Summary
Mazo de la Roche leaped to prominence as one of the most successful writers of the 20th century when the first novel in her Whiteoaks of Jalna series won the Atlantic Monthly prize in 1927. The award was hailed not only as a triumph for de la Roche but as marking the coming of age of Canadian literature. In this insightful biography, Joan Givner recovers the hidden life of Mazo de la Roche, revealing her genius for producing undemanding yet titillating narratives that grew out of an adolescent daydream. Givner argues that although critics balked at the Gothic excesses of de la Roche's plots and the sexually bizarre adventures of her characters--which they saw as products of the feverish imagination of an unmarried woman with little experience--her fictions were, indeed, firmly rooted in her own experience. This work will appeal to all the many Jalna fan worldwide, and to lovers of biographies.
Summary
Porter (Mel Gibson) is pulled into a heist by his old friend, Val (Brian De Palma regular, Gregg Henry). As they're stealing $130,000 in laundered drug money from Chinese Triads, no one is going to call the police. Everything goes smoothly until Porter's wife, Lynn (Deborah Kara Unger), shoots Porter in the back. After Val had shown Lynn a photo of Porter in the arms of another girl (Maria Bello), the two planned the double-cross together to pay off Val's mob debts so he could return to "The Syndicate." They didn't plan well enough, though, because five months later Porter's back, a complete sociopath who wants his $70,000. Brian Helgeland, the screenwriter for L.A. Confidential and Conspiracy Theory, makes his directing debut with this adaptation of the novel The Hunter by Donald E. Westlake writing under the pseudonym, Richard Stark. The same novel served as the basis for John Boorman's Point Blank starring Lee Marvin. ~ Chris Gore, Rovi
