Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney is all about what the title sounds like, an invasion, of body snatchers. Doctor Miles Bennell discovers something is off in the town of Mill Valley, California. He is frightened, and concerned, as well as intrigued. Learning that several of his patients have concerns about loved one being different, he visits one, and notices that nothing seems amiss, that is until he is called to the house of a few of his other patients. What he finds there is something he doesn't understand, nor does he know what to do. With the help of his patients, Jack and Theodora, and a recently divorced woman he used to, and still does, love, Becky, they see answers and learn secrets about pod people taking over their town, with aspirations to take over the world.
 
This book first appeared as several stories in a magazine in 1954. The story takes place in 1976, and the reader can see some of the way life was in the 1950's in the 1970 version. The way the women react and are treated, like fainting flowers, is the way women were looked at often in the 1950's. This was the most disturbing part of the story.
 
The book was interesting in regards to the idea of the pod people. They had no emotions, because they weren't needed. They came down and counted themselves as parasites that wanted to survive, like all lifeforms. The alien pods do have issues, they don't last long, and they can't reproduce unless they are cloning something else, and they can't clone something they have already cloned. Once the pod people realize that the lifeforms on earth, ie the humans, don't want to die, the alien lifeforms realize they may not be able to take over the world as easy as they thought they would.
 
It is an interesting book, and it does make one wonder how humanity would survive, or what the survival instinct of humans would be. How far would we go and how hard would we fight. I enjoyed the sneaky way that the pod people inserted themselves into the lives of others, or took over the lives of others. It was also interesting because if one thinks about it, what if there are aliens here right now, and we don't know because they have been slowly taking over. It reminds me of the movie They Live.
 
I should add, I have only recently seen one the original two movies, although I have seen The Invasion (Not great) and The Thing (which is the same type of story). The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) is not the same movie as the book, although there are some things about it that are the same. For example, there is a main man, who is in love with his female counterpart. There is a doctor who says it is all mass hysteria. And there is a couple who find they are being cloned and taken over. I think the original movie might be the one that is closest to the book, so if you read the book, you might want to start there.

The future has come and gone and nothing has changed, except replicants, now we use them to do work no one else wants to. The older versions are being retired, and the new versions are created to obey the commands of human

K (played by Ryan Gosling) is a man on a mission to retire those sought after replicants. He seeks them out and hopes they will come with him peacefully, but most of the time they don't. When we first see K, thirty years after the first movie takes place, he is sent to retire the replicants and this is his only job. He reports to Lieutenant Joshi (played by Robin Wright) and she tells him everything he must do. When an interesting artifact is found at his latest capture, he is sent to find the missing pieces and end lives if he must. On the way he is attacked by people who want things from him, and he finds that life isn't as it seems, and maybe it never was.

I enjoyed this movie, but possibly not as much as others after looking at the reviews. While most of the graphics were fascinating and fun, keeping in tune with the original BLADE RUNNER movie, and the scenery is depressing, and a lot like the scenery in the first movie as well, that was possibly the most fascinating part of the movie. I felt that Gosling was miscast as K, and he seemed a little too bland. I felt a lot like I was watching the driver in the movie DRIVE again. The character of K reminded me of the bland, or static, feeling I got from the driver. 

There were of course twists and turns, and while Harrison Ford was in this movie, his character wasn't as dynamic as he was in the original. In fact the most interesting character was that of Luv (played by Sylvia Hoeks), a replicant who works for Wallace and the Wallace Company, the builder and creator of the new generation of replicants. Luv was a dedicated replicant, who tried her best to do what she was told, but who honestly had a dark secret.

The biggest issue I had with this movie was the 2 hour and 44 minute run time. There was a lot I felt could have been cut or at least edited down. The second issue I had was not as big as the running time, but it was the ending of the movie. The ending tried to be as emotionally significant as the scene in the original when Rutger Hauers character dies. There wasn't enough to make me care about the person who died in BLADE RUNNER 2049, and yet they even use the same music that was used when Rutger Hauer made his awesome speech and then died.

Okay, not I know some of you might think that because of this review I did not like this movie. This is not the case at all. In fact I enjoyed the movie, it just wasn't my favorite movie. I don't think it had the same feel or emotion as the original BLADE RUNNER, and I really do think not only did it try too hard to be relevant, but it also tried too hard to evoke emotion, especially by trying to give Rachel and Deckard more back story and explanation, which in turn ruins some of the feel of the unanswered questions in the original.

So, do I recommend that you see it? Yes, but I also suggest keeping an open mind and maybe, before you go and see it watch the original movie.

Meet author Jeremy Hicks. If you already know of Jeremy Hicks you are one of the very luck readers. Mr. Hicks can often be seen at local conventions in the Alabama and Tennessee areas, and he is always willing to chat with fans. So without further blathering by me, meet Mr. Jeremy Hicks.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and why you write.
I’ve always told or written stories, as long as I can remember anyway. I read histories, myths, legends, and various types of fiction to fuel my creative fire. As a result, I have so many influences that different styles of scenes and stories pop up in my head all day long. Some of these make it onto paper. Even fewer of them turn into full blown storylines that I complete. I used to write simply for pleasure and to see how a plotline played out on paper. A few years ago, I decided to turn to professional writing to supplement my income. After a series of debilitating injuries coupled with degenerative conditions, I am trying to pay all my bills and raise a child with my writing.
 
What is the first book that made you think about writing?
As far as the first book that made me consider writing as a profession, I would say it was actually Stephen King’s Danse Macabre. After reading this book on the horror genre and its variations and trends in different forms of media, I thought seriously about writing, though even then my tendencies favored short stories and scripted ideas. Honestly, I wanted to write scripts for the small and big screen and use the short stories to develop those ideas. I didn’t really want to do anything as tedious and long-term as devote myself to a novel. Now, I’m editing my third and longest creative work to date. Also, the first one written solo.
 
Tell us a little bit about your books.
My co-author and I have two novels, part of the Cycle of Ages Saga, which actually started out as feature-length screenplays. They’re fast-paced, character-driven story lines that introduce our dark fantasy world of Faltyr and draw our audience into the main plot line while having story arcs for the other characters. We created a sandbox-style world big enough for all our ideas, one that would allow us to explore creative twists on common fantasy and horror tropes, plot lines, character archetypes, creatures, etc.

Cycle of Ages Saga: Finders Keepers is the initial novelization of our first screenplay, and it introduces us to Kaladimus Dor (The Master-of-Disaster), a dangerous wizard on his way home from a secret mission when he shipwrecks himself and others on an island full of ravenous living and undead residents. He is largely the plot catalyst and primary point-of-view character. Finders Keepers refers to the guild of mercenaries and adventurers who ally themselves with Dor to try and escape from the island.

The sequel, CoAS: Sands of Sorrow, continues the adventures of Kaladimus Dor and Finders Keepers months after their island escapade. It chronicles their accidental and disastrous entry into Faltyr’s Blood War, resulting in an arduous race across a haunted and twisted desert to save thousands of elves doomed to die in a concentration camp created by the Kingdom of Oparre.

I’m editing the third novel now, the first one with just my name on the byline. CoAS: Delve Deep is about three times longer than Finders Keepers and really dives into the main story line, develops the main characters further, and explores more of the weird, wild world of faraway Faltyr in the process. We’re planning two to three more novels to wrap up the Cycle of Ages Saga. But I already have a short story and novelette published in anthologies that connect to this storyline. We have more planned and a few written. So Faltyr will only continue to evolve and expand as a franchise.
 
How do you select the names of your characters?
Hmm…depends on the genre, culture/ethnicity of the character, and their personality or attributes. You try to find a name that fits. Sometimes, the name comes first, though. Then the character writes itself. For the Cycle of Ages Saga, some of the names are derived from previous D&D campaigns Barry or I ran for various groups over the years. For example, much of the character and place names associated with Moor’Dru, Oparre, and the Crimson Phoenix came from Barry’s campaigns, whereas the Unen’ek elves and most of the actual cultures, and their fictional empires, on the continent of Ny come from mine. Many of the names have been changed at one point for one reason or another. Kaladimus Dor started out as Doore, but people kept calling him Door-E, which would not do.
 
What was your hardest scene to write?
Technically, the Battles of Delve Deep in the most recent novels were pretty difficult. There’s also a scene involving a dam that was challenging. I hope I have my research right on that one. If not, I expect to hear back about it from readers. Emotionally, the last two chapters of Cycle of Ages Saga: Sands of Sorrow were the toughest. They came to me in a dream two years after the completion of the initial rough draft and almost wrote themselves. The new editing was much rougher and harsher, but with an awful beauty to it. They left me in tears. Still do when I read them.
 
Why do you write the genres you do?
I tend to write horror, fantasy, or steampunk, but I want to try my hand at space opera, too. If you’ll notice, these are all genres that fall under the broad heading of speculative fiction. My writing tends to lend itself to something speculative regardless of what tropes and settings are used to tell a story. I research, but I am not an expert in every field. And it is not as easy as some authors make it sound to find subject matter experts willing to gab and gab about a particular plot point. Therefore, I’d rather avoid hard science fiction, medical thrillers, and murder mysteries for this very reason.
 
Since you write so many genres, do you have a favorite genre and why or why not?
Honestly, I prefer to write horror. My mind was fed with too many horror movies, history books, and revealing documentaries, so it bends toward dark, depressing, and grim topics and situations. That was why I wanted a dark fantasy bent to Faltyr and our fantasy tales associated with it.
 
What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
Despite some bad experiences with traditional publishing, it led me to a career as a professional writer. None of that would have been possible without the ticket I purchased for Imagicon several years ago. That’s where I met another writer friend, M.B. Weston, who recommended the person who eventually published our Cycle of Ages Saga: Finders Keepers. That’s why she was named in the dedication for the first printing of that novel.
 
What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
That’s an extensive list, and while I’d rather not drop names, I will credit those author friends who have helped me edit, promote, and even handle cover design and interior formatting for our novels.
Alan Lewis has been a big influence. He has edited short stories and longer works for me and handled interior formatting for our second novel. Alan is also a talented graphic designer who has worked on the cover layout and design for the new editions of our novels.

Kim Richardson and A.J. Johnson are other author friends who have worked as editors on our novels, and the late Logan Masterson was a close friend and a good critical editor for several of my stories. M.M. Schill has helped beta read stories for me, including Delve Deep, where she provided valuable input to help shape the story arcs for certain characters.

There are dozens of others I chat with on social media, hang with at conventions, and discuss or debate everything from movies and books to politics and religions online and in person. Besides the enthusiastic, supportive readers, these author friends have helped me keep going during bouts of sickness and depression and even anger at continued failures and impending financial doom.

Last but not least, I have to mention Barry Hayes, my long-time friend and co-author, who agreed to combine our creative ideas and work on the development and writing for the first two Cycle of Ages Saga novels and a total of four feature-length screenplays. Without his involvement, we would not have achieved our dreams of becoming published writers and small business owners. With his renewed involvement, perhaps we’ll meet with more critical success and find that oft elusive profitability zone.
 
How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
It’s really the editing process that transforms you as a writer, if you’re learning from your previous mistakes. Heavy repeated edits before publication helps trim and clean the manuscript, shaping it into a better, more refined version of the story you want to tell. You also learn your common mistakes (grammatically-speaking), stylistic tips and uncommon grammar rules (if the editor is worth their salt), and how to avoid those mistakes in the future.

As far as the publishing process, our first novel was published traditionally. It involved a long wait (that drained us financially as we were travelling to cons to promote our upcoming release and paying for the creation of promotional merchandise and swag for potential buyers) for a lackluster cover on a book delivered literally weeks before we were due at a huge literary event. By that time, the second novel was almost complete, but we wait two more years before deciding to pull it from the publisher and publish it on our own.

During that period, I found my writing heavily impacted the inability of our first novel to find sustainable sales; the inaction of our publisher on the sequel; and the mounting expenses of promoting online with little success and paying to attend conventions (our major source of sales). Dealing with another publisher for our Faltyr short stories involved an extensive wait as well, and recently ended with the rights reverting to us (without another of them even being published). This experience motivated me to do more with self-publishing with our own company rather than deal with small-time publishers who are largely wasting people’s time and driving writers to write less, not more. We do have our sticks in the first with a big house, but only we chose to approach them after hearing that they treat their writers well, prompting us to create more and wait less.
 
Does writing energize or exhaust you?
The initial ideas and planning/plotting phases energize me, and the writing and editing phases exhaust me. I find the marketing and promotional phases soul-crushing, financially-draining, and often depressing. That’s truly the worst part.
 
What are common traps for aspiring writers?
For us, it was unscrupulous agents and back-end vanity presses that technically qualify as small-to-midlist publishers because all the costs incurred by the authors are on the back-end, when you have to buy your own books to sell, book your own cons and book-signings, manage every aspect of promotions, and pay for all the marketing costs, while taking home a small percentage as a royalty.

If you plan on having co-writers or illustrators, put everything in writing, have a lawyer look over it, and pay a notary to file it. Then establish yourself as a business, obtain an FEIN, and then keep track of expenses. I think most writers fail to write off their expenses to cover their tax burden on their business expenses. This is the only way to soften the blow of marketing, promotion, and travel expenses for conventions, book signings, and literary events. Treat yourself, or your writing organization, as a business and act like a business, but a legitimate one. Also, don’t spam people to market your book and don’t engage in so-called shotgun marketing to reach agents or managers. It’s expensive, annoying, and those who respond are usually looking to take advantage of new writers. One more thing, build an online presence and platform and start building an email subscriber list before your book is done. We wanted to wait until we had a finished product, so we were “real” writers, not aspiring ones. That’s a mistake. If you don’t market and engage on social media and build a readership, you will have no one to launch your book to, unless you happen to have several years to wait on a traditional publisher to take notice, consider your book, and let you know if they want it or not. Then several more years to wait while it is edited, promoted, and then released.
 
Have you ever gotten reader’s block?
Yes, and some of it is intentional. I try to avoid similar books from the same genre as something I am writing or planning to write. I read those in between projects or while working on another genre. And sometimes part of writer’s block is reader’s block. Often you get to the point where you are simply tired of re-reading and editing what you’re writing. Lay it aside for a bit and then come back to it. You’ll be surprised what errors and awkward phrases you will be able to eliminate after some time away from a piece you’re writing or have written.
 
Do you Google yourself?
I don’t Google myself as much as posts involving me, my co-writer, or our creative works. I do that to check and see where we (or those specific posts) fall in various keyword searches. I advise doing that to make sure your posts, interviews, reviews, etc. are showing up on the first search page for each search engine.
 
What question do you wish I had asked and what is the answer to that question?
I would have liked you to ask, ‘What book do I think should be required reading for students?’ My answer would be Mark Twain’s War Prayer. If you’ve never read it, read it. Then you’ll know why.
 
Mr. Hicks has two stories coming out it the anthology Chronicles of Mirthstone.
 
Mr. Hicks can be found on Facebook and at jjeremyhicks.com
 
His books can be found at cycleofagesaga.com and on several websites (Amazon and Barnes and Noble)
 
Feel free to ask Mr. Hicks any further questions you might have.

I'll admit, I am not familiar with the King Kong mythos....besides maybe the video game where he is throwing barrels at Mario to keep him from Princess Peach. I have never seen any of the other King Kong movies, mostly because I always thought to myself, "How can a movie about a giant gorilla be interesting?" I was wrong, a movie about a giant gorilla can be totally interesting.

KONG: SKULL ISLAND is set in the 1970's and it is the beginning of King Kong.

Skull Island is an island "somewhere in the pacific" that is shaped like a skull, but there are other reasons this movie is titled skull island. A group of scientists, explorers, and soldiers who are to act as an escort to the scientists The explorers are off to the island to see what it has that might be developed into useful tools to save or help humanity. When they get there the audience sees that humanity is the monster.

The island is full of giant creatures that can tear a human limb from limb. From prehistoric birds to spiders that can kill you with one well placed foot. As soon as they reach the island terrible things start happening, from helicopter crashes to skull crushing monsters who will eat anything in their path. While there are several predictable scenes, and characters, this movie give the audience what it wants, a good King Kong movie.

The predictable characters were the military man who can't get past his own need for revenge, even after he sees that he shouldn't be seeking the revenge he desires. Another is the man who was lost several decades before who provides the comic relief. Another is a female character who not only gets through the movie unscathed (even though the helicopter she was in crashes and she is blown off of a cliff, not a single mark on her) but, as it was pointed out, is the one character who of course has to strip down to a tank top, even though all of the other characters continue to stay in their military uniforms, long sleeved science jumpsuits, or fancy button down shirts.

So, with all of this why do I think this movie was pretty good? It showed a monstrous side, but also a reason, for King Kong to be how he is. This not only adds a bunch of backstory to his character, but it adds depth to him. The island is stuck in time, and there are creatures and animals there that are probably genetically related to dinosaurs.

This movie also shows how inhuman man is when they are faced with things that they don't understand. Some people will try to understand the unknown, and others just want to bomb the hell out of it, in this movie there are both types of people. It rings true to me that often when humans are faced with things they don't understand or things that frighten them they seek to understand it by destroying it, or destroy it so it can't hurt them. This is something we, the entire human race, needs to think about. Often times to find a cure for something we destroy something else. If there is something we are faced with that we don't understand, we destroy it so we can understand it. If something frightens us the first reaction we have is to destroy it. Sometimes this is the answer, but often we need to look at what we can do keep the unknown intact to understand it.

A little problem I did have, besides the ones already mentioned, was that some things (like the inhabitants of the island) were not explored. Why were they there? How long were they there?

But, besides the issues I really did enjoy this movie. I look forward to what they might do with Godzilla in the future. If they treat Godzilla and Mothra as well as they treated King Kong, they will not be bad movies.

The description of ALIEN: COVENANT seems like it could be the plot description of any ALIEN movie. From IMDb - The crew of a colony ship, bound for a remote planet, discover an uncharted paradise with a threat beyond their imagination, and must attempt a harrowing escape. The only thing to change would be the type of ship.

ALIEN: COVENANT is a prequel to the original ALIEN movie and a sequel to ALIEN: PROMETHEUS. Some who saw PROMETHEUS wanted a sequel to explain what they had just watched in the train wreck that was PROMETHEUS. Those people had to be disappointed in what was given to them.

A group of colonists are on their way to settle a new planet. The journey is interrupted when an accident causes the ship to have difficulties in which the crew is needed. After waking most of the crew successfully, Walter (the new android), tells them what happened, how many crew members were lost, and how many colonists were lost. While on the outside fixing the solar wing one of the crew members experiences a disruption in their system. Later they find that what they are hearing is in a popular song from earth, so they decide that they need to look into where it is coming from. They find that the transmission is coming from a planet that might just be a good one to settle on, so the captain decides they must check it out, much to the chagrin of his second in command.

Once they get to the planet everything that can go wrong does, and when the survivors are finally back on the ship and ready to settle in again for the rest of the trip to the new planet they find that things aren't over, which seems to lead to another prequel to the original ALIEN movie.

Now, what did I think about this movie? I think it did not need to be made, and I don't feel like it adds anything to the ALIEN franchise. Not only were there several plot holes in this movie, but there was a lot of information that was changed throughout. For example, they kept saying that there were 2,000 colonists on the ship, even though there were a few whom were lost during the original incident which woke up some of the crew members. This became annoying throughout the movie as it was not the only thing that was inconsistent.

The only character who was at all interesting in the movie was the Android, played by Michael Fassbender, however, even he was annoying and inconsistent. This movie was full of idiotic moves that are tropes of horror movies, and the audience is really tired of these tropes. One of the things that was a blatant sign of laziness was the actions of the characters. People are being killed and one by one they walk off, which leads anyone watching to think what... well, they are dead, and SPOILER... they did die. All of the actions you expect in a horror movie, they happened in ALIEN: COVENANT.

People make stupid decisions that get them killed: Check.
People walk off on their own and get killed: Check.
People get sick and think that they can save the sick person: Check.
People die because they want to save the sick person: Check.
People die because they trust a stranger: Check.
People trust the stranger who tells them to look at something, which in turn kills them: Check.
People believe that the copy of what they trusted is actually the one they trusted, which gets them killed: Check.
People don't question anything that is going on, which kills them: Check.
The twist is exactly what you think it will be: Check.

So this movie was entirely predictable and unnecessary. I don't understand why anyone feels the need to go back and explain the beginnings of the alien creature. The new versions of things don't add as much to the story as they should, and the Engineers are just useless int he evolution of the alien creature. Lastly, there was at least one scene which tried to explain some things, and not only was it incomplete, but it didn't even explain itself.

So, will there be another Alien move, probably. Will I watch it, probably. Will it be any good, oh god I really don't think so. I think they should have stopped trying when they added Winona Ryder as an android, because she was just not good.

UNDER THE SKIN is a science fiction film that reflects a lot of the dynamic visuals and intrigue of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. IMDb summarizes the plot very simply as a  mysterious young woman (played by Scarlett Johansson) seduces lonely men in the evening hours in Scotland. However, events lead her to begin a process of self-discovery. The audience assumes that the woman is an otherworldly character as she moves and is later viewed in her natural form.

The movie begins with a young woman being carried into a van and later in a solid white room the young woman, obviously deceased, is being undressed by a nude Johansson, who then put the clothes she is removing on herself. Later Johansson is seen driving around, picking up men, and luring them back to an abandoned location where they undress and walk into a weird puddle of liquid. The movie follows Johansson as she talks to these men, and ends up in the woods after trying to discover the things she is missing.

Things do not end well for Johansson's character.

This movie was a visual exception, dark and gritty when it needed to be, and bright when the setting was needed to prove the point of innocence that may or may not have existed. The woman is a callous being who appears to be just doing her job, which seems to be delivering men to be incorporated in a different existence. She cares nothing for the men, although she does seem to be enjoying their company and conversation. One scene is especially brutal involving a family, the ocean, and an abandoned infant. The end of the movie is a stunning masterpiece of beauty and brutality as Johansson's character is assaulted, and the brutality of the moment is stunning.

This movie seems to speak to the roles of men and women, as the female is the predator using sexual suggestion to lure men into her lair where they seem to go to their deaths without getting the sexual satisfaction they were hoping for. Later the woman is seen attempting to eat a piece of cake, which she promptly spits out, and she is seen attempting to have sex with a man, but promptly stops as she realizes something about her is not what it is supposed to be like. The movie could be about the frailty of humanity as the weak don't survive, and men are easily lured to their dooms with the promise of sex. An infant left alone will not know what to do to survive, and a father who sees his wife being washed out to see may only think of her survival, not the baby left on the beach. Humanity is often tempted by things that may lead us to our doom, a giant piece of chocolate cake, a quiet conversation leading to help and reward, and promises of casual sex. Broadening our world view may help us live better, or we might discover the monster living within.

This is one of those movies that I'm betting not a lot of people have seen. It was a quite film that didn't quite get a mass audience, and I honestly don't even remember it being in theaters. MOON is about an Astronaut named Sam Bell who is at the end of a three-year stint on the Moon. He, alongside his computer, GERTY, sends back to Earth parcels of a resource that has helped diminish our planet's power problems. Sam only has two weeks left, and he feels like he may be going insane due to his lack of communication (physical really) with other humans. What does one do when they find out they aren't really who they think they are?

Sam is an astronaut who has spent almost three years on the moon mining to produce power back on earth. Now this isn't explained in depth, so don't expect a lot of science stuff to go on. It isn't like the movie THE MARTIAN with Matt Damon, trying to science the shit out of stuff, this is literally about a man who has been stuck on the moon and who may be going insane due to the loneliness. After an accident Sam discovers that GERTY has been keeping a secret from him, and something crazy happens which is not supposed to happen.

While I don't want to give too much away by telling what happens in this movie, I do think it is an interesting idea. What happens if you realize that you aren't who you thought you were? Does artificial life of any sort (AI, Robots, Clones) get any say on if they live or die, or how they live? Should they?

This was a somewhat slow movie, there is not a lot of action, as the audience only follows one man in his descent into possible madness. But it is a good premise and the ending was fabulous as it asks some of the questions that I was asking. I absolutely recommend this when you want something that is a thinker of a film.

I know GRAVITY is an older movie, and some may want me to review newer movies, but I am a little behind on my movie watching so, sorry about this.

GRAVITY stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as astronauts doing work on one of the stations. As they are working they are informed by Huston that there is a problem and there is a lot of space trash flying right towards them. They attempt to move to a safe location but things go crazy and they are unable to. Their partner is killed, and they are briefly separated, in fact Sandra Bullocks character is sent hurtling through space, where the lack of air will kill you and the cold temperature of space will cause death in seconds. After a series of mishaps, Sandra is the only crew  member left and she is the one who must find a way back to earth, or die in space like the rest of her companions.

The plot of this movie was somewhat lacking. There was almost no character development of any of the characters, so I wondered why I should care about them. If they died, I didn't know them so I wouldn't worry that they hadn't returned to earth, or had their faces caved in by space trash, or any of it all. Even though there was a little character development with Sandra Bullocks character (her backstory involved a tragedy and a child) there wasn't enough to make me wonder anything about her, partly because it wasn't expanded upon, so this little tidbit didn't add much to the story.

I felt as if this movie was made just to show the beauty of space. It was a visually stunning movie, and I did wonder what it would feel like to be basically stranded in space. I am sure I would be beyond scared. If I was hurtling through space with no tether keeping me attached to something tangible I would probably die within the few minutes it would take me to use up my oxygen reserves. The graphics were fabulous, and beautiful. The views of earth as everything was going on was gorgeous. The quick views of space and the rest of the galaxy were superb, and while Sandra Bullock was hurtling through space there were some spectacular images. Even the action scenes were stunning.

So visually this movie was pretty sweet. However, the characters could have used more substance, as they were flat, and honestly I felt that even with the good actors the acting in this movie was sub par for both Bullock and Clooney. This, for me, was not even close to the best work for either of them.

I know there are people out there who are going to disagree with this, but I have to say it anyway because I wouldn't have gone to see this movie if someone had told me what happened. I often try not to put spoilers out there, but there are spoilers in this because I can't really see a way to review this movie without them.

This movie is about how the plans of the Death Star got into the hands of the Rebellion. Literally that is all the movie is about. Now, while this movie was not a bad movie by any means, I question if it needed to be made at all. I should also say I liked it a lot more than I liked THE FORCE AWAKENS, because I felt like that was just a long, long preview for the next movie.

The movie follows Jyn, the daughter of the man who created the Death Star as she tries to find her father and as she is suddenly sucked into the world of the Rebellion. In the beginning the story of her family isn't really defined, we don't really know what happened to force her father and mother to leave the Alliance, but we get a hint. I would have liked a little more detail in the past life of why the family left, and really how. There is actually a lot missing from the story line, at least the back story.

Then for me there was the problem of predictibility. This movie was 100% predictable to me. I knew who was going to die (pretty much everyone) and when they were going to die. There were literally ZERO surprises in this movie, which made me wonder why it was made. It was telling a part of the story that didn't need to be told. Plus, so many people who watched it said it was the best movie ever and/or they cried. I honestly can't say I cried because why would I? I mean if you know who is going to die, and there are no surprises, why would you be upset. The deaths didn't hurt me, and I saw every single one coming, so it wasn't upsetting at all to me.

Maybe it is just me. I have yet to hear one other person say the same things I feel after seeing this movie. Like I said, everyone has loved it and a ton of people have cried. I enjoyed it, the visuals were fun, the droid was fun, the animated characters of Leia and Tarkin needed a little bit of work because they looked fake, but this movie was unnessecary.

That's my opinion. I'm wondering if anyone else felt this way?

Everyone kept raving about this Netflix show, so I decided to jump in and join the lemmings. When I sat and watched the first two episodes I must say I was not impressed. I thought they were slow and I didn't really care for most of the characters. I will say that things picked up, but only a little bit, and really only in the last two episodes.

There are only eight episodes in the freshman season of this new show, which isn't a lot for a television show. I know I was not the only one who wanted a little more, even with an extended final episode.

This series is not really a horror series, which many people have said, it is more science fiction than horror, even with a few scary scenes with an unnamed monster. There is a lot which is never explained, and I often find it frustrating since a freshman season of a show should not only introduce the characters but the idea behind the scenes. What was this show about? Honestly, I cannot say I am sure. It could have been about a bad place, it could have been about a bad man, it could have been about a monster, but this was never divulged. So after watching it, I will probably watch season two, but I am not as excited as many of those who I have talked to about how the first season went.

I would have liked a little more about how things had come to be, as there were some hints and some conclusions made, but nothing was really fully developed, even the reason the main female child was kept. Was she created? Was she born the way she was? There was not development in how she came to be where or who she was.

There also seemed to be an unnecessary character, the father of the missing child. He is seen in the first episode and then once towards the end but it is added drama that was not needed and his character didn't add anything to the series. Also, he alludes to the mother having an issue before, but it is never spoken about again.

I can't say that I loved this show like everyone else I have spoken with, however, it was interesting. I am looking forward to season two just to see what happens next, but I don't feel the eagerness I have felt with other shows, such as JESSICA JONES.