'Author: The JT Leroy Story' A Review

Author: The JT LeRoy Story is a documentary about the literary persona JT LeRoy created by author Laura Albert. Albert recounts her childhood, the creation of LeRoy by calling crisis hotlines, her eventual publication as LeRoy, the subsequent success, the perpetuation of the persona with Albert acting as cockney-accented manager Speedie and Albert's partner's half-sister Savannah as LeRoy, and the eventual reveal by the press. The majority of the film is narrated by Albert with archival footage and taped phone conversations interspersed.

The machinations and extent that Albert went to to create and maintain LeRoy are interesting as is the friendships LeRoy cultivated with celebrities but what becomes startlingly apparent over the course of the film is that Albert is seemingly unwell. There is a naked narcissism on display while Albert recounts the whole controversy, she clearly relishes it all and not only avoids any semblance of responsibility she acts as if no one involved has any. It seems clear she is living in a fantasy world populated by the various personas she created and the celebrities she interacted with. She makes frequent mention of "portals" which she never fully explains but seem to be gateways to fame. LeRoy passed through a portal when he met Bono. She discusses her problems with being overweight and only "felt like herself" after numerous surgeries. Not to say that body issues are superficial but the way she talks about it, with such a disconcerting fat-is-bad skinny-is-pretty attitude, comes across as totally lacking self-awareness.

As the story unfolds Albert seems to have no regard for the effect this deception she was the mastermind of had on people either as a writer or a friend. It's a protracted, indulgent, retelling of the controversy by its perpetrator who is an admitted and proven chronic fabricator thus everything she says is suspect. You'd probably get a clearer less biased version of the story by revisiting the 2006 New York Times article.

The JT LeRoy story certainly has fascinating elements- what is memoir/what is fiction, the separation of art and artist, and the possible motivation for a pretense on this scale- but nothing is ever fully discussed or explored. We spend the majority of the film listening to Albert and as time goes on you feel sad for her because of how many issues she's clearly grappling with(or avoiding), it feels almost invasive or exploitative.

A disconcerting look at an unstable author behind a minor literary scandal. A story more appropriate for a 40 minute podcast than a 110 minute feature film.

Don't See It.

'Snowden' A Review

Snowden is a biographical thriller about the life of former CIA analyst and subsequent whistleblower Edward Snowden. The film opens on Snowden(Joseph Gordon-Levitt) in Hong Kong in 2013 meeting with Glenn Greenwall(Zachary Quinto) and Laura Poitras(Melissa Leo). They then begin to conduct the now famous interview which was reported in The Guardian and presented in the documentary Citizenfour. The film uses the Hong Kong hotel room as the constant as the life of Ed Snowden is spooled out. He flunks out of basic training, gets a girlfriend, joins the CIA, resigns the CIA, begins contracting with the NSA, then back with the CIA again until he decides to release information on the USA's covert, questionable. and near total surveillance of foreign and domestic individuals.

JGL as Snowden utilizes a very bizarre voice in an effort to evoke Snowden's flat speech pattern, this threatens to derail the film in the first ten minutes as it comes off as so over-the-top but eventually settles in to something resembling normalcy. For the most part JGL is servicable as Snowden but he comes across as almost totally neutral and reactive, reserved to the point that it seems he is in a constant un-changing state of low-level stress. Shailene Woodley tries very hard as Snowden's girlfriend Lindsay Mills and this misplaced earnestness paired with her unbelievable motivations and cliche dialogue make for one dissonant performance. The two don't have much chemistry to speak of, their ten year age difference doesn't help, and the romance and relationship they are forced to act out, such as it is, seems to belong to a different movie altogether. The supporting cast all fair much better with a delightful villainous and gravely turn by Rhys Ifans as a CIA higher up. But all the performances are all oddly stilted and presentational a disappointment with such a large talented cast.

Visually sufficient the one or two sequences with actual style(mostly scenes of hacking) are deflated by the extremely conventional and repeated trope of flashing a skyline with a city name and year. This device is used to help with continuity but it is so overused(within the film and without) it is exhausting. The score is so sappy and melodramatic it is distracting to the point of laughter. Whatever stylistic panache director Oliver Stone once had has waned with age.

Certainly the issues raised by Snowden's actions and subsequently portrayed in the film are important but the film seems to be more interested in instilling fear of big brother and deifying Snowden than actually delving into the complicated issue of privacy in our digital age.

Don't See It.

A Victory

A friend
achieved a life long dream
this week
and I'm filled
with only joy
to see
the drive
and struggle
of a decade
bear such
tasty fruit.

And of course
success will be
redefined
normalized
new dreams born
but for now
I share the triumph
of my friend
who has lept
the vaulted heights
and made it
to the promise land.

Thoughts On Portland

We've been back a couple days now and I've been able to process the vacation a bit. The most striking thing about the trip, and the Northwest in general, is its shear natural beauty. The ocean, mountains, rivers, forests, waterfalls, it all goes on and on. Both comforting and awe inspiring. The other big highlight was the food, we had a couple really exceptional meals, some of the best and freshest seafood I've ever had.

The city itself and surrounding area was surprisingly difficult to get around. There's only two major highways both of which don't really service much of the city. The signage is also incomplete and sporadic which necessitated us having to loop back a couple times. Kind of frustrating when on vacation. The people, although mostly warm, had a very unshakable attitude of Portland-superiority. Not in an aggressive way but there was a kind of low-level snobbery that was off putting. And unfortunately it was relatively straightforward not over-the-top like in Portlandia which would have been a bit more fun. Civic pride is one thing, this was something a little different.

Although not nearly as demanding as our trip last year to the Badlands it was still action packed. I find it hard balancing things on vacation. The impulse to see as much as possible, to soak it all in, while taking advantage of the time away from work to actually relax and recharge. Especially when I'm traveling I always feel the need to be out doing or seeing something. Nicole and I had a great time and we saw and did a lot of cool stuff but we didn't have a lot of time to just be together because there was always some place to go. It was hard to strike the right balance between doing stuff and just being there.

This is the third trip we've taken together and we've become relatively adept at traveling with each other. Things are typically smooth, we have fun, we communicate and stay connected, and compromise on the stuff we do. This trip wasn't as adventurous as our motorcycle trip last year or as fresh and new as our first trip together to Virginia the year before but it was fun if not exactly ideal. Could have used maybe one full day on a porch by the beach reading and drinking coffee. I love traveling with Nicole, it puts us in new sometimes amazing sometimes challenging situations and really allows us to flex our partnership and grow. I'm very grateful I have such an amazing person to share things with.

Sustenance

Though I am an avid
cooking competition watcher
I find it hard paying for a meal
in excess of twelve dollars
as food has never been a passion
and my palette never that discerning.
But sitting in the soon-to-close
farm-to-table Veritable Quandary
I sampled my girlfriends pan-fried trout
with crispy pancetta, white bean puree, and
What a bite. What a taste. What glory.

In my raptures I glanced at an adjacent table,
four aging socialites sipping
identical blood orange martinis
so accustomed to the craft
and thoughtfulness on display
it was blase for them, even banal
what injustice I thought.

Although it has been years
since I ingested an intoxicant
the cornucopic flavors
buzzed inside my mouth
and elicited warm
melodic shivers of delight
reminiscent of a drink or drug
with all the pleasure
sans the guilt and destruction.

For once I knew the vaulted heights the culinary arts could reach.

Distractions

Perhaps the future is bright
and this compulsive documenting
serves to strengthen memory
or evolve storytelling
but I fear the pervasive proving
of experience
serves to undermine
rather than enlighten.

The middle aged couple
in the Japanese garden
stopped incessantly for selfies
every path bend and fountain,
every coy pond and rock garden
needed their loud and leering faces
in front of them
immortalized in pixels.

But what of the quiet,
peace and tranquility.
That was lost.
Perhaps never to be found.

Beach Front

The drive from Milwaukie, where we are staying, out to the beach was incredible. Lots of hills, forest, and scenery. We stopped at Cannon Beach to walk around Haystack Rock and the beach a bit. We lucked out with another beautiful day.

We headed to Manzanita for a seafood lunch and stopped at this stunning over look. The ocean spread out for miles.

We spent most of the afternoon at Ecola State Park. A relatively secluded and serene little section of forest and beach. Being by the ocean there is such a rich sense of comfort and calm. The world in all its hugeness is right there in front of you.

Magazine cover photo.

We fly back tomorrow, its been an action packed, alternatively relaxing and exhausting visit. They have some beautiful country out here.