Boyfriend101

I'm brainstorming titles for my never-to-be-published (or written) guide to dating gay guys. Here's what I got so far:

Don't Be Late: And Other Ways To Make That Date Your Mate

How To Seem Mellow For A Fellow 

Your Best Bet To Get Intimate 

How To WOO and DUde


Don't Be A Bore And You Can Score

A Study So He's Not Just Your Buddy

10 Ways To Keep Your Guy From Saying 'Bye-Bye'

A Game Plan To Get A Gentleman 

How To Court So He Won't Abort 

Well, that's all I got for now, but please excuse me; these peanut butter brownies aren't going to eat themselves. 

Zero Dark Thirty

I wrote this a while back after watching Zero Dark Thirty, but never shared it. It's incomplete, but there are some thoughts on the film and the Jessica Chastain's character and performance. 

Zero Dark Thirty

It has taken me a few days to digest the film and find what my take on one of this year’s most lauded and criticized films. In the wake of its Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Original Screenplay, I had high expectations of the film although I entered knowing it’s not the kind of movie that I am drawn to. Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker was a super tense, well-crafted film that I marveled over once and then never felt compelled to watch again. I expected something similar with Zero Dark Thirty. However, what I got was a precise and very deliberate film which doesn't have room to breathe. It’s not as tense as The Hurt Locker because Bigelow has it in a choke hold. Every shot is so calculated and measured that it’s stifled. That said, some of the cinematography is thoughtful and beautiful, the central character is written well and fiercely brought to life by Jessica Chastain, and the ensemble delivers a solid supporting foundation for the film. However, Chastain’s role is so quarantined in the circumstances that we never see a full person; we only get the fraction which entails her position with the CIA. Despite the attempts at humanizing her in a few scenes, she never really completely emerges leaving the heart of the film struggling to find a pulse. Yet, if that was the intention of the screenwriter, Mark Boal, and Bigelow then they succeeded and consequently created a character in need of more development. I do not believe the film either glorifies or demonizes the hunting and killing Osama Bin Laden and all it entailed; Zero Dark Thirty depicts what occurred and condenses into a film that still feels quite long.  Despite these shortcomings, the film is compelling for the majority of its running time.

Maya, portrayed by Jessica Chastain, is an ambitious, passionate beast. Her ambitions and passion flare as she protects victims of terrorism. However, her quest comes at the cost of harming those which may lead her to finding Osama Bin Laden. It is no comfort to see that her skillful research and thoughtful investigation leads her to accurate conclusions as to those that will get her the necessary information to finalize the hunt. We witness her toughened by her profession, but really it is her own strong will and determination that transform her into someone capable of extraordinary cruelty veiled by a light voice and infectious smile. In an early scene, she is hardly capable of watching a prisoner being physically assaulted for information by a charming assailant which happens to be her colleague. She is much more comfortable to see interrogations suggesting violence as opposed to executing bodily harm. Yet, as time passes, she hardens. We see her confront her superiors, conduct forceful questionings herself, and eventually is just as blood-thirsty as those she hunts. And yet, she has to be. She has to be more resolute, more strident, and more confident than any of her counterparts to get the job done.  She allows the transformation to occur. She gets cocooned by her profession and the audience never sees her emerge from there. The final image is an unfulfilled, lost person neither understanding nor enjoying their success. 

Stuff I Made Up

Well, it has been a while since I last updated my "unnamed uprising," but I feel it is time. A great deal in my life has changed in the past two months or so. However, some things remain the same: still vegetarian (mostly vegan), still love to write, and still into guys. These pillars of my life fueled me to write a series of quatrains (a four line stanza) for fun which have become a pet-project that I return to and am continuing to develop. I have written twenty quatrains to date, but will only share a few here as they are quite personal and are going to be used for an impending performance project; my favorite ones aren't making an appearance here. I have fun fleshing out these snapshots-of-life and hope you enjoy reading them. FYI: some are explicit in content.

Quatrain III

night out dancing with a boy

in a city of Illinois;

grind against him, grab his dick;

drink so much that we'll be sick

Quatrain VI

give him pet-names, suck him off,

care for him if he has a cough,

make him laugh, go out to dine;

these are things for which I pine 

Quatrain VIII

hold my hand, pull me right through the crowd;

music's up, we have to shout so loud;

others notice that we’re together,

only tacos could make this better

Quatrain IX

buy me sushi, link me porn,

give me a shirt that you have worn,

bare your body, share your bed,

and you'll never leave my head 

2012's Best Music

So looking back on 2012, I did not love a lot of the music released these past 12 months. Although, the mainstream did make me proud here and there (fun., Gotye, and Ellie Goulding’s successes were awesome). But overall, my 2K12 favorite music is just as radio(iTunes)-friendly as under-the-radar. And thank god for Spotify, am I right? And without further delay, here are my favorites (in true Grammy-fashion in the top 4 categories):

Record

fun. feat. Janelle Monáe – We Are Young

Karmin – Brokenhearted

Maroon 5 – Payphone

Icona Pop – I Love It

Brendan James – Nightlife*

Considering the listed songs, I really enjoy a record to which one can faux-dance. “We Are Young” and “Payphone” were super popular and infiltrated my barriers with catchy melodies, but the latter has some questionable/borderline terrible lyrics and a truly awful, out-of-place cameo from Wiz Khalifa. Yet, overall, that tune’s talons snatched me. “We Are Young” is sonically anthemic and vocally soaring; what a dreamboat of a song.  Karmin’s charisma pulses through “Brokenhearted” and, as stated before, I am a sucker for a dance beat. Similarly, Icona Pop’s groove is dancy although much grungier; the repetitive revenge musings are addictive. Lastly, Brendan James’ simple and beautiful vocals on a celebration of the here+now won me over the most.

Song

The Magnetic Fields – Andrew in Drag*

Brendan James – Nightlife

Gotye feat. Kimbra – Somebody That I Used to Know

Jay Brannan – The Spanglish Song

Ed Sheeran – Drunk

“Andrew in Drag” is high concept coupled with simple execution; the rhyming couplets and subversive, playful imagery are genius and last year’s best. Brendan James always uses vastly open lyrics to wonderful effect; “Nightlife” really scores despite one minor annoying line in the chorus. “Somebody That I Used to Know” reads exactly like the bitter breakup note (email) it is; bonus points for adding the second point of view. Brannan combines humorous elementary Spanish with his already sexually charged, romantic lyrics; the result is endearing and distinctly him. Ed Sheeran’s lyrics are as scattered and messy as his subject matter; he’s such a great mix of Lily Allen’s ballsiness, Kate Nash’s simple poetry/storytelling, and (bizzarly) Amy Winehouse’s breakup blues.  

Album

fun.: Some Nights

Marina and the Diamonds: Electra Heart

Santigold: Master of My Make-Believe*

Brendan James: Hope in Transition

The Royalty: Lovers

It was difficult to choose 5 for this category because I didn’t love many albums all the way through. “Some Nights” and “Master of My Make-Believe” are the two strongest by far, but Santigold’s songs as a collective whole are inspired, cohesive, and my favorite. The Royalty has some great songs, but need more diversity in execution; as a debut full-length effort though, “Lovers” is rockin’. Brendan James and Marina and the Diamonds are two old favorites of mine; their albums are satisfying and nicely progress each of their discographies.

New Artist

Lianne La Havas

Emile Sandé

Alabama Shakes

Ed Sheeran*

The Royalty

Lianne LaHavas and Emile Sandé have tremendous potential even though I was not in love with their albums. Their songwriting and singing abilities astound. Alabama Shakes is everything wonderful about Americana all wrapped into one band: twangy instrumentation, Bible-Belt sensibilities, and powerhouse, bluesy vocals. Ed Sheeran and The Royalty are the two that impressed me the most. While the latter’s album is better, Ed Sheeran is the artist whose work I most anticipate hearing mature. 

*denotes my most favorite amongst my favorites

Django, The Hobbit, and Another Thought

Django Unchained

This was one of my most anticipated films of the Awards season and I was not disappointed. Quentin Tarantino’s brassy stylistic choices are always visually stark and remarkably character driven. He famously employs anachronistic music and bold, humorous violence to enhance his already tantalizing stories. These trademarks are visible (and audible) in Django Unchained, but the tightness of his storytelling and his driving pace are a bit too slack here. The final fourth of the movie starts to feel indulgent despite the promised bloody end. The ensemble really nails the style, humor, and finds the reality of the outlandish situations. Jamie Foxx is an adequate centerpiece for the film, but Christoph Waltz’s charm and Leonardo DiCaprio incendiary performance really make the film volatile and unpredictable. Samuel L. Jackson and Kerry Washington also give strong performances, but the latter’s role is so underwritten that she must rely on her beauty and charisma as filler. However, it is Tarantino’s love and reverence for filmmaking that truly inspires this film. He is the rare artist that possesses the bravado and craft to pay homage whilst redefining a genre.

4/5 Stars.

And Now A Little Deviation From The Film Reviews

While viewing Django Unchained, I couldn’t help but recalling Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film, Marie Antoinette. Granted, there are blatant differences in these two films, but there are stylistic similarities. Both films boldly use contemporary music to communicate feeling, beautifully compelling visual storytelling, and modern sensibilities in the performances. Tarantino is applauded for his choices while Coppola was (some would argue unfairly) jeered for hers. The differences may have caused the discrepancy in the films receptions. Marie Antoinette is a meditation on celebrity with a minimal plotline driving it and void of extravagant characterizations while Django Unchained is a revenge Western with a close-to-contrived plotline and showy acting. I enjoy each film for its idiosyncrasies and believe Django to be the superior film, but why all the hate on Coppola and Marie Antoinette? Coppola makes distinct choices and is as polarizing as Tarantino. Is it that she is a newer, less-proven filmmaker? Is it that she is a woman doing a film about a woman? Is it her preference as a director to be more of an observer than an orchestrator like Tarantino? Or was Marie Antoinette (much like her other films Somewhere and Lost In Translation – despite its Oscar nods) considered too pedestrian?

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Being a fan of The Lord of the Rings trilogy films, but never having read J.R. Tolkien’s epics, I am nowhere near the most knowledgeable nor avid fanboy. However, I am fond of the exciting and wholehearted adventures that comprise The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. So I expected The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’s brilliant visuals, epic battles, and humorous banter. Yet, Martin Freeman’s performance added a most welcome farcical tone without cheapening or even diluting the emotional resonance. It takes a masterful actor to anchor such a challenging film. Peter Jackson craftily weaves action sequences and dramatic scenes through the lengthy film. Despite Jackson’s expert directing, the film really struggles to maintain momentum while highlighting themes and covering multiple storylines. I don’t know the reasoning or justifications for making a trilogy out of Tolkien’s The Hobbit, but I know that this film could have been distilled into a shorter film for more efficient storytelling. That said, I enjoyed the journey to Middle Earth and eagerly anticipate the following installments.

3.5/5 Stars. 

The Bachelors

Here's the press release for the staged reading I will be working on the next few weeks!

David Zak of Pride Films and Plays will direct an enhanced staged reading of The Bachelors, a screenplay written by Rick Kinnebrew and Martha Meyer

on Sunday, January 13, at 2 pm. The performance will be at Piven Theater, 927 Noyes Street, Evanston. 

In a small town during the Depression, an improbable business venture conceals a great love.

Based on a true story, The Bachelors introduces us to Bob Neal, a London interior decorator who returns to his failing Wisconsin hometown in 1934 and hires a local man to help him restore a historic rock cottage.

The Bachelors was a semifinalist for the Great Gay Screenplay Competition, and opens a fresh perspective on gay marriage. Your comments and feedback will help shape this new work.  Free and open to the public. 

David Zak is Executive Director of Pride Films and Plays.  He served as Managing Director of Chicago Bailiwick Repertory Theater, and has won Jeff Awards for fostering new works.

The acting ensemble will be comprised of Pride Films and Plays' artistic ensemble members David Besky, Tom Chiola, Kristofer Hyland, Joan McGrath, Beth Richards, Nelson Rodriguez, Jamie Smith, and Nick Stockwell.

Rick Kinnebrew and Martha Meyer live in Evanston, Illinois and write plays for children as part of their work at Evanston Public Library.  Proceeds from this performance will benefit the Mineral Point Public Library, where Rick and Martha researched this story.

For more information, contact Rick Kinnebrew at 847-644-7448.

XMAS stuff

3 25-word Reviews

The Impossible

McGregor and Watts give extraordinary performances alongside wonderful newcomer Holland. Bayona directs with fierce suspense. The compelling story and visual spectacle are a winning combination. 

4/5 Stars.

This Is 40

Rudd and Mann are not funny or charming enough to keep this repetitive, uninsightful script afloat. Apatow’s focus and story meander to an unfulfilling end. 

2.5/5 Stars.

m. henrietta’s veritable vegan epiphany

Awesomely seasoned scrambled organic tofu with sautéed onions served next to passable veggie sausage and thinly sliced avocado. A completely satisfying and richly flavored dish.

Christmas Catch-Up

So I am working my way towards vegan, guys. It’s going to be a process. I thought I could just decide and do an all plant-based diet overnight, but alas that did not work. I have to do some more research on options, substitutes, and vegan-friendly establishments. I am excited for this venture. I had an amazing vegan peanut butter cookie and m. henrietta which just furthered my resolve to make the transition. The most difficult everyday item to give up will be eggs (or possibly that sneaky milk I don’t realize is in just about everything. But I love having a good cheese every once in a while too so that will be a hard commodity to relinquish.

In other news… we had a WHITE CHRISTMAS in Chicago. Trent and I walked around our neighborhood with our pink wine and champagne concoction. The air was crisp, the dusting fluffy, and the streets practically deserted. It was really nice. For Christmas dinner Trent made a veggie sausage and cream cheese stuffing (inside crescent rolls) and I made two of the Beekman Boys' recipes (maple glazed sweet potatoes and glazed carrots with pine nuts and golden raisins) for our sides. We also had an aromatic mulled wine which was infused with brandy, an orange, honey, cloves, and ginger. Delicious.

I got Ed Sheeran’s album “+” for Christmas and gifted Ellie Goulding’s “Halcyon.” They are two of my favorite musicians from 2012. After I give the albums a few listens, I’ll write some thoughts on them and artists’ contribution to the post-retro British invasion. Also, I’ll post my Chicago Stage Standard review of Trap Door’s The Unveiling and Dozens of Cousins later this week when it’s live on their website.

I am going to attempt to escape the post-Christmas blues with movies (Les Miserables, Django Unchained, Rust and Bone, Anna Karenina, etc), vegan delights, new projects (Pride Films & Plays’ enhanced staged reading of "The Bachelors"), and New Year’s shenanigans planning.

What’re ya’ll up to?