Gloria Oliver's Blog, page 50
March 2, 2015
MInd Sieve 3/2/15
Well, well, well... After managing to do a full post last week, the rest of the week blew up so it was about the only thing I posted. How sad is that? The day job is killing me softly...
Fan Fun
Superfast Official Trailer #1 (Fast and Furious Spoof) - might be worth it. :P
The Lady in the Van Official UK Trailer #1 - Hah! Love her! Should be fun!
Aloha Official Trailer 1 - I can feel the need for a hanky already! Hee!
Walter Official Trailer 1 - looks cute. :)
Social Media/Author PlatformFacebook Launches Ads Manager App: This Week In Social Media by Cindy King at the Social Media Examiner. I can't keep up! There's so much stuff out there. Dang! (The Twitter Wordpress Ad-on sounds good.)
Snapchat Marketing: What Businesses Need To Know by Michael Stelzner at the Social Media Examiner. Noooo, not another new social media avenue! Nooooooo!
Writing AdviceThe Doctrine of the Doers-5 Principles of Achievement from Kristen Lamb. Preach it sistah!
Boom! Publishing like Beyonce from Jami Gold. Congrats on the releases! It's more of a crapshoot everyday. Sigh.
Have a great week!
Fan Fun
Superfast Official Trailer #1 (Fast and Furious Spoof) - might be worth it. :P
The Lady in the Van Official UK Trailer #1 - Hah! Love her! Should be fun!
Aloha Official Trailer 1 - I can feel the need for a hanky already! Hee!
Walter Official Trailer 1 - looks cute. :)
Social Media/Author PlatformFacebook Launches Ads Manager App: This Week In Social Media by Cindy King at the Social Media Examiner. I can't keep up! There's so much stuff out there. Dang! (The Twitter Wordpress Ad-on sounds good.)
Snapchat Marketing: What Businesses Need To Know by Michael Stelzner at the Social Media Examiner. Noooo, not another new social media avenue! Nooooooo!
Writing AdviceThe Doctrine of the Doers-5 Principles of Achievement from Kristen Lamb. Preach it sistah!
Boom! Publishing like Beyonce from Jami Gold. Congrats on the releases! It's more of a crapshoot everyday. Sigh.
Have a great week!
March 1, 2015
Virtual Tourist - Sherlock Holmes Crimes & Punishment 3/1/15
Morning!
Between Icemaggedon, fighting a cold/allergies, and the Snowpocalypse, this week has been insane! Being able to log into work from home helped some, but it also meant while a lot of people sat back and rested or caught up on home stuff, I was still plugging away on WORK. Waaaahhh!
I am definitely feeling stretched to the limit right now. Wheeee!
Sherlock Holmes Crimes and Punishment
Half Moon Street
This new crime involves the death of two men in an alley in White Chapel. Wiggins, one of the Irregulars, has asked for Sherlock's help in proving his brother didn't do it.
There's Wiggins and the end after the turn in the alley.
Lovely effect!
This is the street where the suspect ran, supposedly chasing the real shooter, but was the only one seen. They try to make you pick the easy solution - don't fall for that! Heh heh
The attic where final proof of another person was finally found.
The guy was quite cleaver, but not clever enough! Bwahahaha!
Candelabra in Sherlock's main room at 221B. The clue thing on the right would not go away. Basically it was insisting one of the connections I made was not correct. I thought the game had a glitch for a while. DOH.
Sherlock's bedroom. Closet has different suits for Sherlock and also disguises (those are locked until needed). There's also a table for changing his hair and face.
Now that we've figured out how the murders were done, we're following the next clue.
And that leads us to the CIRCUS! Should be fun!
Now to go do more work! Ugh.
Between Icemaggedon, fighting a cold/allergies, and the Snowpocalypse, this week has been insane! Being able to log into work from home helped some, but it also meant while a lot of people sat back and rested or caught up on home stuff, I was still plugging away on WORK. Waaaahhh!
I am definitely feeling stretched to the limit right now. Wheeee!
Sherlock Holmes Crimes and Punishment
Half Moon Street
This new crime involves the death of two men in an alley in White Chapel. Wiggins, one of the Irregulars, has asked for Sherlock's help in proving his brother didn't do it.
There's Wiggins and the end after the turn in the alley.
Lovely effect!
This is the street where the suspect ran, supposedly chasing the real shooter, but was the only one seen. They try to make you pick the easy solution - don't fall for that! Heh heh
The attic where final proof of another person was finally found.
The guy was quite cleaver, but not clever enough! Bwahahaha!
Candelabra in Sherlock's main room at 221B. The clue thing on the right would not go away. Basically it was insisting one of the connections I made was not correct. I thought the game had a glitch for a while. DOH.
Sherlock's bedroom. Closet has different suits for Sherlock and also disguises (those are locked until needed). There's also a table for changing his hair and face.
Now that we've figured out how the murders were done, we're following the next clue.
And that leads us to the CIRCUS! Should be fun!
Now to go do more work! Ugh.
February 23, 2015
Mind Sieve 2/23/15
Morning!
Starting this beyond early, so hoping to get a full post in this week. Let's see if I managed to do it or not. Heh heh.
Fan Fun
Butterflies - Simon's Cat - hah! Too cute!
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Official Trailer - Wow! Talk about a remake!
Hot Pursuit Official Trailer #1 - Could be fun!
Crimson Peak Official Teaser Trailer #1 - I am so in! Looks cool!
Hitman: Agent 47 - Official Trailer - This looks sweet!
Social Media/Author PlatformA Closer Look at Making Great Pins and Boards from Pinterest - article by Liz Xiao. Some nice insights. :)
26 Tips For Improving Your Social Media Marketing by Debbie Hemley at the Social Media Examiner.
Writing AdviceCreating Dimensional Characters - The Blind Spot by Kristen Lamb. Oooh, lot's of good stuff in here!
How "Strong Female Characters" Still End Up Weak and Powerless (Or, "Do They Pass The Action Test?") by Chuck (NSFW) Wendig.
Starting this beyond early, so hoping to get a full post in this week. Let's see if I managed to do it or not. Heh heh.
Fan Fun
Butterflies - Simon's Cat - hah! Too cute!
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Official Trailer - Wow! Talk about a remake!
Hot Pursuit Official Trailer #1 - Could be fun!
Crimson Peak Official Teaser Trailer #1 - I am so in! Looks cool!
Hitman: Agent 47 - Official Trailer - This looks sweet!
Social Media/Author PlatformA Closer Look at Making Great Pins and Boards from Pinterest - article by Liz Xiao. Some nice insights. :)
26 Tips For Improving Your Social Media Marketing by Debbie Hemley at the Social Media Examiner.
Writing AdviceCreating Dimensional Characters - The Blind Spot by Kristen Lamb. Oooh, lot's of good stuff in here!
How "Strong Female Characters" Still End Up Weak and Powerless (Or, "Do They Pass The Action Test?") by Chuck (NSFW) Wendig.
February 22, 2015
Virtual Tourist - TERA 2/22/15
Morning everyone!
Finally have a weekend to myself. Yay! Conventions back to back and the evil day job are not good for blogging. lol.
TERA
Westonia
Pretty, pretty kitty. Heh heh
Foreboding looking places
That is one cool heater.
I'm a scuker for floating stones. lol. The blockiness of the ruins behind it are unusual
Pretty! But cold!
Allemantheia
Back to the elven city.
I do love the cool magical water. Pretty plants too!
And the architecture? Squee!
Very imposing
Lovely detail.
The elven leader is an odd one, but beautiful.
Vision of days past.
Cool no?
And that floor tile! So cool!
That is one cool image!
Love in War?
Alliances made? Too long since I took these pics to recall. Wah!
Shiny!Hope your upcoming week is fab!
Finally have a weekend to myself. Yay! Conventions back to back and the evil day job are not good for blogging. lol.
TERA
Westonia
Pretty, pretty kitty. Heh heh
Foreboding looking places
That is one cool heater.
I'm a scuker for floating stones. lol. The blockiness of the ruins behind it are unusual
Pretty! But cold!
Allemantheia
Back to the elven city.
I do love the cool magical water. Pretty plants too!
And the architecture? Squee!
Very imposing
Lovely detail.
The elven leader is an odd one, but beautiful.
Vision of days past.
Cool no?
And that floor tile! So cool!
That is one cool image!
Love in War?
Alliances made? Too long since I took these pics to recall. Wah!
Shiny!Hope your upcoming week is fab!
February 18, 2015
Picture Kaleidoscope 2/18/15
Morning!
Still playing catch up and working way too many hours at the day job!
Here's some pics from the Dallas ComicCon Fan Days event a couple of weekends back!
Pikachu and Zatana!
Even Time Lords come to Fan Days. Heh heh
Guardians of the Galaxy in the house!
Nice costumes!
Love the haughty look. She has her down! Go Agent Carter Go!
Ororo!
Sweet get up.
A Dalek Photo Bomb!!!! ROFL
Cloak and Dagger - they looked so awesome!!!!!Off to the grind again. :)
Still playing catch up and working way too many hours at the day job!
Here's some pics from the Dallas ComicCon Fan Days event a couple of weekends back!
Pikachu and Zatana!
Even Time Lords come to Fan Days. Heh heh
Guardians of the Galaxy in the house!
Nice costumes!
Love the haughty look. She has her down! Go Agent Carter Go!
Ororo!
Sweet get up.
A Dalek Photo Bomb!!!! ROFL
Cloak and Dagger - they looked so awesome!!!!!Off to the grind again. :)
February 15, 2015
Virtual Tourist - TERA 2/15/15
Lordy! 2 Cons back to back and doing 11.5 hours a day at the day job! Eek!
(Pretty much why I fell off the face of the Earth this past week. DOH!)
TERA
Westonia
Isn't she just the CUTEST thing EVER?!
Too darn CUTE!
That is one cool banner, no?
Love the detail on this wooden structure.
Looks like an evil torpedo about to drill to the planet's core. Heh heh
Some nasty ladies!
The flowers almost glow here. Not bright enough to hide from the mean guy though.
Cool auroras. Though I have to say the surroundings are not inviting at all! lol
Interesting formations too!
Flower power!
I do love me some intricate stone carvings. :)
Rather daunting, no?
DUWAH!
Lovely attire on the merchant. Nice
Here, kitty, kitty!
Love the new mount. Gift from the game. He even speeds regeneration.
Isn't he adorable? Purrrrrr.
Hope your week is less insane than mine!
(Pretty much why I fell off the face of the Earth this past week. DOH!)
TERA
Westonia
Isn't she just the CUTEST thing EVER?!
Too darn CUTE!
That is one cool banner, no?
Love the detail on this wooden structure.
Looks like an evil torpedo about to drill to the planet's core. Heh heh
Some nasty ladies!
The flowers almost glow here. Not bright enough to hide from the mean guy though.
Cool auroras. Though I have to say the surroundings are not inviting at all! lol
Interesting formations too!
Flower power!
I do love me some intricate stone carvings. :)
Rather daunting, no?
DUWAH!
Lovely attire on the merchant. Nice
Here, kitty, kitty!
Love the new mount. Gift from the game. He even speeds regeneration.
Isn't he adorable? Purrrrrr.
Hope your week is less insane than mine!
February 10, 2015
ConDFW Schedule for 2/13-2/15/15
ConDFW XIV - February 13 - 15, 2015
Where: Hilton Dallas Lincoln Center
Author Guests of Honor: Sherwood Smith and Rachel Manija Brown
Artist Guest of Honor: Galen Dara
Here's my schedule for ConDFW!
FRIDAY:
PROGRAMMING 2 (MADISON)
Friday, 5pm: Interstellar Archaeology: Part One – Initial Findings
Panelists: John DeLaughter (M), Julia S. Mandala, Michelle Muenzler, Gloria Oliver, Stephen Patrick, Frank Summers
The first of two panels where we inflict discover startling artifacts of OBVIOUS alien origin and our
esteemed (and indeed, TRAINED) archeologists in turn tell us what the artifacts are. Light hearted fun, and bring ear plugs! This year we will take a Star Wars theme. ROOOOOOAR!
SATURDAY:
PROGRAMMING 3 (HAMILTON)
Saturday, 11am: The “Frozen” Phenomenon
Panelists: Gloria Oliver (M), Mary Gearhart‐Gray, Cassandra Rose Clarke, Rhonda Eudaly, T. M. Hunter
There have been more and more animated movies (and regular movies, for that matter!) that feature
female leads which are exceptionally strong. The most recent of these was Frozen, and girls, even very
young girls, are reacting strongly to the relationships between the female leads and the music in this
movie. What's up? There is not the usual Disney "princess" thing going on with these girls. The reaction is different and worthy of being discussed.
SATURDAY:
MAIN PROGRAMMING (JEFFERSON)
Saturday, 4pm: Animals in Science Fiction and Fantasy
Panelists: Dusty Rainbolt (M), J. Kathleen Cheney, Martha Wells, Gloria Oliver, Bradley H. Sinor
Fear the cute little rabbit. Hear the roar of dragons. Most of all, run really fast if you see the Cheshire Cat. Animals have been present in stories even in Viking sagas. But these cute little critters are often overlooked, and it’s time we rectified this. From David Weber’s treecats to Anne McCaffery’s dragons there are many examples of animals, intelligent or not. Our panelists discuss these topics and more. Beware of Grumpy Cat!
SUNDAY:
READING (ADAMS)
Sunday, 1pm: John DeLaughter, Gloria Oliver
Hope to see ya'll there!
February 6, 2015
Movie Review - Seventh Son
Seventh Son
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Ben Barnes, Julianne Moore, Alicia Vikander, Antje Traue, Olivia Williams, John DeSantis, Kit Harington, Djimon Hounsou, David Cubitt, and more.
Directed by: Sergey Bodrov Screenplay by: Charles Leavitt and Steven Knight Screen Story by: Matt Greenberg Inspired by the Novel by: John Delaney Cinematography by: Newton Thomas Sigel Music by: Marco Beltrami
Premise: An evil locked away for decades underground escapes. The man who first imprisoned Mother Malkin, the Spook John Gregory, tries to capture her again, only to find her power has increased to the point the old methods will no longer work. Losing his apprentice, John finds another seventh son of a seventh son, except he's not exactly what he should be. But with the full red moon less than a week away and Mother Malkin's power reaching new peaks, Gregory has little choice but to work with what's available. (Rated PG-13)
Review:
1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Jeff Bridges was fun as the somewhat drunk and embittered Spook, John Gregory. Ben Barnes as Tom Ward oozed honesty and a very curious nature and doing things his own way. Alicia Vikander as the capable Alice was interesting to watch as her character dealt with conflicts with regards to family and love.
2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: Some truly outstanding work from the special effects department. The beginning sequence combining CGI and time lapse photography spoke volumes without anyone having to explain anything - and looked fabulous!
The morphing sequences for all the witches were incredibly smooth. The sabertooth cheetah made me purr. All the fantasy creatures were great. And when Mother Malkin brings her main rooms and sister back to their prime - lovely work!
My favorite special effect, however, was the ghasts in the forest. There's a scene where one bops around Tom that looked so good it gave me chills. Ben Barnes really sold the particular scene as well.
3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: I've not read the series, so can't compare it to the books. It's also listed as 'inspired by' rather than 'based on', so I'm thinking a lot may have changed from the original. Something for fans of the series might want to keep in mind.
The plot is somewhat standard and passable as long as you don't look too closely.
Five days of training, most of which are taken up with traveling, does not much of a warrior make. It plot also suffered from too many cool bad guys. Mother Malkin has five top warriors, but while they all look quite interesting, there's too many of them vying for attention and not enough time for them to really strut their stuff, let alone to get the audience to know them. Sadly, this also left no time for Mother Malkin to be developed much either, except that she's a queen, has more power than before, and is evil.
One strangely amusing bit is Mother Malkin refusing the gift of several assassins from her vassal Radu. He states they are some of his best men. But Mother Malkin didn't find them all that good. Later in the film, they prove she's right! Lol! It was very odd.... Would have been nice to learn how Gregory and Tusk became friends, especially since Gregory appeared the type to kill first ask questions later. :P
4) Stunts - Total Thumbs Up: Jeff Bridges stunt double got to do a lot of work! Lots of people got thrown about. Some swordplay and lizard munching, though again too many things too see too fast to get too impressed over anyone.
5) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: The locations for the film were great. Just the place they picked for Mother Malkin's original incarceration was fabulous. Add in the fog enshrouded mountains, the walled city with an Arabian flare, and the mountain retreat with Asian influences, and there was plenty of fodder for the eyes.
6) Music - Total Thumbs Up: I've been seeing Marco Beltrami's name a lot lately. He's been doing some really nice work to boot! Just like the locations seemed to have a bit of Asian and Arabic influence, the soundtrack does as well. Some nice creepy undertones here and there, too, like where werewolves or vampires prey music. There are samples at Mr. Beltrami's site, but no movie soundtrack forthcoming that I could find. :(
Conclusion: Seventh Son is a nice fantasy romp as long as you don't look too deeply. Great special effects and the lovely soundtrack add a lot to enhance the experience.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price)
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Ben Barnes, Julianne Moore, Alicia Vikander, Antje Traue, Olivia Williams, John DeSantis, Kit Harington, Djimon Hounsou, David Cubitt, and more.
Directed by: Sergey Bodrov Screenplay by: Charles Leavitt and Steven Knight Screen Story by: Matt Greenberg Inspired by the Novel by: John Delaney Cinematography by: Newton Thomas Sigel Music by: Marco Beltrami
Premise: An evil locked away for decades underground escapes. The man who first imprisoned Mother Malkin, the Spook John Gregory, tries to capture her again, only to find her power has increased to the point the old methods will no longer work. Losing his apprentice, John finds another seventh son of a seventh son, except he's not exactly what he should be. But with the full red moon less than a week away and Mother Malkin's power reaching new peaks, Gregory has little choice but to work with what's available. (Rated PG-13)
Review:
1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Jeff Bridges was fun as the somewhat drunk and embittered Spook, John Gregory. Ben Barnes as Tom Ward oozed honesty and a very curious nature and doing things his own way. Alicia Vikander as the capable Alice was interesting to watch as her character dealt with conflicts with regards to family and love.
2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: Some truly outstanding work from the special effects department. The beginning sequence combining CGI and time lapse photography spoke volumes without anyone having to explain anything - and looked fabulous!
The morphing sequences for all the witches were incredibly smooth. The sabertooth cheetah made me purr. All the fantasy creatures were great. And when Mother Malkin brings her main rooms and sister back to their prime - lovely work!
My favorite special effect, however, was the ghasts in the forest. There's a scene where one bops around Tom that looked so good it gave me chills. Ben Barnes really sold the particular scene as well.
3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: I've not read the series, so can't compare it to the books. It's also listed as 'inspired by' rather than 'based on', so I'm thinking a lot may have changed from the original. Something for fans of the series might want to keep in mind.
The plot is somewhat standard and passable as long as you don't look too closely.
Five days of training, most of which are taken up with traveling, does not much of a warrior make. It plot also suffered from too many cool bad guys. Mother Malkin has five top warriors, but while they all look quite interesting, there's too many of them vying for attention and not enough time for them to really strut their stuff, let alone to get the audience to know them. Sadly, this also left no time for Mother Malkin to be developed much either, except that she's a queen, has more power than before, and is evil.
One strangely amusing bit is Mother Malkin refusing the gift of several assassins from her vassal Radu. He states they are some of his best men. But Mother Malkin didn't find them all that good. Later in the film, they prove she's right! Lol! It was very odd.... Would have been nice to learn how Gregory and Tusk became friends, especially since Gregory appeared the type to kill first ask questions later. :P
4) Stunts - Total Thumbs Up: Jeff Bridges stunt double got to do a lot of work! Lots of people got thrown about. Some swordplay and lizard munching, though again too many things too see too fast to get too impressed over anyone.
5) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: The locations for the film were great. Just the place they picked for Mother Malkin's original incarceration was fabulous. Add in the fog enshrouded mountains, the walled city with an Arabian flare, and the mountain retreat with Asian influences, and there was plenty of fodder for the eyes.
6) Music - Total Thumbs Up: I've been seeing Marco Beltrami's name a lot lately. He's been doing some really nice work to boot! Just like the locations seemed to have a bit of Asian and Arabic influence, the soundtrack does as well. Some nice creepy undertones here and there, too, like where werewolves or vampires prey music. There are samples at Mr. Beltrami's site, but no movie soundtrack forthcoming that I could find. :(
Conclusion: Seventh Son is a nice fantasy romp as long as you don't look too deeply. Great special effects and the lovely soundtrack add a lot to enhance the experience.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price)
February 4, 2015
Picture Kaleidoscope 2/4/15
I'm running late!!!!
Golden Sunset anyone?
Kept trying for a better angle. lol
Hubby needs to clean his windshield. :P
A ton of birds out. I love when the sky does the pinks and blues.
Pictures never truly convey how many birds are hanging around.
Slightly more focused angle. Heh
Literally a blanket of clouds.
Something is coming!
This sky freaked me out. It looked FAKE! There's some scenes in the movie Damnation Alley that make the clouds look like this - like added or changed items.
The saddest part about this picture is that the awesome colors we could see, don't get picked up.
This one showed them slightly better. Heh.
Happy Wednesday!
Golden Sunset anyone?
Kept trying for a better angle. lol
Hubby needs to clean his windshield. :P
A ton of birds out. I love when the sky does the pinks and blues.
Pictures never truly convey how many birds are hanging around.
Slightly more focused angle. Heh
Literally a blanket of clouds.
Something is coming!
This sky freaked me out. It looked FAKE! There's some scenes in the movie Damnation Alley that make the clouds look like this - like added or changed items.
The saddest part about this picture is that the awesome colors we could see, don't get picked up.
This one showed them slightly better. Heh.
Happy Wednesday!
February 2, 2015
Mind Sieve 2/2/15
This will be a slash and burn edition.
Had relatives come up this past weekend (Hadn't seen them in like forever! So it was a blast!) and all the newsletters and other new month things to take care of on the writing side.
Minions Official Super Bowl TV Spot (2015) - lol. That was awesome! lol
Fantastic Four Teaser Trailer #1 - they're rebooting the franchise? Whaaaaa?
Wild Card Official Trailer #1 - Go Statham!
Have a good week! Wish me luck!
Had relatives come up this past weekend (Hadn't seen them in like forever! So it was a blast!) and all the newsletters and other new month things to take care of on the writing side.
Minions Official Super Bowl TV Spot (2015) - lol. That was awesome! lol
Fantastic Four Teaser Trailer #1 - they're rebooting the franchise? Whaaaaa?
Wild Card Official Trailer #1 - Go Statham!
Have a good week! Wish me luck!
