SEND HELP

Send Help (2026) directed by Sam Raimi. Imagine Castaway and Misery have a baby. Also, its raised in a household that encourages the watching of "forced buddies" movies and the "ugly duckling right in front of your face" films. And here we are. It's not a bad film, but it's also nothing special. It's billed as a dark comedy horror film, but the horror is just a couple of gratuitous scenes of gore. And the funny is more camp than anything. I think there may be a better film hiding somewhere in this gathering of overused film tropes. Meh.

Streamed on Hulu.

BACKROOMS

Backrooms (2026) directed by Kane Parsons. I am unfamiliar with the original creepypasta or the short videos by Parsons that it relies upon as foundations, so I can only explore other echoes I see in the film. First, the "backrooms" feel like some of the landscapes in the Portal 2 videogame. Literature-wise, I get vibes of The Yellow Wallpaper (Charlotte Perkins Gilman), Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (Lewis Carroll), Slade House (David Mitchell), The Fall of the House of Usher (Edgar Allan Poe). Are there nods to fellow contemporary horror filmmakers? Maybe. If so, then especially Barbarians and Weapons (both by Zack Cregger). It's a psychological horror film, but I found it more weird than scary. It even has its moments of absurd humor, at which I found myself laughing out loud. A couple of segments of "found footage" remind me of The Blair Witch Project. It may sound like a bunch of parts of things smashed together, much like the backrooms themselves, but I think it works as its own thing, too. I liked it.

(I think it may also take a few jabs at "artificial intelligence," but that may just be my own bias coming through.)

((It is also a meditation on memory and mental illness, while remaining fairly neutral on the latter; it lets the characters be who they are, for good or ill.))

Viewed at The Grand Cinema, Tacoma.

THE HEART SUTRA

I finished reading The Heart Sutra: A Comprehensive Guide to the Classic of Mahayana Buddhism (2014) by Kazuaki Tanahashi. This is one of my favorite types of books: one that tackles a single subject and explores it in depth. ("Comprehensive" is in the subtitle.) Tanahashi explores the provenance of The Heart Sutra in its Sanskrit and Chinese forms, and in various translations and renderings into other languages—Japanese, Tibetan, Nepalese, English, and others. He looks at modern and recent scholarship, and provides his own translation with co-authorship by Roshi Joan Halifax. But one of the most important sections is 70 pages of examining terms and concepts in the Sanskrit and Chinese versions and explaining them in detail. This is a book I will be returning to again and again.

LIVING SANCTUARIES

Living Sanctuaries: Monasteries of Zanskar (2025) by Tenzin Tsetan Choklay. Studio Nyandak, an architectural firm with offices in New York and Dharamshala, is measuring monasteries in the Zanskar Valley, a remote area in the Himalayas, in the hope of protecting them from the advancing forces of progress. These monasteries, built between the 2nd and 14th centuries, have been damaged by earthquakes, and are being threatened by climate change, declining numbers of monks, increasing exposure due to roads being built nearby, and populations moving to cities because of poverty and opportunities. Studio Nyandak's work involves young Tibetan architects and engineers making sure that monks are involved in the preservation work, the monasteries remain "living buildings" and not museums, and that local and traditional materials are used as much as possible. It's a beautiful documentary; I only wish it were longer.

Viewed as the May 2026 entry in the Tricycle Film Club.

SITTING and SWORDS

A beautiful evening in the backyard dojo. First, swords. Then, sitting. Zen threaded through it all.

THE CRASH

The Crash (2026) directed by Gareth Johnson. This true crime documentary couldn't have been made in an earlier era.* It uses found footage, primarily from emergency responder body cams, law enforcement recordings, and courtroom recordings; along with friend and family interviews. But also includes a ton of social media videos and posts from the youth involved in the crash that provides the title for the film. Mackenzie Shirilla survived the 100 m.p.h. impact that killed her boyfriend and a mutual friend of theirs. She conveniently cannot remember anything of the crash or what immediately precedes it. However, she has lived her entire life "performing" for social media. Is she still playing a role? Did she kill her boyfriend in cold blooded murder? The narrative of the film was well-constructed by the filmmakers but I wouldn't want to watch it again.

*Social media posts galore + a treasure trove of text messages + black box car data + footage from multiple security/surveillance cameras = information overload.

Streaming on Netflix.

BLOEDEL RESERVE

Bloedel Reserve. Bainbridge Island. A beautiful day in a wonderfully curated set of gardens with excellent company.

GARDENING GALORE!

I wish I had taken a before photo. 125 square feet. 2 days. Removing grass, morning glory, horsetail, cranesbill, and other assorted weeds. Turning the soil by shovel, both full-size and hand-held. Then pulling out as many roots and runners as possible.

During all of this, trying to put worms, grubs, and chrysalides back into safe spots. Having conversations with the Stellar's jay that keeps visiting and inspecting my work. Planting new bulbs and giving old bulbs some TLC.

All in all, a glorious weekend!

BEEF

Beef season two (2026) created by Lee Sung Jin. This season is less crazy than I remember season one being, but it definitely holds its own. The cynical world of this season revolves around those who work at a posh country club. Are these people really any better than those elite rich they serve each day? No. Performances are strong, especially those of the four principals, but I'm not sure any of these characters are likable. Relatable? Perhaps. It depends on how much you embrace your own sinfulness. This is a set of tales of loneliness, betrayal, corruption, incompetence, feigned love, and faux friendship. Capitalism is held up as the natural next step in evolution, a true social Darwinism. I actually liked it, although I'm not sure I recommend it.

Streamed on Netflix.

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Ants crawl across the scenes, here and there, as though freed from the fine art title cards—reminders of our mundane and mortal lives. Buzz buzz.

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Remember the notion of always keeping custody of your drinks? Bring on the paranoia after multiple breaches of social norms regarding beverages. 

NO SELF, NO PROBLEM

"Perhaps the reason Buddhism and other spiritual traditions use metaphors so frequently is because they sidestep the gatekeeping functions of the interpretive mind."

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No Self, No Problem: How Neurobiology Is Catching Up to Buddhism (2019) by Chris Niebauer. Peek behind the Matrix of your own mind by reading this book. The short take: your left brain "interpreter" is lying to you about almost everything, as it spins story after story and keeps your non-verbal right brain enslaved. Each chapter ends with a way or two to explore and/or experience the concepts it presents. This was a fascinating and brisk read. I highly recommend it.

Checked out from the Puyallup Public Library.

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"Compassion is all about the big picture, at which the right brain excels. I would add that true compassion only occurs when we can imagine ourselves in the position of another."

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"Maybe you meditate, practice mindfulness, and feel very spiritually grounded when you do, and later the ego comes back online and is frustrated to find out that you've run out of coffee."

WHITE RIVER DGC

I played at White River Disc Golf Course this morning. It was a morning of MANY tree shots, balanced out with THREE pole hits on the second throw (holes 10, 12, and 13).

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My two champion discs of the day...

Gateway Apache Driver (purple disc). It allowed me to make some nice straight drives in tight spaces. It also stands out against green vegetation better than translucent yellow! Plus, it was owned by my friend Derek prior to his death; so he's out on the course with me, too.

Latitude 64° Mirus Midrange. This is my go to disc for forehand throws and bending around obstacles. (I'm primarily a backhand thrower.) I also used it as a "hammer" to go over a few trees.

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The weather was beautiful! Sunny and sunny and sunny in the woods.

DANCING with UNCERTAINTY

"Dancing with Uncertainty: Buddhist Pathways to Climate Resilience" with Dr. Stephanie Kaza was an excellent presentation, hosted by Pacific Lutheran University's Religion and Environmental Studies departments for Earth Day.

It was a "slow presentation," in the spirit of the "slow food" movement—something to be savored in the company of the like-minded. Contemplative slides allowed the audience (and presenter) moments to pause between sets of ideas and concepts. And The Child pointed out that none of the images of nature were "alarmist"—no photos of strip mines or clear cuts—but rather celebratory in some sense. Perhaps images of nature on its own terms, which I found intriguing and hopeful.

This is going to stick with me for some time.

ONE-DAY SIT

Now sit steadfastly and think not-thinking. How do you think not-thinking? Beyond thinking.

—from "Fukanzazengi" by Dōgen

 

My spot of "focus" for the day, although not really "seen" for most of that time, except indistinctly.

 

I'm exhausted but in a good way, even though I mostly sat staring at a wall.

SEALED IN

I'm all sealed in. My allergies are off the charts, so I'm taking precautions to avoid a hospital visit when I'm working in the yard.

(Success! The yard is mowed.)

WORDLESS PROCLAMATION

Zazen is wordless proclamation.

—Nyoze Kwong, Abbot of Sonoma Mountain Zen Center

PLU MEADOWS DGC

It's been a hot minute since I've played, but I made it out to PLU Meadows this morning. I was going to play this nine-hole course twice, but on hole nine I had my best drive of the day and scored a birdie on this par 4 hole, so I called it quits.

Hole 1 / par 3 - 2
Hole 2 / par 3 - 4
Hole 3 / par 4 - 4
Hole 4 / par 3 - 4
Hole 5 / par 3 - 4
Hole 6 / par 4 - 4
Hole 7 / par 3 - 3
Hole 8 / par 4 - 4
Hole 9 / par 4 - 3
Front nine / par 31 - 32 (+1)

I played my favorite yellow discs. They're some of my favorite discs and just happen to be yellow: Innova Champion Valkyrie driver, Discraft Buzzz midrange, and Latitude 64º Sinus putter.

 

RENTAL FAMILY

Rental Family (2025) directed by Hiraki. Brendan Fraser stars as a struggling actor living in Japan who finds employment with a company that rents out actors to clients. The clients use these actors to "solve" personal problems in their lives. Fraser's Philip fills a niche as the "white guy." At times the movie is a bit too cloying, especially in the final few minutes, but ultimately it works because of Philip's tender heart. It's an exploration of the fictions that we play in our personal and professional relationships. What is real? What is truth? What would we rather lie to ourselves about? Who are we?

The film also examines loss, longing, and loneliness. As one character states, "All relationships have to end." It may be a truism, but that doesn't mean it comes without pain and mourning.

Streamed on Disney+.

SITTING

fading temple bell
the fragrance of flowers strikes
at evening

—Bashō



Tonight's sit with South Sound Zen sangha was a good one. The weather was nice yet people still showed up. Sunset is later so there was still some light in our room, even at the end of sitting. I was asked to serve as doan: ringing bells, keeping time, and leading one chant. We chanted the Sandokai, which was new to me. I discovered the poetry of Korean poet Ko Un. My body felt good throughout the sit, and I left feeling calm.

THE LAMA'S SON

The Lama's Son (2025) directed by Kesang Tseten. This is a slice-of-life documentary examining life in the Mustang region of northern Nepal in the face of development and progress. Village life and the indigenous Bon religion are in jeopardy due to environmental changes, younger generations moving abroad, and the lure of money and opportunities instead of a hard life of poverty. It's a fascinating look at a culture, if not in "collapse," then definitely undergoing radical change.

Viewed as the March 2016 selection of the Tricycle Film Club.

IS THIS THING ON?

Is This Thing On? (2025) directed by Bradley Cooper. Will Arnett and Laura Dern are a couple who are both in midlife crisis and moving through separation and divorce. Alex Novak (Arnett) discovers an open mic comedian living inside him, although most of his material is melancholy at best and oftentimes downright bleak. Truth is told in the midst of various long-term relationships and reconciliation is entertained. This is a movie I went into cold and I was pleasantly surprised. Recommended.

Streaming on Hulu.

THE PENGUIN

The Penguin (2024) developed by Lauren LeFranc. This eight-episode series is a spinoff of The Batman (2022) directed by Matt Reeves. It follows the gangster-styled shenanigans of Oswald Cobb/The Penguin as he serves as driver to Sofia Falcone/The Hangman, pits the Falcone and Maroni crime families against one another, and tries to survive chaos of his own creation in an attempt to become "king of the mountain" of (drug) crime in Gotham. It's a brutal, bloody mess with a high body count. It mostly works, although I'm not sure why someone doesn't just kill Oz early on; it would have saved everyone a lot of trouble and turmoil. This is not your standard superhero/villain fare, but plays more in the realm of mob movies such as Scarface, The Godfather, and Goodfellas. I really liked it, but this won't be for everyone. Batman is my favorite comic book hero and I like the rogue's gallery of his villains. Colin Farrell as Penguin and Christina Milioti as Sofia Falcone really carry the storyline with excellent acting and delving deep into the histories/backgrounds of their characters.

Viewed on DVD from the Pierce County Library.

THERE IS BEAUTY

There is beauty in this moment. 

There is beauty in this morning. 

There is beauty in the sitting. 

There is beauty in the silence. 

There is beauty in the stillness. 

There is beauty in this small dog sitting in my lap, meditating alongside me. 

There is beauty in the chanting. 

There is beauty in the flame. 

There is beauty in the incense.

KANNON

Kannon no
iraka miyari tsu
hana no kumo

—Bashō, spring 1686

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Goddess of Mercy
the temple roof overlooks
a cloud of blossoms

—trans. Jane Reichhold

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Kannon's tiled temple
roof floats far away in clouds
of cherry blossoms

—trans. Sam Hamill

THE BRIDE

The Bride (2026) directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal. Jessie Buckley is spectacular as a woman possessed by the ghost of Mary Shelley. This film nods to every iteration of Frankenstein that precedes it, in book and film forms. It takes place in 1936 Chicago, and there are additional nods to gangster films and Bonnie and Clyde. The movie is perfection. It is so well crafted. "I would prefer not to" from Melville's Bartleby the Scrivener is at the heart of a feminist protest (and update).

Viewed at Tacoma's Grand Cinema.

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It was also the first time I took advantage of using their headphones so I didn't miss any of the dialogue or soundtrack. Diminished hearing is no fun at the movies, but the Grand makes accessibility easy!

AN APPROPRIATE RESPONSE

A monk asked Yunmen, “What is the teaching of a lifetime?"

Yunmen replied “An appropriate response.”

—Blue Cliff Record, case 14

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After sitting zazen this evening, my Sōtō Zen sangha, engaged the above koan with "council," a group discussion technique borrowed from the Quakers.

Thinking about the current state of the world, our society, and ourselves, we answered the question, "What is an appropriate response?" The goal was to answer quickly, briefly, and with little forethought. It was amazing to hear what bubbled forth from people's minds and bodies and lives.

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What is an appropriate response?

THE TRUTH of CARCOSA

The Truth of Carcosa (2026) by Jacob Rollinson. This novel is a marriage of political thriller, dystopian hellscape, and cosmic horror taking place in a contemporary and all-too-believable United Kingdom in social collapse and turmoil. It's also an homage to The King in Yellow by Robert Chambers and 2666 by Roberto Bolaño, wrapped in an updated Lovecraftian method of presentation (reports, correspondence, videos, and the like mixed with first-person narration). We learn of the chaos caused by an evil book that may be a portal and means of summoning a malevolent alien being into our when and where of space-time. Throw in militias, invasive technologies, companies competing for control of our culture and lives, infringement of personal liberties, arrests and disappearances, and a demonic Corpse Man, and it all feels a bit too real. It's also a bit overly cinematic at times, but I can overlook that. All in all, it was a depressing yet compelling read.

 
Borrowed from the Pierce County Library System.

BREATHLESS

A Bout de Souffle / Breathless (1960) directed by Jean-Luc Godard. Jump cuts! References and nods to other films and directors! Auteur theory put into practice! I've seen it before, but it was an excellent companion piece to our viewing of Linklater's Nouvelle Vague last week. It's a crime film. It's a romance, maybe. It's a love letter to cinema. See it!

Viewed on DVD checked out from the Pierce County Library System.

THE WAX CHILD

"Hundreds of years I have lain here and heard you chatter; you humans like so much to talk, from the moment you are born until you die you are engaged in babble. All that is around us will someday fall. Some of it sooner than you think." [74]

"No one wants to eat me, but here I am for consuming. I was made a delicacy of shadows. Give to me not what you give me: eyes, attention, thoughts. I will have meat, human blood, a field of skin. The warmth that belongs to the firstborn under the willing arm, insufferable softness." [126]

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The Wax Child (2023) by Olga Raven. Translated (2025) by Martin Aitken. This is the novel equivalent of the cinematic black metal of Agalloch. The conceit is that it's narrated by a wax doll created by one of the main characters, Christenze, who will soon be accused of witchcraft in 1620s Denmark. Strangely enough, all of the above works perfectly. I was enthralled from the beginning, and, had I not been sick, would have finished this in one sitting. It's a fever dream of a novel that is evocative, haunting, and an unfortunate story. (But the wax child makes it sing!) There is a lyricism in the prose, and the author weaves in texts from historical documents in a like manner. I highly recommend it.

Borrowed from the Pierce County Library System.

THE THIRD POLICEMAN

The Third Policeman (1967) by Flann O'Brien. Dante's Inferno meets Bierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" meets Joyce's "The Dead." But with bicycles and ripples in space-time and Irish policemen. I'm not quite sure what to make of it. It wasn't bad but it also wasn't really my cup of tea. I've started it and failed to finish it four times prior over a period of a decade, so finishing it was something to celebrate.

It shares a tone with The Wasp Factory, which is why I decided on another attempt at reading it. And, as stated above: it is finished.

NOUVELLE VAGUE

Nouvelle Vague (2025) directed by Richard Linklater. This is a film biopic of the making of Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless (1960). It's also a fun and feel-good homage to Godard and his fellow New Wave filmmakers that is shot in black and white. I don't know how true it is to the actual shoot, but I'll take it on faith because it feels meticulously researched, and it matches what I know from my many viewings of New Wave films, my film studies in college, and my collection of film books.

Bonus: The Wife wants to see Breathless now!

Streaming on Netflix.

THE WASP FACTORY

The Wasp Factory (1984) by Iain Banks. I've sold plenty of books by Banks over the years but never read him until now. This is one wild ride through the childhood and teenhood of one Frank Cauldhaume, who lives with his father a semi-secluded life on an island on the Scottish coast. The threat of his brother Eric, who is locked away in a mental institution, returning home after escaping looms over the narrative. That's on top of the three secret murders Frank has committed as a child and the strange series of personal religious rituals he enacts to keep things in order. At times it's a difficult read, but we are always "brought back" to center by dark and absurdist humor. For me, there are flavors of Catcher in the Rye (Salinger) and Aberration of Starlight / Red the Fiend (Sorrentino) in the mix.

I'm looking forward to reading more novels by Banks.

Read via Libby.