Series and Movie Reviews, Movie Trailers and News, and New Books

Series/Movie Reviews and News

Squid Game
From the IMDB: Hundreds of cash-strapped players accept a strange invitation to compete in children's games. Inside, a tempting prize awaits with deadly high stakes. A survival game that has a whopping 45.6 billion-won prize at stake.
A South Korean series set in current time, Squid Game tells a very dystopian story.
The first season took many twists and turns I was not expecting, some of them actually pleasant.
It is very dark and extremely violent. Some of the games are tough to watch.
But what makes it engaging are the characters, especially the lead, Lee Jung-jae. They bring humanity to the cold-hearted games.
If you can handle the violence, I highly recommend it.

What We Do in the Shadows
From the IMDB: A look into the daily (or rather, nightly) lives of three vampires, who've lived together for over 100 years, on Staten Island.
Season three just dropped and it’s just as funny as ever.
Nadja, Laszlo, Nandor, and Colin, along with Guillermo, now promoted from servant to guardian, continue to bungle their way through situations with often hilarious results. Nandor and Nadja are now head of the Vampiric Counsel – of course taking turns and undoing each other’s work.
This might be the dumbest collection of vampires ever to hit the screen. It makes for a very silly and light-hearted show.
This series is based on the original movie and still written by creator Jemaine Clement. (He’s also an actor – look for him in the upcoming Avatar films.)
If you’ve never watched this mockumentary series, it’s a must – highly recommended!

News of the World
From the IMDB: A Civil War veteran agrees to deliver a girl, taken by the Kiowa people years ago, to her aunt and uncle, against her will. They travel hundreds of miles and face grave dangers as they search for a place that either can call home.
It’s a very simple and sometimes slow-paced story. The glue is the relationship between Hanks and Zengel. Two lost souls who need each other.
There are some intense action scenes, but it’s the bond between the two that carries the film.
Recommended!

DC Fandome debuted a teaser trailer and a teaser feature of Black Adam starring Dwayne Johnson, coming out next year:



And a teaser/trailer of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom:

Denis Villeneuve's Dune comes out in theaters October 22 – but it will release one day earlier on HBO Max!
Like all Warner Bros. releases this year, it will appear in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously. This might hurt its theatrical release even as it pleases those who still don’t want to gather in a crowded theater.
I plan on seeing it in the theater and will probably watch it one or two more times on HBO Max.

New Books!

The Life and Times Of Color by HR Sinclair
This book is for people who love color, history, trivia, and superstitions. I’ve collected bits of information on color ideas around the world, added a color thesaurus, and color descriptors as well as places and things that are predominantly one color that a writer could drop into a scene if they’re looking for a pop of color. But this is not just for writers, it’s for everyone who’s fascinated with color.
Read more about the book here
Universal purchase links here

Write Well, featuring Rosemary Johnson
A handbook for Christian writers from the Association of Christian Writers.
Find it at their site

Long-time blogger friend, Katherine’s Corner, is hosting Autumn on a Tray this November 6. 

Visit her site for details.

Seen either series or the movie? Looking forward to the DC movies next year? Seeing Dune in the theater? Picking up either book?
Don’t forget – October 26 is RiffTrax: Live – Amityville Horror 4, live in theaters!
See you November 3 for the IWSG post.
Almost forgot - Books Forward is featuring the IWSG today and an interview with me about the group!

Top Ten Murder Movies, IWSG and the Pandemic, Monday’s Music Moves Me, and Movie and Book News

My Top Ten List of Murder Movies By Yolanda Renee

1. A Perfect Murder (1998) Director Andrew Davis - Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow
A wealthy man, Michael Douglas, discovers that his wife, Gwyneth Paltrow, has a lover. He blackmails the lover, Viggo Mortensen, into murdering his wife.
Turns out not to be so perfect after all. Great high tension-ending.

2. Seven (1995) Director David Fincher - Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman.
A rookie detective, Brad Pitt, and a veteran detective, Morgan Freeman, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motive.
Shocking end!

3 The Silence of the Lambs (1991) Director Jonathan Demme - Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins
A young FBI cadet, Jodie Foster, is sent to meet with a serial killer, a real madman, Anthony Hopkins, to help solve another case.
The quid pro quo is excellent!

4. Psycho (1960) Director Alfred Hitchcock - Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh
A remote motel. A young man, under the influence of his domineering mother. A woman just looking for a night's rest.
Talk about the wrong place at the wrong time. Excellent scare factor.

5. Body Heat (1981) Director Lawrence Kasdan - William Hurt, Kathleen Turner
The wife of a wealthy man, Kathleen Turner, manipulates William Hurt into killing her husband. The heat in this one is extreme.
But a magnificent twist means another great ending!

6. Rear Window (1954) Director Alfred Hitchcock - James Stewart, Grace Kelly
Wheelchair-bound and bored, Jimmy Stewart begins to spy on his neighbors. After a while, he's sure that one man has killed his wife. High tension as he sends his girlfriend to investigate because he can't! Hitchcock at his best.

7. Vertigo (1958) Director Alfred Hitchcock - James Stewart, Kim Novak
Jimmy Stewart, a former police detective, suffers from a fear of heights. When a woman kills herself by jumping from a bell tower, her death, due to his inaction, haunts him. When he meets her look-a-like, his sleuthing skills re-emerge.
The ending is supreme.

8. Dark Passage (1947) Director Delmer Daves-- Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
A man escapes prison, changes his looks, and goes after the man who killed his wife and framed him.
I enjoyed the way this was done, and those two together, nothing better!

9. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) Director David Fincher - Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara
A journalist, Daniel Craig, is hired to find a woman who disappeared forty years ago. He enlists the aid of a young computer hacker, Rooney Mara, to help him.
This is one tangled web of awesomeness!

10. Laura (1944) Director Otto Preminger - Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews
This movie is my all-time favorite. The police detective, Dana Andrews, falls in love with a woman, Gene Tierney, via her portrait while he's investigating her murder.
The way the romance was weaved through the story got to me!

Thank you, Alex, for hosting me and my latest book and allowing me to discuss my favorite murder movies.

It’s a pleasure to be participating in author Yolanda Renee’s MURDER, JUST BECAUSE Blog Tour through MC Book Tours today.

The author is offering an awesome tour-wide international giveaway. More information on the giveaway is listed below.

MURDER, JUST BECAUSE by Yolanda Renée
◊ Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
◊ Publisher: Yolanda Renee
◊ Series: Detective Quaid Mysteries
◊ Paperback: 291 pages
◊ Print & eBooks
◊ ISBN-10: 0985820632
◊ ISBN-13: 978-0985820633
◊ Contains explicit sex & graphic violence

It was a matter of beginner’s luck, but rookie detective Steven Quaid’s career and reputation as an elite investigator skyrocketed when he captured one of the most sadistic serial killers in Alaskan history: Stowy Jenkins, AKA the Snowman. But that was ten years ago.
And now…Jenkins is back.

At one time Alaska called to me, and I answered. I learned to sleep under the midnight sun, survive in below zero temperatures, and hike the Mountain Ranges. I’ve traveled from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez, and the memories are some of my most valued. The wonders, mysteries and incredible beauty that is Alaska has never left me and thus now influences my writing. Despite my adventurous spirit, I achieved my educational goals, married, and I have two handsome sons. Writing is now my focus, my newest adventure!
Find Yolanda at blog, Facebook Twitter Pinterest, and Email

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
This tour-wide giveaway is for a complete set of the Detective Quaid Mystery series books for one winner, paperback copies of MURDER, JUST BECAUSE for five winners, and a Kindle copy of MURDER, JUST BECAUSE for 10 winners.
To enter the giveaway, just click on the Rafflecopter and follow the instructions.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to follow Yolanda on her week-long tour HERE. You never know what you might find out.
Do you enjoy watching a character grow from one story to the next?

IWSG

IWSG post day was very moving as most of the participants answered the monthly question with how they were doing during our world crisis.

Some have already gone through the virus - Sherry Ellis’ family all had it and recovered.

Some are in a bad situation - Lynn and her husband are trapped on their boat in Mexico and while they are both high risk, they can’t get tested.

Some have found something uplifting – Louise posted a short video by Chris Hadfield, a retired Canadian astronaut, and his view on how to handle isolation.

I think my favorite was by Em-Musing. She said she was doing what was necessary, but what wasn’t necessary was thinking the worst and getting scared. She’s lived through the polio outbreak, the Cuban Missile Crisis (and missiles set to fire at Cuba were just a couple miles from her home), having her first child during the Hong Kong Flu and no one could visit her at the hospital, and all the other viruses and scares. So while she is concerned, she refuses to be scared!

What was the most moving post you read that day?

Monday’s Music Moves Me

Hosted by Xmas Dolly.

Today it’s songs with the word fool in them.

I’m going with the first thing that popped into my head – Fool for Your Loving by Whitesnake!

Ninja News

Tales From the Loop
This is a new show on Amazon Prime.
Every episode revolves around an underground facility called The Loop and those who work there and live above it. It also covers several different time periods, as The Loop has been around for quite a while.
The first episode moved glacierly slow, but fortunately it was really interesting.
The cinematography was amazing. Really well done.
Based on the paintings of Simon Stålenhag.
I’ll keep watching!

The next season of What We Do in the Shadows starts this month!

From the IMDB -
A look into the daily (or rather, nightly) lives of three vampires, who've lived together for over 100 years, on Staten Island.

This series is hilarious!! If you haven’t checked it out, you need to.
This FX show also streams on Hulu



New Releases

Heroika Skirmishers, Created by Janet Morris and edited by Alexandra Butcher

Including the story In the Season of Rust by Charles Gramlich

Find it on Amazon

The Pain of Things by JL Campbell

Find it on Amazon

What are your favorite murder movies? What music moves you? Been watching Tales from the Loop? Ready for some more vampire comedy? Picking up some new books? And what IWSG posts moved you this month?