Movie Review


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Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Amazing!

First, I have to address the special effects. This film blows away all competition. I completely forgot I was watching CGI apes. Expressions, movement, eyes – all beyond real.

As for the story, it is one intense ride! Every scene adds a new layer of intensity. No, it’s not a feel-good film. There are moments of great sorrow and anger. You can see both sides clearly and there are mistakes made by both.

The film sets a good pace. It invites you to discover and explore the world of the apes. And the world of the humans. You won’t be rushed through the action, nor will you be bored by the personal moments. And you will come to realize all it takes is one misguided idiot on each side to send the situation into a nosedive.

Andy Serkis deserves an Oscar for his performance. Yes, Caesar is CGI, but Serkis provided all of the facial and physical movements. It’s incredible what he achieves and conveys through the character.

If you want smart science fiction, powerful drama, or just a great story, this is your film. Highly recommended!

And - finally saw Snowpiercer Sunday night! Review coming. Also recommended!


Traditional Publishing Defined by an Expert


Anne R. Allen had sent me some great stuff regarding traditional publishers. But rather than post it here, I am going to send you to her POST from yesterday. Here’s a sample:

But most people in today's real-world publishing industry—on both sides of the self-publishing fence—agree on the definition of traditional/legacy publishing.

Here's a version of that from Writer's Digest: "Traditional book publishing is when a publisher offers the author a contract and, in turn, prints, publishes, and sells your book through booksellers and other retailers. The publisher essentially buys the right to publish your book and pays you royalties from the sales."

She also has a warning every writer should read about the activities of some subsidy presses. Check it out HERE

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Ninja News


I’m over at the Insecure Writer’s Support Group Site today - Nine Great Tools and Programs to Help You Edit

Today’s Themes that Rocked the Challenge features Chrys Fey. Check it out at the A to Z Blog.

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Available now - Lazy Worm Goes on a Journey by Rachna Chhabria

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Elizabeth Seckman is hosting a blog challenge from July 15-31:
Write something readers want to read. No word limit, no guidelines. Your only prompt is: The year was 1865....

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Sean McLachlan’s second book in his Toxic World post-apocalyptic series is now out - Refugees from the Righteous Horde.

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Kyra Lennon is putting together a charity cat anthology on September 5. See here site for details.



Leovi is an abstract photographer, and his photos are just incredible. If you’ve never visited his site, you are in for a treat. He posted this one last week – it would be so cool to write a story based on the image.

“I want to be the explorer of your universe”
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Cover Reveals!


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SOULLESS (Book 2 in the Maiden of Time trilogy)
By Crystal Collier
Coming October 13, 2014

Alexia manipulated time to save the man of her dreams, and lost her best friend to red-eyed wraiths. Still grieving, she struggles to reconcile her loss with what was gained: her impending marriage. But when her wedding is destroyed by the Soulless—who then steal the only protection her people have—she's forced to unleash her true power.

And risk losing everything.

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Woven
By David Powers King and Michael Jensen
Coming January 27, 2015












Sharknado 2


Yes, the rumors are true – Sharknado 2 is coming soon!



Anyone else see Dawn of the Apes? Read Anne’s post yesterday? Excited about the new books? And who’s up for a play-by-play of Sharknado 2…?

Be sure to check out my post at the IWSG site and the post at Anne R. Allen’s!

Movies Posts

Sep 14, 2015

The Martian Reviewed, Godzilla and King Kong, America’s Got Talent, Iron Maiden and Muse Album Reviews, and Ninja News!

By Alex J. Cavanaugh

Entertainment News The upcoming film, The Martian, was just reviewed at the Toronto International Film Festival. According to JoBlo’s site - As such, The Martian really is terrific family entertainment....

Sep 07, 2015

Too Much NetFlix? The Shannara Chronicles, Hellboy 3, New releases in DVD-music-games, Favorite Job, Mini-Alex and Cicadas, and Ninja News!

By Alex J. Cavanaugh

Happy Labor Day to my friends here in the States! Entertainment News This article caught my eye - New Study Suggests Americans are Watching Too Much NetFlix. From JoBlo’s site...

Aug 24, 2015

RiffTrax Live! Plus Movie Reviews, Trivia, and News; Dragon and Cassa News, Battle of the Banned, and Ninja News

By Alex J. Cavanaugh

Back from vacation! I’m starting to really enjoy those… RiffTrax Live! Two more shows remain in this year’s RiffTrax Live line-up – Miami Connection and Santa and the Ice Cream...

Aug 17, 2015

Dragon’s Destiny! Plus Movie News, War Movie Trivia Answers, Ninja News, Box Social Winner, and Internet Questions for Everyone…

By Alex J. Cavanaugh

Movie News World Wide Box Office – Jurassic World is now number three: 1 Avatar - $2,788.0 million 2 Titanic - $2,186.8 3 Jurassic World - $1,582.4 4 Marvel's The...

Aug 05, 2015

Roving Packs of Ferals

By Morbid Is as Morbid Does

I’ve wanted to start writing about the science fiction books that influenced my writing and there’s no better place to start than the book that revised my world and showed me what was possible in fiction.

Jul 27, 2015

Justice League: Gods & Monsters (Review)

By Comics Worth Reading

Justice League: Gods & Monsters is the best of the DC original animated movies in a long while. That’s because it’s fresh. It’s based on an original story by Bruce...

Jul 25, 2015

Pixels

By Comics Worth Reading

Pixels is exactly what it promises: a movie where video games have come to life, and Adam Sandler and friends, former arcade champions, are the only ones who can save...

Jul 20, 2015

The State of Sci-Fi Shows, Ant-Man Review, Movie News, Mini-Alex, and Reading Ambitions

By Alex J. Cavanaugh

I’m back from vacation! And it was awesome… I’m also over at the Insecure Writer’s Support Group with guest blogging tips. Movie News Ant-Man Review I’m happy to say the...

Jul 15, 2015

Review: Space Cowboys & Indians by Lisa Medley

By Escape Reality, Read Fiction!

My Review: While Space Cowboys & Indians isn’t really like the 2011 movie Cowboys & Aliens, it also isn’t not like it. Along with a bit of Farscape or the...

Jul 13, 2015

RiffTrax Sharknado 2 Review! Plus Minions Review, How Often Should You Blog, Box Office Results, and Ninja News

By Alex J. Cavanaugh

RiffTrax Live – Sharknado 2 Review and Feature On July 9 (with an encore presentation on July 16), the RiffTrax crew tackled a classice – Sharknado 2. I felt bad...