Not a Blog

Pat Conroy Literary Center

June 16, 2016 at 12:06 am
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Pat Conroy was one of the great novelists of the last half-century.

Regular readers of this Not A Blog know what a huge fan of his work I am. No, he did not write science fiction or fantasy… but (surprise!) despite my love for our genre, I read a lot of stuff outside of it. And once I had sampled Pat Conroy, I read every book of his eagerly as soon as it came out. THE PRINCE OF TIDES is probably his masterpiece, but I loved BEACH MUSIC and THE LORDS OF DISCIPLINE and THE GREAT SANTINI and THE WATER IS WIDE as well. Oh, and his non-fiction memoir, MY LOSING SEASON, another engrossing read.

The movies based on his books were pretty damned good as well, even if the film version of THE PRINCE OF TIDES did omit… well… the prince of tides. SANTINI is the best of those. Amazing performance by Robert Duvall, once of the best of his career.

A couple of years ago, I had the honor of meeting Pat, and hosting him for an author event and booksigning at the Jean Cocteau Cinema. It was a rare privilege, and one I will always remember, and I can’t tell you how thrilled I was to learn that he’d read and enjoyed my own books.

Pat passed away in March… but his books will live on, and so will his memory.

In his memory, his family has now establishing a Pat Conroy Literary Center in his beloved home town of Beaufort, South Carolina. You can read about it here:

http://patconroyliterarycenter.org/

A worthy project, I think. I’ll be donating. I urge all of you who love good writing to do the same.

Jean Cocteau Book Sale #GRRMinion

June 8, 2016 at 5:22 pm
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Jenni the Ogre here (nope, not George) with some books for sale! The Jean Cocteau Cinema Bookstore will offer the following titles at 50% off for the next two weeks.

Joe R. Lansdale's Hap & Leonard: NOW $8.00

Joe R. Lansdale’s popular Texan crime-fighting duo are immortalized in this complete collection of Hap and Leonard short stories and tall tales. Additionally, you'll find one brand-new story and an original introduction by New York Times bestselling author Michael Koryta (So Cold the River). Learn more!

Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black's Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles Boxed Set: NOW $16.50

Just when it seemed the book had closed on the Spiderwick Chronicles, a new chapter begins far from the old-fashioned charm of New England. Under the hot Florida sun, Nick Vargas and his annoying new stepsister, Laurie, stumble upon the faerie world. A nixie asks for their help to save her sisters and before they know it, Nick and Laurie are outrunning giants, negotiating with mermaids, and battling a monster that's bigger than they'd ever imagined! Along with Nick's brother, Jules, and some familiar faces, the kids find themselves in a race to save not only themselves, but all of Florida! Learn more!

Susan Orlean's Rin Tin Tin: NOW $8.00

He believed the dog was immortal. So begins Susan Orlean’s sweeping, powerfully moving account of Rin Tin Tin’s journey from abandoned puppy to movie star and international icon. Spanning almost one hundred years of history, from the dog’s improbable discovery on a battlefield in 1918 to his tumultuous rise through Hollywood and beyond, Rin Tin Tin is a love story about "the mutual devotion between one man and one dog" (The Wall Street Journal) that is also a quintessentially American story of reinvention, a captivating exploration of our spiritual bond with animals, and a stirring meditation on mortality and immortality. Learn more!

See you at the Cocteau!

A Few Quick Thoughts

May 24, 2016 at 12:59 pm
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I am off to Baltimore tomorrow for Balticon 50, which promises to be a real blast. In honor of half a century of great cons, the fans of Baltimore are bringing in lots and lots of their past GOHs, along with me, their current GOH, so we should have an amazing crowd on hand. Connie Willis, Joe Haldeman, John Varley… oh, the list goes on and on. Go to the Balticon website and see for your own self. And then come to the con. Panels, readings, parties… and there will be CRABS.

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On other fronts… we had an amazing time at the Jean Cocteau last night, when a sellout crowd assembled to hear Joe Hill. Joe gave a dynamite reading from his new novel THE FIREMAN, led the audience in a kazoo concert, told us about all his forthcoming television and film projects, and signed stacks and stacks of books. Most of which were promptly carried off by his eager fans. But we did lay in extra supplies, so if you’re looking for autographed copies of THE FIREMAN, or HEART-SHAPED BOX, or LOCKE & KEY, or any of Joe’s stuff, it’s available — while the supply lasts — from the Jean Cocteau Bookshop at http://www.jeancocteaubooks.com/ — along with signed books from Neil Gaiman, Stephen Graham Jones, Diana Gabaldon, Joe Lansdale, and many many more.

Heated discussions continue about this year’s Hugo ballot, and the various proposals being brought forth to reform the voting procedures to defend the integrity of the award against future attacks by Rabid Puppies and other varieties of fuggheads. Some of the proposals are worth considering. I have severe doubts about others. But I don’t have time to get into all of that now, so it will have to wait until I return.

Meanwhile, I am doing my Hugo reading, and I urge all of you who are members of Big MAC II to do the same. Read, consider, vote.

And if you’re not yet a member of Big MAC II… well, if there’s any chance at all that you can get to KC this August, you ought to join and attend. There’s nothing like a worldcon. And the original Big MAC in 1976 was, in my not-so-humble-opinion, the best worldcon that I’ve ever had the pleasure of attending, so I have high hopes for this year’s. The KC fans know how to party. And while they cannot match Baltimore for crabs, they do have BARBEQUE!

(I will keep comments open on this one only through tomorrow morning. I expect to be away from my computer while traveling, and don’t want hundreds of screened comments awaiting my return).

Jean Cocteau Presents: Joe Hill #GRRMinion

May 18, 2016 at 5:34 pm
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From the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of NOS4A2 and Heart-Shaped Box comes a chilling novel about a worldwide pandemic of spontaneous combustion that threatens to reduce civilization to ashes and a band of improbable heroes who battle to save it, led by one powerful and enigmatic man known as the Fireman. The fireman is coming. Stay cool.

A terrifying new plague is spreading like wildfire across the country, striking cities one by one: Boston, Detroit, Seattle. The doctors call it Draco Incendia Trychophyton. To everyone else it’s Dragonscale, a highly contagious, deadly spore that marks its hosts with beautiful black and gold marks across their bodies—before causing them to burst into flames. Millions are infected; blazes erupt everywhere. There is no antidote. No one is safe.

Harper Grayson, a compassionate, dedicated nurse as pragmatic as Mary Poppins, treated hundreds of infected patients before her hospital burned to the ground. Now she’s discovered the telltale gold-flecked marks on her skin. When the outbreak first began, she and her husband, Jakob, had made a pact: they would take matters into their own hands if they became infected. To Jakob’s dismay, Harper wants to live—at least until the fetus she is carrying comes to term. At the hospital, she witnessed infected mothers give birth to healthy babies and believes hers will be fine too. . . if she can live long enough to deliver the child.

Convinced that his do-gooding wife has made him sick, Jakob becomes unhinged, and eventually abandons her as their placid New England community collapses in terror. The chaos gives rise to ruthless Cremation Squads—armed, self-appointed posses roaming the streets and woods to exterminate those who they believe carry the spore. But Harper isn’t as alone as she fears: a mysterious and compelling stranger she briefly met at the hospital, a man in a dirty yellow fire fighter’s jacket, carrying a hooked iron bar, straddles the abyss between insanity and death. Known as The Fireman, he strolls the ruins of New Hampshire, a madman afflicted with Dragonscale who has learned to control the fire within himself, using it as a shield to protect the hunted . . . and as a weapon to avenge the wronged.

In the desperate season to come, as the world burns out of control, Harper must learn the Fireman’s secrets before her life—and that of her unborn child—goes up in smoke.

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-THIS MESSAGE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE MINIONS OF FEVRE RIVER-

Jean Cocteau Book Sale! #GRRMinion

May 10, 2016 at 12:35 pm
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Jenni the Ogre here! I work for Jean Cocteau Cinema in Santa Fe, and we are having another book sale. All of our books are by authors who have visited the Cocteau, and they are all signed. The following signed books are 50% off. Get 'em while they're hot!

Mary Robinette Kowal's Of Noble Family: NOW $14.00

Jane and Vincent have finally gotten some much-needed rest after their adventures in Italy when Vincent receives word that his estranged father has passed away on one of his properties in the West Indies. His brother, who manages the estate, is overwhelmed, and no one else in his family can go. Grudgingly, out of filial duty the couple decide to go. Read more!

Stuart Woods' Hot Pursuit: NOW $14.00

Stone Barrington is back in the exciting new adventure from perennial fan favorite Stuart Woods. It’s not often that Stone Barrington finds a woman as accustomed to the jet-set lifestyle as he, so he’s pleasantly surprised when he meets a gorgeous pilot who’s soon moving to New York, and available for closer acquaintance. Their travels together lead them from Wichita to Europe, but trailing them is some unwanted baggage: his new lady love’s unstable, criminal ex-boyfriend. Read more!

Jane Lindskold's Artemis Awakening: NOW $12.50

Artemis Awakening is the start of a new series by New York Times bestseller Jane Lindskold. The distant world Artemis is a pleasure planet created out of bare rock by a technologically advanced human empire that provided its richest citizens with a veritable Eden to play in. All tech was concealed and the animals (and the humans brought to live there) were bioengineered to help the guests enjoy their stay…but there was always the possibility of danger so that visitors could brag that they had "bested" the environment. Read more!

See you at the Cocteau!

—THIS MESSAGE WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE MINIONS OF FEVRE RIVER—

Cool Stuff at the JCC

May 8, 2016 at 3:02 pm
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We had a great author event last night at the Jean Cocteau Cinema, when Stephen Graham Jones dropped by to read to us from his new werewolf novel MONGRELS. Who knew the danger posed to werewolves by french fries and pantyhose? I certainly didn’t. We made Stephen sign a large stock of MONGRELS hardcovers before let him leave, so if you’d like to check it out, autographed copies will be available from the Cocteau bookstore. http://www.jeancocteaubooks.com/ ((Signed copies of Ernie Cline’s ARMADA and lots of cool titles from Neil Gaiman, Diana Gabaldon, Joe Lansdale, yours truly, and lots of other great authors are still available as well)).

Next up: JOE HILL. You will be here on Monday, May 23, to sign copies of his new novel THE FIREMAN. And we’ll have the usual interview and Q&A as well. Reserve your seats now from the JCC website; we’re expecting a sellout.

Meanwhile, we have some terrific movies showing. On Friday we opened THE MERMAID, a blockbuster out of China; highest-grossing film in the history of Chinese cinema.

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And next Friday, we’re very excited to be opening HIGH RISE, based on the novel by J.G. Ballard. Ballard, as every SF fans knows, was one of the giants of the British “New Wave” in science fiction, the author of such classics as THE DROWNED WORLD, THE CRYSTAL WORLD, “Why I Want to Fuck Ronald Reagan,” CRASH, VERMILLION SANDS, EMPIRE OF THE SUN, and “The Assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy Considered As a Downhill Motor Race.” HIGH RISE is one of his major works, an important (and disturbing) novel, and we’re all excited to see the film.

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See you at the movies!

Jean Cocteau Cinema Presents: Stephen Chow’s “The Mermaid” #GRRMinion

May 4, 2016 at 5:02 pm
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Another post from Ogre Jenni—hope you kids don't mind. I work at George's cinema in Santa Fe—what a lucky ogre I am!

Beginning this Friday, Jean Cocteau Cinema will proudly screen The Mermaid (Mei Ren Yu), the latest film by Stephen Chow. Chow is the Chinese filmmaker (and talented martial artist) responsible for Shaolin Soccer (2001) and Kung Fu Hustle (2004). Chow brilliantly parodies absurd action and kung fu movie tropes, and he is well known for his over-the-top martial arts sequences, bizarre circumstantial comedy, and quirky characters.


Who doesn’t love the surly chain-smoking landlady from Kung Fu Hustle?


And who won't love the half-octopus mer-uncle sushi chef in The Mermaid?

David Ehrlich from Slate says of Chow's latest film, “…it's demented. Great. And a hit." He also adds that, "…Chow, without overlooking his hometown crowd, directs with a primal wit that appeals to all audiences with the immediacy of silent cinema.” Read his full review here!

MORE ABOUT THE FILM:

Xuan's estate project involving reclamation of the sea threatens the livelihood of the mermaids who rely on the sea to survive. A mermaid named Shan is dispatched to assassinate Xuan, but this inevitably leads to a complicated, interspecies, office romance. Out of his love for Shan, Xuan plans to stop the reclamation. Unfortunately, Shan and the other mermaids are hunted by a hidden organisatio, and Xuan has to save Shan before it's too late.

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See you at the Cocteau!

–THIS MESSAGE WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE MINIONS AT FEVRE RIVER—

Jean Cocteau Cinema Presents Stephen Graham Jones #GRRMinion

May 1, 2016 at 8:59 pm
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Is it another post from Ogre Jenni instead of the famous George R.R. Martin? Why, yes! Yes, it is! I’m here to tell you about an exciting author event coming up at the Jean Cocteau Cinema in Santa Fe.

Jean Cocteau Cinema has the honor of hosting an interview, reading, Q&A, and book signing with Stephen Graham Jones on May 7th. One of our favorite journalists in Santa Fe, Lorene Mills, will interview Jones and moderate the audience Q&A. Jones will read excerpts from his latest novel (and lycanthropic masterpiece), Mongrels, which is described by author Benjamin Percy as existing “somewhere in the borderlands of literary and genre fiction, full of horror and humor and heart…” Lorene Mills says, "This book is a great read, as are his other unique and dazzling books."

Tickets are available here!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

He was born an outsider, like the rest of his family. Poor yet resilient, he lives in the shadows with his aunt Libby and uncle Darren, folk who stubbornly make their way in a society that does not understand or want them. They are mongrels, mixedblood, neither this nor that. The boy at the center of Mongrels must decide if he belongs on the road with his aunt and uncle, or if he fits with the people on the other side of the tracks.

For ten years, he and his family have lived a life of late-night exits and narrow escapes—always on the move across the South to stay one step ahead of the law. But the time is drawing near when Darren and Libby will finally know if their nephew is like them or not. And the close calls they’ve been running from for so long are catching up fast now. Everything is about to change.

A compelling and fascinating journey, Mongrels alternates between past and present to create an unforgettable portrait of a boy trying to understand his family and his place in a complex and unforgiving world. A smart and innovative story— funny, bloody, raw, and real—told in a rhythmic voice full of heart, Mongrels is a deeply moving, sometimes grisly, novel that illuminates the challenges and tender joys of a life beyond the ordinary in a bold and imaginative new way.

“With lupine tongue tucked well into cheek, Mongrels is at once an adolescent romp through the tangled woods of family history and a rich compendium of werewolf lore, old and new. Stephen Graham Jones gifts us with fun characters, imaginative set pieces, and an immersive tour of the flat-broke American South that spares no plastic orchid or cable-spool coffee table.” — Christopher Buehlman, author of The Lesser Dead.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Stephen Graham Jones is the author of fifteen novels and six story collections. He has received numerous awards including the NEA Fellowship in Fiction, the Texas Institute of Letters Jesse Jones Award for Fiction, the Independent Publishers Award for Multicultural Fiction, the This is Horror Award, as well as making Bloody Disgusting’s Top Ten Novels of the Year. Stephen was raised in West Texas. He now lives in Boulder, Colorado with his wife and children. He is a Blackfoot Native American, and he has been invited to speak at The Library of Congress Poetry and Literature Center for their “Spotlight on Native Writers.”

See you at the Cocteau!

—THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE MINIONS OF FEVRE RIVER—

Dragons in the Railyard!

April 28, 2016 at 2:50 pm
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Hiya kids, hiya hiya.

Well, it took a little longer than expected (we had previously announced a September 29 unveiling, which we had to cancel), but work is finally complete on the trompe l’oeil mural I commissioned for the railyard, on the back wall of 418 Montezuma, the building that holds the Jean Cocteau Cinema.

We had a little celebratory party yesterday, along about sunset. Wine, cheese, and dragons. Here’s the big picture:

The mural is the work of JOHN PUGH, one of the world’s leading trompe l’oeil muralists, whose works adorn buildings public and private all over the United States, Canada, and the world. He’s been working on it, off and on, for close on two years now.

I hope you guys all love it as much as I do. Another cool reason to visit Santa Fe, the City Different, where art is everywhere.

Come check out the beasties for yourself the next time you’re in New Mexico… then head around front, see a movie, and have some of our famous buttered popcorn.

Coming Soon to the Jean Cocteau

April 26, 2016 at 11:22 pm
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The Jean Cocteau Cinema was Santa Fe’s first “arthouse” theatre (it opened in 1977, as the Collective Fantasy), and one of the hallmarks of so-called arthouses is that they show foreign films that the big multiplexes don’t touch.

And so it is with us. Today we like to say that we’re the most eclectic movie theatre in The City Different, but foreign films remain an important part of our mix. Only the foreign films we show are a little different than the ones you might catch at other arthouses.

This week, for instance, we’re showing MY BIG NIGHT, a hilarious romp by the Spanish filmmaker Alex de la Iglesia.

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Coming up in the next few weeks we have two the biggest-grossing films in the entire world… but they’re two films you may never have heard of, if you’re in the US, since they have received almost no attention in America. I’m speaking of MERMAID and MONSTER HUNT, both out of China.

Have a taste:

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Watch our website for showtimes.

See you at the movies.