Review: Saturday Church

I’m late to the party, but that is nothing new for me. I finally watched Saturday Church. I really liked the movie.

Saturday Church is about a teenage black boy named Ulysses. Ulysses has recently lost his father. He lives with his mother and younger brother and his aunt has stepped in to help since his father passed away. Ulysses has an affinity for women’s clothing and his family tries to stifle it. His ultra conservative aunt threatens him whenever she sees a glimpse of that side of him. His aunt essentially bullies him when he’s home.

As if the grief of losing his father and the stress of his aunt’s verbal and emotional abuse are not enough, Ulysses is also bullied at school. It’s clear that something has to change. Change comes in the form of an eclectic group of transgender and gay people who welcome Ulysses into the fold. The group introduces Ulysses to the Saturday Church, which is a program at a church that provides food and shelter for LGBTQ people every Saturday.

The group gives Ulysses courage to begin accepting himself. He buys a pair of high heels to wear so that he can practice walking in them. His aunt finds the high heels and their interaction causes Ulysses to run away. I don’t want to spoil the movie for people, so that’s all I’m going to say about the plot.

Now, let’s talk about the movie in general. The characters randomly break into song during the movie. I usually don’t like that, but in this case, the songs were mostly short, lasting just long enough for you to notice they were singing, but not long enough to become annoying and make you wish that they would stop. The movie has some places where it allows the viewer to fill in the gaps, without making the viewer feel as if they are missing details. My only complaint about the movie is that it left me wanting more.

Overall: B+

My Reaction to the Series Finale of Empire

I’m going to say something that might be unpopular: they should have brought Jamal back for the final episode. Actors have done all types of crazy crap and still appeared in their respective shows. And I’m not saying this because Jamal’s character is gay. I’m saying this because Jamal was a major part of the cast for all of the previous seasons. They could have had him make a cameo as he Facetimed with Cookie or anything really. A picture or a clip of Jussie from a previous season would have been okay as well. To be honest, I wish they would have killed off his character at the beginning of this season. He could have easily died in a plane crash while he was on the way to England with his husband. His body would not have been recovered, but there would have been closure for his character. The family could have mourned for an episode then pretty much moved on with their lives, and occasionally mentioned his name so that we all knew that they remembered him and missed him. SPOILER: His name was mentioned at the end of the finale, but they showed clips of the little boy that played young Jamal instead of clips of Jussie. 

I’ve been disappointed in the past few seasons of Empire, but I haven’t been able to let go of the show because I love Cookie and Lucious. Now, I’ve seen the end and I wish I would have stopped watching a long time ago. I don’t mean that in a negative way. The finale was what it was. And I’m trying to be understanding because I know production had to stop early due to the coronavirus. I just wish that they would have been able to wrap things up the way they intended. 

I spent all season knowing that this would be the last season. I was hoping for more closure and less craziness. They tried to make something out of the finale, but the episode was more of the same for me. There was nothing “special” about it. It truly could have been any episode in the series. I’m sad that the show was robbed of the epic ending that they were planning. Hopefully, Empire will receive a two-hour long special to give us the ending that we deserve. But I’m not holding my breath.

The Cleveland Browns Lost Their Opener. Surprise!

So, let’s talk about the Cleveland Browns. As a lifelong fan, I am somehow simultaneously shocked yet not surprised. What happened? I mean the team faceplanted in a pile of manure from the late 3^rd quarter through the 4^th. I don’t know how else to say it. The new Cleveland Browns channeled the spirit of the old Cleveland Browns.

I was hopeful going in to today’s game. I thought, maybe, just maybe, the hype would manifest in physical form and the Browns would win. I wasn’t asking for them to blowout the other team. I was only asking for a win. Apparently, I was asking for too much.

There are no words that can adequately describe the let down that happened today. I feel disappointed and embarrassed, but I’m from Cleveland, so I haven’t given up hope. The next game will be better. The team will have fewer penalties and play better defensively and offensively. I’m not wishing for this to happen; I’m stating it as a fact. The Browns will be better next time. I won’t promise a win because this is Cleveland and that never ends well for us, but I am promising that they will learn from today’s mistakes. Maybe.

Signed,

Still a Fan

Bump This is on Audible

I’ve made no secret about the fact that I want to have writing as my main source of income by the end of the year. I’m making some progress in my writing career. Bump This is now on Audible (Bump This (audible version)). However, the initial Audible reviews have me a bit sad. I know Bump This isn’t for everyone, but it’s still hard to read that the language is too much for some people. I had worried that hearing it might be a lot, but it sucks to have it confirmed. I’m trying my darnedest not to be depressed about this. I keep reminding myself that writing is subjective and sometimes offensive. It isn't working though.

Billy Porter's Outfit for the Oscars

In case you missed this masterpiece on Sunday, please behold Billy Porter:

Christian Siriano did his thing (as usual) with this work of art, and Billy wore it like only he could. I'm still thinking about this outfit a day later.

Writing...Still

I wanted to write all day today, but I ended up doing everything but writing until late in the day. It's amazing how people don't need your time until after you've already made plans. It was okay though because I was more helpful to other people today than I have been in a long time. Sometimes it's good to feel useful. I wasn't working towards my purpose, but I was able to help someone else work towards theirs. I really enjoyed my day.

I was able to spend some time writing this evening. A new story came out of me. The story is kind of depressing and reminds me of Starving for Love, but it felt good to release some of the darkness and self-doubt that has kept me imprisoned for the past few years. I never thought I would write a story as sad as Starving for Love again. I'm not sure if I'll finish the new story. Maybe I just needed to get a chapter out my system. That said, I'm completely in love with the main character and the struggles that he's facing being left behind. We'll see if I share the story or scrap it. Either way, I had to let it out.

My goal for this week is to sneak in more time to write and to find a new way to advertise for Bump That.

Almost Through Another Month

January was a really good month for me. I pretty much rewrote Bump That. I removed the heavy political leanings and made it more of a story of Keith's next chapter in life than a story about politics.

Now that February is almost over, I'm still inspired to make this my most successful year yet. Not necessarily in terms of income, but definitely in terms of productivity and progress. I feel like this needs to be a year of change for me, so I'm working towards making that happen.

I'm still trying to figure out the right combination for my patreon page and to get myself properly motivated to post regular updates to my Yahoo group again. I know writing is good for me because my life is better when I use writing as a release. This is my year to pursue writing again. 

One day soon, writing will be my main source of income. It's going to happen because I'm going to make it happen. I'm all about the dream right now. #stillfeelingit