Falling for Lehane's "Since We Fell"

Dennis Lehane has written some well-regarded novels, including Mystic River and The Given Day. I first became aware of Lehane when I read his terrific mystery series featuring Massachusetts based private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro, which began with 1994's A Drink Before The War. I was a huge fan of those books, and was delighted when the fourth entry, Gone, Baby, Gone, was adapted into a film directed by Ben Affleck. Other Lehane novels, including Mystic River and Shutter Island, have also been turned into movies. Lehane was also  a writer for the third season of the acclaimed HBO series The Wire. I recently caught up with one of Lehane’s 2017 thriller Since We Fell. It’s a fast-paced tale of love, lies, larceny and murder.

The story centers on Rachel Childs, a reporter who goes through a very public on-air meltdown while covering the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Not only does she sideline a once-promising career, but Rachel becomes agoraphobic, and literally shuts her self off from the outside world. Despite her marriage to one of her colleagues at her former network, Rachel can't seem to straighten out her life. She has other issues as well. Rachel was brought up by an emotionally distant mother, and never really knew her father, who left when she was a young child. Her mother refuses to divulge his identity, and finding him becomes something of an obsession for Rachel.

While searching for her father, Rachel meets Brian Delacroix, a private investigator, who initially warns her that because of the lack of evidence, her search may never bear fruit. He declines to take her case. Rachel and Brian end up crossing paths again over the years, and eventually begin a tentative romance, as Rachel's first marriage is spiraling towards its end. The pair eventually marry, and Brian helps Rachel come out of her carefully shielded world, and live her life to the fullest once again. At this point, he's supposedly working for his family's successful business. Rachel is happier than she's ever been.

 

But she begins to suspect Brian may not be all he says he is, and that he has a secret life. He claims to be traveling the world for business, but Rachel catches him misleading her and lying about his whereabouts. As Rachel digs deeper into his background, she discovers there may be a lot of other things that Brian is hiding. As the novel shifts into high gear in its last third, the twists come fast and furious, and Rachel has to keep one step ahead of an ever-widening series of dangerous situations related to Brian's real identity.

 

As Michael Connelly (the creator of Harry Bosch) did with his novel Chasing The Dime, this is Lehane working in popcorn thriller territory. Since We Fell is a fun and engaging read that feels like Lehane's version of a summer action movie. While it doesn’t quite achieve the noir-ish heights of some of his other works, Lehane is a talented storyteller, and knows how to keep readers on the edge of their seats, and turning the pages to see what happens next. The novel actually takes its time to bring in its thriller elements, charting Rachel's fall from grace, and eventual rebirth, as a resilient heroine who's determined to find out the truth about her husband. 

Since We Fell is a riveting thriller. Rachel is a well-rounded character, and her journey is fascinating and compelling. You'll find yourself rooting for her to succeed in figuring out the truth, and coming out on top. It's interesting to see Lehane writing from a female point of view, and the Hitchcock style twists that occur in the last portion of the novel will keep you guessing. It's no surprise that the screen rights for Since We Fell (the title comes from the Lenny Welch hit "Since I Fell For You") have been sold to DreamWorks Pictures, and Lehane's novel is going to be adapted for the big screen. Catch up with it now, and put it on your summer reading list, before the eventual big budget movie shows up at your local cinema!

A Superb Tribute To Brian Wilson's Music

Tribute albums can be a tricky enterprise. To properly honor the music of a renowned artist, the people involved with the project have to appreciate why the songs of the musician being saluted have touched and inspired so many people, and treat them with the proper care and respect. Otherwise, the whole project can come off feeling misguided. When they're done properly, tribute albums can be a valuable exploration of an artist's legacy and a positive listening experience for fans. Last year, JEM Records successfully paid homage to the music of John Lennon with the excellent JEM Records Celebrates John Lennon, which featured amazing bands like The Weeklings, The Gold Needles and The Anderson Council masterfully covering songs from John's time with The Beatles and his work as a solo artist.

On July 16, for the second chapter in what promises to be an ongoing series, the label will be releasing JEM Records Celebrates Brian Wilson. Brian's unforgettable songs and albums with The Beach Boys, as well as his noteworthy solo projects, are absolutely worthy of celebration. This marvelous and immensely enjoyable album is a terrific tribute to his enduring work. JEM's supremely talented roster of artists, including Nick Piunti, The Midnight Callers, Lisa Mychols and Super 8, and Richard Barone, are at the top of their game here, providing us with marvelous interpretations of fifteen of Brian's classic songs. It's one of the best tribute albums I've heard since JEM's John Lennon disc, and it's absolutely worth checking out.

Things kick off with a lovely a cappella rendition of "The Warmth Of The Sun" by The Weeklings, who also offer us their toughened up version of "Help Me Rhonda." Nick Piunti rocks out on his terrific cover of "Hang On To Your Ego," while The Anderson Council's fabulous versions of "Girl, Don't Tell Me" and "I'd Love For Once Just To See You" will have you reaching for the replay button. The disc also includes powerful takes on a trio of Brian's most beloved songs: Richard Barone's spare, poignant reading of "In My Room" and Lisa Mychols and Super 8's girl group styled, Wall of Sound-ified rendition of "Don't Worry, Baby," effectively illustrate the emotional depth inherent in Brian's work, which is also very much in evidence on The Gold Needles' beautiful version of Brian's remarkable solo track "Love & Mercy."

There's more exceptional music to be heard on this phenomenal record. The Midnight Callers check in with a magnificent, power-pop infused cover of "Do It Again." The Beach Boys hit "Dance, Dance, Dance," gets a high energy workout from Johnathan Pushkar, who's joined by Richard Barone for an exuberant romp through "I Get Around." The Grip Weeds, New Jersey's own purveyors of psychedelic rock, provide an exceptional, not to be missed rendition of "You're So Good To Me" and apply their psych/pop sheen to an extraordinary, immersive version of "Heroes & Villains." The album wraps up with Lisa Mychols and Super 8's clever mash-up of Beach Boys/Brian Wilson song titles and lyric snippets on the tremendous "Pet Sounds Story." If you enjoy classic rock and roll and pop music interpreted with real heart and soul, you're going to love every track on this album.

JEM Records Celebrates Brian Wilson is a superb record that will have strong appeal for Beach Boys and Brian Wilson devotees, as well as fans of the talented artists involved with this project. Executive Producer Marty Scott, all of the artists, and everyone at JEM have crafted a wonderful tribute to the music of a one of a kind rock and roll icon. For more information on the album, head over to JEM's site at: http://www.jemrecordings.com. If you'd like to learn more about this outstanding record, you can read my behind the scenes interview with Marty Scott and several of the artists over at CultureSonar, an indispensable arts and entertainment website. Follow this link to check out the article: https://www.culturesonar.com/a-celebration-of-brian-wilsons-music/. Here's a link to the video for The Grip Weeds cover of "You're So Good To Me," which will provide you with just a small sample of what to expect from the album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9o3BBMU4_sk.

Is "Fatale" A Fatally Flawed Modern Noir?

If you’re going to make a modern day noir thriller, you can go about it in a couple of ways. You can go the subtle route, and the result will be something akin to John Dahl’s Red Rock West, or you can spin the dial all the way to eleven, and get something like Paul Verhoeven’s over the top Basic Instinct, which has inspired a host of direct to video imitators. Fatale, starring Michael Ealy and Hilary Swank, leans towards the latter, and tosses in a generous helping of Fatal Attraction on the side.  Derrick Tyler runs a successful sports management agency with his partner and friend, Rafe Grimes. Derrick feels like the spark has gone out of his marriage, and that his wife Tracie may be having an affair. While the two friends are attending a bachelor party in Las Vegas, Derrick confides these feelings to Rafe, who encourages him to step outside of his current situation, and have some fun for just one night.

 Derrick meets a woman named Valerie at the bar, and lies about his name and marital status. They spend the night together. When Derrick tries to leave the next morning, he discovers she’s locked his phone in her hotel safe so he can’t “run out on her.” They end up having sex again before he departs. Derrick, who’s started to feel remorseful about his one night stand , returns home to California. He tries to reconcile with Tracie, and the two share a romantic evening together. That night, there’s an attempted break-in at their home, and Derrick fights off an intruder, who flees the scene. When the cops arrive to investigate, the detective assigned to the case (in one of those “only in this type of movie” coincidences) turns out to be Valerie, the woman Derrick slept with in Vegas.

Valerie initially relates to Derrick that revealing their affair is not on her agenda, as it could cause them both trouble. She’s in the middle of a custody battle with her ex-husband, and doesn’t want to rock the boat. But her behavior indicates quite the opposite. Valerie questions Tracie without Derrick present, and then indicates there are things he may not know about his own situation at home. Derrick and Rafe’s company is very valuable, and she hints the break-in could have been an “attempted hit.” Rafe has been pushing Derrick to sell the company to a big conglomerate, so is that what or who is behind this? As Valerie investigates the break-in, she discovers Rafe and Tracie are having an affair, and takes Derrick to a house where they’re spending time together.

Spoilers ahead: In true B-movie fashion, Rafe and Tracie turn up dead, and Derrick becomes the prime suspect. It turns out that Valerie killed them, and in return for this “favor,” she expects Derrick to kill her ex-husband. Her ex has been blocking her from having visitation rights with their daughter, because of an incident that occurred during their marriage, while Valerie was drinking. Thus begins an escalating battle of wits between Derrick and the clearly off-center Valerie, as he tries to stay out of jail, and also stay one step ahead of her, while Valerie keeps upping the ante in her efforts to ruin his life unless he helps her. Will Derrick actually go through with it, and kill Valerie’s ex, or will he able to expose her for the manipulative killer she really is?

Fatale is a by the numbers thriller that is mildly entertaining,  but never quite takes it to the next level. Some interesting ideas are introduced, and then those plotlines are left hanging or ignored. The revelation that Derrick’s partner Rafe is sleeping with his wife opens up some interesting story avenues., since Rafe has been hinting that he and Derrick should sell their company in order to make more money. Was Rafe behind the break-in at Derrick’s house, or was it Valerie? Did Valerie know who Derrick was before they met? Was it all a set-up from the get go? There’s also a whole subplot regarding Derrick’s cousin Tyrin, which seems to exist only to set that character up as a sacrificial lamb, and give Valerie someone else to kill.

The cast tries their best, and it’s fun to see Hilary Swank as a femme fatale, in a part that’s quite different from her usual roles. Michael Ealy does a nice job as Derrick, and Mike Colter (best known as Luke Cage on the Netflix series) does what he can with his limited screen time as Rafe. Damaris Lewis isn’t given a lot to do as Tracie, but she does have an effective moment in a pivotal scene. The film boasts some cool cinematography by the talented Dante Spinotti, and the direction by Deon Taylor is decent, if a bit workmanlike. The script by David Loughery, who penned the clever 1984 science-fiction thriller Dreamscape, never quite pushes things to the off the rails heights of Basic Instinct, nor does it bring the film into the territory of Body Heat or The Last Seduction, two of the best examples of neo-noir. Fatale is a passable time-filler, but sadly, the movie doesn’t really rise above the level of the plethora of erotic thrillers that turned up regularly on late night cable in the 1980s and 1990s . Here’s a link to the trailer for the film, which is currently streaming on HBO Max, and is also available on Blu-ra and DVD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPWURGgKJ7o.