Well, dear readers, I have had a rather large ball way too late in the evening, and now I have a rather large ball in my tummy, matzo ball that is, along with the attendant soup and rye bread, which I felt was not only rye but wry. I hadn’t eaten since noon and really was getting ornery, so I thought it best to matzo ball soup it. I wonder if it’s written somewhere that matzo balls have to be the size of a soup bowl. This ball was huge. And I ate it all. In any case, I am sated and tired and must write these here notes in a hurry because I have an early morning meeting to attend.
Yesterday was a pleasant little day. I got up early, answered e-mails and did some work on the computer and was happy to see that we’d sold out of Pirates, one of our fastest sellouts. I then had some bacon and eggs and toast and a very small portion of fries (literally about ten fries). Then I made some telephonic calls, after which I went to the mail place and picked up a few packages, including the Fed Ex envelope that contained the missing part I’ve been waiting for. I came home and decided to finish writing the liner notes, which I did and which took about two hours to finish and finesse. Then I was sent two cover options for the new book – photographs that Grant Geissman will then use in the cover design. I also took care of all the book details in terms of the publisher so they’re just awaiting everything now, which we hope to have to them in about three weeks. Grant was actually working on the layout today, so it’s moving along and I’ll go over there this weekend to see what’s what. Hopefully, he can finish the actual book design so that I can then begin proofing it for the final few times. After that, a man arrived to install the missing part – I was told I could do it myself, but as it turned out he said I would have had a good deal of trouble doing it, owing to another little thing that had to be adjusted, and he said if I’d tried to do it I actually might have damaged something else – so, it was nice to know I’d made the right decision. After that, I finally sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture I’d TIVOd in high definitions entitled Lolita, the Stanley Kubrick film, starring Mr. James Mason, Miss Sue Lyon, Mr. Peter Sellers, and Miss Shelly Winters. I’ve written about the film many times – it’s probably my favorite Kubrick film (along with The Killing). I love everything about it: the performances, the writing, the direction, the score, the photography. Mason is as good as he ever was in this film, and Sue Lyon is delightful as Lolita. This is one of Shelly Winters’ finest hours – she is just superb as Charlotte Haze. And Sellers is amazing, that’s all there is too it. The film has a wicked wit and somehow the whole thing, which shouldn’t really work, works beautifully. It’s coming to Blu and Ray soon and it will be a must-have. I then checked out the transfers of the three new Biblical epics released this week. The Ten Commandments looks excellent from the little I saw – beautiful color, very sharp (as it should be from the VistaVision negative) and it’s right up there with Paramount’s amazing transfer of White Christmas (also from the VistaVision negative). I’m looking forward to seeing this as I haven’t actually watched the whole thing in about three decades. The Blu-Ray of King of Kings looks pretty terrific, too, with excellent color and sharpness, although I’m a bit baffled by the 2.35 scope ration, when this was a 70mm release (should be 2.20 or thereabouts). And I’ve seen not one mention of this in any of the online reviews. I then checked out the transfer of The Greatest Story Ever Told – I’d already read that it was a disappointment, but I never take those reports seriously. Sadly, this time they are correct – it’s a horrible transfer. People are acting like this is a new hi-def transfer that was done poorly, but it’s pretty plain to see that this is the transfer used for the DVD and that it’s been upconverted. This is, of course, shameful – this is a gorgeously photographed large-format film (same process as Ben-Hur) and it should look no less than stunning. It doesn’t even make it past stu. And that will probably be it for this title, which is a real shame. I have to find many hours to watch these films because they’re all at least three hours long, and Ten Commandments and Greatest Story are even longer. But I also have The Mikado and Topsy-Turvy to watch – the latter is almost three hours, too.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must get my beauty sleep and hopefully the big ball in my tummy will not preclude me from doing so.
Today, I have an early morning meeting at LACC, after which I have to pick up some tapes for an upcoming release. Then I’ll eat something, hopefully approve the packaging for our next release so that we can start on the one that follows that, and that should be about it. I’ll watch one of the epics in the evening.
Tomorrow will hopefully be a shipping day, although I won’t know that for sure until later today. If it’s not a shipping day, then the shipping day will be Friday and I will be doing this shipment all by my lonesome, since the helper is leaving town for one week on Friday morning. So, praying that it arrives tomorrow. I’m also taking my motor car in for its second servicing first thing tomorrow morning. Friday, I think I have a meeting or two, and then we have our second rehearsal.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a meeting, pick up tapes, approve packaging, start on new liner notes, hopefully pick up a package or three, and then watch an epic. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you 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, whilst I hit the road to dreamland with the big ball in my tummy.