Monday, June 20, 2016

Mind Sieve 6/20/16

Morning!




Fan Fun


Anthropoid Official Trailer - Oooh! Prague! 



Storks Official Trailer #2 - this looks so CUTE!



Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life Official Trailer #1 - this looks like it will be a BLAST! Lol.




Social Media/Author Platform

Monthly Newsletters/Blog Post from a couple of my publishers - It is social media! And helping promote them will also help promote me! :P Zumaya Publications - June 2016 News and Uncial Press Letter June 2016. :)

Launch Strategy: A Case Study in How to Move People to Action by Michael Stelzner at the Social Media Examiner. This is actually a little depressing. lol. I need me like 50 clones! :P



Writing Advice

Grammatical Malpractice by John E. McIntire at the Baltimore Sun. Oh! Very eye opening article.


Have a fabulous week!

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Virtual Tourist - Final Fantasy XIV 6/19/16

Morning and a Happy Father's Day!
Work is still crazy, but doing what I can.
Final Fantasy XIV
Vesper Bay/Black Shroud/South Shroud
Getting info!
Little Solace
These are Sylphs. Plant beings? They are super cute!
Unique little homes of the Sylph. 
Love the lamp and pole. 
Inside one of the tree platforms
Sylph closeup shot! Her name is Komuxio.
Little Solace in daylight. You can see the tree platforms now.
Buscarron - owner of Buscarron's Druthers. lol
The outside of  Buscarron's Druthers. Sounds so naughty! lol
Some neat looking ruins down there.
Trent at rest...Shshshshsh
Town of Quarry Mill
Look at the weird twists on this road! lol.

Have an awesome Sunday!

Friday, June 17, 2016

Movie Review - Finding Dori

Finding Dori



Starring: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O'Neill, Kaitlin Olson, Hayden Rolence, Ty Burrell, Diane Keaton, Eugene, Levy, Sloane Murray, Idris Elba, and more.
Directed by: Andrew Stanton and Angus MacLane Original Story by: Andrew Stanton Screenplay by: Andrew Stanton, Victoria Strouse, and Bob Peterson Cinematography by: Jeremy Lasky Music by: Thomas Newman
Premise: Dori has issues with her short term memory. A small accident causes her to remember things she'd forgotten from her childhood - like her parents. For a brief moment, she actually remembers where she came from. And Nemo keeps the name for her. Dori helped Marlin find his son when he was lost. Now Marlin and Nemo will help Dori to find her forgotten family. (Rated PG)
Review:
1) Voice Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Though it's been 13 years since "Finding Nemo" hit the theaters, you wouldn't know it from watching the sequel. Ellen DeGeneres and Albert Brooks reprise their roles as Dori and Marlin as if they'd never been away. Some of the characters from the first film make an appearance, but we're also introduced to a slew of new and memorable characters. Ed O'Neill was a ton of fun as the octopus named Hank. The kids will get a blast from his awesome chameleon powers. :) (They can also try to spot him during the first part of the end credits!)
2) Artwork/Animation - Total Thumbs Up: "Piper" is the name of the short film that plays before the main feature of "Finding Dori". It is beyond adorable! And the animation for it was fantastic. The water, the bubbles, the sand and more were super detailed - the beach looked real. The birds, too. And Piper was so cute!
Here's a taste!


"Finding Dori" itself also had superb animation. Some lovely transitions between the ocean and surface worlds. Some 'jaw-dropping' moments as well. The art was phenomenal in several places. Did some fabulous work with textures, too. From Hank's pitted, semi-slimy skin to the hard tortoises shells, you could visually feel the textures. Great work!
The end credits (stay all the way to the end!) have the algae filled water in the middle section and it is populated with all manner of species of fish who swim lazily by as the names roll past. The variety of fish represented was amazing. It was like going to the aquarium without ever leaving your seat. Kudos guys!
And Becky was one weird, but fun bird. lol. (So was the third seal - even with those creepy, shifty eyes of his. Heh heh.)
3) Plot/Story - Total Thumbs Up: When I heard they were doing a sequel to "Finding Nemo" and that it would center around Dori, I had my doubts as to what we would get. But my worry, much like Marlin's, was unnecessary. By introducing flashes of Dori's returning memories as events moved along, they got the audience invested in the quest and finding more about Dori. And we got a chance to see a side of Dori we'd not seen before. (She was also the cutest baby fish EVER!) 
As in the original, the film dives to different depths to explore themes and emotions during the story. There were some quite poignant moments which get revealed during the tale without being heavy handed. It also gave us a true taste of what it would feel like to have Dori's condition, and how strong and determined she truly is.
A range of themes are woven through the film as well. The meaning of family, of belonging, perseverance, trust, friendship, and more. 
There are also all sorts of gags through the movie. Watching Hank moving through the MLI was a ton of fun. They even build on a few of the jokes in tiny bits - stay till the end of the credits for the final one. :)
Conclusion: "Finding Dori" is a great sequel to "Finding Nemo". The animation is fabulous and there are lots of fun characters to fall in love with. You'll probably also find yourself thinking: "What would Dori do?" :)
Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Picture Kaleidoscope - Fan Expo Dallas 6/15/16

Had meant to share these last week, but life has been mighty "interesting" so had to change plans.
Have to do this quickly as I am drowning in work. :P
Deadpool Chimichanga truck - the menu is a hoot!
Geredos from Pokemon as a Chinese dragon! How cool!
So Cute!
A lot more pics at the Piwigo site. You can see them here.
Out of time!

Monday, June 13, 2016

Mind Sieve 6/13/16

Still trying to catch up while remaining afloat so a quick post this time around. Wish me luck!

(Looks like Blogger has changed the allowed html. Ugh!)

Fan Fun


Stranger Things - could be fun!




Yoga Hosers Trailer - lol - so bad it might be good? ROFL. 



Monster Trucks Trailer - aliens, trucks, what could go wrong? Looks like a ton of fun! lol.





Have a great week!

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Virtual Tourist - Grim Fandango 6/12/16

Morning!
Nope, not dead yet. Sorry to have disappeared. Between the chaos at the day job and conventions, my whole schedule has been borked. :P
Grim Fandango
Rubacava - Year 1
Manny's small casino roulette area. I love the mural backsplash. :)
The morgue. Those are two dead by way of killer flower growth. 
Outside the morgue and police offices. Cool state on the top of the building, no?
Way to the VIP Large Casino at the racetrack. Love the wall coverings!
Has a super cool elevator front too! No?
Inside the VIP Casino. That is one huge catb statue!
About to put the squeeze to the lawyer. :P
My buddy really has a bad gambling problem. And I didn't help any. DOH.
Kitchen in the VIP Casino. Isn't that tile work awesome?
They have a lot of wine! Dang. Though since it is in metal casks, undead wine must be a little different. Huh.
Hallway to the secret vault only accessible through the wine cellar elevator.
A better view of the hallway. Love the engravings. :)
Hope you have a fabulous Sunday!
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