October 13, 2019 I let it go. It’s like swimming against the current. It exhausts you. After a while, whoever you are, you just have to let go, and the river brings you home. —Joanne Harris, Five Quarters of the Orange I think of this quote when I’m climbing mountains high over the Hudson, an … Continue reading Before the River Brings You Home
A dream wherein I have every sensation that I’m on a winding forest path, complete with damp air, bird song, Life going about its business, but what I see around me is your four walls the sleep-flattened pillows the coffee machine left warming the pot when you go. —K. Sansoucie, 2019
Notes from the inside This inner world; We show each other these as best as we can, Trying not to miss anything important If I'm not paying attention, You may slip. I can’t catch you If I don’t know Where you've gone, inside. We rescue ourselves and This is understood, But the fact that I … Continue reading Entry 8619- All my friends are lonely / Pt. 1
"I will sing while you croak, I will dance over your dirty corpse..." And the story of Tania's cunt Four men came on the train, Two talking about “God is good” and the other pair flung their weight into the corner seats, across the way from each other. The others were whispering "God is good" … Continue reading Entry 7/1/19 — The Air Between Us
The white rose in tarot is shown on 2 cards of the major arcanum: the Fool and Death. The Fool follows his bliss, with the white rose of purity and innocence in his outstretched left hand. Death carries a banner emblazoned with the symbol of the white rose, signifying purification through transformation (also in his … Continue reading The White Rose of the Tarot
:: HUMAN :: Hello, Human! Hello. You are flesh and sinew and blood and bone! You are morning glory cells and serotonin and all that is ephemeral and all that is tangible in sweat and love. You are everything in life and beyond death and back around. Oh, Human! You do what you can. And … Continue reading A Reminder: You’re a Human Thing
Not another sad poem I don't want to write another Lost-in-the-night-of-my-soul, Moonlight to guide me, But the heavy's getting old, Down by the river, Numbing my feet in the water Waiting for "you'll get used to it" to come That, or hiding In the sun of my memory Kind of poem. But it's all I … Continue reading Entry, after a long while: In the empty
I've been returning to myself, lately. I recognized some time ago that I had gone very far away from who I once knew myself to be, and the lethargy, illness, and stress of being lost inside caused me to rattle the cage until I was out. I wouldn't say "free", because freedom is a state … Continue reading Entry 1.14.17: Returning
The past meets me at my doorstep, in the mirror, in a crowd of faces, in the playlist on shuffle- yesterday sings to me. I've searched for new sounds, but I'm not immune to the siren call I knew so well- this disturbs me, ever slightly. This interruption means the trickster Mercury is at the … Continue reading Entry 12.20.16 – The trickster effect and a new year
On the day of the church potluck, Rosamond woke up before the sun. To say she woke up is slightly misleading, as she barely slept at all. Her back ached and her feet hurt. A dull pain that had started and continued as she grew heavier in the middle pulsed from heel to the bunions … Continue reading Rosamond, 1956
My grandmother, Rosamond, moved to Manhattan in the late 70s, some time after her divorce was finalized. She was in her early 50s and practiced at independence since she'd been primarily on her own throughout her marriage. It was time to secure a future, so she did just that. She worked as a receptionist at … Continue reading Rosamond, 1978 (Excerpt)
My love, he's so tired and I stand by, face facing the wet pavement, I know what the sky looks like. But the weight made my head heavy, my neck aches All I have is my heart in my pocket, out of sight, to not be a bother, a burden because he will care. He … Continue reading Entry 112016 – He’s so tired and I stand by
We are all much like flowers in the dark of night, awaiting the arrival of the sun, beneath natural forces, yet of it all. Soaking up hungrily, drinking giddily, what we can from what we've grown. Rooted, we are no different from the earth beneath us. We may raise our heads to worship above- the … Continue reading Entry 111916 – Flowers in the dark of night
The first to congratulate the one who does a fine trick, Your concept of quality (you proudly proclaim it as such) is quantity wrapped in a bow, sir. They do put on a good show, I'll give you that. I'd give you more, if you could see what was before you instead of looking above, … Continue reading Entry 111216- You like a good show
My grandmother told me, She said, her mother, Ruth, sat at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee warming her hands, waiting for her husband to come home and kiss her and tell her good things. Oh, how she loved to be told good things. Her sons all went about their business- tumbling in the … Continue reading Entry 102716 – Music on the hill
The devil follows me He makes pacts with my shadow I stand by helplessly, I stay away So he stays away from you Have mercy, For he does not The rivers call, but I stay dry They renew, a reminder of my old self The waters rush by, caressing rocks, carrying fish and fallen leaves, … Continue reading Entry 91515 – Devil in Shadow
In the night, at first, I painted pictures of my insides with words. The tired eyes, still and icy, inviting as winter snow deepened, followed the lines, learning me. Leaning over the barrier built of quiet struggles, handfuls of dirt up around the old firepit of love. The meeting left me naked, shaking. Cold. Awake. … Continue reading Entry 61015 – Softly Built
Simon McBurneyThe Arthur Golden theater on Broadway, built in 1929, is housing a one man show run on haunting technological fervor through January 8th of next year. Simon McBurney and a team of sound operators and projection technicians bring to life a sparse but electrifying set made up of a handful of microphones, packs of … Continue reading On Broadway: ‘The Encounter’ Gets in Your Head
The autumn garden in late afternoon sun.Spring gardens get the glut of our attention for their buzzing, dripping, luscious display of new life. The bright green of new leaves bursting from buds and the many-colored petals surround us, echoing bird songs and the scratching of other newborn tree-dwellers scampering up the bark and home. It's … Continue reading What We Can Learn from the Autumn Garden
It rings in my ears, the words "why are you showing me this?" Already insecure that my past The dimly-lit corners of my self would be an obstacle to being loved, "Why are you showing me this?" made me want to hide away, Good God, hide away and forget I ever let the light shine … Continue reading Entry 82316 – Overexposure
As I sit sipping black, sweet coffee, The sun pouring into my room A weight is on my shoulders, though I am not called to duty My heavy heart echoes upward to my mind, though no one is asking anything of me. The gravel in my throat and fire dimmed in my belly are much … Continue reading Entry 72616- Now is the Time of Monsters
With a world waiting under waves, I met you at the surface Your home was within sight, under the moon, alone. It seemed sturdy yet weightless. Longing crept into me, For a home with feather pillows, Where sunlight was Less than a visual effect, Warm and direct. I told you where I came from, Splashed … Continue reading Entry 92115 – Floater
I would run back And turn on all the lights And kiss your lips so hard they bled, Hold your body so hard you bruised me Release you only to return softer, More certain, survivor of my desire. If I hadn't been so different from that, We might've had a chance. Now you have the … Continue reading Entry 92115 – Harsh light on the softest memory
My Response to this magical image: Oh, yes. A poem is A thing that wants to be caught, but only by someone who can and who wants it for exactly what it is. You and I are poems.
What impossible decisions I've made, the weight of them, The scars and time it's taken to heal enough to breath forward. Onto what I know not. It wasn't pulling weeds, It wasn't cutting fat. These impossible determinations, They're a burning heart that makes ashes of fear And hands that tear at brush in the thicker-yet … Continue reading 121615- Grief Song
In the mirror I was not who I had been Before my hair grew long, down past my waist, A mass to take in stride like a sweet memory, Honey silk and thick syrup dripping, suspended, swaying from my tired head. For every inch contained wanting. I cut it one night, I took up the … Continue reading 121615- Cutting Hair
In a shape so clearly made of two halves, a whole, I wonder now if the invisible line that breaks them makes them broken like something shattered- Apart, but not as a quality: the fact of this matter, of the raw formation, Broken things ok with being halves of some whole from which everything flows. … Continue reading Entry 121115- Heart on the Ground
You say I make you happy, always have. Then why the burning at the backs of my heels? This firey weather between us is tiring. The pushing on my spine with hardened fingers, A pressing for the forward march: "you are too slow" in the knuckles. Can you put a constant urging onward, one at … Continue reading Entry 52615 – Either Side of the Fire
Don't we all walk a path Which looks here and there, In shadows it hides and the sun sometimes blinds us? I wondered long and hard over when my feet would lead Where I thought it looked like a leading place lay. If not paved quite, cleared- not thick with thorny brush, But it was. … Continue reading Entry 91615 – Onward
Once I tried to change the story. I opened a new book beside my life as Story, wherein I lay down my misgivings like a lady undressing; At the end of a long journey, reaching a warm, safe place, In the process she apologetically exposes her scars. (How could I start off something good pretending?) The … Continue reading Entry 81915 – From the Highest Shelf
Girls and women paint themselves, Deserving of praise for what abundance they represent- The earth songs their heels sing, step upon step, And the flowers in their hair The vibrant, dying crowns they place Upon their heads, Minds of mystery inside, deep dwelling. You'll meet many, and more Blossom plaited, With mouths and lashes brimming … Continue reading Entry 82315- Flowers in Their Hair
There is one of me and you, and you: you are them. The quiet understanding is that. A meaningful gesture is a smile when thinking of you. A nod of recognition in passing between the you of yourself and in my world, mine. I love you, but there is one of me, and surviving means … Continue reading Entry 81915 – Failing Them
Imagine for a moment that your language is as foreign as the many you don't understand. Your thoughts are jibberish nonsense. You have no tongue. Imagine, for a moment, there's no home in your words. Your ideas are now timeless. Cells renew raceless, Self as you know it exists borderless. Consider this your greatest … Continue reading Entry 72315- Unknowing as an Art
Waking up, it was quiet in the small home I made, of modest yet precious items. Bright petals ripen to life in the sunlight and every unanimated thing rests for use, mine. This is new, still. Home used to be full of choices that weren't my own. Where I grew up, it smelled like butter … Continue reading Entry 71815- Home Made
Just wondering if we speak the same language, words fall heavy on my ears mind rephrases it "don't go, love you so." Heart warms up an embrace on the hearth. You mean to say I've been wrong, I'm sure. Being sorry, I feel more feminine. More worthy than asking if you could change, for once. … Continue reading Entry 71415- Twisted Tongues
The cup overflows; left out in a storm, it did what it could. I watched the glass fill with new drops, pushing out the old, the same element both forceful as it stood defenseless as it fell: itself/another, everything/nothing My thoughts are much the same, these days. Defenseless as they rise up to reframe old … Continue reading Entry 71315- Stand
My twisted belly knows it squeezes, rocks My beating heart knows meaty life-giver My chattering teeth Chipped fingernails know clipped short, still claws My restless feet know "no dancing" say angry heels My red streaked eyes know Burning tears come and go They know what I should've done. They are punishing me for not following … Continue reading Entry 71115- The Well-Deep Thought Mine
The things I wanted to tell you dance fast along in my mind. Nights I sleep on these thoughts. The lines and syllables of unspoken sentiments dissolve into my dreams, into moments -nearly tangible- I have in dreams. They are never like pictures. The ideas about what could be are always in motion. They are … Continue reading Entry 71015- The Things I Wanted to Tell You
The curse can be a blessing if you know how to take it. Into your folds and dimples, the sore spot between your teeth no lover ever noticed. A secret some of us women, with thighs like magnets for eternal questions, learn in time is you don't get good in this body thinking "how to … Continue reading Entry 7615- The No Cry Woman
To navigate with a single eye, One must employ a range of forgotten sensory powers. Inner ears attune to map slopes and peaks by echoes near, and further, and further still. Skin prickles and warms in the air, taking note of the surroundings. We get closer and closer to what we are seeking on this … Continue reading Entry 7715- A Bird with One Wing
On the third night of a weekend retreat on Buddhist grounds, somewhere in the state of New York, I asked a question of my teachers: what is the antidote for guilt in Buddhism? A soft-spoken nun named Chen-Ma laughed a bit and spoke into her mike after a measured pause: "In Buddhism, we consider guilt … Continue reading On the “Useless” Emotion of Guilt
We've talked about this before. I'm far from settled, a nomad embracing her pariah skins, bracing for embraces of her weighty history, making quite sure she's suited to stay put, quite ready to dance in one place, to be recognized, "I saw you yesterday. I didn't get your name..." You don't know what this is … Continue reading Entry 61615 – Skins
________________________________ Halved am I, unreachable between worlds. Pulling from one will break me. _________________________________
Don't worry about the bruised and broken chest. Concern yourself with your head, for you have much to decide. Think about what must be done. Breathe into what you've shattered, what's come to pass, pieces, while the taste of the whole is still on your tongue. A beating, blurry vision... was that you, there, or … Continue reading Entry 61015 – Fractured Skull, Round Two
I kneeled to the glory of mushrooms growing up from cracks in the pavement. How tough must they be to choose this place to live. I looked deep into layers of rough, rain-stained bark, wondering at the strength of this skin. I climbed a tree! It was soaked and full of baby bugs. I recognized the hunger after … Continue reading Climbing Trees, Smelling Flowers: A Rainy Nature Walk
Stop! I see you're bleeding and it's getting everywhere, on everything- the markings of your loss. Rest, it'll slow. When it does, you'll be tired. "Goodness gracious, you ok?" and a sigh from the one who cares, for now. He asks and you cannot respond. You step into a desire for the basics: to survive, … Continue reading Entry 6315: Revival
It's a bad idea to love me, now. There's fruit that goes bad on the vine, you know. Hard and promising turns rancid like nothing. Nature never gives it up. Why press a process to course along an edged stream, lined with hope? Behold: an unfolding. I let go already. All that push, push, rush … Continue reading Entry 52715- Ripe
Earth sounds loud above, ominous thundering breaks my concentration. We know the sun is there, but the light is easily expelled from our vision, our skin, our memory in moments unbearable. I let rain fall on my feet. I let it cleanse what is tired. A chill runs up my legs, and I know I'll … Continue reading Entry 52715- The Veil
We don't always show the raw ingredients of our present emotions. Some need time to cook To be tried and tested before any talk of change. Not all of us are simply a list of needs and wishes, a recipe, like you, with 1, 2, 3, 4 steps to the plate. I envy your … Continue reading Entry 52315- Raw
To be known without getting into trouble- A test of concealment, wickedly daunting for the vigorous soul. "You, you are beautiful and you are dishonest", An earthy voice swallows defaming words. Tension rises. She, the reason, who curtains off her passions, cries thick tears. Sheds a cloudy mess of sensation, takes a hot bath … Continue reading Entry 52015- A Mythical Creature, Wanted
It kills me to be this way, One foot on earth. Afraid of entering the deep, Least stable in my element. The line between Flowing/firm, In/out, Here/back there. The invisibly present past waits like a snake, watching for the scent of my presence. Like a thief, he slips in and out into the here, now … Continue reading Entry 51715- The Serpent
Heartache is a creature discomfort unlike any other known to us humans. Unlike the usual sadness or despair we experience over things like a lost job, lack of parental support, or not having as many social opportunities as we'd like, matters of lost or damaged loves are particularly and broadly wrenching and tend to send … Continue reading Weathering a Storm of the Heart
On the bus, I looked out the dirty window and wondered how many people out there wanted to survive themselves like they want to survive the world. As I stared out the window wondering, a truck knocked into the bus three blocks from my stop. The truck driver got out and yelled at the bus … Continue reading Crashing: Thoughts on a Bus
People fall in love everywhere, all the time. They fall for fellow workers and comrades. They flirt in dirty bomb shelters in much the same way they meet in beautiful marketplaces. Naked, both emotionally and physically, we are all quite similar and circumstances just make us more or less creative about finding ways into one … Continue reading ‘Topaz’: Romance in a Violent World
There's a dramatic shift that takes place between the end of winter and the full flourishing of spring time. Earth beneath concrete that was for a long series of weeks colder than cold, and blossoms that went barely noted as tiny green buds see fallen petals under the thick, dripping shadows of fat, colorful flowers. … Continue reading New York in the Time of Blossoms
In October, I wrote about a chance meeting I had with Brooklyn- based artist named Joe O'Donoghue and his newly exhibited works of art. O'Donoghue recently opened up his gallery and workspace for a show of the work, aptly titled "Happenstansically Beautiful". O'Donoghue's pieces are all the result of his well-known ice sculpting work. The … Continue reading Update: Joe O’Donoghue’s ‘Happenstansically Beautiful’
I grew up watching romantic comedies. My childhood was full of screen stories about semi-cynical modern women fussing over strangely materialistic courtships, all of whom ended swept up off their feet by men who accepted their flaws and redeemed them by dissolving said cynicism with, of all things, love. I'm a feminist and this is … Continue reading Feminism in Rom-Coms Case Study: ‘Someone Like You’
I grew up hearing about two Hitchcock films: 'Psycho' and 'The Birds'. Where the former lives up to the thrill of a well-turned plot, the latter is more of a bloody mess. In most scary movies there's a human-like body out to get people. 'The Birds' takes someone's phobia of birds and preserves it for … Continue reading ‘The Birds’
What are we to do when something nags us inside and won't let our attention go? What are we, soft humans, to think when we are caught being so very different from the crowd and feel no remorse- feel nothing but the irrepressible urge to follow the thing that calls our name? Obsessed, possessed, crazy- … Continue reading The Soul Journey of ‘Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter’
Women's stories are just beginning to come to light in film beyond chick flicks and romances. Tim Burton's latest feature goes a step beyond drama, even, depicting the true story of a talented woman who was taken advantage of by a thieving conman (who she married). 'Big Eyes' unmasks an awful trend in history, one … Continue reading ‘Big Eyes’: Hidden Histories
He said and she said: their love was tanking. The romance was a struggle. Could they ever move forward together with the baggage they carried unpacked? Or was this the time to part ways- while things were still relatively amicable? He said and she said they should go by what their therapist said, and so … Continue reading This One Goes Out to ‘The One I Love’
America, "the land of the free", is a vast space with two borders that bleed drinkable prosperity and a center that struggles to keep the so-called American Dream alive. I hesitate not to explore the ways in which America is impoverished educationally, intellectually, morally, and spiritually. As an American woman, I cannot afford to withhold … Continue reading The Quiet Lineage of Class War: ‘Little Accidents’
In an awards season teeming with adorable, quirky romantic comedies, Desiree Akhavan's decidedly unromantic comedy is a nice departure from average depictions of relationship woes. In 'Appropriate Behavior' protagonist Shirin (played by writer/director Akhavan) struggles with finding her way in the world, stuck between her traditional Iranian family's expectations and her own desires after a … Continue reading ‘Appropriate Behavior’: The Importance of Unromantic Comedy
Back in 2014, I wrote that 'In a World' was the first truly feminist romantic comedy I'd ever seen. The fact that there was a female protagonist with sexual and career-oriented agency, who's main focus was not how her hair looked when her crush walked by, but that she liked him...and he liked her. There's … Continue reading ‘Obvious Child’: A Continuation of Last Year’s Brilliant Feminist Rom-Com Magic
"One might call 'Marnie' a 'sex mystery', if one used such words." - Alfred Hitchcock 'Marnie' is by far the most extreme vision of frigidity Hitchcock ever explored. Adapted by Jay Presson Allen from Winston Graham's novel of the same name, it serves as an oddly seductive screen commentary about the origins of psychosis in … Continue reading ‘Marnie’: The Complexities of a ” Sex Mystery”
When I told three different friends that I'd seen Orlando van Einsiedel's documentary, 'Virunga', their reactions were similar. They knew the film was about a park where gorillas live, but they didn't know where in Africa the film was made or what the situation was in that country. I was with them before I saw … Continue reading Conservation as Documentary: ‘Virunga’
This afternoon I filled my travel mug with coffee, laced up my snow boots and walked around Boerum Hill and Cobble Hill in Brooklyn. This is what I saw: The buildings are old and lovable with their many shades of weathered red brick, fortressed in by high, steep, often crumbling front steps and scraggly branched … Continue reading Snow Day in Brooklyn!
Yesterday the city of New York was wrapped up in a blanket of giddy cheer because almost every municipal worker, chain shop keeper, and commuter knew they were going to be home, in snow-globe like surroundings until Wednesday. Mayor De Blasio granted the first snow day of the year and since the announcement came at … Continue reading Walking Through Blizzard Juno in Central Park
I often find myself wrapped up in writing about Story in film. I like Story. I get into the grit and value of the feels of movies- the way they play emotions and the way writers employ outside influences. Sometimes, though, there's a story that screams cinema beyond interests of plot and dialogue- pacing and … Continue reading The Cinematic Journey: ‘Birdman’
Stories about artists struggling to reach success are often sympathetic to the artist. They're usually focused completely on the false pretense that harsh challenges met on the road to being successful are acutely unfair and that they are comparable to simply standing up for oneself by telling the supposed enemy to back down. That's the … Continue reading Suffering Your Art: ‘Whiplash’
"I saw him in you" "I saw you in him" The house of mirrors that is every story about fathers and sons in America grips American audiences like nothing else (for better or worse). 'The Judge' stars Robert Duvall as the well-respected judge in a small midwestern town and Robert Downey Jr. as his big … Continue reading ‘The Judge’: Fathers and Sons
According to the Alzheimer's Association, one in three seniors are diagnosed with Alzheimer's or some other form of dementia. There are currently 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer's, and a new patient is diagnosed every 67 seconds. Given the striking number of families this disease affects, the discussion about a cure and preventative methods is … Continue reading ‘Still Alice’ and the Empathetic Eye
* Spoiler alert Awards season 2015 is brimming with brazenly self-aware stories. Well, no one can say such a thing about mediums on media with 100% certainty because filmmakers so often make the "it's just a movie" claim like they had no intentions or responsibility about influencing public consciousness about social issues whatsoever, but I'd … Continue reading A Debut: Dan Gilroy’s ‘Nightcrawler’
Foxcatcher is based on violent and disturbing real life events. The extent to which these events are portrayed truthfully is unknowable, but nonetheless there is an abundance of social truth in the performance of the three leading men in the film. The protagonist, Mark Schultz, is played with full belief in the body and mind … Continue reading ‘Foxcatcher’: Unforgiving Expectations
If I knew how Nick and Amy's relationship came together, I might feel like this movie came together with that grand twist at the end. I mean it- the structure of the story, all those vicious twists and drops off the beaten path were stellar. I just didn't feel a thing for anybody by the … Continue reading The Tragedy of ‘Gone Girl’
A critic wrote not too long ago that Bill Murray needs to drop his 800-number and get an agent so he can snag that Oscar-winning role he so deserves. I think that review alone should've prepared the Academy to honor his next performance- it only seems fair. * Serious Man Voice: "Oh, reeeally? You think … Continue reading ‘St. Vincent’: Bright Spot of this Awards Season
I've become obsessed with freedom. What is it? Who has it? How can I tell? What does it look like? How can I get some? Questions. So many of them, and all elude me. When I get a glimpse, it's often on screen, on a page, or in a fleeting moment. Well, that's where I'm … Continue reading Sweet Liberation: ‘Cake’
From a technical standpoint, Richard Linklater's 'Boyhood' is absolutely beautiful. The film was made in pieces over a period of twelve years. The film grew with the cast. That's what devotion looks like. That's also what parenting is about, what growing up is like- waiting and wondering what the developed piece will really turn out … Continue reading On ‘Boyhood’
Wild has been praised by critics and audiences alike mainly because people love seeing people make tons of mistakes and survive the journey. We love growth through hardship, even if (or maybe especially when) the protagonist is stepping on her own feet. It just makes for all the necessary pain and relief we need to … Continue reading ‘Wild’ on the Path to Consciousness
I often wonder why Jimmy Stewart, an actor known for having a wholesome nature in an out of character, would play increasingly misogynistic roles in Hitchcock's films over a span of a decade. I'm sure he had his pick of other scripts and Hitchcock wasn't the only brilliant director around (*read any other piece I've … Continue reading The Extreme Misogyny of ‘Vertigo’
I visited the Brooklyn Museum on Friday afternoon. Got some coffee and headed on in to explore the deep. I knew that I would visit Judy Chicago's Dinner Party -always do- but had no solid plans about the rest of the adventure. I found my way to the Killer Heels exhibit towards the end of … Continue reading Killer Heels at The Brooklyn Museum
I recently told a friend that I don't judge anyone based on the cheesy movies they like, but the good ones... A teensy bit of sarcasm, only! If you can name a few "good" movies you enjoyed, I don't give a damn if you deeply enjoyed "Little Nicky" (hey, I did!). That said, when it … Continue reading The Best Christmas Movie? Maybe not, but it’s my favorite!
Perfect Sense: A film that begs the question of what we are without our senses. What are tongues that can't taste paired with ears that can't hear and eyes that see only darkness? Does skin than cannot feel have any purpose but to hold us together in a state of literal senselessness? Is there any … Continue reading True Love & ‘Perfect Sense’
Strange as it may seem to some, I saw this "Sex & the City" just around the time it was on each week. I watched with my mom. We laughed and grimaced in unison, faintly disturbed by the New York unfolding before our eyes. We're New Yorkers, so it was half amusing because we saw … Continue reading ‘Sex & the City’ in 2014
Kathryn Bigelow is known for her gut-wrenching studies of contemporary warriors and putting modern war tactics on display to the possible peril of her public reputation. Fortunately for her, this venture has proven to be undeniably captivating, in spite of being the subject of massive amounts of controversy. After all the talk, she is recognized … Continue reading Old / Interesting: Deviant Women in Kathryn Bigelow’s ‘The Weight of Water’
I recently read a crude article in which some journalist attacked M. Night Shyamalan's entire career. It was so plain mean, I won't link to it- you're left to web search (if you like soggy yellow rags). Anyway, just after skimming this brutal assessment and finding that it went just a step beyond multiple other … Continue reading Old / Interesting: M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Unbreakable’
All my life I've heard people name Hitchcock's "Psycho" as the scariest movie they've ever seen. I heard the music from Janet Leigh's murder scene played as a spoof on TV and saw clips of Leigh screaming bloody murder in the shower. I understood that this movie was an icon of horror, but couldn't get … Continue reading The Most Classic Horror Film: ‘Psycho’
Conspiracy Thrills One life. Hitchcock tended toward the kind of funny that pokes fun at institutions and systems. In "The Lady Vanishes", the humor and drama are essentially about trusting one's self in unbelievable situations. To start, the jolly older woman -Ms.Froy- who ends up caught in a conspiracy plot on her way home to … Continue reading ‘The Lady Vanishes’ – To Judge and to Fear
I finally got a chance to see Wes Anderson's latest, 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'. I must say that it made me feel like filmmaking was all arts captured and choreographed into colors and shapes before me. The perfection of the character's movements is ironic, the look and feel of their fortunes and misfortunes is mechanical, … Continue reading Choreographing Feeling: ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’
1. Woman with a Camera: In a film which seeks to expose a great number of social issues, giving multiple characters ways of telling and managing their own stories allowed the story to keep moving and these storytellers to keep developing without pausing too much for explanatory notes. When Sam White (Tessa Thompson) holds up … Continue reading You know what? 5 Reasons Why ‘Dear White People’ is a Must-See Dramedy
Dumbo is small and steep and low. When it rains, it floods. The streets are unsteady, the buildings are old and crumbling, yet they are being reinforced at great expense by hopeful creatives. This damp, previously isolated industrial area is the scene of the first ever New York Festival of Light. From three blocks away, … Continue reading Reaction to Four Umbrellas – Tupac Martir @NYFOL
The experience of walking through Dumbo at night has changed enormously in the past few years. Since the development of Brooklyn Bridge Park and the revitalization of the industrial village as a land of artists and galleries, the area has become a hotspot for tech start-ups and a hub for creative professionals with the opening … Continue reading The New York Festival of Light
From death cometh life and the living can be ridiculous! Fascinating! Oh good, good grief! Alfred Hitchcock always liked his films to have a sense of humor about them, and "The Trouble with Harry" is the height of funny stuff. There's this man who happens to have died at the apex of everybody's favorite hiking … Continue reading A Purist Rom-Com: A Touch of Death in ‘The Trouble with Harry’
You know those stories where someone finds a random object that turns out to be a key to a very usual looking door that's actually a portal which opens up into a magical land? Well, one day I was walking down Plymouth Street, past the great Brooklyn Roasting Co. and I stopped to take a … Continue reading The Art of the Art that Melts: Brooklyn Ice Sculptor Joe O’Donoghue’s Latest Exhibit
I love history and I truly appreciate that people who run television networks think historical characters are worth putting on T.V., but why must it all be inaccurate? Can it not be spectacular and real and massively viewed, all at once? Why did a show like "Reign" make it past the first season? Sensationalism. Targeting … Continue reading The World of ‘Outlander’ vs. the Spectacle of ‘Reign’
In which I introduce ten beautiful and innovative stories about women who thrive against the odds set against them. These are stories that allow me a glimpse of a brighter image of women in the film world. My Top 10 Feminist Films of 2000-2010 I invite you to share your thoughts on the topic and … Continue reading Top 10 Feminist Films, 2000-2010
Meet Meagan Cook Mora, a ten year old award-winning pianist from Costa Rica. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGVBAA7QZj8 I shot and edited this film when Meagan was on her second trip to NYC, set to perform at Carnegie Hall. The footage in the beginning of the video is from various performances she's done since she began playing professionally at … Continue reading ‘It Makes Me Happy’ – A Short Film About a Little Pianist
I began to write, at the force of a mental flood, about Lars von Trier's 'Nymphomaniac' parts I and II on the subway the morning after I finished the second film. First, I got down what I thought, beginning with how angry I was that the Scholar character who saves Joe ended up being so … Continue reading The Scholar Must Die: Lars von Trier’s ‘Nymphomaniac’
Character Study: Rupert Cadell ('Rope', 1948) I recently read an article in which the author questioned whether a psychopath could be a good person. Scientists have studied psychopathic behaviors enough that they’ve come full-circle, considering that psychotic people should be viewed with empathy and even admiration. After all, they are focused, not driven by emotions, … Continue reading Psychopathy in Hitchcock Thrillers ‘Rope’ (1948)
"Rear Window" is a frustrating story to follow. With unbelievable characters and a seriously Mr. Magoo protagonist, I found it tough to watch. Of course that’s naive, because it isn’t about the character’s development- not how cunning they are or how quick their reflexes…there’s so little traditional ego present in the dialogue. This isn’t a … Continue reading Private Worlds: Hitchcock’s Penchant for Rule-Breakers (“Rear Window”, 1954)
It rained really hard on the 5 boroughs Wednesday night. I got stuck in DUMBO just before a magnificent thunderstorm moved across the river from Manhattan. Without many options for cover -far out DUMBO is still desolate after dark- I thought I would be drenched in moments, but fate had another plan for me. Just … Continue reading ArtFarm @SmackMellon Gallery (DUMBO)
Oscar Grant was shot by a policeman at Fruitvale Station in Oakland just after midnight on January 1st, 2009. He was unarmed and had not been charged with any form of misconduct. Grant was shot in the back by an officer who later had his charges reduced because he explained that he mistook his gun … Continue reading A Look at Police Violence & Race in Ryan Coogler’s ‘Fruitvale Station’
Public defenders uphold the constitutional right of an accused citizen to have defense under the presumption of the court that they are innocent until proven guilty. They exist as the line between the for profit prison system and the constitution itself. The state’s defender (otherwise known as a prosecutor) seeks to prove guilt, which is … Continue reading ‘Gideon’s Army’: Documenting the Justice System
My first trip to the Rubin Museum was with a group of acerbically-minded third graders. I immediately felt comforted in the quiet, deep-gray and gilded red space. The low chanting in the galleries and the soft faces of many Buddhas struck me as a warm greeting: kind and impersonal. The kids gravitated almost immediately to … Continue reading Rubin Museum // Reflection
The most sinful behavior -if ever there was anything we could truly consider a “sin” about human nature- is that which grows outward like a weed from the belief of entitlement. Sometimes I think that the purpose of society for the last century or so has been to blanket communities under the belief that every … Continue reading Documentary Reflection: ‘The Square’
'The Act of Killing' The way viewers react to Joshua Oppenheimer’s documentary 'The Act of Killing' comes down to the way each viewer is able to expand their notion of the act of killing. In the liberal, privileged and mono-cultured West, we vaguely, yet virulently, understand murder (especially mass murder) as an unforgivable crime. Abstractly, … Continue reading Documentary: Framing Cultural Violence in ‘The Act of Killing’
Frances, O, Frances, where are you? Brooklyn, in the era of Hipsters and post-feminist feminists, in which no twenty-something without a trust-fund can get by on just one job, one gig, or one talent. Not if she pays her own rent and wants to live. That’s where. The words “But I should save money… so … Continue reading Quiet Hipster Films / A Cinematic Whisper in Black/White: ‘Frances Ha’
The truest expression of horror is exacting terrifying measures on innocent creatures in an emotionless state. 'Blue Caprice', based on true events, is a horror film. Without much blood, and with very little intimate expression on the part of the murderer, the viewer is left with a knot of unknowing in their vulnerable belly: this … Continue reading Gun Violence On-Screen in ‘Blue Caprice’
If you have ever worked with kids, and you appreciate their age, you know that they teach you more than you can possibly teach them. The big up (though it rarely feels like it, for reasons I’ll get into in a bit) is that, as an adult, you get to…have to…are charged with working in … Continue reading ‘Short Term 12’ Hits Home
From the first moment, '20 Feet from Stardom' inhale-exhales devotion. Devotion to a group of mega-talented performers who held up (and still do) the music industry during the come one come all simultaneous golden eras of soul, rock n’ roll, blues, jazz, funk, r&b- decades of human soul blessed vocal support by extraordinary professionals trained … Continue reading ‘20 Feet from Stardom’ Review
The makings of a film people will watch: NEW YORK CITY + Music + The Coen Brothers made it. Not necessarily in that order, and there are indeed many other factors that can score a profit, but to be realistic (which is what I’m going for, here), not many. Location (location, location), something joyous with … Continue reading In the Life of Llewyn Davis / NYC in the 60s
'Concussion': She said “I have to do something.” Abby Ableman reads and vacuums at the same time, fixes up hole-in-the-wall apartments in Manhattan, and spends inordinate amounts of time in cycling classes, amidst the aimless, though healthy-minded chatter of other soccer moms. Most importantly, Abby violently, helplessly curses at her son when he hits her … Continue reading A Knock-out Drama: the Private World Explored in ‘Concussion’
To walk around “The Dinner Party” is to greet history in a fuller, less inhibited manner. Designed, built and crafted by historian and artist Judy Chicago and dozens of artisans, and funded by the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation between 1974 and 1979, it is a tribute to women from the beginning of recorded history … Continue reading Reflection: “The Dinner Party” (2014)
Cate Blanchett’s Oscar-winning role in 'Blue Jasmine' was the grittiest and most econo-socially relevant of the season. There was the sweetest Dame Judi Dench in 'Philomena', the raspiest, most frightening Meryl Streep in 'August: Osage County',a sultry, mysterious, and brilliant yet cracked Amy Adams in 'American Hustle', and of course Sandra Bullock’s space heroine of … Continue reading Oscars Watch: Cate Blanchett in ‘Blue Jasmine’
Go for Sisters How many dramatic or crime-centered movies have you seen in your lifetime that had not just one but two female protagonists of color who weren’t maimed or killed halfway through the film and who got what they desired in the final scenes? 'Go for Sisters' is the only movie I’ve seen that … Continue reading ‘Go for Sisters’ Review
Having previously written about the very ….how should I put it? well-documented Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, I’ve also been ruminating on the truly fantastical collection of work on display in the same museum, but with no cameras allowed, by Wangechi Mutu. The exhibit is quiet, so that you can feel the … Continue reading Wangechi Mutu’s “The Fantastic Journey”
The magnificent Jean Paul Gaultier show at the Brooklyn Museum ended with a swarming salute from the last round of art-lovers and fashion queens, who filled the lavishly adorned + spectacularly curated 5th floor gallery space last Sunday. Upon entering into the gallery, I the first thing I realized was that cameras were allowed in. … Continue reading Jean Paul Gaultier // The Brooklyn Museum
Romantic period films and longing through my ages It seems to me that there are not many films that portray longing in all its greatness these days. As our overloaded brains tap out under the pressures of keeping “must-do’s” in order, our patience for creative work grows shorter in span. We want what we see … Continue reading Period Films: My Love of Other Eras
'In a World…' is perhaps the only successful feminist critique of the entertainment industry to ever have been brought forward in the form of a romantic comedy. The story: an eccentric and graceless yet very attractive female protagonist named Carol Solomon lives under her glaringly misogynistic VoiceOver artist father’s (the big-wig Sam Sotto) reluctant wing, … Continue reading The First Feminist Rom-Com: ‘In a World’
brooklynmuseum: I was blown away by the success of Saturday’s Wikipedia edit-a-thon. We couldn’t have hoped for a more enthusiastic or diverse community of participants. Project Continua’s Director, Gina Luria Walker, said during her remarks that by editing articles about historical women, we were “making history by providing an alternative narrative of the past.” A … Continue reading Project Continua + The Sackler Center
One hundred synonyms for “beautiful” could be dug up to describe 'Gravity', Alfonso Cuarón’s latest hit, written with his son, Jonás Cuarón. A One hundred and one, for it is spectacular to see and hear; we feel the despair with Dr. Ryan Stone (brilliantly sculpted from guts by Sandra Bullock), our own losses caught in the … Continue reading ‘Gravity’: Run to Return
'Dallas Buyers Club' could be a film that alters the way audiences view people of varying sexual expression. It could be that kind of resource for filmgoers, but the press surrounding more than one awards acceptance speech by a particular cast member has been drawing attention to the rub of the industry: actors don’t have … Continue reading Reality, History, and Silence: ‘Dallas Buyers Club’
Nebraska: a story of the heartland. An Americana gem. Black and white and cold throughout, Alexander Payne’s latest feature seems to be a carefully crafted study of small town living. An old man journeys from Montana to Nebraska to cash in what he believes to be his golden ticket. No one in the story actually … Continue reading Americana: A Tribute to Nothingland in A. Payne’s ‘Nebraska’
Who’s the criminal in a thieving system? In a band of uglies, who’s the worst? We audience members love watching horrible people make bad choices. The length of the average feature length film gives us just the right amount of time to decide who we feel sympathy for, who did the darkest deeds, who deserved … Continue reading Fading Glamour and Psychological Grit in ‘American Hustle’
If ever there was a film that immediately made the audience feel sympathy for every single character in a band of thieves, ‘Captain Phillips’ is it. Are the bad guys pirates or starved, drug-addicted kids who dare to be cruel if it means living to see better days? That isn’t the focus: not one character … Continue reading Captain Muse & ‘Captain Phillips’
Billed as a the story of a father and son living in two seemingly opposing worlds, Lee Daniels’ ‘The Butler’ grosses over $160 million at the box office over a budget of $30 million. I haven’t mentioned the budget of a film before this, but if I didn’t in this case, I’d be missing a … Continue reading In Praise of ‘The Butler’
Film journalist and writer Johanna Schneller opened the press conference for ‘12 Years A Slave’ at the Toronto International Film Festival saying “It’s difficult to say we love this film, we like this film, because it’s so tough.” Director Steve McQueen immediately responded “You could love it, you could love it.” Schneller backed up with … Continue reading On ‘12 Years A Slave’
The real life Philomena Lee has had many trials in her life, namely the loss of her son to the nuns who had him adopted without her consent at the age of 17 and, then again, the loss of her son to AIDS when she went searching for him later in life. She found him … Continue reading A Two-fold History of Silence Exposed in ‘Philomena’
With all the makings of a Hollywood romantic comedy, Enough Said is this year’s winner in the category of light-hearted yet beautiful moral film stories. There is a question and an answer in this little gem, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s character, Eva, asks and answers: is there a way to prevent heartbreak? The answer is in … Continue reading Blame, Sweet Blame: ‘Enough Said’
Here are ten films from 2013 that actually pass the Bechdel Test. This test, which assesses only the most basic presence of women on-screen, is strangely difficult to apply to most American films, but this year you could use count ‘em out on *both* hands. With Sofia Coppola beside Noah Baumbach beside Ridley Scott and … Continue reading 10 Films That Passed the Bechdel Test in 2013 | Tribeca
An alternative tagline for the screen version of August: Osage County could be “Streep and Roberts go darker than ever, fist in fist”. The thriller angle of this drama is seeing these two women, who have stunned audiences in award-winning biopics and the like for decades, revel in portraying what turned out to be possibly … Continue reading The Primordial Darkness of ‘August: Osage County’
Christoforos Papakaliatis wrote, directed and starred in “What If…?”, a hardcore romance, two ways. Will his character, Dimitris, follow his fate this way by walking the dog or that way by letting her out into the yard? Is fate so simple? This film graphically illustrates how our smallest decisions can completely change our lives, for … Continue reading New Greek Cinema: “What If…?”
Hitchcock’s thriller 'Saboteur' exemplifies the director’s drive for subverting his audience’s sympathies. There is a daringly clarified critique of systematic injustice in the form of a single misjudged civilian taking on a class of evil that operates somewhere between the powers of government and industry, far above the heads of common workers: the saboteurs, those … Continue reading Analysis of Hitchcock’s ‘Saboteur’
'Shadow of a Doubt' is a beautiful example of the study of Evil. We are constantly confronted with images and descriptions of violence, and in these accounts of atrocious acts we rarely get a chance to consider the criminal from any angle beyond criminality. Where evil meets innocence, and where it wins over good people, … Continue reading The Beautiful Evil: Hitchcock’s ‘Shadow of a Doubt’
Feminist Frequency put Oscar nominated films to the Bechdel test in 2012. Watch how it played out…apply these questions to your best-loved films and see what happens! The Oscars and The Bechdel Test - YouTube
On the tragedy/horror/senselessness of being dead while your heart is beating. Also, the trick to maintaining your dream-state long enough upon waking to record dreams in writing. Henry Miller & Anaïs Nin on Death and Dreams - YouTube
In time: art takes over, nature grows through, people forget, and Spring renews
Meagan Cook has played music at Carnegie Hall before. She has even played at Carnegie Hall at Christmas time before. This is not a first, and it will not be the last time Cook plays for a large audience, full of teachers, coaches, professional musicians, her fellow ingenues from around the globe in a puffy, … Continue reading Review of a Tiny Piano Starlet: Meagan Cook Mora
The SAG Awards, which took place on Sunday, 1/27, are completely in the hands of union actors, and the people made some very interesting choices as to which performers and ensembles deserved their golden statue… This awards season is a tough one to call. The pros are debating the success of the musical powerhouse “Les … Continue reading Mind & Body Films of The 2013 Awards Season
After seeing 'The Sessions', I was left wondering about the actual purpose of love in some people’s lives. It often leaves us feeling elated, then broken or nervous to a state of insecurity, then in pieces that need to be picked up fast so that we can survive from day to day. Love doesn’t feed, … Continue reading Empathy, Lust and Love: ‘The Sessions’
The Dalloway in SoHo is the perfect place to go on a cold, rainy, windy winter night in NYC. I mean the kind of night when you really can’t imagine walking, putting on pants (or whatever) and stepping outside, not even to see your closest, dearest people for a drink and more deliciousness- The Dalloway, once tasted, … Continue reading The Dalloway Opens in SoHo
On December 26th, 2004, thousands of families who had come to vacation in various coastal resorts around the luxurious South Pacific began their day like any other in what, by all accounts, exists as a paradise on Earth. Would they go diving, snorkle, or stay in bed enjoying the sunshine and ocean view from their windows? … Continue reading ‘The Impossible’ Horror of Reality
Spielberg’s 'Lincoln' is a story molded out of cold facts and softened by clever anecdotal interludes between Lincoln and his advisors (vice president, wife, and the people who look after his household). Of course Abraham Lincoln is so well-known to most audience members that the historical backdrop is easily set, allowing the storyline to progress from … Continue reading On Realism and Telling History: ‘Lincoln’
'Beasts of the Southern Wild' is a modern fairytale. Modern because it is about a fiercely strong little girl, which is not at all common, and fairytale-like because it is the story of how she comes into contact with unimaginably fantastical struggles. The protagonist, Hushpuppy, tends to hogs, chickens, gators, cats and dogs, coexisting in … Continue reading ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ & The Girl
In the rarest of cases, I get very attached to TV shows. If I really like a show, I find it terribly frustrating to wait for a whole week to see what happens next. To prevent that stressor from affecting me in day-to-day life, I usually ignore the hype (or lack thereof…) and file away … Continue reading “Elementary”: About One Sherlock Holmes & Joan Watson
Anyone who watches Saturday Night Live knows that the lifeblood of the show is its actor/writer’s brilliant impressions of the most recgonizable people in the United States. The writers find something funny about the most visible celebrities and politicians, and incubate the gems until their many audiences (fellow cast members, crew, live audience, second live audience…) can’t help but … Continue reading Something I Liked About SNL, Ep.7/S.38
If you have a sense of humor and an eclectic palette, and want to make sure the person you’re dating does, take them to dinner and a comedy show at The Stand. This bar/restaurant has its own downstairs showroom, where both seasoned and up-and-coming comedians take the stage each night at 8:30pm and 10:30pm. The … Continue reading The Stand Comedy Club & Restaurant is Now Open in Gramercy
BEDBUGS!!! The Comedy Sci-fi Thriller Rock Musical lives up to its name in every sense of the word. It is lovably creepy, coordinatedly crawly, laugh-out-loud funny, and in some moments will make you wish you had a lighter to flip open and sway with. I liken the buggy atmosphere to an otherworldly marriage of qualities from the … Continue reading Help Get BEDBUGS!!! (The Comedy Sci-Fi Musical) Off-Broadway
La Bottega at the Maritime Hotel is the perfect place to luxuriate in the late-night hours of a crisp, clear-skied autumn night. Overhead paper lanterns dance in the breeze and ambient lighting shines onto the large patio space from indoors. The Maritime hotel attracts a fun, eclectic mix of visitors; the atmosphere is rich and bubbly. … Continue reading La Bottega: Awesome Italian in the Heart of Chelsea
