Archive for October, 2011
Monday, October 24th, 2011
Who doesn’t love a good werewolf movie? I am a fan – here are my faves:
Dog Soldiers – gory, stuck in the house in the middle of nowhere AND everyone has an accent. Love it! Good scene here. If you haven’t seen this movie and you love werewolf movies – go, get this one – Now! You’re welcome.
An American Werewolf in London (I attached THE scene, so be warned!) is a classic for a reason. It’s brilliant and still scary – even if the effects are no longer ‘cutting edge’.
Wolfman. I loved this movie – I don’t care what anyone else think… It was an homage – super cheesy suck-tasticness 
.
Ginger Snaps is a fun, teen werewolf take. Interestingly, these two girls went on to star in a historical prequel movie that wasn’t too bad either, Ginger Snaps Back…
Fun and avant garde – Brotherhood of the Wolf. It’s a foreign film, so there’s some nudity too – fyi. But it’s such a unique mash-up of things that it’s totally hypnotizing even if it isn’t all that great. ?
There are plenty of werewolf movies out there. But some of them have lost their impact because of the passing of time. So, I expect a lot of sounding off on this one. Werewolves, like vampires, are all the rage right now. Which are your favorites?
Tags: dog soldiers, Halloween, werewolf, werewolves, wolfman
Posted in Movies, Random Observations | 1 Comment »
Friday, October 21st, 2011
Here’s post two of Halloween themed films. This time we’re visiting some of my favorite vampire movies.
Underworld - AWESOME in every sense. I’m wary of the newest installment as Scott Speedman isn’t on the cast list. Underworld III didn’t do the series justice… We shall see.
30 Days of Night - so so good in a super scary way. This is probably one of my favorite scary vampire movies.
Let the Right One In – a heartbreaking, disturbing and mesemrizing foreign film. The American remake did NOT do it justice.
Fright Night (the original) was pretty good. It made me laugh and cover my eyes – I was 11 when it came out and I don’t think I’ve graduated High School I haven’t seen the remake, but you better believe it’s on my Netflix list. I can’t miss any Collin Farrell action…
Blade series. I liked Blade Trinity – lots of pretty people to watch kicking butt!
I know, I know there are more. So many more. But these are my picks… What are your favorite vampire movies????
Next up? It wouldn’t be Halloween without some Werewolves people!!! Check back soon
Tags: 30 days on night, blade, let the right one in, underworld, vampires
Posted in Movies, Random Observations | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, October 19th, 2011
It’s that time of the year. Scary movies, slasher flicks and hours of ‘living dead’ fill the TV in honor of the frightfully fun holiday – Halloween.
To honor my second fave holiday, I’m listing a few of my absolutely favorite horror flicks. I’ll cover zombie movies first. It should go without saying that these films have high nasty potential so please watch at your own risk.
Shaun of the Dead. Yes, you can laugh and get grossed out at the same time
Dawn of the Dead (remake) and Zombieland have AWESOME openings. I’m not, however, going to post Zombieland as it’s way nasty. You can find it on YouTube if you’re interested 
.
1968′s Night of the Living Dead was pretty awesome. Here’s the trailer, gotta love the obnoxious screaming and uber-serious narrator (ha!) – with a modicum of zombie feasting in black and white.
There are several good lists you can check out here and here. If you’re not into Zombies – I’ll give you another Halloween genre to look forward too next blog post: Vampires! (No, they don’t sparkle – not even a little… though I don’t mind the kind that sparkle )
Tags: Dawn of the Dead, Halloween, Night of the Living Dead, shaun of the dead, zombie, zombieland
Posted in Movies, Random Observations | 7 Comments »
Saturday, October 15th, 2011
This weekend I’m going to a writer’s conference. I’m excited – I love the opportunity to learn, grow and improve in this delicate craft called writing.
In addition to attending I’m pitching to a young and energetic agent that is asking for ‘beautiful dark stories’ and ‘re-tellings with a twist’. That’s what she WANTS!
And guess what? That’s what I’m pitching. My baby is what she’s actively seeking… What she wants to rep…
This is one of those times what you can only prepare so much. Do your homework and stay calm – ultimately it’s all about the book. I know this. I can do this.
And yet there’s that ‘first day of school syndrome’. You know what I mean: sending your kiddo off with a big smile even though your heart is lodged in your throat and your stomach is churning. Of course you can’t let anyone know that’s how you’re feeling, that wouldn’t be okay… And you don’t want to make anyone to know how nervous you really are.
Yep, exactly like pitching.
Here’s hoping I do Medusa justice AND send her off on the first day of a Long and fruitful career.
Tags: agent, Conference, pitching, publishing, writing
Posted in Books, Random Observations, Romance Novels | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, October 12th, 2011
Last week I received a round of scores from a RWA chapter contest I’d entered. My three scores were all over the place. One was a *gasp* 67, another an 85 and the last a 98.
I read over the comments and here’s what I immediately saw:
The 67 hated the premise, thereby dooming the submission to failure.
The 98 loved it and had little it would improve upon/edit suggestions. (Of course I tend to agree with this judge the most )
The 85 caught several simple (head smacking ‘duh’ moments on my part) errors that I should have found before I sent it in.
As frustrating as contest results can be, and they SO can be, you can glean something of value from them. Do you need to accept every comment and criticism as something that needs to be addressed or incorporated? NO. I’m a firm believer in staying true to your story. However, the goal here is to sharpen/hone/tighten your baby into the very best it can be.
This is why writing contests are so useful. In many ways these contests and their judges are a reflection of the reading public. Some readers/reviewers will think your book ROCKS. Other’s will HATE it. And some won’t be too impassioned one way or the other.
One things is for sure: contests give you the opportunity to develop thicker skin. And having a thick skin is Required along every step of the writing process.
Tags: chapter contests, Romance Writer's of America, thick skin, writing contests
Posted in Books, Children's Books, Random Observations, Romance Novels, Young Adult Novels | 11 Comments »
Thursday, October 6th, 2011
Warning – some of these kisses are steamier than others. All are from movies I really enjoy – and all have made me swoon, fan my cheeks or generally get a little misty. If you haven’t seen all of the below – you’re in for a treat. Enjoy. I’ll post more later!
The Notebook: here
Room With a View: here
Cold Mountain: here
The Island: here
Roman Holiday: here
It’s A Wonderful Life: here
These are a FEW of my favorite kisses, ranging along the passionate meter… But there are more, many many more . What are your absolute favorite movie kisses?
Posted in Movies, Random Observations | 8 Comments »
Monday, October 3rd, 2011
Thumbs Up:
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) – I know this is old, but it’s worth watching again. With a stellar cast and unique look into what life aboard a ship in 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars. This epic chronicles the real life naval adventures of determined, sometimes obsessive, Jack Aubrey – played with relish by Russell Crowe. Besides Crowe, Paul Bettany, Max Pirkis (huge fan – check him out a bit older in HBO’s ROME), and James D’Arcy head up a solid ensemble cast. As I said, this is an older film – but it’sa good film. Unfortunately, I don’t have such nice things to say about the below films – both recently released to DVD.
Neither Up nor Down:
Battle Los Angeles. We made the mistake of watching this AFTER the last listed film. With that in mind, my patience with over the top explosions and action was fairly thin. BUT at least there was PLOT here. Tired and done-to-death plot (a mash up of Independence Day, War of the Worlds, Black Hawk Down), but a plot nonetheless. Aliens invade, a small rag tag troupe of soldiers lose have of their numbers, but manage to take down the mother ship/central command and save the world. It wasn’t bad – but it wasn’t good. B/C grade stalwarts Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, and Bridget Moynahan are the stars in an otherwise unrecognizable cast. I don’t mean that as an insult, the performances were all solid – but they were treading ground well visited so it was an uphill battle to sell this in a new way. It wasn’t their fault that it didn’t happen.
Thumbs Down (Way way down):
Transformers III – I’m not going to waste a lot of time on this one. Sam – screaming little girl in need of meds (Come on Shia – Really? You disappoint me kiddo!). New girl – snarky and unlikable… Beyond the spell-binding lip thingies. Robots – when did they start wearing capes? Sidekicks – too many. Humor – um, not funny… Explosions – I think this was the point of this film. But can explosions and cgi serve as plot? No. No. It. Can’t. Please stop making these movies Mr. Bay. I promise you, I’m going to stop watching them.
Tags: Aaron Eckhart, Battle Los Angeles, Master and Commander, Max Pirkis, Michelle Rodriguez, Movie Reviews, Paul Bettany, russell crowe, Transformers III
Posted in Movies, Random Observations | No Comments »
