RiffTrax and Worst Movies Ever – Plus The Five Doctors; Box Office and Movie News, #IWSG News, Contests, and Member in Need; and WEP

RiffTrax – Worst Movie Ever

For years, Manos: Hands of Fate was considered one of the worst films ever made. Plan Nine from Outer Space also vied for that title. Both were attacked by RiffTrax with hilarious results.

However, RiffTrax has recently tackled a couple films that just might be worse than either of those movies.

R.O.T.O.R.
Made in the 80’s as a Robocop ripoff, this film wallows in its cheapness and lack of cohesive plot. You really feel sorry for everyone who saw or rented this film, thinking they were getting something cool. Half the props look like cardboard. Plus ROTOR can see into the past with Sensor Recall. What?! This one is inept from start to finish.

Birdemic
Made in 2010, this film is even worse. A vanity project for a computer software salesman who made a fortune and then blew a chunk of it making this crappy movie. There is a ton of padding, namely with boring characters you don’t care about. The dialogue is horrible - worse than bad Japanese monster movie translations. Nothing that happens makes sense. And the birds? They would’ve been bad special effects in the 50’s.


Galaga and Pheonix arcade games had better graphics!

Watch both (at your own risk) and let me know which one you consider the worst movie ever made!

Rifftrax: Live – Doctor Who: The Five Doctors

The next show is August 17, with an encore showing on August 24 – and the guys are tackling Doctor Who.

If you’ve never been to a live show, you need to go. Mike, Bill, and Kevin riff the movie in front of a live theater audience (usually in Nashville) and the broadcast goes out live to theaters across the country. Now, seeing them in person is the best (I managed to do it once) but seeing a live broadcast is almost as good. Plus there’s something magical about being in a theater full of people who ‘get it.’

So, if you’re a RiffTrax or MST3K fan, or a Doctor Who fan, or just someone who likes making fun of movies, don’t miss it!

Box Office and Upcoming Films

An update on some big releases this year in terms of worldwide box office:
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Despicable Me 3, and Wonder Woman are all in the $800 million dollar range.
Although not likely to catch Beauty and the Beast or The Fate of the Furious, both over $1.2 billion dollars.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is still moving up with over $650 million.
And fortunately, Transformers: The Last Knight has stumbled and not even hit $600 million. (The last three Transformers films have all gone over a billion.) Maybe they will finally stop making them…

In my August movie preview, I failed to mention Wind River, starring Jeremy Renner and Kelsey Asbille. It came out August 4 in limited release. An FBI agent teams with a game tracker in a murder investigation that occurred on an American Indian reservation. What caught my attention was the director – Taylor Sheridan wrote the screenplay, and he also wrote the screenplays for Hell and High Water and Sicario, two films I really enjoyed. I’ll have to track down this film somewhere.


You’ll notice I never did review Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. I can sum it up in two words for you – hot mess. Enough said.

As for other notable films coming out this year:

September – The LEGO Ninjago Movie. No, I will not be seeing this one! Despite the Ninjas and Olivia Munn. Those are not my LEGOS. Nor did the first film amuse me.

October – Blade Runner 2049. Wow, does it look sleek!

November – Thor: Ragnarok. Wicked cool – and funny – trailers! Can’t wait to see Hulk and Loki interact. Looks like a great end to the trilogy.

November – Justice League. I have been dreaming of this film since I was a little comic book geek!!!! Joss Whedon is putting finishing touches on it after stepping in for Zack Snyder. (Who could not continue after his child committed suicide, which is very sad.)

Star Wars: The Last Jedi. It will be bittersweet, but looking forward to another great installment.

Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Thanks to every one for another great IWSG post day!
Remember, that is not a day to post and run – it’s a day to visit other writers and offer support.
It’s also not a day to just toss out a guest post – it has to relate to writer insecurity if you do.
Thanks for understanding!

There were also so many awesome #IWSGPit stories! Even those who didn’t see a lot of action on their Tweets had a good time.
2300 Tweets and our hashtag was a trending topic – that still blows me away!
The next #IWSGPit will be January 2018, and I am already adding to the list of agents and publishers to contact. We’ll have five times as many tuning in for the next one!

I still need one more co-host for September 6! Please leave a comment if you can co-host that day. You'll get the inside scoop on the IWSG Anthology Contest early...

I also wanted to mention a IWSG member in need. Christopher Votey has been a dedicated member for years and contributed a piece on world building at the IWSG site recently.
He’s also homeless right now. Due to an injury, he cannot work, and he couldn’t stay where he was living past August 1. A friend is trying to help him. Chris is a great guy – if you can. Please stop by and leave a word of encouragement for him.

Don’t forget the IWSG Show us Your Writer Insecurity contest on October 4.

There are some awesome prizes…

I’m looking forward to seeing all of the images!

And guess what’s coming in September…

Write…Edit…Publish

The Write...Edit...Publish team, Denise Covey, Yolanda Renee, Olga Godim and Nilanjana Bose, invite all writers to submit to our August challenge. We welcome flash fiction, non-fiction, poetry, photo essays or artwork. There is a $10 Amazon Gift Card for the winner, plus topnotch badges for the runners up. Let your creative juices flow for the REUNIONS challenge. Check out the WEP website for more stimulus.

What do you think is the worst film ever made? Going to see RiffTrax and The Five Doctors? What fall movie catches your interest? Participating in either IWSG contest? And have you seen Dunkirk yet? Why not?

I’m going to be gone this weekend, then after than I am taking most of August off. (I’ll poke in now and then though.) Two goals – writing and research more agents and publishers for the next #IWSGPit. Plus gear up for our next annual anthology contest!

Have a great summer.

Insecure Writer’s Support Group #IWSG and Insecurity Contest! Plus Dunkirk Review, August Movie Preview, and Ninja News

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. I encourage everyone to visit at least a dozen new blogs and leave a comment. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs.


My awesome co-hosts today are Christine Rains, Dolarah @ Book Lover, Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor, Yvonne Ventresca, and LG Keltner!

August question - What are your pet peeves when reading/writing/editing?

My answer – too much description! I have an imagination. Let me use it.

#IWSGPit was amazing! Beyond my expectations.
We had about 2300 Tweets and we were a trending topic on Twitter.
Thanks to everyone who participated or spread the word. And big thanks to the IWSG admins who spent the whole day monitoring the feed.
Our next one will be in January, 2018. And my pledge to participating writers – there will be five times the amount of publishers and agents watching the feed.

We need co-hosts for the rest of the year! September 6 is the announcement of the next IWSG Anthology Contest, so co-hosts get the inside scoop a few days early. October 4 will be Show Your Writer Insecurity Day. We also need co-hosts for November 1 and December 6. Let me know in the comments what days you can co-host. Remember – co-hosts have more fun!

Show Us Your Writer Insecurity!

Are you proud to be an insecure writer?

Then show us!

On Wednesday, October 4 (IWSG Day), post a photo of yourself (or your alter ego) with any of the IWSG swag or with the IWSG logo. Then leave a comment that day at either the IWSG website’s post or the IWSG Facebook post directing us to your photo. (All blog, Facebook, Goodreads, and newsletter members welcome, but photo must be posted on a blog or Facebook to qualify.)

The IWSG site admins will visit each one and pick the top three. Why? Because there are cool prizes involved:

Third place – EBook of A Change of Mind and Other Stories by Nick Wilford, eBook of The Remnant by William Michael Davidson, eBook of Cling to God by Lynda R. Young, eBook of Already Home by Heather M. Gardner, and eBook of Dragon of the Stars by Alex. J. Cavanaugh.

Second place – The entire eBook collection of the Totem series by Christine Rains, eBooks of Princess of Las Pulgas by C. Lee McKenzie, audio book of CassaSeries by Alex J. Cavanaugh, eBook of Black and White by Nick Wilford, and your choice eBook from J.L. Campbell.

Grand prize winner - IWSG website interview, IWSG newsletter spotlight, IWSG pinned tweet for one week, C. Lee McKenzie's Featured Follower for the month, the IWSG Goodreads book club eBook for October/November, a short chapter critique, and a pair of IWSG erasers.

We have some great IWSG swag – pens, mugs, magnets, erasers, etc. Proceeds go to fund the upkeep of the IWSG site.

You have two months to prepare – show us your best insecurity!

Movie Review – Dunkirk

Allied soldiers are surrounded by the German army and trapped on the beach outside of Dunkirk – with little chance of rescue or survival.
An incredible film. This movie is a masterpiece from front to start.
It’s also the most unique way I’ve ever seen a war film – or any film – told. It’s revealed in non-linear fashion, so you have to pay attention. Nolan starts with strong tension and keeps it tense for the whole film.
It’s not a blood and guts war film. There’s also not a lot of talking or exposition. In most instances, the imagery speaks for itself. And wow, will that imagery stick with you.
The special effects and sound effects are incredible. The sound of the planes and the dogfights – almost chilling. Often you weren’t watching – you were part of the action.
The movie is about desperation and survival – and about hope. There are no major heroes. It’s just people doing what they need to stay alive or to do what is right.
And as great as it is as a war film, Dunkirk is even more so a work of art.
Highly recommended!

Ninja News

On August 24th at 2:00 pm EST, Chrys Fey will be participating in a LIVE YouTube interview with Evan Carmichael, an entrepreneur who she'll be interviewing about his book Your One Word and getting some great advice for IWSG members. You'll be able to watch the interview live HERE. You can set a reminder if you click on the link, or you can watch it later. The video will be uploaded in the August 30th IWSG newsletter issue.

We are also sadly saying goodbye to Chrys as an IWSG Admin. Christine Rains is taking over the newsletter next month. However, Chrys will still be partnered with us and running the IWSG Goodreads Book Club. If you haven’t checked it out, you should, as there are Q&A sessions with the authors of the books being read. Chrys will continue to rock the club!

Get Sliding on the Edge by C. Lee McKenzie for free and with new cover art!
Find it on Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, and Barnes and Noble

Available now!
Character Astrology Profiles by Christopher D. Votey
This is the first of four that use Astrology and MBTI to map out possible characters from early life to retirement, to help inspire writers on how to create a more complicated character.
Find it on Amazon

Patricia Stoltey is giving away five advance review copies August 1st-15th of her December release from Five Star, the historical mystery Wishing Caswell Dead on Goodreads.

August Movie Preview

Here are the upcoming theatrical releases for August! As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snark provided by me.

4 –

The Dark Tower
The last Gunslinger, Roland Deschain, has been locked in an eternal battle with Walter O'Dim, also known as the Man in Black, determined to prevent him from toppling the Dark Tower, which holds the universe together. With the fate of the worlds at stake, good and evil will collide in the ultimate battle as only Roland can defend the Tower from the Man in Black
Director: Nikolaj Arcel
Stars: Katheryn Winnick, Matthew McConaughey, Idris Elba, Jackie Earle Haley
All of King’s stories in a blender! Dig the cast and hope it’s great.

11 –

Annabelle: Creation
Several years after the tragic death of their little girl, a dollmaker and his wife welcome a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage into their home, soon becoming the target of the dollmaker's possessed creation, Annabelle.
Director: David F. Sandberg
Stars: Stephanie Sigman, Miranda Otto, Talitha Bateman, Alicia Vela-Bailey
Loved The Conjuring, but you my dear are no Conjuring…

18 –

The Hitman’s Bodyguard
The world's top bodyguard gets a new client, a hit man who must testify at the International Court of Justice. They must put their differences aside and work together to make it to the trial on time.
Director: Patrick Hughes
Stars: Gary Oldman, Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek
Take every generic 80’s buddy film, mix in a blender, and serve…

What are your pet peeves? Did you participate in #IWSGPit? Ready to show your writer insecurity? Have you seen Dunkirk? Any movie strike your fancy in August?

Be sure to let me know if you can co-host the IWSG!