Dearest Readers,
I am doing something out of my comfort zone tonight. I am going to a late-night movie. I used to go to movies all the time but that was many moons ago. In fact, I was a late night haunter of midnight movies for many years.
On occasion I have even been known to sleep in movie theaters because it was warmer than where I was living. There were times when eating popcorn was known as "Holiday Dinner". Well, dearest reader, I was in the wonderful Bay known as Tampa earlier this week and went to the flicks.
As you have guessed by now, I am a huge fan of the Westlake, as in Donald E. The motherfucker was a WRITER. Not an author, not an artist, not a craftsman. He was a goddamn writer. That holds truck with me and if you don't know the difference then I don't know what to tell you.
So I went and saw Parker in the Bay of Tampa. To be honest, I didn't hate it. It was reasonably well cast, the story line was Westlakeish, and there was plenty of action. Now here's what I didn't like. There was waaay too little dialogue for a Westlake novel turned film. There is just too much inner narrative in his novels to make a decent film without transforming a fair amount into dialogue.
Love J-Lo as the female lead though. I would not cast her in a cat food commercial, but she totally worked in this role and did a great job as a real estate salesperson. As for Parker, he fit the part, didn't overdo, and was never in the way of the story. (he didn't try to make a name). But the flick still fell short of a Westlake novel. I wasn't disappointed, didn't sleep in the theater, and ultimately enjoyed myself. But for $10 I hoped for more.
For the love of crime novels.
Your humblest of servants,
BKoM
I am doing something out of my comfort zone tonight. I am going to a late-night movie. I used to go to movies all the time but that was many moons ago. In fact, I was a late night haunter of midnight movies for many years.
On occasion I have even been known to sleep in movie theaters because it was warmer than where I was living. There were times when eating popcorn was known as "Holiday Dinner". Well, dearest reader, I was in the wonderful Bay known as Tampa earlier this week and went to the flicks.
As you have guessed by now, I am a huge fan of the Westlake, as in Donald E. The motherfucker was a WRITER. Not an author, not an artist, not a craftsman. He was a goddamn writer. That holds truck with me and if you don't know the difference then I don't know what to tell you.
So I went and saw Parker in the Bay of Tampa. To be honest, I didn't hate it. It was reasonably well cast, the story line was Westlakeish, and there was plenty of action. Now here's what I didn't like. There was waaay too little dialogue for a Westlake novel turned film. There is just too much inner narrative in his novels to make a decent film without transforming a fair amount into dialogue.
Love J-Lo as the female lead though. I would not cast her in a cat food commercial, but she totally worked in this role and did a great job as a real estate salesperson. As for Parker, he fit the part, didn't overdo, and was never in the way of the story. (he didn't try to make a name). But the flick still fell short of a Westlake novel. I wasn't disappointed, didn't sleep in the theater, and ultimately enjoyed myself. But for $10 I hoped for more.
For the love of crime novels.
Your humblest of servants,
BKoM
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