The Writer's Life 4/25 - Over the Top

Film-makers often celebrate dysfunction. Such is the case in Raymond DeFelitta’s City Island (2009), which I watched last night courtesy of Netflix. The main storyline was as promising as any I’d encountered recently: a corrections officer discovering that an inmate is the illegitimate son he abandoned long ago. From there it goes the Hollywood route, over the top. Fortunately, the talented cast brings it off. I did not like two of the three subplots, those involving the teenage son and college-aged daughter. The one involving the main character’s acting ambition was saved by a brilliant audition scene. It is the finest work I’ve ever seen from Andy Garcia, whose Bronx accent holds up well, as does Julianna Margulies’. They are ably supported by Emily Mortimer in the role of an aspiring actress, and Alan Arkin, his quirky, endearing persona perfect for the part of the acting teacher. The children are played by young veterans Steven Strait, Ezra Miller and Dominik Garcia-Lorido, Andy’s daughter. Vanja Cernjul’s cinematography is gorgeous. Made on a budget of six million, the film brought it a slight profit in the U.S. alone. Fans of feel-good drama would appreciate it. Those who prefer more substance might not. 25,000+ users at IMDb have rated it, forging to a consensus of 7.4 of ten. I say 3.2 on a scale of five. This was DeFelitta’s seventh full length work. His Two Family House (2000), set in Staten Island, is a more serious film. As he did with City Island, he wrote and directed each. I am not familiar with his other work. There isn't much biographical info on him online. He was born in New York City, which I assume means Manhattan, and he is a noted jazz pianist.


It all broke right today for the floating book shop. The weather was infinitely better than it was the past two days, I didn't have to wait long for a parking spot, and people made purchases. It began early, as a young woman bought the huge, heavy pictorial, Glamour Girls, photographed by Patrick McMullan, of whom Andy Warhol said: "If you don't know..., you ought to get out more." That sale took a lot of the weight out of the crates. It and the sale of other books created space for a last minute donation by Jack of Chase, which includes three by the ever popular James Patterson. My thanks, and also to Ralph, who bought two works on acting techniques (is he, like Garcia's character, eying a career change?) and Sting's memoir, Broken Music; and also to the grandma who purchased The Cutest Little Duckie by my literary angel Victoria Valentine and her illustrator Amanda Tucker.

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/l84h63j

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/