Category: Books

“Oscar Micheaux: The Superhero of Black Filmmaking” (2021) / Z-View

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Oscar Micheaux: The Superhero of Black Filmmaking (2021)

Director:  Francesco Zippel

Screenplay: Francesco Zippel

Starring:  Oscar Micheaux, Chuck D, Jacqueline Stewart, Morgan Freeman  and Mario Van Pebbles..

Tagline:  None.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Oscar Micheaux was a writer, director and producer of both silent and sound movies.  Micheaux has been called “the most successful African-American filmmaker of the first half of the 20th century.”

Oscar Micheaux has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, was honored by the Director’s Guild of America, the Producers Guild of America has an annual award named after him, he is in the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, his image has appeared on a US postage stamp, and there are multiple Film Festivals named after him! Sadly all of these accolades came posthumously.  Outside of serious fans of film history, few know about Oscar Micheaux.

I first learned of Oscar Micheaux because he was the writer/director of Body and Soul starring Paul Robeson.  Thanks to Oscar Micheaux: The Superhero of Black Filmmaking, I now know the life story of Micheaux.  What an amazing story it is.

Micheaux didn’t let any obstacle hinder him.  At a time when there weren’t as many opportunities for people of color, Micheaux was able to raise funds to create films that he would write, direct, produce and even personally distribute from town to town!  He would then use the funds from his current film to finance his next movie.  More importantly Micheaux created films of substance that still resonate today.  Micheaux’s films dealt with race relations and featured complex characters in modern day settings.   I wish more people knew about Oscar Micheaux.  Thanks to Francesco Zippel we can.

Oscar Micheaux: The Superhero of Black Filmmaking rates 4 of 5 stars.

KING SUCKERMAN by George Pelecanos

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King Suckerman by George Pelecanos

Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1st edition (August 1, 1997)

First sentence…

Wilton Cooper reached for the speaker, counterclockwised the volume.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Dimitri Karras and Marcus Clay are long-time buddies who still hang out and shoot hoops despite the fact that they’re no longer kids. Clay owns a record store and Karras makes a living doing odd jobs and selling a little weed from time to time.  After a session on the courts, Karras has a meeting lined up with Eddie Spags. Spags isn’t his usual source, but Karras’ contact has vouched for Spags.  Clay agrees to tag along.

When they get to the meeting, Spags is finishing up a deal with four strangers.  There’s a bag of money on the table.  Karras and Clay realize the thugs aren’t there for a little pot.  Wilton Cooper, the leader of the four men is an ex-con sociopath with a death wish.  Cooper’s crew consists of Bobby Roy Clagget (on the run after using a shotgun on his boss) and slow-witted brothers, Ronald and Russell Thomas.

Things get tense when Cooper makes a smart remark to Clay and he responds.  One thing leads to another and Clagget starts to bring his shotgun in to play.  Clay quickly disarms him and without thinking grabs the money on the table.  Karras and Clay then make a quick exit.

As they’re driving away, Clay is as shocked as Karras that he took the money.  They’re even more shocked when it turns out to be $20,000.  Clay figures he’ll return the cash once things cool down.  But there’s no cooling down a psycho who wants Karras and Clay dead and has a crew to back him up.

Pelecanos creates a great sense of time and place (Washington, D.C. in 1976).  His characters are authentic and if you’ve read some of his other books will see an overlap with characters from this one.  King Suckerman is another excellent Pelecanos crime novel and rates 4 of 5 stars.

Rating:

MASTERS OF COMICS by Joel Meadows / Z-View

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Masters of Comics by Joel Meadows

Softcover: 184 pages
Publisher: Insight Comics (June 4, 2019)

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

I love seeing the workspace of creative folks.  It’s cool seeing how they set up the areas where they make the magic.  If you feel the same, then Masters of Comics may be just what you’re looking for.  Joel Meadows takes us into the studios/work spaces of 21 masters of comic art.  A chapter is given to each showing at least one shot of his/her work area and a short, informative interview.  Artists include:

Rafael Albuquerque
Lawrence Campbell
Travis Charest
Frank Cho
Dave Johnson
Michael Kaluta
John Paul Leon
Milo Manara
Shawn Martinbrough
Dan Panosian
Sean Phillips
Frank Quietly
Eduardo Risso
P. Craig Russell
Tim Sale
Yuko Shimizu
Bill Sienkiewicz
Posy Simmonds
Walter Simonson
William Simpson
J.H. Williams III

Masters of Comics rates 4 of 5 stars.
Rating:

“The Power of the Dog” / Z-View

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The Power of the Dog (2021)

Director:  Jane Campion

Screenplay: Jane Campion based on the novel by Thomas Savage

Starring:  Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee  and Keith Carradine.

Tagline:  What it means to be a man.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

It’s 1923 and brothers Phil (Cumberbatch) and George (Plemons) share a large cattle ranch on the Montana frontier.  The brothers work well together, but are as different as night and day.  George speaks and dresses like a well-educated man (which he is).  Phil comes across like a roughneck alpha male cowboy who is quick to make fun of those not up to his manly standards.

Phil doesn’t like it when George suddenly marries and brings his new wife, Rose (Dunst), home to the ranch.  Phil likes it even less when Rose’s college-age son, Peter (Smit-McPhee) shows up for the summer.  Peter is a sensitive, effeminate young man and an easy target for Phil.

Things take a turn when Peter discovers a long held secret of Phil’s.  Suddenly Phil wants to help Peter become more of a cowboy… but Phil could have an ulterior motive.

The Power of the Dog is held together by strong acting and direction that pull the viewer in.  I love how we’re led down a path where we think one of two things are going to happen and suddenly the film comes to an unexpected (but logical) ending.  For me, The Power of the Dog earned 4 of 5 stars.

“Reacher: Season 1” / Z-View

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Reacher: Season 1 (2022)

Directors: Thomas Vincent (Ep.1); Sam Hill (Ep. 2); Stephen Surjik (Ep. 3); Christine Moore (Ep.4); Norberto Barba (Ep. 5); Omar Madha (Ep. 6); Lin Oeding (Ep. 7); M.J. Bassett (Ep. 8)

Teleplay: Nick Santora (Showrunner, Executive Producer, Writer); Cait Duffy (Eps. 1 – 8); Aadrita Mukerji (Eps. 1, 3, 6); Scott Sullivan (Ep. 3, 5, 7);  Season 1 based on Lee Child‘s novel The Killing Floor.

Starring:  Alan Ritchson, Malcolm Goodwin, Willa Fitzgerald, Maria Sten, Chris Webster, Bruce McGill and Willie C. Carpenter.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Jack Reacher, an ex-Military Police Investigator, arrives in the small town of Margrove and is immediately arrested for a murder he didn’t commit.  Getting cleared of the charges shouldn’t be a problem.  Getting out of Margrove alive could be.  Corrupt cops, a crooked politician and a rich backer want Reacher dead before he can piece together the puzzle of it all.

If you’re a fan of Lee Child’s Reacher series, you’re going to love this adaptation.  If you haven’t read the novels, but are a fan of thoughtful action thrillers, you’ll still enjoy the series.

Alan Ritchson plays Reacher and he’s physically right for the part.  Reacher is a 6’5″ inch monster of a man.  The books play up Reacher’s size/strength and with Ritchson in the role this adaption does as well.  But Reacher is the opposite of big and stupid — he pays attention to details, has an analytical mind and doesn’t suffer fools.  Ritchson is perfect as Reacher.

The other parts are also well cast and acted.   Malcolm Goodwin is the straight-arrow cop with a secret in his past.  Willa Fitzgerald is as much a partner in resolving the crime as she is a love interest for Reacher.  Maria Sten plays Frances Neagley.  I loved her character and hope we haven’t seen the last of her.

Reacher is lightning in a bottle.  It’s one of those rare shows that everyone seems to love.  Reacher currently has an 8.5 rating at IMDb.com.  6 of the 8 episodes have an 8.6 or higher rating.  The other two episodes are rated 8.4 and 8.5.  At Rotten Tomatoes, Reacher is rated at 88%!  As for me, I give Reacher: Season 1,  5 of 5 stars.

WINTER COUNTS by David Heska Wanbli Weiden / Z-View

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Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden

Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Ecco (August 25, 2020)

First sentence…

I leaned back in the seat of my old Ford Pinto, listening to the sounds coming from the Depot, the reservation’s only tavern.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When folks on the Rosebud Indian Reservation need help that the law can’t provide, they go to Virgil Wounded Horse.  Virgil’s solution isn’t always legal, but he gets results. While some view Virgil as a hero, others see him as a half-breed thug who has turned his back on tribal traditions.  Virgil uses the money he receives for “resolving situations” to raise his nephew, Nathan.  Both of Virgil’s parents and his sister are dead.

Virgil is offered a large amount of money to track down the source bringing heroin onto the reservation.  He follows leads that take him to Denver.  There Virgil learns that drug cartels are involved.  When Nathan is almost killed and framed for heroin possession, Virgil realizes that he may have been set up.

David Heska Wanbli Weiden is an enrolled citizen of the Sicangu Lakota nation so it’s no wonder Winter Counts presents such a vivid picture of life on a reservation.  And it’s not often pretty.  Weiden’s setting is unique, as are his characters, but the problems they face are universal.

Winter Counts is one of my favorite novels from last year and I’m far from the only one praising Weiden. Winter Counts won the Macavity Award for Best Novel, the Barry Award for Best Novel, the Anthony Award for Best First Novel, the Thriller Award for Best First Novel and was an Edgar Award Nominee for Best First Novel.  Winter Counts was also selected as a Best Book of 2020 by Publisher’s Weekly, CrimeReads and GoodReads.

I’m looking forward to David Heska Wanbli Weiden’s follow-up.  Winter Counts rates 5 of 5 stars.

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The New Elvis Cole Novel (RACING THE LIGHT) by Robert Crais is Coming!

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As you can see from the photo above Robert Crais has the cover to his next Elvis Cole book.  Racing the Light will drop on November 1, 2022.  Here’s the synopsis…

Private investigator Elvis Cole and his enigmatic partner Joe Pike are back on the case in this brilliant new thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Robert Crais.

Adele Schumacher isn’t a typical worried mom. When she hires Elvis to find her missing son, a controversial podcaster named Josh Shoe, she brings a bag filled with cash, bizarre tales of government conspiracies, and a squad of professional bodyguards. Finding Josh should be simple, but Elvis quickly learns he isn’t alone in the hunt — a deadly team of mysterious strangers are determined to find Josh and his adult film star girlfriend first.

With Elvis being watched and dangerous secrets lurking behind every lead, Elvis needs his friend Joe Pike more than ever to uncover the truth about Josh, corrupt politicians, and the vicious business cartels rotting the heart of Los Angeles from within. And when Elvis Cole’s estranged girlfriend Lucy Chenier and her son Ben return, Elvis learns just how much he has to lose…if he survives.

Written with the heart, humor, and relentless suspense for which Crais is famous, Racing The Light delivers Elvis Cole’s most dangerous case yet.

Pre-orders for Racing the Light are available now! Deal me in!

THE DEVIL’S OWN PISS AND OTHER STORIES by Whiskey Leavins / Z-View

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The Devil’s Own Piss and Other Stories by Whiskey Leavins

Trade Paperback: 266 pages
Publisher: Independently published (April 12, 2021)

First sentence…

The Devil, or should I say, a devil, needed a double-thirteen to win.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Let’s start with The Devil’s Own Piss and Other Stories‘ very cool cover.  If you see that cover art and don’t pick up the book for a closer look, then stop reading this now and go get your eyes checked.  Rafael Andres from CoverKitchen. please take a bow!

Thankfully, the stories in The Devil’s Own Piss and Other Stories are worthy of such a cool cover.  There are over 30 tales populated by Lucifestus and other devils, the dangerous Troupe Brothers, movie stars, influencers, space aliens, regular folks, famous folks from history and many others.  You won’t find everyone in every tale, but often the stories overlap.  What they do have in common is humor.

My favorite stories involved Lucifestus.  He’s an honest-to-goodness, well, maybe not goodness, but he is a devil.  Lucifestus is huge, red and barrel-chested.  He sports a pointy goatee and a blue-black slicked back ducktail.  Oh, and he has these huge horns.  You won’t see his real appearance unless he wants you to.  He could be sitting right next to you in a bar and you’d see a dude that looks like Tom Waits.  Lucifestus is a hard-drinker, who loves to gamble so he’s often found in bars or racetracks.  He doesn’t cheat, and offers tempting wagers for everything from something that would humiliate the loser to the loser’s soul.  I loved every tale with Lucifestus and am ready for more.

The other tales are funny and a nice change of pace.  As the cover indicates, The Devil’s Own Piss and Other Stories is definitely an R-Rated Book.  If you’re easily offended, then this isn’t for you.  I loved it.  Whiskey Leavins is the guy you’d want to buy a few beers (and I don’t drink) and wait for the stories to flow.

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“So Cold the River” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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So Cold the River has an interesting poster and trailer.  I’m going to keep my eye out for it.

A documentary filmmaker hired to profile a reclusive, dying millionaire becomes obsessed with her subject and uncovers the shocking secrets his hometown wanted buried, unleashing an evil force with devastating consequences. Get swept up with this bone-chilling, supernatural thriller, adapted from “The New York Times” bestselling author, Michael Koryta also author of  Those Who Wish Me Dead.

ZERO SAINTS by Gabino Iglesias / Z-View

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Zero Saints by Gabino Iglesias

Trade Paperback: 196 pages
Publisher: Broken River Books

First sentence…

I didn’t hear those pinches cabrones coming.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

In Zero Saints, Gabino Iglesias created one of the most intense opening chapters in memory.   Fernando, a drug dealer/crew leader, is beaten and taken to an abandoned house.  Secured to a chair is Fernando’s friend.  Fernando is forced to watch a heavily tattooed gangbanger (with insane black eyes) slowly torture and behead his buddy. The message is clear: Give up your territory or die.

Fernando knows a war has arrived.  His odds of survival are slim.  So with his back against the wall, Fernando recruits a Russian gun thug (who owes him a favor) and a crazy blood simple buddy to join him in a last ditch chance at payback.

Iglesias takes what could be a simple tale of revenge and peppers it with gangbangers, drug dealers, hitmen and a touch of the supernatural.  Fernando isn’t your typical protagonist. He’s unable to save his friend, others close to him die and he fears the Mara Salvatrucha cartel (especially the one with the black eyes).  Fernando moves through a gritty underworld that exists in many big cities, but is only safely visited in stories like Zero Saints.

Zero Saints was my first book by Gabino Iglesias.  I look forward to reading many more (hopefully including tales of Fernando and his supporting cast… well, those who lived).

Rating:

Boise Longpig Hunting Club by Nick Kolakowski / Z-View

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Boise Longpig Hunting Club by Nick Kolakowski

Trade Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Down & Out Books

First sentence…

We came home from the movies to find our front door kicked open, both floors ransacked, half the food in our fridge missing.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Jake Halligan comes home to find his house ransacked and a naked, dead woman in his gun safe.  Jake’s never seen the woman before, and has no idea who killed her.  The list of thugs, gangbangers, and assorted criminals Jake has tracked down (he’s a bounty hunter) is just too large.  Then Jake learns that the woman wasn’t the only murder victim.  As he gets closer to the killer(s), Jake, his ex-wife and sister are kidnapped. Soon they find themselves involved in what can only be called The Most Dangerous Game.

Nick Kolakowski has taken a classic tale and modernized it.  The Boise Longpig Hunting Club is full of memorable characters, action and humor.  Kolakowski provides situations that we’ve seen before, but he puts an unexpected twist on them that leaves us shocked and/or smiling.  I like Jake Halligan, his supporting characters and look forward to the follow-up, Rattlesnake Rodeo (which is already sitting in my to be read pile).  As for the  Boise Longpig Hunting Club, it rates 5 of 5 stars.

Rating:

“The Tender Bar” (2021) / Z-View

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The Tender Bar (2021)

Director: George Clooney

Screenplay:  William Monahan (based on the memoir by J.R. Moehringer)

Starring:  Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Daniel Ranieri, Lily Rabe, Christopher Lloyd, and Briana Middleton.

Tagline:  Publishing is heading towards memoir

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The Tender Bar is a coming of age story of a little boy named JR (no periods) being raised by his single mom and an assist from his cool Uncle who owns a bar.  Affleck plays the Uncle while Ranieri and Sheridan play the boy/man.  The movie is well cast and that helps keep interest up as the subplots come and go.  Will JR graduate high school?  Will he get into Yale?  Will he get a good job?  Will it work out with his love interest?  Will he become a writer?  Will he and his dad ever reconcile?

As I said, The Tender Bar is well cast.  Standouts include Affleck and Sheridan.  Rabe, Middleton and Max Martini as JR’s deadbeat dad aren’t given a lot to do but are very good.  The bar patrons are also fun even if they’re mainly there to order the next round.  “Back ’em up!”

The Tender Bar isn’t a great film, but it’s not a bad movie to watch with your better half.  I rate it 3 of 5 stars.

Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka / Z-View

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Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka

Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams

First sentence…

Tokyo station is packed.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Bullet Train is an international best seller about five assassins on a Japanese bullet train trying to retrieve a mysterious suitcase before one of the others can get to it.  Descriptions of the book that compared it to a stylish modern day yakuza film directed by Quentin Tarantino got my interest.  When I learned that Bullet Train was being made into a action thriller directed by  David (John Wick franchise) Leitch starring Sandra Bullock, Brad Pitt and Zazie Beetz.  I was sold.

I went into Bullet Train with high expectations for a fast moving, exciting tale with interesting characters and action.  What I got was far from that.  The assassins are on the train.  They have names like The Prince, Tangerine and Lemon.  There’s a subplot about a hospitalized boy in danger.  Instead of action we get tons and tons of talk.  Some of the assassins (and the main psychopath) are school children.  Two that work together (Tangerine and Lemon) spend pages and pages talking about Thomas the Train.  The dialogue often seemed forced at best.

I seldom quit a book before finishing it.  I’m usually a pretty good judge of what I’ll like.  Bullet Train sounded like exactly the type of story I’d love.  Sadly it wasn’t.

Rating:

Love & Bullets Megabomb Edition by Nick Kolakowski / Z-View

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Love & Bullets Megabomb Edition by Nick Kolakowski

Trade Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Shotgun Honey Books

First sentence…

Listen.  At some point, a poor sap will look at you and say, “This is the worst day of my life.”

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Bill is a conman on the run from the Rockaway Mob.  They want Bill dead and the two million dollars that he stole from them back.  Lucky for Bill, his girlfriend, Fiona is on the lam with him.  Fiona’s got brains and can handle herself.  As this modern day “Bonnie and Clyde” try to stay alive they find themselves at odds with crocked cops, hired assassins, other criminals, an Elvis impersonator, a government hit man and more.

The Love & Bullets Megabomb Edition is actually a reworking of three novellas featuring Bill and Fiona (A Brutal Bunch of Heartbroken Saps; Slaughterhouse Blues and Main Bad Guy), but thanks to some clever re-editing and additional material, it reads like one rollicking adventure.  I absolutely loved the characters, plus the right mix of violence, humor and heart.  Kolakowski has the ability to make all of his major characters not only unique in voice and look, but the feel that any of them could be the “star” of their own tale.  I blazed through Love & Bullets Megabomb Edition loving every page.  I was so impressed by Nick Kolakowski that I immediately ordered three more of his novels.   

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Heat 2 by Michael Mann & Meg Gardiner – Sequel/Prequel Novel to “Heat” – Info & Pre-Orders are Here!

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That’s the cover to Michael Mann’s prequel/sequel novel to his crime classic film Heat.  Cowritten with Meg Gardiner, Heat 2 will be released on August 9, 2022.  Here’s the synopsis…

Michael Mann, four-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker and writer-director of Heat, Collateral, Thief, Manhunter, and Miami Vice, teams up with Edgar Award-winning author Meg Gardiner to deliver Mann’s first crime novel — an explosive return to the world and characters of his classic film Heat — an all-new story that illuminates what happened before and after the iconic film.

Described by Michael Mann as both a prequel and sequel to the renowned, critically acclaimed film of the same name, HEAT 2 covers the formative years of homicide detective Vincent Hanna (Oscar winner Al Pacino) and elite criminals Neil McCauley (Oscar winner Robert De Niro), Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer), and Nate (Oscar winner Jon Voight), and features the same extraordinary ambition, scope, rich characterizations, and attention to detail as the epic film.

This new story leads up to the events of the film and then moves beyond it, featuring new characters on both sides of the law, new high-line heists, and breathtakingly cinematic action sequences. Ranging from the streets of L.A. to the inner sancta of rival Taiwanese crime syndicates in Paraguay to a massive drug cartel money-laundering operation just over the border in Mexico, HEAT 2 illuminates the dangerous workings of international crime organizations and the agents who pursue them as it provides a full-blooded portrait of the men and women who inhabit both worlds. Operatic in scope, HEAT 2 is engrossing, moving, and tragic — a masterpiece of crime fiction from one of the most innovative and influential filmmakers in American cinema.

Pre-orders are available now!  Deal me in.