Well, dear readers, September is flying by, like a gazelle dancing the jitterbug with an actual bug. Amusing. But I must write these here notes in a hurry, for she of the Evil Eye will be here all too soon and I must get a decent night’s sleep. Yesterday, I at least got eight hours of sleep, arising at nine o’clock in the AM, which either means in the morning or Ann-Margret. Once up, I had a lot of e-mails to deal with, did one further bit of revising on the friend’s book and I’ve now put that to bed. I had a couple of small biscotti and took pill one. Then I moseyed on over to the mail place, which was – closed. But I did pick up the two important envelopes, so that was good. I came right home and had my first helping of tuna pasta salad and took Prednisone and the four-pill thing I do only on Mondays. A couple of hours later I had some ice cream and took pill two. My goodness, these are riveting notes today, aren’t they? After that, I did some catching up on the computer – there is so much I need to do this week that I’ve been letting slide, including making one doctor visit to get a chest CAT scan that the neurologist wants. And picking up the pills I don’t want to take before having another discussion with the doctor. At six, I had my last helping of tuna pasta salad and took pill three. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish and watched a motion picture “thriller” with absolutely not a single thrill, based on a book by oh so hip “thriller” writer, Gillian Flynn. I believe it was her follow-up book to her first “thriller,” Sharp Objects. Gone Girl was her first real breakthrough book. The movie version of this second novel, Dark Places, is horrible. No thrills, no suspense, every critic talks about twists and turns – WHAT twists and turns? There is not a single twist or turn anywhere. There is no suspense. There is – nothing but palaver, uninteresting characters, a cast filled with TV names of that era (2015) and Charlize Theron in the lead, who must utter the line, “What are you talking about?” about seventeen times in less than two hours. THAT’S writing. Some of the critics (the film was mostly panned) said the book was much better. Well, I just read the first ten pages of it and its not better. It’s a convoluted book and film with a plot we’ve had before, and I actually cannot stand this person’s writing style. I also read the first ten pages of Gone Girl – but somehow these writers become famous, make a ton of dough, and their books are read by millions of readers who like this sort of thing, which doesn’t say much for the millions of readers. Yes, there’s a place for it, but when I think of the thriller writers or mystery writers who actually were great writers – the Raymond Chandlers, the Ross McDonalds, the Cornell Woolrichs, the Ira Levins, the writers who knew how to make you squirm while reading, who knew what a “thriller” actually was, and how to write riveting prose. Dark Places has many one-star reviews from people who absolutely call it out for its poor plotting and writing. But it can’t come close to the thousands of five-star reviews.
Anyway, the movie is dreadful, confusing, poorly directed and scripted (by the director, who I’ve never heard of and who’s only made one movie since, a 2017 adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Crooked House), and other than Charlize, we get the ubiquitous Chloe Grace Moretz, Nicholas Hoult, Corey Stoll, and actresses from Mad Men (Christina Hendricks) and The Sopranos (Drea de Matteo). The ending is ridiculous. Highly NOT recommended by the likes of me, and with truly one of the worst film scores ever written – a droning, tuneless nothing, and any director who thinks that something like that is helpful to his film is an idiot and shouldn’t be allowed behind a camera. I believe the composer is named BT. Right. And the film was a complete and total bomb. In the amusing department, apparently Gillian Flynn was pacted with HBO to do a new adaptation of the book. I think this falls under the heading, there’s a sucker born every minute. Whether it happens or not is a whole other can of tuna.
After the movie, I shaved and showered so I don’t have to worry about it in the morning.
Today, I’ll be up by eight and out the door by eight-thirty and I’ll breakfast. After that, I’ll go to the mail place and get the two packages that are there – one of which is a book that got returned to us – since we absolutely have the right address and have shipped this person many things over the years, I’m not sure how this screw-up could have happened, since she would have been in the computer and a label would have just been printed out. I have her invoice with me so I can check while I’m there and resend. Then I’ll do banking, then I may stop at Gelson’s for a couple of things, then I’ll come home. Once here, I will begin the road to catching up on a LOT of stuff, after which I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
The rest of the week is all catching up until I’m completely caught up on catching up.
Let’s all put on our pointy party hats and colored tights and pantaloons, let’s all break out the cheese slices and the ham chunks, let’s all dance the Hora and the Beguine, because today is the birthday of dear reader Ron Pulliam. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to dear reader Ron Pulliam, who hasn’t been around much lately. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO DEAR READER RON PULLIAM, WHO HASN’T BEEN AROUND MUCH LATELY !!!
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up by eight and out the door by eight-thirty, breakfast, pick up packages, bank, do a quick Gelson’s run, come home, take all necessary pills throughout the day, and start catching up. Today’s topic of discussion: Of these modern women and men thriller writers, which do you like and which disappoint you? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, having loathed yet another so-called “thriller” without thrills.