All are excellent, plus Melinda Dillon as Newman’s emotionally troubled friend. 2/2
Rob Pierce has written several books, including Desire Is Death. Also the author of the Uncle Dust trilogy, among others. He lives in Santa Cruz, CA, with his corgi Misha and an oak cask of ennui.
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All are excellent, plus Melinda Dillon as Newman’s emotionally troubled friend. 2/2
Absence of Malice (1981, d. Pollack) Amazing ending with Wilford Brimley. Paul Newman is the longshoreman who gets investigated by Bob Balaban’s task force and prosecuted in the paper after Balaban leaks the story to reporter Sally Fields. 1/2
Pritzker: It appears they are amassing ICE officers… It’s been reported that about 300 officers are planning to come in and do what they did in LA — terrorize neighborhoods and cause mayhem. Their plan is to create enough chaos on the ground that troops will have to be called in
Gosford Park (2001, d. Altman) In Altman’s version of an Agatha Christie-style “polite murder” story, an all-star cast and interesting plot make this interesting and occasionally funny, but not a classic.
a theory proposed by fellow witness Paula Prentiss, who he dismisses as paranoid until she too is murdered. Fine film if you like paranoia. I do. 2/2
The Parallax View (1974, d. Pakula) Warren Beatty stars as a reporter who witnesses a murder at the space needle and is pulled into a theory that the witnesses are being killed one by one, 1/2
Coming in October. What the Rain Reveals by Ken Brosky. @kenbrosky.bsky.social shotgunhoney.com/books/catalo...
The Illinois National Guard veterans this morning, condemned Trump’s use of troops in LA immigration protests after a judge ruled the federal deployment was illegal. They are speaking out against Trump’s sending National Guard troops to Chicago, Illinois. youtu.be/tvWYOzKUS7E?...
They wouldn't be popular with me. Busing v. Bussing is a cause.
I love this performance, and it always cracks me up. The whole idea of Cat Power as a metal singer. www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOKr...
I was so happy to get a good deal or Hammett's original shorts. Then I realized I was on an Ebay clothing page.
My favorite scene is probably when Keith Carradine sings I’m Easy to a crowd that includes four women who think he’s singing to them. I love this film. 2/2
Nashville (1975, d. Altman) Epic work about politics, music, and the people involved. Much of the music in this is dreadful pop-country, and it is nearly all written by the performers. Great cast. 1/2
"Whiskey don't just not agree with you. After awhile, you come around to its way of thinking." - Mike Cooley
Only the bag is for the Russian mob. Intricate as this plot may sound, it flies by in this excellent, bloody, uplifting film about familial love. With great kung fu. 2/2
The Bodyguard (2016, d. Hung) Sammo is the old man entering dementia but former hotshot with Chinese security who harbors his neighbor’s daughter when she runs from him. The neighbor is a losing gambler who gets to repay a debt by ripping off a bag from a hotel. 1/2
Keep the pressure on them! A thread of Border Patrol recruitment events in September: careers.cbp.gov/s/connect-to... -9/3 Laredo, TX (Job Fair) -9/5-7 Big Bear, CA (Tough Mudder) -9/5-7 Scottsdale, AZ (Rodeo) -9/6-7 Glen Jean, WV (Spartan Trifecta) -9/6 Philadelphia, PA (Spartan Stadion) 🧵⬇️
Illinois is currently exploring the possibility of purchasing Covid-19 vaccines in bulk straight from manufacturers to make sure everyone will still have access.
NEW: A week or so ago, one federal agent kept popping up in videos from Trump's violent DC crackdown—so @jsweetli.bsky.social and I investigated. Turns out he's a 26-year-old US Parks Police officer, a lesser known law enforcement unit currently championed by Interior Sec. Doug Burnum. Our report:
We're in the realm of a certain American man. It's a type Rob Pierce can delineate very well, and he's back at it in Desire Is Death, his newest excursion into noir novel as an exploration of a particular type of a very American form of loneliness. Scott Adlerberg, The Screaming Child
Three reviews, each five stars. Who the hell trusts that? Buy it yourself and find out. Already in the top 6500! www.amazon.com/Desire-Death...
I live a half mile from a dog-friendly bar that my dog loves to walk through. I don't mind either.
Once you've heard Beefheart, it's hard to get him out of your clothes. It stains, like coffee or blood. - Tom Waits
Regulars at my local now order their drinks with frozen water.
Having just watched a Tom Hardy movie, I had to look. Thanks.
This “explicit” is a weird editorial choice. The constitution gives the president no power over this at all. It’s not ambiguous.
You are wise. I rely on alcohol for my wisdom, which seems to work for my fiction, but outside of that, not so much.
Bronson (2009, d. Refn) Tom Hardy is riveting in the title role. It’s about an uncontrollably violent man who goes from prison to prison to asylum until finally he’s released, only to commit a robbery and go back to prison. Not much story but it’s a great performance, and there are others.
If I tried that, they'd be sending in a rescue team.
When he kills a rival in a fight that leaves the evidence in the hands of another gangster who also wants Simone, it all goes to hell for him. Well done, but typical plot. 2/2
Casque d’or (1952, d. Becker) Everyone loves Simone Signoret! But this is no zany comedy, rather a noir tale about a gangster moll who falls for Serge Reggiani, an ex-con gone straight but who still has local ties. 1/2
I think many of his films are good, not great. But Jaws. I bought that one, and it remains great.
If you had told me in 2012 that Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign manager would be posting like this 13 years later i would not have believed you
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has just signed an executive order to firmly oppose Trump's federal presence and actions in the city.
It's also on Kanopy. Free, no commercials.
We were exchanging emails until a couple of years ago. I edited his western after the Selena books. Last I heard, he was in Florida, selling TV rights to someone but never heard what came of it.
Yeah, but you wrote before, right? I sure as shit did, before watching a movie.
I've heard him on podcasts and seen a Picasso exhibit. Gimme Picasso every time. Nothing against Danny.
Ugh
Set mostly in Austria, at some point Austrian (but Harvard educated) cop Harvey Keitel gets involved. It’s a beautiful mess, exemplified by Ms. Russell. 2/2
Bad Timing (1980, d. Roeg) Great film about an obsessive-compulsive (Art Garfunkel) who hooks up with the magnificently promiscuous Theresa Russell. Their relationship is tempestuous, to say the least. 1/2
I misremembered the name of the movie recommended by Joe Loya about prison life. It was A Prophet. Also, the excellent novel A Single Shot, by Matthew F. Jones, was given me by Martin Bailes and recommended by Chris Leek, not Ed Kurtz. My memory ain't what it used to be, or maybe it is, who knows?
Anthony parked the car in the alley way. A street lamp shone down on them like the eye of God. Anastasia slid over to him. He grabbed her chin with two fingers and put his lips to hers. She kissed him back with a violence he didnt expect A sudden pain shot thru his lip. He pushed her away..
Rewatched Oldboy. I didn't need confirmation that it's a classic, I needed to see again how classic it is. It remains better than Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (not by a ton), but THAT movie, I'd love to discuss with others who've seen it.
This is out now, and includes a story from me, which is to say, it's a must read! www.amazon.com/Better-Off-D...
I know in the movie Desperado Salma Hayek says no one comes to her cafe/bookstore because no one reads anymore, but I'd be in that joint nursing my coffee every goddamn day.
There is no use indicting words, they are no shoddier than what they peddle. --Samuel Beckett, Malone Dies
The Magnificent Butcher (1979, d. Woo-ping) Great kung fu battles as Sammo Hung is framed for the murder of a rival kung fu master’s goddaughter. He is joined in battle by a drunken kung fu hotshot/instructor. Not quite up there with Sammo’s best films, but the fight scenes are terrific.
after he’s already shown a fear of ghosts. The kung fu, the magic, the ghosts, they’re all exciting and funny. Terrific entertainment. 2/2
Encounters of the Spooky Kind (1980, d. Hung) Just your typical ghost story – kung fu story – sorcerers gone berserk story. The plot doesn’t matter much, but it’s Sammo Hung set up by his cheating wife to spend a night with a possessed corpse, 1/2
As you should be. Great publisher, I wore my tee in the last couple days. Oh, and I sometimes read the books.
I'm proud to be published by Ghoulish Books.
Great time out today, celebrating my primarily unannounced birthday then getting drinks bought for me left and right. (Thanks, Annabelle and Matt.) Then I drank free at home and watched a great movie. In a couple days, I should say it's my birthday again.
Just rewatched Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance. Because what the hell, it's my birthday.
Shit, ZZ Top once played a gig for one person, full set. Of course, they had something to say.
It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldn’t give it up because by that time I was too famous. - Robert Benchley
There’s no money in poetry, but then there’s no poetry in money either. - Robert Graves
So many people are shot dead in this, and beautifully; the choreography of violence is a thing to behold. 3/3
Ah Jong sympathizes with the woman, who will need major surgery to replace a cornea. In the meantime, she’s essentially blind and doesn’t recognize him. Ah Jong gets assigned a major hit, to knock off his mob boss, then the guy who orders the hit wants Ah Jong dead. 2/3
The Killer (1989, d. Woo) It’s a bloodbath! Chow Yun-Fat is Ah Jong,, a professional assassin, Danny Lee the cop, and Sally Yeh the singer whose eyes are inadvertently damaged in a mob hit. 1/3
There are still good, kind, decent people in the world You just need to know where to look www.newsweek.com/florida-loca...
A world full of ignorant people is too dangerous to live in. - Born Yesterday Albert Mannheimer & Garson Kanin, based on the Kanin play
To be clear: I am likely the most left-wing motherfucker you will ever meet and I will, literally, kill for rights. I may die for them too,, but that's how it goes. And no, I've never come up against it, although one time I damn near walloped a sonovabitch with a bottle in my back pocket.
"A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people." —The Declaration of Independence
An update from the end of the world. open.substack.com/pub/cynthiap...
She's a great writer. Enjoy!
I love both, but Olivia Rodrigo's Brutal sounds a ton like Bikini Kill's Rebel Girl.
I've been editing 30 pages a night on my 90 page novella, switching off with a short story compilation that I'll be back on tomorrow, as I think I'm done with the novella. Then, back to the novel that needs work. It's continual and as a job it ain't bad at all.
"You want to sleep in this bar?" "Very much." "You can't!" "Then why did you ask?"
He drinks and drives and has one hell of a time up to the end of this short flick, part of the multi-director Spirits of the Dead. Great way to kill an hour. 2/2
Toby Dammit (1968, d. Fellini) Terence Stamp lands at a distinctly Fellini Roman airport, filled with people not seen in anyone else’s films. He’s a British actor there to work on a western flick based on Christ, but he’s a drunken hedonist and doesn’t give a fuck. 1/2
The California Supreme Court just smacked down Republicans' attempt to block the state’s new redistricting plan. This clears the way for Democrats to move forward with their ballot measure aimed at countering Republican gerrymanders nationwide. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
He drank, set down his glass. “So, first you shoot Scott then you shoot Park. Those are two dangerous men.” “They might be dangerous among men but I’m a waitress.” - from the WIP, Bedside Claw Hammer
Agreed re. the ending, but I didn't want to point out the flaws in an otherwise fine film.
Oh, and the excellent title song is by Dr. Dre & Colin Wolfe, “introducing Snoop Doggy Dogg.” Script by Michael Tolkin and Henry Bean. 3/3
His cop boss is Charles Martin Smith, his drug dealing partner is Jeff Goldblum, his target (link to Mr. Big) is Gregory Sierra, and his girlfriend/money launderer is Victoria Dillard, with a brief appearance by Glynn Turman as his dad. Damn good film. 2/3
Deep Cover (1992, d. Duke) Larry Fishburne (that’s how he’s listed in the credits) is great as a cop who goes undercover as a drug dealer. His mission – bring down the highest possible guy in the drug dealer chain. This gets real dark real fast. 1/3
The choice by European leaders to stand with Zelensky at the White House wasn’t just symbolic — it was brilliant diplomacy. Historic. That’s what unity for democracy looks like.
Eureka (1983, d. Roeg) Gene Hackman stars in this stunning cast that also features Theresa Russell, Rutger Hauer, Mickey Rourke, Ed Lauter, and Helena Kallianiotes. Unfortunately, the script does not hold up after a promising start. First two hours, excellent. Last fifteen minutes, meh.
Peter Fonda is damn good as the ex-boyfriend/record industry hotshot, Barry Newman excellent as his head of security. Stamp is a great badass, which he demonstrates almost instantly. 2/2
The Limey (1999, d. Soderbergh) Terence Stamp arrives in the U.S. as an ex-con from the U.K. desperate to find out what happened to his daughter, whose death was reported as an auto accident. 1/2
Hurt, the old hit man, seems crippled by the lack of defenses from Stamp. Great film. 2/2
The Hit (1984, d. Frears) Amazing cast, led by John Hurt and Tim Roth as the men sent to kill Terence Stamp, who philosophizes about death rather than appear frightened by it. Along the way they kidnap Laura Del Sol, also excellent. 1/2
Christ, if this question was any more loaded, it would be one of doocy’s cohosts
It's only 5:40 Pacific. What is it?
He stood and the woman in the Rogan shirt smiled at him again. Dammit. He remembered a gal named Lupe. She didn’t have no teeth. “You should get with her,” Richie said. “She gives a great blowjob.” Only he liked girls with teeth. - from my story A Substitute For Violence, published by Bull
Just watched The Hit and The Limey back to back, Criterion and Kanopy. Still absolutely love both films, and they do seem akin.
It's a very short walk from here to "Anne Frank died of typhus, thus there were no gas chambers."
Public service announcement: SHE RIDES SHOTGUN will hit VOD on August 26th. With everything from an electric performance by Ana Sophie Heger to one of the best car chases in recent memories, it's got something for everyone in your family/friend group/polycule. You probably want to pre-order it today
Eight armed men to take down a homemade banner. The real damage is what you don’t see. This square is ordinarily full of families, happy children running around, people reading books, playing music, and one of the city’s smallest and most affordable farmers markets.
Dylan does Seuss. www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJlc...
Sandy Denny covers Earnest Tubb. Richard Thompson in the background. www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8jT...
and will not shut up, and a trio of guys who wind up on a drunken spree. Everyone nearly converges, but not quite, at a hotel run by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. 2/2
Mystery Train (1989, d. Jarmusch) It doesn’t hold up as well as the best of Jarmusch’s work, but a fine comedy with an excellent cast. It’s about a Japanese couple visiting Memphis, a Roman woman stranded there, a woman from New Jersey who has just left her boyfriend 1/2
Years ago the film of this was recommended by Joe Loya. Today I found the play in a Little Free Library.
Finished a draft of the novella tonight, along with the bourbon. But if I had another shot, I'd take another shot.