Sweet Potatoes - A Recipe

First poke holes
then bake
at 400°
until soft
(like mushy)
cut in half
squeeze out meat
add butter
salt and pepper
(obvi)
cinnamon
and honey
if the mood strikes

'John Wick: Chapter 2' A Review

John Wick: Chapter 2 is an action thriller, the sequel to the 2014 original. The film picks up almost immediately after the first installment. Having avenged his dog assassin/boogeyman John Wick(Keanu Reeves) goes to retrieve his stolen car mowing through would-be adversaries. Task completed he attempts to resume his retirement from "the life" however Italian crime boss Santino D’Antonio(Riccardo Scamarcio) calls in a blood debt and forces Wick back into action. Consequences ensue and bodies pile up as Wick does what he does best.

Reeves performances in the last couple years seem particularly unfettered. He is always charming and his action abilities have only become more precise and engaging, but he seems to no longer be bound by strict realism, there is an impressionistic quality to a number of his more recent roles. Less serious, louder, and more fun. And as John Wick he has particularly struck a cord with this new mode of performance. Both menacing and gleeful. The world taken together hints at an underworld mythology which gives all the performances this more-than real quality. Most of the cast is returning, all pleasing, with the notable and diverting new addition of Laurence Fishburne as a crime boss The Bowery King.

This installment expands and solidifies the John Wick universe and doubles down on the action. The fight choreography is incredibly precise and intense, the action sequences elaborate with a striking clarity. Taken together it's quite incredible. The only way Chapter 2 falls short of the original is emotional. Without the clear catalyst of the first installment the motivations of the sequel are somewhat muddled asking Reeves to not only fight and shoot his way out of certain death but also emote, a bit of a tall order.

Impressive world building, stunning action, somewhat lacking in why.

Rent It.

'The Founder' A Review

The Founder is a biographical drama about Ray Kroc the man credited with creating the McDonald's fast food chain. Ray(Michael Keaton) is a Chicago based travelling salesman selling multi-spigot milkshake mixers, he has a comfortable life but is on the road constantly and yearns for more. He gets an order for an unprecedented number of mixers for one store which prompts him to visit. McDonald's is a very popular walk-up restaurant with quality food, fast service, and disposable packaging. Ray, being well versed in the pitfalls of drive-ins, is stunned by the slick and successful model, he meets with the brothers who created it Dick McDonald(Nick Offerman) and Mac McDonald(John Carroll Lynch) and they strike up a deal for Ray to begin franchising.

Keaton gives a compelling layered performance as the charming yet morally suspect Kroc. We empathize with his struggle but we don't quite condone his methods. Both Offerman and Lynch are the real hearts of the film, you clearly understand their aspirations and pain and are just as impressed as Kroc by their innovation. Laura Dern as Kroc's wife isn't given much to do and the marriage storyline seems to be an afterthought, a real shame given Dern's ability. The supporting cast is stacked with incredible talent but it is Keaton who, rightfully, dominates the film. In his late career renaissance Keaton puts in his most dynamic performance to date.

Visually the film is serviceable, the score unobtrusive and effective up to a point. The real highlight of the production is the costume and set design. The film successfully evokes the past with interest and a little mystery but avoids cliche and the archaic humor some period pieces unintentionally evoke.

Wonderfully acted, a story that highlights cutthroat economics as, perhaps, the American Dream.

Rent It.

I Miss The School Bus

Yes,
it was a pain to get up before the sun
and trudge out to the street corner
where me and my fellow lethargic students
gathered to begin our cross-town school-trek,

But that mobile corridor
with the uniform brown upholstered seats
was always warm and mostly safe
save for those times when some delinquent
would light fires in the way way back
or provoke the mostly docile bus driver.

We trundled along,
lulled by rhythmic blasts of hot air in winter
sparing breezes from cracked windows in summer
and the constant jostling from the overused shocks,
content and mostly quiet with our whispered preteen scheming.

It was a floating island in-between
a safe harbor, home base, a steady place
where all was changeless waiting
accompanied by Top 40 hits
like some prepubescent Brigadoon.

Adulthood can be weighty
and looking back
youth, although torrid
was mostly simple.

'A Dog's Purpose' A Review

A Dog's Purpose is a family dramedy about the various incarnations of a dog's soul. The dog is the companion of a small town boy, part of a CPD K9 unit, a lap dog for a lonely women, a forgotten accessory in a red neck couples back yard among others. In each life the dog(voiced by Josh Gad) attempts to discern the purpose of life while having as much fun as possible.

The supporting human cast as the various dog owners- Dennis Quaid/K. J. Apa/Bryce Gheisar all as Ethan at various ages, John Ortiz, and Kirby Howell-Baptiste- are all wonderful with great chemistry with their canine counter parts. Although potentially sickly sweet there is never any winking at the camera or cliche, the actors are both funny and sincere. The dogs, of course, are the real stars and what comes across is not only that they're well trained but that they are incredibly emotive. The dog actor human actor parings are all rife with possible pitfalls but they manage to hit both humor and the heartstrings in a perfect balance.

The story seems on the surface to be family friendly fluff but remarkably portrays some of the suffering dogs have to endure in various situations as well as the satisfaction that can be found in human companionship. This duality, and the seriousness which the film delves into both the dark and the sweet, elevate this seemingly pedestrian dog film to something much more moving and entertaining, dare I say sophisticated, than what it at first appears to be.

A shockingly effecting and enjoyable film about the small(or perhaps cosmic) role pets play in our lives.

See It.

Fishbowl Two Year Anniversary

The team I perform with at the Annoyance, Sight Unseen, has been hosting the student jam show The Fishbowl for two years this week. The team formed about six months before we started The Fishbowl and its been a great experience. At first we didn't have a form persay, and like any new team the first couple shows were relatively scattershot, but over time we developed a style which uses loose narratives to showcase strong emotion and flawed(sometimes pathetic, sometimes apoplectic) characters.

In some ways two years does and doesn't feel like a long time. The show serves, not only as straight up fun, but as a marker of time. An engaging constant. All of us were talented and experienced before we started the team but it has allowed us to grow in a more experimental and perhaps sophisticated ways. One of the reasons is that we have had total control over the show. Jimmy or Mary Beth typically hosts, I do the lights, we book the vets that play with the students, its our space for that chunk of time. And with that ownership comes substantial comfort and freedom. The audiences aren't always full but we've only cancelled two shows over the course of two years which isn't too bad. It's our thing and although not a smash hit it is a success.

With how fast the world can move and with how busy people can be its nice to have the show to help stay connected. I know, for the most part, I'm going to see the team at least once a week. And that constant, that routine allows for a friendship and ease that make the time we have together valuable and the improv we do engaging.

Top 5 Movies of 2016

Top 5:
Arrival
Christine
Hunt For The Wilderpeople
The Lobster
Moonlight

Top 5 Documentaries:
13th
Cameraperson
Dark Horse
The Eagle Huntress
Tower

Honorable Mentions:
Hell Or High Water
Midnight Special
Mr. Right
Paterson
Zootopia

Top 5 Disappointments:
Don't Think Twice
High Rise
The Light Between Oceans
Passengers
The Witch

Most Underrated:
Ghostbusters

Most Overrated:
La La Land

Worst Movie Of The Year:
Everybody Wants Some!!

Performances Of The Year:
Kate Beckinsale, Love & Friendship
Colin Farrell, The Lobster
Sally Fields, Hello My Name Is Doris
Rebecca Hall, Christine
Alex Hibbert/Ashton Sanders/Trevante Rhodes as Chiron, Moonlight

Scenes Of The Year:
Overpass dance, The Fits
Two Guns Holtzman, Ghostbusters
"Would that it were so simple", Hail, Cesar!
Bathroom speech, Hidden Figures
Father & son car ride, Morris From America