I broke from a current trend, the swearing off of vampire, gangster and serial killer fare. Last night, courtesy of Netflix, I watched The Frozen Ground (2013), based on a psychopath who killed at least 17 young women in Alaska. What prompted me to add it to my list was curiosity about Vanessa Hudgens, now 24, who rose to fame in the High School Musical series, one of which I watched years ago with my great niece. Playing the antithesis of that role, she is excellent in TGF. She will not be a flash in the pan. As for the movie itself, it is well done but does not offer anything new to the genre. I was reminded of episodes of Criminal Minds -- without an offbeat character such as the kooky techie to alleviate the gloom. Nicolas Cage, jowly and showing his age, is solid as the dedicated cop, and John Cusack is appropriately creepy as the fiend. Familiar faces Dean Norris and Kevin Dunn bring their expertise to supporting roles. The best scene has Hudgen’s character, on the run, come face to face with a moose in a dark alley. Although this is not a rare occurrence in Alaska, the creators were obviously making a point. A young male contributor to the commentary about the film at IMDb explained it best, I think, saying they were misfits, out of place, sharing a moment in time. This was director Scott Walker’s first full length feature. He also wrote the screenplay. I’m interested in what he does next. The film is rated 6.3 of ten at IMDb. On a scale of five, I rate it three. There are simply too many works like it.
As soon as I stepped out of the door for my morning walk at six-AM, I noticed the change in temperature. It was quite a relief. Unfortunately, I spoiled it all by somehow losing ten bucks in Stop n Shop. Oh, well -- easy come, easy go. It was a pleasure to see the melting snow vigorously cascading into sewers. There's still a loft left and it won't melt quickly, as the extreme cold is returning for a few more days. Of course, this being an unforgiving winter, this afternoon I had to contend with a nasty wind that threatened to send my wares flying, so I was unable to display them properly. I doubt it made a difference in sales, though. There will be no book shop Tuesday or Wednesday. Thursday's session will depend on the wind. I learned yesterday that 20 degrees is tolerable as long as the sun is out and the breeze is minimal. I thank the four kind souls who purchased books today, and the two who donated.
Vic's 4th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Horror Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic’s Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
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