The Hunted (Elmore Leonard)

 Well, it's been long overdue: I am currently reading a crime novel by Elmore Leonard. I have been wanting to get back to Leonard since January 2025, it was one of my reading objectives that year: add one of his novels to my TBR list. Well, better late than never, I recently bought The Hunted, among a number of his books I was pondering on. I'm reading it now. The hunted of the novel is hero Al Rosen. I say "hero", but maybe it's more fitting to say protagonist, although he is as heroic as one can be in a Leonard story. He is hiding in Israel from Detroit mobsters, drifting in the Holy Land out of trouble, until he saves some tourists from a hotel fire, which gets him his picture in the press... and the attention from the mob. It's a neat thriller so far, with nasty criminals, a sleazy lawyer, great dialogues and plenty of atmosphere.

The Hunter

Sometimes, there are dreams that I don't have that come true. So a few days ago, I learn in this Variety article that the crime novel The Last Hunt by South African writer Deon Meyer will be adapted into a TV series. But that's not all: Israeli scriptwriter Noah Stollman, who is also one of the scriptwriters of the spy thriller series Fauda, will do the adaptation. And you know how much I love Fauda. So for me, it is like the meeting of two great creative minds, from two cultures I love. Now Meyer has been adapted before and I have rarely been able to find these adaptations on streaming or on television, but it's good news all the same. The article says it is a spy thriller, which is true of this novel and many other works of Deon Meyer. Anyway, the adaptation is titled The Hunter (working title?) and I will be on the lookout for it. If you are interested, watch this space.

Fauda Season 5: First Trailer!

Well, I got some cool news that I wanted to share. You know how much I love the Israeli thriller series Fauda, for the drama, for the characters, forthe cool use of Krav Maga. And things are moving forward nicely for the next season, which I have been wanting for impatiently. After a funny teaser video from lead actor and show creator Lior Raz, they have released the very first trailer. Sadly, there is no English subtitles, but it's quite intriguing all the same. Here it is:

 

Fauda Season 5 Updates

You may remember that I love the Israeli thriller series Fauda, by far the very best series I saw on Netflix.What I love about it, apart from the display of Krav Maga, is how genuine it is, with characters who are almost carbon copies of real life ones and far from the Hollywood clichés and stereotypes of action thrillers. The lead and show co-creator, Lior Raz, doesn't really look like a leading man, as we have been used to see them: he is short, balding, he has a bit of a belly. But he plays his role with seamless authenticity, mostly because he has been himself in the same situations as his character. Anyway, I have been wanting a fifth season since I finished bingeing it, back in 2023. Well, it seems that my prayers have been answered: season 5 should start filming in late April, according to Variety. That's very good news. I don't know when it will end up on Netflix, but I'm looking forward to it.

Fauda, Season 5?

My reader knows that I love the Israeli crime/war/spy series Fauda, one of my favourite TV drama, for many reasons. And I have been waiting, waiting for any news about a future and still hypothetical season 5. Well, there is an intriguing short video I found a few weeks before Christmas on the official YouTube channel of the series. This video, titled Get ready. Obviously, you don't see much, except a few seconds series' creator and main actor Lior Raz training. With the hashtag #Fauda5. So yeah. Maybe it's just a tease. But I do hope that the series is out of development hell and the situation in Israel is now suitable for filming.

I Want Chaos

 I recently read this Express article (itself not recent) about Netflix shows and it mentions extensively (well, extensively for its brievety) the Israeli series Fauda. Which has been so far my favourite TV series available on Netflix. They were planning a season five, apparently, but it has not materialised yet. I guess due to, well, what's been happening in Israel at the moment, which incidentally saw some of the cast of the series taking arms to protect their country, any future season will have to wait. But I'm impatient. Fauda was, is, the best show on Netflix, it had suspense, drama, character, atmosphere and, to top it up, Krav Maga (yes, I could recognise it). So I really want to know what happened to these characters I grew fond of.

Krav Maga in a nutshell

 As I blogged back in April, I am reading Fight Write, by Carla Hoch, to help me work on the violent scenes of my crime fiction stories. I am learning a lot of useful stuff, but I digress. At some point, she makes a list and description of martial arts and fighting techniques. This is what she says about Krav Maga: "Basically if you could put all the martial arts and fighting styles in the world into a blender and pour out a bit into a camo print coffee cup with the word peace on it, what you'd be sipping is Krav Maga." I love it. It is Krav Maga in a nutshell. On a side note, I really need to get back into training. I need to get back into shape, being far too sedentary, but alsoI think it is such a useful technique to know and to learn to master.

About Karate

 We recently received a freebie school magazine when Wolfie got back from school. Parents get it from time to time. In the freebie magazine, there is an advert for karate classes not too far from here. Near(ish) my old working place from seven years ago. Anyway, a few things struck me in this advert. The first is that self defence is barely mentioned. It' there, but not the primary benefit, apparently. I thought it was strange. Maybe my few years of in Krav Maga rubbed on to me. I think this should be the main reason why you would try any martial art. True that Krav Maga is not a martial art per se, because it is solely focused on self defence and not rituals or codes. Every time I see an advert somewhere for martial art classes, of any kind, it reminds me that I should really, but seriously, go back to do Krav Maga. The other thing it reminded me of is that karate was the first and only martial art I ever did, once at school, because we had special classes for it, and once in cégep, because I needed it for my credit. I guess I wasn't very good at it, or it was just not for me, because I never went further than that. It felt too formal and not nearly as impressive as what I could see in movies. Truly, I only felt comfortable doing Krav Maga, although again I was not very good at it. It just felt more natural.

Jiu-Jitsu, Kickboxing (and Krav Maga?)

 We got a leaflet through the door today, for a local business. It was advertising Brazilian jiu-jitsu (or jujutsu, or ju-jitsu) and kickboxing classes. One side for the martial art, the other for the contact sport. No, I'm not interested into doing either. Too old, too out of shape, too sendentary, not really into sports or martial art. But it reminded me that I have long stopped training in Krav Maga. And that's not good. Now, why would I still do Krav Maga and not kickboxing or a martial art? Because KM is completely a self defence and this is what I would need in a threatening situation. Maybe it should be a new year's resolution: go back into training.

Fauda Will Return

Well, here is a bit of good news for amateur of intelligent spy/action drama. You may remember from one of my previous posts that I got seriously hooked on Israeli tv series Fauda. It has suspense, gripping tension in fact, plenty of drama, heart, soul and also, on top of that, a fair bit of Krav Maga, which is always great. The series had so far four seasons, each outdoing the other in some way or the other. The last season had ended on a cliffhanger of sorts (I don't want to give too much away if you haven't watched it.) Well, I learned two days ago that there will be a fifth season. As Fauda is a drama where anyone can die and it ended on a cliffhanger, I am really eager to know more about what happened and who survived the last ordeal, if any. I know I will be tuning in as soon as it is released.

More Chaos

I finally finished watching the Israeli crime/spy drama Fauda, which I got hooked on back in February. Four seasons of pure goodness, with plenty of violence, cool Krav Maga stuff, but also plenty of humanity and genuine emotions to leave me wanting for more.Apparently, there will be a fifth season, but I have no idea when it will be aired. In the meantime, I am trying to get my fix of crime/spy dramas with another series featuring Lior Raz (the main actor in Fauda, also one of its creators), called Hit and Run. It's also on Netflix. So far so good, it is well made, but it is much cleaner, more polished and much less... chaotic, if that makes sense. It is less localized, feels less authentic. I am enjoying it though, if only because Raz makes for a relatable as well as believable hero. But I long for more Chaos.

Fauda (Chaos)

I know Netflix has been heavily criticised recently for various reasons, that said I must admit that I find a lot of quality films and programs in there. I recently got hooked on Fauda, an Israeli spy and crime thriller. Fauda is also a Hebrew and Arabic term meaning chaos and that pretty much sums up the atmosphere of the show. The series started in 2015, so I am arriving quite late at the party, but I guess algorithms are what they are. I came to the series not expecting much, basically I started watching it hoping to see some cool action scenes featuring Krav Maga. And yes I got some of that too, but what I discovered was a realistic war drama pretty much devoided of manicheism. The antagonists may be ruthless terrorists, nevertheless they have families and loved ones. So you know where they are coming from and you can empathise with them. The action scenes are violent, suspenseful, frantic, but never glamourised.  So yes, I have only watched the first episode so far (therefore I might change my mind about its content after seeing more), but I think I might just binge this one. Shamelessly.

The paratroopers' beret

Because I used to train in Krav Maga, something I want to go back to, I follow things directly or indirectly related to it online, such as the YouTube channel of the Israel Defense Forces. They have a few cool videos about the self-defence technique and it is always useful. They also have a few polls sometimes, which are always fun. One recently asked which of the berets of their forces was the best. I had no idea what to answer, so I asked Wolfie, who said he preferred the beret of the paratroopers, which is Burgundy red. Red is not really his favourite colour, so I wonder why he chose that one, but all the same, paratroopers are cool in a badass way, so I guess it reflects in their berets somehow. My son has good instincts.

Plugging Krav Maga

I haven't blogged about Krav Maga in a long while, partially because I haven't gone back to it, to my great shame. But a few years ago, I started thinking about it again. I was buying a few things at a nearby corner shop, when a mother and her daughter walked in. The daughter must have been around ten, twelve top and she was wearing a Jujutsu uniform, with belt and all. I don't know if she was coming back or going to practice, must be back as it was not very early and they didn't seem to be in any rush. So anyway, I told them that if the girl was interested in self-defence, there was local Krav Maga lessons given nearby and that it was a great method, very efficient. I don't do Krav Maga anymore, but I am still evangelising. At some point, I ought to preach by example and get back to it.

Gag pascal

 J'ai entendu cette blague, qui m'a bien fait rire. Je la raconte dans mes mots:

Un touriste se trouve près du Lac de Tibériade et veut le traverser en bateau. Il voit un ateau et demande à son propriétaire combien coûte la traversée.

-1000 shekels, dit l'homme.

-1000 shekels? C'est trop cher! dit le touriste.

-Oui mais monsieur, il faut comprendre, c'est quand même le lac où le Christ a marché sur les eaux.

-Au prix où vous chargez le passage, pas étonnant qu'il ait marché!

Bon, c'est un peu niaiseux, mais j'ai ri.

Here Comes the Sun (from Israel)

I am not the greatest fan of the Beatles, yet I love some of their songs and sometimes I stumble upon a cover of their tunes that is great. This was the case recently andI thought it was so great I had to share it. This was filmed at the Shaare Zedec Medical Center of Jerusalem. And it is seriously the very best version of Here Comes the Sun I have ever listened to. Well, Spring has arrived and it is a fitting spring song, especially done like this.

Krav Maga: the deadliest

My former Krav Maga instructor (and I only say former because I had to stop training when I lost my job three years ago, I want to to get back to it) recently shared this article on social media. They make a list of the ten deadliest martial arts and, as you would expect if you have ever practised it, Krav Maga came first. The number one, deadliest, most dangerous, badass martial art. Except that it is not a martial art (it has no ceremony, no code, no ranking per se), it is a self-defence system. Nevertheless, it beats all these other martial arts at what they claim they do. I can't help but feel a bit of pride, even though I still know very little about it and I am not very good at it. All the same, I am not quite clueless, I know enough to tell it is not a martial art and I hope I can train again one day.

"What did the Roman ever do for us?"

There is a parody video about the ahem, current political situation in the UK that has been going on social media a lot recently. They used an audio from a very funny scene in Monty Python's Life of Brian. Now I must confess, for all my love of British humour, I have never watched Life of Brian. I will try to do it before next Easter or something. But in any case, if the new video was funny, the original is absolutely hilarious and as it is trendy, I thought I'd share it tonight here. The new one you can find here, the original below. Tell me which one you prefer.

"Circle of Death"

I saw yesterday a memory on Facebook dating back from when I used to do Krav Maga, so not so long ago. In one of my instructor's posts, right after our training session, he asked us: "why did I get you to spin around before circle of death?" I do not exactly recall what is the circle of death, but grosso modo from what I remember it is an exercise when you defend yourself against multiple attackers, when they are surrounding you. Hence, you are in the middle of a circle of death. It sounds sinister, but during training it is really exciting. Anyway, here was the answer I posted: "Because in combat situation it is unlikely that the circumstances will be ideal. Especially in group fights. We'd be dizzy, disoriented, maybe intoxicated. So the exercise reflected that. That's my theory anyway." I don't know if this was the exact right answer my instructors, but one of the assistant instructors gave me a Like so I think my idea was not very far off. In any case, I think it deserves to be a new great unknown line. I miss Krav Maga a lot these days. I am not a natural fighter, far from it, but I do have a good analytical mind sometimes. In any case and even not taking into account how useful Krav Maga is, I miss the group and its camaraderie. I really felt like I belonged there.

Knife attacks in town

Something happened recently to the cousin of one of my wife's friends, and it happened in the center of our quiet little town. I don't know the details, but basically some thug threatened the cousin and his friends with a knife. There has been an increase of knife attacks in town recently, this is only one of them. In fact it is not even a knife attack, it's "only" a threat (for an attack there has to be movement). After learning about this, and other violent incidents, I am glad I learned Krav Maga. Defense against knife attacks is something we practiced over and over again, because they are very frequent. I recommended to my wife's friend that she should look for a KM club nearby to learn the Israeli self-defense system herself (and her cousin with her). I have also started thinking that I should get back into training.