Saturday, February 27, 2010

5 Word Prompt Poem for Claire

Spa Love Pineapples Chocolate Hugh

When Hugh said "We need to talk,"
In his thoughtful voice
The one he uses when
He thinks I might argue with him.
I stopped cutting the pineapple,
Put the knife down carefully,
Pushing the edge away,
Thinking about the three other
Pineapples patiently waiting
On the washboard,
And the people arriving soon
That Hugh had wanted to invite
And the chocolate still not sauced.
"Honey," he juts his chin as he pulls
his words out of his gut
"I'm not sure I love you anymore."
I'm not sure if her hears my sigh
"Of course you love me, dear. You've
Just forgotten how it feels."
I kiss his cheek and ruffle his hair.
He is so proud of his hair at his age.
I put the knife in his hand,
Holding his hand over the handle.
"Now chop the fruit for your friends,
They'll be here any minute."
Already I'm thinking
about the spa tomorrow,
To relieve his guilt with my pleasure.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Moon: a review

Well, this is more of a psalm than a review. I loved Moon. I loved everything about it. I loved it's mystery. I loved the pacing of the plot. I loved the low-tech special effects. Models and sets still got it, baby! CGI not required. I loved the music. I loved watching this movie after spending loads of time alone over the past few weeks. I loved the details of dirty entropy pock marking the sterile pristine space station, the coffee stained Gerty. I especially loved when a bloodied, feverish Sam was being carried, while he was not quite in his space suit and it looked like he had 4 arms and 4 legs...

This movie is what I've been waiting for. It's beautiful. Space, the moon, the station where Sam lives, it's all so beautiful. The funny thing is, we, the audience, have seen enough of space in movies to know how utterly silent it is. How would we deal with being alone in space for 3 years? How much effort does it take to maintain your humanity when you are alone in space? Clearly we measure our humanity by our relationships, even the most basic relationship of perceiving and being perceived gives us a sense of self. What interaction we can program into a computer is by definition limited. Watching Sam lose his humanity and regain it is a beautiful process.

Everything about this movie is what I yearn for in a film. It is so lovingly, meticulously crafted that it looks effortless.

Did I mention the music? I love the music. I love how the moon rocks being mindlessly digested by the Helium 3 mining machines cause the surface dust to billow.

I want to cuddle this movie. I want to hold it close, like a couple of highschool sweet hearts at their locker between classes. And when the bully Avatar walks by, we'll snicker and cut our eyes, and whisper, all the while knowing that what we have is so much better than anything Avatar has to offer, with all it's bling and gusto.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Winter Sun

Winter sun smirks
low across a mean sky
glints hard against the water
like glass on ice
reflects a fake, dancing warmth
off hard-edged buildings
marching along the bay.