Winter did its damnedest not give way to Spring. And as March comes to a close, we’ve barely had a week of days that feel like the coming season. Even the trees seem reticent to put forth leaves. It’s a reflection of my internal plane--a barren landscape insisting, persisting, and stifling new growth. But the chill is being shaken off. With any luck, it will be left behind until its proper time again.

---

This month’s playlist:

Worlds of Exile and Illusion

I glutted myself on Ursula K. Le Guin’s fantasy and now I’m going back in for the sci-fi. I started with the famous The Left Hand of Darkness, a tragic and affecting tale, then jumped backward to the first three books in the Hainish Cycle collected in Worlds of Exile and Illusion. The early books lack the power of The Left Hand of Darkness, but these are seeds. With each story the colors deepen and become more complex--exploring increasingly nuanced and foundational elements of the human experience.

I love Le Guin’s fascination with how cultures and planets tell time. How they procreate. How they love and fear. The bedrock of social constructs that touch every part of life. But the worlds she conjures are mere artifice for the meat of her stories--embodied characters with absorbing emotional journeys. I’ve never felt so drawn into individuals’ internal landscapes.

The Straight Story

I’m not a David Lynch fan, but I’m certainly an appreciator. Thankful for The Belcourt putting on a retrospective so I could fill in my gaps of his work. I’d only seen two movies and Twin Peaks through The Return previously. The Twin Peaks body of work was hit-and-miss for me, but it has my earnest respect. I did not like Inland Empire. Some parts of Lost Highway clicked with me, though.

From the retrospective, I only didn’t enjoy Wild at Heart--which is a shame because the cast and performances were sublime. Blue Velvet (essentially a Twin Peaks pilot), Eraserhead (by far the most unique film I’ve seen in a while), and Mulholland Drive (holy shit) dialed up my admiration on a logarithmic curve. I was also treated to several of Lynch’s early short films and I’m in love with the animations he incorporated into The Alphabet and The Grandmother.

But I did not expect the grander of The Straight Story--to think I almost skipped it. Likely one of the greatest G-rated Disney-distributed movies of all time. Quiet, beautiful, funny, earnest, and makes the heartache. As the movie putters to its conclusion, I began to worry that there would be a fumble. I felt a crescendo building--one to rattle the soul--but knew one misplaced note could ruin the whole thing. But it was perfect. Two simple lines summed the journey with staggering simplicity. I’m crying right now just remembering it. Everyone should watch The Straight Story.

Severance

Yes, I am watching season two. Yes, it’s the best-looking show on streaming, competently written, and well-paced. It is worth your time. This season’s title sequence is mid though. I will not be taking comments. See for yourself: 1,2.

---

This month I obviously spent too much time at the movie theater, stirred a little controversy online, and the latest episode of my podcast released. We pontificate about Conclave.