Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, once again having only slept about four hours, but I’m up and alert as well as alert and up, I am filled with vim and vigor due to having polished off a slice of berry cake – assorted berries, yellow cake, and whipped cream between the layers. That was my snack and that was some snack. I believe they call it a sugar rush, which causes vim and vigor in the aging juvenile. Whilst having a sugar rush and feeling like I have topped off, slice of cake-wise and that I may vomit on the ground at any moment, I am listening to Alan Silvestri’s score to the new film Play Dirty, based on several Parker novels by Richard Stark aka Donald Westlake, a wonderful writer. The Westlake novels are frequently laugh out loud crime caper affairs, whilst the Stark novels are not laugh out loud. Point Blank, the movie with Lee Marvin and Angie Dickenson, was based on the first Parker novel called The Hunter. That was remade as Payback. The next Parker adaptation was The Split starring Jim Brown, a black Parker – I’ve never seen it – I’ll have to seek it out. Next was The Outfit, starring Robert Duval as Parker, and a decade later in 1983 came Slayground starring Peter Coyote as Parker. Then Payback with Mel Gibson as Parker, then an awful film of Flashfire with Jason Statham and finally, Play Dirty. Play Dirty is the ONLY Parker film in which Parker is called Parker – in all the others they change his name. Many other movies were made from Westlake’s novels, including one based on The Ax from the 1990s, a terrific book – I never knew it had been made into a movie – in France – by Costa Gavras – it’s supposed to be really good. Anyway, enough history. Play Dirty was written and directed by Shane Black, who wrote Lethal Weapon. Play Dirty is what I’d call a smart-ASS movie, filled with smart-ass dialogue and characters. As I mentioned the other day, the film jumps the shark eight minutes in with a mind-bogglingly inept chase scene during a horse race. The worst CGI and so ludicrous that you can’t take anything seriously after that. But then, the writer/director doubles down on it and we get one ludicrous scene after another. And the winky-winky-ness of it all just sinks the film. Yes, there are some amusing bits of dialogue here and there, but you just never invest in the story or the characters because everything is so nonsensical. The best performance in the film is from Gretchen Mol in two brief scenes – in less than ten minutes, she’s the only one who creates an actual character that you believe. The one thing that works well is Alan Silvestri’s score – it has actual melody and it functions like a movie score is supposed to. Hearing it now as I write these here notes, it’s just really top-notch, old-fashioned movie scoring. High marks for Mr. Silvestri.
During the day, I had a few telephonic calls, I had some excellent extra crispy orange chicken from City Wok – really good batch – the lunch portion, which is just enough food for one person, and which doesn’t fill you up so much that you’re uncomfortable. I dozed off for a while, made a little art trade, which was fun, then finished the movie after watching some irritating YouTube videos. After the movie, I had a slice of mixed berry cake – very good – but sugar and I are not doing well as dance partners these days – I have taken a Pepcid, all pills were taken, Flonase was sprayed, I am sucking on a Ricola at the moment and will take a Melatonin before bed. What an exciting life. I think I shall write a treatise for a medical journal entitled Vim and Vigor in the Aging Juvenile. Oh, I also got several e-mails for Group Rep actors saying they’d be at the audition next Wednesday.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll go to the mail place and see what’s what, I’ll definitely make some pasta here – bow ties with pink sauce, sauteed red onions, peas – I’ve made it before and it’s very tastily tasty. Mostly, I’ll do nothing and have a ME day in which I do nothing but watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow will also be a ME day, and then Monday I have a lot to do, same with Tuesday, Wednesday is our first casting session and I’m hoping for a really good turnout – I do have the ability to cast one actor in two roles should it be necessary – it’s an easy thing – one role in act one, another in act two. We’re looking for an ensemble for four gals, four guys, but I could make do with three and three. Bloodwork is Thursday’s chore, then we’ll probably have callbacks or a second casting session prior to callbacks. I would like to be fully cast by the fifteenth at the latest so that the actors have the songs and tracks and can get familiar with everything. I am going to ask that people come into rehearsals being very familiar with the script, as I’d like everyone off book in a week due to our fragmented schedule.
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, go to the mail place, make pasta, eat pasta, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What foods, if any, does your body not do well as you’ve gotten older? I’ll start – SUGAR, especially later in the evening. Also, too much garlic, anything too spicy. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall begin to plan Vim and Vigor in the Aging Juvenile.