The Writer's Life 6/7 - Irony

A title such as A Good Marriage (2014) seems to beg for irony and, when Stephen King is the author, it is guaranteed. I watched the film version last night courtesy of Netflix. Adapted from one of his own short stories, it is a grounded, chilling psychological drama unlike most of what I know of the movies made from the prolific writer’s work. It is closer in execution to Apt Pupil (1998) than The Dead Zone (1983), both of which were adapted by others. The premise is simple: a woman happily married for 25 years discovers her husband is a serial killer -- what does she do? Joan Allen is her usual brilliant self in the lead, a role that must be completely imagined. How in the world does someone cope with such a discovery? Anthony LaPaglia is, once the secret is revealed, appropriately creepy. Stephen Lang, perhaps cinema’s most under-rated actor, is fantastic, barely recognizable, as a battered retired detective who suspects the husband is the notorious butcher. This is a rare case where my opinion is vastly different than the consensus at IMDb, where 4029 users have rated the film, forging to a consensus of 5.1 of ten. I assume many prefer King’s over the top works. I rate A Good Marriage four on a scale of five. It is the type of fare I prefer. I have a quibble about a key instance, one that requires speculation to resolve, but the entire narrative draws interested viewers into speculation of the mind of the wife and an imagining of what one would do in her place. Another plus -- it runs only a tidy hour-and-forty-two minutes. It was directed by Peter Askin, whose previous work is unfamiliar to me. 70, this was only his fifth time at the helm, and his other credits are meager. It seems he hasn't been in the business very long, a true late bloomer.

As one stud made history yesterday winning horse-racing’s Triple Crown, another continued his fall. At Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament in Ohio, Tiger Woods shot 85, his worst round as a pro. He is 27 shots behind the leader, in last place. I once had no doubt he would return to the winner’s circle, albeit not with his former frequency. I now do, although he is only 39. He is currently ranked 198th in the world. It once seemed a cinch that he would break Nicklaus’ record of 18 victories in majors. It now looks like a long shot. Wow.

A lot more people passed the floating book shop than usual, as the 86th St. Fair was underway just a block away. Although it did not result in an increase in sales, local realtor Sue showed and bought Rising Star, which made the session a success. My thanks, and also to the woman who purchased two illustrated children's books.

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/