Monday, July 9, 2018

Ant-Man and the Wasp Review, Movie and IWSG News, Devil’s Rock Review, and New Releases

Movie Reviews

Ant-Man and the Wasp
Very entertaining!
Two years after the events of Captain America: Civil War, Scott is finishing up his house arrest when a quest to find Hope’s mother (lost in the beginning of the first film) brings the two of them and Hank together again.
It’s light-hearted, funny, and the perfect popcorn movie. It’s breezy and fun – in line with the first Ant-Man film. You never feel anyone is in mortal danger, but that’s all right. It’s not that kind of a film.
There’s no central villain. It’s more of a caper as everyone is after the research lab. (Which conveniently shrinks to a rolling suitcase.)
Scott, Luis, and friends have also started a security system company, which is ironic since they were all once thieves. Luis also had some of the funniest lines again.
One of the strongest aspects is Scott’s relationship with his daughter. It’s very sweet and natural.
As always, stay through the credits for two bonus scenes. (They tie the film in with Infinity War.) Highly recommended!

The Devil’s Rock
From the IMDB: Set in the Channel Islands on the eve of D Day, two Kiwi commandos, sent to destroy German gun emplacements to distract Hitler's forces away from Normandy, discover a Nazi occult plot to unleash demonic forces to win the war.
This New Zealand film came out in 2011 and we caught it on Amazon Prime.
This is a quiet, atmospheric horror film. The giant bunker is dimly lit and strange sounds and screams carry eerily down the corridors. It’s as unnerving as it is gory. (And when it’s gory – wow!)
Basically there are only four people in the film, but they do a fine job of carrying it. You never know who to trust. Sometimes the accent is heavy, so you have to listen close.
If you can handle the gore, this creepy little film is definitely worth a watch.


New Releases

Landscape Love by River Ford (Charity Bradford)
Nathaniel Pierce ran away from home and the painful memories of his past. He's recreated himself in Eureka Springs. No longer a veterinarian, he's Nate the landscaper. When old Lilly Connor dies, the whole town turns to him to watch out for her granddaughter.
Find it on Amazon

Bluebonnet Ballerina by Carol Kilgore
Gracie Hofner returns, and chaos reigns—including a couple of ghosts trying to save their granddaughter.
Find it on Amazon

Movie News

JoBlo reported on Friday that Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom had crossed the billion dollar mark worldwide.

An article on JoBlo states that production on Birds of Prey should begin January 2019. Actress Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn) says this Suicide Squad spin-off featuring an all girl gang should be rated R.


July DVD releases:
July 10 - A Quiet Place
July 17 - Rampage
July 24 - Ready Player One



IWSG News

IWSG Co-Hosts!
We need one more co-host for August 1.
We also need co-hosts for September 5 (the day we announce the genre and guidelines for the next IWSG Anthology Contest), October 3, November 7, and December 5.
If you can help any of those days, leave a comment or shoot me an email.
Thanks!

#IWSGPit happens Thursday, July 19!

You don’t want to miss this event.

Visit the IWSG site for the rules, time, and hashtags. The IWSG Admins will be monitoring the feed and encouraging participants.

Good luck to everyone pitching!


Today at the IWSG site we have a special guest - Mary Kole, founder of the award-winning Kid Lit site. She’s discussing editing and more, so check it out.


The next WEP – (Write...Edit...Publish) challenge in August has been announced – Change of Heart.
Sign-ups begin August 1.
How does this tie in with the IWSG? You’ll soon find out…




I will be gone for a few days next week, so I’ve made the decision to take the rest of July off. I’ll pop in now and then, and be active on Twitter, but it’s a chance for me to catch up on some IWSG stuff and work on my story.


Catch the new Ant-Man movie? Ever see The Devil’s Rock? Participating in #IWSGPit? Picking up some DVDs or books? And who can co-host the IWSG?
Have a great July!

95 comments:

Pat Hatt said...

#1 what fun!

Pat Hatt said...

Great that Ant man is another hit. Lots going on with IWSG indeed. Not a bad time to take some time off. What is that again? lol enjoy the rest of the month and write away.

Shady Del Knight said...

Hi, Alex!

I subscribe to Amazon Prime and I am eager to check out The Devil's Rock. Based on your review, it's gory horror done right - just my style. I loved Margot Robbie in Pan Am, but didn't like her cast as Tonya Harding. I will look into her work in the SS series and Birds of Prey.

Have a great week, good buddy Alex!

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Ant-Man sounds like the perfect summer movie release.

Yeah, I wouldn't be able to handle The Devil's Rock, but my son and husband like WWII-based stuff, so it may be something they could watch.

Joanne said...

I am very behind on summer flicks, but Ant Man and Wasp is on the list.
Enjoy your rest of July off - breaks are the best. Hope your writing comes along well and that you can chill out too. I am back to work, so I'll keep the world in balance.

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

Enjoy your time off, Alex! Hope you catch up and write, but also relax a bit, too. You deserve it! :)

Ray Rousell said...

I loved Ant Man 1, looking forward to No2! Not heard of the Devils Rock film, I'll look that up for sure. Cheers Ray

Patricia Stoltey said...

I'm loving July but would not be mad if the temperatures moderated a little. Over 90 is too hot to walk the dog or do garden work. But it's a great excuse to stay inside and work on my book!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Pat you hit number one! Yeah, figured it was a good time for a break.

Shady, it's not just gory for gory's sake.

Elizabeth, if they can handle the gore, it was really interesting.

Patricia, the one downside to summer...

Jemi Fraser said...

I woke up to Carol's book loaded on my Kindle!!! :)
One day I'll have to catch up on all the superhero movies - I've watched a few and enjoyed them, but haven't seen them all yet!

Carol Kilgore said...

Ant Man may be fun. Thanks for mentioning Bluebonnet Ballerina, and congrats to Charity Bradford, too!

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I didn't see the new Antman yet, but I'm going to. There are some good movies on Amazon and Netflix right now.
If you don't have anyone volunteer for the August co-host, sign me up. Can't do September.
Enjoy your time off.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Luis is so funny.

Enjoy your break and get a lot of writing done.

The Cynical Sailor said...

Congrats to everyone on their new releases! The Kiwi accent can be a bit tricky at times, but they probably say the same thing about ours :-)

Happy to help out co-hosting in November

Cheers - Ellen

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Jemi, there are twenty Marvel ones now. Good luck.

Carol, you're welcome!

Susan, thanks - appreciate that!

Ellen, thanks!

Natalie Aguirre said...

Congrats to Charity and Carol on their books. Enjoy your time off, Alex. I'll be around a bit more in July and not as much in August. I need to start planning my 2019 schedule and work on a play I'm producing. Would like to write a little like you too.

Sherry Ellis said...

I haven't seen the new Jurassic Park movie yet. Seems like it's doing well.
Enjoy your break for the rest of July!

XmasDolly said...

WOW, Looks like some great movies out there lately! I want to see the Jurassic Park movie & that follow up to Jumanji. I think I missed that review, but I scan around & see if I can find it. Going to the movies is very expensive & if you want popcorn.. well, FORGET IT! You just BLEW about fifty bucks for gettin' in & snackin'! I MEAN DANG! So much for havin' a good time, so at least the movie better be dam GOOD! With hubby bein' laid off again... we just can't catch a break lately & gettin' out is our only breather if ya know what I mean! Anyway, hubby is out right now pounding the pavement & I'm lookin' for anything I can make bloggin'! Sometimes I get lucky, but lately its been downhill all the way! SO SAD! So my friend hope I didn't bum ya out. Have a great day. I know comin' here always lifts my spirits when I read your posts~! hugs HAVE A ROCKIN' WEEK!

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Alex - good luck and enjoy continuing writing your story: you deserve the break. Thanks for the movie reviews ... the Guernsey one sounds 'interesting' ... and great to have the authors highlighted and WEP for August ... and that twitter pitch - I'm sure it'll be brilliant ... cheers Hilary

Birgit said...

I have enjoyed my Vancouver trip and am still here until this eve. Love to see Ant-Man. Enjoy your July off and have a great time

Blue Grumpster said...

I liked Ant-Man and the Wasp a lot. So much more than Solo.....

Andrew Leon said...

Thoroughly enjoyed Ant-Man. The review will be up later this week.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Natalie, hope we both get some writing in.

Marie, hope you both get lucky. And we always hot matinees. Only twenty bucks then.

J E Oneil said...

I really hope I get to see the new Ant-Man movie. I've been waiting forever to see the Wasp in action.

Toi Thomas said...

Haven't seen the new Ant-Man movie yet, but I'm excited about it.
If you're still looking for co-hosts, I'm available for any of the days listed except for November 7.
Can't wait to see what the WEP-IWSG tie-in is.
Enjoy your blogging vacation.

Elephant's Child said...

I must read Carol Kilgore's latest.
Looking forward to finding out more about the WEP/ISWG link up. And feeling a tad intimidated.

dolorah said...

Gore doesn't bother me, as long as it fits the story. My blogging has been slacking, so since October is my birthday, I'll co-host with you.

Have a good month.

Sandra Cox said...

Enjoy your time away, Alex. I hope it is both fun and productive.

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

Sounds like the Ant Man is definitely worth seeing.
Thanks, Alex.
Have a great week.

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

I really need to go see a movie one day. It's been quite a while, but I'm such a homebody. I seldom even watch TV. I know I'm weird.
Congratulations on the new books. Best of luck with them.

Truedessa said...

hmm - I thought I'd had left a comment earlier today. I must have written with disappearing ink. In any case, thanks for the review of Ant-Man. I hope to get out to see this one.

Enjoy your month off and I hope you get some writing accomplished.

Peace, light and love always!

Botanist said...

Your review of Devil's Rock caught my eye because I am originally from Guernsey. Those old German bunkers can be very creepy.

T. Powell Coltrin said...

Ant Man? My daughter is wanting to see AM and wants me to go with! Guess I’ll go. I would love to help with an IWSG Wednesday, but I work and am not sure how I would do both. But then again, I don’t know what the job entails. Have a great time away and off!

Teresa

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

JE, she won't disappoint.

Toi, thanks!

Elephant's Child, don't be.

Donna, thanks!

Sandra, so do I.

Truedessa, magic! But this comment came through.

Ian, this one is super creepy.

Teresa, I'll email you tomorrow.

Pat Tillett said...

Hi Alex! Both of those movies sound good to me.
I have AP, so maybe I'll watch the second one tonight.
Thanks for the reviews!

Liz A. said...

I find that when watching anything with heavy accents, having the captions on helps immensely. Actually, having the captions on TV helps with any show or movie where some dialog is hard to discern.

Have a great July.

Tyrean Martinson said...

I haven't seen either movie yet, but I plan on seeing Ant Man and the Wasp, although my "fam" aren't really up for a movie night at the moment, so it will probably be later rather than sooner.
Happy rest-filled/writing July, Alex!

Fundy Blue said...

Enjoy your time away, Alex! I hope that you have a great time writing! I'll be taking some time myself, because I have a whole lot of traveling coming up, starting Wednesday. Sorry, but I can't help with co-hosting, although I'd love to. I don't know where I'll be on any of those days, except August 1 in Nova Scotia, and I can't help then. Take care!

John Wiswell said...

Good luck on your story, Alex!

nashvillecats2 said...

A great post Alex, Thanks.

Yvonne.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Pat, enjoy!

Liz, we use the captions for Frankenstein Chronicles.

Louis, no worries!

H. R. Sinclair said...

I'm looking forward to the new Ant-man flick! Enjoy your time away and do something fun! :p

Powdered Toast Man said...

I decided to read your blog again and you are taking off for July? Unacceptable..lol
I loved the first Ant-Man. Can't wait to see this one. I only get to the theaters like once a year now, damn kids. See ya in August.

Notes Along the Way with Mary Montague Sikes said...

Thanks for the movie reviews and info. Summer is a good time to visit a theater!

Anonymous said...

Have fun taking the month off. See you when you get back.

Tonja Drecker said...

Hmm..maybe we'll se Antman after all. Have a nice break!

Cherie Reich said...

I'm glad the new Ant-Man movie was good. From the previews, it looked like a lot of fun to watch.

klahanie said...

Hey Alex,

I've heard that Ant-Man and the Wasp is indeed, as you note, very entertaining!

Try and have a good rest during the month of July. I think I've been just about taken the last year or two off from blogging.

You take care, my esteemed friend.

Gary

Sandra Cox said...

I was just getting ready to comment on Ant Man and Wasp when they ran an ad for it on TV:) I haven't seen it. I just can't wrap my head around insect people;)
Hope you've had a great day.

Rhonda Albom said...

I am stuck on 1 billion dollars for Jurassic Park. Makes me wonder if I am the only person worldwide who hasn't seen it yet. If it goes up to 1,000,000,017, then you'll know I went to the movies :) (and yes, it does cost $17 to see a movie in New Zealand)

M.J. Fifield said...

I thought the first Ant-Man movie was much better than the new one, but I still had a good time. It was nice to have a lighter Marvel movie following Infinity War—and I loved seeing Luis again.

If you're still in need of IWSG co-hosts, I'm happy to help out any month you need a spot filled.

Enjoy your time off!

Helena said...

I just read Michael Offut's review too, and like you he really enjoyed the newest Ant-Man movie. So there's two people I trust telling me to see this movie, so I will!

Thanks for reminder of the Twitter Pitch, Alex. I have GOT to get myself together for it.

J.H. Moncrieff said...

I'd totally co-host if it weren't for the new daily teaching gig. I hope you found someone.

I'm planning to participate in #IWSGPit and have it marked on my calendar. Looking forward to it!

Anonymous said...

Movie review helps us to select and watch the movie. Thanks for sharing them:)

mshatch said...

I just had a Captain America binge session (I'd seen the first before not the next two), so I may have to check Antman out. Enjoy the rest of the month :)

SpacerGuy said...

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is in the Cinema, right now! shows what I know. Great I'm going tonight. I could do with a boost from my dinasaur loving friends.

Jo said...

Never seen Ant Man at all although I was recently thinking I ought to. Nazi's and the devil, sounds a bit like Denis Wheatley stories, way before your time no doubt.

Enjoy your break.

Mary Kirkland said...

I just rewatched Ant-Man the other day when it was on tv. I'm looking forward to Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Tara Tyler said...

Pat Hatt, how about that! (love his rhymes)

looking forward to Ant Man and Wasp - glad it didn’t disappoint
congrats to Charity and Carol!
and if you still need help for iwsg days, let me know - hoping to have iwsg anthology blog ready to debut in sept as well!

happy summer!

Mark said...

I heard Ant Man was good, lots of shots of my home town in the background:)

Magic Love Crow said...

Have a great July! See you when you get back, or on twitter!
Thanks for the review on Ant Man! Sounds amazing!
Congrats to everyone on their new book releases!
Take Care Alex!

kimlajevardi.com said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
kimlajevardi.com said...

It sounds like Ant Man and the Wasp is worth watching. Thanks for the review. I'm looking forward to IWSGPit. I've been hard-core revising, and I'm nearly done. Enjoy your July break!

Anonymous said...

We watched A Quiet Place and I loved it. Some scenes even made me queasy. Hello nail. Gah! Enjoy the rest of your July!

Elsie

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

PTM, sorry!

Rhonda, that is outrageous!

MJ, thanks!

Helena, please do!

JH, that's awesome.

Tara, thanks!

Kim, that's good.

Elsie, my wife closed her eyes for that scene.

Julie Flanders said...

Ooh the Devil's Rock sounds good! I have Prime so I'm definitely going to add that to my watchlist.
Enjoy the rest of the month, Alex!!

Sandra Cox said...

Love the covers on the new releases.
Wishes for many sales.

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

I remember the tv series Birds of Prey that the WB tried to launch a little over ten years ago. I thought it was okay, and I was disappointed that it didn't fly. But in retrospect, I guess I didn't know too much about Huntress. I guess a lot of the fan base was outraged by the way Huntress's powers were treated, etc. Am I surprised at the success of Jurassic World? Not one bit. Dinosaurs are (and have always been) super popular.

Cynthia said...

I will check out Mary Kole's post. Thanks for sharing the link.

Shadow said...

Oh I saw Devil's Rock, uGH, but worth the watch *grin*

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

We'll probably see the new Ant-man movie, but I'll skip the gory one. It'd be a waste of money, because I'd just be covering my eyes during all the gory parts. We may go to a matinee tomorrow to see "Skyscraper." Sounds like mindless entertainment with lots of action. And it's under two hours, which suits me just dandy.

Enjoy your break! (P.S. My feelings wouldn't be hurt if you ever want to mention my new book "Explosive Beginnings"... :) )

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Julie, hope you like it.

Shadow, worth one watch at least.

Susan, send me the cover and links and I'll mention it in my next post. Sorry I missed it!

Chemist Ken said...

I'd volunteer for the August co-hosting if I wasn't planning on being in California for my niece's wedding during that time. If you need anyone for September, let me know. Sorry a bout missing July's IWSG posting. I was visiting my mom down in Missouri and totally forgot about it until last night. Shame....

JeriWB said...

I haven't been to a movie in around five months! I'm finding I consume less and less media all the time, but thank goodness for NetFlix when the urge strikes!

mail4rosey said...

I was on the fence about Ant Man, but I'm going to take your recommendation and give it a go! Will stay for the credits too. :)

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

I hope I can find some time to see this movie. Enjoy your time off!

Jay Noel said...

It amazes me how the Jurassic universe just keeps kicking butt in cinemas. I haven't seen it yet, but I plan on it.

I heard Ant-Man was plain fun, and I'm curious as to how it ties into Infinity Wars.

Christine Rains said...

Congrats to everyone on their new releases! We actually made it out to see Ant-Man, and it was fun. We also saw Hotel Transylvania 3 which was cute. Have a fantastic July, Alex!

Heather R. Holden said...

Even though I'm a horror fan, this is the first time I've ever heard of The Devil's Rock. Sounds fascinating!

Steven Arellano Rose Jr. said...

I'm surprised those movies are already releasing on video. Ready Player One and A Quiet Place were in theatres only a couple or three months ago! It's a good thing I guess, although I was hoping RP1 was playing on the big screen a little longer since I would have like to see it in 3D.

Leslie S. Rose said...

If Paul Rudd is in a movie - I'm there. Happy July writing, Alex. May it be productive and inspiring.

Loni Townsend said...

I can't wait until my husband and I can go watch Ant-Man and the Wasp. It looks like so much fun, and it sounds like you confirmed it!

Donna K. Weaver said...

I guess I should see the first Ant Man movie before I see the second one. Jurassic World was okay, but we recently watch Skyscraper with Dwayne Johnson and it was just what a summer popcorn movie should be!

Jen said...

I hope you're enjoying your time off and getting a lot of relaxing and writing done.

Enjoy your Summer!
~ Jen

Arlee Bird said...

Haven't been keeping up with movies lately. Been driving a lot and that's okay with me. Now I'm home and need to regroup my world. Maybe I need to escape into an enjoyable movie.

Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out



J Lenni Dorner said...

Guess this means there will be more Jurassic movies coming.
What all does a co-host do?

Blue Grumpster said...

Did you know that the Mosasaurus couldn't have escaped. Check this map out: CLICK! I was watching the movie and I knew there was something fishy going on. I just couldn't put my finger on it, but then I saw this map and bongo! Cheaters! (Still liked the movie, though, after first switching off my two braincells.)

Anonymous said...

Just popping by to say I hope you're enjoying your time off. :)

Elsie

Lynda Dietz said...

The Ant Man movie sounds like fun. I'm so far behind on all those movies, I'm not sure I'll ever catch up!

Good luck with all the IWSG Twitter Pitch stuff today! It sounds like it'll be a good time for everyone.

Shannon Lawrence said...

Oh, I hadn't heard of that movie on Amazon Prime. Will have to check it out. I always forget to check Prime for movies. I didn't enjoy Suicide Squad, but Margot Robbie was one of the good things about it. Looking forward to the all female version.

J.H. Moncrieff said...

I can co-host in December, if you're still looking for someone.

Did the #IWSGPit and got an okay, but not great, response. A lot of the people favouriting pitches were vanity presses, sadly. No fault of anyone at the IWSG. I wonder if a lot of people in the industry still take July off.

Patsy said...

I hope you're enjoying your blogging break and getting caught ip with everything else.

DMS said...

Glad to hear Ant Man was fun.

Loved seeing Carol's book. Congrats to her!

Hope you had a great July! Can't believe it will be August this week. :)
~Jess

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Ken! I need people for November and December now.

Rosey, hope you enjoyed it.

Heather, you would dig it.

Donna, I am hoping The Meg is similar.

J Lenni, they visit twenty blogs in an assigned block and them report back to me who didn't post.

Blue, you mean it wasn't accurate? I'm crushed...

Elsie, I did!

JH, thanks! And we might switch to just once a year.

Patsy, I did!

Alex Kevin said...

I haven't watched this movie yet I was changing my spectrum internet packages but now I got the new connection now I am gonna watch it online. This movie seems very horror and different from others I just got frightened only by watching its trailer the complete movie gonna rock my world.
Regards
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