Well, dear readers, this week has flown by, like a gazelle using Pepsodent. Does anyone still use Pepsodent? Does Pepsodent even exist anymore? Well, I’ll be swacked and pickled in moonshine, Pepsodent is still with us. When I was a wee bairn, our family used Pepsodent. We kids used the toothpaste, but in my parents’ bathroom they had the powder version – just looking at it made me want to vomit on the ground, although I did enjoy putting the powder in my hair, which would then be white. Pepsodent’s unusual taste came from sassafras, which is, of course, sarfassas spelled backwards. Why am I talking about Pepsodent? Don’t I have some notes to write and shouldn’t I be writing them? I do and therefore I shall, not necessarily in that order. But first a word from our sponsor.
I had another night of not enough sleep, getting up around five in the morning and not falling back asleep until seven-thirty. Then my darling neighbors had their bush trimmers today and that noise began at 8:45. I wanted to go out there and give them whaffo, but instead I held it inside and imploded, which wasn’t that pretty. I answered e-mails and the helper came by and picked some stuff up so she’ll be ready to ship out our two latest CDs tomorrow morning. I chose a few more songs, then I went and had a cup of tomato bisque and a ham and cheese sandwich on rye with no fries or onion rings.
After that I came home and did some work on the computer. I had a few telephonic calls, too, and then I decided that I needed to just not do anything for at least half a damn day, so that is indeed what I did for the rest of the day and evening – nothing. I did sit on my couch like so much fish.
Yesterday, I finished watching Sorcerer, which I enjoyed much more than I thought I would. It’s a very good film with excellent performances and a top-notch transfer. After that, I went on to Netflix to see what was being recommended, and there was a film with Nicholas Cage from last year that sounded interesting, called The Frozen Ground, which began with the ubiquitous “Based on actual events.” It was based on actual events, a serial killer in Alaska, who killed victims from the early 1970s until he was finally caught and convicted in 1983. I’m sure the real-life story was compelling and interesting, but unfortunately this film was directed by someone making their first feature film – his only other credit is a twelve-minute short, and it’s just what you’d expect: Shaky cam galore (for no reason) and invariably putting the camera exactly where it shouldn’t be. That was harmful, of course, but equally harmful was his script. Nicholas Cage was fine, and so was John Cusack as the killer. But the young lead girl was so irritating I couldn’t ever get involved. Part of it was her, and part of it was the bad writing – if the writing were based on fact, which I doubt, this girl was the biggest idiot who ever lived, constantly taking herself out of safety and into danger. You know, the kind of thing where you want to throw your shoe at the TV. The music was made up of two chords that seemed to repeat ad nauseum for no real reason. Interestingly, the copyright date for the film is 2011, so they obviously sat on the film for almost two years before releasing it – and one can see why. It was a complete bomb, grossing under a million dollars.
The second Nicholas Cage film was entitled Seeking Justice, a very bad title, and the description of the film led one to believe one was going to see a modern day Death Wish. But that was not what one got – what one got was a paranoid thriller kind of like The Star Chamber in a small way. It was nothing we haven’t seen a thousand times before and done better. The director is okay – Roger Donaldson – but while the first thirty minutes are fine by the end it’s just another film where you want to throw your shoe at the TV. Again, Nicholas Cage is fine, and his co-star in this one was January Jones. This film, too, was a complete box-office bomb, it, too, grossing under a million dollars.
The third Nicholas Cage film was entitled Stolen and was one of the worst wastes of celluloid I’ve ever seen. It’s just a “greatest hits” movie of scenes and plot points from other films, written by folks who learned from a book or something. No one could write anything this bad had they actually had any talent for writing. There isn’t a minute of the film that works and it’s actually mesmerizing in its awfulness, so much so that you keep watching just to see if it can possibly get worse – it fulfills that promise majorly, as the final twenty minutes are some of the stupidest scenes ever put on film. Just who they thought would want to see this tripe is anyone’s guess. It’s a little Taken (and all those kinds of movies) – you know, estranged dad and daughter, daughter is kidnapped by the psycho former partner in crime of the dad – they even throw in Scorsese’s Cape Fear at the end and it was so ludicrous one wanted to – yes – throw one’s shoe at the TV. Mark Isham’s score was, I suppose, trying to achieve something, but all it achieved was a drone here and there and then it suddenly turned into a James Bond score. I mean, you really kind of have to see it to believe it. This film, too, was a complete box-office bomb, grossing under a million dollars. That’s three in a row for Mr. Cage, a shame because he’s always interesting to watch.
During the viewing, I had some low-cal low-fat ice cream, a couple of gummy peaches, and some popcorn. Afterwards, I pulled all the off-Broadway CDs and brought them to the computer so I can get what I need to into iTunes.
Before I go on, we’ve uploaded the entire evening with Richard M. Sherman to You Tube. Here is part one – you’ll find the other parts when you visit – there are nine altogether.
Today, I have a lunch meeting at noon with my pal and Outside the Box editor Marshall Harvey. I have errands and whatnot to do, hopefully some packages to pick up, and I’ll try to finish choosing the songs. Then I’m seeing a new musical called The Ghost of Gershwin, with a book by our very own Doug Haverty. After the show, he and I will get a bite to eat.
Tomorrow, I’m relaxing until it’s time to eat a fancy-shmancy meal at Ruth’s Chris. Sunday I’ll also relax, and then it’s time for our Annual Tony Awards Bash right here at haineshisway.com and it’s always a lively affair that you won’t want to miss – the best Tony partay on all the Internet.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a lunch meeting, hopefully pick up some packages, see a show, and go out after. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/Blu and Ray player? I’ll start – CDs, off-B’way stuff. Blu and Ray, next up is The Nutty Professor. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, reminding you that these here notes were brought to you by Pepsodent.