Well, dear readers, let me get right to the best part of yesterday. Muse Margaret called after reading the final seventy pages of the book and she loved them and thought it wrapped up everything wonderfully. Needless to say, that made me feel over the moon and under the sun. She found a few typos, asked me to embellish one little thing, add one little thing, and there were three tiny things that didn’t work for her – that’s always the most interesting thing for me, to get to the reasons that something doesn’t feel right. But I trust her judgment implicitly and I always make those tiny changes. In this instance, one was something to do with a character and the character’s reaction to something. When I wrote it (it’s just two lines) I laughed out loud for about ten minutes, but she felt it didn’t feel right for the character’s growth during the latter part of the novel, and as soon as she told me why I knew exactly what she meant – so I sacrificed the laugh immediately. The other two things were also character related and also easy to fix. So, after the conversation, I made those changes, which took me all of six minutes. I called her back, read them to her, she liked them all and that was that.
Prior to that, I was up at eight-thirty, stayed in bed till nine, then got up. I futzed and finessed the previous day’s writing – quite a bit of it, actually, because I was going so fast there were things that needed to be smoothed out, I removed a few things, added a few things, and was satisfied with the result. I was also very happy that I still found the book’s last two pages really to my liking and I made no changes to them, and that included the book’s concluding sentence. Then I printed the pages, took them to get Xeroxed, then delivered them to Muse Margaret.
After that, I went and ate – a patty melt and a cup of chicken corn chowder. Then I picked up a couple of packages, then did some banking. I came home, and this crazy week and a half I’ve had all hit me and I was just exhausted. I did a little work on the computer, and then I just sat on my couch like so much fish.
Yesterday, I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled The Lady From Shanghai. First off, this is one of the weirdest movies ever, with a feel like no other. It’s nightmarish, peculiar, and classically Wellesian. It’s a one-off crazy-quilt noir starring Orson Welles, Rita Hayworth, Everett Sloane (in one of his greatest performances) Ted de Corsia, and, in one of the strangest performances in the history of film, Glenn Anders. After reading how the usual suspects on a certain Blu-ray site were up in arms about the horrid treatment of this transfer by TCM, with people canceling their orders left and right because they’d seen something about bit rates and encodes and lossy sound, I prepared myself for the debacle. And, as always with these types, there is no debacle. These people are so ridiculous – they don’t have the disc, and they base everything they do on what they READ.
I mean, if you put this transfer in front of these people, told them it was lossless sound, the best encode and the highest bitrate they’d be over the moon watching it. Because let me tell you no one would be able to tell one iota of difference between lossy and lossless sound in a blind test from a film from that era. NO ONE. This is a beautiful transfer by Sony and Grover Crisp. Should it have more bits and different encodes – I don’t know and I don’t care because what they delivered is a wonderful product that no one should hesitate buying. This film has never looked this good – it is wall-to-wall multi-pass opticals (I’m glad the term I’ve been using here for so long has seeped into the vocabulary of the reviewers) but despite that, the visuals are beautiful, as is the contrast. Yes, there are shots that are soft because the focus is off – it happens ALL the time and people always go berserk – it wasn’t the same back in those days, they didn’t have computers and CGI and fakery – if the focus was off the focus was off, and they either lived with it or reshot. The Manchurian Candidate’s most important monologue is completely out of focus. Doesn’t hurt the scene at all. They did what they had to do in the old days – if they had a shot and decided it should be closer, they didn’t go spend $100,000 to reshoot it – they optically zoomed in and that was that and moviegoers did not notice or care. So, pay no attention to anything negative you may have heard – this is a class presentation of a wacky film that must be seen to be believed.
After that, I did more stuff on the computer, then began my second motion picture on Blu and Ray, which was entitled Escape Plan, a film from 2013 starring Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. It’s loud and thumping and everything you’d think it would be. One reads of twists and surprises, of which there is nary a one you can’t see coming a mile away. And they’re not really twists and surprises so I’m baffled why people have to say such things. Maybe it gives them comfort. Mr. Stallone has always mumbled but not as bad as most of today’s actors. But the supporting cast mumbles away, especially Jim Caviezel, who not only mumbles but talks so quietly I just gave up trying to hear what he was saying. Note to actor: If I can’t hear you, nothing you are doing is registering and I have no interest in you or your performance. There’s not an original thought in the film, but it is occasionally amusing thanks to the interplay between Mr. Stallone and Mr. Schwarzenegger. It’s funny when the only person you can really understand in an entire film is Mr. Schwarzenegger. Transfer is okay.
After that, I approved the cover for our reissue of Jeepers Creepers – Great Songs from Horror Films – never liked the original cover, just looked a little cheesy to me. We’re also giving it a fresh remastering. Then I took a hot shower and then it was time to write these here notes.
Since I know some of you enjoy seeing the occasional clip from a Kritzerland show, here is very talented twelve-year-old Brennley Brown singing Over the Rainbow from last Monday’s show.
Today, I have a teeth cleaning appointment at ten-fifteen. I’ll be up by eight-thirty so I can stop at Staples and get them started on printing out the book so I can do my proofing and so Muse Margaret can read it straight through from start to finish, which she likes to do. Once I proof it and make my fixes, then I print out again and give it to the proofer who likes the hard copy, and via e-mail to the other proofers. And Grant Geissman and I will begin thinking about the cover. After teeth cleaning, I’ll eat something, then just try to relax, then start a new set of liner notes and I’ll watch more motion pictures.
Tomorrow, I have a lunch, and then neighbor Tony Slide and I will go to the Pasadena Book Fair – can’t wait. I’ll also be there on Saturday for a while. Saturday night, I see our show then take Sami Staitman out for her fourteenth birthday celebration at Ruth Chris steakhouse. Sunday I’m judging a singing contest. I also have to choose songs and finish casting the March Kritzerland show.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, get the teeth cleaned, eat, hopefully pick up packages, get the book printed for proofing, relax, and watch motion pictures. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite songs from musicals producer and/or directed by Harold Prince? KIDDING. What are your favorite movies that take place in a prison setting? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, after which I shall wake up, greet the day, get the teeth cleaned and read all the lovely postings from Shanghai.