More Stuff I Made Up

I shared some of my quatrains many weeks ago. I ended-up having thirty. Here's four more from that same series. 

Quatrain I:

he can be in skinny jeans

as long as his kiss ain't mean;

we can text and tweet and skype

just as long as he's my type

Quatrain V:

out for brunch in his 'hood;

want to kiss him, maybe I should;

we stayed in bed kinda late;

I wonder if this is a date

Quatrain XVII:

do you remember the gazelles?

before we said our last farewells,

they’d run the plain up to your pits;

you'd laugh so hard you were in fits

Quatrain XXV:

upgraded me to youporngay,

put Logan Square up on display,

Paris is Burning, that was you;

did you learn something from me too?

BAATHHAUS

Since moving to Chicago on August 1^st, 2011, I have been anticipating my chance to see BAATHHAUS (a queer-electronic-fuck band fka DAAN) perform. They became well known in Chicago’s queer-scene due to their hypersexual performance art; last night, “the night before the apocalypse,” I got to experience why they have achieved underground cred at Salonathon’s You’re Gonna Die: A Holiday Fantasia at Metro. 

Photo Credit: John Sturdy

The quartet that comprises BAATHHAUS provides all the vocals and instrumentation for their sets. They seamlessly weave from theatrical singing to spitting rhymes while executing provocative and interpretive choreography. The multidisciplinary artists take turns being front and center, but are most effective when collectively jamming out with high-energy abandon. The most notable solo moment came at the end of “I Like Boys,” in which Patrick Andrews explicitly raps with raw pleasure about how he desires his men to behave in bed which he finalizes with an innocent, cutesy curtsey. All four members began the set with unsettling neutral masks topped with Santa-hats which they one-at-a-time removed, crumpled, and tossed into the audience. Apart from unwrapping gifts which consisted of musical instruments and glitter guns, the performance was more straightforward than I anticipated. Their performances of "All I Got" and "Cave Song" were flavored with all the expected overt sexuality and the finale brought the anticipated spluttering of blood from the bandmates' mouths. 

BAATHHAUS is fully engaged from beginning to end and thus is inescapably mesmerizing. Their performance ranges from cheeky humor to brass sensuality and is always unapologetically and fiercely queer. But all nitpicking  aside, the band puts on an awesome show. I had a fucking blast. There were songs when I couldn’t stop watching them… other times I had to dance…and at other times I just had to grind against my boyfriend. BAATHHAUS put on an inspired show and spread queer cheer for the holidays.

Photo Credit: Vern Hestor

check out their music at: https://soundcloud.com/baathhaus

and here's their website: http://baathhaus.com/ 

Film & Theatre Reviews

So I am an entertainment junkie (kind of) and frequent movie theaters and regular theatres. I love to follow the awards season with special interest in the Academy Awards. I like to predict the nominees/winners and name my own superlatives. In preparation for that madness, I write short reviews on movies and plays. Here's a little taste of that:

THEATRE

You can check out my review of 
About Face Theatre's We Three Lizas for Chicago Stage Standard 

on their website: http://chicagostagestyle.com/threelizas.asp. 

FILM

Though not as stuffy as the trailer would make you believe, LINCOLN fails to fully engage and falters to be thoroughly entertaining despite fine performances. Daniel Day-Lewis and Sally Field are strongly paired, but Tommy Lee Jones barely fits in style of the film despite his earnest performance. Tony Kushner’s relevant script adds surprises to the well-known historical story, but is stretched by an indulgent pace. The period detail is marvelous from the set decor to the instantly recognizable costumes. Finally, Steven Spielberg is a legendary filmmaker that creates masterful epics. However, LINCOLN is not a film that I truly enjoyed or am excited to watch again. 3.5/5 Stars.

The visual storytelling in LIFE OF PI is breathtaking. Ang Lee playfully incorporates lovely images and aids Suraj Sharma to giving a truthful performance in a tricky, difficult role. What the screenplay lacks in subtlety, it makes up for with humor. The task of making the bleak circumstances exciting was masterfully handled through beautiful cinematography and incredible visual and sound effects. LIFE OF PI is truly a technical wonder. 4/5 Stars.

Ben Affleck delivers a surprisingly exciting period drama that is as suspenseful as tender. He directs a fine ensemble with outstanding performance by Bryan Cranston and Alan Arkin.  The ensemble, taut script, and excellent cinematography give ARGO an authentic feel. Affleck has developed nicely as an actor, but more remarkably as a filmmaker. The unrelenting pace and continuous promises of violence make ARGO a top notch thriller right up to its climactic scene.  5/5 Stars.

Hopefully, that was enough to wet your palette. Have you had a chance to see any of these? What did you think??