The Writer's Life 12/12 - Wild Tales

Given newspaper reports, Argentina always seems on the brink of ruin. Still, once in a while there comes a film from that troubled land that really scores. Such is the case with Wild Tales (2014), which I watched last night courtesy of Netflix. It consists of six unconnected stories: tension aboard a jet, a confrontation in a restaurant, road rage, a hit and run, a wedding reception that descends into chaos and, my favorite, a man beleaguered by government malfeasance. The tales are so interesting and beautifully shot. Kudos to writer/director Damian Szifron and cinematographer Javier Julia. It runs just about two hours. It was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. 65,000+ users at IMDb have rated it, forging to a consensus of 8.2 of ten. I agree. There is some graphic violence, but not as much as that seen in most modern fare. Anyone who is annoyed by having to read subtitles should pass. I searched the DVD for an English language option and didn’t find one. It is the best movie I’ve seen in a while. The closing shot of the opening segment is unbelievable.

In MLB things are going right not only for the Cubs but the Mets as well. Michael Cuddyer has chosen to retire, freeing up the $12.5 million that would have been due him in 2016. This should enable the team to sign Yoenis Cespedes or someone of equal talent who, hopefully, is a better person.

As expected, Republican Dean Skelos has been found guilty of corruption. Two down, many more to go, unfortunately. Governor Cuomo must be looking over his shoulder constantly.

Today is the 100th anniversary of Frank Sinatra's birth. Although I did not like his persona, there is no question he was as good a singer as there ever was. Here’s a clip of him at the top of his game. It’s preceded by a 15-second ad:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1nQANoQT7Q

My thanks to the kind folks who bought books today on Bay Parkway, especially Ralph, who picked up six works of non-fiction, and to the elderly couple who donated a bag o' romance, mostly novels by Danielle Steel and Nora Roberts.

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/