Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much tired fish, listening to Bruckner’s fourth symphony. I didn’t love any of these symphonies at first hearing, but the more I hear them the more I’m enjoying them. My not loving them at first may have had something to do with the two sets I listened to – neither had great sound and whatever the conductors were doing didn’t make the music grab me. But this set with Eugen Jochum has great sound and Jochum has a way with Bruckner that’s very pleasing. Mahler said that Bruckner was his forerunner, and you can hear that influence in these symphonies. I did watch a motion picture earlier, entitled Fifty Shades of Grey. Yes, I finally saw this thing, based on the best-selling book. Let’s start with the fact that it WAS a best-selling book, but that’s how low the best-seller list has sunk, sadly. The book began as fan fiction on a Twilight website. Yes. You read that right. Fifty Shades of Grey was first self-published as an eBook before being picked up by a publisher. Perhaps the publisher didn’t realize there’d been an erotic book about bondage and that book had been made into an erotic movie about bondage, entitled 9 1/2 Weeks. The film version of Fifty Shades of Grey was a big hit, too, just like the book. So, how was it? It’s certainly competently directed. It’s very silly and patently ridiculous, but its leading lady is very good and that’s helpful – Dakota Johnson the daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith. I’d never seen her before but she, like her mom, is a bit quirky and has an endearing quality. I’ve never really cared for the leading man, Jamie Dornan. But for a movie that was supposedly going to push all kinds of envelopes, it pushes none. There is not a single thing we haven’t seen in other movies and the sex scenes are actually tame compared to some other films of the last two decades. Everyone was saying it might get an NC-17 but it got its R rating easily with no changes. Yes, there’s nudity but not all that much and mostly from Miss Johnson. The bondage scenes are laughable. Of course, I always thing Bondage refers to the Golden years of James Bond. The movie is thirty minutes too long, clocking in over two hours, but nothing much really happens. I watched the unrated version, but there was nothing on view that was anything but an R and some of it could have even been PG-13. There were two sequels that I don’t really feel the need to see, although both are streaming for free. But for all they promised, in terms of the film being so explicit, there’s nothing that’s explicit at all. And then it’s over. And where were these fifty shades of Grey, Grey being Jamie Dornan’s character? I saw maybe four shades of Grey, so the fifty is perhaps a bit hyperbolic. Anyway, I’m thinking of doing a spin-off entitled Fifty Shades of BK, in which I go into a lamp store and buy fifty shades. I think it could push a lot of envelopes.
Yesterday waa a bit nutty. First of all, I could not fall asleep at all, so I just got up and began a little project – uploading Tonight’s the Night and Revenge to YouTube, which was very slow going because I uploaded the full rez versions. I know there are tons of folks who never saw the two original shows we did during the pandemic, so for those dear readers and lurkers who may have missed it, it’s all up on YouTube and all you have to do is search the show title and my name. I got back in bed around ten-fifteen, fell right asleep and woke up at one-thirty, so at least I got three hours of sleep.
I did a Gelson’s run and got stuff for rigatoni with sweet Eyetalian sausage and sauteed red onion, came home, answered some e-mails, and then made the rigatoni. It was excellent and VERY filling. Fifty Shades of Rigatoni. Then I spent the rest of the afternoon uploading all twelve episodes of Outside the Box – and I know there are many who couldn’t ever be bothered to watch Outside the Box, so that’s up there now, too. Interestingly, even though I haven’t announced that anywhere, they’re already gotten views and even comments. I did announce Tonight’s the Night on Facebook and that’s got some views. It’s so hard to get people to actually watch stuff, even though they purport to be musical theater FANatics. Go know. After the movie, I had a long telephonic conversation.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I have a bunch of telephonic calls to make, I’ll eat something fun, I’ll do some writing, and then I can watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow, there is the possibility of a meeting/meal. I think I can catch up on sleep on the weekend.
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 telephonic calls eat, do some writing, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What movies have you seen that you felt actually DID push envelopes in terms of R-rated movies? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall dream in fifty shades of BK.