My awesome co-hosts for the June 5 posting of the IWSG are Diane Burton, Kim Lajevardi, Sylvia Ney, Sarah Foster, Jennifer Hawes, and Madeline Mora-Summonte!
June 5 question: Of all the genres you read and write, which is your favorite to write in and why?
I read a variety, but so far science fiction has just been my comfort zone. While I grew up reading both science fiction and fantasy, I was exposed to a lot more science fiction in cinema and television. So I’m familiar with it. And while I’d like to write fantasy, it’s more challenging to come up with something really new. With science fiction and space and galaxies far, far away, the only limit is my imagination!
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.
Mark your calendars! The annual #IWSGPit Twitter pitch party is set for January 15, 2020.
IWSG Instagram
The IWSG Instagram prompts for June are:
The WEP challenge for this month is open!
Theme – Caged Bird.
Up to 1000 words.
There are also some changes regarding signing up, voting, and prizes, so be sure to visit the WEP site for details.
Movie Reviews
Ghidorah is awakened. Godzilla fights him. Monster awesomeness ensues.
Seventeen Titans awake, although you’ll only see half of them. But who you see the most of matters – Godzilla, Ghidorah, Mothra, and Rodan. We even get a glimpse of King Kong who will be in next year’s Godzilla film. (My money is still on the radioactive breath lizard – ape flambé, anyone?)
The story has to do with a broken family and terrorists reviving the Titans, but the real spectacle is the monsters. Every moment with them on the screen is breathtaking - and they are on the screen often! As for special effects, let’s just say we have come a long way since the rubber suit. These creatures are real and terrifying. Even Mothra kicks butt.
Some reviewers have called it absurd. Of course! Any film revolving around kaiju and a massive atomic-breath creature is going to be a little absurd. Like that’s stopped sixty years of Godzilla films.
There are a lot of little nuances that give nod to the original movies and you will grin when they appear.
This film is for the kid in all of us who longs for spectacle – and a really great monster film.
Highly recommended!
Continues the story of John Wick, now on the run after killing another assassin on neutral ground and with a fourteen million dollar price on his head.
The previous films featured close to a hundred gun shots to the head. This one contained only a little over fifty, but there were swords/knives to the head and other creative deaths.
The best sequence involves two dog trained to attack. Great animal stunt work – they steal every scene.
The human stunt work and special effects – I’m not sure how they pulled some of it off without really killing people. And it’s a very slick and stylish looking film.
However, those expecting more than just Wick running around killing people while everyone tries to kill him will be disappointed. After all of the glowing reviews, I felt let down that it was just more of the same. I do like this type of film, but it’s become very repetitive.
And will continue to do so, as it left it wide open for them to continue with a fourth film. Wick is really having a bad month…
Recommended if you really dig the series.
June Movie Preview
Here are the upcoming theatrical releases for June! As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snark provided by me.
7 –
Jean Grey begins to develop incredible powers that corrupt and turn her into a Dark Phoenix. Now the X-Men will have to decide if the life of a team member is worth more than all the people living in the world.
Director: Simon Kinberg
Stars: Sophie Turner, Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain
A whole movie wrapped around a blown transformer in Arizona seems a bit much, but I’m all for it.
14 –
The Men in Black have always protected the Earth from the scum of the universe. In this new adventure, they tackle their biggest threat to date: a mole in the Men in Black organization.
Director: F. Gary Gray
Stars: Tessa Thompson, Chris Hemsworth, Rebecca Ferguson, Emma Thompson
Maybe it’s a new marketing trick – no funny lines in the trailer.
John Shaft Jr., a cyber security expert with a degree from MIT, enlists his family's help to uncover the truth behind his best friend's untimely death.
Director: Tim Story
Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Alexandra Shipp, Avan Jogia, Regina Hall
Didn’t I see this already? Oh yeah, it was called Shaft. Wait, didn’t I see that one already as well? Yeah, it was also called Shaft…
21 –
When a new toy called "Forky" joins Woody and the gang, a road trip alongside old and new friends reveals how big the world can be for a toy.
Director: Josh Cooley
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Christina Hendricks, Tom Hanks, Patricia Arquette
Two hours of Buzz and Woody in a bin at Goodwill sounds depressing, but that’s how all toy stories really end.
Beneath Anna Poliatova's striking beauty lies a secret that will unleash her indelible strength and skill to become one of the world's most feared government assassins.
Director: Luc Besson
Stars: Sasha Luss, Helen Mirren, Luke Evans
Apparently John Wick has a daughter…
And I’ll end with a cool shot my publisher sent from a recent con – Live Long and Prosper!
What’s your favorite genre to write? Participating in WEP or the IWSG Anthology Contest? Have you seen the latest Godzilla or John Wick? And what movies catch your eye for June?
