Tuesday, January 22, 2008
PAPERBACK PARANOID


New paperback movie tie-in edition of Paranoid. Here it is, with Gabe Nevins on the cover. My dentists' assistant's daughter goes to school with Gabe and Emma Nevins here in Portland (Gabe is the main character in the movie, Emma plays Paisley). I'm sure that will be one more weird bit of fame for Gabe to endure, "For my book report, I'll be doing this book with myself on the cover!"

One good thing, now that he's over 16, he can drive the car that Gus gave him!, the prop car from the movie. Watch for the cool white Suburu tooling around town.

Also, haven't had a chance to watch more episodes of GOSSIP GIRL. I so loved Taylor Momsen in the show. She didn't have as much screen time in PARANOID. (she's the bratty girlfriend of Gabe.) But I am a big fan and want to see her more. I'm sure she'll be in more movies.


Saturday, January 12, 2008
LONG BORING BOOKS


It's a slower pace here in Oregon, as people can imagine I'm sure, especially when it's pitch black outside and has been raining for three days straight. It's a good time to tackle some of those long boring books you always meant to read. So far i have tried MOBY DICK (failed), EMPIRE FALLS (succeeded), REMEMBERENCE OF THINGS PAST (barely got through the first five pages), etc. I also have just watched some million part BBC series about Henry VIII, and his various wives, which went on and on so long that I felt totally comfortable going into other rooms, working on other things, cooking, walking the dog, etc. and rejoining Henry when I felt like it, as he gradually grew older and worked his way through his spouses and eventually died sputtering and complaining about his swollen legs.

There's also something about Portland that makes me long to be a bourgeois European Intellectual circa 1890. I remember one winter coming home from college and reading the THE FRENCH LEUTENANTS WOMAN in various Burger Kings, and also another winter, slogging through TESS OF THE D'UBERVILLES.

What other long sloggers should I dive into? Someday I plan to read an entire Stephan King book, as I constantly tell people I love him, but I have never actually read one of his books.

If you have any ideas email me at Blake@BlakeNelsonBooks.com


Friday, January 04, 2008
me and gus


Here's a picture I dug up for Book Forum who were nice enough to interview me for their Spring issue, I believe. The interestingly named Bilge Ebiri was the journalist. Very excited to see the article as I always loved Book Forum which I read religiously when I was a young writer and had dreams of high Post Modernism, or whatever people were supposedly doing in the 80s.

I don't know if they'll use the picture, but look how nice Gus looks! That was so fun, watching them shoot that day.



Splendor in the Grass (1961)


I have inadvertantly been on a Natalie Wood kick, having seen West Side Story, Splendor in the Grass, and another of her films recently. So then In the library I saw a bio of her and read a little bit of it. They were talking about how beautiful she was, but I thought her appeal was more how well she played emotionally disturbed people. She looks so frantic and out of control in a way. Like she's about to explode. But then you see some of the pictures of her and she is very striking. Weird how people look on film. I was shocked during the Paranoid Park shooting to meet the kids and to gradually see how the way they looked translated onto film.

Anyway, Splendor in the Grass remains one of my fave films of all time and I watch it once a year. Warren Beatty was a freakin genius if you ask me.



favorite movie of 2007


Joy Division was ironically not one of my favorite bands in the 80s but I really liked this movie. Liked how Ian Curtis was portrayed as a fairly ordinary person, who struggled with his success and fame in a very believable and ordinary way. Like the poster too.