Well, dear readers, my Christmas vacation has begun and I, for one, am happy as a clam in a bowl of chowder. Of course, since the clam in the bowl of chowder is dead, I’m not sure that’s a good analogy or euphemism or whatever the HELL it is. This year has been a whirlwind of different projects, one after another, with not too many days off, even on holiday weekends. But now, I have until January 3rd (when I begin work on the kids show), and I intend to revel in relaxation. Speaking of relaxation, yesterday I reveled in it. For example, I woke up – I reveled in that, too. I then packaged up some orders and a big package o’ items for our friend Tony Walton. After that, I did some errands, got some mail, and dawdled, Amaryllis. I then went to the post office where I was delighted to find no line at all – I was in and out of there in ten minutes. I’ve been going into my local DVD store every day because on December 27th they close their doors for good. However, they are going to continue buying and they will sell to just a handful of their really loyal customers, like myself. I’ll probably get first call on all the soundtrack CDs and classic film DVDs, so I’m really happy about that. After a visit to the store, I got a Wolfgang Puck Chicken Caesar Salad and then came home and sat on my couch like so much fish.
Yesterday, I managed to watch three count them three motion pictures on DVD. The first motion picture on DVD was entitled The Devil Wears Prada. While I didn’t find it great, I did enjoy it a good deal. It’s a real throwback to the 60s sort of comedies, but with just a little too much screenwriting 101 (character journeys, lessons learned) for its own good. There are some genuinely amusing moments, and the film has its heart in the right place. The director never shows off, which was a pleasant change of pace. The use of songs is really annoying, but that was the film’s biggest indiscretion for me. If this film had been made twenty years ago, it would have starred Faye Dunaway, who would have camped it up and overplayed the HELL out of it. Instead, we have Miss Meryl Streep, who is absolutely wonderful in the role precisely because she doesn’t camp it up and overplay it. In fact, she does the opposite, and she really makes you understand the woman she’s playing – it never becomes a cartoon with her. Anne Hathaway is a charming young actress, and the rest of the cast is fine. Transfer is excellent, but not exceptional. I then watched the second motion picture on DVD, which was entitled Lady In The Water, a film of M. Night Shamaykeyrklajhan or whatever his name is. I found it a fairly awful film – badly written, badly directed, with a bad performance by the director himself. The only thing that kept me watching was the actors – Paul Giametti and the lovely Bryce Dallas Howard. As with a lot of modern motion pictures, the actors are encouraged to whisper their performances. I’m not sure exactly when this style of acting became prevalent, but it’s truly mind-bogglingly awful – one can’t understand half of what they’re saying and it’s completely obnoxious. Cary Grant didn’t whisper, Audrey Hepburn didn’t whisper, Barbara Stanwyck didn’t whisper, Marlon Brando didn’t whisper, Robert De Niro doesn’t whisper, and they were and are all fine motion picture actors. It’s just laziness and bad direction, if you ask me. The most shocking thing about Lady In The Water occurred in its end credits, when I realized that the older woman in the film was played by Mary Beth Hurt. I cannot believe the way she’s aged – she’s not even recognizable as the person she once was. I then watched the third motion picture on DVD, which was entitled Rocky, the new Special Edition. Sometimes the right script and the right actors and the right director all meet and are on the same page, and wonderful entertainment is the result. Rocky, after all these years, still works beautifully, because it doesn’t overstay its welcome, it doesn’t overdo its sound effects and music and it keeps its characters and storytelling simple, straightforward, and heartfelt. That is what movies are about. Today, we would start with a childhood Rocky getting knocked around or being unable to do something. Then we’d have the movie proper, and every closing of a door and every camera flash would sound like WWIII, and Rocky would overcome his childhood dilemma and probably win the fight, and it would be overblown and awful (like most of the Rocky sequels). There would be wall to wall music with awful songs battering you every two minutes, whereas Bill Conti’s wonderful and spare score is part and parcel of what makes Rocky so wonderful. The new transfer is quite nice – the film always looked low-budget, grainy, and not great and this transfer replicates that very well.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because like Rocky I’m Gonna Fly Now.
Today, I shall mail some Christmas cards, ship two packages (unless I have more orders this morning), pick up a few packages, and that’s it. I may have dinner this evening with young Adriana Patti, but other than that, I shall be sitting on my couch like so much fish, watching DVDs. Oh, and I have to do my grocery shopping for Ye Olde Christmas Eve Partay.
On Saturday, we have a one-hour casting session first thing in the morning, otherwise I have no plans whatsoever. And then Sunday is mostly cooking and getting the home environment ready for the Christmas Eve Do. The darling daughter will be coming to visit and it will all be too too.
Saturday, I’m also going to try and get into storage and really look for The Creature Wasn’t Nice stills and ad sheets for the CD booklet. I simply haven’t had time to do that, and the folks who are putting the CD out really want to finish it up.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, jog, ship, pick up packages, sup, and watch DVDs. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/video player? I’ll start – DVD, next up some Ealing comedies. CD – currently listening to the new cast album of A Chorus Line. I’m loathe to knock anyone’s work, but this is one of the worst-sounding CDs I’ve ever heard – it’s everything I hate in recording – dead sound, dead vocals, and just technically bad, from my point of view. I realize we all have our “things” but a simple comparison with the wonderful original cast album will tell you everything you need to know. There we have air around the band, air around the vocals, and the vocals are always in front of the orchestra, while the orchestra loses none of its presence. Here, especially in the opening number, the vocals sound like they’re across the street – it’s just awful. And the tempos are excruciating, and the orchestrations didn’t need help. For me, it’s a complete waste of time and I shan’t be going back to it – I’ll stick with the less complete but much better original.
Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst we all run and sing Gonna Fly Now at the top of our collective lungs.