Hi all,
I've just finished "Crisscross" (I'm in Australia, and our publishing cycle is a wee bit behind North America), and I have to say -- as usual, it was fantastic. So well written, great entertainment, and FPW does a great job of weaving together stories that you can't imagine will interlock. Looking back from having completed it, it's so perfect -- the stories went exactly where they should; but from the start, you couldn't have foreseen it. (Well, I didn't foresee it, anyway !!)

That's all on the positive side. But there's one that is starting to niggle me through the RJ series, and in "Crisscross" it's really started getting distasteful. And that's FPW's attitude -- not RJ's, so much -- towards gay people.

Look, I know that those who aren't gay will either not have noticed a problem or think there isn't one and it's all in what I'm reading into it; some may even get angry and tell me to get over it (which, in my experience, usually masks an attitude equating to Eddie Murphy's "Why do I ridicule gay people ? Because they're faggots, they deserve it !!"); and yes, I know that women and dark-skinned people and a whole lot of other specific groups of humanity have suffered similar finger-pointing and condescension and occlusion over the years, but that only adds to the weight of why this shouldn't (in my self-interested view) be happening in an RJ book.

Let me get it straight -- as it were ! -- what I'm objecting to. Okay, the character of Preston is an irritating cliché -- jeez, are we back to 70s ? He's straight out of "Fortune and Men's Eyes" -- and I can almost accept it as simply a character FPW wanted Jack to have to negotiate, something outside his norm. Although for my money it's very lazy writing and he's relied on those old, old clichés to draw his character and manipulate his reader's response to him, something that FPW doesn't usually do.

And the whole point of Jack taking up the Louis persona is to make Cordova uncomfortable; fair enough as far as the character goes. But that whole section of the book smacks of a sniggering attitude behind the writing, a kind of rugby-club "bums to the walls, boys !" mentality that invites the reader to squirm right along with Cordova when Jack deliberately moves too physically close. We aren't supposed to like Cordova, we want to see him suffer, so we're supposed to identify with his discomfort at having to chat with and sit with and share a car with a poofter. Ye gods, FPW even makes a point of saying during the scene in Cordova's office that their sitting down means that their butts are in the seats -- I half expected him to have Cordova say something along the lines of the old "don't anyone drop the soap!!" Jeez, FP, that's old Benny Hill-era stuff !!

When we get to Luther Brady, it starts getting really unpleasant. Being gay is not only pretty clearly linked to the Otherness, which is friggin' insulting, but to paedophilia. Bloody hell !! The other old, gross flying-in-the-face-of-facts cliché about gays gets crammed into the same book. Pretty hard to swallow.

And towards the end, when we're told Luther Brady was having nightmare visions of all the big black men lining up in the shower block to gang-rape him ... I nearly threw the book across the room.

Let me be clear: I have no problem with ignorant attitudes being exposed in a character for the audience to scoff at them, but here we're being asked to share the characters' point-of-view as if it's reasonable -- hey, anyone would squirm if a faggot put his hand on their shoulder, right ? -- and respond accordingly.

It comes down to the same sort of attitude that was unwittingly displayed over "Brokeback Mountain", where so many people lamented loudly, and in some cases angrily, that they couldn't go and see it because people might think they were gay. (Hey, walk a mile in my shoes !) I never quite got who they were angry it, because it certainly didn't seem to equate to any sense of how difficult it is for gay people in everyday life, and didn't seem to result in any consciousness-raising. But they just didn't get that their distress over the idea that someone might think they were gay really spoke volumes about their own view about what they thought of gay people and what it meant to be gay.

OK, I've overspent my $0.02. Pardon my soapboxing, but these "he's a real man 'cause he's uncomfortable with gay people" implications have been building up over the last few RJ books, and I find it really pretty ... disappointing.

Not a trolling, just a point of view.
regards all,
Bran

For fans of Shaun of the Dead, you should like this. Watch the two clips for the new film from the same team.

http://www.empireonline.com/

Apologies for the lack of a more precise link.

Dave

[SIZE="3"]I've told the Beacon folks that I'd like to see a lady with a dog in the background of a few scenes. They seem to like the idea.

How about the rest of you? Shall we create a wish list of things we'd like to see in the film? You don't have to limit yourselves to [SIZE="3"]The Tomb[/SIZE].[/SIZE]

I always got a kick out of the signs Julio had/has in his bar:

"Free beer tomorrow."

"Free lunch: $2.98."

I saw a sign at a gun show years ago which still has me grinning. One that Julio might like as well:

"We cheat the other guy, and pass the savings along to you."

Have any of you seen a funny sign that Julio might like?

Ken V.

I am curious to what peoples thoughts, ideas, revelations, etc. are on The Lady who frequently make appearances in the RJ books now. What do you think their constant "I am your mother" means?

I'm still avoiding the spoiler threads, but I should finish it tonight. As usual, great book with many answers.

I realize that some of us boardwalkers have gotten their names included in a novel and that several have been acknowledged, I just hope that Miller isn't based on me. (Hell, even if he is, I stand a good chance at a grisly demise)

Also, I'm curious about the little mark under the 'C' in yenicari. Has it been brought up in another thread that I'll read soon enough, or do I request some type of explanation from FPW?

On a thread about the movie 16 Blocks there was some discussion about how Mos Def had done a pretty decent job of acting in at least a couple of films. This got me wondering and trying to think of another musician that turned out to be a suprisingly good actor/actress. I couldn't think of a single one! :eek:

Could be I'm just too distracted with other thoughts just now, so I thought I'd see if anybody else could come up with another example. Anyone?

[SIZE="1"]Wow - I don't think I've ever started a thread under the TV and Film category before![/SIZE]

Hi,

Has anyone read the Revised version of "Nightworld"? I am very interested in knowing in what additional material was added in it.

For example...

1) Was "The Lady" present in Gleaken's apartment? Did they explain on what she was?

2) More detailed explanations on what "The Ally" and "The Otherness" are?

3) Are there any Oculus still alive in the "Nightworld" endgame?

This is my first post, by the way. Hi, everyone!

I know I have posted here before about some great Irish movies - especially the one called "Breakfast on Pluto" about a gay/crossdressing kid living on the border of the north in the 70's/80's. Wonderful film.

I found a great list of films that have been made here, and, while I haven't seen most of them, I thought I would put the list here - maybe others can find them and report.

The Front Line Mumba, a muscian from the Congo works as a security guard in a bank in Dublin. Director: David Glesson

Isolation A terrifying story of five people brought together in an isolated farm in rural Ireland. Director: Billy O'Brien Main Cast: John Lynch, Essie Davis, Sean Harris

Becoming Jane Bio of Jane Austin and her romance with an Irish boy. Director Julian Jarrold Main Cast: Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, Jessica Ashworth

Shrooms Horror in which American students fall prey to the dark side of mind-altering magic mushrooms. Director:Paddy Breathnach Main Cast: Don Whicherly, Sean McGinley

Johnny Was Gangster thriller about a man who runs away from his paramilitary past to arrive in a Brixton squat. Director: Mark Hammond Main Cast Vinnie Jones, Paretick Bergin, Eriq LaSalle, Samantha Mumba, Roger Daltrey, Lennon Lewis

Middletown Jim and Caroline feel trapped in puritanical Middletown lookintg after his cantankerous father, until Jim's brother returns and turns everything on its head. Director: Brian Kirk Main Cast: Matther MacFayden, Daniel Mays, Eva Birthistle, Gerald McSorley

A Tiger's Tale Gleeson, a successful Dubliner, becomes disturbed by a murderous facsimile of himself. Director: John Boorman Main Cast: Brendan Gleeson, Kim Cattrall, Connor O'Leary, Ciaran Hinds

Puffball A couple purchase a remote cottage in teh English countryside Director: Nicholas Roeg Main Cast: Donald Southerland, Samatha Morton

Ugly Duckling and Me Morre than the story of Hans Christian Anderson's Ugly Duckling. this is also the story of his mother (or possibly father) called Ratso. Director Michael Hegner, Karstein Kiilerich Main Cast Morgan Jones, Justin Gregg, Anna Olsen

48 Angels 9 year old Seamus, diagnosed with a serious illness, sets off in a boat with neither oars nor sail in search of a miracle. Director Marion Comer Main Cast:Shane Brolly, John Travers

Small Engine Repair The story of Doug, a boy who finds fame through his love of country and western music. Director Niall Heery Main Cast: Iain Glen, Steven Mackintosh, Stuart Graham


I have not seen any of these - so all I can do is pass on the info... You may be in for a treat - or it may be pretty scary (not in a good sense...)

I'm confused, probably because I haven't been following things closely enough.

FPW finished the revised version of Nightworld, right? Back in May?

How could he do this if all the RJ novels aren't written yet? Isn't there a chance that something will happen in an upcoming RJ novel that he didn't anticipate, and that the revised Nightworld might be out of sync? It just seems like he'd naturally wait to do the revised NW after he's done with the RJ novels.

Also, do we know how many more RJ novels there will be? (Maybe the answer to this helps answer the first question.)

-Oss