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January 29, 2007:

THE BROKEN RECORD

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, we are starting this new week with a broken record. I hate to sound like a broken record, but yesterday we broke a record here at haineshisway.com – January 2007 has become our biggest posting month in the history of haineshisway.com, and it will do so by quite a margin as there are still a couple of days left in the month. Speaking of the month, where in tarnation did it go? In just a few short days it will be February, which will be a short month. This year is already flying by like a gazelle in leather pants. In any case, we broke a record, and not only that, yesterday entered the top ten for posts made in a day. Not bad for a Sunday. But let us not rest on our laurels, nor even our hardys. We are cookin’ with gas and I feel that soon we will be the most popular site on all the Internet. Speaking of the Internet, yesterday was, as already noted, quite the day. First of all, I got up after a very good night’s sleep. Then I just puttered around the home environment, doing a few things that needed doing. I got to use some trade credit and got seven new DVDs of upcoming releases. I didn’t really feel like writing so I didn’t force the issue. I just took the day and that was apparently what I needed to do. I just ate reasonably and sat on my couch like so much fish.

Yesterday, with all that sitting I managed to watch three count them three motion pictures on DVD. The first motion picture on DVD was entitled Looker, a fairly dreadful film from 1981, starring Mr. Albert Finney, Miss Susan Dey, Mr. James Coburn, and Miss Leigh Taylor-Young, and written and directed by Michael Crichton. Interestingly, many of the things that Mr. Crichton presents as science fiction have become fact. I do think it’s the first time the words “Computer Generated Images” were used on the screen – just one year later Tron would come out. The film has some pretty bad dialogue, some ridiculous plotting, and a final ten minutes that are completely ludicrous in just about every way. The transfer accurately replicates the way the film looked back during its original release. Mr. Finney is slumming, Miss Dey is beautiful, and Mr. Coburn has no character to play, which is fatal when you’re the villain of the film.

I then watched the second motion picture on DVD, which was entitled The Arrangement, a film written and directed by Elia “Gadge” Kazan, from his novel. The film was a critical and box-office disaster, but it’s not uninteresting. It’s not good, but it does have some very wacky things in it, style-wise, and it does have Deborah Kerr, which is always a plus. Kirk Douglas stars as the Gadge clone, and Faye Dunaway plays the girl Douglas has an affair with. Richard Boone hams it up as Douglas’ father (he was probably younger than Douglas). It’s too long, and basically it doesn’t work, but I’m glad I saw it. The transfer veers from very good to okay, depending on the scene.

I then watched the third motion picture on DVD, the totally surrealistic and weird Performance, which I’ve never seen all the way through. From what I gather, this is the uncut version and has more footage than ever seen here in the States. Back in the late 60s and early 70s, Warners was funding some mighty strange movies that were really pushing the envelope, what with Performance, The Devils, and then A Clockwork Orange. Performance, even all these years later, has some fairly shocking scenes. It’s not really my kind of film, but I certainly wasn’t bored and the acting is very good. The transfer is mostly very good – the color does shift from scene to scene – there really is someone at Warners who loves brown and yellow. But, when they’re not pushing those colors, then the transfer looks excellent.

Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button because this section is starting to feel like a broken record – wait, we did break a record. Hot damn.

For those who may not have been around on the weekend, both The Brain From Planet X and Joan Ryan are up for preorder at www.kritzerland.com. For those who preorder, copies will be shipped at least two weeks before the 2/27 street date, and I will have signed copies available for the first fifty people who order either title. Audio clips for both albums will be up this evening. So, order away – preorders are Kritzerland’s lifeblood.

Our very own Mr. Donald Feltham is back from his vacation and has a most excellent new radio show up for your mental delectation, so check it out.

Today, I will be writing, and also picking up the new mix of the Kritzer Time songs – I’m really happy that we fixed it and I’m anxious to hear it. As I’ve mentioned, I will then put all three books’ songs onto one CD and will have that available for those who’ve purchased the books and who didn’t get theirs. Tomorrow night, I get to sit on the panel at the Disney/ASCAP workshop, which I do every year. I’m quite looking forward to it.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, jog (if it’s not too cold), write, pick up the new mix of Kritzer Time songs, sup, and perhaps watch a DVD or two. Today’s topic of discussion: Today is what is it, fish day, which we like to do every now and then. Tell us your all-time favorite fish dishes and where you’ve had the most exquisite fish dish experiences. Spare no details on preparations and sauces and such, and feel free to share any beloved recipes so that the likes of us hainsies/kimlets can try them. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, as we bask in the glory of our broken record.

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