Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, listening to the masterpiece that is Saint-Saens’ third symphony. It’s brilliance never ceases to be enthralling. I am enthralled. I am enthralled and that’s all there is to it. And Mr. Munch really does a brilliant version of it, although it is but one of many great versions and I probably have six or seven of ‘em. Other than that, I did manage to watch two motion pictures last evening. The first was entitled Red Corner, starring Richard Gere and Bai Ling, directed by Jon Avnet. I found it pretty bad – bad script, boring direction by one of my least favorite directors, but a nice performance from Ms. Ling and an okay one by Mr. Gere. In the end, it’s just silly and boring and I would say it overstays its welcome at two hours, but it was pretty much a bore from minute one. Then I watched a motion picture entitled Ronin, starring Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, and Jonathan Pryce, directed by John Frankenheimer, with a screenplay co-written by David Mamet, who used a pseudonym. I saw it when it came out and while I thought it was really well directed, the story was pretty much incomprehensible. And that’s exactly how I felt two decades later. Frankenheimer was really back in form with this film and watching his work when it’s this good is always a pleasure. There are two very long (probably too long) car chases – no CGI – and these two sequences are a textbook in how to shoot those kinds of scenes and also points up just how inept today’s directors are when doing those kinds of scenes – all CGI and cutting every two seconds. Frankenheimer knows that in order for scenes like that to work, you always have to understand the geography – fast cutting and CGI rob you of that, which is why modern car chases never work for me. The two in Ronin are really well done and exciting. The cast does very well, but in the end there are too many characters doing too many things and it’s really hard to follow who is who and what they’re up to. It’s simply too convoluted a plot that entirely revolves around a MacGuffin, in this case a brief case that has in it something that’s never revealed. As a film, it’s a failure, but as something with really good direction, it’s certainly enjoyable to watch Mr. Frankenheimer get good again, after his years of alcohol addiction.
Yesterday was a bit of an annoying day. I only got about four hours of sleep, if that. I was up at ten and decided to just go get the storage visit out of the way. I got there around eleven and from that time until I left, I was so irritated that I felt like eating the head of a chicken. I was trying to find a box of CDs I know we have, but that was an ordeal because so many of the boxes in the surplus units have the labels facing in so that you have to turn the box around, and these are heavy boxes. Plus, there are boxes behind boxes. I think I managed to see mostly everything, and I couldn’t find the damn box I needed to find. I went to the main unit and dropped off the stuff I’d needed to bring to the helper, and then I could not find my mask or the paper that has the unit numbers on it, which was infuriating. I always have those two things with me when going to storage, and I had them both on top of each other the entire time. So, where the HELL did they get to? I looked everywhere, even going back to the surplus room. Not finding the paper meant I couldn’t look in the basement surplus unit because I don’t know that unit number by heart. Ridic and super annoying.
I could take no more, and I’d already pulled every muscle from moving around those heavy boxes, so I went to a local jernt near me called Nat’s Coffee Shop or something. I’d been there once before several years ago – everyone raves about this jernt, and you know I love jernts like this, but the breakfast I had back then was nothing more than ordinary. This time I went for lunch and had a cheeseburger and fries. It was fine, but nothing amazing or anything, although the fries were better than the burger. I did some proofing whilst sitting there.
After that, I came home, proofed more, answered e-mails, had telephonic conversations, then got hung up on a chapter because I’d never gone back to make adjustments I knew I needed to make. So, I did all those, then ran them by Muse Margaret to make sure she thought they were okay, and she liked all of them and thought those little fixes were helpful.
Then I watched the two movies, then proofed another ten pages, then it was time to write these here notes.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll proof as much as I can, and then I have to get ready to sup with the Pearls and then attend an opening night. I’m sure there’ll be an after party after but I can’t stay there too long because I have to get home and write and post notes because she of the Evil Eye is coming early.
Tomorrow, I’ll be up at eight-thirty and out of the house by nine, and I’ll have a light breakfast somewhere, then come home and if I haven’t finished proofing, I will, and I’ll be entering all my fixes as soon as I’m done and that will take a while. Sunday morning at ten we’re casting for L.A. Now and Then, and then next week is very busy.
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, proof, sup, attend an opening night and afterparty, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/Blu and Ray player? I’ll start – the Loren Maazel version of Porgy and Bess. Blu-ray, remaining Studio Ghibli movies. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall dream of the proper way to do a car chase.