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August 15, 2008:

THE WHIZ

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, it’s Friday, half of August is already over and the whole damn thing is whizzing by like a gazelle in a mustard plaster. I wonder if there’s a ketchup plaster? Or a relish plaster? In any case, the whole damn thing is whizzing by and I suppose there is nothing to be done about it other than to whiz with it. Speaking of whizzing, yesterday was a day that went whizzing by. I got up a little later than I normally do, and then did the long jog on the new route and let me tell you I did not whiz – it was a very difficult jog. I got home and collapsed for a few minutes, then did a few errands, and packaged up some items for shipping today. I then had a foot-long turkey sandwich from Subway for lunch. I then did some work on the computer and even a little work at the piano. Then I did some more errands and the next thing I knew the day had whizzed by and it was time for me to sit on my couch like so much fish.

Last night, I watched several things. I began with a motion picture on DVD entitled Satellite In The Sky, a rather terrible British sci-fi film from 1956. In fact, I fell asleep three times during the film because all it was was a lot of bad chatter. The transfer’s fine, in Cinemascope and color, but what a boring nothing of a movie. I then attempted to watch a motion picture on DVD entitled Moon Zero Two, a film that was advertised as the first space western. I knew I was in deep trouble with the cartoon main title and horrendously bad title song – were they trying to sell this as a comedy? Because a comedy it ain’t. I don’t know WHAT the HELL it was but I finally just shut it off. I then attempted to watch the DVDs companion feature, When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth. I got halfway through that and shut it off, because I could not stand any more of the mumbo-jumbo they were speaking (a language was created for the film, and there are no subtitles). There was some decent stop-motion animation and I’ll probably finish it at some point. I then needed something good to watch, so I pulled out Mr. Ron Howard’s film entitled Splash. Whatever happened to the kid who directed Splash and Night Shift? I’ll tell you what happened – he got recognition and began making “important” films, and now I can no longer watch anything he does. But the kid who directed Splash was simple, to the point, and told the story as well as it could be told. I loved the film when it came out and have loved it since, even though the screenplay by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel sometimes tries too hard in the slapstick comedy area. It’s nothing that kills the film, but it does annoy me occasionally. But the movie gets so much right, and most of it is so well written, and the performances of Tom Hanks and Darryl Hannah have such warmth and reality (not like today’s reality – no whispering here) and believability, that you totally enter the world that’s been created. There is a surprising amount of depth and feeling and that’s why the film still endures – it’s not John Candy and Eugene Levy, as amusing as they are, it’s the central relationship and how it’s played out. I’m just waiting for Disney to announce a remake with Miley Cyrus and Zac Ephron and CGI and a droning score. Be afraid, be very afraid. Special mention must be made of Lee Holdrige’s gorgeous score. It’s not overdone and doesn’t really make an appearance until about twenty-five minutes in, but it gives the film an emotional weight so that even the silly parts aren’t unbearable. The transfer is fine and looks exactly like the film looked in its theatrical presentation.

What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Let’s all click on the Unseemly Button below because today is already whizzing by and it just began. In fact, we should just call this entire year The Whiz.

Today I shall be getting up early and doing the long jog on the new route, after which I’ll get cleaned up and be on my way to lunch with dear reader Druxy at my beloved Musso and Frank. After that, I’ll have errands and whatnot to do, and then I shall return home to do some stuff that needs doing and to ship the packages.

My weekend is completely free and I’m quite happy about it. Oh, I have things to do, places to go, people to see, but it’s all at my leisure.

This upcoming week won’t be too too busy – I’m going to start making song lists for the Bacharach benefit, and also start thinking about the structure of the new Kevin Spirtas/Linda Purl show, which we now have to put together.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, jog, have lunch, do errands and whatnot, and then do stuff around the home environment. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player, and your DVD/video player? I’ll start – CD, the new Randy Newman album, which I’m really enjoying, and a CD of Barry Tuckwell (french horn player) and Richard Rodney Bennett doing Jerome Kern songs (with full orchestra) – it’s a luscious album. DVD, who knows? Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, as the days continue to whiz by.

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