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36 Hours in Santa Fe

December 6, 2014 at 1:42 pm
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If you have the chance to visit Santa Fe, but have only thirty-six hours to spend here, what should you see and do?

The NEW YORK TIMES has some suggestions for you.

(And of course a visit to the Jean Cocteau is a MUST).

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/30/travel/things-to-do-in-36-hours-in-santa-fe.html

Go check it out.

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This Week at the Cocteau

December 5, 2014 at 3:26 pm
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We have a big weekend coming up at the Jean Cocteau Cinema.

We're extending the runs of both INTERSTELLAR and HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR, so you'll be able to catch both of those off and on during the week.  Check the showtimes on our website for dates and details.  But we're also opening a new film tonight.  It's called BEFORE I DISAPPEAR.  Check outthe  trailer, looks like fun:

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Tomorrow morning, Saturday, we launch another one of our television marathons.  We'll be screening the entire first season of the new WGN dramatic series MANHATTAN, which is filmed right here in Santa Fe on the replica of 1943 Los Alamos that they built back of the College of Santa Fe.  If you haven't seen MANHATTAN yet, you should.  It's terrific, and if there's any justice it will competing with GAME OF THRONES next year when the Emmys roll around.  (And no, it's not set in New York, it's about the Manhattan Project).

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Keep a sharp eye out and you'll spot GAME OF THRONES alumnus Harry Lloyd, the late great Viserys Targaryen, at the Lab, part of the induction team.  Harry's in London just now, and won't be able to join us for the marathon, but other members of the cast and crew may be on hand.

Best of all: admission to all the MANHATTAN screenings will be FREE. So come and enjoy the show, and be sure to buy plenty of radioactive popcorn and glow-in-the-dark cocktails.

That's not all, either.  Come Sunday, December 7, the Cocteau will sponsor another of its famous author events.  HAMPTON SIDES, the author of the bestselling novel of Arctic exploration, IN THE KINGDOM OF ICE, will be here to talk with me about his book, his career, the Arctic, James Gordon Bennett, and anything else that come to mind.

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Admission is free with the purchase of a hardcover book, $5 with the purchase of a paperback, and $10 without book purchase.

Speaking of books… the Cocteau still has a huge stock of autographed books if you're looking for a Christmas present for that reader in the family.  Junot Diaz, Anne Perry, Melinda Snodgrass, Pat Conroy, Neil Gaiman, Dennis Lehane, and many more are all available.  And of course we have lots and lots of my own titles, including the brand new worldbook, THE WORLD OF ICE AND FIRE.  If you're in the neighborhood, stop on by, catch a show, have a popcorn or a beer, and peruse the shelves.

See you at the movies.

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More Signed Books

November 12, 2014 at 2:02 pm
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Hmmmm…. that went well… those 14 signed hardcovers of DANGEROUS WOMEN went in a few hours, my team at the Cocteau tells me.  So let's go ahead and offer a few more autographed books.

We have seventeen remaining copies in stock of Dennis Lehane's novel THE DROP, signed by the author.

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Price is $24.99.  Add $15 S+H (media mail) or $25 S+H (priority mail).

We also have twenty-two copies of Anne Perry's mystery novel, DEATH ON BLACKHEATH, available in hardcover.

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Those are $27, plus S+H as above.

And I will include another of my own titles as well.  We have the long out-of-print Meisha Merlin hardcover of TUF VOYAGING (with wonderful interior art by Janet Aulisio, and a cover by Michael Komarck) available in two states, a trade hardcover and a slipcased limited.

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The trade hardcover sells for $30, the slipcased limited edition for $120.  Plus $15 S+H for media mail, $25 S+H for priority.

All orders should be placed with the Jean Cocteau via PayPal at jeancocteausantafe@gmail.com

Thanks.

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Signed Books

November 8, 2014 at 10:40 pm
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Oldtimers here may recall that my old website once included a Signed Books page, where I offered autographed copies of some of my older, out of print books and foreign editions for sale via mailorder.  Mostly as fan service.  The books were usually hard to get, and of course many of my readers lived far away from my various tour stops and cons, making it unlikely that they'd ever get an autograph by any other means.  In the beginning, we never got more than a few orders a week.  I used to fill them myself, once upon a time.  Later my minions took that over.

But as the years passed, the number of orders rose and rose, and the number of queries grew even faster.  Signing and shipping those books ate up more time every week.   So much so that when we redesigned the website a year or so back, we closed the Signed Books page.   That was intended to be temporary.  I figured I'd open a new and improved version of the page, with a shopping cart system, to make things easier on all concerned… but somehow we never got around to it.

Last year, at Christmas season, I got a lot of emails about that.  Readers wanting to buy autographed books as gifts, as they had in previous years.   And now Christmas approaches again, and once more we are getting the same sort of emails.

This year, though, we have an answer.  Of sorts.  No, I am not going to reopen the old Signed Books page on the website.  I don't have the time to personally inscribe dozens of books every week, and my office staff no longer has the time to pack and ship them.  I need my loyal minions for other tasks, alas.

HOWEVER… as it happens I also have the Jean Cocteau Cinema now, and the Cinema is also the state's smallest and most exclusive bookstore, where ALL the books on sale are autographed.  Yes, needless to say, I drop by the Cocteau every so often, and sign piles of copies of my own titles… plus, we also have a wide stock of books signed by the many great authors who have appeared at the Cocteau for interviews, screenings, readings, and similar events.

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Up to now, those books have only been available to those who stopped by the theatre in person.   But after fifteen months in business, the stocks have built up, so we're going to try offering certain titles by mailorder.  See how that goes.  If we run into unanticipated problems, I may need to shut this down again… but my staff at the Cocteau are game to give it a try, so let's see how it works.

Let me stress:  ALL purchases, payments, and queries should go to the Cocteau.  Please do not email us here at the office.  I shut down the old Signed Books page because I did not have the time, and I still don't.  The theatre HAS the time, the personnel, and the books.

Please also note: the books on offer are all autographed, but they ARE NOT inscribed or personalized, and that is not a service we can offer.  I don't even personalize books at my booksignings any longer.  I did so for decades, and happily, but I've gotten older and the lines have gotten much, much longer, it's not something I can do any more.  You'll just need to settle for my illegible scrawl.

Anyway… let's try this out, see it it flies.

DANGEROUS WOMEN just won the World Fantasy Award for Best Anthology (yay!).  The Cocteau has 14 signed hardcovers in stock, I am informed, so we'll make that the first offering.

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The price is $32.50, plus $15 for shipping and handling (media mail) or $25 (priority), within the US.  Overseas and foreign, please enquire.

PayPal will be ONLY form of payment we can accept at present.  Payments, orders, and queries can be sent directly to the Jean Cocteau Cinema (and Bookstore!) at jeancocteausantafe@gmail.com

Yes, we will offer other titles soon.  My own books, and those by the other writers who have appeared at the Cocteay.  But let's start with this one first.  Call it a trial run.

A DAY LATER:  Okay.  Wow.  That worked.  All our signed hardcovers of DANGEROUS WOMEN were gone within four hours.  We got 45 orders for the 14 books.  (We will try to get more, but that may take a while).

So: no more DW orders for the time being.  We will offer some other books.  See my next post.

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Amanda’s Deflowering

September 23, 2014 at 10:49 pm
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You shoulda been there.

Once again Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer took Santa Fe by storm. Songs, stories, signed books. And Amanda's cocktail, the Deflowering, was a huge hit.

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Tomorrow another special event… a special advance screening of COPENHAGEN, with director Mark Raso and star Gethin Anthony.

And we have two more big author events coming up in the weeks to come: KIM HARRISON on September 30 and LEV GROSSMAN on October 13. Getcha tickets early, or you may miss out again.

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Coolness at the Cocteau

September 18, 2014 at 1:03 pm
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We had a great event at the Jean Cocteau Cinema last week, when Dennis Lehane came by to present his new movie, THE DROP.   A fun interview, a busy booksigning, and a sold-out screening… everybody went away smiling, and Dennis seemed to enjoy his first visit to the Land of Enchantment, and promises to come back one of these days.  He also signed a lot of stock for us, so if any of you out there are looking for an autographed copy of MYSTIC RIVER, SHUTTER ISLAND, THE GIVEN DAY, THE DROP, or any of Lehane's titles, contact the cinema.

The Cocteau schedule for this week will be even more exciting.  On Sunday night, September 21, our friends NEIL GAIMAN and AMANDA PALMER will be paying us another visit, for an evening of singing, signing, and storytelling.  The fun starts at 7pm… but, alas, if you don't have tickets yet, you're probably out of luck, since that event sold out within hours of us announcing it on our email newsletter.  (Don't get our newsletter?  Easily fixed.  Go to the website at http://www.jeancocteaucinema.com/ and sign up.  Newsletter subscribers get first crack at all of our coolest events).

The Cocteau will also be presenting THE COMPANY OF WOLVES, director Neil Jordan's twisted take on Little Red Riding Hood, based on the classic story by Angela Carter.  Neil Gaiman picked this film for us, and we've asked him to introduce it.  The movie starts at 9:20.

Our bar will be serving The Deflowering, a specialty cocktail designed for us by Amanda Palmer.

All in all, a busy Sunday.  That's just the start, however.

Come Wednesday, September 24, we have another very special event scheduled: a special advance screening of COPENHAGEN, a film by Mark Raso, fresh off the festival circuit and well in advance of its North American release.  Here's the trailer:

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Director MARK RASO and star GETHIN ANTHONY will both be on hand for the COPENHAGEN screening, to introduce the film and answer your questions afterwards.  Gethin, of course, is well known to GAME OF THRONES fans as the late, great Renly Baratheon,  brother to Robert and Stannis, husband to Margaery Tyrell, lover of her brother Loras.    Come meet him at the Jean Cocteau… advance tickets to the screening are still available at the Cocteau website.

See you at the movies.

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Lehane Drops By

September 11, 2014 at 12:24 am
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If you love great writing… great movies… great books… you'll want to be at the Jean Cocteau Cinema this Saturday.   We've got another amazing event lined up for those of you in Santa Fe and its suburbs (you know, Los Alamos, Espanola, Bernalillo, Rio Rancho, Albuquerque), and any lucky tourists passing through.  DENNIS LEHANE will be here, and he's bringing THE DROP.

If you don't know Lehane… well, what rock have you been hiding under?  He's the author of GONE BABY GONE, MYSTIC RIVER, and SHUTTER ISLAND, all of which have been made into terrific movies… but the novels are even better.  He's also written some other novels that haven't been made into movies (yet), and those are just as good.    My favorite is THE GIVEN DAY, a historical about the Boston Police Strike.  He's also done screenplays and teleplays, including some great episodes of BOARDWALK EMPIRE and THE WIRE.

Dennis has a new novel just out: THE DROP.  And the movie will soon follow.  VERY soon, like this month.  Simultaneous release, something I can't think I've ever seen before.  THE DROP stars Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, and the late great James Gandolfini.  Here's a taste.

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Anyway, we'll have the book, the movie, AND the author.

Saturday 6:00 we'll have an author event with Dennis, the usual mix of reading, interview, Q&A, and booksigning.  We'll talk about THE DROP, his other books, his TV work, whatever you want to talk about, and of course we'll have books for signing.  Free admission with purchase of a hardcover, $5 with purchase of a paperback, $10 admission without a book purchase.

At 8:00 pm we'll have a sneak preview screening of the film.  FREE, first come first seating.

And of course we'll have beer, wine, cocktails, and the best popcorn in the state, as ever.

I'll be there.  Hope you will too.

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A Rare Treat

September 2, 2014 at 11:52 pm
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I've missed some great films at the Cocteau these past two months while I've been globehopping.

 But I'm home now, and we have some terrific offerings coming up at Santa Fe's hometown movie theatre in the weeks to come…  starting this Sunday, when we'll be screening Richard Donner's LADYHAWKE.   Not only one of the greatest fantasy films ever made (ignore that bloody soundtrack please), but one of the great romances as well.

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 And for all the fans and cinephiles and aspiring screenwriters out there, we have a very special treat:  LADYHAWKE will be introduced by Santa Fe's own ED KHMURA, the film's screenwriter, who will talk about how the movie came to be, and the challenges of making it.

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LADYHAWKE will screen on Sunday, starting at 6:30.

Come join Ed and me and Melinda Snodgrass, and (on the silver screen) Michelle Pfeiffer, Rutger Hauer, and Matthew Broderick,  sample a great fantasy, and enjoy one of our specialty cocktails and New Mexico's best popcorn at the Jean Cocteau.

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Coming to the Cocteau

June 15, 2014 at 3:20 pm
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We have a wild week of movies coming to the Jean Cocteau Cinema this weekend.  Something old, something new, something sick and twisted and depraved, and Shakespeare.

From the Bard and the Royal Shakespeare Company, we have HENRY IV, Part 1.  Prince Hal, Falstaff, great stuff.

Something new is THE DOUBLE, with Jesse Eisenberg:

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Something old, the Jane Fonda/ Lee Marvin western comedy classic, CAT BALLOU.  A personal favorite.  Lee Marvin won his Oscar as Best Actor for his double role in the film, and Jane has seldom been lovelier (well, okay, maybe as Barbarella).  Stubby Kaye and Nat King Cole are on hand as well.  Rather than the trailer, here's a look at the scene where Lee Marvin arrives in town:

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Our midnight movie (midnight begins at 11pm in Santa Fe) is John Water's notorious PINK FLAMINGOs.  With Divine.  (Not to be confused with Andy Devine).  And no, we will NOT offer special chocolate cupcakes for this one.  Or even pink flamingo cupcakes.

See you at the movies.

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Bizzaro Is Coming…

June 14, 2014 at 1:55 am
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… to the Jean Cocteau.

((No, no, not the Superman villain.  He's Bizarro.  This is Bizzaro, the Optical Illusionist.))   He'll be performing at the Cocteau July 18-19.  Three shows.  An evening show at 6:20 on Friday, and a 2:00 matinee and 8:30 late show on Saturday.

 Advance tickets are now on sale at the Cocteau website: Our magic shows seem to have a habit of selling out, as the folks who couldn't get into Misty Lee and David Kwong's performances could tell you, so if you'd like to check out Bizzaro when he comes to Santa Fe, getcha seats now.

 See you at the magic show.

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