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.
The awesome co-hosts for the January 8 posting of the IWSG are Rebecca Douglass, Beth Camp, Liza @ Middle Passages, and Natalie @ Literary Rambles!
January 8 question - Describe someone you admired when you were a child. Did your opinion of that person change when you grew up?
I’m going to go with a music answer and say the band Rush. When I was younger, they were infallible. Perfect. Almost god-like. But now that I am older, I realize the members are just people. Still great musicians, but I know they aren’t perfect and I don’t agree with them personally on some things. (Like soup. Geddy and Alex often have soup, and sometimes two soups. I don't like soup!)
Special opportunity from Reedsy and their Creative Writing Prompts contest – which we are hosting!
The theme is "Great Expectations," and the winner of this contest will not only be awarded $250 — they’ll also receive a special bonus prize from IWSG!
So, head on over as only a few days remain to enter this contest.
Review - Landman
Starring Billy Bob Thornton and set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas, Landman is a modern-day tale of fortune seeking in the world of oil rigs.
First off, Thornton is hilarious. He delivers his lines perfectly, with snark, anger, and annoyance. He is the light, however dark, in this heavy drama.
Many of the characters have hangups but they are just quirky and fun enough that you don’t dislike them.
There are some real shocks and working an oil field is not for the faint of heart.
Streaming on Paramount, I highly recommend it!
January Movie Preview
Here are the theatrical releases for January. Descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snark provided by me.
10 –
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera
Director - Christian Gudegast
Stars - Gerard Butler, Jordan Bridges, O'Shea Jackson Jr.
Big Nick is back on the hunt in Europe and closing in on Donnie, who is embroiled in the treacherous world of diamond thieves and the infamous Panther mafia, as they plot a massive heist of the world's largest diamond exchange.
Den of Thieves 2: Electric Boogaloo!
13 –
Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare
Director – Scott Chambers
Stars - Jenny Miller, Chrissie Wunna, Kierston Wareing
Wendy Darling strikes out in an attempt to rescue her brother Michael from 'the clutches of the evil Peter Pan.' Along the way she meets Tinkerbell, who will be seen taking heroin, believing that it's pixie dust.
Disney’s licenses have expired – release the flood gates of crap.
17 –
Wolf Man
Director – Leigh Whannell
Stars - Julia Garner, Christopher Abbott, Matilda Firth
A family at a remote farmhouse is attacked by an unseen animal, but as the night stretches on, the father begins to transform into something unrecognizable.
The bar has been set way low – maybe they can trip over it.
24 –
Flight Risk
Director – Mel Gibson
Stars - Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Dockery, Topher Grace
A pilot transports an Air Marshal accompanying a fugitive to trial. As they cross the Alaskan wilderness, tensions soar and trust is tested, as not everyone on board is who they seem.
The flight risk is that Wahlberg tried to give himself a haircut in turbulence.
Who did you admire as a youth? Entering Reedsy’s contest? Watching Landman? Any movies catch your attention this month?
Welcome to 2025!!
61 comments:
I'm definitely not feeling excited about the January releases. They're rather meh.
"Landman" sounds like a winner! I'd imagine the oil field life isn't exactly an easy one.
Hi, Alex!
I admired a certain h.s. teacher. At a time when most of the other teachers were trying to convince students they were cool, he was not afraid to be square. He always wore a suit and bowtie while teaching class. He was dignified, professional, soft-spoken, courteous and supportive, an excellent role model for young people. My opinion of him has never changed. Thank you for your service and positive influence, Mr. Bullock!
I love Billy Bob in every role he's ever played. Same with Jon Hamm. Demi Moore made a believer out of me in Feud: Capote vs. The Swans. I'm a sucker for horror films and I'd be willing to give the latest iteration of Wolf Man a try.
Have a great month, good buddy Alex!
Happy New Year, Alex! I might look at the move with Billy Bob. It sounds like it would be a movie I would like to see. I'm happy that we're hosting the short story contest, but I'm not sure I will participate. I'm taking a Master's class that is demanding a lot of my time.
Shalom shalom
Happy New Year, Alex. Wishing you joy and much music in 2025.
I'm definitely watching Neverland Nightmare even though I'm not thrilled about it. Always had a likeness for Peter Pan:)
Love the story prompts!
Happy New Year!!!
Elizabeth, check it out. We are really enjoying that show.
Shady, you would enjoy that show then.
Pat, you focus on your class.
Seems I'll be sticking to reading again this month as the new movies are meh.
Ronel visiting for IWSG day An Author’s Goals for 2025
Happy IWSG Day and Happy New Year! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I love that your answer is related to music. It's so exciting to see the collab with Reedsy. I think I'll be doing more reading this month as the movie selection seems grim.
Rush takes me back to my high school days! Flight Risk looks really good.
Flight Risk, maybe, but the preview gives away too much.
Happy New Year, Alex! This post is a great start with its movie reviews. I need to get out more and I'd walk a mile for Gerry B. Must cue up Landman. Wanted to see it and now I can't resist.
I was back and forth on watching Landman. I'll give it a watch. I love quicky!
I like Billy Bob Thornton so I'll give Landman a go. And I'll be checking out the Reedsy contest. Thanks.
I listened to some Rush when I was younger. They have a very distinctive sound. Even if I didn't know a song was by them, I could usually guess.
Landman sounds good. My late father was a geologist who worked in the oilfield. He mostly sold the drilling equipment, but he'd get called out to the rigs from time to time.
So happy to be co-hosting today! I couldn’t really come up with someone to fit the prompt, though I know I looked up to lots of people.
I just found Landman on Paramont+. I like Billy Bob, and looking forward to watching it. Happy New Year, Alex!!
Happy New Year. I really don't do movies - but always appreciate your heads up (and often your snarky reviews).
I knew you'd choose to admire someone in the music field--in this case an entire band!
Happy New Year, Captain! Love the reviews, as always ;-) We are enjoying Landman!
Some good sounding films. I'll check them out.
I had a note to check out Flight Risk. We've been re-watching a lot of older movies, ones we know are good. So many newer ones are hit-or-miss for us.
All the best to you and your family in 2025, Alex!
I got into presidential history at age eight, around the 1988 election, and memorized all the presidents the old-fashioned way (versus learning the lyrics of a silly song like kids these days do). Some of the presidents I've loved and admired ever since, like Theodore Roosevelt and George Washington, while others I'm no longer that wild about. E.g., I used to love Zachary Taylor because presidential trivia made him seem like a really cool, fun guy, and he was devoted to his horse, but now I know he didn't really do many significant things during his short time in office (only sixteen months). Andrew Jackson is another one I now view radically differently.
What's the line about not meeting your heroes? Sometimes it's hard to admire folks after you learn how fallible they are. @samanthabwriter from
Balancing Act
I was curious to read your answer and naturally, it was a band. May 2025 be filled with inspiration and contentment.
Nancy, watch it! You'll be hooked. Same for you, Holly and Leigh.
Melissa, rough work. And yes, no one else sounds like Rush.
Rebecca, appreciate you helping today.
Diedre, good for you!
Carrie-Anne, sixteen months isn't very long...
I'm not super excited about January releases, but I'm sticking with finishing up a few series on Netflix, and hoping to find something newish soon on that front. But movies... I'm feeling a little meh about the new offerings so it might be time to rewatch some old faves.
Thanks for including that new linkup with the Reedsy contest. A little intimidating, but may open some doors for some. Great Expectations, right? And thank YOU for visiting my blog and persevering. May 2025 be especially good for you.
I enjoy watching Billy Bob Thornton:)
I have always admired Mikhail Baryshnikov - the greatest ballet dancer.
I wasn't sure about Landman but I think I'll give it a try. Thanks for the crit to help me make up my mind. :-)
Anna from elements of emaginette
Happy New Year! Hope its a great reading/writing/movie watching year for you and yours!
Welcome back Alex! You have been missed. Still no new movies I am willing to pay to see. I used to enjoy going to the movies.
Regarding Rush at the end of the day we are all just humans. I imagine they were amazing in concert. Their lyrics are deep.
Peace & light
I"m a Billy Bob fan. I don't have much time to watch TV, but thanks to your review, I will try to make time for Landman. I've watched a few good movies: Blitz, Maria, and Conclave. I even went out to a theater (my first time since before the pandemic) to see Wicked. I saw Wicked on stage in Chicago in about 2007 and didn't know if I'd like the movie, but I thought it was wonderful. I admired one of my older sisters when I was a kid. Sadly, she turned out unworthy of my admiration, but many people from my past have grown in my estimation.
Love,
Janie
I might check out Landman. I've got nothing to watch at the moment. Sadly, a lot of people I admired when I was a kid have turned out to not be admirable. Sigh.
Beth, hope you get a chance to enter that contest.
Anna, watch it.
Janie, glad you finally got back to the theater. The experience has declined in the past few years though.
Happy New Year, Alex!
Happy new year! I have the page for the Reedsy contest prompts open in case something comes to me. Never know when inspiration will strike. I'm trying to avoid movies to focus on writing this month, but nothing there calls to me so I guess that's a good thing.
Huh. I think I'm out of touch with the movie scene, because I haven't heard of any of those movies. I did finally get around to taking the kids to the discount theater to watch Venom. My son says he is traumatized now.
Does the evil Peter Pan get together with the evil Winnie the Pooh and decide to kill Mary Poppins? It does sound stupid. I wouldn’t mind seeing the film with Mark Wahlberg but..meh to the rest except the one you recommend.
I sound so typical but my parents. My dad when I was little. He was a big man, not fat, but like John Wayne. I remember I couldn’t reach a log that my dad had already scaled. I couldn’t mark it with the red crayon so my dad came over, lifted a larger log on top and asked if I could reach it now. He raised it with one hand! I just felt so amazed and proud that he was and is my daddy.
Loni, I'm still stunned they made a third Venom movie.
Birgit, that's a great memory.
Welcome back snarky reviews. I chortled
. I had a memorable summer in Sweden with a family. It opened my eyes to the world. I appreciate other cultures, etc. That is probably a big influence in my life. Gave me a love of travel. Also trust in others. No cell phones back in 1974. I was across the pond with “strangers”.
That often happens with the people we admired when or since we were kids: we looked at them as infallible and then when we get to adulthood we realise they're not. This has been my case with certain artists and others.
The Wolf-Man had kind of caught my attention but after what you explained about it, it sounds like it gets a little too far from the plot of the original unlike the 2001s remake.
Hi, Alex! I have a short breather as our renovation appointment was cancelled because it is snowing heavily with wind today. I hope that you had a good IWSG Day yesterday. I enjoyed visiting and hearing from fellow members, and I'll visit some more today. I would love Landman, but we don't have Paramount. Terry was a landman, but the less glamorous kind, handing the legal contracts in the office. I loved working on oil rigs, and you are right that working in the Oil Patch is not for the faint of heart. I got along so well with the men working there, because I recognized the danger, skill, and art of their work and tried to learn everything I could from each of them. I was also pretty good with cards and had many memorable games when the drilling was slow. We're just going to have to get Paramount. A lot of my Canadian male family members loved the band Rush, still do. There always seems to be at least one Rush get-together for the guys when we're home in NS in the summer. Wishing you all the best! Take care!
I saw a couple of movies recently. Wicked and A Complete Unknown. Both very long! A Complete Unknown (about Bob Dillan) was interesting. The acting was good, but I didn't feel there was much of a story. Did you see it?
Alex, I really wish you would not be so soft hearted and really let us know how you feel about the movie releases! wink wink My band was the Beatles of course. Madly in love with Paul. sigh I'll have to google yours.
I never had much opinion about Rush until I saw the video of their concert in Rio. It was about 2003 when I saw it and was immediately sold on the band. Went out and bought many of their CD's at the time. That was when I was still buying CD's.
Lee
Wow! These are the new movies out? Yikes! Talk about destroying the Peter Pan fantasy. Tinker Bell on drugs? Oh no! I always learn so much from your posts, Alex.
Happy New Year! I hope it's soup-free for you :)
I was definitely more interested in writing short stories before I started work on revising the backstory novel I did for fun in November.... So much to do, so little time.
PS Depends on the soup. All my soups are delicious.
Hi Alex, I know what you mean. There was an actor that I considered larger than life growing up, then I learned more about him as an adult and the shine was definitely off.
This month's question stumped me. Even though I don't often answer them on my own blog, I will in other's comments. But this one, I'm not sure. No names pop into my head.
Brilliant, I love Rush!
Ack, I need to get in on the Reedsy prompts! I love writing from prompts :-)
Interesting selection of January movies there - none of which interest me in the slightest. Yet here (in New Zealand), there are so many great movies being released in January I've been going to the cinema twice a week just to keep up.
I can't think of any good movies I've seen lately. I wanted to do the Reedsy competition, but I couldn't think of a story.
I almost forgot how much the boys loved RUSH. That was THE band for the guys, period. I liked them okay, every boy I knew in high school (and even after), loved them.
Thanks for the good chuckle, plus eyeroll, regarding the Disney license and cinematic nightmare, Alex. Oy vey!
Yeah, I still admire teachers I idolized as a child. However, like you, I see their more human side.
At one point in my life, I wondered why Angelina Jolie got married to Billy Bob Thornton. I couldn't imagine what was there to make that match happen. However, after watching a lot of Thornton movies, I think I get it. He has charisma, and yeah...he's got good comedic timing. I can't say what he's like in real life of course, but I have to believe that some of what an actor truly is cascades into their performance.
Gosh I love soup! - especially chowders. I can agree to disagree with those who don't though, not a deal breaker :)
Wishing you the best of 2025, hope you reach all your goals.
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