Oppenheimer Is A Cinematic Marvel;

Filmmaking At Its Absolute Finest

I’ll just say it: Oppenheimer is a cinematic masterpiece that is one of the finest films I’ve seen in many, many years. Director Christopher Nolan managed to take an intense biography [American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer], and tell the story of “the father of the atomic bomb” through a tangle of timelines that span the middle part of the 20th century. More than an exceptional biopic, Oppenheimer has all the elements of a finely crafted thriller: top secret laboratories, spies, double agents, Russians, lies, romantic liaisons, the red scare, courtroom drama, all culminating in a horrific outcome we remember from history. That would have been enough for most filmmakers, but Nolan pushed the limits further by exposing the faults, fears, and idiosyncrasies of an exceptional—and exceptionally complex—nuclear physicist whose drive and tenacity brought an end to World War II. Oppenheimer—played flawlessly by Cillian Murphy—is totally consumed by his quest to create an atomic weapon that could stop the war in Europe, and bring an end to the Holocaust. After Germany’s surrender, however, Japan becomes the target, and while we all feel a sense of triumph when the nuclear test succeeds, we know what is coming for the residents of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We also experience Oppenheimer’s growing horror at the monster he has let loose upon the earth. The film succeeds on so many levels, not the least of which is a stellar cast that also includes Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, Florence Pugh, Gary Oldman, Casey Afleck…well, the list just goes on and on. Bottom line: It’s an awesome movie. Go see it.

The Exorcist Legacy: 50 Years Later,

Pea Soup Still Doesn't Look The Same

Unless you’re of a certain age, you probably don’t recall the collective chill that ran through the movie theater during the first weeks of The Exorcist’s release. That people screamed was a given, but there were numerous stories of moviegoers who threw up when Linda Blair’s Regan MacNeil hurled the split pea soup at Father Karras [Jason Miller], who has come to drive the devil out of her body. As Nicolas Rapold wrote last week in Air Mail, the projectile-vomiting scene—in fact, many of the interiors of the film—were shot in a studio on 54th Street in Manhattan. “It was there that Linda Blair—as the possessed Regan MacNeil—writhed and screamed and levitated on specially rigged beds,” he says. “But when it came to that famous 360-degree head spin, a mechanical doll did the trick. And at some point, the doll’s designer, Marcel Vercoutere, took his life-size replica for a drive around town. If he noticed anyone gawking, he’d give the head a little spin.” This devilish detail, Rapold says, comes from Nat Segaloff’s book  The Exorcist Legacy: 50 Years of Fear, which dwells on production forensics: how the movie and its concept were developed and written and massaged (or manhandled, depending on who’s talking). For instance, “thousands of girls auditioned to play Regan, but Linda Blair’s mother managed to get her daughter in front of director William Friedkin without an appointment. He must have appreciated the moxie—and the stability of the young actress, whose character would go through hell. Also crucial was casting Miller, who looked the part of a hapless, hangdog believer in crisis, holding his own opposite exorcist-in-chief Max von Sydow, one of Ingmar Bergman’s existential warriors.

Former Pastor Charged With Killing

8-Year-Old Girl Who Vanished In 1975

An 83-year-old former pastor has been charged with the kidnapping and murder of a neighboring pastor’s daughter in 1975. The suspect, David Zandstra, was arrested July 17 in Cobb County, Georgia, where investigators say he confessed to killing 8-year-old Gretchen Harrington nearly five decades ago when he was working in Marple Township, Pennsylvania. The girl was last seen walking to summer Bible camp on August 15th, 1975, and her father became concerned when his daughter failed to appear. Rev. Zandstra called police to report her disappearance but, upon questioning, investigators wondered how he could know so much about her appearance that day, since she never showed up. Forty-eight years went by until a woman who was friends with the suspect’s daughter in the 1970s was interviewed by police, and her diary entries from that time included a passage that reads, “Guess what?...It’s a secret so I can’t tell anyone, but I think...it was Mr. Z.” Zandstra ultimately admitted he offered Gretchen a ride to the summer camp the morning she vanished. He said he’d driven her to a wooded area and told her to take off her clothes, and when she refused, he said he punched her in the head and left her bleeding. A DNA sample was collected from Zandstra by police so it can be compared to DNA collected from the scene.

The Role Of First-Person Narrator

In A Mystery Or Thriller Novel

Imagine that you are reading a mystery novel. The detective and his/her assistant have just discovered the body, and all the clues and evidence are piling up. However, through whose eyes are you seeing the action? That’s the question posed by author Erin Roll in a recent article in Novel Suspects, who says, “The role of the narrator plays a big part in how you read a mystery novel. If it’s told in the first-person, that can affect what the reader sees, and how they see it. It is safe to say that most people have never been actively involved in a murder investigation: as a witness, a suspect, or as the investigator. Therefore, when we read about murder cases, it is from the standpoint of the average person on the outside; indeed, the reader is another bystander looking from beyond the yellow crime scene tape. Similarly, the first-person narrator, unless they are the detective, may not be privy to all of the facts of the case, or even any of the facts. All of us have our own opinion about who the killer is and how the murder was done. The first-person narrator is a link between the reader and the events of the book. They may be asking the questions that the reader wants answered. The narrator may also represent a more ‘normal’ person, or at least, someone who is slightly more normal than the often-eccentric detectives they work alongside.”

Ten Great "Slow-Burn" Suspense

Thriller Movies Of All Time

The suspense before the roller coaster drop—the anticipation and gradual build-up of excitement—are what make the eventful climax so memorable.” That’s how blogger and reviewer Fatima Ali Idrisoglu begins an article in last week’s Movieweb, noting that, “The effectiveness of a thrilling moment lies in the tension it builds. Whether it’s the suspense before that drop or the dramatic soundtrack before a pivotal scene in a film, the feeling of anticipation and the gradual build-up of excitement are what make the eventful climax so memorable. There’s also a certain allure to the slow, suspenseful progression that enhances the overall excitement. Thrillers often incorporate a gradual build-up, [and] the deliberate pacing and thoughtful progression strengthen the impact of the shocking twist.” Keeping all that in mind, she compiled this list of some of the best “slow-burn” suspense thrillers, from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo to Black Swan to The Unforgivable to Shutter Island.

Coming September 12:

INDIGO ROAD

“Indigo Road is a beautifully wrought, hard-biting story with elements of classic noir presented through a prism of modern sensibilities. A fantastic read.” –S.A. Cosby, bestselling author of Razorblade Tears 

While still slinging drinks fulltime at The Sandbar in Folly Beach, Jack Connor works a side gig as a licensed bounty hunter. One afternoon, as he's transporting his latest bail skip named Willis Ronson back to jail, his SUV is ambushed by a team of gunmen, killing Ronson instantly and seriously injuring his court-appointed attorney, Alisha Dupree. Connor can’t help but poke around the edges of the deadly incident and quickly learns that Ronson was a man of many secrets, including a mysterious woman from his past who has caused him to be sucked into a domestic terrorist fringe group.