Unpretty and an Unlikely Film Book Therapy Session #tuesday #atozchallenge #april #atoz

“You can buy your hair if it won’t grow, you can fix your nose if you say so, you can buy all the makeup that M.A.C. can make but if you can’t look inside you, find out who am I too, be in a position to make me feel so damn unpretty. I’ll make you feel unpretty too.”

“Unpretty” by TLC is a nice song that I’ve enjoyed listening to on many occasions because its filled with self-esteem boosting messages -- their music video is also especially killer! If you have a weight or beauty complex, a birthmark that you’d like to get rid of, a tattoo that you wish you never got on your body or some other personal issue that makes you think or feel like you’re not good enough, then this tune is worth at least one play on your iPod, XM radio, Pandora radio, home stereo system or wherever you get your music fix.

The song reminds me of that feeling of wanting to change something about yourself so badly that you’re willing to do almost anything if it means you’ll be more attractive, taller, lighter, thinner, darker, smarter, faster, funnier, and the list goes on. It’s like the schoolgirl named Bonnie, played by Neve Campbell, in the fantasy horror film “The Craft.” Bonnie struggles with insecurities because she had severe scarring on her back. She turned to witchcraft to make these scars disappear, which they did, thanks to a beauty spell.

Since real life is rarely, if ever, like the movies, most of us do not have the resources to whip out a magic wand or spell and rid ourselves of any and all flaws that plague our mental or emotional well being.

We’re not witches like Bonnie and her friends in “The Craft” and we don’t Hogwarts professors to teach us fancy tricks for creating illusions of the mind. What we do have, however, is the ability to change our thinking from negative to positive with regards to how we feel about ourselves. Positive thinking includes nurturing all of the good about yourself that you can rather than feeding into viewpoints that don’t help you be the best YOU.

If you feel fat, for example, then do things that bring attention to other aspects of your body such as your hair or feet. In one of my favorite filmmaking books, authors Camille Landau and Tiare White says "Only wear (and only buy) clothes that make you feel sexy" in their chapter titled ‘Hype, for Cheap’ and "Don’t wear anything that makes you feel uncomfortable” in the chapter titled ‘It’s a Sad Dog Who Can’t Wag Its Own Tail.’

While the authors’ suggestions may have nothing technically to do with the filmmaking (or writing, singing, painting, etc.) process, they surely come in handy when you’re preparing for pitch sessions with people who are in a position to take your project to the next level or if you ever have to do a press interview for your screenplay (or book, sculpture, stage play, song, etc.) in front of dozens of people.

It’s much easier to focus on what’s really important if you’re not too busy trying to adjust the weird undergarments that the Bloomingdale's sales associate sold to you for 50% off and a promise that you’ll learn to like it and eventually own the look.

Have you ever felt Unpretty or like you wanted to be someone else?

Are you comfortable in the skin/body you’re in?

What makes YOU feel sexy?

What do YOU find sexy in other people?

I also chose the song “Can U Handle It” by Usher as an Honorable Mention for today’s ‘Letter U’ in the A to Z Challenge, because I listen to it more often than “Unpretty” and the artist’s name starts with a ‘U,’ and it’s a very sexy song!

Thank You for your Time during the Monday Movie Meme and More... #monday #atozchallenge #atoz

“My tea’s gone cold, I’m wondering why I got out of bed at all. The morning rain clouds up my window and I can’t see at all. And even if I could, it would all be gray, but your picture on my wall, it reminds me that it’s not so bad. It’s not so bad. -- And I want to thank you for giving me the best day of my life.”

“Thank You” by Dido has always been a pleasure to listen to no matter what mood I’m in. Because of heavy sampling in the music industry, it comes as no surprise to me that I only knew about this song as a result of listening to “Stan” by Eminem. Both songs are favorites on my playlist but only one fits in line with today’s theme. Allow me to take this time to thank all of you who visit The Madlab Post and not only read my blog posts but also comment on them as well.

I appreciate everyone who takes the time to join in on film related discussions, subscribe to this blog, tweet about my posts or retweet my tweets such as Damyanti at Amlokiblogs and Daily (w)rite. I’m also grateful for my fellow blogging friends who make time to include me in various blogging activities of theirs such as linking to a specific post that I write and mentioning The Madlab Post in posts on their blog.

Thank You Herman at Terrible Analogies, for all of your support over the years and movie rental/DVD purchasing recommendations. It’s almost hard to believe that we were brought together by way of a frozen meal review! Thank You to Alana at Writercize for getting me to flex my brain and writing muscles. Thanks Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out for publishing my guests posts, featuring me in your Media Matters post and for also hosting the great ol' A to Z Challenge.

Also, Thank You Dale at Smurfin’ the Web for welcoming me as a co-host of the Monday Movie Meme, which provides a sense of purpose and structure to my weekly blogging activities. Speaking of the Monday Movie Meme -- It’s MONDAY, everybody! -- and time for another installment of the Movie Meme after we took a trip down memory lane with Neighbors from Hell, last week. This week’s theme is: Time is of the essence.

Share on your blog or in the comments section, movies that involve people who are dealing with circumstances where the clock is working against them. These movie characters either have a certain amount of time to complete a task before something disastrous happens or they are trying to avoid the progression of time for specific reasons. Here are my selections for this week’s Time is of the essence movie meme.

The Negotiator
In this action film starring Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey, a police negotiator takes hostages as collateral for buying enough time to prove that he is innocent of corruption and murder. My grandmother introduced me to this film and I’ve enjoyed watching it multiple times ever since. One unfortunate thing that “The Negotiator” did do, however, is reinforce a distrust in cops as a collective. Yeah, I know it’s just a movie but still -- you can’t help but wonder “are ANY of them the good guys?” and “Do any of them take their oath seriously?”

16 Blocks
In this crime drama starring Bruce Willis and Mos Def, an old alcoholic cop is assigned to escort a witness from police custody to the courthouse by 10a.m. for a grand jury testimony. The task sounds simple but their journey gets really complicated when the drug-dealing cops who want the witness dead do all in their power to try and make sure that he does not make it to the courthouse -- even if that means harming their fellow man in blue.

Add to that the fact that this witness is a petty criminal; everyone involved is on edge because they don’t know who to trust. Still, the designated police escort has two hours to get his witness to a destination that is sixteen hours aways, all while people are trying to kill them. -- And you thought you had a bad morning! Talk about waking up on the wrong side of the bed, it looks like these characters woke up on the wrong side of the law! -- at least, on this particular day.

Out of Time
In this crime thriller starring Denzel Washington, Sanaa Lathan and Eva Mendes, a police chief tries to solve a double murder involving his mistress and $450,000 in missing drug money, before he becomes the prime suspect.

There is a lot of weird back and forth in “Out of Time” with regards to the storytelling but if you can tolerate it, then this movie can be entertaining to watch on any lazy afternoon. I’m not a fan of the flashbacks because they seemed excessive, yet the main character is likeable, depending on how you view him, so it’s easy to want to find out if he can get out of the trouble he will potentially be in.

Darn, I just realized that all of my selections for this week’s Monday Movie Meme have another common thread beyond just being in time-sensitive situations -- they’re all cop movies. Sheesh! I guess I watch a lot of friggin’ cop movies!

Can YOU name some movies where time is of the essence?

Have YOU watched any of the movies listed here?

If so, what did YOU think about them?

Russian Roulette Games People Play with No Hollywood Ending #april #atozchallenge #atoz #inspiration #friday

“If you play, you play for keeps. Take the gun and count to three. I’m sweatin’ now, moving slow. No time to think, my turn to go. And you can see my heart beating. You can see it through my chest. Said I’m terrified, but I’m not leaving. I know that I must past this test. So just pull the trigger.”

“Russian Roulette” by Rihanna is one of my favorite tunes from her Rated R album. I like this song because -- references to romantic partners aside, it reflects a game that takes an all-or-nothing approach to how players survive each round. There is no halfway route or shortcut to circumvent the risks associated with playing Russian Roulette and as such, most people would likely avoid this game of chance. Yet, many of us are comfortable with living in a manner that is less than exciting, despite the fact that we are all mortal.

In one of my favorite sports movies, "Any Given Sunday," Al Pacino plays a football coach who tells his team that life is about inches and yards and it's the man who is willing to die for that extra inch who is going to succeed. The movie scene where he says this should resonate with anyone who wants to live their very best life, which you cannot do if you're overlooking actions that support those goals.

It reminds me of how unnecessary and wasteful it is for a person to participate in any activity, personal or professional, that he or she would not die for. In a way, doing so is like playing Russian roulette with your life because your taking chances living through things that make you bored or unhappy or jaded or unproductive or angry or bitter or sad or depressed or stressed out or hopeless, etc. (the list goes on) while at the same time, hoping for a better tomorrow -- despite the fact that none of us have tomorrow -- we only have today.

If you're not willing to go the extra mile for the things that are in your life, then why do it in the first place?

While you think about that for a minute, can you name the title of the movie that the following image featuring actor Robert DeNiro, is from....

What movie is this scene in?

Answer:  __(Leave Your Answer in the Comments Section)