The Weekly Coos

I used to write. In my mind, I felt like I still did. To be frank, I became complacent. I started slowing down in 2025; I wasn’t writing as many reviews. I have no excuses. I bought a PlayStation 5 around Black Friday of 2024, and as someone who felt they had missed out on something some friends in High School were heavily into, I let that consume me. I kept digging further and further into this hole that I never dug myself out of… until now. I’m back to writing, and I guess all it took was some reflection brought on throughout the years, but reaffirmed while watching Olivia Wilde’s latest film, The Invite. I’ve been in a state of depression and slight misery, and the film made me think, “Maybe stopping what I love caused this.” I’ve had a lot of ideas for what I want to write about, and it’s time to execute on them. However, first and foremost, I should reintroduce myself and write about a film that hit me at my core. Through its wonderfully creative comedic writing, realized characters, and real-life exploration of issues we sometimes don’t tackle head-on, this film has become a new all-time favorite, especially because it made me want to write again.

The Invite centers on two couples grappling with inner turmoil, neither of whom wants to confront; we’re introduced to a married couple living through their own misery and sense of worthlessness in an unfulfilling life, and an older unmarried couple in their honeymoon phase. It’s a farce that causes the viewer to look deep into the constructs of these two contrasting couples. It’s dissecting the root of all their issues, even when one couple seems to express that they have it all figured out. It’s hilarious, stressful, and an absolutely rewarding experience as it hits you square in the face with its realized dialogue and themes. Though each experience is different, the film made me reflect a lot about myself over the past year and how I managed to move away from what I loved doing, writing about music, similar to how Seth Rogen’s character stopped playing the piano. Like Rogen’s character, my decision was a reflection on choosing to set aside failure to forget about it. It’s why the film’s final moments moved me, because it made me embrace who I was again, and that is why I’m here writing about this film, but here I am, writing my reintroduction.

The Invite reminds me of the play God of Carnage, particularly the constant back-and-forth and the shifting angles each couple uses to assert who is in the wrong in the given scenario. It possibly why I gravitated heavily towards it. I love the play. In God of Carnage, both couples argue over whose child is at fault in a recent fight. In The Invite, the focus is more on relationships and how they can thrive in the moment or crumble as simmering issues reach the breaking point. Though both couples are under subtextual scrutiny, what hit me close to home was the backstory of Seth Rogen’s character and his comfort-leaning and opting to remain steady rather than trying to improve his mental health and life. I also saw parts of myself in Olivia Wilde’s character, specifically how she knew her talents had purpose but never capitalized on them. I was like that, but my own nervousness with being on camera hurt how I chose to promote and conduct myself as someone who loves to write about music. I would post edited photos that would indicate a score as a preview of how I felt. Living in a digital age, I needed to focus more on promoting myself as a creator. I needed to create a dialogue instead of just staying happy that people are reading my posts. I was lost, but now I think I’m found.

When I arrived home, I immediately opened my computer and got to writing. It felt like I was back to where I belonged. I wanted to be happier again, and this was a step in the right direction. Though this isn’t the state of total happiness, it is just a portion, and I want to be able to get back to what I love. I know the current wave is more video content and self-expression, so people get to know who they’re reading beyond the words on a website and so forth. It’s something I have to get adjudicated myself and shoot with gusto. Everyone is on TikTok, Instagram Reels, and more, but I always wanted to be someone whose writing spoke for itself. I guess I’m here writing about what’s next for me: posting frequently about things I love, like film and music. Though I’m not the strongest writer when it comes to film, I share a passion in my descriptors and hope that someday I can look back and continue to be proud of what I write. I have the confidence, and here’s hoping people who enjoyed my writing are content that I’m back to it.

Now, I know this included a pseudo-review of a film, if you’d call it that, but I’m using it as a stepping-off point for myself to reflect and talk about where I’ve been over the last year. I say pseudo-review because I broke down what stood out to me and why I connected with it. Honestly, it’s a perfect film in my opinion, and there is nothing more I can say about it. I want to thank you for giving me grace, and I’m hopeful that this leads to a rejuvenated self. But before I leave, there is a joke (during a scene with just Seth Rogen and Penelope Cruz’s characters) about Edward Norton’s character naming himself Hawk and why someone could call themselves that. Rogen would go on to riff, making fun of a hypothetical person who would call themselves Pigeon. Kevin “Pigeon” Montes is my pen name, and my friends have adjusted to calling me Pigeon. I felt personally attacked, but I still think my pen name is cool.