Three Series Finales in One Week.

 The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Barry and Succession all had their series finales this week. I think it is unprecedented for there to be three series finales in one week.  There will be some spoilers, so I will start with the one that had no surprise ending.

Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – I was late to coming to this series. The last two seasons had flash forwards so we know how the story ends before the final show. I found that made the end a bit anti-climactic. It is the story of a female standup comic coming of age and to stage in the 1950s on the Upper West Side in NYC.  It is supposedly (very) loosely based on the life of Joan Rivers. The story of the challenges of a female entering a male dominated career were clear. It is also a reminder of how much has changed in our society since the 1950s. Although tragic, I liked how the story of Lenny Bruce was woven into the story. The question of compromising your integrity vs. becoming successful is a fine line. He knew he would be arrested for his act (words we take for granted today) and did it anyway. I found the comedy hilarious. The many different aspects of 2^nd generation immigrant Jewish families were represented in the show. I found myself literally laughing out loud numerous times throughout the series recognizing similar traits of people growing up. The season that was focused on their time in the Catskills was nostalgic for me as well. I thought the Joel story line could have been fleshed out a bit more at the end, but that is just being picky. Joel was a true redemption storyline.  I wonder if others who did not grow up Jewish, or at least culturally Jewish found it as funny or meaningful?

Succession – A show about a wealthy family running a Fox News type communication company. The opening show of season one, the Father Logan Roy (played brilliantly by Brian Cox) becomes seriously ill and the question of who will succeed him in the company is the plot of the entire series. Three of his four children are vying for the role. Almost every character who is a member of the family and featured employees of the company are fairly despicable in one way or another. (with the exception of a couple of minor characters who were sympathetic, but did nothing) The three children are not competent, but entitled. The tragedy is for the most part, until the end they believe they were competent.  It is a well worn tale of a parent manipulating their children, but ultimately not preparing them. Before Logan Roy dies he says to his children, “I love you, but you are not serious people” In the last show, one of the children realizes the absurdity of it and says “we are nothing” I liked that the main character Logan Roy dies towards the beginning of the final season in the middle of a deal to sell the company. Throughout the four seasons, I took time off from watching it because I have to say, it was obvious that the children were nothing and it just got boring after a while watching them posture and flail. Still in the end, I thought it was a fitting ending for the arc of the show.  I did like that Unitarians were represented (even if stereotypically) by Nan Pierce who was the CEO of a rival company Logan was trying to purchase.

 Barry -  The series is about Barry, a vet who comes back from Iraq with PTSD and is manipulated by a father figure to become an assassin. He decides to take acting classes to help him better understand himself. I LOVED Henry Winkler as the acting teacher. The rest of the plot is too hard to describe with many madcap antics and plot twists. There is a lot of violence. I thought the ending was artistic and well done. There are some key messages told. All actors are narcissistic. Henry Winkler’s characters strays from what he knows is right because of fame. And when the son of Sally Reed (Barry’s love interest) tells her he loves her, she just asks, was the play (she directed) good. Totally oblivious. The final message of the series is there is no redemption in this life. Redemption only comes in a sanitized version of our life that is told after we die. Not sure if I agree, but poignant nevertheless.  Although sometimes over the top, overall it was surprisingly good, even sometimes a fun show for such a dark topic.  

Audio Book Review - Pachinko

 I just finished listening to the audio recording of Pachinko this week. It is just over 18 hours (or 512 pages if you are reading). I saw Apple TV has a show on this and I wanted to read/listen to the book before I watched it. 

The book is the story of 4 generations of a Korean family that emigrated to Japan in the early 1900s after Japan had invaded and taken over Korea. It started off a little slow for me, but then captivated me. I admit there was one time I was so enmeshed in the book that at the point when one of the characters dies, I was absolutely shaken, and had to stop listening for a bit. That rarely happens to me. It was interesting to see how different individuals dealt differently with being an unwelcome immigrant. It was also interesting to learn a bit about how different Japanese characters  reacted and interreacted both positively and negatively with Korean immigrants. After WWII the question of whether to return to Korea or not was a question and thus the question of how we define home is raised up. The book depicts how class and professions often identify us in society.  It shows how the consequences of actions have repercussions beyond just ourselves and beyond just our generation. It is easy to see how actions beyond our control impact us. It raises the question about what is love, and what is family and how different people come away with different answers. 

I tend to like sweeping dramas showing cross cultural currents with history as a backdrop. This book provided all that for me and more.

Belfast – A 9 out of 10 on the JWO scale

 

I finally watched Belfast tonight. It is such a sweet, sad and poignant movie. In an era of superhero movies, I was moved to tears by the story. I am glad I watched it at home on HBO so I could put on subtitles. Ironically in the movie one of the characters did not want to move from Ireland because they felt no one would be able to understand them. Somewhat true of the movie as well. Although I normally do not like movies without color, (because the world is in color and we have the technology now) but in this movie, it lent to the bleakness of the circumstances of their lives.

It is the story of a protestant family in Belfast during the troubles in Northern Ireland in the late 1960s.  I have read this is a semi-autobiography of the writer and directors Kenneth Branagh childhood. Although it was during the Troubles, the story did not elaborate on any of the causes or reasons for them.

The movie was about how one family dealt with being caught up in it, and the question of whether to stay in this tight knit community where their family and friends had lived, or to leave to get a fresh start and a better opportunity away from any support system. This is a story that is universal and relatable.

The story is told through the eyes of a young child trying to figure it all out. It really captured what it was like to be a child trying understand about life in general let alone the challenges his parents and community faced. The acting was superb all around.

During the credits at the end there is a message - “For the ones who stayed,” “For the ones who left,” “And for all the ones who were lost.” I sort of felt that way about leaving the Bronx. Although there are not many who stayed in The Bronx, there were too many who were lost.   I grew up in a neighborhood where I did know most of my neighbors and I knew I could always knock on a door for help or a parent would notify my parents if I did something wrong. I do not see that environment being replicated in America. It is why we find our communities in other ways. The movie really made me realize all the multitude of decisions I have made in my life and how very different my life would have been. (for better or worse).

Anyway, Belfast is a heart tugging, tear jerking movie about family and love and the hard choices we have to make in life. It is well worth spending time watching.  

Top Ten Movies and Honorable Mentions

 Top Ten Movies and Honorable Mentions

 Its hard to pick just 10 but here they are.

10/05/10 -  After a long car ride with Kyle which includied

listing every movie we could think of 

among other word games

I realized I left a few movies off the list (changes/additions in bold)

 

1                    The Razors Edge (Bill Murray version)

2                    Field of Dreams

3                    25th Hour

4                    Godfather 2

5                    Godfather

6                    Amores Perros

7                    Lion in Winter

8                    Casablanca

9                    City of God

10                As it is in Heaven

Honorable Mention

Instinct

Rainmaker

Barfly

Boyz in the Hood

ET

Crimes and Misdemeanors

Tender Mercies

Unforgiven

Deer Hunter

Dances with Wolves

Peaceful Warrior

A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints

Phenomenon

The Last Samurai

The Magnificent Seven

Requiem for a Dream

Finding Forrester

Barton Fink

Encanto - an 8 out 10 - "Talk About It"

 I saw the movie Encanto last night. I had heard people raving about it and talking about the song “We don’t talk about Bruno.” I admit, I am a big Disney fan in general and am surprised I didn’t see this sooner. It was a really good movie. I found myself very emotional at the end of the movie.  

It is a story about a family that has magical powers, except for one child. (I did read one person question if the mother could cure people with food, why did the character have to wear glasses – legit if not a picuyane question)And those magical powers are fading. It is up to the person without the magical powers who is determined to save them. It is a great metaphor. We are often asked to choose to act in ways that others expect us to. Or even in line with what our skills are. Both of these often do not align with what our heart calls us to do. We each have to make such decisions in our lives. The message from this story is that magic comes into lives comes from doing what is meaningful to us not what is expected of us. We are not defined only by what our skills are or what our responsibilities are, but who we are, and the choices we make and we need to advocate for what and who we are.

Also the question about not feeling you do not fit in in a family as well is a common family dynamic that is addressed. Overcoming trauma as well and how it impacts us ongoing and how it impacts how we interact with others is also dealt with. Also how community support is reciprocal and renewing. The music was good enough and enjoyable although not many standouts (this might just be personal preference for me) except We dont talk about Bruno, no, no. But we should, we should talk about it. Talk about it all.

One other thing that I really liked about it was that there was no villain in the movie setting up the good vs. evil. It was just people dealing with their stuff. It was a fun (and extremely colorful) movie to watch, for both children and adults. I highly recommend it.   

My letter to the Editor printed today - Invest in People, Not Prisons.

I was in shock when I read that Scott County was going to use $5.5 million of Covid relief money to help build a new $17 million, 40-bed Juvenile Detention Center. Covid relief was meant to help individuals, businesses, and the community that were negatively impacted by Covid. It is unethical to use these funds to build a detention center. This is a manipulation of the law to continue the school-to-prison pipeline that disproportionately suspends and arrests African American youths.

Scott County supervisors even turned down a $500,000 grant to start a youth advisory program to help struggling youth. Let us invest Covid relief money in our community. Let us use it to provide affordable child care and housing and summer youth jobs. Let us invest in community resource centers, such as the Lincoln Center that serve our community. These types of investments are not just an act of prevention to divert juveniles from prison, but rather they are an investment in the inherent worth and dignity of every person.

We need to do this because otherwise we are depriving our community of the richness of each person who does not have the opportunity to live up to their potential. I invite our community to have the courage and will to create a better way of living that sustains everyone in the community. Allow all people to reach their potential and we will all be enriched. Let us support our youth and families, not incarcerate them.

My Journey on Silent Retreat

 On my day of silent retreat I thought I would take a stroll around the monastery grounds. When I started out it was raining fairly heavy, so I decided to read. After reading for two hours I decided to go again. As I walked out of my hermitage I came upon this statue.

I continued to walk along the path in front of me which I knew led to a lake area. It was a winding path down a hill. There was a nice breeze blowing, and there were wildflowers all around

I finally reached the lake which had a cement walkway around it. I walked slowly around the lake and came upon a dock.

I wondered if I should sit and ponder the water, but I thought best to continue the journey. I thought I could always come back to it on the way back. Let that be the first lesson. Take your opportunities when they present themselves. They may not be there when you decide you are ready and you may choose something else later. Sometimes you have to stop the journey to enjoy the moment in the moment

So I continued on. I walked until the cement path ended about half way around the lake. I thought I might make it all the way around. But alas that was not to be. I imagined this as my journeys end, I decided to wait a minute and sit before I headed back to my room. The journey had seemed a bit like a labyrinth, although it did not have any set pattern that I knew in advance. After a few moments of watching the lake water ripple, and listening to the birds chirping, I raised myself and headed back.

Sometimes our lack of imagination is what limits us. I imagined this was the end. Yet it was only the beginning. I just didn’t know it then. In the regular day to day life it might have and often is. Looking back, this was a lesson that we should imagine more. Imagine things beyond the proscribed path.

 The best part of taking time for myself, is that it is unscripted, and I leave myself open to mystery and adventure if I am willing to embrace it. And as I winded my way back along the lakes edge I reached the dock once again. I thought, should I go sit down and ponder the lake from this angle before I made my way back to my room. At least here I thought I am communing with nature. And then I looked left. I do not know what compelled me to look left. Perhaps randomness, or just taking in the sights, but I saw a mowed piece of grass between the wildflowers

 

 

 Now in the picture you can see t here is a sign “trail”. But when I first saw the path from farther back I did not see the sign. I thought it was odd that there was this mowed area. Perhaps it led to a storage shed or to another property. It was not clear from where I was that it was a trail. Still I moved forward. I had seen what was to be seen on the proscribed path laid out before me, and although peaceful, it clearly did not satisfy me, and so I thought what is the worst that will happen. I will go a distance, and I will have to walk back. So I went off the proscribed path and lo and behold I saw the sign path. I didn’t look that way coming since I was focused on the lake. And on the way back, the sign was obscured by bushes from the direction I was walking. In our lives there are signs. However sometimes we are too focused on other things that we miss them. Let that be a lesson to  us that we should take a broad view of everything around us that is within our field of vision, (literal but also metaphorical) Let us intentionally look for the signs that are placed right before us beckoning us. And so I journeyed into the unknown. And as I was wondering whether to walk down this path, a large breeze came through and it seemed to me that the trees were waving at me inviting to enter the woods.

 

And so I ventured downward into the path through the woods. It was darker in the woods. I actually found this peaceful. I walked gently and slowly noticing the flowers and tree limbs. Some broken off by the storm. As I walked slowly I listened for the sounds of the woods and I heard a rustling and I looked and saw a deer leaping away. I thought no need to run, but I imagine, deer have learned to fear humans and for good reason. So I just watched it bound away and appreciated its beauty and ability as it went on it way seeking safety. I noticed butterflies flirting around. Its amazing how much is going on in the world if you pay attention. And then I came to an old rickety bridge. It didn’t look too stable, but it was stable enough, and not that far a fall even if it couldn’t hold me. There I am, always calculating the risks. At times necessary, but we need to take risks in life if we are to grow. Bridges have great symbolic meaning of course. Crossing over from one place to another. Not just physically but metaphorically. Once I cross over, I am in uncharted territory. A bridge is a signifier of crossing over to new territory. Not good or bad, but a marker. And also it is just something that prevents us from getting wet or falling into water. So bridges are protectors as well as borders.

And so I travelled on. Not knowing where it would lead. And with each step, although logically I knew I could retrace my steps back, each step plunged me deeper into unknown territory.

Each step seemed to take me deeper into the woods, into the unknown. How would I get back? Would I be too tired or weakened if I went on. Would I get lost. What happens if it starts raining while I am out here. But still I walked on. I think it is like that with our spiritual and religious lives. We are comfortable where we are, and we wonder why should risk comfort. Why take risks. But as I kept walking down hill, I just had faith and trust that the journey would work out. The Robert Frost poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” came to my mind. Although it is not snowing. It is dark and deep and quiet. I am aware of how quiet it is lacking normal human noise. I feel committed to this journey so on I go.

 

 

I feel as if my faith has been rewarded as the path leads back uphill and I see an opening with the sun starting to break through the clouds. As I reach the top of the hill. There are three paths to choose from. There is a sign that says Monastery pointing back from where I came from. So this is another moment of choice. Just when we think we have reached where we are going, things are not always so clear, and we continue to have to make choices. I would like to imagine that all three of these paths circle around, but there is no way of telling. I played a little game in my head. Left means I have left for good. I wasn’t ready for that. Straight ahead would seem like I was just following directions, and my life has never been just a straight march in one direction. So I chose right…maybe for righteous?? Well and also my sense of direction indicated that should be the way back to the monastery – it was starting to drizzle and as much as I like a good adventure, I really did not want to get soaked. Another thought crossed my mind, that perhaps by being deep in the woods covered by woods I was protected from the rain. So going deep can protect us from the difficulties we face in life. So I went right. Uncovered now from the torrents of weather and life still searching to find my way.

This path led me down again into some darker twisting and muddier paths. It was at this point I had wished I packed my sneakers instead of a pair of loafers. Also a good lesson, we should learn from our experiences, and maybe better prepare when we are going on a journey, but when there is nothing to be done to change the situation, regret is useless. I will have to clean my shoes when I get back.   Nothing is ever simple or straightforward on a unknown journey. There are obstacles along the way, whether that is downed trees or people telling you, you shouldn’t or couldn’t do something, or worse telling ourselves that and short circuiting our journey. And sometimes our journey gets muddy. That is how life is. If we stop every time something goes wrong, we would never reach our destination. We need to keep moving, one step at a time

 And then the moment of truth. An hour into my walk I come upon this. Another bridge with a yellow tape across it. This immediately seems like a symbol to turn back.

What was I to do? I had been walking for close to an hour now. And although I had no idea if the way forward would bring me closer to my destination the thought of turning back now seemed daunting to me. Plus I am not one for following arbitrary rules.

I think it is like that with our spiritual and religious journey as well. We get so far and then we societal conventions or rules tell us to stop and go no further.

I chose to move forward. I looked carefully and saw there was a hole in the wood further on the bridge. So I decided to look as the yellow tape as a warning. Something telling me not to abandon my search, but to go slowly and be careful. So I gently stepped over the tape and walked gently over the bridge avoiding the pitfalls that could damage me. A good message that we do not always have to go full charge ahead. That we should be aware of the dangers we face on our journey. I was glad that someone had forewarned me to be careful in this place. How we view things are often shaped by what we believe and perceive. I saw the yellow tape as stop go back, but it was meant as a way to help make me aware of danger. We should not stop our journey, but rather  become more mindful of the steps we take, and learn from those who have walked this path before.

And not too much farther down the path, it opened up again to the sight of the monastery I was staying in. This gave me hope I was in the right direction. Yet there was still not a straight path. I had to choose right or left. Remembering the mind game I played before and feeling bad that I connoted left with a negative thought and thinking of all my friends who are left handed who would condemn that thought, I chose to turn left and started the steep incline back up the hill to the place I call home this weekend.

 

 

And lo and behold, as I made it to the top of the path, I found myself next to the path that went down to the lake (notice the statue in the background) This path was right by my hermitage, but I had not even seen it. And so I made it back to where I started. I am reminded of the lines from the T.S. Eliots poem “Four Quartets”

“What we call the beginning is often the end
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
The end is where we start from.”

I don’t know where this journey will continue to lead, but I am clearly still on the path. Yearning for something still unknown. Still looking for the better in humanity, Still looking for justice. Perhaps we just need to become more aware and not take the proscribed path and take a walk into the unknown, if we can awake and see that it is there. Sometimes we have to go all the way around the block to go next door. If that is what it takes, so be it. And enjoy the journey along the way. Ok, back to reading.

Thanks for journeying with me.