The Writer's Life 1/18 - People

In an op-ed piece in today’s NY Post, Jonathan Podhoretz explains the President’s "trolling" strategy. He believes Obama throws out plans like free community college simply to create an uproar among conservatives, hoping it will make them look bad. Has it worked? Since 2010 Democrats have lost 69 seats in the House, 14 in the Senate, and 913 in state legislatures. These days the only policy in which the numbers break the President's way among the public is immigration.

Whether one prefers the term karma or poetic justice, it’s most satisfying to see Hollywood’s limousine liberals embarrassed. This year’s 20 Oscar  nominees in the four acting categories are all white. This has bean counters in an uproar. The Reverend Al is on his way. Enjoy as the elites cower and whip out their checkbooks.

What would you do if you found a sack full of money? This has been a common theme in many films, including Good People (2014), which I watched last night courtesy of Netflix. Set in London, it stars James Franco and Kate Hudson as the recipients of the windfall, and Tom Wilkinson as the cop investigating the overdose of the criminal who lived in their basement. The best aspect of the film is its economy. It comes in under 90 minutes and takes leaps in time, leaving out the extraneous, trusting the audience to follow. It is also viscerally satisfying. Is it believable? Hardly. Is it entertaining? Very. Usually, my opinion on a movie does not vary much from the general consensus. This is an instance where I’m much more enthusiastic than the masses. 6500+ have rated it at IMDb, forging to a grade of 5.5 of ten. I say 3.5 of five. Good People was directed by Henrik Ruben Ganz, who has 25 credits across shorts, TV series and films. It was my first look at his work and I am impressed. Anyone squeamish about violence should pass.

The deluge put the kibosh on the floating book shop. At least it's not snow. After hitting Stop n Shop with the recyclables and picking up my laundry at the old house, there wasn't much to do but read and tackle the puzzle page in the Post. What will tomorrow bring?

Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/rP7o9

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/