Nick Drake
Nov23

Nick Drake

I must confess to having been unfamiliar with the folk music of Nick Drake before seeing him mentioned in Phil Rickman’s novel The Wine of Angels. (Reviewed in the Print section of this blog.)  Indeed, just to show you my complete ignorance I wasn’t sure whether or not he was one of the writer’s fictional characters.  Although in fairness that’s a tribute to how deftly Rickman weaves the fictional and the actual together in his books....

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Meet Merrily for a Glass of Cider: The Wine of Angels
Nov23

Meet Merrily for a Glass of Cider: The Wine of Angels

 Meet Merrily for a Glass of Cider: The Wine of Angels   Right off, I have to say that I find it very hard to be objective about the northern English writer, Phil Rickman.  I know that he has his faults, but for me most of them are minor and are quite easily overlooked. [pullquote align=”left”]Some people think that Phil Rickman’s books go on ‘way too long. For me, they couldn’t be long enough. [/pullquote]  I picked...

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You’ll never see an Ad for KFC like This Again: KILLER JOE
Nov22

You’ll never see an Ad for KFC like This Again: KILLER JOE

Where do you start with this one? It’s described as a black comedy so maybe I approached it in a state of innocence.  I mean, I get the ‘black’ part but did I miss the ‘comedy’?  Was it one scene that went over my head?  Well, unless unexpected, shocking violence is funny (and of course, horribly enough, it can be).  Hell, I thought that I had a sense of humour as warped as the next guy; but in this case the next guy is a mass...

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The Klan and the Nazis Head for Massachusetts
Nov12

The Klan and the Nazis Head for Massachusetts

The Klan and the Nazis Head for Massachusetts:  Marblehead:  A Novel of H.  P. Lovecraft By Richard A.  Lupoff     “Marblehead was of particular interest.  H.  P.  loved the untrodden paths and would try to find them, always seeking the weird, the uncanny and the unusual.”                                                                                                 –Sonia H. Davis   It’s a little sobering to think...

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Lorene Scafaria
Nov10

Lorene Scafaria

I knew nothing about Lorene Scafaria before I fell in love with her directorial debut Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. (See review – here) She does seem to have it all, though.  She has written nine screenplays, although not all have worked out for her. She can also act, she can sing and now she has directed a movie.  Wouldn’t you think that Nature would spread the talent around a little? Anyway, here is one of her...

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