Wasn't sure whether I should post this here or not, but figured others might also be interested in it. I just bought an anthology titled "In Sunlight or In Shadow". It's a set of 17 short stories by many famed authors, all inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper. It was just published in December, but the Kindle version is on sale today only for just $1.99.
Nighthawks by Edward Hopper
The book sounded like such a strange, but great idea, so I just had to get it. Hopper, being an American realist painter, had a style that often captured the sentiments of film noir. you can see it in his most famous work, Nighthawks (1942), but also in other works like New York Movie (1939), which is featured on the cover of the book. The stories aren't all noir, but I figured some here would be interested in it nevertheless.
Edward Hopper is probably the first—and possibly the only—famous visual artist you’ll think of when discussing noir. His Nighthawks encapsulates the essence of the genre—gloomy, alienated, down on your luck. So how come no one thought of an anthology based on Edward Hopper’s paintings before?
It took Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster Lawrence Block to take the call, and a herd of the best writers around came running when asked if they would like to contribute. Stephen King. Joyce Carol Oates. Michael Connolly. Lee Child. Megan Abbott. Craig Ferguson…? Trust me, he can write. There’s not a bad story in the bunch, and I’m not even talking about a forgettable one. And, there’s quite a bit of range, which is difficult with a themed anthology—I should know, I’ve edited three of them.
The settings vary from the twenties to the Cold War to the present day, and the stories aren’t all noir—espionage, comedy, a ghostly story, a whale of a tale, chillers and thrillers, and a burlesque show revenge tale by Abbott that kicks things off with just the right sense of fun. You can tell that everyone approached this not only with a love of the artist and a respect for its esteemed editor, but with joy and mischief, as if they’d been waiting for the chance to write such a story.
When an editor who’s a master of the short story asks you for one, you bring your A game. And he knew just who to ask. Stephen King’s story is his own but evokes John O’Hara by way of Highsmith or even Willeford; it’s so delightfully chilling. Joyce Carol Oates’s tale will please fans of her Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang; she writes with a skinning knife, leaving emotions bloody and bare. Kris Nelscott (nom de plume of the prolific Kristine Kathryn Rusch) brings us on a train tour of the darkest and most horrifying elements of American history. And Jonathan Santlofer takes the breath from our lungs with his twisty thriller. Joe Lansdale creates a new character worthy of a novel, in his “The Projectionist.” Here's a short passage:
They have clowns and jugglers and dog acts and shitty magicians and such on Saturday mornings before the cartoons. They do stuff up there on the stage and the kids go wild, yelling and throwing popcorn and candy.
Now and again, a dog decides to take a dump on the stage, or one of the clowns falls off his bike and does a gainer into the front row, or maybe a juggler misses a toss and hits himself in the head. Kids like that even better. I think people are kind of strange when you get right down to it, cause everything that’s funny mostly has to do with being embarrassed or hurt, don’t you think?
Warren Moore gives a bittersweet backstory to the tall woman working in “Office at Night” and brings such pathos that I’m thinking about her, still. Nicholas Christopher’s magic realist “Rooms by the Sea” is haunting, enchanting, and a fantasy I wanted to believe in. And Megan Abbott takes us behind the scenes at “The Girlie Show” and rolls us in the alley for our wallets.
In one alcove, a girl in a golden kimono is slathering something from a bottle all over a naked six-foot blonde, transforming her in seconds from ruddy and veined to satin-skinned.
In another, Pauline sees two long-legged girls with matching brittle blonde waves are straightening the green feathers on their costumes.
“Mae’s mama’s come to take her back to Kansas,” one of them mutters, eyeing Pauline. “Get religion back in her cooch.”
Pauline starts to say something, but Mae tugs her arm, moving them past. “Don’t feed the parrots. You could catch trench mouth just by looking at those two.”
Lawrence Block himself ends the collection with a delight of a new story, set in an Automat. I’ve read most of his short tales, and this one is only like the others in its craft. He keeps his cards close to his chest, and even his strong voice is altered only slightly to pull us into the story’s world. Block keeps writing some of his best work during his retirement. My conjecture would be that now that he’s free to do whatever he pleases, we’re seeing stories that have been waiting just beneath the surface for a chance to breach.
My prediction is you’ll be hearing a lot about this anthology when awards come around next year, so you might as well read it now, whether you’re a fan of story collections or not. The beautiful reproductions of the art make reading feel like a leisurely stroll through an exhibition, and following the imagination of seventeen different writers as they reach out from Hopper’s canvas and invite you inside.
Wasn't sure whether I should post this here or not, but figured others might also be interested in it. I just bought an anthology titled "In Sunlight or In Shadow". It's a set of 17 short stories by many famed authors, all inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper. It was just published in December, but the Kindle version is on sale today only for just $1.99.
Nighthawks by Edward Hopper
The book sounded like such a strange, but great idea, so I just had to get it. Hopper, being an American realist painter, had a style that often captured the sentiments of film noir. you can see it in his most famous work, Nighthawks (1942), but also in other works like New York Movie (1939), which is featured on the cover of the book. The stories aren't all noir, but I figured some here would be interested in it nevertheless.
Just found out that TCM’s newest course is dedicated solely to the Master of Suspense!
I think it's no coincidence that criterion's release of The Lodger coincides with the course. Anyhoo it should be a safe bet for all thread regulars.
Quote:
We invite movie lovers and online learners from around the world to join us for a free, flexible online course, TCM Presents The Master of Suspense: 50 Years of Hitchcock (#Hitchcock50). This is the third free online course to be offered by TCM and Ball State, following Film Noir (2015) and Slapstick Comedy (2016).
In this Hitchcock course, enjoy multimedia course materials, daily in-app messaging with movie clips, mini-games, and ongoing interactions with fellow film fans on the TCM message boards or at #Hitchcock50.
We will explore 40+ Hitchcock films from his first film in the silent era, The Lodger (1927) to his final film five decades later, Family Plot (1977). In all, the course will reflect on Hitchcock's unparalleled 50-year career as one of cinema's most successful and unique filmmakers. The course will run concurrently with TCM's programming festival, "50 Years of Hitchcock", which will screen Hitchcock films Wednesdays and Fridays during the month of July 2017.
Both the course and the associated films are designed to enrich your understanding of Alfred Hitchcock, Hollywood filmmaking, and the shifts in popular culture and film production contexts that Hitchcock used to his advantage throughout his illustrious career. You will be able to share your own thoughts about Hitchcock and cinema history with a worldwide community of students, fans, and film lovers.
COURSE SYLLABUS (COURSE DATES: JUN 26, 2017 - AUG 7, 2017
WEEK 1: Introduction to Hitchcock
WEEK 2: The British Years (Films from 1927 - 1939)
WEEK 3: The Selznick Years (Films from 1940 - 1949)
WEEK 4: The Peak Years (Films from 1950 - 1959)
WEEK 5: The Universal Years (Films from 1960 - 1977)
WEEK 6: Conclusion
Any idea on the quality of the special features? I watched my copy from Spain and the transfer is really good, but bare bones. No special features.
Here's the lineup of extras for the Indicator Blu-ray of The Big Heat.
• Audio commentary by film historians Lem Dobbs, Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman
• New filmed appreciation by film historian Tony Rayns (33:22)
• Martin Scorsese on The Big Heat (5:48)
• Michael Mann on The Big Heat (10:57)
• Isolated score
• Original theatrical trailer (1:43)
• Image gallery: on-set and promotional photography
• Limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet with a new essay by critic Glenn Kenny
It ports over a lot from the excellent second edition of the Twilight Time disc.
Here's the lineup of extras for the Indicator Blu-ray of The Big Heat.
• Audio commentary by film historians Lem Dobbs, Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman
• New filmed appreciation by film historian Tony Rayns (33:22)
• Martin Scorsese on The Big Heat (5:48)
• Michael Mann on The Big Heat (10:57)
• Isolated score
• Original theatrical trailer (1:43)
• Image gallery: on-set and promotional photography
• Limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet with a new essay by critic Glenn Kenny
It ports over a lot from the excellent second edition of the Twilight Time disc.
I just went ahead and ordered it along with Body Double.
I just went ahead and ordered it along with Body Double.
Hey, what a coincidence! The exact same ones I ordered.
My first dip into Indicator so Im pretty excited! Pre-ordered the Lady From Shanghai too on Amazon.
Detective Sam Wagner’s job is never easy. Even an average day proves stressful for him and his family. But this is no ordinary day for Wagner (Joseph Cotten) or his wife Lila (Rhonda Fleming).
After pegging a recent bank robbery as an inside job orchestrated by mild-mannered clerk Leon Poole (played by a bespectacled Wendell Corey), Wagner heads to the suspect’s apartment to make the arrest expecting him to be alone. Instead, Poole’s beloved wife is with him and caught in the crossfire of a shootout leaving her dead.
Sent to prison, and believing Wagner is responsible for his wife’s death, Poole is desperate for revenge. Escape and murder soon follow with the haunting Poole bent on taking away the woman Wagner loves. Will the detective and his men save her in time?
Helmed by the gritty Budd Boetticher, The Killer is Loose takes the director’s unique visual style away from the plains and into the world of suburbia for this taut and suspenseful thriller. Close your windows, lock your doors -- The Killer is Loose!
This is the good one, right? There are 2 film detective KCC blurays listed on the site, this one doesn't get a rating.
Hm, that's strange. I'm not sure why there's two Film Detective releases.
edit: Based on the listings on Amazon, I think the $14.99 one is being produced directly by Amazon's MOD service, while the $9.99 one is made by the MOD service that Film Detective has chosen. Both discs should be identical.
Hm, that's strange. I'm not sure why there's two Film Detective releases.
edit: Based on the listings on Amazon, I think the $14.99 one is being produced directly by Amazon's MOD service, while the $9.99 one is made by the MOD service that Film Detective has chosen. Both discs should be identical.
Do you know if the Film Detective transfer is better than the Film Chest?
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