BOOK REVIEW: Nobody wants to read your shit #4

NADIA ON THE FLOOR

"But put on your crown, my Queen, and we will build a new city on these ruins," Andrew said this with complete and utter faith in his heart as he stretched out his hand to Nadia who was kneeling at his feet completely devastated having been turned asunder by Curtis, the man she so desperately loved. Feeling both heartbroken and confused as to what to do next she looked at the outstretched hand up from the gallery floor of Andrew with a tinge of anger feeling he was the lesser of a man than Curtis, but she also knew he had secretly pined for her and was so attentive to her every need. She'd have faint dreams about Andrew, although she loved Curtis, about how being with him would mean so much for her self esteem and the fun they would have. 

Curtis was not like this. A better than average looking man with an arrogant side. He came from a well off family and was in line to take over the family winery once his father passed it on to him. This as his heritage and a mix of white privilege made for a nasty entitled demeanor that at first was appealing to Nadia, but given time wore on her as she came from a middle eastern descent, but was born in the states. In their three year relationship between her and Curtis, she feared it would come to this, but never really believed it would really happen. 

Andrew, of African descent, a close friend of Curtis she had met after dating Curtis a few months talking to each other from the jump sharing similar tastes in things such as a love of music, reading, and adventures too unique to explain. When it came to Curtis, on the other hand, he could be much like his father his nose in business financials looking for the next thing that would improve dividends. It was a fluke of a meeting that she ran into Curtis on a good day where his likable qualities were on display, and it was the same moment she fell for him. 

Still on her knees, on the floor in a finely woven jersey dress looked up at Andrew. His hand still outstretched, looking at her with soft, caring eyes anticipating her to grasp his hand at any moment. A gesture that would symbolize more than just gentlemanly chivalry, but that she would now be choosing to take up with Andrew and forsake Curtis after what had just transpired. 

Nadia took in a breath. Her body had taken a bit of a jolt upon falling to the ground, but it was more her ego and all the passes she gave Curtis that was hurting her more. It would all be so much easier to take up with Andrew if her heart wasn't involved keeping her from just switching sides. She began to brace herself, giving her time to decide what to do. She knew Curtis would move on if he had not already behind her back, but if she denied Andrew so defiantly as not to take his hand up after knowing how he felt about her and the life they could possibly lead she didn't know if he'd be able to bounce back. Denial and embarrassment would be too high. 

She looked down, knowing Curtis had stomped off in a blaze of explicative and unintelligible words. Nadia had the slightest of thoughts of Curtis coming back and apologizing. Feeling if she made a decision too hastily Patrick would walk in on her taking Andrew's hand.  Even at that would she take him back as he so clearly stated he was done with her and pushing her aside to which she lost her balance and fell to the gallery floor she'd be foolish to take him back. 

Maybe Andrew wasn't the right choice either.  He'd have to understand she'd need some time and perhaps she could just start up right then and there, Andrew a man more after her own heart who was offering to crown her as his Queen. And building a new "city" on top of the ruins of the old. The choice was hers, all hers. 

She looks away from the hallway where Curtis had exited and the space on the floor just before her and then to the still outstretched hand from Andrew, smiling as he gestured again for her to choose him. With so much still unresolved, she felt some relief as she looked into Andrew's eyes and reached for his hand, and he raised her up till she was firmly on her feet standing tall. 

Vlog #19 PHOTOS PLEASE

MY NETFLIX MOVIE REVIEWS #169

Molly Bloom, a beautiful young Olympic-class skier, ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before being arrested in the middle of the night by 17 FBI agents wielding automatic weapons. Her players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans, and finally, unbeknownst to her, the Russian mob. Her only ally was her criminal defense lawyer Charlie Jaffey, who learned that there was much more to Molly than the tabloids led us to believe. Written by STX Entertainment (Courtesy of Internet Movie Database)

From the trailer of MOLLY’S GAME, a film about backroom high stakes poker games would be quite entertaining. Upon watching I was hooked, and whether it was because it was based on a true story, the way it was told or the cast I found MOLLY’S GAME to be a great selection. Come to the end of the film and the credits began to roll I saw it was written and directed by Aaron Sorkin and it all came full circle realizing the movie I just watched was done by one of Hollywood’s great writers. So for MOLLY’S GAME, I give it 4 stars of 5.

BOOK REVIEW: Do the Work #3

THE SILVER DUST OF MOONLIGHT

The only reason he was there was to fuck her. Not the girl whose apartment he was in sharing a glass of wine listening to a band she had turned him on to, but his girlfriend of 8 months. They always talk about a seven-year itch, well Alonzo had a seven-month, and it was a month overdue. 

He had run into this girl just off the college campus, and a genuinely spontaneous conversation developed over public parking fares, which lead them to a coffee shop conversation into the evening. She was a twenty-something strawberry blonde hair and a tight female body. Alonzo had always wanted to spend some time with a twenty-year-old to recapture some of his youth. Going as far as making a to-do list with one of his friends in the locker room of the gym he attended making it part of his first 100 days of the New Year. When the opportunity actually arose, he realized how long he had been with Jana. 

When he met her, she was a single divorced mother of one. They seemed to hit it off all though they both realized life was taking them in different directions and couldn't see how they might work together. That was 8 months ago, and as far as Alonzo was concerned, he was in it for the companionship and the access to regular sex when he wanted it. 

With all of that, the moment he was in with this college girl brought forth the excitement of the hunt and the ego boost of being with someone so far from his age. All of that tripped him up till there was no turning back. Tipsy off the wine, they began to make out, which lead Alonzo in fulfilling his wish. 

Afterward, he had his fill, he anticipated a flood of guilt to hit him, and when it didn't, it relieved him that he protected himself for the romp in the hay. He got dressed and left his college girl accomplishment in her bed. He traveled the walkway back to his car still guiltless as the silver dust of moonlight settled coldly on the night. 

Vlog #18 REMINISCING​ ON GRAD DAY

MY NETFLIX MOVIE REVIEWS #168

The world's top assassin, Duncan Vizla, is settling into retirement when his former employer marks him as a liability to the firm. Against his will, he finds himself back in the game going head to head with an army of younger killers. (Courtesy of Internet Movie Database)

The trailer to POLAR was indeed a great draw, but even more was the casting of Mads Mikkelsen as Duncan Vizla and I knew I was all in. Not being familiar with the graphic novel I went in not having any idea of the type of story I would encounter. Yet upon watching I began to see a story just off beat enough to keep me interested. POLAR didn’t have any major fight scenes or choreographed shootout scenes like many of the movies in this genre, but it had heart and a double cross that propelled the major part of the story. So for POLAR I give it 4 stars of 5.

BOOK REVIEW: Turning Pro #2

ANNA'S DILEMMA

Anna sat still on her living room sofa; it had been the first moments of a reprieve since coming home last night. Her mind, though, was a different story. All morning she was over every inch of her apartment looking for that business card from the record executive she had met the night before. It was still a bit of a fog, but as Anna sat again, she could recall moments coming back to her. As she recalled her steps to where that business card could have ended up, you'd have to understand the situation she was in. 

A boyhood friend of hers had let her know he was coming to town his name was Jake. He and the rest of the crew from Van Owen Street, where they all grew up, were scheduled to meet up for dinner. This would include Anna's brother Brian, her roommate Tim and two other male friends, Daniel and Bronson. Anna would be the only girl in the group to which would be okay with all of the fellas, but at some point in each of their coming of age, Anna had fulfilled in some manner a fantasy they had developed. Each of them had designs on reigniting that as they had all planned to meet up. Anna had thought twice about the event but rationalized that it had been eight years since they all had spent time together and she was sure things had changed. 

Anna racked her brain some more as she sat on the sofa. The morning light from the now quickly passing day was pouring through her apartments partially drawn blinds. At that moment Tim walked out of their bathroom butt ass naked and sat next to her on the sofa and turned on the television. Without a word, Anna, who barely even noticed as they had been a longtime couple, but now each deciding to be single for nearly two years they stayed roommates to save money. The walking around naked thing had come back with the change from winter to spring getting everyone a little rambunctious. That may be the case, but for Anna, she felt like it was the dead of Winter, and her mind was still set on finding that business card. Then again she wasn't that wholly dressed either wearing a tank top without a bra and a pair expiring gym shorts. They found themselves forming quite the scene sitting next to each other as Tim watched a basketball game on TV. She dare not ask Tim where she put the business card seeing the green-eyed monster erupt in him as she took the card from the well-dressed man that met her at the bar.

The entire Van Owen street crew had shown up and ventured out to dinner and drinks finalized by a few drunken rounds of karaoke. Anna's dream was always to be a singer, yet with doubting parents and some bad choices on her own the vision she had for herself never really took off. As they were out that night, everyone reminisced about their time living on Van Owen Street together and how these memorable moments had shaped their lives. At one point she caught Jake looking at her with desire. Who could blame him, Anna, maybe gained a few pounds over the years but was wearing a black low cut top exposing a great deal of cleavage and a pair of high waisted light washed denim jeans that hugged her full curves rather well. Throughout the night, she caught lingering glances from each of the now men, which she ignored, knowing the flirtatious gazes she would send in return. She then began playing each guy against the other till taking the stage and belting out Madonna's song "Secret" which got the attention of the well-dressed man at the bar. 

Not recalling his name at the moment on her sofa she saw glimpses of him as he walked up to her at the bar getting another round and introduced himself and directly handed her his card claiming her karaoke performance had moved him and he would like her to audition. 

Anna was beside herself with a naked Tim still sitting next to her. So she asked him if he knew where she put that execs business card? Tim replied, "Oh, I took it out of your purse and threw it away, he was just some creep trying to get in your pants." Anna was appalled, yet it had been gestures just like this throughout her life by people around her that had kept her here stuck in a situation of convincing. She wondered if this was a good thing or a bad thing as she continued watching the game with her naked roommate. 

Vlog #17 BACK TO SHOOTING

MY NETFLIX MOVIE REVIEWS #167

Sidney Hall finds accidental success and unexpected love at an early age, and then disappears without a trace. (Courtesy of Internet Movie Database)

I can’t quite remember when I first saw the trailer for THE VANISHING OF SIDNEY HALL. That being said for it to end up on Netflix query at some point it hit my radar and found its way onto my list. Upon watching it became clear to me that this is a film worth watching twice as this love story is told in non-chronological order. As much as that may be hard to follow, for some, it is really what makes this film a standout not revealing too much to early so that you ask the “question” and soon the answers are revealed. So for THE VANISHING OF SIDNEY HALL I give it 4 stars of 5.

BOOK REVIEW: #1 The War of Art

MEETING A CELEBRITY

Hugo's day was going rather well. He was ahead of schedule, and the sun was shining adding to the joyous feeling of the day. Hugo was a bicycle carrier delivering packages from office to office or wherever the bag needed to be dropped within the city limits. 

He had been at this work for nearly a year, and things were looking up for him as he had saved up enough money to take his vacation to Thailand. This came about from a strict budget and taking on a few extra side jobs like house sitting and walking dogs.

Today as it was had Hugo ahead of schedule and was making his way on his last stop before lunch. Up ahead of him on his path, he saw the roads were being blocked off, and there were tons of paparazzi flocking around being familiar with the ways of Los Angeles he figured a celebrity was en route or already on location, which fueled the feeding frenzy of the paparazzi. 

As he drew closer, he saw he was partially right as the paps were there for celebrities, but the frenzy was to take photos of the actors on a live shoot. Upon hitting the intersection at the epicenter of the commotion, he knew he could bypass the cluster jam of people and still stay ahead of schedule by dropping his last package before his break. 

He took a sharp right moving up a few blocks and crossed over through an alleyway that put him at the back exit of the office he needed to be. He secured his bike and walked in. He needed to reach the 5th floor taking an elevator and walked out onto the 5th floor to deliver his package to the receptionist. 

After a matter of a quick signature and a bit of small talk, he headed back to the elevator with a giddy-up in his step. He hit the button and then hit it again before the elevator doors opened after another beat. The doors opened to reveal a lone man standing there. To Hugo, the older gentleman looked familiar, but he couldn't place him. He saw the man was also headed to the lobby, so he stood there waiting for the doors to close and send them down to the front desk. 

Hugo nodded cordially and stood next to the man puzzled by his strong resemblance. Floor after floor in an awkward silence of the elevator other than the generic Muzik playing. The two men stood firm with each drop only Hugo seemingly became annoyed with himself feeling he was a real people person and always could put a name with a face. 

Then just before the elevator hit the lobby floor it came to him turning to look at the older gentleman saying "Your East Clintwood!" The older man smiled as the elevator jostled to a complete stop and the doors opened with a ding. The man turned back to Hugo and said in a rustic gnarly voice "Sorry son, I think you got the wrong man." and walked out stoically. Hugo followed swearing it was him feeling he had taken an elevator ride with an A-list celebrity only to realize much later that he had misspoken and missed his chance to truly meet Clint Eastwood. 

Vlog #16 WINNING AND LOSING

MY NETFLIX MOVIE REVIEWS #166

A gritty L.A crime saga which follows the intersecting and often personally connected lives of an elite unit of the LA County Sheriff's Dept. and the state's most successful bank robbery crew as the outlaws plan an impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank of downtown Los Angeles. Written by STXfilms (Courtesy of Internet Movie Database)

Being a huge fan of heist films I had great hopes for DEN OF THIEVES. With an interesting cast of actors involved it definitely looked like they couldn’t miss. As I watched I saw how the story followed a group of bad guys and the so called good guys giving a glimpse into their lives making the story more about those in the mix than just the heist. I liked this look giving me a feel of one of my favorite heist films HEAT. In the end although it was indeed a great attempt I felt DEN OF THEIEVES didn’t do enough to make itself standout making it an entertaining romp, but not much more. So for DEN OF THIEVES I give it 3 stars of 5.

MR. HELSINKI

Mr. Helsinki looked across the table at his lawyer and his confidant Laura Jones as they looked over his plans for his next adventure. Both of their faces were tight in the examination of every detail. As they would finish with one page, they would lay it face down on the tempered glass table. Mr. Helsinki quite the world traveler had gone on many adventures, but this one was to top them all. 

He was the out of the box type having gained his fortune with pure determination and a way for not taking "No" as an answer, but turning it into a yes. Even if Ms. Jones and the lawyer came up with a reason for him not to set off on this trip both his will and likable character would immediately work on them to see things his way. 

His lawyer sat there speechless looking at a line of type with his naked eyes and then he'd look at Mr. Helsinki with an exasperated gaze and continue reading. Mr. Helsinki then at that point got up from across the conference room table and walked to the window taking in the panoramic view from the 55th floor and the bustling city below. The view from the top, Mr. Helsinki would say, is lonely, but definitely fantastic. Only a few men had or could relate to him, as most people were so entrenched in the daily grind that they never look up to see what they might be. 

He stood relaxed with his back to Laura and the lawyer as they poured over the many paged document. With his gaze out the window at a point far out past the city coastline he imagined the elements to make this adventure a reality. In his mind, he could reverse engineer the steps and think on possible snags that might occur before they mucked up the actual workings of the plan. As he delved deeper into thought his surroundings seemed to disappear, he was no longer caught up in a concrete, glass and metal building he was amid his mind a moment of sheer flow energy that transcended space and time. It was trance-like moments like this that had helped him envision the company and companies he was running now. The adventures he was envisioning now was something only his current success could afford him, and the sooner he could get to really work on the better. 

Mr. Helsinki stayed in that flow moment putting pieces together in his head when he felt a hand on his shoulder and then heard his name. Slowly he turned around, and his presence came back from his mind space to the soft features of Ms. Jones's face. She smiled as she had realized that she had interrupted Mr. Helsinki from a trance state recognizing the expression on his face. Slightly glazed over eyes yet a pleasant smile on his face. "We finished." She spoke again to Mr. Helsinki whom by that point seemed to be back from his state of thought. They both walked back to the table and sat down. This time Laura sat next to Mr. Helsinki with the proposal in front of them on the table. Mr. Helsinki smiled ready to hear the verdict on his outlandish adventure. 

Ms. Jones and the lawyer with his spectacles on looked at each other deciding who would speak first when the lawyer offered Laura to go. She cleared her throat and gathered herself crossing her legs in a charcoal pencil skirt.  Looking at the proposal and back at Mr. Helsinki searching for the words she started out with "This seems like a very ambitious adventure." To which Mr. Helsinki replied that was the point. The lawyer then chimed in "Frankly I don't know what is going on in your head, but I am sorry there is no way we can ensure you for a journey like this!" Mr. Helsinki smiled looking at both the lawyer and Laura. His only reply was to say that he had an idea and they might not see it just yet, but that he was going to work and see that plans are made. He then tapped the table twice hitting the tempered glass with his pinky ring and jovially got up from the table and walked out of the conference room. The lawyer was dumbfounded with a touch of frustration as Laura was secretly turned once more by the type of man Mr. Helsinki was playing at a level most couldn't even imagine.