Hello, Posse!
You may (or may not) have noticed I have not been posting something every single day recently. The last few weeks, I have been working long hours reformatting the serial and getting ready for the push to write part seven, Into the West: Family Ties. I ended up being very sleep deprived and just generally exhausted. I decided to step back a little and just worry about keeping up with the blogs during the week as I tried to get my projects done and still take care of my family and myself.
I have had a few full nights of sleep recently, which is actually really rare for me. My norm is about 5-6 hours a night, but getting 8-9 for a few nights has really seemed to help reset my internal clock. I think I am about ready to hit this big push to get things done for Christmas.
One of the things I'm excited about is today's movie. I have been waiting for this! When I first saw previews online, I only saw the opening with Regina King. That was more than enough to hook me. She was great in movies like Ray, Enemy of the State, and Miss Congeniality 2, and I always loved seeing her on The Big Bang Theory. So when I saw a western coming out with her in a starring role, I was looking forward to that. Then I saw the full trailer with Zazie Beetz (Domino in Deadpool 2) and Delroy Lindo, who has had a steady career since the 70s, and I thought, "oh yeah, this will be good".
But then . . . the scene came on the train when there is a tall metal box surrounded by guards and out steps a prisoner in handcuffs and it's Idris Elba! I marked my calendar that day for the movies release! I was not going to miss this movie!
The Harder They Fall is a Netflix production. It had a limited release October 22nd (not in my area unfortunately) and will have a full release November 3rd. The cast includes Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Lakeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Danielle Deadwyler, Edi Gathegi, Deon Cole, and Damon Wayans Jr.
The premise for this movie is pretty simple. Outlaw Nat Love (Majors) finds out the man who killed his parents (Elba) is being released from prison. Love decides to bring his old gang back together to finally take revenge on his enemy. While the basic synopsis might be simple, the action is not. Be sure to check out the trailers below.
One of the things I love about this movie is black cowboys and cowgirls were a big part of actual American history in the Wild West and yet are still very under represented in books, TV, and movies. History records that about 1 in 4 cowboys were in fact black and yet I cannot think of one movie or TV show that accurately portrays that fact.
Another thing I love is that they have Delroy Lindo playing a Bass Reeves character. I hope they stay true to this man's legacy, because he is a fascinating man and deserves to be accurately depicted. I know I have mentioned before that it's believed Bass Reeves is actually the real-life lawman who inspired the story of the Lone Ranger. If you have never read anything about Reeves, you really should.
The movie will be streaming soon, but we still have plenty of time to prepare a great movie snack for this premier.
Movie Snack Recipe
I looked through a lot of snack recipes and I think I have a great one for you, but I also think we can take it up a notch too.
First, we need to make Indigo Scones' Spicy Honey Roasted Cashews. Now, you can stop right here and just have the cashews for your movie snack. They are sweet and savory and very satisfying.
I did not want to stop there though. I thought, I wanted to mix up the flavors even more. I tossed the cashews in fresh popped popcorn with a handful of plain M&Ms. Now, don't go crazy with the M&Ms. The cashews are already sweet, so we don't want to add too much sugar to the mix, just enough for a hint of chocolate to go with that chili powder in the cashew recipe.
Adding popcorn and M&Ms to the mix was just perfect to me! It's my own little trail mix of sweet, spicy, and salty to watch some great actors when they hit the trail in The Harder They Fall.
You could always give it a try both ways and see which you like better. The great thing about us getting ready for this premier now is you can make the cashews ahead of time and just add them to popcorn on movie night (if they last that long, that is).
So mark your calendars, Posse! A movie that promises to be great will be streaming everywhere on Netflix November 3rd!
Great Westerns
Remember, many great western movies started out as great western books. If you haven't already, why not read my Into the West Saga Serial Collection (<---click to view books). Parts one through six are available now on Amazon.com and BN.com. I'm currently writing the final chapter of this saga, part seven, Into the West: Family Ties. It is currently set for a Christmas release.
Don't forget, you can join my mailing list and never miss out on news or upcoming release dates. Just go to our subscribers page (<--- click here) and give us your name and email address. When you join up, you get to read the first chapter of Into the West: The Orphan Train for free. If you haven't read my books this is a great way to try them out with no risk to you or if you have Kindle Unlimited the entire Into the West Saga Serial is available to read free with your subscription.
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You know what time it is now, Posse! It's time to grab your snacks and settle in for another great western movie!
Enjoy!