Ode To The Motor Bike

Power!
like fucking some unnamed god.

Providence

I reached out to grasp your hand
you insisted on entwining fingers.
We prayed, your reticence balanced
my routine detachment.

Your palm was cool and clammy
nerves evident in your slippery grip,
tightly we held each other
comfort in the matching pressure.

After our hands slowly disentangled
you looked to me for some approval
I nodded, smiled, and touched your shoulder
my body saying what I could not say in words.

'Hector And The Search For Happiness' A Review

Hector And The Search For Happiness is a feel-good British comedy based on a novel of the same name. In the questionable vein of Eat, Pray, Love affluent London psychiatrist Hector(Simon Pegg) finds himself dissatisfied with his life and sets out on a journey across the globe to find out what makes people happy.

With a playful and star-studded cast the film almost achieves its goals of being light-hearted, funny, and poignant. Unfortunately the film is, at points, myopic of the implicit entitlement of its main character. When Hector discovers the young beautiful Chinese woman, who has shown him some affection, is a prostitute his response is "Aw shucks she lied to me." When he is captured by African militants there is no sense of real danger, no actual stakes, no authenticity. When he visits his old flame he does so petulantly, demanding answers. Pegg shambles through the film draped in cliche khaki doing his best to inject some realism but moments of actual discovery are no where to be found.

The film is funny and Pegg and Rosemund Pike who plays his girlfirend have great chemistry. The scenery is beautiful and the life lessons, although sometimes trite, are interesting enough. But the pieces never come together, it never delves the depths it hints at, it remains safely and smugly on the surface.

Ultimately we do not much care about this privileged white man's struggle to get in touch with his emotions and find direction. In fact, as the film progresses, we come to somewhat resent him.

Passably entertaining but off-putting in its soft advantaged worldview.

Rent It.

Fall Flowers

Walking to the bookstore I was surprised by the growth and colors.

Despite the chill and autumns increasing momentum, the vestiges of summer preserve.

How comforting, the blossoming purples and pinks off set the yellows and browns of changing leaves. And we remain in some suspended state. Quietly waiting for the harvest, holidays, and the inevitable cold.

Graffiti 138

"One of my first memories of being a kid was, 'I want to have a real job when I grow up.' And to me that meant you wear a suit and a hat and carry a briefcase and go to your job." -Will Ferrell

"My father used to say, 'Let them see you and not the suit. That should be secondary.'" -Cary Grant

"A man in a well tailored suit will always shine brighter than a guy in an off-the-rack suit." -Michael Kors

"You're gonna like the way you look." -George Zimmer

'The Drop' A Review

The Drop is a slow burning crime drama about a drop bar(a holding place for mob funds) in Brooklyn. Marv(James Gandolfini) and Bob(Tom Hardy) run Cousin Marv's a bar used to launder money by the Chechen mafia. One night the bar is held up and Marv and Bob are put in a dangerous position with their Chechen handlers. Bob, a simple man, acquires a dog and through the pup meets and develops a connection with Nadia(Noomi Rapace). The situation becomes more precarious when a robbery is planned for Super Bowl Sunday when Cousin Marv's holds all the dirty money for the city.

Tom Hardy makes the film worth it, with a masterful, complex, and layered performance. We are unsure throughout of his exact intentions or perceptions and he builds to a poignant thrilling reveal. Gandolfini, in his final on screen performance, is petulant, conniving, and unlikable. Marv is Tony Sopranos weaker uncharming cousin, an interesting epilogue to Gandolfini's memorable somewhat limited career. Rapace as always is watchable and her chemistry with Hardy is magnetic. They aren't given a whole lot to sink their teeth into but the film overall is relatively quiet, pleasantly so.

A sedate crime film with little violence, an extended build, and nuanced performances.

See It.

A Long Goodbye

A lot of friends have left Chicago recently. Since Tisher left back in May it's felt like the comedy scene has been in a protracted state of farewell. iO and Annoyance opening, Upstairs Gallery closing, and all the people moving it's been kind of exhausting. Now it's mostly over with some people trickling out over the next couple months, we're(seemingly) over the big push.

All the parties and the going-away shows have been great, proper celebrations and send offs but I'm looking forward to relaxing. To settling back into some semblance of routine, of doing the work without distraction. We all have our paths to follow, our separate journeys. I'm sure more people will move, will go back to school, will start families, but all in our own time. There's no clock, no timeframe, no one way to do what we all want to do, no one dream we are all working towards.

I'll miss everyone who has left in the past month. Annie, Carmen, and John especially. I loved watching them, they inspired me, they went out of their ways to include me and be my friend. I won't forget their generosity and their kindness.

I'll miss John's absurdity, Carmen's(sometimes unwitting) edge, and Annie's courage. And although they will be missed, not only by me but by many, I know they will flourish in NYC. There is comfort in that.

My dad likes to say there is no constant in life save change. It's not a scary fact, it's one to celebrate. A week, a month, a year from now anything is possible. Opportunities wax and wane and the future unfolds with both grief and joy.