Insecure Writer’s Support Group! X-Men: Apocalypse Review, June Movie Preview, Buddy Movie Trivia Answers, and Ninja News

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 Murees Dupe, Alexia Chamberlynn, Chemist Ken, and Heather Gardner!
 
Last week my blog post was Does Going Through Crap Make One a Better Writer?

While tragedy and strife add to our experience, you all agreed that empathy was the quality most required. And yes, I have to agree. Experience is good, whether it comes from age, variety, or being well-traveled. (I’m blessed I’ve lived in so many places.) But being able to empathize with those going through a struggle is very important.

I did want to share one comment…

Any life experience, good or bad can be channeled into writing. But even without drama, a writer has to be tuned into nuance and detail in the real world, and have an open imagination, and then be capable of shaping all that together with with words and scenes that intrigue. Liza at Middle Passages

Thanks to everyone who responded last week! Now, be sure to visit other IWSG members.

Movie Review

X-Men: Apocalypse
Now sure what film critics saw. I’ve never read the comics – maybe the movie didn’t jive? Regardless, I don’t get it. Because I enjoyed it.
If you liked the last two X-Men film, you’ll like this one. It brings back favorites and introduces new twists. One thing this trilogy does better than the first trilogy is depth of character, especially with Magneto.
Special effects – amazing. 3D all the way if you want the full effect.
Once again, Quicksilver steals the movie. His prime moment is the stand-out piece of the film.
Only complaint is the length. It could have been shaved by fifteen minutes or so.
A lot has been said about the last twenty minutes of the film, but I thought it was great and very exciting.
If you dig superhero movies, it’s a no-brainer – go see it!

Ninja News

Sylvia Ney posted about Southern Writers Magazines’s short story contest. For more details, visit their SITE.

Black and White Publishing Company is now accepting flash fiction for their UBooks. See their submission guidelines for details.

New releases-

Trouble By Any Other Name by Lori MacLaughlin
Tara Triannon is no stranger to trouble…
Find it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and iTunes

Brothers-In-Arms by Jack Lewis Baillot

Movie Trivia Answers – Buddy Movies

1 – Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin 1988 – Midnight Run
2 – Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith 1997 – Men in Black
3 – Nick Nolte, Eddie Murphy, 1982 – 48 Hrs
4 – David Spade, John Goodman 2000 – The Emperor’s New Groove
5 – Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell 1989 – Tango and Cash
6 – Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker 1998 – Rush Hour
7 – Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy 2001 - Shrek

June Movie Preview

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

3 -

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
The Turtles return to save the city from a dangerous threat.
Director: Dave Green
Stars: Megan Fox, Will Arnett, Tyler Perry, Laura Linney
The first was an unpleasant surprise. This one will also be unpleasant but it won’t be a surprise.





10 -

The Conjuring 2
Lorraine and Ed Warren travel to north London to help a single mother raising four children alone in a house plagued by malicious spirits.
Director: James Wan
Stars: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Franka Potente, Maria Doyle Kennedy
The first was a pleasant surprise. We’ll see if the second one can scare up a good time.

Now You See Me 2
The Four Horsemen resurface and are forcibly recruited by a tech genius to pull off their most impossible heist yet.
Director: Jon M. Chu
Stars: Lizzy Caplan, Mark Ruffalo, Daniel Radcliffe, Jesse Eisenberg
The first was a pleasant surprise. We’ll see if the sequel retains the magic.

Warcraft
The peaceful realm of Azeroth stands on the brink of war as its civilization faces a fearsome race of invaders: orc warriors fleeing their dying home to colonize another. As a portal opens to connect the two worlds, one army faces destruction and the other faces extinction. From opposing sides, two heroes are set on a collision course that will decide the fate of their family, their people, and their home.
Director: Duncan Jones
Stars: Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, Dominic Cooper
The game was a pleasant surprise. The movie looks like a generic mess.



17 –

Finding Dory
The friendly-but-forgetful blue tang fish reunites with her loved ones, and everyone learns a few things about the real meaning of family along the way.
Directors: Andrew Stanton | Angus MacLane
Stars: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Idris Elba, Kate McKinnon
Finding Nemo was a pleasant surprise. We’ll see if Dory sinks or swims.





24 –

Independence Day: Resurgence
Two decades after the first Independence Day invasion, Earth is faced with a new extra-Solar threat. But will mankind's new space defenses be enough?
Director: Roland Emmerich
Stars: Maika Monroe, Liam Hemsworth, Joey King, William Fichtner
The first was a ridiculously over-bloated surprise. Pretty sure this one will at least be over-bloated.

Anyone else pleasantly surprised by X-Men? Get any of the trivia right? What movie catches your eye for June? And what is your insecurity this month…?

Does Going Through Crap Make One a Better Writer? Plus The Nice Guys Review, Buddy Movie Trivia, and Ninja News

Movie Review - The Nice Guys

Directed by Shane Black and starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, it’s a quirky film. If you’ve ever seen the director’s movie Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, you’ll understand the type of quirkiness.
The film harkens back to the 80’s and 90’s buddy films. (Reminded me a little of The Last Boy Scout.) Crowe and Gosling are a mismatched pair who have to work together to solve the mystery.
It wasn’t quite a funny as I’d been led to believe. The humor is more quirky, less laugh out loud.
The characters are damaged. They really aren’t nice guys. (They aren’t really bad guys, either.) They do go through a process of some redemption though.
It’s also rated R for a reason – violence, language, and nudity (as the plot involves investigating the porn industry.)
Marginally recommended. (Unless you really dig films like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, then go see it!)

Ninja News

The Thing That Turned Me anthology from Stay Classy Productions will be out on June 30.
When asked to contribute, I decided to return to the Cassa universe and a time in Byron’s life before he began Cosbolt training.
Read CassaDawn and other stories on June 30!

This also came in the mail last week, all the way from the UK!

I have an autographed copy of Yvonne Lewis’ latest book, Stand by Me, Danny Boy. 

Thank you, Yvonne!

New Releases

A Spy in Me, The Harley Files, Freshman Year, Book 1 by Rebecca Green Gasper
When college student Harley Jenkins finds out she’s on probation with her university for something her roommate has done, she decides to distract herself with the mysterious death of a local girl by hiding out in small spaces even though she’s claustrophobic. Will Harley be able to solve the mystery before it takes the lives of more girls, or will she have to back out to solve her own problem?
Find it at Amazon and Smashwords

Chaos Season (The Season Avatars Book 3) by Sandra Ulbrich Almazan
Jenna Dorshay t’Reve isn’t your typical farmer’s daughter. Blessed with plant magic, she’s been impatiently waiting to take her place as Summer Avatar of Challen. All she and her sister Season Avatars have to do is tame a Chaos Season, a magical weather storm sent to Challen by a wrathful demigoddess…
Find it at Amazon

Cassie and The Wild Cat: Run Wild With A Child by Pat Hatt
Cassie and The Wild Cat are back for their 6th adventure at their shack. This time they were having a good meal when they were met with a new ordeal. A child came in and they both considered that a sin.
Find it at Amazon

Swepty Away by Elizabeth Seckman
He came looking for a ghost. Instead, he found a girl.
Find it on Amazon

Sometimes the Walls Cry: A book of Haiku and Sketch by Dean Miller

Movie Trivia

It’s time for some movie trivia! In honor of The Nice Guys, today features all buddy films. Name them based on the actors and year.

1 – Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin 1988
2 – Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith 1997
3 – Nick Nolte, Eddie Murphy, 1982
4 – David Spade, John Goodman 2000
5 – Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell 1989
6 – Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker 1998
7 – Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy 2001

Does Going Through Crap Make One a Better Writer?

We know writers tend to be an insecure bunch. But it seems that’s not all. After years of associating with other writers and thousands of IWSG posts, I noticed some common threads.

Many writers have been through some crap in their life. Maybe it was a bad childhood, a divorce, drugs, alcohol, illness – the list is endless. It’s left scars and many seem to draw upon their difficult experiences to write great stories.

There’s also the emotional roller coaster. Writers can be depressed one minute and excited the next. Again, everyone seems to draw from this whirlwind of emotions when writing. They make their mental and emotional hang ups work to their advantage.

My question – do you need to go through some of that stuff in order to be a good writer? The reason I ask? Because none of that describes me.

I’ve really never been through anything traumatic. I had a good childhood. Never experienced drugs or any addiction. My wife and I have never had issues outside of the usual ‘heated discussions.’ I’ve experienced death of course, losing family members and friends. But overall, I’ve had a really good life. Plus, I’m even-keeled when it comes to emotions. I don’t experience real highs or lows.

As far as I can tell, that is not normal for a writer.

(Although it’s not just with writing. I hear others give their salvation story – they were alcoholics, on drugs, atheists, angry with the world, etc. – and it’s a great testimony. Me? I was actually having a pretty good life when I got saved. Until I got saved, I had no idea anything was really missing. My testimony would be really boring.)

So, does it take that stuff to be a good writer? Does it make one more worldly and experienced?

Seen The Nice Guys yet? Picking up some new books? Know any of the trivia? And does going through stuff make one a better writer?

I will be gone Memorial Day weekend – catch you all on June 1 for the IWSG!