Movie Journaling: The Gentlemen!

/ / Leave a comment

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

/ / Leave a comment

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.

Shantaram Book to TV Series!

/ / Leave a comment

Shantaram Book to Series

Shantaram Book to TV Series:

I am so excited about the new television series coming to Apple TV based on the book Shantaram! If you are a subscriber to my YouTube channel you know that I am a fan of the actor Charlie Hunnam. I binged Sons of Anarchy back in 2016 for the first time. Soon after King Arthur: Legend of the Sword was released and I’ve been fascinated ever since. So I am over the moon to find out that Charlie Hunnam would be returning to the small screen in the Shantaram Book to TV Series project.

Now I’ve never heard of Shantaram before despite it being a memoir of sorts and best selling novel in 39 languages and 42 territories. So in true Jade fashion, I’m reading the book before the series begins. Despite being a fan of Charlie Hunnam, I’m always of the mind that the book is better. About 99% of the time this turns out to be true with the rarest of exceptions in my humble opinion.

Shantaram tells the story of a man named Lin who is on the run from the Australian Prison System. He finds sanctuary on the streets of Bombay but cut off from everything he’s ever known.

Book Synopsis:

So begins this epic, mesmerizing first novel by Gregory David Roberts. Set in the underworld of contemporary Bombay. Shantaram is narrated by Lin, an escaped convict with a false passport. He flees maximum security prison in Australia for the teeming streets of a city where he can disappear.

Accompanied by his guide and faithful friend, Prabaker, the two enter Bombay’s hidden society of beggars and gangsters, prostitutes and holy men, soldiers and actors, and Indians and exiles from other countries. All who seek, in this remarkable place, what they cannot find elsewhere.

As a hunted man without a home, family, or identity, Lin searches for love and meaning. He runs a clinic in one of the city’s poorest slums and serves his apprenticeship in the dark arts of the Bombay mafia. The search leads him to war, prison torture, murder, and a series of enigmatic and bloody betrayals. The keys to unlock the mysteries and intrigues that bind Lin are held by two people. The first is Khader Khan: mafia godfather, criminal-philosopher-saint, and mentor to Lin in the underworld of the Golden City. The second is Karla: elusive, dangerous, and beautiful, whose passions are driven by secrets that torment her and yet give her a terrible power.

The Story Continues

There is a sequel to this book called The Mountain Shadow which was published in 2015. So it’s possible this Book to TV Series will run for a little while if it is well received. So I’m going to get to reading and you all be on the lookout. The Shantaram Book to TV Series is scheduled to drop on Nov 1 on Apple TV! Join me in tuning in!  In the meantime, check out what I have recently been listening to, watching and reading!