The Writer's Life 4/11 - Cricket

Director Richard Linklater became a darling among critics with Dazed and Confused (1993), the story of drug use among Texas youth. It was one of Matthew McConaughey’s earliest appearances. Having never gone through a drug phase, I hated it. Ten years later, Linklater directed School of Rock, starring Jack Black as a teacher/modern music maven, which I really enjoyed. Last night I watched Bernie (2011), courtesy of Netflix. Based on truth, it is an amusing documentary-like film starring Black, who plays a compassionate assistant funeral director loved by everyone in his small Texas town. The tagline at the time of its release was: “A story so unbelievable it must be true.” Black sings and dances creditably, although the performances have a community theater silliness to them. The character is larger than life, which gives the work a feel of parody rather than reality, which is probably what the film-makers intended. The aspect I enjoyed most is the commentary of actual townsfolk incorporated into the narrative, particularly one guy’s stereotypical opinions. These act as a sort of counterpoint to the outrageousness of the protagonist. Shirley Maclaine and Matthew McConaughey co-star. The production cost a mere five million, chump change by Hollywood standards these days, and brought in nine million in the U.S. alone. It comes in in a tidy 99 minutes. Linklater collaborated on the screenplay with Skip Hollandsworth, whose article inspired the film. To say more would spoil the fun. 38,000+ users at IMDb have rated it, forging to a consensus of 6.8 of ten. I say 3.5 on a scale of five. It is geared to those who have an appreciation of the quirky and unconventional. It is not standard Hollywood fare.


It was a glorious day weather-wise -- finally, and business at the floating book shop was as good as it gets. It began with a bang. Natasha greeted me as I was setting up. I hadn't seen her in months. She bought three mysteries and two romances, all hardcovers, for which her husband overpaid. A gentleman bought two Steve Berry thrillers, another bought a book on Italian cooking, all of them large, weighty. Then author Bill Brown showed and picked up Rising Star. He has offered his book on Lou Reed on consignment to two shops in Greenwich Village, and 50 copies have sold - excellent! A bit later a handsome young man parked his bike and asked which books were mine and picked out Close to the Edge and Killing. His name is Imrul. Curious about its origin, I just looked it up. Unfortunately, all the info is hogged by a Bangladeshi cricketer, Imrul Kayes. I was unable to find the meaning of the name. Nonetheless, I am most appreciative of his support. The crates got even lighter when he selected the six books to which he was entitled as a gift for his purchases. My thanks to everyone, including the woman who donated four hardcover romances.
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic'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://tinyurl.com/pdxwsnt

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/