The Writer's Life 11/28 - Mystery

French cinema is as adept at crime films as the U.S.. Last night I watched The Blue Room (2014), courtesy of Netflix, an adaptation of a novel by the late Georges Simenon, one of the most prolific authors ever, who wrote more than 500 novels, many from the point of view of Inspector Maigret. More than 100 of his works have been adapted to the big and small screen. In Europe there have been four separate series featuring Maigret. Directed by its star, Mathieu Almaric, who co-wrote the screenplay with one of his co-stars, Stephanie Cleau, The Blue Room is a stylish, smart look at two murders that echoes Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train (1951) in terms of a pact that may have or may not have been made. I think it’s the latter, but the creators leave the issue open to interpretation and speculation. Amalric is in the midst of an impressive career. At Imdb he has 106 credits as an actor, 16 as a director, nine as a writer. He played James Bond's foe in The Quantum of Solace (2008). 1700+ users at IMDb have rated The Blue Room, forging to a consensus of 6.3 of ten. It runs only 76 minutes and travels back and forth in time. Although there is virtually no violence, it is sexually explicit, more so than most mainstream fare. The emphasis is on psychology, so action fans should pass. On a scale of five, I rate it three. It’s appeal is geared toward the most avid fans of the genre, and those interested in seeing an adaptation of a famous writer’s work.

Here are the final 11 of the 35 wry observations of comedian Steven Wright:
25 - If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.
26 - A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.
27 - Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
28 - The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of the bread.
29 - To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research.
30 - The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard.
31 - The sooner you fall behind, the more time you'll have to catch up.
32 - The colder the x-ray table, the more of your body is required to be on it.
33 - Everyone has a photographic memory; some just don't have film.
34 - If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
35 - If your car could travel at the speed of light, would your headlights work?

The floating book shop was curtailed by drizzle today, but not before I sold three popular paperbacks and a hardcover in Russian. My thanks to the kind folks who bought them.

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/