Encore for Murder – for those of you who don’t have a Blu-ray player or already have a version of Mike Hammer’s Mickey Spillane that satisfies you – is available at a great price from VCI Home Entertainment. Such a deal.
For those who do have a Blu-ray player, and would like to partake of the newly expanded version of Mike Hammer’s Mickey Spillane (with Encore for Murder as a bonus feature), VCI has it on sale for $14.98! (Regularly $29.95.). They also have the double-feature Blu-ray of Mommy and Mommy’s Day for $17.48 (regularly $34.95). By the way, Mickey Spillane is an actor in both.
Also, Encore for Murder is available for rental on Vudu.
And so is my documentary (again, this is the new, expanded version) Mike Hammer’s Mickey Spillane.
Here’s a nice review two-fer of my novels Too Many Bullets and Dig Two Graves (with Mickey Spillane) from Jerry’s House of Everything.
Borg has a great review of Too Many Bullets right here. It’s terrific that Internet reviews are picking up the slack after the four trade publications completely ignored this Nate Heller novel.
I am pleased to report that Too Many Bullets has finally started popping up on some “best of the year” lists.
The very knowledgeable Kevin Burton Smith of the great Thrilling Detective website has Bullets on his list.
At Deadly Pleasures, both Ted Hertel (a longtime Heller booster) and George Wagner have Too Many Bullets on their “best of” lists. (You’ll have to scroll down to find these.)
Also, Stuart Shiffman at Bookreporter.com has the Spillane bio by Jim Traylor and me at the top of his list of best books. Here’s what he has to say about it:
My review (linked here: https://www.bookreporter.com/reviews/spillane-king-of-pulp-fiction#) noted that “[g]reat biographies must capture the individual portrayed — his spirit, his accomplishments, and the times in which he lived and worked. SPILLANE does all of this so expertly that it reads almost as well as a Spillane novel.” A truly entertaining biography.
Blue Christmas has finally wrapped – in the sense that Chad Bishop and I shot our final Second Unit location shots this week, and have edited this new material into the movie. Son Nathan and grandson Sam both made it into the final product (and the revised trailer, below).
Sam Collins, in his film debut, with Chad Bishop, producer/editor.
(left to right) Nate Collins, Sam Collins, Chad Bishop, Max Allan Collins.
We hope to have a few screenings in early 2024 – a “sneak preview,” a Muscatine premiere, and a Quad Cities premiere, ideally. Whether it will stream earlier than Christmas season 2024 remains to be seen (and whether it is on physical media sooner than that is also as yet undecided). But I am very proud of this little movie, which we practically had to will in existence.
At his request, I showed my eight-year-old grandson Sam (who is in Blue Christmas, remember) the Alistair Sim Scrooge aka A Christmas Carol. He gave it a ten.
Barb and I also watched (having first seen both at the Palms Theater here in Muscatine) the new Mission: Impossible and Indiana Jones movies on 4K Blu-ray. We like both better than a lot of people, including a good share of critics. The Mission: Impossible is admittedly just one impressive action set piece after another, linked by a gibberish plot. But Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is getting a bad rap. While its one car chase scene is a bit of a yawn compared to anything in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (not exactly a snappy title), Indiana Jones is firmly rooted in Professor Jones’ love for archeology, and along the way examines how a hero can be battered down by age and tragedy but can fight his way back.
No card from Paul Reubens this year. But as Pee-Wee Herman will live forever, let’s pretend he sent one.
M.A.C.
Tags: Blue Christmas, Deals, Dig Two Graves, Encore for Murder, Mickey Spillane, Mike Hammer, Mike Hammer's Mickey Spillane, Nate Heller, Reviews, Too Many Bullets
Gracias for the look at the past Paul Reubens cards !
Yes, what a neat look into the friendship that you had with Paul. Thank you for sharing with us. And great news that you are starting to see some support for Too Many Bullets. From the reviews I have read, it is pretty moving for the people that went through that experience. I imagine if you had Heller investigating the Challenger explosion with Richard Feynman and you retold the moment of the explosion, it might resonate similarly with me. Not quite the same as the “Assassination Decade” ‘s End but just as much a loss of American triumph.
And thanks for the discount tips. I have “Encore” on my Christmas list so if my kids don’t come through, I guess I’ll have to hit VCI for a post-holiday self indulgence. :-)
Have a a very Merry Christmas with your family, sir. We are all looking forward to more works from you in the new year!