Well, dear readers, I’m feeling very existential right now. I don’t even know what that means, but frankly where else on all the Internet can you read such an opening riposte such as “I’m feeling very existential right now?” Well, I’ll tell you where you can read such a sentence – nowhere, that’s where. Now, for anyone who doubts that I am feeling existential right now, may I just say that like Kierkegaard, Sartre, and Heidegger, I’m feeling that existence takes precedence over essence and holds that man is totally free and responsible for his acts, and that this responsibility is the source of the dread and anguish that encompass him. Smoke on your pipe and put that in, all you non-existentialists. Or, as one of our great songwriters but it, I’m Getting Existential Over You. You know, I have searched in vain for a clew as to what the HELL I’m going on about, but frankly, you’ve got to admit, these here notes have begun in high style (toreador pants, stiletto heels, and a bolo). Kierkegaard, Sartre, and Heidegger – that’s the name of the firm that does my accounting. They’re very existential about my accounting, which is why dread and anguish are encompassing me. Speaking of existential (and who wasn’t), yesterday I did almost nothing except relax and smell the roses or the coffee or the pastrami. I didn’t sleep in as late as I would have liked, but I just got up and did some stuff on the computer, and then just started watching DVDs. I took time out to do a couple of errands and a little bit of existential marketing, after which I returned and sat on my couch like so much existential fish. That was it for the day, and that was it for the evening. Isn’t that exciting? Isn’t that just too too?
Yesterday, I watched two count them two motion pictures on DVD. The first motion picture on DVD was entitled A Lawless Street, starring Mr. Randolph Scott. It is a nifty little B-movie oater, directed by the always-excellent Joseph H. Lewis. It’s not as good as the Boetticher/Scott oeuvre, but it moves right along, tells its story well, and Scott is simply a pleasure to watch. The only thing that doesn’t really work about it is the awful musical score by Paul Sawtell. There are times, during serious scenes, where it sounds like he’s scoring a film starring The Three Stooges. Angela Lansbury plays Scott’s wife, and she’s quite fetching in the role and even gets to sing a song. It’s her own voice, too – was this film made in 1955 the first time we ever heard Lansbury’s actual voice? I then watched the second motion picture on DVD, which was entitled Flic Story, starring Mr. Alain Delon, directed by Jacques Deray. It’s a nifty little French policier, based on a real-life post WWII crime spree. Delon is great, as is Jean Louis Trintignant as the cold-hearted killer. I’m really quite fond of these 70s French crime mellers and Kino on Video is putting several Delon features out over the next few months.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because frankly I feel that this entire section is just a little too existential for my taste, which is leaning a little towards a fruit roll-up right now.
I am rather surprised that our usual suspects haven’t even proffered a guess in this week’s Unseemly Trivia Contest. Have we finally stumped one and all and also all and one? We shall see. You have until midnight this evening to at least make an effort.
The next few weeks are going to start getting quite busy, I think, what with CDs and books to be shipped (if I approve my test books today, I’ll probably have books in hand within a week and can start sending them out), plus putting Kevin’s show back into rehearsal for our October benefit, plus really getting serious about locking down performers and numbers for the LACC benefit, plus prepping The Last Starfighter for release at the end of the month (with preorders beginning around the 20th), plus beginning to audition for the play, as well as beginning work on several other projects, not to mention continuing to write on my current short story. And, of course, we have dear reader Hisaka coming in on Friday, and we shall be painting the town with her whilst she is here, showing her all the lovely LA sights and sounds, as well as attending the Ray Courts Hollywood Collector’s Show at the Burbank Hilton.
Today I am meeting with Mr. Kevin Spirtas to lock down our schedule, and then I have several errands to run. If all goes according to Hoyle, the highlight of the day should be seeing my books all finished. I will, of course, have a full report as soon as they are in my hands.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must write, I must set schedules, I must book talent, I must eat various and sundried foodstuffs, and I must have many telephonic calls about many things. Today’s topic of discussion: Since we haven’t done this in at least two years, what are your all-time favorite French films – in other words, films from France – and your all-time favorite performances by French actors and actresses? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, and I have the feeling that many of our postings will be quite existential in nature. Have you ever been existential in nature? Frankly, I like being existential in urban surroundings.