The Writer's Life 10/21 - Suspension of Belief

Last night, courtesy of Netflix, I watched Before I Fall (2017), a heartfelt story about four female friends who attend the same high school in an affluent community in the Pacific Northwest. They are popular and often merciless to others. They suffer a car accident after a party at a classmate's house. One, Sam, wakes up and finds herself reliving the previous day again and again until she finally learns what really matters in life. Obviously, this is similar to Groundhog Day (1993) - without the comedy. An online reviewer also suggested kinship with Mean Girls (2004), which I haven't seen. The cast of young people was completely unfamiliar to me, despite impressive credits. They acquitted themselves well, especially the lead, Zoey Deutch. The only actors I recognized, Jennifer Beals and Nicholas Lea, have brief roles as her parents. Although the film's heart is almost always in the right place, especially after Sam reforms, the ending ruined the story for me. Whether one likes the movie will depend on that and the suspension of belief required. It is based on the novel by Lauren Oliver, adapted for the screen by Maria Magenti, who has several credits on the big and small screen, including in acting and directing. This was Ry Russo-Young's fourth stint at the helm of a full length feature. She also has credits in acting, writing and editing. I'm sure she will get more work. Made on a budget of "only" five million, the picture returned $12 million in the USA alone. 22,000+ users at IMDb have rated Before I Fall, forging to a consensus of 6.4 on a scale of ten. I know it's just a movie, but the ending angered me, even though it was obvious. I was hoping for a surprise.

There's a stat in the Fast Takes column of today's NY Post that's hard to believe: 68% of U.S. households are members of Amazon Prime. I'd have guessed 25%.

Honolulu is experiencing an interesting crime wave - theft of Spam, which is sold on the street for quick cash to buy drugs. Hawaiians eat millions of cans a year, the nation's highest per-capita consumption of the processed meat, a love affair that began during WWII. Whenever I hear that word it brings to mind the insane, over the top Monty Python sketch. Here's a link to it. Warning: it's shrill and very silly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFrtpT1mKy8&t=40s

My thanks to the kind folks who bought books today in English and Russian. I had to bring out a pair of shorts, as the weather was unusually mind and I was standing in the sun for three hours.

Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 

Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc

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 Collection:http:// tinyurl.com/lh2tepa 
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