Short Stories Make Awesome Movies, 1899 Review, Best Movies and Albums of 2022, and New Releases

Today I am kicking it off with a special guest and longtime friend, author Annalisa Crawford!

Short Stories Make Awesome Movies

If you’re hanging around Alex’s blog, there’s a good chance you love movies. And, as you probably already know, the best literary adaptations come from short stories rather than novels!
Why? Well, there’s just too much stuff in a novel – just compare Keira Knightley’s Pride & Prejudice with the 1995 BBC adaptation of ultimate perfection, and you get my drift.

(Note: when researching for this I realised ‘short story’ can be a very loose term, occasionally used for stories up to 50,000 words long—I have no idea what people are thinking, because my most recent novel was only a little longer than that!!)

Personally, I think there are at least two stories in my new short story collection, The Clocks in My Mother’s House that would make great films, in the very best of gritty British film tradition (Ken Loach, call me!), so to celebrate the launch, I thought I’d share some short stories which have already been there and done that.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Birds by Daphne du Maurier
The Sentinel by Arthur C. Clark (2001: A Space Odessey)
Memento Mori by Jonathan Nolan (inspired his brother’s Memento)
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (so many films, but obviously A Muppets Christmas Carol is the best)
What are your favourite short story inspired movies?

The Clock in My Mother’s House
(Pub date: 10 January 2023 – tomorrow, eek!)

Life can change in an instant, but that’s not always a bad thing.

A hotel explodes leaving staff and guests in peril; a woman retrieves an old clock from the attic with disturbing consequences; one man leaves heart break behind him, and another arrives to bring adventure.

In this haunting collection, Annalisa Crawford creates characters who will charm, captivate and intrigue you.

Buy The Clock in My Mother’s House here.
Annalisa Crawford lives in Cornwall, UK, with a good supply of moorland and beaches to keep her inspired. She lives with her husband, and canine writing partner, Artoo. She is the author of four short story collections, and two novels.
Find Annalisa at her website, Facebook, and Twitter

New Releases

25 Impossible Tales of Survivors, Flawed Heroes, and Annoyed Villains: A Science Fiction and Fantasy Collection by Tyrean Martinson
No matter how hard circumstances are, there is hope for survival, even if it means making one simple choice in the right direction or standing up in the face of impossible odds.
But the question remains: What is the right direction and which way is up?
Find it at Amazon and Smashwords

The Blue Bar by Damyanti Biswas
A serial killer. A missing dancer. A Mumbai inspector on their trail.
Cold-case murders in Mumbai are unearthing decades of dark secrets.
Dead or alive, he must find her. He can’t put the past to rest until he solves it.

And she will be a guest here in just two weeks to tell you more about her second release!

1899 Review

A ship encounters a ship that's been missing for four months and strange things begin to happen.
Ramps the weirdness to eleven.
They do a great job slowly unveiling the mystery.
It’s a very complex cast of characters and the actors portray them with believability.
It’s a quality production – the ship, scenery, everything looks amazing.
Unfortunately, I can’t say much because then it would get into spoiler territory and ruin the experience for everyone.
And sadly, this was to be three seasons, but Netflix has cancelled this popular show. However, do not let that deter you from watching it – there is some resolution.
Highly recommended!

Top 2022 Movies and Albums

In two weeks I’ll cover the best shows, but for now, here are the best movies and albums this past year.

Top 2022 Albums (Taking into account my taste in music, which leans toward prog rock and Scandinavian metal.)

Wilderun – Epigone -Best album of the year. It encompasses everything I love about music.

Megadeth – The Sick, the Dying, and the Dead – Another solid effort from Dave and a bit heavier than recent albums.

Muse – Will of the People – One of the most varied and entertaining albums of the year. There is something for everyone.

Dynazty – Final Advent – Almost every song is an earworm. It’s a metal album with pop sensibilities.

Star One – Revel in Time – Super fun album. Really corny and cool at the same time.

Devin Townsend – Lightwork – Coming after Empath, this is a more restrained effort. It’s mellow and relaxing.

Threshold – Dividing Lines – After many, many albums these guys are still putting out great music. A solid album.

Visions of Atlantis – Pirates – My vote for most surprising album of the year. Very catchy and entertaining all the way through.

Amorphis – Halo – Great at times although it falls just short of their previous, brilliant effort.

Top 2022 movies

The Batman – My favorite film of the year. It’s not a Bruce Wayne film – it’s a Batman movie wrapped around a mystery and totally brilliant.

Avatar: The Way of Water – My second favorite. (I must have a thing for three hour movies.) Fans of the first will adore this one, and it's breathtaking in 3D.

Black Adam – Really solid DC film. It was great to see the Justice Society on the big screen.

Prey – Another favorite and the surprise of the year. The concept and setting are stellar.

Minions: The Rise of Gru – Super entertaining and fun film. It’s what you’d expect although they keep it fresh.

The Northman – When art house film meets violent action movie, it’s very entertaining. Plus the cinematography is amazing.

The Adam Project – One of the better direct to NetFlix films. Reynolds plays Reynolds but it’s a fun science fiction romp.

Spiderhead – Another direct to streaming. The story was intriguing and the leads did a great job.

What are your favorite short stories to movies? Did you watch 1899? What were your favorite movies and albums of 2022? Don’t forget #IWSGPit is January 25.
I will be back in two weeks with Damyanti Biswas, some more reviews, and the bets shows of 2022!

Insecure Writer’s Support Group; #IWSGPit; Reviews – Avatar, Wednesday, and Puss in Boots; and January 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 January 4 posting of the IWSG are Jemima Pett, Debs Carey, Kim Lajevardi, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre, and T. Powell Coltrin!

January 4 question - Do you have a word of the year? Is there one word that sums up what you need to work on or change in the coming year? For instance, in 2021 my word of the year was Finish. I was determined to finish my first draft by the end of the year. In 2022, my word of the year is Ease. I want to get my process, systems, finances, and routines where life flows with ease and less chaos. What is your word for 2023? Why?

After this past year – heck the past three years – my word is faith. Faith in my God, in Truth, and in myself.

#IWSGPit is coming!

The next #IWSGPit will be January 25
9:00 am - 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time

Create a Twitter-length pitch for your completed and polished manuscript and leave room for genre, age, and the hashtag. On January 25, 2023, Tweet your pitch. If your pitch receives a favorite/heart from a publisher/agent check their submission guidelines and send your requested query.
Many writers have seen their books published from a Twitter pitch - it’s a quick and easy way to put your manuscript in front of publishers and agents.

Get the full details here.

Here are the January selections for the IWSG Goodreads Book Club

Fractions of Existence (Existence #1) by J Lenni Dorner

The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass


We need IWSG co-hosts for the next three months! Leave a comment or shoot me an email if you can help in February, March, or April.

Reviews

Avatar: The Way of Water

We return to Pandora many years later. Jake and Neytiri’s family is threatened when the Sky People return and they must hide with a water clan of Na’vi.
Yes, it’s over three hours long. No, you won’t even notice. You’ll be so enthralled by what you are watching.
The first Avatar was groundbreaking with its special effects and ten-plus years later, this one does the same. The underwater scenes are beyond stunning. As are most scenes in the film.
It’s a simple story, told in detail. It’s full and rich, with incredible creatures and characters you care about. You’ll be surprised by who plays some of them as well.
Cameron pays tribute to his own Titanic at the end. And that final battle is almost a third of the movie!
Do not skimp – see it in 3D.
Highly recommended!

Wednesday

Wednesday Adams is sent to Nevermore Academy where she deals with monsters, mysteries, and an annoying perky roommate.
This is the best series this year!
The girl who plays Wednesday nails it – perfectly. Her delivery, her expression, how she speaks, it’s all just prefect. Plus her dialogue and attitude are hilarious.
The entire cast is well fleshed-out, with no agenda, just real people with real issues. (Well, as real as werewolves and the like can get.)
The story spans eight episodes and it’s just the right length.
Highly recommended!

Puss in Boots

Puss has used eight of his nine lives and sets out to find the mythical Last Wish.
Voice actors include Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Harvey Guillen, Florence Pugh, and Ray Winstone.
Did you like the first Puss in Boots? Then you will enjoy this one.
A solid cast and humorous adventure story pack in some fun entertainment. The film is often just silly but that’s its charm. The characters have heart though and ultimately they are all looking for the same thing – a family.
The animation is really good and what you’d expect for this offshoot of the Shrek franchise.
Recommended

January Movie Preview

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

4 -

A Man Called Otto
Director: Marc Forster
Stars: Tom Hanks, John Higgins, Tony Bingham
Otto is a grump who's given up on life following the loss of his wife and wants to end it all. When a young family moves in nearby, he meets his match in quick-witted Marisol, leading to a friendship that will turn his world around.
I wonder if tacocat is also a grump...

12 -

Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Jason Statham, Hugh Grant, Aubrey Plaza, Cary Elwes
Special agent Orson Fortune and his team of operatives recruit one of Hollywood's biggest movie stars to help them on an undercover mission when the sale of a deadly new weapons technology threatens to disrupt the world order.
Statham stars in a new action thriller that will eventually come down to him just punching people.

What is your word for 2023? Participating in #IWSGPit? (If you’re a published author, please let your publisher or agent know about it!) Seen either movie or Wednesday? Seeing any movies this month? And can you co-host the IWSG?
Hope everyone enjoyed the holiday! I will be back Monday with a guest and some other fun stuff.

Insecure Writer’s Support Group, December Movie Preview, Movie-Show Reviews, and IWSG Stuff!

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 December 7 posting of the IWSG are Joylene Nowell Butler, Chemist Ken, Natalie Aguirre, Nancy Gideon, and Cathrina Constantine!

December 7 question - It's holiday time! Are the holidays a time to catch up or fall behind on writer goals?

I usually keep my goals a bit lower since there is so much going on this month. But I usually accomplish what I set out to do.

#IWSGPit is coming!
The next #IWSGPit will be in January 25, 2023
9:00 am - 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time

Create a Twitter-length pitch for your completed and polished manuscript and leave room for genre, age, and the hashtag. On January 25, 2023, Tweet your pitch. If your pitch receives a favorite/heart from a publisher/agent check their submission guidelines and send your requested query.
Many writers have seen their books published from a Twitter pitch - it’s a quick and easy way to put your manuscript in front of publishers and agents.

Get the full details here.

Here are the December selections for the IWSG Goodread Book Club

Little Ragdoll by Carrie-Anne Brownian

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King

Reviews

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Nice tribute to Chadwick Boseman and the Black Panther character.
It was also a very emotional film as it dealt with death, grief, and moving on.
However, it just didn’t quite rise to the same level as the first one and something felt missing. (And beyond Boseman.) I just didn’t connect with it or Namor – just can’t quite place my finger on it.
And of course, it was way too long. Cut thirty minutes and it might’ve been a tighter, better film.
Certainly worth seeing once.

Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities

This horror series dropped on NetFlix late October. Eight episodes, eight different directors.
Interesting mix of horror, some worked much better than others. Quality and acting are all top notch, it’s just the story itself that lets me down a few times.
A couple of the stories are based on Lovecraft.
The best are polar opposites – The Autopsy will have you covering your eyes while The Murmuring will haunt and touch you.
I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would enjoy it. But if you like horror, it’s a decent mix of stories.

The Contractor

Chris Pine is a discharged Special Forces guy who is contracted out to a private organization. Then things go wrong.
The main problem is it takes almost a third of the way in before the film gets interesting. Once it does, it’s picks up the pace and your interest as it throws you full into the action. Pine holds his own in a movie that really isn’t anything you haven’t seen before.
Worth a watch if you’re a Chris Pine fan or bored.

December Movie Preview

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

16 –

Avatar: The Way of Water
Director: James Cameron
Stars: Zoe Saldana, Kate Winslet, Sam Worthington
Jake Sully lives with his newfound family formed on the planet of Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri and the army of the Na'vi race to protect their planet.
The Na’vi are blue because the water is really damn cold.

21 –

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Directors: Joel Crawford, Januel Mercado
Stars: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Harvey Guillén
Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for adventure has taken its toll: he has burned through eight of his nine lives. Puss sets out on an epic journey to find the mythical Last Wish and restore his nine lives.
Actually, his last wish is to reverse his neutering.

Don't forget that today, December 7, marks the anniversary of Pearl Harbor.

I will be mostly offline after this week.
I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
As a Christian, I do celebrate the birth of our Lord, as it was His sacrifice that set me free – set everyone free who believes in Him. He is my Father, my salvation, and my peace, and I will never forget that. May He bless all of you!

Insecure Writer’s Support Group, Black Adam Review, and November 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 November 2 posting of the IWSG are Diedre Knight, Douglas Thomas Greening, Nick Wilford, and Diane Burton!

November 2 question - November is National Novel Writing Month. Have you ever participated? If not, why not?

Yes! I participated in 2010. It was right after the release of my first book, CassaStar. And during NaNo, I wrote most of the sequel, CassaFire. (I didn’t finish until mid-December, but I did win at NaNo.)

I also participated in a June event, BuNo I believe it was called. I didn’t win, but I wrote a good chunk of what would become CassaStorm.

So, I do recommend them for anyone needing a deadline or some real motivation!

The IWSG Goodreads Book Club selections for November are:

Black Adam Movie Review

The film is good, what you’d expect from a superhero movie, and it just falls short of great.
I liked Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam.
I also loved seeing Hawkman and Dr. Fate. Pierce Brosnan was an excellent choice for the latter. Some reviews say the Justice Society is in it too much – I didn’t think so.
It tries to be a crowd pleaser, sometimes too hard. But it does deliver on all levels and with the great special effects you'd expect.
I enjoyed it though and recommend it to any superhero, DC, or Justice Society fan.
Don’t go in thinking it will subvert your expectations – it’s exactly what you think it will be.

November Movie Preview

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

2 –

The Monkey King: The Legend Begins
Director: Soi Cheang
Stars: Donnie Yen, Chow Yun-Fat, Aaron Kwok
The Monkey King: The Legend Begins is the re-imagined version by Hollywood of the film The Monkey King: Havoc in Heavens Palace, the origin and birthplace of The Monkey King Story.
It was shot back-to-back with the sequel – The Monkey King II: Electric Boogaloo.

11 –

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Director: Ryan Coogler
Stars: Angela Bassett, Tenoch Huerta, Martin Freeman, Danai Gurira
The nation of Wakanda is pitted against intervening world powers as they mourn the loss of their king T'Challa.
I tried to avoid spoilers but the shapely Black Panther suit gave it away…

25 –

Battle for Saipan
Director: Brandon Slagle
Stars: Casper Van Dien, Jeff Fahey, Louis Mandylor
A Surgeon defends a hospital from invading enemy forces in the Battle of Saipan during World War II.
Somebody thought doing a war movie with a low budget and B and C list actors a good idea. Make sure you thoroughly destroy all expectations before seeing it.

Are you participating in NaNo? Did you see Black Adam? Any movies catch your eye this month? It’s slim pickings…