Well, dear readers, with this week my schedule kicks into high gear. Not that it was in low gear, mind you, but now it kicks into high gear, with stuff to do every day from now until the LACC show, after which I go directly into rehearsal for the play. I also will probably be going to San Francisco for the two days following the LACC benefit, although that is subject to how tired I am. There is also a big event this week, about which more when it occurs. I will, of course, have full reports for you every step of the way. Yesterday, I was only in medium gear, and it was quite the nicest day. I began by doing some errands (shipping, banking), then joined our very own Pogue for lunch at the best deli in the universe – Langer’s. The lunch, as I knew it would be, was amazingly amazing – they simply have the best corned beef and pastrami on the planet. No other deli comes close. There is no fat, the tenderness is about as tender as tender gets, and the flavor knocks your socks off. As soon as I took the first bite of my corned beef on rye with cole slaw and Russian dressing, my socks were on the floor halfway across the restaurant. Pogue and I split some kishka, which is also the best on the planet. I even had a bit of dessert – their rice custard. I then picked up two count them two packages, and then came home, where I sat on my couch like so much fish and relaxed and smelled the roses and the coffee and the Diet Coke. Today, I intend to do nothing whatsoever – maybe a bit of writing, and then just watching DVDs and eating something interesting.
Yesterday, I watched two count them two motion pictures on DVD. The first motion picture was entitled The Whip and the Body, a film of Mario Bava. I’m quite a fan of Mr. Bava’s and while I don’t find The Whip and the Body to be one of his best, it’s still enjoyable and has all his trademark atmospheric direction, camerawork, and intense splashes of color. The film stars Dahlia Lavi (The Body) and Christopher Lee (The Whip). No one played either And or The. The VCI DVD released here in the US is nowhere near as good as this German region 2 transfer, which is excellent in every way. I then watched the second motion picture, which was entitled Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith. I just couldn’t get up the energy to go wait in line to see it in the theaters, so I was happy they got the DVD out so quickly. Now, I will say that I’m definitely in the minority and that I enjoyed both The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. I think if those two films had been released back in the day of the original trilogy, the reaction would have been much different. Today, everyone is a film expert, everyone knows how to do it better, everyone thinks they know everything there is to know. Unfortunately, part of that is because of the extra features on DVD, which have simply taken all the mystery and magic out of motion picture viewing. The studios have completely shot themselves in the foot by doing it, at least that’s the way I feel. I’d heard both good and bad about Revenge of the Sith. Before I get into it, let me just say that I find it vastly amusing that people sit still for Batman Begins, with all its House of the Flying Batmans beginning, its lack of a strong villain, and it’s almost unendurable first hour, but find Revenge of the Sith bad and a trial to sit through. Oh, yes, I find that vastly amusing, because Revenge of the Sith is so clearly superior to Batman Begins on just about every level (except perhaps for a couple of performances). In fact, I found Revenge of the Sith a terrific viewing experience – strong plotting, very good action sequences, a compelling villain, and I really liked the way they set up everything to lead you into the first film in the old trilogy. The performances aren’t much to write home about, except for the excellent actor who plays Senator Palpatine. John Williams has composed one of his great cues for the sequence when Palpatine invokes Order 66 – very touching and powerful. As most of you know, I hate CGI in just about every film, but if there’s one person who understands it and how to use it, it’s George Lucas, and that is because he has such a clear vision of the world he’s created. The film looks and sounds terrific on DVD, and its pace just moves along at a fast clip. In any case, I enjoyed it thoroughly, and I think these films will be better thought of in years to come.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I feel it’s time to kick the next section into high gear.
I’m late, I’m late, and must hurry along and get these here notes posted. I must kick these here notes into high gear, wasting not a moment.
Don’t forget, Donald should have a new radio show up for your listening pleasure, so be sure to check it out. For those who have been lax about listening, you’re only cheating yourselves, as Donald has one of the best radio shows on the Internet – maybe the best. So, get off your Hillary Duffs and do some listening, pardner.
Have I mentioned that I am doing nothing today? At least I will try to stick to that. Have you ever stuck to that and if so how did that feel about it?
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, not do anything except perhaps write, I must eat, I must watch a DVD or three, and I must laze about like a gazelle in a prone position. Today’s topic of discussion: What motion pictures that were originally critically lambasted do you feel have aged well and should now be considered classics? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we? In fact, let’s kick the postings into high gear.