Manuscripts Don't Burn

My Ten Favorite English Language Movies of 2014

Not having seen some of the most recent films, this is my list from 2014.

CALVARY
WHIPLASH
LOCKE
NIGHTCRAWLER
THE BABADOOK
BOYHOOD
UNDER THE SKIN
ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE
FINDING VIVIAN MAIER
SNOWPIERCER

Gloria

FORGOTTEN MOVIES: THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER

From 1942 and based on the play, THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER, this one has a large cast led by Monty Woolery, Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan. I have seen the stage play and the movie is basically the same one-set affair. A world-renowned critic finds himself laid up at a stranger's house, takes over, and comes to like his situation a little too much. For some reason, I didn't find this as charming as I remembered and thought Bette Davis was wasted although Ann extracted what she could from her role. Maybe I was just too grinchy to enjoy it.

IDA

My Five Favorite Foreign Movies of 2014

GLORIA-Argentina

KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES, Denmark

MANUSCRIPTS DON'T BURN, Iran

IDA, Poland

CHILD'S POSE-Romania

US

Baby It's Cold Outside

Friday's Forgotten Books

Is taking a break here.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Have the Happiest of Holidays!

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Last Pictures

Little Drummer Boy

More Christmas

Bing Crosby: White Christmas

Christmas in Seventies

With Nana Nase

Darlene Love: Christmas on Letterman

Christmas Circa 1975-1980

Bye Bye Blackbird: Ringo Starr

Bye Bye Blackbird: Mills Brothers

Friday's Forgotten Books, Friday, December 19, 2015

I will be taking a week or so off here. If someone else wants to collect the links next week, that would be great. If this is incomplete today,  I apologize. 

Sergio Angelini, BLACK ALICE, Thomas S. Disch, John Sladek

Brian Busby, NANCY MCVEIGH OF THE MONK ROAD, Henry Mainer

Bill Crider, SHOOT THE PRESIDENT: ARE YOU MAD?, Frank McAuliffe

Martin Edwards, CASUAL SLAUGHTERS, James Quince

Curt Evans, THE TIN TREE, James Quince

Rick Horton, THE BONDAGE OF BALLINGER, Roswell Fields

Jerry House, QUICK FIXES: TALES OF REPAIRMAN JACK, F. Paul Wilson

Randy Johnson, CALYPSO, Ed McBain

Nick Jones, What I Read in 2014

George Kelley, MISTLETOE MYSTERIES, edited by Charlotte MacLeod

Margot Kinberg, THE SNATCH, Bill Pronzini

K.A. Laity, RED HARVEST, Dashiell Hammett

B.V. Lawson, UNDER THE SNOW, Kerstin Ekman

Evan Lewis,  HARD GUY, James Lawson

Todd Mason, FANTASTIC STORIES OF THE WEIrD AND WONDROUS, ed. Martin Greenberg

Neer, Three Recommendations

J.F. Norris, GIVE ME BACK TO MYSELF, L.P. Davies

James Reasoner, Christmas at the Ranch, Elmer Kelton

Richard Robinson, FREDERICK NEBEL

Ron Scheer, ILLUSTRATORS OF EARLY FRONTIER FICTION, Maynard Dixon

Kevin Tipple, PROTECTORS, ed. Thomas Pluck

TracyK, DEATH IS DISGUISE, Caroline Graham

Prashant Trikannad, BULLET PROOF, Frank Kane

Bye Bye Blackbird: Van Morrison

Bye Bye Blackbird: From Fosse

Best Screen Kiss

The New York Times showed some good ones this week although some were more pecks or jokes than kisses.I liked Rosaria Dawson and Jenny Slater's the best.

http://www.comingsoon.net/extras/news/391421-new-york-times-gets-this-years-best-actors-for-9-kisses

There are so many great ones on the big screen. But the small screen usually gives us the added twist of a kiss perhaps taking years to come--like this one.




What is your favorite on screen kiss? Big or small screen.

Bye Bye Blackbird: Joe Cocker

Forgotten Movies: LARCENY, INC

Directed by Lloyd Bacon, this early forties comedy tells the story of three recent paroled criminals who buy a luggage shop in order to tunnel through to the bank next door. A pretty familiar plot nowadays but perhaps less common then.

It doesn't matter though because the movie is played for laughs and takes a lot of unexpected turns. The street the shop is on is being dug up for a new line of the NY subway, which adds to the confusion. The writing is sharp (S.J. Perlman) and the acting and directing is swell.

At 93 minutes it felt a tad long but its Christmas theme fit right in with the season, so we didn't mind much. Jack Carson as a love interest? Jane Wyman as a blonde?

Bye Bye Blackbird: Julie London

Too grim for me

There are not too many movies that are too grim for me. I think I can tolerate gloomier fare than most people although I find it easier to read gloomy books than to see such movies. But tonight I bailed on OUT OF THE FURNACE. I put an hour in before escaping.

I think this was probably a good movie but if I find no hope, if the people are too evil, if the good men never win, I eventually either turn off or take off.

What movie was too grim for you? (This is not a criticism of the quality of the film but just my tolerance for it)

Bye Bye Blackbird: Miles Davis

Without Instruments

Happy Birthday, Mr. Sinatra-

Friday's Forgotten Books, Friday, December 12, 2014

THE LOST LANGUAGE OF CRANES, David Leavitt.

Published in the 1980s, I read this in 1992. The Lost Language of Cranes tells the story of twenty-five-year-old Philip Benjamin, who comes out to his parents when he falls in love with a man. Philip’s parents have their own problems: pressure from developers and the loss of their home. But Philip’s father’s own struggle with his suppressed homosexuality, realized only in Sunday afternoon visits to gay porn theaters, is the real heartbreak in the story.

The book does a good job in detailing the difference in society's reaction to the issue of homosexuality. His father was never permitted to act on his desires in any satisfying way. 

There is also a good filmed version of this story.


Sergio Angelini, BURY ME DEEP, Harold Q. Masur
Mark Baker, MT. RANIER, Sandy Dengler
Joe Barone, A MIND TO MURDER, P.D. James
Brian Busby, Christmas Offerings
Bill Crider, THE COMPLEAT TRAVELLER IN BLACK, John Bruner
Martin Edwards, FAVORITE BOOKS ABOUT CRIME FICTION
Curt Evans, TWO LITTLE RICH GIRLS, Mignon Eberhart
Ed Gorman, FAKE I.D. , Jason Starr
Rick Horton, THE ADVENTURES OF RICHARD HANNAY, John Buchan
Jerry House, THE DARKLING, David Kesterton
Randy Johnson, MUSIC FOR THE DEAD, Luis Gutierrez Maluenda
George Kelley, MURDER, MAYHEM AND MISTLETOE
B.F. Lawson, MURDER BEFORE MATINS, John Reeves
Evan Lewis, SCARAMOUCHE, Rafael Sabatini
Steve Lewis, GOOD NIGHT AND GOODBYE, Timothy Harris
Margot Kinberg, VANISH, Tess Gerritsen
Rob Kitchin, KEYSTONE, Peter Lovesey
Tracy K, THE JASMINE TRADE, Denise Hamilton
Todd Mason
Neer, THE SCHIRMER INHERITANCE, Eric Ambler
J.F. Norris, THE SHOP WINDOW MURDERS, Vernon Loder
James Reasoner, SUICIDE RANCH, Ed Earl Repp
Gerard Saylor, THE OUTPOST, Jake Tapper
Kevin Tipple, TOO LATE TO DIE, Bill Crider
TomCat, A HOLE FOR SOMEONE ELSE, De Waal and Baantjer
Prashant Trikannad, WAR AGAINST THE MAFIA, Don Pendleton
Zybahn

My Favorite TV Shows of 2014

In no particular order

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK (Netflix)
MAD MEN (AMC)
LOUIE (FX)
THE HONORABLE WOMAN (Sundance)
MANHATTAN (WGN)
THE LEFTOVERS (HBO)
THE AFFAIR (SHOWTIME)
VEEP (HBO)
FARGO (FX)
SHAMELESS (SHOWTIME)
TRUE DETECTIVE (HBO)
CALL THE MIDWIVES (PBS)

Runnersup would include THE AMERICANS, HOMELAND, GAME OF THRONES, BROAD CITY, and the four episodes of OLIVE KITTERIDGE-more a mini series than a series. Some series from last year, didn't work for me this year, like ORPHAN BLACK. I still plan to catch up on RECTIFY and THE KNICK.

As I look at this list I can't help but notice that none of these shows are on the major networks. And then I realized that I really only watch one network show--THE GOOD WIFE--which is having an off year. I liked THE BIG BANG THEORY for years, but lately it seems stale. All of the characters'  traits are written in stone by now and I'd find it hard to separate a show from year two from one from year five. Yes, they added the women, but then what?

None of the series I like most tries to put out 22 episodes a year. Quality is easier to attain if you are making 12 or fewer episodes. And you don't get locked into a formulaic rut.

What about you? What series holds your interest? Am I missing something?

Without Instruments

Without Instruments

Forgotten TV: RUN FOR YOUR LIFE

When his doctor tells Paul Bryan (Gazzara) he'll be dead in a year or two, he decides to do the things he had never had time for. Much like Route 66, each episode features the main character on the move, encountering new people in new situations. Gazzara first originated the character of Paul Bryan on Kraft Suspense Theater in the episode "Rapture at Two-Forty", which aired on April 15, 1965 and served as the series' pilot. Well received, the show became a series that September. Near the beginning of that episode, the audience sees the conversation between Bryan and his doctor, which is heard only in voice-over in subsequent episodes of Run For Your Life. Although the Bryan character was given no more than eighteen months to live, the series ran for three seasons. (1965-68)

Ben Gazzara was terrific in this role and in all the roles he played for John Cassavetes in his films. He was tough but with heart. Not so easy to do. He was distinctive. 

Without Instruments (Almost)

What New to You Writer Did You Most Enjoy This Year?

THE DINNER, Herman Koch

Certainly this is not a book for readers who like their characters pleasant or those who like a neat resolution to the plot. But if you can get past that, this is a marvelous character study of a family who increasingly amazes us with their actions. It all takes place over the course of a restaurant dinner. 

What about you? What writer, new to you, gave you the most pleasure? 

How About a Flash Mob

How About a Flash Mob

How About a Flash Mob

My review of THE BABADOOK at Crimespree Magazine

Friday's Forgotten Books, Friday, December 5, 2014

                                                    VENDETTA, Michael Dibdin

This is the second in the series (1990) concerning the police work of Aurelio Zen. Inspector Zen is one of the more sophisticated cops and the Italian settings in this series always wowed me.

In VENDETTA, Zen investigates the assassination of a millionaire and all of his his guests at a posh location in the Sardinian mountains. Despite a sophisticated security system, no pictures of the intruders exists. A lot of pressure comes from Zen's higher-ups to solve this high-profile, seemingly locked room, type murder.

I like this series a lot. Michael Dibdin died far too young. 

Sergio Angelini, THE RIVERSIDE VILLA'S MURDERS, Kingsley Amis

Brian Busby, Recent forgotten book purchases

Bill Crider, 13 ABOVE THE NIGHT, Groff Conklin, editor

Martin Edwards, BIRTHDAY PARTY, C.H.B. Kitchin

Curt Evans, I SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES, Henry Cecil

Rick Horton, PLANET PATROL, Sonya Dorman

Jerry House, PILE: PETALS FROM ST. KLAED'S COMPUTER, Brian W. Aldiss

Randy Johnson, TOTALLY DEAD- A STREET THRILLER, Michael Stone

George Kelley, A COSMIC CHRISTMAS. ed. Hank Davis

Margot Kinberg, Friedrich Glauser, THUMBPRINT

B.F. Lawson, THE BULRUSH MURDERS, Rebecca Rothenberg

Evan Lewis, RACE WILLIAMS: TOO DEAD TO PAY, Carroll John Daly

Steve Lewis, TO KEEP OR TO KILL, Wilson Tucker

Todd Mason, Various Best of and anniversary editions of magazines

Neer, THE THIRD BULLET AND OTHER STORIES, J.D. Carr

J.F. Norris, LAURA, Vera Caspary

James Reasoner, BAT-WING, FIRE-TONGUE, Sax Rohmer

Richard Robinson, TALES FROM THE HIGH HALLACK, Volume 1 by Andre Norton

Gerard Saylor, LITTLE GREEN, Walter Mosley

Ron Sheer, THE HONYOCKER, Giles A. Lutz

Kevin Tipple/Barry Ergang, AS TOUGH AS THEY COME, ed. Will Oursler

Prashant Trikannad, HOSTAGE FOR A HOOD, Lionel White

How About a Flash Mob

How About a Flash Mob

Book Review Club, December

I
N THE MORNING I'LL BE GONE, Adrian McKinty

This is the third book of what McKinty calls THE TROUBLES TRILOGY although I see a fourth one is coming out. This won the Ned Kelly Award and I enjoyed it immensely. It's a locked room murder inside a story of the troubles. I have not read the first two books so that probably factors in to a certain lack of knowledge of the character and his problems with the Royal Ulster Constabulary,

Sean Duffy has a chance for reinstatement in the local forces if he is able to find the whereabouts of an infamous IRA member. The two were childhood friends so this gives him a certain insight into the terrorist. His deal with those who can tell him Dermot's whereabouts is to solve the locked room murder of their daughter a few years back. And watching Duffy solve this crime is enjoyable. McKinty writes very clearly and yet doesn't repeat himself. It's a pleasure to be led through the clues by such a good plotter.

Also enjoyable is McKinty's use of Joseph Kennedy Jr. on a trip to Belfast. And the final scenes, which take place during Margaret Thatcher's stay in a Brighton Hotel, are exciting. I liked the style of writing and the cast of characters a lot. We get some of Duffy's life but not enough to slow the action down. I also really like the single POV in this book. It does make following a plot easier. Highly recommended for crime fiction lovers.

What Irish writers do you like? 

For more most excellent book reviews, see Barrie Summy.