Monday, April 19, 2021

Falcon and Winter Soldier, The Head, and New Mutants Reviews; Movie News; and Ninja News

Movies and Series Reviews


The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

From the IMDB - Following the events of 'Avengers: Endgame,' Sam Wilson/Falcon and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier team up in a global adventure that tests their abilities -- and their patience.
Sam and Bucky are reluctant comrades but working toward the same end.
The plot revolves around the guys going after a terrorist group called the Flag Smashers.
They’re also at odds with the new Captain America, crowned after the Falcon put the shield in a museum and it was taken out and given to someone new. You can tell there is something off about the new hero.
It’s a little dark but really good so far.


The Head

From the IMDB - Winter has fallen on the South Pole. A small team, known as the Winterers, will remain at the Polaris VI Antarctic Research Station to continue their innovative research, a crucial part in the fight against climate change.
It puts you in mind of John Carpenter’s The Thing ( and they actually watch it!) What happened to those who stayed the long winter? What horrors did the lone survivor witness?
There’s a strong sense of isolation and claustrophobia.
Acting and effects are really good and it’s very tense.
I’m only a couple episodes into it but it’s really intriguing so far.


The New Mutants

From the IMDB - Five young mutants, just discovering their abilities while held in a secret facility against their will, fight to escape their past sins and save themselves.
Released last year, this is a mutants film on a small scale. Almost all of it takes place on the grounds of the facility. So there is an intimacy to the film.
Not everything jived with me, but they did faithfully follow the comics, which I applaud. But it was a bit odd only one person was running the entire facility.
It’s not a great or memorable film, but it did not deserve the bashing it received when released. I enjoyed it.
Recommended



Other Movie and Series News

Finished the first season of Resident Alien and what a fun ride! Alan Tudyk is perfect for the role. And the ending guarantees a season two.

Just started watching The Nevers. Very interesting and I like the Victorian setting. Will review once I’ve seen a few more episodes.


According to JoBlo, the upcoming first season of Amazon’s Lord of the Rings cost $465 million dollars to make. Yes, you read that right!
They are planning on five seasons total and the other four will not cost that much as most of that went into costumes, props, and initial set design.
Still, that’s quite the gamble.

Production on Aquaman II starts later this year. In addition to Jason Momoa, it will star Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Temuera Morrison, and Pilou Asbæk.
The first film made over a billion dollars worldwide.


Ninja News


There were some great posts for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group on April 7.
One that was just awesome came from Lee Lowery - Trying to avoid controversy in your writing – good luck with that!
Little bit of language, but it’s hysterical.

Some new book releases:


Quilt-Ridden by Elizabeth Craig

Southern Quilting Mysteries | Book 14
Do good fences make good neighbors?
Miss Sissy is a talented member of the Village Quilters guild in tiny Dappled Hills, North Carolina. She’s also somewhat difficult to deal with as her new neighbor, Linton, discovered. Linton doesn’t understand why Miss Sissy’s house is almost entirely covered by thorny weeds like something out of Sleeping Beauty. Miss Sissy, on the other hand, doesn’t understand why that’s any of Linton’s business.
When Linton ends up very dead, Miss Sissy seems to be the obvious suspect. But Beatrice and the other Village Quilters are determined to discover the real murderer and clear Miss Sissy’s name—before the killer strikes again.



Girls Succeed! Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women by J.Q.Rose

Non-fiction eBook for Girls 10-13 years old
Empowering Girls to Dream Big!!


And don’t forget – Dark Matter: Artificial, an IWSG anthology comes out on May 4.
The same day we announce the new anthology contest!






Have you been watching Falcon and Winter Solider or The Head? Have you seen The New Mutants? Surprised by LOTR series’ budget? And do you want to hazard a guess what the next IWSG Anthology Contest will be…?
I will be mostly offline the last week of April. You nutty A-Z Challenge people have fun and I’ll see everyone on May 5 for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group!

57 comments:

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Alex - thanks for the summaries of films or series I'm unlikely to watch - but I enjoy knowing about them. 'The Nevers' sound interesting and I'll check out the series when I see it here. Congratulations to Elizabeth for another of her delightful mysteries ... a great way to learn about quilting - despite the murder. Good luck for the IWSG anthology launch on 5th May. Have a peaceful time away - all the best Hilary

Sarah Foster said...

I’ve been meaning to watch Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Congrats to the authors in the anthology! Interested to hear about the next one.

RaveAir said...

I'm not completely satisfied with the Falcon and the Winter Soldier series. Something is missing from it.

I just finished with the season 1 of the Titans and the both seasons of the Doom Patrol. I feel these seriers are better than the FatWS.

nashvillecats2 said...

Another great News adn Reviews and a special congrats to the Anthology Authors.

Have a good week Alex.

Yvonne.

Mason Canyon said...

Congrats to those with new releases. Sounds like a good group of new movies and I'll definitely have to check out The Head. Got to admit, I liked the original version of The Thing and the one with Kurt Russell.

Shady Del Knight said...

Hi, Alex!

You're right, good buddy. As soon as I started reading the synopsis of The Head, I was reminded of The Thing. It's cool that the characters watch the movie in the new series. If The Head creates "a strong sense of isolation and claustrophobia" as did the film, then I'd like to see it. The New Mutants and The Nevers also look good.

Have a super week, good buddy Alex!

Natalie Aguirre said...

I can't wait for the new Lord of the Ring series. I haven't watched anything on Amazon, but I'll be watching this series. Have a great week off!

Joanne said...

We are liking the Falcon and Winter Soldier. I always liked Bucky and now I have a better feel for the Falcon. I just watched Anthony Mackie on Hot Ones on YouTube - he was not keen on the super hot wings and he's from Louisiana - funny. He was very personable. Kurt Russell's son Wyatt is the new Cap. Certain scenes - the resemblance is crazy.

Jemi Fraser said...

I've been meaning to give Resident Alien a try - have to remember!
Looking forward to Dark Matter!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

RaveAir, it certainly is darker. Doom Patrol is really good.

Mason, the one with Kurt Russell is awesome!

Shady, it was just hilarious that they watched The Thing!

Joanne, I get a kick out of watching people struggle through the hot wings.

Jemi, watch it!

Tonja Drecker said...

Looks like I'm going to have to start watching more shows/movies again (I've been living under a blanket, I guess). I bet my kids would like the mutant one, but then I always have a soft-spot for movies which were bashed but aren't really that bad.

Patricia Stoltey said...

I just dropped my subscription for DVDs and went to streaming only, but find I can't even keep up with Netflix and Amazon Prime series. But for Lord of the Rings, I'll be ready. I loved the books and the movies,

Computer Tutor said...

I do like my heroes to be rosy-cheeked and solidly moral. Dark? Not sure. I'll see what you say when you're done.

H. R. Sinclair said...

I'll have to check out "The Head". I saw the first episode of The Nevers. It had a decent start, but it could go either way depending on what happens next. So, I too will hold off judgment for a couple more episodes. :)

And I will check out Lee's post.

John Wiswell said...

I keep meaning to see New Mutants. I know to set my expectations low, but the premise is so fun and up my alley.

And Aquaman I didn't just make over a million - it made over a billion dollars worldwide. That's a pretty big fish.

Andrew Leon said...

The New Mutants didn't follow the comics at all. The only thing similar to the comics was that they used the characters. Sort of. It was a -bad- adaptation.
And it wasn't really a good movie, either. It -almost- was, but there were too many things off about it.
But I'll have a review up soon.

Falcon and Winter Soldier has gotten better as it has gone along. I was beginning to worry after the first few episodes as they were sacrificing story development for action sequences, but it's coming together nicely.

Fundy Blue said...

Hi, Alex! "The Head" sounds like my kind of series! We're watching "The Vikings" right now. I just heard about LOTR and its price tag on CNBC this morning. "Resident Alien" is hilarious, but we have a few episodes to go. Terry continues to mend after his heart attack. It's still shocking to both of us. I can't wait for "Dark Matter" to come out and to see what the contest will be for this year!

Birgit said...

I, of course, have seen none of these because I don't have Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Disney, Crave, Blah, blaha, blah...there are so many streaming channels out there I am lost. I do want to see The Winer Soldier and The Falcon(or is that the other way around). Frankly the Winter Soldier, Bucky, is hot and if I was younger Bucky is someone I would want to (insert rhyme here). I would love to see The Nevers as well which looks very intriguing. I had no idea they were making a TV series on LOTR. Why don't they ask for some of the props from the movie? Have a nice time off and read all the happening in May(May already!??)

Mary Kirkland said...

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as well as New Mutants both sound good.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Tonja, they might enjoy it.

Patricia, it's almost as if there is too much to choose from.

John, correct - I will fix that.

Patricia, exactly.

Louise, may he continue to heal.

Birgit, my wife also thinks Bucky is hot.

J E Oneil said...

Sounds like there's some good stuff coming out this month. How come Amazon will drop half a billion dollars on a LOTR series but not pay their workers a living wage? Doesn't seem fair.

SpacerGuy said...

I was just thinking you do a lot with $465 million but at least you can donate at smile amazon who give to charity.

Yolanda Renée said...

One of these days, maybe, I'll pay for all that new TV, but for now, I'll just keep reading for my entertainment. LOL
Love the reviews! Makes them all sound tempting!

Liz A. said...

I could not get into Resident Alien. I really, really hated the pilot, and episode 2 I ended up fast forwarding through half of it. I gave up after that. Glad it found an audience, though. I am tempted by The Nevers.

Lynda Dietz said...

I don't have a lot to comment on, but wanted to just say hello! I've found less and less time lately to watch movies and am pretty bummed about it, since I never had all that much movie-watching time to start with. I'm worried that the LOTR series won't live up to my BUT IS IT LIKE THE BOOKS expectations, haha. With that kind of budget, though, they'd better put on a good show!

Cherie Colyer said...

Oh! The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is on my to-watch list. I'm a huge Marvel fan. Glad to hear it's good. I'll have to check out The New Mutants. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

LOL, I've actually been waiting for your reviews before we sit down and watch these new releases. Thank you, Alex. It's like having my own personal movie critic. Congratulations to Janet, Elizabeth, and the Anthology writers.

Magic Love Crow said...

Look at all these reviews! Congrats on everyone's new books! The Falcon and the Winter Soldier looks good! Take Care Alex!!!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your very kind words. I was on a bit of a rant for that post and was pleasantly surprised at the positive reactions.

I'm definitely checking out The Nevers. I'm deep into Victorian research right now, so I'm interested in seeing it's incorporated with this paranormal twist.

Jenni said...

I'm looking forward to seeing your review of the Nevers. I saw the preview and it looked really good!

kaykuala said...

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier are good reviews. Hopefully these are among the early ones to come our way. Congrats to all those authors in the anthology! Stay safe Alex!

Hank

L. Diane Wolfe said...

They spent a lot of money on Lord of the Rings.

Sandra Cox said...

Hey Alex,
The series and movie sound intriguing.
Congrats to our amazing authors on their new releases. Girls Succeed is definitely a winner, as I'm sure the others are too.
Have a great one.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

JE, unfortunately that's why Jeff Bezos is rich.

Lynda, I am curious what they will do with it.

Joylene, here to help!

Lee, you're welcome. I thought your post was perfect.

Susan Kane said...

Haven't watched the falcon & winter soldier yet. We have Disney+, so there is no excuse. We watch Anime like it is going to disappear.

Truedessa said...

Hi Alex, I am happy to learn that Aquaman II will begin filming. I have watched Aquaman at least 6 times. What can I say?

Any news on when your book might be released?

Wishing you a peaceful week!

Thank you for your support over the years!

Sandra Cox said...

I'm gearing up to watch Shadow and Bone on Netflix.

Stacy McKitrick said...

My daughter and I watched Resident Alien. It was so good and I look forward to watching Season 2!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Susan, funny!

Trudessa, it looks like next April!

Stacy, such a funny show!

mail4rosey said...

I'll see the new Aquaman when it comes out. I liked the first one. That's a lot of money that was invested for the LOTR. Hokey smokes.

Nilanjana Bose said...

I am one of those A-Z people and also a LOTR fan so I will probably watch out for it, insane budget notwithstanding. Still prefer to read my stories rather than watch them on screen though. :)

presstfortime said...

Thanks for this, Alex. "The Head" sounds like it's right up my alley, especially since John Carpenter's version of "The Thing" is one of my favorites.

Donna K. Weaver said...

Yeah, we've been enjoying Falcon and Winter Soldier.

Patsy said...

None of those films appeal to me, but just as with books I'm pleased there's such a range available.

diedre Knight said...

Howdy Captain!

I haven't even seen the first Aquaman yet. I'll make a day of it when the next one comes out ;-) "Nevers" sounds good.
Enjoy the end of April and thanks so much for checking in on my nutty journey!

Toi Thomas said...

I'm really happy with the conclusion to Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I'm excited about the New Mutants. I haven't seen Resident Alien but I want to. I'm also interested in the Nevers.
Lee Lowery's IWSG post was very entertaining.
Looking forward to Dark Matter

mshatch said...

I want to watch Falcon & Winter Soldier as well as The Nevers. May have to start watching The Head since The Thing is like one of my most favorite (and oft quoted) movies ever.

mshatch said...

I want to watch Falcon and Winter Soldier as well as The Nevers, and will now have to add The Head since The Thing is like one of my most favorite and oft quoted movies ever.

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

I enjoyed the Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I also am going to take a second look at the New Mutants. I saw that I could watch it for free on HBO Max. So I think that may happen tonight while I work on some things, like painting my Japanese castle model I bought back in March.

Arlee Bird said...

The only series viewing that I'm watching is from the main networks since I get those for free. I've been recording Manifest and Debris both from NBC. They're okay, but a series can drag out so much that it can get a bit tedious sometimes.

I'm done with all my A to Z posts finally! Another Challenge soon to be behind us. This year I might opt for a break during a month or two of summer. Have other things to do and you know how summer and blogging can go.

Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out

J Lenni Dorner said...

The New Mutants was an odd movie. Not really bad, or especially good, but certainly odd. And it got much better toward the end.

Next month's IWSG looks good but difficult. My reference books have gotten some reviews that indicate the reader didn't read the title. So yeah... that's gonna be a fun post to write!

"You nutty A-Z Challenge people" -- that's me, Prince Regent of A to Z. 🤣
It's hard to believe the blogging challenge is almost over. Then the after survey, reflections, and the road trip sign-up.
Plus, I'm taking part in the Bout of Books read-a-thon in May. So much excitement!
J Lenni Dorner~ Co-host of the #AtoZchallenge, OperationAwesome6 Debut Author Interviewer, Reference& Speculative Fiction Author
And Lenni-Lenape Native American (since we learned this month that you didn't know that about me... gotta wonder what else we don't know about each other...)

Anonymous said...

I read $465 million and I think my brain exploded. So much money. I'm guessing they will easily make well above that in profit though. Whew! $465 million. And here I am excited if I make $4.65 in book sales. haha

Enjoy your time away!

Elsie

kimlajevardi.com said...

Yay on the anthology release! I don’t have a good guess for the new theme, but I am curious to see what it will be. Have. A good week off, Alex.

DMS said...

I haven't seen any of these. Your write up on The Head has made me intrigued. Congrats to everyone with good book news. :)
~Jess

Sherry Ellis said...

The New Mutants sounds interesting. If I have any time, I will check it out.

Sandra Cox said...

I enjoyed Aquaman and will look forward to II.
Hope all is well in your corner of the world and that your muse is dancing on your shoulder.

Debra Renée Byrd said...

Wait, a Lord of the Rings series is coming? As though the movies were a season themselves? lol But okay. I'll still peek in.