Insecure Writer’s Support Group, Reviews, RiffTrax Live, and August Movie Preview

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 August 3 posting of the IWSG are Tara Tyler, Lisa Buie Collard, Loni Townsend, and Lee Lowery!

August 3 question - When you set out to write a story, do you try to be more original or do you try to give readers what they want?

I think it’s a blend of both. A writer must be more original and inventive with subsequent books or he loses readers. But one must always please the fans and give then what they want so they will continue reading. It’s a bit of a tight rope to walk.

Special shout out to IWSG Newsletter Admin, Elizabeth Seckman - she had a book release recently and kept it low key.

About Her : A Second Chance Romance

Find it on Amazon



And note to anyone with an embedded Blogger comment box – Blogger/Google have just made it more challenging to comment. There will be an offer to sign in with Google, leave name and web address, or anonymous. Sometimes, it won’t let you sign in with Google and you have to use another option. (Typing in your name and web address yet again.) Sometimes Google is the only option and sometimes it won’t let you sign in:

Note that any blog not on Blogger or one has a popup comment box instead will not be an issue.
Anyone have a clue? There are a couple people I just can’t comment on their site due to this issue.

Mini-Reviews and Stuff

Thor: Love and Thunder
The fourth Thor movie ends up being the least effective. Too corny, too slapstick, and just not enough substance in terms of story. Soundtrack was cool (several Guns ‘n’ Roses tunes plus a Dio song) but overall this film was a letdown. Will not be buying the DVD, that’s for sure.
When viewing the trailers, my wife commented that there appeared to be no plot. She was correct.

What We Do in the Shadows – Season Four
Staring Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillen, and Mark Proksch, the fourth season of this movie to series kicks of in a grand and hilarious fashion.
Colin, the energy vampire, died at the end of season three, and a baby crawls from his dead body. Part of the hilarity of this season is watching the creature from Colin grow at an accelerated rate and the insane things he does along the way.
Natasha is determined to open a vampire night club.
Nandor wants to impress is wife with a giant penis.
Laszlo really wants to prevent baby Colin from growing into another boring geek like Colin.
And Guillermo still wants respect and to be a vampire.
The hilarity continues!

The Sea Beast
Think How to Train Your Dragon with sea monsters. Red even looks like Toothless.
That said, it’s still an enjoyable movie although it runs a little long. (Almost two hours.) The animation is stunning, especially the water. It’s a mix of realistic and cartoon, similar to How to Train Your Dragon. With epic battles, adventure, comedy, and a very kind heart.
Main character voices include Karl Urban, Zaris-Angel Hator, Jared Harris, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste.
Definitely worth a watch on Netflix.

The trailer for Prey, a Predator movie set 300 years ago into America, looks really good. Fingers crossed it is.


RifTrax Live!

Yes, another RiffTrax Live show is coming.
On August 18, RiffTrax is riffing Return of the Swamp Thing.
And his love interest this time - Heather Locklear!
You don’t want to miss it. I’ve been seeing some of the teasers and it’s going to be good.
Visit RiffTrax Live for a list of movie theaters near you.
Be sure to get there early for the screen shots!

August Movie Preview

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

5 –

Bullet Train
Five assassins aboard a fast moving bullet train find out their missions have something in common.
Director: David Leitch
Stars: Brad Pitt, Joey King, Karen Fukuhara, Zazie Beetz, Sandra Bullock
This just might be a bullet train wreck…

19 –

Beast
A father and his two teenage daughters find themselves hunted by a massive rogue lion intent on proving that the Savanna has but one apex predator.
Director: Baltasar Kormákur
Stars: Idris Elba, Sharlto Copey, Iyana Halley, Leah Jeffries
Family wanted to see lions, they got lions. Quit complaining!

31 –

Three Thousand Years of Longing
A lonely scholar, on a trip to Istanbul, discovers a Djinn who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom.
Director: George Miller
Stars: Tilda Swinton, Idris Elba, Pia Thuderbolt
Love the director, but wish this film didn’t look so damn odd.

Are you more original or do you give the readers what they want? Having comment issues? Watched Thor, season four of What We Do in the Shadows, or The Sea Beast? Going to see RiffTrax tackle The Swamp Thing Returns? What movies catch your eye for August?
I will be back August 29 with a special feature - Steven Arellano Rose Jr. of A Far Out Fantastic Site are trading Books-to-Movies posts.

Insecure Writers Support Group, November Movie Releases, Book Sale, and New Books!

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 November 4 posting of the IWSG are Jemi Fraser, Kim Lajevardi, L.G Keltner, Tyrean Martinson, and Rachna Chhabria!

November 4 question - Albert Camus once said, “The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.” Flannery O’Conner said, “I write to discover what I know.” Authors across time and distance have had many reasons to write. Why do you write what you write?

Let me start with saying as writers, we need to work harder on that first quote.

My answer is simple – I write to read what I can’t find elsewhere.

And...I got my manuscript back from my last test reader and am now editing!

Ninja News
 

My publisher is doing a holiday sale-

Buy 1 print book, get 1 print book free
Buy 1 eBook, get 1 eBook free
Buy 1 audio book, get 1 audio book free
Print & eBooks – must be purchased directly from Dancing Lemur Press’ website; free book must be same price or lower; when paying, note your desired free book in the comments section; free swag provided with print orders
Audio books – purchase from Audible, iTunes, or Amazon and send us your receipt stating your desired free audio book and we will send you a code for a free audio book: free audio book must be same price or lower
Offer good through December 10, 2020
Visit Dancing Lemur Press and explore their titles.

New books:

Flip my Heart by Elizabeth Seckman

Some hearts are fixer-uppers, hers is a total flip.

Find it on Amazon

Knot a Clue by Elizabeth S. Craig
Southern Quilting Mysteries | Book 13

Sometimes it doesn’t pay to go to work.

Find it at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, and more

Shooting by the Sea by Ellen Jacobson
A Mollie McGhie Cozy Sailing Mystery Book 5

When Mollie McGhie attends the grand opening of her friend’s nail salon, she’s looking forward to getting a manicure and sipping on champagne. The event is going great until Mollie discovers a dead body nearby and her friend’s brother is arrested for murder.

Find it through all major retailers HERE

For Opal by Yolanda Renée

For Opal is a collection of poems written in memory of Lilly Opal Stansberry, my grandmother, and the inspiration for my writing.

Find it on Amazon

November Movie Releases

Here are the upcoming theatrical releases for November! (And it’s slim pickens.) As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snark provided by me.

6 –

Mortal
Fantasy adventure origin story about a young man discovering he has God-like powers based on ancient Norwegian mythology.
Director: André Øvredal
Stars: Nat Wolff, Priyanka Bose, Iben Akerlie, Arthur Hakalahti
The incredibly true story of how Thor became Chris Helmsworth.

27 –

Stardust
Stardust will chronicle the young David Bowie's first visit to the US in 1971 - a trip that inspired the invention of his iconic alter ego Ziggy Stardust.
Director: Gabriel Range
Stars: Jena Malone, Johnny Flynn, Marc Maron, Aaron Poole
Between David Bowie and Freddie Mercury, Elton John must wonder if people still know he’s alive.

Why do you write? Ready for some new books? Either movie pique your interest?
I will be back with a guest and some movie and music reviews on November 16!

And everyone visit the IWSG Anthologies blog for my article on how to Twitter Pitch with Gusto!

Insecure Writer’s Support Group, March Movie Preview, the Media Explosion, 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.


My awesome co-hosts today are Jacqui Murray, Lisa Buie-Collard, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre, and Shannon Lawrence!

Today’s question - Other than the obvious holiday traditions, have you ever included any personal or family traditions/customs in your stories?

You know, I really can’t think of any. Not outside of my own religious beliefs. I wouldn’t call those customs though – those are God’s laws. I guess if I wrote outside of science fiction, traditions and customs would come up more often.

What about you?

IWSG Instagram schedule for March:

The EXPLOSION OF MEDIA!

by Tara Tyler

Alex is so generous with his very visible blog -- thanks so much for letting me come over today!

There are sooooo many ways to be entertained these days. And yet, we can still look at it all and say "There's nothing good on..." I recently posted about my frustration with the movie industry's money over matter attitude and their inability to take risks HERE. But this could just be me?

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY!

I watch movies from every generation, from B&W to CGI. And there are some I can watch over and over again--the ones with amazing characters and stories that surprise you or warm your heart. There are also several vividly captivating books that urge me to write screenplays for them, many Indies, that I want to share with the world!

With all the streaming media outlets these days (Hulu, Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc) with more sprouting all the time (Disney +, Apple TV, YouTube, etc), not to mention social media platforms where amateurs get discovered, you'd think it would be easier to submit quality writing and make a movie!

It's a great time to be a writer! But with all these public venues, tons of wannabes emerge making it harder for them to wade through all the attention-seekers as they try to choose what will propel them to the top of the heap and get more subscriptions, clicks, and likes.

So if you've ever thought about turning your fabulous underappreciated work(s) into a movie, go for it! Look for contests to enter. And if you don't know how, you can collaborate. Movies and Series are big deal productions, more help means more connections and exposure. And hopefully the producers that be will take more chances on Indies like us! We are the root of new and exciting material!

What book(s) would you like to see on the big or small screen? 

Taking Back Beast World, Phase 2. Disney/Pixar's Onward comes out Mar 6 with a setting eerily close to BEAST WORLD. Excited to see the Suburban Fantasy World setting of my books come to life... So if you like background, you'll love BEAST WORLD!

How to find:

website: Tara Tyler Talks

twitter: @taratylertalks

facebook: Tara Tyler - Author

Instagram: taratylertalks

newsletter: tara tyler news

Ninja News

New release from our IWSG Admin!

About Us by Elizabeth Seckman

Find it on Kobo and Smashwords and Amazon for free!

Available now -

The Executioner by Murees Dupè 

Find it on Amazon and Smashwords

March Movie Preview

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

6 –

Onward
Set in a suburban fantasy world, two teenage elf brothers embark on a quest to discover if there is still magic out there.
Director: Dan Scanlon
Stars: Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, John Ratzenberger
In addition to being similar to Tara's Beast World, it's getting lackluster reviews. Pass!

The Way Back
A former HS basketball phenom, struggling with alcoholism, is offered a coaching job at his alma mater. As the team starts to win, he may have a reason to confront his old demons. But will it be enough to set him on the road to redemption?
Director: Gavin O'Connor
Stars: Ben Affleck, Janina Gavankar, Michaela Watkins, Da'Vinchi
The unbelievable true story of Batman forgetting the entrance to the Batcave! Or just another sport drama.



13 –

Bloodshot
Ray Garrison, a slain soldier, is re-animated with superpowers.
Director: Dave Wilson
Stars: Sam Heughan, Eiza González, Vin Diesel, Guy Pearce
Take one part Universal Soldier, the villain from Iron Man III, a helping of The Punisher, and a sprinkling of Wolverine and you have Bloodshot. (Yeah, and we'll probably see it anyway...)





20 –

A Quiet Place: Part II
Following the events at home, the Abbott family now face the terrors of the outside world. Forced to venture into the unknown, they realize the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats lurking beyond the sand path.
Director: John Krasinski
Stars: Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Cillian Murphy, Noah Jupe
The sequel to the greatest mime movie ever made!





27 –

Mulan 
A young Chinese maiden disguises herself as a male warrior in order to save her father. A live-action feature film based on Disney's 'Mulan.'
Director: Niki Caro
Stars: Yifei Liu, Donnie Yen, Jet Li, Li Gong
No goofy dragon voiced by Eddie Murphy? I'm all right with that...

What traditions have you placed in your stories? Would one of your stories or books make a great movie? And what movie catches your eye this month?

We need at least one more co-host for April and a couple for May! (May co-hosts get the early scoop on the anthology contest!) Let me know if you can help either month.

RiffTrax: Live – Star Raiders Review! Ronel Talks Music, Smallfoot and Wandering Earth Reviews, and Ninja News

RiffTrax: Live – Star Raiders!

June 6 was the latest RiffTrax: Live event, showcasing Star Raiders: The Adventures of Saber Raine, starring Caper Van Dien of Starship Troopers fame. (Which they also riffed a couple years ago – Casper doesn’t have a good track record with movies.)

The show started with an educational short about lying. Kids discussing lying with a teacher. Kids obsessing over a man laying cement. Kids throwing rocks and breaking a window. I’d be lying if any of it made sense, but the guys had fun with it.

Then came the feature film and the opening credits showed Casper scanning the horizon with binoculars, to which the guys said he was searching the cast for another name actor. (None were to be found.)

At another point, someone commented that the effects weren’t too bad for 1992 but he was corrected – the film came out eighteen months ago! That’s right – the craptastic film came out in 2017.

The acting was bad. The plot was thin and in most spots made no sense. The dialogue was beyond cheesy. And the special effects ranged from ‘okay’ to worse than an Asylum film.

This was inside Saber Raine’s ship. Yes, that is a submarine periscope in his spaceship!

One of the aliens didn’t speak English and the guys dubbed him Gary. “Gary, you are the voice of reason.”
Ironically, we watched Gary die four times in the film. I guess they missed that in editing.

However, it was a blast and very funny! Do not attempt to watch this film without RiffTrax. (DVD comes out later this year.)

Next up The Giant Spider Invasion on August 15!

Music and Dark Desires by Ronel

When Alex said that this post should focus on progressive rock/metal, at first I had no idea what that meant. And then I Googled it. Mm, yeah, I definitely listen to progressive rock!

For those who don’t know, progressive rock is a style of rock music popular especially in the 1970s and characterized by classical influences, the use of keyboard instruments, and lengthy compositions (according to the online dictionary).

I love using music to inspire me while I’m writing. During the planning phase of “Dark Desires”, I listened to a lot of Rush and a bit of Deep Purple (yeah, “Smoke On the Water” was on replay).

Linkin Park probably doesn’t fit in with the genre (though I think they might despite not being listed as such along with other favourite bands like Muse, Led Zeppelin and others in this post), but that is what I listened to while drafting the story. There’s just something about the music itself – forget the lyrics for a moment – that makes creativity flow.

Rush and Queen helped me to polish the story and get it ready for publication. In the TV series “Chuck”, Morimoto who created the arcade game “Missile Command” called Rush the music of the universe. I think he might be right. Chuck later figured out that there is a correlation between the music (specifically “Tom Sawyer”) and how to play the game, some mathematical pattern others couldn’t see. Maybe it’s the same with writing?

There are other great prog rock bands, of course, but these guys helped me with this specific story. (If you click on the links on each band, you’ll be led to a post on my blog about them.)

Find Dark Desires on all platforms: UBL

Award-winning author Ronel Janse van Vuuren mainly writes for teens and tweens, though she is known to write mythology-filled short stories for anthologies aimed at older readers. Her dark fantasy works, usually full of folklore, can be viewed on her website and on Goodreads.
Ronel can be found tweeting about writing and other things that interest her, arguing with her characters, researching folklore for her newest story or playing with her Rottweilers when she’s not actually writing.
Sign up to be notified of new releases, giveaways and pre-release specials – plus get a free eBook – when you join Ronel’s newsletter.
Connect with Author Ronel Janse van Vuuren: Website, Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads, Instagram, and Amazon author page

Movie Reviews

Smallfoot

A Yeti named Migo goes in search of the elusive smallfoot – humans.
It’s a simple message – people hurt by others, create rules and build walls to prevent it happening again. But walling ourselves off from others isn’t the answer. And we always need to seek the truth. (And in the deluge of media crap these days, that is so true!)
The animation is good. The scenery is very realistic while the characters are cartoony, which works.
It was mildly entertaining and better than I expected.
Recommended for a rainy day rental.

The Wandering Earth

The sun is dying and thrusters are built to move Earth to a new location.
This film made 800 million world-wide. I have no idea why…
It was ambitious to take on the book. Hopefully it’s not as bad as this film.
This film is just stupid and on so many levels. So many plot holes, inexplicable character actions, etc. There is no rhyme or reason why the two main characters leave the underground sanctuary. The mystery sister’s origins aren’t revealed until over halfway into the film. (Like the director forgot to explain it and stuck something in to cover his butt.) Actual science is out the window. (Move the Earth to another galaxy? Really?)
Plus there’s a HAL computer who wants to kill everyone.
And it’s good video game animation, but it’s not realistic and looks bad on the big screen.
This film makes Michael Bay movies look intelligent.
Not recommended!

Ninja News!

IWSG Anthology Contest

Don’t forget the Insecure Writer’s Support Group Annual Anthology Contest is open and taking submissions!
Genre is middle grade historical – adventure/ fantasy and the theme is voyagers.
See the site for full details.

New release!
Hoosier Dad by Elizabeth Seckman

Find it on all platforms HERE

Did you catch RiffTrax’s Star Raiders? You don’t want to miss the August show! Does music inspire your writing? Seen Smallfoot or The Wandering Earth? And are you entering the IWSG Anthology Contest?

I’m not posting next Monday but I will poke in and check on people during the week.

Big Bang Theory and Sitcoms, Thy Geekdom Comes, Alex’s you Rock Awards, and Movie News

The Big Bang Theory Ends

The Big Bang Theory aired its final episode last week and it gave the series a great and heartfelt finish. It was consistently funny over twelve seasons and showed us the lives of many engaging and interesting (and geeky!) characters. We were sad the watch the finale and yet thankful it ended on a high note. (Unlike Game of Thrones, these writers liked their fans!)

Sitcoms come and go. It’s a rare one that can touch our hearts, make us laugh, and cause us to root for the characters as if they were real people.

So in honor of The Big Bang Theory, I decided to list some of the greatest sitcoms ever. It would definitely be in the top ten. Two of the entries are by people who did not one but two very successful sitcoms. In no particular order - except for number one:

M*A*S*H (best sitcom ever!)
The Office
The Bob Newhart Show/Newhart
WKRP in Cincinatti
Cheers
Hogan’s Heroes
Gilligan’s Island
The Goldbergs
Home Improvement/Last Man Standing
Happy Days
The Andy Griffith Show

Some noteables are missing just because they never jived with me – Friends, Frasier, etc.

What are some of your most favorite sitcoms?

Movie News

JoBlo posted about Mel Gibson’s Wild Bunch remake:
As this year's Cannes Film Festival continues to set up promising deals for some of Hollywood's most in-demand projects, the word around the circuit is that Mel Gibson is enaged in early talks with Michael Fassbender, Jamie Foxx and Peter Dinklage to star in the BRAVEHEART helmer's remake of THE WILD BUNCH. Billed as a contemporary take on director Sam Peckinpah's 1969 Western classic, the film centers on a group of aging outlaws fixin' to ride into the sunset after one last score.

JoBlo also posted the top ten cancelled television shows. I certainly agree with their listing of Firefly and Agent Carter.

Grumpy Cat passed away last week at the age of seven.

Coming May 31 on #DCUniverse - The Swamp Thing

And it’s not movie news, but maybe it could be one day…
New release - Leaves of Fall by Patricia Lynne
Armory was born into a post-apocalyptic world torn apart by war between man and nature. Trees are the enemy. But when she’s kidnapped by nomads and taken far from her home, a tree nymph is the one who comes to her rescue…
Find it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Kobo, and Smashwords

Thy Geekdom Come

Available May 25!

Thy Geekdom Come: 42 Fandom-Inspired Devotionals

Do you dream of dragons, understand Klingon, or consider Pocky your favourite snack? Do you wish there was a book that mashed your faith and fandom together? Delving into the worlds of superheroes, science fiction, anime, fantasy, and video games, Thy Geekdom Come—written by a group of authors and pastors from a variety of Christian backgrounds—relates these tales to an almighty, loving God who is ever present in our beloved franchises. From Doctor Who to The Lord of the Rings, stories impact our lives and can point the way to what is holy if we dare to look.

I had the honor of reading this book before it was published, and it’s perfect for the Christian geek!

Find it on Amazon and Goodreads

Alex’s You Rock Awards

Every year I do this, I think that next year will be easier. I’ve done it for years – surely I’ve given it to the people who matter? Then crap – I have double the number on my list. You guys are all my blogger buddies and deserve high accolades for sticking with me over the years. I hope next year making this decision isn’t as difficult.

First, here are the previous recipients of the award, some of whom no longer blog… Arlee, Yvonne, RaShelle, Hannah, Jeffrey, Gail, Rusty, Chuck, George, Jeremy, Matthew, Old Kitty, Ella, M Pax, Roland, Melissa, Robyn, Lynda, Michael, Heather, Stephen, Father Dragon Al, the late Tina, Damyanti, Edi, Karen, Elizabeth, Suze, Susan, Pat, Jo, Michelle, Brandon and Bryan, Christine, Truedessa, Rachna Chhabria, Fundy Blue, Hank Kaykuala, JH Moncrieff, Nilanjana Bos, Liza, Yolanda Renee, Spacer Guy, Elsie Amata, L. Diane Wolfe, Natalie Aguirre, Sandra Cox, and C. Lee McKenzie

And now, this year’s You Rock award winners are…

Elizabeth Seckman Elizabeth is an author and the mother of four boys. You know she is tough! And yet she’s the easiest person I know to get along with. An Insecure Writer’s Support Group admin and fellow Dragon Fellowship member, I’ve really come to know Elizabeth well during the past few years. We could definitely hang. Elizabeth, you rock!

Magic Love Crow The first thing you notice with this young lady is her strength. And her creativity. She paints and draws and designs, and crows are a big part of it. They are her joy, and thus, our joy. I can always count on her for joyous uplifting. Magic Love Crow, you rock!

Birgit Birgit’s blog is BB Creations and she showcases her amazing handmade cards. Every Thursday, she posts her movie picks as per a set theme, and it’s clear she loves cinema. We met so many years ago, and it’s her enthusiasm that keeps me coming back. Birgit, you rock!

JE Oneil JE is the epitome of snark. From her etymology posts to her ‘from the spam files,’ she shows you humor with an attitude. Let’s not forget her Saturday stick figures! She may seem annoyed with the world, but JE is dedicated to her passions and her friends. JE, you rock!

LG Keltner LG is an author and mother of three. (Well, maybe four by the time this is posted!) She’s been a dedicated IWSG member for years and her stories have been the top winner for two of our four anthology contests. But I just like her genuine nature and willingness to give to others. It’s refreshing. LG, you rock!

Chemist Ken Ken is a Harry Potter fan and long suffering writer. He’s also quite proud of his ranking on the IWSG blog list. Ken’s been a dedicated friend for years and his insights into writing are so valuable. Ken, you rock!

Sherry Ellis Last but not least is author Sherri Ellis. She runs two blogs (the second is Gone Gardening) and she’s also an accomplished musician. But more than that, Sherry has heart and a great sense of humor. We need more people like her in the world! Sherry, you rock!

I had so many more on the list! You are all awesome to me.

Did you watch the final episode of The Big Bang Theory? What do you consider to be the greatest sitcoms ever? Ready for a new The Wild Bunch or The Swamp Thing? Picking up They Geekdom Come? And are you following this year’s Alex’s You Rock award recipients?

Next Monday is a holiday here (Memorial Day) and I will be offline all week. Catch you June fifth for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group!