THE LONELIEST WHALE

The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52 (2021) directed by Joshua Zeman. A documentary that is part scientific mystery and part expedition, in an attempt to find the "needle in a haystack" theorized whale behind a 52-hertz song that is in a range not used by either blue whales or fin whales. Be prepared for whale songs, a clarinet, acoustic buoys, noise pollution, nature versus human interference ,and plenty of open sea. It's a fascinating film filled with loss and failure and a glimmer of hope amongst its academia and scientific method. Thar she (or he) blows!

Streaming on Netflix.

SAFFRON HEART

Saffron Heart (2018) directed by Paul McLay. This coming -of-age film follows ten-year-old novice monk Lobsang as he enters the Drepung Gomang Monastery. He is given a map of eight puzzle treasures to solve by his teacher, after he attempts to run away to home multiple times. He is befriended by twenty-year-old monk Tashi who acts as mentor even as he is perhaps an older version of Lobsang. We learn Buddhist teachings alongside Lobsang. Serious moments are often punctuated by moments of illness or death or humor or surprise, just as in real life. This is a sweet, wonderful film filled with color and joy. Highly recommended.

This is the October 2025 selection of the Tricycle Film Club.

SLOW FOOD and SLOW READING

It was a "slow" night. It was a bachelor night.

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After work, I sat (virtually) with my Zen sangha. We meditated and then discussed a koan ("The Old Woman Steals Zhaozhou's Bamboo Shoots," China, ninth century) and related commentary (by Furyu Nancy Schroeder). I love these Tuesday night conversations because I always learn something, and typically from every other participant. They each notice something that I don't.

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Then it was off to reading while eating. I ordered my favorite pho—wok-seared beef and egg yolk—both of which add immensely to the flavor profile. I ate and read sections of Suzuki's Becoming Yourself. I ate slowly, savoring both soup and text. It was a wonderful meal.

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The evening ended with more reading and more reflection at home.

PIERCE

"Pierce." Day Six of Inktober.

This is my favorite piece of Inktober 2025 so far.

A piercing stare. A piercing hand (in shuto).

WEAVE

"Weave." Day Two of Inktober.

I'm just having fun with art markers. I'm playing and trying to not take myself too serious.

THE LOWDOWN

The Lowdown (2025) created by Sterling Harjo. Ethan Hawke is in his element as Lee Raybon, a rabble-rouser writer/journalist/bookseller in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He's "investigating" the suicide of a politician's brother as he digs around in the underbelly of the city and it's environs. It's smart, funny, raunchy, and mysterious. The ensemble cast seems to be having a great time.

I'm three episodes in so far and enjoying it.

Watched on FX.

BECOMING YOURSELF

"It is easy to explain what Suzuki Roshi does not mean by [the practice of "becoming yourself"]. He does not mean perfecting your self-image or cultivating a unique style to broadcast. He does not mean learning how to be who other people think you are, or even who you think you are or should be. He does not mean trying to get a handle on who you are. Don't try to figure out who you are."

—Jiryu Rutschman-Byler

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"Our way of sitting is to become yourself."

—Shunryu Suzuki

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I sit. I sit to become myself. I sit in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki, who introduced Soto Zen to America. I sit in the lineage of Dogen, the founder of Soto Zen. I sit in the lineage of Daruma, the founder of Chan (Zen).

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Becoming Yourself (2025) is published 54 years after Suzuki's death and 55 years after his seminal Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. In it's best passages, Becoming Yourself reads a lot like the works of Dogen, which I find compelling and challenging.

MOMENT

"Accepting each moment as a brand-new moment is what is meant by beginner’s mind. What you are experiencing may be similar to what you have experienced before, but it is not the same."

—Illumination by Rebecca Li

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Tonight was a "beginner's mind" sit for me. My Zen group filled the room, so I was seated on a meditation bench rather than a cushion. The incense irritated my throat a bit during walking meditation. But it was wonderful to simply sit alone together. I ran sword meditation drills through my head as a focus. It was a beautiful moment.

ALIEN: EARTH

Alien: Earth (2025) episodes 1 and 2. It feels as though it may have bitten off more than it can chew, let alone digest, but we shall see. It's informed by a lot of other films and stories—the Alien films (of course), Peter Pan, Blade Runner, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, Towering Inferno, Star Trek:The Wrath of Khan, X-Men and/or New Mutants, Noah's Ark, and many more. There are some good performances. The Alien is allowed to run around and slaughter with gleeful abandon, although I'm not sure it works well here.

Topical themes also appear: bratty billionaires, the pros/cons of artificial intelligence, 9/11, corporatocracy, genetic manipulation, environmental degradation, invasive species, what it means to be human.

It will be interesting to watch where this storyline goes and if it turns out to be a strong entry in the Alien franchise.

Watched on FX. (Also streaming on Hulu.)

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Xenomorph says, "Episode 3 of Alien: Earth shows this series (so far) to be a beautiful spectacle, but also really dumb and mostly boring." Will I make it to the end? It remains to be seen.

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Alien: Earth episode six = DUMB.

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Episode 7 amps up the action, but also the stupidity. The decisions made by all the characters—each and every one, characters and decisions—just don't make sense. And Wendy controlling the xenomorph through a series of clicks is absolutely ridiculous.

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Episode 8 is the most ridiculous of all. And tiring. Just let it be. Please, no more seasons.

Let the dead kids be dead. Let the dead scientist be dead. Let the series be dead.

DEVO

DEVO (2024) directed by Chris Smith. This documentary of the band is a good introduction to their music and, more importantly, their message. It features a lot of commentary by Jerry Casale and Mark Motherbaugh, with other band members and people important to the band occasionally speaking, although mostly from archival footage for the latter. The use of clips from DEVO's own films is a bit confusing, especially if one is unfamiliar with them. But all in all it's a "good thing, a very good thing."

Streaming on Netflix.