Boardwalk Empire S5E8 Finale Review: "Eldorado" By Greg Hernandez

"But he grew old —
This knight so bold —
And o’er his heart a shadow —
Fell as he found
No spot on the ground
That looked like Eldorado."

Edgar Allen Poe, "Eldorado."

 An empire has ended. The saga is complete. After five seasons, the prohibition- gangster era drama comes to resounding finish. Let's dive in.

- Nucky is taking a swim at the beach was quite a poignant image. The symbolism is obvious. Nucky is man who cannot wash away his sins, no matter how far out he swims.

This scene is further elaborated upon when Nucky visits Eli one last time. He tells his brother about his swim. He had not gotten up that early for a swim in forty-five years. It was the furthest Nucky had ever gone, past the surf. "Keep going." I thought. "Keep going until you can't turn back."

"Once you're that far, there's no choice."

The dialogue in this final episode was instrumental in illustrating the end of this series. It was masterfully written. The show runners had a very clear vision for this finale, the only problem was the middle. If you don't believe me, go back and re-watch this season with the closed caption on.

When Eli asked Nucky why he was always the wise one, Nucky's answer is perfect. He simply says, "because you needed me to be." Eli is the little brother, who still asks his elder brother for advice. It's not that he cannot think for himself, it's that he does not try - which is evident with his hesitation to knock on his wife's door.

"She won't answer. She won't. Eli says.

Nucky tells him that he will regret not trying.

The Thompson brothers end on a good note. Nucky gives Eli a bag full of money and some shaving equipment. Time to get busy living Eli - is what Nucky is saying. It was a good and consistent call by Nucky to also point out that this is the last time they will see each other. I say consistent for two reasons; One: all of the history with these two is beyond tumultuous.
Two: this is the series finale - this element added more of a sense of finality to the story. Remember, these characters do not know that this is the end. We, the audience watch this unfold, knowing that the minutes are slipping away on their lives.

Nucky's final net worth is north of $2, 364, 120
While Margaret's is a more modest $29, 925. "Not bad for a day's work.

- Joe Kennedy, so many fictional characters have died this season; I was happy that this real life character was back for the finale. There is so much political posturing in late 1931. It makes sense because there was so much speculation surrounding the repeal of prohibition. Making liquor illegal would help bolster the economy during the depression. Imagine if liquor was outlawed again?

Joe referring to Hoover, "I said the horse, not the jackass." made me chortle. Roosevelt will win the impending election. Prohibition will be repealed.

Joe storms into "Conors & Gould" to accuse Margaret and Nucky of shorting his stock.

"Your husband is trying to screw me."
"I prefer to do the screwing myself." We know Joe, you have eight kids...or maybe more now? It has been a few episodes since we last saw you...

Margaret has evolved into a smooth, financial crook. She is good at the numbers game. She is the mastermind behind the shorting of Joe's stock. Ha! It is obvious that she and Nucky are swindling Joe. Instead of making him an enemy, she cuts him in as a partner. She waits until the confidence in the Mayflower corporation is so low that both she and Joe are sweating through their clothes and then...she sells the whole thing.

I thoroughly enjoyed the exchange between Joe and Margaret.  Joe shakes Margaret's hand and finds that she is sweating. He voices his observation and Margaret darts back, "Weren't you?"

Unlike Nucky and Rothstein, Joe is unable to do business with a woman without insinuating that they hook up. He is let down by a cool, calm and collected woman who is all business. She informs him that he can come visit her during office hours and that her firm would love to have his business. There you go Joe. Stay true to your wife.

-Luciano, Meyer and Bugsy are sitting at top the gangster world. The meeting is set. The commission will be constructed. An organized crime syndicate with Italians, Irish and Jews working together to make as much money as possible.
I like the emphasis of the round table. "We're all bosses here."
"The Mustache Petes are in the ground." This is the future that we sadly do not get a chance to see.

Notice how Johnny Torrio is not present during this meeting. He helped get Luciano and Meyer to this point, but now they no longer need his counsel.
The young do not wish to listen to the old for very long.

-Capone was also not present at that meeting. It is time for Al to turn himself in to the feds for tax evasion. It is a reminder that no matter how powerful one person is, finance rules over us all.

This episode showed us the other side of Capone - the human side. It allowed us to remember him as not just the caricature of a hot-headed, loud mouth, drugged up, gun totting gangster, but as a family man. I saw such a range of emotion from Capone. Kudos to Stephen Graham for giving us all a brilliant portrayal of the most infamous gangster in history.

Capone's scene with his deaf son was very touching. Al tells his son that he is going away for doing bad things. He sternly reminds his son to listen to his mother. The best part was hearing the son say that he wants to help his father. That moment was reminiscent of bedroom scene between Michael and Anthony in Godfather Part 2. Watching Al's son put up his dukes hit home for me. He will continue to fight. Even with his father going away, he will not allow himself to be bullied. He will continue learning and growing as a human being. He will become a man. The hug was the cherry on top for this scene.

Watching Capone in the car, he is scared!  The humanity shines. He collects himself and steps out of the car. Ready to face the people, the press, the trial and his future.

He told his brother not to worry, to smile, they'll buy off a judge. He told his wife to calm down, to make coffee. A family is on the verge of being torn apart due to the end of the Chicago outfit and Capone's trial. Will Ralph take it over? That doesn't matter. Capone's time on top is over.

He stares down D'Angelo and tips his hat toward him.

Capone's final scene of the series was perfect. In fact, had this show been centered on him, I would have applauded that ending. A fine end to a wonderful character.

Best bits

-Joe Kennedy explaining three things that are difficult to understand.
1. The work of the bees.
2. Movements of the tide.
3. The mind of a woman.

Margaret of course shoots back with an experiment for Joe. "Think about the things you want in life and picture yourself wearing a dress."

Man has been trying to figure out women for a long time...stop. We're quite similar actually.

-Capone joking to his wife about whether a famous woman is a "dyke" and telling his wife that reporters from the Chicago Tribute are all like washerwoman. Nothing but gossip!

-Luciano telling Meyer not to clock him for having three whiskeys in one hour.

Luciano also mentioned Dutch Schultz. It's a shame this show had to end so quickly. Had there been no time jump. There easily could have been one more season to showcase Rothstein's death and show some of the intense turf wars between Capone and Bugs Moran.

-Siegel jokes, when Meyer is listing off the names of those coming to the meeting, "Are those types of cheeses?"

-Narcisse  had one scene in the finale and it was a brief one. The doctor finally gets whacked, by the Italians. There is no speculation of his death, he is shot in the head one last time by an assailant.

-Eldorado- is a lavish apartment complex in Manhattan. Margaret and Nucky share a dance with an appropriate song in the background that pretty much tells the audience exactly what they are seeing. Times have passed, but the sweet memories remain. There is still a spark between these two, but it is simply not meant to be.

"We danced once, didn't we?" asks Nucky.

Nucky is planning to move to the El dorado. He's lost Mabel, Billie Kent and Sally. Margaret remains.

-Mabel's miscarriage. A flashback to a young Nucky reveals the cause of what eventually led to Mabel's descent into drinking. He finds her bloody garments. He asks what happened, "A mishap." is how she explains things. He then gets on his knees and says that they should call a doctor. Mabel refuses. He then tells her in a grief stricken voice, "I work for this. Everything. For this. I love you. I disappoint you whatever I do, don't I?"

-Commodore- Nucky was always obsequious toward the devil- like figure back then. The Commodore takes Nucky's Sheriff badge away. He doesn't believe in him. Nucky darts back with the whole I'm loyal and dependent routine. His rhetoric isn't good enough.

What the Commodore said is key. "The only thing that matters is what you leave behind."
Everything that Nucky had done so far in his life, could easily be washed away by a storm.
A true legacy. Nucky's legacy begins in a weak moment of desperation when he decides to hand over a young Gillian to the Commodore.

Remember in season 2. "He pointed to the one he wanted and the rest was understood."

-Television (1931) No better way to showcase the brand new era then showing the cutting edge technology of the early 1930's. A mysterious woman spots Nucky on the boardwalk and takes him inside of a tent to see a glimpse into a future he has no part of.

"I'm the future shh." she says.  Nucky doesn't understand what is going on...The woman is the embodiment of the next chapter of the 20th century. Nucky is a 19th century product, who is now outdated.
"The world to come." she adds. "I'll be there, but I won't be there."

Nucky is seeing the future that he will never get to experience.

-Domestic Violence Nucky's father was an alcoholic. He also abused his spouse. The confrontation between father and son was well done. Nucky doesn't even tell his father that his wife is pregnant, although at the time she has just miscarried.

I doubt old pa, was invited to the wedding...

Final points

Keep in mind that this season did feel rush, but we should all be happy that the story did come to an end. Exactly how it got there mystifies me. I can tell that if Michael Pitt's character is not killed off, this show goes in a different direction. Terrence Winter is writing a new show. The pilot has already been shot. He is moving on to his next project. It was time for boardwalk to end.

Does the show feel incomplete? It does and it doesn't. The seven year jump did make this final season feel off, but it was salvaged to a large degree by the show runners, Terrence Winter, Howard Korder and Tim Van Patten understood how to tie up all of the loose ends.

-The deaths of Sally, Chalky, Van Alden and Nucky did not seem as organic to me as I would have imagined them to be, but hey, I still enjoyed watching this show. Could this have been a better season? Yes? Was this season bad...of course not. All five seasons were brilliant spectacles. The sets, the costumes, directing, acting - everything. Still, the writing was always off with this show. The dialogue was well written, but the important character arcs, for this season, were well...weak.

Sally being a brassy foil to Nucky did not impress me, Van Alden and Eli in a nonsensical FBI sting was far too convenient, Chalky dying without getting his vengeance left me with a lukewarm feeling.
This season was too poetic with all of the useless flashbacks.
I say useless because the flashbacks only added to the predictability of the show.

 It is ultimately a good thing that this show end after five seasons. There was no suspense for me in this final season.

I will say that Chalky's rivalry with Narcisse last season was the best thing to happen to the show since season 1. There were many moments where I thought Chalky would not make it out alive. It kept me glued to the television. I did not feel that way since Jimmy passed. The show did ultimately change with his passing, but is all honesty it was for the better.

Season 3's finale was epic, we all remember that shootout. Season 4's finale was heartbreaking. Season 5 was quite poetic, predictable, but nonetheless underwhelming. I liked this episode. I did not love or hate it. I was satisfied.

Mr. Winter comes from the school of leaving the stage while the audience wants more.
I believe that is ok to a certain degree. It's perfect for Theatre - not television (film).

The ending of the previous episode, (which I thought was too cute), set up a potential redemptive arc for Nucky. Nucky reads this letter from someone in his past, who is in desperate need of his help, someone who he has betrayed, who he lied to and broke his promise to about taking care of.

The fact that Nucky does not visit Gillian for weeks and we see this happen near the end of the episode does not fit at all. The dialogue in that scene is putrid. From an acting stand point Buscemi is fine, the direction is horrible. There is no observation. There is nothing.

The prison does close down later that year, but a better end to the character Gillian is not to have her as some "tragic character," that is lazy writing in my estimation. Why bring that character back for this season to only have her suffer in the past, present and future? It would have been more compelling to show her suffering in the past and present, but in the end get her recompense from Nucky.

Now, I do acknowledge that it does make perfect sense that Nucky show up late, because he is unaware of what transpires at the prison/asylum/hospital. The only thing that bothers me is the point of dialogue. Why not show Nucky arriving and seeing Gillian try to get up from a far, he realizes something is wrong. Gillian sees him and gives him a sad or lifeless look. The audience understands he was too late. She was not saved. The ladybug part was once again, trying to be too cute. It was not poetic, it was nothing.

Joe Harper was a terrible character. In fact, there was little, to no point in him being around for more than one episode.

The fact that he gets so close to Nucky and says he has no family undermines Harrow's sacrifice to keep him safe in the past two seasons. There is no explanation for what happened to him. How did he get back to Atlantic City? Why?  He's a 14-15 year old kid now. Nucky gives him a $1,000 and he spends it all? $1,000 is a lot of money in the early 1930's! His refusal to take money from so many people and then finally accept it and blow it all after one episode is mind boggling! Of course one episode can mean that weeks or months have passed, but still...These two cyclical story lines felt forced. This ending was very predictable.

It was nice, touching, but predictable. At least there was no cut to black. Winter, learned from that mistake.

The flashbacks hurt this final season. It took away screen time from Luciano, Capone, Lanksy, Busgy and Chalky, but this is how it was written from the beginning. As uninteresting of a protagonist or antagonist Nucky was, he was indeed the main character, however his supporting cast, was far more interesting.

In the end, this gangster drama ended with what else...a "Tommy gun."

Here's a link to the farewell to Boardwalk Empire, Boardwalk Empire - Farewell - The Final Shot

The Upstater's Experience: The Little Things

It is so easy to get caught up in, and overwhelmed by, the glamour of New York. Once you have lived in the city for an extended period of time the golden shimmer starts to melt into shiny paint over long stretches of concrete and rust. Glowing spotlights that promise excitement and adventure fade into harsh fluorescents, guiding you from one dingy corner to the next. In a city full of flashing signs, constant bombardment of advertising and intensely unpleasant odors, it is a daily struggle to sift through the unpleasantness and spot something fresh, simple, and purely enjoyable.

But struggle does not equal impossibility. There’s nothing like taking the time to appreciate the little things, especially in the city.

Every day for the last year and a half I have made a point of writing down the best parts of my day, even on the very worst of days. Nothing extensive, and absolutely nothing negative, just at least one positive thing I witness or experience throughout my day. Most days have more than one positive occurrence, but even on a bad day you get an unusually good cup of tea, a perfectly-timed compliment, or a chance seating next to an attractive stranger on the train.

For example, just a few of my favorite small moments from the last four months:

·        Witnessing a RomCom-worthy introduction between an unlikely pairing at the bar.

·        Spotting a bright blue Morning Glory vine twisting its way over an eyesore of rusted sheet metal and barbed wire.

·        Sharing coffee and orange juice and conversation with roommates on a cold, lazy morning.

·        A simple birthday dinner turning into all-night adventure of drag shows, cheap pizza and Netflix.

·        Being awake at six in the morning to watch the sun rise and city wake up.

·        Receiving a generous tip from a kind table during a really slow day at work.

Since starting this positivity journal, I’ve seen my share of simple joys and miraculous moments, had my share of miniature adventures and epic journeys. Never has it been more important than in these last few months, in a place where it is too easy to let looming stress, hectic schedules and overdue rent overwhelm the mind, to stay the course.

It has not always been easy to find the good in a truly awful day, but the phrase “practice makes perfect” has never rung more true or carried more weight on a personal level. And whenever I leave this place, I’ll only take the happiest moments and the best stories home with me. 

Sesame Oil Massage

One of my favorite ways to de-stress comes from ayruveda. I use sesame oil for abhyanga, the daily self-massage. It is rich in linoleic acid, and has anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties ॐ

You can also use sesame oil for oil pulling or scalp treatments.

Find out more information about Ayruveda here and here.

 
Follow my fitness journey on Instagram @srollz

Original post on www.girlinthegymjungle.com

Kripalu Yoga Acceptance

I did it!

After six years of practicing I finally mustered up the courage to follow something that I was passionate about. I posted my main hesitations in a previous post.

I’m feeling a mixture of emotions: excitement, nervousness, joy, reluctance … But the most overwhelming feeling is that of pride.

I am proud of myself. I am proud that I finally took this leap of faith to pursue something that I am so immensely passionate about. Yoga instruction to me seemed unattainable because I didn’t have graceful gymnastic abilities nor did I have the slender body type of yogis depicted in sportswear ads.
This step symbolizes how much I have grown, changed and accepted myself.



Follow my journey on Instagram! @srollz

Original post from www.girlinthegymjungle.com

Boardwalk Empire S5E7 Review: "Friendless Child" By Greg Hernandez

Boardwalk Empire Review: “Friendless Child.”

“Et tu, Brute?”

There was so much betrayal in this episode. Mickey betrays Nucky and gets killed by an unimpressed Luciano. Maranzano is betrayed by Nucky. Gillian who we already know was betrayed as a 13 year old by Nucky, now seeks his help.

“Friendless Child,” provided many twists and turns that attempted to make the story less predictable, but did not really succeed.  Let’s begin with the intro: “Gangland Graveyard,” sequence of shots was well done. I enjoyed watching many of our favorite gangsters look up in a moment of fear as a door opened or a person entered the room or walked by.

One of the strengths of this season is allowing the audience to see what our favorite characters are seeing. For example, Chalky’s death scene- we see him see the men, the guns and with the final close up on his face before the credits roll, we experience his fate in a far more intimate way because we do not see him get shot we hear it instead, as we hear Daughter’s voice in Chalky’s mind.

Another example is seeing Gillian see the chaos and hell that is her life in the insane asylum.

Seven years of misery we see. The camera pans to show the audience the totality of her dire predicament. Say what you will about this season, but you cannot argue that after five seasons, the writers have not done their best to give the audience as close to an in depth feel of their favorite characters as possible. We seldom hear what these characters are thinking, but we do see it and experience it. That is due to the incredible production quality behind this series. I am happy that there were finally flashbacks to Nuckys younger days. Still, I would have loved to have seen this in earlier seasons. I guess it does make sense to save it for the final season, but as someone who loves watching this show, I had to go back and re-watch portions of season 1 to find out more about Mabel. All the way back in episode one of season one- 1920, Nucky says that it had been 7 years since she passed away due to consumption. We see him reflect upon this to the Commodore and Margaret. So, that is 1913. Our latest flashback was in 1897, which means the series finale will have a time jump from Gillian’s rape at the hands of the Commodore and then Mabel’s death later on. This will all coincide with Nucky’s rise and demise.

Toward the start of the episode, Nucky is chomping at the bit to eliminate Luciano. He doesn’t want to sit idly by anymore and for good reason. It’s been weeks of war. War, costs money, Mickey informs him that they lost nearly a hundred grand due to the targeting of their trucks. Maranzano cautions patience. He tries to reason with Nucky, that he will provide protection for his trucks and kill Luciano.

Nucky is steaming mad. He is bloodthirsty for some action. “If Luciano shows one hair-

“I will cut it!” Maranzano exclaims. “Along with his fucking throat”

Time proves Maranzano wise- at least in the Boardwalk Empire world. As soon as Maranzano leaves, Nucky’s line, “I can be impetuous too,” comes back to haunt him by episodes end.

I am little upset that we had to wait until the last season to see more candid scenes of Bugsy Siegel! He’s a phenomenal character! In fact, in this episode he was my favorite gangster. Every time he was on the screen, I could not take my eyes off him. Michael Zegen, did a fantastic job portraying the famed gangster. Bugsy really should have his own show, along with Capone.

One of the best moments of this episode was his first line at the door, “Your husband around?” Bugsy asks. As soon as he gets the green light from his mistress, he proceeds with another gem. “Then I’ll just grab what I came for.” I love it!

The shootout, chase and fight were all well-choreographed. Once again, you got to feel Bugsy’s struggle and desperation. What was even better was the hit from Nucky’s enforcer. I like that he still carries the knife, sadly we all knew that he was not going to be cutting Bugsy’s ears off.

The tense back-and-forth between Nucky and Luciano over the phone was well done.

“We’ll meet you at your funeral,” says Luciano.

Remember William Thompson? I thought by now he would be dating his co-worker, but alas, they are only friends. Well, Lucky orchestrated a fine kidnapping of him, in broad day light too! Go figure.

The terse meeting between Eli and Will ends with the kidnapping of the Will and the crying out from Eli. Imagine not seeing or hearing from your son in over seven years? You finally see him again and he doesn’t even shake your hand…yes, you cheated on your wife and have permanently fragmented the family, but still this is your son. He even offers your money and a room to stay because well…look at Eli! The show runners even decided to have a fly buzz around him for added effect- he smells that bad!

Eli storming into Nucky’s place was good to see. “You better have a good reason for showing up.” Once again Nucky's enforcer has the knife ready to cut Eli, I love it!

The impending standoff was a pleasure to see. I truly believed Eli was going to die when Bugsy sucker punched Will back to Luciano’s side. The intensity of this standoff was palpable. Rescuing the life of your nephew is worth the loss of your empire. Family always comes first. There was not much suspense for me in this episode, because as I said in my review last week, the death of so many fictional characters destroys the suspense. At this point, that is ok. The end is here. Unless the show runners plan to rewrite history for their show than this series finale will be quite predictable.

Best bits

- Bugsy Siegel sings a real song from 1931 by "Harry Roy &his Orchestra," titled "My Girl's Pussy."
Here is the version from the scene "It's My Girl's Pussy." and here is the full song, Harry Roy & His Orchestra, "My Girl's Pussy"

-          -Maranzano’s death scene was quite accurate. Stabbed several times at his office and then eventually shot head.

-          -   Joe Harper sounds and looks like Jimmy Darmody. This show cannot escape the backlash of killing off that character. Still you cannot blame them for killing of Jimmy once you read this article: evidence-boardwalk-empires-michael-pitt-may-biggest-jackass-hollywood/

-  Will Eli  die in the series finale? He has nothing left to lose at this point. His son is safe now.

-          -  Joe Harper refusing money from Marazano and Nucky was good to see because it mirrored Jimmy’s introduction into the darker elements of Atlantic City. Thanks to the flashbacks we see Nucky tell Joe to go be something else. He is saving him from this world. Like Jimmy, Rowland and others before him Joe does not realize the world he is involved in right now. Now, is the time to get out, Nucky realizes Joe’s youth and ignorance. Having seen a young Nucky enter the Commodore’s dark world. Nucky does not want Joe to make a similar mistake. Finally, Joe took the money and left!

-          -  Nucky and Mickey reflecting on how far they have come. Through all of the years of war and death. It’s Nucky and Mickey standing side-by-side.

             - I liked how Mickey Doyle went out. I do not like how Nuckys enforcer was killed off. His last word was, “Puta…” really?

-          - Nucky getting on his knees makes Luciano’s partner, Meyer Lanksy very happy. Solid revenge from last season’s mock execution.

-         

Final points

- One more episode to go, Nucky is not in the clear just yet. Still, the real life Enoch Johnson lived to be eighty-five years old. Will the show follow suit? I still feel there will be one more death before the show wraps.

- Nucky took out a life insurance policy on Doyle, so as his empire crumbles, he’ll be just ok.

- Nucky and Margaret are also buying up shares from Joe Kennedy’s company?

- Seeing a young Gillian was quite enjoyable. We finally get to see the beginning of this character’s intense struggle. At the age of 13 she is an orphan who commits larceny. Upon first glance she appears to be a boy. After being cleaned up she looks wonderful- ripe for the picking for the Commodore. Gillian is so mild-mannered it is a shame that Nucky did not simply adopt her. Had he done that and managed to keep the Commodore away from her, we would have never gotten to see Jimmy. Gillian would have grown up a lot happier.

- Her letter to Nucky is her last chance for freedom. I do believe Nucky will use the last of his connections to rescue her from a grisly fate.

-No Capone this episode. We will of course see him in the finale. That white suit won’t save him. He’ll be going out in style!

-Here’s the promo for the finale episode of Boardwalk Empire ever! 

Boardwalk Empire Series FINALE PROMO "Eldorado"

Angry, Happy and Sad

- Slut Shaming.

"Because it's always a woman's fault, why men cheat..."

This made me angry...I read this article about a mistress in China being ambushed, dragged and beaten in public by four women. The crime, being that she slept with a married man.

I was appalled by this. This was a despicable act. Violence never answers a problem. Capital punishment and cursing someone doesn't work either. Look, I don't think marriage is sacred, but let's not get into all of that...The man slept with this woman and she gets beaten. Apparently, this is quite common in China. People do not get involved because these are matters of the heart...nice excuse.

Where is our dignity? Where is our common humanity? How can people continue to systematically gawk, record and not interfere? Nobody stepped in to stop this heinous beat down of an innocent woman.

Pandemonium - Now, I remember watching this video a while ago. It put a smile on my face. I smiled at the first 2-3 people ONLY. They displayed courage. Everyone afterward was just jumping in. All we human beings need is for one person to act and show us how. We see others react to a terrible situation like that, where there is no thinking, only acting involved. That is brilliant!

Back to my the beating of the mistress, all this woman did was fuck a married man! She did not rape him! Oh, she coerced him, they say; yes, the man hated every minute of it, he could not resist. It's the temptress' fault. We human beings will blame everyone else before we even take a gander at ourselves.

Why wasn't the man beaten? Was he even scolded? Read the article below and you may get some insight into this juvenile and archaic display of behavior.

-Final comment on this piece. It would have been better if the wife and mistress sat down for coffee and talked about how terrible men are or something. When it's all said and done, the husband will not be divorced, he'll keep fucking his wife - in essence, he'll still have his cake and eat it too! Oh, he'll probably cheat again, so there's another slimmer slice of cake in his future...

video-chinese-woman-lin-yao-li-stripped-beaten-4-women-sleeping-another-womans-husband

- Not conforming makes me happy.

I don't care if a chick has pit hair. Nope. Don't care at all. Hair is hair...remember that George Carlin Poem on hair? Here it is: Hair Poem By George Carlin

Society shouldn't dictate people's appearances. Forget uniforms, shaving, white collar look etc.

The attire of life is simple. Naked or clothed. Come on people. If someone wishes to shave, they will shave, if not let them grow the hair on their bodies out until you cannot see them anymore.

If we continue to control, stigmatize the appearance of people, (mainly women), we will continue to further divide the two sexes. The article below lists pertinent reasons as to why we should cease the stigmatization.

stop-stigmatizing-womens-hair/


-  Not being truthful, leads to awkward and sad moments.

I have no picture to show for this one. I only have a quick story. This is an account of what happened to me a few days ago, while location scouting for an upcoming project. I was walking in Washington Heights going west on 181 street.

I was on my way to check out the little "Red Lighthouse." I took the bridge to cross over  the Henry Hudson Parkway, I went down the slope around the loop toward the lighthouse. On my way there. I made eye contact with a man. He was a bald man, of light complexion. He appeared to be hiking or going for a run. As we passed each other we looked back at one another. I was confused because perhaps  I somehow knew him and did not remember. I was afraid I was being rude, nevertheless I continued on. I saw a patch of downward rocks that led to the river. I wanted to take some pictures there.

 For some reason, I had a strange sense to look back one time. I did, I saw the man standing about 20 yards back. He hadn't moved. His facial expression seemed to be quite indecisive. It was as if he were struggling with a thought. His physical position told me that. His body was facing away from me, but his head was turned the other way, toward me.

I shrugged it off and ambled down the rocks near the water. I sat down and begin to unzip my book bag. As I reached for my camera, I heard something behind me. It was the man. He was walking down toward me. I froze. I was on high alert now. He was coming down slowly, quite hesitantly. He sat down a few yards from me. I was still turned and frozen staring at him.

Our conversation went as followed:

STRANGER: Hi.

ME: Hey...

STRANGER: Do you have the time?

ME: What?

STRANGER: Time. Do you have the time?

ME; 1:03.

STRANGER: Thank you.

ME: Yup. Don't mention it. (I turned back toward the my camera bag and the view) I still felt his presence.

STRANGER: Taking pictures?

ME: Yeah, I'm waiting for my friend to show up so we can take some photos.

STRANGER: Ok.

ME: Yup.

STRANGER: Are you gay or bisexual?

ME: No, I'm straight, sorry man.

At that point, I got up to leave.

STRANGER: SORRY FOR DISTURBING YOU...

ME: IT'S OK.

I left him behind. I did look back once as I tied my shoelaces. I was about 40 yards from where I left him. I saw him walk off and not look back.

I was troubled. Why hadn't he asked me that from the start...I was sad for some reason. Then the reasoning behind my sadness hit me.

He felt terrible for being so awkward. Sure, it was scary at first for me, being stalked like that. It makes one feel threatened. Still, I could not imagine how bad he might have felt. If he had merely asked me my sexual orientation as we passed each other I would have laughed and told him thanks for the compliment but I'm straight.

He could have said the following:

"Hey good looking, do you have a boyfriend?"

I would have laughed pretty hard and said, "WOW! That's a new one...now I know how some women feel...sheesh, you're aggressive, sorry bro, I'm straight."

My point is, that when a moment is there, you take it, you don't wait. The guy must have found me attractive. He could not figure me straight, bi, or gay. He was intrigued so he stopped going in his direction and followed me. It's flattering in a way, but also disturbing.

Now, we had to go throw a slow, scary, awkward dance of words.

It makes me sad that that had to happen.

These are some things that made me angry, happy and sad.

"Gone Girl" Is a Successful Mess For Fincher & Friends

David Fincher’s latest film is a tense thriller with a plot that twists and turns and wretches like a snake with his head chopped off. While that might sound like a condemnation, it is quite the opposite.

Gone Girl is tells the story of Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck), a man who finds himself in the middle of a media circus after his wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike) goes missing. Fincher and his long time collaborator and cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth continue to create mesmerizing images that are as beautiful as they are grotesque. 

Gone Girl is a gooey, grimy film at its core, dealing with some tough issues of the modern day; Mass media fueled by tabloid headlines, souring of marital relationships and the defining of gender roles in such marriages. All are some of the themes that bubble to the surface in a film that could be compared to classic 1930’s noir films.

The film has a guttural “nastiness”, echoed by a stirring score composed by Trent Rezner and Atticus Ross. The pair also scored Fincher’s most recent films The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Social Network. “The Way He Looks At Me”, a track found within the film, is particularly revolting. The music builds from a sticky, repetitive percussion and crescendos into a psychotic busyness, driven by a deep, dark, reverberation. The image of banging on a metal trashcan filled with vomit is the only image that comes to mind when attempting to describe such sonic reverberations. It may be “nasty”, but the soundtrack mirrors the emotional and psychological tones of the film perfectly.

“Gone Girl” features a smartly cast ensemble. Ben Affleck, who has been touted as the poster boy of the film, performs brilliantly. Nick Dunne acquires the audience’s sympathy at points, but also has moments of egotistical smugness that keep the viewer at a distance.

Tyler Perry, Carrie Coon, Kim Dickens and Neil Patrick Harris all turn in shining performances, but the brightest star of the show is clearly Rosamund Pike, who explodes off the screen. Pike has likely cemented her place in Hollywood after a horrifically magnificent, career defining performance.

Pike’s Amy Dunne is a femme fetal that evolves into something much more sinister, something more akin to Cathy Bates’ Annie Wilkes from John Carpenter’s “Misery”.

In all, Fincher’s masterful direction paired with longtime collaborators Jeff Cronenweth and Trent Reznor & Attickus Ross leads to one of the more memorable films of the year, and is likely to be an early Academy Awards contender in more categories than one.

Boardwalk Empire S5E6 Review: "Devil You Know" By Greg Hernandez

"Better the devil you know, than the devil you don't."

This was a sad episode to watch. It was even harder to review.  Two characters who have been around since the beginning are now dead. To the lost... Let's dive in.

All characters present in this episode were in situations that they could not figure out and control.

Nucky manages to slip past his bodyguard and escapes to the nastiest dive bar Jersey has to offer. There, he begins drinking heavily. He is mourning Sally. Perhaps that is why he seeks out the two tough bar women, they might remind him of his lost love.

We can see that Nucky is still in between worlds. He continues to look back on his life with regret.
Where did it all go wrong? We'll find all that out in the final 2 episodes via flashbacks. Once this season ends, Nucky's arc will come full circle.

 The end is near for Nucky in the present.
In the past we will see exactly when his planned out life begins to inevitably crumble.

Nucky has lost many loved ones in his life. Many of whom are females. Sally is the latest one.
I'm curious to see how Mabel fares.

The last thing Sally said to Nucky was, "Have your coffee." That's harsh.

This episode reminded me of Murakami's novel, "Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World." Two distinct conclusions are set to converge. The ending is not pleasant, yet you desire it. We desire Nucky going to war. We so badly wish to see how Nucky became who he is.
It's all sad. The true embodiment of this example is the deaths of Van Alden and Chalky.

Nucky goes back into his season 3 mode and engages a middle-aged man in a fight. "Apologize!" he commands him. The man refuses. Nucky knocks him out.
Afterward, Nucky desires the company of both bar women. "I want to fuck you both," he says.
Ah, nothing like a fight and two women help your mourning.
Unfortunately things go south. It was all a set up. Nucky has been swindled. In his unconscious state, Nucky reminisces of his time as deputy sheriff. We see the Commodore engaging in some shady activity...a young girl goes in to see him, while the mother waits outside. The impatience is palpable. Now, that's sick...

We know it's vile and disgusting because Nucky and Eli ambush a young robber who is in fact not a boy, but a young Gillian. This will set the stage for her eventual date with the Commodore, which will lead to her infamous rape.

 I suspect the Commodore will be caught in this heinous act and be shamed, it allow Nucky to rise to power.
That's my speculation. I am now more intrigued by the flashbacks than the present day story line, which in my opinion is bad.

Now onto the two unceremonious deaths of Chalky and Van Alden.
First off, Game of Thrones does a much better job at killing off their characters. There is never a dull death in that show.
In this particular season of Boardwalk, there have been many dull deaths. It's all underwhelming.

"No one goes quietly," is the theme for this season. Van Alden went out with a scathing monologue that seemed to have been buried deep inside of him. Van Alden was like a volcano. When all was calm, he was still and borderline boring for the characters present, yet intriguing (I loved this character). There were several eruptions throughout past seasons and this was the biggest of all.

Van Alden and Eli are pushed into a corner. They have been squeezed by the under cover fed "Mike D'Angelo," but even when you're squeezed, there is still some wiggle room right?

A tense interrogation from Capone leads to the deadly scuffle with Van Alden.

Van Alden, remarks that this has not been thought through.
After a series of missteps, we're right back where we were a few episodes ago with Capone holding a gun to Van Alden's head. Everyone knew Capone was not going to shoot him.

Nobody saw Van Alden leaving behind George Mueller forever and going the righteous route to heaven.

D'Angelo pulls the trigger, killing Van Alden, thus saving Capone's life....where were the rest of Capone's men? Ralphy is not the fighting type. Van Alden was easily able to push him back. Re-watching that part, I do not understand why Capone continues to handle the gun himself, why not bring in more men, I don't know, just my thinking.

Eli, rats out Elliot Ness to Capone, thus saving himself and D'Angelo.
Capone apparently was so shaken after his encounter with Van Alden, that Ralphy, gives D'Angelo the ledgers. That seemed far too convenient for me, because if I survived an attack that was geared toward taking the ledgers, I would keep them as close to me as possible. I would not trust anyone!
Plus, Capone survived Bugs Moran and other wars. He's been scarred. Now he fears for his life?
Perhaps that is how Capone truly was, a push over who got ahead.

Eli gets a bill of money for his work. Once again, Eli is worthless. He can now escape for Chicago and go where? Out west, back to Atlantic City? It's all over for him.

So, I know Van Alden almost shot Al last season, but the resurgence of his alter-ego from seasons past was quite sudden to me. Of course we see glimpses of it when he shot his iron co-workers last season, telling O'Banion off, telling his wife to take off her clothes etc; but what separates all of those from his final scene, is one thing. the outcome. In every other situation, Van Alden understood what the stakes where. In this scenario, it did not make much sense to me.

Allow me to elaborate, the writers placed Chalky and Van Alden in situations where they could only react one way. The writing seems far too convenient. Everything has to fit perfectly in order to mesh. This is what happens when you're dealing with a show that has a lot of  history behind it.  Then again, perhaps Van Alden had just finally reached his breaking point.
Remember the fork to the cheek from season 3 - ouch!

After seven years of exile,  running with young crews and prison time, Chalky is finally face-to-face with Daughter and Narcisse. "Is this how you imagined it, after all these years?"

As soon as Chalky decided to wait for Narcisse, the audience should have known that there was no way out for him. I already knew he would die going into this season, just a feeling.

Remember, this episode takes place in the wee hours of the morning.

People feel Chalky went out quietly...
I disagree. We heard daughter's voice in his head. He went out on his terms- very similar to Jimmy. Unfortunately, the effect was not the same. I was not amused with the execution. It felt too cliche for Chalky.

With Sally, Van Alden and Chalky gone- the final 2 episodes become less interesting for me. I have a good idea how this will all end.

Best bits:

-Eli's face after Van Alden has been shot dead.

-D'Angelo's face during the interrogation. I think he was about to soil himself.

-The two actors who portrayed Paul Muni and George Raft were fantastic! I love how they had to sit there uncomfortable. Here's the trailer for the 1932 film, "Scarface" Scarface - Trailer

-We got to see Chalky's daughter.

-Narcisse doesn't like locked doors!

- Chalky gives a big fuck you to Narcisse before going out. "Ain't nobody free."

-Nucky reciting old songs from his youth. Nucky is at his best when he is lying.

-Al Capone- "I thought we was buddies...you steal from buddies?"

-Joe Harpur, er, I mean Tommy Darmody- where is this character going? He is getting closer and closer to Nucky.

Here are two farewell videos to two amazing characters. Michael Shannon and Michael Kenneth Williams you were both phenomenal! Thank you for incredible performances.

Chalky White Memoriam

Van Alden Memoriam

Below is a fantastic explanation from Howard Korder.

While I disagree with the final moment of the episode, I completely respect it.

Inside the Episode E6 "Devil You Know"

Here's the promo for next episode.

Boardwalk Empire Episode 7 Promo

Boardwalk Empire S5E5 Review: "King of Norway" By Greg Hernandez

Episode 5 titled, "King of Norway" was frighteningly good. As the first episode of October, it needed to be. Every single main character was scared in this episode, save for Margaret. With only three episodes left, all major story lines needed to be accelerated and that is exactly what happened. Let's dive in.

Chalky White's  revenge arc finally picked up some steam this week. His sudden reappearance in Atlantic City took everyone by surprise. The scene with Nucky was by far one of the best this season. From an acting standpoint, I love how Chalky is sitting the whole time, yet he is the one without power. He refuses a drink from Nucky, who gives a hilarious remark, "Does anybody drink anymore?" Nuck, you're an alcoholic. This scene was sad, because think about where these two were at the end of season 3. Now eight years later, Chalky's family has moved on to St. Louis. Nucky advises Chalky to "start over." How can he bury the past with Narcisse still alive?

Chalky makes his way to Harlem. He locates Narcisse's head quarters. The crafty Chalky sneaks a piece past the one guard...really, after the shooting incident a couple of episodes back, you would think there would be more protection at the door! Now instead of finding his arch-nemesis, Chalky happens on Daughter Maitland with a child, Once again, Chalky's story line proves to be far more interesting than Nucky's cyclical, flashback, not willing to give it up and retire just yet arc.

Gillian was the soul of this episode. Her pain is palpable. "Protect your fur." is what her fellow inmate says to her before being carried away for a forced hysterectomy. Dr. Cotton is based on the real life figure, who was a psychiatrist and medical director at the New Jersey Lunatic Asylum. He believed that insanity was the direct result of untreated infections in the body. He is now famous for his heinous acts toward and directed at his patients through the practice of "surgical bacteriology," which means removing people's teeth.

Like Chalky, Gillian cannot start over. She is trapped. There truly is no way for her to sweet talk her way out of this dire predicament. Notice how this show has taken great care to depict all of the patients absurd behavior at this asylum. Heads will roll in the next two episodes I guarantee it.
I predict Gillian will be saved before her fateful operation. An investigation will be made.

Nelson Van Aldan and Eli's  story lines remain the most hilarious and unpredictable of this season. The best moments are when these two characters share the screen. The dinner scene in this episode was like a terrific play, where the tension builds up quickly and at the right moment exploded. Sigrid Mueller,  Nelson's pissed off wife, is in a perpetual state of "IDGAF," and I love it. Every scene needs a character like that! Apparently Eli's drunken blackout moments resulted in lots of "Fucking on the chair with Sigrid." I was wrong in my assumption that it was various women, Eli was seeing. No it's his partner's wife.

It's so tragic and funny because Eli's wife, June is pregnant again. Their ninth child. Eli wants to put an end to their long distance relationship. He desires the closeness of his family again. If he can move up the ladder in Capone's outfit, then he can provide for his family. Now, he's been caught. That picture in the living room hits him hard like an ice cold thanksgiving turkey flying through your windshield and breaking every facial bone. Eli drops the plates. Sigrid seizes the moment and proceeds to rhetorically eviscerate everyone involved. I love that she is the who answers the door. She lets in even more trouble, in the form of Mike D'Angelo, in his true form - an undercover agent.

I absolutely was enthralled with this sequence. The best part is when these two are alone in a room. The staring from Van Alden, the drinking from Eli and then sliding it over to Van Alden and the dialogue was crisp.

"Look, I don't know about you, but my life is a fucking shipwreck." says Eli.

"Well, land ho." Van Alden counters.

Nucky's flashbacks were once again spot on. We see a remarkable display of acting by Mark Pickering. He mimics Buscemi's mannerisms so well, that his transformation appears to be seamless. These scenes provided a blueprint for the man we see who is nearing the end of his rope against the trio of Luciano, Lanksy and Torrio. Nucky is a man with gumption. He knows what he wants and seeks it out. He may not have the acute vision of what he sees himself as, but he certainly has a clear idea of what he wants his life to be like. To him, the journey does not matter, it's all about the end result and that is what has his potential father-in-law is concerned about.

The scene between a young Nucky, Mabel, and her father was spot on. Nucky can say all of the right things, we've seen this in dealings, but like Joe Kennedy, pointed out, who is Nucky Thompson? That is what Maybel's father would like to know. That is the point of the season, to get a clear understanding of who our main character is before the show ends. Boardwalk Empire's one major flaw is that its main character is not as interesting as his supporting cast. We've lost heavy weights such as Jimmy Darmody, Gyp Rosetti, Arnold Rothstein and even Sally Wheat.  Characters who were far more dynamic than Nucky. This final season aims to solve that issue.

A young Nucky wants to make his way up the Atlantic City ladder. It's the place he knows will grow in tourism and power. He asks the corrupt, yet very nice and understanding Sheriff Lindsay about getting involved in the Commodore's dirtier assignments. Nucky is rebuffed by Lindsay, but discovers the remains of one of the Commodore's rivals on the beach, below the boardwalk.

We clearly see where this is going. Nucky will sacrifice a young Gillian to the Commodore for power. A heinous act that will trigger a series of veritable actions that will haunt all parties involved: i.e. Jimmy Darmody's wrath.

Margaret seems to be the only one who does not really have to start over again. She handled her situation with Mrs. Rothstein quite well. She made her settle on one deal, the only deal. Perhaps, Margaret will rise in power through the usage of intimidation. Her husband is a gangster and she can now use his name to get an account for herself. Oh, Margaret, devious as ever.

Best bits

-Doyle's exchange with the agent that showed up looking for Chalky was priceless.  When the real Chalky steps out of the kitchen, Doyle laughs it off, "Oh, there you are."

-That kid Mickey picked up and brought on board is seen again as his assistant.  Nucky instructs him to take his things down to the car. A quick double take finds Nucky asking the kid to turn around. The quick note of familiarity has everyone speculating the identity of this kid as Tommy Darmody. 

-Torrio has told Nucky to retire how many times now?

-Nucky calling Havana and finding out Sally is dead sums up the entire episode. Nucky wants answers - the names for those men who stopped Sally. He will pay whatever amount of money for that vital information. Don Ronis tells him that is impossible.

"Who will be called into account?"

"No one I'm afraid."

-Van Alden telling Eli that he "refuses to be ruled by fear." Sigrid calls out to him, "Husband."
"Coming dear," say Van Alden. SO funny.

-Maranzano saying he understands people will be gunning for him, "When you sit on the throne, that is expected."

Nucky will not win this time. He won't go quietly though, he'll end up having to pay "Roman tribute" to get out of this mess alive. Maranzano will end up just like Caesar. Stabbed in the back by Luciano's men.

-Mabel calling out her father for wanting her absent. She was threatened with a whipping and still smoked a cigarette.

-Pretty sure, that little girl is Chalky and Daughter's child. I doubt Chalky will be killed off now...I hope.

This was the best episode of the season so far. All of the story lines moved up in one nice cohesive manner.

Here's the promo for this Sunday's episode, Boardwalk Empire Promo S5E5: Devil You Know