Well, dear readers, this week is flying by, like a gazelle in the Polo Lounge. As I write this, my throat is feeling raw and scratchy, not necessarily in that order. I’ve been doing a lot of Coldeez, Airborne, and EmergenC, but I hate the taste of all of them and I feel quite bloated from all the water. I shall run extra hard tomorrow so I can attempt to sweat this out, as I do not want to get sick nor do I have the time to get sick. I had no idea Airborne has been proven not to really help prevent colds – it’s just another vitamin pill, basically. Unfortunately, I found that out after spending the money to buy it. In any case, I shall try and combat this scratchy and raw throat – I shall wrestle it to the ground like Freddie Blassie, and I shall win this match come hell or high or even low water. Speaking of low water, yesterday turned out to be a very nice day. I got up, had an annoying e-mail waiting for me, but for once I could answer said annoying e-mail in a way that precluded said annoying e-mailer from further communication, which is always nice. I then did the long jog, then did some errands and whatnot, in fact a lot of errands and whatnot. Basically, I was doing errands until about two in the afternoon, non-stop. I then went to the Studio Café and had my barbecue chicken sandwich and side salad, both fine. I did some work on integrating the new number (which still has no ending) into the sequence where it’s going, and that was fun. I’ll begin typing it into the script later today, at least a rough version of it. After that, I still had a couple more errands to do, which I did. I finally got home around five, answered some e-mails, and received a lovelier than lovely telephonic call from my ex-agent, who I reconnected with a couple of weeks ago, thanks to this here site. He’d just finished Benjamin Kritzer, and he really was taken with it, seemingly in a major way. He’s going to read the other two Kritzer books this weekend, and then I’ve given him permission to send them to a director he likes who has asked him to send projects his way. Nothing usually comes of these things, but it was so nice to have a literary agent “get” the book and understand its filmic potential. And I also had a nice e-mail from the original Susie in the film Nudie Musical, who wants to meet with me about some project or other, so we’ll get together soon. After all that, I finally sat on my couch like so much fish, sucking on Coldeez and drinking warm EmergenC.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on DVD entitled Le Douxieme Souflee (Second Wind), un film de Jean-Pierre Melville, starring Lino Ventura and Paul Meurisse (the husband in Diabolique). I am a huge fan of Mr. Melville and this film, which I hadn’t seen, doesn’t disappoint. The film runs 148 minutes (not the 144 listed on the case and on the imdb), but it never feels long. The set-up is very slow and methodical, but it’s mesmerizing to watch the intricate relationships between the characters – all of that leads up to a heist, and then the final third of the film resolves the character stuff. Interestingly, even though Mr. Ventura’s character is somewhat despicable (killing cops and all), you end up sort of rooting for him because the cops are so deceitful and abuse their power practically torturing him. In the end, everyone gets what’s coming to them, in typical Melville style. And what a style it is – there’s not a drop of sun to be found in Melville’s world – just gray, damp, dreary, rainy days and nights. The film’s imagery is beautiful to look at, and some of the shots are really quite amazing, both in their complexity and simplicity. I have yet to meet a Melville film I didn’t like, and this one is right up there with Le Dolous, Bob Le Flambeur, and Le Samourai. The transfer is, for the most part, quite excellent. I haven’t watched the supplements yet, but will. Highly recommended by the likes of me.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I have a raw and scratchy throat and I must get to bed and hope it goes away by morning.
The Raw And Scratchy Throat – isn’t that a Beatles song?
The raw and scratchy throat
That leads to your cough
Will make you feel like crap
Leave you feeling off
Today, I shall get up early, do the long jog, and then I have a work session for a couple of hours in the early afternoon. I think I’m supposed to fast today and so I will. I also have to write all the questions for our panel discussion event on Saturday, and I have to prepare little bios on our panelists, which I’m sure will take a few hours. The evening, however, is mine all mine, and I’m sure I’ll watch a DVD or two, whilst eating something diet-friendly.
Tomorrow, I’m supposed to record the Nudie demo, and I hope my raw and scratchy throat is better, otherwise I’ll just lay down the piano tracks and do the vocals next week. And then Saturday is our panel discussion event, which I’m really looking forward to.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do the long jog, have a work session, write questions and bios, break a fast, and then watch some DVDs. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your all-time favorite gangster movies? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I keep tending to my raw and scratchy throat.