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October 27, 2011:

POINT TAKEN

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, every day is an adventure and every adventure is a day. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, every day is an adventure and every adventure is a day. Sometimes one knows what’s going to happen and sometimes there are surprises along the way. Conversely, sometimes there are surprises along the way and sometimes one knows what’s going to happen. Well, that was a perfectly pointless paragraph, wasn’t it?

However, point taken. Point being that every day is an adventure. Of course, now that my point has been taken I have no point, which is not going to make for very interesting notes. Well, that was another perfectly pointless paragraph, wasn’t it? In fact, I think today’s notes will be nothing but perfectly pointless paragraphs (the three Ps).

I had a day that was an adventure, and yet I cannot recall a single thing about it. Yes, I can. For example, I got up. That was an adventure. I began the day with a visit from our very own Mr. Nick Redman, who was picking up some stuff. He ended up leaving two upcoming Twilight Time Blu and Ray releases here for me to watch, and I’ll be talking about those in a little while. After that, I had to go directly to a meeting at Aroma CafĂ©, with a singer and the gent who runs Vitello’s Sunday night shows. I rarely go to Aroma because of the insane crowds, but it wasn’t too bad at noon. I got a wrap – crispy chicken, some sort of chipotle mayo (light), corn, lettuce, tomatoes – it was, in a word, yummilicious. I want one every day now. It came with a teeny-tiny Caesar salad, also good. The meeting wasn’t really much of a meeting – I’ve told the singer that I’ll help him choose his material and help him structure it – his show is in mid-November and I simply have no time to really do any significant work on it.

After that, I came back home and did the four-mile jog, after which I picked up a package and no mail. I also picked up no mail and a package. See what I mean about surprises along the way? Point taken. Damn it all, now I have no point again. Where was I? Oh, yes, the adventure of the day. So far, it seems like it wasn’t much of an adventure but anytime I have a superb meal it IS an adventure. I came home, finished writing the contextual commentary (that was an adventure – how many times can one person use the word dildo in a contextual commentary), had to go back to the mail place to get another package that arrived later in the day, did some more work on the computer, and finally sat on my couch like so much fish. The good news is, I rested my voice for most of the day.

Last night, I watched two count them two upcoming Twilight Time Blu and Ray releases. The first upcoming Blu and Ray release was entitled Rapture, a film of John Guillerman, starring Mr. Melvyn Douglas, Mr. Dean Stockwell, Miss Gunnel Lindblom, and Miss Patricia Gozzi. This is not a well know film and some may wonder why Twilight Time would bother to release a virtually unknown film. First, a little BK history with Rapture. It’s not unknown to me – I saw it at a sneak preview months before its release. It was not received well and had many walkouts. I think the audience had no idea what they were watching – it as a major studio sneak preview and what they got was an outrĂ© major studio art film. But, I, BK, loved it. I loved it mostly because I was mad for Patricia Gozzi, who I’d loved so much in Sundays and Cybele, where I felt and still feel she gave one of the greatest performances by a child in the history of film. In Rapture, which she filmed when she was fourteen, she’s much more grown up but equally wonderful. And I’ve always loved Melvyn Douglas and I was a fan of Dean Stockwell, mostly from Long Day’s Journey Into Night. Add to that the beautiful black and white scope photography and a wonderful score by a composer I’d discovered just a couple of years prior with That Man From Rio, Georges Delerue, and why wouldn’t I love it. I saw it one more time, during its one-week release, after which it disappeared forever – I think it only had really sporadic TV showings, and was never commercially released on home video. I got a homegrown copy several years ago but couldn’t watch it because it was pan and scan. So, it was a real pleasure to reacquaint myself with the film, although my memory of it, even forty-six years later, was absolutely on the money – its key scene is exactly as I remember it right down to the little sigh that Miss Gozzi makes. Looking at it all these years later it’s still the oddly poetic, weird, and beautiful film I remember. Not much is explained. Things just sort of occur. Miss Gozzi plays a disturbed young teen, Mr. Douglas is her gruff father, Miss Lindblom works for him, and Mr. Stockwell is on the lam for escaping from a police van and, in the process, mortally wounding a pursuing policeman. Miss Gozzi, becomes very attached to Mr. Stockwell, feeling that he’s “hers.” Miss Lindblom is also attached to Mr. Stockwell, and when Miss Gozzi catches them being randy together, she goes after Miss Lindblom with a shovel. Miss Lindblom takes a hike and Mr. Stockwell and Miss Gozzi – well – let’s just say you could not make this film today because forty-six years later it would not be politically correct to do so. But the film is about what the film is about and they don’t shirk from it. They don’t really mention how old Miss Gozzi is, but she looks very young. Things end as things end.

The film is apparently the favorite of its director and one can see why – it’s really creative and really well directed. The performances are all top-notch. And the black and white scope photography shines through in this transfer. Most of it looks absolutely breathtaking, with only a few shots that have a little trouble dealing with the grain (mostly low-light shots). I just love black and white scope and this is one of the best. The Delerue score is beautiful (and there’s an isolated track). So, if you feel like discovering an unknown little gem, then this is highly recommended by the likes of me.

I then watched the second upcoming motion picture on Blu and Ray, which was entitled Mysterious Island. I will admit it’s not my favorite of the Ray Harryhausen pictures, although I do rank it above Jason and the Argonauts. This one kind of lurches along in a pleasant way and there’s a good deal of fun as it goes along. The cast is not exactly stellar, but they get the job done. Of course, there’s a great Bernard Herrmann score, which helps things immeasurably. But one’s enjoyment of the film is commensurate with how good the film looks. And the film looks as good as it ever has, with a superb transfer from Sony that looks just like – wait for it – film. The opticals and effects shots are many and they are, of course, grainy and a little soft, as they should be. The non-opiticals and effects shots are very sharp and the color is absolutely perfect. I dare say it didn’t look this good in the theaters with the Eastman color release prints. There’s a robust 5.1 stereo track and the original mono. If you’re a fan of the film I can’t imagine you won’t be over the moon about this Blu and Ray.

After my viewing, I took a brief drive, came home, made some tuna, which I ate sans bread, had some chocolate licorice and one little brownie square, and did some more work on the computer. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I really must get a good night’s beauty sleep.

Has anybody seen my point? It was taken earlier and I’d really like to find it. In the meantime, today I shall do the four-mile jog early, then I go to my engineer’s home environment to record the intro to Melody’s CD and off-camera dialogue for the three episodes of Outside The Box we just shot. After that, I should be able to take it easy, which is a good thing, and I will eat something light but amusing at some point.

Tomorrow, I’m hoping maybe a visit to the editing room, but that would have to be early because at four we have our second Gardenia rehearsal. It will be fun because we’ll have the dildos and we’ll have Jason Graae, not necessarily in that order. Saturday, I’ll be attending the opening night of Hairspray at Musical Theatre West.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do the four-mile jog, record some stuff, hopefully pick up a package or three, eat something, relax, and hopefully find my point, which, in case you didn’t know, was taken earlier in the notes. Several times. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite Ray Harryhausen films – he was a master at what he did and his films are quite wonderful. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland where I will hopefully find my taken point. Point taken.

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