The first movie in the Netflix Top 10 today is a kid’s movie. In fact, it’s the only movie on the Netflix Top 10, as all the others are series. I will say that some of the series are very much ones I want to watch, but not sure I could fit those in on a Friday.

So.

The Wish Dragon.

Intriguing.

But do I really want to devote an hour and a half to a kid’s movie + a review? I was still deciding if I really wanted to watch it when I hit play and was interested enough to keep going. The movie, unsurprising, is another version of Aladdin… Or maybe Aladdin is just a version of The Wish Dragon? I’m not sure which folk story came first, but the movie had enough twists to keep me wondering how the story was going to play out. Like… why can’t that guy take his hands out of his pockets?

Anyway, this movie is pretty typical for the genre. It has slapstick comedy for a quick laugh, jokes that go over kid’s heads, and a motivational story behind it all. Also, there were some scenes taken straight out of the old Disney Aladdin movie, and one was so close I was ready for Din to ask Li Na, “Do you trust me?”

Why? The movie was different enough that they didn’t have to create scenes so similar. I really think that took quite a bit away from the movie. I did enjoy multiple people getting their hands on the lamp… I mean teapot… instead of just the hero and the villain. I always wondered why these types of movies don’t do that more.

The ending was sweet, but overall the movie was predictable and very mediocre. At least it kept me entertained enough to not want to turn it off. Unless you have kids you’d want to watch it with, I would say skip. Meet the Mitchells was much more original and a better watch, imo.

With the Netflix Top 10 running pretty slim on movies recently, I might have to start in on a series soon just to leave a review.

Now for the book update. I have a lot of little odds and ins in the works right now to report on. The proof for the new paperback release of Hotel is on the way. The artwork for the Vegas cover has been finished and updated in The Phoenix Curse book section. I am actually really happy with the color palette for this cover. I was worried it would turn out to be a drab yellow, but I was able to pull enough blue out on the Las Vegas image that it brings more life to the whole cover. Reformatting on the manuscript has begun and should be released possibly late next week, or the following week. I’m shooting before July.

As far as updates on The Walk, the audiobook for Fuse will be out sometime in July. Production is finished and now we are just waiting for Amazon to finish their quality assurance and approval for sale. I am estimating that the Frequency audiobook will be available around October.

And I think that wraps up all the most recent updates. Until next week everyone! Happy Reading!