Well, dear readers, here we are on a Wednesday in the middle of August. Yesterday, I spent a relaxingly relaxing day catching up on things that needed catching up on. I did this, I did that, and when I tired of doing this and that I then did that and this. And then, Tammy and I drove up to Sunland to do our radio interview, where we were joined by our compatriot, Miss Susanne Blakeslee. I’ve known the disc jockey, Gregg Hunter, for ages – I last appeared on his radio show in the early eighties, I think. It was whenever Brighton Beach Memoirs was premiering here at the Ahmanson. At that time, Gregg did his show live from Junior’s Deli in Westwood. His other guests that day were newcomer Matthew Broderick and his co-star Zvelko Ivanek. In any case, we all had fun on the show and stayed about an hour. Tammy and I then went out to Dalt’s, where I had their deliciously delicious macaroni and cheese. Tammy had a cheeseburger, because she hadn’t really had a decent meal all day, just silly food, like Corn Pops. Isn’t Corn Pops a silly name? Now that I think of it, most cereals have silly names – Frosted Flakes, Count Chokula, Sugar Pops (are tops), Fruit Loops, Quaker Oats, Post Toasties – I mean, those are just silly names. Frankly, those names make me want to commit a homicide on the cereal. But then, you see, I would be a cereal killer and we can’t have that, now can we? Have I gone off on a tangent? I do believe I have. Damn them, damn them all to hell.
Yesterday, I watched two count them two motion pictures on DVD. First I watched yet another Universal Noir, this time a motion picture entitled Criss Cross. It’s not one of my all-time favorite noirs, but it’s strikingly directed by the great Robert Siodmak, well-scored by the great Miklos Rozsa, and well-acted by Mr. Burt Lancaster and especially Mr. Dan Duryea, one of my favorite actors. The female lead, Yvonne de Carlo is like a bargain basement Lauren Bacall. The transfer is lovely, as is the sound. It’s entertaining, but just not the masterpiece that some of these other noirs are. I then watched the latest Woody Allen film, Anything Else – I had no idea this film even existed – it just escaped briefly last year and disappeared from sight. And with good reason – it’s almost as desperately bad as The Curse of the Jade Scorpion. This is Woody in Annie Hall and Manhattan territory (his first scope film since the latter). Only it’s not funny, it’s not dramatic, it’s not anything. It’s warmed-over Woody’s Greatest Hits and it is shockingly bad. It’s clearly about him and Diane Keaton. Mr. Jason Biggs plays Woody and Christina Ricci plays Diane. I’m sure Mr. Biggs is a decent actor, but a Woody stand-in he isn’t – he tries to do the mannerisms and the stuttering, but it’s hopeless. Miss Ricci simply doesn’t have the endearing goofiness of Miss Keaton and therefore you hate her character. Some of the reviews this film received are amusing – these same critics, year in and year out, say the same thing with whatever the current film. They say that unlike last year’s disappointing Woody film, this one is really funny and good. Then, next year, they’ll call this one disappointing and rave about whatever the new one is. I’m not making this up, it happens every year with the same critics. The film has no style at all (where is Gordon Willis when you need him). That said, I did enjoy Mr. Allen himself (he has the film’s only amusing moments – all one or two of them). I keep hoping for a Woody comeback but I fear we’re not going to get it. The DVD looks fine.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because frankly I’m looking at a box of Wheaties and contemplating stomping it to smithereens. For I am, after all, a cereal killer.
Yes, I, BK, am a cereal killer. I have offed boxes of Cream of Wheat, Raisin Bran, Special K and others. But I feel no guilt whatsoever. I feel no remorse. I am a cold and calculating cereal killer.
Today I have quite a few things to attend to and attend to them I shall. Isn’t that exciting? Isn’t that just too too?
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must do errands and I must do work around the home environment and I must do this and that and also that and this. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to provide any old answer we like. Also, what are your favorite cereals and have you ever been a cereal killer? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we? We shall.