Turn on the words and let them flow,
Just like a fountain spilling low.
Let them all splatter on the floor,
Mop them up and there will be more.
Pressing images on the mind,
Through messages, one at the time.
Readers run with a net and gloat,
Packing them in a bag and float.
Travel through words and motifs sent,
To worlds of painted enchantment!
Lynn M. February 25, 2017
Can you write about a place that you visited and make the readers feel as if they traveled along?
Can you make them see the places, the trees and the shapes of the buildings?
Do they feel the warmth of the sun or the depression brought on by the overcast clouds?
Can they taste that hot baked cod-fish that was just served by the stately waiter?
Do they enjoy the laughter of the children that are playing on the beach?
Did they also see the sizes of the sand castles?
Will they feel like a small turtle that was secretly hidden in your luggage that enjoyed every nuance of the trip?
Will they want to book a flight so that they too can see, feel, hear, touch and smell the aromas of that place?
Or, will they feel satisfied with the vicarious experience provided by your descriptive words?
If you can successfully transport your readers to another space and time, then label yourself as a good writer!
Lynn M. February 18, 2017
Chiron trying to outwait the bullies.Moonlight centers on the harsh realities of black life in the inner city. It is a slice of life that we would all like to escape or simply ignore. After the show, a woman said, “That was really hard for me to watch.” I thought, “My sentiments exactly.”
Chiron’s life is played in three phases by three different actors as he grows into manhood.
As a young boy being raised in the Miami projects, he is bullied and considered to be too soft by the other neighborhood boys. He is often afraid to go home and when he does get home, his mother is addicted to crack and there is no father there.
One day while he is hiding from his tormentors in a vacant apartment, a man named Juan rescues him and takes him home to his girlfriend. He will not talk and Juan (Mahershala Ali) knows that his girl Teresa (Janelle Monae) can get him to open up. He bonds with them and they become like surrogate parents to Chiron.
Juan is the only male mentor he has and he teaches him to swim along with other survival skills. One night while in a rage, Chiron’s mom calls him a faggot. He later asks Juan and Teresa what that meant and the couple was at a loss for words. Teresa assures him that he has time to figure things out.
Later we see Chiron as a teen in high school. His mother, Paula (Naomi Harris) has become even sicker from her drug use and he still hides from the same bullies. One day, they all beat him rather badly. He is hurt that his friend Kevin (Jharrel Jerome) threw the first punch because they had recently shared some intimate moments on a beach.
The school does not stop the bullying, so Chiron takes matters in his own hands and attacks the main perpetrator with a chair. He is arrested and spends time away in jail. Ashton Sanders plays Chiron as a teenager and his portrayal is quite memorable.
When we see him again, Chiron looks almost identical to Juan. He is now a grown man, (Trevante Rhodes) wearing a headscarf, heavy jewelry and gold grills on his top and bottom teeth. It is shocking to see who he has become and he also deals drugs. He drives his car playing loud rap music as he makes his rounds to collect money from his sellers.
He makes peace with his mother who is in rehab. She asks for forgiveness and he does his best to comfort her. He also receives a long distance call and an apology from Kevin (Andre Holland) after many years and Chiron drives to see him.
Moonlight shows what happens to many black children in the inner cities where there are no fathers, addicted mothers and broken spirits. This is a story that needed to be told and this film is up for several nominations. The black filmmaker, Barry Jenkins collaborated with playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney to create this piece about Miami in the 80’s and 90’s.
They both lived in the same housing project though they did not know each other at the time. They agreed that others needed to know what life was like during the crack epidemic. They also used children from the neighborhood middle school to play Chiron and Kevin as children in Scene I (Alex R. Hibbert and Jaden Piner, respectively).
At the end, Kevin asks, “Who are you man?” He could not believe Chiron’s hardcore lifestyle but it is soon revealed that he is the same sensitive, crying man-child that he knew from their childhood.
Langston Hughes’ poem Dream Deferred fits this movie.
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up, like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore
And then run…..
Maybe it just sags
Like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
Lynn M. February 11, 2017
At the end of the film, Manchester-by- the Sea, silence and sniffles could be heard in the theater. This touching story centers on the inner turmoil of Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) who is a very pent-up janitor that lives in the Boston area.
It is unclear what plagues him but he just seems to go through his life as an empty and hollow man. He receives a call to learn that his older brother, Joe (Kyle Chandler) has passed away. Through flashbacks, we find that there had been warning signs of his brother’s heart condition.
However, when the will is read, he hears that he will gain custody of his teen-aged nephew, Patrick (Lucas Hedges) and Lee is quite overwhelmed by the responsibility. Patrick does not seem to be that much of a burden, but as the story continually unfolds, we learn that his hometown of Manchester-by-the-Sea holds entirely too much grief for him to bear.
Lee’s former wife (Michelle Williams) is now carrying a child with her new husband and she comes to his brother’s funeral. He handles it fairly well but he later sees her with the newborn boy and it is a highly uncomfortable encounter. The audience discovers through flashbacks that he and his former wife had lost all three of their children in an unfortunate accident.
Lee is adamant about not staying in Manchester-by-the-Sea permanently because he probably could not survive that setting. He does, however, stay there for months so that he can get his nephew settled. They end up fishing together which indicates that there will be future visits between them though he entrusts his nephew to another family’s care.
La La Land, on the other hand, was likeable though it is categorized as a musical. There is a lot of dialogue so that makes the singing and dancing more entertaining and the acts are highly creative.
Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) and Mia (Emma Stone) abruptly meet on two or three different occasions before they actually connect. They become friends, partners and then lovers. The scenes of them dancing in parts of Los Angeles are breathtaking as they build a relationship. She is an aspiring actress and he wants to own a jazz club.
Sebastian gets sidetracked when he joins a band with Keith played by John Legend. His tours and travels create a distance between them and he and Mia begin to drift apart. She is busy writing and acting as he builds his revenue for his big dream. Eventually, she gets an offer to go the Paris and he stays behind in LA to work on his personal goals.
Five years pass and they meet again but the ending is a big surprise, yet it mirrors real life. The choreography, the cinematography, the clothes, the music, the colors and designs are all captivating and provide a great way to visit the beautiful sights and sounds of Los Angeles.
Both movies deserve the nods and nominations and are well worth a trip to the cinema!
Lynn M. February 4, 2017
This month we reveal our true heart,
Honoring those who are a part,
Of our daily lives, we salute.
This is no time to just stay mute.
Buy fresh flowers, cards or candy,
Show you really care. It’s dandy!
February is painted red,
Share your deep feelings. Enough said!
Lynn M. February 1, 2017
Lynn M's Reflections 
You must be logged in to post a comment.