A Grand Quiet

It struck me recently that I have no idea what most people do. All these people around and I have no idea. On my days off of work, usually weekdays, I’ll travel by train to get to the nearest cinema, who are all these people travelling? They have laptops and they’re typing up notes and formatting documents and I have no idea what they do.

I think I lack something. I don’t have some sort of crucial information that everyone else seems to possess, some information that will allow me to progress. If you’re in an interview for a job like that and they ask you what the job entails what do you say? I’m twenty three years old and I have never had a work meeting. I cannot even comprehend the sorts of things which would be discussed were I ever invited to one.

I have found myself on the outside of a system which has closed itself against me. I lack the basic function to operate. There’s a reason why struggling poor people are trying to become musicians or writers or artists, our comprehension of work is innately tied to making things and those are the things which can lift you up. Making things won’t get you anywhere though, this is the world that invented sweatshops.

I seem to be fundamentally incompatible with society. I give myself maybe five years.

Whatever, in terms of things I made which are functionally worthless here’s all the writing I put up this week:

Stanley Tucci’s Final Portrait is this real nice quiet look at artistry and mental health. How we build our support networks and find ways to navigate, both physically and mentally, the world around us. When you’re wealthy or successful people are far more willing to play your illness off as your own brand of quirkiness (hello Elon Musk). The film’s balance and control of this aspect is something I truly admire. Read my full review here.

Steven Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky is a darn fun little heist movie. It’s nothing but fluff but honestly, when it comes to Soderbergh as a director fluff is just about my favourite mode of his. He seems like a very serious sorta guy, he made Contagion after all (love that too by the way), but serious people can usually have the best fun. Judging by Adam Drivers hair he must have shot this and Silence at about the same time, what a neat pair of projects. Read my full review here.

I posted my review of Doug Liman’s American Made onto the reddit discussion thread for the film. I don’t usually get to do that much because they’re usually all burned up by the time I’ve gotten around to writing anything, this came out first in the UK though so my take is hot for the American audience. I don’t think they liked it much, it’s hovering at about -15 votes at the moment, but at least one commenter agreed with me. Read my full review here.

Bonni Cohen & Jon Shenk’s An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power struggles to find itself in the edit. I imagine there’d be a more cohesive message if Trump weren’t President, as couldn’t possibly have been conceived when the majority of this footage was shot back over two years ago. That’s the way of it unfortunately, I’m sure it would have made more money if there was a democrat in office who would have exhorted the public to go see it. We could all have complained about cronyism but by fuck I’d prefer to live in that world. Read my full review here.

Thinking of politics, I listened to a lot of Keepin it 1600 back during the election last year and then that podcast stopped and I was sad because they said they’d be keeping going. Then last week someone retweeted one of the hosts and I found out that they’d rebranded the thing and now release it on their own website’s feed as Pod Save America. They’re on a twice weekly release schedule too so I’m right back in love.

The host of another podcast I listen to: Important if True (part of the Idle Thumbs network) has mentioned that he listens to a lot of UK politics podcasts. It serves as a sorta pressure valve for fears regarding his own county’s situation. I’m basically the same, listening to America’s bullshit leaves me feeling marginally better about my own. Maybe we might all be able to survive this, I doubt it though.

Oh, and Cooper came back in the latest episode of Twin Peaks: The Return. He is what and who I need right now. I am in love and excited for this finale. If I had more in me I’d make a version of that classic meme: Friendship ended with DOUGIE JONES Now COOPER is my best friend. You can imagine it right? That’s almost as good.

Finally, a long time ago now I followed someone who was writing for a video games magazine shortly before he left it to edit BirdLife magazine. My timeline now just has pictures and articles about rare birds come up, it’s something I have minimum interest in but holy shit I cannot overstate how much I love it coming in here. Follow things you aren’t interested in people, the change of pace is so worth it.

Thanks for reading everyone. I hope you’re all doing well. If not, it’s alright, you’re allowed, take care of yourself for a bit.

We can get better together.

E.
xxx

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