A Fable About Fatigue

There once was a bear who lived in the far north.
There was a time when the bear had the love of a she-bear and cubs but that was long ago.
The bear was very old.
He had been alone for a very long time.
Every winter he would hibernate.
Every spring he would stumble out of his den confused and starving.
Every summer he would fish the salmon runs.
Every fall he would gorge himself on anything he could.
Repeat.
He had been doing this for many years.
He was tired of the routine.
Tired of the solitude.
Tired of it all.
But still he went through the motions.
Eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating.
He found no joy in any of it.
One day while he was foraging a pack of wolves came upon him.
There was a time when he could have fended them off.
But the bear simply sighed, laid down, and closed his eyes.
The wolves began to slowly circle.
Time passed.
The wolves moved on, satiated.
The bear was no more.

To Put One Brick Upon Another

To put one brick upon another,
Add a third and then a forth,
Leaves no time to wonder whether
What you do has any worth.

But to sit with bricks around you
While the winds of heaven bawl
Weighing what you should or can do
Leaves no doubt of it at all.
-Philip Larkin

'Jane Got A Gun' A Review

Jane Got A Gun is the long-in-production western about Jane(Natalie Portman) making a stand against the Bishop Boys gang in 1871 New Mexico. The film opens with Jane making bread in her New Mexico homestead with her daughter playing in the yard. Her husband Bill(Noah Emmerich) is seen on the horizon but as he approaches slumps on his horse unconscious. Bill, severely injured from gunshot wounds, tells Jane the Bishops are coming. Jane leaves her daughter at a friends and goes to seek help from her former fiance Dan(Joel Edgerton). He agrees and as the two set about fortifying the homestead for the eventual confrontation flashbacks reveal their stories.

Portman as the titular lead does a decent job but she has to work against the less than ideal break-neck pacing as well as some illogical plot details, although she is strong the characterization might benefit from a bit more use of the eponymous gun. Emmerich is good as he always is, one of Hollywood's go-to "that guy" supporting actors. Edgerton puts in the best performance, the most fully formed and compelling, mostly because his character has the clearest and rudimentary motivations. Ewan McGregor as John Bishop is oddly delicious as the villain, maybe because he never gets to play bad guys or some combination of flat nondescript american accent, poorly dyed black hair, and unintentional ambiguity give the performance a bizarre uniqueness that makes it rise above the convention that is its context.

The biggest issue with Jane Got A Gun is simply its lack of ambition. Everything is very by-the-book including the dramatic score and shots of Portman riding a horse at sunset. All the narrative information is interesting but the way it is stitched together makes it feel as if whole swatches have been lost, the story moves inexorably forward frequently sacrificing coherence or emotional logic in order to simply hit the important plot points and get to the end as quickly as possible. The flashbacks only serve to distract from the story and deflate the tension building up between the characters in the present. Although there is some pertinent information much of the content of the flashbacks could be conveyed by simple implication or expositional dialogue.

Not wholly success, not wholly failure.

Rent It.

'World Of Tomorrow' A Review

World Of Tomorrow is an animated short about a young girl visited by her third generation clone and taken to the future on the eve of the worlds destruction. Emily Prime(Winona Mae) is in a blank white room and a communication unit begins to ring eventually displaying Emily Clone(Julia Pott) who tells Emily Prime she is her clone calling from 227 years in the future and briefly outlines the different technological advances that have occurred and the various societal changes because of them. Emily Clone then transports Emily Prime to the future and shares with her various important memories of her life. This concludes with Emily Clone extracting an early memory of Emily Prime's and sending her back to her present.

Mae, a little girl herself, voices Emily Prime beautifully, it feels as if the dialogue is improvised. Pott utilizes a flat monotone throughout which feels authentic for a third generation clone but her performances also hints at an ocean of unexpressed melancholy which is so evocative it is almost heartbreaking.

Conceptually the film is incredibly rich, the simple animation is extremely potent in conveying this image of the technologically advanced but ultimately isolating future. It paints a bleak future but one where human emotion and connection are still very much alive. A future where humanity, however disjointed, still has hope.

Available on Netflix as well as in select cities as part of the Oscar Nominated Shorts presentation.

Don't Miss It.

For Ron

Tonight there was a going away show for Ron at CIC, he leaves this weekend for Bulgaria on a Fulbright scholarship. I wrote this for him and read it as part of the evening.

We all are here tonight to honor Dr. Ron. A sophisticated and eclectic appreciator and practitioner of the arts. A kind man. Wise, humble, and supportive. Instead of reciting a laundry list of Ron’s admirable qualities, of which there are many, or detailing my relationship with Ron, he means a great deal to me, I’d like to honor Ron’s vocation Psychology and delve a little deeper into the why of this evening. Why are we here, why was he able to engender such friendships as are displayed this evening transcending theaters, teams, generations, and that oh so dirty word cliques, why Ron.

This community that we operate within is guided by the tenant “yes and” and claims the dictum of support. This manifests itself in a lot of talk about fellowship and togetherness but the reality is much thinner. We don’t necessarily make a real effort to see each others shows, when we do we can’t help but judge. We gather a group of friends around us or join one already established and rarely do we stray socially or collaboratively. We develop loyalties, we talk shit, we exclude. With a community so broad we don’t have time to get to know everyone especially those with less talent, skill, or divergent interest. We have preferences regarding specific theaters and styles of performance which in turn dictates our social circle. We espouse support, we teach it, we preach it, but it is rarely in actuality practiced.

Enter Dr. Ron at the time Ph.D. candidate Ron. A man who loves improv. Is passionate about taking classes and learning. Who religiously attends shows, with a zeal that eclipses any of ours during our early fervent throws of improv obsession. He comes to like certain teams more than others, some of which he will grace with his weekly virtually unfaulty attendance but never does he end his quest to see everything, and, by his simple presence, support everyone. Through this unflagging desire to watch and learn, this pure appreciation for the artform of improv, and his open, magnanimous, good-natured spirit all of us and more not in attendance tonight were drawn to Ron. We, regardless of theater affiliation, age, comedic philosophy, or social faction, are glad to call him friend.

This unbridled inclusion is not granted on your average improv student. Who would typically have to prove their worth by ability or chronological endurance in order to accumulate the scope of camaraderie on display this evening. Why then was Ron able to surmount these, however justifiable, boundaries, prejudices, and restrictions. I would allege the reality is that we, the improv community, are only tacitly supportive that we merely present its veneer when what we actually are is exclusive while persuading ourselves and pretending that we aren’t. And we were drawn to Ron as the embodiment of that ideal that we espouse- inclusion, openness, and generosity.

Now I don’t believe our community can be some utopic extended family, nor should it be. We deal with art and entertainment, ultimately subjective and best left to flourish when unfettered. But there certainly is a lesson here. Ron leaves shortly for Bulgaria, he may be back in six months, he may not, we may be here when he gets back, we may have moved on ourselves. But what we can take with us forever onward is the example Ron has set for us. One of kindness, amity and grace. Of unbridled wonder for this thing we have the great fortune to get to do. Because yes this thing we do, this community, can be isolating, can be destructive. But we, through collective understanding and mutual respect, have the ability to move past entertainment into true inspiration and incite real change.

All The Small Things

It is easy to be cruel.
On the crosswalk.
In the car.
At the restaurant.
It is easy to lash out
at all the perceived inconveniences
infractions and impositions.
How dare the world impede
on our plans and routine.
Honking horns, flicking fingers,
shouting expletives is an easy way
to relieve the pressure of the
egregious interference
of other people.
But all this poison spitting
only serves to multiply
the already ingrained
and bubbling aggression
of our neutral state.
Only serves to propagate
the innate mode of attack
we enter when exiting our homes.
Only serves to further spread
negativity and suspicion
which eat at us and them,
acid slowly eroding our contentment.

The world is but a loose and flowing garment
and all the small things but motes of dust temporarily caught on the sleeve
easily brushed off or ignored, unworthy of attention or astringent emotion.

Like Water

“Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.

Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”
-Bruce Lee