Monday, July 17, 2017

War for the Planet of the Apes and The Void Movie Reviews, #IWSGPit and IWSG Anthology, Monday’s Music, New Releases, and Ninja News

Want to know the steps for an author when it comes to audio book creation? Then visit Sandra Ulbrich Almazan today for my take on how it all goes down!

War for the Planet of the Apes Review

An army of humans led by the Colonel threatens the survival of the apes, setting Caesar on a path to avenge his kind.
First word – exhausting. Emotionally draining on every level. You will be put through the wringer watching this film.
However, the film is brilliant. So moving, so compelling. It’s a slow, purposeful pace, powerful in its intent. So many incredible moments along the journey. And such a terrible, tragic journey, but change one thing and it would’ve been worse. The apes are more human than the humans.
The special effects in this film are the best I have ever seen – bar none. You believe the apes are real. Minutes into the film, they are no longer CGI. And they aren’t – the expressions, the eyes – so real and amazing. You really see Andy Serkis as Caesar. He so deserves an Oscar nomination for this film. All of the apes – so incredibly real. Props go to all of the human actors behind the voices and the actual actions.
The cinematography is incredible. Again, Oscar worthy.
There are several nods to the original films, including a mute girl who takes the name Nova and Caesar’s youngest son, Cornelius.
Critics are calling it a great end to a trilogy. They could keep going with the stories if they wanted. But after seeing it, I understand why they are calling it that.
If you’ve seen the other two films, you cannot miss this haunting and powerful chapter in the series.
Highly recommended.

The Void Review

After delivering a patient to a closing hospital, a police officer and the small staff start experiencing strange things involving hooded figures and more.
This is a throwback to classic 80’s horror films. There is very little CGI – it’s all realtime monster effects.
The filmmakers were also obviously fans of both early John Carpenter films and of H.P. Lovecraft. There are strong elements from both creators here.
The film has issues. But give the writing and directorial team credit for trying to make a respectable horror film in 2017. (Not a lot out there right now.) The director could’ve phoned it in, but he tried to do something of quality.
It’s gory, weird, and ramps up the tension level. The cinematography is also great.
If you are into gory creature features, especially with a throwback vibe, this is the film to watch.
Recommended

Monday’s Music Moves Me

Hosted by Marie at Xmas Dolly.

I am the Spotlight Dancer today and I choose the theme European Favorites!

First up is Katatonia with Serein from their album The Fall of Hearts. This band began life as a screaming prog band but when the lead singer could no longer do it, the entire band changed their style to produce this beautiful album. They hail from Sweden.

Next is Harken with Earthrise from their album Affinity. They hail from London.


New Releases

Pat Hatt has three new Tarsier Man tales!

Tarsier Man: Thugs and Love Bugs
Find it on Amazon

Tarsier Man: Buyers and Liars
Find it on Amazon

Tarsier Man: A Plot By Polka Dot
Find it on Amazon

Young Seasons by Sandra Ulbrich Almazan
Find it on Amazon


Ninja News

The Cherished Blogfest is this October!

The IWSG Guide to Writing for Profit is open for submissions until the end of July!
What have you found that makes a profit?
What have you found that doesn’t?
Please share your experience! Guidelines here.
Deadline is July 31 – what are you waiting for?

The IWSG’s first Twitter pitch party, #IWSGPit, is July 27! We have a great list of publishers and agents who will be watching the hashtag with many more checking in.
If you have something ready to submit, you don’t want to miss this.


Have you seen War or The Void yet? What music moves you today? Participating in #IWSGPit or contributing to the anthology? Have some fun stuff planned for the remainder of summer?

Don’t forget to visit Sandra Ulbrich Almazan.

I’ll be offline next week but I will be on Twitter, especially Thursday, July 27 - #IWSGPit day! Good luck to all those who are Tweeting pitches.

109 comments:

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Alex - glad you enjoyed the movies ... but also happy to see the Cherished blogfest starred up. I'm going to look forward to seeing the results of the Twitter pitch party on the 27th ... have a good week off ... but admire you for being at the Twitter party ... cheers Hilary

nashvillecats2 said...

Pleased Alex you enjoyed movies, wonderful reviews on all your topics.
I can well remember when "Planet of the Apes" first graced our TV screens way back.

Yvonne.

Truedessa said...

Good Morning!

A lot going on with news and reviews. I haven't seen a movie recently . I don't watch scary movies as they seem to linger long after the movie has ended.

Enjoy your week off! Travel safe my friend!

I will check out the music!

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog and spreading the word about Young Seasons, Alex! I haven't seen the other two movies in the Planet of the Apes series, but I did see the trailer for this one several times. Maybe someday I'll get around to them. In the meantime, have a great week!

kaykuala said...

Great movies Alex. Planet of the Apes making an appearance again. So also Pat and this time 3 books of a kind on the Tarsier man. Enjoy your off week, Alex!


Hank

Cathy Kennedy said...

Alex,

First up, congrats on being this week's Spotlight Dancer! Your theme choice is fun and different which I enjoyed pulling together, Europe Mewsic Shakin' the Dance Floor. I enjoyed the introduction of both of your songs, but of the two I especially liked Serein "Katatonia". Thanks for sharing. I started watching "The Void" last week while using my elliptical. I plan to finish it this week. I'm barely in the movie and am not sure what my impressions are of this film yet. I haven't seen any of the newer Planet of the Apes films yet but the trailers I've seen look interesting. I need to see if any are available for streaming on Netflix or Amazon Prime. Thanks for the reminder. Have a good day and thanks for dancing with the 4M gang!

The Cynical Sailor said...

I haven't seen any of the new Planet of the Apes movies. Maybe something to put on the bucket list for this summer. If I was on Twitter, I'd retweet for you and check out the pitch party. Maybe one day I'll get around to getting an account. Have a great week. Cheers - Ellen

mshatch said...

I have seen neither movie but I would love to see the second Apes movie, then the last. Andy Serkis is pretty amazing.

Natalie Aguirre said...

Glad you liked Planet of the Apes. I'm not really into those movies so won't see it.

Have a good week off. I'll be off until the IWSG post in August. I'm enjoying the break with blogging being so slow and am planning out the start of my 2018 season.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Yvonne, I've watched those old movies many times.

Sandra, you're welcome, and thanks for hosting me today.

Hank, Pat is just an amazing writer that way.

I will stop by to hear your choices, Cathy! Now you know what to expect from The Void.

Marcy, he is just incredible in the role.

Natalie, good time to do that.

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

The Void sounds interesting but might be too gory for my liking. The Planet of the Apes movie sounds good. I know I've seen the others, but I don't remember them at all. Might have to go back and re-watch. :)

Andrew Leon said...

I'm having another of those summers where I'm not making it to many of the movies I want to go see, so, though I really want to go see the new Apes movie, I probably won't make it to the theater to see it.

Charles Gramlich said...

What an endorsement for the new Apes movie. I'll definitely see it

cleemckenzie said...

That ape in the poster gives me the shakes. I can see how the movie would be "draining."

Carrie-Anne said...

Enjoy your blogging break next week! I keep forgetting about writing something for the new IWSG anthology.

csuhpat1 said...

Nice songs and I might have to check out the new Planet of the Apes movie, thanks for the review.

Stacy McKitrick said...

Loved the original Planet of the Apes (huge Charleton Heston fan). Haven't seen any of the remakes, although the most recent does seem interesting. Do I have to have seen the others first, though?

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Madeline, that might help to watch them again.

Lee, we left the theater exhausted.

Carrie-Anne, please do!

Stacy, it would help, because they refer back to them. They went in a really different direction with the reboot.

Jo said...

When I saw the first Planet of the Apes, I hated it. Not so much the movie as the concept. What is CGI?

Shady Del Knight said...

Hi, Alex!

I found a lot to like in this post. For more than 50 years, ever since the Roddy McDowall era at the very beginning, Mrs. Shady has been a big fan of Planet of the Apes. Your stellar review of War for the Planet of the Apes has us both interested in seeing the latest iteration. I am a fan of gory horror flicks, especially throwbacks to the classic genre films of the 80s, and therefore I am interested in seeing The Void. Did you read that George A. Romero, one of my favorite directors and the pioneer of zombie films, has died?

I also enjoyed both of your featured prog bands.

Have a great week, Alex!

Barbara said...

Hi Alex, I enjoyed your post on Sandra’s blog and have just entered the Twitter giveaway (thanks for including the link).
I’m listening to Katatonia as I type this – love it!

Karen Jones Gowen said...

VERY excited to see the next Planet of the Apes movie!! Especially after this review you posted. Void looks good too-- will put it on my list. Have a happy Monday, Alex!

Michele at Angels Bark said...

Hi Alex,
Wow, that's quite a rave review for the new Planet of the Apes film. I can't wait to see it! I have family coming in next week and plan on taking everyone to my favorite theater, the Alamo Drafthouse, to see it. The Alamo is a great movie experience: they have an extensive menu and a ton of different microbrews and I just know that the Apes movie is going to pair well with a gourmet pizza and a few cold beers! :)
Interestingly, the second Planet of the Apes movie (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, 2011) was airing on FX this morning so I recorded it. Will be good to go back and revisit that film before seeing the new one.
I don't know anything about The Void. Haven't seen any trailers so had no clue. I do like a good horror movie so will have to look for that one. Thanks for the review.

As for the Monday's Music Moves Me hop: First I have to apologize to you. I now know that this week is your theme and it's European Favorites but I had no idea that the theme had changed from what was previously posted (Songs with Names). I put together a pretty extensive post with my favorite songs with Girl names in the titles and found out about the change when I went to post it at 2am this morning. I simply didn't have time to do a whole new post for the new theme so I just went with what I had prepared. I wish I had known earlier as I definitely would've had fun putting something together with a European focus. At least there are a few of my showcased songs today that fall into the European category... So, sorry I didn't get the memo Alex.
It's a great theme and I really did enjoy the songs that you featured today. Both are new to me. I especially liked Harken's "Earthrise". In fact I'm listening to it again right now. Cool video too. And now I just switched to listen again to Katatonia song: I like that too. I'd probably be hard-pressed to pick which one I like better at this point. Thanks for the introduction to these bands. (Katatonia is a neat name).

Have a great week,

Michele at Angels Bark

XmasDolly said...

WELL CONGRATS to our Spotlight Dancer! Great theme... it really broaden our horizons so to speak. So many new songs for me! Thanks for the introductions. I must say that last bloke singing sure didn't expect him to look like that. Guess you kind of picture the face when you hear the voice! hahaha Thanks for playing along with us today & always luvin' your tunes because they're always new to me! BIG HUGS

SpacerGuy said...

You've given away a sweet setup for audio books Alex. Those War like Apes look more human than us Earthers, crikey! Now there's a worry but it kinda plays on the mind....next they'll surpass humans in logical reasoning, lol. Tweet retweeted. Good man Pat - God bless the creatures I always say.

stephen Hayes said...

I enjoyed the new Planet of the Apes movie although it was rather slow, especially the beginning, and it never rose to the level of the first of this new trio of films. That scene of war on the Golden Gate Bridge was so spectacular and they've yet to match it.

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

I saw War for the Planet of the Apes on Saturday. I thought it was good, but I also agree with you that it is exhausting. Woody Harrelson sure does know how to capture "psychopathic" in his on-screen acting. As for "The Void" I watched it a couple of weeks ago. It wasn't scary, and I found it kind of unsatisfying in a weird way. I think they were playing their plot too close to their chest so that I was left with few answers.

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

Glad to read they gave the Apes an ending they (and some humans) deserve.
Have a great week, Alex.

John Holton said...

A couple of goodies here for songs!

Pat Hatt said...

Apes sure sounds like it keeps the quality of the previous two. Thanks for the triple shout too. I think I've seen the Void, been so long that I vaguely remember it. Should be a fun week as pitches get pitched away.

Nick Wilford said...

I have to admit to never having seen any of the Planet of the Apes movies, but sounds like this would be a good place to start! Good luck to everyone submitting to the anthology and having a go at the pitch party.

Lidy said...

Thanks for the review and glad you enjoyed War for the Planet of the Apes. I'm also glad to hear that this will be the final installment. Hollywood have a tendency to keep on making more movies bc of the success of the previous movies. And completely disregarding that maybe something been done to death and not acknowledging when to stop. Either way, can't wait to see this! Feel like watching the first two movies all over again before I do. :-D

Suzanne Furness said...

Thought about seeing Planet of Apes this evening but was too tired to go out again after work!Enjoyed your review. Will look out for the Twitter Party on 27th.

Chrys Fey said...

I have enjoyed the recent Planet of the Ape movies, so I'm intrigued by this one.

J E Oneil said...

What a coincidence. I just watched The Void last week. I definitely thought that the monsters were the best part. Even with how weak the story was, I still enjoyed it.

Elephant's Child said...

Enjoy your time off. Happy, productive, successful twittering to all.

Erika Beebe said...

Your energy is contagious today Alex! Great review and it sounds like the pitch party is going to be one heck of a good way for writers to get a great shot at dreams :)

Cindy said...

That picture of Caesar looks threatening. Of course, I'm going to have see the second movie before the third one.

Tonja Drecker said...

Good to hear that you enjoyed the movies. Can't wait for IWSGpit, although I'll be cheering from the sidelines. Enjoy the time offline!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks for the great reviews!
I'm currently listening to some of the best music in the world (in my perspective) - my daughter tap-dancing to her favorite music. Mostly I hear her taps above the music and I know she's headed off to college in the fall so I have to enjoy the sound now.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I haven't watched any of the most recent remakes of 'Apes' movies though I guess I should since I hear good things. The pitch day is going to be fun.

Joanne said...

I was awaiting your review, now Planet is on top of the list (Ray doesn't know this yet - ha). Glad it's so good. I saw The Big Sick - bad title but excellent poignant flick. Funny and heartrending and just really good. Trust me. Otherwise we are floating in the pool which is like a spa and a 100 degree week awaits. Welcome to TX - yee haw! Take care and enjoy summer!

Cherie Reich said...

I need to watch the Planet of the Apes movies. I haven't seen any of them yet.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Jo, computer generated images.

Shady, I saw that! Very sad he passed. He was a legend in the genre.

Barbara, thanks!

Karen, enjoy!

Michele, now that is an amazing movie experience. I envy you. And no worries you didn't get the memo. Some weeks, I can't keep up with the theme either.

Marie, thanks for letting me pick the theme!

Stephen, it was slower, but it still drained me.

Michael, it wasn't perfect at all. I just grew up on that kind of horror film and appreciated the throwback vibe.

Pat, you're welcome!

Lidy, this would be a good place to stop.

JE, it was just refreshing compared to what is out there now.

Erika, yes it will!

Cindy, yes you do.

Tyrean, that's great.

Joanne, it's that kind of hot here as well.

Cherie, watch them!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I was so moved by the final Apes movie. Andy does deserve an Oscar nod.

Al Penwasser said...

I plan on going "ape" as soon as I see "Spiderman." I kinda feel sorry for whoever goes with me, though. They'll have to hear me drone on about nods to 1968. Nova, Cornelius, and isn't the orangutan called "Maurice"? Funny, the orangutan in the original, Dr. Zaius, was played by Maurice Evans.

Fundy Blue said...

Hi, Alex! I'm looking forward to seeing "War." I saw Andy Serkis on some late night show. He shared a clip of himself acting as Caeser and after a short bit, he slowly transformed into the ape Caesar. It was fabulous! I probably won't see "Void" because I don't like gore. Right now my husband and I are binging on "Orphan Black." It's one of my favorite shows ever. And, of course, "Game of Thrones" is back! Wow, wow! Enjoy your week off-line!

J.H. Moncrieff said...

Hey, a local actor is in War for the Planet of the Apes. He plays Winter. You'll have to let me know what you thought of him. We're super proud of him.

Lately, inspiring music has been my thing. One Shot by Eminem, Eye of the Tiger by Survivor, etc. Anything that gets me through my daily run and to the dojo for muay thai.

Birgit said...

Since I recently watched the original planet of the apes 1 and 2 with Heston and James Franciscus I could see the homage played with the names and characters and how the humans ended up mute. I will look forward to seeing this film

T.F. Walsh said...

Haven't seen those two movies yet... last one I watched was Wonder Woman and the new spiderman... :)

Nilanjana Bose said...

The Void sounds so intriguing - esp the not-CGI bit. I think I prefer that way above CGI :)

All the best for the Twitter events!

Shannon Lawrence said...

If a person was pretty indifferent about the second in the Apes trilogy, would you still recommend the third?

Mason Canyon said...

I don't think I've watched one of the Planet of the Ape movies since about the second original one. This one sounds like it will be great to see. Congrats to those with new releases. Have some fun while you're offline next week.

Nicola said...

I love all the Planet of the Ape movies. Great review! Have a super break!

Rhonda Albom said...

Glad you liked the movies. I am looking forward to the next Planet of the Apes movie after reading your review.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Al, you are correct!

Fundy, I need to look for that clip of Serkis then.

JH, he had a short but good role. Good for him!

Nila, it was refreshing to see some real effects.

Shannon, probably not.

Juneta key said...

Looking forward to seeing the Planet of the Apes. Trailer looks interesting.
Juneta @ Writer's Gambit

Patricia Stoltey said...

I just watched Rise of the Planet of the Apes for the first time -- the whole concept is amazing and curiously related to what might be happening with the humanizing of artificial intelligence. Creepy, right?

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

Congratulations to Pat. Three books! Wow! That's a lot of writing.

Congratulations to Sandra.

I saw the old original Planet of the Apes movie, way back when and really liked it. I imagine the new one has a lot of special effects. Will try to see it.

Old Elvis music is still my favorite. He'll always be the best in my book.

Have a great Tuesday.

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hi, Alex,

DEFINITELY looking forward to the Twitter pitch... you just never know... right?

Haven't been thinking about movies much these days, back on the "looking" for a home track... Yup, the inspection on the place I wanted wasn't good, so I moved on. Ugh. Thankfully I still have time, but I really need to find a comfortable place before the summer ends.

Congrats to Pat and Sandra for their new releases... all the best you two!

Annalisa Crawford said...

Congrats to Pat and Sandra. The whole ape movie thing has passed me by, but the kids like them, I think - they say so much, it's hard to keep up :-)

Karen Lange said...

Hope you're enjoying the break. Have a great rest of the summer!

Misha Gerrick said...

I still have to watch the trilogy, but it does sound good.

Sandra Cox said...

Retweeted and on my way over to Sandra's.
Have a good one.

Murees Dupè said...

Thanks for sharing the link about the audio books. I always wondered. Enjoy the time off, Alex.

Stephanie Faris said...

So much pitch wars stuff going on the next week!!! I'm a PitchWars mentor and our wish lists go live in an hour. I have no idea what i'm doing...hopefully I'll figure it out!

I heard a writer recently talk about having to go into the studio and record his own audiobook. I can't imagine having to do the voice, too!

Helena said...

I'm not surprised you were moved by War for the Planet of the Apes -- I haven't seen it yet, but I've pretty much only read raves about it. Isn't it interesting how a science fiction movie can drive home lessons about humanity more powerfully than many dramas? But hey, you're a scifi writer so you would know, Alex!

Deniz Bevan said...

Ooh, The Void sounds interesting.
A band from Sweden? I'll have to listen!

Michelle Wallace said...

I enjoyed the guest post over at Sandra's blog.
Alex, I'm wondering how similar/different are the sound effects/devices, to what you envisioned when you imagined the audio parts while you were writing...but I'm sure there were some pleasant surprises!
The whole audio experience sounds really interesting.

mail4rosey said...

I'll have to really psych myself up to go see Planet. Those emotional movies really get to me. I have heard nothing but good about this one, but everyone mentions it's sad/hard on the heart.

Loni Townsend said...

The Void looks downright creepy. I think I'll probably watch War for the Planet of the Apes when it comes out on DVD though. That one looks interesting.

Sandra Cox said...

Congrats to Pat and Sandra on their new releases.
May they have many sales.

'Lo, Alex:)

Toi Thomas said...

I so hope I win Dragon of the Stars on audio.
Can't wait to see War for the Planet of the Apes.
The Void might be too intense for me.
I like the Katatonia song.
I finally came up with something to submit to the anthology. No big deal if I don't make the cut; I'm just happy I feel like I've found something that works for me.

Susan Kane said...

Have not seen either movie, so it is good to have some info.

Game of Thrones is back!! That theme music grabs me. It is my cell ring.

Liz A. said...

Not really a Planet of the Apes fan, but glad this movie is good. I hope you're doing something fun with your time away.

Trisha said...

Katatonia is one band I haven't ever really given much time to - not because I didn't want to, I just didn't. Will have to add them to my list.

I've been on a music-finding kick lately, and am writing up a new list of albums to buy. It's funny, I went years not buying much music and focusing instead on DVDs. Now that I have Netflix, I've stopped with the DVDs and am looking at my music collection more.

Unknown said...

I'm totally looking forward to the last of the Ape movies--I'll just need to prepare myself to go through the wringer-- have watched and loved the other two.

Following the discussion on my blog about Blogspot blogs-- could you please allow Name/URL comments?

Damyanti

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Patricia, yes they've really added a level of realism to the new series.

Beverly, the new one is groundbreaking with its special effects.

Michael, glad you'll participate in the pitch. Hope you find a place soon.

Annalisa, funny!

Thanks, Sandra!

Stephanie, no way I'd record my own books.

Helena, exactly! That's what I like about science fiction and fantasy.

Michelle, I didn't envision most of them, so they were all a surprise.

Rosey, it is!

Hey, Sandra!

Toi, I'm sure you'll make it.

Susan, funny!

Trisha, I'm always on the hunt for new music. Check out Katatonia.

Damy, I'll check - I just can't allow anonymous comments.

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

I'm looking forward to this Planet of the Apes...looks like a great installment.

I always feel a little old when I see the cool stuff you listen to! Maybe I need to get out from under my shell more...

Sandra Cox said...

Katatonia with Serein from their album The Fall of Hearts: I wasn't familiar with Katatonia, but I enjoyed their music. Thanks for the share, Marie.

Have a great evening, Alex.

Tamara Narayan said...

I'd like to see the Planet of the Apes trilogy. The third especially looks intriguing. Since I have Netflix, I might check out The Void. Last night I saw Lion and it was terribly sad, but the performances were great. The night before I watched To The Bone, also great performances.

Still getting things ready for the Twitter Pitch: cutting words from the manuscript, working on the synopsis (GARG!--hate those things), and will get a query ready in case I catch any likes.

Anonymous said...

Confession: Don't be mad, but I didn't read your post. I have a good reason though. I was too excited. See, I was traveling last week and decided to download some movies for my flight and figured, why not give MST a try? I used to love the original and when the new host (Jonah Hill?) was on @Midnight I thought he was funny. Guess what? I LOVED it. Yet another series you got me into. Or re-into. I forgot just how funny MST is. Those one-liners are the best! Thanks Alex!

Elsie

Mary Aalgaard said...

My boys are looking forward to the Ape movie. They kind of creep me out!
Mary at Play off the Page

Sandra Cox said...

Hi Alex,
What movie did you see on date night?

Magic Love Crow said...

Thanks for the reviews Alex! Enjoyed the music! Congrats to Pat and Sandra for their new releases!

Anonymous said...

No plans for my summer, just hoping for life to be calm and uneventful, especially after the stress hubby's job put us through last week. x_x

H.R. Bennett said...

Still need to see all the Apes movies. But, with that said, I haven't heard of the Void at all before this. I'm going to have to look into it. It sounds like my type of tale.

Barbara In Caneyhead said...

While hubby & I watched all the older Planet movies and a series that used to come on, I have no plans to watch this new one. But I did finally see the Avengers with daughter when she brought it home the other day. I really enjoyed it much more than I would have thought I would.
Visit me @ Life & Faith in Caneyhead. 😉

Mason T. Matchak said...

I like that "Planet of the Apes" was taken from a hokey old movie series and turned into something serious and thought-provoking. Kind of goes with the idea that there's no such thing as a bad story idea, only bad execution of said idea. And "The Void" sounds like something I'd enjoy, though I'm usually not hugely into horror.

Must get my pitches ready for the IWSG pitch thing... I keep forgetting. >_<

Ellie Garratt said...

I agree with everything you said about War for the Planet of the Apes. It was stunning at every level and Oscar worthy. I'd also add that Michael Giacchino's score should be nominated. He really made an effort to tie into Jerry Goldsmith's score for Planet of the Apes, by using strange and unusual sounds intermixed into the music, and it paid off.

A Beer for the Shower said...

Man, I keep hearing about these Planet of the Apes movies. I don't know how I missed them, but I never knew they were any good. Guess I have to start from the beginning. I just thought they were cheesy remakes that they kept pumping out, like Transformers.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Elizabeth, you can't be old - I'm older than you are!

Sandra, glad you liked it!

Tamara, glad you are participating.

Elsie - awesome!!!!!

Sandra, Valerian - I don't recommend it.

Barbara, it's a great film.

Mason, they did exactly that with the series. And don't forget the Twitter pitch!

Ellie, it was A+ on every level.

Brandon and Bryan - nothing like Transformers! And not cheesy. Incredibly deep and good. Watch all three.

Sherry Ellis said...

Glad to hear Planet of the Apes was good! Pat Hat sure has been busy!

(Do I get a prize for being last?)

kimlajevardi.com said...

I've heard a lot of good reviews about Planet of the Apes. Perhaps I'll see it soon.

I am pitching for #IWSGPit tomorrow. I've also shared it several places to encourage other writers to join in. I hope there's a tremendous amount of participation. Thanks for setting this up. :)

Rachna Chhabria said...

Visited Sandra's blog. I had no idea Alex that there was so much work involved from an author's part for the audio books, I always thought that it was the publisher's headache.

Congrats for the IWSGPit.

Lynda Dietz said...

Ha! I'm later than Sherry this time. Not sure where my brain was last week when this posted, I guess.

I hadn't thought one way or another about Planet of the Apes, and now I NEED to see it, based on your review. Andy Serkis is one of my favorite actors. And The Void sounds pretty cool, too. I haven't seen a decent horror film in a while.

Looks like the Twitter Pitch Party is going well! I hope for good things for everyone who participates. You guys have put in a lot of hard work!

Lynda Dietz said...

Hmm . . . I tried to comment and it disappeared. There's a first for you.

Anyway, aside from bragging about being last after Sherry, lol, I said your review convinced me that seeing Planet of the Apes is a must, rather than a maybe. I love Andy Serkis's acting and the PoA movies (and old TV series) have always been great.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Sherry, you would, but you are not last!

Rachna, fortunately it wasn't too much to do.

Lynda, you will be stunned by Serkis' performance in the movie. And the Twitter pitch party was amazing!

klahanie said...

Hi Alex,

Well, here I am, 12 days after you posted this. Thanks for the movie reviews. Speaking of apes, my nickname used to be Cornelius.

Interesting music choices. Of course, Katatonia, not to be confused with that other group named, Catatonia.

Enjoy your offline time, Alex.

Gary

Blue Grumpster said...

Wait... the special effects in Apes are the best you've ever seen, bar none? The only reasons I haven't seen it yet is that the sun is shining and this movie's a bit depressing -- great but depressing, being a war movie minus vibrant colors -- so I'm saving this one for um... fall. That's right.

Tonja said...

When I was really little, I was allowed to watch Planet of the Apes, the Charlton Heston version. There was a TV show based on the movie. I remember being so scared that I hid behind the couch when my parents watched it. Apes freak me out. :)

J Lenni Dorner said...

I considered writing something for the IWSG Guide to Writing for Profit. But my whole tip was to never turn down an author interview, and to seek them out on any blog that might reach your audience. You never know who will read them, and it's a great way to both grow your brand and connect with people.
I tried to think of a way to make that 500 words, but it was so much "fluff" that my inner editor threatened to stab me with a million red pens. (Ha ha.)
I had hoped to go see War for Planet of the Apes, but I ended up at funerals this month instead, so blargh, guess I'll see it someday!

Sandra Cox said...

How did twitter pitch go?

Jemi Fraser said...

Just had to drop by and say congrats on the #IWSGPitch day - it was fabulous!

Sandra Cox said...

The Guide to Writing for Profit should be a great asset to the toolbox.

Have a good one, Alex.

Pat Garcia said...

Hi,
I am looking forward to watching the Apes movie whenever it gets here.
Just so proud of this group and of course of the twitter pitch. I didn't participate because my book is not yet finished but I will when it is finished.

As for volunteers to co-host, I'm free in October and would like to be considered.

Shalom aleichem,
Patricia Patricia at Everything Must Change

M Pax said...

Heard good things about Planet of the Apes. I'll have to see it.

Sandra Cox said...

Love Lee's new cover. And offering the book for free. Wow.

Hope you're having a great weekend, Alex.

Blue Grumpster said...

Saw a preview of It. It doesn't suck but I wasn't impressed. No real terror whatsoever. It's too dependent on sound effects that get boring after a while. But... the ending is much better than the stupid spider-thing in the old version. The clown looks good. (Not in a sexy way....)