Monday 18 March 2013

Top Ten Movie Blogfest and "1305 & 1306 - The Oracle and the Vampire" Cover Reveal!

Double feature day today as I'm participating in the Ninja Captain's fun movie blogfest and unveiling the cover for the next installment of Christine Rains' awesome 13th Floor series. She still has a few surprises up her sleeve!


First up, the top ten movies... well, actually, they're not in any particular order as I suck at choosing favourites of things, so it's simply ten movies I love. Sorry to be lame. Most of these are ones I watched over and over as a kid and still have a soft spot for, so expect a preponderance of 80s-ness!

Ghostbusters - An utter classic, and yes, genuinely terrifying as a kid. Loads of great setpieces in this movie and it had some very fun characters, Slimer included. The theme tune was a staple of school discos throughout my youth.

The Wizard of Oz - One of two musicals on my list, I don't normally like them, but this is so much fun and endearing to watch, proving that super high tech special effects aren't necessary to make a timeless movie.

Life of Brian - This slice of Monty Python genius just pips the also superb "Holy Grail" for me. Endlessly watchable and quotable. "He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy!"

Pulp Fiction - At my high school, you were only cool if you'd seen this and "Reservoir Dogs". This is my preferred choice of those two, it's a lot more fun and I like how the storyline rolls out and connects all the elements together.

Oliver! - Might seem an odd choice, but this 1960s musical adaptation of Dickens' classic holds a place in my heart. "Consider Yourself", "Food Glorious Food" and "Pick a Pocket or Two" are earworms that will lodge permanently in your memory once heard. In a good way! Also, my grandpa played flute on the soundtrack. Now to get around to reading the book...

Flight of the Navigator - One of the most underrated of 80s kids' sci-fi movies, this is another one I've watched too many times to count. What little kid doesn't want to navigate a ship through time and space?

Alien - My favourite of this series, due to the spine-chilling suspense. That's often more effectively scary than an all-out gorefest.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - Just a great, fun, thrill ride. You know the good guys are going to win but that doesn't stop it being exciting. Still love the runaway mine cart scene.

It's A Wonderful Life - The storyline of seeing a world in which you never existed has been rehashed a lot, but if you want the ultimate feelgood film, you can't go far wrong with this. Nice to get sentimental sometimes!

Back to the Future - If I had to pick a favourite film, this would be up there. I love anything to do with time travel, and there are so many great scenes in this, like the invention of the skateboard. It's also the first film I saw in the cinema, aged four, which made a big impression on me!


Don't forget to hit Alex's blog for the full list of participants!

Now on to Christine's cover reveal... and she's featuring not one, but two tenants this time!



Title: 1305 & 1306 – The Oracle and the Vampire (The 13th Floor series, #5)
Author: Christine Rains
Genre: paranormal romance
Release date: May 13th, 2013

Blurb:

Having fallen for her gorgeous neighbor might not be so bad if Harriet McKay wasn't in her hideous banshee form every time Kiral saw her. Such is her curse. True, he's a vampire struggling with a drug addiction, but he's a good soul. Yet no one could love a cursed witch, especially one not even her cats respect.

After having a vision of Kiral's death, Harriet makes it her mission to save him. Never before has she attempted to change fate, but so strong is her love.

How can Harriet convince Kiral to see past her vile appearance and return her love? If only she can force him to listen to reason coming from a raving crone, perhaps she can save him from the demons hunting him and from himself.


Author Bio:
Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood, but make her a great Jeopardy player. When she's not writing or reading, she having adventures with her son or watching cheesy movies on Syfy Channel. She's a member of Untethered Realms and S.C.I.F.I. The 13th Floor series is her first self-published series. She has six novellas and twenty short stories published.


In case you're wondering, Christine is taking April off from her epic publishing endeavour to participate in the A-Z Challenge. If you can call that a break! Go, Christine!

71 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Pulp Fiction is definitely my favorite Tarantino film!
Bummer, was Christine's reveal today? Epic Ninja fail...
Thanks for participating in my blogfest!

Louise said...

Carl picked up his phone the other day, I said "Who are you going to call?", he looked at me, and in unison we both said, "GHOSTBUSTERS!"

Some things never grow old.

Dani said...

Pulp Fiction and Ghostbusters are two great movies!

JeffO said...

Great stuff, Nick. Though I am not in this blogfest, I have a lot of similar movies on my own personal fave list.

Tasha Duncan-Drake said...

Just surfing around the blog hop. You win with Life of Brian, it is such an awesome film.

I rewatched Flight of the Navigator a month or so ago (I think it was on one of the movie channels) and it still holds it's charm, although I prefer D.A.R.Y.L. :)

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Nick .. glad you put in Life of Brian - it's a classic ... and I love Oliver ...

Good for Christine .. she's really rocking and rolling and promoting .. her covers have been so well sequenced in concept ...

Cheers Hilary

Stina said...

This is a great list, and I loved that version of Oliver. Not that I've seen another version. Or maybe I have and have forgotten about it.

Anonymous said...

Many good ones on your list. :) There was an Indy marathon a couple of months back. I couldn't quite get into them. I was hoping to see The Last Crusade, but they didn't show it. :(

Bob/Sally said...

Good call on Ghostbusters (bad pun fully intended!). I was torn between Life of Brian and Holy Grail, but ended up going with the Grail for sheer quotability.

Hart Johnson said...

Oh, we have a little overlap and you've picked some others that I might have put on my list, too.

Elise Fallson said...

Flight of the Navigator totally brings back memories. (: Loved Ghostbusters and PF too. Top 10 was too short of a list for me.

Unknown said...

Alien is ending up on a lot of lists. I didn't have room for it on mine -- so many movies! Thanks for the nod to Monty Python!

Jan at Website
Beyond Acadia
Faith Talk
Swamp Lily Review

triles said...

Lots of great movies. I've seen It's a Wonderful Life on a couple lists now, and it's making me wonder how it didn't make mine.

Anonymous said...

It's a Wonderful Life and Oliver are classics. Very cool choices here.

Maurice Mitchell said...

All excellent especially Flight of the Navigator! A forgotten gem, but I hear they're remaking it.

Tara Tyler said...

awesome movie picks!

and i love christine's series! first i've seen of this cover, exciting!!

Isis Rushdan said...

Solid choices. Pulp Fiction rocked.

Congratulations, Christine!

nutschell said...

Back to the Future is one of my all time favorite movies. Was so thrilled when I got to sit in Ernie CLine's DeLorean.:D
Nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com

prerna pickett said...

those are some great picks, brings back a lot of memories.

S.P. Bowers said...

I love Flight of the Navigator! That was so much fun to see that on your list.

Al Diaz said...

I laughed to tears with the Life of Brian. Great movie! I would like to watch it again.

Luanne G. Smith said...

Some real classics on there. I had Oz on my list too, but had to make room for Pirates instead. Such is life. :P

And congrats to Christine! Such a cool series she has going.

Kyra Lennon said...

Hee hee, I love that you chose Oliver! I am a big fan, too!

Nicki Elson said...

Nothin' wrong with 80s-ness. We've got a couple dittos on movies between our lists. :)

That is one sexeh cover.

Unknown said...

some old great movies!

Nicole said...

It's a Wonderful Life is one of my all-time favorites!

Tony Laplume said...

I'm always singing "Consider Yourself" (well, what I remember), even though I saw that movie twenty years ago.

M.J. Fifield said...

As soon as I saw Oliver! I started singing "Consider Yourself" and I'm sure I'll work my way through the rest of the soundtrack soon enough.

Great choices!

Jeff Hargett said...

I really wish I had included "The Wizard of Oz" on my list. Aliens was a contender too. I'm glad someone put "Temple of Doom" up though. It was a good roller coaster ride.

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry to say It's a Wonderful Life got bumped for Transformers on my list. Great list.

David P. King said...

Excellent choices for your list. We watched Flight of the Navigator recently. The actor looked a lot like me when I was his age, and having his name be "David" was too much. :)

Laura Eno said...

Go, Christine!

How could I have forgotten Ghostbusters? Love that movie. :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Ahhhh!!!! So many great choices I didn't even think of! Ghostbusers and Monty Python are such classics!!! and I'm going to be singing Consider Yourself At Home all night now! :)

Christine Rains said...

Thank you so much for helping with my cover reveal! Great choices for movies. I had such a problem picking, I had to narrow it down to one genre!

Nick Wilford said...

Alex - It's also Travolta's best moment. You could give Christine a shout on Wednesday!

Louise - That never gets old!

Dani - Agreed!

Jeff - Thanks. Nothing very obscure on my list!

Natasha - Nice to meet you - was D.A.R.Y.L. from Short Circuit? Love that one too!

Hilary - Christine's doing amazing work. I need to see Life Of Brian again!

Stina - There must be other Olivers, but I can't think of any either! Actually, I think there's a Disney one with a mouse??

Debra - It's worth seeing Last Crusade, but I've heard very mixed reports of the recent installment.

Bob - It's just a flesh wound!

Hart - I see a lot of movies cropping up on different lists - great minds think alike!

Elise - Another FOTN fan, I knew they were out there!

Jan - It's really hard to narrow down to 10! Nice to meet you.

Nick Wilford said...

Tim - It's one of the best Christmas movies too.

M.J. - Thanks!

Maurice - I'll reserve judgement on the remake... hope it's good!

Tara - Thanks! She knows how to create a hot cover. :)

Isis - Thanks!

Nutschell - Wow, that sounds like an amazing experience!

Prerna - Thanks!

Sara - Ah, it's good to know you love it too. :)

Al - Me too!

Luanne - Pirates is a great choice too - of the Caribbean variety I take it?

Kyra - Good to meet another fan!

DL Hammons said...

Aliens edged out Alien on my list. They are two different movies and I enjoy them for different reasons, but I re-watch Aliens more frequently then the first one. :)

Hildie McQueen said...

I have not seen any of these movies, very interesting!

Nick Wilford said...

Nicki - The 80s was a great film decade!

Adriana - Thanks!

Nicole - I've only seen the whole thing a few times, but it made an impact.

Tony - It definitely sticks in your head!

M.J. - Glad to get you singing!

Jeff - There's just too many to choose!

Sydney - I'd like to see Transformers...

David - Yeah, I do see the resemblance!

Laura - Never tire of it!

Jemi - I may have started off a mass singsong... :D

Christine - No problem! Narrowing it to a genre is a great idea.

Trisha said...

I always shock people by telling them I still haven't seen Pulp Fiction ;)

LOVE Flight of the Navigator, but it's pretty cheesy when I re-watch it nowadays. I love that Sarah Jessica Parker is in it as a Twisted Sister fan though :D

Great list of classics!

Krista McLaughlin said...

We both have Temple of Doom on our lists - cool! :)

I love Christine's cover and I can't wait to read the book! I just finished the last one and it was great!

Roland D. Yeomans said...

Interesting movies on your list. Christine's cover is intriguing!

Deniz Bevan said...

Life of Brian! It's A Wonderful Life! Love your picks.
There is no moviefest, there is only ZUUL

Chuck said...

This is where you see it being hard to list just 10. I didn't even think about Ghostbusters or back To The Future but really liked both. Alien was one of only two movies my first apartment in Texas was showing back in 1981. I have literally seen it and parts of it a hundred times. Since Alien and The Warriors we shown back to back 24 hours a day for the three months I lived there. And I still love them both. Crap, I could have had the Warriors on my list!!

dolorah said...

Two awesome reveals Nick.

.....dhole

Samantha May said...

I have It's A Wonderful Life on my list too :)

And Ghostbusters, yes. I mean who else are we going to call?

Rhonda Albom said...

Interesting list. You have seven movies I really like and Pulp Fiction, one of the 3 movies I have ever walked out on.

Rhonda
Laugh-Quotes.com

Jennie Bennett said...

I LOVE Back to the Future! I only wish the other two films in the series were as good as the first :)

Sophie Duncan said...

Life Of Brian - classic film. What have the Romans ever done for us?! ;P

kjmckendry said...

I loved Back to the Future too. :)
Great choices.

Mark said...

Back to the Future and Ghostbusters were like my childhood bibles for film...I wanted to build a flux copassitor and then grow up to be a Ghostbuster...come to think of it I still do:)

Julie Dao said...

I'm seeing a lot of Indiana Jones on people's top 10 movie lists!! Great choices. I love "Wizard of Oz" and "It's a Wonderful Life"!

Melissa said...

I just started reading Christine's first book - 1301. Very good stuff! :)

klahanie said...

Greetings human, Nick,

Yes, it's me, Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar!

I note a number of my adoring human blogging fans have left a comment on your most interesting posting in regards to the movie blogfest.

You certainly have a varied list of movie selections. Quite often I type from the 'future' to my friends in the 'past' in North America. Today, I'm typing in the now because, my human friend, we are in the same time zone.

Ah yes, Christine Rains and I've heard some good stuff about her book. And oh my, that amazing challenge that brings further awareness of your particular human alphabet.

Be well, Nick. And through adversity, we find inspiration.

Pawsitive wishes,

Penny :)

Jay Noel said...

Flight of the Navigator!!!! I totally forgot about that movie. You just took me back to 8th grade.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I watched Ghostbusters the other day and still love it.
And oh my gosh, thanks for reminding me about Flight of the Navigator!! How awesome!

Tammy Theriault said...

used to watch ghostbuster 1 &2 all the time!! its the michelin marshmallow guy!!! ahhhhhhhh...

and congrats to christine. i've read her first two and they rocked!!

Anonymous said...

I watched "Flight of the Navigator" the other week and remembered how awesome it was. Great list! :3

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

The ALIEN movies and the INDIANA JONES movies are always good fun!

Miranda Hardy said...

Great movie picks! Haven't seen Flight of the Navigator in forever.

Empty Nest Insider said...

It's been a while since I've thought about Oliver! It was such a great film, and I still get choked up when I hear, "Please sir, may I have some more?" This was another wonderful movie from my childhood, and I'm surprised they haven't remade it or turned it into a broadway play. Fantastic list Nick! Congrats to Christine!

Julie

Unknown said...

I loved loved loved The Flight of the Navigator. I'm impressed. You have around 300 more cool points now just for having that film a part of your top ten.

I really enjoyed this blogfest--Alex rules. You do too, cuz you've got 300 points added to your super awesome points.

Shell Flower said...

Great choices in movies. I have a lot of 80's on my list, too. Oliver! is so great. My son loved that movie for so long. Life of Brian, too--yay! So funny.

Theresa Milstein said...

Ghostbusters and Back to the Future--great 80s movies.

Francene Stanley said...

Your list of books brought back memories. Thanks for the newsreel.

Demitria said...

Back to the Future is definitely a great movie!!


New follower...http://demitrialunetta.blogspot.com/

Charmaine Clancy said...

Great selection. I always use Alien when teaching horror tropes, it fits the genre perfectly.

Kelley Lynn said...

Oh! It's a Wonderful Life! I must during the holiday season :)

Deniz Bevan said...

It was *you*! I completely missed it the first time around but then realised as the other comments started coming in - you're the one that listed Flight of the Navigator! That was one of my favourite movies when I was a kid! :-)

Maria said...

I've seen that movie blog hop around the blogosphere. It look like a lot of fun. I love THE WIZARD OF OZ and THE LIFE OF BRIAN too. Both very different and classics in their own way.

The cover reveal is interesting too and very eye catching and intriguing.

Maria's Book Blog

Shannon Lawrence said...

You may (or may not) be amused to know that I took part in a mini flash mob where we had to sing Consider Yourself. It was at the writers conference last year. Fun, but horrifying!

Great list! Personal favorites on the list are Ghostbusters, Aliens, Indiana Jones, and Back to the Future. I watched Flight of the Navigator with my kiddos, and it was so much fun to share that with them. You know what other 80's kid movie they like? D.A.R.Y.L. My son will watch it over and over. I was afraid he'd be bored by it.

Shannon at The Warrior Muse