movie tie-in

June 2, 2014

Double your reading pleasure with Bookgasm reviews of Tad Williams and Joe R. Lansdale

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized Alan Cranis, bookgasm, cold in july, collection, crime, elizabeth story, fantasy, horror, jim mickle, joe lansdale, Joe R. Lansdale, Kerem Beyit, movie tie-in, mystery, review, science fiction, short stories, Tad Williams, texas noir, the very best of tad williams

Bookgasm’s Alan Cranis pulls double duty with reviews of two recent Tachyon titles.

On The Very Best of Tad Williams:

For newcomers to his short fiction, the most pleasant revelation will be the different types of stories Williams has written over the years. In “The Old Scale Game,” a fairly recent work, an aging knight confronts an equally aging dragon and the two traditional adversaries enter into a mutual partnership. This contemporary spin on a familiar setting allows Williams to express a sly warning to those who see the fantasy field as nothing more than a cash cow.

Contrast this with “Not With A Whimper” where a group of readers debate online the merits of fantasy versus science fiction until their exchange is interrupted by power surges. The source of the surges, the debaters discover, is an artificial intelligence struggling with its new-found consciousness and powers. Williams presents the entire story in a near cyber-punk style of coded posted messages.

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Of the far too many authors cramming the fantasy field with seemingly endless series, only a few are genuinely worthy of our time. THE VERY BEST OF TAD WILLIAMS proves that he is among this select company, and may also cause some to drastically re-evaluate the talents of this prolific and popular author, and discover his other equally satisfying works.

For the rest of the Cranis review, which includes coverage of several of the other stories in the collection, visit Bookgasm.

And then on Cold in July:

One of the benefits of COLD IN JULY being made into an independent movie (adapted by screenwriter/actor Nick Damici and directed by Jim Mickle) is this new, movie tie-in edition from Tachyon, Joe R. Landsdale’s publisher. So now this early work from one of America’s finest storytellers – first published in 1989 and nearly impossible to find since – is once again available. That’s wonderful news not only for the legion of Lansdale fans but also for those who love a finely told crime story.

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This new edition is further enhanced by an original forward by director Jim Mickle, and a new afterword by Lansdale himself. Mickle recalls what first attracted him to the novel and the many false-starts his adaptation suffered along the way to completion. Lansdale reveals the events that planed the seed of the story in his unconscious, and how it seemed to flow full-borne from his mind to his typewriter when he finally devoted himself to the story.

Lansdale also comments how happy he is to see a new edition of this novel back in print after so long a time. That’s true for us readers as well.

Regardless if you plan to see the movie or not, now’s your chance to fill that gap in your Lansdale collection — or finally get one started.

For the rest of the Cranis review, visit Bookgasm.

For more information on The Very Best of Tad Williams, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Kerem Beyit.

Design by Elizabeth Story.

For more info on Cold in July, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

May 29, 2014

The well-oiled COLD IN JULY departs from genre-expectations

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized cold in july, crime, elizabeth story, joe lansdale, Joe R. Lansdale, Lit Reactor, movie tie-in, mystery, review, texas noir, wag the fox

Lit Reactor and Wag the Fox both chime in on Joe R. Lansdale’s Texas noir Cold in July.

From Lit Reactor:

But where this novel departs from genre-expectations, where it delves deeper than it’s impressive Realism-meets-Road House-circa ’89 fight-scenes, tailings, and gunfights, is where the subtext reverses and reveals the story is less about that one-for-one vengeance ratio. This story is really about the undefined ratio of a father’s responsibility.

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And the texture here is the main character Dane’s past relationship, or lack of one, to his own father, compared to the new relationship he’s forging with a grizzled old mercenary. So, yes, from a plot stand-point, this everyman character has to keep a gun he’s afraid to use, and has to insecurely adhere to a code that takes him away from his wife and son, and has to pursue vigilante justice for a crime he’s no longer involved in. But from a profoundly meaningful stand-point, any questions we have about his motivation are the book’s true investigation: What does it mean to have honor in a world without it? And what does it mean when one has to admit that “honor”, and one’s sense of it, could be corrupt to begin with? And what does it mean when heroes are cocky, yes, and good fighters, yes, but all that’s a distraction, meant only to hide the truth that they’re battered and alone?

You’re sure to finish this book fast, but you’re also sure to think on it slowly.

From Wag the Fox:

What would you do if you woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of someone breaking into your home? It’s a question that has kicked off a lot of murder mysteries, both in books and on screen, but I can’t recall any story starting at this point and veering so wildly the way Joe Lansdale’s Cold in July does.

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I’ve read that this is one of Joe Lansdale’s personal favorites among his own works, one that he’s most proud of, and while the prose is so lean it’d make a butcher blush with envy, there are moment when it feels like the bones have been picked clean. Lansdale doesn’t mess around though, he keeps the story moving, he keeps each character wholly in the moment and working like cogs in a well-oiled machine.

There’s a film adaptation out this summer, even hitting Cannes, but I gotta wonder if it can capture all of the visceral suspense contained in this book’s pages. Heck, if it can translate half the magic of this thriller to the screen, then I’ll be happy. And if not, there’s still a damned good book to be read.

For more info on Cold in July, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

May 23, 2014

In celebration of the movie’s release, we’re giving away a copy of Joe R. Lansdale’s COLD IN JULY

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized cold in july, crime, Don Johnson, elizabeth story, giveaway, goodreads, jim mickle, joe lansdale, Joe R. Lansdale, Michael C. Hall, movie, movie tie-in, mystery, Sam Shepard, texas noir

In celebration of the movie’s general release, we’re giving away a copy of the official movie edition of Joe R. Lansdale’s classic Texas noir Cold in July, complete with an introduction by the film’s director Jim Mickle and a new afterword by Lansdale.

The movie tie-in edition of Cold in July is currently available from all finer outlets.

Cold in July the movie, starring Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Sam Shepard (Black Hawk Down), and Don Johnson (Miami Vice), is currently playing in theaters and on VOD.

Book cover design by Elizabeth Story

May 20, 2014

The raves for COLD IN JULY keep on coming

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized broadway world, Cannes, cold in july, crime, Don Johnson, elizabeth story, eye for film, horror-web cesspool, jim mickle, joe lansdale, Joe R. Lansdale, kevin's corner, los angeles times, Michael C. Hall, movie, movie tie-in, mystery, new york times, reviews, Sam Shepard, texas noir, time out

Cold in July the movie, which recently played at Cannes and opens in theaters and VOD on May 23, and the original novel, currently available at all finer booksellers, continue to garner praise.

Recent reviews of the book:

“The read is incredibly good. If the movie closely follows the book, and one gets the idea it will from the forward written by film director Jim Mickle and the afterword from the author, it should be one heck of a movie. Cold In July is one heck of a read and very much worthy of your time.”
—Kevin’s Corner

“In the Afterword, Joe R. Lansdale says, "No novel has ever come to me more full-blown than Cold In July.” The end result is a perfect story, well-told, start to finish. I enjoyed every word.“
—Horror-Web Cesspool

And for the movie:

”[I]t’s a gripper from start to finish, because of Mickle’s lean style, and because it’s impossible to know in the first five minutes where the movie will end up.“
—Los Angeles Times

"In “Cold in July” — starring Michael C. Hall as Dane, Sam Shepard as his victim’s vengeful father and Don Johnson as a pig-farming private eye — Mr. Mickle, 34, uses blood to punctuate psychological horrors in a film with a literary heart and more mainstream allure.”
—The New York Times

“For reasons which passeth understanding, cinema has long overlooked Texas-born crime writer Joe R Lansdale. His books are lean, grimly comical and packed with the sort of sudden violence, boisterous anti-heroism and crackling dialogue that Hollywood producers claim to love, but somehow, short of the atypical ‘Bubba Ho-Tep’, his work has remained un-adapted – until now. ‘Cold in July’ is Lansdale in excelsis, a relentless tale of small-town treachery spiralling into bloody vengeance. And in the hands of ‘We Are What We Are’ director Jim Mickle, it’s become one of the year’s best indie thrillers.”
—Time Out London

“Who is who shifts and as much as Jim Mickle tickles us in Cold In July with conventions, he also molds his very own imposing scenes to add to the genre. A close-up of a painting in a living room at night in East Texas in 1989 sets the mood in his inventive fathers and sons, gangsters and detectives thriller. Three unlikely male Charlie’s Angels transcend revenge.”
—Eye For Film

“Michael C. Hall brings a shell-shocked vulnerability to his portrayal of Dane that contrasts perfectly with the grizzled "badasses” portrayed by Sam Shepard and Don Johnson. Directed with an excellent eye for the visual poetry of noir, this pulpy, southern-fried mystery is a throwback to an older breed of action films; one where every punch and shotgun blast opens up both physical and spiritual wounds. Cold in July is hard to shake as an east Texas summer.“
—Broadway World

The movie tie-in edition of Cold in July is NOW (or should be soon) available from all finer outlets.

Cold in July the movie, starring Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Sam Shepard (Black Hawk Down), and Don Johnson (Miami Vice), hits theaters and VOD on May 23.

Book cover design by Elizabeth Story

May 7, 2014

The praise keeps rolling in for Joe R. Lansdale’s Texas noir COLD IN JULY

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized barbara tom, cold in july, count gore de vol, crime, Don Johnson, elizabeth story, interview, j. l. comeau, jason harris, joe lansdale, Joe R. Lansdale, mbtb's mystery book blog, Michael C. Hall, movie, movie tie-in, murder by the book, mystery, oregon, portland, review, Sam Shepard, texas noir

Barbara Tom, co-owner of Portland, Oregon’s Murder By the Book, delivers a stellar review of Joe R. Lansdale’s Cold in July.

When I say Cold in July is a plain story, I don’t mean it’s boring. It’s anything but. What I do mean is that there are no explosions, no conspiracies, no serial killers, no dystopia, no political underhandedness (actually, there’s a teeny-tiny bit), no mobs (except in passing), no drugs, no cell phones, and only some prehistoric computer talk. It’s basically a linear story, told by a master writer, with phrases such as: a woman “had a tongue sharp as a meat fork” and the tree was “dripping hot ink instead of shadow.”

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Cold in July was published in 1989, and 25 years later it has been made into a movie, triggering this re-release of a great novel. Whatever brings this to the attention of a new generation of readers is okay by me.

There are some terrific mini-scenes within the larger story. Look for Jack, the obnoxious mailman, and Rodriguez, the doctor without a degree. Lansdale’s story sneaks up on its readers in several places. This is a classic that hasn’t worn thin, and that, I think, is due to Lansdale’s ability to write sentences and scenes that are truly original.

Read the rest of the review at MBTB’s Mystery Book Blog.

Count Gore De Vol with the able assistance of his resident Tomb Keeper, J. L. Comeau, offers a video interview with Lansdale and a review of Cold in July.

And from the review by the Tomb Keeper:

If Mr. Lansdale does not become a household name after the major motion picture based upon the novel is released in 2014 starring Don Johnson, Sam Shepard and Michael C. Hall, there is no hope for humanity, do you hear me? No. Hope. This is one of my very favorite Lansdale novels (published back in 1989) and it is a doozy. Cold in July is horrifically violent, hilariously funny, scream-out-loud scary and unbelievably engrossing.

Jason Harris in a print interview questions Lansdale about the Cold in July movie and writing in general.

JH: The movie version of Cold in July comes out in May. Did you have any involvement with the filmmakers?

JRL: Yes, Jim Mickle, the director, and Nick Damici the writer, kept me in the loop and asked my opinions frequently. I was on the set for two weeks watching them film. It was a great experience, and as icing on the cake, I like the film. A lot.

JH: If you did have any involvement, what was your involvement and how did you feel about it?

JRL: Mainly just as an adviser. They respected me enough to make me a producer on the film. I did teach Sam Shepard a finger lock for one of the scenes.

JH: What do you think about the casting of Michael C. Hall, Sam Shepard, and Don Johnson in the roles of characters you created?

JRL: It was like they were born for those parts. I didn’t think about them as the actors, but as soon as they said their names, I thought, oh hell yeah.

Read the rest of the review at Jason Harris Promotions.

The movie tie-in edition of Cold in July is NOW (or should be soon) available from all finer outlets.

Cold in July the movie, starring Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Sam Shepard (Black Hawk Down), and Don Johnson (Miami Vice), hits theaters and VOD on May 23.

Book cover design by Elizabeth Story

April 28, 2014

Raves for COLD IN JULY abound

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized Cannes, cold in july, crime, Crow n' Bones, dread central, goodreads, joe lansdale, Joe R. Lansdale, L.A. Daily News, marvin vernon, marvin's bookish blog, movie, movie tie-in, Moviemaker, mystery, novel pursuit, reviews, texas noir, trailer

Following the release of the trailer and the announcement of the films inclusion with the Cannes Fortnight festivities, Cold in July reviews and mentions abound.

Marvin Vernon was so excited about the new Tachyon edition that he dusted off his 5 year old Goodreads review and rewrote and expanded the original. Additionally, he published it on two separate blogs: Marvin’s Bookish Blog and The Novel Pursuit.

Cold in July is certainly within the tradition of pulp mysteries and, more precisely, crime fiction. It is also firmly in Lansdale’s typical East Texas setting full of blue collar families and characters from the more dubious sides of life. Yet Lansdale has hit a literary note in this novel as he uses the plot and themes to explore father-son relationships. In that way, this novel may be one of his most subtle and maybe even more personal.

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So I have to say I enjoyed this book more on the second read and, maybe because of my own older age, felt closer for the relationship and the emotions of these men. I originally gave this book four stars but now I would increase it to five. It’s a crime fiction classic.

Crow n’ Bones loves the novel, the trailer, and has high hopes for the movie.

One of my favourite Lansdale novels is Cold In July. It’s a steely, badass noir story and an honest and often brutal examination of violence. And it features one of my favorite protagonists in all of literature in Jim Bob Luke, the deadly, smart- ass pig farmer / private eye. And now they made it into a movie! Cold In July is directed by Jim Mickle (Stake Land, We Are What We Are) and stars Michael C. Hall (Dexter himself!), the great Sam Sheppard and an awesomely grizzled Don Johnson as Jim Bob. The film has gathered a lot of praise and will be on theatrical release from May 23. The trailer below is everything I could hope for. This needs to be a ruthless shark of a thriller and the Walter Hill- meets- John Carpenter vibe of the trailer makes me smile. And check out that vintage 80s synth score! I have a lot of hope for this one.

MovieMaker explains “Why We Like” the Cold in July trailer.

Set in Texas in 1989, Cold in July begins with a home invasion that ends badly for the burglar. Family man Richard Dane (Michael C. Hall of Dexter) kills a man named Freddy Russell while defending his home, but soon finds out that Freddy’s ex-con father, Ben, is hell-bent on revenge. Corruption, betrayal, and doubt set the perfect stage for this Southern gothic noir. The trailer, embedded below,is intriguingly dark and devoid of comedy.

L.A. Daily News includes Cold in July in its feature about the current great noir renaissance.

We’re now in the midst of another great noir renaissance, although you may not have noticed it. Low-budget, American indie films such as “Blue Ruin” (opening in select theaters Friday), “Cheap Thrills,” “Perfect Sisters,” “Cold Comes the Night,” “Better Living Through Chemistry,” “Cold in July” and “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” have been wowing audiences on the festival circuit and Video on Demand, as well as the lucky few astute enough to catch some of their limited, commercial theatrical releases.

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And in “Cold in July,” another mild-mannered Texan, played by “Dexter’s” Michael C. Hall, becomes increasingly disoriented after killing an intruder in his home, and then discovers that the police charged with protecting his family may not be as trustworthy as the dead man’s revenge-seeking father (Sam Shepard).

That’s just one of the twists in “July,” which was adapted from Joe R. Lansdale’s 1989 novel and hits theaters and VOD May 23.

“This has elements of Westerns and Korean revenge thrillers to it,” the film’s director, Jim Mickle, confesses. “I love stories of guys who are put under immense pressure and put in really violent situations they’re not accustomed to, and see how they respond.”

Dread Central praises the movie and Joe R. Lansdale.

Joe R. Landsdale is one of those rare fiction writers whose work translates beautifully to the screen. Incident on and off a Mountain Road is one of my favorite episodes of “Masters of Horror,” and of course Bubba Ho-Tep is a cult classic. Now his novel Cold in July comes to the screen in an adaptation by Nick Damici (who also acts), as directed by indie darling Jim Mickle.

I’ve seen a couple of Mickle’s movies – Stake Land and We Are What We Are – and while I appreciated his unique style, I never fully liked his work. Until now. Perhaps it’s the Lansdale connection, or maybe it’s the truly committed performances by three excellent lead actors (Michael C. Hall, Sam Shepard, and Don Johnson), but whatever the reason – the gritty, 80s-set Cold in July sent shivers down my spine from start to finish.

The movie tie-in edition of Cold in July will be available from all finer outlets on May 20.

Cold in July the movie, starring Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Sam Shepard (Black Hawk Down), and Don Johnson (Miami Vice), hits theaters and VOD on May 23.

Book cover design by Elizabeth Story

April 23, 2014

COLD IN JULY brings Texas noir to Cannes

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized Cannes, cold in july, crime, directors fortnight, Don Johnson, elizabeth story, jim mickle, joe lansdale, Joe R. Lansdale, Michael C. Hall, movie, movie tie-in, mystery, Sam Shepard, texas noir

Cold in July, Jim Mickle’s gripping adaptation of Joe R. Lansdale’s classic Texas noir, is one of the featured films at the Cannes’ Director Fortnight.

The 19 features that will make up what looks like a particularly strong Directors’ Fortnight sidebar at the Cannes Film Festival were revealed this morning in Paris with a hefty dose of genre in the mix.

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Jim Mickle‘s Sundance pic Cold In July with Michael C. Hall as a small town Texas man who kills a home intruder and finds his life unraveling into a dark underworld of corruption and violence. This is the second year in a row that Mickle is appearing in the Fortnight following a bow in Sundance.

On May 20 in commemoration of the movie’s general release, Tachyon delivers the official movie tie-in edition of the original novel, complete with an introduction by director Jim Mickle and an afterword by Joe R. Lansdale, his ownself.

The movie tie-in edition of Cold in July will be available from all finer outlets on May 20.

Cold in July the movie, starring Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Sam Shepard (Black Hawk Down), and Don Johnson (Miami Vice), hits theaters and VOD on May 23.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

April 16, 2014

The “tense, gripping, gruesome” COLD IN JULY gets a trailer & a movie poster

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized cold in july, crime, Don Johnson, elizabeth story, entertainment weekly, jim mickle, joe lansdale, Joe R. Lansdale, Michael C. Hall, movie, movie tie-in, mystery, poster, Sam Shepard, texas noir, trailer

Not only was the official poster for Cold in July revealed yesterday by Entertainment Weekly but the trailer was released today.

The movie tie-in edition of Cold in July will be available from all finer outlets on May 20.

Cold in July the movie, starring Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Sam Shepard (Black Hawk Down), and Don Johnson (Miami Vice), hits theaters and VOD on May 23.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

April 9, 2014

Final book cover for the Tachyon edition of Joe R. Lansdale’s classic Texas noir COLD IN JULY

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized cold in july, crime, Don Johnson, elizabeth story, jim mickle, joe lansdale, Joe R. Lansdale, Michael C. Hall, movie, movie tie-in, mystery, Sam Shepard, texas noir

The movie tie-in edition of Cold in July, complete with an introduction from the film’s director Jim Mickle and an all new afterword by Joe R. Lansdale, will be available from all finer outlets on May 20.

Cold in July the movie, starring Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Sam Shepard (Black Hawk Down), and Don Johnson (Miami Vice), hits theaters on May 23.

For more info on Cold In July, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

March 25, 2014

COLD IN JULY takes a stock premise and twists and turns it inside out

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized cold in july, crime, eamonn griffin, joe lansdale, Joe R. Lansdale, movie tie-in, review, texas noir

Eamonn Griffin offers his thoughts on Joe R. Lansdale’s classic Texas noir Cold In July.

Cold In July takes a stock premise and twists and turns it inside out, using it instead as the first act of something weirder and more baroque than the standard jeopardy thriller. Lansdale provides not just thrills and meaty action, but some offbeat characterisation and a pleasing meditation of the nature of obligation, of masculinity and of the complexities of father/son relationships. As is often the way with his writing, Lansdale offers an intriguing mix of genre pleasure, stripped-back yet evocative writing and fully-realised characters.

Check out the rest of the review at Eamonn Griffin’s Displacement Activity.

For more info on Cold In July, visit the Tachyon page.

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