Movie Review Monday!!! Speeding In with Ford V Ferrari

Alright movie-goers! We have had a TON of movies come out lately, and I am going to my damdest to get to as many of them as possible--yes, this will include "Frozen 2" at some point. Preferably after all the little kids have gone. I have every intention of seeing "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" as well as "The Irishman," "Knives Out," "21 Bridges," and "Last Christmas." These are just the beginning. I will also spend my upcoming holiday weekend reviewing a movie I missed in theaters, but that's for this weekend. In the meantime, let me get to the movie I saw yesterday, the FASTEST two (almost three) hours I spent in a movie theater. And I do mean that both literally and figuratively: FORD V. FERRARI!!!!

"Ford v Ferrari" (Director: James Mangold)

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"Ford v Ferrari" tells the true story of Carol Shelby and Ken Miles as they put together the Ford GT40 in an effort to basically stick it to Ferrari, after the owner of Ferrari, Enzo Ferrari, basically screws over the Ford company when they try to buy them since Ferrari goes bankrupt perfecting the ultimate sports car. And honestly, what person does NOT know Ferrari? I mean, it's like on almost every car fanatics bucket list! Heck, if I knew how to drive stick, I would want to drive one, if only JUST to say I did. To own one is pretty much for the chosen few, since the cars themselves are works of art. And I'm not kidding when I say that--they even talk about the process that Enzo Ferrari has his crew put into each car. A TOTALLY different perspective from how Henry Ford and the Ford Company do their cars--a fact that gets rubbed into the face of the current owner in the movie, Henry Ford II. 

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So what does Ford do? He asks for everyone to come up with a way to make Ford better. And what's the answer? A sports car. Cue Carol Shelby (played BRILLIANTLY by Matt Damon), who comes in and says that the only way to get a good racing car is basically to give him control and let him decide. Ford messes up the first time, with Shelby butting heads with executive Leo Bebe (played by Josh Lucas) and honestly if there was ever a non-obvious antagonist that existed, it was Lucas' character. I wanted to punch him SO HARD! And quite honestly, I am surprised that Christian Bale's character, the racer Ken Miles, didn't do so several times.

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I won't go into more details, because honestly, this is a movie EVERYONE should go see! If you aren't stuck going to see "Frozen 2" then this should be at the top of your list. And even if you are stuck seeing "Frozen 2" then go see this afterwards. It definitely didn't feel like an almost 3 hour movie, and quite honestly, that's the best kind of movie! The acting was great all around, with great chemistry between Bale and Damon, and quite honestly, an ending that made me want so much more. In short, there is really only one word to describe this movie:

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Self-Promotion Sunday

Hey everyone! It's getting close to that time of year, when I go into semi-hibernation mode, and don't do as many custom figurines. My hands can't take the cold very much lately. Makes me sound like an old woman, doesn't it? Like Granny Smith from My Little Pony. But until then, I am trying to do as much sculpting as I can so that during the winter months, I will be able to paint up a storm. I think next year, come November 1st, I am just going to be a sculpting machine, and then go from there. 

But in the meantime, remember I got one more con for this year coming up! Make sure you come check me out in Stamford, CT, the first weekend of December at AnonyCon and see what I got! You never know, you might even find some great gifts for friends (and yourself, too!)

And speaking of the holidays, I got a few more to show off, as well as some stuff in the works. So let me start off with what's in the works:

COUNTDOWN CALENDARS! Now, I am NOT calling these Christmas countdown calendars, because in MLP, it's not called Christmas, it's called Hearth's Warming Eve. But, I have been working on these since I started my charity pieces for BronyCon this past summer. I got three that I am hoping to sell soon, two of which should be done shortly, because the ornaments are these guys:

 

That's right, I am back at the shrinky dinks, and they are being annoying as hell! I am just lucky right now that I am getting to print the pages tonight, and that the printer is behaving while I print these suckers! Hopefully, within the next few days, I will have them all shrunk and I will at least have one of the two calendars using these guys up for sale. The other two will hopefully be done before the holidays.

I have one more princess finished, and that is Cadence. She will go up tonight, and I'll also be able to put up Celestia and the new Stranger Things AJ that I made as well. I like how this girl came out a bit better than the last one I made, using the Twilight base for the last one. This time I used a Celestia base. Hair looks better, I think.

Self-Promotion Sunday!!! One Last Con...And Cons for 2020

Hello my fellow readers!! It's been a minute I know, but I hope you have been enjoying what I have been posting. As the months get colder, I do fewer custom sculptures because I cannot be outside sanding. I am hoping to finish a few pieces before it's too cold for me to go outside. However, please note, no matter what, after Thanksgiving, I WILL NOT be taking any SCULPINTING commissions. By that point, no matter what, it will be too cold for me to do anything. They are calling for this to be a really cold winter! If it's a simple paint job, then I could probably swing it. But if it involves sculpting, it's going to have to wait until the weather warms up.

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In the meantime, I have at least two new pieces to show everyone, and remind you that I have ONE LAST CON of 2019 coming up. Remember, I will be doing AnonyCon in Stamford, CT in the first weekend of December. This is my first time doing this con, and I will be arriving later on Friday since I will still have work, but I will be there all three days!

Now, cons for 2020 are starting to line up. I have at least 2 already secured, one which I know I can't attend (sadly), and many which I have applied for. Here's the list of where I will (and hoping I will) be:

CT GamerCon: March 21-22
IncrediCon: March 28-29 (Pending)
Hudson Valley CC: May 9-10 (Pending)
ConnetiCon: July 9-12
TrotCon: July 17-19 (Pending)
TerrifiCon: TBD

Lastly, like I promised, I have a few new figurines. I have a few that are ALMOST done, but not done in time for today's promo, so you'll just have to be satisfied with these two girls! They will be up for sale by tomorrow on my Etsy page. First up, another princess, this time it's Celestia. We will see if she does as well as my Luna's in this style:

Next, a new variation of the Stranger Things Applejack, using a fakie for this girl. Had fun making her, but wasn't sure what to do for a while. Hopefully she finds a good home before she gets too worried!:

Movie Review Monday: Harriet

Hello fellow readers and movie goers and welcome to another Movie Review Monday! This past weekend, I decided to go and see the new movie "Harriet" which depicts the escape of Harriet Tubman from the south and how she continued to go back as a conductor on the Underground Railroad to liberate others. This woman was a major historical figure, and I am a sucker for historical pictures, so when I saw previews for this, I was genuinely excited. Let's see if the movie lived up to the hype. 

"Harriet" (Director: Kasi Lemmons)

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The movie "Harriet" depicts probably one of the most well known females of our entire history, no matter the color of our skin. I do not think there is a person alive today who didn't somehow learn the name Harriet Tubman in a history class. The woman was a force of nature when you read about her, and she obviously had such a major impact on many lives back then and now, that when I was watching this movie, I expected PASSION. Passion to show that this woman believed in her cause and believed in doing what was right, no matter that she risked her life over and over again to free those who were in the same situation she was once in. However, I didn't get passion. What I got was a well-written script with half-hearted performances.

Cynthia Erivo is depicted as Harriet Tubman herself, and there are plenty of times where she starts to show passion in some of the monologues she gives, but sadly, they fall flat. She has one expression for the majority of the film, and while I get that she has to remain bland in certain situations, I wanted more from this woman. In fact, I got more out of Janelle Monáe as Marie Buchanon in the extremely short time she was on screen.

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There were plenty of times when the script felt rushed along, and to an extent, I understood the need to rush it along, in order to show the passage of time. But honestly, I wish there were times when the movie SLOWED DOWN! I wanted more about her escape, I wanted more about maybe a time or two when she went back down to free more slaves. Heck, I would have even taken more at the very end, when they showed her at the Battle of Combahee Ferry. Instead, I got a not so rowsing speech and her showing her gun to the enemy.

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For real, while the content of this movie was FANTASTIC, and there was SOOOO MUCH that could have worked, it didn't come across. In all honesty, much of the movie felt disjointed, and shows that this movie has a long way to go before it could remotely win any sort of Oscar.

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Self-Promotion Sunday!

Hello my fellow readers and happy Self-Promotion Sunday! Today, while there is not much to preview, I do have a few cons to announce as well as FINALLY post my NYCC panel video! I hope that my fellow panelists and I get to do this again next year, we had such a good turnout for it this year. We were even asked by someone who missed it if we were showing on a second day. Hear that NYCC? We were THAT popular! So check out the panel below!

Anyway, so, real quick, I have one more con to close out the 2019 year. This is a last minute addition, and it's local to me, so not a huge deal in terms of overhead. It's called AnonyCon, which I have NEVER heard of, but apparently, it's been going for like 3 years, which surprised me! When I got the dealer packet, the dates were a bit messed up, but said it was from 2017. For real?? How had I never heard of this con before? And it's a 3-day con! 

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Anyway, so I have signed up for this con, and I'll let you all know soon if I am going to be there or not. I don't see why I wouldn't be, considering this is a con that takes your money up front. Usually that means, you good to go.

Also, once again I have sent off for CT GamerCon. This con is my kick-off, so to speak. I love this con! I am going to also try for TerrifiCon again next year, and I'm looking into ConnetiCon as well. But for real, make sure you come for CT GamerCon. Especially if you are not ready for the big cons yet, or you have a little one who WANTS to go to big cons, but again, isn't ready yet. It's cons like CT GamerCon that are made for those people.