Highbrow Lowbrow – Christmas Special
Happy holidays, dear reader! For those of you who enjoy festive movies with a slightly darker streak, Highbrow Lowbrow returns with a Yuletide edition celebrating two movies that will leave questioning the spirit of Christmas.
My pick is Bob Clark’s early slasher gem Black Christmas. My podcast co-host Dan Slattery opts for a Xmas spin on the Die Hard formula with Violent Night.
You can listen to the full episode here.
In Film We Trust – LA Confidential
For my second appearance on the In Film We Trust podcast, I discuss Curtis Hanson’s classic film adaptation of LA Confidential. Some of the topics that come up are Ellroy’s changing opinion of the film, the TV pilots and abortive attempts to get a sequel made, behind the scenes gossip and, of course, a little plug for my Ellroy biography Love Me Fierce in Danger.
You can listen to the full episode here.
Ellroy Reads – The Fixer by Bernard Malamud
For the latest episode of Ellroy Reads, and the last of 2024, I look at Bernard Malamud’s classic novel The Fixer. Inspired by the arrest and trial of Menahem Mendel Beilis in Czarist Russia, The Fixer is one of the great novels to explore injustice, against both the individual and the Jewish people.
Thanks to everyone who has watched and subscribed to Ellroy Reads. The show will be back in the new year. Happy holidays!
Ellroy Reads – They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? by Horace McCoy
For the latest episode of Ellroy Reads I take a look at Horace McCoy’s classic hardboiled novel They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? McCoy’s acerbic portrayal of the Dance Marathon craze of Depression-era America was influential on French existentialist thinkers and the noir philosophy in general. James Ellroy has named it as one of the important novels in the noir genre.
It’s one of the all-time great stories.
In Film We Trust – Cop
It was my pleasure to be a guest on the superlative In Film We Trust podcast to talk about Cop, the very first film adaptation of a James Ellroy novel. We had a blast discussing the somewhat underrated film, and I gave some anecdotes from my James Ellroy biography Love Me Fierce in Danger. I’ll be back on the show soon for two more episodes to discuss LA Confidential and The Black Dahlia, so stay tuned.
You can listen to the podcast here: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/ifwtpod
Ellroy Reads – In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes
In the latest episode of Ellroy Reads I discuss Dorothy B. Hughes classic novel In a Lonely Place. I compare the novel to the very different, but equally acclaimed, film noir adaptation starring Humphrey Bogart. There’s also some inside information on the remake James Ellroy planned with Dana Delany.
Off the record, on the QT and very Hush Hush…
Ellroy Reads – Strega by Andrew Vachss
For the latest episode of Ellroy Reads I review Strega by Andrew Vachss. I share some of my memories of meeting Vachss, as well as giving some insight into how Vachss and Ellroy came to be published by Alfred A. Knopf.
Enjoy the episode, and make sure you take heed from the important message from the show’s sponsor at the beginning…
Mr Campion’s Christmas by Mike Ripley – Review
Albert Campion had planned on a quiet Christmas to end 1962. Snowed in with family at his remote farmhouse Carterers in Norfolk, Campion thought he was blissfully cut-off from the rest of the world until a charabanc of pilgrims arrive and the ageing toff finds himself playing host to a ragtag bunch of eccentrics. The travellers destination is nominally the Shrine of Our Lady in nearby Walsingham but Campion soon discovers his uninvited guests have more than a few secrets between them, and one them goes straight to the heart of the Cold War. Whoever said life in East Anglia was dull?
Mike Ripley has done sterling work with his Campion continuation series, keeping the spirit of Margery Allingham’s character alive while adding a new sense of style and his distinctly mischievous sense of humour. The good news is that Mr Campion’s Christmas does not disappoint. And the bad news? This is the last book in the series. Ripley is not going to write any more Campion novels for love or money, but he has ended the series in fine form and this addition should also persuade readers to explore other chapters in the life of the gentleman detective.
ELLROY READS – Laura by Vera Caspary
For the latest episode of Ellroy Reads I look at Vera Caspary’s classic novel Laura, the exemplary film noir adaptation it inspired, and how both the novel and film inspired James Ellroy’s abortive plans for a remake.
I hope you enjoy the episode. As always dear viewer, let me know your thoughts.
The Venetian Vase 