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Some Novels of 1923 at 100 Years Old – #1
The Rover, Joseph ConradOpens in 1796 with a vibe like Treasure Island. The rover Peyrol wants to retire from the seafaring pirate life and settle on French soil near where he was born. In the time since he’s been there, France has much changed. There’s intrigue, and he’s concerned he’ll be a wanted man. The Continue reading
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FX on Hulu’s show Devs and Jorge Luis Borges
First, it’s determinism embraced by some. Then determinism pursued by all. Next, it’s many worlds embraced by some then pursued by all, but, finally, it’s a simulation. Many worlds simulated? This seems like a confusion of at least two theories. In episode 7, Lily comes to the Devs lab and asks Stewart the cave fire Continue reading
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So Pretty a Dread: A Review of Monstrilio (2023) by Gerardo Sámano Córdova
By Jay Innis Murray Monstrilio from Zando, published March 7, 2023 One of the joys of this literary horror novel is the deft and seemingly effortless way author Gerardo Sámano Córdova manages a sort of thimblerig of relationships and points of view. I don’t mean his concern as a writer is to fool the reader. Continue reading
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A Peek Inside the Illustrated 40th Anniversary Edition of Little, Big
Yesterday, I received my copy of the 25th/40th Anniversary edition of Little, Big. Like many longtime re-readers of this novel, I’ve been waiting for this for several years. The edition is a long labor of love by the publisher Ron Drummond who first proposed the idea to John Crowley in 1992 or 1993. You can Continue reading
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On the 50th Anniversary of Gravity’s Rainbow – Exuberance is Beauty.
Today is the 50th Anniversary of the publication of Gravity’s Rainbow. Here’s Harold Bloom in his 2003 Introduction to his Modern Critical Views volume on Pynchon. The not unimpressive polemic of Norman Mailer—-that Fascism always lurks where plastic dominates—-is in Pynchon not a polemic but a total vision. Mailer, for all his legitimate status as Continue reading
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On Crimes of the Future (2022)
“Just another epiphany. Art triumphs once again.” There is a strange absence of menace in David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future (2022). My personal alarms go off any time a sharp thing cuts or threatens to cut human flesh. I can’t bear to watch the scene when Jack Nicholson gets his nose sliced in Chinatown. Continue reading
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On Breaking Bad Episode 1.03
This is an amazing episode. Just a masterpiece of thematic writing and visuals, mixed. The motel Hank brings Walter, Jr. to is called the Crystal Palace, according to Hank, but the sign on the roof says Crossroads. This is the master image of the episode. First, we’re at a genre crossroads, since this errand on Continue reading
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The Empty House on Mulholland: A Review of The Shards by Bret Ellis
By Jay Innis Murray “Pastiche is… blank parody, a statue with blind eyeballs.” – Fredric Jameson “We’re the kids in America.” – Kim Wilde He drives a Mercedes 450 SL on the freeways, around Beverly Hills, and to Palm Springs (American Gigolo). Rich teens in Los Angeles get into unsupervised adult stuff (Less Than Zero). Continue reading
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Watching Spielberg 1: Ten Screenshots from Steven Spielberg’s Duel
The 1955 Peterbilt truck has a big snout and a wide grin. Since the face of the driver is never shown, the front of the truck becomes the face of the villain. Aggressive & obsessed. Though it is an old machine, the truck has unstoppable energy. Dave’s Plymouth Valiant is a bright red. A color Continue reading
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After Yang (2022)
After Yang (2022) glides along on its influences. Speak, Memory. More than anything else Tree of Life. Farrell says he has no words to express the mysterious nature of tea. Then he delivers a Werner Herzog impersonation that expresses it mock perfectly. This happens just at the midpoint of the movie time-wise. Manohla Dargis called Continue reading
About Talking Big
All posts by Jay Innis Murray.
Always on the lookout for new books to review. Please drop me a line at grashupfer@gmail.com or say hi on Twitter, Mastodon or Blue Sky.
Read my novel here: https://tinyurl.com/p98jtu7c
Recent Posts
- A Review of The Ten Year Affair by Erin Somers
- Stealing Einstein’s Underpants – A Review of The Delegation (2025) by Avner Landes
- A Review of On the Calculation of Volume 1 (2024) by Solvej Balle
- A Review of The Cannibal Owl (2025) by Aaron Gwyn
- A Review of Every Arc Bends Its Radian (2024) by Sergio De La Pava
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