Well, dear readers, I discovered something interesting whilst going about my business yesterday. And here is what I discovered: Stop and snap. Yes, I discovered stop and snap, precisely that stop and snap is pots and pans spelled backwards. I think that just enters the spelled backwards words pantheon, don’t you? I ask you, where else on all the Internet could you get such information? Nowhere, that’s where. And before we go any further, may I just share this classic photograph from a year I like to call 1960.
That was the Beverly Theater in Beverly Hills located on Beverly Drive just north of Wilshire Blvd. It was a grand theater and I saw many motion pictures there in the 1950s, including Rebel Without a Cause (on a reissue). But here’s the interesting thing about this particular photograph – playing is the MGM film, The Subterraneans, a film from the Jack Kerouac story about beatniks. Well, as it so happens, my mother took me to that very theater to see that very motion picture, perhaps on the very day the photograph was taken, although doubtful, since there was a sneak preview advertised for that evening and I would have insisted on going to see whatever that was. This was notable for one scene where Miss Leslie Caron was in some state of undress, which caused my mother to haul her twelve-year-old son out of the theater, the second time that year (the first was at a sneak preview at the Wilshire Theater – the main feature was Let’s Make Love and the sneak preview was Come Dance With Me with Brigitte Bardot – that incident is in Kritzerland). I have not seen The Subterraneans since being dragged out of there, so I’m just curious as all get out as to the scene in question. Unfortunately, it would seem that the film has never been out in any home video format – odd, given Miss Caron and George Peppard being the stars. I just thought it was great to have this photograph of that event.
Yesterday was certainly a day, a Monday to be exact. I only got six hours of sleep before a little frightmare woke me up. I got up, did my morning ablutions, realized I could not do any banking, and then I finally went over to the El Portal Theater to discuss our launch party next Monday. Then I had some lunch – a cup of chili and a chicken salad sandwich. After that, I picked up one package that was actually delivered on Sunday. Who knew? Then I came home and began the task of figuring out the show order for the November Kritzerland. That took about forty minutes, and then I began writing the commentary but didn’t get very far because the master of Sandy’s album was uploaded to Dropbox and I couldn’t wait to hear it. Well, mastering engineer James Nelson did a superb job and it sounded wonderful to my ears. As I’ve said before, mastering is the final step before the album goes to the pressing plant. I liken it to putting the hot fudge, whipped cream, nuts and cherry on a sundae. I’d purposely stayed away from listening to the album so I’d come to the sequencing fresh again – and I’m happy to say it worked perfectly for me. The sound is beautiful and alive and spacious and Sandy sounds great. Lanny’s charts are fantastic and John Adams mixed the whole thing beautifully. I had a couple of little nitpick level things, and I had a nice chat with the mastering guy about it and we decided I should listen another time or two just to be certain. I decided to watch a couple of motion pictures and then come back to it, this time listening to it on my state-of-the-art Grabo headphones, which I hardly ever use. So, I went and sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched two motion pictures on Blu and Ray. The first motion picture was entitled Edge of Tomorrow, although you wouldn’t know that from the Blu-ray packaging, which makes the tag line the title – Live. Die. Repeat. Whoever thought that was a good idea is a fool. This is one of those motion pictures that takes one from column A and one from column B and one from column C. So, we get a little Groundhog Day, a little Starship Troopers, a little Source Code – you get the idea – there is nothing original going on, but that doesn’t stop the film from being a very entertaining viewing experience. It’s just the right length, not overstaying its welcome at all. There’s a good deal of humor, it looks good (shot on film), and Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt do exactly what’s needed of them and are fun to watch. It’s nothing earth shattering and the film’s poor first week box-office is kind of baffling. Of course, they’re now trying to say that while it only just cracked 100 million in the US that it did an addition quarter million overseas. Sorry, me no believe, and even if it’s true, the film’s 178 million dollar budget and what some say is an additional 100 million in advertising means it is still about 60 or 70 million in the hole. And that’s IF one believes the overseas figures and even IF you believe them, the distributor doesn’t make very much from those takings. But I fail to understand how the Transformers movies can do so well and something that’s this much fun opens horribly (and yes, for a film like this to open at 38 million dollars is absolutely horrible). The Blu-ray is pretty perfect so if you like some fun mindless entertainment I am happy to recommend this.
I then watched Woody Allen’s Sleeper, which I didn’t even know was on Blu-ray until recently. I must say, the film makes me laugh out loud pretty consistently all the way through. Woody and Diane Keaton were a dream team and they are just having a grand time in this. The jokes come fast and furious and they’re all actually funny. It’s also a huge step up for Allen in terms of the visual style – it looks great and is very well directed. The transfer is great.
I then came back to the computer, plugged in the Grabo headphones, set the volume level where I wanted it, and listened straight through. This time there was only one slight nit to pick – and I think that’s the only thing we’ll do – one song, which begins with just piano and voice, needs to have just that intro’s level brought up to match a bit more the previous track. Otherwise, it just sounded fantabulous on those superb headphones. Happy songwriter and happy producer. I also did a one and a half mile jog somewhere in there.
Today, we have a Sandy meeting at Hugo’s, with Doug Haverty, Adryan Russ and myself, mostly concerning their show Inside Out. After that, I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, do some banking, and pay some Kritzerland bills. Then I’ll finish writing the commentary, then relax.
Tomorrow, I think I have another lunch meeting, this one about the children’s theater camp we’re doing next summer. Thursday I have a dinner, not sure about Friday, then I have to see at least one show on the weekend.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a meeting, eat, hopefully pick up packages, bank, pay bills, write, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What’s the funniest or weirdest thing that ever happened to you in a motion picture theater? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall revel in my cleverness regarding stop and snap.