Well, dear readers, how can November be half over already? This month is flying by, like a gazelle sporting a pince-nez. Does anyone still wear a pince-nez? And just what the HELL is a pince-nez anyway? Well, I’ll tell you, just in case you don’t know. They are eyeglasses without the side things that go over your ears. They stay on your little face by pinching your little nose. Pince meaning pinch and nez meaning nose. Now, the question is, since we say I’m wearing a pair of glasses, do we then say I’m wearing a pair of pince-nezzzzzes? And if we were indeed wearing a pair of glasses wouldn’t we have more than one glasses on our little face? It’s all very confusing at this time of night, and I fear it will be equally confusing in the morning. In any case, I now want a pair of pince-nez so I can have my little nose pinched. What the HELL am I talking about?
Let me just say that yesterday was the kind of Saturday I wanted to have. I was awakened by the ringing of the doorbell, and then a few minutes later I let she of the Evil Eye have her domain and I moseyed on over to the North Hollywood Police Station, which is located in North Hollywood. I filed my report, gave them documents to Xerox and now it’s in the hands of the detectives. They told me to call in a week and gave me the number to call. After that, I did some errands and whatnot, then had a turkey sandwich and sweet potato fries, both yummilicious. Then I went to the mail place and picked up a couple of packages and an important envelope, then I did some banking, then I came home. It was drizzling for most of the day, and we actually achieved some actual rain at some point, which we need. I listened to all the raw tracks for an upcoming release – it’s going to be a favorite, but it requires some thought at to sequencing. I wrote the blurb for our next release and got the audio samples to the web guy so we’re all ready for that, save for me having to prep the eBlast, which I’ll do this day. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish.
First I watched the first twenty minutes of a German Blu and Ray of The Thief of Bagdad, which I thought looked pretty damn good. I hated the Criterion transfer, which was ugly and yellow, but I thought the MGM/UA DVD looked swell. I can’t find it at the moment so I can compare, but I will. Then I watched a screener of a motion picture entitled Cloud Atlas. It’s a big, sprawling, weird and wacky motion picture, but I have to say its nearly three hours goes by very quickly. There are some wonderful scenes, some terrific performances (all the actors play multiple roles), and I like the underlying ideas – it doesn’t quite work, but the ride is somewhat fun and I enjoyed it. It’s very well directed by the Wachoski brothers – well, you have to say siblings now, as one of the brothers apparently has become a sister – and Tom Tykwer, who made Run, Lola, Run, a film I’m very fond of. It goes back and forth between six different stories and the first hour is extremely confusing, but then I kind of caught on and then it was fine. The novel on which it’s based is apparently easier to follow as each story is presented successively, and then the author backtracks to tie up each story. I did check out the reviews, and I must say some hate it and some love it. It seems to be a very divisive film. I am amused at the fact that every single critic writing about the film seems to have read the novel. They go out of their way to say it and you know what – I don’t believe it. I think they go read a synopsis somewhere and then say they read the book. It would be awfully coincidental that every single major critic in this country just happened to have read the 550-page novel. I thought the score (by Tykwer and two others) was quite excellent.
I then watched another screener entitled Argo, starring and directed by Ben Affleck. It’s based on a true story, with the operative word being “based.” The film apparently takes many liberties with the truth, but it’s a film, not reality. And the film, which has garnered almost unanimous raves? I liked it fine – it was very well done, paced well, good acting, and moments of grand humor and intense suspense. But the last thirty minutes is apparently where most of the liberties are taken in the name of pumping up the suspense and it feels like it – just too Screenwriting 101 for my taste. But it’s a minor quibble and it works okay but it would have worked equally well just sticking to the truth. No point in talking about transfers, as these are just basically put on DVD.
Then I did some stuff on the computer, took a shower, and that was that. All in all, a very relaxing day. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must get a good night’s beauty sleep.
Today, I shall hopefully arise after a good night’s beauty sleep, then I shall begin writing the commentary for the Kritzerland show, plus I have to make the event page and send out an eBlast, since we’re now only two weeks away. I’m sure I’ll eat something, and I’ll begin some liner notes, too. I was supposed to see a show in the evening, but I’ve cancelled because I just need to get rest.
Tomorrow, we announce our new title at six in the morning, then I have all sorts of things to do, and then I’m going to dinner at the Staitman home. Tuesday and Wednesday are very busy doing all sorts of things, then I’m going to a Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, then we have one of our Kritzerland cast who has to rehearse her first day before our regular rehearsals. I’m hoping the weekend will remain pretty free.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the tings I do, I must, for example, write, do an event page, do an eBlast, eat, write, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall dream that I am wearing a pince-nez.