Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, listening to the fun score of M3GAN – very appealing – supposedly they’re thinking sequel, but I hope they don’t do it. Meantime, there’s some idiot on the Tube of You who’s put up a homegrown fake trailer – people have too much time on their empty hands. I did manage to watch a motion picture last night, from 1996, with an ad campaign that worked overtime to make you think it was a John Grisham legal thriller. It wasn’t. It was based on a book by George Dawes Green, author of The Caveman’s Valentine, which was turned into a rather terrible movie directed by some person named Kasi Lemmons and yes it was a lemon. The Juror was his second book, and there wouldn’t be another from him for fourteen years. I found his writing ordinary, frankly. Ted Tally did the screenplay – same guy who wrote the screenplay for The Silence of the Lambs. I’m wondering if that was the only good script he wrote. Certainly, his writing on the prequel Red Dragon was not very good. The Juror is laughably bad straight through. Demi Moore stars, Alec Baldwin is the main villain, Anne Heche plays Moore’s friend, and James Gandolfini has a nice supporting role pre-Sopranos, and he’s the best thing in the film. The plot’s absurdities are so stupid and once the trial is over you sit there, mouth agape, realizing there’s another HOUR left. Dreadfully directed, standard issue “suspense” score from James Newton Howard, but the real mystery is Ted Tally. Looking at his other credits, I don’t like a single film he wrote other than Lambs. Makes you wonder. Oh, and I will say this: As soon as the name of the producer came on – Irwin Winkler – that was enough to tell me it would be stinky. At one time he and his partner did produce some good movies, including Rocky, Raging Bull, but they produced an equal number of lousy or mediocre movies. But once Winkler was on his own and especially when he began directing, those films are the worst. Anyway, I highly recommend this to absolutely no one. Otherwise, yesterday was up and down and down and up. I got eight hours of sleep, got up, answered e-mails, followed a couple of auctions for a short time, including a fine books auction that saw a ratty first edition of To Kill a Mockingbird go for $34,000 – add the buyer’s premium and it’s well over 40K. Two weeks ago, a much nicer copy sold for $7,500 – what a bargain that guy got. Anyway, it was just too annoying, so I moved on to other things.
I finished doing notes for the play I’ve been mentoring, which I’ll send tomorrow, I voted and then took my ballot to the box at the nearby library, so that’s done. I went to Gelson’s and go some onion rolls, tuna, one small chicken breast, and stuff for Wacky Noodles. I came home and made the tuna and ate that on two onion rolls. It was good, but it’s just too many onions for me at this age. Then I had the usual irritants but did get a hint that a modern major miracle might be coming soon to a theater or drive-in near me. I had a couple of telephonic conversations, watched the movie, made half the chicken breast and had that on an onion roll, and then had a small helping of tap tap tapioca pudding. And here we are.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll send the notes, then I’ll write up some thoughts on the other play I read and get those to that author. I’ll check with the mail place, although I don’t think anything will be there, I’ll rustle up some Wacky Noodles, I’ll choose songs, and then I can watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow will be more of the same, then Sunday can be a ME day, and then, shockingly, October will be coming to an end, I have my eye doctor appointment on Halloween, and various other meetings and meals.
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, send note, write up thoughts and send, check with the mail place, make Wacky Noodles and eat them, choose songs, 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/streaming player? I’ll start – CD, M3GAN. Streaming, several options. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, having had an up and down and up day.