It's that time of the month again...

Hmmmm.... I see by the old calendar on the wall that it's time for my monthly bit of Blog Wisdom.

Try this one: I used to think the Internet was kind of cool. Then I thought it was amazing. Then I thought it was a bit annoying. Then I thought it was possibly dangerous. Then I became convinced that it was the worst thing that's ever happened to the human race (and considering humanity's past, that's quite an achievement).

I now believe that it's possible (maybe even probable) that the Internet - or some mutation of it - will eventually lead to the end of human civilization as we know it. And possibly the actual destruction of the planet, i.e. a series of events so catastrophic that the Earth is sent spinning off its axis and out of orbit rendering it a dead rock or a burning cinder.

Well, that's my say for November.

Go back to your coffee.

Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving!

9 Dragons

Last year I traveled to Hong Kong (and Macao) to shoot footage for a book that Michael Connelly was researching. That book, 9 DRAGONS, was published last week. Usually Mike has written the book before I shoot anything, but this time the process was reversed, so I wasn't sure what the exact content of the book would be as I worked. Below are links to a few of the clips we have posted on YouTube chronicling the adventure.

Michael Connelly in Hong Kong

Michael Connelly's Nine Dragons

Michael Connelly's Nine Dragons - Wan Chai

Michael Connelly's Nine Dragons - The Peak

I had a feeling we were heading for this....

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/nadir_of_western_civilization_to

I will not read Josh Olson's fucking article!

So please, people, quit sending me the links offline.

I get it. The man is busy.

But so am I. Too busy to read more than the first two paragraphs of that rant.

(Shoe is on the other foot now, J.O.)

Gryphon Books

Gary Lovisi, the man behind Gryphon Books, has republished one of my few short stories, DETOUR DRIVE, in his fine magazine, HARDBOILED (#40), and an interview that Al Guthrie pried out of me a few years ago in PAPERBACK PARADE (#72). Mr. Lovisi has been saying very kind things about my work in his magazines over the last few issues and I'd just like to thank him for the support and give his company a plug here on the mighty JAFO blog. He's got a lot of neat stuff for sale and it can all be found at this e-dress:

http://www.gryphonbooks.com/News/news.html

What the Hell? (Robert Ryan edition)

Robert Ryan was only in about 80 films and a handful of TV shows during his long career, yet he seems to be in just about every movie I watch lately.

What the Hell?

Hickey and Boggs

Ever wonder why, dear reader(s?), there are so few posts on JAFO? Probably not. But I digress.

I could lie to you and tell you I'm out "Observing." But the fact is I'm not that comfortable with this blogging stuff. Every time I think I might have something of interest to say, my impulse to share information is overwhelmed by my love of anonymity. Then there is the bottomless pit that is the internet. I have found that almost anything I want to say has already been said by others - and usually better than I can say it. So why bother?

This brings me to HICKEY AND BOGGS, a movie that has, for some odd reason, stayed with me for thirty-plus years now. It's a minor obsession at times. And I've been going through one of those times of late. Something about its stripped down style appeals to me - especially in light of today's diet of overblown, expensive junk hitting the cinema screens.

Well, I watched the flick again a few days ago and was considering a blog post about it, but lo and behold, my buddy at Secret Dead Blog beat me to the punch. Read all about it here:

http://secretdead.blogspot.com/

I posted a reply and a link to a page where you can watch the film for free in his comment sections, so if you want to hear me ramble any more, you'll have to go over there.

Peace out, my bruthas and sistahs.