Well, dear readers, this week is flying by, like a gazelle on a unicycle. I gotta tell you. First of all, let me tell you that I watched the final two Wallander films and I’m happy to report that they were a total return to form after the two terrible films directed by the one terrible director. That director, if you can call him that, was so bad for the series, and those two films are just so much less than the others, including not only the jerky cam and the washed out color and contrast, but that awful sound design crap where every ten seconds we get a low rumbling sound for no reason as if someone was moving around in a dungeon somewhere. I was, in fact, so angry with those two films I almost wasn’t going to watch the last two, but I’m completely glad I stuck with it. Not only the bad camera, the bad direction, the bad sound, but eliciting performances from the normally reliable and brilliant cast that took them into very embarrassing overwrought territory. Note to inept director: Don’t try to change what works, just because you admire the crap that’s on American TV – and try watching some well made films – they’ll help you understand how to tell a story well without making the show all about your awful, pretentious direction. Another thing about those two films – Wallander in series two has a wonderful dog named Jussi – he’s in every movie EXCEPT those two. Ridiculous. In any case, the final two films were both great, and the last one is actually better than great – it’s very touching and tear-inducing. Jussi is part of that, but also, at the end of the episode, Wallander, as he did in the first film of series two, looks at a picture of his daughter Linda, played by the actress Johanna Sallstrom, who committed suicide after series one wrapped – there is such love and sadness on his face, just a wonderful moment. It’s a perfect wrap-up to one of the best series of TV films ever. I’m actually thrilled there will be no more. And, if anyone is taking my recommendation and getting this, you can’t exactly skip episodes ten and eleven as they contain some pertinent plot points, but you can fast-forward.
I also began the first of the Kenneth Branagh Wallander films, Sidetracked, based on the novel. When one has seen the perfection of Krister Henricksson as Wallander, Branagh simply doesn’t cut it. I’d heard that it was a jerky cam show, but that isn’t the case, at least with this first one. It’s directed in a calm style. I’ll finish this first one and then decide if I want to watch the others, or wait until the release of the Wallander Swedish series of films made before the Krister Henricksson stories – those were also based on the novels and are supposed to be very good. The Branagh series looks good – it’s all shot on location in Ystad, just as the Swedish was. But like the UK Maigret series, it’s just weird to have the real locations but have all the Swedish characters speaking the Queen’s English.
Prior to all that, I got up, did a few things on the computer, then had an early lunch, late breakfast with Alet. I hadn’t seen her in a couple of months, and we had a splendidly splendid time catching up, and I’ll definitely see her a few more times before she makes the move to New York to be with hubby Andy, who’s in Once. After that, I came home, wrote some obscenely large Kritzerland checks, then picked up a couple of unimportant and actually annoying packages. After that, I had a couple of telephonic calls, finessed a guest “blog” that will be the first guest “blog” on the Author House site (they came to me as their most published author), and then I went to meet up with Pogue and his ever-lovin’ Julieanne at the Cat and the Fiddle on Sunset. There we sat with a couple of other friends of theirs. They had dinner, but I just had an appetizer, chicken on skewers with some rank peanut sauce. It was mercifully light. Then I came home, finished the Wallanders, and began the Branagh version.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I still need to get a really good night’s beauty sleep.
Today, I shall be writing liner notes (and hopefully finishing them), hopefully picking up some packages, doing some errands and whatnot, and then I’ll be supping with Pogue – not sure where yet – we’re talking about Bird’s or Musso and Frank, but may decide to stay in the Valley and do Hoggly-Woggly’s barbecue or The Smoke House. We shall see.
Tomorrow, more writing, more stuff, Friday a Juliana meeting, and then three intense days of working with the New York Singer, plus seeing a show on Saturday night – a benefit reading of Come Back, Little Sheba at LACC, starring Faith Prince and Tony Plana.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write, hopefully pick up some packages, do errands and whatnot, and sup and have fun with Pogue. 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, as I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall dream lovely dreams without a trace of jerky cam.