Hustling Gangster Movies during the A to Z Challenge #monday #meme #atozchallenge

“You take me higher than I’ve ever been, just to break me down into a thousand pieces. Boy, you make me wish I was a hustler, so I could move the weight off of my shoulders and I could run away...”

“Hustler” by Keri Hilson is such a stupid song -- but I kinda like it anyway. Screw the whole man/woman relationship vibe that this song oozes though, I'm going straight to the gangster movies, because nothing says Hustler like something along the lines of "Goodfellas," "American Gangster"or "New Jack City" and the list goes on. Since it's Monday and my turn to host following Dale at Smurfin' the Web's enlightening A to Z Challenge feature on the Batman franchise, this week's Monday Movie Meme theme is: Pushin' Weight.

Share on your blog or in the comments section, movies that feature some form of hustling -- from the street corner to the corporate office and everything in between. Anything goes here, drugs, money, sex, jewelry, cars, etc. it’s all fair game. Also, don’t forget to visit the blogs of other Monday Movie Meme participants and check out their picks for the week.

Here are my selections for this Pushin' Weight theme, as we continue the A to Z Challengen with an 'H' for hustling!

1. “We Own the Night”
Our favorite “Contraband” man, Mark Wahlberg stars in this movie alongside Robert Duvall, Eva Mendes and Joaquin Phoenix. The story is about a nightclub manager who goes undercover as a drug smuggler, to help the police capture a local gangster who tried to murder his brother. Truth be told, I only wanted to watch this film because Eva Mendes is in it -- LOVE her! I do, however, think it is a good flick overall.

2. "Belly"

Although I do not like this movie, partly because one of the real actors throughout the whole cast only has small, silly scenes to play in, the guys in here are some straight-up hustlers -- from the U.S. all the way to Jamaica and like the Jay-Z song goes...can't knock the hustle! The main characters, Sincere and Tommy are into a little bit of everything -- pulling heists and dealing drugs. One of the most talked about scenes features Tommy forcing one of his crime partners to strip naked, at gunpoint, to prove that he didn’t steal any money.

3. "Set It Of"

A group of friends working as janitors take a side job, robbing banks....talk about moonlighting!

4. "Fresh"

A 12 year-old boy from the projects uses his proficiency in chess to escape his life of selling drugs for a ruthless kingpin while also trying to help his junkie sister in the process. So yes, he's smart enough to play chess games but, yes, it takes him a while to become wise enough to realize that being a drug pusher is not his only option to survive and build a future for himself. 

Oh, how I want to mention “Catch Me If You Can” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, but alas -- I already listed it during the previous Monday Movie Meme week, It’s a Fix. 

Honorable Mention Song for today's 'H' post in the A to Z Challenge: Hustlin' by Rick Ross

Although most songs by Keri Hilson often get more play on my playlist, this particular Rick Ross tune fits in line with the overall image of a hustler -- selling drugs, betting on horse races, selling clothes and other merchandise on the side, so it's worth a mention. 

If you never heard either of these songs, I've posted them in the sidebar for your viewing and listening pleasure!

What are some movies that remind YOU of hustling?

Who are YOUR favorite hustlers in film?

Guest Documentaries on Future Generations #saturday #atozchallenge

“Picket lines and picket signs, don’t punish me with brutality...you know we’ve got to find a way to bring some lovin’ here today...”

Poverty, despair, war, sadness, you name it -- “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye is one of those somber tunes that express reasons why people sometimes want to throw their hands up in the air and scream in madness. If another singer did a remake of this song today, it would probably be titled “WTF?” but the feelings about most subjects covered in it are all the same.

Fortunately, there is good in the world, yet, I often have to remind myself of this after wondering if the good will ever outweigh all of the terrible acts that people carry out on their fellow man. It almost makes me not want to have children -- I mean, who wants to raise kids in a society that is filled with violence, injustice and other cruelty between human beings? I would not want any child of mine to have to be surrounded by it.

Many times, all I think about when listening to this song ranges from plight to depression to sorrow to hopelessness and the ghetto. However, I'm not going to go the route of depressing movies such as "Blue Valentine" nor will I travel down ghetto road today with movies like "Lottery Ticket." Instead, the documentary "Born into Brothels" is a good movie to highlight for today's post because it reminds me of people in an unfortunate situation and worse -- children who believe that their circumstances cannot improve, which is sad.

The sadness comes from the fact that no matter where you go in the world, children are generally fearless, trusting and see infinite possibilities, even in the most simple things. They are at an age where lack of access to Guitar Hero or Rock Band won’t stop them from playing music, because pots and pans can be turned into instruments.

Limitations only arise when we become adults and begin to question ourselves, probably as a result of fear. Maybe fear of the unknown, fear of judgement, fear of inequality, fear of feeling worthless, fear of failure, whatever. One little point-and-shoot camera, however, changed the perspectives of a group of underserved children in “Born into Brothels” -- these kids started to see their world in a new light and learned how to express themselves while taking pride in the photos that they took, like viewing a new piece of artwork.

Luckily, the adults who worked with these children were also able to learn new things about the environment that they were in and the world at large -- all through the eyes of people 10 or more years younger than them. That is the beauty of photography, documentaries and any other form of visual or fine arts -- the stories behind them can be inspiring while the creation of these pieces of work have the possibility to change lives.

Here is a photo documentary project for a dinner party that challenges you and your guests to exchange some wisdom about life, dreams, love, fears or any topics that tickle your fancy -- with children:

Require guests to take and submit one photo of a child who is 13 years of age or under, using a digital or disposable point-and-shoot camera and then conduct an 8-question interview with him or her. Afterward, allow the child to ask them 8 questions and also take photos of their choosing using the same camera. These activities should be completed in advance prior to the day of your social gathering.

Setup the dinner party as a photo exhibit and instruct guests to present their photo along with their interview answers BUT only after everyone has voted on their favorite photos among the bunch. Do not allow guests to know who took what until after the votes are counted and the top 3 winners are selected.

The winners should either get two gift cards --- one for the guest and one for the kid who is in the photo -- or -- a donation from you to the children's charity of his or her choice. You will all probably be amazed or more curious about the results that come from this.

For the purpose of this particular post, I conducted an interview with my six year-old niece but was unable to finish it in time for the A to Z Challenge. Here are three random questions and answers, however, that I do recall us discussing.

Me: How can we make the world a better place?

Her: Call 9-1-1.

Me: Who is your favorite actor?

Her: Jaden Smith's mom in "The Karate Kid." (She was referring to actress Taraji P. Henson)

Me: What is true love?

Her: *laughs* I don't know. Why are you asking me this stupid question, crazy old lady?

Although we didn't finish our interview, I still wonder what my niece's perspective on the world would look like in pictures. If I put a camera in her hand, would she return with photos that represent happiness or despair? Fairness or corruption? Sunshine or clouds? Goodness or evil? That's the thing about documentaries --- they capture exactly what's in front of you without any filters. What you see is what you get but the way you interpret what you're viewing makes all the difference.

How can we best protect our children from and prepare our children for the cold, unjust and/or violent aspects of the world?

Are there any questions that YOU would not be able to answer if it was asked by an eight year-old? If so, what are they?

What is the most important question that YOU would ask a random eight year-old who you don’t know?

Feelings and Flash Mobs in Film #friday #atozchallenge

“I don’t know what to do, don’t know what to prove. This is more than me, so much more than you. Can we make it through? You and I? I can’t decide...I just can’t pretend that you’re just a friend, we took it further, passion still remains, so here we are again because we caught feelings...”

“Feelings” by Floetry is a very soulful tune that can touch the heart of anyone who can relate to the awkward limbo of figuring out if you want to be with someone -- or that uncertainty of whether feelings are reciprocated, causing knots in your belly.  

Realizing that you have developed feelings for someone can be liberating and scary at the same time, depending on how you look at it. Romantic feelings for someone can also be tough for those who may consider taking a platonic relationship to the next level, because most people seldom want to risk a good friendship for something else that has no guarantee of lasting. In addition to that, what happens when you are ok with pursuing something with a person of interest or exploring where your feelings can take the both of you, but for some reason, you just don’t know how to express what you feel? These challenges play out all too often and then a movie comes along that shows us how art imitates life.

In the romantic comedy “Friends with Benefits” starring Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake, one of the main characters surprises another by arranging a flash mob to express his true feelings. Timberlake plays this role and tells Mila Kunis’ character “You said you wanted your life to be like a movie!” So, consider taking a page from Dylan Harper’s (Timberlake) book the next time you celebrate a special occasion by surprising a friend, family member -- or co-worker with a flash mob in their honor. Flip the script and make life imitate art, creating feelings of joy and gratitude for those whom you care about the most.

It does not have to be romantic, in fact, here are a few surprise birthday flash mobs that may help you come up with ideas on the choreography or overall theme. One features a woman who was so clueless about what was going on that she started participating in her own flash mob, without even knowing that it was for her. I especially like the second video where random citizens put a spin on the flash mob scene by surprising their bus driver with a whole production that included singing and a fake protest that turned out to be a mob of people with birthday messages and gifts for the birthday dude!

The third birthday flash mob video includes a girl whose family surprises her with a rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” dance routine -- in a hotel lobby. Last but not least, I planned to wrap this post up with a video clip that partially inspired today’s “Letter F” A to Z Challenge post -- the “Friends with Benefits” flash mob scene. However, the video clip showing that scene is no longer available on YouTube due to a copyright infringement claim by Screen Gems. So with that said, I guess you'll just have to rent the movie. In the meantime, enjoy.....

Sasha’s Surprise Birthday Flash Mob (5 mins & 27 secs):

The Birthday Surprise for a Danish Driver (3 mins):


Tori’s 18th Surprise Birthday with Family & Friends (5 mins & 57 secs):


What makes a good celebratory flash mob, in YOUR opinion?
The size/number of participants? choreography? dress code? song selection? Or, all of these elements combined?
Which of these birthday flash mob videos do YOU like best?