I’ve been waiting for this trailer and it doesn’t disappoint. The Invention of Lying (formerly known as This Side of the Truth) has such an amazing cast, I don’t know how it can not be funny. No one can take a to-his-face insult like Ricky Gervais.
Besides the people seen in the trailer—Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe, Tina Fey, Christopher Guest, et al.—Jeffrey Tambor, Patrick Stewart and Jason Bateman are also in this movie. If that’s not enough, Gervais says on his blog there are “great cameo surprises.”
Co-written and co-directed by Gervais with Matthew Robinson, Lying opens September 25, 2009 in the U.S. and October 2 in the U.K.
Every once in a while, a neo-noir writer comes along who’s so exciting, he/she turns me into an annoying evangelist-type fan with a fervent need to spread the word. Five years ago, Charlie Huston had this effect on me with his first novel, Caught Stealing. Gillian Flynn did it to me in 2006 with Sharp Objects. This year, the honor goes to Richard Lange and his debut novel, This Wicked World.
Former marine and ex-con Jimmy Boone is a bartender on Hollywood Boulevard, trying to repair his life after a horrible mistake cost him a luxiourious lifestyle and landed him in prison. One day, he goes with a friend as a favor to look into an illegal immigrant’s death and quickly becomes obsessed with the case, even after his friend has dropped the investigation. Boone’s probe into the matter gets him involved with an attractive ex-cop neighbor, a vindictive stripper and her drug-dealing brother, and a deadly criminal mastermind who runs a dog-fighting ring in the Twentynine Palms desert. Things go violently awry and Boone finds himself in a situation that puts his life—and those of his friends—in mortal danger.
There are many things to praise about this novel: the tight yet expressive prose; the hip, witty dialogue that almost needs to be read aloud so you can hear how good Lange is with banter; the compelling plot which slowly reveals why Boone went to prison; and the unexpected moments of black humor (a bad guy’s profane internal monologue is cut off mid-sentence when he gets shot).
But the most striking thing about this book is the cast of characters. In this story, no one is completely heroic and no one is pure evil. Everyone lives in a gray area, surviving the only way they know how, searching for the same thing: redemption. The good guys have done some questionable things in their past but somehow you don’t judge them. More surprisingly, Lange made me understand and empathize a little with the nastiest characters, even as I was horrified by their actions. One of the crime boss’s henchmen, for example, can kill a man in cold blood but also subjects himself to painful tattoo-removal procedures so he can look more respectable in court while fighting for custody of his young daughter.
This dual nature extends to the novel’s L.A. setting as well. The city can be a glamorous place but Lange prefers hanging out in the grittier neighborhoods, capturing the feel of places and people who usually have police searchlights instead of movie spotlights on them. “Wicked” can mean either evil or wonderful so the title is appropriate because this story is both.
You know how sometimes when you go on vacation, you want something light to read but don’t want it to be so trashy as to elicit condescending looks from people sitting next to you on the plane? Well, I’ve got the perfect holiday read for you: Margot Berwin’s Hothouse Flower and the 9 Plants of Desire. I just road-tested this theory and received only glances of interest and curiosity. I mean, look at that eye-catching cover. And here’s an instance where you can judge a book by its cover because the story inside is just as colorful and full of life.
Berwin’s debut novel is about Lila, a newly divorced New York ad exec who decides to buy some plants for her new apartment. In the process, she meets a handsome plant vendor, David Exley, and Armand, who owns a magical laundromat set up like a tropical jungle, with plants everywhere (the steamy air is good for them), moss on the floor and butterflies flying free. Armand tells Lila about the nine plants of desire, each representing a quality such as fortune, love at first sight and magic. The plants can only be found if they choose to reveal themselves to someone they deem worthy. Once a person possesses all nine, his/her desires shall be granted.
Lila goes searching for the plants in the rain forests of the Yucatan Peninsula, where she encounters snakes, an enigmatic jungle guide, lots of scorpions and a black panther which shadows her. While looking for the plants, she finds something even more important—her spiritual strength.
The story has a little bit of everything—adventure, humor, romance, magical realism, interesting plant facts—so no wonder a movie is in the works with Julia Roberts attached. Even with all these elements, Berwin manages to keep the pace breezy. Her vivid description of the extraordinary laundromat made me wish I had one in my neighborhood and her account of cannabis sativa in the form of sinsemilla—the plant of female sexuality—is incredibly sensual. Unlike the potent marijuana this plant produces, however, this novel will take you on a wild ride without killing any of your brain cells.
St. Martin’s Press is giving away 2oo—that’s right, two hundred—copies of this new thriller, which is getting really strong buzz. Click here and fill out the form to enter.
The giveaway runs until July 21 and is for U.S. residents only.
Lisa Marie Presley, who was married to Michael Jackson for 20 months, posted this today on her MySpace blog. It’s a poignant read. She says Jackson somehow knew he was going to end up like her father.
What is going on this week?! This is crazy. I’m on vacation, hanging out with the family when my sister turned on the news and said, “Michael Jackson died!” It was a “Huh?” moment that still feels unreal.
This is so shocking and sad. I need more time to write a proper tribute but wanted to post the following questions so we can reminisce together here and remember the impact MJ had on pop culture.
Where were you when Jackson busted out that moonwalk on Motown’s 25th anniversay special? (To refresh your memory, watch the video below.)
How long did it take you to learn the “Thriller” dance and how many times have you performed it at parties?
Favorite Jackson song?
UPDATE: I have a source who will be inside the Staples Center for Jackson’s memorial July 7. Check back here later that day for a report.
I’ve been waiting for this trailer and it doesn’t disappoint. The Invention of Lying (formerly known as This Side of the Truth) has such an amazing cast, I don’t know how it can not be funny. No one can take a to-his-face insult like Ricky Gervais.
Every once in a while, a neo-noir writer comes along who’s so exciting, he/she turns me into an annoying evangelist-type fan with a fervent need to spread the word. Five years ago, Charlie Huston had this effect on me with his first novel, Caught Stealing. Gillian Flynn did it to me in 2006 with Sharp Objects. This year, the honor goes to 
You know how sometimes when you go on vacation, you want something light to read but don’t want it to be so trashy as to elicit condescending looks from people sitting next to you on the plane? Well, I’ve got the perfect holiday read for you: Margot Berwin’s 
St. Martin’s Press is giving away 2oo—that’s right, two hundred—copies of 
