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A fascinating and original documentary featuring one of the most popular modern crime novelists...
Bestselling crime thriller novelist Michael Connelly has received much critical praise, appeared on bestseller lists, and earned many awards since his first novel in 1992. He had even made his mark in his previous line of work: journalism. He had written crime stories for two newspapers: the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Los Angeles Times. With his knowledge of true crime and his mastery at putting words on paper, it's no wonder that he is one of the most respected writers working today. Blue Neon Night: Michael Connelly's Los Angeles is a very original type of film. Directed by Terrill Lee Lankford, it is a documentary that was released as a free promotional limited-edition DVD along with his 2004 novel The Narrows. This was not the first time a promotional item was given away with a new Connelly novel. It was done the year before with an audio CD called Dark Sacred Night, compiling jazz pieces mentioned in Connelly's novels and distributed with the novel Lost Light. Most of Connelly's novels feature Los Angeles police detective Harry Bosch, a man with many internal demons. He listens to jazz music and truly calls Los Angeles his home. This love for the city definitely shows in passages where Connelly takes a moment to describe specific places in the city. It is one thing that Connelly fans like besides his ability to write a thriller with many surprises and twists. Therefore, Blue Neon Night was made to help fans appreciate Los Angeles as told in the novels. The film features segments with Connelly talking about the city of Los Angeles, specific locations, the character of Detective Harry Bosch, and personal stories related to his former work as a police reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Segments in between Connelly's segments show footage of various spots in the L.A. area as actor William Petersen, star of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and the 1986 film Manhunter, reads associated excerpts from Connelly's novels. The footage of Los Angeles ties in quite nicely with the excerpts so that the reader, especially if he or she has never been to Los Angeles, can see the locations as the story is being told. The excerpts are taken from all of Connelly's novels up until 2004, from The Black Echo to The Narrows. The DVD has a few special features, including TV commercials for the most recent novels and a preview of The Narrows that was originally played in bookstores before its release on May 3, 2004. One feature worth noting is a segment about jazz musician George Cables. This is the musician who wrote the piece called Lullaby, which is one of Harry Bosch's favorite pieces. Cables and other jazz musicians play a role for this fictional character constantly looking for the light, which Connelly likes to call "lost light." Sadly, Cables passed away in December 2007. He will be dearly missed. I like Blue Neon Night not just as a film that any fan of Michael Connelly would definitely enjoy, but also as an innovative method of book promotion. When I go to a bookstore, I think about just books and the authors that have written them. With Blue Neon Night, I can imagine that future authors can have new means of promoting their work. Promotional DVDs and other items may become more commonplace. I do not know how long it would catch on, but I think it could happen eventually. Anthony's Rating: 
For more information about Blue Neon Night: Michael Connelly's Los Angeles, visit the Internet Movie Database and the official web site of Michael Connelly.
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