Well, dear readers, are we really heading towards the end of June and the beginning of July? I cannot wrap my mind around it, frankly. This year is flying by, like a gazelle in a Turkish bath. It was quite exciting around these here parts yesterday morning, what with the hammering and yammering cretins hammering and yammering at seven in the morning and the gardeners loudly trimming palm trees and shrubs in my yard. It was a veritable cacophony. Since I’d jogged four days in a row I decided to take the day off from jogging. I had to go return some tapes and pick up some new tapes for potential future Kritzerland projects. I was concerned about one set of tapes because on the master list both sets were mono, and there was definitely a stereo LP. Happily, that was a mistake and one box is clearly marked stereo, so we have that for sure. The other set of tapes is for a soundtrack that had a very short LP (about twenty-five minutes), but it looks like there’s extra material on these tapes, including longer film versions of some tracks and some outtakes, so this could end up being a goody – if it’s still too short, there is something I can pair it with that’s very similar in style. After I did the tape run, I ran over to Hamburger Hamlet for a little lunch (I only do lunch these days, with sometimes a small snack in the evening), and then shipped a few packages and picked up one package. I did a few errands and whatnot, answered a lot of e-mails, printed out more orders, never got around to addressing any packages, and had a few telephonic calls. I then sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched three count them three motion pictures on Blu and Ray. The first motion picture was entitled Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As I’ve written, I enjoyed the first two films, although they suffered from Chris Columbus’s Spielber-itis a little. I enjoyed some of the two subsequent films, but not all – I felt they’d lost some of the fun and magic of the first two films and especially Goblet of Fire seemed to be filled with a lot of breast-beating angst for Mr. Radcliffe, whose charm and sweetness is almost completely missing from Goblet – I actually began to want to just say “shut up and stop your whining” several times in Goblet. Well, let’s magnify that 100 times for Order of the Phoenix, which is poorly directed by some guy who’s done mostly TV in the UK, and the usual writer, Steve Kloves, is not around for this film and it really shows. I understand the book is fantastic, but the film feels like Cliff’s Notes and not good Cliff’s Notes. Yes, it’s got some big scenes, and yes, it has an absolutely terrific performance from Imelda Stauton and a sweet one from the little girl who plays Luna, but I just go so tired of Daniel Radcliffe’s heavy-breathing, angst-filled performance. I do like Miss Watson and Mr. Grint, and I can’t get enough of Maggie Smith. I was dismayed to see that this same director is doing the final two films, although Mr. Kloves is back as screenwriter. I’m glad to have finally seen all these, and they all have their moments, but I think the first three are the only ones that held my interest throughout – four almost did, but five just irritated me too much of the time. The Blu-Ray of number five doesn’t quite reach the reference quality heights of four, but it looks excellent.
I then watched a motion picture entitled Strictly Ballroom, a region-free import from the UK. At first, I didn’t think I’d ever seen the film, but about twenty minutes in, I realized I had. I rather like the film, and it’s really clear that Baz Luhrmann loves cinema and all its tricks. The film has a wonderful energy, excellent performances, and great music and dancing. But while Mr. Luhrmann seemingly loves cinema and revels in it, he has clearly not learned anything from the masters of the movie musical, because his direction of the dances borders on inept, just as it did in Moulin Rouge. Note to Mr. Luhrmann (and everyone else who is directing a movie musical): You don’t ever, and I mean EVER, need to cut to a close-up of feet. Disembodied shots of feet are meaningless when showing a dance, just as cutting to an extreme close-up of the upper half of the body is meaningless. Mr. Astaire and Mr. Kelly and Mr. Minelli and anyone worth their salt knew this – show the dancer full body so we can see the dancing and not some over-edited bunch of shots that rob the performer of his performance. On the odd occasion when Mr. Luhrmann leaves the dances in longer shots, they’re great, and it looks great. I thought the film’s leading man, Paul Mercurio, gave a stellar performance and he’s a wonderful dancer. I’m a little surprised that his career never really took off, although he seems to have worked steadily since the film. The Blu-Ray is quite nice.
I then watched a motion picture entitled The Dinner Game, a French motion picture from France, written and directed by Francis Veber. Mr. Veber is an expert at the mechanics of farce and screen comedy, and this film takes its sweet time setting the mechanics in motion and then delivers one huge laugh after another, including one verbal gag that had me laughing so hard I had to pause the movie – so, comedy, at least in France, is alive and well, or was back in the 1990s when this film was made. The cast is perfection, as is the score by the great Vladimir Cosma, and I just loved every minute of it. The region-free Blu and Ray from France (with English subtitles) looks amazing. Highly recommended by the likes of me.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because, as you know, I will be getting up very early and must get my beauty sleep.
Today, I will be doing some version of the jog, and then I have a lunch meeting – I may go to Genghis Cohen again – we’re still trying to decide. After that, I have a couple of errands and whatnot to do, and then the rest of the day I shall be addressing packages and relaxing.
The weekend is fairly open, with more addressing of packages and then affixing postage to them, and also making arrangements to add Niki Scalera to the Nudie Musical demo, and beginning work on the book design of the new novel.
Wasn’t yesterday weird? Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson both dead, and far too young? The whole day seemed almost surreal.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do the long jog, I must have a lunch meeting, I must do errands and whatnot, I must hopefully pick up a package or three, and I must address packages. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player, and your DVD/video player? I’ll start – CD, more Johnny Mathis two-fers. Blu-Ray, Thunderbirds TV series (from the UK), and Monsters, Inc. (from Japan). Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland.