Happy Late Night, Sweet Baby,
Well, today we finally had a day of sunshine, and semi-warmth (72 degrees). It was actually very beautiful outside, so I took The Crew (Pearl & The 'Ster) to Lake Balboa. I think that many others were feeling the same urge to enjoy the sunshine, which has been in short supply for the past month, because the park was crammed with dog walkers, seniors on benches, joggers, and loads of kids on the playground. In the trees you could hear the continuous and permeating sound of bird chatter, all kinds of cheeps, chirps and the original kind of tweets, pre-computer. It was great to get out, even moreso for Pearl & Kobe, both of whom were in need of exercise.
Having said that, it looks like more rain is in store. They are reporting something called an "atmospheric river" that is supposed to hit Northern California tomorrow, the biggest storm in ten years. They are gonna get creamed. Thankfully, we will only get the tail end of it down here. But, it looks like it will be more rain, on and off, for the next week.
Tonight's movie was called "Enemy" (2013), starring Jake Gyllenhaal, and directed by Denis Villeneuve, with whom Jake worked on the excellent "Prisoners" (2014) and who also directed the art-house alien flick "Arrival" from this past Fall. Villenuve, a Canadian, is an interesting director. He has all the technical ability of the best in the business. He knows how to direct actors to maximum potential. He can build plot and tension like Hitchcock. He can set a mood through use of color and setting. He's got all the tools. I loved "Prisoners", which was ultra-dark, and I liked "Arrival", which was really good though a bit murky in it's story. "Enemy" I had not heard of, but since I found it at the Libe, and since it starred Jake (one of my favorite actors), and since it was directed again by Villeneuve, I figured I'd give it a try.
It is the story of a college professor who, because a friend suggests a movie to him, watches that movie, sees an actor who looks exactly like him, and through investigating the actor, discovers he has a doppleganger. The man is him, in all respects. Thus is set off an engrossing mystery, as he contacts and finally meets the actor. All manner of intrigue and suspense ensue, also involving the girlfriend and wife, respectively, of Jake and the actor. It is a weird, weird movie, almost Lynch-like, and because Gyllenhaal is so good, and because Villeneuve is such a talented director, it grips you from the start and doesn't let go. You are hooked.
Unfortunately, all movies have to have an ending, and nowdays, the state of screenwriting being what it is, a great many modern movies are let down by a crummy script, or a tacked-on crummy ending, or both. This movie was excellent on all counts, except for an especially tacked-on and crummy ending, which took it from a "10" down to a "7" in my book. But worse, it made you wonder why you bothered watching to begin with.
I won't reveal any spoilers, because it still gets a Thumbs Up from me, but it could have been a great film were it not for the ending. And that, SB, is why I love, love, love old movies from the Golden Era over most movies being made nowdays (note I said "most" and not "all" because there are many great modern movies), but it is because there used to be a desire to tell a complete story. Every movie back then, even if it was B-grade, had a good plot and story, often with a few sub-plots. There was always so much going on in those films. Nowdays, a director thinks he can get cute, or just plain lazy, and leave it up to the audience to figure out what the hell happened. I don't think laziness is the case here, just a screenwriter who couldn't come up with an ending, and SB, if you don't have an ending, you basically don't have a movie.
Sorry for the tirade, but "Enemy" was so well done, and then "boom", it just collapsed at the end. Oh well, I've got a whole bunch of old classics on order from the Libe, so all is well.
I hope your day was good. I didn't see any posts, but no doubt you are working on your music, and probably other things too. :)
Tomorrow at 1pm we will be going to a memorial service for a long-time church member who just happened to be my old High School Principal as well. He was 93. When I first started working with Pearl back in 2010, on one of the very first times I took her to church, I recognised this gentleman and said, "you're Principal Sanders, aren't you"? He said he was, and he was very friendly to me, and in fact he once sent me a card of congratulations during my tenure at Cleveland High School, after a photo I took at CSUN was published in the L.A. Times (and I think I've mentioned that before). I may have already mentioned Principal Sanders' passing as well, but anyhow, the service is tomorrow. I imagine it will be jam packed, as he was a well liked man, and very well known in the community.
I will be around in the morning, though, until about 12:30, and then again in the afternoon, probably by 3pm.
See you in the morn.
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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