On Grief

We all grieve in our own way. Whether we commiserate or sit silently, whether we weep or anger, whether we recount memories or distract with humor. We all have our own process we must deal with in order to come to terms with loss. What we cannot do is bottle it up and ignore it. We must engage with our grief, we must feel, we must face it, the pain is ours to be experienced and grappled with and incorporated into ourselves as we move on. It is not some foreign thing to be scorned, as difficult as that can be.

Last week a friend passed away. He was 25. It is a tragedy and it is painful. He was funny and joyful, always grinning with an easy loud near-constant laugh. The fact that he is gone is a shock and as the days go by it still seems unreal, more like a dream or ill conceived prank rather than reality. Like any moment there'll be news there's been some mistake. It will take time.

As I mourn I try to crystallize my memories of James. Our conversations, the time we sat together during shows, the times I saw him perform, our hugs. And more importantly than that I keep in my heart and mind his unbridled joy not only of comedy but of life, his open and relentlessly positive disposition. I will carry that with me forever, as a remembrance and as a guide.

When it comes to death, that frightening and inevitable counterpoint to life, compassion should be our watchword and gratitude our touchstone. The burden of life can be heavy but in sharing it becomes lighter. We all struggle. In reaching out and connecting, in seeking understanding and empathy that struggle is weathered. Each day is precious, each friendship, relationship, family member, success, pleasure, triumph are to be relished and remembered. There is tragedy and cruelty and sometimes it strikes close to home. But there is also love, joy, and companionship. Seek it out and savor it.

The world is capricious. Sometimes life can be fleeting. This is how we go on. One step at a time. One day at a time. Fortifying ourselves with the warmth of friends and family we trudge the road of happy destiny. For today, today we are here.

'Jack Reacher: Never Go Back' A Review

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is an action/thriller a sequel to the 2012 Jack Reacher. Reacher(Tom Cruise), a former military police Major and current psuedo vigilante, develops a friendship with Major Susan Turner(Cobie Smuthers) over the phone after they worked together uncovering a human trafficing ring. When he goes to DC to visit her she is arrested and Reacher gets embroiled in a black market arms cover up.

Cruise shows his age in this uninspired return to Reacher. Although he brings his movie star charm to any role he plays his recent string of action heroes(save for Edge of Tomorrow) have all been relatively flat with this installment being the least compelling. Smuthers as his co-star is strong and has heart but can only do so much to elevate this pedestrian sequel. Danika Yarosh as Samantha Dayton also give a good turn but is also constrained by the conventions of the plot.

The film suffers from Lee Child's corny dialogue more suited to his paperbacks than the screen as well as action sequences which range from unreal to the bizarre. The climatic fight itself between Reacher and the assassin that has been following him the whole film is characterized not by excitement but with an aged weariness.

Boring and borderline incoherent.

Don't See It.

'In A Valley Of Violence' A Review

In A Valley of Violence is a western about a man, his dog, and revenge. Passing through sparsely populated Denton on the way to Mexico Paul(Ethan Hawk) and his dog Abbie are confronted by young hot head Gilly(James Ransone) who Paul lays out after being incessantly provoked. Marshal Clyde Martin(John Travolta) tells Paul to get out of town and never come back which he does. Camping that night on his way to Mexico Gilly and three thugs ambush Paul, kill his dog, and leave him for dead. He returns to Denton for revenge.

Hawk is adequate as the man-with-no-name stand-in but only manages flashes of menace and pathos, there is a casualness to the performance which seems incongruent with the story it is actually in. Ransone is also relatively unharmonic in his role as heavy, he mugs and shouts and there isn't a whole lot of reality to his performance, there are moments of fun but mostly it seems like he is playing it as if it was the present rather than the past. Travolta is the one big surprise, providing depth, emotion and some wry humor. He isn't given much but he takes full advantage and puts forth a complete and compelling character. Taissa Farmiga as Mary-Anne is another bright spot, she brings energy and wit but unfortunately isn't given anything beyond psuedo-love-interest.

The biggest issue of the film is that it is derivative, the main crux of the plot is literally the same as John Wick. That on top of the numerous western tropes that the film blandly recycles. There is nothing at all new about the film save for the glimmer from Travolta and Farmiga and a couple cinematic flares, not enough to rise above mediocre.

Predictable and plain.

Don't See It.

Hunger

In college I had a mentor
who said an actor is always hungry
and I think, perhaps, he meant
that an actor's life can be capricious
and meals to be indulged
because they could be few
but I also think he meant two things
when he said one
which he often did
for the gnawing tickle of hunger
can sharpen inspiration
make one more attuned to creation
force an alertness to the moment
so that it may open up to artistry
whereas, perhaps, the comfort
of a belly constantly full
breeds complacency
and dulls the edge of imagination,
I say perhaps because
Jack was never one for explanations.

'Cameraperson' A Review

Cameraperson is a documentary/visual-memoir from cinematographer Kristen Johnson. The film is a collection of scenes and scenettes filmed but unused from all of Johnson's career. Ranging from landscapes to interviews to home footage all cut together not on narrative or content but on mood and feel, one flowing into the next, creating a remarkably evocative and emotional portrait of a true soldier of cinema.

An incredibly moving portrait of a life behind the camera. The film lays naked stark beauty and startling cruelty. Revealing more about the world, life, and the human spirit with images and quiet moments than most ambitious plots can achieve. We are shown Afghanistan, Bosnia, and various locations in the US but they are all tied together by life's inevitable tragedies as well as its enduring grace. By people. By kindness. By survival and heartbreak.

A magnificent, stirring piece of art. A powerful and potent film full of heart and hope.

Don't Miss It.

Naked Enthusiasm

Exciting
to see such
bright and
shining faces
eager, open,
and naive.

Odd to recall
the energy
of innocence,
how easy
it once was
to believe.

'The Accountant' A Review

The Accountant is an action movie about Christian Wolff(Ben Affleck) an autistic black market super-accountant who's also a weapons and combat expert. We follow Wolff as he takes on a seemingly innocuous case at a robotics company where he meets Dana Cummings(Anna Kendrick) a fellow numbers nerd and discovers some illicit booking. Congruently we follow Feds Ray(J.K. Simmons) and Marybeth(Cynthia Addai-Robinson) as they try to track down Wolff. As the story progresses flashbacks reveal how Wolff was molded by his military father.

Affleck is sufficient as the autistic assassin, along with action he provides enough understatement and eccentricity to be believable but also enough unwitting humor to make the movie, perhaps unintentionally, campy. This is the latest in Kendrick's seemingly endless parade of quirky love-interest/side-kicks and although she is always fun to watch does not offer anything fresh. Simmons and Addai-Robinson are both great actors but aren't given much purpose in the story. Bernthal as the heavy is magnetic as always but he as well is given relatively short shrift as far as character depth. Overall the performances are fun and serviceable but never seem to go beyond simply entertaining.

Objectively the movie is pretty ludicrous yet it does a relatively good job of balancing and embracing the absurdity. Although not a full on parody the movie is a good action movie that doesn't take itself very seriously. Or perhaps the humor is unintentional, either way it is enjoyable.

Entertaining if unchallenging.

Rent It.