M(etro) T(ransit) A(uthority)

It's apathy
is so severe
it must
be deliberate,

the low bar
of basic function
unconsidered
its purpose- oracular,

a public service
that serves
neither public
nor metropolis,

a broken
sallow creature
more yolk
than convenience,

dirty- fine
repairs- expected
but a complete and utter disregard for accessible information
as to where and when and what is in operation
is nothing less than the pointed neglect of those not wealthy enough
to not require municipal transportation
as if the financially strapped
don't have enough with which to contend
in a city of trash and thwarted ambition.

NYC Visit

In NYC staying with my friends Meaghan and Tim. Went to the Frida exhibit, did a show, walked across the Brooklyn bridge with Chicago ex-pat Max, ate some good food, and went to see a play with Laurie Metcalf and John Lithgow(pretty incredible to see those two acting titans on stage together). A fun action packed little vaca. Much needed as the first half of the year has been mostly fine but certainly taxing.

There is a lot of cool things to do in NYC but this trip really solidifies my dislike of their transit system, which had numerous closures and partial stoppages with no signage or info on their website to indicate them, and just the claustrophobia and simple difficulties(like finding a bathroom) of existing their. Great place to visit but my hat is off to anyone living their making under 200K.

Tim dressed in a suit and a tie for the play while Meaghan and I were in shirts and jeans. We got out classed.

Went to the Alamo Drafthouse and to see a flick and there was this Kong back drop with many signs to tag the theater. Good little piece of marketing.

'Slut In A Good Way' A Review

Slut In A Good Way is a French Canadian coming-of-age dramedy about three friends and their after school job at a toy store. The film opens on defacto protagonist Charlotte(Marguerite Bouchard) and her boyfriend who comes out as gay and subsequently breaks up with her. She is consoled by her two best friends Mégane(Romane Denis) who is the more bohemian and Aube(Rose Adam) who is more straight laced. The three wander into a toy store and notice a number of cute boys working there then decide to apply for jobs, which they get, and thus begins romantic and sexual entanglements for all.

The young cast does well at channeling the curiosity, ennui, mercurial emotion and arrogance of teenage years at times to the point of irritation(at least for an adult) but the charm and relatability of the core three friends balances the roughness of youthful ignorance well with companionship and a universal channeling of youthful discovery. Sexuality is the main subject being investigated and the cast are fearless in portraying the experimentation, shame, and vulnerability associated with that aspect of growing up.

Shot in black and white in a nameless French Canadian suburb the film has an evocative, realistic style but the digital cinematography periodically falls short(whether by intent or by the caliber of equipment) especially in the white spectrum with some blinding or washed out scenes that distract rather than heighten.

For years there were many, countless really, films made about the hetero-male coming-of-age story and in recent years this monopoly has been slightly lifted The Edge of Seventeen, The Diary of a Teenage Girl, and Love, Simon come to mind, and this is certainly a welcome entry in that burgeoning tradition. This particular film focuses directly, refreshingly, on sex and not in a lose-your-virginity-at-prom type of way where the sexuality of its subjects is taken as a given and the trials and pitfalls that entails come out of the shadow and into the light.

Obviously from the title, the film builds around Charlotte's promiscuity and the subsequent fall out ie slut shaming, it isn't perfectly handled and some questions are raised and answered while others kind of fade away with the film resolving in a more traditional teen-rom-com kind of way. Even so, the fact that a film like this is being made, so directly addressing this topic, is a boon and signals, hopefully, even more diverse stories to come.

Rent It.

'Us' A Review

Us is a scifi/horror/thriller about a family vacationing at the beach confronted by their malevolent doppelgangers. The film opens in 1986 on child Adelaide watching a Hands Across America commercial, we then cut to her at a carnival with her parents where she wanders into a mirror maze and is confronted with her doppelganger. 30 years later Adelaide(Lupita Nyong'o) drives with her husband Gabe(Winston Duke), daughter Zora(Shahadi Wright Joseph), and son Jason(Evan Alex) to the family beach house. That night a shadowed family of four appears on their doorstep and begins to terrorize them and they look exactly the same.

All four of the core ensemble give incredible, dimensional, alternatively chilling and compassionate performances with a streak of, much needed, humor. All four also play their shadow-selves all with success but varying degrees of horrifying emotion. Nyong'o especially, as the defacto lead, gives a titanic portrayal- physical, vocal, and emotional- she really puts on a clinic in how dynamic an actor can be when they utilize all their tools. Duke, although serious and appropriately assertive provides much needed levity and both Joseph and Alex give stunning turns given their age. The family has amazing chemistry and their given free reign to the bizarre as the jumpsuited duplicates in a way that
really shows off how fluid and flawless the core four are. The limited supporting cast is sufficient although Tim Heidecker and Elisabeth Moss as the Wilson's bougy friends doesn't particularly land.

The production elements of the film are all flawless most notably the eerie, hypnotic, droning score but each element is near perfect- the set design, the costumes, the cinematography- all work in conjunction in harmony to elevate the already excellent cast. The story is somewhat tricky and quickly spools out leaning more towards the nebulous rather than the narrative. It is apparent that the story is an allegory but it is not particularly clear what that allegory is. This lack of clarity is can be frustrating but is also the thing which keeps the film on the mind after its enigmatic ending.

Not necessarily as streamlined and satisfying as writer/director Jordan Peele's debut Get Out but challenging, conceptual, and engaging.

See It.

BusMates

I wouldn't say
the family
from Janesville, WI
that sprawled across
four rows
of the bus
that spirited us
down I-90
were hicks
actually
...
maybe I would
the teens
brayed
their brashness
via facetime
the parents
berated the driver
for a two minute
deviation
from the scheduled departure
and waxed poetic
on the nature of auditory change
during air travel
as if popping-ears, air pressure, and that cure all
gum
were not only novel
but they their sole afflictors.

Amazing
how loud
ignorance can be.

Silence

In our world
of increasing connectivity
silence has become
a sign of depression
irritation
or lack
of civility
but quiet
of the mind and mouth
should be sought
not shunned
should be cultivated
not culled
tranquility
not contention
sustains
in times of trial
and apathy.

40!

Was up in Madison this weekend for my sister's birthday. Had a wonderful visit and nice to avoid Chicago during St. Patrick's day weekend. One of my goals this year has been to devote more time (with) and energy (to) my family and, so far so good. I'm feeling more connected with and positive about my family and I hope they're getting something out of it too!

Got to spend some time with my niece too which was a real treat.

'Paddleton' A Review

Paddleton is a dramedy about two middle-aged friends Michael(Mark Duplass) and Andy(Ray Romano). The film opens on the two playing a version of racquetball they created, the titular paddleton. The two make pizza, play board games, and watch kung fu movies in the evening after a day at their respective menial jobs. Michael is diagnosed with terminal cancer and although Andy wants him to seek treatment Michael decides to avoid further suffering. Michael asks Andy for help in his final days and to spend time together like they always have.

Duplass brings his always consistent, if not terribly varied, casual charm and naturalism to the role and serves to give a simple, graceful, sometimes wry sometimes moving portrait of a man with a terminal diagnosis. It's an idea that has been done many times and can easily become saccharine or overwrought but this take feels astoundingly fresh and inspires more while trying less. As solid as Duplass is Romano is a revelation. There's no doubt he will be overlooked come awards season because this is a straight-to-Netflix winter release but his performance deserves attention. He's vulnerable, grumpy, perhaps on-the-spectrum, funny, and totally ill-prepared to face the mortality of his best and only friend, but even so he steps up to help him out. It's an incredibly nuanced and beautiful performance with comedic moments but really its a conduit for some high level pathos and compassion. As, basically, the only two in the film Duplass and Romano have wonderful understated but contagious chemistry, the simple life these two middle-class, loner, socially limited men have   starts off as kind of thin and funny but gradually reveals itself to be surprisingly deep and compelling.

Visually the film is like the performances, mostly reserved, but there are a couple of more intense hand-held sequences and a number of patient close ups and two shots that bolster they already emotionally impactful narrative. The narrative, on the surface almost too simple, is more effective and engaging the almost any buddy-comedy or cancer-drama of the past decade because of the real life scope of the characters(they aren't rich, they aren't "successful", they don't have an endless line of supportive friends, and there is no "wacky" situation for them to navigate).

This is a slice-of-life film that actually feels like real life but with enough humor and enough hope to inspire and to affirm in the most positive way why its worthwhile, even important, to be human.

Don't Miss It.

House Of Donuts

Who can judge
the veracity of
capricious memory
but of all the marvelous
baked and fried
morning pastries
I've consumed
the best, the ideal
came from the now defunct
House of Donuts
on Auburn Street
in Rockford Illinois.

Once perhaps
a gas station,
truck stop,
or greasy-spoon diner
converted to a pantheon
for ring-shaped cake
the decor- seedy 70's
the clientele- brash
but friendly
in that quintessential
gritty Midwestern way
but the wares, gods the wares!

Crispy crullers
silky long johns
decadent danishes
precarious mounds
of donut holes
rich chocolate options
and tangy citrus concoctions
fruit-filled turnovers
and rich ridged old-fashioneds
jelly, jam, and cream stuffed
frosted, glazed, and flaky
a vast and joyous smorgasbord
that satiated and consoled
the years of my youth.

The House of Donuts
may have fallen
but it will live forever
flavorous and redolent
in the minds of countless
loyal customers like me.

Rain

I've never minded getting wet
never put much effort
into avoiding falling drops,
I carried an umbrella as a teen
more for affectation
rather than applicable tool,
I prefer the touch of sky and earth
prefer the tangible effect of weather
prefer to participate in the vitality of storm,
there are downsides of course
damp and cold are seldom pleasant
and often are the harbingers of sick
not to mention the potential stink
of saturated clothes,
even so, a cost I'm happy to pay
to feel cleansing water on my face
may it wash my past away.

'Captain Marvel' A Review

Captain Marvel is a superhero movie, the latest in the MCU, the first with a female lead. The movie opens on a nightmare/flashback of Vers(Brie Larson) a seemingly Kree solider on the Kree capital Hala. Vers trains with commander Yon-Rogg(Jude Law) and is given a mission by the Supreme Intelligence an AI to investigate a possible Skrull(Kree sworn enemy) trap. On the mission Vers is separated from her team and crashes on 1995 Los Angeles. On the tail of some renegade Skrulls, lead by Talos(Ben Mendelsohn) Vers hooks up with Nick Fury(Samuel L. Jackson) and the two work together to uncover her past as well as what the Skrulls are looking for on Earth.

Larson does well as the titular hero Vers aka Carol Danvers, pairing a solid competent physical presence with a streak of sarcasm and an unflappable attitude. Her performance does fall a bit short in some ways as far as the range, she maintains a relatively steady center which prevents a big pop of catharsis. This fault mostly resides not with her but with the script, with two credited screenwriters, three credited with story and probably another dozen uncredited the script sacrifices possible emotional moments and character development for plot propulsion. The story hurtles forward with mostly thrilling effect but the brief flashbacks hint at how much more fully formed the character could have been had we taken the time to move through the journey of the character prior to her being empowered. Mendelsohn clearly has fun with this softer, more bizarre role, usually cast as a heavy or something realistically dramatic. Jackson, given his largest role in an MCU installment to date, no surprise flourishes. Him and Larson have excellent chemistry and humor. And he is one of the rare actors portraying a "younger version of himself", becoming more and more popular by the year, who actually reaches an acceptable level of believability. The supporting cast are all solid Law and Lashana Lynch as Maria, Carol's best friend, especially.

Visually the movie is somewhat uneven. A lot of the more "real" action scenes, done by actual humans and a mix of CGI and practical effects, are stellar. Larson is clearly doing many of her own stunts which is thrilling. The moments it falls short though are in the full on 100% CGI sequences when the laser beams and spaceships can help but look somewhat cartoony. The 90's inspired soundtrack is stellar and the nods to and jokes about the decade all help to build out a fun engaging world.

Fun, funny, and faced paced with a couple stirring ass-kicking moments the movie falls short perhaps only slightly under the burden of expectation, massive build up, and Marvels refusal to wait this long to produce a female lead film.

See It.

Cold Sore

Gross
I know
worse yet
to have the leering blemish
pulsing from your own
trusted lip
a betrayal
of your flesh,
your home
destined simply
to endure.

'Fighting With My Family' A Review

Fighting With My Family is a biopic/sports dramedy about aspiring English professional wrestler Saraya "Paige" Knight(Florence Pugh). The movie opens in Norwich, England with Paige and Zak(Jack Lowden) as kids being brought into the family business of wrestling by their parents Patrick(Nick Frost) and Julia(Lena Headey). Flash forward and the Knights are happy but struggling to make a living operating a regional wrestling company. Both Zak and Paige get a shot at joining WWE's farm team when a scout comes to town but only Paige is tapped to go to Florida to train. Paige struggles to carve out an identity and distinguish herself in clash and battles the resentment from her brother as well as pressures from her parents.

Pugh as the lead does well and doesn't shy away from some of the more awkward or painful moments of her transformation. She is supported tremendously by the talents of the other actors playing her family. Lowden gives his character some much needed solidity and both Frost and Headey compliment and lend credence to their onscreen children. The supporting cast are all good, the story doesn't call for a ton of depth nor is that required, a throughline of relatively even sincerity is stuck to and as such there are no real performance highlights there are no missteps either.

Visually the film is relatively workman-like save for the wrestling matches and training which are all excellently choreographed and feel real and there is a substantial amount of them. For a movie about wrestling its well that there is actual wrestling in it. The narrative is balanced well not only with Paige's journey but with Zak's back in Norwich with almost equal consideration given to both. As such the movie slightly side steps some of the more well worn tropes this particular genre can fall into.

A fun, heartwarming story, straightforward but not terribly unique in its execution.

Rent It.