You might be wondering where my posts have been. That’s fair. It took about two years for my recovery from burnout, that is a long time to be recuperating but it looks like I’m on the other end of it. Last year was kind of stressful in a different way, and we’re coming up on the one year anniversary of another monumental life change.
That’s what life does, change. I needed to follow suit and make a change. Between the two new housemates we’ve picked up and trying to find a new normal, I’ve been routine-less. That lack of routine wasn’t all bad, I really did need time to clear my head and to focus on what I want out of life.
But I was in danger, something I think many retirees know well, I needed some structure in my life. The one thing working a job does is force you into some sort of routine. I needed a routine that I could build structure out of, so I started taking my wife to work and doing a workout in the mornings. We have a walk together at lunch with our dogs and then eat lunch.
It’s been exhausting, because it’s a major change from how we’ve lived, but rewarding. The regular exercise and the quality time we get together has strengthened our relationship. Strength we need in the days to come I’m sure.
We also saw a couple of bands live last night in Washington, D.C., Caroline Kingsbury and Pom Pom Squad. It was at the end of a six-week tour and that manifested in different ways for both artists.
Some backstory…Adrianne sparked an interest in them for me, she had been listening to “Drunk Voicemail” and it made me curious to find more. I struggled with exploring new bands when I was working, I did the best I could but a lot of bands require time to develop an attachment to.
I feel in deep, especially with the new record, when we found out PPS was coming nearby, we both wanted to go. This was a show we were very much looking forward to.
Caroline Kingsbury was electric and controlled the show. Pulling on a blend of 80s pop acts and filtered through a queercore lens, Kingsbury might dabble in the Cure one moment and Pat Benetar the next. The crowd was dancing and joyous. It felt like we were witnessing something special.
Pom Pom Squad seemed to be struggling a bit, a little sluggish and loose. The nature of long tours and upgrading from a smaller touring act to a full fledged headliner. It also felt like the backing track reliance on songs from the new record held the band back from their potential.
On songs where they were free from that restraint or where the song was already slower, the show found its footing and the band sounded great. Other times, they were a little off pace, songs drained of energy that was present on the record. I’ve seen footage of PPS live where they pop more and one of the potential downsides to having more band members is that shows are more inconsistent.
That said, I appreciate that Mia Berrin brought out three people on tour with her. A lot of artists are going the other way, I’m shocked at the number of bands with no bassists these day. I suspect her vision includes more members, especially people to handle the backing vocals and some of the other instrumentation. I hope that she gets that chance, because the vision is there but the execution wasn’t quite.
I had hoped for a better show, but it happens. I’ve seen some of the best live bands have off nights and I’ve certainly had those nights as well. Here’s hoping I get the chance to see them again in better circumstances.
The movies I saw recently are similar, although I had a heads up on both. Adrianne and I went to the historic Byrd theater and saw last year’s best animated picture, Flow. Flow is the story of a cat trying to make allies and survive a flood that ravages their home. The entire story lacks any human dialog (or any humans), but uses animal mannerisms and language to communicate in a way that both feels scripted and natural. It’s an accomplishment.
The film does have moments of immersion breaking, which is unfortuante, because when you are locked into the film it is transcendent. The raw emotion of the animals is so touching and real, it feels like you exist in their minds. A lot of movies would have had human words fall out of their mouths or gone for cheap jokes, but Flow forces you into their world and it works.
There are moments that feel too unreal to believe, a massive drop from the sky in particular nearly broke the hold the film had on me. But so much of it feels real that you forgive the cinematic moments. The big action set pieces. Because when the cinematic moments work, there has not been much like it.
A nightmare sequence reliving an earlier trauma atop a boat mast and a surreal goodbye near the end of the film stand out, where you accept their world for what it is and are rewarded with true emotional payoff. This is a kid’s movie that works for all ages. If you get the chance to see it on a big screen, make it a priority. But I believe it is on the streamers now and you should not wait. See this as soon as possible.
Much like I was excited for Pom Pom Squad, so too was Death of a Unicorn calling my name. While I enjoyed the PPS show and it had peaks (closer “Head Cheerleader” and slowdancing with my wife to “Montauk” were both great memories), DoaU committed the greatest sin. Or at least I did. I fell asleep. Three times.
I wanted to like this movie. I think the cast was strong. The premise was great. But, the movie lacked any energy. The story beats were cliched with no new perspective. Just the same story we knew was coming delivered in the way we expected. Perhaps most disappointing for me personally was how mundane the Unicorn slaughter was.
This is a slasher flick without flair. The jokes are undersold, outside of Will Poulter who was fully committed and made the movie watchable. Jenna Ortega needs to find a direction that will both treat her as an adult AND push her to the next level. She had moments in this movie that show she is capable of so much more, side glances with Anthony Carrigan when people are denying reality highlight what she could be bringing to the table.
Instead, this felt like a lot of really fun, talented people mailing it in. Tired jokes about the healthcare industry. Tired jokes about classism. Maybe if the horror comedy landscape weren’t overrun by movies doing this better it would have landed better, but even The Monkey from earlier this year had riotous laugh out loud moments. I found myself chuckling a few times and waiting for the next trailer moment to keep me engaged.
Adrianne commented that Tea Leoni was doing a beat for beat reinactment from her role in the Jurassic Park franchise. I haven’t seen that film, but I believe it. This was JP without the wonder and Scream without the style. A subplot about her dead mother felt gratuitous and superflorous.
I feel so fortunate these days to be able to see movies and shows with more freedom. Not being exhausted, having free time to explore and attend, and having my wife be a part of it has all been very rewarding.
We’re about to head into an excellent tour season (Beach Bunny/Pool Kids next Sunday, Momma at the end of the month, Liquid Mike in the middle!) and more to come throughout the year means I will have a lot of great memories to cherish. And knowing that every week I’ll get another shot at a great movie means the misses are easier to take.
Heck, we’re even going to an art gallery this weekend to see a Frieda Kahlo exhibit with some friends. It can be hard to find good things these days, but it is so important for my wellbeing to keep finding the good in the bad.