Kinetic Creatures

We have to move
migrate, travel
down the sidewalk
street, highway
percussive bodies
beating, burning
to there, then there, then there
cascading destinations
this is not elective
but necessity
this biological directive
to proceed
encased in time
we thrash against
the bonds of space
to store
to park
to work
to home
the echo of the nomad's roam

'Nomad: In The Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin' A Review

Nomad: In The Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin is a documentary by Werner Herzog about the life and adventures of British travel writer Bruce Chatwin. Told through talking head interviews but mostly through retracing Chatwin's various travels paired with Herzog's unmistakable narration the film investigates the life of a man and humanity as a whole.

Any Herzog film is a gift, his unique perspective and insight always on display and injected by his poetic and stark narration. The sweeping drone footage and creeping camera footage are beautiful and Herzog maintains an uncanny ability to have deliciously bizarre and fruitful interviews. But his documentaries are sometimes limited by their subject and with Chatwin who passed away in 1989 there isn't a lot of footage or audio recordings of the man nor is there many people interviewed who knew him first hand. As a result the journey Herzog stitches together is rather opaque, there is some fascinating scenes, themes, and ideas that are drawn out but taken together it feels somewhat incomplete or too sprawling in scope.

Herzog's best documentary work has a narrow focus(like Grizzly Man and Into The Abyss) but this like some of his broader work(Encounters At The End Of The World and Reveries Of A Connected World) still has a lot to offer visually, intellectually, and spiritually.

Available to rent as part of the Music Box Theatre's virtual cinema here.

Rent It.

'Bill & Ted Face The Music' A Review

Bill & Ted Face The Music is a scifi comedy the third installment in the B&T franchise. It's been twenty years since Bill(Alex Winters) and Ted's(Keanu Reeves) excellent adventure and bogus journey but they have yet to make the song that will unite all of space and time. Middle aged and still affable but not quite as upbeat the pair are straining under the burden of humanities salvation. When an emissary from the future tells them they have 78 minutes to play the song that will save the world or it will be destroyed the two set out to find the elusive song. Their daughters Billie(Brigette Lundy-Paine) and Thea(Samara Weaving) also set out to put together a band to help them out. Filled with the same silly heart of the previous films as well as nostalgia nods and easter eggs this may not hold many surprises but it is a lot of fun.

It is wild to see Winters and Reeves, two grown men, reprise their iconic and most bodacious characters and works surprisingly well. The two age them appropriately but not to a degree where they are unrecognizable, their fun almost symbiotic camaraderie is on display and although we don't get as much jargon or air guitar their friendship and attitude is still contagious. What's really impressive is Lundy-Paine and Weaving's imitation/interpretation of the iconic duo as their offspring, clearly having a blast and recontextualizing these cult characters in the modern world. The film has a lean run time and the story moves quickly so their isn't a lot of time and sit and be with the characters but you wish there would be, for both pairs.

On a relatively modest budget with limited effects the film captures the same light-but-big-hearted adventure and emotion of the previous two. It may not feel as fresh or as unique, there is no surprise some plot retreading, but unlike some other recent 90's franchise flicks Bill & Ted Face The Music hits the right balance, matches the tone of the originals, and feels of a piece as opposed to an after thought or a desperate cash grab. The film may not be amazing but it is clear but a lot of love, care, and attention went into it and it is entertaining.

Best if viewed after revisiting the first two. All three available for rent on most VOD platforms.

Rent It.

Ordered House, Ordered Mind

Sometimes our outsides
reflect our insides,
when stressed or strained
dishes pile up
papers tend to gather
and dust and grime
meet in crevices and corners
but with routine
action and attention
sometimes external neatness
can assuage the pressure
of life's ceaseless weather
and provide some peace
at least at home
where the boundaries meet.

'Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story' A Review

Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story is a documentary about the creation, aftermath, and impact of the cult 90's cartoon. The film cuts together old behind the scenes footage of the shows production, found footage, and talking-head interviews. It begins with the show's creator John Kricfalusi, his childhood and background, then extends to the various animators who made up the staff, then the journey to it's airing as a result of Nickelodeon executive Vanessa Coffey, and Kricfalusi eventual implosion and removal from the show. It concludes by addressing Kricfalusi serially preying on underage aspiring animators primarily through testimony of survivor Robyn Byrd.

For fans of the show or for those with even passing memories of it from childhood this is a fascinating, complicated, surprisingly intense watch. Through the lens of Ren & Stimpy of all things art and animation, genius and mental illness, perversity and censorship, and that question of the art and the artist are investigated and perhaps not perfectly settled but Kricfalusi is directly questioned, the legacy of the show is discussed not only by him but all the staff, and Byrd shares her truth. The primary focus is on the show itself but significant time is given to Kricfalusi's behavior and towards the end his crimes.

Imperfect but bold, the film does a great job of looking at a cult hit and it's influence but the individuals and circumstances that made it possible and does not shy away from the darkness.

Currently available for rent on most VOD platforms.

Don't Miss It.

'Project Power' A Review

Project Power is a scifi action movie, a different take on the superhero, about a new drug that gives people that take it five minutes of super powers. Set in New Orleans the movie follows bright and capable power dealer Robin(Dominique Fishback) as she struggles with school and her mom's medical expenses, a rogue cop Frank(Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who uses the drug himself in order to combat it's rampant use in crime, and Art(Jamie Foxx) who is hunting the drug's suppliers for mysterious motivations.

Fishback lights up the screen with enthusiasm and presence, grounding even the most absurd scenes in sequences with humor and pathos. Foxx, indicative of his recent action work, is servicable if not terribly inspired. He's a great leading man, his star power is unquestionable, his acuity with the fight/gun choreography flawless but there is a sense, given what he can do, that he's holding back. JGL has a horrible accent and an even thinner character, his dialogue mostly relegated saccharine New Orleans-centric monologues. There is a fun little scene with Robin's mom where his able to show some personality but that's the exception rather than the rule for this particular outing for him.

Competently and fluidly shot, with some exciting flourishes with the pill-as-power conceit, and an effective if somewhat generic score(although with some great diegetic raps from Fishback) ultimately the production is functional without breaking the barrier of unique. Reminiscent of the abundant but non-descript action flicks of the oughts.

Enjoyable entertainment during a dearth of action options. Currently streaming on Netflix.

Rent It.

The Owl Game

The Harden's had a swing set
and we were of an age
where its rigors were diverting
to a point, but we were
also at an age where our
imaginations were keen and
mature self-consciousness yet
to manifest. Our first and
greatest achievement- The Owl Game -
wherein one of us was the
hero, animal to-be-chosen,
one of us the owl, the last
the owl's captor, also animal
to-be-chosen but frequently
feline if memory serves. We
played out the scenario in
countless iterations and created
countless play-pretend games.
The eldest by a year I knew
these would be perceived as
stupid and childish by my peers- almost
unilaterally lacking sensitivity (more
drawn to Nintendo and sport)- but
pretend was the pinnacle the apex
and I refused to give it up.

Before we three aged out of our games
the Hardens moved.

Pretending left with them.