Neil Cross makes Variety's list of "Ten Screenwriters to Watch"

There are many that think, due to our geographical location, that creative New Zealanders need to leave the country in order to succeed on a bigger, or global, stage. And while opportunities aplenty do exist all over the world, there are certainly examples that show you can have a world-class career, based right here in New Zealand. It may not be a well-trodden path, but it is possible.

Peter Jackson (amongst others behind the cameras, from costume designers to special effects wizards) have proven it with film. Paul Cleave is on the rise in the crime ficiton world (particularly amongst non-English speakers). And now, as highlighted by a recent article in Variety magazine (the Hollywood bible), Wellington-based Neil Cross, twice a Ngaio Marsh Award finalist, is showing that you can have one heck of a career from New Zealand suburbia.

Cross, who along with producing several terrific thriller novels has been lead writer on the acclaimed British spy show Spooks and creator and writer of the award-winning BBC series Luther, all from his Wellington home, has been chosen by Variety as one of "Ten Screenwriters to Watch", due to the film projects he is working on. Books, television, and now film; Cross could be accused of quietly taking over a small piece of the world, in a thriller writing sense.

"Don't let his dark stories and disturbed characters fool you; for a guy who has made a living out of weaving tales of crooked cops, mass murderers and scheming psychopaths, Neil Cross is a damn funny man. It's a fact that sometimes takes fans by surprise," begins the article by Justin Shady for Variety.

Read the full article here.

Almost three years ago, Cross was one of the first author interviews I ever did - for a feature in Australian books magazine, Good Reading. I remember him talking about how he'd taught himself screenwriting by adapting his own Booker longlisted novel, ALWAYS THE SUN, into a teleplay. That never sold, but it did provide a foot in the door for Cross to become involved with Spooks.

"I just like the idea of scriptwriting," he told me at the time. "It's portrayed with a sense of mystery, like you have to be one of the initiated to understand it. But, actually, I decided in the end - and I'd read a few books about how to do it - that the only way to do it was teach myself to do it."

Learn by doing; it's not a bad way to go when it comes to creative endeavours.

I've really enjoyed Cross's novels (so far I've read Holloway Falls, Burial, Captured, and Luther: the Calling) and his TV screenwriting - on both Spooks and Luther - so I am looking forward to seeing how his big screen projects turn out. As Variety have noted, he is certainly a writer to watch.

Finding TV fame: Father Brown, Sherlock Holmes, and why some fictional detectives fare better than others...

I was browsing the Internet this weekend, reading several crime fiction-related news stories and articles, when I cam across an interesting piece by Guy Somerset, Arts & Books Editor at the New Zealand Listener. As part of a review of two now-available DVD box sets of British TV series based on famous fictional detectives, Somerset raised an interesting question; why are some detectives more adapted than others? In his article he focuses on GK Chesterton's Father Brown and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes (the stars of the respective DVD releases, the 1974 Father Brown series starring Kenneth More, and the modern Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch), noting the differing treatment of the two famous (at least in a literary sense) characters throughout TV/film history.

Somerset begins his article with: "Poor Father Brown. How it must rankle. It’s a good thing he’s a man of the cloth or who knows what evil might worm its way into his heart were he to dwell on all those classic detectives who have fared better than him when it comes to film and television adaptations. Dare one even whisper the words Sherlock Holmes?"

It's a topic which has intrigued me for a while - how some detectives, and therefore their books and writers, become more famous due to numerous adaptations, how some terrific characters aren't adapted for film and TV, or aren't repeatedly adapted, etc? Of course, when it comes to the film business (and probably TV too, by extrapolation), William Goldman's famous quote: "Nobody knows anything" is very appropriate.

Somerset mentions the likes of the much-adapted Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, as well. Sherlock Holmes has of course been adapted many times over. Could it just be that those characters have been around for so long? Well, no - because as Somerset points out, Father Brown hasn't fared so well. Dame Ngaio Marsh's Inspector Roderick Alleyn has been adapted for both British and New Zealand television, but I'm not sure how Wimsey and other Golden Age characters have fared. They're certainly not being regularly remade for modern films or TV shows like the drug-taking, violin-playing resident of 221B.

You can read Somerset's article in full here.

Why do you think some crime fiction characters have been remade more than others? Is it just that the most popular characters or authors have been most remade? Or does that become self-fulfilling (ie remakes generate more popularity)? What about modern detectives? Which more recent characters would you most like to see adapted for the big or small screen? Which older characters would you like to see given a modern twist in an updated film or TV series, ala Sherlock?

Ode to the Movie Slap

just a little fun

Meet your silver screen Jack Reacher, possibly....

In news that is sure to get hardcore crime fiction fans up in arms even more than Hollywood's decision to make its own version of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, internet rumours are swirling that Tom Cruise might play Jack Reacher in a film version of Lee Child's ONE SHOT.

Quite frankly, I'm flabbergasted. Not because Cruise isn't a good actor - he is far better than many people give him credit for. Just check out Born on the Fourth of July, amongst several very good dramatic roles, or his self-deprecating cameo in Tropic Thunder. The man might have built a career on good looks, but like Brad Pitt, he can also act when given the right roles.

But as everyone knows, Cruise is at the shorter end of the height spectrum, while Child's Reacher is, well, clearly not. At 6 foot 5 and weighing a muscled 230 (105kgs or so for metric system readers), Reacher is quite the physical specimen in Child's bestselling series. Cruise has 'muscled up' for several roles, and is undoubtedly a fit and active actor, but he's not a Reacher-type. And surely there must be plenty of great actors out there, big names or up-and-comers, who might suit the role better.

If the rumours are true, and Cruise is interested in or considering the role, it seems to me like one of those 'big star wants to play a popular character, potential franchise of films' type deal, rather than because he is suited to the role. What do you think? Could Cruise pull off Jack Reacher? If not, who would you like to see in the role? What have been some of your most and least favourite castings for crime fiction adaptations (Clint Eastwood as Terry McCaleb in Blood Work? Alec Baldwin (Heaven's Prisoners) or Tommy Lee Jones (In the Electiric Mist) as Dave Robicheaux? Humphrey Bogart as Philip Marlowe in The Big Sleep?). Would love to get your thoughts on the matter.

Hat tip to Crimespree magazine for the heads-up re: the Cruise rumours.

Crime writer Neil Cross talks about writing for British TV and Hollywood movies from his Wellington home

Recently there was a cool article in the Dominion Post (the daily newspaper for the Wellington region) about acclaimed crime writer Neil Cross, who has lived in our capital city for several years, after immigrating from Britain. Things have been very, very busy for Cross in recent times - along with writing his disturbing psychological thrillers (such as Ngaio Marsh Award finalist BURIAL) he has also been screenwriting for both British television shows (first as lead writer for the award-winning Spooks, then as creator and writer of the acclaimed but polarising Luther) and for TV and big-screen films. All while based in Wellington.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Cross for an article in Good Reading back in 2009, one of the very first 'author features' I ever wrote, and then meeting him at the Whodunnit and Whowunnit? event last year (see photo above, left to right: Ruth Todd of the Christchurch Writers Festival, thriller writer Andrew Grant, myself, Paul Cleave, Cross, and Vanda Symon).

In person Cross is a very witty, intelligent, and interesting guy.

In her article for the Dominion Post, Rebecca Palmer writes that Cross is keen to maintain his distance from overt success and celebrity, and values his sense that it's still weird for him to be meeting people like Hollywood actor Willem Dafoe and director Guillermo del Toro, that he's still somehow 'getting away with it'.

Cross shares why and how he created the TV cop show Luther, and the drive behind its extremely morally ambigious lead character. It's a show that has been slammed by some, while acclaimed by more; it's certainly been divisive when it comes to reviewers and viewers (sometimes a sign of a very good show). Cross also reveals he is particularly proud of getting a printed apology from Guardian entertainment writer Stuart Heritage, who wrote a "sick- makingly bad review" of the first episode of Luther, but later proclaimed it a "genuinely great cop show".

There is a lot more in Palmer's Dominion Post article on Cross, including updates on the myriad of book, TV and film projects he now has on the go. You can read the full article here.

Michael Connelly and THE LINCOLN LAWYER in Auckland - tickets now on sale!

Michael Connelly and “The Lincoln Lawyer”
Tuesday 24 May, 6.00pm
Event Cinemas, Cinema 2, Metro Building 291 - 297 Queen Street

This is mega-star crime writer Michael Connelly’s only appearance in Auckland and we’re very excited to offer you the chance to spend the evening with him on Tuesday 24 May. Michael will talk with crime buff, blogger and Ngaio Marsh Award judge Craig Sisterson about the film and his new book, The Fifth Witness, before you enjoy a private screening of “The Lincoln Lawyer”. He’ll be on hand to sign books after the film - seats are limited, so get in quick!

Running time
6.00pm - 6.40pm Q&A with Michael Connelly
6.40pm - 8.30pm “The Lincoln Lawyer” screening

Please arrive early and be seated to start at 6.00pm sharp

To book phone THE EDGE 09 357 3354. Book online here

Browse more AWRF events

So, who's going?

Michael Connelly reveals his thoughts on the upcoming LINCOLN LAWYER film

As I've said recently, along with all the books I am looking forward to in 2011, there are a also a few films that I can't wait to see. And perhaps the one I am most excited about is THE LINCOLN LAWYER, based on the superb Michael Connelly book of the same name.

You can watch Michael Connelly discuss some aspects of writing the book, and the film adaptation, in a brief but interesting YouTube piece above.

Although book-to-film adaptations don't always go well, and can fall very flat at times, I am hopeful about this film for a number of reasons, including the trailer, the stellar cast, and the fact that when I interviewed him late last year Connelly himself seemed very happy with the script adaptation, and how it was looking (having been on set). So fingers crossed THE LINCOLN LAWYER delivers.

You can watch the first trailer here, and also read some comments from Connelly to me about the movie. You can also read my Weekend Herald feature interview with Connelly here, and his 9mm interview here.

Are you looking forward to THE LINCOLN LAWYER? Have you read the book? What crime novels would you most like to see turned into films?

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo wins and loses at Baftas

While the mainstream media has focused on the unsurprising ‘home ground’ success of the Colin Firth-led The King’s Speech at the recent British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) Awards, for crime fiction fans there was also some interest in a few of the lesser-publicised awards.

In a well-deserved nod, the Swedish-language film adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s juggernaut THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO won the Best Film not in the English Language (equivalent of the Oscars’ Best Foreign Film). This was a truly terrific film - well written, acted, and directed. It actually showed in New Zealand in late 2009 (see my review here), but because of release dates has been eligible for this year’s awards round in England and the USA. Both at the time, and now in hindsight, this was one of the best films I’d seen on the big screen in a long time. It’s a shame it hasn’t got even more attention at the English-speaking awards.

Unfortunately (but not unexpectedly) Noomi Rapace missed out on the Best Actress nod to Natalie Portman’s much-acclaimed and publicised performance in Black Swan. Rapace was truly brilliant as Lisbeth Salander, but Portman has had the Best Actress awards locked up across the board this year, and it would be a massive surprise if anyone other than her took out the biggest of all, the Oscar, in the near future. In a kudos to the Bafta judges, it was great to see Rapace recognised with her Bafta nomination for Best Actress - it’s a real shame Hollywood overlooked her for an Oscar nomination, given her terrific performance.

Have you watched m/any of the nominated or winning films? What do you think of the Bafta results? Has TKS built up some Oscar momentum, or will its hometown advantage come to much less when the Hollywood red carpet is rolled out and the likes of The Social Network, Christian Bale in The Fighter, and Amy Adams, might once again walk away with some of the major awards? Thoughts welcome.

Happy Birthday Katharine

i loved katharine ross since the graduate. she feel out of film when she reached a 'certain age'. the parts were just not there. but three wonderful performances in three wonderful films give her a place forever among the best.

she stole hearts worldwide as elaine in 'the graduate' a great film and a defining film for all time.

elaine and ben together again

as joanna in 'the stepford wives' katharine went from normal to stepford without missing a beat.

as etta place she held her own with two giants of the screen newman and redford in butch cassidy and the sundance kid' and oh that smile!

'the bicycle scene', raindrops and oh that smile again

katharine appeared in an all-star film 'voyage of the damned' as mira hauser about german jews seeking refuge and denied entry everywhere. her character, etta hauser, was a jewess posing as a gentile. she was prostituting herself to make money to help her parents seeking refuge. it was a bit overbloasted but for history buffs it was a  bit of an enlightment.

*****************

Anticipation building for THE LINCOLN LAWYER film

Well, along with all the books I am looking forward to in 2011, there are a also a few films that I can't wait to see. And perhaps the one I am most excited about is THE LINCOLN LAWYER, based on the superb Michael Connelly book of the same name. And it seems I'm not the only one - film critics are already starting to list it on must-see or most promising movies of 2011 lists.

Although book-to-film adaptations don't always go well, and can fall very flat at times, I am hopeful about this film for a number of reasons, including the trailer, the stellar cast, and the fact that when I interviewed him late last year Connelly himself seemed very happy with the script adaptation, and how it was looking (having been on set). So fingers crossed THE LINCOLN LAWYER delivers.

You can watch the first trailer here, and also read some comments from Connelly to me about the movie. You can read my NZ Herald article on Connelly here, and his 9mm interview here.

Are you looking forward to THE LINCOLN LAWYER? Have you read the book? What crime novels would you most like to see turned into films?

The Lincoln Lawyer film trailer, plus exclusive comments from Michael Connelly about the film and his next book

Well, I don't know about you, but to me this is looking very, very promising. A truly terrific supporting cast (I was just going 'wow' with all those quality names - really good actors rather than vapid stars), and personally I think Matthew McConaughey will do really, really well as Mickey Haller. I know a lot of people associate him with some sappy, crappy rom-coms, but I've always liked his performances in more dramatic films like A Time to Kill, and especially Frailty, so I am really looking forward to seeing his portrayal of Haller.

I spoke to Michael Connelly about the upcoming film in our recent interview for the Weekend Herald. It was a terrific interview overall actually - 90mins of chatting about crime writing and more. Unfortunately of course only about 10-20 % of such an interview can ever make it into the eventual article, because of space constraints.

You can read the Weekend Herald feature article here.

But in terms of the upcoming film, here's what Michael Connelly had to say (direct from the interview transcript):

I understand they’re working on a film of THE LINCOLN LAWYER with Matthew McConaughey in the lead. Can you tell us more?
Yeah, we started filming in early July, and it will be done in two weeks. I’m going out this weekend to visit the set for a couple of days. I’ve already been out a couple of times in July, and the script’s really good, I’m very happy with the casting, and also I saw some of the very important scenes… and I’m just so excited. I think that McConaughey, when I wrote these books I never imagined McConaughey, but I think he’s really nailed the character, he is Mickey - and I’m not just this guy who’s trying to promote a movie that’s bad, I wouldn’t do that. I didn’t do that for Blood Work, and if this movie when it’s all put together is bad, I will [stay] away from it. But as of right now I’m riding the wave of excitement because you know it all starts with the script. And the script started out as a so-so script and it kept getting better in rewrites - and I didn’t write it so I’m not tooting my own horn here - but it’s just all come together. It’s got a fabulous cast, at least ten deep, it’s got great people in it.

… [McConaughey's] got that Haller thing [dark edge with smile and humour], and he kind of established himself and then went down that road with romantic comedies, and I think at least with this movie he’s trying to swing things back a little more towards more serious stuff. And I’m very happy he’s playing Mickey.

The film is scheduled to hit US cinemas in March 2011, and when I spoke to Connelly he mentioned that his publishers had recently moved up the release date of his next title to coincide with the movie's release - so great news for readers as well as film fans. The next Connelly book (as of when I spoke to him) has the working title of THE FIFTH WITNESS, and is another Mickey Haller book, with Harry Bosch only making a cameo appearance. It is scheduled for release at the start of April 2011. Here's what Connelly had to say about the upcoming book in our recent interview:

Are you able to tell us anything about the book you’re working on at the moment?
The working title is THE FIFTH WITNESS, which is a reference to a witness taking the fifth amendment because they don’t want to answer questions that could incriminate them. It’s a Mickey Haller book, Harry Bosch is not in it - well he’s in it for a page, he makes a cameo appearance - it’s definitely a straight Mickey Haller book. And it involves a defence - in my country because of the sliding economy there’s a national epidemic on foreclosures, and there’s all kinds of fraud involved in that on both sides of the equation, and it’s something that is fascinating to me. It’s the subject matter of the book - Mickey defends a woman who is charged with the murder of a banker who is foreclosing on her home. And through this case and the trial that ensues, I hope to examine what is a pretty epidemic size issue in the United States.

What do you think of the film trailer? Do you think you will go to see it? Have you read THE LINCOLN LAWYER? Do you like Connelly's legal thrillers as well as his Bosch books? What do you think of the sound of his next Haller novel? Thoughts and comments appreciated.

Jill Clayburgh: Memories

for me it all began with the musical 'pippin'. jill played catherine. she had three songs. at that moment she had me forever. jill had two solos and one duet with john rubenstein portraying pippin. these songs will appear in my 'loving jill' video over the weekend and on my ipod forever.

the tv film 'hustling', 'gable and lombard' and 'silver streak'  came next. but more on them later except to say that as carole lombard in the aforementioned 'gable and lombard' my love affair truly began.
 
and then in 1978....

the deal was cemented with her first major role as erica in 'an unmarried woman'. jill became the toast of the cannes film festival after it's premiere. she won best actress at that festival. the oscar money was on jill to win best actress in 1978. the oscar, heaven help us, went unwisely to jane fonda in the mediocre 'coming home'. another oscar crime.

i believe jill was too 'new york' for the mostly hollywood voter. it was this prejudice that cost her the oscar win. they just did not get jill or her character erica benton with their upper west side sensibilities.

about four minutes into the following scene you will see why she was at least oscar nominated. yes and why she should have won.

the following scene early in the film shows the dreams of the married woman. it's a charming and delightful scene that we have all imagined in some way or another. then dreams are shattered for awhile as she becomes an unmarried woman. erica benton as her portrayer would not let the bad permanently halt the future.

'an unmarried woman' began a string of roles for jill that showed smart,capable, independent women with a touch of the neurotic. hell that means she portrayed a real person. we all have our own nuerosis though try and hide them we might.


meet erica benton

to be continued

The Girl...

Next month the English-subtitled version of the film adaptation of the third and final book in Stieg Larsson's publishing juggernaut Millennium Trilogy, THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNETS' NEST hits cinemas at film festivals in the United States.

The always-excellent The Rap Sheet has pointed readers to a new trailer for the film, which you can watch here. For some reason I can't get that trailer to play, so I went looking on YouTube, and sure enough I found both a teaser trailer and a longer trailer for the film, uploaded in late 2009 (I'm not sure how this new trailer differs from either of these older trailers), which you can view below.

On a related point, it seems that the excellent actress behind the pitch perfect portrayal of Lisbeth Salander (The Girl...) has secured her first major English-language role, playing a villain in the sequel to the Robert Downey Jr-starring Sherlock Holmes.

But for now, here is the longer trailer of the third Millennium film, as available on YouTube:



I really enjoyed the first film (see review here), and am looking forward to seeing the other two big-screen versions (I've had a couple of aborted attempts to get to The Girl Who Played with Fire, unfortunately).

What do you think of the trailer(s) for the third film? Have you read the books, or watched either of the first two films? Are you looking forward, or not, to the Hollywood versions? Thoughts and comments welcome.