Brash Books, who have brought the complete version of my ROAD TO PERDITION prose novel into print for the first time, has put together a terrific trailer for You Tube.
Brash will also be doing ROAD TO PURGATORY and ROAD TO PARADISE, and the two Patrick Culhane-bylined titles of mine now under my own name: BLACK HATS and USS POWDERKEG (previously RED SKY IN MORNING).
Two more movies we walked out of:
THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN – we barely made it fifteen minutes into this travesty. Everything that made the original work, from the one-ups-manship chemistry between Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen to the theme of the West leaving the gunfighter behind is sadly M.I.A. The opening is stupidly melodramatic with the villain a wimp (the woefully miscast Peter Sarsgaard) and the action over-blown. The introduction of Denzel Washington’s character is silly (people scurry like roaches in fear of him) and Chris Pratt’s character is so poorly drawn, he’s actually given three introductory scenes (none of which work). The art direction, in its would-be Italian Western-ness, is as precious as a Hummel. We went home and watched the original.
KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES is the kind of unfunny movie that makes you question your previously high opinion of the topline cast members. Zach Galifianakis has nothing to do in the role of a normal suburban spouse/father, and John Hamm looks like Don Draper, half-in-the-bag, wandering onto the wrong set. It’s the wheeze about normal folks wondering what their sophisticated new neighbors are doing in this dull neighborhood (of course that neighborhood exists only in the imagination of Hollywood, as we have a combination of hick types living in very expensive houses supported by jobs they could never hold). Isla Fisher, for example, who channels Debbie Reynolds in her 1960s mode, is some kind of interior designer currently working on a urinal for her “funny” neighbor. How does this shit get made?
Here’s an okay but patronizing QUARRY IN THE BLACK review. It’s tough to take criticism from somebody who calls The Broker “The Booker.”
For my taste, more on target, here is this great write-up from Ron Fortier, first-rate scribe his own self.
Here’s another fine review of QUARRY IN THE BLACK, although somehow the reviewer mistakes St. Louis for New York City. A Brit, maybe?
The QUARRY TV show gets more love.
And Wild Dog is getting back into the comic books (I wasn’t invited).
More Wild Dog here.
Finally, here’s info on the excellent QUARRY IN THE BLACK audio read by the great Stefan Rudnicki.
M.A.C.
Tags: Black Hats, Quarry, Quarry in the Black, Quarry TV, Red Sky in Morning, Reviews, Road to Paradise, Road to Perdition, Road to Purgatory, USS Powderkeg, Videos, Wild Dog
If I walked out on as many films as you I would have to change my approach. First thing I would do is check out the Rotten Tomatoes website. I usually won’t see a movie unless 80% of the critics like it. That’s not full proof but if your a discerning movie watcher like myself then that’s a good indicator
That is One.Fine.Brash Books promo. Kudos to them. / Might one ask for a health update on you two ?
Barnes & Noble is still not showing the paper version of PERDITION. How does on go about obtaining a copy, do any brick & mortar stores have this available?
OK, here I am interrupting another thread with with off-topic comments on the season finale of Quarry. I am definitely going to have to reread the series because the Cinemax version seems to be headed off on story lines I do not recall. This is not a complaint though. It is a great series and I am looking forward to Season 2. I am curious if there are elements in the Cinemax series that you would have wanted to explore at the time the first books were written, but couldn’t get to for one reason or another. Anyway, the Viet Nam flashback was amazing (was part of it filmed in the same location used for the finale in the first season of True Detective? ) and it does help show the source of Quarry’s “battle fatigue”. Also, will more be revealed about The Broker and what is going on there? Finally, my complements again to to the producers for their period perfect music selection. I thought they had finally slipped up when I heard a snatch of what might have been BOC’s “Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll’, but dang it if it doesn’t turn that album came out in January 1972. So, it was available at the time of the scene it may have appeared in. I’m never going to play Name That Tune against those people.
Huh, Ron Fortier. That’s a trip down the time machine. I met Ron waaaaay back when, probably before or during college, as I grew up in Berwick Me and he was from our neighbor town, Somersworth NH. By the way, I swung by your house back in 1994 and, though you weren’t home, Barb was kind enough to allow me to drop off Carnal Hours. You signed it and shipped it back to me. First and last time I’ve ever done something like that. I haven’t seen Quarry yet on TV, I’ll pick it up on Amazon video and check it out.