Tuesday, April 21, 2015

A to Z Challenge – R – Cult Classics: Rush, Reservoir Dogs, Ringworld, and More! Plus New Jurassic World Trailer and New Releases

A to Z Challenge – Cult Classics – R
Movies-Music-Sci-fi Book-Bloggers-Dragon Term





Movies –

Re-Animator
Loosely based on an H.P. Lovecraft story, this film is one of Entertainment Weekly’s top cult films and launched actor Jeffrey Combs’ career.

Reservoir Dogs
Quentin Tarantino’s debut film features an all-star cast and extreme violence. A favorite at its Sundance Film Festival debut, it’s heralded by Empire magazine as the greatest independent film ever made.



Music –

Rush – Hemispheres
The band’s sixth studio album was a landmark of complex progressive rock music and featured their first instrumental, an overly-ambitious piece called La Villa Strangiato.

Science Fiction Book –

Ringworld – Larry Niven
This 1970 novel spawned three sequels, four prequels, and ties in with other books set in Known Space. It won the Nebula, Hugo, and Locus awards.




Bloggers –

Rebecca Bradley
Do you enjoy crime fiction with a British flair? Want to know more about first drafts? Want to follow an author who fights through incredible physical challenges? Then visit Rebecca today!

Rhonda Albom at Albom Adventures
Do you enjoy traveling? Sailing? Amazing photos? Want to know how to travel around the world on a shoestring budget? Then you need to meet writer and photographer Rhonda from New Zealand!

Robyn Campbell
Want to meet a friendly and supportive writer? One who also faces challenges but with grace and strong moral values? Then you need to get to know this amazing woman!

Dragon of the Stars Term –

Ryzell
The Ryzell is a Hyrathian battleship. When the story begins, Aden Pendar is the Lt. Commander, second in command to Captain Jaxon Fyall. Her crew includes Lt. Shadvey, the squadron leader; Lt. Asher, senior weapons officer, and Ensign Pavott, junior weapons officer. The Ryzell is one of the first ships to see action in war.

Dragon of the Stars is out now!
Check out the site What Are the Kargrandes? for clues as to how they tie into the story.

New Releases!

Last fall, I had the honor of being a judge in a high school anthology contest. And now the book is out!
Bold New Worlds edited by Charity Bradford
12 Students – 12 Stories
Find it on Amazon

Vibrizzio by Nicki Elson

Lyssa Bates doesn't need a man. Not when the world is fully stocked with double A batteries and a wide array of options in Amazon's health and sexual wellness category.

Nicki asked me this: Because you're a guy, I'd love to also get your one sentence (or less) honest reaction to that blurb.

My honest reaction – Oh, my!

Pick it up on Amazon

On the Altar by Jeff Chapman

Once upon a Nightmare: A Collection by Cherie Reich
A legend awakens…
Now available in print and ebook formats on Amazon.
The eBook is on sale for $0.99 until April 30th.


Blood, Boobs, and Carnage Blogfest!

Hosted by me and Heather Gardner.

Visit yesterday’s post for details and to sign up!



Jurassic World Movie Trailer

Courtesy of JoBlo, here is the second trailer for the movie – and it looks awesome!!



Seen either movie? Fan of Rush? (If not, don’t say it!) If you’re a dude, what is your reaction to Nicki’s book? Ready for Blood, Boobs, and Carnage? And who’s stoked for Jurassic World…?

If you missed it, my stop yesterday was with the awesome Hart Johnson - and I revealed a lot about Dragon of the Stars.

109 comments:

Empty Nest Insider said...

Love the name of your upcoming blogfest with Heather! Thanks for reminding me about Resevoir Dogs. I'll have to look for it on NetFlix. I'm so excited that you put Rhonda in the spotlight! We became friends in grammar school, and she encouraged me to sign up for my first A to Z in 2011. Oh, and Rhonda's photos are phenomenal! Thanks for everything, Alex!

Julie

Rachna Chhabria said...

I have heard a lot about the movie Reservoir Dogs. Have seen a Hindi movie which was supposed to be inspired by the English version. Have seen Rhonda's photos and Robyn is indeed a strong woman. Blood, Boobs and Carnage Blogfest sounds interesting.

Jeremy [Retro] said...

To Nicki, but who will kill the spiders or to say I love you... when you need it?

I signed up for the "BBC"... Yeah!

Rush, Yeah!
R Dogs, Yeah!
R people you shared, Yeah!
JPW, pass... it looks awesome, just the same movie... man gets involved in the evolve and musses it up and this time there are more people to eat.

Jeremy

Elephant's Child said...

Another post which exposes my ignorance.
Congratulations to all the new release authors.
Off to learn...

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Alex - I was too frightened to see Reservoir Dogs when it came out - might cope now! Rush .. couldn't manage but for another reason. Rhonda and Robyn - great bloggers and I always forget about Julie and Rhonda being at school together ..

Your blog fest looks interesting .. cheers Hilary

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Alex - I was too frightened to see Reservoir Dogs when it came out - might cope now! Rush .. couldn't manage but for another reason. Rhonda and Robyn - great bloggers and I always forget about Julie and Rhonda being at school together ..

Your blog fest looks interesting .. cheers Hilary

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

I've read Ringworld but not the other books in the series.

Annalisa Crawford said...

I love Rebecca Bradley's blog!

I also really love Reservoir Dogs - more so than Pulp Fiction, which is the reverse of other people I've discussed it with. When I first watched it, I got the humour straight away, but I was watching with a group of friends that didn't. That was awkward :-)

Bob/Sally said...

I haven't seen Re-Animator in years - such a great, fun flick. I'm really surprised you picked Rush . . . didn't see that coming at all. Oh, wait, I did. :)

Christine Rains said...

Awesome flicks and yay for the R bloggers! :) Can't wait to see the new Jurassic World movie.

Jackie said...

I'm so excited to take my sons to see Jurassic World!!!

Jo said...

I seem to remember Reservoir Dogs. Not sure if I ever saw it, though I intended to do so.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Julie, that's cool you met her then!

Jeremy - yeah!

Annalisa, I thought it was an amazing film.

Pat Hatt said...

Jurassic World should hopefully be good. Re-Animator is still one I have to see some day. What? No R? He may not give you a great post lol

River Fairchild said...

Yay for the new Jurassic World movie! I'm looking forward to it.
Rush? Who's that? ;)

Jennifer Hawes said...

I've heard some people talking about how cheesy Jurassic Park World looks. Nope. I'm gonna love it! Can't wait;)))

jaybird said...

I am not familiar with any of those bloggers you highlighted. I need to get myself over to their blogs asap. Thanks for always shining the light on some solid blogging peeps!

nashvillecats2 said...

So much news, so much to take in, This blog was wonderful to read and look at.

Yvonne.

Chrys Fey said...

Rush created awesome music.

I love the Jurassic Park movies. The first is, of course, my favorite.

Rhonda Albom said...

Thanks Alex. It made my day to be featured here. As for the rest, am I the only one that really hated Reservoir Dogs? On the flip side, loved Rush. Jurassic World looks too scary. Thanks again :)

Al Diaz said...

I saw the trailer of Jurassic Park in the theater and thought it would be interesting to see what they came up with but I am not holding my breath to see it. I look forward to Avengers, though. I read about your bloghop. As soon as I heard Hearther's name, I knew what kind of bloghop this was. I was right. :)

Jay Noel said...

Yes, I'm one of the chums who have NEVER seen either movie but has every intention of trying to catch them. Just terrible, as I know I'd love both flicks.

I have mixed feelings about Jurassic Park. Loved the original, but there's always that lingering doubt. I'm optimistic.

Michael Abayomi said...

I love Reservoir Dogs (and Quentin Tarantino), even more so than his just as critically acclaimed follow up, Pulp Fiction.

Tamara Narayan said...

I am a fan of Rush and have their Roll the Bones CD somewhere. As for Jurassic Park--it looks like quite the spectacle, but the plot pushes way past credibility. Sure! Go ahead and put tons of people in close proximity with huge, smart, dangerous, hungry, genetically altered predators. What could possibly go wrong? I guess "feeding time at the zoo" has a different meaning now.

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hey, Alex,

Another blogfest... it's been a while. LOVE the title and Heather is awesome! Must check it out. It's been AGES since I've done a blogfest!

I featured Nicki's book as you know today... INTERESTING.

Mark Koopmans said...

Love your reaction - so sounds like Nicki has a good book on her hands :)

PS... I'm surprised the whole R post wasn't all Rush :)

... Still traumatized by Reservoir Dogs :)

Luanne G. Smith said...

You know, I've never seen Reservoir Dogs. And "Oh My" would be my reaction to that blurb too. wow.

Shell Flower said...

Ringworld is so cool. And I had a goldfish named Rush that I won at a carnival along with a Rush mirror that lived in the bottom of the fish's bowl. I figured he wouldn't get lonely that way.

Nicki Elson said...

I'll bet you just couldn't wait for R day to get your beloved Rush in there!

Thank you so much for including my release day in your R post. :) I don't know what blogworld would do without you. Probably it would disintegrate.

Patricia Stoltey said...

I'm definitely ready for Jurassic World!

Cherdo said...

Reservoir Dogs is one of my all time favorite movies and highly quotable - a requirement! Just ask Mr. Brown.

Tyrean Martinson said...

Wow. Books I haven't read, and movies I haven't seen. I must do some catching up.
I meant to stop by Hart's site yesterday, but what happened? hmm. Must remedy.

Julie Flanders said...

Your reaction to Nicki's book cracked me up. :D I am excited for another Jurassic movie!

S. L. Hennessy said...

Rush! Listening to them makes me so happy. And I could NOT be more excited about Jurassic World.

Arlee Bird said...

I've still never seen Reservoir Dogs in its entirety, but I've popped in on a few portions now and then when I've run across it on TV.

Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out

Robyn Campbell said...

Alex!! This made my heart smile. Thank you for such an honor. I woke up late (stayed up late with Christopher) and saw your comment over at my blog. I had NO idea what it was (I figured it was Rush until I read down). I LOVE them. Thank you for cheering me up. :-)

I giggled at your one sentence reaction to Nicki's blurb.

I must meet Rhonda. I'm going to buy a camera (mine bit the dust) and start taking pictures of our piece of NC. And Rebecca too. She sounds like my kinda gal. Thanks for introducing me to these awesome, strong, women bloggers.

Hey, I finally got Dragon of the Stars which means I have an entire library of Alex Cavanaugh books. Cannot wait to see what these Kargrandes are all about after all that tweeting I did. ;-) I added it to my Goodreads too. Can't wait to do a review.

Have a super day Alex.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Rebecca is an awesome person. She's so kind and fun. And she has the cutest dog.
I'm so stoked for Jurassic World.

Fundy Blue said...

I can't even think after seeing the trailer for JP! Literally, my heart is pounding! I can't wait! Have a great day!

Kathe W. said...

love Reservoir Dogs! Quentin is one of my favorite film makers!

Bish Denham said...

Ringworld, one of my husband's favorite books! And Robyn Campbell, one of my favorite bloggers.

Crystal Collier said...

Yay for awesome bloggers! I need to gather up your list of cult classics. The hubby is always looking for good ones to add to the list.

Stephanie Faris said...

How cool that you got to judge a high school contest! I'm noticing visitorship is dropping off the longer the A to Z Challenge goes on...that probably happened last year, too. Everyone starts out all excited, then just vanishes...

Al Penwasser said...

When I saw the trailer for "Jurassic World," I remarked at how stupid people would be to keep going to an "amusement" park like this. Then, I thought, "It's only a movie. People aren't that stupid."
THEN I remember what Michael Corleone told Kay when she said Senators "don't have people killed": "Who's being naïve, Kay?"
Give me "It's a Small World," anyday.

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

Al leaves the most entertaining comments, doesn't he? And Nikki is my new mentor. I'm filing that book title in my brain.

Though it's not my kind of movie, I loved Jurrassic Park and the trailer looks excellent.

Elizabeth Seckman said...

I just bought a new copy of Reservoir Dogs so my boys could watch it. They loved it. Dark, funny, and bloody.

Maurice Mitchell said...

It's great to see the new trailer focusing on his relationship with raptors which was a topic of huge speculation.

Cherie Reich said...

Thank you so much for mentioning my collection, Alex!

And I'm so excited about Jurassic World. I want to see it NOW! June 12 seems so far away.

Roland D. Yeomans said...

The star of RE-ANIMATOR was one of the guests of honor at our Sci Fi convention here where I talked. Pleasant man. :-)

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

Really nice that you served as a judge for the high school anthology. Know that meant a lot to the kids!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Pat, where's R when we need him?

Chrys, yes they did!

Rhonda, you're welcome. And that movie isn't for everyone.

Al, it could only be Blood, Boobs, and Carnage!

Tamara, yes it does!

Michael, join us!

Mark, it was tempting to make it all about Rush...

Shell, funny!

Nicki, that's right! And you're welcome.

Julie, I am here to amuse.

Robyn, you're welcome! And thank you - hope you enjoy it.

Stephanie, yeah, it happens every year.

Al, people are that stupid.

Elizabeth, Blood and Carnage! No Boobs though.

Cherie, you're welcome.

Roland, that's cool!

Kathryn Thornton said...

I have walked out of three movies in my life , Res Dogs was one. The other two were clockwork orange and good fellas when they opened the trunk I fled.

Res dogs and clockwork orange were picked as date movies by the guy, probably in hopes of scaring me into his arms. Both were disappointed when I got up and said I would wait in the lobby.

http://katloveswriting.blogspot.com

cleemckenzie said...

I did see Re-Animator. Can't remember with whom or when, but I remember Jeffrey Combs.

So many bloggers to visit and I'm glad I've been able to get around to many new ones this year.

T. Powell Coltrin said...

I want to read Ringworld and see Jurassic Park. Oh yeah!

12 students 12 stories. How cool.

Charles Gramlich said...

both re-animator and resevoir dogs were quite good movies. As you know, though, I'm not the biggest Rush fan in the world. :)

J.H. Moncrieff said...

I sometimes feel like the only person in the world who can't stand Rush.

Nicki's books sounds very...interesting. ;)

Carrie-Anne said...

I'm not really familiar with Rush, though I remember liking what I heard when the local classic rock station did a spotlight on their Moving Pictures album. They seem like my belovèd Who, much more popular with their albums than with most of their singles.

Dixie@dcrelief said...

Rush and Ringworld are faves. I also like to read Jeff Chapman.
Nice "R", Alex.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

That trailer is awesome. I can't wait for that movie. Nikki's tagline is hilarious.
Good picks for today and I won't say anything against Rush.

L.G. Keltner said...

Ringworld is a classic! My kids and I are both excited for Jurassic World. I still remember the excitement of seeing the first one in the theater.

Hildie McQueen said...

Hi Alex! Although not a fan of movies that stress e out, I have seen all of the Jurrasic Park movies and this one will definiely be watched. And yes, Im going ot probably scream like a girl. Hugs!!

Nilanjana Bose said...

That's so awesome being invited to judge a high school writing contest!

Your one sentence reaction to the other new book made me chuckle.

The JW trailer looks exciting, will definitely be going to the cinema for that.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Kat, I'd have to say their plan backfired. I've never liked Clockwork Orange either.

Lee, hard to forget him.

Charles, for shame...

Carrie-Anne, they are more about the whole album than singles. And they have a huge fan base.

Susan, wise choice.

Hey Hildie! Good to hear from you.

Liz A. said...

There's a staff member at one of the schools I sub at that has a Reservoir Dogs reference on his car. I never did get around to seeing it.

SpacerGuy said...

Great choices for R. Totally stoked for Jurassic World, its always fun watching the humans flee when it all goes horribly wrong!

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

Some neat blogs to visit.
I know nothing about the books or movies, as usual.
Now Jurassic World sounds great. Loved Jurassic Park. Yay. I knew one.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Reanimator was a trippy movie.

I can't wait to see Jurassic World.

Jeffrey Scott said...

Thought I've never seen re-animator, I do know and love Jeffrey Combs as that guy who plays every Star Trek alien:
Shran - Andorian,
Weyon - Vorta,
Brunt - Ferengi,
primarily.

Andrew Leon said...

I have Ringworld, but I've never read it.

Sandra Cox said...

Very cool about Bold New Worlds.
I didn't think I'd want anymore Jurassic Parks but it looks good.
Congrats to the new releases.
Way to go, Cherie.

Scribbles From Jenn said...

How fun to be a judge and actually see the book come out. I wonder how I'd fare judging a bunch of high schoolers.

Scribbles From Jenn - Visiting from the A to Z Challenge

Michelle Wallace said...

I think I'm back on track... I posted 'R' today... let's hope it lasts. LOL
Robyn Campbell is a fabulous lady!
Ronda's photos are AMAZING!
I have Rebecca's book on my Kindle.

Li said...

Super stoked for Jurassic World - especially since we have a new IMAX theater in town. (Seeing it in 3D IMAX would be mind-blowing.)

Saumya said...

Jurassic Park is so exciting! Thanks for introducing us to these new bloggers. You are the best!!!

Cynthia said...

I just visited Robyn's blog. Turns out she's participating in the other challenge (non A to Z) I'm doing this month.

Joanne said...

The Rush I like is the movie - actually two of the same name. One was the racing one, the other older one was Jason Patric as a cop infiltrating a drug gang. Greg Allman was the bad guy.

Elizabeth Mueller said...

I would love if one of my books spawned 3 sequels, 4 prequels and other ties! xD

Oh, how sad. I am so sorry to hear that. I, too, have faced "orphaning". Sad to say, but this happens MORE often than we authors care to think. Readers have NO clue this happens. All they know is that they see a book. They read a book. End of story. ;) Good luck with your new publisher!

Elizabeth Mueller
AtoZ 2015
My Little Pony

J E Oneil said...

Oh no. Please, not Re-Animator. It will take ten Reservoir Dogs to wash that memory out of my brain.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Spacerguy, now that you mention it, that is fun to watch.

Beverly, good for you!

Jeffrey, yes he does.

Jenn, fortunately there were several of us judging.

Lisa, yes it would!

Cynthia, you found a fellow challenger then.

Joanne, I've seen both!

alexia said...

I've seen Reservoir Dogs... not my fave Tarantino movie. That would be Inglorious Basterds, though I love plenty of the others too.

Super excited about Jurassic Park!!

Leovi said...

Yes, Reservoir Dogs is a great movie to begin the journey of Tarantino!

Birgit said...

I have not seen either film which is rare-I usually have seen one of them. I am looking forward to Jurassic park-do you think Superman and Batman will make a cameo?:) Loved who won Face Off:)

Stephen Tremp said...

Oh hell yes to more dinosaurs terrorizing and eating people!

And just signed up for The Boobfest!

stephen Hayes said...

I'll probably see Jurassic World, but this time I'm rooting for the dinosaurs.

Holy Ghost Writer said...

Rush is one of the best

D.G. Hudson said...

I watched Reservoir Dogs with daughters - bloody but apt to stay a cult classic; and have read several Ringworld novels by Larry Niven years ago.
Wow is all I can say about that Jurassic park trailer - wonder why dinosaurs fascinate us so. . .an intelligent reptile is hard to imagine. . .

The Happy Whisk said...

Oh my, very funny words.

I'm up for another Dino movie. Love those, really. Even when they suck or don't suck. I still enjoy them.

Cheers and boogie boogie.

Truedessa said...

I thought maybe "R" would appear
as he wanders the blogsphere.

For those who haven't read Dragon of the Stars you are missing out on a great story. This is a must read on so many levels.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Alexia, that's a good one.

Birgit, she was my pick to win Face Off!

Stephen, great!

Holy Ghost, yes!

DG and Ivy, we just love our dinosaurs.

Truedessa, where is R when you need him? And thank you!

Unknown said...

no Rush hating here! :)

mail4rosey said...

Rhonda's Family Tree Wordless Wednesday Post is still my most favorite WW post of all time. :)

My husband loves Reservoir Dogs. In fact he likes any QT movie.

I like Rush. :)

Helena said...

The bloggers you've highlighted sound wonderful. But I've never seen Reservoir Dogs precisely because I've heard it was so violent.

The Jurassic movie looks scary good. I pretty much screamed my way through the original. Guess it's time to go back and exercise my lungs again.

Bevimus said...

Is i weird that the first descriptor I think of when I read Re-animator is "Classic"?

And Reservoir Dogs- that one epic scene. Every time I hear that song "Stuck in the Middle with you" that's all I can think of.

That anthology sounds great- what an awesome project to be a part of!

Trisha said...

I'm stoked about the Jurassic trailer!! Woot! :)

Haha, love your reaction to Nicki's new book blurb. Classic!

I think Hemispheres is the only Rush album I have.

Nick Wilford said...

I was pretty young when I saw Reservoir Dogs, certainly made an impression. I've long been interested in reading Ringworld but never got round to that one. I think Nicki will get some great reactions!

Unknown said...

I read the first 3 Ringworld books. The image that sticks with me is when one of the characters was looking at the different layers of words and they could see the remains of failed civilizations buried on now dead planets. It gave me a whole new respect for time and responsibility.

Movie trailer = FUN!!!

You can find me here:
ClarabelleRant

Suzanne said...

How cool to have been a judge and the book gets published :)

Sundari Venkatraman said...

Interesting post indeed! :)
My A-Z posts: http://sundarivenkatraman.blogspot.in

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Beth, good for you!

Rosey, you and your husband are both cool.

Helena, it's very violent.

Trisha, you have one of the best then!

Suzanne, very cool!

Unknown said...

We dwarves have been thinking on adopting a pet that goes well in a dragon cave. We believe a velociraptor would be a good idea. We can train him to just eat unwanted visitors like salesmen and such. And probably play with Ninja Muse (insert evil grin here.) There would be a lot of Blood, Boobs and Carnage to be had. We'll send the memo for Father Dragon's approval.

Anonymous said...

I have Rush's first 3 albums. Caress of Steel is by far my favorite. I have to keep listening to them.

Reservoir Dogs probably IS the best independent film ever made. It's so epic.

Lisa said...

The trailer looks good, and very much like the first J movie...first it's beautiful, then it's trashed. I read Ringworld a very long time ago. I think I'll read it again! And yes, I did/do like some of Rush's music. Lisa, co-host AtoZ 2015, @ http://www.lisabuiecollard.com

Heather M. Gardner said...

Of course, Rush.
Of course. One of the best rock bands...EVER.

Great blogs!

I'm a little concerned about the amount of CGI in this JP movie. It may be too much.

Alex!

HMG

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Do you remember the movie RUSH starring Jason Patric and Jennifer Jason Leigh? Gregg Allman had a small part. Well worth watching even today.

Mina Burrows said...

Reservoir Dogs! Total cult classic. Excellent selection!

Rush too. :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Al, that would work!

Debra, you are awesome!

Heather, that is why you rock. And we'll see if they can pull off the CGI overload.

Joylene, I remember it!

Chemist Ken said...

I discovered Larry Niven back in college and never looked back. I always enjoyed how he added science to his science fiction.

Unknown said...

Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow! That Jurassic Park trailer looks amazing! I am definitely going to see that when it comes out. It doesn't hurt that it has an ultra sexy lead :)

And thank you Alex! For listing me as one of your R bloggers! Thank you :)

Deniz Bevan said...

It seems to be a new thing now to make fun of Rush. I really don't know why. Maybe it's cos I'm Canadian but I Love that band!