Haines Logo Text
Column Archive
May 11, 2012:

FLICKS

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, this week has flown by, like a gazelle eating Flicks. Does anyone still eat Flicks? Do they even make Flicks? I used to love Flicks – that little cardboard tube filled with little chocolate circular discs. Well, let’s just see, shall we? Why, wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles, Flicks are still with us, at least at the Old Time Candy Company online, and I have just ordered a box of them. And so soon I shall have my very own supply of Flicks, and they will come from far and wide as well as wide and far to sample said Flicks from my box o’ Flicks. The little round tubes look exactly the same, too. Yes, everything old is new again, Flicks-wise. Well, what exhilaration this late at night.

Yesterday was a perfectly strange buy fine day. I got up early and went to storage, where I found the charts I needed. I then went to meet Juliana Hansen for our eleven o’clock lunch meeting, only to realize ten minutes later that we’d switched to Friday. So, I sat, I ate, I left. I then came home and did some work on the computer, after which I picked up a couple of packages from the mail place. I knew that I’d be staying in from then on because Studio City neighbor, Mr. George Clooney was hosting Mr. President Obama for a fund-raiser, so there were cops everywhere for miles and miles. I gather that Mr. Clooney lives either on Fryman Canyon or near it (the Wechters used to have a home there), which is about a mile and a half south of me. But there were cop cars all the way up to Riverside and Laurel Canyon, basically just sitting there like so much fish. So, I hunkered down and sat on my couch like so much fish, with a little snack of a small Gelson’s deli container of mac-and-cheese – I’d jogged two and a half miles, so that was a reasonable snack.

Last night, I watched a strange but interesting motion picture on DVD entitled Overlord, from the Criterion Collection. I’d never heard of this film at all – apparently few have. I would still not have heard of it but composer Paul Glass recommended it to me, telling me he was very fond of the score he wrote for it. The film, made in 1975 by Stuart Cooper, was a combo platter of stock footage from WWII and newly-shot footage by cameraman John Alcott, all skillfully intercut to make a story about an English soldier going in the Army – his basic training, and then being sent to code word Overlord, apparently the code word for D-Day. It’s a slight story, told slowly through the film’s eighty-three minutes. The stock footage is pretty amazing at times, and all the actors involved are very real and natural. Aiding the film immeasurably is Paul Glass’s score, which is absolutely fantastic – beautifully done, melodic, touching, dissonant when it needs to be. Mr. Glass is very right to be proud of his achievement. The transfer was very nice.

I then watched last Sunday’s episode of Mad Men – back to being ordinary, after a couple of decent episodes. After that, I looked at the first draft packaging for our next release – it looks pretty great and now all we’re waiting on are some recording dates from the AFM and then it will go in for approval. I also listened to the one Paul Glass CD available, his third symphony and several other pieces. The packaging is not so hot, but the music is great. I really am happy to be the first label to be putting out a film score by him, and if you haven’t purchased it yet, you really should.

Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I need a good night’s beauty sleep.

Just as a point of interest, whilst I was happily purchasing my box o’ Flicks, I noticed they also still make Fizzies. Those who’ve read Benjamin Kritzer know I loved those Fizzie drinks, so I may have to buy some cherry Fizzies and see what they taste like now. Today, I shall have the early lunch meeting with Juliana, then I have some errands and whatnot to do, some jogging to do, hopefully I shall pick up some packages and an important envelope, and later I suppose there’s a chance I’ll see Pogue one more time before he heads home.

Tomorrow and the two following days will all be long workdays with the East Coast Singer. I’m also seeing Come Back, Little Sheba on Saturday night, and I do have some other stuff to do. Next week is very busy, mostly finishing the song choices and casting for the next Kritzerland show. It does look fairly certain that one of our cast members will be the delightfully delightful Leigh Ann Larkin – she played June in the Patti LuPone Gypsy.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a meeting, do errands and whatnot, try to get a jog in, hopefully pick up packages and an important envelope, and maybe see Pogue. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/video player? I’ll start – CD, Paul Glass classical music. Blu and Ray – more Branagh Wallander, although I suspect I will give up on that version fairly soon, and then catching up on other piles o’ Blu and Ray stuff. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to know the Flicks are still with us and winging their way to me.

Search BK's Notes Archive:
 
© 2001 - 2024 by Bruce Kimmel. All Rights Reserved