Well, dear readers, I am so relaxed I may fall asl
Sorry, I nodded off whilst writing the first sentence. I hate when that happens. It’s just that I’m so damnably relaxed after my damanbly relaxing day, that I can barely keep my eyes open. I do hope I don’t fall asl
Damn, I nodded off again. Well, I’d better write the rest of these here notes before I fall asl
Damn. Okay, yesterday was a very relaxing day for the likes of me. I actually managed to sleep until eight-twenty. I then arose, did a few things around the home environment, and then went out for a jog. After that, I did a few errands, bought some Diet Coke, and then came home and did nothing whatsoever. Well, I did do some stuff at the piano, I did upgrade my backup program to the “pro” version, Vinnie did fix Final Draft so it worked, and Mr. Computer Man did finally talk me through getting my AOL archived received/sent mail back onto my computer. Vinnie also did a permissions repair, and that has made this here computer work faster and better than it ever has. I had some vegetarian sushi for lunch, and I had a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich for dinner. Hopefully, I won’t gain any weight from such a meal, especially after my hearty jog. I had a few nice telephonic conversations, and then I sat on my couch like so much fish, where, more than once, I fell asl
Damn. I’ve got to try and stay awake just a little while longer. Yesterday, I watched three count them three motion pictures on DVD. The first motion picture on DVD was entitled Floating Weeds, another film of Yasujiro Ozu. I’ve seen three other color films by Mr. Ozu, but the transfers were so ugly and the color was so green and awful, that I knew I wasn’t seeing them as they were shot. Happily, Criterion’s DVD of Floating Weeds features a gorgeous color transfer – what a difference good color makes. This was not my favorite Ozu film. Even though the lead actor is a very good actor, I just found him unpleasant and unsympathetic. Also, I’ve become very used to Mr. Ozu’s usual plots, and this one was quite different – in fact, it was a remake of an earlier silent film by Mr. Ozu. I certainly enjoyed it, but it didn’t grab me like the others. Then, just for the fun of it, I put on disc one of the set, the silent version of the film – The Story of Floating Weeds. Well, what a difference an actor makes. Mr. Ozu didn’t immediately embrace talking pictures, so this film is silent, despite its being made in 1934 (much like Chaplin’s City Lights). The silent version is forty minutes shorter than the remake, and I must say I wasn’t going to watch but a little of it, but I could not shut it off because it was absolutely sublime. Mr. Ozu’s non-style style was already pretty much fully-formed even back then, and the simplicity and the actors and the way everything is shot is just magical. And the leading actor is wonderful and completely sympatheic, which, for me, made all the difference in the world. A lovely, lovely film, and kudos to Criterion for including it in the set. I then took an Ozu break and watched Mr. Richard Lester’s film, Petulia, starring Miss Julie Christie, Mr. George C. Scott, and Mr. Richard Chamberlain. I loved this film when it came out, saw it five or six times back then, and haven’t seen it since. Well, I still love it, maybe even more. Its techniques may have been ripped off by hundreds of movies, but it still seems fresher than anything being made today. The direction is always interesting and off-kilter, the photography is brilliant (Mr. Nicholas Roeg), the editing masterful, and the performances perfection. Mr. Scott is wonderful, as always, and Miss Christie is heartbreakingly beautiful even when she’s battered and bruised. Mr. Chamberlain is creepy, as he should be. And what a supporting company of players – Shirley Knight, looking amazing, Arthur Hill, always terrific, and in bit roles, Austin Pendelton, Howard Hesseman, Larry Hankin, Rene Auberjenois, and some others I’m forgetting. And I must not fail to mention the wonderful production design and costumes of our very own Mr. Tony Walton, and the incredible score by John Barry. I’m happy to report that Warners, who has done some miserable transfers recently, color-wise (The Nun’s Story, The Searchers), gets it right with Petulia – a beautiful transfer.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below before I fall asl
Damn. Today I shall spend another relaxing day. At two, dear reader PennyO will be coming over so she can hear the four songs I’ve completed for her show. Other than that, I have no plans whatsoever, other than to jog and to eat and to watch a DVD or three.
We’ve only had two count them two guesses for our Unseemly Trivia Contest question, both of them correct. But, everyone has until Monday night at midnight to submit their answers, so submit away, you Unseemly Trivia Contest people.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, try not to fall asl
Damn. I must also jog, eat, watch, and play the piano. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. Let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we? And let’s try not to simply fall asl
Damn.