Well, dear readers, I am paranoid no more. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, I, BK, am paranoid no more because I, BK, have completed the paranoid trilogy of Alan J. Pakula, by watching The Parallax View, a film I really like. I first saw it on June 21, 1974, at a sneak preview the Friday before its Wednesday opening. Now, I could have sworn I saw it in Westwood at the Village Theater but I think I got it confused with Capricorn One. In fact, I saw it at the Pantages in Hollywood, the theater where it would play. And they’d already begun the change that would ruin the fun of previews, letting audiences know not the title of the film, but its players and perhaps the type of film it was. It would get much worse later in the decade. For Parallax’s preview, they had an add that said a new movie starring Warren Beatty. Of course, I had no idea what movie he’d made, so it was still a surprise. 1974 was an incredible year for movies – Parallax, The Conversation, Chinatown, The Godfather II, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Death Wish, The Gambler, Harry and Tonto, It’s Alive, Juggernaut, Lenny, The Longest Yard, Murder on the Orient Express, Phantom of the Paradise, The Sugarland Express, The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three, The Towering Inferno, A Woman Under the Influence, Young Frankenstein, and that’s not even scratching the surface – the movie business today hasn’t had a year like that in decades. Anyway, I really loved the movie and I went back to the Pantages after it opened and saw it a couple more times. It holds up pretty well – there’s always the yahoo fight scene in the bar that has always seemed tonally wrong, and Gordon Willis, in an interview, agrees – he really didn’t like it. His work on this film is extraordinary right from the first shot. Pakula’s direction is great, the script is pretty terrific, and all the supporting cast is memorable, including Hume Cronyn, Wlater McGinn, and Paula Prentiss. It’s a fascinating film in that the villains aren’t really there – they’re in the shadows, the corporation that farms out the jobs. The Parallax test that Beatty views is still powerful to watch. And Michael Small’s score is fantastic.
While I was researching that preview, for fun I searched to see if I could find the preview for Cabaret, which I know I saw at the Village. The film opened in May – in fact, it was the first movie to play the Plitt in Century City. But I knew the preview had to have been well before that and it was – January 28 to be exact and yes, the ad for the preview said a new musical film starring Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey. The film was in stereo that night because it was separate picture and sound – the only time it played in stereo. And a week later they submitted the film for its rating and had to make the decision to loop out the eff word with “screw”. That was a really exciting preview. Then I looked to see if I could find the Capricorn One preview. I found one the week before it opened but it was at the National and I knew I didn’t see it there. So, I went further back and there it was – in April of 1977 and indeed at the Village. For both previews they had an ad with the film’s tagline – the later preview had the art, but the one I saw only had text in the ad. So, that was fun research.
After watching The Parallax View, I watched a French movie from France entitled Une Chance sur Deux, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Alain Delon as the two potential elderly fathers of young car thief Vanessa Paradis. Made in 1998, I saw it when I went on a big Partice Leconte kick, watching all his movies. Unfortunately, the DVD I got was modified to 1.85 rather than scope. I really enjoyed the movie though. I bought the French DVD but never watched it because it had no subtitles – it was in scope, though. Then a couple of years ago, it popped up on Prime and I started it, but by the time I got back to finish it it had disappeared. Last night, I found it again and watched it from the beginning and what fun it was and in its proper scope ratio. The two stars are having a blast and the action scenes are great. Vanessa Paradis is winning, and it’s paced very well. I’m surprised that no American studio got the rights to do with two American elderly action stars. It’s a natural.
Yesterday was pretty okay. I got about six hours of sleep, answered e-mails, then went and got three onion bagels and some cream cheese and came right back home. I did some work on the computer, then made two tuna sandwiches on two bagels and they were great. Later in the day, I had the other bagel with cream cheese. Other than that, all I ate were some gummy-type candies.
Now, as you know, I’ve been saying for the last couple of weeks that we’ve been doing Sami stuff but that I couldn’t really talk about it. Well, now I can, since it’s finally happening. We are Emmy eligible for several categories and have entered those categories, including best short form series, best actress in a short form series, and then in the regular categories, best song (Simply) and best TV theme. Now we have to get the Emmy voters to watch and to that end we’re on the FYC Emmy site, where they can watch several episodes, the Simply song, and the theme over the front titles. Obviously, the big boys spend huge amounts of money on ads and inundating the voters with stuff. We can’t do that, but they do do two big eBlasts for our show, so that’s good, and I do know quite a few Emmy voters and will be asking them to please watch and if they like us to please vote. It’s a long shot but we’ll just be the little show that could. They’re VERY picky about eligibility, so we’re just so pleased to be eligible. Here’s our little graphic for it.
Then I watched the movies and that was pretty much it, even though I got hungry late in the evening, but thus far have remained strong.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll make the show order and start writing the commentary, I’ll eat something fun, and then I have a Zoom thing with David Wechter. After that, I can watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow is more of the same, Friday I have a Zoom interview with Gold Derby about Sami and Cindy, and then I’m not sure what’s happening on the weekend other than the weekend happening on the weekend, which is what usually happens on the weekend.
Let’s all put on our pointy party hats and our colored tights and pantaloons, let’s all break out the cheese slices and the ham chunks, let’s all dance the Hora and the Twist, for today is the birthday of our beloved dear reader Jeanne. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to our beloved dear reader Jeanne. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO OUR BELOVED DEAR READER JEANNE!!!
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, make a show order, write commentary, eat, have a Zoom thing, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to be Emmy eligible.