WAC Announces Creative Writing Fellowship Winners
John Sutton of Sheridan, John D. Nesbitt of Torrington, and Chavawn Kelley of Laramie have been named the recipients of 2008 creative writing fellowships in creative nonfiction from the Wyoming Arts Council.
Each of the fellowship recipients will receive a $3,000 prize as well as a $500 stipend to read their work at the Casper College Literary Conference on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 7:30 p.m., in the Aley Fine Arts Center, Durham Hall. The event is free and open to the public. Judge for the competition, Nick Flynn, will participate in the reading along with the three winners.
Flynn, a memoirist and poet from New York City, also selected three writers for honorable mentions. They are April Heaney and Craig Arnold of Laramie and Diane Panozzo of Tie Siding.
For more information on the WAC*s fellowship programs, contact Mike Shay at mshay@state.wy.us.
The Assassination of Jesse James by That Coward Bob Ford
Starring Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck
A Warner Bros. Picture
Delves into the private life and public exploits of America’s most notorious outlaw. As the charismatic and unpredictable Jesse James (Brad Pitt) plans his next great robbery, he wages war on his enemies, who are trying to collect the reward money - and the glory - riding on his capture.
Based on the novel by Ron Hansen
Click Here for a Movie Trailer Official Movie Site
Broken Trail, an AMCTV Original
Starring Robert Duvall
3:10 TO YUMA
A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE
Review by Steven Anderson Law
After a week at number one in the box office, 3:10 TO YUMA has proven one of two things: either America loves Westerns, or America loves Russell Crowe. I’d say it’s likely a combination of the two, but for whatever reason, the two came together nicely.
In the wake of the disastrous SEPTEMBER DAWN, 3:10 TO YUMA took the reins and showed us all that good westerns can be made. This action-packed shoot’em up kept up the pace and entertained us to the end. Critics raved about this film, and though it may be the best Western since UNFORGIVEN, it is certainly none to compare. Though both films had their share of drama, 3:10 was more about the action, more about the myth of the gunfighter, than human failings.
Kudos goes out to setting, to costume, to the script, and to casting, but thumbs down to period authenticity, and in some cases, reality. Though the ability to shoot handguns in remarkable fashion has entertained us for years, and through myth made conceivable, the critical eyes of today’s audience expects more from some of the simple things. There were certain flaws in this film with weaponry, and also to how someone would function after being gut shot. But, those things aside, the movie quickly draws us back to the attractive setting, the action, and the remarkable screen presence of the cast.
It’s interesting that 3:10 TO YUMA has yet another western to follow, with Brad Pitt hitting the Western landscape in THE ASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD BOB FORD. That film alone has had Western enthusiasts hopeful that Hollywood will take notice of how America loves the genre, and will pay to see these films, especially with someone as bankable as Brad Pitt. There’s been a lot of hearsay as to how bad the film will flop, but only the opening weekend (September 21) can tell.
3:10 TO YUMA was a good Western, but what America, or the world for that matter, is yet to see, is another GREAT Western. One could measure such success by the box office history, where by today’s standard, if a movie doesn’t break a $100 million in sales, especially with most budgets over $50 million, it’s just a mediocre movie.
As for Westerns, it’s been almost two decades since a Western film has broke $100 million in sales. In fact, only four westerns, in the history of cinema, have ever reached that mark. The first, which has a long-time standing at the number two Western, is BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, with a gross of $102 million. And that movie was made in 1969.
It was 1994 since a Western made that mark when MAVERICK, starring Mel Gibson, hit the silver screen. The remake of a classic character stands at number three on the all-time list with sales at a little over $101 million. Just a few thousand short, at the number four spot, is UNFORGIVEN, released in 1992. It’s no surprise that the number one grossing western of all time is DANCES WITH WOLVES, with domestic sales at over $184 million, and internationally at over $424 million. And that movie was made in 1990.
Other Western films have been made, but none have got close to the $100 million mark. In fact, number five on the list, HIDALGO, falls way short at $67 million. Some have made money, some haven’t. Some have had fairly decent star power, but for some reason or another, it runs out of steam at the box office.
Looking at the top four films, it’s no doubt that the key to making a GREAT Western takes star power. We have Mel Gibson, big in that decade. In 1969 we had Robert Redford and Paul Newman, huge draws at that time for the mainstream audience. And Clint Eastwood is a Western icon, who also draws from the mainstream. Kevin Costner was a big star in 1990, but the real power behind DANCES WITH WOLVES was the script and the imagery. It was beautifully drafted and perfectly set, and more precisely, it was politically correct. It took a twist on the Western and made the good guys the Indians. It showed us that the mainstream audience was tired of the superficial macho white guy with a gun. Instead, we had a white sympathizer who dared to go directly to the scene and discover a people, not a problem.
3:10 TO YUMA was not an original idea, and it certainly will not challenge the top films of the genre. Will Brad Pitt as Jesse James? Hard to say. With the exception of George Clooney, there is no bigger star than Brad Pitt, so it certainly has the potential. A lot will depend on the movie itself, and whether or not it grabs and entertains.
The positive side to both films is that they can set the pace for more Westerns on the big screen. And hopefully, if studios take a look at history, and what it took to make great Westerns, then another original great is right around the corner. Until then, go see 3:10 TO YUMA. You’ll be glad you did.
|
|
SEPTEMBER DAWN A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE Review by Steven Anderson Law
In the summer of 2004, I had the pleasure of touring the site of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, but uniquely I was among a group of fellow writers, and, among us all, an expert on the subject, Will Bagley. Bagley helped shed light on a subject that many of us had heard little or nothing about. Now, three years later, Academy Award-winning actor Jon Voight leads a cast under director Christopher Cain (Young Guns) in a major motion picture event to bring the story of the Mountain Meadows Massacre to the masses. After watching the film, I was amazed that it made it to the big screen, though I’m glad it did. A dramatized history lesson at its best, portrayed by a couple of familiar faces in Hollywood, with scenes that do entertain, but others that make you think you’re in a high school history class rather than a big screen cinema. I didn’t mind because I love history, and especially history of the American West, but I felt sad and isolated, as I looked around me and saw only six other people—three couples—and scores of empty seats. And though I’m not shy of a few gray hairs, those who joined me in that theatre had all of theirs. This is nothing personal, of course, but it is an important point as to how we should be making and marketing films of the American West. I’m not sure what one should expect out of a film that had a budget of only $11 million. The script was great, and the key actors pulled it off, but the cast lacked the popular youth to bring in ticket buyers. I say this because the character focus was more on the youthful hero, Jonathan Samuelson, played by Trent Ford (no relation to director John, that I know of) who is a good actor, but no-one knows who he is. His love interest in the film, Emily Hudson, played by Tamara Hope (no relation to Bob, that I know of) also did a fine job, but …right, she’s a no-name. I’m assuming the budget lacked the lure of anyone with a name willing to play those roles, and that’s a shame. The romance between those characters, and the drama that surrounded them, had enough spunk to entertain anyone from 9 to 90. But with Jon Voight the focal actor on the advertisements, and all the attention on the history and little else, it’s no wonder that thus far the movie hasn’t even broke a million dollars in sales. My largest complaint was the quality of acting among the no-liners, who during the massacre, or any of the action scenes for that matter, lacked any sort of ability to show emotion. It was pitiful, to say the least. But, set the critic in me aside, as a history lover, I enjoyed the film. Anyone who has an interest in the subject should go see it, and before or after, read a copy of Will Bagley’s book, BLOOD OF THE PROPHETS: BRIGHAM YOUNG AND THE MASSACRE AT MOUNTAIN MEADOWS. Unlike the film, Bagley’s book, published by the University of Oklahoma Press, is a top notch account—a study and reflection of what Publisher’s Weekly calls “Mormonism’s darkest hour.”
|
|
Photo by Steven Anderson Law Will Bagley tells members of Western Writers of America what he has learned about the Mountain Meadows Massacre of September 11, 1857. |
|
www.westernwriters.org) has promoted and recognized literature of the American West. It has more than 600 members who write about all aspects of the West, historical and contemporary, in fiction, nonfiction, songs, poetry and screenplays.Western Writers of America honors John Jakes for lifetime achievement
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- John Jakes, best-selling author of the “Kent Family Chronicles” and the “North and South” trilogy, will receive the Owen Wister Award for lifetime contribution to Western literature, Western Writers of America has announced.
“John Jakes’ work embodies the best of what literature of the West is all about,” WWA president Cotton Smith says. “Great plots. Memorable characters. Magical prose. Truly he is most worthy of our Owen Wister Award.”
Jakes, 75, will be honored during WWA’s annual convention, June 12-16, at Springfield’s Hawthorn Park Hotel. Since the 1950s, the nonprofit Western Writers of America (
Although best known for sweeping historical sagas, Jakes spent much of his early literary career in the 1950s writing Westerns, including short stories for pulp magazines. His first novel, THE TEXANS RIDE NORTH (1952), was a Western, as was WEAR A FAST GUN (1956).
“The history of the West has always been an important and exciting part of the American story,” Jakes says. “It’s woven not only through my pulp writings but through many of my novels.”
Author of some 60 books and 200 short stories, Jakes has chronicled the West in novels such as HEAVEN AND HELL, CALIFORNIA GOLD, THE FURIES, THE WARRIORS and THE LAWLESS, and as editor of A CENTURY OF GREAT WESTERN STORIES: AN ANTHOLOGY OF WESTERN FICTION. Other Western works include his Western Heritage Wrangler Award-winning short story “Manitow and Ironhand,” and an illustrated children’s book, SUSANNA OF THE ALAMO.
“Few writers today have awakened more readers to the great breadth and depth of our American history than John Jakes,” seven-time Spur Award-winner Elmer Kelton says. “He has both celebrated its glories and beamed a critical light into its dark and hidden corners.”
Other recipients of the Owen Wister Award, formerly the Levi Strauss Saddleman Award, include Matt Braun, Don Coldsmith, A.B. Guthrie Jr. and Louis L’Amour.
“This is an honor I never expected,” Jakes says, “but wonderfully welcome nonetheless - and of course I am proud to accept.”
New DVD of 1939 film "Charlie Chan in Reno" includes bonus extras with author Bill McGee
Coming February 12, 2008 from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, The Charlie Chan Collection, Volume 4, which includes the 1939 film, "Charlie Chan in Reno," set at a swank Reno hotel for divorce seekers.
"'Charlie Chan in Reno' paints a picture of the Reno I knew in the 1940s," says WWA member, Bill McGee, a former dude wrangler on Nevada's famous Flying M E ranch and the co-author of "The Divorce Seekers - A Photo Memoir of a Nevada Dude Wrangler." "Although the film is set at a hotel, the Mary Whitman character arriving in Reno for a divorce could have been any number of guests at the Flying M E."
Bonus extras include "Reno Memories," a featurette on McGee and his cowboyin' years on the Flying M E, and "Welcome to Reno: America's Divorce Resort," a documentary that recaptures Reno's glamorous era with photographs from "The Divorce Seekers" and interviews with McGee and others.
"The producers were looking for someone who could give a firsthand account of life in Reno during the 1930s and '40s, the heyday of the six week divorce when Reno was the Divorce Capital of the World. Let's face it, I'm probably the only dude wrangler - 'still above ground' - who lived through this era!" says McGee.
The Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 4 (4-DVD box set) and "The Divorce Seekers" are available from http://astore.amazon.com/readwest/detail/0970167814/104-0115185-5235964. For more on "The Divorce Seekers," visit www.bmcpublications.com.