Well, dear readers, March is already flying by, like a gazelle in a psycho ward. I had a most relaxing “me” day yesterday, even though I did end up spending an hour writing the press releases for the two upcoming Kritzerland releases. Mostly I just did whatever I felt like doing. For example, I got up. I did end up doing the long jog, then I went to Gelson’s and got an assortment of foodstuffs to eat during the day. I listened to a whole slew of CDs, and sat on my couch like so much fish and watched two and one half motion pictures on DVD. The first motion picture on DVD was entitled Room At The Top, starring Mr. Laurence Harvey and Miss Simone Signoret, directed by Jack Clayton, with luscious photography by Freddie Francis. It’s a very slowly paced film, but in the end I really enjoyed it. When the film came out it was quite “adult” and touched on things that weren’t regularly touched on back then. The film was a big success and garnered a bunch of Academy Award nominations, including a win for Miss Signoret, who really is luminous and heartbreaking in her role. Mr. Harvey is excellent, as is the large supporting cast. The wonderful musical score is by Kritzerland’s very own Mario Nascimbene. The region 2 transfer is lovely but unfortunately not enhanced for widescreen TVs – it is just baffling in this day and age that that still occurs.
I then watched the second motion picture on DVD, which was entitled Howard The Duck. I don’t know why I put myself through it, but I was curious to see if the film had aged well or somehow become better. For if you read the imdb comments you would think this film is a five-star masterpiece. Why? Because all the comments are written by people who saw this film when they were little kids. This happens more with 80s films than with any other decade in history, this love of trash and tripe. I saw Howard The Duck the day it opened. It was one of a handful (and I mean handful) of films that I walked out on. I lasted about thirty minutes and I ran from the theater. I’m happy to report that time has not tarnished the awfulness that is Howard The Duck. The fact that Mr. George Lucas read the script and put his name on the film and got it financed for the film’s writer and director, Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck, is almost as mind-boggling as the film itself. Ms. Katz and Mr. Huyck, turned out a truly bad motion picture. It is totally unfunny, the direction is inept, as is the writing. Lea Thompson is fetching in a badly written role, and Jeffrey Jones is, as always, better than his material, but the film is just hopeless from frame one to the final frame. The score is quite nice (by John Barry), and the region 2 transfer is excellent (it’s coming out on DVD here on March 10). If you’re a fan of appallingly bad moviemaking, this might just be the ticket for you.
I then watched the first half of a motion picture entitled The Eiger Sanction, starring and directed by Mr. Clint Eastwood. I must say, it’s probably the worst written film he ever directed, although there have been some others that weren’t stellar. The dialogue is so dated and leaden it’s almost laughable. The actors are good, especially Thayer David, George Kennedy, and Jack Cassidy, and Clint is always fun to watch. The photography is very nice, and the John Williams score is great. The transfer is everything that a Warners transfer isn’t, i.e. perfect and gorgeous color – just the way it looked when it came out. The people who do the Warners transfers should be forced to look at the transfer of The Eiger Sanction – you know, forced, like Alex in A Clockwork Orange – eyes clamped open. I’ll finish the film this evening.
After that, I wrote the two press releases, and listened to more CDs, including a home-grown CD of Jerry Fielding’s Gray Lady Down, which I quite liked.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I am still feeling the effects of the chill pill I took at the beginning of the day.
Today I hope will also be a chill pill day. I have only one thing scheduled – a three-hour work session with Miss Linda Purl and Mr. Kevin Spirtas. I do have a couple of errands to do, as well, and I’m going to hopefully have both booklets to proof and also to send for approval (the whole package for both releases needs approval). I’m also hoping that the soundtrack release will be finished today or tomorrow (I was originally told it would be finished last night, but that didn’t happen).
Tomorrow I have another work session, plus an important meeting. And the rest of the week is the same. We’re also starting to get the word out for our LACCTAA events – if any of our West Coast dear readers and lurkers would like to attend them, just drop me a line.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do the long jog (if I get up early enough), have a three-hour work session, proof a new novel, and hopefully proof two booklets and, more importantly, hopefully hear the assembled soundtrack release. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your all-time favorite Clint Eastwood movies – both as actor and director? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I take another chill pill.