Stop thief!

Many apologies to all for missing Friday's blog.

In the time after my work day end and the time that "Date Night" began with my Lovely Bride, my daughter and I found not a moment of freedom to rest our bones on our comfy couch and enjoy a brief moment in eye shot of our flashing pixel machine.

Since my dear daughter and son were engaged with school activities the following day, finding time to insert a film was out of the question. They'd be gone from our view long before a rooster could muster up it's nerve to move from a coop to sing it's morning serenade till long after that same rooster was tucked in on it's perch. The following day would be the only time available.

It was not until late Sunday afternoon that my daughter and I had a moment to engage ourselves with this endeavor once more. With cleaning duties accomplished and friendships ties renewed, we hunkered down, blipped the remote control buttons and allowed the controller to whisk us off to the Home Box Office-On Demand channel. Here's where we found our next muse.



Set in the infrastructure of New York City, a little girl rides her bicycle to her mothers store front. As with most young children, the concept of having one's property stolen is never in thought. The world is a perceived to be a safe place where wrong doings are never an occurrence. It's in this state that our gal has her beloved cycle stolen. As her mother views the theft and give chase, the cycle abductor disappears. As the girls mother asks for help from some young men in front of an apartment building she alerts the police to which the young men take great offense. Questions arise and a volatile moment brews as authority collide with the rebellious youth. When a local activist arrives the hostility is momentarily tamed.

When the bicycle is recovered, there is a refreshing moment of unflinching forgiveness that graces the screen. It's in this moment when the thief is confronted-I feel-that the story gels into a wonderful tapestry of daily life. It becomes a momentary look into the makings of a "plein air" cinematic masterpiece.  

Though the film was not of standard length-17 minutes to be exact-it was packed to the moral brim with issues of; loss, realizing one's actions, that the idea that people are inherently good, and, if given a choice, people will repent for their ill doings.

Again, I see this as an astonishing piece of screen work. Much is condensed into 17 minutes and much can be gleaned from it's contents.

For those who find The Shipping News and  Life As A House mesmerizing, this may be the next film for you.

This is certainly getting a 7 out of 10 Masterlocks...For sheer content alone.