Mystery, Magic, and More

[mneme]

drcpunk's dad was getting rid of books a few weeks ago, so I came home with the first three volumes of Knuth's Art... and a bunch of Daschell Hammett novels. Guess which I got through first.

Ok, not really hard, though I cracked Algorithms before Hammett.

The Thin Man was the first I read, and it was very nice and sweet -- though unbeknownst to me, a bit atypical for Hammet.

Next came three Continental Op works -- (I'm still working my way through the third) -- Red Harvest, The Big Knockover, and Continental Op. The first is easily the least typical -- Red Harvest may begin and end with a mystery, but between it's all character study, caper, and very nasty plot. Knockover, by contrast, has some very nice stories (and it's worth noting, for those who don't know, that I don't usually read detective fiction), with good dialogue, but by and large, nothing near that level. The title story of Knockover is a cut above most of the rest, though -- and the first story of Op The King Business, gets us back to some of the fun in Red Harvest of just watching the "Op" work without much mystery to worry about (oddly enough, those two tales are the only ones where the Op has a romance. But I think that distinction is merely a symptom). Good stuff, regardless. (a bit later, I've read through Corkscrew, which has some similarities to Red Harvest (also, a girl), though the western bit weakens it somewhat).

Meanwhile, we saw Beowulf 3D (which I, forewarned, enjoyed as what it was rather than disliking it for not being what it's not) and Enchanted, which is exquisite; predictable in the right ways, with a nice sharp commentary/comment on gender roles and on the fairy tales. I doubt they will, but I'm curious what they'd do with a sequel.

Comments

Don't doubt it.

[citruscommando.livejournal.com]

I guarantee you that there will be a sequel to Enchanted. It will be produced with less than 1/10 of the budget and no-name actors, will be released directly to DVD, will be so bad as to be virtually unwatchable, and will make Disney twice as much money as the original. This is how they do things. Children want established, familiar brands, and they don't care about quality.

[kent-allard-jr.livejournal.com]

The Op also has a "romance" in one of the Continental Op stories, "The Girl with the Silver Eyes" I think is the name of it. Later, of course, came Spade/O'Shaughnessey; the book version was more like an Op-style "romantic" subplot than the movie.

You may want to try The Glass Key, which was Hammett's favorite. You may also like the Coen brothers movie Miller's Crossing, which is sort of a cross between Red Harvest and Key.

[bugsybanana.livejournal.com]

I hated Hammett (read Thin Man and Maltese Falcon). Too insubstantial, also the edition I read was riddled with typos.

James M. Cain is more my speed - not only have I read the big three (Postman Always Rings Twice, Double Indemnity, Mildred Pierce, all recommended) but I've read one of his less-known novels (Serenade) and have two more (The Butterfly and Love's Lovely Counterfeit) for when I decide I can bear to read fiction again. You should try Cain.

[mneme]

Red Harvest is very much the opposite of insubstantial. Which doesn't mean you'ld like it, of course. I've got the Falcon on my shelves, but haven't read it yet.

Haven't read Cain either -- he may be too mystery for me, but then again, maybe not.

[mneme]

Sounds cool -- thanks!

Re: Don't doubt it.

[mneme]

Er...maybe. Remember, Enchanted isn't fundamentally animated; it's mostly live-action, and it's much harder to get away with cheap-o direct to DVD live action sequels.

Also, Enchanted isn't really a movie for children, and I have the impression that -some- of the Disney direct-to-DVD sequels are actually quite good (others, naturally, are awful, and I haven't seen any of them).