Well, dear readers, what can I say that hasn’t already been said? Haven’t I, BK, who has done a daily “thing” here at haineshisway.com since November of 2001 without missing a day, said it all? Is there anything left to say? Oh, I suppose there is. I suppose I could say something like, like – nope, I can’t think of a thing I haven’t said. It’s not that we mind our repetition – in fact, we’re known far and wide and also wide and far for our repetition. And I think it bears repeating that our repetition is known far and wide, don’t you? And if it bears repeating, does it also monkeys repeating? Oh, dear – monkeys repeating – that’s not a very pleasant image, is it? Well, there – I’ve just said something I haven’t said before: Monkeys repeating. Now I feel better. Now I feel that there are things that haven’t been said, and now I can continue with great and grand confidence, like a gazelle in the Playboy Mansion. Speaking of the Playboy Mansion, yesterday was a jam and jelly-packed day filled with merriment and mirth and laughter and legs. I had to get up quite early, at six-thirty to be exact, and I had to do my morning ablutions to get ready for my eight-thirty meeting. As soon as I had finished my morning ablutions and was free of sin, I went to my meeting, which was very productive. I then had a nice chat with the head of the Theatre Academy, and then I came home, packaged up a few things, and got them shipped. Then I went to the mail place, where I was surprised by a lovely package from dear reader elmore, as well as a few songs sent to me by Eleanor Anderson, widow of the wonderful Leroy Anderson. She’s been sending me lots of stuff over the last year, in hopes we’ll do some kind of CD of his songs. These two songs were most interesting – for a musical version of Gone With The Wind that never was finished, with lyrics by Ogden Nash. I then ate some foodstuffs, and then around three I’d finished doing all that needed doing and I sat on my couch like so much tired fish.
Yesterday, I managed to watch four count them four motion pictures – three on DVD, and one that I’d TIVOd. I began with the TIVOd film, which was entitled The Amateur, a film made in 1981 – one of the many Canadian productions that were happening back then. I’d never seen it, and I gather it was a flop, and since it was directed by Charles Jarrot, who I don’t fancy, I was expecting to hate it. Maybe it was just because I was tired, or maybe it was because it was the type of film I used to love seeing in the 70s on double bills in the afternoon (when there were still such things), but I really enjoyed it. It was a good yarn, the direction, while hardly distinguished, wasn’t bad, and the pace was much better than Mr. Jarrot’s other films. In fact, it could have been a really good film had someone other than John Savage played the lead. Mr. Savage, whatever one thinks of his acting (and I don’t think much), wasn’t a star, and the film needed someone who had that quality. The supporting cast, however, were all excellent – Marthe Keller, Christopher Plummer, Arthur Hill, and many others. The film has a very good score by Ken Wannberg, and it just was a very pleasant time passer. After that, I watched the first motion picture on DVD, which was entitled Hot Blood, a very strange film from 1956, directed by Nicholas Ray, starring Cornell Wilde and Jane Russell as gypsies. It’s a very slight tale, told with a lot of loud talking and over-the-top performances, but the direction is colorful and the Cinemascope frame is used very inventively. It’s a very short film (around eighty-two minutes) and it goes by quickly. Not great, but interesting, certainly. There’s a wacky score by Les Baxter, which is very much in keeping with the rest of the film. The transfer on this region 2 disc has excellent color, is anamorphic, and pretty decent. I then watched the second motion picture on DVD, which was entitled Moonfleet, a film of Fritz Lang. This another region 2 DVD that I’ve had for about three years, so it was nice to finally give it a spin in Ye Olde DVD player. I’m a big fan of Mr. Lang’s, but Moonfleet is not one of his classics. It has its moments, but the script isn’t that good, and its leading character is an anti-hero in the worst sense – he redeems himself only in the last two minutes of the film. Stewart Granger is fine, as is George Sanders, Viveca Lindfors, and the large cast. The transfer is adequate, but very dark, colors are okay, and it’s anamorphic. The one great thing about the DVD and film is the lush, melodic score by Miklos Rozsa, which sounds amazingly vibrant in very wide stereo. Again, a very short film (eight-six minutes – it’s how I was able to watch three DVDs in one evening). I then watched the third motion picture on DVD, which was entitled The Young Stranger, which was the first motion picture directed by Mr. John Frankenheimer. I’ve had the region 2 DVD for over four years, and it was about time I watched the damn thing. It’s an earnest troubled teen film starring James MacArthur, James Daly, James Gregory (that is three James’s), Kim Hunter, and a very mean Whit Bissell. It’s very well directed and acted and is also around eight-five minutes. The one downside is the occasionally overbearing score by Leonard Rosenman – his only film for Mr. Frankenheimer, who, for his next film, would choose the wonderful David Amram. The transfer was decent and nothing more.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I can’t possibly have anything more to say that’s new, with the fine exception of monkeys repeating.
I forgot to mention that in The Young Stranger, there are really fantastic shots of late 50s LA throughout the film. Some of it was shot at Marshall High, and there are some great shots of the Bruin Theater in Westwood (including the exterior and lobby), and some amazing shots of Westwood streets.
Today, I must ship another package or two, lunch with Miss Merissa Haddad, and do a few errands, a couple of which will annoy me no end. Tomorrow, I’ll be lunching (finally) with dear reader Jeanne at the Farmer’s Market, and the rest of the week is non-stop meetings and meals. I gotta tell you.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, ship, lunch, do errands, begin entering my first set of proofing corrections from proofer number one, start planning the order of Joan Ryan’s show, and a whole slew of other things. Today’s topic of discussion: Troubled Teens as a film genre has been going on forever – what are your favorite classic Troubled Teens films, from the old days to now? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I try to think of more new things besides monkeys repeating.