Consuming Content

There is pleasure
in entertainment
thrill and comfort
in distraction
but the TV
from its advent
has been addictive
the drone and glow
of the box
necessitating legions to
turn on, tune in, and drop out
now phones
give us the magic square
every where
and the risk
is to become
complacent
satiated
compliant
sleepwalk through
the jobs we tolerate
to be diverted
by the ever-growing mass
of prestige long-form television
we the memers
the 21st Century Lotus Eaters

'Coco' A Review

Coco is a computer animated family film, the latest from Pixar. The film follows 12 year old Miguel,
one of the youngest in a family whose original matriarch was abandoned for her husband's musician dreams and started a cobbling business, on Day of the Dead as he cultivates his passion for music in secrecy. After his grandmother discovers then destroys his homemade guitar Miguel goes to the tomb of famous troubadour Hector to borrow his guitar for the holiday talent show but when he touches it he finds himself in the Land of the Dead unable to return.

Visually the film is rich and striking, no surprise from Pixar, but there is a vibrantness from the neon color palette that is utilized which ups the vitality considerably. There is also the cultural imagery that is substantially more effecting say then the imaginative but neutral mindscape from Inside Out. There's a particularly inspired little scene with Frida Kahlo directing the performance piece at the beginning of a concert which is funny and kind of grotesquely beautiful. For a movie about music the soundtrack is very effective combining a moving score with some fun and touching diegetic performances.

All the voice performances are wonderful but the story is what they rest on and the story is one of Pixar's best in years. The plot itself is at times convoluted but the characters and the message of the film shine through in a way that make this one of the most human "family films" of the year. This to say nothing of how refreshing, inspiring, and engaging it is that the film, by its nature, focuses on and celebrates Mexico and Mexican culture.

Not only a great film but timely. Important not only for what it is but for what it means.

See It.

The overlong and borderline incoherent Frozen short at the beginning is unbelievably painful to sit through. Plan to arrive 20 minutes after the showing start time in order to miss.

Service

Left to my own devices I can become pretty self involved. Increasingly concerned only with my life, it's stressors, pleasures, and distractions. Which ultimately is pretty thin and unfulfilling. People have suggested to me, as a way to live a full happy life, to be of service to others when I can. And whenever I do that, whenever I take that suggestion, I feel better. Being of service or helping others(whatever you want to call it) feels good, gets you outside yourself, plugs you into something bigger and more important. This can mean any myriad of things. Doing some kind of formal volunteering with non-profit institutions, helping someone move(ugh), making the coffee at work, doing something small for a friend or loved one- cooking, cleaning, an unexpected gift. Providing a hug or listening ear when its needed. Whatever it may be. I've found helping others(to whatever degree, in whatever capacity) is gratifying, provides some measure of worth, gives me value that can sometimes be missing in this social-media heavy, ego-stroking, envy-infecting, rat-race our current society can at times appear to be.

My mom broke her ankle last Friday so the holiday wasn't as active as in years past but it was a wonderful weekend. I was able to show up for my mom(and dad) and contribute in small ways, doing a little cooking and cleaning and running some errands. Nothing major, nothing terribly taxing, but I was there and I did what I could and I think it made a little bit of difference. And that is all important. I'm not a monk nor do I claim to be, I'm not selfless or full of some unflappable serenity, but I try to get out of the pointless morass of my own minutia as much as I possible. I do my best day-to-day(which can certainly fluctuate) and it helps to try to be of service to others whether they be friends, family, co-workers, or total strangers. And that can be as large as a six-figure donation or as small as a quiet smile. And when you do that, when you take that action, you can find not only relief but inspiration, not only purpose but peace.

'Lady Bird' A Review

Guest review from Nicole

As the lights dimmed at the Landmark Theater, and the previews rolled, I was highly skeptical of what I was about to see. I had been putting off seeing Lady Bird for the sole reason of Gretta Gerwig. Whenever I hear her name, I immediately think of Frances Ha, a movie I could never get on board with. I couldn’t relate. Frances Ha reminded me of a black and white version of the HBO show Girls, with less vibrators. It’s slow. It’s pretentious. It’s out of touch. So, I wearily settled into my seat next to Steve, and waited for another narrative about a tormented, misunderstood, upper middle class white girl, who just can’t catch a break. Oh, how wrong I was.

Set in 2002, Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson(Saorise Ronan) is a senior at a Catholic high school, eager to move away from her hometown of Sacramento by applying to art schools on the west coast. This film gives a complex look at her relationship with her parents(Laurie Metcalf as Marion and Tracy Letts as Larry), her best friend Julie(Beanie Feldstein), and two contradicting love interests, musical theater Danny(Lucas Hedges) and bad boy musician Kyle(Timothee Chalamet). We watch as Lady Bird navigates universal issues(sometimes unsuccessfully) like lying about economic status, humility, shame, sexual orientation, the need to be different, communication, and so on and so on. 

Of particular note, is the relationship between her and her Mom. I found their interactions to reflect real mother-daughter relationships, and I could very much see my familial relationship reflected on screen. Metcalf gives a multi-layered performance, giving the audience tormented peaks of Marion’s own traumatic childhood, while at the same time showing genuine care and connection with Lady Bird. Wanting what’s best for her daughter, is translated into an oftentimes unhealthy “love language” of arguing and belittling. The switch back and forth between the two is sudden, and feels honest. I was particularly touched with moments when they were not speaking to each other, obviously hurt by each other's silence. This struck close to home for me, and I found myself checking in with my own mother once the emotional dust had settled. 

Shout out to Jordan Rodrigues and Marielle Scott who play Lady Bird’s older brother Miguel, and his live in girlfriend Shelly. Giving these two important parts within the nuclear family, gives a fresh breath of air to a mostly white film. Their relationship in itself is portrayed as complicated and quirky, with a taste of older sibling knows best syndrome. 

I think everyone can remember being a teen saying, “I can’t wait to be older” or “When I move away…” and then discovering that age doesn’t really give you better answers, but the experience/journey does. Typically, we are presented these types of stories from the narrative of a young male. Watching this movie forces the audience to have an experience through the eyes of a young woman. It portrays teenage girls as smart, complicated, strong, and just as curious and hungry as young boys. I hope Hollywood takes note that the stories women have to offer are powerful and compelling, and that people are hungry to see them. 

Lady Bird is the coming of age story that I never knew I was missing. Finally, a realistic representation of a (white) teenage girl, written by a women and not a man. You got me Gerwig! You got me GOOD. 

Don’t Miss It. 

In A Hurry

Like little mice
my fellow commuters
scurry up the stairs
intent only
on the time
perpetually
running late
attempting to outrun
the inevitable clock
little cogs
in the machine of industry
sheep
in the flock of finance
not to say
I'm not a fellow lemming
but
I never hurry to the train
nor rush to board
or shark for a seat
if I'm early or late
I don't let it effect
my steady pace

My First Train Ride

Not my first train ride ever of course, I had been on trains before, but the first time I rode the L. My first real taste of Chicago, the place that would become my home.

It was the latter days of my senior year of college, graduation was around the corner and we were all filled with nervous anticipation and perhaps a thinly veiled panic at what was to come. The acting majors, of which I was one, all headed up to Chicago to perform in our Senior Showcase for potential agents and casting directors. I stayed with my sister in Lincoln Square the night before who gave me clear instructions on how to take the train to where I was going(Steppenwolf).

I made my way nervously to the train platform and boarded the Brown Line at Western, fiercely concentrated on going the right way, Loop and Kimball having little meaning to me at the time. I found a seat and as we sailed off(in the right direction) a sense of wonder began to creep up and through me. As we coasted along above the houses and the city stretched out in every direction I was exhilarated by this teaming expansive of avenues and streets and consciousnesses all majestically intertwined. As if I had passed into some magic world with potential and adventure everywhere. A grown man's Narnia. I successfully transferred from the Brown to the Red at Belmont and felt deliciously adult and competent. As the train went subterranean another shiver ran up my spine, I was under ground, what a thrill!

As I came up and out of the North/Clybourn stop, birthed into the bright and busy Chicago afternoon, I looked at the famous theater I would shortly be performing at and marveled at my change in circumstances. Only the day before I had been in a small university town surrounded by corn on every side, morose with inactivity, uninspired, and hungry. Today I was in the capital C City. With pulsing pumping life and opportunity on all sides, overwhelmed by the bright and the new. O' the glory to be had! O' the promise!

After I actually moved the blush wore off and the gnashing teeth of the windy city chewed me up and spit me out humbled so I could return after two years of penance with some semblance of respect to the Midwestern giant we call the Chi. I ride the train now with assurance and mudanity, wishing I could recapture the pure and simple awe of that first most beatific trip.

'The Square' A Review

The Square is a Swedish satire about modern art museum curator Christian(Claes Bang), his personal foibles and the pretension of modern art. Christian gets his phone and wallet stolen, tracks it, and delivers letters demanding them back to the entire apartment building. Concurrently he is working on opening a new exhibit, the titular Square, which is a rectangle of light in which anyone can ask for help or something like that. After a misconceived promotional video and his anonymous letters receive backlash Christian has to grapple with personal and professional turmoil.

All the actors do their duty and the production elements are beyond competent however the subject matter and script are obvious, boring, and uninspired. Perhaps something is lost in translation as the Sweden portrayed in the film is insufferable and oblivious. Modern Art as a subject for mockery is easy, its low hanging fruit, and there is an element that feels cowardly about it. The filmmaker is "protected" from artistic criticism by his very transparent condescension of modern art. The concept is very obvious, reductive, and tired. Calling something out for being dumb while simultaneously participating in it is classic art school cowardice. Boring.

The other aspect of the film that falls flat is the pseudo critique/comment of class. The film endeavours to make some statement about homelessness and privilege juxtaposing numerous shots of beggars being ignored on the streets with Christian driving in his Tesla. However nothing coherent or meaningful ever really comes from this avenue because the homeless are bafflingly repeatedly portrayed as entitled, rude, and fat and despite Christian's obnoxious pretension the film can't help but attempt to elicit sympathy for him. It is definitely apparent that writer/director Ruben Östlund has a wry affection for his protagonist but it is frustratingly unclear why. These two thematic issues on top of numerous others from performance to tone to the bloated run time.

As this year's Palme d'Or winner I can only guess that this is the kind of thing that Europe views as provocative but here in the US it is easy, pedantic, post-modern swill that was stale fifteen years ago.

Too cool to have a message, too cowardly to bite.

Don't See It.

'Three Billboard Outside Ebbing, Missouri' A Review

Three Billboard Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a drama about a frustrated and grieving mother Mildred Hayes(Frances McDormand) who puts up three provocative billboards in order to reignite the investigation of her daughter's murder. Chief of police Bill Willoughby(Woody Harrelson) along with dopey and volatile officer Jason Dixon(Sam Rockwell) attempt to get her to take the billboards down and chaos ensues.

McDormand gives a stunning performance. Complex, tough, physically confident, emotionally volatile, vulnerable and assertive. There are numerous moments where she manages to completely and believably change on a razors edge or play multiple emotions simultaneously. Easily one of the best, most compelling performances of the year along with some of the best scenes of the year. She has a scene with Harrelson where they are arguing aggressively and obviously relishing the combative tete-a-tete when Harrelson coughs up blood as his character is sick with cancer, the shot is on McDormand whose face goes through a lightening fast but extraordinary change, from belligerence to compassion so quickly and completely it is astounding. The other major stand out is Rockwell as the simple, racist, but shockingly redeemable against-all-odds cop. Rockwell walks a tightrope of despicable behavior and cluelessness balanced with his natural affable charm that has no right to work but does. There is no question the character is flawed and complicated and suspect but his portrayal allows an understanding that on paper it has no right to. There's an incredible scene involving his character being given orange juice by a person he brutally assaulted that is both cringe inducing and heart breaking. The ensemble is filled with great actors doing excellent work but they all mostly function to give dimension to McDormand's character and to a lesser extent Harrelson and Rockwell.

Visually the film is crisp and simple with numerous striking scenes mostly as a result of the actors inhabiting them. There is one ill conceived CGI deer but that is forgivable. The score is potent but not intrusive the reality is that writer/director Martin McDonagh, originally a playwright, is concerned first, foremost, and maybe only with character. All production elements serve to put the actors front and center and allow them to create beautiful moments of humanity. Some cruel, some menacing, some touching, some redemptive, but all startlingly, gloriously effecting. This not to mention the humor which is thick and dark throughout.

Exalting in its humanism, joyful in its edge. One of the best films of the year.

Don't Miss It.

Shivers

I woke up at Midnight
what some call
the witching hour
chilled to the bone
feet like cubes
chest like fog
teeth chattering
like some cartoon
skeleton
torso thrumming
to some silent
freezing rhythm
I staggered to the head
and evacuated
mostly liquid
painfully
only to crawl
back to bed
and bundle up
to shake and shiver
beep and bop
twist and tick
under the covers
in hopes of warmth
that seemed impossible
when faced with cold
unflinching, bone-deep
and insurmountable
after tortuous hours
where time slugged by
and I got a glimpse
of real hell
I drift off to sleep
only to awaken
blissfully hot
the cold broken
the virus caught

'Last Flag Flying' A Review

Last Flag Flying is a military drama set in 2003 about three veterans from the same Vietnam War Marine unit who reunite to accompany one of their number Doc(Steve Carrell) to his Marine son's funeral after he is killed in Iraq. Sal(Bryan Cranston) is an alcoholic bar owner perpetually railing against the military and reliving his time in it. Richard Mueller( Laurence Fishburne) is a reformed preacher reluctant to get involved with his old war buddies. The three initially go to an air force base to view the body then take it to be buried in Doc's hometown when they find the circumstances surrounding his sons death aren't what the government has told them.

Carrell is engaging as he always is, the guy has incredible range and astonishing commitment but has been on a streak of good performances in mediocre films recently, this being no exception. Cranston is decent but a bit over the top and knowing of the connection to Nichelson's The Last Detail you can't help but see Cranston letting Jack influence him. Fishburne is solid, the most reasonable and expressive of the three but nothing any of them can do can really save the film from its inherent lack of clarity.

It is neither comedy nor drama, it neither honors the military nor satirizes it, it tries to make the characters both human and humorous caricatures. In trying to do everything it succeeds at mostly nothing. Moments of broad comedy come seconds after moments of deep emotion and it simply doesn't work. The film has no balance, no focus, seems to be unsure in almost every scene what tone or theme is driving the narrative. Writer/director Richard Linklater was either too laid back with his approach or didn't bring the necessary attention to a story with such emotional complexity.

Not a failure but tonally all over the map.

Rent It.

Interview

They say its easier to get a job
when you have a job
(which may or may not be true)
But this is the first time
I've been in a position
to test the sayings validity.
Sitting in this conference room
meeting with a succession of VP's
(one guy who looks startlingly like Jim Belushi)
I feel unreasonably confident
current employment robbing me
of the desperation I historically brought
to interviews past
and in hindsight
I wonder if I was assertive enough.
Should I have sold myself more?
Been less honest, less myself?
Curated my responses to exactly what they implied
they were looking for?
I don't know.
...
I'm asking you.
...
I've never thought much about "career"
Nor care to
Maybe that's the problem
I'd rather be writing poetry.

Puke Pants

The friend that has been cutting my hair the past copule years is no longer doing it. At least in her home for her friends so I needed to find an alternative for a long over due cut. There's a part old school part hipster barbershop by my house that seemed promising so I went there today to get a cut.

It's a nice place, they don't take reservations so you just put your name on a chalk board, first come first serve type situation. I put my name on the board, grabbed a seat, and cranked up my book on tape(more accurately audio book but old habits die hard, harder than cassette tapes) to wait.

After a couple minutes I noticed the guy sitting next to me had stains on his pants. They were almost neon orange dots, in a splash pattern. Then it kind of clicked, oh, it was puke. Looking at the guy, more of a kid really, it was clear he was very hung over if not still drunk. After a time he got in the chair to get his hairs cut and he dickered with the barber about price, after it was all said and done turned out the kid only had $19. Made me wonder what this kid's story was. Why couldn't or didn't he change his pants, why did he need to get a haircut so desperately that he dragged himself in there in that condition, what financial issues must that kid have that he needed to grind the barber about a couple bucks and then stiff him on the tip.

And I knew. Maybe not the particulars but the situation, the mindset, the feeling. Everything about it was familiar to me. I use to be the guy with puke on his pants, half out of his mind, trying to run errands and get things done on a Sunday afternoon despite being anesthetized to the point of near immobility. I know what it is and its miserable. I know what its like when mundane day-to-day tasks and basic functioning seem sisyphean. And sitting there watching this kid struggle, flounder really, through his afternoon brought me a lot of gratitude. For me those days are over. I no longer have to live like that and it's a relief. I work hard each and every day to maintain my sobriety and sometimes living life on life's terms can be a grind. There are times I get worn out, irritated, fearful, discontented, resentful what-have-you and I lose sight of all the wonderful things in my life, large and small, and I forget how far I've come. I forget what my other life was like. But seeing this kid brought it back in a very sharp and striking way. It was a good reminder.

Not to say this kid has a problem like I do, maybe he just had a bad night I don't know. But running errands on a Sunday afternoon under the influence with puke on your pants ain't good. And for me I use to do that kind of thing a lot and there was a whole lot of pain and grief wrapped up in it. But today my life is different. I can go to this barbershop which I have never been to before and sit and wait calmly for a haircut. And although that may seem simple it use to be something overwhelming fraught with anxiety. I don't pity the kid, I feel for him but for me those days are long gone and I plan on keeping them in the rearview.

'Jane' A Review

Jane is a documentary about renowned scientist Jane Goodall and her study of chimpanzees. Told from archival footage, a contemporary interview, but mostly from early rediscovered 16mm footage from the NatGeo archives. We see Jane as a young woman as she first started interacting and integrating in the chimp community. Her early family and the wild life that surrounded it.

Absolutely informative and compelling Jane isn't especially cinematic. The interview is interesting but lacks movement. The old footage intriguing but not exactly illuminating. The images aren't elevated by the big screen and the lack of ambition is somewhat transparent. Whether it be from a desire by the director for a more natural approach or from the more conservative perspective of National Geographic this comes across more appropriate for TV than the movie theater. With a cookie cutter Philip Glass score, with some pieces clearly repurposed from other better known documentary, this is even more apparent.

Whatever the reason, whether it be intention, lack of funding, or lack of vision Jane the movie is more pedestrian than the complicated and courageous woman herself or her groundbreaking work.

Safe both in content and in form.

Rent It.

'Thor: Ragnarok' A Review

Thor: Ragnarok is a superhero comedy, the third in the Thor series, and the latest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The best part about the film is that it doesn't really feel like MCU #17. Under the direction of Taika Waititi there is an gleeful playfulness that brings a freshness in tone and performance if not necessarily with plot to this superhero installment. The film opens on Thor(Chris Hemsworth) in chains talking with fire demon Surtur outlining the end of Asgard, the prophesized Ragnarok. Thor bests him and returns to Asgard only to discover Loki(Tom Hiddleston) masquerading as Odin. The two set out to bring their father back but his absence has released their evil sister Hela(Cate Blantchett) who wars on Asgard while Thor and Loki are stranded on garbage planet Sakaar.

Hemsworth give his best incarnation of his long held character, playing it with significantly more swagger, humor, and charm as well as a fraction more heart and feeling. With this installment it seems Thor has finally found a proper identity, a proper style. There is an inherent sillyness about the character that the film embraces and makes it significantly more successful. Hiddleston is somewhat underutilized but this is fully and truly Thor's movie and that's as it should be. Blantchett is delicious as the villain but would benefit from more interaction with Thor and just plan character development. Her performance of fun but there is a sense of unrealized promise about it. Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie is a highlight as is the return of Mark Ruffalo's Hulk, whose is given way more room to play. Somewhat confined by the necessity of telling a Marvel story Waititi isn't able to reach his same level of heart but he is able to bring his same level of humor and the cast clearly relishes the opportunity to operate outside the standard superhero box.

There are some incredible visuals, all of Sakaar, a dynamic flashback for Valkyrie, and a number of the fight scenes but there are also a couple sequences with terrible CGI that look like they ran out of money. This disparity isn't distracting or detracting but it is odd. The score is chock full of classic rock hits which just elevate the already prevalent feeling of fun.

Funny and fresh, still a Marvel movie.

See It.