Well, dear readers, I just had a nicce long Jacuzzi and I feel marvelously marvelous. A “nicce” long Jacuzzi? What in tarnatino is a nicce long Jacuzzi? And what in tarnation is tarnatino? Quentin Tarnatino? This is what happens when you have a nicce long Jacuzzi – you get so relaxed that your fingers don’t type properly and words become askew, oh, yes, words become askew. In fact, I believe these entire notes will be askew because of said fingers. Well, we’re off to a fine start, are we not? I really needed the nicce long Jacuzzi because my Jewish body was filled with aches and pains, not necessarily in that order. My neck was especially pained, and now it feels a lot better because of the nicce long Jacuzzi. Speaking of nicce, we had a very nicce rehearsal yesterday with Mr. Kevin Spirtas and Mr. John Boswell. I took a lot of “cleanup” notes, and we’ll be addressing those today for an hour before we actually run the show. Other than the rehearsal and unearthing a chart from storage, I spent a nicce day driving about and then coming home and sitting on my couch like so much fish. Isn’t that exciting? Isn’t that just too too?
Yesterday, I managed to watch three count them three motion pictures on DVD. The first motion picture on DVD was a documentary entitled Mad Hot Ballroom. It’s about fourth and fifth graders entering a ballroom dancing competition, and we follow several schools as they prepare for it. It’s ultimately a very sweet and touching film, but it doesn’t quite achieve the greatness it would like to. I, in fact, wanted more of the dancing and less of the kids yakking, and I felt the structure of the film was awkward for the first twenty minutes or so. But, by the half-way point, one gets involved with the kids, and the last third of the film is quite good. I then watched the second motion picture on DVD, Warning Shot, starring Mr. David Janssen, Miss Stephanie Powers, Mr. Keenan Wynn, and a very interesting supporting cast, including Miss Eleanor Parker, Mr. Carroll O’Connor, Miss Joan Collins, Mr. Sam Wanamaker, Miss Lillian Gish, Mr. George Grizzard, Mr. Ed Begley, and Mr. Walter Pigeon. I’d never been able to catch up with this film, which has always sounded intriguing to me, being based on a novel by Whit Masterson (a pseudonym for two writers), author of Badge of Evil, which became Touch of Evil. I wish I could say it was worth the wait, but it’s really a terrible movie from start to finish. The big problem is the director, Buzz Kulik. Mr. Kulik did okay work for television, but as a movie director he borders on the amateur. Mr. Janssen is a competent actor who worked well on the small screen. On the big screen he’s just a big black hole, with no presence at all. The script is dull, and even the Jerry Goldsmith score is one of his few misfires. There were a couple of nice shots of streets near Paramount Studios, but that was about it. Transfer is nice, although the film is truly ugly to look at. I then watched the third film on DVD, Hammett, starring Mr. Fredric Forrest, Miss Marilu Henner, and another sterling supporting cast including Elisha Cook, Jr., Peter Boyle, Roy Kinnear, R.G. Armstrong, Hank Worden, Sam Fuller and others. It’s a fictional account of Dashiell Hammett’s beginnings as a writer, as he’s involved in a baffling case. What’s really baffling is to read the comments on the imdb – you’d think this film was a masterpiece. It’s yet another case of Coppola’s Zoetrope making a movie, then sitting on it forever, then reshooting most of it, then editing it to death before finally releasing it for a week to critical brickbats and audience disinterest. I saw it the day it opened, and it’s one of only a handful of films I’ve ever walked out on. Unlike The Escape Artist, where the Coppola meddling was not as disastrous, this film just doesn’t work at all. Right from the get-go you can see Coppola’s hand all over it – it’s really obvious how the film was meant to open, and yet, it doesn’t open that way. The credits list not one, not two, not three, not four, but five editors – does that tell you all you need to know? A decent but not exceptional score by John Barry, wonderful production design and costumes, but middling camerawork by Joe Biroc and Phil Lathrop (the latter’s credit in the end scroll reads “Other photography”). This was apparently not a happy experience for anyone, least of all the film’s director, Wim Wenders. So, The Escape Artist, while not brilliant, is a watchable and entertaining film, whereas Hammett, despite a few okay sequences, is just a muddle. Transfer is fine.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? And I thought these notes were supposed to be askew because of my relaxed fingers doing the typing. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below so we can see if there’s anything askew in the next section.
All I see is a blank page. It’s certainly a nicce blank page, but I’d hardly call it askew. I’d call it Hank.
Don’t forget, Donald should have a brand spanking new radio show up this afternoon and it should be all about the new Stages CD, with lots of wickedly wicked anecdotes, with all names named. We pull no punches, so you’ll want to tune in, turn on, and drop out.
Today we shall have our final rehearsal prior to Monday night’s show. Again, if any of our West Coast dear readers would like to see it, please come on by the El Portal Theater. Curtain is at 7:00 and you can get tickets at the door. If the $20 ticket price is a problem, just drop me an e-mail with your name, and I’ll make sure you get in.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write in the early hours of the day, then I must rehearse, then I must eat, and then I must watch a DVD or three. Today’s topic of discussion: What was the biggest party you’ve ever thrown – how many people, what was it for, and what did you serve? Let’s have all the details, even if they are askew. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we?