Well, dear readers, I am writing these notes at the midnight hour because I have been a bad boy and started a motion picture late and wanted to finish it. Now that I have finished it, I am writing these here notes at the midnight hour and there is nothing to be done about it other than writing these here notes at the midnight hour until these here notes are finally finished, at which time they’ll be finally finished in a finally finished way. And whilst doing so I am listening to Charles Munch conduct a very nice piece the Bohuslav Martinu, with whom I share a birthday, this particular piece being his sixth symphony, which, in this marvelous performance makes me actually like the piece. I’m still looking for a cycle of his symphonies as good as this performance. I think I have two cycles and they’re both fine but not magical. Munch is magical and magical is Munch, not necessarily in that order. The movie I watched was entitled The Package, a paranoid thriller from 1989 starring Gene Hackman, Tommy Lee Jones, Dennis Franz, John Heard, and Joanna Cassidy. It’s decent enough, directed by Andrew Davis, who certainly is no stranger to this genre, and it was a fine time-passer. The screenplay is strictly by the Screenwriting 101 numbers and it’s not anything you’ve seen a hundred times before. So, why was it such a box-office failure? Why were much worse films hits? Well, for starters we can sum up one of the problems with two words: The Package – a fine title if you’re doing a thriller about the UPS. The other major problem is the equal billing of Hackman and Jones in the film and on the posters, with their images huge. Well, Jones is off-screen for most of the film and only has two brief scenes with Hackman. You can’t promise something and not deliver it and I think that’s exactly what happened here. A two-minute scene in the middle of the film features actor Reni Santoni. I’ve never understood what happened to his career, which started off with a bang when he played the lead in the film of Enter Laughing. He also played a nice role in Dirty Harry, and then it was mostly episodic TV, a few series, and a recurring role on a few Seinfeld episodes. He died in 2020 at 82. And now Munch is doing the lovely Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings, quite a famous piece of music.
Yesterday was a nothing kind of day. I think I got five hours of sleep. Once up, I answered e-mails and had a telephonic call. I’m supposed to be doing a video interview thing on Wednesday but I’m really not sure how it all works. I’m told I must have Chrome as a browser, which I do on the big-boy computer. But that means I have to use that camera and sound and the lighting in the kitchen, even with the ring light, is pretty terrible. I don’t know if you can get Chrome on the iPhone but that would look better if I could use that camera and I can sit where the lighting is good – where I filmed all the commentary stuff for the online Kritzerland shows. I think I’ll ask him to do a test today or tomorrow morning before we actually do the thing. It’s Wednesday at two o’clock and give you all the information when I have it.
I’d pre-ordered food – a Chinese chicken salad from Stanley’s, and it arrived at two and I ate it all up. Then I moseyed on over to the mail place and picked up a small package, then came right back home. I proofed a bit – the first two chapters are done and I’m into chapter three now. Finding little things but nothing major thus far. I did some other work on the computer and then watched the movie. And the rest you know.
Today, I’ll try to be up by eleven so I can go get food around eleven-thirty and sit somewhere and proof as I eat, which is what I like to do. Otherwise, I’ll see if we can do that video test thing, I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, I think I may have a Zoom thing with David Wechter in the later afternoon, and then I can watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow is this interview thing at two my time, otherwise it’s a proofing day straight through. Thursday will be more proofing and perhaps some writing on the project with David Wechter, Friday, I’m attending an opening night and will be supping beforehand with the Pearls, Saturday is proofing (hopefully finishing that), and we’re supposed to be casting Sunday morning for L.A. Now and Then.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up by eleven, eat and proof as well as proof and eat, hopefully pick up some packages, maybe do a test thing, have a Zoom thing, then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite films of Gene Hackman and Tommy Lee Jones? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have finally finished the finally finished notes.