'Obsession' A Review

Obsession is a cringe horror set in an ambiguous time about a group of ambiguously aged friends. Perpetually hang-dog borderline-pathetic incel-presenting Bear(Michael Johnston) consults his frat bro cliche friend Ian(Cooper Tomlinson) about confessing his feelings to Nikki(Inde Navarrette) their friend who is very transparently only interested in Bear as a friend even though Sarah(Megan Lawless) the 4th in the friend foursome very much is. Bear balks when he gets his opportunity to be honest with Nikki, makes a wish with a knick-knack he bought that Nikki love him and then she does but it's weird!

Navarrette is the clear star and standout putting in a captivating layered performance both physical and emotional. The whole movie hangs on what she's able to do and all the menace as well as all the pathos comes from her. Both Johnston and Tomlinson are miscast, neither demonstrate much in the way of range presenting the same emotion and facial expression in virtually every scene. It's especially startling in contrast to Navarrette and to a lesser extent Lawless(who just has less screentime), who come across as real actors conveying characters that resemble actual humans. 

Visually the film is rich, stylized and effective, the score equally so. The production design, shot mostly on location LA, is evocative. The main issue is mostly with the script, the ground covered feels very derivative, monkey paw 101, and the story isn't taken in any new or unique directions, it's basically just that classic premise played out over almost two hours, it feels more like a short than a feature. Without Navarrette's performance the whole thing would really stall.

It's impossible not to compare this with the other Gen Z youtube creator directed box office scorcher right now Backrooms. Both stumble in terms of narrative but Backrooms has the captivating location to really hold interest. Obsession has Navarette but she can only do so much and ultimately the themes are immature and simple, the characters thinly drawn, and the overall impact is more pedestrian.  But both have really got the Gen Zers to the theaters and regardless that is a huge success. Part of the box office issue was not only the pandemic disruption but that disruption coming at a pivotal time for the 18-34 demo, historically hugely important to the box office, but slowly but surely they are coming back and it's important they have movies that speak to them from creators that are their contemporaries.

A Christmas Carol for an incel.

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First Summer Eve

The heat
and its closeness
illicit the same
from all the people
reveling
in its pleasures
families lined up
for their inaugural
ice creams

murmurs

populate the evening

contentment

the backing track

innocuous chit-chat

replacing the thrum

of the dormant cicada

adherents

to their own rhythms

'Backrooms' A Review

Backrooms is a horror/thriller about Clark(Chiwetel Ejiofor) who finds a portal to a seemingly infinite labyrinthine space in the basement of his furniture store.

After his just win for 12 Years A Slave Ejiofor has worked steadily but hasn't really been given his due as one of the best actors of his generation and that's showcased here. This is an odd film with little plot, more a vibe than a narrative, and he's the perfect actor to anchor it all with some humanity. He's emotive, reactive, and above all compellingly present. It's also just a nice bit of casting for the audiobook listeners as he is the(incredible) narrator for the exceptional liminal space novel Piranesi. The film somewhat faulters when the perspective changes from Clark to his therapist Mary(Renate Reinsve). Reinsve has talent, no question, but she's yet to demonstrate much range. The kind of fraught reserve she deploys here is the same we saw in Sentimental Value and Worst Person In The World. Her presence doesn't detract, it's effective enough, but she's unable to provide the same kind of focus Ejiofor does, channeling the genre elements through the human lens, and that the film needs to elevate it beyond an inspired conceit.

The production design is immaculate and inspired. The backrooms space, the seemingly endless corridors and furniture and rooms are an incredible place to explore, mostly(if not all) practical sets. It's marvelously transportive. On top of that the 90's esthetic and subtle but unceasing score really create this compelling mood with startling clarity. The production, in short, is a triumph.

The film somewhat stumbles when it comes to narrative but honestly this kind of film doesn't really even need much of it. There's a tension between simply enjoying and reveling in Ejiofor's Clark explore this creepy fascinating space and the need to tell some kind of cogent story. Clark's divorce, Mary's agoraphobic mother, how the backrooms ultimately work are explored but what's most interesting is the space itself and a compelling human(Ejiofor) navigating said space.

Ultimately the film soars over any plot concerns with its originality, sharp complex ascetics, and a superb Ejiofor.

Currently in theaters.

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Sox Park

Memory is unreliable
its the stories
we tell ourselves

but that doesn't negate

its value or meaning

its ability

to shape us

My first ball game

(from what I remember)

was at the old Comiskey

demolished in 1991

My first ball game

(from what I remember)

was Bo Jackson's last game

which was in 1993

I remember him hitting a home run

at his last at bat

and the crowd roaring

the fireworks exploding

Whenever it was

whether I've conflated

or embellished or even

created whole cloth

that doesn't change

my connection

to the city of Chicago

to the Chicago White Sox

to Sox Park

'The Mandalorian And Grogu' A Review

The Mandalorian And Grogu is a scifi adventure, a continuation of The Mandalorian show, and the latest installment in the Star Wars ouvre.

There's not much in the script for the cast to do. Pedro Pascal as the titular Mandalorian has a couple nice moments with the puppet Grogu but those are few and far between and after burning through guest stars in the show the only other big names involved are Sigourney Weaver who's barely in it and Jeremy Allen White who provides, maybe, one of the worst and uninspired vocal performances in Star Wars cannon, some but not all his fault as the character Rabba The Hut on the page is repetitive and corny and the rendering is laughable. 

The production is an odd mish-mash of styles and tones but more importantly quality. It looks like the movie was made on a budget and about half of the CG is 00's era bad. The only saving grace is the score, a staple of the show, and here composer Ludwig Göransson gets to really stretch in a way the show didn't have the space for. That at least is top notch.

Otherwise, the main and glaring issue is the script, after seasonal diminishing returns with the show turning this into a feature is somewhat baffling. On top of that it is so fraught with lore both from the show that inspired it as well as greater Star Wars cannon it would be virtually impenetrable for anyone not familiar. Tonally it's unclear if this is aimed at adults for nostalgia's sake or grade schoolers and that tension ultimately tears the movie down the middle. Part of the issue is the pacing, there's tons of action but without any character development or dimension it rings incredibly hollow, the concern is so much on keeping momentum and attention any actual depth is lost.

The last gasp of a great idea. 

Currently in theaters.

Don't See It.

'I Love Boosters' A Review

I Love Boosters is a surrealist comedy about a group of high-end retail shoplifters(aka Boosters) that resale their stolen goods at a discount to make ends meet, led by aspiring fashion designer Corvette(Keke Palmer). This eventually comes to the attention of owner/designer Christie Smith(Demi Moore) who goes after "those urban bitches". 

Palmer continues to make interesting choices in her career and excel within them. She's wonderful here, emotive and magnetic, and is able to weave together and focus a lot of the disparate elements as the lead(a very complicated plot, social commentary, expressionistic design, and emotion). Naomi Ackie and Taylour Paige are equally compelling and round out the heart of the film with humor and an effortless chemistry that grounds all the chaos swirling around them. Paige inparticular it's great to see, after an astonishing debut lead in Zola she's been in some decent movies since but hasn't really had an opportunity to stretch. Moore is delicious as the heavy, Don Cheadle as a MLM leader, Will Poulter as a snobby manager, LaKeith Stanfield as a literal incubus- the supporting cast are all really evocative, know what movie they're in, and are having a ball.

Visually the film is kaleidoscopic running a clinic in what you can accomplish on a lower budget with inspired production design. The monochromatic sets and outfits, ALL the inspired costume design, the repeating thrumming score. Every element of the design is brimming with ideas and art and all work in conjunction with each other to create a compelling, vibrant piece of cinema.

It may be overly plotted but the sheer energy and momentum of the film(along with its charismatic leads) overcome that easily and what you're left with is this thrilling, moving, electric art piece.

An ecstatic surrealist comedy, timely satire on the plight of class and celebratory of those same workers.

Currently in theaters.

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Cousin Geri

Has passed
into the clearing
at the end of the path
and those that remain
must consider
the impact
of the departed

A key tenant

a key belief

of the old Norse

(from which stock our family came)

was the sacredness

the importance and gravity

of hospitality

To feed and house

and make comfortable

those guests

you have the fortune

to welcome

to your hearth and home

This we carried

from the fjord's of Norway

to the lakes of Wisconsin

and which my Grandma Bertha

passed along to my cousin Geri

and which she, in turn, gave to me

As a child

upon each visit

there was pop in the fridge

cookies and chips in the cabinet

a clean soft bed for me to sleep

her welcoming (but eccentric) poodle to play with

visits to the Mall of America

and most of all

her unassuming

yet unshakable

kindness and attention

This shaped me

how I keep my home

how I treat guests

my expectations

about what hospitality is

what it means to care