The Edgar Allen Poe Suite

I slept in the same room
Poe spent his honeymoon.

There were no pits

or pendulums,

no secret door 

or false floor,

no accusatory 

pounding heart.

But awoken I was

in the murk of old night.

Arcane laughter

echoing from the hall

the residue 

of some past blight.

'The Climb' A Review

The Climb is a dramedy that follows two best bros over the course of a number of years. Written and starring real life besties Michael Covino and Kyle Marvin who play, presumably, versions of themselves Mike and Kyle respectively. Also directed by Covino. The movie is broken down into seven chapters as Mike and Kyle's friendship is strained by their own obtuseness, immaturity, and lack of perspective but tediously preservers.

Both Covino and Marvin seem to have little to no acting experience and approach their roles with the same low energy flat glibness which make them and by extension the entire movie quite a slog. The characters as written and performed have little to no personality, little to no self-knowledge, little to no awareness of basic humanity. As such they are drastically uncompelling. As they and their connection is the focus of the story it doesn't seem to have much of a point other than a character study and as the examination of self-involved, entitled, out of touch, middle aged white men is a road thoroughly travelled in indies in the 90's and 00's makes it all the more baffling. The "comedy" is largely an abject failure, in almost every instance the humor careens past cringe to utter cruelty and self absorption. The supporting cast is mostly solid by comparison and Gayle Rankin as Marissa is wonderful in the thankless role as Kyle's second fiancé who his family and Mike "don't like" but there is seemingly no reason why.

In stark contrast to the leads performance and the script the cinematography is positively artistic, languid long tracking shots, magical realism dance and music numbers, an effective score. The ability of Covino as a craftsman isn't in question. But how well the movie is put together is made beyond irrelevant by it's painfully irritating, selfish, vague, nothings of it's leads.

A story about friendship that not only misses the mark on friends but basic humanity.

Currently available to rent on most VOD platforms.

Don't See It.

'Some Kind Of Heaven' A Review

Some Kind Of Heaven is a documentary about the self proclaimed "Disneyland of retirement communities" The Villages in Florida. It follows three residents, a widow and a married couple, as well as a single drifter who lives in his van as a quasi-squatter in the community. The film begins with some basic montage and talking-head interviews but quickly evolves into much more dynamic shots and startling situations. On the surface The Villages is a baby boomer haven, where retirees can recapture their youth with a wide variety of classes, parties every night, all in the safety of a carefully constructed veneer of a bygone 'small town' aesthetic. 

It is apparent that there are some people that love and thrive in The Villages but the various subjects are ones who struggle and the contrast makes the lie of the sales pitch clear. The film also obliquely comments on the happy facade people in the community put up, and in general, in order to fit in and get along. Barbara is a widow, still working full time, and financially cannot afford to leave, she's isolated and looking for, and struggling to, find companionship. Anne and Reggie are a married couple with Anne acclimating well to The Villages and enjoying it while Reggie is in an end of life crisis using drugs, experimenting with new age spirituality, and as the film progresses seemingly losing his grasp on reality. Dennis lives in his van, fled California for Florida, and is cruising The Villages expressly to bag a rich lady to support him. Their paths never cross but their divergent journeys are absolutely gripping, full of poignant pathos, despair, pain, humor, and hope at least for some.

On paper this could have been an interesting if rather pedestrian talking-head/follow-the-subjects documentary but the dynamic cinematography, the richness of color, and the subtle yet creeping score serve to elevate the already intriguing subject to a kind of poetic humanity. It has the same kind of vibrant aesthetic as Spring Breakers and the utter compassion of Minding The Gap. A very tricky but mesmerizing balance. If there's a negative its that the film is too brief, you are left wanting more of the subjects, or simply more subjects to get to know, more closure, but maybe that's the point.

The first homerun of 2021. Dark, funny, emotional, verging on transcendent.

Currently available for rent on most VOD platforms.

Don't Miss It.

Top 5 Movies Of 2020

Top 5:

The 40-Year-Old Version

Blow The Man Down

First Cow

The Platform

Promising Young Woman

Honorable Mentions:

An American Pickle

Bad Hair

Da 5 Bloods

Driveways

Get Duked!

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Palm Springs

Soul

Unpregnant

The Vast Of Night

Documentaries:

Dick Johnson Is Dead

Disclosure: Trans Lives On Screen

Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story

John Lewis: Good Trouble

Time

Disappointments:

Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets

Kajillionaire

Shirley

Tenet

True History Of The Kelly Gang

Most Overrated:

Mank

The Painter And The Thief

Most Underrated:

Godmothered

Guns Akimbo

Worst Of The Year:

I'm thinking of ending things

Performances Of The Year:

Ben Affleck, The Way Back

Radha Blank, The 40-Year-Old Version

Viola Davis & Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Brian Dennehy, Driveways

Sidney Flanigan & Talia Ryder, Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Orion Lee & John Magaro, First Cow

Margo Martindale, Blow The Man Down

Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman

Paul Raci, Sound Of Metal

Seth Rogan, American Pickle

*Honorable mention for Samara Weaving, Guns Akimbo/Bill & Ted Face The Music/Babysitter 2

Scenes Of The Year:

Confrontation/Shoot Out, Fatman

The Perfect Breakfast Sandwich, Birds Of Prey

Intake Questionnaire, Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Ruben's Expulsion, The Sound Of Metal

The Restaurant, The Invisible Man

Can Of Beans

Out of my bag
onto the street
it fell

the can

of Bush's

I'd just bought

The woman passing

picked it up

and returned it

We smiled

behind our masks

eyes crinkling

A simple

human moment

in the crosswalk

'One Night In Miami' A Review

 One Night In Miami is a drama about a fictionalized meeting between Malcom X(Kingsley Ben-Adir), Muhammad Ali(Eli Goree), Jim Brown(Aldis Hodge), and Sam Cooke(Leslie Odom Jr.) on the night Ali became the heavyweight champion after his defeat of Sonny Liston. Adapted from the stage play of the same name the majority of the action takes place at Malcom X's motel after the fight as the reflect and discuss the Movement and each of their roles within it.

Hodge and Odom Jr. have a quite confidence, an assurance in their roles, they dig a bit deeper to give the characters heft and dimension and are clearly having fun. They feel like fully flushed out characters, not impressions, and ground the film. Goree and Ben-Adir aren't quite as successful having, arguably, bigger/more well known shoes to fill as well as having to grapple with the legacy of Will Smith and Denzel Washington(respectively) who gave defining performances in the same roles in the recent past. They do well but either in the performance, or from the script, much of their dialogue/monologues don't quite hit the mark. The script, no doubt effective on the stage, rings a bit odd in the context of film with much of the subtext being rendered in straight text. There isn't a lot of subtly in the conveyance of the ideas and as such the characters aren't as nuanced as one would expect and there is a lot of argument which, again, would be effective(even necessary) in the context of the play but translates as a bit clunky in film.

Director Regina King injects much needed movement into the story for what is essentially(as most plays are) a one location/limited location narrative she cuts and pans, the camera zooms and swoops, giving some much needed momentum and injection to the pacing. The soundtrack is great, with some really stupendous diegetic performances by Odom Jr. but the sum isn't quite as great as it's parts. A sound freshman effort from King but perhaps too faithful of an adaptation to really soar.

An interesting idea with a solid production but lacking some magic and finesse in the narrative execution.

Currently streaming on Amazon.

Rent It.

'Promising Young Woman' A Review

Promising Young Woman is a dark dramedy about Cassie(Carey Mulligan) 30 year-old who lives with her parents and works in a coffee shop, she was top of her class in med school but dropped out after the rape of her best friend Nina. The film opens on Cassie at a night club, seemingly drunk, and a 'nice guy' takes her home only to be confronted by a sober Cassie. This appears to be Cassie's nightly routine. Her life is shaken up however when an old med school classmate Ryan(Bo Burnham) re-enters her life opening up a greater scope of justice.

Mulligan gives the best performance of her career(to date)- nuanced, chimerical, brutally funny and sometimes just brutal. The subtle shifts in persona she achieves while enacting certain plans and dealing with different people is awe-inspiring not because they are big but because they are so intricate, immediate, and narrow. As the title suggests Cassie is incredibly smart and this is comes out in her erudite strategies and her unspoken but clearly rigid moralistic code. Much is inferred with the character, Mulligan is seldom straightforward, but as the film rolls steadily on we get a full picture of this complicated, traumatized, but powerful character. The supporting cast are equally pitch perfect, Laverne Cox as Cassie's boss and only friend is breezy, effortless, and charming. Burnham is a big surprise not with his humor but with his chemistry with Mulligan and his ability to hold his own with the stacked and more experienced cast. Clancy Brown and Jennifer Coolidge as Cassie's parents are great, Molly Shannon and Alfred Molina make appearances, the cast is a murderers row with constant suprrises and they're all able to navigate the very tricky sometimes bizarre tone.

The cinematography is crystalline, it's movement relentless(much like Cassie), the soundtrack at times upbeat and humorous but never without irony and then the shift into the ominous and predatory. The production elements resonate not only with the cast but with the film's themes. And it's the themes and ideas of the film that really send it into the stratosphere- culpability, responsibility, forgiveness, trauma, revenge, justice- all threaded in, woven throughout with a deft hand, not bludgeoning but slashing, piercing unto the heart. The film is quite funny and at times extravagant but ultimately the goal is Truth and it hits it dead on. The ending may leave some wanting, it may not be what we wish but perhaps that is the price.

An absolute explosion of a performance from Mulligan, a tight thrilling funny story that has something to say and says it loudly. A Me Too film that not only reflects reality but inspires.

Currently available for rent on most VOD platforms.

Don't Miss It.

Guy Walks Into A Bar

guy walks into a bar
bartender says "what'll you have"

guy says "a different life"

bartender says "you know how many pencil dick fucks

I get in here every day trying to be cute?"

guy says "i'm serious"

bartender says "ok, ok, you want me to play the wise and

wizened world-weary bartender with all the answers huh?

life ain't going the way you want it to that it?"

guy says "yeah"

bartender says "sorry jack i don't got shit for you, that's life,

gotta do what everyone does- therapy, exercise, eat healthy,

get some hobbies, socialize, stay busy, there ain't no secret

code to this life, you live it, you think you're special?

you ain't special, everybody has it tough, people talk like

they happy all the time, they ain't, post pics of their happy life,

that's artifice jack, they trying to will their happiness into

being, you can't be happy all the time, that's the lie they

sell you, contentment maybe you can get there, peace, that's

achievable but happiness? success? that's the hamster wheel jack. 

everybody got money problems or love problems or family problems,

everybody got days they wake up and wonder how'd i get here or

how'd i get nowhere, everybody got nights they can't sleep tossin'

and turnin' with worry or regret, everybody got the futile feelin'

creep up on 'em once in awhile. That's life jack, you just got to live it."

guy says "but-"

bartender says "shut up. some people say you get what you need but some

people think they need to be famous and win the lottery, be adored,

they always right, the truth is you get what you get. that ain't unfair, 

that ain't unjust, that's life. now if you can accept that, if you can accept 

the reality of your circumstance, then you can really start to live, 

then the world can open to a myriad of possibilities, after acceptance

comes action, not necessarily for a goal but for the satisfaction of the doing,

and somewhere along the line, maybe you find balance. harmony is the goal

not happiness, you following me jack?"

guy says "maybe"

bartender says "well order an actual drink or get the fuck out, there ain't no free lunch." 

'The Assistant' A Review

The Assistant is a drama that follows Jane(Julia Garner) an assistant at a film production company in NYC. The film follows Jane over the course of a day as she performs a variety of menial and appropriate tasks, it becomes apparent that her boss(nameless and unseen) is having sex with young women in his office and fosters a culture of sexual harassment. 

Garner gives a quiet but intricate performance, able to convey the mundanity of office work but also that absolute dread of working for a volatile predator of a boss. She's competent and reserved but ambitious and you can see the the compromises she believes she has to make on a daily basis in order to do what she wants to do. Not flashy but with significant depth Garner establishes herself, if she needed to in the wake of Ozarks, as a talent to watch. The focus, justly, is almost entirely on Jane and the supporting cast, mostly Jane's male co-workers, don't do much other than telegraph their ugly complicity.

Visually drab and restrained the camera work conveys the drudgery of the office as well as the claustrophobia of Jane's situation. The score is subtle and effective, writer/director Kitty Green puts together a marvelously tight effective piece of work. It's an important film, in the wake of Me Too these kind of stories have incredible value, we cannot forget or look away, however it feels almost clinical in its depiction, there is a tension here in the potential of fiction and simply conveying something that is essentially reality. The viewing is difficult not pleasurable or entertaining, the viewer is left with a recognition of the truth but maybe that's not quite enough.

Immaculately crafted by Green, a powerful performance by Garner, lacking the key ingredient of hope.

Currently streaming on Hulu.

Rent It.

'The Midnight Sky' A Review

The Midnight Sky is a science fiction drama about a scientist Augustine(George Clooney) who stays behind at an artic communication station after an unidentified worldwide catastrophe in order to contact a spaceship returning from investigating the possible habitability of one of Jupiter's moons, his efforts to contact the ship are contrasted with the challenges the ship has on their way back to Earth. Sound unnecessarily complicated? It is!

Clooney is a movie star and his charm and ease on screen is undeniable but there's simply not enough meat on the script or scifi ideas that go beyond trope to make this particularly interesting or unique. The crew of the ship played by Felicity Jones, David Oyelowo, Tiffany Boone, Demián Bichir, and Kyle Chandler are all great, they have chemistry, there is an ease and comfort with the characters that make the ship-dynamic engaging but their scenes are brief, they're constantly cut away from for Clooney scenes which deflates the momentum, and the issues that come up are the same as any spaceship-in-crisis movie when it'd be more effective to slow down and let the characters just be.

The production is effective enough but not unique, it's a copy of things that have already gone before and been significantly more successful. Ultimately the look and feel, and the story for that matter, have no distinct personality within the genre.

Competent filmmaking and a wonderful cast can't raise the derivative script beyond the mediocre.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Stream It.

Things About Early I Want To Remember

He was a co-worker but also a friend.
He had a wicked scar on his arm from when he was working for CPS in the 70's and got knifed.
He bowled every Friday.

He gave a ride to one of his mother's friends who lives in a retirement home every other Thursday for a social event.

On the weekends he volunteered at PAWS.

He didn't smoke, didn't drink, but loved to gamble. He would go to the casino a couple times a month.

Before insurance he worked as a paralegal, before that he was a hair dresser, before that he taught court reporting and was a court reporter. I think he was most proud of his teaching. He was a meticulous worker.

He was incredibly patient and giving with his time, energy, and money with his sister who has dementia even though it sounded like it was a very difficult situation.

He had a long time partner who was younger and worked a lot, when I asked him if they'd ever get married he seemed ambivalent.

Last year he got two cats and he complained about their pissing and scratching everything but he really loved having pets of his own.

He had some flooding issues and was getting some renovations done and talked about his house quite a bit, it was a hassle but I think he enjoyed having a big project.

He was passed retirement age and whenever I asked him about it he would always say next Fall, next year, next Spring. I think he liked the social aspect of work the most and didn't want to give that up.

At our job we got free lunch and he always agonized about what to pick each day, then he'd take two bites of whatever it was and then try to give it to someone else in the office.

He loved chicken and rice.

After our work holiday parties he would take the leftovers and give them to homeless people camped out on Lower Wacker.

We talked every day in the office and a fair amount this past year when we were working from home on the phone. The minimum duration for these conversations was usually 45 minutes.

He talked and I mostly listened and unless I had work piling up that was alright with me.

He had a lot of stories and a lot of opinions and led an eclectic life.

We talked a fair amount of shit about work.

He taught me everything I know about my job and I learned a lot from him professionally and otherwise.

Last Christmas he wanted to get me something I could use so he got me Juul pods, he was nervous about it because he didn't smoke or vape or know anything about that stuff, it was four packs which is pretty expensive, they were menthols which isn't my flavor but I was touched and never mentioned that and used them anyway.

He came with some of my co-workers to one of my improv shows and, I think, had a really good time. He always encouraged me wholeheartedly with my creative endeavours and seemed to be really tickled and excited by the fact I was a performer.

He went to a fair amount of musicals, plays, bailes, and concerts and mostly seemed to enjoy them unless he fell asleep which he would always admit to if he did.

At our job after you've worked there for ten years you get a three month paid sabbatical.

He hit the mark last year and was planning this big trip to Italy, where he'd never been but always wanted to go and was really excited about it.

Then COVID hit right after he started his sabbatical and he couldn't go and he got COVID during that time too so it turned out to be a pretty big bust and he seemed really happy to return to work.

He got COVID again mid-December.

Was hospitalized.

Lost the ability to communicate.

And passed away this weekend.

And that's life and I can accept that.

I don't think anyone is going to get out of this without losing someone.

That's a heartbreak, a grief, we're all going to have to carry.

And I'm not one to debate the unfairness of it all.

He had a good life, 70 years plus, he saw a lot, did a lot, made a profound impact.

But what I can't accept.

What seems to me, cosmically unfair.

Is that he never got to see Italy.

He never got his trip that he planned for, that he saved for, that he dreamed about for years.

For whatever reason in this tragic situation that strikes me as the most heartbreaking.

Because I know he would have loved it.

He would have been so happy.

His name was Early and I will remember him.

'The 40-Year-Old Version' A Review

The Forty-Year-Old Version is a dramedy about a NYC playwright and teacher Radha(Radha Blank, also written and directed by) nearing her 40th birthday who struggles with her unfulfilled promise after winning a 30 Under 30 award. Her agent and friend Archie(Peter Kim) sets her up with a white producer who urges her to create "poverty porn". At a loss with what to do in her career she begins to rap and goes in for a recording session with D(Oswin Benjamin). She's creatively gratified by her rapping, somewhat ambivalent with her teaching, and begins to make compromises in order to get her new play produced.

Blank has incredible presence, she's both exceedingly vulnerable and assertive, the character feels like a real, three dimensional person, with compelling humanity- flawed, self conscious, egotistical, impetuous, talented, hopeful, determined, despairing- the whole gambit. And a lot of the humor as well as the pathos come from this wonderful tapestry of emotion and personality Blank's able to convey. The rap scenes are fun and catchy but also serve as some of the greater themes of the film. Presumably playing a version of her self it is sharply dynamic but also self deprecating and fragile. She doesn't have all the answers, she makes mistakes, but she moves forward. Kim as Archie is a nice foil and friend for Radha and his perspective and motives serve as a nice contrast for her ultimate journey. Benjamin is pitch perfect as the laid back and modest encouraging music producer and love interest for Radha. The supporting cast all give good turns especially Radha's group of students, and the focus is on emotion and humor rather than "grit" or suffering.

Shot in intimate black-and-white, reminiscent of 80's NYC indies, with a thrumming score we are submersed in Radha's world and perspective. But unlike many artists-in-NYC stories this has no pretension, is not tainted by the implication of wealth- the streets and neighborhoods look like they actually do, the apartments aren't huge and immaculate, Radha takes public transit, a homeless guy takes a shit on the sidewalk right outside her house- it has heart and it effectively transmits the truth of its central character.

Surprising laughs on a lowkey but profound journey.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Don't Miss It.

'Tesla' A Review

Tesla is a biopic about inventor Nikola Tesla(Ethan Hawke) that mostly follows his time working for Edison(Kyle MacLachlan) and then George Westinghouse(Jim Gaffigan) with some flashbacks and modern flourishes from a semi-omniscient narrator/character and contemporary music.

Hawke gives an extremely minimal, reserved performance and as a choice it's not particularly interesting. He floats through the film with little agency seemingly doing little, there are a couple scenes of invention but even in those the performance is surprisingly sedate. Both MacLachlan and Gaffigan have a bit more electricity to them but have limited screentime and the film seems more interested in being a meditative visual experience than an actual narrative.

The period production design is gorgeous, the lighting evocative, the score effective but those elements cannot lift the zen like non-performances and relatively lifeless story. Contrast this with this year's The Current War, as they are virtually the same story and cover basically the same exact events, and there is no comparison for which has more life and interest.

A beautiful if extremely ponderous look at the mysterious inventor who remains a mystery.

Currently streaming on Hulu.

Don't See It.