Person of the Week
I got a new hero. His name is Raylan Givens, and he is a deputy U.S. Marshall on the brilliant television show Justified, which is on the F/X network. Givens is the kind of guy, who has very defined way of getting to the bad guys. That is he uses his gun a great deal, as he keeps Harlan County, Kentucky clean from crime.
But this story isn't about Givens or the TV program. It is about the creator of the series, the great writer, and Detroit resident Elmore Leonard. In the world of great crime/western writers, Leonard is the best there is. To quote the ex-football coach Bum Phillips, "he may not be at be in a class of his own, but it sure doesn't take long to call the roll." That certainly describes Leonard.
His writing style is very distinct. In his crime novels, you can almost feel the grit and grime of the city (In Detroit, there is a lot of grit and grime), as he tells the story. It really becomes a theater of the mind, as you can see the images as it's described on the pages.
If you watch his characters on TV or the movies, you have to pay attention to the storytelling, so you can can feel the desperation and turmoil going on inside their heads. They are all flawed as people, but Leonard does a great job of making them sympathetic to the viewer or reader, which is all that much more compelling, and interesting to watch or read.
That's all fine and good with his crime drama's (such as Get Shorty, Mr. Majestyk starring Charles Bronson, Jackie Brown, ect.), but he does the same thing with his western novels. If you want to see a great one from that genre, get a hold 3:10 to Yuma, starring Russell Crowe. That too, is a Leonard story, that will keep you glued to your seat the entire time you are watching it.
So anyway, the reason I bring this up is, this past Tuesday was the start of the new season of Justified. Already it promises to be great. Which of course we have come to expect with our Person of the Week, Elmore Leonard. And we will make Raylan our Honorable mention, Person of the Week for catching all the bad guys.
We are here Sunday with another Top Ten List..
We will talk soon
Jeff
But this story isn't about Givens or the TV program. It is about the creator of the series, the great writer, and Detroit resident Elmore Leonard. In the world of great crime/western writers, Leonard is the best there is. To quote the ex-football coach Bum Phillips, "he may not be at be in a class of his own, but it sure doesn't take long to call the roll." That certainly describes Leonard.
His writing style is very distinct. In his crime novels, you can almost feel the grit and grime of the city (In Detroit, there is a lot of grit and grime), as he tells the story. It really becomes a theater of the mind, as you can see the images as it's described on the pages.
If you watch his characters on TV or the movies, you have to pay attention to the storytelling, so you can can feel the desperation and turmoil going on inside their heads. They are all flawed as people, but Leonard does a great job of making them sympathetic to the viewer or reader, which is all that much more compelling, and interesting to watch or read.
That's all fine and good with his crime drama's (such as Get Shorty, Mr. Majestyk starring Charles Bronson, Jackie Brown, ect.), but he does the same thing with his western novels. If you want to see a great one from that genre, get a hold 3:10 to Yuma, starring Russell Crowe. That too, is a Leonard story, that will keep you glued to your seat the entire time you are watching it.
So anyway, the reason I bring this up is, this past Tuesday was the start of the new season of Justified. Already it promises to be great. Which of course we have come to expect with our Person of the Week, Elmore Leonard. And we will make Raylan our Honorable mention, Person of the Week for catching all the bad guys.
We are here Sunday with another Top Ten List..
We will talk soon
Jeff
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