In Nazi-Occupied France.
An early review from Cannes of the most anticipated Jewish mercenaries scalping Nazis movie since “The Sound of Music.”
“The film starts like a spaghetti western and then accelerates into an old-fashioned wartime thriller.” Perfect.
Don’t read the second to last paragraph if you don’t want a brief spoiler. Apparently Tarantino decided it was time WWII had a bit of a different ending.
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/cannes/article6327709.ece
It’s official, and actually has been official for almost half a year - a feature-length film version of the acclaimed graphic novel series ‘Preacher,’ written by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, is finally set to be made with Sam Mendes as director (American Beauty, Jarhead, Road to Perdition, Revolutionary Road).
http://movies.ign.com/articles/925/925388p1.html
Preacher is my absolute favorite graphic novel and is nothing short of a piece of genuine literature. The story follows Jesse Custer, a preacher in Texas who one morning incinerates his congregation when a creature called Genesis makes him its host. Genesis is the result of the forbidden - it is the offspring of an angel and a demon. Because of its break out from heaven, God freaks out and splits. Jesse Custer, endowed with his new power, sets off on a quest along with his old hit-woman girlfriend and his Scottish vampire buddy, Cassidy, to find God and make him pay for all the things he’s fucked up. The graphic novel includes some of the most horrifying and disturbing images ever inked, utter hilarity, and genuine human characters. It brings back the myth that is America, this land of frontiers and second chances, and mixes its gothic horror with the quintessential and romantic American West.
My dearest readers, I’m sorry I haven’t posted my deep, insightful thoughts for the past few days. I have been extremely busy away at Cornell learning about Seminole deep sea divers in the Philippines. Surprisingly, I met a young man there who was writing his senior thesis on the same topic (it is very interesting), and we stayed up late nights discussing and arguing and drinking cognac mixed with seltzer water (delicious).
Also when in Cornell he played for me a band called “The Young Quinns.” Does anyone possibly know anything about them? I’ve been googling and wikiing for hours and I’ve come up with nothing. They’re a Philippino hip-hop group with a transgender singer. Incredible.
So the least I can do to give you some form of actual knowledge is to present you with a recent word I have invented (I’ve decided I will start inventing words).
Assibilate (v.) a-ssib-i-late: a. when a family friend becomes so close that they essentially become a member of said family b. an unwanted erection c. to cut off one’s own limb voluntarily
So I’m off to Cornell for a few days to get some research in in gorges Ithaca, and also to visit my brother Stephen Stahl. I’ll try to get some blogging time in while I’m there, but I’m not sure. Until then, here are two movie trailers that you can watch over and over until I return.
“ We tend to forget, as the poet Randall Jarrell quipped, that the people who lived in a golden age probably went around complaining how yellow everything was.
— Michael Dirda, Book by Book
