'The Judge' A Review

 The Judge is a courtroom feel-good drama about estranged slick Chicago lawyer Hank Palmer(Robert Downey Jr.) going back to his small Indiana home town for his mother's funeral. The day after the burial the titular Judge Hank's father Joseph Palmer(Robert Duvall) is arrested under suspicion of murder one. Hank represents his father in his trial and is drawn back into the small town life he fled. Encountering an ex-girlfriend, disgruntled hick locals, and reconnecting with his brothers the film is a coming-of-middle-age tale.

The film lands at an uneasy mid-point between Cameron Crowe and John Grisham. Not hard enough for a court room drama but lacking the requisite emotional journey for a softer more contemplative story. The ensemble is great with good turns by Vincent D'Onofrio as Hank's older brother with an unrealized MLB career and Vera Farmiga as the teen GF who stuck around and bought the local diner. Duvall and Downey are obviously the stars of the show and The Judge is primarily their vehicle. Duvall playing up his cantankerousness and Downey his fast talking charm. It works and it is something a movie could be built around but almost all the other elements of the film work against its performances.

The soundtrack and score is syrupy sweet filled with early ought radio hits and ubiquitous sentimental ballads. Instead of subtly enhancing the mood it distracts from, even contradicts the action. Some of the shot composition as well is so cliche it is reminiscent of a Lifetime movie- Downey riding his Schwinn down the highway arms akimbo or laying on his mothers gravestone after a storm in the midst of a sea of fallen branches. Images that let the audience know how hard the person behind the camera is trying(and failing) to convey emotions we are already picking up on.

Good enough to watch, not good enough to make an effort to see.

Rent It.

Graffiti 139: New York City

 Smoke meth, hail Satan.

There was a surprising amount of chalk work around the city, this took up a whole wall.

An Evian advertisement.

Alfred Hitchcock?

New York City: The Perpetual Motion Machine.

Marvel Mish-Mash Mural.

"There is a thread that ties me to the night." -Mana

Cockroach, rat, and pigeon- the original denizens of New York.

The Big Apple

Took this picture of Tisher's street as I was heading to the airport. It was a great to see Tisher and spend some time with him in his new city. It's a good fit for him, sprawling and romantic, cosmopolitan and bizarre, full of freaks, hipsters, and affluent douches. We did everything I wanted to do, saw some shows, hit tourist hot spots, and had some great food. It was a full experience with lots of stuff to ruminate on and unpack.

At the beginning of the trip I was nervous, scared that I would get overwhelmed in the utter tumultuousness of the city. On the bus from LaGuardia to Tisher's it was packed and I could feel myself getting worked up, prepping for a freak out. My bus stop finally came and no one really moved, people were just shuffling in place. I called out loudly but calmly "coming out!" and people made way. I had a little breakthrough, I realized the MTA is just like the CTA, the same etiquette, the same mix of confused/belligerent patrons, the same protocol. Realized over the course of the visit Chicago and New York aren't that different. Of course NYC is bigger, faster, more intense but when it comes to actually functioning, the day-to-day stuff, they're similar enough for me to be able draw the parallels and make it work. Chicago operates at an 8, NYC at a 10, they're not the same but on the same end of the spectrum.

The culmination of that realization was that I could live in NYC. I'd be able to establish a routine, be able to make my way around, carve out my little part of the city, be able to endure and figure it out and make a life. I have the ability to do it, it is not outside my capacity.

My second realization after talking to people about their lives, work, classes and shows was that I do not want to. I applaud my friends for making the jump, I have faith that not only will they be happy but they will attain the comedy success they deserve. I won't move there unless I have a gig, I have no desire to move there blind and start taking improv classes over again. No desire to take on a big city again from the ground up. Don't see the benefit in struggling to make rent let alone get stage time. Not to degrade that choice, I'm sure they are making longer and firmer strides towards a comedy career than I am, but it is comforting to come to the conclusion that that is not my path. The line between delight and despair is paper-thin in NYC. For a while there I felt left behind, confused, lost as to what I wanted to do and how I was going to do it. Going to New York and seeing it I know I'm where I'm suppose to be.

The trip, although not particularly restive, was inspiring. Creatively invigorating. I'm back in Chicago more balanced than I have been in months. Grateful for the opportunities I have, the loving friends that surround me, and Chicago itself.

Good Food & Lots of Walking

We got up kind of early this morning to meet Andel for brunch, she's currently on a Second City ship which ports out of NYC on Saturdays. To fortify us for the trip into Manhattan we stopped at Peter Pan Donuts just down the street from Tisher's apartment. Although Rockford's now defunct House Of Donuts will always hold a nostalgic and delicious place in my heart the chocolate glazed donut I had a Peter Pan's may be the best I've ever had.

We met Andel at The Wren in the East Village. As always it was wonderful to see her, she's just one of those people I click with automatically, instinctually on the same page. After spending time with her I always feel refreshed, focused. I got the Irish Breakfast which was very good, the blood sausage certainly was head and shoulders above any I've tried before.

After brunch we went to a bookstore then passed Gandhi on the way to the train. When we got back to his apartment Tisher napped while I wandered down to the river front.

Made a friend on the way.

On the river front there was some kids shooting a short film and a couple taking engagement photos. I've seen a lot of photo shoots the last couple days, about half models and half couples. Even so there wasn't that many people around. It was nice to take an hour or so by myself and listen to the waves break along the beach.

Empire State Building on the left, Chrysler Building on the right.

Tisher and I headed to Prospect Park for the evening. Walked around, talked, and tried to stay in the light. It was thrilling, even thought NYC isn't what it once was in regards to crime, it felt a little dangerous walking around this huge park after dark. No telling who could be hiding in the shadows.

The night was clear and cool, mist gathered above the vacant baseball fields. At one point we passed a cabin hosting a wedding reception. The dulcet rhythms of Mambo #5 breaking the otherwise pervasive silence.

Because of construction we got out a couple stops early and walked the rest of the way home. We passed through a kind of seedy neighborhood, then a neighborhood of Hasidic Jews with tons of folks out and about in full garb, it abruptly changed when we went under the BQE and were back in hipster Williamsburg. It was interesting how the texture of a neighborhood would change drastically by only traveling a couple feet. Tisher said the above is the Brooklyn town hall.

We got a late night slice, another New York must, then went to bed.

The Bridge, The Square, & New York Improv

After breakfast Tisher and I headed to the Brooklyn Bridge. It was the only must for me of the trip. This view is facing Manhattan.

I've only been to NYC twice before. My first visit I was 8 and the only thing I remember is seeing a guy get mugged. The second time was my senior year of college. The city was too big for me then, too cramped, too intimidating. But at one point we walked across the bridge basically alone, it was the middle of November, and I was struck by the beauty of the skyline and the peace of those weathered stones.

Crisp and a bit overcast it was an ideal fall day. The walk over the bridge was meditative and majestic. One direction the spikes and spires of Manhattan, the other the chaotic sprawl of Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Bridge is my favorite place in New York. There's a stalwartness about it, a serenity, an uncompromising gentleness. The bridge feels familiar, there's comfort in that.

This view is facing Brooklyn.

We crossed the bridge and wandered through lower Manhattan, passed a couple different court houses, and crossed this street.

This squirrel greeted us as we stopped to rest in Washington Square Park.

A surprising amount of flowers still in bloom.

We meandered through the square and continued north for a while then got on a train back to Brooklyn.

Annie and Joey joined us for dinner, great to see them. Bizarre for me, seeing all my Chicago friends in NYC, starting this new chapter of their lives, anxious and excited.

Tisher and I tried to see Gone Girl but it was sold out so we went to The Judge instead, review forthcoming. Then we went to see Conner's team at UCB.

I've heard a lot of talk about New York Improv vs. Chicago Improv, game play vs. scene work. I've never seen any New York teams to make the comparison until tonight, and I have to say possible bias acknowledged, NYC has got nothing on Chicago when it comes to improv. Conner was amazing but the rest of the team, although there were a couple people with a lot of talent, were single-mindedly making/trying to make jokes the entire time. No scene went longer than twenty seconds without a walk-on or a tag out, most scenes were done in some nebulous non-space, nothing was set up, nothing was left to breathe, there was a singular focus on making jokes.

Don't get me wrong I was entertained. It was a decent show. But there was no patience, no heart, no real inspiration. If that was any indication of NYC improv, that style can be categorized not by "game play" but by a dogged need to be funny at the expense of actually improvising.

Anyway. It was nice to get a little improv fix and to finally see a show at UCB.

Central Park & Colbert

Got up at 4am to catch a flight to New York City to visit Tisher. After a bite to eat in Brooklyn we headed to Manhattan and walked around Central Park.

I can't stop thinking about one of my favorite movies The Cruise. It's about this double decker bus tour guide Timothy "Speed" Levitch. He has this amazing monologue about Central Park, listing all the tons of dirt and rocks, all the figures on plants and animals that were imported to construct it. The worlds largest man made piece of nature.

It was beautiful, quiet, and green. So bizarre to have such a huge park in the middle of a crowded city.

Walking around I haven't seen as many pigeons or rats as I expected.

There were people there but not a ton, it was easy to have a relatively solitary Central Park experience.

Being in New York reminds me of Through The Looking Glass. It feels like an amped up mirror image version of Chicago where everything is just a bit different. A bit faster, a bit more compact.

Central Park: an oasis for the on-the-go New Yorker.

Shakespeare in the park.

By the lakefront under the stairs these two weirdos were playing violin and singing opera. Behind me there was a middle aged guy with a huge string contraption making bubbles. It was wonderful.

After the park we went to The Colbert Report. Robert Plant was the guest. I wouldn't describe it as fun exactly, I feel like Tisher and I as comedy people can kind of see the strings being pulled, and with Ariel writing for the show I didn't go into it with the same kind of unbridled enthusiasm as some of the other tourist type guests. Regardless it was very cool. It went by surprisingly quick and Colbert was all business, the consummate professional, compelling from the moment he hit the stage.

Once the taping was over Ariel(I made her make a "tough" face) took us back stage and showed us her office and the writers room. It was all very exciting and wonderful. She was incredibly generous getting us the tickets and showing us around and I think very excited some friends came to see her work.

We got dinner and caught up, Ariel describing her routine and me providing Chicago updates. A great first day.

Argument

Thoughts on arguing from a lawyer's son.

Emotion is not constructive. Getting emotional can make you incoherent, verbal alacrity is the most important asset in an argument and getting choked up limits your main instrument- your voice. You are also more prone to reveal detrimental information and/or engage in a personal attack. Anger can potentially be beneficial, helping you focus and bring force, but most times being perceived as mean or aggressive can undermine your believability and others ability to be empathetic.

Prepare your line of reasoning. A strong, clear, concise, opening gambit is half the battle. Before going into a situation where you will engage in an argument, present a case, or attempt to persuade play the conversation out in your mind. Think of what you will say, think of the different avenues the conversation can take, play each line of reasoning through to its conclusion preparing what you would say given each eventuality. Anticipate what the opposing perspective will be and construct reasons to combat it. If you are well prepared nothing will surprise you, you will have a variety of options from which to draw on, you will have a rebuttal for any possible eventuality.

Employ sound logic. To the best of your ability make sense. Do not employ fallacy, do not employ exaggeration, do not rely on appeals to emotion. Of course anything you say is filtered through your own opinion but try to be as cut and dry as possible, siting specific examples and follow thoughts to their logical conclusion. Follow A to B to C, if your logic is tight it is exponentially more difficult for anyone to refute you.

Personal attacks are ineffective. It can be tempting to attack someone personally, to use aspects of someones background or history to discredit them. For the most part opening that door derails the thrust of the discussion and overshadows whatever the desired outcome may be. It can also be hurtful, if you are dealing with people that you have an outside relationship with this kind of tactic will have consequences after the argument is over. It can also be perceived as petty, lowering your standing in the eyes of those you are engaging with, making them less likely to be swayed by you. Conversely any personal attacks directed at you should be ignored or deflected, you will appear more reasonable to those you are attempting to persuade and more likely to do so.

Give ground when warranted. If an opponent makes a valid point, concede it. Do not unilaterally disagree with your opponents. If you are too rigid, regardless of the soundness of your argument, you may appear too fanatical, too stubborn, illogical. If you cannot be swayed from your point of view your opponents will be equally unwavering, you have given them no reason to listen to your reasoning.

Have a desired outcome, work towards it. Keep a goal in mind. Prepare an ideal outcome to any argument. Construct your line of argument to work towards this outcome. Also be prepared to make compromises. What ground will you give and where will you stand firm. Always be prepared to give ground. The focus should be broad, see the whole board, the whole court, the whole game. There are ebbs and flows to arguments, victories and concessions. Take the long view and strive to achieve what you can.