Robert Ellis: Tribute to Gary Oldman, Part 2

 

Tribute to Gary Oldman, Part 2

This week while preparing an ad for the release of CITY OF STONES on June 2, I had the TV on and spotted one of my favorite movies, LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL, directed by Luc Besson, with lights out performances by Natalie Portman, Jean Reno, Danny Aiello, and the remarkably talented, Gary Oldman.

A few months back we spoke about what a wonderful career Gene Hackman has had. But after watching Oldman's performance in LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL, I can't imagine how much fun this actor's having as well.

 

His filmography reads like a list of some of the best films ever made on the international stage. We all know about his roles in the Batman series, and even Harry Potter. But what about the beginning? What about his brilliant performances in SID AND NANCY, BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA, the frightening pimp drug dealer in TRUE ROMANCE, and his portrayal of Ludwig van Beethoven in IMMORTAL BELOVED. Talk about range.

 

I can remember watching Oldman play the role of Drexl Spivey when TRUE ROMANCE first came out. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. I couldn't take my eyes off Oldman, with his dreadlocks, his scarred face, that blank eye, and that smoking jacket. Fear and terror oozed out of the actor's every pore and it was thrilling to watch. Cut that against his portrayal of Ludwig van, and the unforgettable scene when you realize one of the greatest musicians who ever lived, maybe the greatest of them all, was deaf.

What would the history of film look like if Gary Oldman hadn't wanted to perform? What if he hadn't had the guts to walk into his first audition? Sometimes it's important to raise a hand and say thanks to such a remarkable talent like Gary Oldman.

 

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Robert Ellis: Taking the Day Off!

 

 

I broke out of the ward (office!) for a day! And it’s actually a warm, Spring afternoon! The sun’s out, and the wind went home (wherever that is!) Even better, my calendar for today is blank! (Or should I say I made it blank with a ballpoint pen!)

This has been a great week! Like I posted earlier, the rights to the Lena Gamble novels have come back to me. It was a huge race to get the Kindle editions formatted and uploaded with these wonderful new covers created by Kealan Patrick Burke. Kealan’s artistic talent blows my mind. But now, waiting on June 2 for CITY OF STONES to come out, a wait that’s killing me!!!, the Lena Gamble paperbacks are nearing completion. MURDER SEASON, which may be my personal favorite thriller of the three, went LIVE this week. There’s no other way to put it—Lena is just awesome in the story, but so is her nemesis, Dan Cobb. I always looked at MURDER SEASON as a “big city” book with links to Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade and the world they lived in. (This is over the top true in CITY OF STONES!)

 

I’ve always been shocked by the emotional intensity that a thriller can produce over other genres. I know writers and editors often like to say that they’re working on a thriller, but few ever are. Thrillers don’t move like detective stories or mysteries and live at opposite ends of the crime fiction genre. Although I love both, I lean toward thrillers because they’re personal stories and depend on characters being fleshed out and a hero becoming the ultimate victim. I love reading them, and I love writing them. But like I said, I’m taking the day off and thinking about June 2, the day CITY OF STONES goes LIVE and Matt Jones faces his fourth dangerous brush with fate!

City of Stones Amazon Pre-Order

 

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ROBERT ELLIS WRITERS BLOG