Well, dear readers, I must write these here notes in a hurry for I shall be up at six in the morning to announce the new Kritzerland title. The reasons for this very early announcement are varied and many, but announce we shall and hope for the best. Happily, I think my dealers are taking quite a few of these, so that’s good. Has anyone noticed that this is the last day of November? How did that happen? Wasn’t it just the first day of November? As a matter of fact, wasn’t it just the first day of 2009? This year has flown by, like a gazelle mating with a zebu. Do you know what happens when a gazelle mates with a zebu? We get a gazebo. In any case, this is the last day of November, so tomorrow we shall welcome in December, a month we hope will be filled with holiday cheer, good will towards all, prosperity, and merriment and mirth and laughter and legs. I had a nice, relaxing day yesterday, although I did end up doing a spot of work. I slept a little past nine, got up, did a two-mile jog (it was quite lovely out), answered some e-mails and then delivered a big box o’ CDs to a local dealer. After that, I went to Jerry’s for an egg salad sandwich and onion rings. I got the last booth and ten minutes later there wasn’t one empty booth or table in the jernt. I found this decidedly odd since I was there at the exact same time I’m always there should I be there on a Sunday. And every OTHER time I’ve been there on a Sunday there’s been no one in the jernt. I just didn’t understand how we went from the usual no one to a full house. Maybe it’s just the holiday weekend or maybe I have, once again, led the way to a restaurant achieving popularity. After I finished, I came home, had a couple of telephonic conversations, and then I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Yesterday, I watched two count them two motion pictures on Blu and Ray. The first motion picture was entitled Red Cliff – Part Two, the second part of Red Cliff – Part One. As those who read yesterday’s notes may remember, I was quite taken with Red Cliff – Part One. And part two did not disappoint in the least. This film’s two parts make a wondrous epic and I do mean epic – at times it reminded me of the classic 70mm films of my childhood. The story is beautifully told, and all the plot strands set up in part one pay off in part two. There are some wonderful surprises along the way, and neither of these films felt like it was two-hours-and-twenty minutes. In fact, considering that together they run 280 minutes, I simply didn’t want them to end. The photography, the editing, the direction, the music, the script, and the actors are all fantastic, and the quality of the Blu-Rays is reference. I have no idea if these films are available on a region one DVD (or any DVD), but should they be I cannot recommend them highly enough. However, you must beware that when this was shown in the United States, the goofballs who distributed it here combined both films into one 148-minute film. Yes, they literally cut out almost one movie. I cannot even imagine it and would never want to view it. I then watched the second motion picture, which was entitled AngelA, a French film from France, directed by Luc Besson. I wrote about the film when I ran the DVD a year or so ago. I really enjoyed it even more the second time, and the Blu-Ray is spectacularly good (region B) – in fact, one of the best-looking black and white transfers I’ve seen (and scope, too). The movie is funny, touching, and heartwarming and the gal who plays AngelA is fantastic – and about six feet tall, compared to her leading man, who is about 5’6″ tall.
I then began work on creating an editing road map for an upcoming release. Doing such a thing is not as easy as you’d think. The score cues are not recorded in order, some of the tracks don’t have audible slates so you must watch the film and when a cue begins you must then go through every cue until you find it. And even then, it’s not always easy because sometimes cues are truncated or edited weirdly and it’s a real detective game. It took me two hours to figure out the first five cues in the first thirty minutes of the film. I’ve got a long way to go.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I, for one, am looking forward to the mating of the gazelle and the zebu and the resultant gazebo.
Today, I shall be up before dawning and I’m quite sure I’ll be yawning, and I shall send out our eBlast, and post the announcement everywhere that we post such things. I can probably then go back to bed for a couple of hours. Then I have to pick up tapes for a potential upcoming release, then I have to have a telephonic call to go over some material for the long musical, and then I must do several important errands and whatnot. After all that, I shall find something amusing to eat – maybe I’ll even rustle up a batch of tuna pasta salad, which I’ve been craving.
Tomorrow, of course, will be December, and it shall be quite a busy little month, especially the first fifteen days, trying to get all the Kritzerland CDs shipped in time for Christmas. And yes, Kritzerland CDs make wonderful gifts, and pay careful attention to the discussion board in the next few days for a special offer for only the denizens of this here site.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, try to do a jog, make an announcement, hopefully print lots and lots of orders, do errands and whatnot, and then eat something amusing. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your all-time favorite historical epic films – those painted on a huge canvas. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst we wait for the love child of the gazelle and the zebu – the gazebo.