Impulse Control

I am reminded
of my cunning
which has long slept

reptilian this

narrowing 

to base appetite

which resurfaces

not for cause

merely opportunity

the compulsion- calculated,

leering, avaricious- 

flares, crests

then recedes

a warning

of destruction's allure

'Fast X' A Review

Fast X is an action melodrama, the latest in the Fast and Furious saga. The FAMILY is threatened when Dante(Jason Momoa), the son of the villain from Fast Five, goes after all of them.

At this point in the series the cast is absolutely bloated and they get back every single person they can, to the point where it is clear that the unwieldly cast size effected the shooting schedule with many scenes being shot clearly when both actors weren't present at the same time. It's stilted and sucks some of the energy out of the movie on top of that the kind of odd tone of saccharine sincerity-meets-outrageous action(so successful in installments 5 through 7) is very much delivering at diminishing returns. The cast is too big and the narrative too preposterous for anything to approach emotion recognizable as reality.

The action set pieces are still a lot of fun but at this point, reasonably, there seems to be a lack of originality(after going to space where can you possible go after that?). There's also simply not enough of them. There are way too many scenes where stoic characters talk blandly about family and summarize plot from the previous movies. It drags. Due kudos to the stunt teams and action coordinators but beyond that the movie looks and sounds like a generic version of itself.

For a simple piece of action entertainment it isn't nearly enough actual fun.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Don't See It.

'Bama Rush' A Review

Bama Rush is a documentary that follows four young women over the course of a year as they prepare to rush at University of Alabama. Through taking head interviews with the subjects(as well as active Sorority members and a few experts), archival footage, and fly-on-the-wall sequences following the women along their process a story of image, acceptance, and a desire for community unfolds.

Although seemingly sensational, the ads are kind of akin to Netflix's Cheer, the documentary is much more sedate and thoughtful. This is perhaps partially a result of the director Rachel Fleit being iced out by the University and Greek system during actual rush but even so it is clear she has issues she wants to explore(sexual assault, body image, class, race) but this is by no means a hit piece. All four subjects speak honestly and simply about their experiences and what they are looking for out of the Sorority system. As the movie goes along that changes and morphs and we follow these four young women over this formative year(for two their senior year of high school into their freshman year of college, for the other two freshman at UA into their sophomore year).

The history of the Greek system, some of the questionable history at UA in particular is explored but this is more about these four women- their thoughts, desires, struggles, and trajectory- then it is about Sororities or UA. And it's really compelling. Perhaps the indictments won't be explicit enough for some and the fact that their is a fair amount of questioning and implicit criticism at all will be too much for others but overall it is a compelling, thoughtful, exploration about young women trying to find themselves and community.

Understated, insightful, a pleasant surprise.

Currently streaming on Max.

See It.

The Boy and The Bike

While parking downtown
a boy passing with his family

asked me to rev my engine
saying only "vroooom!"
and making the universal throttle sign

with open fist and turning wrist

I responded "you want to do it?"

popping the bike in neutral

and returning the gesture, instructional

tentative he approached

spurred on by his dad and uncle

then snake-quick he reached out

and thrust the throttle down

making the bike roar and echo

off the indifferent stone of the Art Institute

ecstatic but possibly in shock

he backed cautiously away

and his brother, older, not to be out done

marched up and did the same

planting the seed perhaps

of future riders, motorcyclists to come

'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania' A Review

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a superhero movie, the third in the Ant-Man series and part of the greater MCU sprawling saga. Scott Lang(Paul Rudd) is settling into his life after saving the world with his family in San Francisco, promoting a book and generally being a low key good guy. But his daughter Cassie(Kathryn Newton) thinks he's given up being a hero and has ambitions of her own. One of those sucks the fam(including Evangeline Lilly as Hope, Michael Douglas as Hank, and Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet) into the quantum realm which Janet has kept secrets about. QUANTUMANIA!

The returning cast are still fun and effective, aside from Lilly who doesn't get much to do and is a bit stiff, Pfeiffer thankfully is given more to do in this installment and it's wonderful to see her do more. There is a hole that Lang's old crew filled but it's taken up with some nice cameos from some talented actors(as well as one bonkers surprise return that it's best not to spoil). There's an interesting tension in the movie which the cast all navigates relatively well, it can't quite decide if it wants to be an Ant-Man comedy or the dark brooding launching point for Jonathan Majors new big time heavy Kang The Conqueror(given recent news it wouldn't surprise if this was completely abandoned), and the result is surprisingly entertaining.

The visual are the movies biggest problem, as almost all of it takes place in the quantum realm it is all shot with green screen on a sound stage there is extensive CG and its uneven. There a couple well rendered and kinetic sequences but in and around them the only thing you can think is "that is Paul Rudd in front of a back drop". Again, given recent news about the visual effects departments for the MCU being underpaid and overworked it is now surprise in this CG heavy installment that this stands out as a problem. But the movie clips along(the shortest MCU runtime in quite awhile), has enough laughs and heart to keep you mostly engaged and only suffers from attempting to split it's narrative difference to introduce Kang.

Goofy, a bit uneven, but entertaining enough.

Currently streaming on Disney+.

Stream It.

'Fool's Paradise' A Review

Fool's Paradise is a satirical dramedy about a mute simpleton(Charlie Day also writing/directing) who looks identical to a famous actor who dies while the man called Latte Pronto(after someone says that near him) is working as his stand in. Latte then gets taken in, chewed up, and spit out of the Hollywood machine.

Day hamstrings himself by making the character mute and then not really making any physical choices at all. It's a bizarre choice in a movie that is in part homage to silent era stars like Keaton and Chaplin(the other clear inspiration is Being There) there is really no physical set piece gags or sequences at all. There is ultimately no purpose for the character not to speak or to have the mental acuity of a child. So Day, in effect, takes him out of his own movie. The cast is stacked with talent but other than Ken Jeong no one has much screentime(Adrian Brody, Malkovich, and Kate Beckinsale are all great). Jeong absolutely goes for it but the result could not be a worse clash in tone. He plays like it a straight up melodrama and it doesn't fit at all with the other failed throughlines of commentary or comedy. Quite frankly its a total mess.

The production design is limited and it becomes clear Day had little time and less money to make his movie. We see multiple locations multiple times in a way that it is clear the scenes were shot on the same day and returning there has more to do with limited location availability rather than actual narrative. All in all the impression is of shoddy incoherence.

A clear passion project for the talented Day, perhaps compelling for how profoundly wide it misses the mark.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Don't See It.

At My Funeral

Play that
iPad Air commercial
with Robin Williams

a bit on the nose

maybe

but that thing slaps.

'Air' A Review

Air is a period corporate drama that is sports adjacent. The movie follows Nike's struggling basketball department in 1984 and the origin of signing Michael Jordan for what became the iconic Air Jordan shoe line.

The cast is absolutely chock full of talent. Matt Damon as Sonny Vaccaro wields his hang-dog movie star charm to great effect, Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan(to no one's surprise) is fantastic, Chris Tucker as Howard White is a joy to see(give him more work Hollywood!), the list goes on. But despite the talent and effort going in the overall effect is a little thin. We don't know or care too much about our lead Vaccaro. Behind every scene is the presence of the GOAT himself who is not seen, other than in archival game footage, which when it appears we realize is actually what we want to be watching.

With slick, understated but evocative period production and a never-ending list of needledrops the design is snappy, the pacing rhythmic. Its easy to get caught up in the momentum, its unquestionably entertaining and the allure of Jordan's legend, even at this remove, is undeniable. But. If we take just even a small step back we see that this is, ultimately, about mostly white dudes in 80's corporate America making money. Any pretentions otherwise are simply disingenuous. The two elements that make this particular story noteworthy- Jordan himself and Jordan's insistence that he receive a percentage of sales- are smaller elements than they should be.

A great advertisement for The Last Dance series streaming on Netflix. In and of itself, not much.

Currently in theaters and streaming on Amazon.

Stream It.

'The Mother' A Review

The Mother is an action/thriller movie about ex-military contractor The Mother(Jennifer Lopez) who is the go-between and in a love triangle between an illegal arms dealer and ex-SAS Marine facilitating smuggling arms. When she discovers the two are also involved in human trafficking she reports them to the FBI. The movie opens on a pregnant The Mother in an FBI safehouse giving a statement which is subsequently attacked. The Mother escapes, gives her child up for adoption, then goes into hiding in Alaska. 12 years later the two baddies locate her daughter Zoe(Lucy Paez) and The Mother comes out of retirement to protect her cub.

Lopez is a star and she carries the movie imbuing it with presence, weight, and (if somewhat uneven) emotion. This is helped by Lopez appearing to do much of her own stunt work. She clearly relishes the opportunity to be the lead in an action flick and she's earned it. The benefit of the doubt should be given to any child actor but Paez is undeniably green and the script doesn't help her out giving her non-sensical, illogical hoops to jump through as well as profoundly unbelievable behaviors. They cast two wonderful actors as the baddies- Joseph Fiennes and Gael García Bernal- but they are onscreen so briefly, their parts so small, they have little to no impact and it makes you wonder how they got those big talents for such non-existent roles.

The production design is effective but has that aura of gloom that seems to hang over every all movies in this genre of the past several years. The costuming is competent but not flashy, the soundtrack amiable if a bit on the nose. The action sequences are well put together but lack the impact they should because the movie is overlong with uneven pacing. The script is the biggest problem, some amalgamation of Taken and the copycats it inspired. It's great that Lopez is the lead and it's an interesting idea to tie motherhood thematically into this kind of genre piece but it just doesn't come together.

Decent action but overlong, a great lead performance mostly squandered in an uninspired story. In many ways a recycling of a movie Netflix just released 6 months ago- Lou.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Don't See It.

Ego

Pride has ever been
a cardinal sin

back to the Greeks

and Icarus

countless tales

of falls from grace

and yet we laud

this questionable quality

do not see the stagnation

in its persuasion

there is much talk now

of self-help, self-care

but transformation

requires humility, flexibility

one does not will the self to change

one is bent, broken, rearranged

there is no righteousness in this

the caterpillar does not dictate the chrysalis

'Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3' A Review

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 is a superhero movie, the 3rd in the Guardians series and the last to be written/directed by James Gunn. Quill(Chris Pratt) is still not over Gamora's(Zoe Saldaña) death and 'resurrection' and as he's wallowing self pity the Guardians are attached by someone from Rocket's past and he is injured. As the team attempts to track down a way to heal him his origin is shown in flashbacks.

It's great to see the ensemble again and for the most part they all have some solid character moments comedic and heartfelt but there is, understandably, a bit of malaise that hangs over a lot of the actors. They all do great jobs but you can tell most of them are ready to be done with their decade-long roles. The exception is Pom Klementieff as Mantis who's character continues to evolve and who Klementieff continually imbues with more and more energy and interest. It's also notable that Rocket, voiced by Bradley Cooper, is in essence sidelined for much of the runtime, although we see his story in flashback his participation in the present is little as he is in a defacto coma which somewhat hamstrings the casts normal chemistry.

Visually packed with imaginative imagery with CGI that mostly works the movie cycles through a couple different settings and worlds each uniquely rendered. It's lush and fun if maybe too much. The same is true of the soundtrack, with almost ceaseless needledrops. There are numerous slow motion shots and fight scenes most of which thrill but overall the production, and the script, are packed-to-the-gills. It is clear this is Gunn's last Marvel outing and he shoved every last idea he had into it. It's an entertaining ride, it may not equal the sum of it's parts but it's a reassuring return to form for the MCU which has recently lost it's way.

Thrilling action, laugh-out-loud moments, effective but somewhat contrived pathos.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Rent It.

'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.' A Review

Are You There God? It's Me Margaret. is a coming-of-age dramedy about 6th grader Margaret Simon(Abby Ryder Fortson) set in the 70's based on the Judy Blume novel of the same name. After returning to her home in NYC from summer camp Margaret's parents tell her they're moving to the suburbs in New Jersey. There she deals with making new friends, puberty, family, and religion.

Fortson gives a delicate, grounded, realistic performance evoking the in-between period of adolescence perfectly. She balances the pathos and the humor perfectly and is able to go through the various situations and learn the lessons they impart organically and doesn't indicate. Rachel McAdams as Barbara her mother also exudes the same authenticity, McAdams is just one of those actors who seems to be effortlessly in the moment and her character's adjustment to suburban life mirrors Margaret's journey beautifully. Although with much less to do Benny Safdie as Herb Margaret's dad and Kathy Bates as Margaret's Grandma Sylvia are also pitch perfect. As are the various kids Margaret goes to school with particularly her sometimes cruel sometimes friend Nancy Wheeler played by Elle Graham.

Shot with understated but effective camera work paired with the excellent period costumes and set design, the production design is evocative but not flashy. The same with the soundtrack, with catchy but not obtrusive needledrops. The actors, script, and production all work together to convey this, if not exactly timeless, but still very relevant story of this particularly confounding time of adolescence. The subjects handled, the hurdles Margaret encounters, are conveyed such care and honesty and compassion you can't help but be moved. And the story, and Blume's legacy, of educating and connecting with this particular age group remains unshakable.

Crisp, compassionate, appropriately cringe, with a clarity this particular age group rarely receives.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

See It.

A Lesson In Neglect

I was left as a child
more than once

this instilled in me

an understanding

that, given time

given adulthood

I could, in turn

forget them