MY NETFLIX MOVIE REVIEWS #241

 

Leo is a young boxer, successful but unable to show emotion. He has a fight scheduled and is sure that he will win. Instead, his opponent knocks him out. This triggers a chain of unpleasant events involving drugs, corrupt cops, the Yakuza, a female assassin - and Monica, an escort that he must rescue. It's one hell of a night for Leo. Written by aghaemi (Courtesy of Internet Movie Database)

FIRST LOVE (2019) directed by Takashi Miike, written by Masa Nakamura, and produced by Misako Saka & Jeremy Thomas. This film was definitely one of those films I was sold on based on what I saw from the trailer. Having seen other films from Takashi Miike, I expected a wild ride, and this film delivered that. Amidst all the Yakuza and Triad hijinx and animated characters, there was a likable love story of sorts that helped break up the action and, in a way, add tension to the story.

In the End: FIRST LOVE was a hit, in my opinion. I liked the story and how the stories intersected each other, making some good action sequences and interesting and vivid locations. So for this film, I give it a solid 4 of 5 stars.

ART SHARE

Welcome to another Able Abe Studios Art Share. Today I'm dropping some of the progress on this WIP ...Let's GO!!!

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HIS GIRLFRIEND'S DIARY

Traffic was steady all the way up from Santa Barbara, but as Tory looked at his watch, he saw he had made some perfect time on the trip up to the city of Chico where his girlfriend Rose was staying for a summer internship. They had been together for several months and had been planning on this internship in the middle of their dating. Tory knew this and still perused her laboriously, knowing they'd be apart from the entire summer as he had a full-time job at a film studio in Santa Barbara. The last time they were together, they had an incredible night out, which ended back at his apartment and had Rose staying overnight. 

Tory turned down the street to Rose's apartment, happy to see her as the texting and phone conversations helped only so much and never would suffice over being in person. He parked his car, not seeing Rose's white Jetta, assuming she had yet to make it home. Grabbing his bags and heading up to her apartment. She left a key for him under the hide a key outside her door, and he got access. 

Upon stepping inside, he saw that either someone ransacked the place, or she had yet to tidy up the area for his arrival. The place looked lived in; she had magazines piled up, books and papers were strewn about the situation. Tory set down his bags and took advantage of her absence, and did a little cleaning up for her and himself as well, as he was the type of guy who liked his place a certain way. 

Not knowing how she was grouping things, he tried to place items so as she could find them. He continued on into the kitchen and washed a few dishes that were in the sink. He then came upon a black book resembling a bible, but with no such markings on the cover sitting next to the microwave; not knowing what it was, he took a look, wondering if, in her time in Northern California, Rose had picked up some form of religion. 

Upon reading, he realized he had stumbled onto Rose's diary seeing that each page came with a new date or entry date. Some of the stuff he read was rather mundane. He read an entry talking about her boss at the internship, some girl she had run into, which reminded her of someone she once knew. 

To his mind, this was all innocent stuff, so he flipped to the date that they had last seen each other, just wondering, by chance, if she'd have anything provocative at all to say, knowing what had gone down during that visit. When he found it thinking to himself that he shouldn't be reading it, but more to the fact that maybe what he'd learned would change his mind about her. Still, he pressed on and continued to read. The entry documented the night they had commenting about the dinner and how she felt about how he looked at the waitress, which showed she was a little jealous. She said on the night out and how she was regretting in some way still going on with the internship. Then she dropped it as the rest of the entry went on about how they made out and how he performed. Tory stopped cold, knowing what may lie ahead how it could affect how he acted with her in the future. The suspense was killing him; knowing was one thing, but now knowing wasn't at this point expectable. 

What he read blew his mind as she enjoyed his tenderness in foreplay while at the same time his ability to get rough with her in the middle, but what she liked most was how he ate her ass, calling it her "Boom booty." She went on to explain how the tongue twirls and gentle nibbling and sucking got her so wet. Tory figured this read like a dirty romance novel if he had ever read one, but she didn't stop there as she delved into how depraved it was of him to even venture that way while he was there. A bit of accomplishment welled up in his manhood as he continued to read more about what he could have done more of, leading up to the one thing she'd hope he'd do the next time they met up. 

He read with intense intrigue wanting to know what it was she was so desperately wanted from him when the front door of the apartment door opened, revealing his girlfriend Rose home from her internship duties. Tory flung the diary across the room, landing in the corner behind a shelf. He froze, thinking he was caught, but she was awestruck that he was there and had tidied the place up a bit. They then embraced kissing like a couple that hadn't seen each other in months. 

ART SHARE

Welcome back to another Able Abe Studios Art Share. Today I drop the start to a WIP don't have a name for it just yet, but looking forward to seeing how it all turns out ...Let's GO!!!

ABLE ABE STUDIOS LINK
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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. 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, two other male friends, Daniel and Bronson. Anna would be the only girl in the group to which would be fine 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 apartment's 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 barely even noticed as they had been a longtime couple, but now each decided 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 wholly dressed either, wearing a tank top without a bra and a pair of 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. She caught lingering glances from each of the now-adult men throughout the night, which she ignored, sending her own flirtatious gazes in return. She then began playing each guy against the other until taking the stage and belting Madonna's song "Secret," which got the well-dressed man's attention 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.

MY NETFLIX MOVIE REVIEWS #240

 

After he's busted for smuggling coke on his plane, Jim Hoffman has a chance to start over in a lush, affluent suburb of San Diego. Jim and his wife, Ellen, are surprised to find maverick auto mogul John DeLorean lives in a glamorous house down the street. Soon an unexpected friendship forms between the two men, just as John's new venture--the DeLorean Motor Company--is taking off. But with the FBI pushing Jim to inform on his flashy former dealer, Morgan Hetrick, and John's financing falling through the cracks, things are far from idyllic...and about to take a dark turn. Based on the real events that would become the celebrity scandal of its generation. Written by Lauren G (Courtesy of Internet Movie Database)

DRIVEN (2018) is directed by Nick Hamm, written by Colin Bateman & Alejandro Carpio, and produced by Walter Josten & Luillo Ruiz. For me, this was a film that came out of nowhere and caught my eye with the trailer. I am usually not much for true stories turned into films, but something sexy and intriguing about this one.

I also felt it might be a bit humorous seeing that it starred Will Sudeikis. As the film did have its moments of levity, I felt he played his role well and should be considered for more roles. As for the complete story based on real-life, it came off well and held my attention.

In the End: DRIVEN was a decently made film without the complete soundtrack of the era to energize it up, but an interesting story none the less. So for this film, I give it 3.5 stars of 5.

ART SHARE

Welcome to another Able Abe Studios Art Share. In today's drop, we got another mini as I continue to work with my new set of markers ...Let's GO!!!

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ALL ABOUT THE PASTA

Cynthia sat in front of a piping hot bowl of ramen noodles from her favorite noodle house King Dun with her mind on Mark. From her point of view, the thoughts that she was thinking were understandable, yet if you asked Mark, he'd tell you they were typical or the regular train of thought upon meeting someone in a wheelchair.

As her noodles cooled, she reflected on how charming he was. They had met entirely by chance, their worlds colliding at about the middle of aisle 47, both looking for the best pasta sauce. Cynthia had noticed Mark earlier in the store, passing by him and giving him a polite smile as he had smiled at her first. No words were expressed at that point as she walked by. It wasn't until they both ended up at the pasta sauce section that Mark engaged her in conversation by saying they needed to stop meeting like this.

The icebreaker got Cynthia to laugh, which lead to Mark introducing himself. Still a bit apprehensive meeting someone in a grocery store and giving her real name, but it was the energy Mark gave off that made Cynthia feel at ease. So as they both continued looking at the pasta sauces on display, Mark questioned if she liked cooking, looking up from his basket with several items in it on his lap. The two of them on the aisle alone, Cynthia replied, She wanted to cook, but she wasn't really good at it. Mark laughed charmingly, claiming he was not really good at it, making self-deprecating comments on his disability, which made Cynthia blush.

Mark then asked as he saw they had both come looking for sauces, which, if any, she had tried or could recommend. Cynthia stepped toward the display and pointed out two brands Mark had never tried nonchalantly scoping her out. She was draped in athletic wear sporting a fit body as if she had just come from the gym. Cynthia then went on to tell him about her favorite of the two brands, or the one, which had given her the best results. She even showed him the list of all-natural ingredients posted on the back of the jar.

They then spent what seemed like a real moment side by side as Mark eventually chose the sauce Cynthia had recommended, leading up to Mark's ask if he could get her number. Cynthia blushed again, seeing how forward and charming, yet made the whole interaction seem effortless. Cynthia obliged Mark with a smile punching her digits into his phone. Mark then made another self-deprecating joke on himself that made Cynthia smile even more, and the two began to part ways looking back at each other from the ends of the aisle till they disappeared.

It was now the next day, and Cynthia and the piping hot noodles were temped and ready to eat. Deep in thought, Cynthia was thinking about the chance meeting. Her meeting with Mark, a guy in a chair, wondering how all of that might work for her. Then her phone rang, it was Mark. She took a breath, gathered herself, and answered her phone, letting him know how good it was for him to call.

MY NETFLIX MOVIE REVIEWS #239

 

Clint Eastwood stars as Earl Stone, a man who is ninety years old, broke, alone, and facing foreclosure of his business when he is offered a job that simply requires him to drive. Easy enough, but, unbeknownst to Earl, he's just signed on as a drug courier for a Mexican cartel. He does well, so well, in fact, that his cargo increases exponentially, and Earl is assigned a handler. But he isn't the only one keeping tabs on Earl. The mysterious new drug mule has also hit the radar of hard-charging D.E.A. Agent Colin Bates (Bradley Cooper). And even as his money problems become a thing of the past, Earl's past mistakes start to weigh heavily on him, and it's uncertain if he'll have time to right those wrongs before law enforcement, or the cartel's enforcers, catch up to him. (Courtesy of Internet Movie Database)

THE MULE (2018) is directed by Clint Eastwood, written by Nick Schenk, and produced by Clint Eastwood. Having had this film on my list for a while, it finally came when I was hoping for a film to get lost in. As I proceeded to watch, I got some strong vibes of GRAN TORINO, another film starring and directed by the elder Clint Eastwood.

In particular, this story showcased the life of a cartel drug mule, and not know how accurate these depictions were, I went with it. As it turned out, the life of the character Mr. Eastwood played gave the film more dimension and helped the film come full circle by the conclusion.

In the End: I found THE MULE to be an enjoyable film that made me think about what was really important in life. So for this film, I give it 3 of 5 stars.

ART SHARE

Welcome to the first Able Abe Studios Art Share of 2021. Today I drop a completed mini with a lil continued space action ...Let's GO!!!

ABLE ABE STUDIOS LINK
*Studios store: http://ableabestudios.com
*Z store: http://zazzle.com/ableabe
*Blog: http://ableabestudios.blogspot.com
*facebook: http://facebook.com/ableabe
*Instagram: @ableabe
*Twitter: @ableabe
*SnapChat: @ableabe
*YouTube: youtube.com/ableabestudios

TWO OF A KIND

 

"I don't think I am going to enjoy this much?" said Jeremy with hesitation in his voice. He and his girlfriend Rose had been waiting in line for hours and finally reached the front of the line, ready to strap in. Rose was ecstatic, with a massive smile on her face as, by Jeremy's words, you could tell he was having second thoughts.

Jeremy was more the type who liked his feet squarely on the ground and loved gravity for keeping things in their places. It did take quite a bit of coaxing by Rose to keep Jeremy in line. Over an hour and a half, they stood there, the line moving at a snail's pace. Jeremy had visions of ride malfunctions and seat belts not holding him securely, all roads ending in disaster every other minute.

Rose, the apparent adventure seeker in the relationship, gave it all she had to keep him next to her. Ultimately, it took her making a deal with him to do that one thing he always wanted her to do in bed to seal the deal. Now, as they secured themselves in getting the ride assistant's approval, their compartment jerked forward as the next couple got in their section.

Jeremy was silent, periodically checking his restraints like an OCD patient. Rose was still smiling; the anticipation for her was all a part of it. The ride jerked forward a few more times, finally filled. Jeremy contorted his neck to see behind him. The ride then jerked into gear, startling him to the point he held his restraints in growing terror.

Rose laughed, as in Jeremy's mind, he imagined how his sexual fantasy coming to reality was worth some dumb ride on a roll a coaster if he could survive it. Jeremy could see the conductor switch the lever into the ride position from the corner of his eye, and the ride took off. Not like it had jerked before, but now with a smooth pull. That gave a hint of the potential power and speed needed to drive people out of their minds.

Like any good ride, they started slow, giving the passengers a glimpse of what lay ahead, lulling the passengers asleep with a significant incline stripped of any peace of mind. Then raced down the first step into a hell that seemed endless.

Jeremy caught in that frame of mind, his stomach in his throat gripping the barriers with white-knuckle intensity. Rose was still smiling, flinging her hands in the air with each butterfly in the stomach. Each drop or corkscrew spinning maneuver tickling her down to her toes.

The ride may have seemed like an eternity to Jeremy. And a flash in the pan for Rose. The ride eventually came to a close, hitting the finale to most riders' cheers. Jeremy was not one of those people; now limp having passed out on a hairpin turn, he awoke to jockey about in his seat, stark fear restricting the blood flow to his body. Yet Rose loved every minute of ready to do it all again. As they began to unbuckle and leave the ride, Rose moved energetically as Jeremy took a second as he was still feeling the effects of such a powerful ride.