Welcome to the Distress Signals Blogging Bonanza! What’s that, you’re wondering? Well, you can either go and read this post or read the next sentence. In a nutshell: Distress Signals was out in paperback in the UK and Ireland on January 5 and hits the U.S.A. on February 2, and every day in between I’m going to blog as per the schedule at the bottom of this post. If you’re in Ireland or the UK, you can download Distress Signals for just 99p for a limited time.
Oh my god: I almost forgot to blog today! I have college assignments due on Monday so I’ve spent most of the day working on one of them, and about an hour ago I decided to work on an article I have to write while half-watching TV, and I thought, Hmm, I might throw on Bernie while I work on this, and that made me think, crap, I haven’t blogged today! Because, you see, Bernie is involved, so it was that that reminded me – and just in the nick of time.
As per the schedule (below), Saturdays is when I point you in the direction of a blog post I wrote elsewhere. Today, with just 1 hour and 45 minutes left until I’d have missed a day (nooooo!), it’s My Top 10 Crime/Thriller movies, a guest post I wrote for Between My Lines.
Lawyer Glenn Close defends Jeff Bridges against the charge of murdering his wife but, uh-oh, FEELINGS are about to get in the way. And it’s amazing her shoulder pads don’t. They just don’t make movies like this anymore. No explosions, no CGI, no “he was dead all along” paradigm-shifting twists – just an incredibly clever and compelling murder mystery/courtroom drama with a twisty, airtight plot. I wish I could write a book like this.
In a very similar vein: Presumed Innocent. Harrison Ford is the dashing Rusty Sabich, a prosecutor charged with investigating the rape and murder of Carolyn Polhemus, the colleague he just happens to still be obsessed with after their fling got flung. Based on the bestseller by Scott Turow, this movie has a KILLER twist.
Please note the date. I’m not talking about the very disappointing American remake of this that came out in 2015, but the original Argentinian version, El secreto de sus ojos. This is a fascinating film that is indeed full of secrets and examines not so much the crime of murder itself, but the ramifications it can have on everyone involved: the detective investigating it, the man who loved the victim, the prime suspect. You’ll be haunted by the ending for days.
You may recognise the plot of this movie, because it was remade in 2010 as The Next Three Days starring Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks. They’re both good, but I think the French original – Pour Elle – is slightly better. Julien and Lisa are blissfully in love and raising their son, Oscar, until early one morning police storm into their apartment and arrest Lisa for the murder of her boss. She’s subsequently sentenced to 20 years in prison for a crime she – and Lucien – maintain that she didn’t commit. This isn’t really about her guilt or innocence, but what Julien does, what he’s prepared to do, to put his family back together. Thrilling stuff, with a kick-in-the-stomach final scene.
I’m not going to say anything about this movie, because I was told to watch it by someone who refused to give me any further details too. It is honestly the most fascinating, hilarious, unnerving and oddly heart-warming movie (about a murder!) that you will ever watch – and it’s all true. Watch it immediately. Side note: it also features the best description of the state of Texas I’ve ever heard in my life, and some one-liners so perfect you’ll want to write them down. Are you watching it yet?
That’s 1-5. To find out 6-10, pop over to Between My Lines.
(Did you catch yesterday’s new episode of my Video Blog Thingy? What did you think?)
Remember: there’s a super sexy hardcover edition of Distress Signals (the American one, out February 2) up for grabs, signed to you from me. To enter, simply leave a comment on this post or any post published here between January 5 and February 2. One entry per post, so comment on more than one and increase your chances. Open globally. Good luck!
Also, it’s just 99p to download right now!
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