Reviews
Oline Cogdill
To most mystery fiction readers, James M. Cain remains one of the classic noir authors. His novels are still considered a major part of the crime fiction canon.The Postman Rings Twice and Double Indemnity are terrific novels that became intriguing movies. But Cain was quoted as disliking being labeled as a hard-boiled author: “I make no conscious effort to be tough, or hard-boiled, or grim, or any of the things I am usually called.”
Cain also wrote several novels not considered crime fiction, such as Serenade.
And Mildred Pierce.
New fans are sure to discover Cain, thanks to the excellent HBO five-part mini-series Mildred Pierce that begins at 9 p.m. Sunday, March 27.
The cable series is based on Cain’s 1941 novel, which was made into an Oscar-winning movie in 1945 starring Joan Crawford. That original film is a personal favorite, but the HBO series starring Kate Winslet is a revelation.
True, there are no murder mysteries, guns or real crimes in Mildred Pierce, but the interlocking family drama is the stuff upon which many a crime fiction novel has been based. Evan Rachel Wood plays Veda, the treacherous daughter.
The HBO series is closer to Cain’s dark novel, keeping many of the original subplots and dialogue. Oscar-winner Winslet is, as always, breathtaking as she gets to the heart of Mildred Pierce, a waitress turned restaurateur who sacrifices everything for her daughter.
Each time a film or TV series is based on a novel there usually is a spike in the author’s work. It’s happening with Michael Connelly’s The Lincoln Lawyer. I hope that will happen for Cain.
And here’s another quote from Cain from the introduction of Double Indemnity: “I merely try to write as the character would write, and I never forget that the average man, from the fields, the streets, the bars, the offices, and even the gutters of his country, has acquired a vividness of speech that goes beyond anything I could invent.”
Photo: Kate Winslet in Mildred Pierce. credit: HBO
Reviews
Oline Cogdill
The real proof in the new medical examiner drama Body of Proof, which from a special preview looks like a run-of-the mill series, may not be in the plots, but in the appeal of Dana Delany.Delany brings a touch of class and an emotional resolve that makes you want to root for whatever character she is playing.
Body of Proof will need every millimeter of Delany’s appeal if there is to be a future for this new ABC drama that begins at 10 p.m. EST on March 29. (Check your local listings).
Delany stars as Dr. Megan Hunt, a once-successful workaholic neurosurgeon in Philadelphia. Professionally, Hunt was brilliant, even if she often appeared cold and a bit too clinical. Then she pretty much lost everything. Following a divorce, she lost custody of her daughter and then, following a horrific car accident, lost her job.
Body of Proof picks up five years after that accident when the only job Hunt can get is as a medical examiner.
Although her confidence has been a bit shaken, Hunt is still tough as nails and sure of her skills. She also has found a new calling – speaking for the dead.
Body of Proof follows a formula set by previous cop and medical shows. Hunt will, of course, be in constant conflict with the cops with whom she works, the medical examiner’s staff and her supervisors. And she will often be right. And everyone will have a grudging respect for her.
Although Body of Proof doesn’t break any new ground, Hunt’s unresolved issues with her ex-husband and her daughter bring an undercurrent of vulnerability to the character and a hope of more complex and original storytelling to come.
Sonja Sohn (The Wire) co-stars as Det. Samantha Baker, although her role seems to be just window dressing for now.
Body of Proof replaces Detroit 1-8-7, which had an 18-episode run.
ABC’s “Body of Proof” stars Dana Delany as Dr. Megan Hunt. (Photo/ABC)
Reviews
Oline Cogdill
Photo: Matthew McConaughey (left) and author Michael Connelly on the set of The Lincoln Lawyer. Photo credit: Lionsgate
From the moment that Matthew McConaughey steps into that Lincoln and leans back, surveying his “office,” he is Mickey Haller, the title character in the excellent The Lincoln Lawyer, the film based on the novel by Michael Connelly.
McConaughey’s smooth delivery, the way he flirts with Mickey’s near-conman persona and his cynical view of the law makes us almost forget that the actor has become more famous for starring in a string of dumb comedies or being photographed running shirtless.
Instead, The Lincoln Lawyer makes us remember how good McConaughey was in such dramas as A Time To Kill and Lone Star.
McConaughey aside, The Lincoln Lawyer works so well as a movie because it is as faithful to Connelly’s 2005 novel as it can get. It doesn’t scrimp on the twists and turns that Connelly wove into his novel nor does it neglect Mickey’s crisis of conscience, his angst about being a part-time father or the integrity that he has buried deep inside.
While a few elements of the book aren’t included, The Lincoln Lawyer keeps the spirit of the novel. Everything that needs to be in the movie version is here, even some of the dialogue.
The movie also has the look of and affection for Los Angeles that is pure Connelly. Each of Connelly’s novels is an homage to L.A., illustrating its best and worst. That is there on the screen including panoramic views of the cityscape.
Connelly’s The Lincoln Lawyer set a new milestone for this best-selling author. While faithful readers had long known that Connelly was a master at creating new, intriguing characters whether in his Harry Bosch novels or his stand-alones, he took a step further in The Lincoln Lawyer.
Here was, at first glimpse, an anti-hero of sorts, the epitome of what many of us believe is wrong with defense lawyers. The kind of lawyer who specializes in getting off his bottom-feeder clients. The kind of lawyer who is proud of the ads he’s placed on bus benches and billboards.
That the lawyer conducts business from the back of his Lincoln town car added to the anti-hero mystique.
The Lincoln Lawyer made it to No. 1 on the New York Times Best Sellers List for hardcover. It won the Macavity and the Shamus and was nominated for an Edgar.
Betrayal, manipulation and greed imbue the plot. In the film and the novel, Mickey is hired to defend Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe), a wealthy Beverly Hills playboy accused of attempted murder. Mickey is blinded by the dollar signs he sees in this case, but he also wonders if his client may be that rarity – an innocent man.
Each cast member shines in The Lincoln Lawyer. Phillippe’s wide-eyed innocence belies a seething ruthlessness. Phillippe makes us both want to offer Louis comfort and our unshakeable belief in his innocence while also making us very afraid. Oscar winner Marisa Tomei displays a steely resolve as Maggie McPherson, a prosecuting attorney who also is Mickey’s ex-wife and the mother of his daughter. The chemistry between Tomei and McConaughey shows us why their characters are divorced, yet still attracted to each other.
The always fascinating William H. Macy adds a bit of levity to his solid performance as Frank Levin, Mickey’s private investigator. Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston makes the most of his role as detective Lankford; as do country singer Trace Adkins as Eddie Vogel, the leader of a motorcycle gang; Shea Whigham (the sheriff on Boardwalk Empire) as jailhouse snitch Corliss; and John Leguizamo as bail bondsman Val Valenzuela.
Brad Furman, whose last movie was the obscure crime drama The Take in 2007, shows an affinity for directing a more nuanced film. The action never lags, even when Mickey is just tooling around Los Angeles, which is shown in all its glory – and all its grittiness.
While I still prefer the book to the movie, The Lincoln Lawyer has captured the essence of Connelly’s solid novel.
The Lincoln Lawyer is rated R for some violence, sexual content and language. Running time is 119 minutes.
Reviews
Oline Cogdill
Often I am asked for suggestions on which book to read. Usually, I ask what is the person interested in, does he or she like the hard-edged stories or the softer ones, and even whatthe person’s occupation is. The answers factor into my recommendations.
Reviews
Oline Cogdill
Think of Erin Brockovich and the first image that most people have is Julia Roberts’ Oscar-winning performance in the 2000 movie.
In the film Erin Brockovich, Roberts showed how her character grew into an environmental activist. Although she lacked a formal law school education, Brockovich’s confidence and her sense of right and wrong set her on a new path in life.
Brockovich now can add fiction author to her resume. She’s teamed up with novelist C.J. Lyons to produce her first novel Rock Bottom from Vanguard Press.
Rock Bottom continues Brockovich’s good fight as the plot revolves around industrial pollution.
Rock Bottom revolves around Angela Joy Palladino, who was dubbed “The People’s Champion” for her work as an environmental activist. She returns to her hometown to work for a lawyer who is fighting to stop mountain-top removal mining. Of course, that job doesn’t go too smoothly.
This is the first novel from Brockovich and most likely will not be her last, judging from the reviews. (Mystery Scene reviewer Verna Suit looks at Rock Bottom in the latest issue, No. 118.) Lyons has won the Golden Gateway and Daphne du Maurier awards and has been a finalist for the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart.
Although this is Brockovich’s first foray into fiction, she also has written Take It From Me: Life's a Struggle But You Can Win. That nonfiction book was published in October 2001, and was on the New York Times Business Bestseller's List.
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