MichaelMandaville.com Articles

"Why I Want to Commit Murder in Paris"

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Michael Mandaville

Author of "A Cold Death", "Stealing Thunder" and Filmmaker

Murder requires a certain sensitivity.   After the crime, where could I hide? How can I mess with the police? What clues would I seek to cover up?

Paris is an ideal choice. Because the Paris police don't even know what's going on under their own feet. Literally.

A few years ago, a Special Group in the Paris Police Department were on a training exercise and made a surprise discoveryin the Catacombs under the Palais de Chaillot. Right across the from Eiffel Tower in the City of Light's famed 16th Arrondisement, they discovered a movie theater.   An underground movie theater. That's right.

Gendarmes found the entrance through a drain near the famed Trocadero at the Palais de Chaillot.   Marked off with a tarp marked "Building site, No Access", the police discovered a closed-circuit TV system and were surprised by vicious barking dogs - which proved to be a recording triggered by a motion detector.   The system was mean to frighten off any uninvited guests.

The Paris Police and a Special Group are tasked with monitoring the one hundred and seventy miles of underground tunnels, galleries, caves and catacombs under Paris' boulevards, buildings and landmarks. The miles of Parisian tunnels stem from the city's early quarries, from Roman times, when the area was the tribal home of the Parisii. But if a city can keep its secrets so close that even the police are shocked, then that's a perfect city in which to commit murder.

Asked who built the unusual movie theater, a French police spokesman said, "We have no idea whatsoever. There were two swastikas painted on the ceiling, but also Celtic crosses and several stars of David, so we don't think it's extremists. Some sect or secret society, maybe. There are any number of possibilities."

The police moved past the dog barking recorder down almost eighty feet into a massive cave which was at least four hundred square meters, carved out like amphitheatre with terraces cut into the rock and plenty of chairs.   The theater would make the local Bijou jealous with a full-sized screen, projectors and a considerable film library with primarily film noir classics and thrillers. Since none of the films were banned, the theater must've catered to true cinephiles.

And the theater had a bar and restaurant area. A police spokesman noted that "there were bottles of whisky and other spirits behind a bar, tables and chairs, a pressure-cooker for making couscous."   The setup included a professionally installed electrical system. And three phone lines.   When the police returned to trace the power source, they found a simple note on the floor. "Do not try to find us."

Les Catacombes can be toured by visitors where one underground area, created as the "Empire of Death" in the 1700's , features the skulls and bones of the six million Parisians moved from overcrowded cemeteries.   While it's a legal offence to explore the tunnels and galleries, unique visitors - cataphiles - regularly access the vast system through ventilation shafts and access tunnels.     My novel, "A Cold Death" was sparked by my curiousity about the mysterious theater under the Palais Chaillot - along with newly carved tunnels underneath Paris' high security La Sante prison. Another setting my novel.

The City of Paris has more mystery than any other city in the world to me.   And remains the best place for me to commit murder. And never get caught.

Chinese Navy Urged To Be Ready for Combat

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The Chinese Navy - or the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) - has been aggressively beefing up its naval forces and is now urging them to be ready for combat. But with who?

A number of potential targets are on China's radar from its former nemesis, Japan, to countries circling the South China Sea like the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia. China has to keep its economy pumping, despite reports that its internal municipal debt approaches a Greek like sovereign debt bubble, with a massive real estate bubble and increasing unrest from a population underserved by its Communist masters in Zhongnanhai's Maoist compound.

Hu Exhorts the Chinese Navy to Be Ready for Combat

Rickshaw Steadicam!

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Inevitably, where there is a will, there is a way. The Steadicam Rickshaw demonstrates another stabilizing platform method for digital filmmaking.

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U.S. - China Tensions Heating Up

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The plot of "Stealing Thunder" deals with the rising tensions in the Pacific Rim between Communist China and the United States and - in particular - over disputes to rich oil and natural gas territory in the South China Sea. So here's the headline from Reuters:

REUTERS: Tension between the United States and China spilled over into meetings of Asia-Pacific leaders on Friday as the two countries jostled over how to handle competing claims to the South China Sea.

PANDORA'S BOX?

Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei are the other claimants to parts of the South China Sea, a major route for some $5 trillion in trade each year and potentially rich in resources.

The Southeast Asian countries along with the United States and Japan, are pressuring China to try to seek some way forward on the knotty issue of sovereignty, which has flared up again this year with often tense maritime stand-offs that an Australian think tank said could lead to conflict.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged claimants this week not to resort to intimidation to push their cause, itself an indirect reference to China, which lays claim to large swathes of the sea.

In bilateral meetings, Obama said the maritime dispute was an issue to be discussed by the summit. Indeed, he told India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the East Asia Summit was the "premier arena" for resolving such an issue.

Japan added its voice to the call, saying those with claims should "seek a peaceful resolution in a transparent matter based on international law."

Shysters - Kickstarter Campaign - Sunday

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Sunday night here, moving over the weekend on the Kickstarter.com Shysters campaign. I am on Facebook to let my friends know what's going on for the film.

"Shysters was alot of laughs with some great characters. It is reminiscent of the great screwball comedies of the 1930's. It was a lot of fun." Doug Stebleton Producer "Mother of Normandy" and documentary “I Want Your Money”

From the Shysters FAQ:

What are the locations in "Shysters"?

The film has two major locations. The primary location is the office of Dewey, Cheatham and Howe. Our strategy is to rent an office which can accommodate not only the shooting set but also areas and rooms for our production needs like wardrobe, production coordination, makeup, storage, camera, etc., . In this way, our production offices are within walking distance to the set. We won't have to rent a lot of trucks or pay for a lot of parking. Yes, I'm very frugal. I want all the money to go up on the screen. The second major set is located at one of several stages in Los Angeles where we can get a courtroom, a jail, a detective pool, a marble hallway area, elevators, and even a judge’s chambers. We would limit our shooting there to two or three days of very busy work. The other locations should be done just down the street from our office area or would be those five second establishing shots which we could shoot with a very small crew. The mansion shot can be a small patio area against brick backgrounds (like the alley or courtyard area of the office building maybe?) and adding nice patio furniture, trellises, lattice, etc. We would establish the mansion and then cutaway to some dense backyard vegetation where the cop is snooping.

Shysters - Kickstarter Campaign - Saturday

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The Saturday Kickstarter Campaign keeps moving along.

“Congratulations on a great script! Rarely do projects of this nature make me laugh out loud, but SHYSTER'S did .... numerous times! I can't wait to see it produced and widely distributed!"

Michael Emerson Award Winning Producer-Director History Channel

From the Shysters FAQ:

What is the central story in the film "Shysters"?

A young man comes upon a scurrilous trio of lawyers in the law firm of Dewey Cheetham and Howe. He tries to do the right thing but two of the partners, who have been embezzling from their client states, want to frame him for embezzling and murder their partner. However, good triumphs over evil in the end. I won't tell you anything more.

Shysters - Kickstarter Campaign Friday

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The Kickstarter.com "Shysters" campaign is moving along. This Kickstarter thing takes time. We currently have 40 more days to raise our $385,000 and are working on our Social Media Campaign. You can contribute $1, $10 or more and Get Rewards!

“A well-crafted story with tight, snappy dialogue, that not only touches your heart, but makes you think. A throwback to a simpler time, it reminisces of some of the greatest work of Frank Capra.” Bryan Todd - Producer-Director

From the Shysters FAQ:

What is your background in the motion picture industry?

I've been working in the motion picture industry or a media related field all my life. I worked in feature films, commercials, documentaries, short films and have worked primarily as line producer and unit production manager. I'm in the Directors Guild of America as well as the Screen Actors Guild. I've worked on movies such as "Taken" with Liam Neeson and "Havoc" with Anne Hathaway. I've also worked on "American History X" and other independent films. I just started prepping the sequel for "Taken".

Shysters - Kickstarter Campaign Starts Up!

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

My associate, Robert Lennon, and I have started up a campaign on Kickstarter.com for "Shysters". That's right. We're moving forward with raising funds for this feature film.

You can go to the "Shysters" website on Kickstarter.com.

From the Shysters FAQ:

Why Did You Want to Make This Movie?

I love comedies. I always enjoyed the great screwball comedies of the Thirties like the ones directed by Frank Capra, Billy Wilder, Preston Sturges and Ernst Lubitsch. The hero of the film is a Christian which used to be pretty common in the films of the Thirties, Forties and Fifties. He was the Good Guy. You can remember films with Bing Crosby like the "Bells of St. Mary's" and other films like that. Our Hero is a very sincere guy, living his Faith, trying to help people. That's not a Character that is portrayed often in the movies anymore - someone who is a believer in Faith, this country or the US military.

Harold Ramis on Caddyshack

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Harold Ramis directed Caddyshack which became a very popular film in 1980.

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How Groucho Got His Name.

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

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