I don't want to be an asshole when it comes to reviewing things. I struggle with my words and tone when I don't agree or like something. I don't want to be mean or overly harsh. No one deserves to have their feelings hurt because I struggle with communication. So let me rehash this movie in the best way I can figure.
Man is engaged. She's not that nice, not really supportive.
But......man is engaged and should be sharing financial information and his private life instead of hiding it. He won money but is giving it away to strangers that need help.
Man wants to do good. (he gave a old homeless man a mattress.......um.....how about some long term help!!!!) For everyone but his fiancee.
Man meets Jason (kid is not really named Jason but he's a little evil manipulator in a hockey mask so close enough).
Did I mention this man has no emotions? He vaguely smiles, voice doesn't have highs or lows, he's so boring.
Kid manipulates him. Man meets Jason's mom and now he's in love with her instead of the fiancee. There is no sense of time or days moving so you can't figure out the time frame on how fast or slow this is happening.
The weirdest part is that the two main characters are played by talented actors Ashley Jones and David Blue. I don't know what was happening when this was being filmed but it feels like this film wasn't finished and we saw them rehearsing. They're both really good, very expressive. I'm confused.
At no point in the movie do they mention 12 Days. Not of giving, not of anything so the title confuses me. I was about 30 minutes into this life sentence and knew it was going to be dead last on my list. My rating is on a scale of 1 - 5 shots. 1 being the worst and 5 being the best. If I had really thought about this, I would have started at 0.
Adele's new album, 30, dropped about a month ago. I decided that today's the day I would listen to it in the way that she said to do it.......In order! This was so important to her that she asked Spotify (and they granted her request) to not let people shuffle the songs.
So. What else could I do but listen to the entire album in one shot in the proper order.
Strangers to Nature - this really feels like a long(ish) intro. I feel like she's setting me up for a roller coaster. Or maybe it's just because I know Adele always sets me up for a roller coaster of emotions with her music. It's really lovely.
Easy on Me - Like everyone else, I heard this single months ago and have played it many times on Apple Music. Her voice just has that touch of hurt innocence and begging not to be hurt again. Her vocals are really spot on her.
My Little Love - ok. Imma be honest. This song just broke me. I'm a crying mess over here. This is every parents' breakup feelings with their S/O and how they're struggling and dealing with children during a breakup. OMG, this is heart-wrenching. I just want to reach out to her and hug her anytime she needs one. Sometimes you want to have someone there to combat the loneliness.......but you need them to stay quiet. Just be here and shut up. Her little one's voice in there crushed my soul as a mom.
This is without a doubt, the most important song on this album. Please take a listen and tell me if this doesn't break your heart.
Cry Your Heart Out - that post-breakup jam we all needed! Hell-fucking-O!!! This is like all the stages of emotion you go through but with a funky little beat to get you through your feels and on to the next set of crazy emotions.
Oh My God - first of all, this is totally Rolling In The Deep vibes with that heavy drumbeat and I'm all about it. Yay! Ohhhhh post-breakup? Is this for the rebound dude? Or for the guy she's seeing now? Ohhhh so many questions! The first song on the album that I HAD to get up and move. That beat is hitting and the tune is just so catchy. After My Little Love.........this may be my favorite on the album so far.
Can I Get It - So flirty!!!!!! Go, Adele! Go Get It, Girl! LOL, this is so flirty and fun. Such a bop. Not as catchy and making me move around as the previous song, but the lyrics are so catchy.
I Drink Wine - this song? It's grown folks' music. Seriously. That part in a relationship where you can finally admit the problems are coming from you. It's the first step in being better for both of you. A bit on the church side with the organ music and that helps to create the feeling of when your praying / meditating to help get you through.
All Night Parking (with Erroll Garner) Interlude - very sexy, very adult. THIS is the song you'll call the radio station to dedicate to your man. It sort of reminds me of those back in the day songs where the singer is talking to you with that Jodeci kind of romance.
Woman Like Me - Best lines of this song are as follows: Complacency is the worst trait to have / Are you crazy? / You ain't ever had, ain't ever had a woman like me / It is so sad a man like you could be so lazy / Consistency is the gift to five for free / And it is key / To ever keep, to ever keep a woman like me. At the end of this song, I felt like she was talking to every ex I ever had and reminded me of why they were exes. The vibe on this track is really a sit back and relax while I hand you this lesson. (Although he was probably not smart enough to really hear it)
Hold On - eh. Not my vibe. I didn't really like it until more than halfway through when the beat upticked. The words are beautifully written but for some reason, this one didn't grab me. Although she does hit a big note in this one that gave me a chill. Wowza!
To Be Loved - Self-reflection is one of the hardest things we can do for ourselves. If you struggle with that as I do, listen to this song on repeat a few times and it'll for sure get you there. My god, this is a lesson in how to be a better person and we need this each and every one of us. Thanks, Adele, I need that. The last three lines......the pleading. Holy shit. And then the heavy piano keys to play it out, it's just genius.
Love Is a Game - although I definitely like this song, it feels like it's not on par for the rest of the album. It's just not on the same level as the rest of the songs. The message is still great, vocals are (duh) amazing. And the music feels like that old 70s vibe from the Bee Gees. This might be that one song I'll have to listen to a few times to let it grow on me. It be that way sometimes.
Ok, overall I'd give this 5 shots out of 5. Seriously, this album is killer from beginning to end. Not a sleeper song on here. And I feel like this is a huge self-reflection album. This is going to be that song list that makes you sit back, contemplate your place in your relationships, and if they're worth holding on to. It's really perfect that it came at the end of the year because now more than ever is when we look forward to what we want our lives to become. Adele has given us a chance to do it better. I hope we don't let her down.
Just one piece of advice with this album. Before you enjoy with friends, take the gift of the hour it takes to listen to this. And listen to it completely and in order the way she intended. It's worth the journey she's taking us on. Thanks, Adele!
I decided that one of the things I'd like to do for this blog was to have something like a memory lane for the music, movies, shows, books, etc that meant something to me throughout my lifetime. Well after a bit of thought, I figured that I might take a look and a listen to things I've loved (or fucking hated) to feel if there was a different take on it for me now that I'm creeping up on a half-century of life (holy fuck!). One of the obvious choices for me was Hotel California by Eagles. (The Eagles? Eagles?)
On my way to work, on my lunch break and on my way home, I really listened to the entire album. I don't think I've listened to it straight through ever before today. You can't not know all the songs. But I don't remember hearing them in the order they're in on the album. I may have since it was one of my mom's favs. But definitely the first time on my own, on purpose. I really did like all of it. Not a snoozer among the songs. You can't listen to Hotel California and not get almost a movie in your mind as you follow along with the lyrics and the melody. They did a really remarkable job there. Total visual in your mind with nothing to go on but Henley's lyrics and Felder's melody.
Overall, you won't regret listening to this classic from beginning to end. I noticed the songs don't really seem like they should blend in and out of each other as well as they do but somehow it works. I don't pretend to know how musicians know about these things. I grew up listening to the album and remember the 33 sitting in its sleeve on my parents' record player in our living room.
But the one surprise was the last song on side A - Wasted Time. It really hit home for me. I felt like I was listening to my own internal struggle on if I'm really happy with my life, settling for my life, and if there's time (and energy) to keep striving for new things. Wasted Time is a must listen!!! Don Henley captures a much more soulful performance compared to the rest of the album. I'd even push to say his vocals are a much better example of his abilities compared to any other songs I've heard from him. I felt the song.
Give it a listen. Let me know what you think. Any favorites?
Review: Don't F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer by Netflix
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Premiering today, December 18, on Netflix is a 3 episode long documentary on the hunt for the murderer of Jun Lin. While the documentary is completely fascinating and keeps you at the edge of your seat, there's an interview near the end of episode 3 with Jun Lin's best friend, Dong Dong Xu, which is what stuck with me the most. "The really sad thing is talking about "the killer" and nobody has ever remembered Jun Lin. Doesn't seem fair at all to my friend. He doesn't deserve that. "The killer" didn't just kill a person...but also destroyed an entire family's hope. People don't understand. In the Chinese culture, it's always the son that carries the responsibility to take care of the parents...when they.....when they become old. Now it's gone. And it's not fair." He is, of course, absolutely correct. We don't remember the names of the victims. Just the killers. Maybe remembering the victims is more frightening. Maybe concentrating on the killers and those details about those killers will give us enough information to avoid becoming a victim ourselves. I'm not sure why we don't concentrate on the victims more.
So yes, I'm writing this review on the story of a killer. A killer who took the life of Jun Lin. Out of respect to Jun Lin, I'll not use any names or likeness of the killer.
Jun Lin's father, Darrin Lin, crying at his son's funeral.
This film shows the craziness of the details that not only the killer was following in his crime spree but also how regular people using the internet were able to track him down. I've never seen anything like this before and I pray it's never repeated. The documentary is filmed in what is really a timeline of events as it unfolded. It's done very well. I'd already been aware of the case and the outcome. But the film really "took me there" if you get my meaning. It keeps you tied to your seat. Watching for the 3 hours it took, it was worth it to stay in that loop.
Many animal rights activists seeing the first videos of the killer torturing and killing kittens is what started this in the first place. But even those people question how their actions could be said to have stopped this killer............or did they push him into killing? This delves into their actions and conversations with each other. It tells of their ordeal with trying to get the police to understand what they were seeing.
The police didn't listen to these activists. It may or may not have had any change in what went down. But I do try to think about how many hoaxes, lies, and bullshit calls they have to deal with on a day to day basis in addition to the real calls. Real calls about real shit. And real calls about real bullshit. Once they were aware, they really were able to do the impossible and find him. Even that seems like a thriller of a movie plot and less like a real-life case.
Mom of the killer.................she's wrapped up in his lies. She believes what he says. I get where she's coming from. It's hard to believe the worst is possible about our children without reflecting on how we must have contributed to that personally. How did I as his mom fuck him up so bad that he became a murderer? What did I do wrong? How am I responsible? At some point, she's going to have to accept it what he's done......or maybe she won't. She's another victim but she's not really aware of it and it's very clearly conveyed in the film.
The film left me feeling like we should all be doing more. This now feels like a mission we should all be in on, helping to solve more crimes when we can instead of expecting the police to do it all. It's our duty to ourselves, our families, communities, etc.
FYI - all of my reviews are done while watching the movie........sort of a play by play. Green Book (2018) stars Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen as a classical pianist who is black and a bouncer turned driver who is Italian. It's based on the book The Negro Motorist Green Book. This true story from the perspective of the driver (Tony Vallelonga) as passed down to his son, Nick. Tony takes a job to drive for Don Shirley. So going into this movie, that's about all I knew. And though I'd heard of Mahershala Ali, I've never seen him in anything before this movie. I'd never heard of the story or of Viggo, either. I like seeing new talent for the first time and anything that starts off "based on a true story" is always a favorite.
And roll em'! Opening the story, it's obvious that Tony is racist as all hell. Two maintenance workers are in his home doing repair work. Tony's wife offers them a drink as a thank you for their work and then they leave. Tony can do nothing but eye the two drinking glasses over and over. Eventually, he picks them up in disgust and throws them in the trash. Why? The two workers are black. Then his family sits down to dinner beginning with a family prayer. Very much a hypocrite. The Interview - Tony has no job for the next two months and needs work as he's got a family to support. He hears of a job and goes to check it out. In doing so, he's thrown a curve ball to realize that he'd be working for a black man. He lies about his views (duh) on black people. Dr. Shirley is not impressed but he needs someone to protect him as well as drive while on tour in the deep south during the 1960s. Obviously, he gets the job. 30:45 into the movie - Tony is still an asshole. Oh, and he doesn't know to just shut the fuck up. His bubble is very small that he lives his life in. He's so busy spouting off his own opinions as though they're facts. 38:42 into the movie - Oh My Goodness. The first time we're able to hear his music. So dramatic. It pulls at your emotions until you find yourself lost. Even Tony is humbled. Tony and Dr. Shirley are in the car listening to the radio. It's astounding to Tony that while the Dr. has heard of these singers, Dr. Shirley has never listened to them. Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke, Little Richard, Chuck Berry. Tony says "these are your people" to the Dr. It makes you realize that while he's a prominent, successful pianist, he's probably lonely. No one looks like him, no one plays like him, no one really talks to him as a friend. Lessons are beginning on both sides of this relationship. 48:00 into the movie - Tony defends the hell out of the Dr.'s contract to play on a Steinway. SLAP!!!! LMAO - KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN (restaurant) IN THE STATE OF KENTUCKY!!! (Why is this so damn funny to me? 1:12:00 into the movie. I think more and more Tony is beginning to realize just a bit of what a black man needs to deal with just to get through each day. 1:22:00 into the movie. I wonder if Tony will ever realize how much better his marriage will be because of the letters that the Dr. has helped him write to his wife during this tour. I hope he's grateful. The end of the movie. It ends with smiles and gratitude and new beginnings. I was initially going to say that this movie was not special because it felt very typical of any movie where race is the underlying lesson. But it is special. Not because it's a movie but because this was the lives of two men and the building of their relationship. Maybe I should say friendship. They did have something tangible and real. It stood the test of time. One of the things that shocked me the most was learning of Sundown Towns. Click the link so you can learn how fucked up our country IS.....not was......this is still happening today. Read it. Then ask yourself why more people don't hate us all. One of those moments where being ashamed to be white hit me very hard. Things I took away from this story. There is no big moment of epiphany in this movie. There is one scene where the Dr. just can't take Tony's ASSumptions anymore. He asks him.......if I'm not black enough, not white enough, not man enough.....where do I fit in? This movie seems to be about a relationship that would never have been possible without this tour. Two men with little in common finding that they don't need common ground to find respect and understanding. They've built a life long friendship based on honesty, integrity and in just learning about someone much different from themselves. The reality, it's really showcasing the lonely life of an intelligent, talented, gay, alcoholic, black man who has no one. No one to share anything with ever. Imagine that for a moment. Close your eyes. Picture your life with no one around you. No family. No friends. No one that looks like you. No one that shares your interest. No one to confide in. No one that confides in you. No one to say hello, good morning, good night, I'm lonely. Just no one. There's mention of a moment 6 years prior to this tour, that Nat King Cole was asked to perform. He would be the first black man to be invited to perform in Birmingham, AL ever. Here's the result. Dr. Shirley was a special man with enormous talent. Tony was NOT a special man until he learned to accept Dr. Shirley........and to enjoy the person he became in this process. Genius is not enough. It takes courage to change people's hearts. Here's the Trailer! Enjoy!!! I give it a solid 4 shots out of 5.
Growing up in North Trenton, I didn’t have too many friends. Well, actually, I did have one friend: my television. I spent many hours taking in all kinds of entertainment with that TV. I was glued to everything on MTV, grew to love Tales From the Crypt, and memorized many episodes of Full House while watching that thing, but some of the best times of day were the early afternoons, when sitcoms from years past would play during summer vacation. One of them was One Day at a Time, which ran for nine seasons, from 1975 to 1984. It was created bit sitcom svengali Norman Lear about a divorcee raising two daughters (one of which was Valerie Bertinelli, who was kind of a crush).
At the time, I recognized it for its worth, from the memorable theme song (“This Is It” by Polly Cutter) to its legacy of bringing feminism and real-life parenting to television. It was one of the beauties of a Lear program, and was something I was intrigued about when I’d heard that Netflix was remaking the series to air in January of 2017. The new series was about a Cuban family and featured a divorced mother of two children (this time a boy and a girl), her exiled Cuban mother...and a dude named Schneider (hey, if it ain’t broke). My wife had peeped the first few episodes on Netflix and was enamored, and suggested we watch. While my TV viewing has always gone back to sitcoms, my day job has me watching more series than I can keep up with, meaning that it’s hard to just watch TV to enjoy TV. That said, once we started running through this new iteration of One Day at a Time, which brought in everything from PTSD (the mother, Penelope, is a veteran who’s on anti-depressants) to LGBTQ issues (her eldest child, Elena, comes out as a lesbian during the first season) to the plight of immigrants living in America today...it was heaven.
You see, while some of my favorite shows are about superheroes or fantastical situations, you need television that makes you laugh (and more importantly, think) about the world around you. This new school edition of One Day at a Time did that, and well. And when word hit that season two would be premiering on Netflix on January 26, 2018, I was excited. My regular TV viewing needed this.
All of that said, this second season hits all of the notes of the first, and then some. Justina Machado’s Penelope had a lot to deal with in season one, from her ex-husband coming back and completely shunning their lesbian daughter to trying to find a way to focus on having her own love life. Season two touches on both, with the family having one truly-emotional episode drawing parallels between Elena’s birth and their current-day.
One of the series’ shining stars is Rita Moreno, who at 86 is still a pistol, playing Penelope’s mother Lydia with grace and fire. She’s always around to remind the family of the old ways, but will surprise you with how current some of her feelings about life are. The children, Elena and Victor, are growing as well, with Elena growing up as a woke Latinx in today’s society, while Victor is caring, but also trying to work his charm into a cushy life.
I’d love to sit here and spoil this series for you; there are some awesome standalone episodes, with others that will hit you all in your feels. It’s a quality binge, with hope for a season three (we’re waiting on you, Netflix). From the Gloria Estefan-remake of “This Is It” to this glorious cast reimagining a quality sitcom series, One Day at a Time’s second season is one you shouldn’t miss. And now, I have a friend (my wife) and my son to watch the show with as an adult, allowing us to have discussions about what’s really real in today’s world, from LGBTQ issues to what it means to be a good person. We’re walking through it, together, one day at a time.
/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/canada/2012/07/26/luka_rocco_magnotta_jun_lins_mother_says_she_has_developed_sympathy_for_alleged_killer_magnotta/di_ranglin.jpeg)
:focal(1299x2718:1300x2719)/https://public-media.si-cdn.com/filer/89/74/89746707-beb4-405c-ba9c-39b92ab3c4a3/dec018_b06_prologue.jpg)
