Jack Reacher - Good Movies

Just finished watching Jack Reacher, Never Go Back, which was the Jack Reacher 2 movie, and it was good. As a tough guy character, the Jack Reacher character fits the bill. But with Tom Cruise playing the part, I might say it could have been better cast.

That's not to say Tom Cruise doesn't make a good tough guy. He made a good tough guy in the Mission Impossible movies. And he does an adequate job as Jack Reacher. But that is mainly because he's a good actor. Like Keanu Reeves in the John Wick franchise.

But from what I understand, the novels by Lee Child described Jack Reacher as a dude who was 6' 3" tall. Tom Cruise is 5' 7" and that's a long way off.

I do believe the part could have been better cast if only for height alone. For instance, Keanu Reeves is 6' 1" and Hugh Jackman is 6' 2". Both make good tough guys and there are many more.

There is artistic license, of course, and movie magic can make an actor appear taller or shorter in a movie. But I would not approve of an actor over six feet tall to play Trent Smith from my Killer books. Because the whole point of those books is that the main character is an average sized dude who just happens to be the most lethal martial artist in the world. Which proves you don't have to be a big dude to be tough.

The Wolverine character was supposed to be an exclamation point to that idea. In the comics, Wolverine's height is listed as 5' 4". And that is awfully short for a tough guy. And no one questions the toughness of Wolverine. So what's with the 6' 2" Hugh Jackman getting the part? Well aside from his height, he actually does look like Wolverine, so there you go.

Anyway, the Jack Reacher franchise is worth seeing. I don't rank it up there with John Wick or any Jason Statham movies, but it holds its own.

With that said, here's to the imminent release of John Wick - Chapter 3. Can't wait.

Computer Died - New Computer

What a time for your computer to die. And that's just what my computer did. I saw it coming, though. For the last few weeks, it had been going blank on me. Black screen. Not blue screen, but completely black. Knowing I'd have to take it in for service I changed my pass codes for the important stuff, like banking and such. But the computer fix-it guys told me that I had just better buy a new one.

So off to Fry's I go. Since it was shortly after the Christmas season, it was dead in there. Hardly anyone. I had never seen Fry's so empty. And not just of customers. Hardly anyone was working there. No customers, no staff, I was almost all alone. But so what. I went to look at computers. And I saw a couple that might work well for me.

I don't play computer video games. At all. Zilch. Not a one. So getting a computer for that was not a consideration. I was ready to tell a clerk or SOMEONE that I only needed a computer to write documents and to research information, like for my novels. I use Amazon and eBay, but that and email are the only things I do on a computer.

But, whatever, no one was there to help me. It was weird. I was used to people coming up to me and asking me if I needed help. And this time I did need help. But no one was asking. So I left. I went to Best Buy. And even though they, too, were far less busy than during the holiday season, at least there were people there to help me. And somebody did. He helped me decide on a good computer, on which I am writing this post right now.

So it was a bad time to have to transfer all my data. I've got my manuscripts on my computer, my songs, and a lot of research. Not to mention photos of my kids when they were small.

And I am pretty much involved in a semi negotiation with that publisher in Europe for my novel Second Chance; a Football Story. He said he likes sports novels, and is a fan of the Friday Night Lights series. So I guess it's going to happen. Second Chance will get published by JustFiction Edition. Whether the snobs like them or not.

I'll wait however on the submissions for The Vase and John Dunn. Since both are in the process of being submitted to agents and to publishers, it would behoove me to wait out the process. You never know. In the meantime, Second Chance will get published and we'll see how it goes. If by this summer there's no progress on my submissions to the agents or publishers, I may go with JustFiction Edition for those as well.

And that's that. We'll see.

Aquaman Movie Not Bad

So I saw the Aquaman movie with my two sons, and it wasn't bad. It was pretty good, actually. As for Amber Heard? Not so impressive. Her acting I mean. And this is a disappointment to me because I had been waiting for some time for Amber to play a major role in a major movie. And now that it has finally happened, my fears have been realized. First of all, Amber makes a bad redhead. Some actresses can change their hair color without losing a step. Scarlet Johanssen is one of those. She can be a blonde, a brunette, or a redhead, and for her, it works. Not so with Amber Heard. She's a blonde, and as a blonde, she is very beautiful, as I've mentioned often on this blog.

But as a redhead, (see above,) Amber Heard does not make it. Maybe acting has everything to do with it. And as I've mentioned, Amber is not very talented in that regard. And I'm disappointed because I had envisioned her as the lead female role in my book Killer of Killers if it were to ever make the big screen. The lead female character in that book is a blonde. And as a blonde, there is no other actress I can think of who can top Amber in looks. But being an actress is dependent on more than just looks. You have to be able to act. And she doesn't have the acting skills to pull it off.

In Aquaman, for example, she delivers her lines with no passion, no sense of urgency, and no base skill. It makes you wonder if she ever took acting lessons. But whatever, she didn't ruin the movie Aquaman. And that could be because the lead female role was actually played by Nicole Kidman, who has never been questioned about her acting skills. She's a veteran actress with a long resume. And she delivers in Aquaman as the mother of Aquaman. She worked well. And yes, she is getting on in years, and it shows, but, hey, she's the mother of Aquaman, who's a fully grown man, and that means she's playing the part of a middle-aged woman, and she was right for the role.

But Amber Heard is not right for any role. And that is because she is not a good actress. That doesn't mean she can't become a good actress. Her role in Aquaman is her first major role in a movie as far as I know. I mean other than some B movies like I've mentioned before. So like anything, with time and practice, anyone can get better at whatever it is they aspire to do. The only problem is time. For women in the movie business, and for men too, btw, time is not an ally. It's an ally when you consider that with time you get better at something. But on the other side of the coin, time takes away the very essence of what being a movie star begins with. Looks. It's that way for everyone.

So the movie Aquaman works well enough to suit me. Even with Amber Heard. Heck, get her some more roles in some other major movies, and maybe she can end up being a good actress. Maybe even good enough to play Samantha Jones. But time will be the ultimate judge of that one.

Amber Heard is NOT Samantha Jones

If it were up to looks only, Amber would be perfect for the role of
Samantha Jones in Killer of Killers. Take this photo for example.
This is exactly how I envisioned Samantha Jones to look. Is there
a more beautiful woman in Hollywood? I don't think so.

I browsed some of my past entries here on the blog and found a post entitled Amber Heard is Samantha Jones. So, I thought I'd update that post with this one. Amber Heard is NOT Samantha Jones. And I base this new conclusion on her performance, however small, in that last Justice League movie. She plays the wife or significant other of Aquaman. And, well, short as her screen time was, it was not anything that would make me think she can act.

I think the movie people knew that, too, which is why her screen time was so painfully short. I mean talk about a bit part. It was nothing more than a cameo, really. And any opportunity for her to shine was not used to her advantage. In fact, her lines, few as they were, were delivered with no credibility, no convincing tone, and were nothing to write home about. And ditto from what I've seen in the new Aquaman trailer.

So, yeah, I was suspecting there was a problem with her acting for a while now. I began to suspect it when I saw her in that B movie Machete Kills. I was thinking, well, it's a B movie, and it was tongue in cheek, to boot, which is very hard to pull off, and mostly no one in that movie outside of Danny Trejo was able to pull it off.

At that point I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. But after her farcical marriage to Johnny Depp, and the debacle that turned out to be, and the unwillingness of casting directors to cast her in any decent movies, (Aquaman excepted) I have been changing my mind about her. The benefit of the doubt is no longer viable. Amber Heard is NOT Samantha Jones.

And that is really because, if Killer of Killers were to ever be made into a movie, the role of Samantha Jones has got to be given to a beautiful blonde woman who can ACT. Someone who has screen presence, which Amber does NOT have, and someone who can command an audience.

Jessica is not the looker Amber is, but she's a better actress.
She was actually my first choice for the part.
Sadly, the years are taking a toll on her. 

I used to think Jessica Alba could be that woman, but the years are not being kind to Jessica Alba. Her most recent movies reveal an aging woman, sadly, which is normal, of course, but not kind to actresses who made their mark on Hollywood as young and beautiful up-and-comers.

The years have put that part of Jessica in the past. She is now a middle-aged actress, and her appearance shows it. Not even the magic of the movie set cameras can hide it. It doesn't mean Jessica's career is over. But she's not the "hot babe" she used to be, and, again, that's just the way it goes. It happens to the best of them.

So back to who is Samantha Jones. I don't know. My first choices are now dismissed, so on to the new young and beautiful blonde up-and-comers, of which there seems to be no shortage. I'll keep my eyes open. They are many. Just need one who can act.

Another Year Almost Up

Wow, it's December again. My birthday is near, and of course the Christmas holidays are coming up. It's time for family and good tidings, and hopefully that means good tidings in the publishing world when it comes to my three available novels. They are The Vase, which is one of the books that had been popular with publishers. John Dunn; Heart of a Zulu, which I would think would be popular with UK publishers, since it directly involves UK history. And Second Chance; a Football Story, which could be a book for Young Adult audiences, or anyone who love a good football story.

In any case, I'll keep submitting as much as I can. I submitted The Vase and John Dunn to a UK publisher just today. So that means another three month wait or thereabouts. Time is up for the other publishers I had submitted to. And of course there is that publisher that contacted me. They are called JustFictionEdition Publishers. They are a European publisher. I can't think of any good reason why I shouldn't go ahead and publish with them. So I'll make a list as follows:

Reasons for going with JustFictionEdition:
1- As I mentioned. they are a European publisher. And The Vase and John Dunn might be more appealing to European audiences. Especially John Dunn for UK audiences.

2-They make their books available on the international market. And The Vase and John Dunn might be more appealing to international audiences because The Vase takes place in Israel, and John Dunn takes place in South Africa.

3-I have an offer on the table. Well, no contract as of yet has been offered, because I haven't yet submitted to them, but the outlook is good.

4-The royalties are a little higher.

Reasons for not going with JustFictionEdition:
1-American bloggers on publishing seem to frown upon them. Why? I don't know really. I've researched them, and no one seems to have a real reason. The foremost reason is that they are not one of the Big Five publishers. But a lot of publishers aren't Big Five publishers, but they're still good publishers. So what the heck...

2-There is a misperception that they are a Vanity Press. But they are really NOT a Vanity Press. Because a Vanity Press or Vanity publishers make YOU, the author, pay THEM to publish your book. JustFictionEdition does NOT make the author pay them to publish their books. They cover all costs, just like any real publisher. So therefore, they ARE a real publisher if that is the criteria. So it's a misperception only, and not a real reason to not go with them. So, what the heck...

3-The bloggers almost unanimously agree that an author should never go with a publisher who solicits THEM to publish their book. But again, they don't provide a reason why. Again, they suggest that all publishers who solicit authors are Vanity Presses. And it IS mostly true. Vanity Presses DO solicit authors to publish their books, because that's how Vanity Presses make their money. Not by selling books, but by getting authors to pay them to publish their books. But I've already covered the fact that JustFictionEdition is NOT a Vanity Press. So again, what the heck...

4-The royalties are a little higher. But that would be a reason to go with them, so what the heck.

According to my lists, then, maybe I should go with JustFictionEdition. I think I'll email them and ask a couple more questions. Maybe they are the real deal. I mean who said they aren't? A bunch of snobs who've been lucky enough to find Big Five publishers? Or have they? Maybe I don't need to listen to them. Hhhmmnnn....

Working on Music Again

So the publishing news is slow. I do have three manuscripts submitted, but still waiting for answers. I might go with a European publisher. They want to publish my books. But some people say I shouldn't. I can go with my current publisher, Melange. Just might do it.

In the meantime, I'm back into my music. I have written 13 albums with ten plus songs on every album. I have no singer, so I tried singing on three of the albums. Volume 2, 12, and 13. I have Volume 12 on SoundCloud right now. It's really a good album, too. Just wish I had a decent singer on there.

But while I'm waiting out the publishers, I'm redoing a lot of my other albums. I had written the music on these albums about twenty years ago. Volumes 2, 12, and 13 are good, but the others need to be arranged again. I completed Volumes 3 and 4 by now, and I'm working on Volume 5 at this time. I suppose I'll try singing on them if I can't find a real singer.

And then I would like to put them on SoundCloud too.

I wonder if there are agents that submit songs to real recording artists, like literary agents submit books to publishers. That would be exactly what I need. Time to find out.

A Star is Born - Here We Go Again

Hollywood - here we go again. I've lamented that Hollywood has been promoting the concept that the woman is the competent one, the brave one, the strong one, and the winner. And I would have no problem with that if not for Hollywood's flip-side, which is the concept that the man is the incompetent one, the coward, the weakling, and the loser.

It's bad enough Hollywood has transformed great franchises like Star Trek and Star Wars into feminist versions of the prior shows. Especially bad is the brainwashing of our children by the constant portrayal of male characters in cartoons as stupid, cowardly, incompetent and degenerate, while the female characters are the opposite. But it's not just cartoons anymore. And it's not even a new thing, evidenced by the many times remade movie, A Star is Born.

So don't watch these shows, right? I don't. But it's still disappointing. For example, I used to like the Star Trek franchise. Well, the original series, anyway. The Next Generation version was the start of its downfall. When TOS had a captain who was brave, dashing, competent, and self-assured, Star Trek was great. But then TNG had a captain who was the opposite. He needed "counseling" for practically every command decision he made. (And, oh, yeah, counseling from a woman.) Which, imo, brought the franchise down. Way down. Way, way, way, down.

It was a slow downward spiral, but it bottomed out with the current Star Trek which now features only female heroes. A female captain. A female first officer... etc... etc... In Star Trek now, the males are relegated to secondary characters with no impact. I stopped watching after the first episode.

I also stopped watching Star Wars. In those movies, the male characters are cowardly and/or incompetent fools. It's only the female characters who are the heroes. I've made the point already, that a woman can be as heroic as a man. But when it's only female characters who are the heroes, like in every single Star Wars movie since Disney bought the franchise, it's like, what the hell?

So back to A Star is Born. Sure, with this twisted Hollywood mindset, what better movie to remake than the ultimate Hollywood story of a man who is incompetent, stupid, drug-addicted, and self-destructive next to a woman who is talented, competent, self-determined, brave, and virtuous? Of course it's A Star is Born. Its fourth rendition to boot.

Which underscores my point. It had already been done three times. But hey...like I said, it's the ultimate depiction of the male vs. female scenario Hollywood has been promoting for more than two decades. Which begs the question: why does Hollywood want male characters portrayed as stupid, incompetent, degenerate, weak, and cowardly? Hollywood is run by men. Isn't that right? I keep hearing that. The feminists keep lamenting that. I think it's a good question.

Apparently, the answer is they want to see men as weak, degenerate cowards and women as strong righteous heroes. Is Hollywood catering to women? Not if you listen to the "Me-too" movement. Women have been abused by these high positioned freaks in Hollywood like forever, there's no questioning that. But it's weird and plain disgusting to me when a 120 pound woman beats up twenty men all at the same time without breaking a sweat. I just can't buy into that.

Sure, Supergirl can and so can Wonder Woman. That works because it's comic book fantasy. But here's the kicker. Iron Fist is comic book fantasy, too. But with Iron Fist, instead of just a woman who's a hero, we have to see a man who's too cowardly and insecure to be the hero, and thus passes his power to...a woman, who's not too cowardly or insecure. I mean how many times do we have to put up with this same concept? And this "Black Sky" character? Please...no.

So through it all, the solution is simple. I'm sticking with Killer of Killers. And Killer Eyes. In those stories Trent Smith is a strong, self assured, and self determined male hero. And he stays that way. He is the righteous one, and he has no insecurities in his quest for justice. Apparently it's up to me to write about a male hero who's brave enough and competent enough to be a hero. And to stay a hero. Unless there's  more Jason Statham movies in the works. Or John Wick. Speaking of which, I can't wait for John Wick chapter 3. Thank goodness, someone in Hollywood hasn't wimped out.