Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
I’m really surprised we’re not hearing more about Parker.
Parker is based on the classic crime novels of Richard Stark, and features a cast that includes Jason Statham, Jennifer Lopez, Michael Chiklis, and Nick Nolte. The trailer looks good and the Parker movie site has gone live.
Let’s spread the word!
The new trailer for the crime thriller Killing Them Softly is perfect. I can not wait to see this movie.
Killing Them Softly is based on a George V. Higgins crime novel and set in New Orleans, and follows professional criminal, Jackie Cogan as he investigates the robbery of a high stakes, mob-protected, poker game. It stars Brad Pitt, Ray Luotta, James Gandolfini and Sam Sheppard and opens October 7th.
I’ll save you a seat.
If you enjoy excellent crime fiction and/or great comics, then you’re probably well aware of Darwyn Cooke’s adaptations of Richard Stark’s Parker novels. So far there have been three – Parker: The Hunter; The Outfit and The Score.
Originally, the plan was for Cooke to adapt four of the Parker novels, but Cooke’s graphic adaptations have been so well received, and Cooke’s having such a blast, there will now be at least five! Next up is The Handle which Cooke says he choose because “it’s an incredibly visual book. It concerns a casino on an island.” The release date is scheduled for 2013 and I’d put my order in now if I could!
Darwyn Cooke recently spoke about his take on Parker at ComicCon and CBR.com was there.
Jake Hinkson has written an excellent essay, The Little Story of Right-Hand/Left-Hand: Davis Grubb, Charles Laughton and Night of the Hunter. Although it’s only four pages long, it features rare photos and behind-the-scenes information that make it more than worthy of a read.
Well done, Mr. Hinkson.
If you’re a Stephen King fan, then you’ll appreciate this flow chart that maps the connections between his characters and books. Congrats to Tessie Girl for working it all out.
Way back in August of 2008, I posted a very positive review of Victor Gischler’s Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse. The fact that I really enjoyed Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse wasn’t surprising, since I’ve enjoyed all of Victor’s novels and also highly recommend Gun Monkeys; Pistol Poets; and The Deputy.
Victor recently announced that he’s doing a sequel to Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse which will be called, appropriately enough, Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse II: The Luxury Wars. The cool thing is that Victor is bringing Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse II: The Luxury Wars directly to his fans as a Kickstarter project.
I’m on board as a backer of the book and encourage you to consider becoming one as well.
If Oliver Stone’s adaptation of Don Winslow’s Savages is even almost as good as the novel, we’re going to get a great movie.
I think we’re going to get a great movie.
I first discovered Greg Rucka through his Attikus Kodiak* novels. I then continued to follow Rucka to other novels and comics. Rucka’s writing is always entertaining and worth checking out.
I’m currently reading [and enjoying] his latest novel, Alpha. You can learn a bit more about Alpha and Greg Rucka by reading this short interview with him at CBR.com.
The Atticus kodiac Novels:
I really enjoyed Savages by Don Winslow. Of course what crime fiction loving fan didn’t?
Naturally, I’m looking forward to the movie adaptation starring Aaron Johnson, Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Salma Hyeck, and Benicio Del Toro. Savages opens July 6th and although the full length trailer doesn’t break until tomorrow, MTV has the teaser for the trailer here.
If you’re already on board or think Savages is something you’d really dig, then you’ll probably be interested in Don Winslow’s prequel called The Kings of Cool. It hits the streets on June 19th.
This is the trailer for The Hunter starring Willem Dafoe! It looks interesting, but not as cool as the poster. [And I’m still hoping for a big-screen version of The Hunter by James Byron Huggins starring Sly Stallone.]
The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that AMC is developing a new tv series based on the critically-acclaimed movie “Goodfellas.” Nicholas Pileggi, who wrote the novel [and co-wrote the screenplay along with director Martin Scorsese] is on board as an executive producer.
If AMC’s “Goodfellas” lives up to expectations, then they’ll have another hit on their hands. I’m ready to set my DVR now!
Just a little over five years ago I posted about two great crime noir novels I’d just read. One was Drive by James Sallis. [The other was The Wheelman by Duane Swierczynski.] Drive was the story of a get-a-way driver brought in on a heist that was a set-up from the start. It went on to become a major motion picture that fans and critics loved. This coming April, James Sallis and the Driver return in the sequel, Driven.
Six years later – Phoenix. Out of nowhere someone wants Driver dead.
Who? Why? Big mistake.
I’m looking forward to the novel and would love to see the team that made the movie return for the sequel.
Don’t you love the look of the new editions of Max Allan Collins’ Nolan crime novels coming for Perfect Crime Books? For those not in the know, Nolan is an aging thief and Max Allan Collins is the author of the Nate Heller series, the Quarry series, and many, many other books. I’ve never read anything that wasn’t excellent that was written by Max Allan Collins.
Oh, by the way, our buddy, Chris Mills designed the Nolan covers and did a fantastic job. Take a bow, Chris!
Would you like to see some rare photos of Marilyn Monroe taken in 1953 when she was filming [my favorite] Monroe film, River of No Return [with Robert Mitchum]? Thanks to The Huffington Post, you can.
If you have any interest in Marilyn Monroe and/or historical fiction you should check out Bye Bye, Baby by Max Allan Collins. It’s one of my favorite Nate Heller books and they are all excellent.
I’m a huge fan of Duane Swierczynski. His novels are fun, full of twists and never follow a familiar path. Fun & Games is the first in his Charlie Hardie trilogy and although I just finished it a few days ago, I’m already chompin’ at the bit to read Hell and Gone.
Hardie makes his living as a house sitter. There’s not a lot of dough in that line of work, but as an ex-cop with baggage, it’s been a good way to spend the last couple of years. All that changes when Hardie finds a semi-famous actress hiding in the house he’s supposed to be sitting. Is she crazy or could there really be a hit team coming to kill her and everyone in the house?
If my description makes Fun & Games sound like your typical ex-cop coming to the aid of a hot but endangered woman, let me assure you that it’s not. Give Fun & Games a read and if you don’t like it I’ll buy ya a Diet Coke or a Mocha Frappe. If you do like it, you owe me nothing. Deals don’t get much better than that, amigo.
So why do I have “A Texan’s Motto” post card along with my praise for Fun and Games? Read on, friend.
In the interest of full disclosure [and the fact that I’m always happy to hear from people whose work I admire], I want it to be known that received a post card from Duane Swierczynski this summer. He sent a personalized card to all of his fans who had pre-ordered Fun & Games.
How do I know it was personalized? Well, do you think he wrote every fan of his calling them a fellow Stallone fanatic? Yeah, I didn’t think so either.
How do I know Duane Swierczynski is a Stallone fan? Well, Duane is from Philly and everybody there [or from there] loves Sly. Oh, and Mr. Swierczynski used a couple of quotes from Sly as chapter headers. Only a true fan would go THAT far.
