John Stephen Strange's Let the Dead Past began with a ton of demerits. The book's small print coupled with my eyes' sudden deterioration gave me a headache. The condition of the book was even worse--by the final chapter, it started falling apart in my hands. To top it all off, the very first sentence revealed… Continue reading Let the Dead Past
The Devil is a Woman (1935) Josef Von Sternberg Has that obscure object of desire ever been as beautiful or elusive? The Devil is a Woman is the most gorgeous of all the Sternberg/Dietrich collaborations, no mean feat considering they include such titles as Morocco and The Scarlet Empress. Poor Lucien Ballard had to satisfy… Continue reading My 10 Favorite Films of the 1930s
John Russell Fearn If you ever run into film director Mike Leigh, don't compare him to John Cassavetes. He hates it. My friend Matt made the mistake of doing just that during a Q&A session years ago. Leigh didn't take too kindly to Matt's comparison and treated him with contempt. I happen to love John… Continue reading The Gauntlet has been Volleyed
Rowan slid the paper across the desk, slowly shaking his head. “How extraordinary. A monkey attack.” Walter corrected him. “Macaque attack.” “Yes, macaque attack.” “Hey, Manory?” “Yes, Williams?” “What is a macaque.” “It is a monkey.” Walter furrowed his brow. “I’m confused.” Rowan examined the paper. “This… Continue reading Excerpt
John Russell Fearn's Pattern of Murder is a fiendishly clever crime novel with a murder weapon and method so delightful that I forgive it for being inverted. It's well-written in the sense that it moves. Fearn doesn't care about painting a picture or demonstrating his vocabulary. He's a got a singular world (the inner workings… Continue reading Pattern of Murder
James Scott Byrnside 