Tuesday, January 29, 2019

PrettyUnlimited ~ Episode 24: Actionland

We're back with another Top 5! This week, over some bad wine, Anna and Khris dial into their love of movies and break down their favorite action flicks. From big explosions to brutal beatdowns, they count down the best in action. They even share a couple of faves!
The Pretty Unlimited theme music was produced by Rediculus for Platformz Music.
For more from PrettyUnlimited:
www.prettyunlimited.com
Send your thoughts, questions, and concerns:
prettyunlimited@gmail.com
Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes:
bit.ly/PrettyUnlimitedPod

Friday, January 25, 2019

My Promise to Me - Can I Keep It This Time?

Tomorrow is Saturday, January 26, 2019.

Today, I'm out of shape, I'm sore, I'm sick, I'm worn out, I'm sluggish.

Tomorrow I'll be all the same things I am today.

Tomorrow I just want to be a step or two closer to NOT being out of shape, sore, sick, worn out and sluggish.  I just got out of the bathtub.  I found out I couldn't really fit it in it.  Getting out was a struggle and I'm in actual pain now from getting myself out of that tub.  I'm way too fat.  I just weighed myself.  222 lbs.

My birthday was this past Monday, Jan 20.  I'm hoping I can use turning 48 at such an unhealthy weight and phase in my life into being the best 50-year-old me I can possibly be.  But I have some other goals I'd like to meet along the way.  In order to get there, I need to make some promises to myself.

This will be my 5 promises to me for every day.  Why?  Because I should be able to do this for myself.  Fuck the world, fuck the family.  I just don't want to be like this anymore.

1.  100 oz of water a day
2.  30 minutes of solid movement
3.  yoga / meditation
4.  eat what I need before I eat what I want
5.  my day planner

Let's see if I can do this.

Goal #1 - I want to be down to 200 lbs by April 30, 2019.  Once I can achieve that goal, we'll set up a new one for 190 lbs.  I ain't religious......but god help me.  LOL

I'm hoping that not just focusing on the weight loss will happen eventually.  But I feel like I'm always in pain and sluggish because of all the weight.  The movement and yoga and eating healthy will undoubtedly improve my overall health.......maybe it'll help with this funk I've been in for the last few months.  I need goals.  I'm listless and tired of myself.  New me, new tomorrow.....blah blah blah.  Fuck that.  I won't spend so much time whining......just get up and do it.......you know.....like Nike says. 


Tuesday, January 22, 2019

PrettyUnlimited - Episode 23: The Secret Life of (Davenport) Pets

After surviving the Tipsycast, Anna and Khris spoke about their extended family...of pets! Get brief histories and hilarious stories about the dogs and cats that have marked moments in our lives.
The Pretty Unlimited theme music was produced by Rediculus for Platformz Music. 



Tuesday, January 15, 2019

PrettyUnlimited - Episode 22: Tipsycast

While we drink during every episode of the PrettyUnlimited Podcast, we decided to spend this episode talking ABOUT drinking. We run down our top five favorite alcoholic beverages, and share some stories about our own drunk histories. Cheers! 


The PrettyUnlimited theme music was produced by Rediculus for Platformz Music. The PrettyUnlimited podcast is produced and edited by Khal for Rock The Dub.
For more from PrettyUnlimited:
www.prettyunlimited.com
Send your thoughts, questions, and concerns:
prettyunlimited@gmail.com
Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes:
bit.ly/PrettyUnlimitedPod




Thursday, January 10, 2019

Film Review ~ Green Book 2018 (Spoilers and Commentary Ahead)

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.

Image result for green book movie poster

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.



Wednesday, January 9, 2019

The Time Between the Golden Globes and the Oscars 2019

I'm in the go-between time of the Golden Globes and the Oscars where I'm realizing all the movies and tv shows I never bothered to watch are up for awards.  I've decided to watch one movie/show per day (that might be too much, right?) and review each one.  There are two reasons I'm doing this.

The first reason is there are so many important things to watch.  Shows with a great message, maybe some lessons on how to improve how we live our lives.  Or many just how we view the world outside our own little bubble.  So few of us actually live outside of a bubble, but I don't think we really take the time to reflect on it.  Reflection brings guilt.  Guilt for things we just can't change........and guilt for things we could change but are just too uninclined to be bothered with.

The second reason is that there will likely be more Google searches going on over the next month or two and maybe one or two new readers would come across this page and feel that what I say might not be important, but at least it'll (hopefully) be entertaining.

Here's my list.  I took a peek at the Golden Globes website for these picks.  My goal is to watch everything that was nominated including those shows/movies that weren't nominated but had a participant (actor, writer, production, etc) nominated for working on that project.  (HOLY SHIT THIS LIST IS LONG!!!!)

Movies & TV Shows
Green Book
Vice
The Favourite
*Mary Poppins Returns (seen it - review coming soon)
*Crazy, Rich Asians (seen it - review coming soon)
Bohemian Rhapsody
Black Panther
BlacKKKlansman
If Beale Street Could Talk
A Star is Born
The Wife
A Private War
Destroyer
Can You Forgive Me?
At Eternity's Gate
Boy Erased
Eighth Grade
Tully
The Old Man and The Gun
Stan & Ollie
First Man
Beautiful Boy
Roma
Shoplifters
Spiderman: Into The Spider-Verse
Incredibles 2 (might be a good time to watch the first one, huh?)
Isle of Dogs
Mirai
Ralph Breaks the Internet (here we have the one entry I don't want to watch since I hated the first one)
Capernaum
Girl
Never Look Away
A Quiet Place (my husband talks of this movie often)
*Dumplin (FUCKING LOVED IT!!!!!)
The Americans
Bodyguard
Homecoming
Killing Eve
Pose
The Kominsky Method
The Good Place
*Kidding
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Barry
American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace
The Alienist
Escape at Dannemora
Sharp Objects
A Very English Scandal
Dirty John
The Tale
Seven Seconds
Picasso: Genius
Patrick Melrose
Outlander
*The Handmaids Tale
The Americans
Ozark
Homecoming
GLOW
Will & Grace (nope, not happening.  I just never liked the show......ok, I'll try)
Murphy Brown
Who Is America?
*Atlanta
West World
Succession

Ok, a few of these I have actually seen.  Not many though.  I'll add an * in front of the ones I've seen.  I just need to do a review of them.  This might not go well.....I tend to dislike a lot of stuff.  Cross your fingers.  All total, this will take me over 100 hours to do this.  LOL - we'll see how it goes.  I've got the Women's March of NJ coming up in 11 days.........I'll just do the best I can and keep plugging away at it.  Up first?  Green Book.

PrettyUnlimited - Episode 21: The Notorious A.D.E.L.E

We're back and in full effect for 2019, and for our first episode of the new year, we have our first Top 5 of the new year! This time, we're running down our favorite songs from Adele and The Notorious B.I.G., aka two of our favorite artists. Do we share similar Top 5s? Let us know in the comments below!



The PrettyUnlimited theme music was produced by Rediculus for Platformz Music. The PrettyUnlimited podcast is produced and edited by Khal for Rock The Dub.
For more from PrettyUnlimited:
www.prettyunlimited.com
Send your thoughts, questions, and concerns:
prettyunlimited@gmail.com
Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes:
bit.ly/PrettyUnlimitedPod






Tuesday, January 1, 2019

PrettyUnlimited - Episode 20: Merry New Year

Happy New Year! Before we kick off 2019, we wanted to look back at the Best of 2018, featuring our favorite movies, TV shows, and songs. We also look back at our favorite moments of 2018 as well and dig into some goals we've set for ourselves for 2019. Share your goals/resolutions down below, and have a MERRY NEW YEAR!
The PrettyUnlimited theme music was produced by Rediculus for Platformz Music. The PrettyUnlimited podcast is produced and edited by Khal for Rock The Dub.
For more from PrettyUnlimited:
www.prettyunlimited.com
Send your thoughts, questions, and concerns:
prettyunlimited@gmail.com
Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes:
bit.ly/PrettyUnlimitedPod



Pretty Unlimited Podcast, Episode 138: 2023 New Year's Resolutions

On this episode, Anna and Khris are back with another Jack Daniels soda, some Jack Daniels whiskey cake, and a look at what they have plan...