also empathetic questions and she has no real answers. Towards the end Karl-Bertil seemingly changed, clear headed, sees Barbora again and attempts in a fumbling way to encourage her to keep going to therapy and work on herself which she struggles to accept. The end of the movie should have been it's jumping off point.

Similar to 2015's Amy The Painter And The Thief exploits it's subjects suffering, conflating pain with insight.

Available to stream on Hulu.

Don't See It.

PuzzleMaster

I use to doubt
the sincerity of the oft repeated platitude
"the children are our future"
but watching my not yet four niece
plow through five puzzles sequentially
with systematic alacrity
I am not only convinced
but filled
with gentle waxing hope.

A Balm

Perhaps this is Gaia's revenge
Mother Nature's answer to Man's cruelty
even so
what a balm Her cool green quiet be

'The Trip To Greece' A Review

The Trip To Greece is a comedy, the latest in the Trip series with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, who play versions of themselves. The two visit Greece this time, retracing various stops on the Odyssey staying in nice hotels and eating wonderful food while bantering, doing impressions, and ruminating on age and mortality.

Coogan and Brydon show up again beautifully, even more comfortable and seemingly taking more pleasure out of each other, and finding even more fluidity and space in their improvisations and imitation-offs. They also dig deeper into their various issues they've established in the previous films. Coogan is clearly grappling with his mortality as a result of his advancing age and also his ailing father. Brydon continues to struggle with the push and pull of family life. It's very adult and subtle but also very honest and the existential/emotional issues never eclipse the comedy. It's not explosive but it is impressive.

After The Trip To Italy took the duo to a more exotic location and The Trip To Spain ended with a low-key crisis this, the fourth installment, falls into a certain formula but director Michael Winterbottom shows his same precision, clarity of vision, and patience which perfectly compliments the virtually unceasing comedy of Coogan and Brydon(also screenwriters) but also their understated but ever present pathos.

Not revelatory but an absolute pleasure. Here's to more Trips to come.

Available to rent on most VOD platforms.

See It.

'Saint Frances' A Review

Saint Frances is a dramedy about a young woman past adolescence but still struggling to find her way. Bridge(Kelly O'Sullivan) meets and gets pregnant by Jace(Max Lipchitz), through a friend she stumbles into a nannying job for Maya(Charin Alvarez) and Annie( Lily Mojekwu) for their daughter Frances(Ramona Edith Williams), and begins to drift toward maturity.

O'Sullivan gives a remarkably stark performance, not that it is brooding or without humor but the character is so clearly flawed and at times clueless but O'Sullivan plays these instances and situations with no apology and no overt charm. What is left is a portrait of a real, compelling person even though her stumblings can be cringe inducing her triumphs and transformation are ultimately more impactful. Lipchitz is a welcome, lovable, and earnest counterpoint and pairs well with O'Sullivan's dryness, playing perhaps a hipster Peter Pan archetype we know but with more compassion, depth and humor. Alvarez and Mojekwu also pair well with Alvarez given more of an arch and time to sink her teeth into, Mojekwu is mostly left to be austere but is given, and makes great work of, a really wonderful emotional crescendo towards the end. Williams is necessarily precocious but is able convey both a naturalness and appeal that make the film, a more presentational or "cute" child actor would have stopped it cold.

Under the constrains of budget the production doesn't always wow but there is clear artistry in interior set ups and use of focus, costumes although mostly practical convey clearly but without pretension the various socio-economic differences between the characters and there are some nice prop touches like the obnoxious title of one of Bridget's former classmates books.

A quiet, sometimes surprisingly unflinching look at a woman belatedly finding her purpose.

Available to rent on most VOD platforms.

See It.

New Spatula

Avian curves
supple grace
flip the eggs
ready plates

Fry, bake
or saute
a handy tool
makes it play

Pots and pans
do their thing
what's in my hand
makes it sing

'Capone' A Review

Capone is a biopic about the last year of failing health of notorious gangster Al Capone. Secluded on his Miami estate Fonse(Tom Hardy) descends into dementia plagued by regret and confusion. Cared for by his wife Mae(Linda Cardellini), haunted by and old associate Johnny(Matt Dillon), and under observation by the FBI Fonse attempts to recall where he misplaced a sizable stash in order to provide for his family in the face of his impending death.

Hardy gives an singular, almost kabuki type of performance. With a particularly odd vocal choice that slips between English and Italian and is frequently unintelligible. As he wallows under the effects of his illness, is overcome by delusions, and is frequently incontinent there are still flares of the cruelty that once ruled. It is wide ranging, bold, and not entirely rational take on the character. There's an exquisite scene where he stands in front of his private screening of Wizard Of Oz and sings along with the Cowardly Lion. With all Hardy's prowess to bear, unfortunately, the film around him doesn't ever measure up. The supporting cast is given little to do, although Cardellini is always a treat and has a poignant violent scene between her and Fonse but just when it becomes interesting the film cuts away.

Writer/Director Josh Trank is certainly ambitious and the idea is intriguing but it is never really clear what is actually happening or what the point really is. With all the fading in and out of the present and past, with all the questioning of reality(what is Fonse actually seeing/doing), with all the questioning of Capone's legacy ultimately the film, seemingly, doesn't actually have much of a perspective on it's subject. The film meanders and has no focus. Despite all the skill on display, both behind and in front of the camera, the point of Capone isn't apparent.

There's a certain amount of gonzo delight to be had in the film, particularly with Hardy's performance, but it's more a lark, a piece of fancy, than actual cinema or even straight forward entertainment.

Available to rent on most VOD platforms.

Stream It.

Seven Brides For Seven Brothers

In 2000
watching this bizarre
50's musical relic
in my friend's basement
I noticed an odd
red and white sleeve
on the coffee table
that said 'Netflix'
curious I asked my friend
who described then lauded
this mail based rental matrix
which elicited
not only my skepticism
but my disgust
being a Blockbuster devotee
and cinephilic acolyte

more fool me.

Trio of Netflix Docs

Circus Of Books is a documentary about the straight mild-mannered Jewish couple that owned and operated the LA gay porn store of the title for over thirty years. Directed by the couples daughter Rachel Mason extensive home videos, archive footage, and talking head interviews are used to tell the couples story and the history of the store and by extension porn in the latter half of the 20th century.

Filled with compelling eccentric characters, good natured comedy, and enough heart to give it meaning the movie begins as kind of laughably quirky and ends with some real pathos but doesn't quite stick the landing. It seems clear Mason wants her parents to draw some conclusion about their time operating their store other than "it was a business" but they either lack insight or are unwilling to be more reflective and explicit with how they view their lives at the time of their retirement. This isn't a fault necessarily but it is clear Mason searches for a concrete conclusion that doesn't quite materialize.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Rent It.

Cracked Up is a documentary about long standing SNL member and child abuse survivor Darrell Hammond. The movie follows Hammond as he goes on a book tour, develops his one man show, gives speeches at various recovery centers, and goes back to his childhood home to walk through is traumatic past.

Hammond's honesty is captivating and his past heartbreaking. What becomes clear is the tremendous amount of work he has done to come to grips with his past, the incredible pain he was/still is in, but also the tremendous amount of work yet still to do. What the intent is is not entirely clear beyond sharing Hammond's, unarguably important story, but it becomes apparent that the movie is, essentially, therapy. And as such it is interesting but it's also odd. Towards the end of the movie Hammond proclaims "I won" but it is painfully clear his journey to peace is just beginning.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Stream It.

Have A Good Trip is a documentary about psychedelic drugs featuring a long list of celebrities, mostly comedians. Through talking head interviews, animated sequences, reenactments, and parody viennets the movie explores the positive and negative effects of psychedelics, the cultural perception and prejudice, as well as various trip anecdotes.

A fun and surprisingly comprehensive look at the subject featuring some wonderful interviews, some from celebrities that have recently passed, that provide a refreshingly measured and unbiased look at a group of drugs that is typically maligned.

Perhaps not for those who have never experimented with drugs or were ever interested in Timothy Leary, Doors Of Perception, or Carlos Castaneda but still an intriguing, odd, and unique documentary clearly lovingly pieced together over a long period.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Rent It.

Daily Reprieve

Leave the pleasure and pain
of the body to the body
Leave the worries and wagers
of the mind to the mind
Retreat into the calm and cool
of the soul
Where material things
need not follow.

'Driveways' A Review

Driveways is a drama about a single mother who inherits a house from her estranged sister. The film opens on Kathy(Hong Chau) and Cody(Lucas Jaye) driving into an unnamed New York state town to sell the house of Kathy's deceased sister who was, they discover, a hoarder making the project significantly longer than they had planned. Sensitive kid Cody strikes up a friendship with the aging widower next door Del(Brian Dennehy).

Chau puts in a wonderfully grounded performance(coming off of her more operatic turn in HBO's Watchmen), subtle but emotional, quiet but powerful. Jaye is a surprisingly raw and vulnerable performer channeling not only the wonder if childhood but also it's crippling discomfort with seemingly effortless honesty. Dennehy gives one of the greatest, and most reserved, performances of his career. We love him when he bellows but here he's quiet and regretful and utterly sincere and it's astonishing. The supporting cast is rounded it out with some lovely character actors, Del's friends at the VFW and a nosy neighbor played by Christine Ebersole, and a compassionate real estate agent but ultimately the three leads take the major focus and the film patiently revolves around them.

Authentic production design and a reserved but effective score bring this fragile, beautiful, moving story to life. There is no real plot to speak of the film simply follows it's characters with interest and utter empathy, as much care is taken with long takes and silences as is taken with what could be considered emotional crescendos.

A kind, hopeful, human film constructed with striking clarity.

Available for rent on most VOD platforms.

Don't Miss It.

'The Current War' A Review

The Current War is a historical drama that follows the titular struggle between Edison(Benedict Cumberbatch) and Westinghouse(Michael Shannon) over electric power delivery. The film begins with Edison unveiling his lightbulb and pushing his DC current which is cheaper and cleaner than gaslights. Westinghouse, after being snubbed by Edison, uses AC current which is cheaper than DC and more expansive in direct competition as the electric power sweeps the country.

Cumberbatch as the defacto lead plays the obsessive, driven, self-involved and self-aggrandizing Edison with focus and measure but the problem is Edison himself was kind of an asshole and the performance bears this out. The more compelling character(and performance) comes from Shannon. In one of his most reserved roles Shannon conveys a quiet confidence and morality with implications of darkness and a history we see only one, extremely gratifying, glimpse of. Although the two share only two brief scenes the pairing does well to balance the film as a whole. An intriguing add on is Nicholas Holt as Tesla who plays the icon with eccentricity and sincerity but plays a bit like a third wheel to the leading duo. Katherine Waterston and Tuppence Middleton as the wives of Westinghouse and Edison respectively round out the core cast well but are unfortunately underused.

Great period design and some slick modern editing make for a thoroughly enjoyable and perfectly paced film that easily hits the mark of good but falls short of great.

Available to rent on most VOD platforms.

Rent It.

'Spaceship Earth' A Review

Spaceship Earth is a documentary about Biosphere 2 a pseudo environmental bio-dome project executed by an aging hippie commune and funded by a oil billionaire. The movie follows the group from it's inception in the 60's lead by the John Allen through their various projects, notably a farm and a ship, then the titular bio-dome through it's inevitable failure.

Through extensive archive footage and talking head interviews a particularly rosey and self-important picture emerges of the group, perhaps access to the footage and the subjects was contingent upon a particular portrayal, either way the subjects are never really pressed and their version of events is never particularly questioned. Notable among these omissions are many. The economics of survival chief among them. At one point during the movie there is a throw away to the group "doing projects" and "making companies" but this isn't explored or interrogated, later we find Ed Bass is the groups primary backer so what comes across is not a self-sustaining group but a trust fund commune. Also there is the allegation that the group is a "cult" which is unilaterally poo-pooed. John Allen being twenty years older than his seemingly mostly female and teenaged group-mates, at least at inception, there may not have been dark and sinister motives and manipulations but power dynamics absolutely came into play and we are left to believe the interpersonal dynamics were totally and completely innocuous. Lastly is this idea of "not regular science" which the subjects bring up repeatedly. It is unclear what, if any, credentials they have there is substantial footage of the group doing theatrical movement and vocal exercises but very little of them demonstrating actual knowledge and expertise so the whole idea of them doing anything at all in the scientific field that would have any impact at all is baffling, but we are again supposed to take their calling each other "geniuses" at face value for no reason.

Biosphere 2 was certainly an intriguing and odd news item in the early 90's when it was ongoing but Spaceship Earth is woefully fawning and posturing while delivering absolutely zero actual information. The group, and the movie, pay lip-service to environmental causes and concerns but their actions demonstrate them to actually be petulant, entitled, god-complex-ed charlatans.

An interesting and fringe piece of history goes irresponsibly unexamined in this boring piece of unintentional(?) propaganda.

Available to stream on Hulu.

Don't See It.

Love In The Time Of Corona

Some people make up
Some people break up

Same as every other time.

'True History Of The Kelly Gang' A Review

True History of the Kelly Gang is a western based on the novel of the same name which is loosely based on the Australian outlaw Ned Kelly. The first half of the movie follows Ned(Orlando Schwerdt) as a boy being raised by his mother Ellen(Essie Davis) with a brief interlude as an apprentice of Harry Power(Russell Crowe). The second half follows Ned(George MacKay) on his circuitous and painfully slow journey to become the outlaw we are perpetually waiting for him to be.

On paper the cast is exceptional and despite the absolutely atrocious hodgepodge of tone and borderline incoherent story Essie Davis still manages to put in an impressive performance seemingly by the incandescence of her talent and will alone. Crowe also puts in a nice turn but his screentime is too brief and his subplot ultimately meaningless. MacKay puts in a valiant effort strutting and mugging almost entirely, and bafflingly, shirtless but there is no real truth, no assurance, no sense to his characterization which is mostly the fault of the script and the direction.

Director Justin Kurzel continues to disappoint after his promising debut, Macbeth, the influences on all aspects of the production are so disparate and there is little effort in bringing them together. There are some expressionistic sequences butted up against pure melodrama, 80's punk aesthetics crossed with straight up contemporary jeans next to classic Western weaponry. It's anachronistic for no clear purpose so it comes across as a muddled mess. This is nothing compared to the story itself which is so protracted and exploitative it's not only gross it's boring. It has nothing to say, no message, at least that's understandable. The plot meanders and the accents are so thick and the score so loud there are long sequences where the dialogue is straight up unintelligible.  There are some attempts at playing with gender but they are mostly toothless and transparent.

Pretentious and posturing. A poor attempt at recapturing the magic of The Proposition which, other than Davis, is mostly pure failure.

Available to rent on most VOD platforms.

Don't See It.

Hope

There is no certainty
in these uncertain times
there is only today
but what a glorious day it can be.

'Bad Education' A Review

Bad Education is a dramedy based on real events regarding Long Island school superintendent Frank Tassone(Hugh Jackman). The film opens on Tassone presiding over a school assembly where Roslyn High School is announced as #4 in the region and lays out a plan to take it to #1. We see him interacting with students and staff, it's clear he's driven and hardworking and has a brassy friend and cohort in the assistant school superintendent Pam Gluckin(Allison Janney). When Gluckin's son makes some questionable purchases the schools finances and Tassone and Gluckin's oversight is called in to question.

Jackman, no surprise, puts in a delightfully layered performance modulating fluidly form comedy to pathos and exerting his considerable charisma to imbue the pretty suspect character with surprising and extensive sympathy and dimension. Janney in a more supporting role is equally dynamic, the two pair beautifully and have an exquisite chemistry, Janney as the brasher, rougher, administrator is a great foil. The supporting cast are all effective, Ray Romano continues his late career mostly overlooked renaissance, but Jackman has the bulk of the screen time and it is mostly Tassone's story.

The production is convincing but understated, after Cory Finley's 2018 debut the significantly more stylish Thoroughbreds the restraint is somewhat of a surprise but it allows the performances and the economics of the various locations to do a lot of the work rather than bravura camera work. Which is effective but somewhat disappointing.

A compelling story with a great two-hander at the center with somewhat limited cinematic ambition.

Currently streaming on HBO.

See It.