Hey guys, my new book is now available in softcover! Just go to Lulu.com and enter "The Summer of Green Parrots" into their search window. It's priced at $19.60, quite affordable compared to the deluxe harcover edition. I'm happy to have all editions of both books in print now, after a three and a half year effort. It's been an amazing process, writing and publishing them, but I've had a blast and learned a lot and now I'm doing it again. Stay tuned for "2009" (not the actual title) coming in April 2026.
I've got some brief reviews of the movies I've seen this week, starting with "Beach Red"(1967), a unique World War 2 film directed by actor Cornel Wilde that some IMDB commentors say was an influence on Terrence Malick and "The Thin Red Line". If so, I think it's the superior film despite it's cinematically unsophisticated use of still shots in flashbacks, and the somewhat hammy "inner dialogue" (thoughts) of the lead characters, and also the glaring artistic decision that caused Wilde to show the women in these domestic flashbacks in 1960s hairstyles, garb and attitude. That's why I say it's unique, but when you get down to the story and action, it's a typically intense battle flick veering from hard-core beach invasion scenes (aided by stock footage), to the two-man patrol it boils down to. Following the invasion (which must've influenced Spielberg and "Private Ryan") Burr DeBenning and Patrick Wolfe are sent on a recon mission to locate Japanese strongholds. Along the way, they face machine gun nests, poisonous snakes, booby traps and so on. Rip Torn plays a "kill 'em all" Marine.
DeBenning's performance is near-Supporting Actor quality. His name is no longer familiar but you've seen him in a million things. "Beach Red" is one of those movies that Tarantino is probably a fan of. I'd never heard of it but thought it was great, and if you don't mind the weird, dated 60's effects (the unnecessary zoom shots, the flute music in a war movie) you'll probably agree. Two Thumbs up for "Beach Red", available on Tubi.
Next up was "Stephen King's Thinner" (1996), again on Tubi. I remember this film getting panned upon release, though Robert John Burke was praised in the lead role. Anyhow, I liked it better than the critics did, though it was not scary in the least. It's more of a revenge flick. The best things were the pacing, acting, and the beautifully photographed New England locale. Definitely worth a view for King completeists. Watch for Daniel Von Bargen (with that gawdawful gravelly voice of his) in a small but horrific role. I actually sat through his ham-fisted and horribly ostentatious performance in Clive Barker's "Lord of Illusions" in 1995, which both of my parents walked out of. A terrible movie. Clive Barker was incredible in the late 80s and early 1990s, but went downhill quickly after that. But watch "Thinner" and better yet, read the book.
We also have "Thelma"(2024), which was recommended by Grimsley. I thought it would be a caregiver movie, and the opening scene gives that impression: an elderly woman at home with her grandson. Then she falls victim to a phone scam in which she loses ten grand, and at first, you think her grandson set her up. But that turns out not to be the case, and the filmmakers get kudos for avoiding cliches. It turns into a combination Road Movie/Caper Flick about Thelma's assertion of independence - at 95 - as she searches for the jerk who stole her money. And because all "road movies" require a sidekick, she gets a great one in the late Richard Roundtree whom she enlists because he has a mobility scooter. On their way to San Fernando, they run across some wonderfuly eccentric characters including a oddball named "Stary Gary", and a 100 year old lady who lives alone with her roaches. The writing and photography will make this film a cult classic, especially when the duo find the guy behind the theft. He represents the real theme of the film: the massive changeover of the electronic age, which has phased out the culture of our elder generations and ushered in the apathy of the Millenials and especially Gen Z, which is represented by the blank face of the bad guy's accomplice. He has no moral fiber, no backbone, his mantra's "whatever", but he sure is an ace on computers. The film's other message is that Old People Rule. That's the punch line here. Old Folks should not be discarded. This movie is a 10/10 for me.
Finally, we have "The Odessa File"(1974), a classic espionage thriller starring Jon Voight as a Nazi-hunting journalist in Germany 1963, right after the JFK assassination. He infiltrates a secret group of war criminals who've escaped capture all these years, to locate a former concentration camp commandant (played by the great Maximillian Schell). Question: why won't Angelina talk to her dad? I think it's terrible that they're still estranged, but I'm glad Trump named Jon Voight as an honorary Ambassador to Hollywood. Hollywood is toast, folks. No one watched the Academy Awards. No one saw the nominated movies. Woke has destroyed Oscar, but the good thing is that woke is almost toast. The new "Snow White" has bombed. MSNBC is gonna go out of business...
C'mon, Angelina. Call your Dad.
In music, I'm listening to "The Overview" by Steven Wilson. It's been touted as his "return to Prog", which is a good thing because I didn't care for his last three electronica-and-pop based albums. "Overview" is a concept album about an astronaut's view of Earth from space. It's made up of two long pieces, 23 and 18 minutes, and while the music is sonically dazzling (incredible on headphones), it isn't song-oriented and thus doesn't have a lot of hooks that grab you. It's almost like one of those Hawkwind space rock albums from the 70s, where the whole side of a record is one big jam, except that Wilson is more harmonically talented and technically adept than a band like Hawkwind. Still, this is his Space Jam album, and it's really good. Featuring Randy McStine on guitar, who used to be a part of our King's X chat board about 15 to 20 years ago when he was a teenager. I remember him asking me about bands like Roxy Music and Be Bop Deluxe. Now he plays for Steven Wilson...my goodness.
Speaking of King's X, I'll be going to see them on Friday at The Canyon in Agoura. I'll be back with a full review of that concert (hopefully this weekend), so stay tuned and thanks for reading.
Tons of love as always!
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