Friday, September 17, 2010

Seven Things....

Zoe at No Letters on my Keyboard gave me the Versatile Blogger award and wanted me to list seven things about myself. I’m rather boring, so instead I give you seven fascinating science fiction news flashes!
First is a big shout-out to Angela at Jaded Love Junkie! She was my 200 followers giveaway winner and received a review copy from my publisher. She got the book on Friday and posted her review yesterday – and she liked CassaStar! (Much to my relief!) Visit her BLOG to read the review, which really highlights what’s important about my book. Thanks, Angela! I don’t have to hide my head in shame… Stargate Universe, the third series in the Stargate family, has a few surprise guests for its second season – David Hewlett as Dr. Rodney McKay and Robert Picardo as Commander Richard Woosley, both from Stargate: Atlantis, will make guest appearances. And here I thought the series was doomed… Don’t forget Sharktopus! This train-wreck of a movie debuts on the SyFy channel September 25. This can be science fiction, depending on your selections – the TOP 10 TV SHOWS Blogfest! It’s MONDAY! There were 60 signed up for The Movie Dirty Dozen – I’d like to hit 70 for this one. Tell all your friends!!! Sign up and blog about YOUR favorite TV shows!
Movie review – The Book of Eli The reviews were so mixed on this film that I waited to see it on NetFlix. It’s atmospheric, almost like a graphic novel come to life. Denzel Washington is the hero, heading west with a book – the last remaining Bible – in a post-apocalyptic world. He comes upon a town run by Gary Oldman (ever the chameleon character) who is searching for a Bible so that he can control the residents with the power of the Word. The critics had issues with things that didn’t bother me. However, this is an awkwardly paced film. It’s very slow and dark – as in, sometimes you can’t see the character’s faces it’s so dark. It sets a unique tone, one that will not set well with everyone. If not for the big revelation at the end – and the purpose of Washington’s character heading west – I would’ve written it off as an average film. That made it all worthwhile for me. Have you seen the trailer for Monsters?

55 comments:

Natasha said...

Now that is kinda cheating, Alex. We want to know seven new things about you.

vic caswell said...

wow! that trailer was way more awesome than i was expecting! off to check the review! :) have a good day!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Rayna, if I think of something interesting, I'll let you know.

Aspiring, it looks cool, doesn't it?

Ellie Garratt said...

That's cheating! LOL. Great seven things, though. I loved Robert Picardo in Star Trek Voyager as the holographic doctor. Interestingly, out of all the cast from Voyager he seems to have been the most successful after.

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

Thanks for the seven things, Congrats on the award well deserved.
I may have to post my 10 tv programmes a wee bit early as Monday I have to visit my son who lives about 2 hours away as he is moving and there are a few boxes of mine he has kept whilst I was living in Spain.
Thank s for the visit and comment
I do appreciate all the comments though at times am a bit lax in thanking.

Take care.
Yvonne.

Golden Eagle said...

Great seven things! Knowing seven things about you would have been nice . . . but this was a fascinating post to read.

Christine Danek said...

Nice way to get out of telling us things about you. Still, it is an interesting post.
Congrats to Angela and I will check out her review.

T. Powell Coltrin said...

Nice information. Thanks for the insight.

Unknown said...

your not boring...
my son would love sharktopus.. even if it is a train wreck.. is it kid friendly??? my son is only 5 but he saw jurassic park with my husband.. I was not happy LOL

Jules said...

I think of you every time I see that Sharktopus commercial :)

Congrats on the award.
Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

DEZMOND said...

How dare you post my picture without consulting my public relations team first???? :))))

Thanks for the linky dinky!

Oh,I absolutely hated doctor from VOYAGER, he was so obnoxious and irritating and was present in almost every episode, and just when I thought we saw the last of him, he's back?????? Why didn't they bring back Seven of Nine????

Jeremy [Retro] said...

i am glad to just know seven news worthy things... now i can shutdown for the rest of the day....
iZombie

Charles Gramlich said...

Hum looks good for sure.

JE said...

Sharktopus? And here I thought the SyFy channel couldn't get any worse after that horrible Piranha movie and the Shark Vs Octopus (with the REALLY bad graphics). Sigh.

~JD

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Ellie, yeah, I cheated! And you're right - you don't see the other actors much.

Yvonne, you never lax!

Wasabi, it's on the SyFy channel, so it can't be too graphic.

Jules, as long as you never think Sharktopus while reading my book...

Sorry, Dezz. I'll have my people call your people. And Seven of Nine was hot!

Justine, this promises to be the worst one of all!

Summer Frey said...

That Monsters movie looks pretty good! Perhaps husband and I will go see it. We just saw Resident Evil 4 last weekend, so we'll have another monster movie date. :D

Ella said...

Thanks for the update~ I enjoyed Angela's review; You need to start a countdown, what day can we buy your book?

Karen Lange said...

Congrats on the award! And congrats on the good review.
Happy weekend!
Karen

Anonymous said...

Sharktapus ... now THAT has possibilities. Why didn't I think of that? But does it have a wormhole?

Stephen Tremp

Unknown said...

I love Stargate Universe. And last season they left it on such a cliffhanger. They had been taken over but renegades and the crew were about to be shot. Plus, what's going to happen with the doctor's baby! So many question! Even though the original Stargate will always be my favorite, I love Atlantis (because of McKay) and Universe. Is it wrong for me to want to see the Captain and the Doctor making it work!? I'm a real geek...

CD

Helen Ginger said...

Why would I visit Hollywood Spy, when you are my ultimate source of all that is important and new in Sci-Fi?

Vicki Rocho said...

I was wondering about the Book of Eli. Thanks for the reminder. There are those movies I decide to wait until they go to DVD to see...and then forget all about them. It bugs me when things are so dark you can't SEE...but on the flip side it bugs me when someone turns the light off in a room at night and you CAN still see. I'm like, "Why'd you need the light?" hahaha

Have a great weekend!

Budd said...

I agree with you on book of eli. It went from good to very good in the last 10-15 minutes.

Carol Kilgore said...

Now I want to see Book of Eli. Thanks.

Velvet Over Steel said...

That trailors is very good! Really makes you want to see more.

Crazy busy with homework right now. If I can find the time to think of '10 favorite' tv shows, I will join in for Mondya. I'm sure I can, I just don't watch hardly any tv, except during winter months. Strang, aren't I?! Ha..

Have a Great weekend!!
HUGS,
Coreen

Arlee Bird said...

C'mon you just think you're boring because you're with you all the time. Your fans don't think you're boring.

I agree with your review of Book of Eli.

I will have some sci-fi in my top ten tv shows --- of course!

Lee
Tossing It Out

Julie Dao said...

Oh please, you are not boring! :) Thanks for sharing the latest sci-fi news anyhow! I keep hearing about the Book of Eli.

Colene Murphy said...

Monsters looks AWESOME! How have I not heard about that?! Great taste and thanks for the awesome movie heads up!

Anonymous said...

Those SyFy -I still can't get over the name change- Channel movies are utterly ridiculous. They really get worse and worse.

Monsters looks good. It seems to have a bit of a District 9 feel to it, which is great, since I adore that movie.

ali cross said...

Sweet! I have a soft spot for bad sci fi movies. My Saturday night's are not the same without them!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Karen, I'm sure next month during my blog tour you'll hear more than you ever wanted to know.

Monster movie date! I like the sound of that, Summer.

Ellie, I'll look into a widget for that.

Stephen I predict it will dig a very deep hole for itself!

Clarissa, you're geeking in a good way!!

Aw, thanks, Helen!

Budd, glad I'm not the only one who thought so.

Lee, looking forward to your list!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Rodney's going to be on Stargate Universe? I LOVE Rodney!!!!

Old Kitty said...

Congratulations with your award!! Yay! And Congrats to Angela!

As I'm also in love with all things Denzil Washington - this film is on my to watch asap the minute it hits the UK pronto! Thanks for the info!!!

The lovely Patsy Collins has given info on this competition on her blog:
http://www.writersofthefuture.com/contest-rules
It's L.Ron Hubbard writer's of the future comp!

Hope this helps!

Take care
x

Jamie Gibbs said...

Congrats on the award, and I'm glad Cassastar is getting great reviews :)

Sharktopus looks amazing!...ly bad :P i'll keep this one in mind for my "so bad it's good " Hallowe'en fest this year :P

I never bothered with the Book of Eli; now I know it's a post apocalyptic movie (and with Gary Oldman) I'll give it a shot. thanks :D

Bossy Betty said...

ALex got a rabbit! Alex got a rabbit!!!

Hey, thank you SO much for visiting my guest blog today! I really appreciate it!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Thanks, Kitty!

Jamie, I promise to post a review for you after the 25th.

Thanks for the laugh, Betty! Yes, I got a rabbit.

BryStearns said...

Yes, it will be cool to see Rodney McKay on SG:U, it's about time they gave the Atlantis characters some love!

Jeff Beesler said...

Awesome review, Alex! Looking forward to reading CassaStar even more now!

Len Lambert said...

Sharktopus? I will surely check that out, Alex! :)

Amity said...

how could i have a copy of your book Alex? my kids would love it! :)

Chuck said...

I said it before...I can't wait for Sharktopus! Just about at the 30-day countdown to your book!

Jemi Fraser said...

I only saw one episode of SG Universe - I should try to catch in reruns - especially if they're bringing in some Atlanta folks :)

Pat Tillett said...

First off congratulations on the award!
Second, I wanted to see "the book of Eli" and then forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder, I'm going to see it for sure now...thanks!

Angela McCallister said...

Thanks for mentioning my blog. I like to see it in purdy colors ;) I think Alex likes his privacy a bit like Byron. I can attest to all who visit this post that Alex's bio is a bit short in the book jacket. Sorry to call ya out, but ya know.

On another note, I enjoyed The Book of Eli for the same reasons. Plus Denzel is a total badass, at least when he fights in this movie. Monsters looks creepy, like my kinda movie. It'd be easy to mess this movie up so it makes me nervous to go watch in theaters.

Patricia Stoltey said...

I can't stay long enough to read all the comments, but I hope everyone chastised you for not giving us some creative personal information. What do you like for breakfast? Do you have a pet? Are you a gardener? You know, the really personal details.

Patricia

Glynis Peters said...

DH has just seen the trailer and looks forward to the film (movie).
Thanks for sharing.

Glynis Peters said...

DH has just seen the trailer and looks forward to the film (movie).
Thanks for sharing.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Bryan, I know! That series ended so abruptly, too.

Amity, next month!!!

Chuck, I know - getting nervous.

Yeah, I probably share that trait with him, Angela.

Patricia, the closest I get to gardening is mowing the lawn.

That's great, Glynis!

Gail said...

Good info, thanks

Hannah said...

I can't add to your scifi news. I can say I'm excited for Sharktopus!! Squeeeeee!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Palin, I'm just ready for the train wreck!

Amity said...

Lookin' forward to your book release next month, I am excited to grab a copy of your first release!

Thanks and good morning... :)

P.S. Just pls let me know when it is out in the market or at Amazon.com?

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Can't wait for "TOP 10 TV SHOWS Blogfest". I rarely watch TV, but there are reality shows and TV series I absolutely love!

"Sharktopus" looks lame, but I might give it a chance :)

"The Book of Eli" was rather disappointing. Except the nice post apocalyptic tone of the film and its impressive ending, as a whole, it was... well... boring.

"Monsters" was made for only $15 000, but it looks like expensive blockbuster. One of the best-reviewed sci fi films of 2010.

sfdada said...

Just catching up, thanks for the bits. What else this weekend? Did we catch The Clone Wars season 3 starter? For the Star Wars fans.

I will have to give Stargate U another try. I didn't make it through the first episode. This season's casting frenzy sounds like they are putting a serious effort into keeping the series fresh.

Sheila Deeth said...

Fun 7 facts. Not seen the monsters trailer before. I liked the book of Eli but my son wasn't impressed.