Well, dear readers, when the clock strikes twelve it will be midnight, the time for notes. However, when the clock strikes twelve it will be midnight and yet these here notes will not be up because I am just starting to write them after a bout of sitting on my couch like so much fish. Furthermore, I have heard through the grapevine that when the clock strikes midnight that midnight will strike the clock because frankly midnight has just about had it being struck by the clock and midnight is striking back, clock-wise. Yes, I heard that through the grapevine, which is amazing in itself considering how many grapes are on the damn vine.
Yesterday, now there was a day of little consequence. I got just about eight hours of sleep and could have slept longer had there not been loud mowing coming from some mower nearby. I hate when there’s a mower nearby, especially on a Friday when I am trying to sleep longer than eight hours. Once up, I answered e-mails, was sent an adjusted lyric, which I then played through and thought was fine. Then I’m quite certain I did some stuff on the computer, and yet I don’t remember what. Oh, yes, I do, I remember what – there was an endless Microsoft for Mac update – like five things including Word. So, that took time. Once time had been taken, I then went and picked up one package containing some CDs I was sent, then I stopped at Jerry’s and picked up five small pieces of something called lox, or, in the vernacular of haineshisway.com, what is it, fish? I brought home the five pieces of lox, which I’d gotten because I just happened to have bagels and cream cheese. I made myself some lox, cream cheese, and bagel sandwiches consisting of lox, cream cheese, and bagels. It was quite yummilicious.
Then I began listening to the CDs I was sent. These were all soundtracks, several of them what they call “expanded” releases. I really don’t get too thrilled about these expanded releases, because I find that in a lot of cases the original album presentation presents the score in a better light, rather than having every single second of music recorded, whether used or not, all in a row – sometimes it works, but more often than not it’s just a slog to sit through. The three expansions in this batch were rather excruciating in that regard. But the music was enjoyable. After that, I sat on my couch like so much fish.
For reasons I don’t really know, I pulled out the Alfred Hitchcock Blu and Ray set. I watched a bit of The Man Who Knew Too Much – it’s a decent transfer of a film that could look absolutely spectacular if a true restoration were done off the VistaVision negative. Mostly I watched the making of featurette, which could have been half its length if the pointless, repetitious clips were left out. All the making of featurettes in the set suffer from that kind of stupid padding. Then I put in Torn Curtain – I always enjoy the extra that has the Bernard Herrmann cues that he recorded inserted into the film – not well, mind you – a real mixer would have balanced things better and added a little reverb to the purposely very dry recording – they do that so that the mixers have control – it’s never meant to be used that dry. But dry it is. I must say, Herrmann’s cue for the murder of Gromek makes that scene work in a really compelling way. It works without any music, but with music makes it even more horrifying and suspenseful. Interestingly, even though Hitchcock had intended that sequence to be sans music, both Herrmann AND his replacement, John Addison, wrote music for it. In the end, I think Torn Curtain would have worked better with Herrmann’s score and it’s a shame he didn’t get to finish recording it. I don’t mind the Addison score at all, but it just makes the film that Hitchcock actually made too light. I also watched the Torn Curtain featurette.
Then I realized I had Vudu on one of my Blu-ray players, so I signed in and watched a bit of the Flower Drum Song transfer, which looked just as nice on the big boy TV as it had on my computer. They have hundreds of high definition movies you can watch for free with an occasional advertisement, so I’ll be taking advantage of that, believe you me and me you believe. By the time I was finished with all that it was time to write these here notes in a hurry because it was already late and the clock was about to do violence to midnight.
Today, I’ll be up by ten-thirty or so, then at noon-thirty I have a little work session – actually mostly just listening to a bunch of songs I haven’t heard from this show I’m working on. After that, I’ll eat something – not sure what – then I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, and then I can relax, at least I think I can, unless someone reminds me that I’m supposed to see something.
Not sure what’s up tomorrow, probably nothing. Then it’s another busy week of being busy.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a work/listening session, I’ll eat, I’ll hopefully pick up packages, and then I’ll relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your all-time favorite Hitchcock movies, and which of his films have you seen the most times. And which of his films do you not like at all? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, as the clock and midnight duke it out.