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May 28, 2016:

THE CONFUSING YESTERDAY

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, normally I’d be writing that it’s late and I have to write these here notes in a hurry because she of the Evil Eye will be here all too soon. Well, I can’t write that because she of the Evil Eye came yesterday because she’s going out of town for three weeks. So imagine how confusing yesterday was. First of all, I was so nauseous last night it was disgusting and I really thought I was a goner and would have to vomit. But I got in bed by 12:15, got in my special “don’t vomit” position, and fell asleep by 12:30 so I’d get eight hours. Unfortunately, she arrived an hour earlier than normal so I only got seven-and-half hours of sleep but I did not vomit and woke up feeling much better.

I did stuff on the computer for an hour or so, then went and had an omelet and a bagel. I picked up a package, did some banking, and then came back home. I was pretty much caught up with all my work – commentary written, packaging in for approval, all music sent to singers and musical director. So, I just sat on my couch like so much fish.

Yesterday, I finished watching the new Blu and Ray of I Could Go On Singing. The first half is really terrific, it gets a bit turgid in the middle, and ends with a great performance by Miss Judy Garland. Ronald Neame is a terrific director and he does really good work here. Dirk Bogarde is his usual great self and the little boy is endearing. But it’s Judy’s show and she’s so real and raw and great. So, it was great to finally see this film after all these years. The transfer is really quite lovely and the mono sound crisp.

I meant to get up and put in another movie but I dozed off and stayed dozed for about two hours. Then I put in another Twilight Time Blu-ray, this one entitled Appassionata, an Eyetalian film from Eyetaly. I’d never really even heard of the film, but I always enjoy a perverse movie from the 70s and this one is a prime example of what was coming out of Europe in those days. It’s not a very good movie, but it’s so outré and weird – featuring nubile and frequently naked teen girls, incest, a crazy mother and a horny father. It’s all shot in that gauzy 70s style so popular back then. It probably would have been a more authentic viewing had I watched with the awful English dub, as that’s how these films played here – but I chose the Eyetalian – it’s all post-synched anyway and sounds like it. There’s a fun score by Piero Piccioni, the editor is Nino Baragli, who cut Once Upon a Time in the West and America. I had a rather good time watching it. And the transfer, which hasn’t received high marks – well, sorry, it’s kind of perfect. This is what these films looked like and you can’t blame on a transfer the film’s original look and photography – if the transfer replicates that perfectly then the transfer is perfect and that’s the end of the story.

I dozed off several times after that, then went to the Flix of Net and found something to watch, something that sounded dreadful, which is kind of what I was looking for. The film was called A Girl Like Her and was about bullying in high school – but not the usual gay bullying, but girl bullying. It’s all found footage style – a documentary crew is shooting a film about a high school when one of its female students tries to kill herself and is lying in a coma at the hospital. That’s one thing. The other thing is the BFF of the bullied girl has been filming with his camera but has also given the girl a spy camera in the shape of a pin to wear and they’ve documented all the bullying. So, it’s a weird bunch of documentary found footage styles that doesn’t always work – it gets clunky at times, but it’s an important subject. The girl we care about attempts suicide in the first few minutes and all we see of her from then on is her in the hospital bed in a coma, and in the found footage stuff. So what this film does that’s rather unique and interesting is make the focal point the girl who did the bullying. We see it and she’s awful and disgusting and you absolutely hate her. But the director is very keen on humanizing the villain and giving her a kind of redemption – and I don’t ever recall seeing that before. The bully and the bullied are portrayed by two terrific young actresses, both, I gather, have won EMMYs for their work on two different soap operas. But everyone does well and I found the film not as manipulative as you’d expect, and ultimately touching.

After that, I was done with my viewing. I’d gone to Gelson’s briefly and got a tiny bit of their cheese enchiladas from their deli department – they’re very good, but it was less than one enchilada. I ate that, then just relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Today, I shall hopefully arise after a good night’s beauty sleep. I have no plans whatsoever, so I’ll just relax, eat something fun and light, hopefully pick up some packages, and perhaps watch some motion pictures.

Tomorrow should be more of the same, although I think I may have some dinner or meal thing – just can’t remember so I hope if I do someone reminds me. Monday I have a work session with my musical director and then a dinner with Richard Sherman and his lovely wife Elizabeth, at the Smoke House. We’ll sup, and he’ll do the musical quotes for the Indiegogo folks. So other than that, all that will be left to fulfill perks are some sheet music things to e-mail and then when it’s finished, the cast album. I still haven’t decided whether that will be strictly for the Indiegogo folks – if it comes out really well, then I may release it properly. I won’t know that until after we rerecord the horns and do the mix. Tuesday is our first Kritzerland rehearsal, Thursday is our second, followed by our pick-up session to re-record the horns, Saturday is our stumble-through, and Sunday is sound check and show.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, relax, eat, hopefully pick up some packages, and watch movies. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite motion pictures starring Miss Judy Garland? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, hoping that the confusing yesterday will de-confuse today.

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