Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, listening to music, and pondering the imponderables, which is better than pondering the ponderables. I am also pondering why yesterday wasn’t a ME day, as planned. At no real point was it a ME day. It didn’t even pretend to be a ME day, frankly.
I got about seven hours of sleep, answered e-mails, then moseyed on over to the Coral Café with friend Marshall Harvey. I had their yummilicious chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes, although I only had a few bites of the latter but ate up every bit of the former. We had a fun chat, I gave him what I had to give him, and we’ll see how that all proceeds. He gave me a copy of the new Blu and Ray of The ‘Burbs, the Joe Dante film starring Tom Hanks – Marshall was the editor.
I stopped at the mail place and picked up a small package, then came home. Once home, I buckled down, Winsocki, wrote a second set of liner notes and sent them off, then began preparing the new release announcement for today – two titles, which I’ll get to momentarily even though they won’t officially go live until around noon o’clock this day. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on Blu-ray entitled The ‘Burbs, starring Tom Hanks, Carrie Fisher, Bruce Dern, Henry Gibson, Brother Theodore, and lots of other good folks. Somehow, I’d never seen the film before, mostly because it seemed like I wouldn’t like it and because it got very bad reviews. So, all these years later, here I am, a new ‘Burbs viewer. So, I’ll start with the positives: Joe Dante is a good visual director and I enjoy most of his films in one way or another. Jerry Goldsmith’s score, while not one for the Goldsmith ages, is fun and works well for the film. The photography is excellent. The actors are all excellent. Marshall did a great job editing it. And yet – I simply didn’t find it all that funny. There’s a line here or there that made me smile and visually it’s occasionally witty, and the performers give it their all, but it really isn’t there in the writing, at least for me. Over the years, as is the way with just about every 80s film of this type, has developed a large cult following. I will recommend any film that has Brother Theodore, who was one of the great oddballs of all time. Here’s a little six degrees of Brother Theodore. When the producers took The Creature Wasn’t Nice away and had the dreadful Harry Hurwitz recut it and turn it into heaven knows what, one of the things Hurwitz did (which I found out when someone ratted Hurwitz out and told me) was film scenes of Brother Theodore, supposedly in the basement of the spaceship, railing on as he is wont to do. I was so livid that I called the producers and screamed for about thirty minutes straight and warned them I would make their lives miserable and do everything I possibly could to publicize that bit of horse manure and not in a good way, and I guess they heard me loud and clear and more importantly believed me because not a single frame of Brother Theodore ever saw the light of day.
Included with the Blu-ray as an extra is the work print of the film, which has scenes that didn’t make the movie and a not so hot original ending, as well as a very amusing temp music track featuring Morricone, Herrmann and, of course, Goldsmith. It’s a nice package from Shout Factory.
After that, I relaxed, listened to music and waited for Doug Haverty to send me the adjusted cover for one of the two releases, which, as of right now, has not arrived, so I guess I’ll put this in the notes tomorrow, but I’ll post the titles on the discussion board once they’re live.
Today, we’ll announce our two new releases, then I have a work session for the Kritzerland show – since there are no put-togethers in this show, that should go pretty quickly. Then I’ll eat, hopefully pick up some packages, and then relax.
The rest of the week is meetings and meals, going and doing and doing and going, choosing songs for the September show, and then welcoming Diana Canova on Friday, then recording GEE next Monday and Tuesday.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, announce our two new releases and hopefully print out a LOT of orders, have a work session, eat, hopefully pick up packages, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite films of Mr. Tom Hanks? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, wishing I’d had a ME day that was.