Arts
“Well, what you wanna do?” I asked Jean again.
We were still standing in the same spot. Wasting time. For all we knew the shooter was watching our butts while here we stood in plain sight, like dummies, because of her.
Jean took one more look towards the alleyway and one look up the street before responding.
“Ok, let’s look, but after we look, we got to hurry home before Mom comes looking and embarrasses us by beating us all the way home.” I sure didn’t want that to happen to us again. Once in life is enough to have to live down.
I've never dabbled in stock trading, but after watching Craig Gillespie's "Dumb Money," based on a remarkable true story, I regret sitting out of the 2021 GameStop frenzy. During that pivotal moment, a pack of average Joe's flipped the script on Wall Street, turning GameStop, a declining company, into a cultural phenomenon.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Keith Gill, known as "Roaring Kitty" on the WallStreetBets subreddit, invested his life savings in GameStop stock. As his posts gained traction, what began as a simple stock tip evolved into a David vs. Goliath movement, enriching millions until the billionaires fought back.
This tale of disruption in the financial world, sparked by a band of Redditors, highlights the influence of social media when a group of people are united for the same cause. Craig Gillespie captures the highs and lows of trading during that period. Especially when Robinhood (a trading app) suddenly restricted its users from buying GameStop stock. Gillespie sheds light on a world grappling with isolation, economic disparities, and rising social movements.
Shelia Brady glanced up the street through the yellow curtains that she had brought when she first moved into this apartment. When was that? It must have been about ten years ago. The windows needed cleaning, and the paint on the frame was chipped. A woman’s work is never done, Shelia thought as she picked at a paint chip. She noticed that her red fingernail polish was also chipped. She glanced again out the window and saw Mr. Henry walking his dog with a piece of clothesline that was wrapped around his right wrist. The grey mangy looking dog was trotting behind him, sniffing the ground for just the right spot to drop his dump. It stopped and lifted his leg to pee on the ground while Mr. Henry picked at his nose and wiped his finger on his black dress pants.
Jack Slap
So you’re probably thinking you have it all figured out. You know just where this story’s going and where it will end. Well, if you do, you know more than I did when it was happening. Sometimes things happen that cause you to pause and look at your life from a different perspective. That’s happened to you hasn’t it? No? You’re not like most people, huh. Everything comes to you easy in life without any effort on your part you just come out of every bad situation smelling good, like a rose, like fresh bread from the oven and a newborn baby’s breath.
Jean
I looked at my sister and thought, she knows what’s happening but won’t tell. I picked at my tooth that had been bothering me all night and day and spat in the direction of Jean. “Hey, are you trying to be funny?” Jean yelled. “Don’t do that again!.” Jean was the baby of the family. Everybody loved Jean. She got on my nerves most of the time, but still, she was my baby sister, so I had to deal with it. Little Miss Prissy could get anything she wanted from Mom. I was the only one who didn’t fall for her bullcrap. I turned my head in the opposite direction and spat again. I didn’t bother to answer her because I knew that I would curse her out. I’d had it with her secrets, let along her attitude of smugness.
Prelude
It’s easy for you to sit and make judgments about me, isn’t it? It’s easy for you to tell me what is right and wrong with my life and how to change it. Isn’t it? It’s oh so easy to understand what the other guy is going through when it isn’t you. When you don’t have to suffer the pain and sorrow that is hanging over your brother’s head it’s easy for you to say ‘I understand.’ It’s easy when you have no knowledge whatsoever of the plight that one suffers when someone dies, or something is lost that was cherished. I don’t know where you get off with this belief. This feeling that you’re right and I’m wrong. Where do you get the nerve and courage to stand before me and my God and say that you know it all, you’ve seen it all, and you are the all. You couldn’t have been born with it. It wasn’t something that you brought. It must be something that you were taught somewhere down the line in your life. Somewhere that is make-believe, not of the real world that I live in. Do you live in this world? In my world?
We've all had unimaginable childhood dreams growing up. But what if one of those dreams became a reality? Neil Blomkamp's movie adaptation of the video game "Gran Turismo" delves into this notion. What's captivating is that it's grounded in the incredible true story of a team of underdogs in auto racing: a unique blend of a video game movie and a biopic.
The film is based on a real-life contest that allowed the best Gran Turismo players to race for real. Despite following familiar underdog tropes, the film is well-crafted and features impressive racing sequences. "Gran Turismo" is a video game adaptation that blurs the line between reality and fiction, showcasing how a racing simulator can train someone to become skilled in the real world.
Archie Madekwe portrays Jann Mardenborough, an avid gamer from Cardiff who dedicates nearly every waking moment to dominating Gran Turismo on PlayStation. He dreams of becoming a real-life race car driver. The problem? His expertise lies in the virtual world; he doesn't know the first thing about racing actual cars.
It is fitting that I am writing this review of Serving Herself the day before the last leg of professional tennis’ Grand Slam, the United States Open, which is scheduled from August 28 through September 10 at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York. Gibson, one of the greatest women’s tennis players ever, won back-to-back titles there in 1957 and 1958, when it was known as the United States National Championship. Its prestige then and now is undeniable.
It is fitting that I am writing this review of Serving Herself the day before the last leg of professional tennis’ Grand Slam, the United States Open, which is scheduled from August 28 through September 10 at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York. Gibson, one of the greatest women’s tennis players ever, won back-to-back titles there in 1957 and 1958, when it was known as the United States National Championship. Its prestige then and now is undeniable.
In the saturated superhero era, the DC Universe's much-anticipated introduction of a Latino superhero is finally presented in "Blue Beetle." The director, Angel Manuel Soto, competently interweaves a poignant family narrative with the challenges of newfound powers, creating a story that deeply resonates with audiences.
Fresh out of Gotham law school, Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) returns to Palmera City, a hometown that feels like a fusion of Miami and L.A. Instead of his anticipatory warm welcome, he discovers his family grappling with various hardships. Jaime, seeking employment with industrialist Jenny Kord (Bruna Marquezine), is entrusted with guarding a mysterious package. Unexpectedly, this binds him to a biotechnical Scarab. This alien tech empowers Jaime, unwillingly transforming him into the Blue Beetle (Imagine a suit, a blend of Iron Man's A.I. and Spider-Man's Iron Spider suit from the Avengers).