Life Inside My Bubble

House of Gucci ****

The movie stars Lady GaGa, Adam Driver, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons & Al Pacino. I have always been interested in films and movies that deal with the fashion industry. The problem is that the majority of them see the industry as a joke or they capture the darkside. Perhaps there is no other way to capture it to make it interesting.

I know there are people who are narcissistic, but it seemed a little over the top. Of course you take creative license to keep the viewer interested. Since I don't know these people and have never had the opportunity to see them in an interview, there is no way to know what their personalities were like. Lady GaGa is proving herself to be a great actress. She seems to be very likeable and she is great to watch on screen. I was not familiar with Adam Driver until a few years ago when he appeared on the cover of GQ. It seemed to me as if he came out of nowhere. I'm not sure what I saw first, but I liked his performance in The Black Klansman, but I had seen some of his other performances that were quite good. He is multi talented as he sings, and dances as well as acts. The movie covers the Gucci family from the late 70's to the 90's. All of the Gucci men had some sort of quirk or issue. They also needed to be in control. The surprise performance was that given by Jared Leto, who is almost unrecognizeable. He is an amazing actor that brings so much life to the characters that he plays. Considered one of the pretty bosy of Hollywood, he has proven he is more than a pretty face. Al Pacino starts as the monarch of the family in a way. There's lots of fashion, music and it's quite interesting to see how this empire crashed and burned and then rose from the ashes. The movie is entertaining and it's interesting to see that even the wealthy are sometimes dysfunctional. People with money have just as many problems as everyone else. You also get to learn that money isn't always readily available. If you like fashion, I think you will enjoy this movie. If you are interested in the Gucci brand, definitely check it out. If you are a fan of Lady GaGa and Adam Driver you don't want to miss it. I recommend this movie if only for Jared Leto's performance. I also found out a few things. I didn't know Tom Ford was from Texas and that he took over designing for Gucci to turn the brand around.

The heat is on here in Austin and it's supposed to get even hotter. I got out of the house as earlier than I usely do to get gas. I was surprised that it was still under $5 so I am grateful for that. It was nice and cool so I decided to take my morning drive early as well. I was supposed to try and take pictures with the cameras, but I ended up using the phone. Since there weren't many cars on the road I was able to take my time and just snap and see what I get as I passed by certain buildings and homes.

I contiue to purge papers, books and magazines. I finally shredded my taxes from my very first tax return. I know, it sounds as if I'm a hoarder, but I'm not. It's just that I keep a lot of things, but now its time to let it go. I have to ask myself why am I keeping it. Now there are certain things that I refer to from time to time. Art books, magazines, etc. I photographed a few things yesterday and wondered that there has to be someone out there that might be a collector out Playboy magazines that I have were once worth some money, I'll have to see if that is still the case. The question is do I want to part with them at this moment. There are other things I can throw out immediately and then focus on the stuff that might have a monetary value.

I'm winding down with my collage projects as I am running out of space to hang the pieces. That means I will get rid of some frames and other items that I may not be able to use. I am amazed at some of the drawings I did when I was younger. I keep wanting to try and see if I can still do that. How much time would it take. I do have a large book that I can draw in that I picked up from IKEA. Like I've done with many sketch books, I've copied drawings to color or just use as master drawings to create something else. I am now making some of my larger drawings small enough to appear on greeting cards. Everything is a process and I have to be in the mood to work on certain things.

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

Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind and do come back again to see where the journey leads.

www.dlonzo-OpenYourMind.blogspot.com

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The film and movie watching continues

 I went to the library to try and find the Oscar nominated movies and then I discover something else of interest. I did however get Westside Story, but there are some others that I hadn't expected to see or I had forgotten I wanted to see them. Cruela was one of those movies. I wasn't sure what to expect, but the black and white fashion aspect was what I was interested in seeing. The fashions surpassed anything I have seen in a very long time. The sequence on the trash truck is a show stopper if it were a runway show. I figured it would happen, but it was awesome to see it unfold. It's an interesting story, but it is a little slow at moments. I would have liked to have seen more fashion sequences, but the party scenes and fashion shows are great. I recommend it just for that alone, especially if you are into fashion.

Free Guy is an interesting movie with great visual effects and a message. In light of all that is happening in the world it's a fun movie, but at the same time, too many people are lost in video games trying to be something they are not in the real world. Sometimes they get confused and make it their reality. Ryan Reynolds stars as Guy a character in a video game that doesn't know he isn't real. It's filled with a lot, but the film maker managed to get a love story in there. There are some homages to a few movies and perhaps video games. Since I am not a gamer I can't be sure. Chris Evans pops up in a cameo in reference to a character he plays.

Gully is one such movie that does it. The teenagers get bored and decide to create their own virtual reality in the real world.

The French Dispatch is an interesting film by Wes Anderson. Wes Anderson is an artist and tells stories in a unique way. The cast is quite incredible. He must be a great director to work for because there are stars popping up all over the place in small roles. Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Edward Norton, Timoth'ee Chalamet, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Owen Wilson, Benicio Del Toro, Christoph Waltz, Anjelica Houston, Willem Dafoe & Adrien Brody to name a few. If you are a fan of Wes Anderson's work you will enjoy this film.

The Forever Purge, there are movies that I like to watch, but they are a bit disturbing. I have seen some of the other Purge movies, but this one sort of reflects what is going on now. As artists, we make statements they may only resonate with ourselfs or the people around us. The work reflects what we see or would like to see. Sending a message. The Purge was a day set aside by government where it is legal to committ any crime a person wishes. In The Forever Purge after The Purge is over, there are people that keep on going. The only place to seek refuge is over the border into Mexico. The thought of this happening is very disturbing as more and more people arm themselves.

Horror Beach Party/The Curse of the Living Corpse. I picked this one up for Horror Beach Party. I figured it would be something interesting to watch. It's funny to see what film makers were able to get away with before the rating system was put in place. Del Tenny was a stage actor who turned his sights to movies using some of his stage friends. Horror Beach Party was making a statement about the environment whether it was on purpose or not. Radio Active waste is thrown into the sea causing creatures to be formed. There is only one sequence near the beach. Everything else takes place in the woods or a home. The creatures aren't very scary, but the night time shots does make it somewhat haunting. Eulabelle Moore appears in the movie as a maid that believes in voodoo. I will have to do some research to see if Miss Moore did any other movies. There's dancing and singing and skimpy bathing suits.

The Curse of the Living Corpse stars Roy R Scheider of Jaws fame in his first screen role. So I decided to watch it. It's an interesting story. but not very scary.

There are just so many movies...

 

There is no way that one can see every single movie and really take it in and give a favorable opinion. When I watch films or movies, I have to be in a certain mood for some subjects. As I get older I find myself not being able to stay up as late now watching movies. My body is starting to tell me to go to bed before midnight. Now it could be natural since I wake up early, or it could just be that the film or movie just isn't holding my interest. I would like to say it's because I wake up early and it's finally catching up with me.

Between Amazon Prime and the library I have been in movie watching overload. Some of them are quite memorable and others I can't remember the title or who was in it. There are so many actors that I've never heard of some of the people. I usually watch a movie based on the subject matter, but sometimes it's because of an actor or actress. Recently I watched two movies because it starred Norman Reedus from The Walking Dead. It's funny because one of the movies I had seen many years before The Walking Dead, but I didn't really remember him in The Boondock Saints. At the time Sean Patrick Flannery was an up and coming star. I had forgotten that Willem Dafoe was in the movie, but it all came back to me when I started watching as to what my mind had stored. I have to try and remember to write down the movies I watch on Amazon and I need to write what I am going to post here first so that I don't repeat certain things. Of course there is a possibility I may have watched something a second time such was the case with Game Night and Bridesmaids.

Last night I watched The King of Staten Island with Pete Davidson. I like Pete on SNL and since the story was supposed to be about him I thought I would check it out. It was okay and it had some moments. Hopefully he'll get a chance to do something else that can showcase what he can do.

I watched M. Night Shayamalan 's film OLD. This was one that I wanted to see because of the subject matter. It was interesting, but it is slow at times. The aging is instant so the camera goes away and when it comes back some one has aged. It's the children that have the drastic change. There are some moments where you wish it had been explained a little more, but the premise is different.

Another movie I watched was Kill Bill, Vol 1. Now I am a fan of Quentin Tarentino, but I am not sure why I never really cared to see Kill Bill. Perhaps I thought since the leads were female I wouldn't enjoy it... I am really not sure. I like Quentin's handling of dialog, it's realistic. People talking over each other and sometimes the audience may miss something just like in real life. I will have to see if I can locate Vol 2 and see how it all ties in. I was disappointed that Vivica Fox wasn't on the screen longer.

The Hitman's Wife's, Body Guard- Once you get past the language it's quite the entertaining movie. I had met Salma Hayek many years ago at the Seattle International Film festival. And I photographed Ryan Reynolds at SXSW in Austin.

I was not impressed with Ghostbusters After Life. I felt it took too long to get to the action. The best part for me was the little marshmellows. I will probably watch it again just to see if I feel differently the second time around.

I've been watching season 2 of the series on Prime, The Wilds. Season 2 is much better than season 1. At the end of season 1 we are left with a cliff hanger that the same experiment is being conducted on the island with a group of guys.

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

Movies, movies, movies 2022

 I continue to watch movies on Amazon and from the library. Some of them I have never seen or heard of. Some of them are quite good and a few that are just interesting, but not something I would watch again. There are so many movies that I have watched that sometimes they run together and I can't remember if I had seen them based upon the title. Then I start to watch and realized I had seen it. That was the case with a movie called Breach with Bruce Willis. It was sort of an Alien/Life mix, not the best. I figured with Bruce Willis there would be a lot of action, but that wasn't the case.

There have been some interesting horror movies like Hell House and Extracurricular, this one was a bit disturbing. I watched a remake of Beaches which I don't know why they attempted to remake this one. It stars Nia Long and Idina Menzel so I gave it a look, but I normally don't do remakes unless I have never seen the original or I like the cast. I watched Back to the Future and the sequel. I'll watch the third installment sometime this weekend. Doubting Thomas was interesting about a couple expecting a baby that comes out black and questions pursue. I don't want to give anything away, but the premise is good, but the acting is not that great. A few movies I've seen it's as if the actors were just given a synopsis and told to react. Sometimes that works, but if the actors are not used to improvisation it doesn't.

Beast was another interesting film and I had no idea where this one was going to go, but it is worth a watch. I go back and forth with older movies that I had seen when I was younger and then those I had never seen or heard of and some of the newer stuff that I just wouldn't pay to see in the theater. This is where the library comes in handy. Here is a list of movies I've watched this year. As I Lay Dying, Beneath Hill 60, Chappaquidick, Cut Throat City, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Fast Five, Heaven Help Us, Holidays, Ugly is a different twist on a revenge movie. Ben is Back is one of Julia Roberts best performances along side Lucas Hedges. Land of Storms is an interesting story. I will be watching Dead Man with Johnny Depp and one of Bob Saget's comedy routines.

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

Happy New Year!!!

The Artist reading.

I am not sure when it began, but it has long been a tradition that if I don't have any plans, I will watch The Poseidon Adventure. I am talking the original with Shelly Winters, Stella Stevens, Pamela Sue Martin, Carol Lynley, Red Buttons, Jack Albertson, Eric Shea, Roddy McDowell, Gene Hackman and Ernest Borgnine.

What I liked about the disaster movies of the 70's is that it put the actors of old Hollywood back in the light. At least that is how I perceive it now. Stars like Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner and Lorne Greene to name a few.

(VHS copies of Mahogany and The Mack. The Mack was always a favorite, but it wasn't until I became an adult and interested in fashion that Mahogany became a part of the collection. It has some great photography sequences.)

I had remember seeing some of them when I used to watch movies as a kid with my mother's mother. Mostly religious themed movies, but from time to time something would pop up. I have collected quite a few movies that feature the actors of old Hollywood. I enjoy watching programs of interviews and behind the scene stories. I am that person that watches the special features on a DVD when they are included.

In 2022 I will focus on watching movies with a predominately black cast or if there is a film in which a black actor has a pivital role such as Dorothy Dandridge in The Decks Ran Red. There are many rare films and movies I am trying to get my hands on or at least view. One such movie is the original Porgy and Bess with Dorothy Dandridge, Sammy Davis, Jr and Sidney Poitier to name a few. I will also be watching two films with Josephine Baker that I added to my collection over 20 years ago. Princess Tam Tam and Zou Zou. I will also be looking at a documentary on Oscar Micheaux who was known as the Black Czar of Hollywood. The fims he created are even more rare to find. Several years ago I had an opportunity to buy a DVD and I didn't do it when I saw it and I have never seen it again. It was a collection of black films including Cabin in the Sky and Stormy Weather. I think one of the reasons is because I had both of these films on VHS and I wasn't familiar with the other titles or actors. It really shouldn't have matter, I just should have made the purchase.

There is a new station I discovered during the pandemic called the grio. They show films and movies that feature black actors so I was happy about that. There just isn't a lot of content available because they show the same movies too often. I know there are many reasons whey certain things aren't being shown in this time of black lives matter. The art form of movies and television suffer because of this. It's part of history. The films and movies reflected the times, but there are some that were just about artistic freedom and the perception of the writer and filmmaker.

I will also be looking at some of my VHS tapes. No need to replace them until I no longer have a device to play them on. The thing about having a collection is that you get to watch what you want when you want. You don't have to rush to see something because it's going to be leaving a streaming service. Between my collection and the library, I have been able to watch a lot of films and movies. There is also Movies TV Network where they show a lot of classics as well as films and movies from the 60's and 70's.

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

It's an Anniversary

The Mercedez Benz Super Dome

 There are some anniversaries we sometimes don't want to remember. 16 years ago today Katrina changed my life in a very big and traumatic way. I thought I was over the PTS, but I guess it never goes away. About 6 years ago, I can't really be sure, but I was watching the news and there was some flooding somewhere and it brought me back to that day. Every time it rains now I think about flooding. Although I know where I am now the water would never get that high it is still something I can't shake. 

I dread when I am working and it starts raining. I just take it easy and am always grateful when I make it home safely.

I have been trying  not to watch the news and I actually didn't know there was a hurricane heading toward NOLA. It was pretty much the same way when Katrina happened. Once I did find out about the hurricane I had decided to stay. Since some of my neighbors were staying I didn't feel like I would be alone.

About two or three weeks ago, I went to the Twin Oaks library for the first time. I would have liked to have gone to the Central branch, but it is not open on Sundays. Saturdays I stay home and do stuff around the house.

I picked up several DVDs that happened to all be documentaries with the subject of black moments in Films and movies and history. One DVD Horror Noire was about Blacks in the horror genre. BaadAssss Cinema was a look into the films known as Blaxploitation. Dark Girls, it didn't say it was a documentary on the case, but it was interesting just the same. I didn't think a lot of what is covered was still as big of an issue as it showed. Just goes to show I've been out of touch. Dark Girls focuses on racism within the Black race. It's a myth, but yes, black people can be racists.

Through the lens darkly is a documentary about black photographers. All of the documentaries have been very interesting and educational. Through the lens darkly was not what I was expecting. There were images on the case that I didn't hear them talk about. It was inspiring. I hope I can start photographing people where I feel safe.

The documentary on The Black Panthers was one I was definitely interested in seeing. I was a kid when I heard about the Black Panthers, but there was one event that has always stayed with me and that was Black Sunday. I was about 7 or 8 years old and because of the neighborhood I lived in, black families were urged to put black ribbons on their doors.

The Black Panther chapter in New Orleans was housed in the Desire project in Eastern New Orleans.

The purpose of me going to the library was to see if I could find some films or movies I had missed out on, but I was also looking for a DVD I had seen of an Alvin Ailey production. I didn't know the name and it had to come in from another branch. There were two DVDs and so I said why not?

The DVD I had never seen is about the preparations of the dancers as they prepare for a show in St. Petersburg, Russia. There was a special feature that you can watch the actual show which was really entertaining. Still, the actual DVD that I wanted to see is my favorite. It includes Alvin Ailey's favorite, but I have my own. Alvin Ailey made it possible for many blacks to live out their dreams of becoming dancers.

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

Across the Board

 Across the Board

It's been a very long time or so it seems since I've made any posts. This posts will go across all three blogs so it's going to be a long one. At least that's the way it appears inside of my head. Being an artist, I like to visualize things before I proceed, but in the course of doing something or making a decision, things can change and they do often. 

Is it just me or do you feel as if this year is passing by quickly? It's August already, can you believe it?

This was not the plan - There are things that I would like to do, but I don't committ to anything. I will write thing down and make a list and just go with the flow most of the time. As I've written before it's best because things change in an instant. I especially don't like promising things to other people because sometimes people don't understand why you have to cancel.

Because of the effects of Katrina, within the last 8 years I've been having issues when it rains. I thought I was over it, but it seemed to resurface. Sometimes I'll watch the news and see flooding and it will take me back to that week. If it happens to rain while I am at work I will be concerned that there might be flooding. Although I know it won't be like it was during Katrina it's just the idea of driving in the rain and any type of flooding.

This doesn't happen all the time. Sometimes I have no problem driving in the rain. It's like everything else. Some years the thought of my parents on certain days passes by and other times they are on my mind and I just don't feel like doing anything.

I'm at a point now where I am trying to figure out what I want to do. I've been working now for a little over 6 months. I'm thinking about retiring so that I can collect social security. There are things that absolutely need to be done around the house. I am still trying to throw stuff out because I just want to take my time, but I am becoming more and more realistic. There are magazines that I really don't need to hold on to. No one is going to come over that I need to keep them. I have been photographing different things of importance and then it gets donated.

I'm going to keep one or two issues of every magazine. There are some that I have because of the covers. That will be a bit of a challenge,, but I'll make the right choice.

I still am thinking about going to Paris. I don't know when that will happen as this variant of covid is changing the trajectory of things. It looks as if we are back to square one or headed in that direction. It bothers me now because even though people have been vaccinated they could possibly still catch the variant or pass it on to someone else. The vaccine is supposed to make it not as severe. Just have to live each day one at a time and be as cautious as possible. Not much will change for me. I try to stay in my cubicle at work and keep my mask on when I am near other people. Everyone usually has their mask on when they come to my cubicle. I don't get that many visitors as we use the computers to communicate.

I was thinking of trying to visit my family and some friends, but that is definitely going to be on hold. The unpredictabiliity of what each day will bring is the new absurdity as a friend recently said.

I just don't understand why people won't get the shot. I was thinking about how many drugs people have in their cabinets that are not approved by the FDA. So what makes them use those drugs, but they won't get the shot? Conspiracy theories? They don't have any proof. You have to act now because you don't want to get sick because by that time it could be too late.

Taking chances sounds like a good thing, but if you've known people who were sick you definitely don't want to go through what they have gone through.

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls I finally got to see this movie which is a cult classic. It was written by movie critic Roger Ebert and Russ Meyer who also directed it. Now I want to see Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill! There are many movies from the 70's I was to young to see or they didn't interest me. I've been playing catch up. This movie has nothing to do with Valley of the Dolls based on the book by Jacqueline Susann. It's a comedic raunch fest of the entertainment industry in Hollywood. There still appears to be a lot that was cut from this Criterion version. It had an X rating, but so did Midnight Cowboy when it was released and I didn't see anything to really warrant that now. I will watch the special features next time I watch the movie. It is very interesting. The movie stars Dolly Read, Cynthia Meyers, Marcia McBroom, Michael Blodgett, David Gurian, Harrison Page and John Lazar. If you are looking for a fun movie to watch then this is it. It'll definitely be a conversation starter if you were to throw a themed party.

Mary J Blige - I can say that I am a fan of the singer turned actress, but There are some things I've heard and seen that I liked. I was not really into female hip hop artists. I watched the documentary that is on Amazon. It's celebrating the 25th anniversary of the album My Life and how it changed Mary's life and that of the people who were her fans.

There are many songs that I've heard that reflect my life or things I am going through at that moment. It just depends on who you listen to. In the late 80's it was Simpliy Red's Holding on and in the 2002 it was Alice Dejay's Alone. Sometimes it's only the title of the song, or one line that really resonates with me.

In the documentary you get a look inside of an entertainer that was thrust into an industry that they were not sure they could be a part of it.

The entertainment industry can be very scary and it is not for everyone. You can lose control and who you are at times if you don't have a plan.

About a month ago I saw a movie with Mary J. Blige that was filmed in New Orleans called Body Cam. She plays a cop that is dealing with some paranormal stuff on various calls. It's not the best and I'm sure it looked good on paper, but it just wasn't the best for me.

If you are a fan of Mary J. Blige you will definitely love the documentary. If you like her music or you may be interested in getting into the music industry then I do recommend that you watch it.

 

Thanks for stopping by and do come back to see how things play out. Keep an open mind.

www.dlonzo-OpenYourMind.blogspot.com

www.artbyDlonzo.blogspot.com

www.filmlover4pg@blogspot.com