Well, dear readers, in breaking news we can tell you with a certainty that it is July. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, it is July, and it is my fervent hope and prayer that July will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful. I’m not quite sure how we’re already halfway done with this year – the months have flown by, like a gazelle eating a Twinkie and twirling a baton at the same time. That darn gazelle – is there no limit to what it can do? What’s next, rubbing its stomach and patting its head at the same time? Or is it rubbing its head and patting its stomach? I can never remember. But enough about me because the big news is still that it’s July, so let’s have a haineshisway.com parade and hold our banners high, shall we. Let’s just welcome in July with open arms and open feet and an open mind, not necessarily in that order. Of course, as I’m writing these here notes, it’s actually not July – it’s still June, but June is just about through busting out all over. But while it’s June, June, June, let me just say that while I am sitting here like so much fish writing these here notes, I’m listening to Mr. Stokowski do Handel’s Messiah in Phase 4 stereophonic sound. This one sounds really good and right in your face. I don’t love all Handel, but this one I can get a handle on, for sure. And prior to that, I listened to the entire two-CD soundtrack from Artificial Intelligence (or A.I.), by Mr. John Williams. It is, for me, his last perfect score. I’ve enjoyed subsequent scores but none of them are up to this one. And prior to listening to the soundtrack, I watched the motion picture on Blu and Ray. The film is now twenty years old and the last time I watched it was a decade ago when the Blu-ray came out. Back in 2001, when I saw an advance screening, I loved it – I found it clever, amusing, and very prescient. Then the reviews came out and many of them were scathing, especially about the film’s final twenty minutes. The party line back then was that Spielberg had taken a film Stanley Kubrick had developed and ruined it. The problem with the party line is that Kubrick specifically wanted Spielberg to direct it – Kubrick was going to produce it. He’d had the script written and developed and had some storyboards, as well. On the various film groups back then, the film was lambasted like crazy, especially those final twenty minutes, which, these know-it-all wags, said was a betrayal of Kubrick – that Kubrick would never have allowed a treacly ending like that. The only problem was that the know-it-alls knew nothing, and that treacly ending was all Kubrick’s. Nor was it treacly, if one truly understood it, which most did not. This was in the Usenet groups days, which were about to come to an end, thankfully. I was a very vocal presence and a voice in the wilderness, defending the film over and over again and being lambasted for it.
I said back then that in fifteen- or twenty-years people would finally see A.I. for the classic that is. And guess what happened? Exactly that. There were several articles in the last two days extolling the virtues of the film, reassessing the film, praising the film as a classic. Of course, some of these people were the same people who hated it back in 2001. There are still some who throw brickbats, but I find that many of them have not actually even seen it, or, if they have, not seen it since. Seeing it again was wonderful. It’s a marvel of filmmaking, it’s very true to the spirit of Kubrick throughout, but with Spielberg’s filmmaking prowess. I found it very moving, it’s aged beautifully, it’s still prescient, and its ending is beautiful and heartrending. Even now, some still say they wished the film ended with David underwater waiting for the Blue Fairy to answer his pleas. Well, no. That’s not an ending – not for the film and not for David. The design of the film is astonishing, as are the effects. The score is fantastic. And Haley Joel Osment gives one of the greatest kid performances ever and he should have been nominated for an Oscar for it. But in predictable fashion, the Academy voters completely ignored it – I think it was nominated for two awards – visual effects and score. If you’ve never seen it, I really recommend giving it a try. I’m glad people have finally come around to recognizing its achievement.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Handel’s Messiah is still playing.
Yesterday was quite a middling day. Nothing bad, nothing great – a everything in the middle kind of a day. I did get nine hours of sleep. Once up, I had a lot of e-mails to answer, which I did because to not answer e-mails is unseemly. I’d ordered food the night before and it arrived at two o’clock – a pulled pork sandwich and a small side of mac-and-cheese, both excellent. Very filling it was, but right in my calorie range.
Then I had a long telephonic conversation, after which I moseyed on over to the mail place where I thankfully picked up two important envelopes. After that, I came right home, did some work on the computer, had another telephonic conversation, and then I watched A.I. followed by listening to the soundtrack followed by dealing with some Kritzerland show stuff – one of our performers got a TV gig and may have to drop out. I can either replace her or take a chance that she’ll be finished in time to make the show. A difficult decision that I don’t have to make for a day or so.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do some banking, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll eat something fun that’s in my calorie range – thinking about a burger or maybe some pasta papa, which I haven’t had in three months – we shall see – I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, and I’ll ponder the Kritzerland decision. And then at some point I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
And then we begin the long weekend, and we’ll celebrate the fourth of July right here at haineshisway.com, where we’ll make our own fireworks that won’t frighten anyone with their loud banging, and which will be legal. I’m looking forward to at least part of the long weekend being lazy and relaxed.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up when I’m up, do some banking, do whatever needs doing, eat something in my calorie range, hopefully pick up some packages, ponder a decision, then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What films did you at first not like but that you now have reassessed and do like. And which films did you love that you now don’t care for? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, saying a hearty hello to a little month I like to call July – and it is my fervent hope and prayer that July will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful.