Literary crime fiction, book trailers, period piece - it's got it all

[John McFetridge]

Thomas Pynchon has written a crime novel.

Here's the trailer;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjWKPdDk0_U

What do you think?

[Tom Cooke]

John,
It hit me right where I live. I want to read the book.
It might not appeal to younger readers though. I lived through that era and was part of that lifestyle during the 70's so for me, part of the appeal is nostalgic. I remember when a lid of grass was $5.00 and actually came in a Prince Albert tin, hence the name lid, from the tin lid on the can.
Geezer dreams of the past. It has a certain attraction if you're a geezer.
Tom

[Jack Getze]

Nothing I'd buy. Never been able to read more than five pages of any Pynchon novel. Bored to death every time. This trailer also makes me yawn. Telling me stuff every Los Angeles resident knows.

[I. J. Parker]

This may be a technically well-done trailer, but it bored me to tears. I hung in there because you posted it, John.
It all sounds soooo "old hat." Down-at-heels gum-shoe hanging around the beach wondering where life went -- when one of the not-so-good memories shows up.

I haven't read Pynchon and I don't particularly want to. But apart from that I think that trailer doesn't work.

[John McFetridge]

I agree. I like the setting and the era, but the voice was just so dull. I mean the tone of voice and what he had to say. The attempt to make it sound off-the-cuff, with little corrections and asides didn't convince me at all and when he's shocked by the price at the end I was insulted.

Maybe it;'s a great book, I'll order it from the library and see, but I'm not expecting much.

[Debbi Mack]

Insulted how? At the obvious tongue-in-cheek aspect of his "shock" or the price itself? I guess I'm easily amused. :) I didn't think the video was all that bad. I've seen worse that others have extolled.

"What year is this again?" :)

[Jon Loomis]

I liked The Crying of Lot 49 reasonably well; haven't attempted Gravity's Rainbow. Crime novels by experimental-surrealists can be interesting (Denis Johnson's Resuscitation of a Hanged Man is pretty great, anyway--haven't read his new one). I'll probably pick this one up if/when I have time--I'm reading academic comedies now (ruh roh!), and then in a couple of weeks I'll have to start reading for classes again (argh). The thing to remember, though, is that there's no freaking way this trailer accurately reflects the nature of a book by Pynchon--unless the anti-psychotic meds have slowed him WAY down.

[Andrew Kent]

The camera work is very good, but the voice talent sounds like a walking sinus infection. I didn't make it through much because of that, plus what I.J. Parker said -- it seemed like a retread. Doesn't work for me.

[JackBludis]

I wanted to like "Inherent Vice" but managed only to finish about half before I gave it up. No "threw the book across the room" kind of thing ... just terribly disappointed.

[Debbi Mack]

Sounds like one I'll probably skip.

[minervaK]

How so, Jack? Fill us in!...

[Jack Getze]

If you want to chase stewardesses, you have to be in LA for two hours before someone tells you to try Marina Del Rey, which is right next to Venice Beach and the airport. It's just old, that's all.

[minervaK]

Oh, man! I hate to admit it, but this sounds kind of interesting. I never could get through any of Pynchon's books, but it would be incredibly interesting to see what he does with a crime novel. John, if you're going to read it, post a review, will you?