Bloggy Update 9/30/24

It’s been a roller coaster.

Last week started off as a living nightmare. Our beloved big baby boy, Noodle, our 19.8 pound ‘void’ kitty passed. After losing weight and not really eating much of anything (including his favorite shrimpy shrimp treats), we took him to the vet. Prognosis: Very Bad. Cancer, kidney failure…nothing we could do would have been enough. It was literally the worst of times. Our big boy was 11. (I’d post a picture, but right now, it makes me too sad.)

Fast forward to yesterday, where we went up to the north side of Chicago to celebrate FIFTY YEARS (wedding anniversary) of my sister, Carol, and brother-in-law, Stephen. Saw family that we hadn’t seen for some time. It was literally the best of times.

In three days, Charlie and I are off to the backroads of Wisconsin to celebrate HIS birthday (October 7th! The BIG 7-5!!!). We have a day of driving ATV’s around the woods to look forward to, plus, I imagine there will be some semblance of hiking, looking at antiques, hitting up restaurants, and keeping an eyeball out for animals.

So, when I say roller coaster, I’m downright serious.

I’m fortunate to have draft #4 done. I plan on staring draft #5 later in October, hopefully when things calm down on all sides. I only have one event in October – Tomes of Terror in Bloomington, Illinois on the 26th (details will be found in the Events section) which goes from 10am to 4pm. Honestly, I’m really, really glad to only have one in October. Normally, that month and my genre go hand-in-hand, but somehow it just worked out this way.

I have some interviews (of mine!) that are coming up, so check back on the Events/Promotions section. They’ll be happening in October, so keep an eyeball peeled.

Now, what the heck have we been watching?

Humane (2024) – A global environmental collapse forces world leaders to take extreme measures to reduce Earth’s population. (Google) There’s a LOT happening here – family discord, world crises, person-against-person, and ‘fake news’ threats. A sentence from Variety sums it up best: In a society where state euthanasia has become the answer to climate change, four furious siblings have two hours to decide which one will die. This is the kind of film that needs, nay, REQUIRES your full attention. There’s too many shifts in who will die, who needs to die, what the right thing to do is… However, it’s still a decent film which will leave you with much to talk about. I gave it a 7.1 and Charlie came in at a 9.0. Recommend, but leave your phone in another room.

The End We Start From (2023) – When catastrophic floods submerge London, a new mother embarks on a dangerous journey to find a safe refuge, all the while trying to protect her baby from the surrounding chaos. (Google) Traumatic look at chaos and the fight for survival. It’s a solid film that needs you to suspend belief during some scenes. It’s certainly understandable how the will to survive can triumph over catastrophic events, but this movie pushes the boundaries a bit. Still, it’s a good watch and I’d recommend it. We both gave it a 6.7.

Nowhere (2023) – Fleeing a totalitarian country, pregnant Mia must fight for her life when a violent storm knocks the container in which she has been hiding overboard. Trapped, Mia gives birth and is forced to survive to save her baby. (Google) Hmmm, I’m sensing a theme from this list. (lol) This disaster/hilarious (and not in a good way) movie starts off with a compelling storyline and the promise of memorable characters. About halfway through, it plunges, quite literally, into a ridiculous and truly impossible survival story that has no credible moment in the last half. You almost have to see it to believe it, but the main character (literally after giving birth) all of a sudden knows and exhibits survival skills that the BEST military personnel would have a hard time with. I mean, COME ON. I can suspend belief if I need to, but this asked WAY too much. I ended up with a score of 2.1 and Charlie was probably more accurate with his 1.8. Avoid at all costs (unless you’ve already seen it, and then you have my condolences)

The Deliverance (2024) – A family living in a home in Indiana discovers strange, demonic occurrences that convince them and the community that the house is a portal to hell. (Google) I’ll be honest. The first fifteen minutes or so, I was ready to ‘toss this one aside’. But, I stuck with it…and…meh. Glenn Close (who I think is an amazing actress) was oddly cast as the matriarch to a black family who is experiencing paranormal activity. She didn’t really need to be part of the story – as a matter of fact, I thought her character was a huge, weird distraction. While everyone else carried their parts, the whole thing felt forced and awkward. I think if it were done differently, it could have been great. As it is, we came in at 4.2. You’re own mileage may vary on this one.

A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) – When New York City comes under attack from an alien invasion, a woman and other survivors try to find a way to safety. They soon learn that they must remain absolutely silent as the mysterious creatures are drawn to the slightest sound. (Google) The origin story to The Quiet Place movies, I was hoping for some intrigue and backstory. What we end up with is superficial at best and still leaves the audience with a number of unanswered questions. The actors were fine as was the cinematography, but the story? Sorry. It didn’t fill in any holes or plot points. I needed more. A great deal more. I gave it a 6.7 for effort.

Okay, that’s enough for today. See you in October! 🙂

P.S. Monkey, our diva kitty who is 6, is doing fine. Thank goodness for that sweetie. 🙂