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If you’re in Denver this week, go check out Mario Acevedo at Murder by the Book tonight (3/26/2008) at 5:30, or at Tattered Cover–Lodo tomorrow night (3/27/2008) at 7:30.

Mario — whom I’ve written about before — is busy pimping touring for his latest book, THE UNDEAD KAMA SUTRA. If you’re not in Denver, you can see him in a city or town near you.

Do the right things: buy the book, buy him a beer, and tell him Rob says “hello.”

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It would be “Meme Hater.”¹

I’m giving this one a pass because I like Greg Becerra, the man who possesses, um, Greg’s Brain. Good thing because I’m not sure anyone else could handle it. Have you seen some of the shit it produces?²

So here’s the thing…

1. Look up page 123 in the nearest book to you at the time.
2. Find the fifth sentence and write it down. Then write down the three sentences that follow.
3. Once you’ve done this find three other rubes you’d like to tag and send along.

From Richard S. Prather’s THE PEDDLER (figures it’d be dialogue-in-progress):

“… Ellis, oddly enough, is with the vice squad. He just happened to be with Cowen of Homicide.”

Tony didn’t say anything.

“Why did you do it, Tony? …”

I’ve been struggling with whom to tag with this because I’ve seen a good number of my blogging friends playing along with this one. But I’m nothing if not a stickler for the rules.³

Here’re the three unlucky gits I’ve selected:

Matthew
Jeremy
Vienne

Have fun guys.

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1. Is it more, or less, politically correct if I call myself “One who hates memes”? [⇑]
2. And I mean “shit” in a good way. Except for the part that makes it impossible for him to resist memes! [⇑]
3. This is a lie. [⇑]

Within the last week or so, I’ve had the chance to see both Manhunter and Red Dragon… the two movie versions of Thomas Harris’s fantastic novel — also called RED DRAGON — that first introduced us to Hannibal Lecter.

The debate over which is better seems to rage on — some twelve years after Manhunter and six years after Red Dragon — I figured I’d add my two pennies.

My recent viewing of these movies came quite by accident. The week before last, the Sleuth Channel showed Manhunter — Michael Mann’s 1986 version. Then, a few days ago, the channel showed Red Dragon — Brett Ratner’s 1986 remake. Stumbling across them while flipping through channels was utter serendipity.

I’d seen both movies before (Manhunter was a rental many years after the theatrical release; I saw Red Dragon in the theater the week it came out). But I’d never seen them this close together. It was as near to a freshness squeeze test as I could get without renting them each — along with Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal¹, and Hannibal Rising² — for a full on Lecter-a-thon.

As I watched Red Dragon, I began thinking about the two movies… the performances, the direction, the cinematography, faithfulness to the book. Many things stood out to me with each.

That said, let’s break ‘em down.

Character: Will Graham

Our hero… he’s reluctant, he’s smart, he’s really fucked up after having almost lost his life putting away Lecter in the biggest bust of his career. It’s safe to say Hannibal the Cannibal really got into Graham’s head.

Played by William Petersen and Ed Norton³, the actors reveal different things in the character.

Petersen is quiet, more reluctant to remove the walls Graham’s built around himself. Norton is angrier… and more willing to jump in the fray.

Petersen played it spare, which made his flashes of passion more intense. Norton played him analytical, which came across more methodical. Either way can work: Graham’s a psychological profiler, after all.

In the end, I have to go with the way I remember the character in the book.

Winner: Petersen

Character: Jack Crawford

Graham’s old FBI boss and the man who coaxes the erstwhile agent out of retirement to help solve the heinous serial murders of two suburban families.

Played by Dennis Farina and Harvey Keitel, we have two entirely different sorts of guys:

• Farina, the in-your-face, once-a-cop-always-a-cop tough guy.
• Keitel, intense and commanding, yet understated tough guy.

What’s important to note is that both actors have long careers of playing the same freaking guy in everything they do. The difference is that Farina’s performance in Manhunter is early on in our collective familiarity. By the time Red Dragon hit theaters, we’d been well aware of what Keitel does.

Knowing this, Farina’s Crawford seemed fresh. Keitel’s was wooden and, well, dull.

Winner: Farina⁴

Character: Hannibal Lecter

The most delicious villain ever to appear in print or on screen.

Come on, “Chianti and fava beans ffffffthhhhhht” is embedded into the global pop culture. What more can I possibly say about this magnificent bad guy’s great canon?

Played by Brian Cox and, of course, Anthony Hopkins, the role serves as our introduction to this marvelous character. And, again, we have to put things in context.

In the book, Lecter is an important, but small, character. He’s wicked and brilliant. He was also a plot device.⁵ Cox, who could have chewed up all kinds of set, got it and played it perfectly. Hopkins, who catapulted the character into the stratosphere, overplayed it.⁶ By a country mile.

In what will likely be the biggest shocker here…

Winner: Cox

Character: Francis Dollarhyde

The man of the hour. The Tooth Fairy. Mr. D.

The two actors who played the baddy — Tom Noonan and Ralph Fiennes — each brought different skills to the game. Noonan, the physical giant, was understated and creepy. Fiennes, the acting giant⁷, was brilliant and creepy.

Neither of them fit the bill… at least as it was described by Harris in the book: Dollarhyde was seriously jacked⁸.

If you recall, there were two places in the Red Dragon movie where this notion appears. Reba, the blind love interest with whom Dollarhyde works, mentions that their female coworkers say he’s got a fantastic body. Later Graham says that Dollarhyde is a bodybuilder. His physique is an important trait because the creep-o was consumed by his desire to make himself more attractive to women.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? Noonan was just circus tall. Fiennes was downright scrawny.

Don’t get me wrong… the each actor had his pluses. Noonan was physically imposing, while failing to bring out the depth to Dollarhyde’s mental illness. Fiennes was puny, but really rocked how tormented and batshit crazy Dollarhyde was.

Winner: Push

Director: Michael Mann, Brett Ratner

This one might spark a little discussion.

On the one hand, Manhunter had Michael Mann, who directed The Last of the Mohicans, The Insider, and Collateral. On the other, Red Dragon had Brett Ratner, who directed all three Rush Hour movies, and The Family Man.

Mann makes layered, heavy-ish movies with exquisite cinematography. Ratner makes over-the-top, slick Hollywood movies.⁹ Both did well with the source material… for many of the reasons already listed.

In fairness, Ratner was truer to the book — especially where Dollarhyde-the-wingnut and the ending are concerned. He also recreated the Silence of the Lambs sets, and brought back a number other Silence actors — aside from Hopkins — to reprise their roles.

Can’t hold these last things against Mann. He was the first to explore Harris’s book, after all. You can, however, hold him responsible for leaving off the awesome twist at the end. That was a major whiff if you ask me.

Still, Ratner had it easy. Silence of the Lambs — the movie — gave him an exceptional head start. He also had RED DRAGON, the book. Mann had only RED DRAGON, the book.

Winner: Mann

Manhunter wins in a landslide

So there you have it: Michael Mann’s take wins the day… which isn’t a slag against Brett Ratner’s Red Dragon. I do really like both movies.

It’s just that Manhunter does a much better job overall at bringing Harris’s awesome novel to the screen.

What say you?

If you wanna tell me I’m full of shit — along with the reasons “why” with some intelligent discussion — drop me another line in the comment trail. And if you’ve got a suggestion for another faceoff like this, drop me a line in the comment trail.

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1. I’m in the minority here, but I liked this movie [⇑]
2. I haven’t seen this one. My wife said it was terrible and that’s good enough for me. [⇑]
3. Manhunter and Red Dragon, respectively. From here on out, I’ll use this order. [⇑]
4. Neither actor gave the best portrayal of Jack Crawford. That goes to Silence’s Scott Glenn. [⇑]
5. Okay… a REALLY well done plot device. [⇑]
6. Though this may not be his fault. Red Dragon screenwriter Ted Tally — who also penned Silence — added several new scenes especially for Hopkins. You get Tony Hopkins… might as well use him as much as possible. [⇑]
7. Which isn’t saying Noonan’s a terrible actor. He runs The Actor’s Studio, so he’s pretty good, really. [⇑]
8. That’s gym speak for super-muscular, like a bodybuilder. [⇑]
9. This isn’t meant to express a preference. I love both kinds. [⇑]

Did you read THE LINCOLN LAWYER by Michael Connelly?

Is it in your TBR pile right now?

If you answered “yes” to either of those questions, then you might want to check out the contest the author’s having.

Here’re the details:

The Mickey Haller Trivia Contest

Michael’s next book, THE BRASS VERDICT (due October 14, 2008), features Mickey Haller from THE LINCOLN LAWYER. So it is time to refresh your memory of this character with a little trivia contest. To be entered into the prize drawing you must answer all of the questions correctly. You may be entered into the prize drawing only once. Five winners will be randomly selected from all of the correct entries and will be notified via email. Each winner will receive a DARK SACRED NIGHT CD, a BLUE NEON NIGHT DVD, and a Michael Connelly T-shirt. The contest will run through March 28, 2008. The answers and winners’ names will be posted on March 29, 2008.

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What happens when your muse has gone missing in action? Almost every writer goes through a period of writer’s block at some point. Frustration can take over, causing you to lose passion for your writing. The pain is real when you stare at the blank screen or page, willing yourself to write. What is at stake for you if you aren’t writing?

In as little as one hour, you can be having fun and allowing your muse to play. I would like to introduce you to Holly Lisle’s How to Beat Writer’s Block (And Have FUN Writing From Now On). With this mp3 audio course, Holly will take you step by step through the process of overcoming your block. In just 30 minutes, the ideas for your new story or solutions to a problem in your current project will pour across the page.

Holly is no stranger to writer’s block and would like to share her methods. With her expert guidance, you will not only move past your block but will learn how to prevent the block from happening again. You will also receive commitment training, a walkthrough to get you focused on writing again, dozens of ideas, and five-minute daily coaching. The course includes the forms you will need to keep up with your new ideas as well as a bonus report, 21 Ways To Get Yourself Writing When Your Life Has Just Exploded.

Head over to Holly’s shop now and purchase How to Beat Writer’s Block for immediate download. You will be writing and having fun again in no time.

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