Well, dear readers, how can it already be Thursday when it still feels like Monday? This week has flown by, like a gazelle doing the Locomotion. It’s actually been a pretty fun week, all things considered, and believe me I’ve considered all things, and, conversely, all things has considered me. I do have to be up bright and early and also early and bright to do a little telephonic interview for Marilyn Beck’s online column – about the book. So, I’ll get through these here notes like a gazelle with a hot foot. Yesterday was a nice day, all things considered, and believe me I’ve considered all things. I got up. That was nice. I had some orders to print out (I’d say that the Ken Thorne CD won’t be around much longer), then I had several long telephonic calls, mostly regarding what to do about Promises, Promises. Then I had to pick up two additional tapes for our next release (I’m sure we won’t need them, but the tapes are in film order and it will save me a lot of work). I shipped a few packages, picked up a package, ate a turkey sandwich and onion rings, and then had a few lengthy e-mail correspondences regarding Promises – and we’ve made the decision to press as second edition limited to 1000 copies of disc two, my remix. That way, people who didn’t act quickly enough will be able to get it, and the two CD set will retain its rarity. It will cost a bit of dough to do it, but I am just so happy with the way it came out, and people have been so vocal in their praise, that I don’t mind if I have it in stock for a year or two – as long as we can sell about 200 relatively quickly we’ll be fine. So, if you were thinking about a second copy now’s your chance, and it would, of course, make a lovely gift for those forward-thinking gift-givers. I then had to make a few adjustments in the booklet and on the inlay card, I redid the blurb for the website, and the print went to the printer. So, in about two weeks we’ll have stock again on the new 1 CD edition of 1000. We’ll probably officially announce it tomorrow. Somehow, all that ended up taking the entire day. I was quite ready to sit on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, a Swedish film from Sweden, based on the Swedish book from Sweden. I’ve heard a lot of chatter about the book, of course, and also about the film. So, before I get to the meat of things, let’s talk about what the word on the film was – and it was one word: Violence. Extreme, sickening violence, the kind that I avoid like the plague in movies. I have seen extreme, sickening violence, the kind that is disgusting and crass and overdone and gratuitous, and that’s what I was led to believe I’d be seeing. Well, guess what? As usual, the critics and the Internet wags once again do a great injustice by being totally incorrect. Does the film have violent images? Sure. That is its nature. Are they over the top? Are they filled with special effects and nauseating explicitness? Absolutely, positively not. In fact, compared to a lot of American films of this nature, it’s pretty mild. Not the subject matter, mind you, but the presentation. When the two critics of At the Movies both give the film a thumbs down because of the violence but give a thumbs up to movies like Goodfellas and The Departed, which are a hundred times more violent and sickening and gross than anything on view in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, then you just have to scratch your head and wonder. I almost didn’t get the movie because of what these people said. Well, I decided to take the chance because they do this sort of thing so often (and never EVER talk about the extreme violence in films that HAVE it) and am I glad I did. Because, simply put, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is the best thriller of its kind since Silence of the Lambs. It is well written, beautifully directed (with none of the crap that American directors can’t stop doing – no jump cuts, no sped up action, no fancy horse manure – just simple and perfect shots that – wait for it – tell the story. The film runs two-and-a-half hours and seems like eighty minutes. The characters are all great and compelling, whether good or evil. The musical score is subtle and terrific. And the big surprise is that at the two-hour mark, when the film seems to be finished, it goes on for another half-hour in a way that American filmmakers would never have the guts to do. And to that I say, bravo. One can only shudder to think of the American version that’s to be directed by David Fincher. I’ve also read a couple of reviews of the Blu-Ray that call the transfer less than stellar. Well, boys, go do something else, because this is a superb transfer in every way. One of these dolts said “the color seems muted but maybe that’s what the filmmakers intended.” Note to dolt: Duh. One site has screencaps up that in no way resemble the image on view. So, take it from me, the Blu-Ray is terrific and so is the movie – in fact, it’s highly recommended by the likes of me.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because, all things considered, I’m done with this here section.
Today, I’ll be doing my telephonic interview at ten, and then I have a lunch at twelve with my pal Lauren Rubin, after which I’ll come home, do some writing, and then begin planning the first Kritzerland at the Gardenia evening. I’m waiting to hear from a performer and if I have her I will be most thrilled.
Tomorrow, the new helper will be here to go over stuff and to start figuring out the migration to the computer. After that, the day and evening are mine all mine, and that goes for the weekend, too.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a telephonic interview, I must have a lunch, I must write, I must do errands and whatnot and I must plan. Today’s topic of discussion: If you were given the opportunity to correct one mistake you made, what would it be and how would you correct it? I think we’ve all had them in our lives (I talk about several of mine in the book). Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, all things considered and believe me I’ve considered all things.