From late 70's to late 80's, one monthly magazine published in Japan.
The magazine's name was SF宝石(SF Hoseki). Hoseki's meaning is Jewel. Well, anyway, today I went to used books store, and I found out the April.1980 issue of SF Hoseki.

This magazine, a lot of great author's short stories contained. Paul Anderson, Isaac Asimov...etc,

And....our F.Paul Wilson!

At last I can read one of his short stories. The title is...

To Fill The Sea And Air


Cover of SF Hoseki April.1980



And...this is inner illustration of To Fill The Sea And Air. Japanese title is "Fair Play".

I just saw "Being Julia." Annette Bening is the movie, and she carries it beautifully. She's nominated for Best Actress, and for my money, she deserves to win.

Annette Bening
Hilary Swank
Catalina Sandino Moreno
Kate Winslet
Imelda Staunton

I haven't seen Imelda Staunton's performance in "Vera Drake." Catalina Sandino Moreno is good but not Oscar worthy. Kate Winslet was terrific in "Eternal Sunshine," but can't compare. And while Hilary Swank was superb in "Million Dollar Baby," she shares the movie nearly equally with Clint Eastwood, and to a lesser degree, Morgan Freeman.

The trouble is, probably all of 3 people have seen "Being Julia." It's not the sort of movie to make a lot of money. It takes place in 1938 London. Bening plays a middle aged theater star coming to grips, in the most wonderful way, with her advancing age. She positively glows in her myriad closeups, unafraid to show the few wrinkles that she has. Unlike her husband whose handsome good looks have been savaged by plastic surgery, Bening seems not to care or to want to save her lovely face. She has no need. She is growing older with grace and dignity.

There is barely a scene without Bening in "Being Julia." It's a masterful performance, nuanced and funny and she plays her character with great wit.

Well, I don't know if Bening will win. It seems the odds are on Swank. But I'd love it if she did.

Has anyone seen the 1998 movie "Final Cut?" It stars Jude Law and Ray Winstone.

A friend had been after me to Netflix it and I finally did. It's a remarkable film. I don't want to say much about it. I think it's a movie best seen with as little information as possible. Sort of a British "Sex, Lies and Videotape," but with MUCH more of an edge. It was riveting. I found it difficult to watch because it dealt with such painful issues but I couldn't turn away.

Dave, I know you'll laugh at me, but I still need subtitles on the heavy, what sounds to my ear like Cockney, accents.

I absolutely adore Ray Winstone, who was so fabulous in the extraordinary "Sexy Beast," one of my top 20 favs of all time.

I really enjoyed "Final Cut," and I wonder what would happen if someone I know used a camera like that.

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Just saw this movie and pretty much enjoyed it. Slow in places, but really cool visuals. Keanu Reeves was not as bad as I expected in this role. Peter Stormaire was cool as Lucifer.

I saw "Ray" the other night, and I would be willing to put money (all of 25 cents, which is about as high as I go) that Jamie Foxx will take home an Oscar. After about 3 minutes, I forgot that I was watching Jamie Foxx. He was Ray Charles for me. The film itself was good, though not exceptional. The movie stayed with me and I dreamed about it that night. Not sure what that means, except that it certainly made an impression.

"Maria Full of Grace" was a peek into a disturbing facet of the drug trade. It follows the life of a mule, a woman who swallows large pellets of condom-wrapped cocaine to smuggle it into the US. Catalina Sandino Moreno is nominated for a best acting Oscar, which she won't win, but the film was powerful in a quiet way, and she gave a fine performance. I enjoy movies that take me to places I would otherwise never visit. "Maria" was certainly one of them.

This Monday, Bluesman Mike sent "GATEWAYS" to me, and I just got it now.(Thanks a lot, Bluesman Mike)

This time, it's hardcover! Wow! This is so cool! Now I'm still reading The HAUNTED AIR, so I must speed up the pace of reading the book. I heard everybody say "GATEWAY is best". But FPW's books are all best. Is that right, Mike?

Well anyway, I can't wait for GATEWAYS. I feel like a Gateway is open and awaiting for me.

I just finished watching a fantastic flight of fancy, The Cat Returns.. A wild, thrilling ride through a brilliantly realized world of cats make this essential viewing. The filmmakers imaginations were fully-dilated on this one. Miyazaki didn't make it, but he was involved and the same excellent production value is present here as you find on his films; it is a visual feast. And it is kid-friendly in the extreme-both my kids loved it, but not as much as I did. And the voice talent is a cut above with people like Peter Boyle, Elliot Gould, Cary Elwes, Tim Curry, Andy Richter and Anne Hathaway.

With Black Wind, FPW showed that he can write great historical fiction... with, of course, a strong dose of supernatural horror thrown in. I'm hoping that one of these days FPW returns to historical fiction and writes a prequel to The Keep -- specifically, the struggle between Glaeken and Rasalom during the reign of Vlad the Impaler that lead to Rasalom being imprisoned in the keep. (We're told that Rasalom had a lot to do with inciting the horrors that occurred under Vlad's reign, giving rise to the later vampire legends.)

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Just got word from Matt at Shockline that Reborn will probably be delayed a month until the end of March due to Borderlines moving.