This week I completed my first interview by Skype about my book The World of Shaft with James P Stancil of the New Books Network. James was a very gracious host. The podcast is now available to listen to by clicking the link below: http://newbooksnetwork.com/steve-aldous-the-world-of-shaft-a-complete-guide-to-the-novels-comic-strip-films-and-television-series-mcfarland-2015/
Month: March 2017
Book Review – STAY CLOSE (2012) by Harlan Coben
STAY CLOSE by HARLAN COBEN (2012, Orion, 406pp) ∗∗∗½ Blurb: Megan once walked on the wild side. Now she’s got two kids, a perfect husband, a picket fence, and a growing sense of dissatisfaction. Ray used to be a talented documentary photographer, but at age forty he finds himself in a dead-end job posing as a paparazzo…
Film Review – BROADWAY DANNY ROSE (1984)
Broadway Danny Rose (1984; USA; B&W; 84m) ∗∗∗∗ d. Woody Allen; w. Woody Allen; ph. Gordon Willis; m. Dick Hyman (supervisor). Cast: Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Nick Apollo Forte, Sandy Baron, Milton Berle, Craig Vandenburgh, Herb Reynolds, Paul Greco, Howard Cosell, Corbett Monica, Jackie Gayle, Morty Gunty, Will Jordan, Howard Storm, Jack Rollins. In his…
Film Review – THE LONG CHASE (1972) (TV)
Long Chase, The (TV) (1972; USA; Technicolor; 74m) ∗∗½ d. Alexander Singer; w. Roy Huggins (as John Thomas James), Dick Nelson; ph. Gene Polito; m. John Andrew Tartaglia, Pete Rugolo. Cast: Ben Murphy, Roger Davis, J.D. Cannon, Rod Cameron, Buddy Ebsen, Marie Windsor, James Drury, Laurie Ferrone, Dave Garroway, George Keymas, Frank Sinatra Jr., Larry…
Film Review – THE GODFATHER (1972)
Godfather, The (1972; USA; Technicolor; 175m) ∗∗∗∗∗ d. Francis Ford Coppola; w. Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo; ph. Gordon Willis; m. Nino Rota. Cast: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, John Cazale, Talia Shire, Richard Castellano, Sterling Hayden, Gianni Russo, Rudy Bond, John Marley, Richard Conte, Al Lettieri, Abe Vigoda, Franco…
Magazine Review – GENESIS – THE ULTIMATE MUSIC GUIDE (2017)
GENESIS – THE ULTIMATE MUSIC GUIDE (2017, Uncut, 122pp) ∗∗∗∗ Blurb: The Ultimate Music Guide: Genesis, then, seeks to explain the whole shapeshifting brilliance of the band. We’ve delved deep into the archives of NME and Melody Maker, finding interviews with the members that have languished unseen for decades. You’ll see characters emerging and plans being…
Graphic Novel Review – SHAFT: IMITATION OF LIFE (2017) by David F. Walker/Dietrich Smith
SHAFT: IMITATION OF LIFE by DAVID F. WALKER/DIETRICH SMITH (2017, Dynamite, 104pp) ∗∗∗∗ Blurb: After a high-profile case puts him in the headlines, private detective John Shaft is looking for something low profile and easy that will keep him out of the spotlight, out of danger. Shaft takes a missing person case that proves to be more difficult…
Book Review – DARK WINTER (2001) by William Dietrich
DARK WINTER by WILLIAM DIETRICH (2001, Warner Books, 388pp) ∗∗∗ Blurb: At America’s base at the South Pole, 26 “winterovers” complete the yearly ritual of waving good-bye to the “last plane out,” then summon their energies for that season’s battle with constant darkness, total isolation and murderous cold that can dip well beneath 100 degrees below zero….
TV Review – TAKEN – “PILOT EPISODE” (2016)
Taken – “Pilot Episode” (2016, USA, Colour, 43m) ∗∗½ pr. Luc Besson; d. Alex Graves; w. Alexander Cary; ph. Thomas Kloss; m. Trevor Morris; ed. Jordan Goldman; exec. pr. Thomas Anargyros, Luc Besson, Alexander Cary, Edouard de Vésinne, Matthew Gross. Cast: Clive Standen, Gaius Charles, Brooklyn Sudano, Monique Gabriela Curnen, Michael Irby, Jose Pablo Cantillo, James Landry Hébert, Jennifer Beals, Jennifer Marsala, Simu Liu, Ali Kazmi, Celeste Desjardins, Victoria Snow. Former Green Beret Bryan Mills (Standen) must…