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November 4, 2014:

TAKING THE DAY

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, sometimes you just have to take a damn day off and yesterday I took a damn day off because sometimes you just have to take a damn day off, if you get my drift.  I had work that needed to be done, and I was inundated with questions all day long, but sometimes you just have to take a damn day off in case I haven’t made that point clearly enough.  Oh, I was up at six in the morning to announce our two new CD releases.  It was great to finally be able to announce Sandy’s album and let people finally hear some of the little audio samples.  I fell back asleep at seven-thirty and woke up at ten-thirty so all in all I think I got just under eight hours of blessed sleep.

Once up, I printed out orders and answered e-mails and did not answer any questions asked of me.  Then we got the news that Jason Graae has to drop out of guest starring in the second New York show due to a high paying one nighter he booked.  Nothing to be done about it, although it is disappointing.  He will be with us for our holiday show in LA.  So, I’m in the process of replacing him with another excellent guest star and hope to know exactly who that is by the end of today.

Then I was hungry so I went and had a chili, cheese and onion omelet and no toast or English muffin.  After that, I picked up one package and came home.  I had a few telephonic conversations, finalized tickets to see Pippin this evening at the Pantages, printed out more orders, but just did little things on the computer whilst relaxing and clearing my head.  I do think we are finally all cast for the holiday show and we do finally have a musical director, someone new to us, so hopefully that won’t end up being an ordeal.  So, I did get most of the songs chosen, save for about five.  The holiday show is usually comprised of stuff we’ve done before, but I always add new things in.

After that, I went to Gelson’s and got a little mac-and-cheese and seafood salad for my evening snack.  Then I came home and sat on my couch like so much fish and ate it all up.

Last night, I watched the Jacques Tati movie Traffic, which was the final film to feature the Mr. Hulot character.  Of the four films, my favorites are Playtime and Mon Oncle, followed by Mr. Hulot’s Holiday and then Traffic bringing up the rear.  Tati was a complete original.  There has never been any comic quite like him, either in personal style or in filmmaking.  Each of his films is unique to him and he is certainly not going to appeal to everyone, although the first two Hulot films were very popular.  There’s no plot, there are no real characters, even Hulot is an enigma – we never really know anything about him.  He just ambles along and things happen to him or around him or completely out of his view.  For me, his brilliance lies in his staging, his choreography within the film frame.  It’s really breathtaking at times and even if you’re not laughing you’re just sitting there transfixed by the movement and design of the shot.  I don’t believe in the entirety of Playtime there is one close-up or anything even resembling one.  It’s all medium to long shots.  Are there any genuinely laugh out loud moments?  Of course there are.  Are the films beautiful to look at – all of the Hulot films are, but especially Mon Oncle and Playtime.

Traffic, for me, is the weakest of the four films.  It just doesn’t have the bravura of Playtime, and it’s simply not ever really funny, save for two or three sublime tiny moments.  Visually it’s still extremely interesting.  The plot, such as it is, involves trying to get a unique camping car to a car show.  That’s it.  The delays get irritating after a while, and that’s the real problem with it.  The joke is, of course, that they never get there until the whole thing is over.  The ending of the film is lovely, though, and it’s definitely worth watching it.  The transfer looks very nice, too, in the Academy ratio, which is odd, of course, since there were only a handful of movie theaters anywhere that could show it in that ratio.  I really recommend the Criterion box set – there are just many treasures within and any time you can see a filmmaker as totally unique as Tati it is well worth your time.

After that, I just played on the computer, listened to music, and relaxed.

Today, I have an appointment with Dr. Chew at eleven, then I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, I’ll do stuff for the two New York shows, I’ll hopefully print out more orders and then I’m having dinner and seeing Pippin.  I will, of course, have a full report for you.

The rest of the week is meetings and meals, seeing another show on Thursday, and getting everyone their music.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, see Dr. Chew, hopefully pick up packages, hopefully print out more orders, sup and see Pippin.  Today’s topic of discussion: Who were or are your favorite comic filmmakers – of old and of today?  Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have taken the damn day mostly to myself.

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