A tribute to New York

One Entry 3 blogs

 

 Part of a drawing I did many years ago.

It has been a while and I keep trying to do better, but one blog takes more of the focus than the others. There's not a lot happening in my life other than work and watching films, movies and some old television. 

I am trying to figure out my finances because I need to get some much needed repairs done that I have put off far too long. With all of the heat, it seems, I can't be sure, but since I don't keep the central air on the fridge may have been working over time. This is what I heard, but I am not sure. The fridge of course has been here since I purchased the place and who knows how long before that? So it's been 15 years since I have been here and it'll be 17 years in a few weeks that I have been in Texas. I may have mentioned this many years ago. This was never my plan, but it just goes to show you there are things working along side of us that guide us where we are supposed to be even when we don't know it. It's when we try to go against those things that we get into trouble. That's my belief anyway.

So last week I stocked up on groceries because I didn't know how high the prices would be and now that may have been a waste of money as the freezer hasn't been freezing and that means its all going to go bad. I am going to check out Lowes, but I still have to wait to have it delivered when I will be home. So I am at least looking at another week. I don't want to take off from work just to spend the day waiting around. I will eat as much as I can this weekend and then I will go to can stuff if I think certain items have gone bad. If I weren't so afraid to be around people I would cook what I have and invite them over to eat it. At the same token if something has already gone bad, I don't want to be the cause of someone getting sick. 

This is what I get for putting things off. Now there are things that must be done and they are all happening at once.

I am going to start reading Film studies for Dummies as I am trying to see if I can create something. I also need to research film editing programs for my phone. The phone has some very cool features, but if I can't do voice over and editing on the phone with background music then its not going to be very entertaining. When I watch videos on youtube I don't like them to be longer that 12 or 15 mintues tops. Unless the person is very interesting I might tolerate it a little longer, but for the most part they are all amateurs that happen to find a following of people who like them because they come across as the average person and people want someone they can relate too. After all, that is why I subscribe to a few channels because of that. Most of the time I will skip to what I need to see and move on. That's the beauty of the Internet, you don't have to be bored if you don't want to be.

I have watched many movies this week along with episodes of Dallas and The Leftovers. Dallas is a series from the 70's and The Leftover is something from 2014. When I picked up the DVD I saw Christopher Eccelston on the back cover and I hadn't seen him in a lot of stuff, but when I saw his face I figured I would give it a look see. It has religious over tones and Eccelston plays a minister. The first time I ever saw him was  when Dr Who returned after many years, he was the first doctor. I had no idea he would only do one season. It took me a while too get used to the next doctor, but I managed and I was hooked as long as PBS was running it.

 Justin Theroux is the star of the series The Leftovers as the lead cop in the small town as the residents try to wrap their heads around the people that have gone missing. It's interesting, but it is rather slow in getting me to really care for any of the characters. They all have their issues, but they are over the top. Those that have disappeared are being celebrated as heroes when their pasts was very questionable and it doesn't set right with some of the community members.

There are many films and movies as I've mentioned including Triple 9 and The Take. Triple 9 has an all star cast including Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, Casey Affleck, Clifton Collins, Jr, Aaron Paul, Norman Reedus, Michael Kenneth Williams, Gal Gadot, but the surprise performance comes from Woody Harrelson and Kate Winslet, they are really really good. Kate's role was very different from those she has played in the past.

Here are some other films and movies I've watched. I apologize in advance if I have mentioned some of them before. I have like Crispin Glover ever since I saw The Rivers Edge and then I have seen most of what he has done. I've never read any of his books, but I was interested in trying to see if his publishing company would publish some of mine. Crispin stars in Drop Dead Sexy along side Jason Lee. Crispin always seems to play those unusual characters.

Independence Day Resurrgence was okay, it was good to see some of the original faces pop up, Vivica A. Fox, Jeff Goldblum, Judd Hirsh and Pill Pullman to name a few.

TAG was a fun movie based on an article about friends who continued to play the game of tag throughout their adult life.

Life Like was interesting about a woman who is trying to embrace the future of technology as she tries to adjust to having a life like male robot doing the work around the house among other things.

The Purge: Anarchy. I am not sure how many Purge movies there are, but I have now become obsessed with seeing them. I just pick them up as I see them when I go to the library. They don't really have to be watched in any particular order after you see the original first. Anarchy touches on Donald Talbot being president as the Government has declared The Purge a holiday to get rid of certain people.

The Escape Artist stars David Tennant who was the next Dr Who that I saw and he just grew on me. In this series he plays a Barrister that is very good at what he does. It's interesting with some good moments.

The Take, forget about Idris Elba playing James Bond. Turn The Take into a franchise. The character is much more of a badass than Bond anyway. He plays a CIA agent that plays by his own rules in Paris. Richard Madden costars who is also very good.

Unchartered was quite the suprise. Ever since I saw Tom Holland in Impossible I knew he would be a start, but I wasn't anticipating him becoming Spiderman, but he has the knack for comedic timing. Unchartered in a non stop action packed film with a great cast that includes Mark Whalberg, Tati Gabriel and Sophie Ali and Antonio Banderas. If you like any of the stars mentioned you are definitely going to enjoy this one. If you love action and adventure this has that and so much more.

Wolf was a bit of a disturbing movie starring George MacKay as a young man who believes he is a wolf. His family sends him to a facility that tries to break him of his habits. It makes a statement of how society always needs to put people into a box that they feel comfortable with. Paddy Considine plays the Zoo keeper as the facility is called.

Boot Camp was something I watched on Prime starring Mila Kunis, Regine Nehy and Gregory Edward Smith. In this gritty drama based on a true story during a time when parents were sending their wayward teens to tough love camps to put them on the right track. The kids are brought to an island and in a cult like fashion taught to get rid of their old ways and conform to what the leader feels is the appropriate behavior. It's quite good.

Time to work on some art and to watch more films and movies.

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

www.dlonzo-OpenYourMind.blogspot.com

www.artbyDlonzo.blogspot.com

www.filmlover4pg@blogspot.com

Movies, Films and More Movies

The Art is by Erte,

 The majority of my free time is spent watching movies. Even before the pandemic that was the case, but I did have other things going on that got me out of the house. Now I am very cautious about being around other people. There were some interesting things to see on Prime. Mostly movies I've never heard of, but now that I am back to going to the library for my movie selection I will get rid of Prime by the end of the year.

Sometimes I will watch a movie with an actor and then I will see if there was anything else they have done that I might wasnt to see. Ever since I had seen Justin Long in one of the Die Hard Movies I had been curious to see other movies. I had remembered him from a commercial. I then saw he was in Jeepers Creepers, but I had never seen the very first movie so that was quite interesting. Recently I saw him in a comedy Lady of the Manor which was okay. It stars Melanie Lynsky, Judy Greer, Ryan Phillippe who is almost unrecognizable and Patrick Duffy who is aging gracefully. There was another movie in which he starred with Liam Neeson and Christina Ricci. It was interesting, you really have to be a fan of the actors to enjoy this one. Serious Moonlight was a very interesting dark comedy that starred Meg Ryan, Tim Hutton and a small roll by Justin Long. Kristen Bell also appears in this one.

As I have mentioned before, I really like films and movies dealing with the fashion industry so I decided to watch The Neon Demon with Elle Fanning, Charles Baker, Desmond Harrington, Christina Hendricks and Keanu Reeves to name a few. It's sort of artsy, colorful film noir, but it really didn't work for me. The cinematography was different. The photo shoots were great, but it moved slow in parts and there just seemed to be a lot going on. I love all of the actors involved in the movie so I am glad I checked it out.

I had ordered two disaster movies from Prime that I had never seen. When Time Ran out and Flood. I never really saw movies because of a director when I was growing up. It was mostly because of the subject matter or a certain actor or actress. When it came to disaster movies the name Irwin Allen was the reason I wanted to see the movie, but after The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno, the disaster/ survival movies didn't seem as exciting, so I stopped going to see them. That is the reason I never saw these two movies. I think perhaps flood was a made for TV movie because if the numeroud fades that appear throughout. When Time Ran Out stars Paul Newman as an oil driller on an island where a dorman volcano suddenly erupts having everyone running for their lives, Wiliam Holden, Edward Albert, Jacqueline Bisset, Barbara Carrera, Veronica Hamel, Alex Karras, Burgess Meridith and James Franciscus star along with Red Buttons and Ernest Borgnine who both appeared in the original The Poseidon Aventure,  In the movie Flood the cast includes Roddy McDowall and Carol Lynley who both appeared in The Poseidon Adventure. The movie stars Robert Culp as a helicopter pilot who discovers the break in the damn with youngster Eric Olsen. Adman 12 actor Martin Milner stars along side Barbara Hershey, Richard Basehart, Cameron Mitchell, Teresa Wright and Francine York. It has its moments. Of course visual effects effects have come along way so younger movie viewers may not be as interested in the movie.

I also watched a movie called The Guardian with Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher that I really enjoyed. Ashton has a serious role for a change which proves he can do more than comedy. It is based on a true story and definitely worth a look. Especially with the way things are today,  you can see what the coast guards training is like.

I have started watching movies with Halle Berry. So far it's movies in my collection, but I did get to see The Call about a month ago where she plays a 911 operator trying to save a young girl that has been kidnapped. I watched Catwoman and Die Another Day. I have quite the collection of her earlier work.

Since Halle Berry played Dorothy Dandridge I have really become facsinated with her. She was a beatiful woman and Hollywood really didn't know what to do with her. I have started collecting some of her scarce yet poignant films. The Deck Ran Red and Bright Road are the recent additions. An Island in the Sun remains my favorite so far. She plays opposite Harry Belafonte and James Mason.

A water color and drawing collage.

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

The Invisible Man

 

The movie stars Elizabeth Moss from Mad Men and The Handmaid's Tale and Aldris Hodges. I  wasn't expecting the movie to go in the direction that it did. I'm not a fan of certain movies just starting without any explanation. It did come together eventually as the movie progressed. The Invisible Man is a psychological thriller with a twist. Before I had seen the movie I kept thinking about The Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon and Oscar winner Elizabeth Shue. The invisible Man takes you on the journey as if you are a part of the story. How would you feel if someone were telling you something that was so unbelievable, but they actually believed it to be true? They are just having a hard time proving it to everyone else.

Elizabeth Moss's character is in an abusive relationship. The audience doesn't know this because we don't know the entire story. Sort of like real life. We meet people, but we don't really know what is going on when they aren't around us. We learn that her husband has isolated her from her family and friends. As she tries to prove what is going on, she seems to be digging a hole deeper and deeper that she doesn't seem like she will get out of. There are some good visual effects that keep getting better and better as the movie moves along.

The first time I saw Elizabeth Moss in anything was Mad Men which the series came as a recommendation from someone that got to know what I might like. After watching a few seasons I had to add it to my collection. I had taken an advertising course in high school and thought I might become a commercial artist.

After Mad Men ended she then popped up on the series The Handmaid's Tale, but since I had no internet I did have access to a streaming service. I waited until I was able to get it from the library and it was worth the wait. A coworker allowed me to borrow the book to read. I would get an opportunity to take pictures of Elizabeth Moss at SXSW when she did a Q&A after the movie Her Smell in which she played a Rock Singer. It was okay. It was just a different role from what I was used to seeing her in.

The Invisible Man is filled with lots of surprising twists and an interesting ending. You have to pay close attention so you will know how it all comes together.

If you are a fan of Elizabeth Moss or Aldris Hodges then you will definitely enjoy this movie. If you love thrillers and surprise endings, I don't think you will be disappointed.

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

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

www.artbyDlonzo.blogspot.com

www.filmlover4pg@blogspot.com

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.