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PRO SE OPEN UPDATED AND NEW ANTHOLOGIES ADDED!

  • Uncategorized
  • October 19, 2012

The Pro Se Open has its own page now! http://pulpmachine.blogspot.com/p/pro-se-open.html

The Pro Se Open is a list of Anthologies that Pro Se Productions, a leading publisher of Heroic Fiction and New Pulp plans to do in the future. This is an open call on all the books listed in the Open, that is anyone can submit a story for any of the books in the list. For some of the anthologies, there is no deadline essentially, that is until all the slots open in any given book are filled. However, some will have deadlines attached and these will be noted by each individual title.


The Process will be as follows-
1. An upcoming Anthology is listed in the Pro Se Open.
2. Submissions are accepted (a 2-3 paragraph proposal for the story and at least a two page writing sample if you are a new writer submitting to Pro Se)
3. When the slots for the collection are all filled, a deadline for story completion will be set of approximately ninety days from the closing of the anthology. This will give writers time to complete their tales, artists time to do covers, etc.
4. The book will be published within approximately 30 days following the passing of the deadline.

 Even though the deadline will be 2-3 months out once a book is closed, Editors assigned to these projects will follow up, monitor, and make sure work is being done. Steps will be taken to move the anthology along as planned if work is not being done in a timely manner.  This means, however, that until all the slots are filled on an anthology in The Pro Se Open, it will remain open, but it is Pro Se’s commitment that once all the works are in for a particular collection, that that collection move into high gear toward publication, regardless of current publishing schedule.

The Pro Se Open will be updated periodically as to adding new collections and removing ones that have been filled.
New Anthologies to the Open as of 10/18/12 are As Follows-

TALL PULP– Although every country has its mythologies, none quite have the same flavor as that of that infant of a nation, The Good Ol’ US of A.   Instead of Gods and such, a whole crop of larger than life type heroes and characters have popped up throughout American history, collectively known as ‘Tall Tales’…   TALL PULP (tentative title) will focus on characters who populate American Folklore, such as Paul Bunyan, Mike Fink, Pecos Bill, and more!  These stories, each 10,000 words in length, will be Pulp minded tales that focus on one Tall Tale figure (either completely fictional or the tall tale version of a real person, such as Davy Crockett).  These stories may either be retellings of the original legends with a Pulp flavor, set in the original time period of the characters themselves, or can be completely new updatings of these characters into other settings (John Henry in 1930s Chicago for instance)  Three stories, 10,000 word stories

COVERT OPS: GEMINI– Not all spies are actors, models, or…spies in their off mission time.  Under a particular program in the United States, active since the 1950s, hundreds, maybe even thousands of America’s top secret operatives live the majority of their lives as housewives, plumbers, teachers, garbagemen, and other ordinary, even mundane existences.  But when they receive a message with their own personal codename followed by a single word- Gemini- then they leave suburbia or the rat race and become America’s only hope for survival.  Outside of their ‘real’ lives, these spies show skills and talents not ever apparent in their daily existence.  Guided by a voice known only as ‘Officer James’, C.O.G. Team Leaders stand ready to pull the best and most devious spies available to the US out of the humdrum and plunge them straight into danger.  Three stories, 10,000 words each (If interested, request bible).

BADGE CITY–  This collection is all Police Procedural, but with a slight twist.   Set in an unnamed metropolis, referred to by the local cops and even crooks as Badge City due to the tenacity of the police force, the three stories in this collection will be set in three different time periods and each story will focus on a member of the Connors Family, each one serving on the Police force in some capacity.   Starting in the 1930s-50s, then moving onto the 1960s-80s, and ending in the 1990s-now, three writers get the opportunity to write true police procedurals as written in the eras covered while building the history of a family and a city! Think Dragnet meets 87th Precinct meets Blue Bloods.   Three stories, 10,000 words each (If interested, request bible.)

Anthologies previously listed in the Pro Se Open  and their status are as follows- 

PULPOLOGY– It has been said often that Pulp has its origins in ancient tales, legends, the mythologies of many lands. Taking this to heart, this anthology will feature stories starring characters from mythologies around the world! Actual mythological characters in new adventures set in their own era, the ancient world of heroes and monsters, or updated takes on classic myths (Jason and The Argonauts in the Old West, for example). Either way, these stories will spotlight the characters and strengths of mythologies world wide and put a two fisted, high octane Pulp spin on the legends themselves! 3 Stories, 10,000 words each. VOLUME ONE OF THIS ANTHOLOGY IS CLOSED PENDING ACCEPTED STORIES BEING TURNED IN, ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS FOR VOLUME TWO
SIX GUNS AND SPACESHIPS– This is a wide open, do it as you want Space Western Anthology. The requirements- It’s got to be a mash up between classic westerns and space opera (Firefly, Outland, Bravestarr, just a few examples). It doesn’t take place on Earth at all, has to be off planet, but time period and location beyond that are up to the writer! Three Stories, 10,000 word stories VOLUME ONE OF THIS ANTHOLOGY IS CLOSED PENDING ACCEPTED STORIES BEING TURNED IN, ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS FOR VOLUME TWO

TO LOVE AND DIE– Pulp Romance is back! And its deadlier than ever! These stories will be set in any time period up until modern day and must feature two things-Romance…and Treachery. These stories may be mysteries, horror tales, adventure yarns, whatever, but there must be a strong core of romance mixed with danger throughout. Three Open Slots, 10,000 word stories- VOLUME ONE OF THIS ANTHOLOGY IS CLOSED PENDING ACCEPTED STORIES BEING TURNED IN. ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS FOR VOLUME TWO

THE BLACK FEDORA-A BOOK OF VILLAINS– This is just what it says it is, an anthology dedicated to stories about the bad guys we love to hate. These stories will focus on original villains and of course the heroes they face, these tales similar in style to the FU MANCHU stories of the past. But this isn’t only for yellow perils!! Any type of villain that populates pulp is welcome to try on THE BLACK FEDORA! VOLUME ONE OF THIS ANTHOLOGY IS CLOSED PENDING ACCEPTED STORIES BEING TURNED IN, ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS FOR VOLUME TWO

NEWSHOUNDS! – Dogged reporters, crusty editors, copyboys and cub photographers with dreams of grandeur, Pressmen who know the city lives and breathes by what they print! One of the most fertile grounds for action packed pulp has always been the newspaper office. And all those wonderful character types and more all work for The Partisan, a 1950s paper partial to the common man, to righting the wrongs done against the innocent and the weak! And this gaggle of hard bitten, hard fighitng men and women are known near and far to those who love them and those who wish to see them dead! Do No Wrong in Their City unless you want it covered by the Newshounds! 3 Stories, 10,000 word stories) If Interested, request Bible.  THREE SLOTS STILL OPEN

THE ADVENTURES OF MOOSE AND SKWIRL, TROUBLETAKERS- Trouble happens everywhere in the universe. Any time. Any place. And to make sure whatever cockeyed balance there is is kept, the universe takes care of itself, assigning special individuals to the unpredictable, unrewarding, and usually life threatening task of just being in the completely wrong places at the totally right times to hopefully keep everyone…or most everyone from dying. But the universe doesn’t trust just one person to do this, no it works in groups of two. Moose-Stocky, barrel chested, two fisted, sarcastic, and ready to deliver a soliloquy over the bodies of whoever stands in his way… And Skwirl-Seductive, sexy, and with a sense of humor that could kill….literally. These two ‘Trouble Takers’ travel space and time very much at random, figuring out whatever issue they are thrown into and then fixing it. In their own unique, usually very destructive, bloody way. Three stories, 10,000 word stories ( If interested, request short bible for this one). TWO STORIES APPROVED, ONE SLOT REMAININGTHE 

NINTH CIRCLE-VOLUME ONE, This collection centers around a crime ridden precinct and borough in a city that shuffles its misbegotten and forgotten to THE NINTH CIRCLE. Three Slots-10,000 word stories (If interested, request short bible for this one) TWO SLOTS OPEN, 12,500 WORD STORIES

HIGH ADVENTURE HISTORY-Ever wanted a chance to write a masked man enforcing justice in ancient Egypt? Or a larger than life genius and his team of heroes righting wrongs in renaissance Italy? Or mad scientists terrorizing the Arizona desert towns of the Old West? Then here’s your chance! HIGH ADVENTURE HISTORY will include stories of traditional pulp concepts and tropes plopped into our very own past, pre 1900! Take your favorite pulp stereotype and wrap it up in ancient or not so ancient places and people and join us in HIGH ADVENTURE HISTORY! Three stories, 10,000 word stories- TWO SLOTS OPEN

THE SHAMUS DIRECTIVE is a project actually founded in historical context. Just prior to and all during World War Two, The United States government via the FBI as well as members of the Armed Forces, developed dossiers on all licensed Private Investigators in the country. A list was then comprised of the ones deemed appropriate and ‘good’ and they were then considered to be ‘cleared’ to be used in espionage missions, mostly on the homefront, or missions that regular forces just could not deal with for various reasons. THE SHAMUS DIRECTIVE poses the theory that not only was this list compiled, but the people on it were truly the world’s greatest detectives and they were formed into sort of a team to handle major issues in conjunction, even maybe saving major parcels of land and people in the process. Six stories , 10,000 word stories (If interested, request short bible for this one) TWO SLOTS OPEN 

If you’re a writer or artist and are interested in these anthologies or have questions, email Editor in Chief Tommy Hancock at proseproductions@earthlink.net! And check out Pro Se at www.prosepulp.com and www.pulpmachine.blogspot.com.



PRO SE OPEN UPDATED AND NEW ANTHOLOGIES ADDED!

  • Uncategorized
  • October 19, 2012

The Pro Se Open is a list of Anthologies that Pro Se Productions, a leading publisher of Heroic Fiction and New Pulp plans to do in the future. This is an open call on all the books listed in the Open, that is anyone can submit a story for any of the books in the list. For some of the anthologies, there is no deadline essentially, that is until all the slots open in any given book are filled. However, some will have deadlines attached and these will be noted by each individual title.

The Process will be as follows-
1. An upcoming Anthology is listed in the Pro Se Open.
2. Submissions are accepted (a 2-3 paragraph proposal for the story and at least a two page writing sample if you are a new writer submitting to Pro Se)
3. When the slots for the collection are all filled, a deadline for story completion will be set of approximately ninety days from the closing of the anthology. This will give writers time to complete their tales, artists time to do covers, etc.
4. The book will be published within approximately 30 days following the passing of the deadline.

 Even though the deadline will be 2-3 months out once a book is closed, Editors assigned to these projects will follow up, monitor, and make sure work is being done. Steps will be taken to move the anthology along as planned if work is not being done in a timely manner.  This means, however, that until all the slots are filled on an anthology in The Pro Se Open, it will remain open, but it is Pro Se’s commitment that once all the works are in for a particular collection, that that collection move into high gear toward publication, regardless of current publishing schedule.

The Pro Se Open will be updated periodically as to adding new collections and removing ones that have been filled.
New Anthologies to the Open as of 10/18/12 are As Follows-

TALL PULP– Although every country has its mythologies, none quite have the same flavor as that of that infant of a nation, The Good Ol’ US of A.   Instead of Gods and such, a whole crop of larger than life type heroes and characters have popped up throughout American history, collectively known as ‘Tall Tales’…   TALL PULP (tentative title) will focus on characters who populate American Folklore, such as Paul Bunyan, Mike Fink, Pecos Bill, and more!  These stories, each 10,000 words in length, will be Pulp minded tales that focus on one Tall Tale figure (either completely fictional or the tall tale version of a real person, such as Davy Crockett).  These stories may either be retellings of the original legends with a Pulp flavor, set in the original time period of the characters themselves, or can be completely new updatings of these characters into other settings (John Henry in 1930s Chicago for instance)  Three stories, 10,000 word stories

COVERT OPS: GEMINI– Not all spies are actors, models, or…spies in their off mission time.  Under a particular program in the United States, active since the 1950s, hundreds, maybe even thousands of America’s top secret operatives live the majority of their lives as housewives, plumbers, teachers, garbagemen, and other ordinary, even mundane existences.  But when they receive a message with their own personal codename followed by a single word- Gemini- then they leave suburbia or the rat race and become America’s only hope for survival.  Outside of their ‘real’ lives, these spies show skills and talents not ever apparent in their daily existence.  Guided by a voice known only as ‘Officer James’, C.O.G. Team Leaders stand ready to pull the best and most devious spies available to the US out of the humdrum and plunge them straight into danger.  Three stories, 10,000 words each (If interested, request bible).

BADGE CITY–  This collection is all Police Procedural, but with a slight twist.   Set in an unnamed metropolis, referred to by the local cops and even crooks as Badge City due to the tenacity of the police force, the three stories in this collection will be set in three different time periods and each story will focus on a member of the Connors Family, each one serving on the Police force in some capacity.   Starting in the 1930s-50s, then moving onto the 1960s-80s, and ending in the 1990s-now, three writers get the opportunity to write true police procedurals as written in the eras covered while building the history of a family and a city! Think Dragnet meets 87th Precinct meets Blue Bloods.   Three stories, 10,000 words each (If interested, request bible.)

Anthologies previously listed in the Pro Se Open  and their status are as follows- 

PULPOLOGY– It has been said often that Pulp has its origins in ancient tales, legends, the mythologies of many lands. Taking this to heart, this anthology will feature stories starring characters from mythologies around the world! Actual mythological characters in new adventures set in their own era, the ancient world of heroes and monsters, or updated takes on classic myths (Jason and The Argonauts in the Old West, for example). Either way, these stories will spotlight the characters and strengths of mythologies world wide and put a two fisted, high octane Pulp spin on the legends themselves! 3 Stories, 10,000 words each. VOLUME ONE OF THIS ANTHOLOGY IS CLOSED PENDING ACCEPTED STORIES BEING TURNED IN, ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS FOR VOLUME TWO
SIX GUNS AND SPACESHIPS– This is a wide open, do it as you want Space Western Anthology. The requirements- It’s got to be a mash up between classic westerns and space opera (Firefly, Outland, Bravestarr, just a few examples). It doesn’t take place on Earth at all, has to be off planet, but time period and location beyond that are up to the writer! Three Stories, 10,000 word stories VOLUME ONE OF THIS ANTHOLOGY IS CLOSED PENDING ACCEPTED STORIES BEING TURNED IN, ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS FOR VOLUME TWO

TO LOVE AND DIE– Pulp Romance is back! And its deadlier than ever! These stories will be set in any time period up until modern day and must feature two things-Romance…and Treachery. These stories may be mysteries, horror tales, adventure yarns, whatever, but there must be a strong core of romance mixed with danger throughout. Three Open Slots, 10,000 word stories- VOLUME ONE OF THIS ANTHOLOGY IS CLOSED PENDING ACCEPTED STORIES BEING TURNED IN. ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS FOR VOLUME TWO

THE BLACK FEDORA-A BOOK OF VILLAINS– This is just what it says it is, an anthology dedicated to stories about the bad guys we love to hate. These stories will focus on original villains and of course the heroes they face, these tales similar in style to the FU MANCHU stories of the past. But this isn’t only for yellow perils!! Any type of villain that populates pulp is welcome to try on THE BLACK FEDORA! VOLUME ONE OF THIS ANTHOLOGY IS CLOSED PENDING ACCEPTED STORIES BEING TURNED IN, ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS FOR VOLUME TWO

NEWSHOUNDS! – Dogged reporters, crusty editors, copyboys and cub photographers with dreams of grandeur, Pressmen who know the city lives and breathes by what they print! One of the most fertile grounds for action packed pulp has always been the newspaper office. And all those wonderful character types and more all work for The Partisan, a 1950s paper partial to the common man, to righting the wrongs done against the innocent and the weak! And this gaggle of hard bitten, hard fighitng men and women are known near and far to those who love them and those who wish to see them dead! Do No Wrong in Their City unless you want it covered by the Newshounds! 3 Stories, 10,000 word stories) If Interested, request Bible.  THREE SLOTS STILL OPEN

THE ADVENTURES OF MOOSE AND SKWIRL, TROUBLETAKERS- Trouble happens everywhere in the universe. Any time. Any place. And to make sure whatever cockeyed balance there is is kept, the universe takes care of itself, assigning special individuals to the unpredictable, unrewarding, and usually life threatening task of just being in the completely wrong places at the totally right times to hopefully keep everyone…or most everyone from dying. But the universe doesn’t trust just one person to do this, no it works in groups of two. Moose-Stocky, barrel chested, two fisted, sarcastic, and ready to deliver a soliloquy over the bodies of whoever stands in his way… And Skwirl-Seductive, sexy, and with a sense of humor that could kill….literally. These two ‘Trouble Takers’ travel space and time very much at random, figuring out whatever issue they are thrown into and then fixing it. In their own unique, usually very destructive, bloody way. Three stories, 10,000 word stories ( If interested, request short bible for this one). TWO STORIES APPROVED, ONE SLOT REMAININGTHE 

NINTH CIRCLE-VOLUME ONE, This collection centers around a crime ridden precinct and borough in a city that shuffles its misbegotten and forgotten to THE NINTH CIRCLE. Three Slots-10,000 word stories (If interested, request short bible for this one) TWO SLOTS OPEN, 12,500 WORD STORIES

HIGH ADVENTURE HISTORY-Ever wanted a chance to write a masked man enforcing justice in ancient Egypt? Or a larger than life genius and his team of heroes righting wrongs in renaissance Italy? Or mad scientists terrorizing the Arizona desert towns of the Old West? Then here’s your chance! HIGH ADVENTURE HISTORY will include stories of traditional pulp concepts and tropes plopped into our very own past, pre 1900! Take your favorite pulp stereotype and wrap it up in ancient or not so ancient places and people and join us in HIGH ADVENTURE HISTORY! Three stories, 10,000 word stories- TWO SLOTS OPEN

THE SHAMUS DIRECTIVE is a project actually founded in historical context. Just prior to and all during World War Two, The United States government via the FBI as well as members of the Armed Forces, developed dossiers on all licensed Private Investigators in the country. A list was then comprised of the ones deemed appropriate and ‘good’ and they were then considered to be ‘cleared’ to be used in espionage missions, mostly on the homefront, or missions that regular forces just could not deal with for various reasons. THE SHAMUS DIRECTIVE poses the theory that not only was this list compiled, but the people on it were truly the world’s greatest detectives and they were formed into sort of a team to handle major issues in conjunction, even maybe saving major parcels of land and people in the process. Six stories , 10,000 word stories (If interested, request short bible for this one) TWO SLOTS OPEN 

If you’re a writer or artist and are interested in these anthologies or have questions, email Editor in Chief Tommy Hancock at proseproductions@earthlink.net! And check out Pro Se at www.prosepulp.com and www.pulpmachine.blogspot.com.



DOMINO LADY AUTHOR VISITS EARTH STATION ONE

  • Uncategorized
  • October 18, 2012

New Pulp Author, Nancy Holder visited the Earth Station One podcast this week to talk about her work on Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

The ESO Countdown to Halloween continues as Mike Faber, Mike Gordon, and Bobby Nash are joined by listener David Ingrund and New York Times best-selling author Nancy Holder to review the entire series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer once more (with feeling). We also review the third season premiere of The Walking Dead. Plus, Nancy’s writing partner Debbie Viguie reveals a special announcement! All this and the usual Rants, Raves, Khan Report, and Shout Outs!

Join us for yet another episode of The Earth Station One Podcast we like to call: Buffy The Vampire Slayer at www.esopodcast.com.
Direct link: http://erthstationone.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/earth-station-one-episode-133-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-revisited

LANCE STAR: SKY RANGER VOL. 4 ARTIST ANNOUNCED

  • News
  • October 18, 2012
Art: Scott “Doc” Vaughn (not Lance Star art)

vol4coverplaceholderthumbnailnfc-9544111
Art: Felipe Echevarria

Airship 27 Productions has announced the artist for Volume 4 their wildly popular pulp anthology series, Lance Star: Sky Ranger. Artist Scott “Doc” Vaughn will join writers Bobby Nash, Sean Taylor, Andrew Salmon, and Jim Beard and cover artist Felipe Echevarria for the continuing adventures of America’s Favorite Air Ace!

Look for Lance Star: Sky Ranger vol. 4 coming from Airship 27 Productions.
For more information on Airship 27 Productions, visit them on-line at www.airship27.com and www.gopulp.info

For more information on Lance Star: Sky Ranger, visit www.lance-star.com
Lance Star: Sky Ranger volumes 1, 2, & 3, and the Lance Star comic book “One Shot!” are still available.

BLACKTHORN: THE SPIRES OF MARS – COMPLETE!

  • Uncategorized
  • October 18, 2012

New Pulp Author I.A. Watson has announced that his episodic novel, Blackthorn: The Spires of Mars is now complete with chapter 30.

From I.A. Watson:
The thirtieth and final part of my serial novel over on the BLACKTHORN website is now out. There’s now a complete 80,000 word novel waiting there for those who prefer their episodic adventures to be, um, not episodic.

THE SPIRES OF MARS

“A young man desperate to save his sister from the raiders who kidnapped her to slavery – an ancient undead released after half a millennium – four sorcerous First Men who will kill half a world to keep their darkest secret – and three champions who will stand for Mars against horror and tyranny – or die trying!

Award-winning author I.A Watson’s online novel set in the futuristic Martian world of Van Allen Plexico’s BLACKTHORN offers readers a serial adventure in the tradition of old-time pulps, showcasing the vibrant characters and lush settings of this popular and successful series.

Join Earth General John Blackthorn, Aria, Princess of Mars, Oglok the Mock-Man and an ever-expanding cast of rebels, monsters, magicians, and villains as the mystery of the ancient Harmony Spires is explored.”

Find it online via www.whiterocketbooks.com/blackthorn or direct at http://www.chillwater.org.uk/writing/blackthorn/spires.htm

Comments are welcome and we’ll put all the non-swearing ones on the letters page.
Blackthorn: Thunder on Mars and Blackthorn: Dynasty of Mars are also still available.

RICK RUBY ANSWERS READER QUESTIONS.

  • Uncategorized
  • October 18, 2012
Art: Rob Moran

Art: Mark Wheatley

Star of Airship 27 Productions’ The Ruby Files, pulp p.i. Richard “Rick” Ruby took some time out of his hectic caseload to answer another reader’s question.

Sweet Thing in New York wants to know if Rick ever plans to settle down and get married?

Read Rick’s response at http://rickruby.blogspot.com/2012/10/rick-ruby-takes-your-questions-2.html

Want Rick to answer one of your questions? Leave a comment at Belle’s online.

THE RUBY FILES VOL. 1 is still available for purchase at any of the following booksellers:
Createspace paperback
Amazon paperback
Indy Planet paperback
Airship 27 Hangar ebook

The Ruby Files created by Bobby Nash and Sean Taylor.

The Ruby Files returns in 2013.

REVIEW: Moonrise Kingdom

You have to credit director Wes Anderson with having a unique vision, one that is slightly off kilter compared with most of his fellow filmmakers. As a result, his films tend to visually interesting and highly stylized, getting notably quirky performances out of his cast. Moonrise Kingdom, his oddly sweet summer confection, is the latest such offering. He revels in dysfunctional groupings, in this case a family and local community, set in 1965, on the cusp of dramatic changes to society as a whole. This tale features two twelve year olds who run away as a storm looms over New Penzance, an isolated island off the coast of northern New England and has a kid’s book feel to it. In many ways, it reminded me of having fairy tale similarities to the hyper-realized rainbow bright Pushing Daisies.

You laugh at the oddball characters, marvel at the mannered performances from a stellar cast, and find your expectations upended time and again. You root for the kids, Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman) and Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward), to find happiness. To them, it’s a love story. He abandons his scout troop and she runs away from home, and you would too given her dazed dad Walt (Bill Murray) and adulterous mother Laura (Frances McDormand).

Sam is an orphan and his foster family doesn’t want him back so it falls to the local sheriff (Bruce Willis) and the scout master (Edward Norton) to mount the hunt. With the storm approaching, things are ratcheted high enough to snag the attention of Scout commander Pierce (Harvey Keitel) and Khaki Scout chaplain Cousin Ben (Jason Schwartzman) along with Social Services (Tilda Swinton); and yeah, that’s the character’s name.

While the storm and the missing children are whipping the adults up into a stylized frenzy, the two kids are innocent, unaware, and wholly devoted to one another. While every adult is flawed and mostly unlikable, the kids are fresh-faced and worthy of rooting for. What’s interesting is watching the effect their unseen devotion to one another is having on the adults as the film progresses. One by one, love transforms (or at least softens) the adults, the authority figures who are thinking of punishment and retribution.

The story is charming and riveting in its simplicity, a testament to Anderson’s skill as a storyteller. The movie is lovingly transferred to Blu-ray so the soft colors, a palette that works so well as an element, are well captured. The audio is also superb.

Amazingly, there are but three three-minute featurettes included on the disc: A Look Inside Moonrise Kingdom, Welcome to the Island of New Penzance, and Set Tour with Bill Murray.

Dennis O’Neil: Green Arrow and Lance Armstrong

  • Uncategorized
  • October 18, 2012

Okay, sue me. Last week I blathered on about trying to know as little as possible about movies and television shows before seeing them. So comes Wednesday, the day the new Green Arrow series, catchily titled Arrow, was to debut and what to my wondering eyes should appear, in the arts section of the New York Times, but a review of that same series. What the hell, right? I read the piece and very favorable it was, too, and later I was in front of the set, tuning it to the CW, waiting for the latest incarnation of the emerald archer. And waiting. And waiting. Because what I was seeing was two hours of programming about football.

Football?

I mulled scenarios. Somebody screwed up getting Arrow and the show scheduled to follow it to the various broadcast outlets? Something in both of them outraged some easily offended poo-bah with enough clout to kill hundreds of thousands of advertising dollars? The football lobby got the shows pulled so it could hype images of big dudes bumping into each other?

The next morning, Mari met a friend at the swimming pool she frequents. Friend told Mari how much she’d enjoyed Arrow. Friend lives in our area.

Time to get seriously paranoid. I was having an acid flashback and I only imagined I was watching sports…The universe was punishing me for not keeping faith with the ComicMix readers…

Maybe not. But then, what? As of right now, I don’t know. If any explanation of the hijacking of the archer by the gridiron mob has appeared, I missed it.

But I did see a story about another hero that appeared on the front page of the Times and jumped to the sports section. It concerned a real-life American athlete who won cycling’s most prestigious event, the Tour de France, seven times.

And doped himself for at least two of those wins and maybe more.

And pressured his teammates to use performance-enhancing drugs.

And lied.

Lance Armstrong, take a bow, and try not to moon the crowd while you’re doing it.

So I missed Arrow and that might be a bigger cause for lament than it, at first glance, seems to be. Because maybe fictional heroes are the only ones we have left. The people we once admired – priests, law-enforcers, athletes, lawyers, and especially politicians, both in and out of office – seem to have feet of clay up to their eyebrows. Admire them? Hell no. Despise them, maybe.

Green Arrow wouldn’t have done what Lance Armstrong did. Unless he was a real human being and the pressure to compete,, to win, was so great that he virtually had to use any means necessary. Then he might go seeking an affable pharmacist. You might be right behind him and I’d be there, too, holding your coat, waiting my turn.

RECOMMENDED VIEWING: The Teaching Company is my favorite business organization. Wiggly, mind-wandering me has never been easy in classrooms – unless I’m standing at the front of them professoring, in which case I enjoy them ­but I kind of like knowing things. So, with its Great Courses program, The Teaching Company fills a vacuum for me. At very modest cost, it sends me audio and/or video recordings of the teachers you wish you’d had doing what they do best. The range of courses is long and large, and most of those I’ve sampled were terrific. I particularly want to recommend Big History: The Big Bang, Life on Earth, and the Rise of Humanity. Presented by David Christian. Absolutely the best course I’ve ever taken, in or out of school.

FRIDAY: Martha Thomases

 

REVIEW: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

  • News
  • October 17, 2012

Your first thought at seeing this review is: “Why on earth is ComicMix reviewing this?” First of all, we’re a pop culture site; but more importantly, this is a film filled with marvelous British actors we have enjoyed in countless genre offerings. They deserve to be seen in just about anything they do and when you put them all together, it’s a British version of The Expendables, the geriatric edition. When you have Judi Dench (the current Bond films), Maggie Smith (Harry Potter, et. al.), Bill Nighy (the Pirates of the Caribbean series), and Tom Wilkinson (Batman Begins) acting together, you sit down and pay attention.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a charming, well-written, well-acted film that is actually about something. It was directed by John Madden (Shakespeare in Love) and based on Deborah Moggach’s novel These Foolish Things. The cast is fortunate to still be working, but many of their peers – and many of us – are not working as we age, and our future has come into question. The film follows these Brits as they decide to relocate from their homeland to a more affordable retirement community in India. They were suckered into believing the glossy brochure, without stopping to investigate. The reality, of course, is far worse than imagined and now they have to deal with the decisions they have come to make.

The film, now out on DVD from 20th Century Home Entertainment, plays things with a light touch while the subject matter is fairly heavy and resonates with our aging elders here, too. There’s Dench as a recently widowed woman who finds 21st Century technology baffling, and Wilkinson, who lived in India as a young man and has desired for a return. Nighy and Penelope Wilton (Shaun of Dead) blew their retirement savings on funding their daughter’s failed start-up so make this move out of desperation. And there’s Smith, playing a racist who only came to India for a quick and cheap hip replacement operation. It’s not all bleak as Ronald Pickup plays a retiree hoping to score with some of his compatriots, his ardor still running hot.

Sharp contrasts are drawn between the characters and their motivations for making such a major move so late in life. How they react to the decrepit hotel, run by the charming, enthusiastic and overwhelmed Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire) propels much of the story. Jaipur, where the story takes place, is beautiful and squalid, a composite of modern day India.

The film follows the characters and over time we watch some adjust, some struggle, and many fight. It’s a school of fish out of water, prompting a lot of cultural miscues and comedy, but it overlays a poignancy that this stellar cast projects in a nice, subtle way. They learn things from the local people, and each other, while they also teach Sonny a thing or two, letting him finally take the belated steps towards a mature adulthood.

The film has its predictable moments but you’re smiling through most this and you want a happy ending for all concerned, which you (for the most part) get. It’s immensely satisfying and worth a look.

The transfer to Blu-ray is good, not great, and has fine audio. There are a handful of perfunctory extras that are too short for the subject matter, such as Behind the Story: Lights, Colors and Smiles (2:34) and Casting Legends (3:55). The exotic and picturesque locales get their due in Welcome to the “Real” Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2:55) and Trekking to India: “Life is Never the Same” (2:45).

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