Kishwaukee River

Once
I swam the Kishwaukee
when the waters were high

young and arrogant

I saw that churning power

and let the current take me

gleeful I rode

I tossed and turned

reveling in its might

until I realized

I did not ride, but was ridden

taken by the tide

and then O' friends

the fear and panic

the splash and splutter

the thrash and flutter

all for nothing

caught, as I was

in the river's fluid restraint

but lo

a branch up ahead

and then did I swim

eclipsing exertions before or since

and as it passed I reached

and grasped

and held firm

as the torrents buffeted

I pulled and hauled

and after a time

collapsed, breathless, upon the earth

grateful for the Kishwaukee's deference

chastened for my hubris.

Alive.

'Drive My Car' A Review

Drive My Car is a drama that follows Kafuku(Hidetoshi Nishijima) an actor and multilingual theater director. The extended prologue follows him and his wife Oto(Reika Kirishima) and serves to set up the context of the main narrative which is Kafuku directing a production of Uncle Vanya in Hiroshima. Because of his glaucoma Kafuku's is assigned a driver Misaki(Tōko Miura) and the two develop a connection as Kafuku works on the production and with the eclectic cast.

Nishijima does well as the lead and has a lot to shoulder, in the mold of the prototypical Chekhovian protagonist, he is contemplative, mournful, but not without absurdity and humor. More dynamic though is Miura whose character has more dimension, more reality, and therefore much more impact. Another highlight is Park Yu-rim as Yoo-na one of the actors in the production who is mute and communicates(and performs) with South Korean sign language. Where the film really hooks(about an hour in, it's a long slow burn) is with Yoo-na's audition, the vitality and effect of that scene is electric and serves to jump start the film where before it is relatively sedentary and morose. The supporting cast are all excellent save for the one discordant note of Takatsuki played by Masaki Okada who, whether because of the performance or as written, is overly oafish, boorish, and boring for seemingly no purpose and without reality aside from necessary plot machinations.

Gorgeously shot, elegantly scored, with recorded lines from the play serving as diegetic commentary/narration, the production design is transportive. The extended prologue is a challenge not only in its length and thin connection to the larger narrative but also it's bleak, baffling, immature tone. There is a throughline of extenstionalism that runs through Chekov so its not surprising but in the modern era the kind of "what does it all mean" meandering feels very undergrad philosophy student. And the sexual themes addressed are perhaps more poignant in Japan but not particularly illuminating or interesting from a US perspective. That all being said there is a lot of rich emotion, complicated dynamics, and inspiration to be found particularly with the journeys of Kafuku and Misaki and their relationship. The inspection of theater as an art form and how its filmed and portrayed is also incredibly effective and unique.

Ambitious, stirring, if(like life) imperfect, and perhaps that is intentional.

Currently streaming on HBO Max.

See It.

'The Adam Project' A Review

 The Adam Project is a time travel action movie about Adam(Ryan Reynolds) who flees 2050 to go back to the past, find his lost love Laura(Zoe Saldaña), and thwart Maya(Catherine Keener) a corporate titan in control of time travel and who has used it to consolidate power. He crashes in 2022 and connects with his younger self Adam(Walker Scobell) who he needs in order to repair his ship.

Reynolds plays his role a bit more straight and jaded, a nice departure for him, and its his counterpart Scobell who gets more of the wise-cracking humor. Scobell does a suprisngly effective psuedo-Reynolds impression and the two have a nice, easy chemistry. Keener is always a joy to see but doesn't get a ton to do as the heavy. Saldaña, also just a pleasure to have onscreen, has, in essense, an extended cameo but makes the most of it with some kick ass action. Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo round out the cast as Adam's parents, each bringing some necessary emotion and grounding the narrative to balance the more heightened genre elements. No one is being asked to do anything particularly challenging but it all works.

Visually(and tonally) a bit more somber than director Shawn Levy previous Free Guy, it has a serious edge but doesn't fall into doom and gloom. The action sequences are well choregraphed, there's enough of them to keep the momentum going, the CGI is if not seamless than judicious, the story has heart, if ultimately a riff/amalgam of things we've seen before. But it doesn't have any pretentions beyond that. It's trying to be a fun, propulsive blockbuster with an effective familial subplot, and it succeeds.

Straight up, uncomplicated, entertainment.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Stream It.

The Only Way Out Is Through

The first time I got poison ivy
I got it bad

it was all over my legs

my arms, my neck, my chest

in between my fingers and toes

and the itching

colossal

monumentous

sanity shaking

and after days of

oatmeal baths

and calamine lotion

I finally went to the doctor

to get some meds

and it slowly, gradually

began to clear.

Those weeks were

the most challenging 

of my young life

but the lesson

was invaluable

sometimes

all you can do

is endure.

'Lucy and Desi' A Review

 Lucy and Desi is a documentary about the lives and careers of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Through archival footage, still images, audio recordings, and a few brief talking head interviews the movie unfolds in a rough but linear chronology.

Overall the movie maintains a determined pleasant tone and deliberately does not inspect anything that might be viewed as controversial. As such it plays a bit like an educational video for middle school theater students. It's great to see the wide ranging clips from Ball's considerable body of work, personal audio tapes of her(and Desi) presumably provided by the family are also insightful, or at least provide information unattainable anywhere else. But for the most part, the movie does not offer anything that couldn't be better digested by simply watching "I Love Lucy" or reading the subjects wiki.

What's more apparent are the gaps- Desi's infidelity and substance abuse, the marital tension Ball's super stardom resulted in(and Desi's resentment/jealousy there of), Ball's position(deliberate or not) as a feminist boundary breaker, her talent and style in and of itself, her legacy, the effect their work ethic/fame had on them and their family, their mental health, their familial situations and codependence etc. are all not investigated or are only mentioned or referred to in the most cursory of ways. Which in some ways is fine if that's the kind of movie you want to make put it on Nickelodeon or Disney, however, the astounding talent, influence, and life of Ball is complex and deserves a nuanced dimensional investigation. The movie does not ask, what can we learn, it says only, remember this?

There is an issue even with the title itself, bolstered up by the heavy-handed saccharine score, which in essence packages this as a love story and attempts to give equal weight to both parties. This is diminishing, naïve at best and (perhaps unwitting) patriarchal revisionism at worst. Not to minimize Arnaz's contribution or his struggle or his impact on "I Love Lucy" or the TV industry at large however Ball is the icon, she is the legend. If you want to make a documentary about Ball, make it about Ball she deserves it, if you want to make it about the two of them as they are inextricably linked that makes sense, but get into it- get into their difficult marriage, get into the sexism and racism they had to grapple with both within and without, personal and professional, get into the actual humanity and artistry, get to the Truth. Because that's what film is supposed to do.

Soft, agreeable, lacking perspective.

Currently streaming on Amazon.

Stream It.

'After Yang' A Review

After Yang is a transcendental scifi drama about Jake(Colin Farrell) and Kyra(Jodie Turner-Smith), their adopted daughter Mika(Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja), and their android son Yang(Justin H. Min) who they purchased primarily as Mika's companion. When Yang malfunctions the family struggles to have him repaired, reevaluates his place within the family unit, and investigates the validity of his humanity.

Farrell puts in a strong, slow burn of a performance, starting off very reserved, cold, and resentful than slowly and minutely unfurlling. It's impressive and captivating if not particularly showy. Turner-Smith also plays it very grounded, has excellent chemistry with Farrell, and along with the other major themes the two let the sub-story of this loving but troubled marriage play out with loving and heartbreaking subtlety. Tjandrawidjaja is impressive and gives a surprisingly dynamic and dimensional performance for her age but the real stand out is Min, much of his screen time is in narrative flashbacks, paints a riveting portrait of a sentient AI who is deeply ambitious with his emotions, incredibly caring, but constrained by programing. All taken together its all relatively sedate, slowly and meticulously builds to a beautiful but sorrowful catharsis. 

Writer/director Kogonada's second feature isn't as straightforward as the wonderful Columbus but for those with the patience to give the film it's due time and space it offers rich rewards. Visually beautiful(with some inspired construction both in regards to editing and set design), masterfully scored, with thick implication both in regard to character and theme, the film does a lot with making very little explicit. And aside from the advanced technologies within, the narrative is very grounded, very relatable, and offers some moving insight. Ultimately the film is a celebration of life and a warning about how precious it can be. And although there is not a ton of humor there is still some levity and absurdity to temper the more sobering ideas. The opening scene particularly, a protracted dance sequence, will easily be one of the best of the year.

A small, fragile film with a lot to say and learn from if given a chance.

Currently in theaters and streaming on Showtime, coming soon to VOD.

See It.

A Meditation On Creating

Performers call it being

"in the moment"
athletes "the zone"

whatever you call it

it refers to a particular

state of mind

state of being

when all things fall away

and what's left is only

a fluid excellence

a graceful efficiency

in execution of the act

where, regardless of that act

be it mundane task

physical challenge

or artistic expression,

there is a sense of rightness

of harmony

of exceptional but effortless output.

This is a state to be pursued.