S.A. Reid's Blog, page 5

I Watched THE COUNSELOR — So You Don’t Have To

Brad Pitt and Michael Fassbender in Ridley Scott’s The Counselor.

It’s no secret I’m a big fan of . I’ve been looking forward to The Counselor, directed by , ever since early photos arrived from the set last summer. It sounded good: a lawyer decides to walk on the wild side, involving himself in a major drug deal with the intent of returning to his straitlaced life a few million dollars richer. But when things go wrong, he and his fiancee () face death at the hands of a vengeful cartel. In addition to Fassebender, Pitt, Cruz, and Scott, the movie boasts several other fine actors, all doing their best to sell what quickly proves to be a silly, self-important, pseudo-intellectual mess of a movie.

From the very first scene, we’re subjected to the sort of dialogue that might look pretty on the page, but sounds completely unconvincing when spoken aloud. The camera loves Fassbender and Cruz, and no one can blame Ridley Scott for lingering on them: in fact, it’s worth pointing out, the entire film is beautifully shot. If you came across it playing in a bar with no closed-captioning and you couldn’t read lips, you might think the movie would be worth checking out. But the sad fact is, you could get a bar full of drunks to redub the movie themselves using ad libbed dialogue and not only would it probably be more entertaining, it might actually make sense.

Fassbender’s character is, of course, the Counselor; he has no other name. This excruciating conceit leads to all sorts of super-stilted dialogue in which various people, including old friends, acquaintances, a mafia boss, and a Mexican drug lord, repeatedly say things like, “You’re in over your head, Counselor.” Or: “The world has changed for you, Counselor.” To which Fassbender’s character replies in three ways: stupid good humor, vague worry, or a soft, “Jesus.” Because the Counselor is an enigma– a lawyer who is unforgivably naive, a friend of drug lords who doesn’t understand that selling drugs can get you killed, and a man with inexplicable connections to the Italian mafia yet no street smarts–it’s difficult to care about him, or even miss him when he’s off-screen. You’d never guess the actor who was so compelling in Scott’s previous film, Prometheus, is this same fellow with the blank smile and (apparent) learning disability. Then again, in Prometheus (a movie with its own share of problems) Fassbender was playing a character, even if that character was an android. Here, he’s playing a suit.

The movie’s worst sin, however, is its long, long speeches that go nowhere and illuminate nothing. I have the suspicion the screenwriter wanted to out-Tarantino Tarantino, to create some movie moments like the “they call it Le Royale with cheese” bit from Pulp Fiction. Instead, we get weird pretentious dialogue that makes little if no sense:

“Greed pushes us to the edge.”

“No. Greed is the edge.”

And this:

“That’s a little cold, don’t you think?”

“I believe the truth has no temperature.”

Finally, there’s the pièce de résistance, a truly ghastly and pointless scene in which a drug dealer tells the Counselor how his girlfriend once … well, to use the sort of stilted dialogue the movie loves, “had congress with a conveyance of glass and steel.” I glanced around the theater to see if any of the women were preparing tp walk out, but they were all reading stuff on their phones. And I’ll admit, around minute six of this tripe, I tried to log into Facebook so I could post my derision. Alas–not enough bars.

Trust me, you don’t want me to caption this still.

So what else can I say about The Counselor? Something positive? I’ve got it. It’s made me twice as eager to see 12 Years a Slave tomorrow … so Fass can redeem himself, and I can get this simpleminded nonsense out of my head.

Filed under: Emma Jameson, Michael Fassbender, Movies Tagged: Cameron Diaz, michael fassbender, Penelope Cruz, ridley scott, The Counselor

Doctor Sleep: A Novel by Stephen King … a review by Emma Jameson

So first … a caveat. I almost never write book reviews. Think about it. As a novelist, when I write a review, that review arrives with a certain amount of baggage. And the questions that might crop up, as the review-train puffs into the station, can be excused as only human. Why did I write it? Am I propping up a friend? Dissing a competitor? Discharging some shadowy obligation?

So on this blog I feature new releases, and I mention them, and if the author is a personal friend, I mention that, too. But this is different. It’s a review from me, and suffice it to say, I am not blessed to call Stephen King a personal friend.

Having said that … for the last thirty years, you might say Danny Torrance has been a personal friend.

I read THE SHINING for the first time when I was 14. I re-read it several times during my teenage years. I can’t say precisely why, but THE SHINING was an intensely personal book for me. It taught me so much about writing characters, especially flawed, wounded, hopelessly striving characters. Because in many ways, it was more about poor, alcoholic, doomed-from-childhood Jack than his gifted five-year-old son, Danny.

Jack, a sensitive, intelligent child, watched his father, a hospital orderly and drunk, beat his mother at the dinner table until her eyeglasses landed in the mashed potatoes. That was the image that haunted Jack: those poor sightless specs, adorning a side dish while his alcoholic father vented his wrath. When he grew up, Jack escaped his dysfunctional family, teaching English at a prestigious prep school. even writing for publication.

But the ghosts of his past were not silent. They spoke. And Jack started to drink. The result–harm to a student, harm to his young son–drove him to take a last-chance job as winter caretaker for the Overlook Hotel. Another place filled with unquiet ghosts. Which ghosts were more real, and more deadly–the ones in the hotel, or the ones in Jack’s memory? That, dear reader, is up to you. (And if you’ve only seen the Stanley Kubrick film, I must urge you to read the original novel, because this review has nothing to do with Kubrick’s film. No disrespect intended, just a statement of fact.)

At any rate, most of the Western world has seen the movie, and knows Mrs. Torrance and her son Danny escaped the Overlook Hotel. But what happened next? Approximately thirty years later, Stephen King tells the tale.

Danny–now Dan– is twenty-something, beset by a terrible temper, and a drunk. The thing he swore he’d never become is the identity that consumes him. He drifts from town to town, content to deaden his telepathy (the shining) with booze, wishing himself dead. Then he hits bottom, a deeply humiliating bottom, and drifts to a town called Frazier, New Hampshire. There he has a chance to get sober, and to earn the friendship of a little girl called Abra. Once, Dan was the child in desperate need of an adult (Dick Hallorann) who understood. Now he is the adult called upon to help, and he can either live up to the calling or crawl back in the bottle.

I won’t waste time teasing you with further details. If you’ve read my description, you’re either in or you aren’t. All I can add is this. For approximately thirty years, I waited for news of Danny–Dan–Torrance, never expecting to get it. When I heard Stephen King had published a sequel, my first reaction was fear. This will ruin my vision of Danny’s future, I thought. It won’t be right.

But no. It was perfect. Perfectly conceived, perfectly edited, and perfectly laid down. If you loved THE SHINING half as much as I did, get yourself a copy of DOCTOR SLEEP.

–Emma Jameson,10/21/2013

Filed under: Books, Emma Jameson, ghosts, Kindle, Publishing Tagged: Abra Stone, Dan Torrance, Danny Torrance, Doctor Sleep, emma jameson, Stephen King, The Shining, True Knot

Florida Vacation Snaps, Part Two

Sandals abandoned.

South Beach on Marco Island has sugar white sands. Mind you, it’s not quite like Destin. Here the sand is crunchy with myriad shells and firmly packed, which is good for me — easier to walk on with my bad knee. But if Sting wrote a song about this beach, it would include the lyric:

Every step you take/

Every shell you break

The water is blue, not green like Destin’s, but the wave action is far gentler. Much better for swimming. Of course, yesterday I got a lot of exposure to everything that lives in the gulf, including bull sharks, tiger sharks, hammerhead sharks, and the occasional touristy alligator. But here’s the view from a lounge chair, with my gigantic werewolf feet on display:

The local businesses on Marco Island are gearing up for Halloween. CJ’s on the Bay put up a ghost and some spiders:

 

And here’s another sunset, this time from Mango’s, over a glass of Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc.

Filed under: Emma Jameson, Florida Tagged: beach, CJ's on the Bay, Florida, Gulf, Gulf of Mexico, Halloween decorations, Marco Island, South Beach

Florida Vacation Snaps

I’m having fun in South Florida, in the land of 10,000 Islands. Here are a few pictures:

Here’s the wreckage of an eco-house built in the 1970s. It’s marching into the sea, someday to submerge forever. Read more about it here.

The bay between Goodland Island and the Gulf of Mexico. This picture doesn’t begin to do justice to how peaceful and beautiful it was out there.

Shelling in the 10,000 islands is fun. I don’t think the green of the clear water really comes through in this picture.

More tomorrow, if I can get my silly phone to upload the images properly!!

Filed under: Emma Jameson, Florida Tagged: Florida, Goodland, Gulf of Mexico, Marco Island, Sugar Sand Beaches

New Release: SAY YES (Something More #2) by Tara West

Greetings from Florida!

I’m on vacation, but in typical nutty writer fashion, I’ve been getting more work accomplished here than at home. Go figure.

Here’s a couple of snaps:

So anyway, while I’m eating seafood, my good friend and fellow Eclective member, Tara West, has released a new book called SAY YES. It’s a New Adult romance, which means it’s concerned with characters in their early twenties. Here’s the cover:

And here’s the blurb:

“Andrés, why can’t it be enough that I love you? That I want to spend forever with you. Why must you expect so much more? I’m not ready for marriage and a family. I don’t know if I ever will be. “

“Christina, I need to know that what I’m putting into this relationship isn’t all for nothing. To me, you mean everything. But I won’t be your stepping stone. Because as much as it would kill me, if you refuse to commit to something more, I will walk away. “

Will Christina ever be ready? Will Andrés stay or walk? Will their love endure or is it doomed before they even have a chance? 

Read the sample on Amazon or learn more about Tara West by going here.

Filed under: Eclective, Emma Jameson, Tara West Tagged: Florida, NA, new releases, Say When. Something More, Say Yes, Tara West, The Eclective

New Release: Kissed by Moonlight by Shea MacLeod

Hi, all. As some of you may remember, I’m a proud member of the Eclective … a group of diverse writers who put out free or bargain short story collections a few times a year. (Since it’s October, check out my short story “Safe” in the Eclective’s Haunted Collection – it’s a 100% free and proof I can write a scary Victorian yarn.)

Anyway, my good friend and fellow Eclective member Shea MacLeod has just released a new book about vampire hunter Morgan Bailey. Here’s the cover:

And here’s the blurb:

Bringing the Fairy Queen’s murderous brother to justice was supposed to give Morgan Bailey a little peace and quiet – at least as much as a vampire hunter ever gets. But two murders, a jail break, a price on Morgan’s head, and rumbles of paranormal war don’t bode well for rest and relaxation. Mix in the reappearance of mysterious “soul vampires,” and Morgan’s emotions are on the verge of melting down. 

The hunt for the origins of the soul vampires takes Morgan and Jack, the local Sunwalker and former Templar knight, from the depths of the famous Shanghai Tunnels of Portland to Area 51 and finally the streets of the City of Lights. The truth they uncover in Paris leads to a new confrontation with the Fairy Queen, and the very real possibility they won’t get out of this one alive.

To learn more about Shea, check out her website. Here’s the lovely authoress, pictured below:

Filed under: Books, Eclective, Shea MacLeod Tagged: ebooks, Kissed by Moonlight, Morgan Bailey, new books, Shea MacLeod, The Eclective, vampire hunter

My London Trip, Part Two

More pictures and little bits and pieces.

I found this building in South London and immediately thought of Kate (formerly Wakefield, now Hetheridge). This is just how I imagined the flat she shared with Henry and Ritchie.

These terraced homes are exactly how I imagine Paul and Sharada Bhar’s home.

Beautiful architecture everywhere. Look at the figures up there. I snapped this during breakfast, telling my travel companion Rosemary that it looked like Aragorn and some hobbits up there.

I adore vistas like that. (It’s rather imperfect because Rosemary snapped it from the back of our cab as we sped toward the airport.) If I stare at this picture too long, I’ll start writing a story about it, and I can’t do that until I finish Black & Blue!

If only we’d had time to go in for a pint…

 

 

 

Filed under: Emma Jameson, London, Photos Tagged: black & blue, blue murder, emma jameson, Ice blue, London, lord & lady hetheridge, Lord Hetheridge, something blue

My London Trip, Part One

Hi, all!

High time I got back into blogging regularly. As I mentioned before, I took a whirlwind trip to London in March to see James McAvoy in MACBETH, onstage in London’s West End. For various reasons, my dear friend Rosemary O’Malley and I could only stay for 2 days. Still, we had the time of our lives, and can’t wait to return. Here are a few photos:

Rosemary took that great shot of the London Eye. I realize it’s pricey (we paid about $47.00 USD each) but it was stunning. The view from the Eye is simply remarkable: Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Canary Wharf, Tower Bridge, and much more. Worth every penny to us.

Above is a shot I took while riding the Eye. You can see the reflection in the glass to the bottom right.

Me having a cuppa in Caffe Concerto in Piccadilly. (Where DS Bhar interviewed Thora and Griffin in Something Blue.)

The marquee for Jamie Lloyd’s Macbeth, which must have been commissioned far in advance. In the actual show, James has a full beard for a sort of wild Scot look. The reviews, which were gushing, called him a “Mad Mac.”

Ah, waiting outside the stage door for an autograph. First time in my life I’d ever done such a thing. I felt like a kid again.

Here’s Rosemary with the man himself. My picture turned out … disappointing. And as my gift to you, I’ll complain no more about it.

More pictures and a sneak look at Black & Blue (Lord & Lady Hetheridge #4) as soon as possible!

Filed under: Emma Jameson

It’s Here: SOMETHING BLUE (Lord & Lady Hetheridge # 3)

Thanks to everyone who waited.

The book is live on Amazon and will be on Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and iTunes within the next 12-24 hours.

 

Filed under: Books, Emma Jameson, Lord and Lady Hetheridge Series, Something Blue Tagged: amazon, british detective, emma jameson, Ice blue, Kindle, London, lord & lady hetheridge, Lord Hetheridge, scotland yard, something blue

I Know It’s Been Forever…

… since I posted. Why? I was finishing SOMETHING BLUE and didn’t dare take time out to write blog posts when the novel was overdue. But good news, it’s done, and in the hands of my editor. I will have a finished version, available on all ebook platforms, available soon. Hopefully within the week. (And a paperback within the next 3-5 weeks, that takes a bit longer.)

 

Now here’s the blurb:

SOMETHING OLD…

Anthony Hetheridge, ninth baron of Wellegrave and chief superintendent for New Scotland Yard, will marry Kate Wakefield in three weeks. It’s inevitable–the invitations are out, the flowers are ordered, the cake is chosen. But murder waits for no man, and no wedding.

SOMETHING NEW…

In London’s prestigious West End, a disgraced CEO has been murdered at Hotel Nonpareil, an exclusive destination. No one, it seems, liked Michael Martin Hughes. Not his estranged wife, Thora, or his defiant son, Griffin. Not Hotel Nonpareil’s manager, its head of security, or perhaps even the other two women in Hughes’s life: his future bride, Arianna, or his other girlfriend, Riley. Still more ominously, before Hughes died, he incurred the wrath of a potentially more unforgiving foe: Sir Duncan Godington, longtime nemesis of both CS Hetheridge and DS Deepal “Paul” Bhar.

SOMETHING BORROWED…

For the first time,  CS Hetheridge, Kate and Bhar find themselves under tremendous pressure to uncover the killer in the shortest time frame ever. Has Scotland Yard, not to mention Downing Street, lost confidence in Hetheridge? Will the murder conviction rest on hard forensic evidence, a mountain of circumstantial details, or an impulsive theft? Find out by returning to the world of ICE BLUE and BLUE MURDER in SOMETHING BLUE, the third mystery featuring Lord Hetheridge, Kate Wakefield and Paul Bhar.

 

Filed under: Emma Jameson, Lord and Lady Hetheridge Series, Something Blue Tagged: cozy mystery, ebook, emma jameson, something blue