Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Insecure Writer’s Support Group, February Movie Preview, Movie Reviews, and More!

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 Lee Lowery, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Jennifer Hawes, Cathrina Constantine, and Tyrean Martinson

February 5 question - Has a single photo or work of art ever inspired a story? What was it and did you finish it?

Ironically, I covered this in my December IWSG post. (Double ironic because today’s question is mine!)

So rather than post the Frazetta image that inspired CassaStar again, I’ll go with another artistic inspiration.

Dragon on the Sea by Ayreon is about the Queen of England sending Sir Walter Drake out to meet the enemy. The lyrics gave me the idea of a dragon space ship and a man being sent on a quest. The result was my fourth book, a standalone novel, Dragon of the Stars.

Here is the YouTube video – most of the lyrics fit somewhere into the story:



Need a couple co-hosts for April and May. Leave a comment if you can help either month!

New release from an IWSG member and former Admin!
Wielder’s Curse by Elle Cardy (Lynda R. Young)
Her curse isn’t the only darkness waiting to break the world.
The second in the sweeping Wielder’s Storm fantasy series, this epic adventure is about a fierce young girl, out of control magic, terrifying secrets, and now dark visions and a sinister enemy on the hunt.
Find it on Amazon


Movie Reviews

The Good Dinosaur
While we still have Disney+, we decided to watch this Pixar film since we missed it in the theater.
The meteor misses earth, so dinosaurs don’t die out and evolve instead. The herbivores are farmers and the big carnivores are ranchers. Humans are just now evolving and still run around on all fours, barking and howling like dogs, and the main one’s name is Spot…
What the f***?!
This movie is what happens when writers drop acid. And then forget to edit sober. The film also handles some really adult and difficult themes that hopefully went over kids’ heads. Of course, the poor adults along for the ride were treated to a really juvenile story. And it should have been called The Clumsy Dinosaur – how he lived until the end I’ll never know.
It does have some stunning scenery animation. Very life-like. The dinosaurs – not so much.
It’s a train wreck, but at least it was watchable. Although I may never get the redneck Texan T-Rexes out of my head…
Not recommended

Parasite
An unemployed family slowly cons their way into working for a filthy rich family.
Since it’s up for Best Picture, we decided to watch it. I’m not sure what all the excitement is about though.
None of the characters are likeable, either the poor family or the rich. They aren’t all complete scumbags, but they are very screwed up and damaged characters. So it’s really hard to care what happens to any of them.
It is fascinating in a creepy kind of way how things start spiraling out of control for everyone. However, there are some plot holes and some characters/plot points that just don’t lead anywhere. Plus the film’s message seems to be that poor people are parasites. Maybe that works in South Korea, but not sure how well that goes over here.
I predict this will not win Best Picture.
Watch at your own risk.

February Movie Preview

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

7 –

Birds of Prey
After splitting with the Joker, Harley Quinn joins superheroes Black Canary, Huntress and Renee Montoya to save a young girl from an evil crime lord.
Director: Cathy Yan
Stars: Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ewan McGregor, Jurnee Smollett-Bell
Plausible? Who cares? I’m there!



14 –

Blumhouse’s Fantasy Island
A horror adaptation of the popular '70s TV show about a magical island resort.
Director: Jeff Wadlow
Stars: Maggie Q, Lucy Hale, Portia Doubleday, Michael Peña
If I don’t get at least one “Da plane!” I will be bitterly disappointed.


21 –

The Call of the Wild
A sled dog struggles for survival in the wilds of the Yukon.
Director: Chris Sanders
Stars: Karen Gillan, Harrison Ford, Cara Gee, Dan Stevens
The dog is CGI. Why?????


28 – 

The Invisible Man
When Cecilia's abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.
Director: Leigh Whannell
Stars: Elisabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid
I worry this will make us long for the Chevy Chase version…



Has art inspired your writing? Can you co-host in April or May? Seen either movie I reviewed? And what films catch your eye this month?

108 comments:

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Alex - I loved Lynda's Wielder's Prize (Elle Cardy) ... and I'm sure Wielder's Curse will be just as good - enjoy: all who read and congratulations Lynda. I do want to see Parasite - very informative about life in Korea - and there's a few films I need to see here ... Little Women, David Copperfield and others ... good luck to one and all - cheers Hilary

Shannon Lawrence said...

I'm looking forward to Birds of Prey, Fantasy Island, and The Invisible Man. Margot Robbie was the best thing (other than the music) in Suicide Squad. The humor looks good in Call of the Wild, but I don't have to watch kid movies anymore! :p

Sarah Foster said...

Not too interested in any movies coming out. I think I'll probably watch Parasite at some point (if it's free, lol) to see what the fuss is about.

Heather R. Holden said...

Fun to learn the inspiration behind Dragon of the Stars!

And lots of intriguing movies for February. Of these, I've seen a lot of excitement from the horror community for The Invisible Man. Curious to see if that'll live up to the hype...

Pat Hatt said...

I said the same thing about the dog haha and yeah, think the Chase version will probably be better. Good Dinosaur was just meh at best. Not even sure what the point in it was.

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

I keep reading about Parasite. Good to know a little more about it...definitely won't pay to see it (and right now I think it's a rental online).

A CGI dog in Call of the Wild?? Something wrong about that.

Liza said...

Well, guess I'm out of touch. Just hearing about Parasite here. But then, I usually have my nose buried in a book.

Lynn La Vita said...

Dragon the Sea is a fascinating scene. The first sci-fi book I read was Dragon of the Stars. Loved it.

Later today (Wednesday) I'll be in the United States. During my three week stay, I plan to go to plush movie theater, munch popcorn and watch an English speaking movie or two. I'll keep your movie reviews in mind as I decide which movie to watch.

Diane Burton said...

I love your movie reviews. Not interested in any of these. But then they weren't intended for my demographics. lol Hope you have a great month.

Nick Wilford said...

Birds of Prey looks like it should be good, less sure about the two you reviewed. I like the story about being inspired by the song. A different take on the theme this month.

J.H. Moncrieff said...

Thanks for the film reviews and previews, Alex. If it weren't for you, I'd be completely out of the loop.

I'm happy to co-host in April.

I'm not sure if Oprah counts as a work of art, but her talk show inspired my first (readable) book, or at least the first version of it.

Jennifer Hawes said...

I like the idea of a totally new remake for Fantasy Island. But I wonder if it will truly be suspenseful or just predictable. :) This month I'll probably just stick to reading books!

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

I didn't know Fantasy Island was being turned into a movie. I used to watch it as a kid.

Donna K. Weaver said...

I wondered about the CGI dog too when I saw the preview.

Joanne said...

I was curious about Parasite...now, not so much. And Feb tends to be a dog month (i.e. crap) Looks like Call of the Wild fits that bill. As much as I like Margot, I'm not keen on this batch of flicks. Guess I"m going back into my groundhog hole and sleep Feb. away - I appear to be grumpy.
Take care!

Jennifer Lane said...

"This movie is what happens when writers drop acid" he he

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

I can't even remember the last time I watched a movie - nothing appeals to me. I watched the trailer for Parasite but decided no. I do have The Joker and Motherless Brooklyn waiting so maybe they will help cure my movies blahs.

Lidy said...

Been watching Asian dramas and movies for years so recently heard about Parasite. Still on the fence about watching it. Not sure about Birds of Prey either. So far the only movie that caught my attention is Bad Boys 3. Even re-watched the first two movies to familiarize myself with the story line and Will Smith and Martin Lawrence's chemistry.

Ellen Jacobson said...

Hmm...none of those movies sound very appealing. Usually, there's one or two in your lists that I'm interested in seeing. And the thought of remaking Fantasy Island as a horror movie is truly bizarre.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Hilary, Wielder's Prize was excellent.

Pat, that is so weird they animated the dog!

Elizabeth, very wrong!

Lynn, thanks for reading it!

JH, thanks!

Jennifer, glad I could amuse you.

Julie Flanders said...

I can't believe they've made a movie of Fantasy Island. That was must see tv every Saturday night for my sister and me but it's hard to imagine the movie being anything but embarrassingly cheesy LOL.
Interesting about Parasite. I don't know anything about it but it sure doesn't sound like something I'd want to see.

Natalie Aguirre said...

That’s great that a song inspired your latest story especially since you’re a musician too. I could help in April but not May. I also told you awhile back that I could co-host in June.

Elizabeth Seckman said...

I had forgotten about the Chevy Chase movie. If I recall correctly, I enjoyed it.

Most look like movies I will pass on or wait to rent them.

J.Q. Rose said...

Love the scene that inspired your book. Funny how something clicks in your mind to get that imagination stirred up to produce an entire book! I see the trailer for Invisible Man on TV. I wonder if this movie is anything like the play where there's an invisible 6-foot rabbit? LOL. I think the name of the play (and movie) was Harvey.
Hey, Alex, there's a movie theater here with recliner seats, seating for 58 so it's roomy, $5.00 all-day for seniors, (your ticket would be 6.50, I imagine), plus FREE popcorn on Wednesdays. Come on down!!
JQ Rose

T. Powell Coltrin said...

The Parasite premise could be both funny or tragic. It's sad it didn't measure up.

That is funny that you already answered February's question in December. Something I would do.

Teresa

Cathrina Constantine said...

Alex, it's cool that a picture inspired you to create a couple of your books.

Best of luck to Elle. I loved Wielder's Prize and looking forward to reading Wielder's Curse.

I really love animal movies. I don't normally shed tears during emotional scenes where humans die, but watching an animal movie where it gets hurt or is dying, I get all blurry eyed and weepy.

Have a great week.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

You need to listen to more music.

Birds of Prey looks fun but not sure about any of the others.

Jemi Fraser said...

Looking forward to Lynda's new book!
I (finally) saw Star Wars and loved it!

C.D. Gallant-King said...

The Good Dinosaur is probably the worst film in the Pixar library, below even Cars 2 and A Bug's Life. I don't know what the hell they were thinking, either.

I love the Call of the Wild, but when I saw the trailer for the new movie I had no idea what I was watching. I don't remember a single scene from that trailer being in the book.

Tamara Narayan said...

Saw a preview of Fantasy Island in the theater (before Underwater, which was decent) and was intrigued. The story line of The Invisible Man has potential.

Rachna Chhabria said...

Hi Alex, its nice to learn about the inspiration for your new book Dragon of the Stars. I'm already in love with the title. It has such a wonderful, intriguing feel to it :)

Rachna Chhabria said...

And I feel it will be another bestseller :)

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Love the music, Alex. It's the type of music I listen to when I'm writing an action scene. That alone makes me smile. Have a super awesome and easy day.

Andrew Leon said...

I was so disappointed with The Good Dinosaur.
Hey, we actually agree on a movie we DON'T like.

Pat Garcia said...

Hi,
I listened to the music that inspired your fourth book. Nice! Very encouraging. Sometimes I write to music, but not all the time. When I do write with music in the background, it inspires me.

Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange

Nancy Gideon said...

Love your reviews, Alex. Saved me from wasting potential keyboard time. I adore Frazetta and now I'm a huge fan of Ayreon. Off to One Click Dragon of the Stars. I'm loading up my reader for upcoming vacation. Thanks for giving we Insecure scribes a place to gather.

Patricia Stoltey said...

I definitely want to see Call of the Wild. I think I read that book about three times when I was a kid.

cleemckenzie said...

Congratulations to Lynda on her newest. I really enjoyed reading Weilder's Prize. As to movies, I'm on the hunt for something, and I've heard Knives Out is supposed to be excellent.

Loved today's question, so thanks for it.

kaykuala said...

Hi Alex,
A picture definitely can inspire a poem! But a picture to inspire a book? This is really something. Perhaps someday a picture can do just that to me!

Hank

Yolanda Renée said...

Parasite sounds awful, so it's sure to win. :)

Art is an inspiration!

A CGI dog, WHY?

Think I'll skip that Dinosaur movie.

Have a great week!

Chrys Fey said...

I love Harley, but I'm iffy about Birds of Prey.

Nicki Elson said...

I really ought to catch up on my Pixar movies while I have Disney+ - good to know I can skip the dinosaur one.

The BEST movie I saw in 2019 was Harriet. Everything about it was SO GOOD and yet it's not getting nearly enough attention. Not surprising, I guess. I'm usually out of step w/ Hollywood.

Roland D. Yeomans said...

From the previews, I had no desire to see Parasite. I'm glad to see my instincts were right. Maybe Harrison Ford is CGI as well? :-) My BEWARE THE JADE CHRISTMAS was inspired by the image which makes up its cover. I took one look at it and said, "I have to write a story about her!"

Liz A. said...

I think I'll stick with the CW's version of the Black Canary, thanks.

No, I haven't seen either film. I'm not springing for Disney + just yet. I've got an Apple + subscription going, and I'm not using that, so...

Mary Aalgaard said...

I am inspired by many art forms. I wrote about my sister's painting today. Great movie reviews. Nothing is on my radar in film, at the moment. Lots of live theater, though!

David Powers King said...

The new take on the invisible man sounds intense.
Congrats, Lynda! :)

Tyrean Martinson said...

I love your reviews, Alex! You say just enough and never too much. I think I'll pass on both of those movies.
And, your preview snark is awesome! Have you seen the meme about Harrison Ford says something about how he thought he was in space with a Wookie, but it turned out he was in Alaska with a Husky? It made me laugh. And think of the Amazon commercial during Superbowl 2019 with Harrison Ford and the dog who orders too much dog food through Amazon Alexa.
Anyway, I am running down rabbit trails in my comment.
Congrats to Lynda!!!

Loni Townsend said...

I'm looking forward to Birds of Prey. I vaguely recall watching the Good Dinosaur, but I must've purged all the content from my mind because I don't remember anything about it.

It's cool to see where you drew inspiration from!

Anonymous said...

Music is a great inspiration! It's sort of like have a pre-made soundtrack.

I love Harley Quinn and the Black Canary, and plausible isn't even a consideration. ;-D

Juneta key said...

I won't be watching Fantasy Island. I don't like the fact they twisted it. And dreams and wishes should always be something we strive for not something that kills us. I get it, but I won't be watching it. Happy IWSG!

M.J. Fifield said...

I had the same question about the Call of the Wild dog. I just thought it looked so odd.

And Parasite was an interesting experience. I thought about that one for days after seeing it.

Sandra Cox said...

Nice to know where you get your inspiration, Ninja Captn Alex.

diedre Knight said...

Howdy, Captain!

Good thing I have enough reading material to keep me busy through an unimpressive month for movies. My first thought was "Da plane!" as well ;-) I saw the trailer for Invisible Man and decided against it - for now.
Wow! I really liked Dragon on the Sea, as well as the title of your latest book.
An image of an abandoned shopping cart in a riverbed inspired two different stories. Technical difficulties kept me - No, caused me to forget - to put that in my blog this morning.

Have a great month!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Natalie, thanks!

JQ, it was Harvey, and I'm there!

Jemi, finally!

CD, and Cars 2 was really bad...

Thanks, Rachna!

Andrew, it's a Christmas miracle!

Nancy, enjoy!

Lee, Knives Out is great.

Hank, it just might.

Yolanda, ironically that might happen.

Tyrean, that's hilarious!

Loni, it's good you don't remember.

Lee, it's the comics - why bother with plausible?


Carol Kilgore said...

Art inspires a lot of my writing. I once wrote a short story inspired by a photo and it won an award for best flash fiction of the year.

Olga Godim said...

None of the movies inspire me. Thanks for your tips.

Olga Godim said...

Forgot to say: I can be a co-host in May.

F. Stone said...

A few days ago I watched Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017); once I got over the profanity, the plot and characters had me by the throat. This movie almost has made up for the the many boring, no plot, lousy acting movies over the past few years.
And, I am available to co-host in May.

J E Oneil said...

Dragon on the Sea, Dragon of the Stars. Nice parallel.

Of course the dog is CGI (I'm totally rolling my eyes here).

mshatch said...

I did get inspired by a pic, much to my surprise! Have not seen any movies recently but am enjoying The Americans and Watchmen.

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

Congratulations to Lynda on her new book. I seldom go to the movies. Prefer staying home with the TV, the Grit channel. I enjoy the old westerns.

Birgit said...

I wrote a poem after seeing an artwork of a close up of a cougar. I want to see Parasite and hope to before the Oscars. It will win best Foreign Film but not Best Picture. Harley Quinn looks dumb so may see it when it comes on tv. I love the book Call of the wild and have read it many times but Harrison Ford is too old for the part and WTF do they use a CGI for the dog. You can tell right away that the dog is not real which is disappointing. I am not sure what to look forward to for February.

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

"The Good Dinosaur" sounds like a very BAD movie, but "The Parasite" sounds even worse. My hubby and I saw the new "Jumanji" movie yesterday afternoon, and we had the entire theater to ourselves! It was great! We could talk and laugh as much as we liked, and we really enjoyed the movie. We saw the second Jumanji movie on TV a couple weeks ago, and it made us want to see the new one, too. Funny thing is, I can vaguely remember seeing the first one with Robin Williams, and I don't remember liking it all that much. Maybe I need to watch that one again...

S.E. White Books said...

"This movie is what happens when writers drop acid. And then forget to edit sober." Bahaha! It was a trippy movie. The Croods was also an acid trip but once you stop waiting for the plot to make any sense it's actually a very fun trip, and kind of cute. Ryan Reynolds and Emma Stone are hilarious and the fact that Nicholas Cage does the voice of the dad in the movie is the best part! Worth watching just for that. Happy IWSG day!

SpacerGuy said...

I believe us humans began as amino acids in a pond of goo. I always liked dinosaurs, glad they're at rest bless them but still. We're all creatures of the heart, spirits if you will roaming the earth at one time or another with rights - so like along comes CGI.... animals and actors have issues so when a dangerous shoot is about to happen...CGI can come in real handy. Heck why have animal rights and lawyers after us, must be the producers fear? haha - Cheers to everyone on IWSG writers day!

John Wiswell said...

The message of Parasite is not that the poor are parasites. At first they feel like transgressive leeches because they're making ends meet by deceiving the rich, but as they serve the rich they realize it's the rich who live in luxury off of the suffering of everyone beneath them. I love how they made good on that theme in the third act.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Olga, thanks!

Feather, thanks, and that's a good film.

Birgit, the dog looking fake ruins it.

Susan, the first one really wasn't that good and it was rather dark.

SE, The Croods made more sense.

Spacer Guy, if the animal was a polar bear, it would make sense, but a dog?

John, they do ala come off as parasites.

Mark said...

Doodling maps has definitely inspired some fantasy stories for me. I consider maps a type of art:)

Fundy Blue said...

A CGI dog??? Nevertheless, I might see it, since I like Harrison Ford, and the book is set in the Canadian North. This dinosaur lover will skip "The Good Dinosaur." Thanks for the warning! have a great IWSG Day!

emaginette said...

You had me laughing about your bad timing. Only you could pull off a dragon space ship. :-)

I'll gladly help out, if you still need someone to co-host.

Anna from elements of emaginette

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Gotta love where the inspiration comes from. Anywhere and everywhere. And often the the unexpected places.

Thanks so much for the shout out for my second book, Wielder's Curse. I really appreciate it!!

Arlee Bird said...

For the first time ever there is not one single Best Picture nominee that I've seen yet and none particularly entice me. And I don't even care. I think I'm burnt out on movie stars who feel compelled to talk about their political causes and criticize those who believe like me. There are plenty of old movies that I've yet to see not to mention all the books I should read one day.

I probably won't be watching the Oscars this year.

Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out

kimlajevardi.com said...

My second book was inspired by an image. It's not the only one, though. I regularly use images to write. Apparently, I'm not the only one.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I haven't seen either of those movies. I'm always up for another Call of the Wild attempt. I didn't know that Drake inspired your novel. I just read an historical novel about him.

Botanist said...

I can't say a piece of art has ever inspired my writing, but in a broader sense, art inspired me to write. I've always been a visual artist - drawing & painting - but had an image in my head that I wanted to express in more depth than a static visual. I've found that writing lets me take people into the worlds in a dynamic way that can't be captured on canvas.

Jo said...

I too thought Wielder's Prize was an excellent book and look forward to reading the next one. Although my TBR is rather long at the moment.

Of course I also enjoyed Dragon of the Stars as I have enjoyed all the books you swore you would never write.

dolorah said...

I've had a few flash fiction stories inspired by pictures. I love writing the story depicted in the scene. Its like people watching at the mall.

Love your music inspiration. YOu are the one who turned me onto this group. Arjen is fantastic. Epic is the only word for the album.

Stephen Tremp said...

Ha! I remember the Chevy Chase version with Darryl Hanna. There were some funny parts in that. Anything with Margot Robbie in it I'll see.

Debra Renée Byrd said...

Jennifer's link has an extra blogger.com at the beginning that makes her "Not found".

I think I missed the December posts, so it was cool to go back and see your inspiration.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Anna, thanks!

Lynda, you're welcome! Eager to read it.

Lee, I know I won't be watching!

Susan, that's cool.

Jo, thanks for reminding me...

Donna, so glad I could give the man another fan!

Jeremy [Retro] said...

If you haven't seen "COLOR OUT OF SPACE" you need too, it's messed up and a weird ride. I have Parasite in my hands, really no interested in it. I have been loving PICARD, THE MAGICIANS and THE GOOD PLACE... and saying good-bye to ARROW, but loving the CRISIS crossing into this universe. They the creators basically re-invented the shows and could keep them going for several more years. But I ramble...

Jeremy

Steven Arellano Rose Jr. said...

Definitely The Invisible Man catches my eye mostly because it's, at least loosely, a remake of the 1930s Universal film. However, I'm not getting my hopes up too high about it. I've seen the trailer for it and some parts of it seem disturbing and, unlike the original, it seems to move too far away from H.G. Wells''s novel that these movies are based on. Still I want to do a Book-To-Movie on it.

The Good Dinosaur: "Not recommended" Don't worry, I wasn't planning on seeing it to begin with. I've been cautious about Disney movies that have been made after 1985. Too many of them have been made for adults packaged as children's films, in my opinion. Thanks for the great post!

PJ Colando said...

I love your movie reviews, though we seldom see them. We've just returned from the Midwest, where we visited friends and family. We attended a matinee mid-day while the local peeps were working, selecting 'Dr. Doolittle' as the common denominator of our movie tastes. It was fanciful, wonderous, and silly - just what we needed to avoid a snowy day. Robert Downy, Jr. as anything but Iron Man was okay by me!

Because I'm more verbal than visual, my blog post was divergent... I love having this ISWG appointment to write! Thanks to one and all -

Mary Kirkland said...

I've always loved the Invisible Man movies so I'm looking forward to that one.

Tonja Drecker said...

They did the dog in CGI, seriously? Okay. That ruined it for me.

Empty Nest Insider said...

It's a shame that "Parasite" was so disappointing. I guess we'll wait to see it when it comes to Amazon Prime or Netflix. Though it wasn't on your list, we recently saw "Just Mercy" which was an excellent movie based on a true story. I'd be very surprised if it didn't receive any Academy Award nominations next year. Thanks for hosting another wonderful IWSG, Alex!

Julie

Karen Baldwin said...

I'm with Arlee. Can't stand actors pontificating on politics. Also, not much to make me pay to go to the movies lately, although I did see The Joker on a Delta flight, and while Joaquin's performance certainly could win him Best Actor, l turned the movie off. Guess I'm not into dark stories too much anymore. I then switched to Judy, and did the same. What I did watch was episodes of Will and Grace.

Elizabeth Mueller said...

Alex, I love your snark on those movies! Haha!

Toi Thomas said...

While I sincerely love the Cassa series, Dragon of the Stars is my favorite of your works. Totally up for more if you ever get the inspiration.

Too bad about The Good Dinosaur.

Parasite is one of those buzz films people watch because everyone else watched it. I'll likely watch it one day.

I think the dog in The Call of the Wild is CGI because of how people react to dogs working in films another other showbiz type settings. Just my guess.

Murees Dupè said...

Music always inspires me too👍 Especially ones with powerful melodies.

Birds of Prey looks fun, and I adore Harley Quinn. I think alot of us wish we were as uninhibited like her.

Congrats to Elle on the new release👏

Denise Covey said...

Hi Alex! Good question this month but as I was hosting Damyanti I couldn't answer it. But I'm very visual and these images turn up in my writing.
Lynda (Elle's) books are great! Thanks for telling your readers about them.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Jeremy, I definitely want to see Color Out of Space. Picard has been excellent!

Steven, Pixar really blew it with The Good Dinosaur.

PJ, we'll catch Doolittle sometime. Glad the IWSG keeps you writing.

Tonja, they did!

Leigh, that's why I skip the awards shows. And while Joker was excellent, not a film I will ever watch again because it was so dark and twisted.

Toi, thank you! And Disney made Togo with all real dogs.

Murees, that's probably why she's so popular. That and she doesn't wear much clothing.

Victoria Marie Lees said...

Congratulations, Lynda, on your new release. All the luck with it. Never thought about music leading to story inspiration. Great idea!

I've never heard of some of these movies, Alex. Harrison Ford in Call of the Wild? I might have to see that one. The Invisible Man sounds too scary for me. Thanks for all you do, sir, to help your fellow writer. Happy IWSG days!

Tara Tyler said...

i’m looking back at your recent posts that i’ve missed... love your movie reviews and previews!
movies of the decade! also, completely agree on Mandalorian AND Rogue One (rewatch it all the time) also love Fury Road
I heard great things about 1917, must see, one my hub will enjoy, no doubt
love the dragon spaceship concept =)

and thanks for always giving me a hand!!

Jenni said...

How cool that your story was inspired by Elizabeth sending out Sir Francis Drake! I'm really looking forward to the Call of the Wild movie. The preview looks fantastic!

DMS said...

I was surprised when I learned that Fantasy Island is going to be a horror movie. I would expect to hear da plane, da plane too! :)

~Jess

Janet said...

"Redneck Texan T-Rexes" should be a band name. Happy belated IWSG Day!

Chemist Ken said...

Oops. Apparently I missed commenting on your blog, although I thought I had done so. I would be available to co-host on either month if you still need someone. Sorry for the late response.

Rhonda Albom said...

Call of the Wild excites me, but my favourite line in this post is "This movie is what happens when writers drop acid."

lostinimaginaryworlds.blogspot.com said...

Sorry I’m late in getting back to you, Alex, usual hospital visits, and thanks as ever for your support. Thin Time didn’t do as well as I’d hoped because I didn’t use a subtitle on the cover that would have helped people understand the meaning... (sigh)

Jemima Pett said...

I love your inspiration for Cassastar, which I’m just about to start reading... at last, I hear you say!

Keep up the good work :)

Michelle Wallace said...

I'm always inspired by pictures!

At the moment, I'm just trying to cope with the intense weather... it's unnaturally hot and humid...

Blue Grumpster said...

The Invisible Man... Really... Another one? Oh darn. Well, I wouldn't be surprised if you are right on that one, Alex. Where is Chevy Chase when you need him? I didn't even know they made this movie.

Liesbet said...

In fiction, you can really go EVERYWHERE! It's so cool how images or lyrics can inspire so much that you can create an entire novel. Still, only extremely creative people can do this, I think.

Congrats to Lynda with her new release. None of the movies sound good - sorry to read you wasted time with the first two you mentioned. We usually try to watch nominated movies at one point or another, but not sure "Parasite" will be worth it, based on your review. We did watch "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" with Tom Hanks recently and liked it. :-)

Tony Laplume said...

I assume Parasite is supposed to be calling both the rich and poor that. Because the middle class is too awesome to criticize, obviously!

Nilanjana Bose said...

Your first question is so very interesting! Has art ever inspired writing? But of course! A whole A-Z worth of response poems. And there's WEP as well every couple months :)

Have a wonderful week.

Christine Rains said...

I've been hearing good things about Parasite. I don't get why the dog in Call of the Wild is CGI either. Surely there are plenty of talented dogs out there for the part!

XmasDolly said...

Dude, Great reviews as usual & great post. I'd love to help you, but what is it you need help with? Having my own not sure I would have time. Anyway, Great Tune you posted also. So very pretty & yet interesting too! Thanks my friend. hugs.... Have a great evening. Thanks for stopping by me too!