Fall Movies Announced

Follow this link for a list of the Fall Movie premiers coming in September through December. Just a few jump out at me, but I’m sure the descriptions aren’t nearly as thrilling as the trailers will be.

Coming in September:

• ALPHA AND OMEGA: Two wolves take a cross-country road trip home in an animated adventure featuring the voices of Justin Long and Hayden Panettiere. (I saw the trailer for this and it looks cute.)
• THE AMERICAN: George Clooney plays a hitman who finds romance and tranquility in the Italian countryside as he prepares for one last assignment. (I just like George, okay?)
• BURIED: An American driver (Ryan Reynolds) in Iraq wakes up buried in a coffin with only a dying cell phone and a lighter. (I also like Ryan, but I’m curious how a two-hour movie will deal with this. I recommend my mother stay away from this one. Claustrophobia!)

Coming in October:

• SECRETARIAT: Diane Lane stars as the housewife who oversees the legendary horse to a Triple Crown victory in 1973. With John Malkovich. (Saw the trailer for this, too. I think it will be just as good as the 2003 racehorse offering, Seabiscuit.)

November:

• MEGAMIND: Brad Pitt, Will Ferrell and Tina Fey provide voices for an animated comedy about a supervillain whose life is empty after defeating his superhero nemesis. (I liked Despicable Me, so this may be just as good.)
• TANGLED: Mandy Moore provides the voice of Rapunzel in an animated musical about the fairy-tale teen with really long hair. (Yes, I’m a sucker for cartoons. Especially those based on fairy tales.)

December:

• THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER: C.S. Lewis' fantasy series continues aboard a magical sea voyage. (Can I have an AMEN!)
• TRUE GRIT: Jeff Bridges is boozy lawman Rooster Cogburn in Joel and Ethan Coen's remake of the John Wayne Western. With Matt Damon. (Cautiously optimistic. Bridges has mighty big boots to fill. But I know Damon has GOT to be a better actor than Glen Campbell. Plus, I like the Coen brothers and hope they put their usual wacky spin on this.)
• YOGI BEAR: Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake provide the voices of Yogi and his pal Boo Boo in a big screen take on the cartoon bear. (This just made me laugh, in a good way. I loved Yogi and Boo Boo as a kid, and am wondering why it took someone so long to do this.)

Some of the movies I didn’t mention deserve five question marks instead of stars, such as THE ILLUSIONIST: A stage magician forges on with his old-fashioned act as rock 'n' roll sweeps Britain in this animated tale. Um. . .can’t wrap my mind around the two different things, magic and rock ‘n’ roll. But some on the list may jump out to you like these did to me.

Check out the Yahoo link for yourself.

You Tube Movie Trailers – The Lesson

At the end of my post titled “You Tube Movie Trailers – Sort Of,” I said there was a lesson for writers in the goofy little films that pair two unlikely genres.

Here it is. It’s so simple you’ll wonder why you’ve been on anxious little pins waiting for this equivalent to the Meaning of Life.

DON’T MIX GENRES.

There. Wasn’t that worth waiting for?

In all seriousness, (yes, I can be serious when I try,) I know that this is usually a newbie’s first mistake. They don’t know what they write, so they just sit down and allow stuff to flow from their fingers. I’m not saying this is a bad thing as a newbie. You must experiment to find your voice, your genre. But when it comes time to send that puppy in, you had better not have mixed him with a tiger.

Often when I ask new writers what they write, they don’t have a clue. Or worse, they have several faves and don’t know where to start. I’ve heard people state that their project started out as (for example) a historical but turned into a sci-fi thriller. This is simply a toddler taking her first steps.

I reiterate. It’s okay when you’re starting out to play with genres. Pick your favorite, and then target your publisher. In many of the guidelines, they will tell you what they want and definitely do not want. Study your market. I’ve listened to countless editor and agent panels and invariably someone will answer the question, “What do you hate,” with, “authors who send me a story in a genre I don’t sell.” And yes, hate is the word used in this context. Lesson: Don’t tick off your potential publisher.

So, the moral of the story is, find out your niche, watch the silly You Tubes, and enjoy your writing life.

Here are three more entertaining. . .and yet disturbing videos for your amusement.

Lord of the Bug's Life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENaUS_OtbhY&hl=en_US&fs=1

The Dark Knight Trailer Recut - Toy Story 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QFWBFIEuig&hl=en_US&fs=1

Disney/Pixar Cars - Star Trek XI Trailer Recut: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQd5sOyuuoE&hl=en_US&fs=1

What if. . . The Movie!

Coming to theaters this month! This looks like a great movie with a redemptive message. If we want more good, clean, Christ-filled movies, we must show up at the theaters in force. I hope you all join me!

From a portion of the press release:

Jenkins Entertainment and Pure Flix Entertainment are proud to announce the theatrical release of the acclaimed feature film, “What If…”

Coming to theaters August 20th, What If… tells the story of Ben Walker (Kevin Sorbo, Hercules), who 15 years ago left the love of his life Wendy (Kristy Swanson, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and his calling to be a preacher for a lucrative business opportunity. Now with a big promotion and a trophy fiancé, he has no desire for family or faith. That is, until an angel in the form of a mechanic (John
Ratzenberger, Cheers) visits him and shows him what his life would look like had he followed his true calling. Suddenly he’s married to Wendy, the father of two kids (including Debby Ryan, Suite Life on Deck), and the new pastor of a small church. If he’s going to escape this new “reality,” he must first learn the value of family and faith. In the tradition of “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “The Family Man,” What If… offers a glimpse of the consequences of life’s choices and the joys of pursuing a second chance
of redemption.

For a list of theaters, go to this site. Note that in some cities, it doesn’t debut until September.

Go to the website and view the trailer.