Extra Kinetic Affect Things

http://www.kineticaffect.com/  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A8SYyVs66I&feature=related 

The Effects of Kinetic Affect in Kalamazoo

Disclaimer:  As an acquaintance of Mr. Giron, and Mr. Latimer, and an enthusiast of spoken word I approached this project with an open mind and my intention was to make discoveries.

What is Kinetic Affect? According to the official website it is “just human, real, raw, primal” -Kirk Latimer. “We're not afraid of who we are, of our flaws.” -Gabriel Giron. “We're speaking from the true common denominator. We're all human. Kinetic Affect means coming to terms with who you are.” Kirk Latimer says that Affect is a verb that you can sense and feel, an “emotional motion engine of voice,” and Kinetic Affect is out to Affect people in Southwest Michigan. Gabriel Giron and Kirk Latimer met in April of 2006 as slam competitors. That year they filled two spots on the Kalamazoo Slam team, went to nationals together, and began the dynamic partnership that evolved into Kinetic Affect. Latimer worked as a high school teacher and forensics coach at Portage Central, and Giron was a student at Western Michigan University.

As Kinetic Affect, Giron and Latimer feel partly responsible for what they call the demise of a grassroots spoken word culture in Kalamazoo. “When we were introduced to it,” said Latimer in an interview, “There was a really strong, gritty, dirt-based on the ground poetry group [when the venue changed from Kraftbrau] there started to be a scattering, and the grassroots feel evaporated.” In the same interview Giron brought up veterans of spoken word in Kalamazoo who had been there for years and were leaving as he entered the scene; after two years he and Latimer became veterans and it was then, in part, their responsibility as team members and slam veterans to coach and help continue the community. “It's really up to the people who are in it,” he said, “and when Latimer and I left … we broke the cycle.” Latimer added, “By leaving competition we took some people with us, by accident and then what was left was a disjointed community of poetry.” 

The urge to expand and really connect with different kinds of people initially drew Giron and Latimer away from competition. “Something that we do,” Latimer said, “feels so universal. It's that universality that allows us to expand the work that is done on ground level.” Slam struck Giron as “ground level” because of its limited bar scene audience, score, and gimmicky nature. Giron said, “[Slam] is a gimmick to get people to buy into poetry We've taken, in essence what [Slam originator] Mr. [Mark]Smith wanted. We get people to buy in.” 

Latimer and Giron are interested in reinventing that community of poetry, and bringing it back together. Kalamazoo College Writer in Residence Di Seuss says of Kinetic Affect, “What I especially admire is how they've consistently connected community service with their writing practice. They have linked the performative with social change, and that is a great example for every writer in Kalamazoo.”

They have established themselves as respected spoken word artists in Kalamazoo, and have begun to give back. The creation of a non profit called Speak It Forward Inc. was a huge step in a process of establishing a strong educational and philanthropic place in Southwest Michigan. They model not only a strong creative partnership, but a phenomenal friendship, for example Latimer and Giron finish each others sentences and half joke about seeing each other more than their respective significant others. As Latimer put it, Kinetic Affect is two men with one voice.

The creative mission, according to Giron on the official website, is to create poetry that, “makes you want to get up out of your seat and cheer,” and to take poetry to another level in order to truly connect with people. Latimer voiced it in an interview as, “really just saying the things that need to be said.” and Giron expanded by saying that, “we talk about a vehicle … to kind of sneak statements in. Our Trojan Horse is spoken word poetry.” What they're sneaking in are not lessons— though they sometimes come across that way with a lot of yelling and declaration in their performance— but moments of truth and self discovery. 

Kinetic Affect's mission is to seek out the alternative voices— whoever the alternative voices are— and make the mainstream hear them. Right now, Speak It Forward Inc. is collaborating with Mylestone Project, founded by Sean Washington of Battle Creek, which is aimed at helping families grow together and cope with emotional turmoil. Their collaboration is called the Out Loud Initiative and Latimer and Giron work with youths on expression through the creation and performance of spoken word, Latimer says, “[t]his process is aimed at helping youth find new and effective ways to express themselves to help reduce recidivism.”

Although Kinetic Affect is not is not about slam and competition, it is very important to Latimer and Giron that they were able to come back to Kalamazoo Slam Master Tracey Smith four years later and say, “we have a home [for the Kzoo slam],” because they said, “with out Tracey there wouldn't be a Kinetic Affect.” 

Kinetic Affect's version of the gimmick gets people to buy in— the monthly two night shows usually play to a packed house— but they do exclude the democratic element that is intrinsic to Slam poetry. In “The Cultural Politics of Slam Poetry:Race, Identity and the Performance of Popular Verse” Slam scholar Susan B.A. Sommers-Willet argues that Slam's emphasis on diversity, inclusion and democracy results in a national “pluralism” among poets. It fosters poetry in unconventional venues and effectively places the audience in the role of critic. 

Latimer and Giron may be two men with one voice, and they adamantly express that they are speaking from their own experiences, but they also consciously present and represent an educational model. The role of educator, as Latimer attests to in both an interview and poems is a huge responsibility, with a lot of pressure. Even though they have removed their audience from the active critic role, Kinetic Affect seems consistent in their endeavor to make the alternative voices heard. They are accomplishing that by remaining true to their own voices and also by helping to provide support and space for all different kinds of spoken word.

Sources:

Primary: Interview with Kirk Latimer and Gabriel Giron at 246 Burdick; Material from the official Kinetic Affect Website

Secondary: Interview with Di Seuss; Kinetic Affect live performance at 246 Burdick; Kinetic Affect Poems on You tube; reviews from the Kalamazoo Gazette; “The Cultural Politics of Slam Poetry: Race, Identity and the Performance of Popular Verse in America” by Susan B.A. Somers-Willet

"Crazy Heart" Feeling the Details

In 'Reading Life' Dwight Garner says of “Crazy Heart” the novel, “it’s got a deep kind of weatherbeaten charm that can’t be faked, and the love story at its core is genuinely moving. I was sorry when the thing was over.” Genuine,weather beaten charm was the most notable element of the 2010 movie version “Crazy Heart,” starring Jeff Bridges as Bad Blake. Writer/Director Scott Cooper who never went to film school and has no commercial directing experience, developed Blake's role the screenplay specifically for Jeff Bridges. In an interview with Nell Minow Cooper said, “I wanted the pacing of the film, the look of the film, everything to have the feeling of an old George Jones song, "He Stopped Loving Her Today." You have to really listen closely and let the song develop.” Cooper also mentioned that the film has a third less cuts, and a more languid pace than most of its contemporaries.

The languid pace, does not have a negative impact, nor is it difficult to adjust to. It fits. Cooper's unflinching attention to detail and pace are what allow the predictable story-line and regular characters their captivating charm. There are several movies about country music stars and they all seem to contain some sort of bottoming out followed by redemption with varying degrees of success, and a hopeless love story— or several.

Coopers delicate development of the small characters creates a very important sense of context that provides necessary balance for expansive mountain shots and long takes of a pick-up barreling down the empty dust-covered high way. Take for example, the small town women that Blake is in and out of bed with; Cooper never shies away from sagging cleavage, gap teeth, or their sadness, but he doesn't mock it either. They provide an interesting, appropriate contrast for the shallow hugeness of Blake's protege Tommy, played by Colin Farrell, and the kind-of sad, but determined journalist that Blake falls for, a young mom played by Maggie Gyllenhaal.

The love story between Blake and Gyllenhaal is incredibly flawed, and that is the best thing about it. The flaws allow for the cliché shared smiles, blushing, and tender moments to hit their mark. Gyllenhaal, though a strong actress with a great accent, gave the impression of a woman who could have been Blake's daughter which detracted from the performance. Her role seemed to demand a little more age, if not more maturity.

“Crazy Heart” doesn't feel remotely original, but the familiarity of the story, and the authenticity of the characters give us something to relate to, and an opportunity to just feel life happening without having to think too hard about it.

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards, Best Dressed and Eco-Dress; Or, Women and Oscar

The Oscars are Hollywood's Superbowl right down to outrageous commercials, celebrity hype, event-specific clothing choices, and viewing parties that include a creative array of snacks.   The Superbowl is raucous, explosive, and passionate.  The Oscars are classy, prestigious, and showy. 

This year, Hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were certainly showy, but they punted class well beyond the edge of the red carpet nearly every time they took the stage.  They arrived onstage from above surrounded by feather-clad showgirls—a carryover from the smashing opening number from “How I Met Your Mom” performed by Neil Patrick Harris— and began by pointing to various celebrity audience members with jokes that bounced between fairly punny and just plain dumb.  The schtick-factor over the course of the entire evening was incredible.

Another thing that the Superbowl and the Oscars have in common is that they are both—in somewhat different ways— Male-Centric events.  The Superbowl features two teams of sweaty men and cheerleaders, while at the Oscars Men sport Tuxedos, escort exquisitely adorned ladies down the red carpet, and wield a different sort of power. Out of 82 years of Oscar hosting there have only been 11 women in the role, and Whoopi Goldberg is the only woman to ever have hosted solo.  In 1992 at the 64th annual Academy Awards ceremony host Billy Crystal made the comment that Barbra Streisand was not nominated for Best Director of “Funny Girl” which took home several awards because she is a woman.  

Although the evening of the 82nd annual ceremony was punctuated with male hosts Katherine Bigelow was the first woman to win Best Director for “Hurt Locker” which took 6 Oscars total including Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Writing of an original screenplay.  In a “Fresh Air” interview on NPR that aired the afternoon of the Oscars Bigelow explained that the movie's biggest challenge was making explosions look real.  The array of wins would indicate that she succeeded, with a bang.   And to top it all off, she looked stunning!

 When asked what it is that makes a great Oscar dress, Jennifer Lopez replied, “You have to be able to wear it.”   Perfect answer.  Of all the dresses on display Sunday night, only one could be classified by   the sustainability concerned as “Eco friendly” and therefore truly wearable.  Suzy Amis Cameron, wife of Director James Cameron wore a dress made of “peace silk” and dubbed “avatar blue” by James.  The dress was designed by a senior at Michigan State University as part of a fundraiser.  

The Oscars pay tribute to the extraordinary in Hollywood, and often amount to little more than a tabloid spectacle, a chance for us small people to oggle at celebrities' dresses and listen to them talk, as themselves.  This year, it was refreshing to witness, amongst the buzz, empowered women and an eco-friendly clothing choice.

Gender Neutral Oscars

In today's op-ed section there's a great piece about how the awards should not be divided into gender categories.  Here's the link:

And the Gender-Neutral Oscar Goes To..

Crawlspace Eviction, You Don't Have to Laugh

 “Improv is not about plot, it's not about solving big problems in scenes … It's all about being in the moment and responding to what you just heard from your scene partner”  claimed Crawlspace Eviction director, Dan Sytsma in an article by John Liberty for the “Kalamazoo Gazette.”  In their show “I Wanna Text U Up, Or Same Text Marriage”  on Friday February 19,  Crawlspace Eviction did not seem to remain in the moments they created, nor did they solve any problems.  Members of the troupe seemed to compete more often than give to each other, and opted to break character and giggle along with the audience regularly.  After the first skit about same-sex marriage in the military, Sytsma was inspired to turn to the audience and say, “[y]ou don't have to laugh.”

The show opened to a packed house at Studio 246 on North Burdick, in what was previously Whole Art Theatre. Despite a high energy approach Crawlspace Eviction could not justify occupying the stage for two hours.  It got weighed down by over-explanation between games, and irrelevant choices within scenes.  One started with an audience suggested situation depicted a brother, his sister, and her friend on girl's night and spiraled into violence and toilet humor.  The brother wouldn't “put [a giant plug] in the hole” and so the girls were going to “take him out and shoot him.”

In article by Sebastian Fryer for the “Western Herald” that ran the day before their show went up, Sytsma said that the performers would follow the theme that titles the show as well as incorporate a movie theme—for the sake of the Oscars, and that Crawlspace Eviction tries to be “more scenic in our approach and not as gaggy in the games we choose.”  In individual scenes the performers consistently leaned toward screaming, cheapening situations for a laugh, and violence instead of making more complex, satisfying choices.  For example, the second half of the show opened with a “gaggy” Sytsma in a giant yellow chicken costume doing an interpretation of “Rambo.”

In the most successful vignette of the evening Crawlspace Eviction gave a hilarious nod to some performers' Alma Mater in a game that involved a Kalamazoo College student from the audience relating his entire day to be re-enacted with a twist onstage.  It was one of the few moments when the performers worked together, incorporated the evening's texting theme, and made choices rooted in the scene.   

Articles I read: 

The Western Herald


The Kalamazoo Gazette

Audience:  The Index, Gazette or Herald

Pauline Kael Should Have Been A Pop Star

**REVISED 2/22/10

“Kael is the only writer about whom I can say that being condescended by her felt like an honor,” notes Ken Tucker, critic-at-large for “Entertainment Weekly.  In the same article by Tucker Kael is quoted as saying, “Not many reviewers have a real gift for effrontery … I think that may be my best talent.”  What is it about such a perfected offensive, condescending personality that draws devoted followers?  Image? Controversy?  The thing that Pauline Kael was most successful at was not reviewing, but controversy;  she cultivated an image so volatile and unwavering that it struck a chord in the totality of her readership.  Kael basked in attention, and used movie reviews to glean more of it more often than she used them to provide insightful, credible evaluation.  She was good at getting talked about, fought over, and argued with.  Pauline Kael would have been an excellent pop star.

In her essay “House Critic” Renata Adler calls that single and powerful attracting quality

 “Liveliness.”  She deemed Kael an instance of everything that can go wrong with a staff critic, and called Kael's style a “lapse” that existed simply because she only wrote about movies;

–the sadism, slurs, inaccuracies, banalities, intrusions—came to be regarded as Ms. Kael's strong suit.  Ms. Kael grew proud of them.  Her cult got hooked on them … There was              always the impression … of liveliness. 

The perceived liveliness is a product of how out of place Kael's 'common' language, material, and exaggerated approach were to her contemporaries in the field.  Tucker puts it this way in “A Gift For Effrontery,”

Film criticism in the present day is dominated by careerists whose primary frames of reference are other examples of their chosen art plus the desired opinions, real or imagined, of their editors. 

 Kael avoided dullness, but at the expense of credibility.  In “House Critic” Adler cites, as an example,  a review in which Kael mistakenly accuses director George Roy Hill of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” of recording indoors.  In her review of “Gimme Shelter” Kael racked up inaccuracies, inspiring the filmmakers, Albert and David Maysles, and Charlotte Zwerin to write “A Response to Pauline Kael” which they intended for publication in the “New York Times.”

Instead of relating Kael offers advice, prescription, and judgment that belittle not just the film, but her audience.  In her review of “Hiroshima” Kael writes,

It seemed to be a woman's picture—in the most derogatory sense of the term … I decided that the great lesson for us all was to shut up.  This woman … was exposing one of the worst faults of intelligent modern women: she was talking all her emotions out …

 It is as if Kael projects her own fear of intimacy onto the film and onto her audience.  The movie screen is, indeed, only her starting point. And that is not necessarily negative, what is negative is that in her exploration she speaks for her audience instead of to them. On page 99 of “Afterglow: A Last conversation With Pauline Kael” Francis Davis asks if she wants movies to be “good for us” or “medicinal” and she answers yes.  She says not only that movies should be medicinal, but how.

In her review of “My Left Foot” Kael writes, “I don't know that any movie has ever given us so strong a feeling,” and  “you don't feel manipulated.”  This is a problem of style and word choice, used to convey a preaching, parental tone.  Kael seemed unwilling to grow past her initial reaction to a movie, or just unwilling to grow, and that problem is hard to overlook.