Senator's Selects 2024/05/01
We shall reassemble outside the town hall at 3:00 sharp, and then process through the village and the countryside, down to the beach below the stones by the route which has become sacred to our rite.
From the Desk of…
May Day. One of my favorite days of the year. A day for solidarity. A day for sacrifice.
Listen, there’s a lot going on. If anyone’s paying attention to anything, I think it ought to be to the ongoing student protests that have emerged at places like Columbia and, yes, THE Ohio State University. Here’s OSU again from the student side. Here’s OSU again from student journalists covering President Ted Carter’s remarks on the situation. Here’s OSU again (PDF warning) from the Ohio State University Association of University Professors speaking out against the “police repression of student protest.” The year is beginning to remind me of 1968 in more ways than one. Who knows? At this rate, we might even get to 1970. Like the news items I waited on last time, things that now seem terribly unimportant in the moment, this is an emerging situation. Yes, there are still ongoing investigations and trials, but these protests and encampments and acts of brutality are happening today, and they’re happening near you.
And the weather is warm, and the summer is a-comin’ in. Gonna be a hot one.
The Brain Dump
whoa, sorry about that. a coconut fell on my head and i thought i was the pharaoh ramses for about two weeks
they should invent ice cubes that warm drinks up. heat cubes
pfft, you think that's fancy driving? watch this [I slam on the brakes and hit my turn signal at the same time, spinning my car directly into the concrete barrier]
Rolling Stones line of hard seltzer. Ruby Tuesday Grapefruit. Paint It Blackberry. 19th Nectarine Breakdown. Brown Sugar. is this anything
shame the flag lady died before all this. she could've made a pretty penny
At the Movies
Sometimes, we see movies that are good for us, even if the screening is inconveniently timed. That said, since it seems like everything I’ve seen lately is a rerun (hey, the search feature is pretty slick for finding my old reviews in the Selects), here’s some from the vaults.
Poser (2021), dir. Ori Segev, Noah Dixon ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ❤️
So.
I was hesitant to see this, I'll admit. I always want to root for the home team, but often those cheers and smiles are forced. "Can't fault them for trying" and all. I'd already started breaking Poser down in my mind as a film and as a Columbus film.
I'll start with the first.
The soundtrack is phenomenal, and its keen audio design urges me to encourage a theatrical viewing where possible. Sylvie Mix gives a tremendous performance that vacillates from relatable to alienating, and Bobbi Kitten does a fantastic job supporting and playing off that. The embedded work of the production in filming real shows gives the film an authenticity that bleeds through the screen. At no point does this feel like people pretending to be artists or bands, they are those things (or, aren't, as the story calls for). I started to worry in the third act. I wanted the film to go for it, and as a first feature, part of me was concerned it would go to the brink and pause. I never expected it to go full Persona or Perfect Blue, but I wanted it to reach - and it did. As a film, I can say I truly and earnestly liked it.
Now. As a Columbus film. What a loving paean to the local music scene. Locations. Props. Oral histories and stories. Even just people in the background. In part a time capsule that captures things we've lost, in part a celebration of the things we have. Through this lens, the film is exceptional.
So, at the end, the two-track system that I'd built was ultimately unnecessary. If you have the ability to see this film, I strongly encourage you to do so - not just as a Columbus film where you can point at the screen and say "I know where that is!" but as a tale well told about faking it until you make it. I am inordinately proud of the people who made this. Full marks.
The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928), dir. Carl Theodor Dreyer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ❤️
EVERY MORNING I WAKE UP AND OPEN PALM SLAM A CRITERION BLU-RAY INTO THE SLOT. ITS PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC AND RIGHT THEN AND THERE I START DOING THE FACES ALONGSIDE WITH THE MAIN CHARACTER, JOAN. I DO EVERY FACE AND I DO EVERY FACE HARD. MAKIN WHOOSHING SOUNDS WHEN I LOOK UP AT SOME PRIEST BASTARDS OR EVEN WHEN I MESS UP TECHNIQUE. NOT MANY CAN SAY THEY ESCAPED THE CHURCH’S MOST DANGEROUS PRISON. I CAN. I SAY IT AND I SAY IT OUTLOUD EVERYDAY TO PEOPLE IN MY COLLEGE CLASS AND ALL THEY DO IS PROVE PEOPLE IN COLLEGE CLASS CAN STILL BE IMMATURE JERKS. AND IVE LEARNED ALL THE LINES AND IVE LEARNED HOW TO MAKE MYSELF AND MY APARTMENT LESS LONELY BY SHOUTING EM ALL. 2 HOURS INCLUDING WIND DOWN EVERY MORNING. THEN I LIFT
Yi Yi (2000), dir. Edward Yang ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the Edward Yang film Yi Yi. General opinion’s starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don’t see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it’s not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it’s always there – fathers and sons, mothers and teachers, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge – they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling love, actually … is all around.
One Picture
Just so you know, this is happening today. Well, maybe you don’t read this right when I send it. It might still be happening when you read this. It very well might not. You’re in the loop now though.
In closing,
Sorry if this one was short on laughs, but work is just… you know, there’s so much going on these days. What a week. And sorry also for that extended Plex outage. I was delayed in getting the server back online. More to come!
Until next time, get out and enjoy the sunshine. Too nice out for me to spend all this time writing and for you to spend all this time reading.