Miscellaneous: Noir to Spare

Time for another post on the whole “wonder of me” thing. Bonus points to the first person to name the movie I just quoted from.

To begin, the latest and dare-I-say greatest issue of Noir City, the magazine of the Film Noir Foundation, is out today. Donate to the FNF and a copy will be winging its way to you. It’s gorgeously designed by Michael Kronenberg and brother, is it packed with goodies. Including:

- A lengthy tribute to the King of Noir, Robert Ryan

- Alan K. Rode on boxing noir

- Dan Akira Nishimura considering the dark side of Joan Bennett

- Jake Hinkson’s appraisal of Mickey Rooney’s noir career

- Eddie Muller interviewing Daniel Woodrell, of Winter’s Bone and presidential reading material fame

As for yours truly, I’m represented by not one, not two, but three pieces. For the Ryan salute I take a look at my favorite of his performances in Act of Violence. I review the video game L.A. Noire. And I interview the creative team responsible for the new stage adaptation of James M. Cain’s Double Indemnity premiering at ACT Seattle in October. If I do say myself I’m proud of the range of these articles, showing noir new and old taking root in different media.

Speaking of which, last week I posted the trailer for March 32nd, the video game on which I’m toiling as head writer. We spent the weekend promoting the game at PAX, complete with green screen studio. The Escapist was there, and their correspondent calls our supernatural noir detective game “one of the strangest, most intriguing titles I’ve seen in quite some time.” Go read the article and stay tuned for updates.

Shameless Self-Promotion: March 32nd Teaser

I’ve spent enough time telling you people about good books and movies, providing interviews with talented authors. It’s high time this blog focused on its most important subject. Me.

Among the assorted irons I have in various fires is March 32nd. I am inexplicably the head writer of this video game, a wildly ambitious project that will tell a single story over the course of multiple episodes. We’ve assembled a terrific team of writers, designers, coders and filmmakers. We’ve started production with a talented cast of actors. And, after four years in development, we finally have a teaser. One that showcases our signature art style.

March 32nd Teaser from Chromed on Vimeo.

The full March 32nd crew including yours truly will be at the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle this weekend. Stop on by the booth – you can’t miss it, it’s a portable green screen studio – for your chance to be a character in the game. Time it wrong and you may even be directed by me.