2/6/18 review of film Tragedy Girls, directed by Tyler MacIntyre

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the film Tragedy Girls, directed by Tyler MacIntyre.

The thread gives a summary of the film. It discusses the film's quick pace, the characters of Sadie and McKayla, the way the film discusses the culture of ignoring warning signs, social media, lack of empathy, cultures of violence, selfishness and quasi-tolerance, and the film's uncompromising focus. I also give some criticisms of the film, notably the film's apparent glorification of high school shootings, which sort of turned me off.

2/4/18 review of Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema's Lady of the Camellias

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema's performance of Lady of the Camellias.

The thread gives a summary of and some background on the ballet, by John Neumeier (based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils) and the Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema series. The thread discusses how the dance develops the love story, how a play serves as a "story within the story," how the dance highlights the psychology of the story, how the music of Frédéric Chopin adds to the story, and the performances of Svetlana Zakharova, Edvin Revazov, and Anna Tikhomirova.

Here is the link to the Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema's website.

I saw this screening at the Regal UA Denver Pavilions in downtown Denver, Colorado.

2/4/18 review of Harmony Chorale performance of Bayard Rustin: The Man Behind the Dream

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of a 2018 performance of Bayard Rustin: The Man Behind the Dream, by the Harmony Chorale in Denver, Colorado.

The thread gives a summary of the choral work, as well as some background on its creators -- Steve Milloy of the Cincinnati Men's Chorus, One Voice Minnesota, One Voice Charlotte, The Quire of Eastern Iowa, and South Coast Chorale. The thread gives some background on the Harmony Chorale's Denver performance. The thread gives some background on Bayard Rustin. The thread discusses a lot of the work's themes, such as being black and LGBTQ in America, and the Civil Rights movement in America.

Some of my Twitter threads have been twisted out of chronological order by Twitter's platform. This thread's coherency is moderately affected as a result. My apologies.

2/3/18 review of book Undocumented, by Dan-El Padilla Peralta

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the book Undocumented: A Dominican Boy's Odyssey from a Homeless Shelter to the Ivy League, by Dan-El Padilla Peralta.

The thread gives a summary of the book. The thread discusses some themes of the book, like the immigrant experience in the US, growing up in New York City in general, friends and family as support networks, the importance of the community to children, the way support networks create the support networks of the future, and the Christian Church, at its best, as a support network. The thread also gives some background on how I learned of the book.

Some of my Twitter threads have been twisted out of chronological order on Twitter's platform. This thread's coherency is affected as a result. My apologies.

Here is the link to the Penguin Random House web page for the book.

2/1/18 review of Denver Arts & Venues presentation on arts participation in Denver

Here's the link to my Twitter thread review of a February, 2018, Denver Arts & Venues meeting regarding Denver's IMAGINE 2020 plan.

The thread gives some background on Denver Arts & Venues and the IMAGINE 2020 plan. It discusses the presentation given by Kate Derwent from Corona Insights about the factors driving participation in the arts in Denver. The thread gives a lot of pictures from Derwent's presentation, which give good insights into a variety of factors. The thread also mentions a show up at the meeting's venue, the McNichols Civic Center: New Regionalisms, Contemporary Art in the Western States, presented by Denver's Havu Gallery.

1/31/18 review of 2018 Colorado Climate Plan

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the 2018 Colorado Climate Plan.

The thread gives a summary of and some context on the plan, which is a 2018 update on the 2015 Colorado Climate Plan. The thread discusses the plan's structure, its insights into health equity and environmental justice, the opportunities it indicates for people who want to get involved, and its mention of the Colorado Water Plan.

Some of my Twitter threads have been twisted out of chronological order by Twitter's platform. This thread's coherency is slightly affected because of this. My apologies.

1/31/18 review of YEO Network America's Cabinet 2018 press conference

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of a 2018 press conference made by the Young Elected Officials Network's America's Cabinet.

The thread gives some background on the Young Elected Officials Network and its America's Cabinet program. The thread discusses some themes from the conference, such as national and local policy making and problem solving, getting involved with local government, making sure individual needs aren't neglected by national policy, and the good work that local policy makers do.

Here is the link to the website for the America's Cabinet.

1/30/18 review of CVA show Sangre Colorado: Carlos Fresquez Mid-Career Survey

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the MSU Denver Center for Visual Art show Sangre Colorado: Carlos Fresquez Mid-Career Survey.

The thread gives a summary of the show and some background on the CVA and Carlos Fresquez. The thread discusses some of the show's themes, such as how Chicanx people deal with inner and societal stereotypes, the history of Chicanx people, and religious and commercial iconography. The thread also discusses and gives a lot of photos of Fresquez's art style, as well as discussing some evident influences and some of my favorite works by Fresquez.

Some of my Twitter threads have been twisted out of chronological order by Twitter's platform. This thread's coherency is slightly affected as a result. My apologies.

Here is the link to the CVA's web page for Sangre Colorado.

1/29/18 review of Emmanuel Gallery show Belleza Mexicana

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the Emmanuel Gallery show Belleza Mexicana: Art from the Abarca Family Collection.

The thread gives a summary of the show and the Abarca Family's art collection. The thread discusses some themes from the show, such as the various life stages and life experiences of Mexican and Mexican-American women, Mexican and Mexican-American women's relation to nature and the mystical, the experience of Mexican and Mexican-American trans women, and how Mexican and Mexican-American women are seen by themselves and by others in society.

Some of my Twitter threads have been twisted out of chronological order by Twitter's platform. This thread's coherency is slightly affected because of this. My apologies.

Here is the link to the Emmanuel Gallery's web page for Belleza Mexicana.

1/21/18 review of Bolshoi in Cinema's Romeo and Juliet

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema performance of Romeo and Juliet, by Prokofiev, with choreography by Alexei Ratmansky.

The thread gives some background on the ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema series, and Alexei Ratmansky. The thread makes some comparison's between Ratmansky's and Grigorovich's versions of the ballet. The thread discusses Richard Hudson's set and costume designs for the ballet. And it discusses Vladislav Lantrantov and Ekaterina Krysanova's performances as Romeo and Juliet, and Igor Tsvirko's performance as Mercutio.

Some of my Twitter threads have been twisted out of chronological order by Twitter's platform. The coherency of this thread is somewhat affected as a result. My apologies.

Here is the link to the website for the Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema series.

I saw this screening at the Regal UA Denver Pavilions theater in downtown Denver, Colorado.

1/20/18 thread of videos from 2018 Women's March on Colorado

Here is a link to a Twitter thread I did giving links to videos I took while at the 2018 Women's March on Colorado.

The thread includes videos of the band Alive on Arrival, singers Rajdulari and SuCh, singer Emelise Munoz, and Bella Diva Dance.

1/20/18 review of film The Road Movie, dir. by Dmitri Kalashnikov

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the film The Road Movie, directed by Dmitri Kalashnikov.

The thread gives a summary of the film, which is a montage of dashcam videos in Russia that had been posted to social media. The thread discusses the film's themes, such as how people converse about driving, how people think about dash cams, how the radio has a sort of synchronicity with life, and how humans are still often at the mercy of chance and at the mercy of other humans' stupidity. The thread discusses the film's similarity to other recent films, how the film kept me in suspense, how the film depicts Russia, and my feeling that something more could have been added to the film's overall artistic vision.

Some of my Twitter threads have been twisted out of chronological order by Twitter's platform. This thread's coherency is slightly affected because of that. My apologies.

I saw this film at the Denver Film Society's Sie FilmCenter in Denver, Colorado.

1/20/18 review of 2018 Women's March on Colorado

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the 2018 Women's March on Colorado.

The thread gives some background on the march. It discusses the march's theme. It mentions the Native American women who were centered for the march. It discusses and gives photos of presentations by Karen Roberts Grissom, Candi CdeBaca, Chante Okic Ouye Wiya, Kim Desmond, Reverend Nancy Rojas, 100 Women in Black, Lauren Casteel, Kerrie Joy, Karmen Carter, and Faith Winter. The thread also gives a lot of photos from the march.

Some of my Twitter threads have been twisted out of chronological order by Twitter's platform. This thread's coherency suffers as a result. My apologies. However, the tweets address themes from the march that were really interesting. And they show tons of great pictures. So the thread is worth a read.

1/18/20 discussion about my fanfiction Summer Azure ahead of 2018 Women's March

Here is the link to a Twitter thread I did in January of 2018 about my amateur novel Summer Azure.

Summer Azure can essentially be seen as a Dance Moms fanfiction mixed with a lesbian-themed variation on the Lolita story. It is a youth/adult romance about a dancing star girl who befriends and then falls in love with a reclusive businesswoman next door.

I wrote my thread about my novel on the eve of the 2nd annual Women's March, because the novel ends with the first Women's March. The thread gives a lot of background into how I came to write the story, my political reasons for writing the story, the way I wove the political themes into the story, and some basics about my characters and the plot, and how they all relate to my own personal life and political ideas, and how they all culminate with the Women's March.

Some of my Twitter threads have been twisted out of chronological order by Twitter's platform. Unfortunately, this particular thread's coherency suffers a lot as a result. My apologies.

Here is the link to my novel Summer Azure, which is online and free to read.

1/15/18 review of 2018 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Marade

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the 2018 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Marade in Denver, Colorado.

The thread is short. But it gives some pretty good photos from the march and pre-march rally. It also mentions some themes discussed by the rally's speakers.

1/14/18 review of film The Mermaid, dir. by Stephen Chow

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the film The Mermaid, directed by Stephen Chow.

The thread gives a summary of the film. It also gives some background on the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema's Yum Cha film series, which is where I saw the film. The thread discusses the film's blend of action, slapstick comedy, and environmentalism. The thread also discusses the film's themes, such as the validity of environmentalism, sham environmentalism, humanity's mistaken belief in invincibility, and the self-consciousness of self-made people.

Some of my threads have been twisted out of chronological order by Twitter's platform. The coherency of this thread is pretty badly affected as a result. My apologies. But the tweets all address interesting aspects of the film. So it's still worth a read, in my opinion.

I saw this film at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Sloans Lake theater in Denver, Colorado.

1/14/18 review of Davon E. Johnson film screening at BAWM

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of a 2018 screening of films by Davon E. Johnson at the Black American West Museum and Heritage Center.

The thread gives some background on the BAWM and on Davon E. Johnson and his films. The thread discusses each of the short films screened: Amazing Grace, Peace 2 "U", The March on Washington, and The March for Freedom 1963. These films are largely focused on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the March on Washington.

Some of my threads have been twisted out of chronological order by Twitter's platform. The coherency of this thread is slightly affected because of this. My apologies.

Here is the link to the website for the BAWM.

1/14/18 review of film Proud Mary, dir. by Babak Najafi

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the film Proud Mary, directed by Babak Najafi.

The thread gives a summary of the film. The thread discusses some of the performances I like. It discusses comparisons others and I made to other films. It discusses the action sequences. It discusses the film's visuals. And it discusses some reviewers' feeling that that film was too short. It discusses some of the film's themes, like family, crime families, motherhood, single motherhood, professional womanhood.

Some of my Twitter threads have been twisted out of chronological order by Twitter's platform. The coherency of this thread suffers slightly as a result. My apologies.

I saw this film at the Regal UA Denver Pavilions theater in downtown Denver, Colorado.

1/13/18 review of housing policy and funding in Colorado

Here is the link to a Twitter thread I did in 2018 regarding housing policy and funding in Colorado.

The thread discusses two news articles regarding housing policy and funding. The thread praises Denver and Colorado for being focused on equitability. But it questions why this ideal of equitability never seems to flow through to funding for any of these ideas. It discusses the way taxation and tax dollar usage works in Colorado. But it also questions whether Colorado's taxing and spending structure is totally to blame.

Some of my Twitter threads have been twisted out of chronological order by Twitter's platform. The coherency of this thread suffers a little bit because of that. My apologies.

1/11/18 review of State of Cities and State of State presentations

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of some 2018 political year initiation presentations in Colorado.

The thread covers the Denver Business Journal's annual State of the Cities panel, which includes mayors from some of Colorado's biggest cities; Governor John Hickenlooper's State of the State address; and Speaker of the House Crisanta Duran's opening remarks to Colorado's House of Representatives.

Some of my threads have been twisted out of chronological order by Twitter's platform. This thread's coherency is pretty badly affected. My apologies. However, each tweet provides a lot of good info and insight. So I still think it's worth a read.

1/9/18 review of Denver Art Museum show Stampede: Animals in Art

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the Denver Art Museum show Stampede: Animals in Art.

The thread gives a summary of the show. The thread discusses some of the show's themes. And it gives some pictures and descriptions of work by artists such as Christian Hahn, Kim Dingle, Wenling Chen, Pia Stadtbaumer, Lin Tianmiao, Kiki Smith, Enrique Martinez Celaya, Georgia O'Keefe, Daniel Richter, Duke Beardsley, Inka Essenhigh, Rick Bartow, Deborah Butterfield, and E-Line Media.

Some of my threads have been twisted out of chronological order by Twitter's platform. This has a slight effect on the coherency of this thread. My apologies.

Here is the link to the Denver Art Museum's web page for the show.

1/8/18 review of film Phantom Thread, dir. by Paul Thomas Anderson

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the film Phantom Thread, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.

The thread gives a summary of the film. The thread discusses the film as a ghost story and a sort of fetish or BDSM story. It also discusses the themes of the film as a love story, such as finding the right person to love; accepting one's own faults; how to deal with others' faults; accepting, but also putting boundaries on, the behavior of talented people. The thread discusses what I liked about the film's visuals, fashions, and music.

Some of my threads have been twisted out of chronological order by Twitter's platform. This has had a slight effect on the coherency of this thread. My apologies.

I saw this film at the Denver Film Society's Sie FilmCenter in Denver, Colorado.

1/6/18 review of film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, directed by Martin McDonagh.

The thread gives a summary of the film. The thread discusses some of the film's themes, such as grief and loss; forgiving ourselves; our good and bad sides; seeking redemption; idealized families, for individuals and communities; and the power our words have to change things. The thread also discusses Frances McDormand's great performance, as well as what made me a little bit reluctant to see the film.

Some of my threads have been twisted out of chronological order by Twitter's platform. This has a pretty bad effect on the coherency of this thread. My apologies.

I saw this film at the Landmark Esquire Theatre in Denver, Colorado.

1/5/18 review of film I, Tonya, dir. by Craig Gillespie

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the film I, Tonya, directed by Craig Gillespie.

The thread gives a summary of the film and some background on the film's subject, Tonya Harding. The thread also discusses Margot Robbie's work producing, acting, and skating in the film. The thread discusses the themes of the film, like fame and celebrity; public expectations from and neglect of celebrities; how the media constructs narratives about celebrities; how the film itself constructs a narrative; the performances in the film; and the character dynamics in the film.

A lot of my threads have been twisted out of chronological order by Twitter's platform. This thread suffers in coherency a little bit as a result. My apologies.

I saw this film at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Sloans Lake theater in Denver, Colorado.

1/2/18 review of History Colorado exhibit Zoom In

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the History Colorado show Zoom In: The Centennial State in 100 Objects.

The thread gives a summary of the show and some background on History Colorado and its collections. The thread discusses the show's philosophy of preserving the past for the sake of the future. The thread also gives a lot of pictures from the show. It discusses themes from the show such as the presence and importance of the Ute people in Colorado; the healthiness of Colorado's residents; architecture in Colorado; Colorado as a state of firsts in the US; and some of my favorite items and moments from the show.

Here is the link to the web page for this exhibit on History Colorado's website.