14 Years Ago: The Origins of Eclectic Avenue

Dizzyfish - at the Oakdale Theatre in June 2024

I started Eclectic Avenue back in April of 2011. This blog began as an outlet to indulge my passion for writing about music, movies and books. I've always enjoyed writing, starting back in high school, on through my college years and moving forward to my years working in the publishing world. During that time, I wrote a couple of articles for local newspapers, and also did a stint as a writer/editor for the excellent KISS fanzine FIRE, which was published by my dear friend Gilda. Thanks to the support and encouragement of Gilda and a couple of other close friends, I decided to launch Eclectic Avenue. 

Eclectic Avenue received positive responses from readers, and as time went on, I got to know several other bloggers, and participated in several blogathons, special events in which a group of bloggers all write about a shared topic. Then in 2017, I decided to submit a story about Elton John to CultureSonar, a well-respected arts and entertainment website founded by music industry veteran Al Cattabiani. Since then, I've become a regular contributor to the site, and have written over 150 articles for them, including interviews with Dave Mason and William Shatner. It's been a great privilege to write for CultureSonar, and I'm thrilled to be part of the site's uber-talented group of writers.

I've had some incredible experiences over the years, interacting with talented artists like Marc Platt, Grey DeLisle, Rin Lennon of Monogroove, Kurt Reil of The Grip Weeds and Eric Herbst of Dizzyfish, among others. Thanks to Al Cattabiani, Cindy Grogan and Drew Pissara from CultureSonar for their support and encouragement, and also to Marty Scott and Maureen Pietoso at JEM Records for digging my work, and asking me to write about their fabulous artists on a regular basis. It has been an amazing experience working with all of you. I also want to express my sincere gratitude to all my readers for their appreciation of, and enthusiasm for, my writing. There's more to come, both here at Eclectic Avenue, and at Culture Sonar!

Recursion: A Mind-Bending Thriller

If you're a fan of truly original and intriguing stories, you should definitely be reading the work of Blake Crouch. He's the author of a number of best-selling novels, including the Wayward Pines trilogy, Dark Matter, and Upgrade. They're all exciting and suspenseful tales, deftly combining elements of the science-fiction, action film and thriller genres. Wayward Pines was turned into a television series on the FOX network, and Dark Matter was recently adapted for Apple TV. One of his best novels is Recursion, a mind-bending story about an invention that might just change the way we deal with our memories, as well as redefine our concept of time and reality.

Recursion starts off following two parallel story threads. One branch of the alternating chapters follows NYPD detective Barry Sutton, as he investigates the suicide of a woman who claims she is experiencing memories of a life that she never lived, including a different job, husband and home. It's part of an epidemic called False Memory Syndrome, which is affecting people all over the country. The second branch of the story concerns Helena Smith, a scientist researching new ways to treat the onset of Alzheimer's disease, including a groundbreaking process which implants a memory back into someone's brain.

The stories of Barry and Helena eventually intersect, as they both fall prey to the machinations of Marcus Slade, a billionaire philanthropist who has plans of his own for Helena's research, which involve time travel, and ultimately changing history, through a person's death and resurrection, combining the use of a deprivation chair with Helena's research. But the implications and results of Slade's use of her ideas combined with his own technology could lead to nuclear armageddon. It's up to Barry and Helena, who are in a race against time itself,  to stop Slade, and save the world as we know it.

Recursion is a kinetic thriller that features a clever and original science-fiction concept, and a fast-paced story. One of the novel's strengths is the well-developed characters, who have real emotional depth. These are people we can empathize with, as the traumas they're dealing with are things we can all relate to; for example, Barry is dealing with the loss of a child, and Helena's mother is suffering from Alzheimer's, which initially drives her research. There's also a real philosophical element to the story; should we use discoveries like Helena's, just because we can, no matter what the cost?  Recursion, like all of Blake Crouch's work, is entertaining, thought-provoking and intelligently written. Highly recommended.

Revisiting Penn and Hackman's "Night Moves"

Film fans continue to mourn the recent passing of the supremely talented Gene Hackman. He's one of my favorite actors, and he provided us all with a number of fine performances. Hackman could transition with ease from serious dramatic roles in movies like The French Connection and The Conversation to big-budget fare like The Poseidon Adventure and Superman. What each of his films have in common is that he was excellent in all of them, giving top-notch performances each and every time. Back in 2016, I covered one of my favorite Hackman films, the neo-noir thriller Night Moves, here at Eclectic Avenue. In honor of Hackman and his superb body of work, here's a slightly updated version of that post.

In Night Moves, Hackman is Harry Moseby, a former football player who's working as a private investigator in Los Angeles. His wife Ellen has been encouraging him to join a large investigative agency so he can make more money, but he likes doing things his own way. Harry and Ellen’s relationship has hit a crossroads, and he soon discovers she's having an affair. At a friend’s suggestion, Harry takes on a new case: locating the missing child of former film star Arlene Iverson. Her teenage daughter, Delly, has run off and has been spotted in New Mexico, on the set of a film being made there. It seems Delly (Melanie Griffith, in an early role) is something of a wild child. She's been flirting (and more) with several men on the crew of the movie. When Harry arrives, she's already gone.

Harry tracks Delly to the Florida Keys, where she's staying with her stepfather Tom. Delly doesn’t want to go back, as she believes Arlene is only interested in her trust fund, which she will inherit if anything happens to Delly. Harry tries to convince the young woman to return, and in the meantime forms a bond with Paula, a woman who works for Tom. While on a boat ride with Harry and Paula, Delly goes swimming and finds the wreckage of a small plane, with the pilot’s body still inside. Paula marks the spot with a buoy and the trio goes back to shore. Delly eventually returns to Los Angeles with Harry, and reunites with her mother. A short time later, Harry learns Delly has been killed, and he feels guilty about returning her to Arlene. He's drawn back into Tom and Paula's orbit when he looks into her death. Lies are uncovered, and secrets are revealed. In classic film noir style, things do not end well for anyone.

In Night Moves, characters like Harry and Paula are stuck in places they don’t want to be, but feel powerless to change their lives for the better. Harry is the opposite of the typical film noir hero. He isn’t the tough guy punching his way through things to solve a mystery. He hasn’t discovered the truth about the case, and he hasn't figured out his own truth. Hackman is fantastic in the role, subtly conveying Harry’s anguish and frustration, which is bubbling just under the surface. There’s a fine supporting cast, including Susan Clark, Harris Yulin, John Crawford, Edward Binns, James Woods, and Jennifer Warren, who is terrific as Paula. Strong direction from Arthur Penn, a well-honed screenplay by Alan Sharp, and a moody color palette from cinematographer Bruce Surtees all contribute to the film's success.

 

Night Moves is the second of three collaborations between director Penn and star Hackman, the other two being 1967’s Bonnie & Clyde and 1985’s Target. Night Moves is not a typical thriller, but it's a truly rewarding viewing experience. It couldn’t have been produced in a more appropriate decade than the 1970s. This is one of Hackman's finest performances, and is an absolute must see for fans of his work. The film has just been released in a new Blu-ray edition by The Criterion Collection, featuring a fine selection of extras. Here’s a link to the film’s (somewhat misleading) trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdlLWziBggM.a .

This "Storied Life" is Worth Exploring

"Sometimes books don't find us until the right time." 

- Gabrielle Zevin, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry.

A.J. Fikry owns a bookstore on Alice Island, located off the coast of Cape Cod. His wife passed away recently, his business isn't doing well , and he's become something of a recluse and a curmudgeon, who doesn't have many friends. But his world is about to change in ways that he can't imagine. A young child named Maya is left in the bookstore, with a note asking A.J. to take care of her. He also crosses paths with Amy, a publisher's sales rep, who's trying to pitch him on titles to stock in his store. Both of these events will have a profound impact on A.J.'s life.

That's the premise of Gabrielle Zevin's marvelous novel The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. In addition to A.J., Amy and Maya, Zevin also creates a well-drawn supporting cast, including A.J.s sister-in-law Ismay Evans, and local cop Nick Lambaise, who becomes A.J.'s friend and confidant. This is a moving tale that will make you smile and tug at your heartstrings in equal measure. The positive effect that Maya and Amy have on A.J.'s life, and those in his circle, is at the heart of this terrific tale, which some readers might notice takes a bit of inspiration from George Eliot's classic novel, Silas Marner.

If you love books, and emotionally centered stories of life and love filled with joy, along with a touch of sadness, you'll enjoy The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. Another essential part of the novel's appeal is A.J. and Amy's passion for books, several of which are quoted and referenced throughout the narrative. The novel was adapted into a movie in 2022, featuring Lucy Hale, Kunal Nayyar and Christina Hendricks. It's a fairly faithful adaptation of the story. The film version is currently streaming on Netflix. Here's a look at the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dDTHI67SLk.