Well, dear readers, let’s twist again like we did last summer. I don’t mean we should really twist again like we did last summer, mostly because I don’t know anyone who DID twist last summer. Last summer, I think I was beginning to write my second book of 2023. I wasn’t twisting. Now, back in the day I was quite an expert twister, even though I thought it was just about the stupidest dance craze ever. But you know what? I’m not talking about that kind of twist, I’m talking about twists in books and plays and motion pictures, that’s the kind of twist I’m talking about. In fiction, there are several books with amazing and not predictable twists – Ira Levin’s first novel, A Kiss Before Dying, has one of the greatest twists ever – they’ve made two films based on the book but the twists don’t really work on film because Ira’s twist is a literary device that only works on paper. Another book with a great and surprising twist is Richard Neely’s The Walter Syndrome, although Margaret Millar’s Beast in View has a similar one, just not quite as effectively done. I like to think Writer’s Block has two good and unpredictable twists. Deathtrap as a play has a neat one and so does An Inspector Calls. In films, Psycho certainly has a twisteroo at the end and so does Vertigo, although that twist is given away at the two-thirds mark. There are lots of movies that think their twists are amazing, but anyone who knows anything about twists can usually spot them a mile away long before they occur. Which brings us to the film that had a twist that pretty much no one saw coming – that was in 1999 and ever since, every thrill has tried to twist again like they did that summer. That film was, of course, The Sixth Sense, starring Bruce Willis, Hayley Joel Osment, and Toni Collette, the first film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It was the kind of film debut that people can only dream about and unfortunately, he’s spent the last twenty-five years trying to either match it or top it and he’s never really come close, although I’ve enjoyed a couple of his subsequent movies. People were pretty good about keeping tight-lipped about The Sixth Sense, while not being tight-lipped that the film had a BIG, AMAZING twist at the end. When I finally got around to seeing it I knew the deal ten minutes in, but perhaps I wouldn’t have if people hadn’t been broadcasting about the BIG, AMAZING twist at the end. I liked it fine, mostly for the acting. Seeing it twenty-five years later, it seems much better to me now – mostly given that they don’t know how to do that kind of movie anymore.
What makes it work so well are the performances – you care about the characters, the dialogue is good, and for a first-time filmmaker he does a great, great job. It’s also emotionally satisfying and even moving. And, of course, it’s fun the second and third time because you’re watching how clever Shyamalan is about not cheating. The film also boasts a really good score by James Newton Howard, and it’s very well shot. It really did deserve its success. The reviews were mostly great, but it’s funny to read the handful that aren’t – they really don’t age well, but then again, idiots like Stephen Holden should never have been allowed to review films.
And now, I am sitting here like so much fish, listening to another Louis Lane album, the sixth in this box set. After the great Broadway album, we had an album of popular marches – I really don’t care for that sort of thing, but the selections are clever, and the performances and sound are tops. Then we had his great movie theme album, which has always been a favorite of mine, especially the long ten-minute suite from Exodus. And now, we have an American music CD that is just fantastic – Copland, a great suite of music from Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, and some lesser-known American music. The sound is simply amazing.
Yesterday was a kind of frustrating day. I got eight hours of sleep, so that was good. And then I just dove into writing the commentary. Now, we’ve doing almost all the songs in the show at one time or another, so it should have been a simple cut and paste job. But is anything ever simple? The stupid Spotlight search thing on the Mac is just useless. You can search something all ways from Sunday and it won’t find it. So, I have to go rummaging through all the commentaries dating back fourteen years. That, dear readers, is a royal pain in the butt cheeks. I spent four hours doing that – four HOURS – ridic. Once I had everything in, I wrote the two or three for things we hadn’t done. Then I trimmed the fat because there are so many songs. The good news is that the commentary only runs to six pages and that’s with large type. But it’s done and that’s a big load off.
For food, I tried a new fish jernt that showed op on DoorDash that had very good Yelp reviews. Maybe I just ordered the wrong thing – scallops on white rice with some kind of butter/garlic sauce. These scallops were quite tiny – they were thin and looked smaller than a quarter. They were kind of gross, but I ate all six of them – calorie count for six scallops? 103. The fries were soggy and gross, so I didn’t eat those. The clam chowder was okay, but I only ate less than half. Won’t be returning there.
Then I had other stuff to do, I had a chicken sandwich from Dave’s Hot Chicken, just to get up to 1000 calories, and then I finally sat on my couch like so much fish and watched the movie. And here we are.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I do have to go to the mail place, we really need a modern major miracle for several things, and I mean soon, I’ll eat something normal and that I trust – definitely a salad of some sort – and then I can watch, listen, and relax.
The rest of the week is more of the same, and we’ll see what the weekend holds.
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, go to the mail place, hope for a few modern major miracles and soon, eat normal food, 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, where I’m sure I’ll twist again like we did last summer even though we didn’t do any such thing.