'The Town' ***1/2stars

like most i wondered if ben affleck's first directorial effort, 'burn baby burn', was a one time fluke. well we need wonder no more. with 'the town' he is proving himself to be a director to be reckoned with. and he gets everything out of his cast that they have to give with no holds barred. 'the town' is a damn good film.

it has oscar noms wriiten all over it at the moment. there are three months to go.

and he directs himself better than anyone else has. unlike streisand who can give herself no direction, ben keeps his own performance in check. and who the hell is rebecca hall? keep this woman working. she goes to the head of my class. and damn blake lively breaks out as a strung out single mom leaving her rather glamorous image way in the dust. give her a supporting nom now! 

run now to see this film...yes film. it soars way above 'movie'. it's almost a work of art. keep on directing ben. you're a natural.

Song of the Day: 'Cherish'

'cherish' by david cassidy

i unashamedly admit i love petula clark and 'cherish' her gift of music she has shared with us as a singer and song writer

the original by the association

Song of the Day: 'Love Child'

the supremes 'love child' extended mix

PERHAPS THAT IDIOTS DAUGHTER SHOULD DANCE TO THIS ON 'DANCING WITH THE STARS'

seems appropriate

Crime Watch in the news: my interview with the Book Council

Okay, so this is a little bit embarassing, for a couple of reasons. As I've noted here on Crime Watch, in recent times I've started to occasionally find myself on the other side of the interviewer-interviewee pairing, as I've been interviewed about crime fiction, particularly New Zealand crime fiction and the upcoming Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel, for articles in some major newspapers and other publications.

In the case of the excellent recent large features by Mark Broatch in the Sunday Star Times (read here), and by Philip Matthews in the Your Weekend magazine of The Press and the Dominion Post (read here), I was one of several 'voices' in the articles, which at least mitigated things (even if I felt a little like the proverbial donkey running the Grand National, given the company). But yesterday another recent interview was published in the monthly e-newsletter the New Zealand Book Council send to all its members, and puts on its website. And this one was focused just on me and my thoughts/opinions. Gulp.

Here's the start of the Book Council interview:


From Cover to Cover
Craig Sisterson: Kiwi Crime Writing Aficionado
Interview by Rachel O'Neill
Not too far behind the scenes of New Zealand crime writing, you are likely to find Craig Sisterson, working (or should I say blogging) his magic. But who is the man behind the features, the interviews, the reviews, and blog Crime Watch? I trail him, just a little, to find out what makes this Kiwi Crime aficionado tick.

I start by lurking in the background – what New Zealand Crime books lodged most memorably in your head?

Read my interview in the e-newsletter here, and the full, longer version of the interview in the 'Readers Section' of the Book Council website here.

Now, here's the really embarassing bit - those of you who clicked through to the e-newsletter (please give it a read) will have seen that this month the Book Council also had a short interview with #1 bestselling crime writer Peter James in the same issue, and yet they lead with my interview and had Peter James second! The world has turned on its head, I tell you.

Don't get me wrong - it is great to get more information about crime fiction, particularly our overlooked but excellent Kiwi stuff, out there more and more, and I'm really grateful that the media is starting to pick up on what may be something pretty cool building here in New Zealand, but I'm still finding it a touch disconcerting to be the interviewee, and mixing in such company. After all, I don't really want any of this to be too much about me - more just the crime writers and their books etc. Although if I'm completely honest, it is a touch flattering, if also embarassing, to be considered a crime fiction 'aficionado'.

What do you think of my interview in the Book Council e-newletter and on their website? What New Zealand crime novels were the first to lodge memorably in your head (they actually asked me what were the first Kiwi crime novels I remembered reading, then tweaked the question slightly in the published version)? Which 3-5 novels or authors would you recommend if you were giving friends a 'start here' list? Do you like meeting authors, or does that dissipate the magic of books for you? What are your thoughts on the growth, if any, in New Zealand crime fiction lately? I'd love you to share your thoughts. Please leave a comment.

Crime Fiction in the news and on the 'Net: Weekly Round-up

There have been some more great crime fiction stories on the Web this past week - from newspapers, magazines, and fellow bloggers. Hopefully you will all like finding an interesting article or two linked here, that you enjoy reading.

Before we dive in however, I'll just quickly mention that those of you in the North Island of New Zealand who are interesed in crime fiction should pick up a copy of this today's Weekend Herald, as it includes my review of the latest Kiwi crime novel to hit booksellers' shelves - SURRENDER by Donna Malane - in the Canvas magazine.

Onto the round-up.

Crime Watch Weekly Round-Up: In the News and on the 'Net

• Last night in The Guardian, 2010 Cartier Diamond Dagger recipient and crime writing legend Val McDermid, whose latest acclaimed thriller TRICK OF THE DARK is partially set back in her old university haunts of Oxford, selected her favourite ten novels set in the 'venerable university town', a list that ranges from the crime tales of Colin Dexter, Edmund Crispin and Dorothy L. Sayers to Evelyn Waugh's BRIDESHEAD REVISITED.
• It was announced earlier this week that UK-born, Toronto-based crime writer Peter Robinson (who appeared on New Zealand TV in recent weeks) has been awarded the $10,000 Harbourfront Festival Prize, which which rewards writers who have had a "substantial contribution to the world of books". Read the full CBC.ca story here.
• Monsters and Critics reviews the DVD of the second season of Castle, a TV cop show that stars Nathan Fillion as a crime novelist who gets involved in the investigation of real-life cases alongside a female cop he is basing his new character on.
• The Idaho Mountain Express has a nice interview article with prolific crime writer Ridley Pearson, who has written more than 25 crime novels, been on the New York Times bestseller list, and whose latest release IN HARM'S WAY is another instalment in the adventures of small-town Sheriff Walt Fleming, who apparently is based on a real-life Sheriff who is a close friend of the author.
• Keith Stuart of The Guardian blog asks whether interactive fiction is the future in the digital age, and if so, how it might work well, and not so well.
• Susan Fish of The Record reviews the latest novel from multiple-award-winning Canadian crime writer Louise Penny, BURY YOUR DEAD, while also touching on the 'Good Reads' programme - 100 page books designed for adult literacy learners by top Canadian authors. Penny's THE HANGMAN is one of six Good Reads books being released in 2010.
• Gina Doggett of AFP talks to bestselling crime writer Donna Leon about living in, writing about, but still maintaing a largely anonymous life in Venice, Italy.

So what stories most intrigue you this week? Do you agree with Val McDermid's top 10 Oxford-set stories - has she missed any great ones out? Have you watched the TV show Castle or read Ridley Pearson's novels? What are your thoughts on interactive fiction - did you used to read the 'choose your own adventure' books that were very popular back in the 1980s? What do you think about big-name authors like Louise Penny writing shorter books specifically for adult literacy learners? Thoughts and comments welcome.

Song of the Day: From 'Next to Normal'

the tony award performance with tony winner for best actress the brilliant alice ripley

Auckland Launch of NZSA Pindar Publishing Prize winning novel, SURRENDER by Donna Malane

Last night I was fortunate enough to attend the official Auckland launch of SURRENDER, the debut crime thriller from Wellington writer Donna Malane that earlier this year won the inaugural NZSA Pindar Publishing Prize (see picture above).

As I noted back in June, Wellington screenwriter and producer Malane (Until Proven Innocent, Duggan, Blood Lines, The Insider's Guide to Love, The Strip, etc) rose to the top of more than 500 entries to by win the NZSA Pindar Publishing Prize - which was open to writing in any genre, including non-fiction and poetry and short story collections - for her then unpublished thriller about a woman delving into the seadier side of Wellington while she looks into the deaths of her sister, and the man she'd suspected of killing her.

SURRENDER has now been in Whitcoulls and Borders stores for a week now, and I've perosnally seen a fair few copies being sold while I've been browsing the past few days, so hopefully it will hit the New Zealand Adult Fiction bestseller list next week, and plenty of Kiwis will give it a go as the publicity and word of mouth starts to roll out in the coming days and weeks.

You can read a good article about Malane, her novel, and the inaugural prize, by New Zealand Herald Books Editor Linda Herrick, here.

Here is the 'back cover blurb' for SURRENDER:

"Missing persons expert, Diane Rowe, is used to making sense of other people’s lives. Pity she’s not having much luck with her own. The brutal murder of her little sister, and the break-up of her marriage, have tested her usual tough optimism.

When Niki’s killer turns up dead, Diane sets out to nail the truth. But uncovering Niki’s seedy past reveals truths and dangers she never expected – or wanted – to face.

And then there’s that little matter of the decapitated body that’s turned up in the Rimutaka State Forest. Now she’s determined to make sense of it all – whatever it takes."

New Zealand author and editor Graham Lay, one of the judging panel for the inaugural award, describes SURRENDER as "a gripping narrative with an intriguing mix of brutality, mystery and humour... vivid writing and a great central character."

I read an advance copy of the novel a fortnight ago, and really enjoyed it, finding it more and more absorbing as it went on. I understand my review of SURRENDER is scheduled to be published in the Canvas magazine of tomorrow's Weekend Herald, so I will republish that review for you all here early next week (and/or link to the Herald's website if they place the review online). I also have Sarah Gumbley reviewing SURRENDER for Crime Watch (since I've reviewed the book for the Herald), and her review will be published here in the coming days also.

And remember, to get the award-winning novel for only NZD$10, half price – simply clip the voucher printed in The New Zealand Herald between 16 September and 16 October 2010 and take this to a Whitcoulls or Borders store nationwide (example above). Offer available while stocks last.

Kudos to the New Zealand Society of Authors, Pindar Publishing, the New Zealand Herald, Red Group (who own Whitcoulls and Borders), Astra Print, and Creative New Zealand, who all came together to make the inaugural prize possible. Hopefully the readers will give the winning book a go, thereby encouraging them all to run the Prize again in future. It's a great way for talented 'undiscovered' novelists and writers to have an opportunity of breaking into the publishing world. If Malane's debut adult thriller is anything to go by, there is plenty of talent out there worthy of being published and read.

What do you think of 'unpublished' writer competitions and prizes? Do you like the sound of SURRENDER? Will you be giving it a go? Have you watched any of Malane's TV productions (you can read my review of Until Proven Innocent here)? Thoughts and comments welcome.