Movie Reviews and Ninja News

Thanks for commenting on my guest post on blogging tips and CassaFire news at Susan Roebuck’s site last Friday, and for making Brinda Berry feel so welcome here.

Some really important announcements today but first the reviews:

Underworld: Evolution

A reviewer on JoBlo’s site said it best – if you’re a fan of the first three, you’ll dig it. (Which means if you hate the series, I doubt this movie will change your mind.) It’s not a great movie, but I was entertained for the duration.

This movie was on a smaller scale and probably with a smaller budget – but you couldn’t tell from the special effects. It also had a storyline that was touching and intricate involving Selene’s daughter. It had kick-butt action, with fights, chase scenes, and explosions (including exploding lycans.) And of course – it had Kate Beckinsale, looking as stunning as ever! My quest this year is to find Selene’s outfit and convince my wife to wear it around the house. (Wish me luck.)

Attack the Block

This British alien invasion movie was also done on a small scale with a virtually unknown cast. The movie opens with a teen gang in South London robbing one of their neighbors. (Over the course of the film, they manage to redeem themselves.) The gang kills a strange looking creature and soon find themselves defending their block against vicious aliens.
This movie was a load of fun! It’s a fun monster movie in the same vein as Tremors with even more action and humor. The actors are great – their banter hilarious - and the aliens effective. It’s colorful in language but not excessively gory.
If you’re looking for something fresh and new, rent this movie for action and laughs!

Now on to the news…

Sign ups for the A to Z Challenge open in one week! Don’t forget the video challenge/contest.

Mark at Aloha, and Hi! from Hawaii is co-writing a memoir about a singer who lost and then regained his voice. He is hosting a giveaway for singer Donald Braswell which includes several CDs.

Melissa Sugar is hosting the Get Fired Up Blogfest and encouraging others to mentor and help a struggling blogger. One of the prizes is a Kindle Fire! Read about it HERE and HERE.



If you’re getting ready to set up a book tour, Spunk on a Stick’s Tips has some great tips.

If you’re looking for some awesome writing tips, Mooderino at Moody Writing always posts the best.

Jessica Bell’s book, Twisted Velvet Chains, is now just ninety-nine cents at Amazon US and Amazon UK.

Big thanks to Helen Ginger at Straight From Hel for her review of CassaStar this weekend. Another science fiction convert!

Patricia (author pm terrell) gave me the All Around Wonderful Blog Award. Thank you, Patricia!
I am passing it along to:
LisaAnn at Kicked, Cornered, Bitten, and Chased
Patsy Collins
Marta Szemik

And finally, voting opened Saturday evening at You Gotta Read Videos for the best book trailer submitted the month of January. CassaFire is number ten and yes, I will grovel for votes. CassaStar came in second last year, and since prizes this year include free advertising on their websites, I’d really like CassaFire’s trailer to be in the top three. Go vote HERE

And if you haven’t seen the trailer for CassaFire, created by my awesome publisher, Dancing Lemur Press:



Seen either of those movies? Entered any of the blogfests? Planned your A to Z Challenge posts? Vote for my trailer? I will grovel… 

July Movie Preview Already?

That’s right – the year is half over! Now prepare for another month of living in a cool movie theater.

All descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snarky comments provided by me.

Today – June 29

Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Director: Michael Bay
Stars: Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Tyrese Gibson
The Plot: Against the backdrop of the space race between the U.S.S.R. and the USA, the alliance between Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) and Optimus Prime is put to the test against a common enemy: Shockwave.
This was scheduled to come out July 1, but they bumped it up a few days. Critics say special effects are amazing but there’s no character development. Hello! It’s Transformers. Soon as I get off work, I’m off to see it in 3D!

July 8

Ironclad
Director: Jonathan English
Stars: Paul Giamatti, Jason Flemyng, Brian Cox
The Plot: In 13th-century England, a small group of Knights Templar fight to defend Rochester Castle against the tyrannical King John (Paul Giamatti)
Could be way cool, but I bet it will be difficult to find in theaters.

Horrible Bosses
Director: Seth Gordon
Stars: Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis
The Plot: Three friends (Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis) make a pact to rid the world of their respective bosses.
Okay, this one caught my attention with the line about Bateman street racing his Prius – “I don’t win much.”


July 15

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
Director: David Yates
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
The Plot: The end begins as Harry, Ron, and Hermione return to Hogwarts to find and destroy the final horcruxes. But when Voldemort finds out about their mission, the battle we've all known has been coming -- Harry vs. Voldemort -- looms large on the horizon. And who will triumph?
Like we don’t know how it ends! Maybe this will be the first Potter movie to cross the billion dollar mark. Just please tell me Harry does more than run…

July 22

Captain America: The First Avenger
Director: Joe Johnston
Stars: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Samuel L. Jackson
The Plot: After being deemed unfit for military service during WWII, Steve Rogers (Evans) volunteers for a top secret research project that turns him into Captain America, the Sentinel of Liberty -- a superhero dedicated to defending America's ideals. His first mission: to combat the Nazi propaganda effort headed by Johann Schmidt (Weaving), also known as the Red Skull.
Marvel’s been hitting home runs lately and this one should be no different.

July 29

Cowboys and Aliens
Director: Jon Favreau
Stars: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde
The Plot: In Silver City, Arizona, Apache Indians and Western settlers must lay their differences aside when an alien spaceship crash lands in their city.
Wicked cool! Tell me, what boy hasn’t wanted to see cowboys fight aliens? Besides, Olivia Wilde is hot. Which is good, because Daniel Craig stole Rachel Weisz.

Attack the Block
Director: Joe Cornish
Stars: John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker, Alex Esmail
The Plot: Moses (John Boyega) and the rest of his teen gang look to protect Wyndham Tower -- their housing estate -- from an alien invasion.
Hard to say, but the buzz for this film is good.


So, what are you seeing this month?