Quote for the Day II
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Okay, I get it, in crime fiction readers want cops to solve the crimes and catch the bad guys.
And then usually they want the cops to shoot the bad guys because we really don’t like all those lawyers getting involved insisting that rules be followed and that standards be upheld. We like lone wolf cops that ignore the rules – and always get the right bad guy anyway.
But I want to write about what I see in my city every day. There are drugs, there is organized crime and there is violence. And, yes, there are cops, but not enough, and with nowhere near the amount of resources they need to do the job properly.
I don’t like the “lone wolf” cop that has to break all the rules to catch the bad guy. I want the good guys to follow the rules and catch the bad guy. And if that means the deck is too stacked in favour of the bad guy and few of them get caught (and how often do we see heads of organized crime syndicates arrested? How often are there drug shortages on our streets?) then I think that’s one thing that crime fiction ought to illustrate. I’d like to see the rules changed so that the good guys don’t need to break them.
–From John McFetridge’s post “Should Crime Fiction Be Held to a Higher Standard?“
Brian Lindenmuth @ March 17, 2010
Images from the set of Treme
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The NY Times Magazine ran a feature on David Simon and Treme with 16 brand new images from the set.
The media is going to be all over Treme because of the New Orleans story and because its the show that is coming after The Wire and we are too.
Check out the on the set video we posted earlier. The trailer and the plot summaries for the first three episodes.
THE STORY LINES IN “Treme” begin three months after Katrina, and they follow a diverse group of characters as they rebuild their lives in a city torn apart, a city in which tens of thousands of houses are abandoned, in which only 50 percent of the population remains, in which neighborhoods are still without power. The main characters in “Treme” aren’t the overburdened cops, spiraling addicts, ruthless dealers, struggling dockworkers, corrupt politicians or compromised journalists of “The Wire.” In their place, for the most part, are musicians, as the show’s title sneakily suggests: “Treme” (pronounced trih-MAY) is the New Orleans neighborhood where jazz was born. And even though it adjoins the French Quarter, few tourists visit Treme, where generations of the city’s musicians have lived.
As much as crime of every kind was central to “The Wire,” music is the focus of “Treme.” New Orleans-born and Juilliard-trained Wendell Pierce (William “Bunk” Moreland in “The Wire”) plays a trombone player looking for any gig he can get; Steve Zahn plays a feckless singer-songwriter with an allergy to paying work. As in “The Wire,” many nonactors, in this case professional musicians, have been cast in “Treme” in leading roles: the violinist Lucia Micarelli plays a street musician; a charismatic local trumpeter, Kermit Ruffins, plays himself; and dozens of other musicians — from Dr. John to Elvis Costello — appear in smaller parts. The cast is different from “The Wire,” however, because a number of more famous actors are part of “Treme.” John Goodman plays an English professor-novelist enraged by federal and municipal post-Katrina intransigence; the Academy Award-nominee Melissa Leo is a civil rights attorney with a soft spot for starving artists; and Clarke Peters, the distinguished stage and screen actor memorable in “The Wire” as the miniature-furniture-making detective Lester Freamon, plays an independent contractor and a Mardi Gras Indian chief.
–From the article
After the jump check out all of the images
Brian Lindenmuth @ March 17, 2010
Quote for the Day
Posted in: Books, Comics/Graphic Novels | Comments (0)
It has been said that the reader generates just as much meaning from a text as a writer does, and as such no matter how fair and nuanced writers become in their depictions of Natives, the possibility of someone (over)reading a subversive racist subtext into everything will always remain. I believe Scalped to be the victim of what I call the stereotype that wasn’t there. By this, I mean that it is easy to assert that a creator is racist, but it is more difficult for said creator to conclusively prove that they’re not, meaning a piece of fiction can be burdened with a vague stigma of racism even without any substantial evidence to actually confirm what, with Scalped, too often amounts to overreaching assertions built on skewed interpretations.
Sadly, this mindset only hinders the representation of Natives (and other minorities) in fiction. It can be a vicious cycle, with writers reluctant to tackle minority-based stories for fear of being perceived as racist and so contributing to the underrepresentation of these minorities in fiction. And when a minority character does see the light of day, are they to be portrayed in a manner more “sensitive” (some would say patronizing) than their white counterparts, so as not to offend anyone? What a regressive view of minority characters, where their loftiest aspiration should be to not be offensive! Some critiques go so far as to suggest we should only allow white characters to be featured in crime stories, to be sure no one can equate any minority to criminality. I would say this is a dangerous precedent to be setting in the name of “equality”. It seems like backwards logic to me, that because there aren’t enough minority-focused stories out there, we should further limit them by branding certain genres out-of-bounds for anything but white characters. Isn’t it a better solution to stop viewing characters as “white criminals” or “Indian criminals”, to look past their color for more substantial ways of defining them?
With Scalped, Jason Aaron demonstrates that a Native American character can be just as flawed and damaged as a white character. Far from being racist, I would suggest that is a necessary step towards that sought-after equality.
Taken from an excellent piece by John Lees that grapples with the question of is Scalped a racist comic.
Brian Lindenmuth @ March 17, 2010
On the set of HBO’s Treme
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Following on the heels of the plot summaries for the first three episodes and the latest trailer we’ve got a new video featurette that takes us on the set of the highly anticipated HBO drama Treme.
We’ve got more coverage planned so stay tuned.
After the jump check out the featurette
Brian Lindenmuth @ March 17, 2010
Justified – “Fire in the Hole”
Posted in: Reviews, TV | Comments (6)
The Nerd here, reporting on episode one of the new FX series Justified, created by Graham Yost and based on characters created by living crime god Elmore Leonard. Every week I’m gonna post my thoughts and opinions about the show here at Spinetingler and you bet your sweet ass there’s gonna be some major fucking spoilers. So you’ve been warned: these posts are for when you’ve caught the episode in question already. That said, if you haven’t seen the pilot yet, check your local listings and then fucking do so. This show has promise coming out its ass and I think you’ll dig it.
You’ve been warned, so let’s get fucking started with some recapping, shall we?
We first meet Raylan Givens as he approaches a suspect eating dinner on a Miami restaurant patio. Seems U.S. Marshal Givens has given the man 24 hours to get out of town or he’ll shoot him dead. In the confrontation that opens the episode, the other guy draws first but Givens draws faster, shooting him dead. But would Givens have kept his word and shot the guy if it hadn’t been clear-cut self-defense?
Nerd of Noir @ March 17, 2010
Arctic Chill by Arnaldur Indridason & translated by Bernard Scudder
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It is strange to think of Iceland as a multi-cultural society, but the fact that it has a fairly substantial immigrant population provides the background for this murder-mystery. A 10-year-old half-Thai boy is found stabbed to death on a path to his home on the way back from school. And Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson has to investigate not only the murder but also the possibility of a hate crime.
In this latest novel featuring the Icelandic Inspector, he also confronts his own past: the estrangement of his daughter and son and the haunting ghost of his brother’s tragic death when they were both young boys lost in a snow storm.
Indridason is the author of four previous novels, including the Gold Dagger award-winning Jar City. This latest effort merely reinforces his reputation as being among the best of the contemporary Scandinavian crime novelists. He addresses not only the traditional crime-mystery themes, but also present-day social matters as well. The writing is beautifully simple, but poignant and elegant. Highly recommended.
Theodore Feit @ March 16, 2010
New Tricks by David Rosenfelt – review
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This newest entry in the Andy Carpenter series starts out with Andy being called to a judge’s chambers and assigned a client, which turns out to be a dog. But not just any dog. It is a potential champion show canine, son of perhaps the greatest show dog of all time. Custody of the dog is disputed between the widow of a murdered multi-millionaire and his son, who has no love for his step-mother. While Andy is retrieving the dog from the woman until he can decide who gets possession of the animal, the mansion explodes and the step-mother is killed.
Soon, the step-son is arrested for causing the explosion and death of his step-mother, and he retains Andy to defend him. Meanwhile, Andy’s lover and former investigator is visiting, providing a love angle. When the case endangers her life, Andy unavoidably becomes distracted from his investigation. The plot revolves around trying to formulate a defense and developing all kinds of theories.
Theodore Feit @ March 16, 2010
The Water’s Edge by Karin Fossum & translated by Charlotte Barslund- review
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The reader soon knows what is in store on the first page of the first chapter of this disturbing yet immensely absorbing novel by Karin Fossum, when we are told: “He did not wish to discard his burden casually on the ground; he wanted this precise cluster of trees, which would serve as a kind of monument. This last scrap of decency comforted him, he was still a human being, he had feelings, many of them good ones.” This is a prelude to the discovery of the dead body of a young boy, nearly eight years old, in the forest near the edge of a lake, naked from the waist down.
This newest in the Inspector Sejer mystery series finds him and his assistant, Jacob Skarre, somewhat contemplative and trying to define what draws them to their work, asking Sejer “Why are we so drawn to the death of others? . . . Why do you think people are so fascinated by crime? Nothing sells better than murder and the worse it is, the more interested people are. What does that say about us?” As the search for the killer begins, Sejer expresses his main concern: that “this man will strike again.”
Gloria Feit @ March 16, 2010
Rhino Ranch by Larry McMurtry – review
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It’s been a long road, but all good things have to come to an end. So we are treated to the adventures of Duane Moore, as his life is nearing its end. And what a bizarre time it is in Thalia, Texas. A billionairess decides to import the vanishing black rhino from Africa on a spread near the town, in an effort to save the species and perhaps establish a tourist attraction.
Of course, the insular people of Thalia look askance at outsiders, and Duane’s friendliness with the sponsor of Rhino Ranch does not serve him very well in the closing days of his life. The novel, full of pathos and nostalgia, as Duane looks over his past days, contemplates the changes in Duane’s little world, as well as the broader world as well. It’s full of wit and philosophizing, and whimsically reflects upon the humor and romantic relationships inherent in the series.
Theodore Feit @ March 15, 2010
Let it Ride by John McFetridge – review
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[Let it Ride was published in Canada as Swap]
With some books if a reader doesn’t like a particular aspect (the characters were thin, the writing weak, the story implausible, etc) it is seen as a reflection of the book rather then the reader. But then there are other books, and Let it Ride is one of them, where a readers reactions are a reflection on them. To say you don’t like a John McFetridge novel is to say that you don’t like to be challenged; that you like things spoon-fed to you; that you prefer simplicity. A McFetridge novel won’t do these things and is so much more because of it.
The closest comparison for John McFetridge’s style of writing is a season of The Wire. One of the novels is akin to one whole season. And his unwillingness to hold the hand of the reader on almost any level is almost like a novel embodiment of something that David Simon said in an interview once, “Fuck the average reader”.
Brian Lindenmuth @ March 15, 2010
