Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, listening to Previn conduct Benjamin Britten’s wonderful Sinfonia Da Requiem, a beautiful piece in a beautiful and incredible-sounding performance. I may like this recording even better than Britten’s own – Previn had such an affinity for this kind of music. He’s a bit quicker than Britten, but it all works beautifully. He recorded it again for EMI but it’s not as good as this, especially in sound. I did finish watching Rio Bravo last night. It does go on a bit too long – it’s very leisurely paced – and losing the Dean Martin song would be a good excision, but it’s just so enjoyable. I don’t remember liking Angie Dickenson so much from prior viewings, but she’s really good. Ricky Nelson is no actor, heaven knows, but his lightweight charm is kind of fun in contrast to the Duke. Dean Martin is terrific in it, and Walter Brennan, who some find irritating in this, is, for my money, hilarious. Hawks was not a show-off director. The set-ups may seem simple just because they’re always just right, but the guy knew where to put the camera and more importantly when to MOVE the camera so that those movements actually mean something to the storytelling. Today’s so-called directors don’t have a clew about anything but doing flashy, show-off camera moves, just because they now have the equipment to do that stuff. They move the camera mostly on every shot, whether it’s a slow push-in for no reason, or a slow pull-out for no reason, or wacky circle shots and on and on and on – none of it having any meaning at all other than “LOOK AT ME.” Then they’ll say, well, Hitchcock did a lot of camera movement – to which I’d respond, when he did camera movement it was ONLY in support of a moment, something to draw you in, make you identify with a character, and so on. There are no frivolous, pointless camera moves in Hitchcock and his set-ups are perfection. Just watch North by Northwest sometime and pay attention to the way he shoots a scene, where the cuts are, and where the camera moves are. Anyway, Rio Bravo is classic Howard Hawks and very enjoyable to watch. After that was done, I was looking for something else and Paycheck popped up, so I watched that for the third time in a decade and a half. It’s a John Woo picture, completely improbable, of course, rather like Face Off, but almost just as much fun as Face Off. I won’t recount the plot, the dialogue is pretty rank, but the plot is always interesting, and it always engages even though it gets thoroughly silly by the end. But the villains get theirs, the good guys win, and I enjoyed seeing it again. Now playing: Rachmaninov’s first piano concerto, a wonderful piece, just not as famous as the famous second concerto
Yesterday was interesting. I got over ten hours of sleep, not arising until after two in the afternoon. I really needed it. I did take half a 5mg Mellow Tone In pill and that seems to really help. Once up, I answered e-mails and soon thereafter I got word of a swift major miracle that could not have come at a better time, I must say. So, that lightened the mood considerably, and a lightened mood, these days, is a very good thing. Then I made a very good batch of Wacky Noodles and ate that. I had a brief visit, and then I did some Sami reposting. No book stuff yesterday, but hopefully soon. Again, if you’re not keeping up, do check out the daily posts about Sami on Facebook and Instagram on the Sami the Series pages. That way, you’ll see our marvelous casts for each episode. Then I watched the movies and the rest you know because you know the rest.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll see if there’s anything at the mail place, I’m thinking about spaghetti with red sauce and onions as the meal (pasta is the most inexpensive meal you can eat at home), I’ll do Sami stuff and if the book stuff shows up, I’ll give that the once-over and approve, and then at some point I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
The rest of the week is more of that and then Saturday we do the big final push into the Sami premiere on Sunday or, for those who are nighthawks, it’s supposed to go live at 12:01. Friday, I’m lunching with David Wechter if we can figure out a good place to do so.
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, check in with the mail place, eat, do Sami stuff and if the book stuff arrives, do that, 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, as we continue our countdown to Sami.