The awesome co-hosts for the March 6 posting of the IWSG are Fundy Blue, Beverly Stowe McClure, Erika Beebe, and Lisa Buie-Collard!
March 6 question - Whose perspective do you like to write from best, the hero (protagonist) or the villain (antagonist)? And why?
Obviously my answer has to be the hero.
Because I’ve never written a real antagonist.
What….????
I write stories where the hero is his own worst enemy. There are forces pushing against him, but it’s not from any one person – and ultimately he cripples his own progress from within.
In books and movies…I do like a good hero and villain. But I don’t like a story told from the villain’s view. I don’t like anti-heroes. I need to know that good triumphs over evil.
What about you?
Here are the IWSG Instagram prompts for the month:
Music Boxes by Tonja Drecker
I only desire your talent. . .
Twelve-year-old Lindsey McKay's biggest dream is to be a famous ballerina. But after moving to New York, she ends up at the Community Center with a teacher who’s a burly bear in tights.
When she meets Madame Destinée, the teacher of a top dance school who offers her classes for free, Lindsey can't believe her luck. In exchange, she must perform in the school’s exclusive midnight shows, ones sure to make her a star. But something’s not right...
One by one, the other dancers disappear. Each time they do, a music box with a figurine just like the missing ballerina joins Madame Destinée’s growing collection. If Lindsey doesn’t discover the truth about the dance school, she might end up a tiny figurine herself.
Find on iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Goodreads
Movie Review – The Grinch
And I was right, this does not top it.
But it was good!
It manages to hold on to the spirit of the story even as it expands it to show more and explain more. There’s a whole side story involving Cindy-Lou (who is definitely older than two!) and they show the Grinch’s past to explain why he hates Christmas.
The animation is brilliant and captures the style of the original film and the book itself.
There were a couple things that didn’t jive with me. The hip-hop soundtrack seemed out of place. (But then I’m not the target age for this movie.) It was also weird to hear someone other than Boris Karloff do the narration. The voice just didn’t carry the weight. (Was James Earl Jones not available? He would’ve been perfect.)
One thing I did really like - the Grinch is certainly nicer to Max in this version! In the cartoon, I always thought Max should run away and find a nice Who family.
There were some modern upgrades (Who cell phones, Cindy-Lou’s mom is single, etc.) but I did enjoy this version of the story. It tugged at the heartstrings and provided some good laughs.
And made me forget the travesty of the Jim Carrey version.
Recommended.
Golden Schmoes Winners
Favorite Movie: Avengers: Infinity War (It also won ten other awards.)
Most Overrated: Black Panther
Trippiest: Annihilation
Best Animated: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Most Memorable Scene: The Snap, Avengers: Infinity War
Check out the rest of the winners at Jo Blo’s site.
March Movie Preview
Here are the upcoming theatrical releases for March! As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snark provided by me.
Captain Marvel
Carol Danvers becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races.
Directors: Anna Boden | Ryan Fleck
Stars: Brie Larson, Gemma Chan, Samuel L. Jackson, Lee Pace
You’ll believe a woman can fly… Take that, Superman!
Wonder Park
Wonder Park tells the story of a magnificent amusement park where the imagination of a wildly creative girl named June comes alive.
Stars: Brianna Denski, Jennifer Garner, Ken Hudson Campbell, Kenan Thompson
Neat idea – a little girl imagines a theme park and it becomes real. Right now I'm imagining a Bugatti Veyron becoming real in my garage.
The Dirt
The story of how Mötley Crüe came to be one of the most notorious rock 'n roll groups in history.
Director: Jeff Tremaine
Stars: Machine Gun Kelly, Iwan Rheon, Douglas Booth
Why The Dirt? Because Sex-Crazed, Drug-Fueled Idiots was too long of a title…
Dumbo
A young elephant, whose oversized ears enable him to fly, helps save a struggling circus, but when the circus plans a new venture, Dumbo and his friends discover dark secrets beneath its shiny veneer.
Director: Tim Burton
Stars: Eva Green, Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito
You’ll believe an elephant can fly... Take that, Captain Marvel!
Which perspective do you write from? Picking up Music Boxes? Have you seen the latest version of The Grinch? Thoughts on the Golden Schmoes? And what movies interest you this month…?
