Cold in July (2014) - September 30, 2014

[Mandalorian]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

At the end of the novel,

[Show spoiler]when Richard has returned to his comfortable everyday "Average Joe" existence, we get the impression that he almost misses living on the edge with the gunfights and danger. The movie makes an admirable effort to convey this, but all that we really see in the movie is that Richard will never quite be the same again.

That makes sense. I figured he missed it in some sense. I didn't think the decision he made was a mistake on the film's part, but rather slightly perplexing. And his actions weren't the only thing that took me out of the climax. I just think the first two thirds are so much better than the third that it was a little jarring.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Just saw Cold in July - Wow! Brilliant neo-noir set in the late '80's. Really spot-on re: the time period, to the point that if I didn't know better I would have thought the movie was filmed in that decade - i.e., the mullett haircuts, synthesizer music, primitive tech (VHS tapes & huge cell phones), etc.

The story was quite gripping, with a lot of unexpected twists (like any good noir). I liked how it went from a simple story about a father getting revenge on the man who k. his son in self-defense, to something much more complex, sinister, and disturbing....

[FilmBufffff]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

In the Lansdale novel, and, to some extent, in the film, Richard is presented as a mild-mannered guy who runs a picture-framing shop and enjoys a comfortable middle-class life with his family. After the events that open the story, we see Richard jolted out of his comfort zone and thrown into a chaos that horrifies him, but also fascinates him in an offbeat way.

At the end of the novel,

[Show spoiler]when Richard has returned to his comfortable everyday "Average Joe" existence, we get the impression that he almost misses living on the edge with the gunfights and danger. The movie makes an admirable effort to convey this, but all that we really see in the movie is that Richard will never quite be the same again.

I don't think we needed that ending though as his decision to go forth back into the fray after going home, even going so far as to lie to his wife, perfectly coveys the fact that he is changed and even somewhat excited by what he's involved in. I think the film perfectly captures that feeling of an ordinary man living a humdrum existence, feeling like he's been given some sort of purpose in life through horrible circumstances.

It also helps that Michael C. Hall gives such a great understated performance. It's all in his eyes. Same with Sam Shepard. Don Johnson is just the icing on the cake and gives the big performance the film needed to balance the other two. Just an amazing film all around and a huge surprise after not quite digging Jim Mickle's first two films.

[AGH]

Is Universal releasing this under their umbrella in February or is the listing on this forum a mistake? It seems the MPI Media Group release is out of stock on Amazon and no longer being sold.

[HorrorBlu]

Found a brand new copy for $4.97 in the clearance section of FYE last night.

[nickb]

Any chance this will get a 4K release?

[Purplenoon]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I have not yet read the Denis Johnson stories.

I got into Joe R. Lansdale after reading Cormac McCarthy's novels a few years ago. I've also enjoyed stories of a similar vein by William Gay and Tom Franklin. William Gay's Twilight and Tom Franklin's Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter are both quite marvelous.
I also recommend the works of Ron Rash, whose novel, Serena, is being released as a movie starring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper.

All of these authors take cues from William Faulkner's darker works to great effect.

I've read all the books/stories of all the authors mentioned above. I agree, they are some of the best in the land. I was impressed by COLD IN JULY, but have never read any of Lansdale's works. What is his absolutely best novel? And can you mention 3-4 more I should tackle. Thanks!

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by Purplenoon

I've read all the books/stories of all the authors mentioned above. I agree, they are some of the best in the land. I was impressed by COLD IN JULY, but have never read any of Lansdale's works. What is his absolutely best novel? And can you mention 3-4 more I should tackle. Thanks!

"The Bottoms" tends to get singled out a lot.
"Paradise Sky" is a lot of people's favorite, including Lansdale himself, IIRC
"Savage Season" is the first in a series, and if you already liked "Cold in July", I'd recommend starting with that one.
Last year's "More Better Deals" is probably relatively easy to get and is very high on my list.
My personal favorite of his novels is "Freezer Burn", but that's more in line with the "Bubba Ho Tep" side of Joe's writing. I love it, but if you're looking for more of "Cold in July", that's not necessarily where I would start.

Oddly, he has a novella called "Hot In December", which is very good, and does a lot of fun references back to his prior works, but based on the title you might assume it is somehow related to "Cold in July" -- it's not, it's a story that stands on its own (though, as I say, there are references back to prior stories). I'm not saying don't read it, just don't read it expecting it to be the further adventures of the Coldinjuly family.

He's great, you almost can't go wrong with any of his books or story collections.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Purplenoon

I've read all the books/stories of all the authors mentioned above. I agree, they are some of the best in the land. I was impressed by COLD IN JULY, but have never read any of Lansdale's works. What is his absolutely best novel? And can you mention 3-4 more I should tackle. Thanks!

I'd start with Cold in July and The Bottoms. After that, look up his short stories.

[dtower182]

Originally Posted by Purplenoon

I've read all the books/stories of all the authors mentioned above. I agree, they are some of the best in the land. I was impressed by COLD IN JULY, but have never read any of Lansdale's works. What is his absolutely best novel? And can you mention 3-4 more I should tackle. Thanks!

Bit late to this, but a few of his that I also really like are A Fine Dark Line, Edge of Dark Water, Leather Maiden, Lost Echoes and Sunset and Sawdust.

I was a little less taken with his recent novel, Moon Lake; I thought that felt rushed with an ending that didn't really do justice to what came before it, but I think those others I mentioned are definitely worth a look.