WHEN WE HAVE GUESTS OVER, WHETHER for a drink, a meal, dessert or just to socialize, no matter how I am feeling, I want them to have the best time. It does not matter if I have a headache or am nervous or dealing with some unrelated issue in my life, I willingly do everything I can to make our guests feel comfortable enough to take their shoes off, go to the refrigerator to take out something to drink, plop down on the sofa, put their feet up and relax. There is such joy I experience when guests can just be themselves and let themselves go into the experience without any reservations. My goal is to accommodate their needs, even the ones they do not recognize yet. This is why I always bake a variety of desserts or entrees, because I want them to find something they would absolutely love to eat and to eat it with abandon. It is hard to describe the feelings this gives me; something about creating from beginning to end a relaxed, pleasing environment that gives me a sense of accomplishment. Maybe because I did not always stick with things, whether by choice or not, to their conclusions when growing up, I now love having that feeling of creating an entire experience from beginning to end and it is something I want to do.      ANOTHER POSSIBILITY ON WHY I FEEL this way is because I know what it is like not to show your true feelings, having to act in a certain way whether you like it or not. During the rougher years of my schooling, I was always on my guard not to do anything that would draw the attention of bullies. I could be sitting at a table in the school lunchroom with my friends and remain subdued or quiet while they could laugh and joke. My fear was that if a bully saw me having an enjoyable time, it was a direct message for them to come over and harass me. I may have mentioned the time I was sitting with my friends during our lunch period and unexpectedly, a partially eaten apple came flying over and hit me in the face. I never knew who threw it, despite hearing laughter coming from a far corner of the room. Afterwards, I started going home for lunch. I can understand a person acting reserved depending on the circumstances like a funeral for example, but when it becomes more of a daily occurrence where you must act in a certain way to make others more comfortable, what does it say about you? The answers might be found in this fantasy comedy satire.      WHEN A STRANGER OFFERS A JOB interview to a starving artist, the young man is obviously leery. What is not so obvious are the special benefits. With Justice Smith (Jurassic World franchise, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) as Aren, Zachary Barton (All the Way-TV, Kajillionaire) as Collector #2, relative newcomer Anthony Coons as Collector #3, David Alan Grier (The Color Purple, Clifford the Big Red Dog) as Roger and Gillian Vigman (Step Brother, The Hangover franchise) as Andrea; I thought for sure, from early in the beginning, I would be getting into this story. I thought the idea of it was excellent and I enjoyed Justice Smyth and David Alan Grier playing off each other. However, quickly the film descended into a pile of confusion. With the magic being underwhelming and the writers not sure of sticking with a satire or going with a romantic comedy, nothing really hit home for me. There was so much that could have been mined from the story that would have been deeper and more thought-provoking in a satisfactory way; however, the writers kept things simple and a bit standard. By the end of the picture, I was left feeling disappointed and that is the truth.            

1 ¾ stars