Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, listening to Takatsugu Muramatsu’s fun score to Mary and the Witch’s Flower, a movie I finished watching earlier when it was earlier. Try saying Takatsugu Muramatsu twelve times in a row and report back. The film is, of course, in the Studio Ghibli style even though it’s from now-rival studio Studio Ponoc, and directed by former Ghibli animator then director Hiroshi Yonebayashi, whose film When Marnie Was Here I really enjoyed. It was after that Ghibli film that he and others jumped ship. And, of course, his film for Studio Ponoc plays like Miyazaki’s Greatest Hits. It’s a nice film, looks great, but it really is a rip-off piece of work. The story is fun, adapted from the book The Little Broomstick by Mary Stewart. It is missing only the Miyazaki extra magical storytelling touch, but I enjoyed it nonetheless and am happy to have seen it. And Muramatsu’s score is definitely in the Joe Hisaishi mode, as was his score to When Marnie Was Here. This one features a lot of nice dulcimer playing. And I also watched a new Warner Archive Blu and Ray entitled Children of the Damned, a sequel to Village of the Damned. The thing that made Village of the Damned work so well was the clean storytelling – simple, to the point, and frightening for that reason. This one has a lot more plot, the children are from different countries, there’s a lot of military firepower and the usual blather about which superpower needs these special kids the most. Even though the kids are the villains, really, as they were in the first film, the behavior of the adults in power here is so obnoxious that one simply wants the kids to do away with them all in a most expedient manner. The eye effects are the same as the first film but are not employed until the halfway point. The performances are fine and so is the transfer. The score, once again, is by Ron Goodwin and reuses a lot of what he wrote for the first film. While some film fans and a handful of critics think this thing is superior, I think the New York Times review at the time sums it up succinctly: “A dull, pretentious successor to that marvelous little chiller of several seasons ago, Village of the Damned. What a comedown.” I also watched a bit of Willard, the rat picture from the 1970s with Bruce Davidson and Ernest Borgnine. It’s fun so far.
Yesterday was a very short day due to getting eleven hours of needed sleep due to the five hours of the day before. So, I got up just before three o’clock. I don’t really like to have that much sleep – it just makes me feel weird. Once up, I answered some e-mails, then went and picked up the packages from the day before along with one from today. I stopped at Taco Bell for food – just didn’t feel like making any kind of a mess here after she of the Evil Eye had the place so sparkly and clearn as well as clean. The Taco Bell stuff was fine. Then I finished watching Mary and the Witch’s Flower. After that, I did do a little writing and that was fun, and then I watched Children of the Damned and the bit of Willard.
Then I loaded the soundtrack to Mary and the Witch’s Flower into Music and here I sit listening to it and I don’t care who knows it.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll eat, I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, I’ll definitely finish the writing from yesterday, then I’ll make sure I like my show order for the holiday Kritzerland and, if so, I’ll write the commentary and get that out of the way. Then I have to organize the young person show for January – just to make sure I’ve got the cast right and then I’ll begin choosing the songs for them. Then I can watch, listen, and relax.
The rest of the week is more of the same, along with some meetings and meals, a Wednesday work session for the holiday show, and whatever else needs doing I shall do. And, of course, a new month is coming very soon, the final month of 2021.
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 whatever needs doing, eat, hopefully pick up packages and perhaps important envelopes, finish the writing that needs finishing, write commentary for the Kritzerland show, organize the January show, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite books and films where animals play either THE prominent role or A prominent role? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have gotten eleven hours of blessed sleep for this sleepy man.