Monday, August 12, 2024

Recommended reading: The Ninth Configuration (1999):


The Ninth Configuration

By William Peter Blatty.
Commentary by Mark Kermode.

Published by Screenpress Books.
Published in 1999.
Paperback.
Screenplay.

ISBN-10: 1901680207
ISBN-13: 978-1901680201

Description:

“The finest large scale American surrealist film ever made” – People Magazine.

Towards the end of the war in Vietnam, an unusually high percentage of American servicemen suddenly manifested symptoms of psychosis. To investigate this mystery, the US government established a network of covert study centers.

They send the crazies to Center Eighteen. Men who think they can walk through walls. Men who want to stage the complete works of Shakespeare using dogs. Hudson Kane is plagued by nightmares and memories not his own. Only Hudson Kane is not an inmate. Hudson Kane is in charge…

William Peter Blatty – the creator of The Exorcist – directed this self penned script that quickly became a cult classic for its brave philosophic tone, remarkable visuals and endlessly quotable dialogue.

This is the first time that Blatty’s originally screenplay has been published. Fully annotated by acclaimed writer and critic Mark Kermode and illustrated with many previously unpublished stills.

This is the definitive edition of the script that its creator believes to be the true sequel to The Exorcist.

Winner – Best Screenplay Golden Globe Awards.

Recommended reading: The Ninth Configuration (1966):


The Ninth Configuration

aka Twinkle, Twinkle, "Killer" Kane.
By William Peter Blatty.

Paperback.
Published in 1966.

ISBN-10: 0765337304
ISBN-13: 978-0765337306

Description:

Hidden away in a brooding Gothic manor in the deep woods is Center Eighteen, a secret military "rest camp" currently housing twenty-seven inmates, all officers who have succumbed to a sudden outbreak of mental illness. Have the men truly lost their minds, are they only pretending to be insane to avoid combat, or is some more sinister conspiracy at work?

Desperate for answers, the Pentagon has placed a brilliant Marine psychiatrist in charge of the base and its deranged occupants. A man of deep faith and compassion, Colonel Kane hopes to uncover the root of the men's bizarre obsessions. But as Center Eighteen descends into chaos, Kane finds the greatest challenge may be his own buried demons. . .

Recommended reading - The Beekeeper's Bible: Bees, Honey, Recipes & Other Home Uses (2011):


The Beekeeper's Bible: Bees, Honey, Recipes & Other Home Uses (2011).
By Richard A. Jones and Sharon Sweeney-Lynch.

Hardcover.

ISBN-10: 1584799188
ISBN-13: 978-1584799184

Description:

The Beekeeper’s Bible is the essential and comprehensive handbook for every active or aspiring beekeeper.
Part history book, part handbook, part cookbook, this illustrated tome covers every facet of the ancient hobby of beekeeping, from safe hive management to the culinary, medicinal, cosmetic, and domestic uses of honey, beeswax, and pollen. With stunning illustrations and step-by-step photography, The Beekeeper’s Bible is the indispensable guide to beekeeping.
Complete practical beekeeping.
Bee history, trivia, and lore.
Uses for honey, beeswax, and pollen.
Recipes and craft projects.
Home remedies and beauty products.

Margaret Atwood, on writing:


Writing is alone, but I don't think it's lonely.
Ask any writer if they feel lonely when they're writing their book, and I think they'll say no.

– Margaret Atwood.

Sunday, August 11, 2024

On this day in music history - First Dance (2011):

The album First Dance,
by Amy Lauren,
was released on August 11, 2011.

On this day in movie history - The Greene Murder Case (1929):


The Greene Murder Case,
directed by Frank Tuttle,
written by Louise Long and Richard H. Digges Jr.,
based on the novel by S. S. Van Dine,
was released in the United States on August 11, 1929.
Music by Karl Hajos.

Cast:
William Powell, Florence Eldridge, Ullrich Haupt, Sr., Jean Arthur, Eugene Pallette, E. H. Calvert, Gertrude Norman, Lowell Drew, Morgan Farley, Brandon Hurst, Augusta Burmeister, Marcia Harris.

Born on this day – Stuart Gordon:


Stuart Gordon

Director

Writer

August 11, 1947 – March 24, 2020