James Greer is an American novelist, screenwriter, director, musician, and critic. As a screenwriter, he is known for writing the 2018 thriller '' Unsane'' directed by

Steven Soderbergh Steven Andrew Soderbergh ( ; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and editor. A pioneer of modern Independent film, independent cinema, Soderbergh later drew acclaim for formally inventiv ...

and starring

Claire Foy Claire Elizabeth Foy (born 16 April 1984) is a British actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in the Netflix drama series ''The Crown (TV series), The Crown'' (2016–2023), for which List of awards and nominations r ...

and

Juno Temple Juno Temple (born 21 July 1989) is an English actress. She is known for her roles in the comedy series ''Ted Lasso'' (2020–2023) and in the fifth season of the crime drama series '' Fargo'' (2023–2024). She earned Primetime Emmy Award nomi ...

, as well as the family comedies ''

Max Keeble's Big Move ''Max Keeble's Big Move'' is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Tim Hill, written by David L. Watts, James Greer, Jonathan Bernstein and Mark Blackwell and starring Alex D. Linz, Larry Miller, Jamie Kennedy, Nora Dunn, and Robert Carra ...

'', '' Just My Luck'' and ''

The Spy Next Door ''The Spy Next Door'' is a 2010 American spy action comedy film directed by Brian Levant, written by Jonathan Bernstein, James Greer and Gregory Poirier, produced by Robert Simonds with music by David Newman. The film stars Jackie Chan, with ...

''. He lives in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Career

Musician/Critic

Greer was senior editor and senior writer at ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' magazine in New York City in the early 1990s, during which time he helped define the generational cohort that became later widely-known as Generation X. He wrote and performed all instruments/vocals on the song "Trendspotter Acrobat" on the EP Sunfish Holy Breakfast by

Guided By Voices Guided by Voices is an American indie rock band formed in 1983 in Dayton, Ohio. It has made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard. The most well-known lineup of the band consisted o ...

. He was the bassist in the band from 1994 to 1996. Greer started a band in 2012 with musician Lola G. called DTCV. Pronounced "detective", it was an indie rock duo from Joshua Tree, California. The band released a double album called Hilarious Heaven in 2013 on

Xemu Records Xemu Records is an American independent record label. History Xemu Records is an independent record label, founded in 1992 in New York City by writer, filmmaker, musician, music producer and artist Cevin Soling as a vehicle for his music and mu ...

, followed by a compilation of their early singles and EPs, The Early Year. The duo released their second studio album, Uptime!, in 2015. In April 2016 the band released its third and final studio album, entitled Confusion Moderne, on

Novelist/Author

Greer has published three novels: ''Artificial Light'' (Little House on the Bowery/ Akashic, 2006), ''The Failure'' (Akashic, 2010). ''Artificial Light'' won a California Book Award Silver Medal for First Fiction. and ''Bad Eminence'' ( And Other Stories, 2022), which Andrew Gallix in

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

called "this year's cult classic," writing that the novel was "hilarious, exhilarating and mind-blowing". In 2013 Greer released his first book of short fiction, titled ''Everything Flows,'' via Curbside Splendor. ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' said of the book "Halfway between the mind of God and a vivid dream, Everything Flows is proof that there remain new places to go, both on paper and in the known universe." FICTION * Artificial Light (2006) * The Failure (2010) * The Speed Chronicles (2011) * Everything Flows (2013) * Bad Eminence (2023) NON-FICTION * R.E.M.: Behind the Mask (1992) * Guided by Voices: A Brief History: Twenty-One Years of Hunting Accidents in the Forests of Rock and Roll (2005)

Screenwriter

Greer has written or co-written several movies, including ''

'' (Disney, 2001), '' Just My Luck'' (20th Century Fox, 2006) starring

Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress, singer, producer, and businesswoman. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at age three. She appeared as a regular on the soap opera ' ...

, the

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...

vehicle ''

'' (Lions Gate, 2010) and '' Unsane'', directed by

, and starring

and

(Fingerprint Releasing, Bleecker Street, Regency, 2018). In February 2018, ''

Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. It is updated several times a day, with en ...

'' reported that Greer was set to write a script called ''Planet Kill'' for Soderbergh to produce. He also has adapted the

John Barth John Simmons Barth (; May 27, 1930 – April 2, 2024) was an American writer best known for his postmodern and metafictional fiction. His most highly regarded and influential works were published in the 1960s, and include '' The Sot-Weed Facto ...

novel

The Sot-Weed Factor (novel) ''The Sot-Weed Factor'' is a 1960 novel by the American writer John Barth. The novel marks the beginning of Barth's literary postmodernism. ''The Sot-Weed Factor'' takes its title from the poem ''The Sot-Weed Factor: Or, a Voyage to Maryland ...

for a projected series from Soderbergh.

Discography

*Alien Lanes (1995) *Sunfish Holy Breakfast (1996) *Under The Bushes, Under The Stars (1996) DTCV * Hilarious Heaven (2013) * Uptime! (2015) * Confusion Moderne (2016)

Filmography

Writer FILM * 2023 - Mirror Moves (director/writer) * 2018 - Unsane * 2010 - The Spy Next Door (screenplay) / (story) * 2008 - La femme qui n'était rien (Short) * 2008 - Bait Shop (Video) (teleplay) * 2008 - Diegesis (Short) * 2006 - Love Is Stronger Than Witchcraft (Video short) * 2006/II - Mimesis (Short) * 2006 - Just My Luck (story) * 2006 - Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector * 2001 - Max Keeble's Big Move (screenplay) / (story) TV * The Horse's Mouth (writer/co-creator) Director * 2023 - Mirror Moves (feature film) * 2017 - A Walk Across the Human Bridge (Video short) * 2016 - Bourgeois Pop (Video short) * 2015 - Miley Cyrus Wins the Race (Video short) * 2008 - La femme qui n'était rien (Short) * 2008 - Diegesis (Short) * 2006 - Love Is Stronger Than Witchcraft (Video short) * 2006/II - Mimesis (Short)

References

External links

*
Akashic Books page for Greer's novel ''Artificial Light''

And Other Stories page for Greer's novel "Bad Eminence

IMDB page for ''Unsane''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greer, James Living people 21st-century American novelists American magazine editors American male novelists American rock guitarists American male screenwriters American male guitarists 21st-century American male writers Guided by Voices members 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American screenwriters