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A Drop in the Ocean

The journey to true greatness does not lie within the past, nor can it be found in the future. True greatness happens in the here and now. How do we find it though? Where does it reside? Is it plainly hidden or too conspicuous to be well received. On my journey into the unknown, I’ve uncovered many scenes that have changed my understanding of what is, rather than what could be.   I’ve often had the conversation, what makes a great movie or show? There are so many to choose from nowadays, how do you weed out the ones that aren’t worth watching? In truth, there are too many B rated films on A budgets. Multi-million dollar remakes that pale in comparison to the original. Vice versa there are fewer still A rated films on B budgets. Even if the B really means “the none normal.” Movies are one thing because if they fail, there is still a good chance someone down the line will think it's a good idea to remake them. For shows, however, it is often a one a and done. Shows do not have the ...
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 So this isn’t my norm, but I’m going to go ahead and try a go at it, whatever “it” is. For the last two years, I’ve been managing three apartments for my mother. She owns the building and I find the tenants. I’m a makeshift manager and to set matters right I’ve been studying to be an apartment manager. In the meantime however, I’ve learned the ins and outs of some minor marketing strategies, how to make a lease, edit paperwork, talk to tenants, find tenants, help with upkeep, and so on. I’ve learned a lot from the apartment course and I’m hoping to pass the test, I’ve never been good with tests, so if I end up flunking the test at least I have this to fall back on. I’ve learned a lot from the course and I’ve also learned a lot from my tenants. They have told me a lot of horror stories from past rental experiences that I’m now familiar with all matter of greaseball landlord situations. Someone once told me their landlord turned off their heat, and another the landlord would try and...

Where there is a Willow there isn't always a way

Disney fucked up. Let's be real, though there is certain jen ne sais quoi  t hat Disney shows and films encompass. Nothing is overall gritty, most scenes are cut well shot well and almost clean to the point of a window display at Macy's. That is neither here nor there, but it creates a world that begs to differ, what the story may be about the air that surrounds it.  Willow is by far my favorite film and it's story, scenes, script are shot effortlessly well. There are little things here and there that make Willow unique, so I was very excited by the show knowing it has been over 30 years since the making of the film.  The show is based around the film, literally and physically as they added some characters that were in the original movie, such as Warwick Davis (Willow) and Joanne Whalley (Sorsha). I had assumed that Davis would make an appearance seeing as how the show is called Willow. So I was more than pleasantly surprised to see more characters as well. My excitement ...

Knives in, glass out

 Not all movies should be series, and some series should just be one movie. Whether it be the story, the director, or the budget, there's always a difference between the first, last, and middle, and inevitably that's where the train gets derailed.  When Knives out was first displayed on my Prime video screen in 2019, I was startled by the wonderful cast, including Christopher Plummer and some other favorites. This was Plummer's last film before he died and apt too, spoiler ahead...He dies in this film, but with such panache, it's easy to remember why he was one of the greats. the subtleties of Knives Out were its an ode to unusual murder mysteries such as Clue. Although I would say Clue is not as subtle as Knives out in comedy. The film was directed by Rian Johnson who also directed its sequel or series next chapter, Glass onion. In this instance, Knives out is better, even though Johnson directs both and includes a stellar cast. There is something missing in the second...

Wakanda Forever

 Some things have gotten harder since the pandemic started. Going to the grocery store, traveling, seeing friends, and the latter. No one feels completely safe as they used to in school, at work, or in line waiting. The air seems to pulsate with the question, "will this trip get me sick, is this person vaccinated, I don't feel safe." Sometimes we don't even feel safe in our homes, no matter how much we sanitize, test ourselves, and clean. I gained weight during the pandemic, my usual walks became stifled by masks, I went less into the city, and less on long strolls, and bike rides through my neighborhood. Now people think the pandemic is over, and for many it is. I'm triple vaccinated, but I know I can still get sick if I'm not careful.  Recently I reconnected with an old friend, someone I had not seen since the start of the pandemic, 3 years it feels like only a few months sometimes. We decided to go see a movie and decided upon Black Panther, Wakanda Forever...

The Hunt for Red October, November and December

 Is it just me or are films duller than they used to be?  I'm of course not saying all films, oh no; but certainly most. It has been a very long time since I've seen a film that had me gripping the edge of my seat; and I'm not talking horror because most horror films make me actually leave my seat, never to return. For the first time, I recently watched The Hunt for Red October (1990) which I had never seen before nor watched the trailer for. I was astounded by the stellar cast which was all male. It didn't bother me though because all that testosterone pumping didn't diminish the film by a long shot. In fact, I'm glad the cast was all male, there weren't any funny jokes directed toward women and it didn't matter there was no love story. I find in many films with a heavily male cast; can be downgraded by adding in parts or characters that have no business being there. I know we are living in a society now where movies, films, and stories are more inclusi...

Lost in Photoshop

 I've been painting since forever. For the last ten years I've been interested in painting patterns. Asymmetrical patterns, basically painting, are not really patterns per say. However, I often see my paintings as larger meticulous art that descends up and around the room in a motion that resembles patterns. Like the way, your eye interprets lights when the lids are closed or when you see a flash and the pattern cascades in your view till it finally disappears. Photoshop is my nemesis in that regard. I take my regular, paintings and transform them over and over again. At some point, they are unrecognizable, and sometimes I can still pinpoint where they came from. I don't know if this is a good thing, however. Often I find when in photoshop time stands still while recreating and creating. 2 hours becomes 9 in a snap and in that time sure I could create 1-2 paintings while photoshop creates 7-8 different versions of the same idea. I like the mirror patterns the best for they ...