I’m not sure how to review this. It isn’t really a movie. It’s almost a documentary. It’s mostly a collection of music videos hewn from stock footage and narcotics-induced imagery, interspersed with Bowie’s philosophical narration. About 30 minutes in, I found myself genuinely considering leaving the theater, which I can’t recall ever having done. Not because the film is bad, but because I realized that it would never form a cohesive story, so I wouldn’t actually miss out on anything if I left early for dinner. Also, this film is not for me. It is for the Bowie devotee who still needs closure. I am missing some context that is vital for me to actually enjoy or appreciate this film and I find it unlikely that I will ever gain that context. Although, I knew that going in, which is why I, at least, watched it to the end.
At times, things are great. But, great for whom? What is the cost to those for whom things are not so great? Who decides who deserves to live a great life and who doesn’t? 1950’s suburban America is the ideal setting to pose these questions. On the surface, the idyllic lifestyle appears to be everything anyone could ever want. Start scratching away at that surface, however, and inequities become apparent. Most of us have experienced the feeling that something is not right with the world. But, when the very fabric of reality seems to tear and nobody else notices, how should one cope? It is how one chooses to respond to such trauma – and how others choose to help – that determine what life really means for that person.
Last night was my last archery class. We ended the term with a scored shoot: 10 ends, three arrows per end, at 18 meters. I scored 277 out of a possible 300 points, with seven X’s (not worth any extra points, but used in tie breakers). I feel like I’m ready to get involved in competition, at least at a basic level. I learned a few things in 103 that weren’t covered in 101 or 102 and that I hadn’t picked up on my own. I’ve logged over 5,200 arrows fired to date, so I’ve had ample practice. It would be nice to get out more, which competing would allow me to do. I’ve been looking into joining USA Archery, so that may be the next step in my archery journey. Wherever I choose to take it, I know I still have plenty of room for improvement.
Not my best end. Not my worst end. Just my last end.
The Bow
I do not use a target bow. I use a compound hunting bow. It is not designed to deliver arrows consistently to the same point on a target when fired in a consistent manner. It is designed to provide a compact, quiet, lightweight means to deliver a broadhead point into the body of a large animal in order to maim said animal so that it cannot get away when the hunter closes the distance to finish it off. That said, I do not hunt. I only shoot targets. Which means, my choice of bow actually puts me at a disadvantage compared to someone who uses a target compound bow. I’m okay with that, though. Any competition I enter will be to measure my own improvement in skill, so I don’t expect to win anything. Also, I really like my bow. It fits in a backpack that I can wear when riding my bike, allowing me to get to the range without carrying my bow onto public transit. It also looks amazing. At least, I think it does. Target compounds tend to be tall and aluminum with stabilizers extending all over the place. I’m not a fan of that look. I prefer the compact, bat wing form common with hunting compounds.
Hoyt Carbon RX-7 Cameron Hanes Keep Hammering Signature Edition
The draw force (usually called “draw weight,” but that term is inaccurate) is a bit high for target shooting. I have it set to 56 lbs now. The limbs are rated up to 65 lbs. I opted for 4 mm arrows over 6 mm because they feel substantially less bulky. Aside from the usual attachments, you can see a couple “whiskers” extending from the front of the base. That is a bipod attachment I added so that the bow can freely stand on its own. The one thing I would like to change on this bow is to replace the green sight ring and level with red to stay in keeping with the overall color scheme. Other than that, this is everything that I want in a bow.
The Story
I haven’t been active in archery for very long. Just about two years now. Early in the pandemic, when everything was locked down, I left my job and decided to take some time to detox from my former employer’s malignant culture before looking for new work. That left me with a lot of time stuck in my apartment with no obligations. Naturally, I spent all that newfound free time watching movies and shows, and playing video games. Lots of video games. In particular, I spent many hours on the 2013 reboot of “Tomb Raider,” now that I finally had time to get to that. That is the first game in the franchise where bows are a significant component of Lara’s arsenal. The competition bow, especially, is a powerful weapon and immediately became my preferred weapon for most situations. This is how the stage was set for my first steps into archer.
Lara always carried that competition bow on her back when she wasn’t using it, which means that I spent many hours looking at this beautiful compound bow resting just above her hips. After awhile, I got to thinking, “I’d like to have a bow like that.” That turned into, “I really want that bow.” Eventually, it became, “I’ve got to have that bow!” After awhile, I realized that my desire for this thing from a video game, for which I had no use, was becoming unreasonable. I began to introspect on what it was that I actually wanted and why this bow triggered that yearning. Somewhat surprisingly, something did surface.
I suddenly had a memory from when I was quite young. My father would take me out to the edge of our property near an old tree stump. He would then use a tall, green compound bow to fire aluminum arrows at that stump. I was much too little to use the bow, but, being an energetic youth, I was delighted to run out to that stump and retrieve the arrows that I could get free so that I could watch my dad fire them again. It was a fond memory and I don’t know how much time had passed since I had last thought back on it. I never saw the bow after my family moved from that property. I suspect my dad had borrowed it from a friend. Thinking back to this time in my childhood made me realize that my desire to own a compound bow was not entirely unfounded. Whether this memory had manifested as a seemingly unreasonable desire, or the desire was unreasonable until it triggered the memory, I decided that I had sufficient justification to obtain a bow of my own. But first, I needed to learn to shoot.
That summer, most businesses were still locked down. There were some exceptions for essential services and classes, since remote learning had yet to be figured out. Fortunately, since many bow hunters make their living out here, pro shops that provide hunting supplies are considered essential. Also, the closest non-profit that offers archery lessons stayed open, just with smaller class sizes. So, I enrolled in Archery 101 and learned to shoot a recurve bow. After that, I went straight into 102, where I learned to use a sight and shoot a compound bow. Upon completion, I felt ready to get my own bow. It was late in the season, but I decided not to wait for the next model year. I got the compact edition of the current carbon fiber flagship bow, the Hoyt Carbon RX-4 Alpha. It had an unusual color scheme, with a stone gray riser and whiteout limbs. It also had a higher draw force that I probably should have started with. But, it matched my draw length and was in stock, so I went for it. It took some time to get used to shooting it. Eventually, I got the hang of sighting it in and drawing through the force curve. After awhile, I even got decently accurate and turned in the limb bolts to increase the draw force. I made it a point to get out to the range whenever I could, which was made difficult by about 2.5 hours of bicycling required for the round trip. It was worth it though. I finally had a hobby that didn’t involve staring at a computer screen.
Hoyt Carbon RX-4 Alpha. Don’t try this at home…like I did.
Earlier this year, I noticed that the RX-7 bows had been released. After looking over the specs, I decided it was time to upgrade. First, after learning more about compound bows, I had learned that I really wanted a dual-cam bow, which the RX-7 is and the RX-4 is not. The RX-7 also has the picatinny inline sight mount introduced with the RX-5, which is another feature that I like, partly because the sight no longer covers the serial number. Upgrading also gave me the opportunity to customize the aspects that I had simply accepted in my first bow. I chose black with red highlights and matching arrows for the color scheme, picked a lower draw force that is better suited for me, and had an inline rest installed, as opposed to the side rest that was already in place on my first bow. With these customizations, my new bow feels like a much better fit. I didn’t have my first bow long enough for it to hold strong sentimental value, so I had the string and cables replaced and I sold it. I was a little sad to part with it, but it should have plenty of life left for whoever ends up with it.
In honor of the game that inspired me to get a bow, I based the names of my bows on names from the game series. I am also fascinated by Japanese culture. I named my first bow 星 (Hoshi – star) after my favorite character from the 2013 game. You never meet or see Hoshi, but you do find pages from a journal she left behind hundreds of years earlier. When you find them, the pages are read aloud in her voice. My new bow is named 竜の呼吸 (Ryuu no Kokyuu – dragon’s breath). The name is derived from a DLC bow from the 2016 game that has a somewhat similar look, Death’s Breath. It was my favorite bow in that game, but I never got used to the name. I always think of death as involving a lack of breath, so associating breath with the personification of death is not something that I can readily do. I always called the bow the Dragon’s Breath by mistake. The Japanese sounds better for that, as well, so I went with 竜の呼吸 and simply acknowledge that the name is merely inspired by “Tomb Raider.”
There you have it. My archery story, so far. What started as an indescribable yearning from a video game has turned into a rewarding pastime. Someday, I hope to own some property where I can shoot whenever I want without having to ride my bike 20 km to a range. I also hope that I’m able to share this hobby with others, particularly now that I’m getting back out into the world. Whatever may come of it, I look forward to honing my skills and continuing to enjoy every opportunity I get to draw my bow. It feels good to have passion for something. Fare thee well!
A whodunit film about a whodunit play that is slated to become a film. The premise paves the way for plenty of self-referential humor that revels in its clichés. With the world-weary detective and the eager, young rookie archetypes taken to extremes, there is no shortage of investigative discordance to bolster the movies fast-paced shenanigans. The comedy is amusing without becoming slapstick and the mystery drops enough clues for seasoned silver screen sleuths to select a sensible suspect. But, I have been advised that, it is in my best interest not to reveal what I have witnessed.
Viewers of “X” know that there is something seriously wrong with that old woman. Now, viewers of “Pearl” get to learn that there was always something wrong with her. A profound disconnect from reality that allows her to justify some truly terrible deeds with a narrative of how much better her life could be and a sense of entitlement to that better life. Her overbearing mother may not be entirely to blame for Pearl’s maladjustment, but she certainly is a catalyst. Add to this a lack of common inhibitions and the stage is set for Pearl’s true nature to claw its malevolent way to the surface.
“Pearl” isn’t as sexy as its predecessor, but it’s probably just as bloody and unsettling. The movie has a drastically different feel, largely due to the different time period. It also uses a faux-Technicolor over-saturation to evoke a sense of early color movies, even though it takes place several years before color cinema. More importantly, the look reflects Pearl’s personal view of the world as distorted by the pictures with which she is so obsessed. Life on the screen appears glamorous and dramatic, which is how Pearl wants to view her world. This is just one of the signs of her lost grip on reality.
The movie incorporates some clever and, at times, subtle elements to tie it back to its predecessor and to present events, as though to say that these unprecedented times may not actually be so unprecedented. It also finishes up with a post-cred. This time, I believe it’s real, as I was proven wrong when I took the previous post-cred to be a joke. This leads me to wonder just how long the story will run and just what time periods it will cover. So long as the quality is maintained, I will continue to look forward to whatever comes next.
This movie feels much more mainstream than I had expected, which is to its detriment. I wasn’t expecting “Amistad,” but I did expect it to be more emotionally taxing. As it is, there are a few elements to evoke sorrow or anger, but nothing that really impresses the suffering and hardship of injustice onto the audience. Given the events surrounding the story, that perplexes me.
Despite feeling watered down for broader audience appeal, the movie has strong characters portrayed by a talented cast. Davis, in particular, conveys the pain of her character with genuine, sometime heart wrenching, passion. The Agojie represent the intersection of two historically oppressed groups who, here, are in a position where they have the respect of their king, the adoration of their kingdom, and no equal in battle. The female warriors are fierce and, at times, terrifying. Many of the challenges they face seem relegated to a regrettable past, but many others feel far too familiar today. Perhaps it is to leave the audience with a sense of hope that these challenges can eventually be overcome that the movie avoids placing the heavy emotional burden that I had expected.
As is my custom, I will distract from this review with a reflection on something that happened on the way to the theater. I was on my bike, creeping into an intersection on a green light in preparation to make a left turn. An oncoming vehicle preparing to make a right turn came to a stop and the driver signaled to me that I could go first. This may sound like a nice gesture to you and I’m sure that is how the driver intended it. But, it absolutely infuriated me, to the point where I shouted an expletive. Not specifically at the driver, but I’m certain somebody heard it.
First, the action wreaked of disrespect. I often see drivers make effectively illegal stops in the presence of a bicycle because they assume the cyclist will do something reckless. Granted, this is often a safe assumption. But, when the cyclist uses legal hand signals to convey their intentions, then that person knows what they are doing. Yielding when the bicycle clearly does not have the right-of-way just shows that you don’t see the cyclist as an equal on the road because they don’t wield the might of an internal combustion engine.
Second, although minor, the action did violate traffic law. These laws, particularly concerning right-of-way, are largely in place so that vehicle operators can reasonably predict the actions of nearby vehicles without needing to be in communication with the other operators. In my case, I had gauged the distance between the oncoming vehicle and those behind it, determining that I would be able to make a turn as soon as the other vehicle finished its right turn. By coming to a stop at a green light with an empty crosswalk, the driver completely threw off my timing and I had to make a panic judgement whether to accept the unexpected invitation, or to wait for the following vehicles to pass, as the gap I had anticipated quickly diminished. In short, the yielding driver put me at greater risk.
My call to action is that drivers treat bicycles as they would any other slow moving vehicle on the road. If you don’t see any indication that the cyclist will flagrantly disregard traffic rules, then don’t come to a full stop and turn on your four way lights while waiting for the bicycle to pass. If you need to pass a bicycle in a traffic lane, then slow down and match speed until it is safe to pass, then pass safely, just as you would a slow moving semi truck. There is no need to honk. There is no need to shout. There is no need to wave us through the intersection when you clearly have right-of-way. Please, just stick to the rules of the road with which we should all be familiar.
Many things about this movie feel forced – the narration; the domestic situation; the relationships; the prosecution. The message takes precedence over characters, leaving a world that will look familiar to many of us, but feels strangely unnatural and disconnected. Even the resolution feels disconnected from other events. I also do not fully agree with the moral, particularly since it coincides with a revelation that seems to undermine the very details that are meant to support it. Given how long this movie has been running in theaters, someone must think that the message is worth forgiving the other flaws. While I’m surprised at how harshly critics have judged the film, I could have passed on it without any regrets. At least it wasn’t bad enough to make me regret caving in and finally seeing it.
A lot has changed in the past 600 years – governance; church; combat; medicine. These things all used to be much less refined. “Medieval” takes audiences back to these rougher times to witness how a little ingenuity and a lot of determination could turn the tide of battle. While the movie fails to be Czech “Braveheart,” it succeeds at portraying a resourceful, young military commander fighting against a more powerful enemy. If you see the movie expecting to see a deep character story with moving romantic moments, though, you will likely be disappointed. If, on the other hand, you see it expecting to see a gritty, historical war drama, then you will be much better served.
When do you decide to start trusting someone you’ve just met? Who do you choose to help in an emergency? Whose help do you choose to accept? Just how much is a bit of extra subterranean square footage worth in a small home? “Barbarian” poses these questions in a narrative that breaks from the typical horror movie structure. Audiences have multiple opportunities to experience the slow build of unease as the same environment is explored from different perspectives. Viewers are given reprieve from the terror in order to ponder just how the various threads will intertwine. It’s an approach that is less psychologically exhausting than the established horror movie thrill curve, but it can be a bit confusing. Overall, it works well and I would like to see the style replicated, as long as it doesn’t become a crutch for less original material.
The biggest problem with organized religion, one from which most of its other problems stem, is that, despite what church leaders may say, it is not organized by God. It is organized by people. People have flaws. Whether and how people may own up to those flaws is driven more by what can be gained from it than by any divine reconciliation. The flaws of the leaders then seep into the organizations, leading to petty bickering, counterproductive rivalries, and questionable distribution of wealth. “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.” parades a satire of these flaws before audiences to amusing effect.
I’m disappointed, though, by the split between documentary style camera work and direct studio filming. It feels like a cheat to take a significant portion of the Childs’s lives out from in front of the film crew to let the audience see aspects of the characters that they manage to keep hidden from the cameras. It does, however, produce some of the funniest scenes in the movie. Still, I feel that a pure mockumentary would be more fitting.
The Omnipotent Grand Arbitrator Over the Universe 