Michael Caine as the always fashionably dressed Jack Carter, a monstrous thug in the remarkably nasty, and very suspenseful, Get Carter.

What a weekend of gastronomic indulgence and relentless attention! I, for one, am ready to tuck into my stinky red bed for some serious napping and quiet reverie; the breakneck pace of our travels overwhelmed Lizzie and me. We spent Wednesday and Thursday at Grandma and Grandpa’s on the Cape, left Friday for Vermont, where we spent Friday night and Saturday, and left for New York on Sunday morning.

I realize, however, that most of you are more interested in reading a report about the meeting with our new cousin, Cecily, than having me regale you with tales of ort consumption. While I have absolutely no interest in the acquisition of yet another pug, this one isn’t terrible…and by that I mean, she has no obvious or overt mannerisms that would put me off my food or cause me to react in a violent sort of way. She seemed welcoming (maybe even genuinely glad to see us) and appropriately deferential to yours truly. As long as I am accorded the respect I rightfully deserve, then I have no reason to complain. Lizzie, of course, acted the perfect idiot with a lot of wiggling, wagging, and sniffing. They seemed to connect on some primal kind of “I’ve experienced birth and know the pain”  female way, which personally, I find offensive. I also should mention, though it is of little consequence, that she is not unattractive. At any rate the three of us enjoyed walking on the beach and curling up on the couch for napping, so I would say that life was pretty much the same for me. I did note that by the time we left, Miss Cecily was developing a fairly strong fondness for me, not that I didn’t blame her. It certainly shows she has taste and the ability to recognize class and intelligence. So, as long as she remains deferential and obsequious, I will tolerate her presence in our family.

It remains to be seen how successful the next new acquisition will be.

Respectfully submitted,

Mason

For all of you girly girls, a portrait of Lizzie and Cecily. Lizzie says they're sister friends or some such mawkish drivel.

Here we are...three pugs on a Thanksgiving day beach walk.

Here Miss C. is in hot pursuit of yours truly.

I must admit, she has a pretty tight figure for having had two litters.

I apologize for this gratuitous “emo” shot, but I know how emotional you readers can be. From now on, the blog is about me!

As we (Donald J. Rothschild & I) have just uploaded the latest chapter of our noir-art-novel-blog collaboration, Shadow Bay, here is a small selection of the latest images:

From Shadow Bay chapter 10

From Shadow Bay chapter 10

From Shadow Bay chapter 10

From Shadow Bay chapter 10

From Shadow Bay chapter 10

For the images to make any kind of narrative sense, you’ll have to read the blog.

Danish brand Noir does what it says on the label. The SS2010 collection is, not surprisingly, black. But this is not black as you know it, this is serious tailoring and luxurious materials – that happen to be eco-friendly as well as look darn good. Mesh please!

Après une première tentative plus ou moins réussie d’incursion dans le monde du design d’intérieur, Pharrell Williams récidive avec un nouveau modèle de chaise, la Tank, encore et toujours présentée dans l’incontournable Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin. Après avoir représenté un acte sexuel en plastique avec sa précédente réalisation, Pharrell a décidé de coller des chenilles de tank sous un dossier de fauteuil, pour un résultat mélangeant le plexiglas et le cuir, et que l’on peut qualifier de… particulier.

En tout cas, que l’on aime ou déteste, une chose est sure: quelque soit l’une des 4 couleurs retenues, la chaise ne passe pas inaperçue, et a le mérite de positionner Pharrell comme un véritable touche à tout. Peut être même comme un designer de fauteuil roulant du futur.

Pour voir plus de photos de la Tank Chair de Pharrell Williams, vous pouvez cliquer pour

The Brand of Silence continues, as Jim Farland pokes his nose into the wrong dark corner.

Chapter 20.

16:26.

Time: 12 hours  Paper: Strathmore illustration board, 40 x 30″  Media:  Rostow and Jung Akua Kolor slow drying black ink and white acrylic  Actuals: my studio:

Process: Unreal amount of time going up and down ladders balancing a big piece of board and Rotring Art Pen loaded with gray ink for initial layout.   After researching noir comics, I decided to melodramatize perspective, adding a stair, changing floor tile size, increasing proportional ratios which led to a rather a messy layout as I use only permanent drawing media, no pencils, for reasons too lengthy and vitriolic on my part  to go into here.

At this point, according to How To Draw Noir Comics by Shawn Martinbrough, the image is to be Xeroxed several times for working out where to put the black before inking the actual.  This would probably work on a smaller drawing but reducing my 40 x 30″ to even an 11 x 14″ digital print turned the lines to mush.  So I just dove in with a light gray ink wash until it looked all right.  So much for process.  I’d say about half my initial lines, about half the effort I put into it ended up under several coats of black ink or several coats of  white acrylic:  seven wolves were reduced to two, I had a really cool floor tile reflection going on in the window that had to go,  the bird in flight looked like it was hanging from a light fixture, not flying around it, so one of my light fixtures also bit the dust.  On and on.   Most disconcerting was that even at 40 x 30, even in a glorified negative space drawing, one false step with the brush and motorcycle helmets became a pile of rags, ravens turned into sparrows (oh well, ravens are so overused anyway) or wolves in the snow became floundering Dachshunds.  I never did get past gray scaling to black and white in the purist sense either:  see detail below.  Nevertheless it was a rather special week seeing everything as a Noir Comic and realizing the enormous potential of this assignment in effective linear perspective.

]]> http://trudalakingglatz.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/week-4-sketchbook/ Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:57:20 +0000 trudalakingglatz http://trudalakingglatz.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/week-4-sketchbook/

I was inspired by the dramatic linear perspective effects of Noir Comics.   Decided to try out some of the methods using the marvelous and challenging angles of my studio.  Preliminary sketch:

2001 can be best defined as a year of flawed greatness. The best series of this year had some fairly major drawbacks, but those drawbacks ultimately didn’t mean much considering each series’ strong points were pretty damn awesome.

It was also an awfully violent year for anime. Lots and lots of beautiful blood.

Honorable Mentions

Hellsing

The TV version of Hellsing gets a bad wrap. Yes, the second half of the series wasn’t all that. It’s because of this second half that many fans freak out when someone mentions an anime deviating from the original manga. But I find most of these reactions exaggerate the second half’s flaws. I thought the new villain was somewhat unique. He wasn’t yet another Eastern European myth-based vampire like we’ve seen time and time again. He was an African vampire with a cool visual scheme. Seeing Alucard/Dracula face off with a vampire based on a different culture was pretty fascinating. The end results might not have measured up to the first half’s storyline, but I think most of the criticism comes from the fact that it deviated from the manga rather than actual criticism of the episodes themselves. Had these episodes not been called “Hellsing,” I doubt we’d be hearing as many complaints. In the end, I found these episodes comparatively weak, but at the same time they kept the relative tone established by the previous episodes.

That said, the first half of Hellsing is pretty damn brilliant, and that brilliance comes to a head with the Valentine Brothers story arc. Even taking the manga’s storyline into consideration, I think the Valentine bit is the height of Hellsing. This is the part where Hellsing’s pattern is established. Alucard is seemingly pushed to the brink. The “villains” seem to have the upper hand. The supporting cast throws in their help, but they aren’t enough to win the day. Then, when all seems lost, Alucard laughs in his typical maniacally gleeful tone and goes apeshit on the place while revealing that he’s just been toying with his foe. The situation, setting, and enemies may change, but that pattern remains the same throughout the series.

The Valentine arc also establishes the series’ inherent nastiness and amorality. There had been flashes of this ultraviolent attitude in previous episodes, but the scale upon which this particular story takes place best cements the stakes at hand. The Hellsing compound is assaulted by a horde of zombie-like pseud0-vampires decked out in SWAT gear. Despite being ready-made, Wal-Mart-grade shocktroops, they lay waste to the Hellsing mansion. They also give the supporting cast their chance to show their stuff. This is the first time we see Walter bust out his dental-floss-fu, and we see Integra show that you don’t need to be a vampire or a super soldier to be thoroughly badass. And the gore factor is glorious.

I also want to re-emphasize the “Hellsing has an awesome dub” point that many have made before me. Considering that this is an anime that takes place in Britain, it feels considerably more natural to see the characters speak in English. And hearing actual accents for the region makes it all the better. I’d go so far that the only area in which the original Japanese is preferable to the dub is Alucard’s voice. That voice actor hits those low “notes” with far more menace.  Otherwise, I’ll be a loyal Hellsing dub fan for life.

And to boot, the series’ soundtrack is my vote for the decade’s best. The best way to describe it is “gothic blues.” No other series from this decade sounded this good.

Noir

Flashbacks can be a useful narrative device. They can be used to give important information that would otherwise be inaccessible. Unfortunately, Noir feels the need to use the same flashback repeatedly and does so long after said flashback has worn out its welcome. If you can ignore this narrative crutch, Noir is a great action series that owes just as much to non-Japanese live action movies as it does to anime. Obviously, I’m a big fan of the action movie.

Between Mireille and Kirika, we get two angles on the action movie. Mireille represents the American/European style. Not only is she of European descent (she’s from Corsica), she also behaves in ways that a stereotypical “western” action hero would behave. Her style of gun play is considerably more straightforward than Kirika’s. Before the advent of The Matrix, few western action movies skewed towards acrobatics and such in their action scenes. While great action scenes still made use of movement and location, the action heroes in question were rarely trained in the sort of acrobatic, John Woo-like style prevalent in Hong Kong movies. There’s less “fluidity” and more of an emphasis on the rough, brutal aspect of violence. Mireille’s style falls more in these lines. She’s far more likely to stand and fight gun to gun, man to man. You could see her inserted into Die Hard or Leon: The Professional.

The same can’t be said of Kirika. Conveniently, she’s of Asian descent (Japan, obviously), but she also fights in a manner very reminiscent of the John Woo-inspired blood opera/heroic bloodshed movies that cropped up in the late 80s. Her style utilizes far more martial arts and acrobatics than Kirika, making her gun play considerably more “stylized” than Mireille’s. The two characters have differing, and in some ways opposing, manners of fighting, and that dichotomy makes for something of a yin-yang effect on the series.

By having the characters represent two “branches” of the action movie, Noir acts as something of a meta-text on the genre as a whole. The series then proceeds to work its way through numerous action movie stereotypes (the world of assassins, criminal conspiracies, vengeance, etc) while adding in certain elements that you rarely see in such movies but often see in anime. The “chosen one” angle is distinctly anime-like, where forces are working to create “perfect” assassins to go along with an ancient prophecy. Noir is a mishmash of genres and sub-genres that manage to merge into something beautifully violent and clever.

Shame its “sister” series, Madlax and Bruja, never quite measured up.

Best of the Year

X

X is the greatest 13 episode anime series ever made.

Shame it takes 24 or so episodes to show us all 13 episodes.

Much like Noir, X has a repeated motif that gets old fairly quickly. We get the same “I am a Dragon of Earth and you are a Dragon of Heaven” spiel almost every episode. The same exposition is repeated constantly, not unlike a Buddhist mantra or Fox News’ “fair and balanced” shtick. We need to hear it once or twice in the early goings, so we can figure out what each side is all about, but do we really need to be reminded each time a good guy and a bad guy meets? Is it because the characters have bad memories and need to remind each other which side they’re on? I have to think this is the case, because X’s morality is pretty fucked up.

X boils down to Man vs Nature. The Dragons of Heaven wish to preserve the world as-is. They’re like Morgan Freeman at the end of Seven when he quotes Hemingway, “’The world is a fine place and worth fighting for.’ I agree with the second part.” Many of the “good guys” know that the world isn’t that great of a place, but they don’t feel that the world should be destroyed in order to fix whatever problems may exist.

The Dragons of Earth wish to destroy the world as is, but they wish to do so in order to bring about a rebirth of sorts. They see humanity as something of a plague, and in order to ensure a better future for the world as a whole they feel they must purge the world of this disease.

Sounds pretty simple. Defend humanity or defend the earth? What side do you choose? The catch is that most people either don’t care about their particular side or had no choice in the matter.

Many of the Dragons of Earth join that side for no logical reason. Fuuma is literally forced into becoming “evil” when Kamui chooses to be a Dragon of Heaven. This was his destiny. He was born to act as Kamui’s foil, and whatever choice Kamui made would irreversibly transform Fuuma. This leads to the preordained death of Kotori, Fuuma’s sister and Kamui’s friend, at the hands of Fuuma. It didn’t matter what decision Kamui made in regards to Kotori’s fate. If he chose to be a Dragon of Earth, it would have been him dealing the killing blow and Fuuma mourning her death. Essentially, while Kamui has the illusion of choice, none of these characters could choose their fates. Kamui had to pick a side. Kamui also had to decide Fuuma’s fate and who would bloody their hands with Kotori’s blood.

Another Dragon of Earth, Nataku, was cloned for the very purpose of becoming a Dragon of Earth. While he ends up sacrificing himself for the good of one of the Dragons of Heaven, he never had a choice in regards to becoming a Dragon of Earth. It’s as if the Earth itself is luring souls in to fight for it, even if it’s against their will. In a way one could say that the Earth is ultimately selfish when interpreted in this manner. The source of all life, the planet upon which we live, is cast as a villain because it wishes to cleanse itself and start anew.

Considering the fact that many of the premonitions we see about what the Earth will be like if the Dragons of Earth win (it’s a pristine, Eden-like paradise rife with new life), it could almost be said that environmentalism is something of a negative force in the world. While I wouldn’t accuse the series of being some sort of Captain Planet-like eco-freak, there’s definately some subtext criticising the more extreme views of environmentalists. It’s fascinating to see popular culture attack the issue of the environment from the other side. Usually we see preachy stories about evil people doing things to harm the world which leads to disaster. In X we see the reverse: going against what makes us human (creating technology by utilizing the environment to out advantage) may result in an equally terrible fate.

I’d like to say that the series tries to make a case for balance between the opposing sides, but it doesn’t. The Dragons of Heaven win. Humanity is triumphant and the world will continue on as-is. The Earth, for now at least, has been beaten back and conquered. And this is seen as a good thing. While I can’t say I agree with the implications, it’s fascinating none the less.

There’s also tons of bloodshed, decapitations, elaborate fight sequences, and excellent art direction. It also gives the storyline a proper ending that’ll likely never see print in manga form. Good stuff.

Also-Rans

Sadamitsu the Destroyer, Soul Taker, Fruits Basket, S-CRY-ed

I love the new covers of the “Nameless” Detective novels by Bill Pronzini. They’re mocked up to look like file folders and make it simple to recognize these books at a glance.

I’ve been reading this series since The Snatch came out in the 1970s. In that time, Nameless has gone through a lot of changes. We’ve even learned his first name: Bill. But I’ll always think of him as Nameless.

I’d read in the beginning that the author wanted to strip down the private detective motif down so much that the character had no name and the only way he was recognized was through his work. In the beginning, I thought that was pretty cool. Still do. But I like the way Nameless has gone from being a single act to an ensemble group and now has a family life.

Lately, Pronzini has divided up the legwork in Nameless’s cases. He’s been joined by Tamara Corbin, the agency’s computer guru, and Jake Runyon, an ex-Seattle cop who’s dealing with personal trauma from losing his wife to cancer. When Tamara first started edging into the books as a viewpoint character, I wasn’t too sure about how I liked the idea. Then I got used to it and now I see it as a plus in the series.

The opening prologue of the book instantly guarantees the reader’s attention. I couldn’t think of a more brutal thing to kick off an attack on a family, but it’s there. Nameless takes the case on and hands it over to Runyon. All of them are aware that a killer is waiting out in the shadows, one that isn’t going to hesitate to kill when he’s ready.

The second mystery is an old school locked room. I loved those kinds of stories when I was a kid. The scenario gets bumped up and shot full of steroids when the story involves a collector of Golden Age mysteries. I loved all the name-dropping that went on during the conversations. I couldn’t help ticking off the books and authors I’d read. Nameless is an avid collector of pulp magazines, a medium I also love.

As always, Pronzini keeps his mysteries moving, dodging back and forth between cases as well as through the investigations and the private lives of his investigators.

I’d figured out most of the locked room mystery by the time I reached the final few pages, but it was gratifying to see that I was right about most of it. There were still a few twists I hadn’t caught. The story with Runyon and the Hendersons was more suspenseful, more hardboiled, but it kept me flipping pages in anticipation. Overall, this was a solid entry into this long-lived series.

Loren Estlemen is one of those writers that I habitually pick up, spend time with, and know I’m going to get a solid story. He writes private eye yarns and Westerns, two genres that I always lean toward when I want comfort reading.

American Detective is the latest novel in the long-running Amos Walker series. Estleman writes Detroit, Michigan, like no one else, and Walker is a thoroughly believable blue collar private investigator of the old school. He’s loyal and tough, and generally gets through a case based more on his indefatigable stubbornness rather than uncanny intellect or charm.

In American Detective, Walker is hired by ex-baseball pitcher Darius Fuller to break up the engagement between his daughter Deirdre and Hilary Bairn, a guy Fuller believes is after her two million dollar inheritance. It’s not the kind of work Walker generally does, he’s more of a bodyguard than a legbreaker, but he likes Fuller and agrees to lean on Bairn. Estleman does a really good job of building in Walker’s motivation to take the case, one old warrior doing a good turn by another old warrior.

But the case takes some bad turns when Walker confirms that Bairn is bad news. As it turns out, Bairn has his finger in a lot of illegal pies, and he’s doublecrossing some of the people he’s in business with.

As usual, things get sticky quick for Walker and it isn’t long before his small, cramped office and house end up filled with bad guys and cops wanting answers Walker would rather not give. The cops threaten indictment and the bad guys threaten physical damage. I really liked the dialogue between Walker and Elron, a hardcase in the employee of a known racketeer whose path crosses that of Walker.

Even more, I enjoyed the few scenes with the Asian madam in charge of a criminal empire. I would have loved to have seen more of her and her femme fatale Violet and hope that they make a return engagement at some time in the near future.

Walker’s investigation takes a lot of twists and turns this time around. I was fascinated by the amount of criminal activities as well as the variations of them. The bit about the money machine as a way to collect bank information was awesome, and I haven’t ever heard of that scheme before.

As usual, Estleman’s first-person voice is great. Walker sounds like someone you know, not just a character on a page. I empathize with him a lot because he chooses to deal with life on his own two feet and accept the consequences. Also, he stays true to the people he makes deals with. Honesty and integrity are two of the best qualities you can find in a person, and Walker carries the scars of those burdens.

If you like the Robert B. Parker Spenser series but haven’t tried Estleman, I urge you to. I love the Spenser novels, but Spenser always seems to find the right answer in the middle of being macho enough to handle everything. But I enjoy Estleman’s take on blue collar sleuthing equally.

Riso giallo e risate noir

Ridere ci arriva così com’è dal latino (ridere) e giunge direttamente dalla stessa radice del termine greco kriddein. Il significato è prorompere in riso, ovvero contrarre i muscoli del viso mentre si verifica una contrazione a scatti delle corde vocali.

Anche sorridere è un termine latino (subridere) e significa ‘ridere sotto’ ovvero compiere un’azione non piena. Ridere senza rumore, insomma, piegando appena le labbra e gli occhi quasi cercando di non farlo apparire. Si può sorridere per compiacenza, affetto, cortesia, ma anche per incredulità, sprezzo, compassione.

A questo punto, permettetemi di citare Dante. Nel XXII canto del Paradiso, infatti, il Sommo parla del sorriso e lo fa in questo modo stupendo: «Col viso ritornai per tutte quante le sette sfere; e vidi questo globo, tal ch’io sorrisi del suo vil sembiante».

Come facciamo dall’inizio di questa terza stagione, uno sguardo veloce sui libri più venduti in Italia negli ultimi sette giorni.

Al terzo posto troviamo Niccolò Ammaniti che scende di una posizione con il suo “Che la festa cominci” (Einaudi) e che, quindi, viene rimpiazzato al secondo posto da Alessandro Baricco che ha appena mandato alle stampe “Emmaus” (Feltrinelli). In vetta, anche questa settimana, Dan Brown con “Il simbolo perduto” (Mondadori), saldamente primo ancora negli USA, in Inghilterra e Germania, ma “solo” quinto nei Paesi Bassi.

Se vogliamo parlare, invece, solo di saggistica, la classifica italiana questa settimana è la seguente: al terzo posto Federico Rampini con “Slow economy” (Mondadori), al secondo Bruno Vespa con “Donne di cuori” (Mondadori) e in vetta il Presidente della Camera Gianfranco Fini con “Il futuro della libertà” (Rizzoli).

Qualche consiglio di letteratura noir

O ridere o morire (di Barbara Garlaschelli)
Quella che è stata definita (e a ragione) come la regina dello humour nero, ci regala un’edizione riveduta e corretta del suo primo libro, pubblicato nel lontano 1995 e oggi pressoché introvabile. È una raccolta di racconti fulminanti (arricchita da molte storie inedite) in cui calano dense e inquietanti sia le atmosfere sia le verità. Lo stile è rapido, leggero e i personaggi sono cattivi come le trame: il lettore, inevitabile, è costretto al disagio e alla perplessità. Il motivo è forse uno solo: i personaggi e le sensazioni sono quelle che animano la nostra vita tutti i giorni, ma sono descritti usando una luce diversa. Il più arrendevole non sempre si arrende, la più goffa nasconde qualità letali, il lutto non sempre è davvero inconsolabile e il senso dell’umorismo, ebbene sì, può anche condurre all’omicidio.
Euro 13,50 – Pagg.179 – Todaro

Spettri da ridere (di AA.VV.)
E’ una cosa risaputa, ma conviene sempre ribadirla: la maggior parte degli scrittori che raccontano di fantasmi non credono alla loro esistenza. D’altronde, non sarebbero stati dei “Grandi Mentitori”. Questa bella antologia è sviluppata proprio sul fatto che i fantasmi non esistono. Il vero divertimento è quello di leggere come ci si può burlare dei racconti gotici, dello concetto stesso di fantasma, degli spettri. Un altro buon motivo per non farsi sfuggire questo libro? Semplice: gli autori. Oltre a essere tutti di lingua inglese, sono fra i più noti del panorama letterario: da Charles Dickens a Oscar Wilde, da Kipling a Jerome.
Euro 7,75 – Pagg.220 – Einaudi

Soltanto un sorriso (di J.D. Robb)
Il tenente Dallas della Omicidi di New York ha appena sposato un miliardario tanto affascinante quanto enigmatico e adesso si sta godendo la meritata luna di miele. Il sogno, però, viene bruscamente interrotto: un giovane impiegato dell’albergo dove stanno soggiornando, viene trovato impiccato. Sembrava una persona serena, senza problemi, ma gli indizi sono inequivocabili e il caso viene catalogato come un suicidio. Poco tempo e la stessa sorte tocca anche a un avvocato e a un uomo politico. Anche in questi casi, nessuna lettera d’addio oppure indizi che possano far capire di più. Tre suicidi inspiegabili sono troppi per essere una semplice coincidenza. La nostra poliziotta si getta a capofitto nell’indagine. Come sempre accade nei romanzi, tutto è complesso perché le vittime non sembrano avere nessun legame fra loro. Un solo elemento comune, però, viene rivelato dalle autopsie: tutti i corpi hanno una piccola bruciatura nella corteccia cerebrale…
Euro 8,90 – Pagg.359 – TEA

Il giallo del sorriso scomparso (di Anna Lavatelli)
Serve un commissario di polizia molto speciale per investigare su un furto altrettanto speciale, quello del sorriso della Gioconda. Non è l’unico caso, però: sono scomparsi improvvisamente anche i colori di un’intera città. Ad aiutare l’ispettore Busillis e sua moglie Renata c’è anche il fido cane poliziotto Asso. Questo romanzo illustrato è ovviamente per ragazzi e si può leggere a partire dai 9 anni.
Euro 7,75 – Pagg.128 – Interlinea

I miei auguri di buon compleanno vanno quest’oggi ad Alberto Moravia che spegne ben 102 candeline.

Una precisazione: quello di Alberto Moravia non è che uno pseudonimo. All’anagrafe, infatti, l’autore di opere come ‘Gli indifferenti’ e ‘La noia’ risponde al nome di Alberto Pincherle. È considerato uno dei più grandi romanzieri italiani del novecento e nei suoi scritti ha affrontato anche temi difficili come il sesso o filosofici come l’alienazione sociale e l’esistenzialismo.

Inoltre, cosa importante, gli auguri di buon compleanno raggiungono stasera anche un amico di “Siamo in onda”: William Facchinetti Kerdudo, in arte Will K.

Infine, anche questi davvero sentiti, tanti auguri al buon Tommy Julita: anche lui, tra due giorni, spegnerà le sue… can-deline.

Ieri sera, ovvero sabato 28 novembre, sono stato ospite nell’ottava puntata del talkshow radiofonico “Siamo in onda” trasmesso da PuntoRadio. Come cerco di fare ogni volta, ho parlato di letteratura gialla e noir confrontandomi con il tema della serata. Questa volta si è parlato di riso, ma di quello che abbonda sulla bocca degli stolti e non dei cinesi, per capirci.

Ridere ci arriva così com’è dal latino (ridere) e giunge direttamente dalla stessa radice del termine greco kriddein. Il significato è prorompere in riso, ovvero contrarre i muscoli del viso mentre si verifica una contrazione a scatti delle corde vocali.

Anche sorridere è un termine latino (subridere) e significa ‘ridere sotto’ ovvero compiere un’azione non piena. Ridere senza rumore, insomma, piegando appena le labbra e gli occhi quasi cercando di non farlo apparire. Si può sorridere per compiacenza, affetto, cortesia, ma anche per incredulità, sprezzo, compassione.

A questo punto, permettetemi di citare Dante. Nel XXII canto del Paradiso, infatti, il Sommo parla del sorriso e lo fa in questo modo stupendo: «Col viso ritornai per tutte quante le sette sfere; e vidi questo globo, tal ch’io sorrisi del suo vil sembiante».

Come facciamo dall’inizio di questa terza stagione, uno sguardo veloce sui libri più venduti in Italia negli ultimi sette giorni.

Al terzo posto troviamo Niccolò Ammaniti che scende di una posizione con il suo “Che la festa cominci” (Einaudi) e che, quindi, viene rimpiazzato al secondo posto da Alessandro Baricco che ha appena mandato alle stampe “Emmaus” (Feltrinelli). In vetta, anche questa settimana, Dan Brown con “Il simbolo perduto” (Mondadori), saldamente primo ancora negli USA, in Inghilterra e Germania, ma “solo” quinto nei Paesi Bassi.

Se vogliamo parlare, invece, solo di saggistica, la classifica italiana questa settimana è la seguente: al terzo posto Federico Rampini con “Slow economy” (Mondadori), al secondo Bruno Vespa con “Donne di cuori” (Mondadori) e in vetta il Presidente della Camera Gianfranco Fini con “Il futuro della libertà” (Rizzoli).

Qualche consiglio di letteratura noir

O ridere o morire (di Barbara Garlaschelli)
Quella che è stata definita (e a ragione) come la regina dello humour nero, ci regala un’edizione riveduta e corretta del suo primo libro, pubblicato nel lontano 1995 e oggi pressoché introvabile. È una raccolta di racconti fulminanti (arricchita da molte storie inedite) in cui calano dense e inquietanti sia le atmosfere sia le verità. Lo stile è rapido, leggero e i personaggi sono cattivi come le trame: il lettore, inevitabile, è costretto al disagio e alla perplessità. Il motivo è forse uno solo: i personaggi e le sensazioni sono quelle che animano la nostra vita tutti i giorni, ma sono descritti usando una luce diversa. Il più arrendevole non sempre si arrende, la più goffa nasconde qualità letali, il lutto non sempre è davvero inconsolabile e il senso dell’umorismo, ebbene sì, può anche condurre all’omicidio.
Euro 13,50 – Pagg.179 – Todaro

Spettri da ridere (di AA.VV.)
E’ una cosa risaputa, ma conviene sempre ribadirla: la maggior parte degli scrittori che raccontano di fantasmi non credono alla loro esistenza. D’altronde, non sarebbero stati dei “Grandi Mentitori”. Questa bella antologia è sviluppata proprio sul fatto che i fantasmi non esistono. Il vero divertimento è quello di leggere come ci si può burlare dei racconti gotici, dello concetto stesso di fantasma, degli spettri. Un altro buon motivo per non farsi sfuggire questo libro? Semplice: gli autori. Oltre a essere tutti di lingua inglese, sono fra i più noti del panorama letterario: da Charles Dickens a Oscar Wilde, da Kipling a Jerome.
Euro 7,75 – Pagg.220 – Einaudi

Soltanto un sorriso (di J.D. Robb)
Il tenente Dallas della Omicidi di New York ha appena sposato un miliardario tanto affascinante quanto enigmatico e adesso si sta godendo la meritata luna di miele. Il sogno, però, viene bruscamente interrotto: un giovane impiegato dell’albergo dove stanno soggiornando, viene trovato impiccato. Sembrava una persona serena, senza problemi, ma gli indizi sono inequivocabili e il caso viene catalogato come un suicidio. Poco tempo e la stessa sorte tocca anche a un avvocato e a un uomo politico. Anche in questi casi, nessuna lettera d’addio oppure indizi che possano far capire di più. Tre suicidi inspiegabili sono troppi per essere una semplice coincidenza. La nostra poliziotta si getta a capofitto nell’indagine. Come sempre accade nei romanzi, tutto è complesso perché le vittime non sembrano avere nessun legame fra loro. Un solo elemento comune, però, viene rivelato dalle autopsie: tutti i corpi hanno una piccola bruciatura nella corteccia cerebrale…
Euro 8,90 – Pagg.359 – TEA

Il giallo del sorriso scomparso (di Anna Lavatelli)
Serve un commissario di polizia molto speciale per investigare su un furto altrettanto speciale, quello del sorriso della Gioconda. Non è l’unico caso, però: sono scomparsi improvvisamente anche i colori di un’intera città. Ad aiutare l’ispettore Busillis e sua moglie Renata c’è anche il fido cane poliziotto Asso. Questo romanzo illustrato è ovviamente per ragazzi e si può leggere a partire dai 9 anni.
Euro 7,75 – Pagg.128 – Interlinea

I miei auguri di buon compleanno vanno quest’oggi ad Alberto Moravia che spegne ben 102 candeline.

Una precisazione: quello di Alberto Moravia non è che uno pseudonimo. All’anagrafe, infatti, l’autore di opere come ‘Gli indifferenti’ e ‘La noia’ risponde al nome di Alberto Pincherle. È considerato uno dei più grandi romanzieri italiani del novecento e nei suoi scritti ha affrontato anche temi difficili come il sesso o filosofici come l’alienazione sociale e l’esistenzialismo.

Auguri di buon compleanno anche a un amico di Siamoinonda, il poliedrico Will K. Infine, anche questi davvero sentiti, tanti auguri al buon Tommy Julita: anche lui, tra due giorni, spegnerà le sue… can-deline.

Arcedium – part 3

I left Lou’s a couple hours later with a full belly and a head full of questions. If there was one thing I could be sure of any time I went to Lou’s is that I would leave there happily content simply from her cooking. Lou is the luckiest man I know, and I have no clue why he is not as fat as the richest merchants in the city.

The evening had passed as normal while I ate and enjoyed the entertainment, a couple of local flutists that usually made the rounds of this quarter. Several people had approached me, bringing their problems as usual. I really don’t know how it got started that I would solve everyone’s problems but seems like everyone always wants my assistance with something. Usually I can just steer them away to the station, or someone else in the quarter that can help them better. Sometimes they just need to hear the right words. Either way, I seem to have a reputation for helping them, when all I really want is for them all to leave me alone and see to their own problems on their own.

After all I am not here to help those that can handle their own stuff. I’m here for those that can’t.

It was already dark when I left Lou’s and that was as it should be. The young ones in the squad always want to go out in the light of day but they just don’t realize yet that you can’t get anything done in this quarter when the sun is out. The real residents are active only when the moon and stars can guide their steps.

Looking up and down the street I considered my options knowing that it might take some time to get an appointment with the Madams. They were sticklers for some of the old courtesies and you simply do not head straight to their houses demanding their attention. it was one of the surer ways of getting your backside kicked around, regardless of who you were. That and, of course, roughing up one of the girls when it wasnt part of the contract.

My choice was soon made for me as the shadows across the street moved and a young boy came running over. He couldn’t have been more than five or six with a ragged mop of black hair and green eyes. Just another one of the street kids that are always running around the quarter and not someone that people would generally see. Course that would be why he was sent. No one was likely to grab him off the street as had happened all too frequently a number of years ago.

That was one case Ed and I were glad to close. There are some things that are simply not allowed, even in the Old Blood.

He seemed to know exactly who I am and delivered his message in the rushed way that kids had these days. “Madame Lin requests your presence at the half hour after close.”

Short and to the point. I nodded and he ran off as quickly as he had come. not much one for words though I did wonder what would become of the boy. Either a pretty for one of the Madames or perhaps one of their fists. Both could be good for him, if he survived long enough.

That did answer the question of what I would be doing next since I now had a meeting with Lin. Not the Madame I would have chosen to question first, but sometimes you take what you can get. It would be a late meeting though and it gave me nearly six hours to kill.

Nodding I turned away from Lou’s and headed towards the west end of the quarter, towards the religious sector where Diana’s comb. If I was lucky I’d perhaps find the vendor that Lou had mentioned who had tried to sell him the comb. Perhaps.

***

Copyright 2009 Daniel Graf

Era la figlia maggiore del bandito sardo Matteo Boe. E’ stata questa la sua condanna a morte? Se sei figlio di un criminale la tua diventa automaticamente  una morte di serie B. Morte fisica prima. Morale, lasciata nel dimenticatoio, poi.

Sono le 18:30 di un freddo martedì di novembre del 2003, il 25 per la precisione. Soffia un gelido maestrale a Lula, piove.  Luisa Manfredi, 14 anni,  è in casa a preparasi. Da lì a poco uscirà per il suo corso di ballo sardo. Le piace ballare, lo fa con l’entusiasmo e con l’innocente malizia dei suoi anni da adolescente. Incontrerà le amiche al corso, parleranno dei compiti svolti, dell’interrogazione del giorno dopo, di quanto è carino il ragazzino dell’altra sezione. No. Non parleranno.

Luisa viene colpita dal proiettile di un fucile calibro 12, mentre si affacciava al balcone per stendere frettolosamente il bucato. Si accascerà sul terrazzo di casa ed emetterà il suo ultimo respiro 24 ore dopo. Hanno fatto di tutto i medici per rianimarla e riportarla alla vita. Ma non ci sono riusciti a proteggerla. Così come non c’è riuscito suo padre.

Credeva che bastasse risparmiarle il suo cognome per risparmiarle la morte. Ma gli assassini sanno tutto. Sanno cosa mangi la mattina a colazione, sanno che amici frequenti e sanno anche quand’è il momento giusto per colpire.

Qualcuno ha lasciato uno striscione davanti la Chiesa, su c’è scritto: “Chi ha ucciso Luisa?”  Si è pensato ad una vendetta trasversale o  uno scambio di persona prima, di un delitto passionale o politico poi. La madre della ragazza chiede che venga fatta giustizia, che la sua creatura non venga dimenticata, che la gente di Lula che ha visto, se ha visto, parli. Per dire cosa? Nessuno mai dirà com’è morta la figlia di un bandito, anche se questi sta scontando in carcere i suoi errori con la giustizia. La paura è tanta. Chi vive da quelle parti non ci fa più nemmeno caso alle morti atroci che colpiscono anche gli innocenti.

A Lula è calato il silenzio. Si è abbassato il sipario di un teatro di paese dove il dramma si confonde con la realtà, dove il dolore e la disperazione dei parenti e degli amici di Luisa annegano nel lago dell’omertà. Dove sono i mass media? I telegiornali che si scandalizzano e ci scandalizzano per le morti illustri e per le vite dorate di pochi? Abbietti come sempre e alla ricerca del dolore da audience. Lacrime finte o fin troppo facili che scorrono vorticose all’apertura di pacchi milionari.

Lo so che chiedi giustizia, Luisa. Lo so che da lassù urli il tuo grido di dolore. Lo so che chi ti ama in Terra lotta nell’indifferenza mentre tu stai cercando un posto tra le anime del Paradiso, lì dove si vive senza gerarchie.

Non ti dimenticheremo Luisa. Sei la figlia di tutti noi ora, noi che con le nostre flebili vocine chiederemo per te giustizia divina e terrena.

LINA PASCA

there is me.

in a dream,

with willows and wind.

Je n’avais pas trop envie d’affronter le froid matinal d’hiver, j’ai donc innové aujourd’hui : séance photo en intérieur. Je vous présente ma robe de soirée tout droit venue du géant suédois : H&M ! Bonne journée

Robe H&M – Chaussures Etam

le rouge et le noir

Michaele Salahi, ce nom était plutôt inconnu jusqu’au fameux diner présidentiel ou elle s’est invitée.
Si deja on réussit à se faufiler et s’introduire, on fait fi du protocole et on attrape le Président avec les 2 mains, une pour nous rappeler que les femmes fatales s’habillent toujours de rouge, l’autre pour nous ramèner au Rouge et le Noir de Stendhal.

Michaele, Michelle ? et n’oublions pas Monica ! Les Présidents américains auraient ils un faible pour les femmes dont le nom commence par M ?

Vous savez, la publicité du Dr. Scholls pour les traitements des achrochordons?  Celle qui annonce pouvoir éradiquer ces petits bouts de peau disgracieux qui dépassent sur votre corps (non les gars, pas ce bout là)?  Celle qui répète à peu près 20 fois le mot “achrochordon”?

Vous savez de quoi je parle?

Ben c’est crissement dégueulasse.

(La photo ci-dessus n’a rien à voir avec l’article.  C’est juste que chercher “achrochordon” sur GoogleImages, ça t’enlève rapidement l’appétit.  Essayez pour voir.)

View it larger.

Been sitting on this one for a couple of weeks now but on this Black Friday, thought I’d pop it up here.

Pretty simple set up actually. A desk lamp is on the floor camera right give the Fedora that nice harsh light. The back light reflected in the mirror is just a table lamp with a red curtan drawn over it.

ISO was pretty high here at 1000 and at f/4, -2 EV.

Seems like I’ve been keeping more of my noir work in color rather than converting them to B&W (Like my Up In Smoke series). Just really like how some of the DIY lighting has looked. I did convert the above shot to B&W though:

Using Nik Silver, this one took away as I just couldn’t find the correct contrast and exposure that I wanted. I think I eventually found it using the “Pull Process N-1″ filter and then working the sliders.

Let me know if you like the color or B&W version better. This was another fun one to create and shoot though.

© Mark V. Krajnak 2009 | JerseyStyle Photography | All rights Reserved
Unless otherwise noted, images captured with a Canon 50D, SanDisk digital film, finished with PS4 or PSE6 and Nik Software.

Voici le collier Raour, fait de perles de lave, crystaux Swarovski rouge Idia et de boules à insertions de pierre de rhin.

Peut être porté avec ou sans la chaine.