Lionsgate; Rated R; 90 minutes

Why is it I don't watch very many indie films? I don't exactly have an answer to very my own question, except for the little fact that many of the films just don't intrigue me. If a movie catches my attention, then I'll most likely watch it.

The comedy-drama "Flower" was released to DVD yesterday by Lionsgate, which happens to be a low-budget indie film. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2017 and received a theatrically release back in March. This type of movie would have easily went under my radar, if it wasn't for me receiving a press release about the DVD.

Co-written and directed by Max Winkler, Flower stars Zoey Deutch (Before I Fall, Why Him?), Kathryn Hahn (TV’s “Transparent,” Bad Moms, TV’s “Parks and Recreation”), Tim Heidecker (TV’s “Tim and Eric’s Bedtime Stories”), and Adam Scott (Step Brothers, TV’s “Big Little Lies” and “Parks and Recreation”).

The film centers on Erica Vandross, a complicated and bold teenage girl who spends her after-school hours prostituting herself to older men and then she blackmails them with a little help from her two friends, Kala and Claudine (played by Dylan Gelulaz and Maya Eshet). What is she doing with all the cash she's making? Well, she's saving money to help bail her estranged father out of jail.

Erica's life is forever changed when her mother's boyfriend's son, Luke (played by Joey Morgan), is released from rehab. Luke is a depressed teenager who finds solace in food. His father (played by Tim Heidecker) has tried to get him help, but nothing seems to change Luke's depression. Well, that is until Erica works her charm on him. It turns out that Luke was sexually abused by Will (played by Adam Scott), a junior high teacher. Though he did report the abuse to the police, there was not enough evidence to press charges against the teacher.

To help her possible future stepbrother, Erica comes up with an insane idea that will expose Will's dark secret. However, things don't go as planned.

Amazon

Can Multima Corporation withstand another attack from organized crime? While billionaire John George Mortimer copes with treatment for cancer, the accomplished CEO must also ward off challenges for control of his sprawling fictional American empire both from within the company and from nefarious powers operating outside the law.

The Multima Scheme is a fast-paced account of the lengths to which organized crime can infiltrate large global corporations and seize control of respected businesses to conceal activities that are both illegal and immoral but generate billions. It’s also a story of survival – how individuals and organizations might react under intense pressures and the ease with which people can cross lines between what’s legal and what’s not.

Using his knowledge of how large multinationals operate – accumulated over 40 years working with major corporations around the world – author Gary D. McGugan weaves a tale of intrigue using a writing style that readers will find hard to put down once started.

What group did you hang out with in high school?

We were a small group that people today would probably think of as nerds. We were all members of the school debating club and loved arguing passionately both in competition and for personal enjoyment. We actually tried to carry on serious conversations in Latin or French. And we spent hours probing the mysteries of life and philosophy. No world problems were completely resolved, though a great many were tackled!

What are you passionate about these days?

Learning. I’ve been a lifelong advocate of continuous learning and use every opportunity to encourage people around me to remain curious, ask questions, challenge accepted wisdom, and read everything possible!

If you had to do your journey to getting published all over again, what would you do differently?

I would have tried to do it all quicker. Yes, I should have made writing a priority sooner. Once started, I should have devoted more time and energy to the project. After the manuscript was complete, I should not have procrastinated with my publishing decisions. Regardless, the experience has been rewarding on many levels.

eBook or print? And why?

Both. eBook is a wonderful format when traveling. One small device can hold dozens of works that otherwise would be prohibitive to carry. But there remains a certain satisfaction holding a book as one reads, particularly a hardcover version.

What is your favorite scene in this book?

There is a scene towards the end of The Multima Scheme when John George Mortimer is under extreme pressure during sensitive negotiations. I like that scene because readers clearly see his strength of character as he negotiates with the same finely-honed skills others might use playing a game of chess. 

I don't recall if I have mentioned this on here before, but one of my favorite television series is AMC's The Walking Dead. Through the good and the bad, I have continued to watch the series throughout the years.

Anyhow, today, AMC and Lionsgate Home Entertainment announced that The Walking Dead: The Complete Eighth Season will be released on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital on August 21st!

Season 8 centers on the Hilltop, the Kingdom, and the Alexandrians joining forces to bring "All Out War" to Negan and his army. The Saviors are larger, better equipped, and ruthless, but Rick and the unified communities are fighting for the promise of a brighter future. The battle lines are drawn as they launch into a kinetic, action-packed offensive.

The series stars Andrew Lincoln (Love Actually, Heartbreaker, TV’s “Strike Back”), Norman Reedus (The Boondock Saints, Triple 9, Blade II), Chandler Riggs (Get Low, Mercy), Melissa McBride (The Mist, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys), Lauren Cohen (All Eyez On Me, The Boy), Danai Gurira (Black Panther, All Eyez On Me), Lennie James (Snatch, Lockout, Colombiana), Alanna Masterson (TV’s “Mistresses” and “Grey’s Anatomy”), Josh McDermitt (TV’s “Twin Peaks” and “Mad Men”), Seth Gilliam (Starship Troopers, TV’s “Teen Wolf”), Christian Serratos (The Twlight Saga, Flight 7500), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen, TV’s “The Good Wife” and “Grey’s Anatomy”), and Khary Payton (TV’s “Young Justice” and “The Lion Guard").

Blu-ray & DVD Special Features include:

• Audio Commentaries
• Episode 803 Commentary: Executive Producer Scott Gimple and Writer Matt Negrete
• Episode 804 Commentary: Executive Producer Scott Gimple and Director Dan Liu
• Episode 816 Commentary: Executive Producer Scott Gimple and Writer Angela Kang
• “Carl Grimes: Leaving a Legacy” Featurette
• “In Memoriam” Featurette
• “The Price of War” Featurette

Scholastic; 152 pages; $7.99; Amazon

It's a great year to be a Goosebumps fan, as there will be a new movie, titled Goosebumps: Haunted Halloween, being released to theaters in October. Until then, you can by your time by reading the new installments of the Goosebumps Slappyworld series.

Early this year, Scholastic released Goosebumps Slappyworld: Please Do Not Feed The Weirdo by R.L. Stine, which is the 4th entry in the spinoff book series. Unlike the previous spinoffs, this one is hosted by the ventriloquist dummy named Slappy, who's the most popular antagonist of the Goosebumps franchise.

"Please Don't Feed The Weirdo" centers on a Jordan Keppler, a twelve-year-old who finds himself visiting Carnival World along with his young sister, Karla, and their parents. Most kids would be excited to visit a carnival, but not Jordan, as he has a fear of scary rides. Nevertheless, Jordan accompanies his sister on the Tunnel of Fear ride, which will change their lives forever.

How exactly do their lives change?

Well, while getting stuck inside the Tunnel of Fear ride, they come across a boy named Robby, who was locked inside a cage. Ignoring the warning sign "Please Do Not Feed The Weirdo," Jordan and Karla feed the boy, which turns him into a monster, who just won't go away.

You have just won a $100.00 Visa gift card. Will you spend the entire amount on a rare collector's edition you have always wanted, or buy several newly-published books? Explain your choice.

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.
  

My Answer:

I can't think of any rare collector's edition that I would be interested in buying. I would probably just go on a shopping spree at Barnes & Noble.

Nowadays, you hear of teens rushing to the altar right after High School graduation, with their High School sweetheart in tow. However, over half of these young marriages will end in divorce—most of them never making it past the one-year mark. Recent studies suggest that the best times to get hitched are in your mid to late 20s, or even later in your early to mid-30s—but why? Read on for a few reasons to wait for marriage, even when you feel hopelessly, madly in love at 18.

If you don’t have a long-term commitment before marriage, there’s a big chance you won’t have a long-term commitment after marriage. And those four years of High School DO NOT count. Neither does that psychic love reading you had when you were in middle school. Why? Because that’s not the real world. You have to live with someone, get to know their quirks and differences, reconcile with their habits, and then decide if those things are what you want to spend the rest of your life dealing with. No piece of court-ordered paper is going to solidify a commitment that was never there to begin with.

Your teens and 20s are meant to be experienced with fun and exploration. You are meant to travel, fulfill some bucket list dreams, and have exciting experiences that you can talk about in your old age. These years aren’t meant for marriage, because a serious, long-term marriage rarely has room for the fun and carefree exploration that could have been in your late teens and early 20s.

Here I am early in the wee hours (though I'll mostly likely be posting this later in the morning) with nothing better to do than search the internet for dating websites. I don't know if it is my loneliness, lack of sleep, or just pure boredom, but I find myself one again in search for my soulmate, who probably doesn't even exist in this realm.

If you've been following my recent ramblings on this blog, then you would know about my desire to try out online dating. However, due to my procrastination issues, social anxiety, and a deep fear of rejection, I keep putting off creating an actual dating profile; though I do have a few dating sites that I would like to join. While I'm not actually going to mention any specific websites, I will say that the ones that intrigued me the most all have specific geeky niches, which fits more into my personality. And many of these websites are free!

Why would I prefer free dating websites to premium ones?

Well, my main reason is that financially my best option is joining a dating site. While I'm sure that premium dating sites are great, they can be a bit costly. What if I joined a premium dating site and I couldn't find a match! Then I would have wasted a lot money that I could have saved to pay for a real first date after I had found a match on a free dating site.

Another reason why I would prefer to join a free dating site is because there will probably be more dating matches in my area.

Now for online dating in general, my two biggest reasons for wanting to try it out are: