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Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Deadly flashbacks
In Peter Swanson's latest novel Kill Your Darlings, We learn pretty early on that Wendy intends to kill her husband Thom. Why, of course, takes somewhat longer for us to find out. It's not just that Thom gets drunk out of his mind almost every night, or that he's a cad who somehow gets many younger women to share a bed, he being a self-important literature professor still dreaming of writing the great American novel. Jason Grow photo Peter Swanson's latest mystery is told in reverse, from the present back into the past through a series of flashbacks. Wendy herself is a published poet, putting her one up on Thom. There's always the possibility, of course, that Thom gets so drunk that he spills the beans about — no, not happening, not going to tell you here. Did we mention they're filthy rich, or that it was Wendy who brought the money to their marriage, thanks to her first husband Bryce? Her late first husband Bryce. We're getting a bit ahead of ourselves here, but fear not, we'll soon be getting behind ourselves. Far behind. Lots of books rely on flashbacks, but what the Massachusetts-based Swanson has done in his 11th murder mystery is tell his story in reverse; he starts with the present, when birthday-sharing Wendy and Thom are turning 50, and follows them back through key and deviously scandalous times, jumping back several years in succeeding chapters, all the way to meeting on a school bus in Grade 8 on a class trip to Washington. If you're familiar with The Exorcist, it will be helpful in following the plot. The term 'fiendishly clever' is often applied to Swanson's novels, and indeed he is devilish in his plotting. His best book is Eight Perfect Murders, in which the FBI is befuddled by a serial killer and turns to the owner of an independent bookstore who's blogged about eight classic real-life mystery novels in which the killer gets away with it. Characters in murder mysteries always harbour secrets, but what Wendy and Thom have are Big Secrets, which bond them more tightly than any marriage vows. Thom used to have a loathsome boss, an arrogant department head who made Thom's life miserable, and who hit on Wendy — an older chap who swam many mornings by himself in an old quarry. He drowned one morning… terrible tragedy. Wendy's former in-laws believe she killed her first husband for his money, which they insist should be their money. Wendy keeps thinking they're having her followed — could that just be her imagination? She and Bryce had a pre-nup that left her penniless if they divorced, but every penny was hers if he died while they were married. Had Wendy really married Bryce for his money? Kill Your Darlings Wendy and Thom don't flaunt their money, though they did buy a nifty house in New England, and Wendy lifted her widowed mom out of poverty and into her own little house. Wendy's dad? An abusive drunken waste of oxygen who managed to drown in his bath one night. Poor Bryce. He had a fancy swimming pool with a really deep end, even if he couldn't swim. What he had every night before bed was a fat cigar and the last of a series of daily stiff drinks, while standing out by his swimming pool. Obviously drunk when he fell into the pool and couldn't get out? Bad luck that Wendy was away at a conference? Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. Early on, Wendy reminisced about having met Thom in junior high. When they met again later in life, it was initially magic… and when was that? Well, the official version was that they bumped into each other by chance, after Bryce was dead and buried. Yeah, sure, your book club is saying. Kill Your Darlings isn't the easiest book to follow. Flashbacks intermittently filling in the story before returning to the present are one thing, telling the entire story in reverse can be quite challenging. And in this case well worth it. It can be a nasty world inside Peter Swanson's head. Go there if you dare. Retired Free Press reporter Nick Martin is grateful to the librarian who explained to him that the author's telling the story in reverse didn't mean starting to read the last page first and going backwards in the book to page one.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Fuori' Review: Valeria Golino Exudes Humanity In Mario Martone's Refreshing Biopic Of A Struggling Literary Pioneer
Literary biopics are hard to pull off, and even harder to market (1995's Total Eclipse missed a trick with 'Leonardo DiCaprio IS Arthur Rimbaud!'). Even well-known U.S. writers tend to be the domain of the indie world, resulting in films as respectable but hardly lucrative as Capote (2005), Kill Your Darlings (2013) and Shirley (2020). The odds are, then, that a movie dedicated to a brief period in the life of Goliarda Sapienza (1924-1996) — a noted Italian feminist and political activist denied her due until two years after her death — isn't likely to cause a splash in international markets. However, Mario Martone's thoughtful film does work quite well as a character study, in the same way that Marielle Heller's Can You Ever Forgive Me? captured the struggles of a failing writer with big ideas. Sapienza is played by Valeria Golino, who recently directed a six-part adaptation of the author's posthumous hit bestseller The Art of Joy, a novel Sapienza finished in 1976 and which remained unpublished until 1998. When we meet her, the year is 1980 and her manuscript has been rejected by every major publisher in town. Things are bad, so much so that she has been reduced to stealing, and the theft of some expensive jewelry from a wealthy socialite sees her spending some quality time in prison. Her motives for that, however, remain murky; although Sapienza is clearly in need of money, there is also a mischievous side to her beliefs that suggest an unapologetically radical-left dimension to the crime (the title card says that she was capable of cultivating 'love and furore' equally). More from Deadline Mario Martone's 'Fuori' With Valeria Golino Gets 7½-Minute Ovation At Cannes Premiere Cannes Film Festival 2025: Read All Of Deadline's Movie Reviews 'Romería' Review: Carla Simón Takes The Scenic Route For A Highly Personal Journey Of Self-Discovery - Cannes Film Festival Although her induction into prison is a humiliating, dehumanizing experience ('Are you wearing a wig?' asks a warden, tugging her hair and demanding she strip), Sapienza doesn't seem overly traumatized, holding her own within the hierarchies that exist behind bars and even getting her hands dirty in a fist fight. She becomes friends with one young girl in particular — Roberta (Matila De Angelis) — a seemingly hardened career criminal who becomes a big part of Sapienza's life, a tight friendship that, over time, will become more of a fractious, mother-daughter surrogacy. RELATED: CANNES HUB / Photos; Johnson, Hargitay, Stewart & More In Cannes Studio; 'Alpha' Review The title of the film translates into English as Out, and although the film shows Sapienza on both sides of the bars, the overriding theme of the film is freedom. Sapienza becomes fascinated by the women of Rome's Rebibbia prison, in particular the remarkable way that Roberta, in particular, seems to swim through life from one reality to another. The prison scenes are the most interesting, and Martone builds up a very textured analysis of the types of women doing time, and the types of crime that send them there. Drugs are a given, and Roberta has built up a pretty serious junk habit, but, this being Italy, the radical left is at its height, and many women have connections to the Brigate Rosse, one of the many outlaw European outfits of the time carrying out robberies, kidnappings and sabotage. RELATED: Dakota Johnson Talks Romantic Experiments In Cannes Comedy 'Splitsville', Upcoming 'Materialists' And 'Juicy' Colleen Hoover Adaptation 'Verity' Golino exudes humanity and patience, but there's an edge to her relationships that does border on the exploitative, which, inevitably, makes for tension with Roberta. But the overriding sense is not that Sapienza is fetishizing these women in the way the French bourgeoisie once went nuts for Jean Genet; it's more that she finds their stamina, their drive, their autonomy inspiring. The ending, then, is a little disappointing, since it involves a little twist that, if she really was paying so much close attention, Sapienza would have seen coming. Nevertheless, the film's central premise is refreshing; most literary biopics are about how a writer's most famous work came into being (Naked Lunch and Howl spring immediately to mind). Fuori, though, is about the opposite, concerning a woman who's already done that, now looking to make peace with her disappointments and learning to live freely in her own skin. Title: FuoriFestival: Cannes (Competition)Director: Mario MartoneScreenwriters: Ippolita Di Majo, Mario MartoneCast: Valeria Golino, Matilda De Angelis, Elodie, Corrado FortunaSales agent: GoodfellasRunning time: 1 hr 55 mins Best of Deadline Broadway's 2024-2025 Season: All Of Deadline's Reviews Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize Winners Through The Years Deadline Studio At Sundance Film Festival Photo Gallery: Dylan O'Brien, Ayo Edebiri, Jennifer Lopez, Lily Gladstone, Benedict Cumberbatch & More
The Irish Sun
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe makes VERY rare red carpet appearance with girlfriend Erin Darke
HARRY Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe was all smiles as he made a rare red carpet appearance with his actress girlfriend. The Hollywood star, 35, stepped out with 6 Daniel Radcliffe made a rare red carpet appearance with partner Erin Darke as they stepped out in New York Credit: Splash 6 The pair's close bond was on full show at the opening night of the Broadway show Just in Time Credit: Splash 6 The pair live in New York and share a son Credit: Splash Daniel, who played protagonist magician Harry in the adaptation of JK Rowling's books, donned a smart charcoal grey suit and patterned pastel shirt, completing his look with smart black shoes. Erin opted for a pretty pastel frock with a figure hugging fabric and corset detailing. She left her brunette hair straight and her make-up natural, oozing a fresh glow. Showing their strong bond, they stayed close on the red carpet, with Daniel placing a protective arm around her waist. read more daniel radcliffe A way from the limelight, the actor lives happily with his girlfriend in the Big Apple. LOVE STORY The couple met in late 2012 on the set of the film Kill Your Darlings, in which they both featured. Although they've mostly kept their relationship private, He said: "It'll be a hell of a story to tell our kids one day because of what our characters do with each other. Most read in Celebrity "Our characters are meeting and flirting with each other, so there is this kind of sweet record of us just meeting for the first time and flirting." Daniel Radcliffe stuns fans with incredible body transformation He said: "There's a moment when she makes me laugh, and I'm laughing as me and not as my character. "She was incredibly funny and smart. I knew I was in trouble." Michigan-born Erin is best known for her role as Cindy in the TV series Good Girls Revolt, as well as her recurring role as Mary in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She has appeared in the Beach Boys biopic film Love & Mercy in 2014, the American rom-com Beside Still Waters in 2013 and Oscar-nominated Still Alice in 2014. Aside from acting, one of Erin's biggest passions is sports, with boyfriend Daniel mentioning in an interview that she's a Detroit Lions fan. 6 The actor pair prefer a life away from the spotlight Credit: Splash 6 Daniel found fame playing magician Harry potter in the film adaptation of JK Rowling's books Credit: Warner Bros 6 They met in 2012 on the set of the film Kill Your Darlings - and Daniel told how the attraction was immediate Credit: Getty
The Sun
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe makes VERY rare red carpet appearance with girlfriend Erin Darke
HARRY Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe was all smiles as he made a rare red carpet appearance with his actress girlfriend. The Hollywood star, 35, stepped out with Erin Darke, 40, with whom he shares a two-year-old son, at the New York premiere for new Broadway show, Just In Time. 6 6 Daniel, who played protagonist magician Harry in the adaptation of JK Rowling 's books, donned a smart charcoal grey suit and patterned pastel shirt, completing his look with smart black shoes. Erin opted for a pretty pastel frock with a figure hugging fabric and corset detailing. She left her brunette hair straight and her make-up natural, oozing a fresh glow. Showing their strong bond, they stayed close on the red carpet, with Daniel placing a protective arm around her waist. Away from the limelight, the actor lives happily with his girlfriend in the Big Apple. LOVE STORY The couple met in late 2012 on the set of the film Kill Your Darlings, in which they both featured. Although they've mostly kept their relationship private, Daniel opened up in an interview about the first time they met. He said: "It'll be a hell of a story to tell our kids one day because of what our characters do with each other. "Our characters are meeting and flirting with each other, so there is this kind of sweet record of us just meeting for the first time and flirting." In another interview, Radcliffe confessed he was immediately attracted to Erin, saying he didn't need to act in their scenes together. Daniel Radcliffe stuns fans with incredible body transformation He said: "There's a moment when she makes me laugh, and I'm laughing as me and not as my character. "She was incredibly funny and smart. I knew I was in trouble." Michigan-born Erin is best known for her role as Cindy in the TV series Good Girls Revolt, as well as her recurring role as Mary in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She has appeared in the Beach Boys biopic film Love & Mercy in 2014, the American rom-com Beside Still Waters in 2013 and Oscar-nominated Still Alice in 2014. Aside from acting, one of Erin's biggest passions is sports, with boyfriend Daniel mentioning in an interview that she's a Detroit Lions fan. 6 6 6
