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Saturday, September 2, 2017

The Writer's Life 9/2 - Wow

One of the best aspects of watching a foreign film is not being familiar with the actors, the lack of pre-conceived notions about them. I'm sure I must have seen a Danish production somewhere along the line, but it's been lost among the hundreds of movies rattling around in my 67-year-old brain. I doubt I will forget Land of Mine (2015), a harrowing post-WWII story. The Nazis planted thousands of mines along the coast of Denmark. The task of diffusing and clearing them was assigned to German POWs, although it violated the Geneva Convention. According to an article at exulaten.com, 250 were killed doing this work in Denmark alone. I have no objection to the task having been given to Gerry, as the British called the enemy. It seems fitting, as its army put them there. Why shouldn't their soldiers have been responsible for the cleanup? Still, while viewing the film I rooted for them to survive. In this instance, almost all 14 of the captives are teenagers, probably forced into service in the latter days of the conflict. Is it historically accurate? I have no idea. Does the use of, essentially, boys indicate a liberal bias designed to tug at heart strings and deflect from what the Nazis perpetrated, and serve as an anti-war statement 70 years after the fact? Perhaps, but I was still riveted. Is the hatred of the Germans in the scenario over the top? I don't see how, given that the ambitions of the Axis powers instigated unbelievable carnage on humanity. While the anger in the narrative toward the prisoners may not be justifiable, it is certainly understandable. The young actors are terrific, but the film is stolen by Roland Moller, a Dane, as the hardcore Sergeant in charge of the group. He was a natural for the role. According to his bio, he had ten convictions for assault by age 30 and spent a total of four years, six months in jail. He broke into acting in 2007 and has worked steadily since. Land of Mine was written and directed by Martin Zandvliet, his third effort at a full length feature. I look forward to his future work. The picture was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film. I haven't seen the winner, an Iranian effort titled The Salesman. It must really be good to have beaten out Land of Mine. 16,000+ users at IMDb have rated it, forging to a consensus of 7.8 on a scale of ten, too low in my estimation. Anyone squeamish about cruelty and inhumanity should pass, although it is less bloody than many modern works. All these years later - another great film about the second world war - who'da thunk it? Kudos to everyone involved.



This was a wow day. I hadn't had a web sale of any of my works since May. This morning I found that someone downloaded eight of them to Kindle on the 27th, passing on only the most expensive, A Hitch in Twilight, which sells for six bucks. And business on the street was lively. I sold 25 CD's, 14 to a gentleman who also bought Positive Thinking Every Day: An Inspiration for Each Day of the Year by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale; and ten to Bad News Billy; and a Julio Iglesias disk to a middle aged Latina. Another bought The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, and Mr. Conspiracy laughed out loud when I showed him a book I knew he would snap up - Fart Proudly: Writings of Benjamin Franklin You Never Read in School. I sold the second and third volumes of the Hunger Games trilogy to a teenage girl. I also had a visit from Bill Brown, author of Words and Guitar, A History of Lou Reed's Music, and discovered why I hadn't seen him in months. He's been teaching an ESL class on Saturday. He bought Bob Dylan: The Essential Interviews by Jonathan Cott, The First Third by Neal Cassady, and another book by a beat generation writer with whom I was completely unfamiliar and whose name I've forgotten. Ellen also stopped by. She has an ebook on toenails listed at Amazon. As we were schmoozing, she related her long ago success in baking cheesecakes and selling them to restaurants while she was living in L.A.. I mentioned that the Kindle version of six of my eight books are less than a dollar apiece, and she said she would take a look at them. Finally, what would a Saturday session be without a visit from Mayor Mike, local super, who, laughing, related how bad he was as a kid, how his mom had to frequently go to his 600 school when he got in trouble and how she made him kneel on uncooked rice in a corner as punishment. He got as far as ninth grade. When I mentioned the CD sales, he said he had a bunch of vinyl records in excellent condition, including several by Elvis. He doesn't have the heart to throw them away. Since he doesn't use a computer, I jotted down a phrase, "Buy & sell vinyl records in Brooklyn," for him to give to someone in his building to run a search. A store will probably give him peanuts, even if the merchandise is as stellar as he says, but at least he would get something out of it. Here's a picture of such an establishment situated near where I set up shop in Park Slope:


Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Friday, September 1, 2017

The Writer's Life 9/1 - Audition

My thanks to Thirsty Dave, lead singer of country swing band Western Caravan, and his wife Candy, who donated a box full of mostly counterculture literature. Candy showed me pictures she took while the group was in Japan, where they played two sets at a musical festival on Mt. Fuji. It went so well they were invited back for next year's bash. Kudos. My thanks also to the kind folks who made purchases, especially Ira, who took a ton of weight off my hands, buying a huge pictorial of New Yorker cartoons, a compilation of famous quotes, and Trademarks of the `40s and `50s by Tyler Blik, Erik Baker and Steven Heller.



I'm a month away from resuming work on the novel I plan to self-publish in January. The title is Present and Past, and here's how it begins:

 Fred Canto?"
"Right here," said a tall, dark-haired, well-groomed man, rising.
He squeezed through the cramped space between the rows of seats, carefully lest he trample toes, inwardly amused at the irony, as the trampling of toes seemed what it was all about here
"From the top."
He climbed onto the small stage, script in hand. The sleeves of his flannel shirt were rolled up to his elbows, revealing forearms of a wiry muscular definition. He had no idea how to tackle the part. He thought the writing weak, colorless. He sensed it was comedic, but wasn't sure. The actors who’d preceded him had shed no light on the subject, nor had any of those still awaiting a turn. He'd encountered many of them at previous auditions. None seemed comfortable, although he suspected some might have been playing dumb in order to gain an edge.
He doubted the play would ever escape the tiny theater. He was kept in place by a shred of uncertainty as to its worth. He would hate himself if it turned out he'd turned his back on a work destined to become a cult classic. Besides, he'd been told by his teachers that any audition was valuable. In ten years, however, he'd yet to grasp of what value they were. He was no more comfortable now than he’d been at his first open call, but he kept at it, determined to land a role, however insignificant, before he died.
"Okay, we'll call you," said the director, scanning his notes.
"Yeah," Freddie scoffed, louder than he would have liked.
He paused, stunned at this rare loss of self-control. He'd allowed his inner voice to betray his feelings. He was averse to showing emotion to people who weren't important to him.
The director was staring at him. Freddie avoided eye contact. Several of the actors were covering their mouths, amused, pleased that a competitor had eliminated himself. How he hated them.
He stifled the urge to protest. What good would it do? He'd given his best. If three minutes was all they would allow, why should he be upset? The hour he'd spent commuting, the two wait¬ing, would have been passed in bed. He'd rather be up, doing. He didn't want to sleep his life away. There wasn't time enough anymore. What difference did it make if he didn't earn a living as an actor? He still had his classes, where he performed the work of masters, not hacks. Fame didn't matter. It often had nothing to do with excellence.
Sour grapes, he told himself, hanging his head as he reached the exit.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Thursday, August 31, 2017

The Writer's Life 8/31 - Rollie & Co.

RIP Rollie Massamino, 82, a coaching lifer and larger than life character whose emotions were usually quite clear. He started at the high school level, winning a state championship in Massachusetts. From there he moved on to the college game, where he was very successful. His Villanova team pulled off the greatest NCAA tournament upset in the history, truly March madness. Seeded eighth, the Wildcats laid waste to their opponents, going on a run that can only be described as unconscious. They beat mighty Georgetown, led by Patrick Ewing, in the final, the lowest seed ever to have won it. Massimino was at 'Nova from '73-'92. He then did a modestly successful two-year stint at scandal-scarred UNLV before moving on to Cleveland St., the only place he failed to create magic. Passionate about the game, he stayed in coaching, working for 12 years at NAIA Northwood in Florida, which later became Kaiser. He took his squads to ten post season tournaments, finishing as the runner-up one season. Despite his age, he was still coaching in 2017. Kudos, goombah.



Also in sports: the University of Florida has suspended ten players prior to its first game this weekend, which is in keeping with the reputation it has established through the years. Student athletes indeed... And in hockey, Phoenix Coyotes' captain Shane Doan has announced his retirement. Remarkably, in this age of free agency, he spent his entire career with the franchise, which began as the Winnipeg Jets. He scored 402 goals and had 570 assists. Kudos, sir. Although new management did not show him any appreciation, fans did in his final game:


Economic growth for July was revised upward from 2.6 to 3%, providing more hope that recovery is finally underway. Unfortunately, there are many potential landmines domestically and internationally that may blow it all to hell. Congress has shaken its stupor - at least temporarily - and provided Texas with needed funds. Hopefully, the money will be used wisely, but one can never be too confident when politicians are involved. Remember the pork that was added to the Hurricane Sandy relief bill. Now that the most vulnerable areas of Houston are obvious, experts should devise preventative measures. Then again, given the amount of rainfall, maybe very little can be done in that regard.  

"Stupid is as stupid does," as Forrest Gump's mom said. Two men allegedly demanded cash at the register of a Baltimore bar, where a group of police officers were gathered for a retirement party. The morons were chased down and arrested. The station-house is across the street from the pub. (From Yahoo's Odd News, in my own words.)

My thanks to the kind folks who bought and donated books on yet another day of spectacular weather in NYC.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Wednesday, August 30, 2017

The Writer's Life 8/30 - Big

RIP Brooklyn born Bernard Pomerance, 76, who wrote the highly successful The Elephant Man, which won the Tony for Best Play in 1979. It ran 916 performances and was made into a film for television using the original cast. It has seen many revivals, playing to sold out houses. Although Pomerance wrote several other plays that reached the stage in London, his adopted home, none garnered the attention of The Elephant Man, at least as far as I know. The part has been played by Philip Anglim, David Bowie, Mark Hamill and, most recently, Bradley Cooper. No make-up is used in the stage role. The actor is required to get at the essence of Joseph Merrick strictly through skill. The 1980 Hollywood film of the same name, directed by David Lynch, was not an adaptation. Having used the title and drawn on much of the original content of the play, the production company was successfully sued by Pomerance. The late John Hurt was the star - in full make-up. The movie received eight Oscar nominations, including one for Hurt's performance, but won none. Here's how Hurt looked in the production:



And here's Bradley Cooper as Merrick:



And here's the real Merrick, who died in 1890 at only 27:



And here's the author, who gave these memorable lines to Merrick: “Sometimes I think my head is so big because it is so full of dreams. Because it is.” 


In an ad in today's NY Post, Apple Bank boasts of its "great" CD rates: Six month: 1.01%; one year: 1.25%; two year: 1.60%. It's wrong to blame banks for such paltry returns. In an effort to bolster the stagnant economy, the Fed has kept interest rates near zero for about a decade. That hasn't spurred robust growth, but raising rates may hamper it. It's a damned if you you do, damned if you don't situation.

My thanks to the three elderly Russian women, one who bought two books in her native tongue, the other who made a three for one swap, and Natalia, just back from summer at her daughter's in Monticello, who bought three. Thanks also to the woman who purchased A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick, one of the better mysteries I've read, and Moonlight Becomes You by Mary Higgins Clark. While waiting for customers to come along I witnessed an interesting scene. Vehicles headed in either direction on Avenue Z were awaiting the change of light. A thirty-something woman in an SUV noticed that the cop at the wheel in the squad car beside her was speaking on a cell phone, and she called him out on it. She said she had her four children in the car, and told the one beside her to take a picture of the law-breaker. The cop let the car coast ahead as far as possible to get out of the frame. I could not see the kid, so I don't know if the violation was caught on camera. The woman used a civil tone. I wonder if she'd once been nailed for the same act. Lady, you got big ones. Kudos.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Tuesday, August 29, 2017

The Writer's Life 8/29 - Genius

From Yahoo's Odd News, in my own words: Two geniuses dressed as nuns attempted to rob a bank in Pennsylvania. They walked in, one brandishing a revolver, demanded money, but left without taking any. Maybe they experienced an epiphany that changed their minds.

Here are ten common health practices that are actually harmful, from an article at listverse.com, edited by yours truly: Hand sanitizer creates wrinkles on hands, as it dries out skin. It also contains chemicals (aside from  alcohol) that may be harmful if used frequently. Most importantly, the use of it is creating more resistant bacteria and viruses, super-bugs... Much like hand sanitizer, the frequent use of antibiotics is helping to create resistant bacteria. Also, birth control pills are rendered useless while taking certain antibiotics... Bottled water companies do not want anyone to know that minerals humans need to be healthy are filtered out of their product... A significant number of the elderly are addicted to painkillers prescribed by doctors. Prolonged use of narcotics may change brain chemistry. The changes may be irreversible and possibly cause the onset of dementia... Benadryl, an over-the-counter medicine, is used by millions of allergy sufferers. Recent studies have found that prolonged use can lead to a significantly higher risk for developing Alzheimer’s... The main place that viruses and colds end up are in health-care facilities. Why? Because that's where sick people go to get better. Go only when it's absolutely necessary... Chicken and fish are recommended as the best ways to acquire the protein one would get from red meat, yet some types of fish contain mercury, which can cause serious issues when ingested... Margarine was meant to be a healthy, fat-free alternative to butter. Recent studies have found it to be harmful, as it contains trans fats... Many believe that a gluten-free diet is healthy. It may be anything but. Just because a cookie contains no gluten does not mean it is harmless. It contains sugar and butter, empty calories... Heavy exercise in a swimming pool is not recommended, as it may cause strain on the heart, and body temperature is not maintained well... You've been warned.

I'm so concerned about Alzheimer's and dementia that I search for clues that I might be heading for it. Lately, I'd been using the eff word a lot, as well as other choice phrases, inwardly and outwardly. A few days ago I decided to stop doing it just to show myself that it isn't out of my control. So far I've done well, clipping in half those few words that do escape me. Anyway, there was encouraging news on this front in the Weird But True column in today's NY Post. Researchers at Rochester U. in upstate NY asked 1000 people about 400 daily habits such as singing in the shower and swearing, and found that potty mouths tend to have a higher IQ. Smarty-pants folks are also more likely to walk around the house naked. Given those three criteria - I'm a fu... (oops) genius!

It seems like the disaster relief folks in Texas learned a lot from the mistakes post-Katrina.

My thanks to the woman who purchased two books in Russian and The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, and to the gentleman who bought The Italian Secretary by Caleb Carr, a Sherlock Holmes mystery from the author of  The Alienist, a novel for which Random House paid Carr an advance of $60,000. Paperback rights were sold at auction to Bantam for $1,001,000. The book made Publishers Weekly's list of best-sellers in April 1994, and during that summer reached number four on The New York Times Best Seller list.



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

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Monday, August 28, 2017

The Writer's Life 8/28 - Faces

RIP Tobe Hooper, 74, who in his second feature film directed what is now an acknowledged classic, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). Its bizarre characterizations and graphic violence have creeped-out audiences since its release. Made on a budget of less than $300,000, it has returned more than $30 million at the box office through the years. Although the film's success led to steady work, Hooper never approached those heights again. He was given directorial credit on the hugely successful Poltergeist (1982), but he was replaced on it somewhere along the way by Steven Spielberg, so it's impossible to know who was responsible for it. He had modest success with a two-part TV adaptation of Stephen King's Salem's Lot (1979). IMDb lists 37 titles under his name as director, 16 as writer, nine as producer, six as actor, three as composer (including ...Chainsaw...), two as editor and one as cinematographer. Only two of the cast amassed a significant number of other credits: the late Gunnar Hansen, who played Leatherface, had 29, and Edwin Neal, who played the Hitchhiker, has 61 to date. John Dugan, who played Grandfather, did not appear in another film for 20 years, when he did a sequel, and it was another 13 years before he experienced steady work, 18 more credits listed under his name. The late Marilyn Burns had only 11 credits, most of them as a "scream queen." Here's a quote attributed to Hooper: "You've got to send a physical sensation through and not let them off the hook. I like to make it faster and faster and faster and pumping and banging until I get into you." He certainly achieved that in his masterwork. Well done, sir. Here's a pic of the iconic Leatherface:


And here's one of Marilyn Burns having fun on location:



Frozen out of a favorable parking space at my usual nook, I took the floating book shop to an alternate site and got lucky. For a while it looked like the only sale would be a children's book bought by a woman who had her granddaughter in tow. My spirits lifted when I spotted Danny sauntering toward me. He bought about 15 works of non-fiction from history to economics to self help, including Total Memory Makeover: Uncover Your Past, Take Charge of Your Future by Marilu Henner. She has hyperthymesia, the ability to remember specific details of virtually every day of her life since she was a small child. She was a regular in two hit TV series, Taxi, in which she appeared in 114 episodes, and Evening Shade, in which she did 98. Six times she has played the mom of the heroine of the Aurora Teagarden mysteries based on the characters created by Charlaine Harris, who is also responsible for the Sookie Stackhouse series which led to the creation of the True Blood cable series, which shot 81 episodes. Henner has also starred in scores of movies on the big and small screen. She has written at least ten works of non-fiction, all but one, an autobiography, focused on health. Her parents were both in their early 50's when they died. She is 65. Kudos, ma'am. Here's a pic of this fantastic woman:



My thanks also to the other kind ladies who purchased books, and to the Russian gentleman who bought a CD compilation of romantic classical works.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Sunday, August 27, 2017

The Writer's Life 8/27 - Blasts from the Present & Past

As expected, the Philadelphia Phillies are suffering through a horrible season. They are 30 games out of first and may lose 100 games. But there's hope for the future in the form of OF Rhys Hoskins, 24, who has become the first player in MLB history to hit 10 home runs in the first 20 games of his career. He didn't get his first hit until his third game, and first homer until his fourth! He is on fire. Kudos, young man.

I'm not religious, but a quote from Franco Zefferelli's Jesus of Nazareth (1977) has frequently come to mind lately regarding the frenzy to topple statues. When the mob accosts the adulteress and a leader asks Jesus what should be done with her, he says: "He among you who is without sin, let him cast the first stone." The actual quote from the King James Bible is clumsy: "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." Who the heck among the human race, especially those who have wielded power, would stand the litmus test demanded by the left? Many of their own icons, including FDR and Margaret Sanger, would not pass.

Last night on its Svengoolie program, MeTV ran Murders of the Rue Morgue (1932), starring Bela Lugosi. Running only 61 minutes, it was typical of early talkies in that the actors employed emotive techniques from the silent era. In researching the film at IMDb, I was surprised at yet another name that had previously escaped my attention - director Robert Florey, who was born in Paris in 1900 and made his first appearance on the silver screen in 1916 in a French production. He emigrated to America in the early '20's and learned the film business from the bottom up. He has six titles as an actor listed under his name, 15 as a writer, and 113 as a director, mostly of B movies before he segued into TV in the early 1950's. He did 36 episodes of The Loretta Young Show, 38 of Four Star Playhouse, 32 of Schlitz Playhouse, and multiple and one-shot stints at the helm of popular fare of the era, including The Untouchables and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He passed away in 1979 at 78. Kudos, sir. Here's a picture of him:



And here's a still from The Fever episode of The Twilight Zone, which Florey directed. It starred the great character actor Everett Sloane and first aired in 1960:



My thanks to the elderly woman who made a four-for-two swap of books in Russian, and to Kimberly, who purchased The Girl Who Played with Fire, the second part of Stieg Larsson's millennium trilogy. An Italian American who looked to be in her 20's, Kimberly has been posting her poetry on Instagram and getting good feedback. She may want to do a book. I told her about Create Space, where she would be able to get it into print for free. Best of luck, young lady.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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