Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, listening to Bruno Walter have his way with Dvorak’s New World symphony and boy could we all use a New World right about now. It’s a timeless symphony and a beauty and every great conductor has had his/her way with it and there are many, many great recordings and this is one of the best, at least for me. Bruno Walter was one of the great conductors and his Columbia recordings are classics and the big ol’ Bruno Walter box set is just a wonderful treasure trove of goodies. I did manage to watch two count them two motion pictures last night – one a documentary, one a new film. The documentary was entitled Love, Cecil, about Cecil Beaton. It’s quite good, has great interviews, and I didn’t know much about him at all, so it was very fascinating. I really enjoyed it. The new motion picture was entitled Juror #2, directed by ninety-three-year-old Clint Eastwood. Warner Bros. should be ashamed of themselves – the shoved it into a limited (and I do mean LIMITED) theatrical release of one week in thirty theaters or so and then it went right to streaming. They originally wanted it to go directly to streaming. Well, shame on them. Clint has made that studio so much money over the years, tons and tons of money, so how about a little loyalty? But nooo, loyalty is passe. It especially irks me because I am loyal to a fault – that’s just how I’m made. Someone does a great job for me, they’re with me as long as they want to be. The first thing I read about Juror #2 was on Facebook on one of the movie groups I’m on, where some wannabe web critic said it was the worst Clint movie ever made and how sad that he’d go out on this film. First of all, he ain’t dead. Second of all, I don’t care what his age is, but Juror #2 is really good, beautifully and simply directed as befits the material, it’s morally complicated, the screenplay can be a little cliched every now and then, but I was along for the ride every step of the way. It’s a courtroom drama – but a very quiet one. The actors are all terrific, but what I appreciate most with Clint Eastwood is that he never shows off as a director. He understands the stories he’s telling as a director, and he puts the camera where it needs to be and gets the damn job done. That he still has it at ninety-three is astonishing, actually. Anyway, that we critic is definitely in the minority – most mainstream critics have lauded it. Thankfully, Warner Bros. has made it available to the DGA, the WGA, and eventually SAG and other unions. The ageism in Hollywood is disgusting.
Oh, and I also watched Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest – the new 4K transfer is available for purchase on iTunes for $7.98. Of course, I can’t watch it in 4K but it’s not hard to tell that it’s a huge upgrade over the old Blu-ray – HUGE – and the color is perfect, the clarity, even on my old TV, is amazing, and I never tire of watching it. But the details really pop in this transfer, so you see things you’ve never seen before, which is fun. The movie remains the masterpiece it’s always been since the day it was released, with some of the most quotable dialogue ever, and sequences that were subsequently ripped off wholesale by many lesser talents.
Earlier, I got six hours of sleep, got up, answered e-mails, did some writing (just a page), had a chicken fried streak and biscuits and gravy from Paty’s – biscuits and gravy were great, chicken fried steak less so – had some long telephonic conversations, and then watched the movies. And here we are.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll probably write two more pages and that will be it until January 1. This is the most I’ve ever written in advance, but I’m happy to have a nice head start. I’ll definitely visit the mail place, I’ll probably get something to make here or I’ll pick up something to bring in – no DoorDash today – and then I can have a ME day and watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow is a ME day and then this coming week is very busy with all sorts of things.
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, perhaps write one or two more pages, visit the mail place, get food, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite movies directed by Clint Eastwood, and what are your favorite performances by him? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, as the New World symphony comes to its finish.