Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, listening to the last of the available Franco Alfano stuff – another opera, this from the early 1950s, entitled Il Dotor Antonio (The Doctor Antonio) – it’s another winner, filled with gorgeous melodies, wonderful orchestrations, and in this old 1953 performance, beautifully performed. I have to say this guy is now one of my favorite opera composers and I also like his instrumental music – just wish there were more of. It’s sad that he’s real and basically only claim to fame is having finished Puccini’s Turandot after Puccini’s death, although that’s quite a claim to fame or at least a fame to claim. I’m really glad all these were on the Tube of You. In other news, I did watch two motion pictures last night. The first motion picture was on Tubi, entitled Grace Quigley, starring Miss Katharine Hepburn and Mr. Nick Nolte. I’d heard of it, of course, but never had any desire to see it, despite knowing nothing about it. Apparently, it debuted at Cannes to not very good reaction – at that point, the film ran 104-minutes. Director Anthony Harvey (The Lion in Winter) then came back and cut it down to eight-seven minutes. That’s what played and it didn’t get good reviews. Then the screenwriter and his wife did a cut of their own, running around ninety-three minutes – Miss Hepburn was not amused, and I don’t believe it was shown anywhere. I decided to watch a bit, just to see what the transfer looked like and to get a sense of it. Well, until it goes completely off the rails in its final fifteen minutes, I found it completely delightful, a black comedy about an elderly lady who is tired of it all, witnesses a hit man off the manager of her building, with whom she’s just had an unpleasant run in, so the hit makes her happy, and in order to hide so the guy doesn’t see her, she hides in the back seat of the nearest car. Unfortunately, it’s HIS car. There are lots of amusing moments, Hepburn is charming and fun, and Nick Nolte is very good as the neurotic hit man, who’s roped into giving painless endings to Hepburn’s elderly friends. Sadly, it just goes awry at the end and there’s no salvaging it after that. There’s a nice score by John Addison. It also isn’t helpful that director Harvey shoots it like a TV show – tight closeups and way too many of them. The transfer is also overly bright.
Then I watched the DGA screener that arrived yesterday, entitled Till. I thought it was yet another movie with a lame title, like Get Out, Us, or Nope. But it’s anything but that – it’s the story of Mamie Till and the aftermath of the beating and lynching of her son, Emmett. It’s exactly what you’d expect – well acted, earnest, and frustrating that the world could have been like that then and, sadly, in certain ways, still is. I don’t really get these new directors shooting everything in scope – it serves no artistic purpose, certainly. And speaking of artistic purpose, the score is absolutely dreadful – it’s probably what the director wanted but it’s laid on with a trowel and does the opposite of what film music is actually supposed to do. It’s just bombast and never once underscores the tragedy of the story, the characters and what they’re going through – it’s just horrible. I’ve seen the composer’s name before, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a movie with a score of his. For all I know, he may be very talented, but you sure wouldn’t know it from this film.
Yesterday was mostly fine, save for a close call that was closer than anyone would ever want. I’ll get to that shortly. I got seven hours of sleep – I could not fall asleep and so didn’t do so until six in the morning. I got up at one, answered e-mails, was notified that both packages I was expecting had been delivered – one screener, and an Amazon Fresh order, which I’d been wanting to try. If I do it again, which I may, I’ll have it delivered here, but since I knew I was going to pick up the other package, I figured there would be fine, and it was. At two, I had a forty-minute work session with our musical director – we went over everything that needed going over and he’s doing great.
Then I went to the mail place, and thankfully it was pretty much empty, so I got my packages quickly. Then I came home, and this is where the close call came into play. I’m driving west on Riverside. Normally, I would turn left on Woodman, which takes me right home, but there were about twenty cars in the left-turn lane, so I decided to go to the next street to turn left. So, I passed Woodman – I was in the right-hand lane. As I was approaching the big mall on the left, some moron comes barreling out of the parking lot, doesn’t even look, and proceeds to cross three lanes of traffic heading directly at me. Despite my age, thankfully my driving reflexes are still sharp, the minute I caught sight of this miscreant piece of dog snot I slammed on the brakes, veered to the right, then jammed my foot on the gas and got ahead of him by about one inch. And this piece of scum just kept going down the side street that’s there. He came close to hitting three other cars, too. If I hadn’t been ahead of the street he went down, I would have taken off after him, blocked him in and called the cops. I’m sure he didn’t give a single thought about having almost caused a major and very dangerous accident. I was livid and screaming and honking, not that he heard. I thanked the Lord he was watching over me and my motor car and the other drivers.
We got the great news that our little ten-year-old Sadie Reynolds, who did so well in last January’s Kritzerland young people show, booked the lead role in The Secret Garden at the Ahmanson, pre-Broadway, or so they’re saying. What isn’t pre-Broadway these days? Anyway, she’s great and I’ll be going to see her in it.
For food, I made Wacky Noodles, a really good batch, I must say and have said. Continuing the Wacky theme, the only other food I had was popcorn and a little sherbet. Not bad.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll have me a real ME day, doing nothing at all, unless I’m feeling creative and do some book notes, I’ll eat something fun and light, but mostly I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow is, of course, Thanksgiving and I personally will be giving with the thanks – as tough as things get sometimes, we must be thankful for the good things, always, thankful for the little and big miracles, for health, and all those kinds of things. Then, Robert Yacko and I will be having a fine dining experience for our turkey dinner. Friday I’ll just hang out and not go anywhere near any store anywhere. Saturday is our first Kritzerland rehearsal at three, Sunday we have one short thirty-minute session in the morning, Monday is our second rehearsal, Wednesday is our stumble-through, and then Thursday we do our show. We’re almost sold out at this point.
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, have me a real ME day, maybe make some book notes, eat, 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, happy and thankful that the close call was averted and avoided.