Let's Talk Movies

With the Corona Virus or the COVID-19 as it is being called, I have had even more time to watch movies. I had been trying to watch movies from the 60's and 70's and a few 80's movies and anything else that seems appealing.

I had gone to the library to return some movies, but they were not accepting any movies or books back.

There are movies from the 60's that I was too young to know what they were about or had never even heard of. Back then it would have been whatever came on television and what the family may have been watching.

I finally got to see Blow Up, The Michelangelo Antonioni film about a photographer that captures a murder with his camera. The 1966 film stars David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave and Sarah Miles. The entire film is shot like a photograph. Each shot is framed perfectly. Of course it's not a film for everyone. It makes a social statement as well as an artistic one.
There are many sensual and sexual connotations throughout the movie. Sometimes I feel that is what art is about. If you are a film maker I highly recommend this film. It will definitely inspire you.

Another film that I watched was Hurry Sundown. This film was directed by Otto Preminger who put together an incredible cast including Diahann Carroll, Robert Hooks, Beah Richards, Michael Caine, Jane Fonda, John Phillip Law, Faye Dunaway. Burgess Meredith, George Kennedy, Luke Askew, Madeleine Sherwood and Frank Converse. The film is filled with race issues, money, sex, power, infidelity, trust and betrayal. Set in Georgia, the story follows several families trying to survive and keep what is rightfully theirs. It's not a film for everyone, but what movie is? Its shot very well. It's based on the novel of the same name by K.B. Gillen. It's great to see stars that I like in their earlier roles.

Another interesting film was Paris Blues from 1961, directed my Martin Ritt. The film stars Paul Newman, Sidney Poitier, Diahann Caroll, JoAnn Woodward, Sergei Reggiani and an appearance by Louis Armstrong. This film deals race, relationships. love, jazz, drugs all set to the backdrop of Paris. Shot in black and white, it's angles and movement is like a jazz song. I think I had seen this film when I was a small child, but I certainly didn't understand what was going on.

I've always been fascinated by movies. Later in life I saw a difference in the way foreigners referred to them as films or cinema. I also saw a difference in the story telling. As I got older I began to separate the two. There are movies that I feel are for a broader market and films are for artists, intellectuals, those that want to be a part of the experience of film making.

Some of the other titles included Kiss of the Spider Woman with Raul Julia and William Hurt, a film set in a prison as a film within a film. A gay prisoner tells stories to a political prisoner to pass away the time. The film sequences are beautifully done with Sonia Braga as the women in the stories. I had seen this movie a long time ago.

Another movie I watched was Spike Lee's He Got Game. I had seen it many years ago, but I only have it on VHS and I had gotten the DVD from the library. I wanted to see how I felt about it years later. I like doing that as my mood and opinions change over time. There are movies I really liked when I was younger and now I either don't find them entertaining or as funny as they were at the time.

There are many movies in my collection that I still have not ever seen. One such movie was Sextette with Mae West, Timothy Dalton, Tony Curtis, Dom Deluise, Ringo Star, Rona Barrett, Regis Philbin, Alice Cooper, Walter Pigeon and George Hamilton. This was really had to watch. Mae West wrote the farce which was a Broadway play based on her life. There were some funny moments, but most of the jokes I had heard and her singing isn't the best and I can't really say there is a whole lot of acting on her part. I just had to see it for myself.

I ordered some 80's movies from Amazon Prime that included Tuff Turf, Grandview USA, Mascarade and Under the Boardwalk. I will try to do some video of me talking about the movies of the 80's that were such a big influence on my life.

I will do more snippets of the movies and films that I am watching.

Thanks for stopping by and do come back again. Stay safe and wash your hands.

Soaking up the visuals

It's been a lot of DVD watching the last few months thanks to the Austin Public Library. I don't do cable, never have. I used to buy DVDs, but I am cutting back on my spending and not everything is worth owning. You get to be a certain age and you realize you can't watch everything you have more than once. There is just so much new stuff that I am still trying to see just so I can say I did. Thanks to the libraries I can do that.

I watched the first season of The Handmaid's Tale and all I could say was WOW! My first thought was, "Is this what started the Me Too Movement?"
Margaret Atwood wrote the book in 1985 which is essentially when it all began, but it seem to take on more steam when MGM and Hulu introduced the series.

Ever since I saw Mad Men I have been following some of the actors and actresses in their post performances. Elizabeth Moss played Peggy and she was one of my favorite characters. In The Handmaids's Tale she plays Offred, meaning of Fred as who she belongs too. All of the women are given the of and first name of their male head of the house.
The women are used for breeding purposes as well as other things.
This is definitely a series that makes you think. I now want to read the book. Margaret has written a sequel and I'm curious to see if it goes in the direction of season 2 or will the sequel set up for season 3 or perhaps 4.

I started reading Less Than Zero the book by Bret Easton Ellis because I recently found out their may be a television series coming soon. I am not sure if it will continue where the movie left off or if it will be based solely on the book.
When I first read the book I found it very interesting. When the movie came out I was a bit disappointed because the characters had been changed. Although I enjoyed the movie and it is in my top 50, the characters were just different from their descriptions. I do feel Robert Downey's performance as Julian was one of the best performances he had given to that point and was Oscar worthy, but he wasn't nominated. His Oscar was deserving for his performance as Chaplin and I also thought he was great in Tropic Thunder although today their would be some controversy because he is portraying a person of color in the movie.
Satire is one of those touchy subjects in this modern age.
I'll probably have to wait and get it from the library if it does become a series. I doubt if it would be on regular TV because of the subject matter.

Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind and do come back again.

The Ramblings of an Artist Pt 3

(Two years ago ZACH did an interactive production of Alice in Wonderland. It was part of the family series, but adults enjoyed it as well. It's great to acct like a kid from time to time)

The reason for me doing a blog was to just see how it would go. Then it became a way to try to pass along information that maybe one person could use. Now it is a way for people to get to know me a little more.

There is always a lot going on in my life. I treat my blog just like my regular journal. Once I release it I rarely talk about it again. It all depends on my mood.

This past weekend I sort of binged watched the remainder of the James Bond movies starring Sean Connery and I ended with The Jason Bourne movies with Matt Damon. The reason I had become interested in the Bourne movies was because I had read the book, but like most movies that are based on a book they take some creative license. I did enjoy the movies, lots of action. I did however realize a concept that I have would seem similar so I will have to look at how I lay that out. Of course the idea behind my story is different.

I try not to be influenced by the things I watch which is one of the reasons when I am writing I don't watch any movies or television. It should be obvious that I'm not doing much writing other than my blogs and my journal.

As I've mentioned before, I'm trying to get my life back on track. There are things that I would like to do, but with the fears I have I've been putting them on the back burner. The fear if you are wondering has nothing to do with the project itself. It just has to do with me driving back to New Orleans.
That in itself, would make a great story. (Katrina did a number on me and it comes and goes.) There was a time when I had no problem driving back and forth, but now with all the disasters happening around the U. S. and the world it is affecting me again.

Just this weekend I saw that Mount Kilauea is spewing all over the Big Island. Now this is not news to me because the volcano has been active for many years. It does bring up a memory from my second trip to the Big Island. I had decided I would stay for two months. I was trying to acclimate myself and see what it would be like to be away from my family and friends. Could I just do nothing but chill? Of course I had been doing that since 2001, but most of my life I have taken a relaxed approach to things. It's the Southern way. I've never really told this story in detail. Sort of like the Katrina story I have yet to tell from start to finish, but soon, I hope.

So in October of 2006, I woke and started to get washed up when the bungalow began to shake. Now the year I spent in LA I never really experienced an earthquake, but living in Inglewood close to the airport, every time a plan took off... I thought it was a quake.

I didn't know how strong of a quake it was. My friend thought it was a 3.4 or some lower magnitude, but we would later find out it was the largest quake the Big Island had seen. It was rather scary, but I didn't freak out after that. About 15 minutes later the bungalow began to shake again. We were still thinking about our plans for the day as if nothing had happened. I recalled us trying to see if there was any information online about the quake.

The thing that never crossed my mind, but I would hear about a couple of hours later was if there would be an evacuation because of a Tsunami. We were really high up on the island on the Kona side which is mostly the dry side. Lots of sunshine that just made me feel relaxed and happy.

So, the plan for the day was to go to the Volcano. Now it's obvious neither of us was thinking but it was still something I needed to know. There were no warnings for people to stay home, but they were asking people to stay off of their cell phones. I wondered if my family had heard about the quake, but not knowing that things that happen on the Big Island usually stay on the Big Island if it doesn't affect any other regions.

As we began our road trip to the Hilo side of the Big Island which is known as the wet side. We heard reports on the radio, but nothing seemed to be severe. At some point we did here that the quake reached as far as Honolulu. Once we arrived at the Volcano we got a bit of a history lesson which is exactly what I needed.

It seems earthquakes happen all the time. Sometimes the shift goes unnoticed. It explained why sometimes when we are walking and there are no cracks or uneven spots in the pavement that we might stumble. It's because of the slight shift. So we aren't always losing our sense of balance.
The lava flow is what makes the Big Island continue to grow. There is another island forming that at that time it was estimated it would take 153 years before it will be visible.

We found out that the quake was a 6.5 on the Richter scale. I had gotten a copy of the seismograph to show the actual movements. It was such a cool thing at the time. It was also the largest quake on the Big Island at the time. The Big Island is the 75th largest island. It takes about 8 hours to drive all the way around the Big Island at a speed of 60 mph. So after the education lesson we took the designated path to walk up to the top. Looking at large craters and seeing the gases seeping through. As the evening turned into night, we only had our flashlights to guide us along. There were signs indicating that if you got off of the path you were at your own risk.

(I always think of that scene in Rocker Horror Picture Show when the sign pops up and everyone shouts, "Take the risk!")

So we got off the path and walked toward the spewing lava. I had a small digital camera, of good quality, but the zoom was not that great. The sight of the lava and the sounds were just incredible. It's one of those things that is hard to describe, you have to experience it first hand. We were the only two people at times walking toward the sound of the ocean and the sparks.
I then remember something I had learned earlier in the day. At any moment the side of the volcano or shelf as it is called could fall off into the ocean.

As much as I wanted to get close enough to get a great shot, I didn't want to take that big of a risk.
The entire day is an experience I won't forget. It was enlightening, a bit disturbing, but definitely something to write about.

I had hoped to return to the Big Island and take pictures of the volcano, but I don't think that will happen. The plan was to go early in the day that way I could see where I was going and then by night fall have a spot to take pictures.

Since I am not on my laptop I don't have any images of the volcano to post. The previous year I had taken pictures and video inside of the lava tubes. There are so many terms that are a part of the volcano. Lava, earthquakes. toxic gas, magma, fissures and sacred offerings.

The islanders see the volcano as a sacred thing. I remember hearing or reading that a person is not supposed to remove the volcano rocks. I of course being a tourist in 2005, always collected rocks from different places, had brought a few rocks back to NOLA. In my subconscious I thought maybe that had something to do with Katrina. One will never know.

Since my friend had moved back to Seattle, I had forgotten I even knew anyone on the Big Island and then I remembered my friends who's condo I stayed in that second month while I was there. I kept thinking good thing I was not there when this happened and there wasn't a tsunami because I definitely would have freaked out.

Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind and do come back again.

James Bond

I have been watching quite a few movies that are not a part of my collection, thanks to the library and co workers. We had been talking about who was the best James Bond and for me it was Daniel Craig. He just seem to be more rugged and masculine and he got kicked around a lot. Casino Royale is my favorite of his Bond movies. Last week I watched three Bond Movies starring Sean Connery. I had heard for the movies, but had only seen one, Gold Finger.

I then looked at the date of this movie and wondered who took me to see the movie? I was only 7 years old when the movie was released. I figure it had to be my brother-in-law as I remembered my nephew and I saw a lot of movies with him. So, looking back and seeing the other movies, I realize Sean Connery also had a charm and rugged side. He screwed up a few times and got beat up as well. There are three more movies in which Sean Connery starred that I will be watching in the next few days.

I am hoping the weather will hold up and I can get out to see The Avengers, Infinity Wars. I mainly want to see it for the special effects and because some of the cast from The Black Panther also appear in this movie.

Tony and I taped another episode of Films Versus Movies that should be up on the podcast soon. It's pretty much impromtu on my part as I wanted the feel to be just the way it is when we discuss films and movies when we have a break.

I have also been watching some movies of espionage that I haven't soon or it's been a while. For some reason I thought Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was an old movie. It was actually made in 2011 with a large cast. It's about Russian spies and figuring out who did what... How did the operation go wrong?

Gary Oldman stars along with Benedict Cumberbatch, Toby Jones, John Hurt, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy and Mark Strong. The movie is based on John le Carre's novel that made people see the spy thriller in a new way. If you love mysteries and spy thrillers this is definitely that. Not a lot of things blowing up, but there is intrigue just like the symbol of the chess pieces. This movie takes time and concentration to see what it going on.

I also watched The Kingsman : The Secret Service for the second time. I really like this movie, but the sequel is not as interesting. It takes a comedic turn and I really don't know the purpose of Elton John. Was he being a caricature of himself? I feel it was a waste of talent for a few people. It's a fun movie, just not as entertaining for me as the first one was.




The podcast is now up on podbean, itunes and stitcher it's call Films Versus Movies. Check it out and follow me(Dlonzo on Twitter) or Tony (TDoug on Twitter) on social media.

here are the links for the podcasts - https://tdoug.podbean.com/

           https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/tony-douglas-presents-take-five

 https://itunes.apple.com/om/podcast/tdoug-podcast-network/id804851372?mt=2


Copy and past the links if you are interested in my other blogs and interests.

www.dlonzo-OpenYourMind.blogspot.com
www.ArtbyDlonzo.blogspot.com
www.filmlover4pg@blogspot.com
http://psychedmaster.org

Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind. Do return to see where the journey leads.

SXSW 2018

(Some of the cast and producers of the movie Outside In.)

SXSW, One of the many big events that takes place in Austin every year. Since I've been working I don't really do any of the free stuff. Of course last year they didn't do the free wristbands. Things change in Austin often. I guess it's part of that whole Keep Austin Weird mantra.

(Ruben Blades and Director Abner Benaim)

I did manage to catch a few of the features. I wasn't sure how that would work out. I also wasn't sure if I'd get to take any pictures. Edie Falco had shown up for a movie Outside In and I went in during the Q & A, but I only had my cell phone. I thought the premise for the film was interesting, but it wasn't really a new idea.

Sorry to Bother You- I really was interested in seeing this film mainly for the lead actor, Lakeith Stanfield. He had appeared in a small role in the film Get Out. I felt he should have had the lead in that film, but in Sorry to Bother You, directed by Boots Riley, Lakeith gets to shine. I had made some comparisons to the film Get Out, but after the Q & A found out this film was written long before Get Out. It's a visual movie with many social and economic observations.

( Director Boots Riley in the long coat, Jermaine Fowler in the red jacket, Steven Yeun in the dark shirt and jean and Armie Hammer in the dark crew neck and brown pants)

The film deals with stereotypes and the perceptions people have of one another.
There were many actors I was surprised to see were a part of this film including Steven Yeun from The Walking Dead and Jermaine Fowler who appears in the comedy series Superior Donuts opposite Judd Hirsch.

Actors are constantly looking to evolve and I think we see that in Steven Yeun and Jermaine Fowler trying to leave behind the characters we have come accept them as each week.

 ( Some of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders with director Dana Adam Shapiro)

Daughters of The Sexual Revolutions: The Story of the Untold story Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders- The story is about Suzanne Mitchell who was like the surrogate mother to these beautiful young women that became the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. During the sexual revolution there were many that felt the women were being exploited. I learned a lot from this documentary. I remembered some of the controvery with the adult film Debbie Does Dallas and the scandal with the images in Playboy Magazine. The Cheerleaders are very iconic and became celebrities in their own rite. I'm sure this will pop up on PBS at some point and everyone should see it. It was directed by Dana Adam Shapiro.

American Animals- I really liked this movie. It seemed like it was going to be a documentary, but that was not the case. The actual actors who the story is based on actually appear in the movie as themselves. The movie is directed by Bart Layton and stars Evan Peters, Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner, Jared Abrahamson, Ann Dowd and Udo Kier. For a twist, young guys pretend to be old guys to pull off a heist of some art books at a Library. The movie plays homage to such classics as The Gettaway and The Heist among others.

Eight Grade - Directed by Bo Burnham, and starring Elsie Fisher, it's a movie about those awkward moments for most in 8th grade. It was done from a females perspective. It has moments as it is set in the time of cell phones, texting and sexting.

6 Balloons- I liked the premise for this movie and I was curious as to what Dave Franco would bring to the table. Prior to this I no idea that he was James Franco's brother. It's a film about family, drug addiction and what has more power and sometimes what that power can do to a person. The movie also stars Abbi Jacobson and an appearance by Tim Matheson. The movie is directed by Marja-Lewis Ryan.

I noticed a lot of films featured at this years SXSW were directed by women.

Ruben Blades is not my name- I did not see this documentary, but I had recognized the name, but wasn't sure... then I found out he would be in attendance. I caught the Q & A. I knew he was an actor, but I didn't know he was a musician as well as an activist and politician. He had a lot of stories to tell. The documentary was directed by Abner Benaim.

Elvis Presley The Search (Film 1)- I grew up listening to Elvis on the record player and seeing him on television. I wouldn't say I was a fan, but there was some interest in the movies he made. This documentary was directed by Thom Zimny. It begins from the beginning with Elvis' life in Tupelo Mississippi. What I found interesting was the people talking never appeared on the screen. Only their name and what they did. Prescilla said she aggreed to the project as long as they wouldn't use what she calls the talking heads. She wanted Elvis to tell the story. I thought it was very well put together. She also mentioned that HBO wanted to do a 6 part series, but she didn't want that. There will be a (Film 2) in the near future. Prescilla Presley and David Porter were in attendance.



The Texas High School Shorts- I came in on the short about the gymnist, but I don't think I missed any of the other shorts. I was trying to take notes, but just going by the titles, some of the shorts don't match up and the titles of the films didn't always appear before each movie started or there were no credits. After the films there was a Q&A, but perhaps a lot was said at the beginning of the films, but I came in after the program had begun. I made a comment that perhaps non of them wanted to be film makers since when asked no one responded.

What It Takes- This is a documentary film I walked in on about 3 gymnast and their thought process. It's interesting no matter what you do you always run into someone that doesn't respect what you do. One of the gymnast remarks about others not considering it a sport. I wish I could have been able to do back flips. I related to this because it was the same way guys look at dance. It is also somewhat of a sport. It takes a lot of discipline for anything to be done right, but everyone sees things differently. There are no flashy costumes for gymnast and no musical routines. It's just strength, balance and agility. I really enjoyed this one.

Silent Fist- Influenced by Kung Fu movies I'm sure, we find a young buddisht who's prayer is interupted by the thumping noise from the boxing ring next door. There is some bullying and then a challenge by the boxer. The buddisht channels his inner strenth and the boxer learns to pray.

The Art of War- It is said Art and War are the only realms where rules are broken. The imagery of an artist and a soldier are mixed to bring us a beautiful painting at the end of this short.

The Risk for Freedom- The film maker learns about his grandmother's struggles in Vietnam and making her way to the U.S. Through many channels. It told with compassion and humor as it follows her story from the Japanese occupation, saving her family from hunger and proverty. Arriving in the U.S. in the 1980's.

Pursuit of a Dream- This is an interesting short which of course we've seen in countless films, but it still works well. A man has to make a decision as to keep is job or get rid of part of his past to pursue his future. I can definitely relate to this. Even more so as I write this.

#Refugees Welcome- A woman who does all the right things has her world changed when a bomb goes off in a market place. She is forced to leave the country, her home, family and religion to survive. She goes through a series of events to arrive in the U.S.

Molly and Me- A young teen falls in love. This 5 minute short is pulled together quite nicely. This has potential to be made into a feature length film.

Escape- This 5 minute short is a history of how and young man's grandmother came to America from Vietnam and ended up in Austin. It's a very compassionate movie.

Hunned Effort- This was a 3 minute animated short that was very interesting. A music video shot by Nicholas Luna for Alan Lawson's song of the title of this short.

Keopcke- An experimental animation of abstract stop motion. A 17 year old girl's experience in 1971. A true, but forgotten story. There wasn't a lot of information on this short. It didn't stick in my mind.

CCISD Strong- This 5 minute short was about the efforts of students coming together to help those devested by hurricane Harvey. It's focus was on community and people showing support when they themselves had to deal with the effects of the hurricane, but from a different perspective.

Puzzle Pieces: Living Life on The Spectrum- A young girl talks about living with Austism and others who really have a lot to offer if we just give them a chance. That is life in general. So many people want to connect, but we ignore them for many reasons. They don't look, act or seem to be on our level.

Take A Chance - This was a music video signifying, insecurities as the title suggests you allow the world to see you as you are. It's a piece of art that asks us to identify with them.

How You See Us- This video was created out of anger, as the young film maker said after the screening and in the synopsis. She had gone to DC with her choir for the inauguration of President Donald Trump. The video expresses her feelings on misogyny. The mix of Donald Trump's own words with the music and visuals I thought was very well done. It made me enjoy the piece, but at the same time felt a bit uncomfortable as we all shift to understanding our roles in this new world of being politically correct.

The Texas shorts that I was able to see include:

Maude- a funny short about a 30 something who has several jobs to survive. She stumbles upon a baby sitting gig with the mom of one of her friends who is a designer of sports wear. The story has many twists and turns. I could definitely see this as a feature or even a televisions series.



The podcast is now up on podbean, itunes and stitcher it's call Films Versus Movies. Check it out and follow me(Dlonzo on Twitter) or Tony (TDoug on Twitter)  on social media.

here are the links for the podcasts - https://tdoug.podbean.com/

           https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/tony-douglas-presents-take-five

 https://itunes.apple.com/om/podcast/tdoug-podcast-network/id804851372?mt=2




www.dlonzo-OpenYourMind.blogspot.com
www.ArtbyDlonzo.blogspot.com
www.filmlover4pg@blogspot.com
http://psychedmaster.org

Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind. Do return to see where the journey leads.

Blade Runner 2049

Blade Runner 2049 is the sequel to the classic film Blade Runner based on the book Do Androids Dream of Elecric Sheep by Phillip K. Dick.
I can understand why Ryan Gosling and Jared Leto may have signed on to do this film. It was the opportunity to work with Harrison Ford. All I could think is that Harrison Ford was offered a lot of money to get on board.

I must say the Oscar was well deserving for Cinematography and Visual Effects. The story is slow moving, but visually its is really good. Blade RUnner 2049 is brighter than Blade Runner.

The story is much slower and there are many similarities to Blade Runner. The scenes in the market place were identical. There are more digital billboards. The movie was also nominated for Production design and Sound mixing, but they didn't take either of those awards home.
I thought the fight sequences were slow moving. I was attributing it to Harrison Ford being older, but even the scenes with one of the women felt slow. There were a few very interesting sequences, but I found the story a little confusing. It could have been intentional, but I found it a bit frustrating. Normally I don't have this problem, but I think with the slow pace of the film and characters being introduced sparingly... just as soon as I thought I knew what was going on there was a switch and then you'd go back to the original idea because the characters would make you think something else.

I did like seeing some of the familiar faces from the first film. Edward James Olmos, but I wasn't sure if Sean Young was cgi or not. The magic of film... I almost didn't recognize Robin Wright. I met and photographed Robin Wright back in 1999 when she was Robin Wright-Penn.

I was somewhat disappointed, but there were some interesting moments. If you are a fan of Ryan Gosling or Harrison Ford it's definitely worth a look.


The podcast is now up on podbean, itunes and stitcher it's call Films Versus Movies. Check it out and follow me(Dlonzo on Twitter) or Tony (TDoug on Twitter)  on social media.

here are the links for the podcasts - https://tdoug.podbean.com/

           https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/tony-douglas-presents-take-five

 https://itunes.apple.com/om/podcast/tdoug-podcast-network/id804851372?mt=2




www.dlonzo-OpenYourMind.blogspot.com
www.ArtbyDlonzo.blogspot.com
www.filmlover4pg@blogspot.com
http://psychedmaster.org

Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind. Do return to see where the journey leads.

Today we taped the audio podcast of our picks and reasons behind our selections for the Oscars. I think everything went well since we were both in the same location. Hopefully everything went well and Tony can edit it out and get it posted. I didn't feel there were any pauses, but there were a few people in and out of the building while we were taping.


The podcast is now up on podbean, itunes and stitcher it's call Films Versus Movies. Check it out and follow me or Tony on social media.

here are the links for the podcasts - https://tdoug.podbean.com/

           https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/tony-douglas-presents-take-five

 https://itunes.apple.com/om/podcast/tdoug-podcast-network/id804851372?mt=2

We are not 6 days into the third month of the year. In a few days we'll be going through daylight saving time. The grass has grown back into the yard almost overnight and I'm going to have to use my time off to try to get it under control. There are so many things I need to do, but I haven't made the time to do that.

I feel as if I've written this before and don't want to be a broken record.

I was thinking about my situation and how so many people don't take responsibility for their choices. They always want to blame someone else. I can't blame anyone nor would I. Life is a constant journey filled with many learning experiences. I have to take things slow, one day at a time.

I want to create a schedule to work on my writing and do some reading. I need to create some greeting cards and there are a few other art projects I want to work on. I just have to stay focused.

SXSW is about to converge on Austin. It all starts Friday at ZACH, but before then there are events for the education sector with guest speakers. Spike Lee and Jordan Peele are both schedule to be a part of a panel. I'm not sure who will trickle over to ZACH. There is usually one or two red carpets.
As in the past whether I get to take pictures or see movies depends on when my shift ends and what is going on.

I've watched a lot of movies in the last few weeks so I'm taking it easy for a bit.

I've been a fan of This Is Us since the first episode. It's a show that everyone should be able to relate to. There is so much realism.
Tonight I got a surprise, Pam Grier is on the show in a small role. I was just talking about her at work. We were talking about favorite films by Quentin Tarrentino and of course Jackie Brown came up for someone.
It is no secret I am a very big fan of Pam Grier. Tonights episode deals with foster care. For some kids it can be a great thing, but there are some where life is not a bowl of cherries.

Having a family, a support system or a community of some sort is important. Families go through cycles. Some good some bad.



www.dlonzo-OpenYourMind.blogspot.com
www.ArtbyDlonzo.blogspot.com
www.filmlover4pg@blogspot.com
http://psychedmaster.org

Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind. Do return to see where the journey leads.

Darkest Hour

The podcast is now up on podbean it's call Films Versus Movies. It'll soon be on itunes and stitcher soon. Check it out and follow me on social media. It's still a work in progress as I am not in the studio when we record. So that's the reason my voice may fade in and out.

I had pretty much decided that Timothee Chalamet would walk away with the Oscar even before I saw the film Call Me By Your Name. I saw Darkest Hour and now I am rethinking my decision. Gart Oldman's performance as Winston Churchill is great. There are several times I forgot I was watching Gary Oldman. The film should definitely win for best makeup.
I am sure I had seen Gary Oldman in a few films, but it wasn't until he did the film The Professional aka Leon that I was hooked. Of course like most actors his choices weren't always appealing so I didn't see them or add them to my collection.

Kirsten Scott Thomas plays Churchill's wife Clementine. I hadn't seen her in anything for quite some time. I think she should have been nominated for her role in the film. It was brought to my attention that Darkest Hour is the prelude to Dunkirk. Getting inside the head of a historical figure is always interesting. Churchill was not very well liked because he wasn't afraid to speak his mind.

"Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts." -Winston Churchill from the film Darkest Hour.

I'm going to try to see Dunkirk. There are still quite a few movies that I haven't seen, but eventually I'll get around to them. Maybe I'll find them at the library once they are released on DVD or Blu Ray.

Most of the people I talk to regarding films and movies are having mixed opinions as well so I'm not alone.

I'm trying to see if I'll be able to see Dunkirk and Three Billboards before next Sunday.


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Red Tails

(Dlonzo by Artography by Dlonzo, "It's not just a photograph, it's ART!"

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During the month of February I specifically make a list of films with black actors to watch. Because I can't seem to access this blog from my phone, I pay more attention to my main blog so that I can keep my readers up to date.

Last night I decided to watch the movie Red Tails. The first time I watched this film I was not into it. There are many reasons for this. One I felt the story had been told and I don't like remakes. For some reason I thought some of the same actors were in the film, but it turned out only Cuba Gooding, Jr, was in the original.

Although I still don't think the movie is as good at The Tuskeegee Airmen, I did like some elements of it. The film focuses more on the flying then the politics and prejudices that the men faced.
There are some great actors in this film that I have now had to see in other roles. This may also be one of the reasons why I feel differenly about the movie than I did the first time I viewed it.

The movie stars, Cuba Gooding, Jr, Terrence Howard, David Oyelowo, Nate Parker, Triston Wild,and Michael B. Jordan among others. Sometimes when a movie deals with a lot of special effects, the storyline suffers. There are instances where there are too many stories trying to be told. I think George Lucas tried to make it a Pearl Harbor and there just wasn't as much time. If the film had been longer, but its not always important what the men did outside of the military. There also seemed to be a difference of opinion as to how the men became known as Red Tails.
I recommend if you've seen this film watch The Tuskeegee Airmen and if you haven't seen either, I highly recommend The Tuskeegee Airmen.

That film stars, Laurence Fishburne, Cuba Gooding, Jr, Malcolm Jamal Warner, Courtney B. Vance, Allen Payne and Andre Braugher to name a few.


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Pam Grier

I was 12 years of age the first time I saw Pam Grier on the big screen. It was the Circle Theater on St. Bernard Avenue in New Orleans. It was in walking distance from the house; me and my friends would take our allowance and head to the movies. In those days you could see two movies and a cartoon. A Rally's was put on that spot when malls started to become popular with the introduction of multiple screen theaters.

The film (although its a movie, it is iconic)(I see a difference between a film and a movie) we had gone to see was Coffy. I don't know what it was about Pam Grier, but I was captivated. Maybe it was love at first sight. It definitely had a profound impact on me and I wanted to see anything that she was attached too. As I got older it started with magazines, and articles. Back tracking to see what films she had made previously. At the time I was starting my fascination, she had already made 17 films. I had a lot of catching up to do.

Although she would be known as the queen of the Blaxploitation films, she also did a string of B movies with Roger Corman. Other than the costumes, the storyline of Coffy still works. There is still drugs and corruption and no one really seems to be working hard enough. It makes you want to grab a gun and take control. Not many people could walk in Coffy's shoes.

It's been over 40 years since I've seen Coffy on the big screen. I usually watch this film and others by Pam Grier during the month of May to celebrate her birthday. This Monday, Alamo DraftHouse will do a screening in their new series entitled Fist City which will focus on films from the 70's.
If the weather cooperates, I plan to be there.

Coffy is my all time favorite film by the sex goddess. Pam Grier was like the black version of Marilyn Monroe for me. Of all of the movies the actress has done, I think Fort Apache The Bronx is second on my list followed by Black Mama, White Mama and Something Wicked this Way Comes. Pam Grier is the first black actress to have a lead role in a Disney film.
Pam Grier has now done well over 40 films and several television series. She has also written a book of some events in her life. I wish the book had been longer, but it added a lot of insight into a few things I didn't know.

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It's black history month

(This painting was from an exhibit at the Blanton Museum in Austin, Texas, on Caribbean artists.)

I really don't feel we need to have a month to celebrate black history. Everyday there is a black person making history in some form. They may not realize the impact they are making at the time, but they'll see it in time.

Here are a list of 29 films I will be watching this month. Of course there are many black films that I have in my collection, but I watch them at other times during the year so that is the reason they are not a part of this list.

Create your own list and watch the films that are relevant to you.

I was trying to put the films in order to tell a story, but what I watch will be based on my mood. Some of the films are not easy to watch so I have to be in the right frame of mind.

Amistad, Lincoln, Glory, Miss Jane Pittman, The Color Purple, The Long Walk Home, Selma, The Soul of the Game, Josephine Baker, Lady Sings the Blues, Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, Malcolm X, The Great Debators, Rosewood, Ray, Mahogany, Men of Honor, Remember the Titans, Island in the Sun, The Defiant Ones, Something The Lord Has Made, The Mack, Brother to Brother, Boomerang, Dead Presidents, Get on the Bus, School Daze, and Ali.

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Two more Movies

Pinky - (DDD) In one of my film or books or in doing research, I had seen this film listed, but I never saw it. I had seen The Imitation of Life which has two versions about the same subject. Thanks to MoviesTVNetwork I was able to finally see Pinky. The film stars Jean Crane as Pinky Johnson, a fair skinned black woman who passes for white. Ethel Waters plays her dark skinned grand mother. This film deals with a lot of issues that are still relevant today. If you forget race, everyone should be able to understand this film. We are all trying to fit in somewhere. We all have to play the game of life at some point. The rules are different for us all. It depends on what you are trying to achieve. There is some truth in the phrase, “ All the world is a stage and everyone has a role to play.”

The Place Beyone The Pines - (DDDD) This was one of those films that I had never heard of. One of my friends had sent me a bunch of DVDs and they were just in those little white paper sleeves. This saves on shipping expenses. Sometimes the title may be familiar and other times I’ve never heard of the film. I like the idea of popping a film into the DVD player and experiencing a film without knowing the premise. It’s funny that I would watch this particular film, as two of the stars were at ZACH promoting other films. The film starts off going in one direction and then without notice it takes off in a different direction. I really enjoyed this film because it has several twists and turns. A man suddenly finds out he is a father and he wants to take responsibility, but is clueless as to how it all works. A few misfortunes lead him down the wrong path. He doesn’t like the idea of another man raising his kid and he finds himself turning to a life of crime to get money. At that point everything beings to unravel for everyone involved. We are then introduced to a new character and things take another unexpected turn and continue to go in that direction. I will not give away the second part of the film, but I was not expecting the out come. This is definitely a film to see.
The film stars Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendez.







Coming soon: The Monuments Men, Lincoln, Savages, Silver Lining Playbook, Django Unchained, ARGO, The Book Thief, August: Osage County, The Kid with the Bike,

The rating system - (d) it’s okay, if you like the stars (D) worth a look, especially if you are a fan of the stars (DD) Great cinematography and costumes (DDD) good script, cinematography, (DDDD) Not to be missed (DDDDD) I highly recommend this film



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Dlonzo and his movies

The Counselor - (D) There are many films I’ve never heard of and The Counselor happens to be one of those films. When the film began I had no idea what to expect. I recognized Penelope Cruz so I decided I’d keep watching. I thought perhaps the title was in reference to Michael Fassbender’s character being a sex counselor.
The film opens with a couple in bed, the above stars, and then a sexual conversation ensues. The subject of sex throws you off as to which direction this film will take.
Sex and death do seem to go hand in hand. Through out the film there’s a lot of talk about sex. The film is about suspicion, betrayal and killing in the most bizarre fashions.
I made a post on Facebook, (If you want to see Brad Pitt bleed out on a sidewalk and then get beheaded, watch The Counselor.

The Hunger Games - (DDDD) The film stars, Jennifer Lawrence, Stanley Tucci and Woody Harrelson, just to name a few. I had never seen the film or read any of the books, so I decided I would watch. I didn’t know what to expect. The film seemed to move slow, but then it picked up and I really got into it. I found it quite entertaining. I don’t know how the film compares to the book, but if people keep going back, I guess there are pleased with the story.

The Dog - (DDD) A friend send me a bunch of DVDs and included in the stack were several documentaries. Of course I didn’t know that at the time. I figured it might have been a foreign film as they do tend to have interesting titles. The Dog is a documentary about the man in which the character played by Al Pacino is Dog Day Afternoon is based.
It’s interesting to see how art imitates life and how a man’s life can be affected by the art.
The Dog always wanted to be famous. Probably not the way things transpired, but he got some notoriety. The documentary was quite entertaining and the characters were quite colorful. Although some of the story is disturbing, it’s definitely worth a look if you enjoyed Dog Day Afternoon.







Coming soon: The Monuments Men, Lincoln, Savages, Silver Lining Playbook, Django Unchained, ARGO, The Book Thief, August: Osage County, The Kid with the Bike,

The rating system - (d) it’s okay, if you like the stars (D) worth a look, you are a fan of the stars (DD) Great cinematography and costumes (DDD) good script, cinematography, (DDDD) Not to be missed (DDDDD) I highly recommend this film



Check out my other blogs:
http://ArtbyDlonzo.blogspot.com
http://dlonzo-OpenYourMind.blogspot.com





Thanks for stopping by, and do come back again or become a follower. Remember to keep an open mind.