'Emily Rose' Looks Good

For those who especially like a chill on their flesh, be on the lookout for "The Exorcism of Emily Rose." It's due Sept. 9 from Sony Pictures. (You can visit the site and see the trailer here.)

The film is based on a true story about a 19-year-old woman deemed demon-possessed by the Catholic Church. The priest who attempt an exorcism was charged with negligence after her death. The movie deals with the lawyer's defense of the priest, as well as the story of Emily herself. Casting (Laura Linney and Tom Wilkinson, for example) looks terrific.

I believe the true story comes from the novel "The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel." The film, however, looks like it might be a good entry into the "religious horror" genre. We'll see ...

London Attacks Make 'Vengeance' Even Odder

Last night I finished reading Vengeance, a book about Israel's counter-terrorism operation after 11 of its athletes were murdered at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

The book tells the story of Avner, an agent trained by the Mossad to lead four other specialists to infiltrate terrorist networks in Europe with the aim of killing 11 top terrorists as identified by the Mossad.

The book, by George Jonas, is fascinating. It's been made into a 1986 TV movie called "Sword of Gideon" (read our review) and serves as a source in Steven Spielberg's upcoming movie about that operation as well.

I finished its 350 pages last night about 11:00. This morning my wife woke me up telling me there had been terrorist attacks in London. Oddly, the first thing I thought of was the copy of Vengeance on my bedside table.

I'll be working on my review of the book today; it, like our review of "Sword of Gideon," is part of unfolding coverage in advance of Spielberg's movie.

Already I wonder how today's events in London will affect what I write.