have caught a lot of flak recently for my hesitancy to do karaoke, and this might finally push me to do it. redefining my relationship to music over the last few years has meant getting more comfortable doing things just because I want to do them, because they feel nice, rather than for some sort of adjudication. maybe I’m feeling sentimental (I am), maybe I’m on the end of a rough stretch (I certainly am), but I’ve never felt a…

long time readers will know that I have a particular disdain for the movie musical. the translation from stage to screen often dulls the magic (live productions transformed into glorified music videos), so the medium shift feels primarily like a money grab. la la land cemented my stance because this musical clearly benefits from a film medium, functioning as a (musically, aesthetically, and dramatically) creative whole in a way that most other offerings simply do not. 

I’m also gonna be…

you don’t need me to tell you that this movie is a boa constrictor slowly suffocating the part of you that misses someone once important to you. for me, a more interesting reflection this time around is missing the person you once were in a particular time and place. it’s been top of mind as i get ready to leave brooklyn; I will miss the person I am here. here, I am someone who regularly goes to the theater, spends…

half a star back because at the end of the day, mr. reyos is no longer under carceral control. his team clearly fought like hell, and mr. reyos is now living how he’d like to live in large part thanks to them. that can’t (and shouldn’t) be dismissed.

however, I’m reviewing the doc, not the legal team’s work. which is ironic, given that this doc is primarily focused on valorizing reyos’ legal team — his story feels like a vehicle for…