Posted 3:30 AM by Gerald So
On my recent posts, I've noticed many more hits than usual. I don't know where from; I've never tracked stats that closely. Video creation (a.k.a. content creation) has become a viable career for some, but I don't have the numbers. I don't want to monetize my FIVE-TWO poetry videos and have ads drop in mid-line, and I'm not willing to put more of my life on YouTube for money.
That said, I happily sell my writing and I was a listowner in the heyday of email discussions. My three lists—about later P.I. fiction, Robert B. Parker's legacy, and crime TV and cinema—had 100–500 members each, like my videos far from popular, but there for those interested.
My target audience are individuals who "get" my writing, fans of the specific things I like. I created lists because few existed I would join. Today that translates to my FANS OF ROBERT B. PARKER public Matrix room, four users strong so far. I find Matrix a good option for end-to-end encrypted communication. On the side, its unencrypted public rooms offer running, saved chat and the freedom to enter and leave as you please, no need to sub or unsub.
Likewise I don't crave massive social media followings. If you want to follow my Bluesky or Mastodon, you're welcome. I purposely guard against becoming as reflexive with them as I had on Twitter until Musk took over and I quit. Because I had a relatively small following (1,200 in fifteen years), I didn't feel I had to stay longer than I wanted.
Showing posts with label Robert B. Parker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Robert B. Parker. Show all posts
Friday, August 29, 2025
Friday, August 30, 2024
Advance review of ROBERT B. PARKER'S BURIED SECRETS by Christopher Farnsworth
Posted at 4:00 PM by Gerald So
Putnam Books approved me to review a NetGalley of the next Jesse Stone sequel, due to be published February 4, 2025.
Putnam Books approved me to review a NetGalley of the next Jesse Stone sequel, due to be published February 4, 2025.
Saturday, July 13, 2024
Cherchez les films
Posted 7:00 AM by Gerald So
You may remember ABC's 1985–'88 SPENSER: FOR HIRE fondly, but Robert B. Parker didn't love it. According to Jeremiah Healy's tribute essay "Bob, Boston, and Me: A Remembrance" from the 2012 collection IN PURSUIT OF SPENSER, Parker disliked Robert Urich's casting from the start. He gave in when he was offered the alternative, Erik Estrada.
Urich and Avery Brooks reprised their roles in four 1993–'95 Lifetime movies (SPENSER: CEREMONY, SPENSER: PALE KINGS AND PRINCES, SPENSER: THE JUDAS GOAT, SPENSER: A SAVAGE PLACE), but the other regulars (Susan Silverman, Frank Belson, and Martin Quirk) were recast. Parker and his wife Joan were credited with the screenplays, but when they watched the finished movies, they claimed to recognize nothing from their scripts.
From 1999 to 2001, A&E gave Parker full creative control of three movies: SPENSER: SMALL VICES, THIN AIR, and WALKING SHADOW. Joe Mantegna was cast as Spenser. Some said miscast. Parker, however, approved, saying Mantegna had read his books and could act like Spenser. (Since that casting, Mantegna has been the Spenser audiobook reader.) Parker's words indeed played onscreen, but the movies weren't the snappy perfection you'd hope. Parker's prose could be mannered at times. Hearing all the actors speak this way betrayed the fact he put the words in their mouths. TV series, by contrast, use writers' rooms led by showrunners, everyone working to make the characters spontaneous and distinct.
Shiek Mahmud-Bey plays Hawk in SPENSER: SMALL VICES. He has Golden Gloves boxing experience, but unlike the books, where Hawk is Spenser's age, Mahmud-Bey is about twenty years Mantegna's junior. A better match is Luis Guzman as Spenser's similarly lethal friend Chollo in THIN AIR. Finally, Hawk is recast with Ernie Hudson in WALKING SHADOW, leaving the actors no chance to improve their chemistry, the secret sauce of Spenser stories.
The Joe Mantegna Spenser movies stand out because they weren't distributed on home video as widely or for as long as other adaptations of Parker's work. SPENSER: FOR HIRE is available on DVD from Warner Archive and streaming on Roku and Tubi. The four Urich Spenser movies got a DVD set from Rykodisc. The nine Tom Selleck Jesse Stone movies are on DVD from Sony and streaming on Roku, Tubi, and Pluto TV. The 2008 APPALOOSA film is on DVD from Warner Bros. and streaming on Max. 2020's SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL is on Netflix.
Of the Mantegna movies, only SMALL VICES was released on VHS in the United States. THIN AIR got a DVD release internationally, I believe. Bottom line, the Mantegna movies were hard to find, but I found them on YouTube the other day. If you're curious, search them out and let me know what you think.
Embed from Getty Images
You may remember ABC's 1985–'88 SPENSER: FOR HIRE fondly, but Robert B. Parker didn't love it. According to Jeremiah Healy's tribute essay "Bob, Boston, and Me: A Remembrance" from the 2012 collection IN PURSUIT OF SPENSER, Parker disliked Robert Urich's casting from the start. He gave in when he was offered the alternative, Erik Estrada.
Urich and Avery Brooks reprised their roles in four 1993–'95 Lifetime movies (SPENSER: CEREMONY, SPENSER: PALE KINGS AND PRINCES, SPENSER: THE JUDAS GOAT, SPENSER: A SAVAGE PLACE), but the other regulars (Susan Silverman, Frank Belson, and Martin Quirk) were recast. Parker and his wife Joan were credited with the screenplays, but when they watched the finished movies, they claimed to recognize nothing from their scripts.
From 1999 to 2001, A&E gave Parker full creative control of three movies: SPENSER: SMALL VICES, THIN AIR, and WALKING SHADOW. Joe Mantegna was cast as Spenser. Some said miscast. Parker, however, approved, saying Mantegna had read his books and could act like Spenser. (Since that casting, Mantegna has been the Spenser audiobook reader.) Parker's words indeed played onscreen, but the movies weren't the snappy perfection you'd hope. Parker's prose could be mannered at times. Hearing all the actors speak this way betrayed the fact he put the words in their mouths. TV series, by contrast, use writers' rooms led by showrunners, everyone working to make the characters spontaneous and distinct.
Shiek Mahmud-Bey plays Hawk in SPENSER: SMALL VICES. He has Golden Gloves boxing experience, but unlike the books, where Hawk is Spenser's age, Mahmud-Bey is about twenty years Mantegna's junior. A better match is Luis Guzman as Spenser's similarly lethal friend Chollo in THIN AIR. Finally, Hawk is recast with Ernie Hudson in WALKING SHADOW, leaving the actors no chance to improve their chemistry, the secret sauce of Spenser stories.
The Joe Mantegna Spenser movies stand out because they weren't distributed on home video as widely or for as long as other adaptations of Parker's work. SPENSER: FOR HIRE is available on DVD from Warner Archive and streaming on Roku and Tubi. The four Urich Spenser movies got a DVD set from Rykodisc. The nine Tom Selleck Jesse Stone movies are on DVD from Sony and streaming on Roku, Tubi, and Pluto TV. The 2008 APPALOOSA film is on DVD from Warner Bros. and streaming on Max. 2020's SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL is on Netflix.
Of the Mantegna movies, only SMALL VICES was released on VHS in the United States. THIN AIR got a DVD release internationally, I believe. Bottom line, the Mantegna movies were hard to find, but I found them on YouTube the other day. If you're curious, search them out and let me know what you think.
Embed from Getty Images
Saturday, July 06, 2024
Coming February 4, 2025
Posted 8:00 AM by Gerald So
Following Mike Lupica's 2020–'22 run, Christopher Farnsworth becomes the fourth Jesse Stone continuation author with ROBERT B. PARKER'S BURIED SECRETS. I've rounded up more details and a link to the synopsis at So Much to Talk About.
Want to chat further? Join Fans of Robert B. Parker, my public Matrix room.
Embed from Getty Images
Following Mike Lupica's 2020–'22 run, Christopher Farnsworth becomes the fourth Jesse Stone continuation author with ROBERT B. PARKER'S BURIED SECRETS. I've rounded up more details and a link to the synopsis at So Much to Talk About.
Want to chat further? Join Fans of Robert B. Parker, my public Matrix room.
Embed from Getty Images
Monday, May 13, 2024
ROBERT B. PARKER'S HOT PROPERTY by Mike Lupica
© by Gerald So | 7:00 AM
Thanks to Putnam Books, I got to advance-review a NetGalley of Mike Lupica's November 2024 second Spenser. Our hero investigates when recurring attorney Rita Fiore is shot.
I thought the book's synopsis overhyped Rita's importance to Spenser, but her being at death's door makes Spenser value their friendship more and raises her standing in the Parker canon.
Want to chat further? Join my public Matrix room Fans of Robert B. Parker.
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| Book design by Katy Riegel |
I thought the book's synopsis overhyped Rita's importance to Spenser, but her being at death's door makes Spenser value their friendship more and raises her standing in the Parker canon.
Want to chat further? Join my public Matrix room Fans of Robert B. Parker.
Monday, March 04, 2024
2024 Robert B. Parker Continuations
Posted 12:30 PM by Gerald So
This year's Robert B. Parker continuation titles were recently posted to the Penguin Random House website. Due September 10 is Alison Gaylin's second Sunny Randall, ROBERT B. PARKER'S BUZZ KILL, and due November 26 is Mike Lupica's second Spenser, R0BERT B. PARKER'S HOT PROPERTY. Only the Spenser book's synopsis has been released so far. I break it down on my book review blog So Much to Talk About.
Embed from Getty Images
This year's Robert B. Parker continuation titles were recently posted to the Penguin Random House website. Due September 10 is Alison Gaylin's second Sunny Randall, ROBERT B. PARKER'S BUZZ KILL, and due November 26 is Mike Lupica's second Spenser, R0BERT B. PARKER'S HOT PROPERTY. Only the Spenser book's synopsis has been released so far. I break it down on my book review blog So Much to Talk About.
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Saturday, November 25, 2023
Mike Lupica Tour for ROBERT B. PARKER'S BROKEN TRUST
© by Gerald So | 9:00 AM
Mike Lupica's tour to promote his first Spenser continuation, ROBERT B. PARKER'S BROKEN TRUST, consists of a virtual event with Scottsdale, Arizona's The Poisoned Pen Bookstore and two in-person Florida appearances:
NOV. 28 UPDATE: I've edited the Facebook Live and YouTube links to lead to videos of the Poisoned Pen event. Comment below or join my Fans of Robert B. Parker public Matrix chatroom to discuss it.
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- Monday, November 27, 6:00 PM Mountain/8:00 PM Eastern, The Poisoned Pen via Facebook Live and YouTube
- Tuesday, November 28, 7:00 PM Eastern, CROSS MEETS SPENSER with James Patterson, moderated by Charles Todd, Palm Beach County Library, 14350 Hagen Ranch Road, Delray Beach, FL 33446
- Friday, December 1, 5:00 PM Eastern, Vero Beach Book Center, 392 21st Street, Vero Beach, FL 32960
NOV. 28 UPDATE: I've edited the Facebook Live and YouTube links to lead to videos of the Poisoned Pen event. Comment below or join my Fans of Robert B. Parker public Matrix chatroom to discuss it.
Sunday, November 05, 2023
Fans of Robert B. Parker on Matrix
© by Gerald So | 1:30 AM
I recently began using the free, open-source, decentralized protocol Matrix for end-to-end encrypted messaging. You might use Matrix apps like Element to communicate privately with your family or team. The apps also let you create unencrypted public rooms for less-sensitive topics.
I've created a public Fans of Robert B. Parker room to discuss his works, the film and TV versions, and the sequels commissioned by his estate. If you have or create an account on a Matrix homeserver, you can join the room at https://matrix.to/#/#rbp-fans:matrix.org.
Icebreaker topic: Which of Parker's novels (or the sequels commissioned by his estate) did you read first? Which is your favorite and why?
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| Photo by John Earle |
I've created a public Fans of Robert B. Parker room to discuss his works, the film and TV versions, and the sequels commissioned by his estate. If you have or create an account on a Matrix homeserver, you can join the room at https://matrix.to/#/#rbp-fans:matrix.org.
Icebreaker topic: Which of Parker's novels (or the sequels commissioned by his estate) did you read first? Which is your favorite and why?
Saturday, September 30, 2023
Fifty Years of Spenser
Posted 5:30 AM by Gerald So
2023 is the fiftieth anniversary of fictional Boston private eye Spenser's debut in THE GODWULF MANUSCRIPT. Earlier this week the website CrimeReads marked the occasion with an essay by L. Wayne Hicks including quotes from Parker's late widow Joan, his older son David, SPENSER: FOR HIRE screenwriter John Wilder, and continuation authors Ace Atkins and Mike Lupica.
A Spenser reader since 1993, I started an online discussion of Parker's works and legacy in 2001 and moderated it until 2018. The perks have included writing a tribute to Parker for a 2007 lifetime achievement award, interviewing Ace Atkins two days after his 2011 announcement as continuation author, and advance-reviewing the Spenser sequels. Here's my look at how Spenser has weathered the years.
2023 is the fiftieth anniversary of fictional Boston private eye Spenser's debut in THE GODWULF MANUSCRIPT. Earlier this week the website CrimeReads marked the occasion with an essay by L. Wayne Hicks including quotes from Parker's late widow Joan, his older son David, SPENSER: FOR HIRE screenwriter John Wilder, and continuation authors Ace Atkins and Mike Lupica.
A Spenser reader since 1993, I started an online discussion of Parker's works and legacy in 2001 and moderated it until 2018. The perks have included writing a tribute to Parker for a 2007 lifetime achievement award, interviewing Ace Atkins two days after his 2011 announcement as continuation author, and advance-reviewing the Spenser sequels. Here's my look at how Spenser has weathered the years.
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| Logo by Gerald So |
While THE GODWULF MANUSCRIPT is our first glance at Spenser, the additions of psychiatrist Susan Silverman in book two and legbreaker Hawk in book four help reveal him as he endures and elevate the series like Avery Brooks elevates SPENSER: FOR HIRE.
Books two through ten test Spenser and Susan's love to a breakup that lasts through book twelve. The romantic tension a meaningful part of the series to that point, I miss it in the rest of Parker's entries. In his later years, the characters become settled and ageless, the books virtually standalone. This lets me down as a longtime fan, but lets new readers start with any book, lets Spenser live anytime.
I covered Ace Atkins' continuation run here and elsewhere at the time. Summing it up, I admire that he didn't pick the characters up in the infinite episodic state Parker left them. Instead, his sequel to Parker's final Spenser read more like Parker in his prime. Atkins didn't ride Parker's coattails. He established his own credibility and made a case for Spenser's relevance with every book.
Mike Lupica steps into Spenser this November with ROBERT B. PARKER'S BROKEN TRUST. Before the promotion, he ably emulated Parker in four Sunny Randall and three Jesse Stone sequels. His writing in Spenser's voice, though, is less flowing than Parker's or Atkins'. His Spenser is also quick to explain poetic remarks. These changes lessen my enjoyment, but they may make Spenser more accessible to people not as steeped in poetry. That might boost sales and create demand for further Spenser.
Similarly, Netflix's 2020 picture SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL didn't aim to please Spenser readers; it aimed to draw Mark Wahlberg fans. Maybe they'd read Spenser from there, maybe not. How many more books, TV shows, movies can there be? The market will decide.
Spenser author slideshow - Robert B. Parker, Ace Atkins, Mike Lupica:
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Spenser actor slideshow - Robert Urich, Joe Mantegna, Mark Wahlberg:
Embed from Getty Images
Thursday, January 20, 2022
On Edge
© by Gerald So | 5:30 AM
With the new Spenser continuation novel published this week, several Amazon reviews have called it too political, featuring as it does a progressive congresswoman threatened by a white nationalist militia. I say why not have Spenser confront this present threat? Since his debut in 1973, Spenser has upset preconceived notions of manhood, religion, race, indeed even good and evil. He's an ex-boxer who enjoys poetry and cooking. He's a Gentile in love with a Jew. He's a white man whose best friend is black. He's a good guy who befriends bad guys.
Today's audience may have forgotten or never known all that because in forty years of writing Spenser, Robert B. Parker blurred how much story time had passed. Though that prolonged the series, it prevented him addressing more current events. TV's SPENSER: FOR HIRE held to the 1980s' standards. Later basic cable movies were similarly constrained. Spenser's true nature and full potential, though, are in shaking the trees, showing us people are and can be more than what we first perceive.
Parker's estate gave Ace Atkins a general order to keep Spenser contemporary. He chose to limit his run, letting him mirror real events and people during his time. Tackling white nationalism was a bold choice for a finale, but it's also in Spenser's makeup. If it shakes up some readers, that's the point.
With the new Spenser continuation novel published this week, several Amazon reviews have called it too political, featuring as it does a progressive congresswoman threatened by a white nationalist militia. I say why not have Spenser confront this present threat? Since his debut in 1973, Spenser has upset preconceived notions of manhood, religion, race, indeed even good and evil. He's an ex-boxer who enjoys poetry and cooking. He's a Gentile in love with a Jew. He's a white man whose best friend is black. He's a good guy who befriends bad guys.
Today's audience may have forgotten or never known all that because in forty years of writing Spenser, Robert B. Parker blurred how much story time had passed. Though that prolonged the series, it prevented him addressing more current events. TV's SPENSER: FOR HIRE held to the 1980s' standards. Later basic cable movies were similarly constrained. Spenser's true nature and full potential, though, are in shaking the trees, showing us people are and can be more than what we first perceive.
Parker's estate gave Ace Atkins a general order to keep Spenser contemporary. He chose to limit his run, letting him mirror real events and people during his time. Tackling white nationalism was a bold choice for a finale, but it's also in Spenser's makeup. If it shakes up some readers, that's the point.
Friday, December 31, 2021
Monday, December 13, 2021
The Road Less Traveled By
© by Gerald So | 4:30 AM
On Saturday, my Twitter friend bestselling author Alison Gaylin spread word of her deal to write a continuation of Robert B. Parker's Sunny Randall, succeeding Mike Lupica, whose new two-book deal extends his run on Jesse Stone and picks up Spenser from Ace Atkins.
My professional reaction is at So Much to Talk About. I quote Publishers Weekly's deal announcement and Ace Atkins's response tweet affirming next month's Spenser, ROBERT B. PARKER'S BYE BYE BABY, his tenth, is his last. A more personal take here: Known as a Parker fan since listservs' heyday, I got to interview Ace twice for Crimespree Magazine: two days after he was announced as Spenser continuation author and about his fourth Spenser, ROBERT B. PARKER'S KICKBACK. I asked the incisive questions I knew discerning fans would, and Ace proved himself the most discerning.
Getting to advance-review all of Ace's Spensers and most Parker continuation titles since then, I'm no longer as objective. Though inspired by Raymond Chandler's 1940s–50s Los Angeles P.I. Philip Marlowe and his courtly sense of morality, Parker also made Spenser a man of his time and place, thirty-seven years old in 1973 Boston. That many P.I. characters followed, marking their territory all over the world, shows Parker's influence. His first twelve Spensers had the best sense of an arc. His later entries' lack of arc was to show the perpetuity of Spenser's relationship with Susan Silverman (based on Parker's marriage), but also to keep Spenser a steady moneymaker.
With his first Spenser continuation, ROBERT B. PARKER'S LULLABY, Ace aimed to write a seamless sequel to SIXKILL, Parker's 2011 final Spenser, but he also reengaged Spenser in the now. Carrying over a hallmark of his own style, he based later Spensers on recent true crime like Smallville actress Allison Mack's involvement with the NXVIM cult (ROBERT B. PARKER'S ANGEL EYES) and Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislane Maxwell's egregrious sex offenses (ROBERT B. PARKER'S SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME). His leaving now ensures fans will remember he never simply parroted Parker or rested on his own success.
Cheers, my friend.
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| Star Wars Day 2017 at The Mysterious Bookshop, NYC |
My professional reaction is at So Much to Talk About. I quote Publishers Weekly's deal announcement and Ace Atkins's response tweet affirming next month's Spenser, ROBERT B. PARKER'S BYE BYE BABY, his tenth, is his last. A more personal take here: Known as a Parker fan since listservs' heyday, I got to interview Ace twice for Crimespree Magazine: two days after he was announced as Spenser continuation author and about his fourth Spenser, ROBERT B. PARKER'S KICKBACK. I asked the incisive questions I knew discerning fans would, and Ace proved himself the most discerning.
Getting to advance-review all of Ace's Spensers and most Parker continuation titles since then, I'm no longer as objective. Though inspired by Raymond Chandler's 1940s–50s Los Angeles P.I. Philip Marlowe and his courtly sense of morality, Parker also made Spenser a man of his time and place, thirty-seven years old in 1973 Boston. That many P.I. characters followed, marking their territory all over the world, shows Parker's influence. His first twelve Spensers had the best sense of an arc. His later entries' lack of arc was to show the perpetuity of Spenser's relationship with Susan Silverman (based on Parker's marriage), but also to keep Spenser a steady moneymaker.
With his first Spenser continuation, ROBERT B. PARKER'S LULLABY, Ace aimed to write a seamless sequel to SIXKILL, Parker's 2011 final Spenser, but he also reengaged Spenser in the now. Carrying over a hallmark of his own style, he based later Spensers on recent true crime like Smallville actress Allison Mack's involvement with the NXVIM cult (ROBERT B. PARKER'S ANGEL EYES) and Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislane Maxwell's egregrious sex offenses (ROBERT B. PARKER'S SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME). His leaving now ensures fans will remember he never simply parroted Parker or rested on his own success.
Cheers, my friend.
Friday, November 13, 2020
ROBERT B. PARKER'S SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME by Ace Atkins
© by Gerald So | 4:30 AM
Atkins' ninth Spenser continuation novel was originally scheduled to be published next Tuesday, the 17th, but printing and distribution issues delayed it to January 12, 2021. Fortunately, Putnam Books publicist Nicole Biton sent me an advance ebook, which I reviewed yesterday at So Much to Talk About.
Atkins' ninth Spenser continuation novel was originally scheduled to be published next Tuesday, the 17th, but printing and distribution issues delayed it to January 12, 2021. Fortunately, Putnam Books publicist Nicole Biton sent me an advance ebook, which I reviewed yesterday at So Much to Talk About.
Friday, March 06, 2020
Spenser Confidential Review
© by Gerald So | 5:00 AM
Released after a five-year prison stint for assaulting his wife-beating commanding officer, Spenser (Mark Wahlberg) plans to become a trucker and leave Boston for Arizona. The day after Spenser's release, though, said abusive captain is killed. Then a police academy friend is found in a suspicious suicide, drawing Spenser to investigate on his own.
None of the above setup is from Robert B. Parker's books or Ace Atkins' continuations, but I was ready for that, having followed Spenser Confidential news all through development. As a writer and a viewer, I'm open to creative license in an adaptation. Despite the changes to Spenser's backstory, I saw enough of his core character to enjoy the movie throughout.
I also think, though the supporting characters are almost all different from Ace Atkins' Wonderland, enough of the book's elements remain that the movie title didn't have to change to Spenser Confidential.
It's not the madcap, messy action-comedy I feared. Like a good Spenser book, it dashes some humor on hard-boiled morality play. Its exposition is well handled. Its fight scenes are on point. For fans of the Spenser books, if you're as open to here-and-there changes as I was, you'll appreciate it as I did. If not, it's not for you. For newcomers to Spenser, I think the background the movie gives him is appealing enough. Just know it's not his background in the books.
Released after a five-year prison stint for assaulting his wife-beating commanding officer, Spenser (Mark Wahlberg) plans to become a trucker and leave Boston for Arizona. The day after Spenser's release, though, said abusive captain is killed. Then a police academy friend is found in a suspicious suicide, drawing Spenser to investigate on his own.
None of the above setup is from Robert B. Parker's books or Ace Atkins' continuations, but I was ready for that, having followed Spenser Confidential news all through development. As a writer and a viewer, I'm open to creative license in an adaptation. Despite the changes to Spenser's backstory, I saw enough of his core character to enjoy the movie throughout.
I also think, though the supporting characters are almost all different from Ace Atkins' Wonderland, enough of the book's elements remain that the movie title didn't have to change to Spenser Confidential.
It's not the madcap, messy action-comedy I feared. Like a good Spenser book, it dashes some humor on hard-boiled morality play. Its exposition is well handled. Its fight scenes are on point. For fans of the Spenser books, if you're as open to here-and-there changes as I was, you'll appreciate it as I did. If not, it's not for you. For newcomers to Spenser, I think the background the movie gives him is appealing enough. Just know it's not his background in the books.
Sunday, March 01, 2020
Spenser Confidential Behind-the-Scenes Featurette
© by Gerald So | 8:00 AM
Netflix's Mark Wahlberg Spenser movie had its Hollywood premiere February 27, and this featurette was published on YouTube February 28:
The movie comes to Netflix Friday, March 6, and David Loehr and I will be live-tweeting it Wednesday, March 11, 7:30 P.M. US Eastern.
Netflix's Mark Wahlberg Spenser movie had its Hollywood premiere February 27, and this featurette was published on YouTube February 28:
The movie comes to Netflix Friday, March 6, and David Loehr and I will be live-tweeting it Wednesday, March 11, 7:30 P.M. US Eastern.
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Close-reading the Spenser Confidential synopsis
© by Gerald So | 4:00 AM
Following my trailer reaction, it interests me as a former English prof to analyze the official movie synopsis:
better known for making trouble than solving it - Well, the Spenser of the books was fired for insubordination.
Hawk...a brash, no-nonsense MMA fighter - This version of Hawk is analogous to Parker's character Z(ebulon) Sixkill, created to be Spenser's apprentice in an aborted TNT reboot as the TV rights to Hawk were tied up elsewhere.
Parker brought Z to the books with his 2011 final Spenser novel, Sixkill, and Atkins continued his arc with Wonderland. In the books, Spenser brings Sixkill to Henry to improve his endurance and fighting skill. In the movie, Henry brings Hawk to Spenser to learn boxing, improving his MMA repertoire.
Contrasting Hawk's MMA and Spenser's boxing nods to Duke being fifteen years younger than Wahlberg, better handling than A&E's 1999 movie Small Vices without explanation presenting the similarly younger Shiek Mahmud-Bey as Hawk to Joe Mantegna's Spenser:
foul-mouthed ex-girlfriend - Cissy may be analogous to the books' foul-mouthed Susan Silverman. We see Cissy put up with Spenser, Hawk, and Henry as Susan would. Then again, she could be a lawyer girlfriend before Susan, explaining her helping Spenser investigate.
action-comedy - Seems about the right tone for Spenser. Urich's and Mantegna's portrayals seldom if ever brought the books' humor. Spenser is hard-boiled, not as bleak as noir. If you think Spenser too good a fighter in the books, you may enjoy seeing him knocked down in the trailer. And what movie hero today isn't constantly outnumbered?:
Finally, Inspired by has a looser connotation than "based on," hinting how far Spenser Confidential departs from Robert B. Parker's Wonderland.
Following my trailer reaction, it interests me as a former English prof to analyze the official movie synopsis:
Spenser (Mark Wahlberg) — an ex-cop better known for making trouble than solving it — just got out of prison and is leaving Boston for good. But first he gets roped into helping his old boxing coach and mentor, Henry (Alan Arkin), with a promising amateur. That’s Hawk (Winston Duke), a brash, no-nonsense MMA fighter convinced he’ll be a tougher opponent than Spenser ever was. When two of Spenser’s former colleagues turn up murdered, he recruits Hawk and his foul-mouthed ex-girlfriend, Cissy (Iliza Shlesinger), to help him investigate and bring the culprits to justice. From director Peter Berg, SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL is an action-comedy co-starring Bokeem Woodbine, Marc Maron, and Post Malone. Inspired by Robert B. Parker's Wonderland, a best-selling novel by Ace Atkins.
better known for making trouble than solving it - Well, the Spenser of the books was fired for insubordination.
Hawk...a brash, no-nonsense MMA fighter - This version of Hawk is analogous to Parker's character Z(ebulon) Sixkill, created to be Spenser's apprentice in an aborted TNT reboot as the TV rights to Hawk were tied up elsewhere.
Parker brought Z to the books with his 2011 final Spenser novel, Sixkill, and Atkins continued his arc with Wonderland. In the books, Spenser brings Sixkill to Henry to improve his endurance and fighting skill. In the movie, Henry brings Hawk to Spenser to learn boxing, improving his MMA repertoire.
Contrasting Hawk's MMA and Spenser's boxing nods to Duke being fifteen years younger than Wahlberg, better handling than A&E's 1999 movie Small Vices without explanation presenting the similarly younger Shiek Mahmud-Bey as Hawk to Joe Mantegna's Spenser:
foul-mouthed ex-girlfriend - Cissy may be analogous to the books' foul-mouthed Susan Silverman. We see Cissy put up with Spenser, Hawk, and Henry as Susan would. Then again, she could be a lawyer girlfriend before Susan, explaining her helping Spenser investigate.
action-comedy - Seems about the right tone for Spenser. Urich's and Mantegna's portrayals seldom if ever brought the books' humor. Spenser is hard-boiled, not as bleak as noir. If you think Spenser too good a fighter in the books, you may enjoy seeing him knocked down in the trailer. And what movie hero today isn't constantly outnumbered?:
Finally, Inspired by has a looser connotation than "based on," hinting how far Spenser Confidential departs from Robert B. Parker's Wonderland.
Monday, January 20, 2020
Spenser Confidential Trailer Reaction
© by Gerald So | 5:30 PM
I don't hate it. There is, of course, the camp who say this isn't Spenser, but I think the trailer shows a balance of action and comedy, as the books do. Robert Urich's and Joe Mantegna's performances largely lacked the books' humor.
I also note three telling lines of dialogue. The first line of the trailer, "Whaddya say, Spense?" had me thinking, Buckle up. He hates being called Spense. Sure enough it came to blows. That's a detail only a reader of the books would get.
"...they framed me" puts to rest fears Spenser's character had radically changed to a felon.
And finally, "You were going to do what was right, with your strong moral code."
Is this the Spenser in the books? No, but the movie looks to depict the books' backstory--Spenser's police career, his meeting Hawk--as more recent events. Fine with that, I look forward to watching and discussing.
I don't hate it. There is, of course, the camp who say this isn't Spenser, but I think the trailer shows a balance of action and comedy, as the books do. Robert Urich's and Joe Mantegna's performances largely lacked the books' humor.
I also note three telling lines of dialogue. The first line of the trailer, "Whaddya say, Spense?" had me thinking, Buckle up. He hates being called Spense. Sure enough it came to blows. That's a detail only a reader of the books would get.
"...they framed me" puts to rest fears Spenser's character had radically changed to a felon.
And finally, "You were going to do what was right, with your strong moral code."
Is this the Spenser in the books? No, but the movie looks to depict the books' backstory--Spenser's police career, his meeting Hawk--as more recent events. Fine with that, I look forward to watching and discussing.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Spenser Book Title Change
© by Gerald So | 4:30 AM
In conjunction with the March 6 Mark Wahlberg Netflix movie Spenser Confidential, on February 25, Putnam Books will reissue a paperback of the book it was loosely based on, Robert B. Parker's Wonderland by Ace Atkins, under the title Spenser Confidential.
I see that the repackaging will entice people to buy the book, but I'm not sure the book and movie should share a title, given how much we've heard they differ.
Seeing the final cover image, I'm glad the Wonderland signage is in the background. Though Hawk isn't in the book, Hawk in the movie is in a similar position to Sixkill in the book. There is also, in fine print, "Previously published as Robert B. Parker's Wonderland. Well done, Putnam.
I see that the repackaging will entice people to buy the book, but I'm not sure the book and movie should share a title, given how much we've heard they differ.
Seeing the final cover image, I'm glad the Wonderland signage is in the background. Though Hawk isn't in the book, Hawk in the movie is in a similar position to Sixkill in the book. There is also, in fine print, "Previously published as Robert B. Parker's Wonderland. Well done, Putnam.
Friday, January 03, 2020
Netflix Spenser Movie Title Change
© by Gerald So | 7:00 AM
Netflix, Robert B. Parker's estate, producer-star Mark Wahlberg, and director Peter Berg announced a Spenser movie deal June 26. 2018. I've rounded up details since then, and yesterday I learned the movie's title has changed from Wonderland to Spenser Confidential.
This seems a move to identify more closely with Parker's character yet not quite with 1980s TV's Spenser: For Hire. Since Brian Helgeland has rewritten the script, though, the new title brings to mind his work on the movie L.A. Confidential.
At least the title change reflects what I previously gathered: the movie includes a few aspects with Ace Atkins' 2012 continuation novel, Robert B. Parker's Wonderland, but largely departs from it.
My friend Nikki Dolson found the synopsis on Twitter:
SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL: Mark Wahlberg reteams with director Peter Berg to play an ex-cop, Spenser, who moves in with Hawk (Winston Duke), an aspiring MMA fighter with his own rap sheet. Between gym rounds, the duo’s taunts turn to trust, and they team up to solve a double homicide.— Netflix Film (@NetflixFilm) January 3, 2020
Some re-imagining to be sure, but the basis sounds true to the books, where Spenser and Hawk often boxed on the same card and were trained by Henry Cimoli. In the Wonderland novel, thugs beat Henry, trying to scare him out of his condo so a developer can turn the land into a casino. If Spenser and Hawk are living with Henry at the time, as the movie's Wikipedia entry details, that raises the stakes for them. The movie wants to show the formation of Spenser and Hawk's friendship, not shown in the books. This neither seems the ideal approach nor a total miss.
In a phone interview with Ed Robertson for the November 25, 2019 episode of TV Confidential, actor James DuMont spoke positively of his experience on the movie, claiming Wahlberg captured Spenser's morality and working-class heroism. According to DuMont, if the movie does well, two more are planned. Three would give Wahlberg's Spenser more time to match Parker's and Atkins'.
The movie teaser has hit Twitter.
In addition to watching premiere day March 6, I'm planning to live-tweet the movie Wednesday, March 11, at 7:30 PM U.S. Eastern. Follow @g_so.
Netflix, Robert B. Parker's estate, producer-star Mark Wahlberg, and director Peter Berg announced a Spenser movie deal June 26. 2018. I've rounded up details since then, and yesterday I learned the movie's title has changed from Wonderland to Spenser Confidential.
This seems a move to identify more closely with Parker's character yet not quite with 1980s TV's Spenser: For Hire. Since Brian Helgeland has rewritten the script, though, the new title brings to mind his work on the movie L.A. Confidential.
At least the title change reflects what I previously gathered: the movie includes a few aspects with Ace Atkins' 2012 continuation novel, Robert B. Parker's Wonderland, but largely departs from it.
My friend Nikki Dolson found the synopsis on Twitter:
SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL: Mark Wahlberg reteams with director Peter Berg to play an ex-cop, Spenser, who moves in with Hawk (Winston Duke), an aspiring MMA fighter with his own rap sheet. Between gym rounds, the duo’s taunts turn to trust, and they team up to solve a double homicide.— Netflix Film (@NetflixFilm) January 3, 2020
Some re-imagining to be sure, but the basis sounds true to the books, where Spenser and Hawk often boxed on the same card and were trained by Henry Cimoli. In the Wonderland novel, thugs beat Henry, trying to scare him out of his condo so a developer can turn the land into a casino. If Spenser and Hawk are living with Henry at the time, as the movie's Wikipedia entry details, that raises the stakes for them. The movie wants to show the formation of Spenser and Hawk's friendship, not shown in the books. This neither seems the ideal approach nor a total miss.
In a phone interview with Ed Robertson for the November 25, 2019 episode of TV Confidential, actor James DuMont spoke positively of his experience on the movie, claiming Wahlberg captured Spenser's morality and working-class heroism. According to DuMont, if the movie does well, two more are planned. Three would give Wahlberg's Spenser more time to match Parker's and Atkins'.
The movie teaser has hit Twitter.
In addition to watching premiere day March 6, I'm planning to live-tweet the movie Wednesday, March 11, at 7:30 PM U.S. Eastern. Follow @g_so.
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Update on Netflix Adaptation of Robert B. Parker's Wonderland
© by Gerald So | 3:00 PM
It's been almost a year since I posted about the Netflix Spenser movie's progress. Principal photography wrapped December 18, 2018. Mark Wahlberg's Instagram showed him in Dorchester last month, apparently for reshoots, and he mentioned the movie would premiere in early 2020.
Wonderland's IMDb page only recently added Brien Helgeland's name as screenwriter, ahead of original scribe Sean O'Keefe. Director Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg mentioned Helgeland coming aboard last year, in some of their earliest interviews about the movie. As far as I know, however, the controversial element of Spenser being an ex-felon remained in the final script.
I've been less than satisfied with the Spenser TV adaptations to date, but I'm glad a new movie was made. I think its production value will surpass the Lifetime and A&E movies of the 1990s. If nothing else, Wonderland will show how Berg and Wahlberg envision Spenser today, and we can have our opinions on that.
I'll post again when I hear the exact premiere date. In the meantime, I again recommend Robert B. Parker's Angel Eyes, this year's Hollywood-set Spenser continuation.
It's been almost a year since I posted about the Netflix Spenser movie's progress. Principal photography wrapped December 18, 2018. Mark Wahlberg's Instagram showed him in Dorchester last month, apparently for reshoots, and he mentioned the movie would premiere in early 2020.
Wonderland's IMDb page only recently added Brien Helgeland's name as screenwriter, ahead of original scribe Sean O'Keefe. Director Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg mentioned Helgeland coming aboard last year, in some of their earliest interviews about the movie. As far as I know, however, the controversial element of Spenser being an ex-felon remained in the final script.
I've been less than satisfied with the Spenser TV adaptations to date, but I'm glad a new movie was made. I think its production value will surpass the Lifetime and A&E movies of the 1990s. If nothing else, Wonderland will show how Berg and Wahlberg envision Spenser today, and we can have our opinions on that.
I'll post again when I hear the exact premiere date. In the meantime, I again recommend Robert B. Parker's Angel Eyes, this year's Hollywood-set Spenser continuation.
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