Monday, September 8, 2025

Movie Reviews and Updates! And News of Roland Yeomans.


First, a bit of sad news…

Last week I asked if anyone had heard from Roland Yeomans. I was informed he passed away last month. Roland lost everything in Katrina, relocated to another part of Louisianna, and became a rare blood courier. He lost his job earlier this year, which just devasted him. (He was in his early seventies.) He also had heart issues and went into a care center, which is where he passed away. Roland was a great writer, an IWSG anthology author, and a good friend. He was dedicated to writing and I invite those of you who never read one of his books to try one. You can find his books and audiobooks on Amazon. I think my favorite will always be The Legend of Victor Standish.

Movie Reviews

I’ve only been to the theater once this past month but I have multiple movie reviews for you.



Got out to the theater for this one and well worth the price of admission.
Released in 1994 and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mia Sara, and Ron Silver, it’s actually a decent movie. Not A-class material but fun to watch.
However, despite its lack of awfulness, the guys came up with some of the best riffs ever for this film. Looking forward to seeing it again.
Not a lot of pre-movie slides, but there were some good ones:

Thunderbolts


A group of antiheroes band together after coming together in a death trap, going after the woman who sentenced them to die. Starring Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, and Julia Louise-Dreyfus.
This film was so much fun despite its dark material. Not a ton of surprises but you will enjoy the ride. Certainly one of the better Marvel films as of late.
And the father-daughter team of Harbour and Pugh was great to watch – definitely the best two characters.
Highly recommended!

Monster Summer


Set on Martha’s Vineyard, this film has a group of friends going up against a monster preying on children.
It’s definitely a throwback to 80’s movies with an innocent nostalgic vibe.
The kids are likeable (not annoying) but they do make some dumb decisions. (Like kids do!)
Mel Gibson is the retired police investigator the main kid entices into helping solve the mystery. Both Gibson and the kid (Mason Thames) have incidents in their past that have left them damaged and this helps bring them together.
Probably its only issue is the lack of development in some of the characters, but some of this can be blamed on its short run time. (1:37!) It was still a fun movie though.
Recommended


Greenland


An idea that’s been explored before (most notably in Deep Impact) this movie keeps it on a personal level, following just the family.
The scenes of comet pieces striking the earth are well done and realistic. The acting is solid and the actors fill their roles well. (And Baccarin is still hot at forty-six!) Overall, the movie is top quality production.
Where it failed was the stupid decisions by the leads and a complete lack of urgency. Hello, there’s an extinction level event coming in less than two days! Yet they stop and stare, take time for showers, long chats, more bad decisions – as the clock continues to tick. I’ve never heard my wife scream ‘Move!’ so many times at a movie.
If you can jet past the slow stupidity, it’s worth a watch, but I can’t recommend it.

Movie News

The Labor Day weekend box office was a bit of a surprise. Weapons retook first place but coming in right behind it was the fiftieth anniversary release of Jaws. Considering every streaming service is showing Jaws right now, it’s amazing so many would shell out the big bucks to go see it in the theater.

Sony is releasing a 4K Blu-ray version of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, also for its fiftieth anniversary. The restoration is supposed to be amazing.

Twenty years after the first film, Christophe Gans is bringing us Return to Silent Hill. Coming out next January, there is now a creepy movie trailer to watch:



Have you seen any of the movies? If so, what did you think? Ever seen a RiffTrax movie? How many times have you seen Jaws in the past fifty years? And did you know Roland?

Wednesday, September 3, 2025

Insecure Writer’s Support Group’s Anniversary! Plus September Movie Preview and New Releases


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 September 3 posting of the IWSG are Kim Lajevardi, Natalie Aguirre, Nancy Gideon, and Diedre Knight!

We need co-hosts for the remainder of the year! Two more for October and four for November and December. And if you can do January, let me know. Leave a comment or send an email.

September 3 question: What are your thoughts on using AI, such as GPChat, Raptor, and others with your writing? Would you use it for research, storybible, or creating outlines\beats?

I think a lot of people are using AI for those things so I wouldn’t be opposed to it. Would never use it to actually write anything though. I can mess that up on my own, thanks.

And happy anniversary to the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Fourteen years ago, I started this blog hop with maybe forty people joining in. (And at one point, there were 330 of us!) The following year, we set up the IWSG site, and Facebook, X, etc. followed not long after.
Thanks to everyone who has stuck with us over the years. You rock!


And finally, has anyone heard from Roland Yeomans? His last post was for the May IWSG. Sent him emails with no response. If anyone knows, please share!


New Releases!


Edited Out by Rebecca M. Douglass
-Seffi Wardwell Mysteries Book 3

Working part-time at the local inn is fun, until everything goes sideways. When a uniformly disliked writer-in-residence turns up dead, the local police ask Seffi to use her botanical knowledge to figure out what killed her. And could she hurry up, before the inn’s business tanks, and takes the bakery down with it?

Find it on Amazon - just $3.99 until October 1.


In the Wake of Honor (Sagebrush Springs Book 1) Melissa Maygrove


When duty called, love paid the price.
Former Union Army lieutenant Jackson Maguire returns to his war-torn hometown with plans to propose to Caroline Bennet, but a crisis of honor forces him to take her sister as his wife instead. When fate reunites them, will Jackson’s confession of his motives be enough to heal Caroline’s shattered heart?


Find it on Amazon You can also find the whole series on Amazon


September Movie Preview

Here are the theatrical releases for September. Descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snark provided by me.


5 –


The Conjuring: Last Rites
Director: Michael Chaves
Stars: Vera Farmiga, Patric Wilson, Ben Hardy
Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren take on one last terrifying case involving mysterious entities they must confront.
I guarantee if it makes a boatload of money it won’t be the last rites…


12 –


Spinal Tap II: The End Continues
Director: Rob Reiner
Stars: Rob Reiner, Michael McKean, Christopher Guest
That band reunites after a 15-year break for one final concert.
This will not go to eleven…


19 –


Xeno
Director: Matthew Loren Oates
Stars: Lulu Wilson, Josh Cooke, Paul Schneider
A teenager makes a terrifying extraterrestrial her friend after it crashes nearby in the desert. The youngster manages to deal with her sad mother and the mother's violent boyfriend while simultaneously protecting her dangerous new buddy.
If ET and Venom had a baby..


26 –


One Battle After Another
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro
When their evil enemy resurfaces after 16 years, a group of ex-revolutionaries reunite to rescue one of their own's daughter.
Chronicles a day in the life of DiCaprio breaking up with yet another girlfriend when she turns twenty-five.


How do you feel about using AI? What new release catches your attention? And can you co-host the IWSG?
See you next Monday for a slew of movie reviews!!