Live the "High Life" on this episode of the CineVerse podcast

What do black holes and the future of the human race have in common? Director Claire Denis explores this and other answers in her dark and different sci-fi cinematic treatise, High Life, starring an underrated Robert Pattinson. For this episode of the CineVerse podcast, we were tasked to further investigate this puzzle box of a picture which yielded several insights and observations. Listen to our podcast right here. 

Charlie Chaplin goes to "The Circus" on CineVerse

Charlie Chaplin certainly made more popular pictures (The Great Dictator) and more critically acclaimed films (City Lights) than his 1928 feature “The Circus.” But arguably he never made a funnier one, as the latter is practically bursting with side-splitting gags, hilarious set pieces, and unforgettable comedic stunts. Our CineVerse homework was to head to the big top and revisit this 94-year-old laugher and assess what makes it timeless (to listen to a recording of our group discussion, click here).

Killer of Sheep on CineVerse!

In this episode of the Cineverse podcast, we took a deep dive into Charles Burnett’s 1978 student film, “Killer of Sheep.” Burnett may not be a household name like Spike Lee, but he’s unquestionably one of the most talented and respected African American directors. This breakout work remained widely unseen for decades due to music rights issues, but it has been restored and is fortunately now accessible to millions. Take a listen to our discussion right here: https://www.cineversegroup.com/2022/08/diving-deep-on-sheep.htm

The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same...Unfortunately

Bruce on the loose! Check out the episode of the Cineverse podcast where we discuss Bob Fosse’s 1974 biopic of controversial comic Lenny Bruce, starring Dustin Hoffman and Valerie Perrine. Its themes of free speech and comedy are all too timely in an age of endless trigger warnings, hypersensitive special snowflakes and the ever more repugnant growth of a cancel culture that either seeks to silence unpopular opinions or intimidate people into self-censorship. https://www.cineversegroup.com/2022/06/bruce-on-loose.html

Discussing "About Elly" on the Cineverse Podcast

Where does the time keep going? I’ll be updating a series of links to discussions we’ve had about a great collection of films on the Cineverse podcast. This is an episode where we dive into the mystery “About Elly,” from Oscar-winning Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi. A group of friends goes on a vacation at a run-down resort…and one of them disappears. The tension, anger, and paranoia keep building and building in this outstanding sociocultural thriller. 

https://www.cineversegroup.com/.../about-elly-is-about-as...

Win a free copy of FATAL POSE!

Check this out! Get a chance to win a free book!! I am running a contest on Goodreads.com to give away signed copies of my award-winning mystery FATAL POSE. 

So give it a shot! You love to read, inflation’s out of control and everything’s insanely expensive, so put a free book on your summer reading list!!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61410573-fatal-pose

 

Find "The Lady Vanishes" on the Cineverse podcast!

For any fans of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock should be required viewing. Called the master of suspense for a good reason, his films demonstrate the exact science of what creates tension, anxiety, and edge-of-your seat suspense. While the apex of his career created classics like “Shadow of a Doubt,” “Rear Window,” “North by Northwest,” “Vertigo,” and “Psycho,” just to make a few, it’s interesting to take a look at some of his earlier work as well and see the development of the signature Hitchcock style. We did exactly that on a recent episode of the Cineverse podcast, discussing “The Lady Vanishes,” Hitchcock’s penultimate British film before producer David O. Selznick brought him to Hollywood. Check out our discussion right here.

"Sing Street" on the Cineverse Podcast

So far the film I enjoyed seeing the most in 2022 was this Irish comedy/teen love story “Sing Street” from 2016 we discussed on a recent episode of the Cineverse podcast. No superheroes, the Jedis, no CGI, no baby Yodas, no dinosaurs! You’ve already seen that 10,000 times! So just check out this funny, moving, underdogs-against-the-odds story about a group of geeky teenagers forming a band in 1980s Dublin. And with some great 80s music to boot!

Safety Last!

The silent comedy masterpiece with Harold Lloyd! I challenge anyone to watch this film and not laugh out loud or hang on the edge of their seat during the iconic building-climbing scene. And check out our discussion on the Cineverse podcast.

"A Royal Affair" on the Cineverse Podcast

This is a link to another recent episode of the Cineverse podcast I took part in, where we discussed the historical love story, “A Royal Affair.” Interesting seeing favorite Hollywood villain Mads Mikkelsen and “The Man from UNCLE” film’s Alicia Vikander in this Danish drama based on a real love triangle between the mentally ill king Christian VII, his wife Caroline and his doctor Johann Struensee. 

"Ammonite" on the Cineverse podcast

So here’s a recent Cineverse discussion update: Check out our discussion of an overlooked, haunting film, “Ammonite,” directed by Francis Lee and starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan whose characters spark and unexpected romance.

Left Coast Crime 2022

I still can't believe how time flies by when you're getting back to the real world after a literary conference. Last week I had the pleasure of taking part in the Left Coast Crime 2022 event in Albuquerque, New Mexico, not only listening to some of the top authors in crime fiction, but also fans, other debut authors in the genre, and the chance to discuss my work,  FATAL POSE, and the writing process. For fans, authors, and aspiring authors - as fandom and writing really overlap since everyone writing in a specific genre must also really be a fan of such literature - events like this I would highly recommend. It is a fantastic way to discover and interact with very active and exciting communities.

The Cineverse Podcasts: Breathless

For just over a month now, I had the pleasure of taking part in the weekly podcasts of the CineVerse film discussion group, run by Erik J. Martin who produces the superb Cineversary podcasts commemorating the anniversaries of major films that have had an impact on American and world cinema. I had been a guest on Erik's Cineversary podcasts before for the 50th anniversaries of "Easy Rider" and "The Last Picture Show." So I was definitely excited to join this group of film devotes to discuss an eclectic collection of films, both major blockbusters and small independent films, American films as well as films from around the world. I will be putting up a series of links to the various films we had analyzed recently.

In a bit of a backward order as I'm catching up on blogging, this is the link to our recent discussion of French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard's seminal 1960 film "Breathless," starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg. The film is recognized as one of the major works giving rise to the French New Wave movement.

Check out the discussion and by all means watch "Breathless." The film is definitely a unique experience, and one I recommend to people and film students to see how they react. Truth be told, it's not a film I greatly enjoy viewing, yet one that needs to be understood and appreciated as an interesting artifact of a certain time and culture. Volumes had been written about "Breathless" and Godard, so suffice it to say here that the film is an odd, intellectual experience. It's very raison d'être is to break cinematic rules, to defy conventions. To that end, the film is full of jarring editing techniques, dialogue, and plot twists and turns that are designed to confuse and confound its viewers. There are moments where the story rushes along at a hyper-paced clip, using a series of off-putting jump cuts, and then there is a very, very long and slow, plodding scene of the two main characters are stuck in an apartment, reciting dialogue that is often confusing and meandering. Overall, the film is forcing its audience to engage with it, to think about what it wants to say about cinematic conventions, and how so many of the conventions we take for granted in films, especially Hollywood films, are artificial constructs.

Again, it's an odd and confounding film, but perhaps one that we can appreciate in an age when Hollywood cranks out little more than mindless superhero epics or preachy virtue-signaling award-bait films that leave little to the imagination and personal interpretation. 

So listen to the podcast and give "Breathless" a try.

If I were to film and cast and score "Fatal Pose."

Whoa! Where did the time go? 

Well, life and the job and various other circumstances got in the way of updating the blog in a while, so I wanted to post this link to the latest interview I gave about FATAL POSE recently. Hermione Lee, the incredibly talented young author of the the young adult romantic fantasy IN THE NAME OF THE OTHERWORLD, recently interviewed me for her Facebook Blog, "Writers and Writing."

We discussed everything from my inspirations for the book to who I could see cast in the lead role if it would ever be made into a movie and what music would be ideal for the soundtrack.

The short answers are in the following order: the inverted mystery format from the classic TV detective show "Columbo," Henri Cavill in the lead role as Gunnar Marino, and classic Sammy Hagar-era music by Van Halen in the soundtrack.

So right now, you want to click on the link to Hermione's page. And right now you want to read FATAL POSE by going to its Amazon page. Just do it right here and now!