Posts Tagged ‘The Last Lullaby’

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Quarry Keeps Coming

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

The QUARRY IN THE MIDDLE reviews kept coming in. Here is a particularly insightful one, I think, from old pro Mel Odom’s excellent Bookhound site.

And here’s a great new review of the Quarry film, The Last Lullaby.

If you haven’t gone to www.thelastlullaby.com to buy your copy of the limited edition DVD, do so at once.

In the meantime, here’s a couple of upcoming events here in Eastern Iowa:

On Saturday, November 21, Barb and I will be doing a signing in support of the mass-market paperback reprint of ANTIQUES FLEE MARKET and the new Hard Case Crime title QUARRY IN THE MIDDLE at Mystery Cat Books in Cedar Rapids.

It’s a lovely used bookshop, cozy in the best sense with lots of first editions and cool collectible vintage paperbacks, and few bookstores have a better stock of my novels. The address is 112 32nd Street Drive, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402. 2 to 4 pm.

On Saturday, November 28, Crusin’ will be performing at the Bar (actually a nice little club) at PlaMor Lanes in Muscatine from 8 pm to midnight. 1411 Grandview Avenue, Muscatine, Iowa 52761

Nathan has been visiting for a week now and will go back to St. Louis tomorrow. He’s mostly been burrowed in working on translation jobs, but we’ve had some fun — notably Saturday night, taking in the live performance of the Broken Lizard comedy troupe at the lovely Englert Theater in downtown Iowa City. These are the hilarious guys responsible for the films SUPERTROOPERS, CLUB DREAD, BEERFEST and the upcoming SLAMMIN’ SALMON. They interspersed stand-up with sketch comedy and audience-participation improv, and had a typically drunk Iowa City college crowd in the palms of their hands. We met them afterward and they were friendly and easygoing, very approachable.

Nate and I also have been working our way through a five-film Criterion DVD boxed set of Japanese noir in preparation for my next Asian Cult Cinema column.

I am still recovering from the intensity of writing the Nathan Heller novel in record time, but did manage to get the research done for the next fifty pages or so of RETURN TO PERDITION.

M.A.C.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Message from M.A.C. | Comments Off on Quarry Keeps Coming

The Last Lullaby DVD Premiere

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

Welcome to our new and improved website! It’s more like a blog, and you can comment and everything.

This time, our UPDATE is not from me, but director Jeffrey Goodman with exciting news about THE LAST LULLABY.

Take it away, Jeffrey….

Quarry was introduced in 1975 and now in 2009 we have the first feature film about Max’s popular, innovative hit man character. After a tremendous festival run (eighteen film festivals from Oregon-New York, with stops in Malaysia, The Bahamas, and Canada in between) and ten weeks in theaters, The Last Lullaby marks its DVD Premiere, October 19th.

The Last Lullaby

This first run, limited edition DVD (in other words, just the movie but no special features) will be available from the film’s website. And for the first month of the release, we are offering several great promotions. First off, anyone who buys the DVD will be entered into a drawing to win several film-related prizes. Also, if you join our Facebook group, our monthly e-mail update list, our Lullaby blog, or follow us on Twitter AND we attain certain numbers by October 19th, each person in these groups will receive a coupon for a 20% discount on the DVD. For more information on these promotions, please visit the following link:

http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/2009/09/first-run-dvd-update.html.

It’s been a great pleasure working with Max and bringing his tremendous story and character to the screen. Quarry’s longevity is a testament to Max’s special talent. His (Quarry’s) first feature is also my first feature, and a true labor of love. I hope you all enjoy.

Jeffrey Goodman
Director
THE LAST LULLABY

Thanks, Jeffrey. I like this film very much and anybody who enjoys my work should, too.

Speaking of Quarry, here’s our second print review for QUARRY IN THE MIDDLE and it’s just as good as the Library Journal rave:

When Collins decided to bring his hit-man hero Quarry back after a three-decade hiatus, he gave us The Last Quarry (2006), seemingly stamping paid to the series. But then, devilishly, he produced The First Quarry (2008). Naturally, we now have Quarry in the Middle—that’s “middle” both chronologically, in the sense that the events described here fall more or less midway between First and Last, and thematically, in that Quarry is caught in the middle between two gangsters vying for control of a potential gambling-and-vice mecca on the Illinois-Iowa border (the action is set in the mid-1980s, with legalized gambling on the horizon). No longer a paid hit man, Quarry is freelancing, tailing his former associates, determining their targets, and offering his services to the potential victims for a hefty price. This time that strategy backfires, and Quarry finds himself the target. Collins, a consummate craftsman, dipsy-doodles his way through the plot machinations like Earl the Pearl dribbling in traffic, and he’s equally dexterous at balancing Quarry the emotionless killer against Quarry the knight errant. Perfectly emulsified pulp pleasure.

— Bill Ott, Booklist Online

Also, CRUSIN’ is appearing live this weekend—9 to midnight at the Pearlview Ballroom at the Hotel Muscatine, 101 West Mississippi Drive, Muscatine, Iowa (More info: http://www.buttonfactoryrestaurant.com/events.html#e1)

M.A.C.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Message from M.A.C. | 1 Comment »

On the Horizon

Monday, June 15th, 2009

Several people have mentioned seeing KING OF THE WEEDS listed on Amazon as a book coming out this year — it’s even available for pre-order. How exactly a phantom like this gets into the system, I don’t know. But KING OF THE WEEDS — which is one of the six substantial Mike Hammer manuscripts Mickey Spillane left for me to finish — isn’t even written yet. In fact, of those six Hammer novels, it’s scheduled to be the sixth, as (like GOLIATH BONE) it’s about Hammer in the last days of his career. As I’ve mentioned here, the next Hammer will be the ’60s era THE BIG BANG, published next year. This year I’ll be doing KISS HER GOODBYE, a ’70s Hammer, for 2011 publication. That will be the end of the current contract, so KING OF THE WEEDS isn’t even under contract yet, anywhere.

A number of projects are on the horizon but aren’t quite official yet. Terry Beatty and I are in serious discussions to do a new Ms. Tree graphic novel, which would herald a complete reprinting of the series in uniform format. I am close to signing with DC/Vertigo to do RETURN TO PERDITION as a graphic novel — this would be the last, chronologically, of the saga and a direct sequel to the prose novel ROAD TO PARADISE. Efforts to get ROAD TO PURGATORY made, from my screenplay and with me directing, continue, and are looking favorable. All of these, however, are not “done deals.” Stay tuned.

Jeffrey Goodman and I had a nice response to THE LAST LULLABY in Des Moines this past weekend (the film played through/including June 11 at the Fleur). The Q and A after the weekend screenings was excellent (Jeffrey said he’d been asked questions that no other audiences had thought to ask — i.e., did he have a completion bond?). We had a nice review locally in City View, too. And last week the film was featured at a Brooklyn film fest, marking the picture’s first New York screening.

M.A.C.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Message from M.A.C. | Comments Off on On the Horizon

The Last Lullaby: Showings and Reviews

Monday, June 1st, 2009

The Last Lullaby showings: Des Moines (June 5 – 11), Brooklyn (June 7 – 8), San Jose (June 12 – 18)

THE LAST LULLABY — the film based on the Quarry short story “A Matter of Principal,” and co-written by me — will be showing at the Fleur Cinema in Des Moines from June 5 till June 11. Director Jeffrey Goodman and I will be there for the two evening showings on Friday June 5, and probably on Saturday June 6, as well, doing intros before and Q and A after. This is our last scheduled appearance together in support of the film, and marks the final of the three Iowa bookings.

Jeffrey continues to roll it out slowly and carefully. The film will show at the 6/5-6/14 Brooklyn International Film Festival. Tickets are now on sale at this link. We screen Sunday, June 7th at 9PM and Monday, June 8th at 8PM. Jeffrey will be there for both of our screenings.

The film also plays 6/12-6/18 in San Jose, CA at the Camera Cinemas 3.

The film continues to rack up great reviews. Here’s two of them:

Stark Silvercreek: “A movie that gives the movie industry hope.” (Includes an interview with Jeffrey.)
Steve Rhodes: “New filmmakers should look at it as a paradigm on how movies should be made.”

There’s been some confusion about where the novel THE LAST QUARRY fits in. It was based on my draft of the screenplay and written prior to the shooting of the film, which reflects a draft by another writer plus a polish by me. Call it the Writer’s Cut.

Quarry is continuing to make a remarkable comeback for a character who appeared in an obscure four-paperback series in the mid-’70s. I was always proud of this character, and he remains one of my two favorite characters (Nate Heller being the other).

THE FIRST QUARRY has been nominated for the Best Paperback Novel “Anthony,” presented at the Bouchercon. It’s voted on by con attendees, so go to the con and remember what Al Capone said: vote early and vote often.

Also, THE LAST QUARRY’s magnificent Robert McGinnis cover has been chosen as one of the handful of images adorning a new group of Hard Case Crime t-shirts.


THE LAST QUARRY T-SHIRT

And later this year, look for a new Quarry novel, QUARRY IN THE MIDDLE.

M.A.C.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Message from M.A.C. | Comments Off on The Last Lullaby: Showings and Reviews

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »