Well, dear readers, I must write these here notes in a hurry because they should have been posted ten minutes ago and yet I am just beginning to write them now. So, let me start off by saying that we wrapped all the dialogue sequences yesterday and so all that’s left is to get the rest of Eric’s songs filmed – he did several last night, and will finish those up today, hopefully. It took a bit longer last night because we had the two longest dialogue scenes, one of which involved Eric’s daughter. But we got it all, I was very happy, and shortly all this will go to Marshall Harvey for editing. So, a very productive early evening it was. I never really had the chance to listen to any music at all yesterday so this paragraph will be very short for a change.
Yesterday was a fine little day. I got seven-and-a-half hours of sleep, answered e-mails, and then began futzing and finessing, which took quite a while. Then Marshall dropped by with a hard drive for me to put all our stuff on, which he’ll hopefully retrieve tomorrow. Then I began writing new pages, but it was very slow going for me. I did about two, then made a chili, cheese, onion, and egg burrito, which was excellent, then at the remainder of the chili with cheese and onions. I topped that off with a chocolate donut.
Even though I knew a package had arrived, I had no time to retrieve it because a CD dealer was supposed to be here by four and never showed up. So, I never left the house, although I did start the motor car and let the engine run for a bit.
Then I wrote more new pages – in fact, I wrote right up until it was time for us to film. I guess I got about ten pages done. Then I needed a real break, so I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a DGA screener entitled I’m Your Woman, a rather inane title for a rather inane movie, which has actually gotten praise from certain critics. I’m convinced these people read the production notes and stuff in the press packet, because they all say the same exact things with even the same wording. And I’m convinced they see the movie that the press packet is hawking, whereas I see the movie that’s actually in front of my eyes and sans press tub-thumpery. They praise it because they say it’s a throwback to 1970s thrillers and that kind of moviemaking. Well, no, it isn’t. It happens to take place in the 1970s for no real reason that I can discern, other than they get to use old cars and have a 70s style production design. But if it doesn’t mean anything to the story, then I don’t understand it. I don’t even think they ever even mention the time period. I knew what I was in for the minute the first shot appeared and we heard voiceover narration from the lead character, played by Mrs. Maisel, Rachel Brosnahan. And then we never hear voiceover again. And thus begins a series of scenes that meander, are too obtuse, and that add up to basically nothing. It is hardly a crime thriller as the critics would have you believe, it is hardly made like 1970s movies as they would have you believe, and you never know enough to ever quite know who is doing what to whom. Oh, and of course the critics hint at twists and unexpected turns – there are zero. It’s just a muddled mess, at least it was for me. And the director, who some critics praise, is never more than average. The score by someone I never heard of sounds like it wants to be The Conversation crossed with Farewell, My Lovely – it’s neither, but that’s the vibe I got. And it’s two hours long and during much of the first seventy minutes, we have a crying baby in every scene.
After that, I made some popcorn and went back to writing. I think I got to eleven pages, so I’m hoping after I post these here notes and have a shower, that I can do another four at least.
Today, I’ll be up by eleven, I’ll futz and finesse, then print out however many new pages there are (probably 108) and I’ll take those and get them Xeroxed and then deliver them to Muse Margaret. Then I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, eat, and then start writing new pages. And then at some point, I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow, I’m hopeful we’ll have everything ready for Marshall, and then other than futzing and finessing and writing new pages, I am having some ME time because I need it.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up by eleven, futz and finesse, print out pages, Xerox pages, deliver pages to Muse Margaret, hopefully pick up packages, eat, write new pages, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: Chili. What’s your favorite kind of chili, where have you had the best chili, how do you make your chili, if you make it, and basically all things chili. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have wrapped all the dialogue sequences of project one.