Well, dear readers, how can it already be Wednesday? This is what happens when you don’t get enough sleep – the days become a blur and you lose all track of time. I thought it was Tuesday, even though it is Wednesday. I know I did a lot of work on Tuesday, so why I thought it was Tuesday again I have no idea, but think it I did because, frankly, the days are a blur and I did not get enough sleep. The good news is, the trip to Minneapolis got canned – we’re doing the shoot somewhere outside of LA – much better and I won’t lose valuable writing time this weekend.
Last night I watched bits of quite a few new DVDs, including several Special Editions. First I scanned the brand spanking new Singin’ In The Rain DVD. I was quite excited to get it, because the reviews on the Internet have been amazing. I should know better than to read them, or more importantly to give them any credence whatsoever. Just before running it, I saw a post on a DVD newsgroup which complained mightily about the disc. I figured it was one of those Usenet idiots and I was ready to go on after viewing it and put him in his place. Only I couldn’t because he was absolutely right. The DVD is a major disappointment. It won’t be to most people, but anyone who has ever seen an IB Technicolor print of the film will be bitterly disappointed. I owned a Tech print of it and I am here to tell you that I’m bitterly disappointed. And it’s a shame because the transfer itself is absolutely stunning and rock-solid. It’s the color. Oh, it’s colorful, it’s bright, but it ain’t Technicolor. The skin tones are off (very brown) and nothing is vibrant like it should be. The first DVD release, while not great compared to the transfers they’re doing now, has more vibrant color than this, and it’s far from perfect. Given what I now know about the telecine process and color correction, there is simply no excuse for this. Why they don’t do the obvious – which is put it in synch with a Technicolor print and try to match is beyond me. When Warners did their rather stunning laserdisc transfer of The Searchers in the early nineties, that’s exactly what they did. Unfortunately, Warners used that nine year old transfer for the DVD, when they should have gone back and redone it again, digitally. But, I digress. I haven’t looked at the plethora of extras yet, and the price is right, so I suppose this will have to do until the next time.
Then I watched a bit of the A Hard Day’s Night Special Edition DVD. Again, rather disappointing. It’s anamorphically enhanced, which I like, but the print isn’t especially sharp and I hate the 5.1 stereo remix – it’s horrendous and they should have at least included the original mono. Again, haven’t looked at the extras, which are plentiful. Next, I looked at a bit of Spellbound, which looks and sounds splendid. Then a bit of Séance on a Wet Afternoon, a moody film from Bryan Forbes, with a great John Barry score. The print shows a ton of wear, but I’m happy to have it, and it’s enhanced for widescreen tvs, too. Then a bit of The Rocking Horse Winner, a wonderful British film with great performances. The transfer looks swell.
Then on to Grease. I recall the laserdisc looking really great – this DVD doesn’t look quite as good as I thought it would, but it sounds great, and while I’m not a huge fan of the film, I do like some of the musical numbers. And finally, I settled down and watched the first half of Heavenly Creatures, directed by Peter Jackson. I’d heard it was an absolute masterpiece, but so far, while I’m enjoying it, it is far from a masterpiece. First off, I find it really annoying when a film scene takes place in 1952 and there are record albums by Mario Lanza from 1956. And EPs, too, which didn’t exist back then. That’s just shoddy research and really idiotic. But the girls are excellent, and it looks lovely. I know the best is yet to come, so I’ll hold off being judgmental until I’ve seen the rest.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? What is it, Tuesday all of a sudden? Or Wednesday all of a sudden? All of a sudden my heart sings (no mean feat). Oh, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below and perhaps by doing so I will no longer think it’s Tuesday.
Well, today is supposed to be Ask BK Day, and I think it will be Ask BK Day and that will give me a few days to work on the answers to your excellent questions, which I will then post on Saturday. Isn’t that a fine idea? Isn’t that just too too?
Have I mentioned that the days are a blur because I didn’t get enough sleep? Have I mentioned that I cannot breathe out of my right nostril?
Last night I dreamed I was at Manderley.
In my dream I was being directed by Kathryn Bigelow. I have no idea what in tarnation that means. I have never given Kathryn Bigelow a moment’s thought, nor have I seen her name recently, nor do I know what she looks like (in my dream she had an afro). This is what happens when the days are a blur and you haven’t gotten enough sleep. You dream you are being directed by Kathryn Bigelow.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must remember it’s Wednesday so I don’t relive Tuesday all over again – one Tuesday a week is enough, in my opinion (IMO, in Internet lingo). I must get through another long day and then I must go to a meeting for the New York Tourette benefit. I have informed everyone it must be a short meeting or otherwise I shall get cranky and I shall throw cheese bits at everyone. Today’s topic of discussion: Ask your excellent questions, and talk about whatever events are interesting you. I shall check in later, and I hope there are lots of posts like yesterday, so I can have a break from looking at video. And do keep reminding me that it’s Wednesday not Tuesday. Post away, my pretties.