Fahrenheit 11/9 Review

Given that we're nearing the midpoint of Donald Trump's tenure as leader of the free world, it's surprising just how little we've seen of him in film. It's not a bad thing, but given how television is drowning in supposedly witty zingers about Number 45, I would have expected to seen more of him on the big screen. At the very least, I was expecting 10 crappy impersonations spray-painted orange to have popped out of some raunchy low-budget comedy making a joke that even in 2008 would have been too easy. But instead I suppose we got the next best thing, a Micheal Moore documentary focused on him which inverts the date of the most catastrophic attack to occur on American soil in recent history. Godwin only knows what will come out of that bout of subtlety. 

To Fahrenheit 11/9's credit, Trump doesn't really become the main topic so much as Trumpism being the umbrella of which the movie's topics fall under. Much of what is discussed about Trump is already known: he's a narcissistic pervert, the media has done a great job of playing into his hands, and he has gotten away with so much garbage right out in the open. Even the opening makes a point about how the campaign was all a publicity stunt. This all serves as contextual fodder to segue into recent events such as the West Virginia teacher's strike, the Parkland shooting, and of course the Flint water crisis. In fact, Flint takes up such a significant part of the film, that it almost seemed as though Moore was intending to go with that first but then had to adapt it to Trump now that he was president. Course, that would be ignoring how Moore was pretty much on the money about the Don. 

While there is a great deal that is being juggled, Moore does well enough to tie everything together but the tone does take some sharp turns that can be as disorienting as the daily news. In his other works, Moore does well to provide a good balance of humor and calm to an otherwise grim or upsetting reality that he constructs. Fahrenheit 11/9 diminishes its comedy for a starker reminder of the damage that has been wrought. The humor is isolated into small segments that are inundated with so much panic and deadpan conversations that any relief that you might've gotten is lacking. Perhaps this adds to the urgency but it further confuses what Moore's trying to aspire to, a commentator or a propagandist. 

Its brand of alarmist comedy reminds me of Full Frontal With Samantha Bee, as it appears to want to be more proactive in pushing its message and uses jokes as the ice pack that the punch delivers. Both also attack the threat from within, calling to that old political adage that Democrats are a bunch of spineless compromise-happy liberals. Moore's efforts to puncture the Democrats certainly was a lot more biting, as he chided Hilary for her complacency to the presidency and disgusting perpetuation of political establishmentarianism along with Obama being a fraud of progressive ideals, using Flint itself as one of the turning points. I've heard these points before, but having someone more mainstream as it were making them was heartening to see. Much as I would commend him for pushing the envelope a little, I can't help but feel like its not enough to win over those that feel that he's just flirting with progressivism. Despite him have some decent credibility to being a leftist rather than a run of the mill liberal, he did not necessarily hold Obama to the same fire that he has chosen to roast both Trump and Bush under. Not to mention that he still can come across as nothing more than a celebrity armchair activist. 

Perhaps the reason that I find myself so mixed on the film is because I'm mixed on the country itself. It is a nation that willingly has blinded itself to the ugly truths before it. It's one where disgraces are perverted to noble traits. It's so horrifically dismissive to consider that the entire nation approves on the travesties that the government commits domestically and worldwide or that they are merely idiots that cannot help to fall into their worst impulses out of ignorance. But they exist and they represent the United States of America. Internal divisions have distracted from larger threats that have permeated in the system and the wounds of partisanry are so deep that it does feel like something truly ugly could come to pass. Fahrenheit 11/9 encourages one to be on the alert, to not depend on easy solutions, and that eventually a collapse of the system will come, be it by the force of the people or the faulty structures caving in. Yet, it only seems that those motivated will be those that already were. And I bet you they're already doing something else than going to the movies to watch this. 

Can You Ever Forgive Me Review

Everyone's got an actor that they seem to enjoy on-screen but others tend to dislike. Perhaps we just cling to the few good roles that they've had and excuse the rest of their garbage. Or maybe it's part of our idiosyncrasy. To me, I've felt that Melissa McCarthy has been that actor. It feels to me like she's in a similar position as Adam Sandler: loved by the industry, but despised by the public for participating in comedies that aren't even worth the dignity of the dollar bin. Barring the touchy subject of the Ghostbusters remake, she has gotten the reputation as overly reliant on simple slapstick humor and being seen as just loud and obnoxious. However, I happen to believe that she does well with the crass and brash character type, being able to hone in her strengths and mold them into whatever role she's put into. Think of it like how Jack Nicholson uses anger, or how Nicolas Cage uses his batshit insanity. She might not be on par with them, but she can offer more than just pratfalls.

Of course, if one wants to see what a comedic actor is truly made of, they always have to look to the dramas, and Can You Ever Forgive Me? looked to be the one that would bring Melissa's acting credibility up a notch. Based on Lee Israel's eponymous memoir, Melissa stars as the author, struggling to make ends meet as she's a minor name in the literary world. Her latest work on Estée Lauder hardly garnered any attention and her agent Marjorie (Jane Curtin) is hardly helping her out. As she does research for her next book, she comes up with the idea to forge letters from Noël Coward, Dorothy Parker, William Faulkner and many more. She works with her friend Jack Hock (Richard E. Grant) to sell the forgeries and begins to befriend a local bookstore owner, Anna (Dolly Wells), to whom she sells her letters to along with many others.  

Marjorie makes a point that the reason that Lee doesn't have the same level of fame as Tom Clancy is that the subjects that she writes about aren't "sexy". To some effect one could say the same about the film's concept. Forgery isn't exactly the most exciting crime to tackle. Marielle Heller understands this concern and manages to do an excellent job of elevating the entire experience. From the montage of forging and selling letters to the camera closing in and appearing from unconventional angles when the tension builds, the scheme takes on a more glamorous appearance. It does well to punctuate the emotion in a scene and maintain the attention of those that might not initially be intrigued by the premise. Peppered in the dialogue are an assortment of witty moments (mostly coming from interactions between Lee and Jack) and a seemingly romantic relationship brewing with Lee and Anna that add to the film's richness.

Without a doubt, Melissa McCarthy does a spectacular job in the lead role. As mentioned before, the aggressive and blunt personality that comes through in many of her roles is prominently on display. Lee Israel is portrayed as sophisticatedly uncouth, as she is both knowledgeable of figures in high society and is a foul-mouthed alcoholic. Her sensitivity comes through as much as her toughness as she is relatively vulnerable given her situation. McCarthy has found herself in roles that try to justify her hard-shelled nature as merely a protection mechanism to the harsh criticisms of the outside world, but Can You Ever Forgive Me? is where it expands beyond the need for subversion of her usual schtick. She is able to properly deliver the warts and all of how Lee conducted herself, and she does well to make sure that the audience gives a shit. 

Strangely, this biopic manages to feel a lot more proper, in that one can sense how it truly is a novel adaptation. Though many biopics offer the third person limited perspective in which the narrative is clearly told from the perspective of the main character, Can You Ever Forgive Me? approaches it in such a masterful way that it captures the thrill of a great page turner. Narration is strictly left to the writing Lee does within the film, details about characters and Lee's understanding of them are integrated subtly and superbly, and the pacing is so steady and organically done that no moment feels unwelcome. The last point is particularly impressive given that the film surprisingly does not dwell too much on taking breathers. At times this can catch one off-guard but it hardly feels unnatural. 

In writing, there is saying that you either live a life worth writing about or write about lives worth living. Lee transgressed her way from one to the other. And if it turns out that there was far more embellishment in this adaptation of Lee Israel's forgeries, it would still be something to take pride in, much like how Lee herself took pride in her forgeries. It captures the frustration of Lee's own interests being looked over by the public, the squandering of her talents that come from her doing as well as her ability to capitalize on her talent and the sardonic wit that carries her throughout life. For the desire to have a voice and be recognized for it is the driving force of any writer. Much in the same way, Melissa has strengthened her own abilities as a performer and Marielle has established herself with a truly captivating work of cinema.

The Old Man And The Gun Review

TIFF is in full swing in Ontario, delighting those with early-bird alertness and nest-egg-minded thriftiness. There was a lot for me to choose from: Should I try the blood pumping Widows by Steve McQueen? How about I opt for the captivating Damien Chazelle biopic First Man? What if I decide to go with the Italian political satire Loro from Paolo Sorrentino to delight in my more foreign tastes? The options were many, but the tickets were so few. Though I was tempted to engage in the political documentaries on the current American quagmire and felt that it would be fun to see how long I could last in Lady Gaga's latest attempt to imitate Madonna, I instead chose two quaint "based-on-a-true-story" films each involving a criminal element.

The Old Man And The Gun got my attention immediately through the idea of the "charming convict". A character that is criminal and charismatic, some may see the concept as a cheap way to provide some grey morality into a film, but those people are what I call snitches. One often is enthralled by the silver-tongued fox that weasels their way in and out of any situation, for their motives are not for power or vengeance, but rather for love. And seeing Robert Redford and Sissy Spacek partake in sweet small-talk immediately brought to mind I Love You, Phillip Morris, a favorite of mine for being one of the greatest charming convict stories out there. For both films also revolve around a specific characteristic of the charming convict to define the movie as a whole.

In the case of The Old Man And The Gun, Forrest Tucker (Redford) is clearly aware that the days are quickly fleeing for his age. Though he does well robbing banks without the need to fire a single shot, he is often concerned about what will come next for him now that his accomplices Teddy and Waller (Danny Glover and Tom Waits) move on from a life of crime. However, once he comes across Jewel (Spacek) from his time on the 'lam, the two hit it off and he manages to slow down. Meanwhile, Detective John Hunt (Casey Affleck) slowly awaits to capture him, while he too is concerned about how his life is going.

With a soft jazzy soundtrack and an even softer tone, each day feels pleasant, resembling the stress-free nature of retirement.  Crime scenes are treated like a coffee shop conversation, as the stakes lower with each reassuring quip from Forrest. The struggles of cracking the case take the form of minor migraines in which John makes the best efforts to piece the puzzle. What should be heart-pounding and intense is mundane, a routine, especially when the ticking of Forrest's stopwatch comes into play. Of course there is also the bond that forms between Jewel and Forrest, along with John's family life with his kids and wife, Maureen (Tika Sumpter) which add to the rustic Americana delight that covers this film.

It is however when Forrest is alone that there is an unsettling sensation. It is there that that we see his fragility, his willingness to defy the law as respite from his inability to defy death. Though he may seem comfortable with living next to a cemetery, he is at his core more uneasy. Only when Jewel offers her perspective does he become reinvigorated. It's par for the course of senior-centric cinema to focus on carpe diem, and The Old Man And The Gun certainly approaches it from a reasonable perspective. Much of the change from Forrest and Jewel is subtle, compromising on their limitations. Redford does well to show that Forrest's charm is how considerate he is, despite his isolation. Along with Spacek, their chemistry comes through strongly but slightly off-kilter, burdened by how incompatible their backgrounds are.

Despite how nice most everything was, it can almost seem like there is hardly any tension. The moderator for the film opened by saying how the director, David Lowery seems to make "elevated bedtime stories" and there are certainly times when it would be better to fall asleep. Much of Affleck's scenes carried no life with them, which while logical for a dejected detective, often felt like they were there as a formality to the film's structure. It did not seem to properly contrast well with Redford's more relaxed easygoing nature, since they would often trail off or leave hardly any impact. Not to mention that his voice was so slurred and muffled that a drunk with honey soaked cotton balls under his tongue seemed more coherent in comparison.

It's a shame that his performance does undercut some pivotal points for Hurt, but in fairness, it's not like the writing does any favors. They hardly go further into Forrest's shades, instead choosing to completely portray a nefarious mastermind of multi-million theft as no more than a polite grandfather. There is beauty in the mystery of who he is, but there would be more beauty in it if there was more muddling of what that was. It helps to add more complexity to the why of his criminal activity. Yet only two or so significant details get left behind. It may seem inconsequential, but these matters should be as meticulously constructed as Forrest's heists were. However, if one were to be robbed of more layered characters and scenes with an old-fashioned romantic journey of a charming convict, then I suppose there are worse ways one could be held up.

The Culture War And Consumption In A Partisan World

The culture war. It never ends. Though it became formalized back in 1990s when American cable news was just starting to shift from respected fourth estate to overbearing talking head chorus, the struggle has always been there and hardly shows signs of ever leaving. It is the glue that holds communities together, and in which we've come to approach pivotal moments in our lives. Much of it is thanks to the way in which said news (along with the advent of social media) has framed daily events, constantly going for the divisive, the controversial. Conversations hardly are level-headed and the topics tend to get more absurd each time. But much of the reason the news goes into hysterics is because the dialed-up tension brings in more eyes. Politics is seen more of a sports game than an intellectual discussion, and all of us partake in the spectacle to see our side win. It doesn't matter if the subject is abortion or whether to say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays, all we need is the proper evisceration and we'll bask in the glow of righteousness. Afterwards we might feel dirty about the whole ordeal and wince at how partisan the world's getting, but we'll get back to gloating when our side wins another point.

It is truly insidious how much the current 24-hour news cycle and social media has fueled the culture war but the sources where it extracts the crude reactionaries are all around us. Our lives are inherently political by not just what we say and do but from what we buy and react to. We try our best to construct a set of principles that we abide to along with ones that we believe that society should strive to better progress. In doing so, we either directly or indirectly form the ways in which we consume media. Those that we choose as our intellectual beacons, the thoughts we have on the latest film or TV show or even our own diet or fashion say to ourselves and others, "this is what lies within my core". These aspects are what then push us into the communities that we want to be a part of and drive us to be hostile to those which are our adversaries. Those communities have within them individuals that then rise up and claim themselves leaders and influencers who then burst onto the monitors that we in turn like, comment are share. 

There is nothing wrong with coming to terms that life is political and to be aware of what you're doing in relation to how you wish to be defined in those terms. Indeed one must have that self-awareness and be willing to view the world through a political lens. However, if you can't knock those glasses off your face, what you're left with is utter frustration and misguided aggression. We see this with virtue signalling about how people aren't paying attention to some news, as if people cannot pay attention to both. We see it with overreaching pop culture analysis that opts to view the incredibly trivial as the highly significant. We see it with how people instantly turn to boycotting and destruction of a company's merchandise for violating its beliefs, only to find that it would never manifest into any resounding change or helps to raise their profits. None of this allows for proper reflection, rather it plays into a reflexive outrage that comes across as paranoid. 

Moreover, it is that very outrage that becomes amplified. It is the ammunition that the media loads up on and shoots across its networks to provide that rush of vitriol to others. They push more urgent issues to the side and engage in a sensationalist game of telephone where each outlet puts its own spin on it to push their agenda further. From this, what was a minor grievance becomes a rallying cry built on misconceptions and half-truths. Even worse is when an issue that is of urgency gets trivialized either through distorting it or by turning it into a selling point. Perhaps in some way it helps to bring the issue to the masses but ignorance is forced upon it, diluting its urgency for the sake of advertisement.

Some believe that because of this constant need to make mountains of molehills that we should just dull our senses to what goes on and try to look for simplistic compromises. This mentality presents problems by declaring everything as equally subjective and thus incapable of being properly debated. After all, how can one truly say whether apples or oranges are the superior fruit? It also does not resolve the mismanagement of priorities and only helps to ignore when smaller issues do add up to a troubling trend. 

That's not to say that it's not understandable why some go down that path. After all, the culture war is a tedious ordeal. It tires the general public as much as it energizes it into a frantic shouting match.  Moderation would be a better status quo than what we have now. But there's yet to be a proper pivot back to the middle. We must not sacrifice our beliefs unless we have a good reason to. Neither should we be willing to be at each others throats so quickly.  It's hard to find common ground, but when it appears it is in everyone's best interests to solidify themselves in it and come around to strengthening it. If we are drafted into the culture war and thrown into the battlefield already, it makes no sense to run away. One has to go in and fight, maintaining their focus and keeping with them honor. Yet this is an unconventional war, one where friends can be made across the lines and extended breaks exist to ease the tension. Be armed when it comes to another battle, but don't point your arm everywhere expecting enemies to crawl out. 

Freiwerk and Forward - The Pushing Of The Product And The Plans For Itch.Io

FREIWERK - A COLLECTION MADE IN FREIZEIT

I'm sure y'all have seen me post about Freiwerk a lot lately. I've mostly been aggressively advertising it after a couple of teases at the start of August, just trying to make sure that I get it out to the corners that I'm most active in. After all, it is the first proper project I've ever made and I did spend quite some time assembling it together. I couldn't just post it and leave it be like other works I've made. Now that I'm dying down with the reposting of the product, I feel like I should try to provide more information on Freiwerk itself, what I think of the end result and what will be of the itch.io that has now been made thanks to it.

INCEPTION

I say that Freiwerk started in third year of university but the impetus to get something like it going has been something that I thought to look into during first year. I've been wanting to get some larger project going, one which would take a little bit more time than my average creation. I figured that by having more time dedicated to something, it would provide something that would be much more substantial for me and anyone taking part in it. I set a goal that by end of my graduation year I had to get something out. 

Around third year, I finally had the idea to make a collection of my work. Given the busy schedule I had, it figured that if I could just try to make a neatly made package of what I've done artistically, it would not only be reasonable but also serve as a good jumping board into doing other projects. I opted for a German title both to abide to artistic tradition of using a foreign language to heighten one's work and because I have a minor in it so why not include it somewhere. Though if I'm basing my creative decisions on minors, then I should have included a Poisson distribution to account for statistics.

The outline was made out and I knew it would be 10 sections with two serving more as bookends instead of showcasing my work (as I would have plenty of work to showcase). Later on I'd alter it so that it would become a way for people to get to know more about myself. It'd be like a personal portfolio. I included pictures I took, songs that I liked and some creative non-fiction I wrote about my experiences in life. To add to the project, I also decided that there would be some content that would be exclusively made for it - stories and artwork to be exact. That way, it would have a little more to offer than any old collection.

For the most part I kept it secret, not opting to be too explicit in this work in progress back when it was still just a few sections completed and barely half of the new content made specifically for it was made. Maybe I should have tried to make an earlier buzz about it but I didn't want to jinx the project by hyping it up too early and never getting it done. Once I was more secure that it would get completed, I went forth with providing more information. Shortly after that it came down to posting it.

EXECUTION

Having now released it, I believe it's lifted quite a load off my chest. I can finally say I got a project out there that I put a great deal of time into creating and which has a whole lot to offer. In doing so, I wanted to see what would become of it. While there has been some attention to it and I'm grateful for it, I believe the lack of such has allowed me to consider some problems in my approach. 

For one, the build-up could have been much better to show what Freiwerk would include. Granted it's more akin to a book than a movie in the sense that teasing the content would be more difficult, but it still would have provided better insight into what it'd be about. I could have done a video for it as I have other works, but given that I've hardly touched my Youtube channel, there probably wouldn't have been much of a change. I could've mentioned that the some of the art meant for the project, would be psychedelic collages, caricatures, a businessman with an octahedron for a head and a colorful Rorschach test of sorts. Or that the stories I made for it range from a postcard story about a soldier trudging through the desert to a spy dealing with a period of inactivity and boredom to the longest story involving a man and a talking gargoyle. Perhaps that would have helped.

The other big issue could be the length, as over 250 pages of content is quite a lot for a single project, especially the first one that serves as a jumping board for further works. Though it does speak well to my willingness to offer content (after all it is free), it nonetheless could make it hard for people to engage with it. 

As for the content, I'm sure there might be some imperfections given that it is my first go-around, but that's a lot more subjective than the promotion. I would be guessing a lot more as to what landed and what didn't and they would probably be a lot more off the mark than I would assume. Not to mention that I would rather highlight the monumental achievement that it was than pick it apart. I do think that what I've done has been quite experimental and insightful into who I am regardless of where those reactions may lean. However, I do appreciate any comments regarding it though. Any feedback helps.

CONTINUATION

So now that I've completed Freiwerk, I've got a perfectly good itch.io opened up, eager for more to be placed upon it. I have thought about what other things I hope to get there. There are some older works that I might consider revamping and posting on there by themselves. However, I am thinking to do something more Photoshop-intensive and original projects that would be similar to the Siet Eh? section of Freiwerk. It also wouldn't be a bad idea to try making a game or a funky little executable given the nature of itch.io. Hell, I noticed that some people have included videos in there too, so that might be something to think about too. Though perhaps the smartest thing to do is to make some comics given all the characters I've made. The site's my oyster, and hopefully I can get another project out before the start of a new year. But for now, there's just Freiwerk, and I'm fine with that.