KILLER’S WEDGE (1959) **** by Ed McBain This paperback edition published by Allison & Busby, 2007, 242pp (233pp) First published in 1958 (USA) © The Estate of Ed McBain, 1958 ISBN: 978-0-749-08023-5 Blurb: Her game was death – and her name was Virginia Dodge. She was out to put a bullet through Steve Carella’s brain, and she…
Month: September 2021
Film Review – ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948)
ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948, USA) *** Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi dist. Universal Pictures (USA), General Film Distributors (GFD) (UK); pr co. Universal International Pictures (UI); d. Charles Barton; w. Robert Lees, Frederic I. Rinaldo, John Grant; pr. Robert Arthur; ph. Charles Van Enger (B&W. 35mm. Spherical. 1.37:1); m. Frank Skinner; ed. Frank Gross; ad….
Film Review – HOG WILD (1930)
HOG WILD (1930, USA) **** Comedy dist. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (USA), Jury Metro-Goldwyn (UK); pr co. Hal Roach Studios; d. James Parrott; w. H.M. Walker (dialogue) (based on a story by Stan Laurel and Leo McCarey (uncredited)); pr. Hal Roach (uncredited); ph. George Stevens (B&W. 35mm. Spherical. 1.37:1); m. md. Marvin Hatley; ed. Richard C. Currier;…
TV Review – VIGIL (2021)
VIGIL (2021, UK) ***½ Crime, Drama pr co. World Productions; net. BBC One; exec pr. Tom Edge, Jake Lushington, James Strong, Leslie Finlay, Simon Heath, Gaynor Holmes, Roderick Seligman; pr. Angie Daniell; d. Isabelle Sieb, James Strong; w. Tom Edge, Chandni Lakhani, Ed Macdonald (based on an original idea by George Aza-Selinger); ph. Matt Gray,…
Genesis – Manchester Arena, 24 September 2021
Well they may well all be over 70 now and Phil Collins not in the best of health, but Genesis still turned on the magic last night at the Manchester Arena. A delay of over an hour due to a generator failure only helped to add to the anticipation (maybe the puncture they had on…
Book Review – KILLER’S PAYOFF (1958) by Ed McBain
KILLER’S PAYOFF (1958) **** by Ed McBain This paperback edition published by Penguin, 1987, 160pp First published in 1958 (USA) © Ed McBain, 1958 ISBN: 978-0-140-02119-6 Blurb: He appeared to be a decent, upright, honest citizen….And yet appearances can be more than deceiving in the world of blackmail and extortion. The shocking gangland-style murder of known blackmailer…
Book Review – GENESIS – 1975 TO 2021: THE PHIL COLLINS YEARS (2021)
GENESIS – 1975 TO 2021: THE PHIL COLLINS YEARS (2021) ***½ by Mario Giammetti This paperback edition published by Kingmaker Publishing, 2021, 290pp © Mario Giammetti, 2021 ISBN: 978-1-838491-80-2 Blurb: The definitive biography of the later years of one of the world’s greatest bands. The book contains numerous exclusive interviews with band members and all of…
Genesis’ Abacab at 40
18 September 2021 is the 40th anniversary of the release of Genesis’ watershed album Abacab. It was the band’s eleventh studio album and their third as a trio The album saw Genesis deliberately steer themselves into a post-new wave direction by rejecting any material they wrote which they felt was treading old ground or adopting…
Book Review – KILLER’S CHOICE (1958) by Ed McBain
KILLER’S CHOICE (1958) **** by Ed McBain This paperback edition published by Penguin, 1986, 160pp (155pp) First published in 1958 (USA) © Ed McBain, 1958 ISBN: 978-0-140-01972-3 Blurb: Someone killed Annie Boone, but was she an innocent victim or the target of a hit? As Detectives Carella and Kling of the 87th precinct pick up the…
Book Review – THE CON MAN (1957) by Ed McBain
THE CON MAN (1957) ***½ by Ed McBain This paperback edition published by Penguin, 1987, 174pp (168pp) First published in 1957 (USA) © Ed McBain, 1957 ISBN: 978-0-140-01971-1 Blurb: A con man is plying his trade on the streets of Isola: conning a domestic for pocket change, businessmen for thousands, and even ladies in exchange for a…