Signs of Spring

The red-winged blackbirds are back on the Riverwalk in the state park that runs parallel to the Detroit River. It’s one of the sure signs of Spring.

They’re starting to swoop and attack walkers.

The next sign of spring are the aluminum fishing boats that dot the river fishing for walleye. They should appear in a week or so.

 

Hyper-edgy Movies

I recently watched two really hyper-edgy movies on Netfilx. You might like them if you’re into radical, cutting edge filmmaking. The first was Child of God.

Child of God is based on Cormak McCarthy’s novel of the same name and was directed by James Franco. Child of God revolves around degenerating Appalachian character Lester, played by Scott Haze, who loses everything but his rifle. Lester is not a sympathetic character. He squats in a backwoods shack and things rapidly go downhill from there. Actors Tim Blake Nelson and Jim Parrack add color and chemistry to the film. This film is dark and backwoods, one hundred percent.

You will see a lot of Scott Haze in the future. Guaranteed.

James Franco is maligned to a degree as a director. I believe he’s a great talent, reveres literature and strives toward art.

Check out Child of God here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1951095/?ref_=nv_sr_1

The second was Snow on Tha Bluff. Radically different from Child of God but pushes the edge of filmmaking.

Snow on Tha Bluff revolves around real life armed robber and crack dealer Curtis Snow who stars in the movie. He steals a video camera from college kids looking to score a dope deal and gives the camera to one of his homies to documents his life; dope deals, robbery, gunfights and hanging on the street. The hyper-documentary style film is shot on location in “The Bluff”, one of Atlanta’s most poverty ridden and violent neighborhoods.

What’s interesting about Snow on tha Bluff is that it’s impossible to differentiate between what’s scripted and what’s not. It’s the most realistic film that’s come out in years.

Another interesting fact about Snow on the Bluff is how it was marketed. Chris Knittel, the producer, copied scenes on a few hundred blank VHS tapes. He then kicked the tapes around in the dirt and smeared blood on them. He then sent them without a return address to politicians, police stations and media outlets to get a buzz going. He called it “Operation Stir Up Shit.”

This film is loaded with ghetto warfare and is fascinating to watch.

Check out Snow on Tha Bluff here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1719634/

Monet’s Waterlily Pond, Green Harmony

We went to the Detroit Institute of Arts today to see Monet’s Waterlily Pond, Green Harmony. Here’s a shot I took.

The Waterlily paintings (of which Monet did hundreds) stand out as some of his more popular works. This particular painting is on display until January 4th, 2015, so there isn’t much time to see it if you happen to be near Detroit. Impressionism was revolutionary when it first appeared in the mid-19th century. Instead of studying the established rigid domains of mythology and history, the impressionists were more interested in real life images and the interpretation of light.

In his later years, Monet suffered from cataracts that affected his perception of color. After surgery it’s understood that Monet could see particular ultraviolet wavelengths that normal eyes cannot see. This also influenced how he perceived color.

Claude Monet died of lung cancer in 1926. He was 86 years old.

 

 

 

Marco Polo

Started watching Marco Polo on Netflix. The reviews are mixed, trending toward the down side but there’s a lot of good going on in this series. Following the same Silk Road followed by Marco Polo the shooting locations span from Venice to Malaysia to Kazakhstan.

Minimal CGI, real sets and being shot in 4K should garner some respect. Netflix went all out for this series and I plan on watching all of the episodes.

 

Best Graphic Novels of 2014 (according to the Village Voice)

The Village Voice posted an article on their website along with sample illustrated panels listing the top graphic novels of 2014. Here they are:

 The Man Who Laughs by writer David Hine and artist Mark Stafford. This is an adaptation of Victor Hugo’s 1689 novel.

 A Night of Gatecrashing / Book One by writer Zachary Mortensen and artist Sutu is about corporate terrorism.

Sing No Evil by writer JP Ahonen and artist KP Alare is about a dysfunctional metal band.

Skies of Fire by Pablo Peppino and Bryan Valenza is a steampunk saga revolving round Captain Helen Pierce.

 75 Years of Marvel – just as the title indicates.

Harlem Hellfighters by writer Mel Brooks (World War Z) and artist Caanan White is about African American soldiers in World War I.

 John Carpenter’s Asylum by John Carpenter and artist Leonardo Manco is about devils in Los Angeles.

Climate Changed by Philippe Squarzoni is about a coming weather apocalypse.

Second Avenue Caper by writer Joyce Brabner and artist Mark Zingareli is about gay activists in the 1980s running anti-viral drugs to fight the AIDS epidemic.

Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey by Nick Bertozzi is about Shackleton’s ill-fated South Pole journey.

The Love Bunglers by Ray Dominguez is a well crafted story of loss and entry into middle age. My Opinion: this may be the best of the pile.

Pirates in the Heatland: The Mythology of S. Clay Wilson Vol. 1 by Clay Wilson is an underground style, dirty comic.

Motherless Oven by Rob Davis revolves around school kids in a dystopian future.

The diversity of theses titles indicate to me that graphic novels aren’t emerging as an art form- they’ve arrived.

To see some of the graphics and to learn more, go here: http://www.villagevoice.com/microsites/2014-graphic-novels/

The Field Free Download

The Field is on promotion on Amazon.com and will be a free download ending on Friday, December 19th.

Get it here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Field-John-Silver-ebook/dp/B00QVYW91W/ref=zg_bs_158592011_f_37

The Field

The Field was released on Amazon.com as a Kindle book last night. I hardly ever reveal what a character in the book actually looks like or what my mental image of a character is, but this is an exception. A little dog named Everett is a big supporting character in the book and I modeled him after our rescue dog, Hank. Not to give much away, he has it pretty rough in the book.

Check out The Field here: http://www.amazon.com/Field-John-Silver-ebook/dp/B00QVYW91W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418422168&sr=8-1&keywords=the+field+john+silver

Let the Right One In

Every once in a while sifting through the sands of second and third rate films on Netflix a gold nugget appears. Let the Right One In is one of the nuggets. Let the Right One In is a Swedish film set in 1981 about a shy twelve year boy, Oscar, who is severely bullied by his classmates. He lives in a nondescript housing complex with his mother. He meets Eli, a girl his age that recently moved into the apartment next door. Eli and Oscar are drawn to each other. Coinciding with the Eli’s arrival are a string of mysterious and savage murders.  Eli is a vampire. Oscar finally realizes this but the bond between Oscar and Eli remains and is solidified further as the story deepens.

So what makes this film so good? It’s a believable, unique take on the tired vampire genre. The film is low key and contains true human interest. All of the vampire cliches are there- fatal exposure to sunlight, having to be invited in, a Jonathon Harker like human assistant  and so on, but the cliches are so well integrated into the story they seem natural. The film was directed by Tomas Alfredson and the screenplay was written by John Ajvide Lindqvist based on his book.

Let the Right One In won awards from the Gothenburg Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival and others. Even if you’re not a big fan of the vampire genre (I’m not) check Let the Right One In out. I have watched this film twice and will watch it again. For more, go here: http://www.lettherightoneinmovie.com

Warp 9 Comics

I stopped in Warp 9 today to get the November issues of The October Faction and Wytches. I asked Trey Hunt, the new owner, if I could blog about Warp 9 and he said okay.

Warp 9 has been in business since 1999 and Trey took it over earlier this year (he’s in the photo below).

 

If you’re into graphic novels and comics, then Warp 9 is the place to go. The inventory is extensive and Trey is a great source of knowledge and is happy to answer any questions. I asked Trey what got him into comics and he said his Aunt had a lot to do with it. She collected comics, which, among other things, sparked Trey’s interest in comics at an early age.

 

Comic books stores such as Warp 9 are much like local, independent books stores used to be and should be treasured. Unlike  Barnes & Noble or e-tailers such as Amazon, shops like Warp 9 make the comic experience personal The world of comics and graphic novels has its own unique culture and shops like Warp 9 help keep it alive.

Warp 9 is located in downtown Clawson, Michigan on 14 Mile Road just west of Main Street. Check it out- you won’t be disappointed.

For more, go here:  http://www.warpninecomics.com

The Field on Kindle Scout

Amazon is now providing to readers and authors Kindle Scout. Here’s the blurb from the Kindle Scout website: “Kindle Scout is “a reader-powered publishing for new, never before published books. It’s a place where readers help decide if a book gets published.”

Here’s the URL: http://kindlescout.com

What’s in it for readers? They nominate books that they would like to read, and if selected for publication by Amazon, readers get the ebook for free. What’s in it for writers? A 5-year renewable publishing deal with Amazon.

I decided to give it a try with The Field. You can take a look here:
https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/3UN5JSDISYODW

The first 5000 words are available, along with a short synopsis and author bio/Q and A.

If you think it’s a book that interests you and would like to read, please nominate it. If it is published by Amazon, you will receive a free copy and my enduring thanks.

Kindle Scout looks like a win-win for readers and authors. Readers get to chose books that interest them and find new authors they like, authors learn what people really like to read and see if their writing is on the right track.