Well, dear readers, I must write these here notes quickly because she of the Evil Eye will be here soon and I must, of course, hie myself out of here. I’m happy to say that our little book fix seems to have done the trick and we’re now on the fast track. I should have a galley, both online and hardcopy sometime next week. Hopefully that will be instantly approvable and they can get me sample hardcover and softcovers a couple of weeks after that. Grant and I are finishing the cover design work on Sunday, so as of Monday all I have to do is wait for the finished product. I had a lovely haircut yesterday and saw some of the video footage of What If? I was given a DVD of the entire Friday night performance, which will form the basis of our edited version. The editor has two other performances from which to choose cover shots when camerawork is shaky or needs to be cut-away from. Now, not only will I have an excellent video record of the show, it will also be in 3D for those that have this strange system that they’re using. It’s pretty cool, but for my purposes the 2D version will basically be what I use. I don’t profess to understand how this 3D system works, but they had a VCD of Dial M For Murder and House of Wax in 3D and they looked pretty great. In any case, I should see a fully edited version next week, then I’ll give whatever notes I have, we’ll make the changes and voila. Isn’t that exciting? Isn’t that just too too?
Last night I watched two motion pictures on DVD – first, Mr. Samuel Fuller’s Forty Guns, starring Miss Barbara Stanwyck and Mr. Barry Sullivan. What a wacky movie. Mr. Fuller was a total original and his films don’t look or feel like anyone else’s. The story is almost totally incoherent in certain ways, but it’s a good deal of fun. There are two lengthy ballads sung in the movie, some gunplay, some Sam Fuller dialogue and some excellent performances. It’s all totally over-the-top and very enjoyable. The region 2 DVD is problematic – the source material is actually in great shape but the transfer is soft and looks out of registration, if such a thing is possible in black-and-white. It is thankfully in its Cinemascope ratio and enhanced for widescreen TVs. The box information is so inept and laughable that it’s amazing to think that such stupidity can be allowed to happen. According to the box, the film is full-frame and in color. Unbelievable. I then watched the sequel to It’s Alive, It’s Alive II. It is stranger than the first film, very poorly directed once again, and very strange once again. There are more killer babies on the loose in this one but it’s basically just a rehash of the first film. One more to go and I’ll be done with the trilogy.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? I think these here notes should be in 3D, don’t you? That way, words can suddenly pop out at you and be very lifelike. Yes, 3D notes, that’s the ticket. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I really must hie myself elsewhere for a few hours.
Are you wearing your 3D glasses? If you were, THIS SENTENCE WOULD BE RIGHT IN THE SAME ROOM AS YOU, POPPING RIGHT OUT OF YOUR COMPUTER SCREEN. Amazing, isn’t it? Perhaps we can have Smell-o-Vision, too. Can you smell this paragraph, for example? I certainly can.
Don’t forget, Donald will have a brand new radio show up tomorrow, and don’t forget our Unseemly Live Chat is Monday at six o’clock Pacific Mean Daylight Savings Time. Speaking of daylight savings time, when in tarnation is it over?
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must roam about this great city of ours, driving here and there and also there and here, and then I must return to the home environment, write, and putter about like a swan on steroids. Tonight I shall be supping with our very own Vinnie Cirilli, whom I haven’t seen in a year. Shocking, really. We’ll be dining nearby and our dinner will be served in 3D. Today’s topic of discussion: What are the five films you most want on DVD that haven’t been done yet? And if you could choose five Broadway shows, musicals and plays, from the thirties to now that could magically appear on DVD with their original casts, what would they be? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, and let’s have them all in actual 3D.