The (One Day) Working Playwright

The struggle of an artist in Late Stage Capitalism.

[mayor-mclikeme-please]

Dear Friend, I had the pleasure of seeing the latest DC film "Supergirl" yesternight and wanted to share my thoughts with you.

On the whole, I enjoyed myself a great deal. My gripes really are that some of the fight choreography was hard to follow at times (which is par for the course with a lot of Superhero fare) & the inclusion of Lobo. Lobo's appearances in the story read to me as Studio notes about there being "no cool guys" in the picture. Part of the whole backsliding into open misogyny we've seen on display with Epstein's friend being reelected. Before I get too depressed though, I'm going to talk about what I enjoyed.

This is a movie about finding your way through tragedy. Superman never saw the destruction of Krypton. Supergirl lived through the thick of it. She has to find a way to cope with her grief and rage at the absurdity of a universe in which what one deserves and what one gets are two separate things. A lesson she tries to impart on the bereaved Ruthye, who seeks revenge on the man who killed her family. The best scene in the movie is a conversation between our two leads about how to deal with the rage and grief that comes from surviving horror. Ruthye asks if the pain ever goes away and Supergirl ruefully smiles "Any day now".

It's sad, it's hopeful, and it is what it is. Just like Kara Zor-El, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.

Go see it in theatres and prevent the Epstein Class from wiping away a movie wherein a human trafficker gets their comeuppance.

-Amon

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[mayor-mclikeme-please]

Got to make this for the theatre company I help with!

 

There are actors who need you. Come to the world premiere production of "GLEN OAKS" by John Perovich, directed by Cody Goulder. The opening weekend 5/21-5/24 will be at the @az_irish_center_and_library before transferring to @mainstreetcreativearts 5/29-6/7!

🎟️🎫 Tickets for both runs are already readily available here!

🎟️: https://ronintheatreco.net

🎭CAST LIST🎭

Amy Searcy - Clara

Ben Donnel - Jim

Antoinette Martin-Hanson - Dakota

Marcel Williams - Charli

Siobhan Henry - Connie

🧋⚡️ Ronin is proud to be sponsored by Ouro Bubble Tea Co @ourobubbleteaco & Jessco Electric

📸 credit: @ecdarlingbond

⚜️ Design: @pastel.pretends

[mayor-mclikeme-please]

Thrilled to begin rehearsal for "The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals" with @b3productionsaz ! Come & see us when we open on April 17th (& subsequent performances). Here I am pictured with my manager & agent!

[mayor-mclikeme-please]

Tonight, we start rehearsal for Temple Chai's Purim Spiel "The Greatest Amphibian"

I have the (dis)honor of reprising the role of Haman (Boo!) as well as the delight of having co-written the script!

Come on by and see us on Purim! Admission is free and so is the nosh!

[mayor-mclikeme-please]

Dear Friend,

If there is one thing "Lake Mungo" taught me, it's that being a radio psychic isn't a financially viable career path for an introvert. You gotta be able to glad-hand some grieving folks if you want them to invite you to dinner. This how you save rent money by never buying groceries. Such is the fictional backstory I gave to "Ray" who may be the most low energy psychic in Cinema.

Inert is probably the best descriptor for "Lake Mungo". An Australian faux-documentary about how we cope with grief and our own mortality. Which given the subject matter, inert is probably more appropriate than lavish musical numbers. I do not mean to imply the film is boring by any means, the performers (utilizing a lot of improvising from outlines) do arrest your attention for the run time. As a family struggles to understand how little they knew the deceased Alice, you will be compelled to fill in for what isn't said. Be it the Palmers avoiding expressing any strong emotions to the camera crew, their neighbor Maggie trying to get them to go to her church, or how Ray seems to just be a psychic for free food and company. Finally, a cinematic Rorschach test for my generation!

It never aspires to be anything other than what it is, a meditative short story set to film. Great discussion fodder for your next podcast.

[mayor-mclikeme-please]

Dear Friend,

If you're looking for your next air plane watch, here it is! We had hoped to see this in theaters in 2025 given our love for Ke Huy Quan & Ariana DeBose, but it wasn't in the cards. Honestly, we probably lucked out.

There is no plot to speak off. A former enforcer turned real estate agent is drawn back into his past by the target he helped escape his crime boss brother. There is a lot of comic potential and almost all of it is squandered. What keeps it above drowning in the shallows is the cast.

The lovers are deeply mismatched. It's not that may-December relationships can't work on film, but acknowledging it is typically one of the initial steps. Here, it never comes up! Both are conventionally attractive, but the writing of their scenes is subpar despite their best efforts.

The action is decent. Some of the punchlines land. The cast is charming. Perfect for your next flight to anywhere, but Florida.

[mayor-mclikeme-please]

Dear friend,

It seemed so easy. 1 hour & 4 minutes. In and out. What a fool I was. That viewing was the longest 1 hour & 4 minutes of my life. I was witness to a salary man contract some sort of bio-mechanical HPV which starts to enmesh his whole body with scrap.

The cause?

You don't find out until a half hour of confounding editing & violent sex. At that point the sunk cost fallacy was given into and I discovered that our salary man protagonist ran afoul of a hobo wizard when he & his girlfriend hit said wizard with their car, kidnapped the wizard, and proceeded to have sex in front of his seemingly dead body before they kicked this wizard down a small incline.

This is not the craziest part of the film.

It is a technical achievement in costuming, if nothing else. I do not know if some sort of substance use would have improved my experience, but I think it would unfairly justify the absurdity of it all. No, you must go in as sober as a gopher, if indeed you must go.

Still, I can't bring myself to say it is a bad film. It is unlike any movie you'll ever see, and you will be thankful for that afterwards.

[mayor-mclikeme-please]

Dear friend, I resolved to watch 100 new films (for myself) in 2026. The math was simple; 2 films a week for 50 weeks, with 2 weeks off for good behavior, I'm in the clear. Here I am now at the start of week seven & I've sat through all of three pictures. At this rate, Father Time and the Resolvers are going to break my knees when 2027 comes about. So I thought logging my progress in a somewhat public forum will spur me into keeping my promise.

I Married A Monster From Outer Space (1958) -⭐️

I know this movie is supposed to be about Communism as all American horror flicks in the 50's were legally required to be, but this movie really just wants to talk about how the true victims of the patriarchy are men. Men just want to be free to drink with only their male friends and no women ever!

Yes, the plot should be about Marge being trapped in her marriage to an abuser, but unable to turn to anyone for help, but since "The Feminine Mystique" won't be published for five more years, the film largely follows the cadre of space men adjusting to Earth and hating having to reproduce with Earth women. There's even an ongoing theme about how women need to badger men into ever getting married and settling down to have a family. Do they ask why there might be such social pressure on women to do so? Of course not! That would require self reflection.

We find out the aliens are all male (Somehow all the women of their species died when their sun went nova. Per Grace, "Human women are controlled by the moon, alien women are ruled the sun. So if our sun collapsed today, only human men would die out, but I'd be fine"). I think there is a queer reading that could be attempted with how the aliens relate to each other following the transition into human bodies, but boy does that line of thinking get regressive real quick. What makes this movie so bad that it's good, is just how thoughtless it is, but with the shade of Tennessee Willams hovering about.

Also, they never use the word "Alien" to describe the creatures from Outer Space. Just "Monster"

[mayor-mclikeme-please]

I decided to make a Smosh: Creekside Killer Variant of the game, "Werewolf". Here are the rules and round order.

1. Sarah Christ- If you are killed, you take one of the suspects out with you.

2. The Chosen- Using the heart of the cards, look at another player's card.

3. The Gentleman- A gentleman never looks! If anyone claims to have seen a card, they be must the creekside killer.

4. Judge Dick- You and Richard are on a team. If there is no Richard, pick one. They die, you die.

5. Judge Richard- You and Dick are on a team. If there is no Dick, pick one. They die, you die.

6. Creekside Killer- Werewolf equivalent. If Mr. Grub is in play, you can kill two players in a turn. If Alex becomes a Mr. Grub, then you can kill three players.

7. Pizza Place Pleaser- You get two votes.

8. Wizard- You can see two of the center cards from which no traveler has yet return!

9. Mr. Grub- Servant of the creekside killer, they win, you win. If Alex or Karen become the creekside killer, you must serve them as well. You are loyal to power, not sentiment.

10. Augustus- You can never vote for the obvious choice. If someone agrees with you, you drop dead.

11. The Chosen who faps- You can select one player to be safe.

12. Rameses- If killed, everyone who voted for you dies and becomes your servants in the after life.

13. Dominic- You're confused as to what game you're in and think you want to get all of the votes, but don't be a beta and be obvious about it.

14. John D. Bad- Form an immediate attachment to another player, if they die you die.

15. Karen- You want to be the creek side killer, if you kill them, you become them. If you kill mr. grub, you become him. There's some sort of message there, I think.

16. Mental illness- you can swap the cards between two players.

17. Alex, I was there man- Choose one player's card to duplicate. Whatever role they were, you become it too.

18. Bystander- Each round you can ask if another player is the creekside killer, but you can never speak.

19. Gerald Cakes- You can delay a vote and get two votes next round.

20. Courtney Freakin Miller- When in play you can look at a player's card, if you want it for yourself they die. If you find the creekside killer though you automatically die. This is a bonus kill for the creekside killer.

Total Bummer Scenario- Alex duplicates the creekside killer with mr. Grub in play. Both Alex and the original creekside killer can eliminate 2 players a piece.

Turn Order:

Creekside Killer & Mr Grub

Karen

Courtney Freakin' Miller

Chosen

Alex(I was there man)

Chosen who faps

Wizard

John D. Bad

Richard & Dick

Mental Illness

Bystander

[mayor-mclikeme-please]

All day I had been nervous about the certification. I knew that there would be objections, but I didn't know how many or how Pence would react. That's what I was nervous about. I had a feed of the certification playing on c-span while I was working from home (In the next pandemic, I will not be working LOA & HR claims as a favor to my conscience).

I saw live as the maggots attempted to storm the chambers before they could evacuate the senators, some of who had fueled this mania for their campaign coffers only to run from their donors. I remember when the feeds were cut and I was refreshing every few seconds on the nyt website for updates as they came in. The President did nothing. The military did nothing. The police were left rudderless.

Trump wanted this to happen. He wanted everyone who had not capitulated to his demands dead and strewn across the capital. It is only by the grace of cowardice of his staff, by the privilege of his sacrificial senatorial accomplices, and the incompetency of his zombie horde that Trump did not get the extermination of our legislative branch and the lynching of Mike Pence.

What was more galling than seeing it live was watching Trump's submissive and betrayed senators protect him from consequence. Further damning was when the moderates came into power with Biden bringing absolution and civility for those who had just tried to destroy our republic.

Why? Because politicians and the wealthy can never be allowed to face consequences for their actions. That is the ultimate privilege of the owner class. We, the working people must suffer the consequences of unplanned birth. We who did not choose in the pre-existence to be born into luxury must learn the error of our short sightedness and take it with saintly silence and pliability. The veil of ignorance in the maga theory of justice is a gag.

In spite of the treason, the American public elected our own Napoleon the Third back into power and are shocked- shocked! That Trump is waging a civil massacre on our liberties, enriching himself and his cadre of Epstein alums, & violating our constitution to follow and appease every petty whim that occurs to him. What a joke.

To punish myself, I imagine the world that would be if Trump and all his followers had faced justice. What if our leaders had learned from the failures of Reconstruction and let these neo confederates know the true cost of their secession and treachery. A life sentence in jail to reflect on their misplaced loyalties. Would life be better for the rest of us working folk? I don't know, but at least it would be a bit more just.

I never wonder what would have had happened if the Jan 6th Putsch had been successful, I can look out my window for that.

The work continues

[mayor-mclikeme-please]

Warning! I am about to be a huge snob (everything you've witnessed before was practice)

2025 films(& movies I saw for the first time in 2025)

-⭐️: So awe-inspiringly terrible that it becomes fun to watch.

EX: Ghoulies (1985)

⭐️: Utterly incompetent & joyless to watch.

EX: Shadows (1958)

⭐️⭐️: A few decent elements within, but lacking in proper execution.

EX: The Birds (1963)

⭐️⭐️⭐️: A cohesive experience wherein one or two flaws tempers the fantastic.

EX: Long Legs (2024)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: A delightful time that just about grasps the sublime like Tantalus and the wine. A film I would definitely rewatch by myself or show a friend.

EX: Amélie (2001)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: A film that emotionally moved me, usually to tears. Even if it isn't technically perfect, the overall effect transcends the blemishes.

EX: Small Soldiers (1998)

Heart Eyes (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Mickey 17 (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Josee, The Tiger, and the fish (⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Princess Monoke (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) I need to see this in theaters the next time they release it.

The Blob (⭐️)

Bob Trevino Likes It (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) Progeny of a Narcissist Parent Unite!

Garden State (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Sinners (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) I cried way too much for the villain. I was awed by every aspect! This is what they mean when they say movies are magic.

The Substance (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

On the Beach (⭐️⭐️)

Life of Chuck (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Teenagers From Outer Space (-⭐️)

The Wild Robot (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

K-Pop Demon Hunters (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Elio (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Spirited Away (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Heretic (⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Sharktopus vs Whalewolf (⭐️)

Superman (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) It was so nice to feel hope for humanity again that I saw it in theaters twice.

Godzilla Planet of the Monsters (⭐️)

Ultraman Rising (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Final Destination: Bloodlines (⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Del Toro's Pinocchio (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Weapons (⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Novocaine (⭐️⭐️⭐️)

La Jetee (⭐️⭐️) Short film

The Frighteners (⭐️⭐️⭐️)

The Monkey(⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

The Naked Gun (⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Trick R Treat (⭐️⭐️)

Your Monster (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Del Toro's Frankenstein (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) Somehow less of a bummer than Del Toro's Pinocchio. It made me feel just as I had when I read the book.

My Oni Girl (⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Rise of the Guardians (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Rental Family (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

A Nice Indian Boy (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Bad Tidings (⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Merrily Rolling Along (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) Weirdly horrifying in the best way possible. Ancient greeks would have loved all the fear and pity in this flick. Also Sondheim. Need I say more?

Oy to the World (⭐️⭐️)

Hamnet(⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) I was floored by the performances. Finally I have seen Paul Mescal in a movie.

The Muppets Take Manhattan (⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Wake Up, Dead Man (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) Genuinely I haven't stopped thinking about this movie since I saw it. Although centered on Christianity It jived with the essay by Rabbi Jericho Vincent about the idea of a Judaism of the Stranger versus the Judaism of the King that I've been rereading every other day this week.

Melody (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

The Stunt Man (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

[mayor-mclikeme-please]

8 Weird predictions/theories/Head cannons I have on numerous topics without much evidence for the 8 nights of Hanukkah:

Amazing Digital Circus: Kinger is the real Abel and was purposefully trapped in the game. Everything is being done to keep him there. He will need to be abandoned in order for the others to escape.

Five Nights At Freddy's: Fiona Murray will be shown to have survived the fall fest fire, but have amnesia. She marries William Afton and is the mother to the Afton siblings. William suspects that Michael is actually Edwin's child because of how soon he is born or he is premature. Fiona still remembers fragments of her prior life and that is why there are two separate Davids. She has a fixation on that name for reasons she can't say. Also this is what the Dracula soap opera in Sister Location was hinting at.

Five Nights at Freddy's (again): Within five years, Scott Cawthon will liken the missing children being stuffed into the robot bodies to trans children receiving gender affirming care. This will split the fan base ala JK Rowling and the Harry Potter fanbase. Fuck transphobes and transphobia.

Star Wars: The Hunt for Ben Solo will be made, but only after Adam Driver gets some kind of commitment from Disney to stop (openly) complying with MAGA. Fuck Maggots.

Disney: Disney will shutter it's AI user content within a month after their characters are immediately used to make pørnography. Fuck generative AI.

Prometheus: Charlize Theron's character is meant to be Trans. That's why her med pod is set for male physiology. David is her dead named & Michael Fassbender's character is supposed to be modeled on her pre transition appearance.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: This movie/play (Haven't read the book) is seen as horrific because the largely male white cast is being dominated by Women (Nurse Ratched) & Black people (Warren, Washington, & Williams). Within the ward, the social hierarchy of the 60's (and let's face it, today) is turned upside down, which is what makes it a nightmare for the audience. It is thus a happy ending only when the white patriarchal Dr. Spivey reasserts control over the ward. Fuck racism, sexism, and the patriarchy.

Batgirl: Netflix will release the Batgirl film in an effort to appease naysayers to their acquisition of Warner Bros. Fuck monopolies.

Happy Hanukkah to my fellow Jews! May your light shine through the dark

[mayor-mclikeme-please]

Marty Robbins mostly wrote teenage tragedy songs, but with cowboys.

[mayor-mclikeme-please]

Lute doesn't respect the working class.

[mayor-mclikeme-please]

Dude didn't know. Hopefully we'll get a scene of him reading Bilbo's book in The Hunt For Gollum.

[mayor-mclikeme-please]

My hopes for the end of 5786

by EC Darling-Bond

That I'll believe in people being inherently good again. Not just inherited opinions.

I miss that madness of mine, Adonai. That delusion has escaped me as a bird does their cage.

I've cracked bones and scarred tissue seeking depths that were never there on frozen grins and vacant stares

I still want there to be, but my spirit is bent and battered by the hope I've held in other people's better angels.

People l thought I knew as well as my own shadow, but whose hearts were as obscured to me as stars behind a smog defiled sky.

How could I have walked away from Omelas?

How did I see that OZ had just as much green as any other city?

Why did you speak to me, Hashem?

The whole world could forsake me and yet you will not.

You have been with me since my beginning.

Wherever I ran, you followed me.

However I hid, you found me.

Whenever I sought death, you saved me.

You gave me hope for a future that I fear will never come to be.

But still I will hope and wait for people to turn as Nineveh burns around me.

If only I could believe that others could be redeemed as easily as I was.

Am I too far from the memories of my awakening?

Was I as hard hearted and stubborn as the maggots that surround me?

I must have been.

Is it then my ego or my idealism which deflates me?

I will find out with you walking alongside me as ever, Hashem.

Great is your faithfulness.

Amen.

[mayor-mclikeme-please]

Das Paradies des Wolfes

by E.C. Darling-Bond

There's a land I know,

That's fair and right,

You can howl at the moon on any night

All the critters get along,

I swear it's true,

As long as they follow our solemn rules

In the land of Wolves & Sheep

There's a ban on being mean...if you're a sheep

In the land of Wolves & Sheep

You can't molest and marry a ewe or cub...if you're a sheep

In the land of Wolves & Sheep

There's a law against killing things...if you're a sheep

In the land of Wolves & Sheep

You can't...well let's sum it up

You can't pay off your car

if you're a sheep

You can't own a house

If you're a sheep

You can't shrug off your debt or unionize

You sure as hell can't criticize

You can't read a book or tell a joke

Unless its to support the predator folk

No sheep is allowed a good nights sleep

Or enjoy a moment of relief

No sheep can take one free breath

If it comes from their abuser's death

It's happy place where wolves can ease

Rape and pillage as we please

So long as the cubs still are taught

To never deplete that woolen lot

For if all the sheep die then what's a wolf to do?

Cannibalism is our one taboo

Yes, cannibalism is our one taboo