Movie Journaling: The Gentlemen!

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Movie Journaling: The Gentlemen

Before the World Imploded

I’m doing some movie journaling of The Gentlemen! Now, this was actually the last film I saw in a movie theater, back on January 24, 2022, before the world imploded. I’ve been meaning to document The Gentlemen in my movie journal since I watched it the first time but kept putting it off. Well, two years later I’m finally getting to it! By now I’ve seen this movie ad nauseum and I just love it! I even saved my ticket and receipt to add in. Below is my process video creating this spread for The Gentlemen. I’m actually glad I waited so long because it came out perfect!

Movie Journaling Process Video


To go directly to the video click here. For more entertainment recommendations, check my posts here, here, and here!

Movie Recommendation: The Gentlemen

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Movie Recommendation: The Gentlemen

Synopsis

I have a movie recommendation and I know I’m two years too late! In The Gentlemen, Michael Pearson, played by Matthew McConaughey, is an American expatriate who made his money by building a highly profitable marijuana empire in London. When word gets out that he’s looking to retire cash out of the business, it triggers an array of plots and schemes. He contends with attempts of bribery and blackmail from shady characters who want to steal his domain.

Quick Character Thoughts

I have to say there isn’t one character that I didn’t enjoy in this movie but among the best were Fletcher Monroe played by Hugh Grant, The Coach, played by Colin Farrell, and my absolute favorite, Raymond Smith, played by Charlie Hunnam.

Fletcher is the seediest weasel of them all but I can respect that he is upfront about his intentions. He plots to blackmail Mickey for a large sum of money in exchange for keeping silent about Mickey’s illegal activities. Much of the story is told through Fletcher’s narrating and he absolutely makes a production of it. Through Fletcher, we witness many of the little stories within the big story and it is a wild and entertaining ride.

The Coach is inadvertently pulled into the shenanigans in this movie, and the part he plays is beyond enjoyable. I love the Coach because he is purpose-driven. He willingly involves himself in the tussle of Mickey’s business in order to protect his crew, The Toddlers. Now the Toddlers are also caught up unbeknownst to them. But the Coach understands that despite their ignorance, there will be repercussions. Not wanting his boys to be hurt he dedicates himself to helping clean up the mess and I love how self-sacrificing he is for his crew. Though he has a soft spot for the Toddlers, Coach is not to be played with.

Raymond Smith is Mickey’s right-hand man and muscle. While Raymond seems to be invaluable in many ways he specializes in taking care of the more gritty, grimy, and dark aspects of Michael’s business. Raymond is this very buttoned-up, meticulous, and precise man. And he is always five steps ahead of those that seek to upend Mickey’s affairs. He is the cleanup man or the fixer if you will. Raymond is self-aware with little tolerance for schemers and addicts. Though he doesn’t particularly like getting in the mud with the shady characters that color his world, he does his job to the best of his abilities.

Honorable mention is Rosalind Pearson cause she’s just such a bad ass.

Overall Thoughts

The Gentlemen is Guy Ritchie’s triumphant return to the British Gangster Films he grew famous for and I love it! Ritchie has a very unique style of storytelling that I will never tire of. He feeds the audience the bits and pieces of smaller stories to then bring it all together into the bigger picture to leave the viewer with their mind blown. The Gentlemen was fun and had me captivated from start to finish. The characters were lively and engaging and the story is so crazy and unpredictable! This is a movie I wish I could watch again for the first time.

This movie recommendation is a phenomenal film! For other movie and tv recommendations go here, here, and here! Tell me if you’ve seen The Gentlemen and what you thought.

The Umbrella Academy Season Two!

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The Umbrella Academy

The Umbrella Academy Season Two Synopsis:

The Umbrella Academy season two finds the siblings scattered throughout the 1960s after they jump time to avoid the apocalypse. But when Five finally makes it to the 60s there is nuclear war threatening dooms day again. So with a final word from Hazel, Five must find and gather his siblings together, once again, to save the world from the apocalypse.

Season Two Quick Thoughts

I am absolutely obsessed with The Umbrella Academy and season two was well worth the year and a half wait. Falling through time and ending up in different years of the same decade sees the siblings yet again separated. Little by little they reunite and despite their individual agendas, they come together to stop the end of the world. While I love each and every character and their individual abilities they will always be better together. As evidenced by the final episodes in season two.

The Characters!

Klaus remains my favorite character and in Klaus fashion he finds himself in the 60s and starts a cult aided by his spirit brother, Ben. Allison drops into the 60s without her voice. But it’s just like Allison to heavily involve herself in the 60s Civil Rights movement. She marries a man of integrity who is also a Civil Rights leader. We find Diego in the year that Kennedy is assassinated, and the year they all reunite. Ever Diego, he determines to stop the assassination of Kennedy and has a partner, Lila, when he escapes the mental institution he is in. Lila is a mystery we get to discover and unravel as the season progresses.

Luther is the personal bodyguard and boxer for the gangster, Jack Ruby, and Vanya is living with a family on a small farm. Unfortunately she has no memory of what happened and only remembers her name. The commission is back at it with a triple threat of assassins and the Handler has big plans of her own. Mayhem and shenanigans ensue and I am here for every single second!

Overall Thoughts

I give it a 10/10. The Umbrella Academy was entertaining from beginning to end and the cliffhanger ending makes me want more! To see my thoughts on the first season you can click here. This season was so exciting that I had to do an entry in my TV Journal for it. See that below or click here.


The Courage Map: 13 Principles For Living Boldly

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The Courage MapPublisher: TCK Publishing
Published: May 10, 2020
Copyright: 2020
Pages: 139
Form: Paperback
Author: Site | Facebook | Twitter
Buy: The Courage Map: 13 Principles to Living Boldly

Why do some people make brave decisions that steer them to lead exciting, rewarding, and impactful lives while others watch from the sidelines?

In this book, you’ll discover 13 principles for living boldly. You’ll learn to tap into your inner courage and use it to chart a course to a better future and a better world. get ready to face your fears, stand in your truth, and embrace life to the fullest!

Written in her unique and fearlessly quirky style, The Courage Map provides direction and guidance for readers who seek to lead a life of courage, meaning, and impact.

“Every day I see people doing great things in the world. What do they have in common? The courage to go after their dreams and make a positive impact. Franziska’s book shows how that message can support you in running your life and business based on courage, love, and kindness instead of fear.”
-Sir Richard Branson

My Thoughts on The Courage Map

 

In The Courage Map, author Franziska Iseli takes us on her journey through the Silk Road. Along the way, she guides us through 13 Principles to develop courage and live life out loud despite our fears. The first and my favorite principle is STORIES.  As our lives take shape we all begin to identify as the stories we tell about ourselves. And so often we cling to the negative stories we’ve developed to justify and excuse why we may not be where we want to be in life. Or to soothe ourselves for regretting not having had the experiences we wish we had. Some of us are perpetual victims, some of us believe for one reason or another we are undeserving of our desires and nothing could be further from the truth.

Unfortunately and fortunately the stories we tell become our beliefs. Every one of us can CHOOSE to change our stories at any moment. For me, this is the foundation in building and developing courage and I’m glad the author led with this. Franziska Islei does a wonderful job of walking the audience through each of her courage-building principles and I love that the author uses her personal journey along the Silk road to give the reader real-world examples of how to put each principle into practice. Unlike many self-help books, the author doesn’t just say. “do it this way”.   She offers examples and real stories to illustrate her points and the effects they had and can have in our own lives.  The fact that the book is based on the real-life experiences of the author gives it an added layer of depth and authenticity.

Going Deeper

At the end of each chapter, Iseli suggests new thoughts and ideas we can adopt in regard to each principle in the form of ‘Travel Tunes’.   There is also a list of thought-provoking questions for us to work through at the end of each chapter to help us dive deeper into the material and our own courage-building journeys. This book will guide you through building your very own courage map. In addition to the book, you can download a free copy of The Courage Map Journal for yourself here. For anyone wanting an even more in-depth experience, the author offers a course on her website. I personally have not taken the course but I enjoyed the book and found it inspiring and useful.  I’ve begun adopting some of the ‘Travel Tunes’ for myself and look forward to living life more courageously.

Find more of my book reviews here and here!

Five Binge-Worthy Netflix Shows!

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Binge-Worthy Netflix Shows

With the world in its current state of self-isolating and social distancing, we have been trying to find ways to occupy our time.  Of course, many of us turn to entertainment.  So I’ve compiled a shortlist of binge-worthy Netflix shows to keep you entertained.

On My Block

Binge Worthy Show

On My Block follows a quartet of bright, street-savvy friends who are just beginning high school.   Experiencing all of the triumph, pain, and fresheness of a new school, life long friendships are tested.   Monse, Ruby, Jamal and Cesar confront the challenges of adolescence and life in their predominantly Hispanic and black neighborhood, based in South Central Los Angeles in this coming-of-age comedy series.

Quick Thoughts

I adore this show and have binged it so many times and will continue to. I love the family-like relationship and bonds between the four friends and I find it incredibly hilarious. The episodes are only 30 minutes so it’s a quick and entertaining show to get through. Season Three just dropped back in April and great news for fans of this show, there will be a season four!

Money Heist

Binge Worthy

A criminal mastermind who goes by “The Professor” has a plan to pull off the biggest heist in recorded history — to print billions of euros in the Royal Mint of Spain. To help him carry out the ambitious plan, he recruits eight people with certain abilities and who have nothing to lose. The group of thieves take hostages to aid in their negotiations with the authorities, who strategize to come up with a way to capture The Professor. As more time elapses, the robbers prepare for a showdown with the police.

Quick Thoughts

I have mentioned this binge-worthy show before.  This has to be one of the most brilliantly written shows I’ve encountered in some time. This is a high stakes game The Professor and his band of misfit thieves are trying to pull off and you feel every tense and frenzied moment. From stupid mistakes to amazing triumphs at the viewer will vacillate between wanting to scream at the characters to wanting to hug or hi-five them. The characters are three-dimensional and the plot is so compelling and engaging. The Fourth season just aired and with the way it ended, I forsee a season five on the horizon! So excited! I’ve binged this one several times as well.

Tiger King

A zoo owner spirals out of control amid a cast of eccentric characters in this true murder-for-hire story from the underworld of big cat breeding.

Quick Thoughts

Another binge-worthy show currently on Netflix is Tiger King.  This show is a train wreck of epic proportions. And just when you think that it cannot get any more ridiculous, the following episode ups the ante. It is equal parts hilarious and tragic and leaves me wondering how and why these people exist and how I never had a clue. This show is not for everybody but I was fascinated. It is so outrageous that I couldn’t look away. I binged the entire series in one sitting and still ponder over this foolishness today. The myriad of memes, articles, and stories that have followed have only served to keep this going. It’s definitely entertaining. It seemed to have been so popular that Netflix has released a new episode.

Ozark

This drama series stars Jason Bateman as Marty Byrde, a financial planner who relocates his family from Chicago to a summer resort community in the Ozarks. With wife Wendy and their two kids in tow, Marty is on the move after a money-laundering scheme goes wrong, forcing him to pay off a substantial debt to a Mexican drug lord in order to keep his family safe. While the Byrdes’ fate hangs in the balance, the dire circumstances force the fractured family to reconnect.

Quick Thoughts

Jason Bateman as Marty Byrde and the ostentatious character, Ruth, makes this series for me. Though Marty has relocated his family to a resort town it can often look and seem gloomy which I guess is appropriate considering their situation. While Marty has the best of intentions of digging himself out of this hole he and his family find themselves in, events ensue that only seem to get them more and more entrenched in life. I appreciate that no matter how dire things seem, Marty seems to figure out a plan and keeps his cool in the midst of everyone melting down. Marty is constant and consistent and he is smart. I think because he is so unassuming people underestimate him, and it makes for an interesting cat and mouse game with the cartel. Season three was just released on Netflix and I imagine with the positive response there will be a follow-up season.

The Circle

“Big Brother” meets “Catfish” on this reality series on which not everything is as it seems. Comic Michelle Buteau hosts the show that features its contestants moving into the same apartment building. The twist is that the players never meet face-to-face during the competition, as each one lives in his or her own apartment. The contestants communicate exclusively through profiles created on a specially-designed social media app. This anonymity allows them to hide their true identities and portray themselves however they choose. Throughout the competition, the players rate one another, with the lowest-rated players put at risk of being eliminated, or blocked, from the game. The contestant who survives the contest and emerges the winner takes home the $100,000 grand prize.

Quick Thoughts

Lately, Netflix has been dipping their toes in the whole reality tv genre and I’m not mad. Included in my list of binge-worthy Netflix shows is The Circle, which premiered a few months ago and sees several contestants isolated in their own apartments and they can only communicate with each other through a social app called The Circle. Based on their interactions, each day they must rank each player from last to first and contestants who don’t make the cut are eliminated and soon replaced by a different player. But not all contestants are truly who they say they are. This show was a fun social experiment and very entertaining to watch. Not only are the interactions between the players interesting and oftentimes funny, but the host is hilarious! I truly hope they do another season of this show because I really enjoyed it. And in a time where we have to be isolated anyway, it’s the perfect time to watch this.

Wrap Up

Of course, there are so many more binge-worthy Netflix shows but these are ones I particularly enjoyed. For more suggestions check out links here, here, and here! I’ll be back with another binge-worthy post in the near future! I hope you all are consuming some great entertainment and are staying safe.