America’s Got Talent, Ocean’s Eight Movie Review, Movie Trivia and News, IWSG, New Releases, and More!

With the hurricane zapping us for a couple days and our power flickering, I opted not to create a post for last week.

We are fine – just some branches down – but my area and a good portion of the state were hit hard by either rain/winds or flooding.

Please continue to pray for those affected by Hurricane Florence.

America’s Got Talent

Those of you who watch the show know the season ended last week and magician Shin Lim won the million dollars and a headlining act in Vegas.

I used to watch American Idol, but this show has such a great variety. Where else can you see magicians, comedians, singers, dancers, stunts, and more in one place?

This year, I had no idea who would win. I was surprised Courtney Hadwin didn’t win or finish higher than sixth. (And there is quite the stink online about that as she was the favorite to win it all.) But I’ll admit, my pick was Shin Lim. He did card tricks that still blow my mind. (The dude changed a six of hearts to a nine of hearts in front of our eyes!) So I was fine with how it all went down. All of those acts have long careers ahead of them.

Who was your favorite to win?

Ocean’s Eight Review

We had another movie picked out to watch this weekend (Mandy) but decided to go for something light instead.
We almost went to see this in the theater when it came out early in the summer.
Sandra Bullock plays Danny Ocean’s sister and the moment she gets out of prison, she starts planning a heist.
The cast is good and there’s even a scene with Reuben (Elliott Gould).
The movie is good and the heist slick, but that might be its one downfall. It’s a little too slick. You never get the feeling that something is going to go wrong. The tension isn’t very high.
The actresses do have fun thought and it was worth the rental.

Movie News

From JoBlo - the Predator is desperate for acting gigs in Late Late Show sketch:

JoBlo also had an article about the Birds of Prey movie.
Margot Robbie will soon be reprising her SUICIDE SQUAD role of Harley Quinn for BIRDS OF PREY, an upcoming Warner Bros. film which will see the giggling sociopath joining forces with the likes of Black Canary, Huntress, Renee Montoya, and Cassandra Cain. Robbie, who is producing the film as well as starring in it, has said that she pitched Warner Bros. the project as "R-rated girl gang film including Harley, because I was like, ‘Harley needs friends.’ Harley loves interacting with people, so don’t ever make her do a standalone film. She’s got to be with other people, it should be a girl gang.”
They are considering several actresses to star with Robbie: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jurnee Smolett-Bell, and Janelle Monae for Black canary; Elizabeth Winstead, Cristin Milioti, and Margaret Qualley for Huntress; and Justina Machado and Roberta Colindrez for Renee Montoya. Cathy Yan is supposed to direct.

And 2019 is shaping up to be an awesome year for science fiction/fantasy movie fans. Look at the list of movies coming out next year:
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Captive State
Star Wars Episode IX
Avengers (Infinity Wars part two)
X-Men: Dark Phoenix
Shazam!
Spiderman: Far From Home
MIB
Chaos Walking
Ad Astra
Wonder Woman 1984
Joker
Hellboy
Glass
Captain Marvel
Rocketman
Minecraft
The New Mutants
Gemini Man
Masters of the Universe
Terminator (untitled)
Jumanji II
Artemis Fowl
(Fortunately Transformers 7 has been nixed!)

Ninja News

We have a special post today at the IWSG site by editor Lynda Dietz – be sure to check it out!

Don’t forget the IWSG Anthology Contest is open for submissions!

Young adult romance is the genre and masquerade the theme.

See the site for details.




New Releases:

Puddle Bubble Trouble by Pat Hatt
They came in a huddle to play in their puddle, but they found Soap already there with no room to spare.
Find it on Amazon

Sorrow Bringer by Juliana Haygert
The Fire Heart Chronicles Book 3
“I wish magic could blame it on someone else, but it can’t. I am the one that brings sorrow—I am the one that brings death.”
Find it on Amazon

Movie Trivia

Answers from two weeks ago:

Who was in The Dead Zone and Batman Returns? Christopher Walken

What does M*A*S*H stand for? Mobile Army Surgical Hospital

And a couple new ones for you!

Who was your favorite to win AGT? Have you seen Ocean’s Eight? Excited to see any of next year’s geek movie releases? Are you entering the IWSG Anthology Contest? (Get to writing!) And do you know the trivia answers…?

See you next Wednesday for the next posting of the IWSG!

Jack Ryan Series, Omnium Gatherum, Movie News and Trivia, IWSG Anthology Contest, New Releases, and More!

Jack Ryan Review

One thing I love about these pay services creating original content is that they are all trying to one up each other with quality programming. (Of course, paying for them all is a massive bummer.) Amazon has made some compelling programs, but Jack Ryan delivers as must see television.
Truth be told, I’m halfway through and trying to savor each episode. This is high quality (acting, directing, cinematography) film making that is an edge of your seat experience.
I wasn’t sure if I’d like John Krazinski as Ryan, but he does a great job as a CIA analyst thrust into the role of unlikely hero.
I like everything about the series. Even the villains are given a backstory to elevate them well beyond cookie-cutter bad guys.
If you’re on the fence about Amazon Prime, this may well tip you right over.
Highly recommended.

Omnium Gatherum: The Burning Cold Review

It must be very cold in Finland. It’s really the only reason I can think of why so many great musicians and bands come out of this small country (about equal to the size of New Mexico). They must not have anything better to do than sit around, write amazing music, and practice.
Omnium Gatherum is not for all tastes. They have been labeled as a melo death band -melodic death metal. What that means is that they play this incredible, melodic, majestic music over growling, screaming Cookie Monster vocals. If you need clean (singing) vocals, then this is not the band for you, however, the adventurous will find a lot to like on this latest release.
For me, it’s all about the music which incorporates a lot of progressive elements with soaring guitars and intricate keyboard play. This disc simply gets better and better with each listen. This is my favorite OG release and will be in my top ten at year’s end.
Highly recommended!

Writing News

Another great IWSG posting! Everyone had great reasons why they chose their publishing path and seemed to really enjoy the question and the answers of others.

Don’t forget the IWSG Anthology Contest is open for submissions! Young adult romance is the genre and masquerade the theme. See the site for details. You have two months! (Although please don’t wait until the last minute…)



New Releases:

The Twelfth Time: Lyuba and Ivan on the Rocks by Ursula Hartlein (Carrie-Anne Brownian)
A Russian Historical

Earth Shaker (A Fire Heart Chronicles Novella) by Juliana Haygert
Find it on Amazon

Cool Stuff

Jo posted a link to this: Craziest Cars Ever Built.
Some are really cool. I’ll take a Batmobile!

Amanda from Enlightened Digital sent me this cool graphic. Check it out!

Digital and DVD release dates:
September 18 – Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
September 25 – Solo: A Star Wars Story
October 2 – Sicario: Day of the Soldado
October 9 – Skyscraper
October 16 – Ant-Man and the Wasp

Don’t want to miss the next superhero film?
Then check out this listing at JoBlo’s site: Superhero Release Dates

Movie Trivia!

I made these for Twitter, but I kept forgetting to post a new one every day. So I’m going to share some here. Give me your best guess!

Anyone else watching the Jack Ryan series? Fan of Omnium Gatherum? Which crazy car was your favorite? Entering the IWSG Anthology Contest? And can you answer the trivia?
There is a major hurricane headed our direction, so prayers please for everyone in the path of Florence. 
And due to the hurricane and spotty Internet and power, my next post won't be until September 24.

Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Anthology Contest Open, September Movie Preview, Where in the World, 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.


The awesome co-hosts for the September 5 posting of the IWSG are Toi Thomas, T. Powell Coltrin, M.J. Fifield, and Tara Tyler!

September 5 question - What publishing path are you considering/did you take, and why?

I never even considered pursuing an agent. I knew I wasn’t that good.
So I queried publishers instead.
Best decision ever!
Four books and a short story later, I’ve experienced more success than I could’ve ever imagined.
Thank you to my publisher and all of my fans!

The 2018 Annual IWSG Anthology Contest is now open for submissions!

Guidelines and rules:

Word count: 3500-6000

Genre: Young Adult Romance

Theme:
Masquerade
A Masquerade can be a false show or pretense, someone pretending to be someone they aren't. It can be a ball, a fancy dress party, it can be a mask. Open to interpretation.

Submissions accepted: September 5 - November 4, 2018

How to enter: Send your polished, formatted (Double spaced, no page numbers), previously unpublished story to admin @ insecurewriterssupportgroup.com before the deadline passes. Please include your contact details, your social links, and if you are part of the Blogging, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter IWSG group.

Judging: The IWSG admins will create a shortlist of the best stories. The shortlist will then be sent to our official judges. This year, we are honored to have seven incredible judges:
Elizabeth S. Craig, author
Elana Johnson, author
S.A. Larsen,author
DL Hammons, Write Club founder
Gwen Gardner, author and previous IWSG anthology winner
Kelly Van Sant, agent at Red Sofa Literary Agency
Kristin Smith, author

Prizes: The winning stories will be edited and published by Freedom Fox Press next year in the IWSG anthology. Authors will receive royalties on books sold, both print and eBook. The top story will have the honor of giving the anthology its title.


Our previous IWSG anthologies:
Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime
Hero Lost: The Mysteries of Death and Life
Parallels: Felix Was Here

Where in the World Bloghop

In celebration of her upcoming release, Bubba and Squirt’s Big Dig to China, Sherry Ellis is hosting a blogfest September 4 -7, 2018.
Prompt: If you could go through the Earth and end up in another country, where would you go?

Easy! I’d dig a hole to New Zealand. (Certainly beats flying.) Then I could explore such a stunningly beautiful country.
I’d also explore the Lord of the Rings sites of course!
And visit blogger buddy Rhonda Albom. She’d know the best places to visit.

Where would you go?

Find Sherry’s book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Itunes, and Books a Million

Ninja News

Are you following the IWSG on Instagram?
Here are the prompts for September:

New release!
Fearless (The Deception Game Book 3) by Kristin Smith
When you can't escape, you hide.
Find it on Amazon

September Movie Preview

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

14 –

The Predator
When a young boy accidentally triggers the universe's most lethal hunters' return to Earth, only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and a disgruntled science teacher can prevent the end of the human race.
Director: Shane Black
Stars: Yvonne Strahovski, Olivia Munn, Jacob Tremblay, Boyd Holbrook
Science teacher versus Predator? Break out the papier-mâché volcano.

21 –

The House with a Clock in Its Walls
A young orphan named Lewis Barnavelt aids his magical uncle in locating a clock with the power to bring about the end of the world.
Director: Eli Roth
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Jack Black, Lorenza Izzo, Kyle MacLachlan
Is this the sequel to Eli Roth’s The Hostel with a Corpse in the Wall?

28 –

Smallfoot
A Yeti is convinced that the elusive creatures known as "humans" really do exist.
Directors: Karey Kirkpatrick | Jason Reisig
Stars: Zendaya, Channing Tatum, James Corden, Gina Rodriguez
What is the Yeti trying to say about people with small feet?

What publishing path is your choice? Are you submitting to the IWSG Anthology Contest? Where would you dig a hole to? And what movies catch your eye for September?