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October 1, 2008:

THE TENTH MONTH

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

NEW UPDATE: The good news – the board is back. The bad news – it’s at a different address and you’ll have to resave it – I’m not sure if that’s also applicable to the rest of the site, but it definitely is for the board. Right now, certain things are not working as they used to – avatars are missing, and there’s no quick reply box, but I’ve passed that on to our webhost and hopefully they can get in and fix those things soon. Here is the new board address:

http://www.haineshisway.com/smf/

Please pass that along to everyone you know.

UPDATE: It’s going to be a while until the board is up and running. Please be patient. Apparently, we’re running an ancient version of our board software, and last night our webhost upgraded to a new server and that caused some sort of incompatability with our old software. It’s a nightmare, as Mr. Mark Bakalor cannot fix this, so our webhost is attempting to upgrade the board’s software – but they need time to do so. Failing that, I’m waiting for my password to be validated on our software maker’s site so that I can have them do it, if necessary – but the password hasn’t arrived and I have no idea how long it takes to get here. Until any of this stuff happens, the board will be down.

Well, dear readers, just when you thought it was September, it’s October. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, it is October. The tenth month. The month of Halloween and trick or treat. Frankly, I would like to forego the trick and emphasize the treat. Let October be a month of treats. In any case, it’s the tenth month and let us hope it is a month without annoying annoyances and a month with good things for one and all and also all and one. Perhaps October will bring cooler temperatures, because on the last evening in September it was a stultifying 85 degrees out. I don’t think we need any more eighty-five degree nights in October, so let’s have eighty-five degrees of separation. Whilst I type these here notes I am listening to cool jazz ala The Dave Brubeck Quartet, maybe the coolest jazz of all time. This particular CD is entitled Bossa Nova USA and it is a classic, and it includes my favorite Brubeck tune ever, the main theme from his brilliant jazz ballet Points On Jazz. So, I’m feeling very cool right now. I’m sitting at my computer like so much fish with my shades on and a marijuana cigarette dangling from my lips. I’m not really sitting at my computer with shades on and a marijuana cigarette, but it’s an amusing image, since I have never had a marijuana cigarette in or anywhere near Ye Olde Mouthe. I am sipping some orange/cream flavored sparkling water, so that’s cool. I think I should play Dave Brubeck CDs all the livelong day and night because then I would be cool all the time – a cool cat, man. Then if something untoward occurs I can say, “But I was cool” just like the song by Oscar Brown, Jr. If you’ve never heard But I Was Cool by Oscar Brown, Jr. you simply are not cool and you should remedy that situation immediately, because it’s really a cool and very funny song, especially as performed by Mr. Brown, Jr. Why am I going on about Dave Brubeck and Oscar Brown, Jr? Don’t I have notes to write? Yeah, but I was cool. Speaking of cool, yesterday was hot. A broiler. Ridiculous weather for the last day of September. A scorcher. I got up early and did the long jog, then I answered e-mails, did some work that needed doing, had a brief visit from a visitor, and then I ate two English muffin cheese puffy things, which were yummilicious. Then I did some errands and whatnot, came back home, did more work, made some telephonic calls, made some tuna and ate it sans bread, and then I finally sat on my couch like so much fish.

Last night, I watched one motion picture that I’d TIVOd and one motion picture on DVD. The motion picture I’d TIVOd was entitled Honor Thy Father, a TV movie from 1973. I’d never seen it, but since I’ve been doing The Godfather marathon, I thought it would be perfectly in keeping with my gangster movie week. Honor Thy Father is simply one of the worst TV movies ever made. The script by Lewis John Carlino, a writer I normally like, is terrible – it just lurches from event to event incomprehensibly, without any real character development (it’s based on a book by Gay Talese) or pace or dramatic purpose. There is awful narration (spoken by Joseph Campenella), and the direction by Paul Wendkos borders on the inept. The actors do what they can, but they don’t have much to play. Joe Bologna is okay as the lead, Raf Vallone is almost impossible to understand, and there’s the usual assortment of Eyetalian character actors, including Richard Castellano. The only good thing about the film is the good score by George Duning. I then watched the motion picture on DVD, which as entitled, as you might imagine, The Godfather III. This film has a surprising number of supporters – surprising because The Godfather III is so clearly not in the same league as the previous films. In fact, if you ask me, it should never have been made. I think the supporters simply see a film that doesn’t exist. Everything that works in the first two films, doesn’t work here. You can see the mechanics and the wheels and the gears – you don’t in the first two films – they’re completely mesmerizing and, most importantly, no matter how convoluted the plotting, they are easy to follow. The third film is very hard to follow, and the character of Michael Corleone is so different from the fellow we left at the end of The Godfather II (one of the greatest close-ups in film) – he’s like a Catskills comic at times and there’s no subtlety anymore. And in the sixteen years between films, Pacino has gone to actor whisper land. And that haircut is ridiculous. Andy Garcia is okay, and I, unlike others, don’t really have a problem with Sofia Coppola’s one-note performance – she’s certainly not terrible and she certainly didn’t deserve the derision. It consistently tries to repeat sequences that were done better in the earlier films. Coppola’s direction is fine, and so is the photography by Gordon Willis. The score by Carmine Coppola mostly uses the Nino Rota themes, but when it’s not, it’s not nearly as good. And unlike the first two films, this film feels every minute of its 170 minute running time. The transfer is fine. I have now given The Godfather III five tries – and that’s it – I will never watch it again. I kept hoping it would seem better than it did on its original release, but it doesn’t.

What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because October, the tenth month, is already flying by, like a gazelle eating a mutton chop.

Today, I shall be doing the long jog, doing errands and whatnot, writing, and then having a long working dinner meeting at the Studio Café with Mr. David Wechter.

Tomorrow, I have no idea what’s happening, but I’m sure whatever it is it will be thrilling. Friday, I have a working lunch. Saturday is, of course, the book signing and I’m really hoping we have a decent crowd, since everyone I know seems to be out of town this weekend. Sunday I’ll be going to the Hollywood Memorabilia Show.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do the long jog, do errands and whatnot, write, and attend to things that need attending, and then have a dinner meeting. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you dear readers get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, as we give a hearty hello to October, the tenth month.

NOTE: Something is wrong with the discussion board – it happened right after midnight. You’ll get the home page, but you can’t get anywhere from there – it just loops back to the home page. At the bottom of the home page you’ll see some weird thing, and whatever that is is probably the problem. I’ve written to our web host, but they won’t be there until morning – I’ve also written to Mr. Mark Bakalor, but he seems to be not around. Hopefully, we’ll be fixed by the time I get up in the morning.

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