Slingers Does Sizzle

SLINGERS from Mike Sizemore on Vimeo.

The look, the music, the heist. Solid crime noir, but with a sci-fi spin. Slingers could be a winner! Slingers has a distinct, yet familiar style and designs that remind me of the heyday of 'futurists' who actively shaped film sci-fi (tip of the fez to the venerable Syd Mead.)

In the age of Twitter, touch screens and even 'space' tourism, near-to-mid future sci-fi needs a delicate balance at making itself edgy, believable, yet not date itself. Slingers could possibly be that show.

The 'sizzle reel' for Slingers watches like a great short film. However its a pitch for a TV show. It is one tantalizing shot after another of potentially great, and accessible, television science fiction. Simple two centuries advanced technology in the service of man and criminal is much more interesting than the dull, easy to write "all problems can be solved by 'reconfiguring' a piece of space gear or computer" popularized by Star Trek.

Distractions, deceptions, slight of hand, technology, force field blasting AI units and yeah, the cool 60's era black suit. Heists of the future never looked so good.

Confucius Trailer Drop

In March I gave readers a behind the scene's historical view of the real Confucius and his centuries long influence and complex relationship with the Chinese people. Above is the trailer for the new film starring Chow Yun-Fat (thanks to the good folks at Twitch.)

Epic Clash at the Diamond of Elah

As the Philistine moved closer to strike him out, Dustin ran quickly toward the batter's box to meet him. Reaching into the bag of balls and taking out a white orb stitched in red, he batted it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The ball sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.

For the better part of a century, archaeologists have been searching for some physical evidence of the kingdom of David. Last year archaeology buffs were alight by the news of a 3,000 year old Hebrew incised shard found at the Valley of Elah, site of the epic battle of young David versus Goliath of Gath.

I bring up the 'evidence' connected to the David and Goliath story after seeing Dustin Pedroia slay Goliath on some sun bleached baseball diamond, his thirst slaked not by spiritual power, but a tasty, tasty Dunkin's iced coffee.

Wondering, is it Elah Park? Elah Stadium?

Scowl + Sword + Pistol = Solomon Kane

Here is the newest poster for the upcoming Solomon Kane. This is pretty darn close to the way I've always imagined RE Howard's occult Puritan avenger to look.
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'Neath The Streets of Boston: History & Passing

It was reported this week that former Cambridge homemaker, turned folk balladeer, Bess L. Hawes died at the age of 88. While many outside of Massachusetts may not quickly know her name, Hawes was the musical collaborator to pen 'Charlie on the MTA.'

Popularized by the 60's folk group The Kingston Trio, Charlie followed a Bostonian trapped on the subways 'neath the streets of Boston when he could not provide the necessary exit fare, a nickle, when riding from Kenmore to JP.

While Boston changed, the fare leaped from a dime to today's $1.70, Charlie lingered in the city's subconscious. That was until the 21st century, when Hawes' creation, 'Charlie' became the new face of the MBTA. Yeah, for those new to the city or living under a rock, that little guy on your monthly pass is Charlie. But you knew that. Oh and by the way, Charlie Card's '3rd' birthday is this Friday.

However, what do you really know about the MBTA and the subway here in Boston? Well, beside the complaints about it not running super late and the inevitable switch or signal problems, MBTA's subway arm is the inheritor of America's oldest subterranean rail system.

In the late 19th century Boston's leaders were faced with troublesome prospects for their surface roads. As Bostonians know, streets in the older sections of the city were originally cow paths, therefore they meander with the topography. So by the advent of the age of steam, industrialization and expanding commerce, Boston found its streetcars competing for space with every other manner of conveyance.

Horse cars and electrified trolleys were the primary 'mass transit' options for Bostonians through the early 20th century. And early photos of that period show long queues of trolleys lined up along Tremont Street near Park Street Church.

So the decision was made to move the trolleys beneath the streets of Boston and work began on America's first subway system, known then as the Tremont Street Subway. Since subterranean boring was cost prohibitive, the method of 'cut and cover' was used to dig the subway tunnels. Like the first streets that followed cow paths, the nation's first subway utilized the surface roads as a guide.

Eventually, on September 1, 1897 some 100 Bostonians road the inaugural trip on the Tremont Street subway from Allston to the city center. A year later the subway was complete and a total of eight stations were accessible to commuters.

However at the corner of Tremont and Boylston there is a bit of macabre history right over the heads of the subway riders.

Just months ahead of the subway opening in 1897 disaster struck the roads above the work site. For two months plus natural gas had been escaping and building beneath at the intersection. With trolley cars trundling overheard, the gas seeped to the surface and it is believed was ignited by a passing car. The explosion killed six and a number of horses

Also know that when work was being done to excavate the Boylston Subway stop, it was reported that numerous corpses were discovered located at the Tremont foot of Boston Common. It's believed the mass burial was in fact the location of a Revolutionary era British Army burial ground.

In Review: Boston Noir

I like noir soaked in soot black ink and sweat. I want my stories to ooze anger and subterfuge. And if there is action, I need the scene to bust open like a screen door ripped from its frame and the soundtrack to be the jingle of spent brass on the sidewalk. Noir to me is a wide open genre, so I approached Akashic's Boston Noir with a wide open, yet anticipatory mind.

Edited by Boston crime wunderkind Dennis Lehane, featuring stories from 11 authors including Lehane, Boston Noir starts very strong. From Lehane's introduction to Lynn Heitman's opening line, Boston Noir kicks in the window with promise.

Lehane captures Boston just about perfectly in his short story and intro. The bitter realism mixed with wistful sorrow and a hint of while it may be ugly, its mine and don't mess with it. As a Bostonian, Lehane gets it right, noting our distinct vocabulary, humor and of course, accents. Yet he sees the city changing beneath our feet, watching Kenmore Square go from rat infested fringe of BU to something gentrified and off center.

"As the city continues to lose its old-school parochialism and overt immigrant tribalism, it's also losing a lot of its character. Whether that's a bad thing or a good thing is up for debate, but what can't be argued is that it is, in fact, happening," writes Lehane in the introduction.

Like an old friend wielding a dagger, you smile at first, then wince. Our Boston is changing and to a certain extent, fictionally, Boston Noir is a collection stories set in transition.

I am not sure if residents in other cities featured in Akashic's noir series, devote as much energy and derive as much enjoyment from the real places, themes or foibles of their home towns. But as a life long Bostonian, I was eager to soak up any nuisance explored by the many talented authors in Boston Noir.

For all the 'pissahs' and tips of the scally cap to landmarks, the strongest indicator of Boston as a character is put to paper by author Heitman. Set in Boston's Financial District, where I worked for years, Heitman's Exit Interview opens with Boston as character, a single moment in time.

Heitman writes about "one of those weird sticky cool summer days in downtown Boston," where a simple wind shift blowing east, turns west and you are assaulted by the cold, stinking harbor air (often accompanied by a Eiger-like wall of fog that abruptly ends at City Hall Plaza.) That is the very first line and it is succinctly downtown Boston.

Heitman perfectly portrays the city for us who know it, in a single snapshot with a smell and a feel, and then moves on. A story trapped in an office, on the phone, doom on the horizon. She doesn't need to talk about the pedestrian bridges over Storrow Drive or paint a quasi-bucolic image of the tree lined mall along Comm Ave. Heitman forces you to feel the awful, sticky, oppressive air that lingers outside the high rise, setting the mood for what is happening on the inside.

Easily the strongest stories are from Part I: Fear & Loathing penned by Heitman, Lehane and Jim Fusilli. Stuart O'nan and John Dufresne check in with solid tales as well. Each story is set in different parts of the city proper or within metro-Boston. From Southie to Cambridge and even the 'hot bed' of noir, Watertown; Boston Noir captures mildewed slices of life within the Route 128 belt.

However, with each following section, certain stories seems to lose their 'oomph' and give passing, sometimes ineffectual nods to the location. Sure this isn't a alley by street travelogue of Boston, but its called Boston Noir for a reason.

All around, this is a solid addition to Akashic's 'Noir' series and will put a smile on Bostonian's face, while pulling you into worlds that are somehow familiar, yet more strange than a story you would hear from a local at the Intermission Tavern or Sligo Pub. And for those not blessed with residency in the Hub of the Universe, on every page, you will read how the best of the bad or questionably good live in Boston.

I guess my main negative can be summed up by saying that Boston Noir was uneven in quality and content, it finished weak after a really solid start. The last few stories felt out of place, less intertwined to the community that both enriches and divides.

Oh and there are dozens, if not hundreds of iconic or gritty scenes of Boston, the choice of a snow covered bridge at the Public Gardens is the antithesis of rough and tumble. As a Bostonian you see the Public Gardens three ways, when you are rushing through on foot to get to Back Bay, showing it to out of town friends or in tourist brochures. Moody the cover is not.

Verdict: Buy It

Boston Noir, Akashic Books 2009

This book was purchased for review by me, Redfezwriter, @ Harvard Bookstore.

Thor Could Change Things

Genre redefining, a phrase often thrown about but rarely lived up to. In the case of Christopher Nolan's Batman a solid, visionary and even literary minded director applied myth with modern noir to create a 'realistic' super hero. Sure Watchmen set the graphic novel standard for a world where super heroes were real, but Nolan's interpretation of Gotham's vigilante effectively intertwined our own world into the mythic.

I think the treatment of the Joker in The Dark Knight is the best example. Heath Ledger's turn as the mad killer, a demented demolitionist, a true living breathing anarchist (which is what I always interpreted the Joker to be) made it that much more real.

Now, with Thor ramping up casting and pre-production, word comes from Kenneth Branagh's set that this movie could once again change the genre. Why? Well, after a recent visit to Branagh's Thor think-tank, Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada could not contain his excitement.

Telling Comic Book Resources Cup O' Joe, "You can never really predict 100% success, but at this juncture, 'Thor' does seem to have all the ingredients in place to make it huge so its foundation feels very strong to me."

Quesada, Marvel's first artist Editor-in-Chief, also notes, "If you're a comics fan, you'll have a preconceived notion of what you're going to get. If you're a non-comics fan, you'll have another notion of what the movie is all about. And what's really amazing is that both groups will walk away going, 'I've never seen anything like this before within the super hero genre.'"

These are potently optimistic words and I think if you were to read into the latter comments, they come into context when factoring in Branagh.

The veteran actor and director has gravitas in both professions, a solid Irish/English theatrical pedigree and a sense for classics. His take on Henry V is a classic of Shakespeare on the screen, Dead Again an edgy thriller tale and the much maligned Frankenstein was still a solid take on the Shelley classic. He has shown the skill as director, leaping about genres. Same skills demonstrated as an actor in everything from comedy to Shakespeare.

And while I loved Iron Man, owning a copy and eagerly awaiting the sequel, director John Favreau is a lunch-pale type of director. He is the skilled carpenter that builds you a solid, comfortable home, but not a craftsman bungalow that nurtures your soul.

Branagh however is a director that could potentially create a classic tale of adventure, mixing myths from antiquity to today, utilizing the old gods of Europe for mood and setting, while piecing together the best elements of Marvel's Nordic super hero multiverse.

Ultimately Queseda may be preparing, to the best of his ability, the ravenous comic book fans for a different take on their beloved Thor. As we saw with 'the squid' in Watchmen, fans can be very fickle when it comes to an iconic story, character or 'key' plot element. Maybe the winged helmet goes. Maybe a rugged beard is added more akin to a modern bad-ass Norwegian special operations soldier, or gone is the funny looking round plate armor get-up and cape? And what about mjolnir?

Batman and The Dark Knight worked because they utilized our classic modern myths, ie super heroes, in a world that was accessible, just off center and real. Tangible. Too many CGI-fests are so removed from reality, that no matter how fantastic the story or universe, the story seems less than genuine and artificial.

However, Branagh may choose to make this the foundation story of Thor, doing battle in a realm of fantasy, gods and monsters, before plummeting the erstwhile Thunder god to Earth. Or, the flick could be a combination of both.

All around, with Branagh at the wheel of this ship, I feel like we could be in for an interesting and mythic tale.