MY NETFLIX MOVIE REVIEWS #203

While trying to survive the worst drought in history, a family of farmers forces their youngest brother down a path of crime and destruction... Betrayed and left for dead in an unfamiliar land, he must survive, endure and seek the revenge he deserves. (Courtesy of Internet Movie Database)

Having watched the trailer my interests for the film (2018) DESOLATE my interest was peaked. Upon watching the film that appeared to be a big film was more of a smaller film using its location to create the badlands this story took place. That alone would have been fine with me, but the story lacked any real tension and the actor's portrayals were weak. So, in the end, the film DESOLATE I give it 2.5 stars of 5.

ART SHARE

Here we go another Able Abe Studios Art Share WIP drop. Being feeling this new direction which has been giving me some ideas I may use in the future ...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.

Work In Progress Completed

Finally wrapped this WIP with a Thursday Art Share drop still to come enjoy!
...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.

THE PERFECT DAY

I think sometimes my mind gets in the way of me visualizing the perfect day because I am stuck between what is and what I'd like to see. I say that because some 20 + years ago, I was in a car accident that took the life of my best friend and left me a quadriplegic or spinal cord injury, survivor. As you can imagine, that was a tremendous amount of loss I had to deal with learning to live life from a wheelchair. Having made it through what I would consider the difficult part many years ago. Some accomplishments along the way, like moving out on my own, attending school, and eventually graduating, to something as unexpected as gaining and having relationships with women and realizing I still can be a sexual being. I have found that there is this space where I am still dumbfounded. It is what am I to do with the remaining days of my life?

I recently read a book prescribed to me by my rehab doctor called FROM THERE TO HERE, which are 45 stories of people who had Spinal Cord Injuries and are living to talk about it. It speaks on the ups the downs and how they continue each day to maintain healthy, purpose-filled lives. Some of the stories are more inspiring than others, and some are further examples of what is possible. Many talks about how their family has helped them through. Some credit a close-knit group of friends, motivating them to see each day as a gift rather than another day of just surviving.

This is where my story comes in, being an SCI survivor myself and living the ups and downs, the most significant thing is dealing mentally in how I fit in this world once a healthy able-bodied person vs. my life with an SCI. Example after example in the book told how they gave up on ever believing they'd walk again and how this gave them peace of mind and helped them move on. For me, if that is the ticket, then this is not for me because I don't want to ever give up thinking I'll walk again. In all my dreams about my future self, I'm walking looking so good doing it too.

I know how I ended up here through a car accident in which I was driving and periodically lost control and overcorrected and whipped off the highway. They say everything happens for a reason, which now makes all of this more confusing and frustrating. Now I am supposed to believe that losing my best friend and my ability to walk was taken away for a reason. These levels of thought are enough to make one go mad. Believe me, my life has been tough, and I've gotten through even tougher times to be here today, but to get a grasp on where I was, where I am, and where I want to be is different when I see myself as able-bodied living well and loving life.

This is the part where I am perplexed with no real progress SCIs. I must hold out for hope. At the same time, nearly every story from the book told by someone with an SCI and more life experience ahead of me found greater peace and personal acceptance once they came to the understanding that they'd never walk again. Shit, I want peace, but maybe not at that cost. I live my life from day-to-day. I still have dreams, and each day I make sure to take steps daily to achieve them. Some may say they are impossible, but that is fine; I'll still do the work. So as you can see, the major war is really in my head so much so that the physical stuff isn't even an issue. Yet this mind play between able and dis-abled is probably the reason I call my studio Able Abe, which came to me long before all of this happened.

Coming to a close, I recently watched a video on Michael Jordan, where he was talking about the practice where he would work against the best player on his team so he could continually get better. Sometimes this wasn't enough, and Michael would still find himself and his team winning. This leads to his coach in the middle of these practices; he would switch Michael to the losing team putting him up against a deficit and see how he would inspire his new team and look to overcome the unique situation, and many times he would bring them back to win. This spoke to me in that maybe this is a perspective I can relate to. I was put at a deficit to help me realize my inner strength to overcome obstacles and surmount the current situation. To me, that is a perspective that I like cause no matter what, I am blessed with my vision of what a perfect day looks like within me and not whether I concede to a loss but that I fight in the face of one.

Vlog #4 2020 TAKING IN THE REWARDS

MY NETFLIX MOVIE REVIEWS #202

Two parents do what it takes to keep their children safe in a world full of creatures hunting every sound they can hear. Not a sound can be heard from the family hiding in silence, but all it takes is one noise and everything can go wrong. Written by JHatta (Courtesy of Internet Movie Database)

Having seen another movie with a closely related premise and that being BIRD BOX (2018), I only felt it was appropriate to give A QUIET PLACE (2018) a view. Having now seen A QUIET PLACE I see this as a nice little gem. The film is filled with lots of tense moments that lead you through a story that doesn’t give you too much of a back-story to how this world developed, which I feel that is for the best as it leaves room for your imagination as well as a sequel. So for a really wholesome scare
fest I give A QUIET PLACE 3.5 stars of 5.

ART SHARE

Back with another Able Abe Studios Art Share t.g.I.f. I was hoping to have had these WIP more along if not completed by now. Looks like next week will be the ticket on a regularly scheduled Art Share drop day Thursday ...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.

IT'S ABOUT MAGIC

As a child, Blaine was slowly into the ins and outs of magic, but as he reached High school, he found that as much as he loved magic, people in his high school saw it as a thing "nerds" did. Having also wanted to fit in and be considered a cool kid, he made sure no one knew.  Having to transfer to a new school as his family had to up and relocate and take on new jobs. The move was a rough one, but the strength of his father helped him through, but it was mainly his further experimentation with magic that kept him focused on something other than moving and having to make new friends. 

A few weeks into the new year at the new school Blaine made a friend named Amanda who was also into magic as well. Soon both of them would share their own experiences with magic and the fun little things they could do. They heard that the local magic and gag shop was going out of business, so they both planned to meet at the shop over one of the weekends and see what was available. 

Upon making it to the shop, they found only the shop owner, an elderly man with dark-rimmed eyeglasses who smiled as they walked in. As they browsed, he explained to them his reasons for closing the shop and was warned the new generation was too wrapped up into their electronic devices to see the joy in magic. 

Blaine and Amanda looked not finding anything to their liking. The old man saw that and pointed to a door suggesting that what they were really after would be behind that door that was for real magic junkies. The kids were intrigued and decided to take a peak. As they opened the door, there didn't appear to be anything that was to their interest, but the old man began to show them the spell books and other such elixirs that he claimed could give them added powers. 

The two kids were kind of skeptical, but they bought up a few things that would look cool in each of their own magic collections. The more time together and working on their craft, they soon came upon something that would change them forever. Finding an incantation that would make things disappear or send it to a new position without touching it like sending the family dog from their bedroom to the backyard. 

From that moment, the two became a team setting up magical pranks and gags that people who witnessed them had no idea how it happened or that they were controlling things. Soon Blaine's sister Charlotte began to get hip to things and confronted them, claiming to expose them if they didn't let her in on the secret.

Vlog #3 2020

MY NETFLIX MOVIE REVIEWS #201

Grey's a stay-at-home mechanic, who's wife is Asha. One day, Grey asks Asha to help him return a car to his client. Whilst Grey and Asha's self-driving car malfunctions, it crashes. Grey watches helplessly as Asha bleeds to death next to him. Grey returns home - a widowed quadriplegic, under the care of his mother. His wife''s death and the inability of police to identify their attackers cause him to sink into a depression. After a suicide attempt, he's offered to have high tech chip implanted - enabling him to walk. Though initially hesitant, he's persuaded to have the surgery.. (Courtesy of Internet Movie Database)

Having seen the trailer to (2018) UPGRADE via another film I reviewed I immediately added it to my list. The attraction to this film may have made me feel some type of way, but posed even more questions about my future having experienced and living with a spinal cord injury. Anyways, back to the film. I felt UPGRADE was rather engaging I liked the performance of Logan Marshall-Green who played the main character (Grey Trace). As for the overall story I felt it had a plausible outcome that come to the end of the film may throw viewers for a loop. I know for myself the technology presented in this film brought forth a possibility many people in the same position as me dream of although we definitely envision a much cheerier end result than presented here. So for UPGRADE I give it 4 stars of 5.

ART SHARE

Another Able Abe Studios Art Share drop this one on Valentine's Day TGIF. Hope y'alls day was full of love ...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.

VALENTINE'S DAY LETTER

Mona ran after the mail truck as it headed out from her block with a roar. It was at this time every year that she sent out her Valentine's Day card to the one and the only man whom she felt hadn't let her down. She ran as fast as her long and lean 18-year-old legs could take her looking like a stallion galloping in the wind as her raven-colored hair bounced against her back and fluttered in the wind. Somehow this year's message meant more to Mona spending more time on this year's creation than in previous years. 

She had turned 18 two months previous, and life was treating her as best it could as she began falling in with a crowd that was leading her a once pure heart in a direction that her family had warned her about. Sticking with the tradition she had been doing since nine. Hoping to show a more in-depth usage of her words and the trials she was facing. With the hope of some reply or sign to help her through those tough times. She wouldn't say she was desperate, but in the world she was living in, this made a lot of sense. 

She began to gain on the mail truck running the distance of the block she lived determined the letter tightly gripped in her right hand would be delivered. Her zip-up sweatshirt falling off her narrow shoulders, but she kept running. She remembered the first letter she had written Valentine's day card with the help of her grandma, who had shown her a lot growing up with this being one of the things she kept up with till the very day of her death 

The passing of her grandma was a severe blow to her as her relationship with her own mother was a bit rocky and, at times, unbearable. She'd run to her grandma and tell everything that was going on only to hear back from her grandma that she had to be patient with Rosita, which was the name of Mona's mother. She would say, "Rosita loves you, Mona, but sometimes she doesn't know how to show it." Mona would look at her in disbelief, but her grandmother would tell her she's learning to be a mother maybe someday when you have kids you'll understand how tough it is, but for now, be patient, and if you can listen to your mom she has your best interest in mind. That is how she'd always end their talks, and Mona would listen to her grandma, and for a time, she'd do right by her till the next argument with her mother. 

Without her around, the only thing she had left was this annual correspondence that through the years became more and more meaningful to Mona as she started dating boys and hoping they'd be like the men in the romance novels she'd read. Yet they wouldn't, which again made the need for the continued correspondence was so vital to her. 

Her grandmother was a huge fan of Elvis. And as much as she passed down her wisdom about life and dealing with the rough times. Mona, her daughter Rosita all shared the love for Elvis, from his music to his films and his masculine allure. In a way, this is how Mona learned what she wanted in a man as Elvis always made her feel special like no one had ever made her feel. She collected his images, books, anything Elvis became her obsession to the point just like her grandmother who'd send Elvis a card on Valentine's day to tell him how much she loved and adored him in hopes she'd get a message or a sign back he was looking over her. 

Mona finally caught up with the mail truck as it stopped for its next block of deliveries. Out of breath, Mona handed the red envelope to the mailwoman. Its content had continued a tradition that meant so much to her and the women that came before.

Vlog #2 2020 PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE

ART SHARE

Dropping another Able Abe Studios Art Share WIP on TGIF. I'm thinking I have a theme I'm following to see if you can tell ...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.

MY NETFLIX MOVIE REVIEWS #200

In the midst of a pro basketball lockout, sports agent Ray Burke (André Holland) finds himself caught in the face-off between the league and the players. His career is on the line, but Ray is playing for higher stakes. With only 72 hours to pull off a daring plan, he outmaneuvers all the power-players as he uncovers a loophole that could change the game forever. The outcome raises questions of who owns the game - and who ought to. Written by Netflix (Courtesy of Internet Movie Database)

I have always been a fan of Steven Soderbergh and had seen the trailer to this Netflix film and knew I had to see (2019) HIGH FLYING BIRD. Upon watching I could tell this was a Soderbergh film by the actors blocking and how they were set in the frame were all in his style. As for the film itself, it told a dynamic story that I wish more films tackled stories of athlete's lives behind what we see on court and on the field. So for HIGH FLYING BIRD, I give it 3.5 stars of 5

FORBIDDEN LOVE

He watched her from afar, never thinking this could happen. He was close with her family and looked at her, as someone to watch over, as she'd play along his sidewalk out front of his house. 

He was a sane young man when the connection started she'd introduce him to her friends along the block returning smiles and asking about her family, her mother, her father. The only child in the family she looked to others when she couldn't find the attention she so craved. 

As time passed and rightly turned a young man into a thirty-something  nearing forty bringing all the realizations of life, his view of her changed as she also changed. Now the attraction began to take shape. In general, as a man, one begins to see patterns in life that, when you are young, life is about experiences, and as you age, you begin to see these things on repeat over time you can see the patterns as they become clear living day today. The trend he was seeing was the girl he had known changing into a woman. Soon he'd look out his window to wonder whom the attractive woman was gathering up the mail from the group mailbox firmly planted at the foot of his driveway. Thinking a new family had moved in only to watch her walk back to the house, he had seen her run to many times after getting off the school bus. 

He questioned himself vehemently how right or wrong this was always siding on the side of his own damnation. He never had any sick fantasies or tried to lure this young girl to him, but he had to ask where the line was?

Soon the summers became wrought with desire as hot as the sun as he'd see her coming home with friends young and nubile like her beating the heat with trips to the river or kicking it poolside where less clothing meant he could view her taut body openly in bikini tops and jean shorts. 

One evening getting his mail, he watched her and a boy her age walk by making their way to a community cookout. She greeted him using his first name, and she introduced the young man as her boyfriend. He remembered those carefree days as a teen and envied them both just a bit at that moment. 

Times again changed everything. He saw he was less like he used to be. He never married, fearing this would be forever when he met someone online. They scheduled to meet up. There was some age difference, and she did live some ways away from where he was, but people do stupid things to find love, so he went with it. 

Upon meeting face to face at a restaurant that had a broad ocean view, he realized who she was to him. After she had left to go to college, he had somewhat forgotten her but tucked away from the desires he had of a forbidden love he could never really test the waters of. Yet she never did, and now upon being of age and finding his profile online, she figured she would give him a shot.

Vlog #1 BRING IT

MY NETFLIX MOVIE REVIEWS #199

Dr. Paul Kersey (Bruce Willis) is a surgeon who only sees the aftermath of his city's violence as it's rushed into his ER -until his wife (Elisabeth Shue) and college-age daughter (Camila Morrone) are viciously attacked in their suburban home. With the police overloaded with crimes, Paul, burning for revenge, hunts for his family's assailants to deliver justice. As the anonymous slayings of criminals grab the media's attention, the city wonders if this deadly avenger is a guardian angel...or a grim reaper. Fury and fate collide in the intense action-thriller Death Wish. Written by MGM (Courtesy of Internet Movie Database)

I don’t know about you, but I have seen a lot of movies from the past being remade. Today’s selection is one of these and the film I am talking about is the 2018 DEATH WISH. Having seen the 1974 version with Charles Bronson, a gritty and extremely violent for its time made me more intrigued by what director Eli Roth would do with this film. Upon watching the film starts as you’d assume and never really took off. Yes, things escalated, but the events depicted really didn’t draw me in as I would have hoped and the film ended up being very forgettable. So for DEATH WISH, I give it 3 stars of 5.