Well, dear readers, here I sit, trying to come up with a clever bon mot with which to open these here notes, and yet no clever bon mot is coming my way and I’m just sitting here typing away sans bon mot and wouldn’t you know it not only do I have no bon mot but now this has turned into one of those fershluganah run-on sentences that just go on and on with not only no bon mot in sight but no periods or commas or colons or semi-colons either just words words and more words tumbling one after the other willy-nilly and also nilly-willy cascading across the page like a gazelle on ice skates when what I really need is a gazelle with a period but I have no idea if a gazelle even has a period and aren’t I getting just a little too personal gazelle-wise well I’ll just keep typing away until some punctuation shows up and then. Whew! A period, and just in the nick of time or, at the very least, just in the charles of time. We’re off to a fine start, aren’t we? Now all we need is a bon mot. Speaking of a bon mot, yesterday was quite a nice day. I had several nice telephonic calls, a surprise e-mail from someone I haven’t heard from in quite some time, I did some nice errands, and I ate reasonably. My Disney tapes finally showed up, only I could not view them due to some problem or other with my VCR. Unless I can figure out which plug is which so that I can unplug and replug (presuming that would fix the problem), then I’ll have to go view them at a friend’s house. Either way, view them I will. I shall then try to formulate a rough plan for the spots, so that I am lucidity itself at my Wednesday meeting. I’ll then have two days to write the two thirty second spots, which shouldn’t be a problem. One of my nice telephonic calls was from Miss Linda Purl, who told me that the presentation we put together went smashingly – a world of difference for her, and everyone was apparently very high on her, so that’s good. Now we must finish putting her show together over the next four weeks. Whilst we’re doing that, I’ll also be editing the Disney spots, going to the theater to see the play, and beginning my musical theater workshop, as well as writing the final short story, and getting back to work on the musical that I’m writing with Mr. David Wechter. It should be a nice busy four weeks.
Yesterday, I managed to watch two count them two motion pictures on DVD. The first motion picture on DVD was entitled The Virgin Spring, a filmska of Ingmar Bergman. It’s quite a somber little affair, but strikingly directed and acted, and running a crisp 89 minutes. All Mr. Bergman’s films are one-off movies, the likes of which you’ve never seen before – even his more conventional ones don’t look like anyone else’s films. The transfer from Criterion is very nice, with beautiful, rich black-and-white photography by Sven Nykvist. The second motion picture on DVD was entitled Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, directed by Mr. Sam Peckinpah. I’d only seen the film once before and frankly, didn’t care for it at all. A new cut of the film has been assembled by Peckinpahhead Paul Seydor – it’s really the theatrical cut of the film with nine additional minutes of scenes that had been removed, much to Mr. Peckinpah’s chagrin. I still don’t care for it all that much – apparently, Mr. Peckinpah was a wreck during shooting – drunk, on drugs, and wasted. Still, there are some excellent sequences scattered throughout the film. For me, the film would be an entirely different affair if it had a proper musical score (by Peckinpah regular Jerry Fielding) – instead, we get guitar strumming by Bob Dylan, and it just ruins everything. Mr. Dylan is also in the film, and his “performance” is an embarrassment. I’m also not all that fond of Kris Kristofferson as a screen actor – he’s not bad, but something about him just rubs me the wrong way. James Coburn is, as always, terrific, and the film has an unbelievable supporting cast, filled with incredible character actors. The transfer is very nice. The DVD also contains what is called the 1988 Turner Preview Version of Mr. Peckinpah’s “director’s cut”. What that is is an unfinished and way too long version of the film – something that Mr. Peckinpah would not be so happy to have had released. It is that cut that most of the film’s younger fans like – they are wrong about it, but have convinced themselves that that is what Sam wanted. Sorry, younger fans, according to the Peckinpah experts, tain’t so.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below, whilst we continue our search for a bon mot.
As I mentioned, today I shall be viewing about two-and-a-half hours worth of tapes, after which I shall gather my thoughts and make some notes. After that, I hope to begin a new short story (I’m still percolating several different ideas). I shall be a very good boy, food-wise – I may, in fact, be having a late supper, and if that’s the case, I’ll just nibble on some non-caloric foodstuffs, and then eat a very reasonable late repast.
Oh, I forgot to mention that I also finished the bedroom DVD I was watching – Hercules Unchained. While not as much fun as Hercules, it’s still a very enjoyable piece of trash, and Steve Reeves and all the babes look swell in their little skirts. This is part of a new region 2 release which includes Hercules. However, Hercules is presented non-anamorphic and in the incorrect ratio of 1:85 instead of scope (2:35). Happily, I already had a region 2 anamorphic 2:35 DVD of Hercules, and happily the Hercules Unchained DVD is presented correctly – anamorphic and 2:35.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, continue my search for a bon mot, I must write, I must view, I must ponder, I must make notes, I must do errands, and I must hopefully pick up a few of the errant and truant packages which are due. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your all-time favorite “art” films – those films that qualify as art-house releases – from the old days until now. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, and do include a bon mot or three, should you have any to spare.