'Will & Harper' A Review

Will & Harper is a documentary that follows Will Farrell and Harper Steele, collaborators and friends, as they take a road trip from the east coast to the west.

Harper's recent transition is the focus of the film and how it relates to her new position in the world and how she relates to it as well as the effect on and perspective of her friends and loved ones namely Farrell(for the purposes of the film). They travel the country and go to small towns, dive bars, and truck stops(places Harper use to love to frequent but now is unsure of her safety in). And mostly its a success, she explores and revels in her new/true identity, her and Will remanence, have adventures, and grow. The trip is not without overt hate and the way the two confront, process, and move through it is inspiring if painfully real. Farrell is more human than perhaps he's ever been, its a doc so one would hope so, but he is actively trying to understand, be compassionate, and show up for his friend which is cool. In some ways it feels like Trans 101 for Cis folks but Harper is incredibly open, vulnerable, and game and her truth especially the more day-to-day struggles and issues- make up, clothes, calmly but reflexively correcting pronouns etc.- elevates it to something intimate and poignant. 

If there is a critique it is simply in form. The film feels a bit truncated, by the third act it rushes to wrap things up and provide some kind of conclusionary pathos(which is absolutely earned) and yet the best parts are the various stops along their journey across the country and the challenges they face and fun they have. In the end credits its clear that there is a lot of extra footage and you wish you could see it, it may have been better as a multi-installment show a la Long Way Round. 

A funny, moving, powerful portrait of an evolving friendship.

Currently in theaters and streaming on Netflix.

See It.

'His Three Daughters' A Review

His Three Daughters is a drama about three sisters Christina(Elizabeth Olsen), Katie(Carrie Coon), and Rachel(Natasha Lyonne) who are attending the death bed of their father in his NYC apartment.

All three actors are at the top of their craft and give absolutely captivating performances. Coon is icy, anxious, and controlling, of the three the most grating to watch at the beginning which makes her transformation into a more relatable human that much more impactful. Olsen, after being underutilized for years in the MCU, kind of emotionally explodes in this, not explicitly, but you can just see her talent bursting forth and the gratification she has in tackling this challenging role. Her character is in some ways the most mysterious and idiosyncratic and she takes full advantage. Lyonne doesn't really have the same approach as the other two actors, she's a movie star, but she tamps down and subverts her charisma, channels it into vulnerability and a kind of listless perseverance that is captivating. It cannot be understated how impactful it is to see these three share the screen. The supporting cast is solid but mostly they come and go and the focus is, justly, on the sisters.

The production is minimal, taking place primarily in one location, the apartment, with limited scoring and restrained camera work focused more on capturing the dramatic action rather than visual artistry. As a result it feels intimate and serves the themes and aims of the film and almost surprisingly feels more impressive due to that discipline. Writer/director trusts his story and more importantly trusts his actors, the production fluidly, organically flows around that and all serves to deliver this meditation on family and death that has humor, pathos, and insight.

Three of the years best performances within a moving even inspiring story about grief and connection.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Don't Miss It.

Sight Unseen 10th Anniverary

Jimmy and I started Sight Unseen ten years back, he had been teaching at the Annoyance for awhile and wanted to do improv more regularly and to have a place students could see him as we had both had various bad experiences with teachers over the years who didn't actually perform just taught. He also thought students get better faster playing with more experienced players so that's where the Fishbowl portion of the show came from. We pitched a couple people each and put the team together and we've had a weekly show ever since. We never performed together before the first show, never rehearsed, hence the name.

This week we celebrated 10 years and did some shows with Jimmy, Mark, MB, and Meaghan coming in from out of town. Really nice to be together and perform and see the similarities and differences in the cast and how the style has both morphed and maintained with members leaving and new folks coming aboard.

I've been a part of a lot of different improv teams and various shows but this is one of the only things I helped originate and over the years have helped perpetuate. Its been so much fun and so inspiring and I'm really proud of it.

Thanks to those that came out and that have supported us over the years.

The Jumping Off Place

Having been to the threshold
the precipice
and returning

comes the understanding

this is all extra

this life a gift

a generosity

unearned

a cosmic opportunity

writ small

the trick

is seeing this

without stumbling

into the abyss

'My Old Ass' A Review

My Old Ass is a coming-of-age dramedy about Elliott(Maisy Stella) a teen living in rural Canada on her parents cranberry farm the summer before she heads off to college in Toronto. During a mushroom trip her older self played by Aubrey Plaza manifests to give her advise.

Stella is blithely charming as the lead with an age appropriate streak of obliviousness and self centeredness which at times grates although part of the story is her evolution. Plaza is fun and mysterious and the two have great chemistry. Percy Hynes White as Elliott's love interest Chad is awkward if mildly compelling and the two have a connection that doesn't really feel genuine until the end. The supporting cast are all solid, Elliott's two friends, her parents and brothers, but they don't have much screen time to do much with.

Visually competent if relatively nuts-and-bolts for a low budget indie, the soundtrack is effective and catchy, but overall the production elements are more serviceable than creative aside from one fantastic Justin Bieber dream sequence. Its a great idea, has ambition, and the cast is talented but it doesn't fully come together or deliver on its full potential.

Pleasant, breezy, occasionally a bit on-the-nose, but mostly fun. Low impact.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Rent It.

'The Substance' A Review

The Substance is a body horror satire about Elisabeth Sparkle(Demi Moore) an actor and aerobics TV show host who is fired on her 50th birthday. Desperate to reclaim her relevance she injects a mysterious drug, the titular substance, that promises youth, beauty, and "perfection". As a result she's put into opposition with Sue(Margaret Qualley) who has replaced her. 

Moore gives a thrumming brave performance, at points powering through some of the repetitive body horror tedium through sheer power of presence. Qualley has the less interesting character but is serviceable enough albeit unable to really meet the kind of energy Moore brings. The supporting cast is minimal the only one with any real part of substance is Dennis Quaid as Harvey, the slobbering, lecherous, despicable TV exec, and he's deliciously gross in it. It is mostly a showcase for Moore which she takes full advantage of, its wonderful to see her back in a lead performance, bringing her unique blend of poise, passion, and unpredictability.

The film is visually rich, like the script, there are tons of ideas and influences, its bursting with them. The score is a relentless melodic droning that sets the mood. Its ambitious, its provocative, it maybe lingers on the body horror images too long and returns to them too often. Ultimately the film is simply too long, the impact minimized by the uneven pacing. The script careens wildly in tone from scene-to-scene and sequence-to-sequence, veering from dramatic intensity to absurdist black comedy. Its fun but the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts. For those that can stomach it, its worth a watch, although not a film most people would watch twice.

Grotesquely gripping, gleefully over-the-top, more concerned with eliciting a reaction than with conveying a coherent message.

Currently in theaters.

See It.

Limits

the boundaries of the body
are soft, elastic
so too the mind

where the two intersect

there lives

the application of will

those situations

one might call

a test or a tempering

a point of leverage

an opportunity

to see how deep

the well goes

'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' A Review

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a horror/comedy, a sequel to the to the 1988 cult hit. Thirty six years after the events of the first film Lydia(Winona Ryder) is a television medium with a sycophantic boyfriend Rory(Justin Theroux) also her producer. When her father passes they return to Winter River, her hometown, along with her estranged daughter Astrid(Jenna Ortega) and stepmother Delia(Catherine O'Hara). When Astrid is put in danger Lydia must enlist Beetlejuice(Michael Keaton) for help.

On paper, a fabulous cast, but there's just not much apparent gas in the tank. Ryder is seemingly unmoored, unable to really connect to her cult favorite character, and the script doesn't do her any favors making adult Lydia mostly a confused doormat. Theroux is insufferable both as a character(which is intentional) and as a plot device(which is not), his whole presence is so profoundly contrived and grating it unilaterally takes the movie down a notch. Ortega is OK but her storyline is set on top too many others and the movie is unsure who's it is, is this Lydia's story or Astrid's? It can't decide. Its wonderful to see Keaton again but there's only a scene or two where he's able to really recapture the magic, the problem is one- he's not in the movie enough and two- hate to say it but he's too old. You can just see he's slower off the blocks and for a character as iconic and manic as BJ it just doesn't have the same impact. O'Hara is the only one able to just slide perfectly back into the role but that ease almost sets her apart like she's acting in a different movie. Much of this incongruity though is a result of the direction but more so the bafflingly over plotted script, not the fault of the actors.

Burton returns to form a bit here with practical effects which are wonderful. The Elfman score isn't fresh but it is effective. The problem is the script, the focus is split to many directions, there are too many plot lines criss-crossing that none are fully realized. The screenwriting displays a clear lack of confidence in its ideas and seems intimidated by the IP as a result the overall feeling is tepid. There is one really phenomenal sequence when Lydia, as a result of Beetlejuice's magic, rapidly gives birth to a baby Beetlejuice. It is grotesque, funny, and provocative. But that singular scene is the only one where any of the real original magic is recaptured.

Not terrible but not particularly good. Something that seems tailor made for streaming.

Currently in theaters.

Stream It.

'Rebel Ridge' A Review

Rebel Ridge is an action/thriller about a well-meaning veteran who is antagonized by small town police a la First Blood. Terry(Aaron Pierre) is riding his bike into a small southern town in order to post bail for his cousin but is run off the road by a cop and has the bail money seized via civil forfeiture. He befriends local county employee Summer(AnnaSophia Robb) who attempts to help him but is further antagonized by the police chief Burnne(Don Johnson). The situation escalates.

Pierre gives a memorable, assured, star-making performance. Constantly cool, almost serene, he kind of plays against the action with a calmness which just serves to draw the situations in further relief as well as punctuates the actions when it does erupt. Robb brings some needed emotional depth and has good chemistry with Pierre, Johnson is delicious as the small town despot even if its something we've seen him do before. The supporting cast is all solid, James Cromwell shows up for a couple minutes, overall just a some good casting all around, a testament that no huge stars are needed to make a good marketable film.

Visually sharp, tightly paced, a thrumming/droning score all serve to set the scene and ratchet up the tension. The action, when it comes, feels real and visceral and has a messiness to it. The danger Terry is in and skirts for much of the film we feel. It is a impeccably, deliciously made film. From a craft stand point writer/director Jeremy Saulnier is totally in control. His screenwriting maybe not as taut. There are some big ideas presented- racism, policing, cash bail, civil forfeiture, addiction- and they certainly solicit discussion after but none are totally followed through on within the film, there are themes but no message. And that's mostly A-O-K as this is a very fun action film. Even if it is somewhat derivative in some ways it is refreshing how original it feels given the glut of IP. 

The biggest issue is, of course, the fact this was released straight to streaming. This would have made $75 million at the box office if not more and still seen great streaming numbers when it came to it, the fact Netflix still has no real theatrical distribution model or deal is increasingly dumb even from the most base capitalist perspective.

An intense, rhythmic, adult action thriller that makes you think but not too much.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

See It.

Alaska

Perhaps its fitting
it was so difficult
'The Last Frontier'
and all that
we saw beautiful sights
even if their access was constrained
we experienced the wilderness
even if it was extreme
we navigated hordes of tourists
the tourist prices, the tourist traps
the exclusive tours
the prevailing and seemingly inevitable plague of unsalted food
the ever-present Boomer niggling
we endured it all
and had our adventure.

Denali II

Last day in Denali. Its been challenging, highs and lows, but an adventure. Can't say I'd recommend the trip honestly just because of the cost/benefit. There are similar places in the continental 48 that you can experience for 1/2 the price with more accessibility and without Alaska's libertarian culture/infrastructure. Not a bad experience, Nicole and I had a great time and saw some amazing things, but certainly a more complicated one than we were expecting. For visitors Alaska seems most appropriate for either backpackers looking to spend multiple days/weeks camping or rich people who can afford various guided tours and to charter planes.

Ended our time with a visit to the sled dogs, cool and cute!

The Walk

When the first bus was full
I knew we were in trouble
when the second bus was full
I saw my wife transform
already depleted she retreated
to survey the reservoirs of her strength
what appeared empty was in fact only a single chamber
she opened a door to the next, a basement
and took energy from there
we continued to walk

Denali

In Denali the rest of our time here. There's only a single road access to the park and not a ton of established trails. A big thing here is just hiking out into the bush, there's a bus system that takes you farther than you can drive and you hop-on/hop-off to explore. An interesting idea but the bulk of the guests here are retirees or international visitors both groups seemingly ill prepared for the conditions and terrain. Beautiful but logistically a bit complicated and relatively difficult to get away from crowds and experience the park in some solitude.

'Pristine Wilderness'

What they call nature

that can't be exploited

not because of law

or moral fortitude

simply because

it is too costly

to get at

Kenai Fjords

Nicole and I are on our yearly National Parks trip, this time in Alaska, going to Kenai Fjords and Denali. First stop is Seward which is basically within Kenai Fjords NP. Mostly nice little tourist town.

Our first full day we did the only hike they really have here up to Exit Glacier, a lot of it is inaccessible except for backcountry backpacking. Pretty intense hike, relatively severe elevation gain.

Beautiful but very demanding hike.

Our second day we took a boat tour, saw some Orcas, sea otters, sea lions, tons of birds. Really cool.

The best part was to get up close and personal with Holgate Glacier.