Well, dear readers, what does Hollywood do when it has a film it has no clew how to sell? Well, I’ll tell you what Hollywood does because why should I keep such information from you. What Hollywood does when it doesn’t have a clew how to sell a film is they immediately call it a thriller, or a psychological thriller. That becomes a real problem when the film on view has little psychology and not one thrill. Such was the case with a long and turgid film called Martha Marcy May Marlene – the title alone tells you what you’re in for, rather like watching drool in slow motion. It’s a film festival lover’s perfect film – filled with long pauses signifying nothing, scenes that go on forever, arty yet hazy photography, more long pauses, and an enigmatic ending just in case there hasn’t been enough enigma in the film. A girl escapes a Manson-like cult and moves in with her sister and the sister’s husband, paranoid that the cult may find her. That is the plot. So, we have scenes of her behaving weirdly, and we have flashbacks of her life in the cult. That goes on for the entire duration of the film, and then we get the enigmatic ending at which point the film just stops and the credits roll. Naturally, this was a smash at Sundance and it’s no surprise that it’s partially funded by Sundance and was probably developed at Sundance (the list of hundreds of thank yous would certainly lead one to believe that). The actors are all okay, but the “career-making role” on view for Elizabeth Olsen was one made for critics – it’s a fine performance, but hardly career-making except in today’s Hollywood, where a new career-making role comes along every twelve minutes. The film won lots of film critics awards (mostly for Miss Olsen), which is also predictable. I’m sure the transfer replicates the hazy and indistinct photography perfectly, and I’m sure that look was intentional, perhaps to reinforce the hazy and indistinct mind of the film’s leading character. Certainly I felt hazy and indistinct after watching it. Thriller my ASS.
But prior to that I got the news that the Kritzerland two-year anniversary show, The Songs That Got Away, had been nominated for a Broadway World award. I usually never get nominated for anything, so that was nice. Of course, it’s really just a popularity contest, in that the winner is whoever has the most friends that will relentlessly vote for them from here till the end of the year. I’m happy to play, though, so if you feel like it do vote for us. Our category is Best Special Theatre Event. But that wasn’t the only nomination for work I was very involved with – the acts I created and directed for both Melody Hollis and Juliana Hansen were nominated for best female cabaret performer. The latter was very quick to write me and let me know how thrilled she was and to thank me for doing her act. That’s graciousness and graciousness is a very good character trait that everyone should strive for, but unfortunately not everyone does. Anyway, that was fun. We also got two rave reviews for last Sunday’s Kritzerland show, and that was fun, too.
Other than that, it was a perfectly fine day. I got up at nine after a rough night’s sleep, had a really long telephonic call with the East Coast Singer about her Christmas show. She’ll be here next week and I’ll assemble it and direct it as much as I can for the three days we’ll be able to work. It’s going to be a VERY busy week next week, because we’re also shooting two episodes of Outside The Box. We’ve added Dan Guntzelman and the beautiful Angel Reda to our cast and now we’re down to just one role left to be cast and come hell or high or low water it will be cast today. I ate another cobb salad (I’m on a definite cobb salad kick), picked up a couple of packages, did some banking, and watched that interminable motion picture.
After that, I had to write the set-up scene for one of the episodes – I’ve been waiting until it was fully cast before writing it, but I wrote it quickly and sent it off to the actor involved. And I got the great news that we can shoot one of the set-up scenes at The Federal, which will give us a great look. I began liner notes number two but didn’t really get very far, and around eight I was so hungry I went out and got one fried chicken breast – shouldn’t have, but it hit the spot and was quite yummilicious.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I really must get a good night’s beauty sleep.
Today, I will continue writing liner notes two, then at noon I’ll be in the editing room to look at swapping out one shot from the episode we showed the other night and which premieres on Sunday, and if we like it then we’ll nuke the old version and put it on the hard drive in compressed and uncompressed versions. Then I’ll see the first cut of the second episode and I’m sure we’ll futz with and finesse it until we’re happy – then I’ll live with it for a week, then we’ll finalize it in time for its airing towards the end of the month. After that, I’ll grab a bite to eat, then I head over to our very own Mr. Barry Pearl’s house to do some work on a project that we’ve been dickering with for a couple of years now.
Tomorrow I’m meeting with Dan Guntzelman and we’re going to talk about his lovely documentary about the Kentwood Players. He’s looking for distribution and I’m thinking it might be a good fit for Kritzerland. Saturday I’m really hoping I can just relax and not work, other than writing liner notes, and Saturday at midnight I’ll post episode one of Outside The Box, season two. Sunday I’m attending an opening night at the Pasadena Playhouse.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write, go to the editing room, eat, hopefully pick up some packages, and then have a work session. Today’s topic of discussion: We’ve done this before, but I’m just writing about it in liner notes two – what are your favorite most iconic ad campaigns (and movie posters) for movies? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where my dreams will undoubtedly be psychological thrillers in which I’m thrilled to get nominated. Oh, and get ready for a BIG Friday celebration right here at haineshisway.com – yes, it’s anniversary time.