Elmore Leonard (1925-2013)

Elmore Leonard, one of the most prolific novelist of our time died on the 20th of August. He was 87 years old.

Elmore Leonard, Timothy Olyphant and Graham Yost on event of Justified

Leonard was known for the variety of his works, most of which have been adapted on screen

• 1953 - Three-Ten to Yuma, adaptations: 3:10 to Yuma (1957, Delmer Daves/2007, James Mangold)

• 1969 - The Big Bounce, adaptations: The Big Bounce (1969, Alex March/2004, George Armitage)

• 1990 - Get Shorty, adaptation : Get Shorty (1995, Barry Sonnenfeld)

• 1992 - Rum Punch, adaptation: Jackie Brown (1997, Quentin Tarantino)

• 1993 - Pronto, adaptations: Pronto (1997, Jim McBride), Justified (2010-, Graham Yost)

• 1995 - Riding the Rap, 2001 - Fire in the Hole, 2012 - Raylan, adaptation: Justified (2010-, Graham Yost)

• 1995 - Out of Sight, adaptations: Out of Sight (1998, Steven Soderbergh), Karen Sisco (2003)

• 1999 - Be Cool, adaptation: Be Cool (2005, F. Gary Gray)

…and some more.

May his soul rest in peace.

Special Edition: The Liebster Award

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First of all, I would like to thank Byddy2Blogger for the nomination. Hours ago, I did not know what a Liebster Award was and now thanks to you, I do.

Now I’m going to put 11 things about myself, answer the 11 questions B2B asked. However, as I am subscribed to only 3 blogs, I’d skip the nomination part.

  

11 things about myself

1-I am from Madagascar (the country, not the animated movie) and moved to Paris for my studies.

2-Malagasy is my mother tongue but I also speak French, English and German

3-I’m very fond of sports and play football (soccer) as well as basketball

4-I love music, rock ‘n roll, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Dire Straits. I even started to learn to play guitar

5-My biggest dream is to travel around the world and I’m working on it.

6-I am a big Sherlock Holmes fan although I have not finished reading all the books. Jeremy Brett is my favourite Holmes on screen and Benedict Cumberbatch comes close second

7-I like horror/sci-fi/action movies. I also enjoy watching sitcoms such as The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men (when Charlie Sheen was still on)

8-Kevin Spacey is my favourite actor

9-When I was a little kid, I told people I wanted to become an astronaut. It turned out that physics and maths are my least favourite subjects at school.

10-I’m interested in IT even if my knowledge is very limited. I like the idea of becoming a « geek »

11-I have another blog here

11 answers to 11 questions

1-What has been your greatest moment in life so far?

The first time I went to the UK, I always wanted to discover that country and its cultures.

2-Who (other than your parents) has been a source of inspiration for you? 
One of my aunts: she is the bravest woman I’ve ever known. 

3-Are you an extrovert who loves partying and hanging out or more of an introverted person?

More an introverted person who does not talk much.
 

4-Who is your favorite movie director and what is the latest movie of his/hers you have seen?   
Tim Burton, I saw the Dark Shadows not long ago. Compared to his other works, it was not excellent but it doesn’t change the fact that Tim is one of the most respected directors of his generation. He is a genuine artist.

5-What news channel/newspaper do you watch/read to get the latest news? 
I usually watch the news from France Televisions, the French national channel group.

6-Name some of your favorite hobbies

Football (soccer), I also sing in a choir whereas I’m an awful singer. I enjoy watching movies/TV and blogging too.

7-Has becoming a blogger had any impact on your life so far? If yes, in what way(s)? 
Yes, I learned a lot from the others and had the opportunity to share things with them.

8-Who is your favorite author(s)? 
J.R.R Tolkien, Arthur Conan Doyle, Elmore Leonard, Hergé to name a few.

9-If there was one thing you want to change about yourself, what would that be? 
I wish I could have more self-confidence.

10-Which actor would you cast to play Sherlock Holmes and why?

Hugh Laurie: House MD is the american version of Sherlock. 

11-Do you believe in the existence of aliens and UFOs?

Yes I do believe we are not alone. 

Cleveland vs Wall Street (2010, Jean-Stéphane Bron)

Based on a true story. 2008 : Cleveland. Thousands of people loose their homes, most of them working-class people. Lawyer Josh Cohen and his associates are convinced that Wall Street is directly involved in the catastrophe. Cleveland vs Wall Street is a documentary about a lawsuit opposing the City of Cleveland to 21 banks based in Wall Street about a series of foreclosures (thousands) due to the subprime mortgage crisis.

  

Thing is it’s a fictional documentary. In the Imdb plot synopsis, it says: « A film about a trial that may never be held… »: no actors here…the characters play themselves : real lawyers, judge, jurors, witnesses. This is first of all a lesson about the drift of capitalism: the american dream has also its price and it's expensive. Then we could talk about other important details like the cons of the adversarial court system for instance, when the defendent’s lawyer use his skills to influence and to discredit the witness. The ending is not a surprise.