The Strange Love of Martha Ivers

Tag Archive: The Strange Love of Martha Ivers

Call Me a Cab–The last fantastic Donald E. Westlake novel arrives… without a crime

Filed under: Comics & Books, Retro Fix — Leave a comment

March 7, 2022

Review by C.J. Bunce

First of all, by all accounts McDonald’s has never sold onion rings.

My favorite works by popular creators are the ones that are frequently what the multitudes rarely put on a greatest hits list. Like Philip K. Dick’s In Milton Lumky Territory or Stephen King’s Joyland. Now we have Donald E. Westlake′s last novel Call Me a Cab (available now here at Amazon) a heretofore unpublished novel from 1977 (unpublished except in a briefer version in a serialized magazine edition ages ago). It’s a novel ahead of its time full of 1970s attitude, with realistic, thoughtful characters, without cliché or canned, artificial controversy, and, although it’s from Hard Case Crime, there’s not a single crime in sight for 3,000 miles. And it’s as riveting as any of his previous brilliant works.

So what about the onion rings? Back to that in a moment.

Continue reading →

Tags: 1970s nostalgia, 1970s novels, Barefoot in the Park, Best of 2022, Bonnie and Clyde, Call Me a Cab, Call Me a Cab book review, Castle in the Air, Charles Ardai, Defending Your Life, does McDonald's have onion rings, Donald E. Westlake, Donald E. Westlake novels, Donald E. Westlake posthumous novels, Equal Rights Amendment, Forever and a Death, Hard Case Crime, Help I Am Being Held Prisoner, His Girl Friday, It Happened One Night, Max Allan Collins, McDonald's, National Lampoon's Vacation, New York stories, Nolan novels, Only You, Pulp Fiction, Quarry novels, Retro Fix, romantic comedies, romantic comedy, Sleepless in Seattle, The Butcher's Wife, The Graduate, The Green Book, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, The Sure Thing, The Thin Man, When Harry Met Sally, While You Were Sleeping, women's lib 1970s, writers writing other genres

Dark City–Dig into an excellent history of film noir in latest TCM journey through the movies

Filed under: Backstage Pass, Comics & Books, Con Culture, Fantasy Realms, Movies, Retro Fix, Sci-Fi Café, TV — Leave a comment

September 1, 2021

Review by C.J. Bunce

Last month I reviewed TCM’s Summer Movies: 30 Sun-Drenched Classics, the eighth volume reviewed here at borg in the TCM library. TCM is busy with new releases this year, and its look at film noir takes a different approach. Written by Noir Alley host Eddie Muller, The Art of Noir author and proclaimed Czar of Noir, Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir (available now in bookstores and at Amazon here) is actually an update of his 1998 look at film noir of the same name. It’s an essential look at the genre for both novices and diehard fans, providing just enough about the key films to entice readers to add several movies to their DVR, and giving long-time noir audiences new ways to think about some classic films. Whenever I hear someone referred to as an expert in genre, I make notes. Here I made a list of what those essential and important obscure noir films should make any book on film noir. Muller includes discussions of all of them except one, from Laura and Shadow of a Doubt to DOA, from Sorry, Wrong Number, Sunset Boulevard, and Call Northside 777, to The Strange Love of Martha Ivers and Chinatown. So the book by all counts is the real deal and worthy of its accolades for both its original and new edition. Unlike some of the other TCM books I’ve reviewed here at borg, Dark City: The Lost World of Film is not only an annotated guide to a list of recommended movies. What film noir movies would you expect to find inside?