Vlog #9 2020 GETTING THROUGH

MY NETFLIX MOVIE REVIEWS #207

The story of humble London businessman Quan (Chan), whose long-buried past erupts in a revenge-fueled vendetta when the only person left for him to love - his teenage daughter - is taken from him in a senseless act of politically-motivated terrorism. In his relentless search for the identity of the terrorists, Quan is forced into a cat-and-mouse conflict with an Irish government official (Brosnan), whose own past may hold clues to the identities of the elusive killers. Written by STXfilms (Courtesy of Internet Movie Database)

Having grown up on action films and kung fu classic one of the mainstays of the genre was Jackie Chan. He was both an innovator as well as the star known for doing his own stunts no matter how dangerous. Having not seen him in films for some time I went back to catch him in the (2017) FOREIGNER. The story is basically a revenge story that then slowly reveals the secret life of the character played by Jackie Chan. I felt the film delivered what many of the previous Jackie Chan films did and understanding he is much older now and still doing his own stunts was impressive. Overall FOREIGNER delivered what was expected so I give it 3.5 of 5 stars.

ART SHARE

Another Able Abe Studios Art Share completed. How you liking this vibe? ...GO!!!

For more from Able Able studios make sure to check out these excellent links ableabestudios.com , Able Abe photography , Able Abe Z store , Able abe fan page , YouTube Channel.

OUTSIDE THE CROWD

Well, to tell what sets me from the crowd is a talent that has been with me my whole life. I say that to say this, I know at one point in my life I thought that sports would be that one thing having dreams of playing pro ball, be it basketball or baseball as the options would have it. Yet as I began to reach the age where a goal like that would be followed by substantial in-game performances and scouts flocking to my games, I realized that wouldn't be it. 

As an African American in a small town of high school age set me outside of the crowd, but not in the way that one feels confident in their skin more like I wasn't wanted. I was once told I should go back where I came from, which came from a person which I thought was a friend, and maybe I was playing around with her too much, but that statement stung and changed the way I viewed her and the remaining years in Orland, Ca. 

Still at that age, another thing that set me apart from the crowd the fact that I ended up in a car accident where I lost my friend and ended up a quad. Setting me apart from the group now with a disability, I was unable to do the things I'd liked. Going anywhere was s a question of is it accessible. To even how am I going to get there as without an accessible vehicle. I need to schedule a ride that is not really even the worst of it as entirely being dependent on someone else I am left to their ability to show up and fulfill the needs I need to start my day. 

I have found myself at times wondering how I got here, and I know, I am always fearful that the thing that makes me feel joy, feel acknowledgment will be left to perish, as I must rely on someone else to get to that point to do what I do so naturally. That thing is my ability to draw. My Mother was the first to see that and helped foster that in me at a young age. Growing up, I would get requests from people on what they wanted me to draw on their book covers or binders or whatever. There was a time when drawing on clothing like jeans, t-shirts, and hats were the craze making me a few dollars here and there. The ability to bring and be creative even got me the girl. 

I remember at a summer camp something we did over the summers somewhat regularly through the years leading up to high school. I was a campground up in the Lassen Mountains with cabins and dorms for guests. Boys on one-side girls on the other. This was a church style camp, but when you are that age, you are curious, so you better keep the genders separate. The first day everyone arrived and sign up for cabins and see the scheduled list of festivities for the week. Teams are formed, and games are played for a team prize that has the most accumulated points over the week. 

It happened that we were on the same team and whether she saw me first or I her, I couldn't tell you, but in some way or another, I became a team captain and helped come up with our name and team logo. In developing our logo, I was working on a doodle as names and nicknames were passed around. I sat at a campground table with the team crowded around me and periodically would look up to see her standing directly in front of me, watching every stroke of my pencil. I then realized I had a talent, which had always been with me from a kid setting me apart from the crowd. 

That experience emboldens me. As for the rest of the camp stay, I had a great time. I recently, sparked by this piece, thought about her and how she maybe after all these years later, I found her with an easy Facebook search. She looked the same; older, of course, married with kids. It's weird to think that because I could draw, it attracted her, but it did.   

Vlog #8 2020 QUARANTINED

MY NETFLIX MOVIE REVIEWS #206

The story sees three wealthy, middle-aged CEOs - all married family men - get together for their annual hunting game in a desert canyon. It's a way for them to let off steam and affirm their manhood with guns. But this time, one of them has come along with his young mistress, who quickly arouses the interest of the two others. Things get out of hand and she is left for dead in the middle of this arid hell. However, the young woman is very much alive, and the hunting game turns into a ruthless manhunt. Written by AnonymousB (Courtesy of Internet Movie Database)

To me, there is nothing like a good revenge or survival flick. So when I saw the previews to (2017) REVENGE I knew what time it was. Upon watching, I found a rather stylish film with an amazing main character Jen played by Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz. Most films of this genre don’t have complex storylines and REVENGE did not either, but it created some very panoramas, tense shootout scenes, and even at times showed a sense of humor. So for REVENGE, I give it a 4 of 5 stars.

MY BAD HABIT

I don't know many people who could honestly tell you about a bad habit they have unless it is so visible it is a bad habit like smoking or drinking in excess or being abusive. Those to me are clearly bad habits; some would even go as far as calling them diseases. When I zero in on myself, I notice that I don't have a clear-cut lousy habit like any of those. I mean, I smoke weed in moderation and would never call that a bad habit, but then again some would. I curse when I feel appropriate or to enhance the funny moment in the company that can appreciate the gesture. 

These ordinary things one could be chalked up as bad habits. Yet I count that having a bad habit like those to not having an addictive personality. I mean, I really don't and whether or not that is a real thing I view it as such because I have never clung to anything that I felt I couldn't live without. I'm not saying this to brag, but I think it is accurate and something that makes me unique. 

For example, I remember smoking cigarettes, or at least trying them on several occasions, mainly out of trying to seem cool or trying to fit in with a crowd, but it never stuck. I drink, and I love working new drink mixes, but I've never turned to drink to lighten my day or boost my spirits.  

To really get to the heart of this question, I feel I got to take you back to grade school, where I clearly remember a parent-teacher conference where the teacher told my parents I needed to talk more. I wasn't expressing myself enough. Through the years in some way or another, I have heard the statement from people who knew me, but not well enough to put that label on me. In a way, I feel I am expressive with those who allow me to express myself in the way I see fit. If an explicative here and there is a pain to your ears, then maybe you are not the type to fully understand me and where I am coming from. 

I'll try to go even further with this point and talk about an apparent bad habit I may have. Maybe this talking would lead me to speak about my mode of being quick to resenting someone after having wronged me in some way. I'm not quite sure how the process of resentment develops. How it works in me is that when I feel I open up making an effort to show who I am and how I talk with someone. And rather than excepting me or allowing me my point of view to stand, they want to correct me, teach me how I am wrong, and possibly unwittingly this shoots me down from wanting to share with them. I would not piss on them if they were on fire; it is that intense in me. 

I feel this because I've learned how to move around people. People, in general, are not themselves. And when I think I give people the gift of being themselves even at the cost of me being quiet or not sharing letting them run their mouth about what they feel I think I deserve the same, yet too many times I don't get it, and that fires me up, and the resentment comes in. Whether or not this is a "bad habit," I can't honestly say. So as I break down my own psychology, I feel there are better ways I can deal with this, but as for bad habits, that might be the closest I'll get and probably something to work on.

Vlog #7 2020 TO CORONA OR NOT TO CORONA?

MY NETFLIX MOVIE REVIEWS #205

The true story of London's most notorious gangsters, twins Reggie and Ronnie Kray. As the brothers rise through the criminal underworld, Ronnie advances the family business with violence and intimidation while Reggie struggles to go legitimate for local girl Frances Shea. In and out of prison, Ronnie's unpredictable tendencies and the slow disintegration of Reggie's marriage threaten to bring the brothers' empire tumbling to the ground. (Courtesy of Internet Movie Database)

As a huge fan of the crime and gangster film genre, I had to at some point take in the new Netflix film (2015) LEGEND. This film takes on the story of The infamous Kray brothers British gangsters of the 1960s. Having already seen a film on the Krays my number one question was how was this one going to differ from the last. Upon viewing I found a story told from the perspective of one of the Kray brother’s eventual girlfriend, which I thought was unique. I also appreciated the performance of Tom Hardy playing both brothers. In the end, I felt this film held up against other gangster films pretty well so for LEGEND I give it 4 of 5 stars.

ART SHARE

Dropping another Able Abe Studios Art Share WIP completed  ...GO!!!

For more from Able Able studios make sure to check out these excellent links ableabestudios.com , Able Abe photography , Able Abe Z store , Able abe fan page , YouTube Channel.

BLESSINGS

The very fact I am writing this today is another reason I feel blessed in my life as it is, and there is no way around it. There was a quote, which I originally heard from Tony Robbins, which goes something like this "When you can take your worst day and realize it was your best day, then you will truly know your purpose." It may not be an exact quote, but when I heard him say that, I realized how my life was possibly changed so dramatically for a reason. 

For me, the first of the 5 blessings of all the blessings like family and friends in my life is the fact that I lived through the car accident that took my best friend in high school and left me a quadriplegic. Don't get me wrong if I had my hands in the designs on this outcome I'd have died, and Matt would have lived, but that didn't happen. That day for me by far was my worst day. So by taking what Tony Robbins said and reflecting on that in a new way, I have come to the realization that event no matter how destructive implanted within me a seed for refocusing on my God-given talent and creative abilities. I say that because, at the time of the crash, I had designs on a career as an athlete like so many young black males that to even fathom where I might be now as an athlete may have to lead me to a place I would not want to be. 

My second of the five blessings is the fact that although my current life is complicated and filled with ups and downs as life in a wheelchair will do that, I have lived life thus far that I am sure is better than most quads. In that, I have had the assistance and friendship of two lovely women for over 20 years, who happen to be sisters Amy and Karrie. I would say they are close friends as they've seen me grow as a young man and seen some of my mistakes and ventured off into other realms I believe in sufficing my development as a man and not make it weird, but with them working with me this long may have been something not of the norm. 

My third blessing is the number of reliable care providers, which may be too many to list here. Yet to name a few of the great ones like Angie, Teara, Tricia, Tayonie, John, Kristina, Ronnie, Janele, Melissa, Ellen, Kikuyo, Naomi, and today Heather, to name a few. They all combined have made my life comfortable, and even in some aspect more than pleased with and without them, I'm sure I would be lost as well. 

My next blessing to address is that God-given talent that even after the accident and still today lives in and is genuinely a massive blessing. I say that with even more belief today than maybe years ago thinking I'd always be the man in other ways, yet that didn't pan out. I also realize that I am my own man no job is going to make me and I am happiest when working in my ideas and dreams so I am blessed to live a life where my expectations from others are low, which makes me want to become so good they can't ignore me. 

My last blessing, which could be replaced with so many more, is my mindset. I was blessed with the creative talent and the mindset to win and never give up, which is a perfect combo to do something with, so here I am since graduation working to continue to live and thrive, so I know I am blessed in each of those ways. So when tough times come, and they do, or when moments of indecision strike, I can rely on the foundation built through years and relationships that hadn't left me in the lurch, but have picked me up when I was down.

Vlog #6 2020 STAYING THE COURSE

MY NETFLIX MOVIE REVIEWS #204

When her mentally ill mother passes away, a woman named Annie (Toni Collette) and her husband (Gabriel Byrne), son (Alex Wolff) and daughter (Milly Shapiro) all mourn her loss. The family turns to different means to handle their grief, including Annie and her daughter both flirting with the supernatural. They each begin to have disturbing, otherworldly experiences linked to the sinister secrets and emotional trauma that has been passed through the generations of their family. (Courtesy of Internet Movie Database)

Not much for gory horror flicks and then I found (2018) HEREDITARY a film with an eerie storyline that caught my attention and did not seem to be too gory. Upon watching I was struck at how the pacing of this film added to its overall strangeness. This lead up to the point where everything began to disintegrate into haunting horror that was HEREDITARY. So, in the end, I give HEREDITARY 4 stars of 5 for a unique horror film. 

ART SHARE

Back with a late Able Abe Studios Art Share WIP working with lots of colors.

For more from Able Able studios make sure to check out these excellent links ableabestudios.com , Able Abe photography , Able Abe Z store , Able abe fan page , YouTube Channel.

DINNER FOR TWO

They say pride goeth before the fall, and in this case, it was coming sooner than later. Mickey had struggled and skimped his way out of personal debt with his business making it a thriving and profitable one in less than 10 years. He had kept his neck having ties with the mafia to going completely legit after his grandmother had passed. 

Dreams of becoming a made man faded with that last talk to his dying grandmother. Being of Italian descent, she was, at the time, the only tie he had to the old country he was born in the states and as a child growing up would sit at his grand mother's feet and listen to the stories she'd tell of the rich culture and land of Italy. 

The family always had hopes of getting the family to go and see grand ma's old stomping grounds, but like the young Mickey would soon understand, as he got older, his family was different. His family was deep into the mob; his father was an enforcer, meaning he did the dirty work the bosses would order but wanted nothing to do with it. This built a wedge between Mickey's parents as his mother forever wanted her husband to leave the life, and every time being close to deciding on going, he'd be reeled right back in. As tough times would hit the family or just the need to provide for a growing family he'd turn back to the mob. 

Things soon caught up with Mickey's father as many of the jobs he was sent on landed him in prison for life. Mickey's mother did her best to keep Mickey from the lifestyle, but the elders always had their way and found Mickey a young strapping boy and enticed him to the life. In a flood of confusion and riffs on loyalty, Mickey found his way out and in the position to run his own business. He took over a dying restaurant that he had started working in when he was a kid washing dishes, mopping floors, and emptying trash or whatever was needed. At that time, he'd work evenings after school only to eventually drop out of school to work at the restaurant full time learning everything he needed to know about running a business and life by watching and doing as the owner did. 

The owner was the age of his own grandfather; he had seen and done many things. He was also like the town's conflict manager, as people would come to him openly and in private for advice. As he grew older, he took Mickey under his wing and groomed him to take over the business, as he had no children of his own who wanted it. 

Over the few years seeing after the ultimate demise of his mentor Mickey made the appropriate plans to take over the business and revive the restaurant somehow some way in his memory. In those several years, Mickey worked hard to turn a stable profit. Soon the remodeled and the revamped restaurant became a hot spot, and the media took notice this was the unsuspected element that was the seed to Mickey's downward spiral. 

It started one night when the boss of the family that Mickey's father was tied to came in with a stunningly gorgeous woman at his side. The woman to Mickey's surprise was a girl that ran around the neighborhood as a teen like he did realizing it was the boss's daughter all grown up. Mickey couldn't take his eyes off of her. Mickey knew the boss having met him on short runs with his Dad to the leisure hall. Boss Martola, as he was called, he would always hand the young Mickey a chocolate caramel filled candy when he saw him. 

Mickey now was in his mid-twenties and flying high after years of toiling in the restaurant he now owned walked up. Through all of that time, Boss Martola's daughter Gwen was off at school abroad and was back in the states. Their eyes met as she walked in the door with a twinkle. Mickey greeted her father warmly, shaking his hand firmly with a welcoming smile, knowing he was the reason for his father doing a life sentence. Boss Martola then turned and introduced his daughter Gwen to which the two smiled as they greeted each other, each flashing back to their own special memory of the other. Mickey then on his own looked and secured his guests a table knowing what would be acceptable and impress the two. Going a step further, Mickey ordered up the first course of the restaurant's best as they looked over the menu. Throughout the night passing, glances were shared by Gwen and Mickey. The biggest question of all was, why was the boss coming to see him now?

Vlog #5 2020 IN THE WRITING