'Morris From America' A Review

Morris From America is a coming-of-age comedy about Morris(Markees Christmas) and his dad Curtis(Craig Robinson) who have moved to Germany, in the wake of the death of Morris's mother, for Curtis's work. Morris struggles with the rejection of his peer group and their subsequent bullying, the isolation and grief both him and his father feel, and develops a crush on the one classmate Katrin(Lina Keller) who becomes his friend.

Robinson give one of the best, most dynamic performances of his career. Conveying a emotional authenticity while not sacrificing any of his innate humorous charm. Almost all the best moments of the film are with Robinson and Christmas or with Robinson alone. The chemistry the two have together evoke a real father and son dealing with those difficult and wide-reaching issues that are always relevant because they are faced by all fathers and sons. Christmas holds the weight of the story on his shoulders and holds up well but many of the situations outside of his interactions with Robinson are constrained by their predictability. Keller and Carla Juni as Inka Morris's German teacher both put in good turns but they also are restricted by the some of the coming-of-age tropes.

The international setting provides a welcome freshness as does the use of hip hop as both a way to distinguish Morris and Curtis's foreignness as well as a mechanism for Morris to evolve and relate. The film falls short in some of the "bigger moments" which perhaps reflect reality but feel cliche.

An incredible performance from Craig Robinson elevates a somewhat stock story.

See It.

Medieval Times

From as far back as I can remember I've been drawn to fantasy. Dragons, magic, swords, shields, horses, quests, familiars, monsters, prophecies the whole thing. I like those type of stories so much because they take you to a different world, transport you, you can get swept up in it all and be part of an adventure. Reality and fiction set within it can feel, at times, pedestrian. I don't think I'm drawn to the escapism of it so much rather it offers something so clearly beyond the scope of the normal day-to-day.

Travelling into Chicago from Rockford as a child the Medieval Times castle stuck out amidst the flat landscape like an alluring oasis. When I was 8 we finally went and it was a dream come true. One of the highlights of my childhood. It was so immersive I felt like I was in one of the stories I loved so much. I felt like I belonged. I went again the next year for my 9th birthday.

Last night Nicole and I along with Jose and Meigan went, it was my first time back since I was a kid and although it didn't hold the same mystery(how could it) it was still a wonderful evening. As cheesy and touristy as Medieval Times can be there's something incredibly fun and comforting about it. That it remains, providing entertainment for all and a bit of magic for the young who need it.

Movie Theater Ettiquette

It seems in this our vaulted digital age some basic civilities have dissipated. Namely personal space and politeness. If you'll indulge the age-old gripe it seems with our technological advances our ability or interest in treating others with respect has waned. We seem to be ignorant in public spaces of proximity to each others bodies, perhaps a result of chronic device use shifting focus from the outside world within, and those age old words "please" "thank you" and "excuse me" seem endangered. And sure however dated and devoid of meaning these arbitrary phrases may be at the very least they indicate a modicum of consideration.

I acknowledge that I'm most likely hyper sensitive of these various indiscretions in the movie theater as it is a place of reverence for me. A place of solace and adventure, of comfort and belonging. Which all can be shattered by the inconsiderate. Which brings us to yesterday evening.

At the AMC River East in a small theater, the 9:50pm screening of Kubo and the Two Strings. The audience was surprisingly packed. Always early as to not miss previews or appropriate seating Nicole and I were situated with a single seat on either side. After the protracted introduction and fifteen minutes of previews the movie began. At the same time three gangly foreign tourist 12-year-old boys with backpacks stuffed-to-bursting lumbered in to the theater.

As the opening credits rolled for the emotional stop-action flick two of them walked to the center of the row we were sitting in and asked the couple to our left to move, which they did. The third after his buds had seated walked in front of us and said "Can you move". Nicole quickly acquiesced. "No problem" she said. The small ember of anger ignited by their oblivious tardiness blossomed into an incendiary bonfire of rage. God. How dare they.

As the boy stood in front of me I waited a calculated fifteen seconds then said "Unreal". I got up and purposely crowded him as I passed and nudged him with my shoulder. As the movie progressed I calmed but throughout the running time the three checked their phones, laughed at emotional moments, loudly snacked on full size bags of potato chips, and guzzled soda from two liters.

At the end of the film, during the poignant resolution one of the three got up to stand in the entrance and take a call. As we exited I made a point to crowd him and give him a shoulder nudge. I was righteous in my passive-aggression. I was imparting a lesson.

Which is idiocy of course. It is most probable these three didn't even notice my behavior. Or if they did took it in stride as American attitude. It certainly didn't faze them. It was laughable.

For a long time I was an angry guy and I've mostly come to terms with it, put that part of myself behind me. Learned how to let go of small grievances and large irritants. But every now again it comes bubbling back. And every now and again I give it an outlet however slight. And almost always it is comic rather than sinister. Impotent rather than reasonable. And I'm reminded how futile fury can be.

'Kubo And The Two Strings' A Review

Kubo and the Two Strings is a stop-motion fantasy adventure film set in ancient Japan about a young boy Kubo(Art Parkinson) and his mother Sariatu(Charlize Theron) who are hiding out in a cave from their sinister family. One day Kubo is out after dark, something expressly forbidden by Sariatu, and is then confronted and chased by his two evil aunts. Thus begins his quest for the magical armor which will insure his safety.

All the actors give credible vocal performances however it is disconcerting the number of white actors portraying Asian characters. It is especially distracting when McConaughey enters as the beetle samurai, there is no hiding those laid back alright-alright-alright cadence. The cast is reflective of a recent trend in cinematic voice work where the intention seems to be slotting the most stars as possible as opposed to getting the best actors to cultivate the best performances. That being said the animation is incredible and imaginative, the story is emotional and evocative, all propelled by fun fast-paced adventure.

The plot itself is somewhat underdeveloped. Motivations, back story, and some of the machinations of the story as it progresses are unclear or muddled. It starts of strong but in the later third it kind of crumbles. It has the potential to be a really poignant beautiful piece of cinema but falls short with the injection of a moral and a beleaguered climax-come-resolution.

 Elegant stop-motion animation with a narrative that doesn't quite match its quality.

Rent It.

The Accident

My dad imparted
his love of motorcycles
some time ago
and it has been
a bonding point
ever since.

Early on
post-college
pre-profession
when I was sick and listless
our rides were the
only times lacking contention.

On our way back
from the illustrious
Oregon, IL
it began to sprinkle,
then drizzle, then rain
and my dad pulled off to reconnoiter.

But we were too close
and he cut right too quick
my back wheel locked
and began to slide
as the bike itself slowly
titled, then fell to the ground.

Not a crash but a wipe out surely. Unpleasant at 30 mph.

In pain and angry
I wriggled from beneath
the mound of metal
and ripped off my helmet
ready to rage
at my thoughtless progenitor.

As I stalked towards him
he removed his helmet
and I could see his face
had drained of color
and he looked at me, haunted, dreading
in that instant all my fury dissipated like a fog under the faithful sun.

The accident
was incidental
and what I saw was the
fear a father has of out living his child
I shrugged it off and made light to ease his worry,
comforted by the display, however morbid, of everlasting love.

'Don't Think Twice' A Review

Don't Think Twice is a dramedy about an improv group in New York City all clamoring to get on the Saturday Night Live stand-in "Weekend Live". After the TV producers visit one of the group's shows two of the six get tapped to audition. One of the two get the job and this coupled with the closing of their home theater forces the group to contend with their respective futures and the validity of their creative ambitions.

Although stacked with talented actors and comedians the cast flounders and mostly fails to bring to life writer/director Mike Birbiglia's mostly flat, immature, and trite script. Much of the behavior and dialogue of the characters is unbelievable, unlikable, juvenile or all three. Keegan-Michael Key gives the most compelling performance of the film and is given action and lines that most closely reflect how adult humans actually behave. The rest of the characters come across as self-involved petulant children. We're suppose to believe this group are all close friends however the minute one of their members gets commercial success they are immediately jealous, lash out, and attempt to leverage the friendship for gain. The characters as individuals aren't really developed so when they begin to be ugly to each other it doesn't necessarily make sense nor do we really care.

As an improviser myself I can say that Birbiglia's portrayal of the improv community and the art form itself are cliched and childish, perhaps emblematic of the burgeoning scene in the 90's but now totally irrelevant and incorrect. As a fellow artist I can say he gets wrong ambition and jealousy which are much more complicated and nuanced than he leads us to believe, not to mention, in almost every art form there is no single(Weekend Live) type of goal. The movie fails to take into consideration the myriad of different creative jobs, pursuits, opportunities, and projects that improv comedy, as a starting point, or any artistic discipline for that matter, could lead to. That however is mostly forgivable as improv is still a relatively unknown niche if the characters were actually three dimensional humans. They decidedly are not.

There are many egregious errors in the film, improv and interpersonal, but two stick out. The first is that Key's character Jack and his girlfriend Sam played by Gillian Jacobs break up during an improv set. This is so contrived and dumb its painful for all the wrong(dramatic) reasons. The second is the fact that Miles, Birbiglia's character, continually sleeps with his young impressionable students and its treated with a casual acceptance, at times its even a punchline, which is offensive. Doubly so given the conversations being had in comedy communities throughout the country.

Tone-deaf, cloyingly contrived, offers a feel-good thesis with no supporting evidence.

Don't See It.

Blockbuster: Closing

Tonight was closing night for Blockbuster. A more gratifying and demanding project I don't think I've ever worked on. After My Two Sons last year, which was basically a coming of age story about two boys, I wanted to do a show about the female experience. I came up with the framework of having the location be at a Blockbuster and take place over the course of one day partly because Blockbuster played a big part in my growing up and partly because it seemed like a place where references would easily launch discussions. The intention was to explore various gender issues by how they are portrayed in and reinforced/subverted by pop culture. I wrote an outline, the cast improvised the various scenes which were recorded, and I transcribed a script from the recordings.

I pitched the show to the Annoyance last December, they initially rejected it, I modified the proposal and re-pitched it and they said yes. We took February and March to generate the script and when I followed up about an opening date for the show there was some miscommunication and, after some back and forth, we got slotted for July. We took April and most of May off then came back with the completed script to get ready for the opening. This is all to say we've been working on the show for a while.

I cast Meaghan, Amy, Meg, and Sarah because they are all incredibly talented but also admirable people whose perspectives and ideas I knew would be engaging. I wanted to create a play that showcased their personalities and point-of-views. A lot of the challenge for me as the director was having some kind of structure which allowed them to do that. While working with them and trying to specifically address certain issues a lot of stuff came up that I wasn't aware of both outside of the play and as an outgrowth of our working dynamic. I learned a lot and tried to practice patience, honesty, and empathy whenever we ventured into subjects and circumstances that I had no experience or knowledge of. To listen more than talk, to facilitate rather than dictate. There were some tough moments but throughout Meaghan, Amy, Meg, and Sarah remained open and willing to continue the work and the conversation, even though there were moments that were frustrating the experience was one of discovery and growth, for me and I think for them too. The play itself they were all amazing in displaying courage and chemistry, strength and vulnerability.

Jimmy, Max, and Danny all worked with me on My Two Sons and we have a close friendship as well as an intimate working relationship. With the way I create plays through outlining, improv, then transcription a comfort and ease with that kind of process is important. They're also incredibly charismatic performers and just a joy to be around. With Mike, not pictured above but below, we've been friends for a long time, he's one of the most dynamic performers I know, but we'd never really worked together, I wanted him to essentially be the villain of the show. It required him to walk a fine line between darkness and humor, pathos and aggression, which he has a very unique ability to pull off. All of them were incredible to watch. They weren't in the play a lot and functioned primarily as cameo-like foils for the four leads but they gave generously of their time and ability to help create, what I hope was, something that offered a somewhat fuller view of gender relations by their participation.

The play turned out almost exactly how I had pictured it in my head, better. The structure, the flow, the content. I set out to do a play that paid tribute to movies and Blockbuster and we did that, more importantly I wanted to do a play that had a message, and as complicated as that turned out to be, I think we accomplished that. In the comedy community there seems to be an aversion to sincerity, people use irony as a shield, a way to comment without putting belief on the line. And sure that can be good even great but personally I think there's something more powerful about putting yourself out there and being genuine. And perhaps the show and its intentions are imperfect given the complex and varied subjects we attempted to address but I take great satisfaction and pride in the work that we did and the show we produced. In the effort and attempt.

The process and the people taught me a lot not only about the subtle and not-so-subtle forms and instances of sexism and repression but also about directing itself. About story and character, about narrative expectation, dramatic tension and release. How to communicate and collaborate more effectively. I'm more knowledgeable personally and creatively because of the show. And that is the result, almost exclusively, of the open minds and hearts of the cast.

This show has been the most exacting project I've ever worked on and consequently the most fulfilling and there's a lot of people who helped me and inspired me along the way. HP for putting together the 2008 female alt-rock soundtrack. Beanpole for the poster art. Alison and Allison for being incredible understudies. Nicole for being my confident and always providing a listening ear. The Annoyance for the opportunity. And most importantly the cast who gave of their time and talents in exorbitant amounts.