Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Robert Ellis: MONEYBALL

Brad Pitt (Becoming the Part)

For me Brad Pitt’s performance in this film is so special, it’s the image, the memory, I’ll always keep of him in my mind. Watching MONEYBALL on some weird cable channel a few nights ago, I realized that this was the film that made me a fan of Pitt’s when I first saw it some eight years ago. But I also realized that this is one of those rare moments in film where the actor actually “becomes” the character he’s playing.



Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill
At face value MONEYBALL is a simple baseball movie about a general manager and his rookie assistant (Jonah Hill) building a team with players nobody else wants for a franchise that’s dirt poor. But the truth is, this wonderful film has little, if anything, to do with baseball.

Look at the people who adapted the film from a work of nonfiction and were nominated for an Oscar as a result. Two of the best screenwriters ever -- Steven Zaillian (Schindler’s List, Searching for Bobby Fischer, American Gangster, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and Aaron Sorkin (A Few Good Men, The American President, West Wing).

Brad Pitt, Facing his Ghosts
Like a well-written crime novel, the characters in the story might be concerned about the murders and mayhem, but we as readers usually have a lot more on our minds (if it’s really good). In MONEYBALL, everyone in the story is concerned about the team -- their careers are on the line. For Pitt’s character, the stakes are even higher as he struggles to pull these misfits together and put together a series of wins. But like that work of crime fiction, this story isn’t about kills or wins. Instead, it’s about a man battling the ghosts from his past and learning something deeply personal about himself. MONEYBALL, the movie I watched just a few nights ago and is still on my mind, seemed like it was about baseball, but what I saw was so much bigger than that!

5 Stars. Highly Recommended. On a “Best of the Decade List” somewhere, no doubt!


Robert Ellis

ROBERT ELLIS WRITERS BLOG

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Robert Ellis: August 15th Book Contest Winners



Congratulations to Patsy from Geneseo, NY, and Andreas from Baton Rouge, LA for winning today’s draw for a free book! A signed edition of THE LOVE KILLINGS (Det. Matt Jones Book 2) to Patsy, and CITY OF ECHOES (Det. Matt Jones Book 1) to Andreas, will be shipped this week.

I’m more than proud to say that this book contest has been running for a full year, and there are no plans to stop! For more info about entering the draw on the 1st and 15th of each month, please go to https://www.robertellis.net

Also, Book  3 in the Detective Matt Jones Thriller series, THE GIRL BURIED IN THE WOODS, is available on Amazon for pre-order and will be published on October 3 in Kindle and Paperback editions! Best news ever! I’m so stoked!







Thanks for being such great fans!
Robert
ROBERT ELLIS WRITERS BLOG

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Robert Ellis: ROBERT ELLIS NEWS August 2019


From: Robert Ellis
Important Update, August 2019
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PROOFS ARRIVED FOR THE PAPERBACK!
BIG, BEAUTIFUL PROOFS!

What a great day it was this past Friday when I opened the box and found ten of these inside! It's always a special moment when you can hold a book in your hands, fan the pages and smell the ink and paper!

But even better, it's always an electric feeling to think of where this wild ride of a story goes! OMG!

Please remember that the KINDLE EDITION is already available for pre-order and will be delivered to your devices on Thursday, Oct 3rd.

The PAPERBACK edition is all set and even loaded on Amazon's website, but can't be listed and won't be available for purchase until the 3rd.

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Amazon Announces Big Sale!
I was up on Facebook when I saw this ad. Amazon, (without me even asking (begging?!)), has cut prices FOR THE REST OF AUGUST!  The Kindle price for the first two Detective Matt Jones Thrillers, City of Echoes and The Love Killings, is reduced to only $0.99 each until the day ends on August 31st. With The Girl Buried in the Woods (Book 3) coming out on October 3rd, the timing couldn't be more perfect! This is a great deal! Much thanks goes to Amazon for doing this wonderful summer book sale!


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What's Next?


We're working on the possibility of creating a pdf file of the first chapter that readers can download from my website for free. I've never done this before, but have to say that The Girl Buried in the Woods opens with what I think is the best first chapter I've ever written, especially in terms of setting the mood for the story, and letting readers see for themselves the wear and tear Matt has experienced over the first two thrillers. Unlike detective stories, thrillers are very personal stories. And Matt's paid a heavy price in his rookie year as a homicide detective. Considering the fact the these three books only cover three months in Matt's life, he's lucky to have survived! As a reader sent me in an email the other day, "We are, too!"
 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author's Note

Writing The Girl Buried in the Woods has been the thrill of my life as an artist. As with all of my novels, it's always those quiet moments in the story that seem the most haunting to me. I began to notice this while writing City of Fire, the first in the series of Lena Gamble novels. It's the idea that sometimes when you take your foot off the gas pedal as a writer, the story lights up and catches fire. If that's the case, then The Girl Buried in the Woods might just burn the house down!

Much thanks to all, and have a great summer! It's time to light up the grill!

All best,
Robert



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