Tonight I watched a twisted little picture from a studio called Producers Releasing Corporation, or PRC for short. PRC is listed in Wikipedia as a "prime example of what was called a Poverty Row studio", and as far as this film is concerned, the description is accurate. The budget is ultra low, but as we are aware, art is more about creativity than money, and we've gotten good results before from Poverty Row. This time, the result was surprisingly good.
The movie was called "Dead Men Walk", which sounds more like a crime story, but it's actually about a Vampire. Our old friend George Zucco stars in a dual role as twin brothers - one good, the other evil. The movie begins with an oration by an unknown but imposing gentleman, a creepy, gaunt looking guy whose face is obscured by flames. He lectures us on the folly of disbelief in matters concerning the Underworld. He tells us that our skepticism will lead us to our doom. "Hey wait a minute, buddy"!, I was thinking. "Don't include me with the skeptics. I believe in all that stuff"! :)
I just didn't wanna be condemned by this dude before the movie even started. He looked like he meant business.
Following the Dire Warning was a funeral scene, at which a priest is eulogizing George Zucco's twin brother. Zucco is a small town doctor. His late brother (also played by Zucco) was.....well, there's no other way to put it : he was a Satanist. I told you this was a twisted movie. At the funeral, the priest is about to consign the brother's body to the grave, when who should speak up but Dwight Frye!
Frye, as you probably know, played a weirdo in both "Frankenstein" and "Dracula", so his horror bonafides are set in stone. Also, the Alice Cooper group wrote a song about him for their "Love It To Death" album in 1971, but back to the movie :
As George Zucco's brother is being lowered into the ground, Frye suddenly exclaims that he was murdered. He points an accusing finger at the good George Zucco, the brother still living, who responds that he "had to do it - it wasn't murder and you wouldn't understand". The funeral proceeds, however, and no one further questions the outburst between Frye and Dr. Zucco.
Later that night, Dwight Frye goes to the cemetery, removes the casket of the Evil Zucco brother from it's crypt, and carts it to another location on the grounds. It's obvious why he is doing this.
Evil Zucco is Undead.
Meanwhile, back at the house, Dr. Zucco is on a mission. He's ridding the place of his brother's presence, throwing out his belongings and burning all his books, which were all about Satanic rituals and Witchcraft. But while he is in the middle of this purging, who should appear in the window but the evil brother himself! Remember, he's Undead. Therefore it is no problem for him to materialise right through the glass and into the room itself. He grins diabolically at his brother.
"Did you really think you could stop me with a few bullets"?
Man, is George Zucco ever spooky as the Evil Brother! You've gotta see him for yourself, :)
Evil Zucco swears right there on the spot that he will get his revenge against his brother. He will start by attacking their neice on this very night. She lives in the house with her fiance, a straightforward young man who doesn't believe in Vampires. I guess he didn't listen to the warning at the beginning of the movie, but anyway, Evil Zucco is going to slowly drain the niece of her blood over a period of many nights. His victory will then be twofold : First, he will cause his brother to go to prison, because the doctor is already under suspicion for Evil Zucco's death, and when the niece dies in his house, he will certainly be blamed again. Evil Zucco will stage it to look like she was poisoned, and because the fiance doesn't believe in vampires, he will accuse the doctor. Evil Zucco's second triumph will be turning the niece into a Vampire, after which her soul will forever belong to him.
Listen folks, this is one really weird movie. There was a period in the 1940s when Hollywood delved into the subject of Devil Worship, in movies like "The Seventh Victim", which will scare the bejabbers out of you. "Dead Men Walk" doesn't have the budget or story development of that film, but it has everything else. Zucco as the Vampire isn't just a scary-but-suave Count (and I'm not knocking Dracula here), he's downright malevolent and mean-spirited. He's cruel and takes great pleasure in causing his good brother's downfall. Mostly, he is dedicated to his Master, The Devil. The script goes all the way in that respect.
The atmosphere is Vintage Foggy Graveyard, with Dwight Frye sneaking around to move Evil Zucco's body yet again, whenever the doctor gets close to discovering it. Good Zucco knows the only way to stop Evil Zucco is to expose him to daylight, and he is willing to pull him from his casket to do so. But he just can't seem to find him.....
Meanwhile, a mob is gathering at the Sheriff's station. They know about the niece. She is near death and they want Dr. Zucco arrested. Can the Sheriff hold them at bay? Can Dr. Zucco convince the fiance that Vampires are real? Can Dwight Frye keep Evil Zucco hidden?
You will be finding out all of these things for yourself, because there is no way you are gonna want to miss "Dead Men Walk", which is packed full of fiendish frights in it's 64 minute running time. I was lucky to have discovered it at Northridge Libe, as part of a four movie/single dvd collection of "Horror Classics", released on an obscure label. Usually those collections are pretty bad, or filled with movies you've already seen, but this time I uncovered a gem.
"Dead Men Walk" gets Two Gigantic Thumbs Up. It's not a big money production, but for what it is, it's top quality and unique in it's rendition of the Vampire Tale. See it, see it, see it! ////
That's all for now. It's Thursday afternoon, 95 degrees outside with Santa Ana winds blowing and smoke in the air. I'm gonna go to Super King (aka the produce market) to a Truckload Of Veggies, and then head back to Pearl's. See you tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Rick Wakeman at The Theatre at Ace Hotel
Tonight I went downtown to see Rick Wakeman in concert at The Theatre at Ace Hotel. I must issue a brief correction here, because I had earlier listed the venue as "The Theatre at The Ace Hotel", but as I later discovered, that's not the name. It's "The Theater at Ace Hotel", without the second "The" I included previously. To me, the official name sounds clumsy, like a Cave Man is saying it.
"Hey Mr. Cave Man, could you tell me where Rick Wakeman is performing tonight"?
"Ugg, yes. He play at The Theater at Ace Hotel".
"Okay, thanks very much for the information".
"No probba-lem".
So - it's me again - and I have to say that I like my version better: "The Theatre at The Ace Hotel". It sounds more civilized. Then there's the whole issue of "Theatre" versus "Theater". I suppose the latter is the vulgar, Americanised version of the former, which is likely be the proper English word. Who else but the English would spell Theater as Theatre........but in this case I've been going with Theatre for a while now myself, because it just plain looks cooler than the other spelling.
Finally, and this will be my last grammatical gripe (for this blog at least), I have to go back to the English removal of the "The" in other situations. Why do they say, for instance, that a person is "in hospital" rather than "in the hospital"? Is it really too much trouble to add the "the"?
Or when they are talking about college.
"Where's your son"?
"Oh, he's away attending University".
To me that's only one step above Cave Man speak: "Son at University, first son in Cave Family to attend".
What's the deal with the Brits and the "The" in certain situations? I mean, they have no problem calling a TV "The Telly". That is one situation where we Americans drop the "The". We say we are "watching television" while the English say they watch "The Telly".
So it's all messed up, and I'll refrain from further comment on the subject for now, but I just thought it important to correct the name of the venue at which I saw Rick Wakeman perform this evening. No one is more English than Rick, and yet he - being a man of great humor - might understand what I am getting at. :)
I left for the concert at 5:30pm. The day had been blast furnace hot, 97 degrees but with very little humidity and a low Sun, so it felt more like 102. Now, as you know I love the heat, but not as much when the Santa Ana winds are blowing and the air is bone dry. At any rate, I got to the North Hollywood Metro Station at 6:20. Grimsley was already there. We got on the Red Line subway train and arrived downtown a a half hour later, with plenty of time to walk the 3/4 of a mile from the 7th Street Station to Ace Hotel (notice how I didn't call it "The" Ace Hotel). It was still early, so we hung out in front for a while. Our friend Dennis arrived suddenly on his motorcycle, parking right in front of the box office. We hadn't known he was going, so it was a nice surprise to see him. Dennis didn't have a ticket, though; he was hoping to score one on the spur of the moment, maybe at a discount from an overstocked scalper. So, because it was getting closer to showtime, Grim and I went inside. I hope Dennis got in, too. If he did, he saw an incredible show.
Rick Wakeman came onstage at 8:15pm. The last time I saw him perform a solo show was in September 1974 at the Hollywood Bowl, 45 years ago. I know I've mentioned that before, but it never fails to blow my mind. Rick was only 25 then. Now he's 70. Life, and time, are such a trip.
There was only a grand piano on stage, no other instruments or amplifiers. But that's all Rick needs. His mastery of the piano is so complete that he can take any piece and turn it inside out to develop every bit of melody therein. The evening consisted of Rick's interpretations of songs by The Beatles, David Bowie and Cat Stevens. Many will know that he played the piano part on the original recording of Stevens' "Morning Has Broken", as well as the Mellotron on Bowie's "Space Oddity". Rick has played on dozens of other people's records as well as his own. He's also been a member of Yes for almost 40 years, and he was in The Strawbs as well. If all of that doesn't make him the King Of Prog, I don't know who else to nominate.
Besides the aforementioned hits, he also played selections from his classic 1974 album "The Six Wives Of Henry the 8th", and a beautiful 15 minute medley of Yes music. There are so many harmonic threads running through every piece, because Rick plays every voicing. You can hear the bass part, the vocal melody, the main chord progressions, the counterpoint, and all the little embellishments he adds to make a song into a piece for piano. His playing is liquid. The notes sparkle from his fingers, and as Grim and I remarked later, it's astonishing that his technique is still so fluid at age 70. He's never had carpal tunnel or any of the hand and arm injuries that plague keyboardists, and it is no stretch to say that he could hold his own with many classical pianists.
But - music is not all you get at a Rick Wakeman show. The other thing is stories, all of them humorous (some are laugh-out-loud funny), many are risque. Rick Wakeman could very nearly make a career of being a stand up comedian if he chose, so good is his timing and delivery. So, before every musical piece, he told a funny story that applied to the piece or was in some way related to the making of it. He paced back and forth, dropping bombshell punchlines that had the audience in stitches. When's the last time you laughed your ass off at a concert? Maybe never, right? Because you don't go to concerts to laugh, you go to hear music. But at a Rick Wakeman show, you do both.
It was so incredible to see him again after all these years. I mean, I've seen him with ARW (a version of Yes) two times in the last four years, but never solo since I was 14 years old. Holy smokes and my goodness, y'know? And not only has he still got it, but he was better than ever.
Ace Hotel is a beautiful venue, too, perhaps the most ornate of all the old Downtown Theatres. The show was undersold, so they very courteously moved all the balcony fans (including me) down to the floor level. I was given a new seat about 15 rows back and dead center, 30 feet from the stage. Thank you Ace Hotel!
And thank you Rick Wakeman for a truly magical evening. I hope I don't have to wait 45 years for the next one, haha. :)
Well, that's all I know for now. I am back at work again, settling in at Pearl's for a new cycle. I am gonna head over to the Libe in a minute, though, and I should have a movie for you tonight, so have a great afternoon and I'll see you at the Usual Time.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
"Hey Mr. Cave Man, could you tell me where Rick Wakeman is performing tonight"?
"Ugg, yes. He play at The Theater at Ace Hotel".
"Okay, thanks very much for the information".
"No probba-lem".
So - it's me again - and I have to say that I like my version better: "The Theatre at The Ace Hotel". It sounds more civilized. Then there's the whole issue of "Theatre" versus "Theater". I suppose the latter is the vulgar, Americanised version of the former, which is likely be the proper English word. Who else but the English would spell Theater as Theatre........but in this case I've been going with Theatre for a while now myself, because it just plain looks cooler than the other spelling.
Finally, and this will be my last grammatical gripe (for this blog at least), I have to go back to the English removal of the "The" in other situations. Why do they say, for instance, that a person is "in hospital" rather than "in the hospital"? Is it really too much trouble to add the "the"?
Or when they are talking about college.
"Where's your son"?
"Oh, he's away attending University".
To me that's only one step above Cave Man speak: "Son at University, first son in Cave Family to attend".
What's the deal with the Brits and the "The" in certain situations? I mean, they have no problem calling a TV "The Telly". That is one situation where we Americans drop the "The". We say we are "watching television" while the English say they watch "The Telly".
So it's all messed up, and I'll refrain from further comment on the subject for now, but I just thought it important to correct the name of the venue at which I saw Rick Wakeman perform this evening. No one is more English than Rick, and yet he - being a man of great humor - might understand what I am getting at. :)
I left for the concert at 5:30pm. The day had been blast furnace hot, 97 degrees but with very little humidity and a low Sun, so it felt more like 102. Now, as you know I love the heat, but not as much when the Santa Ana winds are blowing and the air is bone dry. At any rate, I got to the North Hollywood Metro Station at 6:20. Grimsley was already there. We got on the Red Line subway train and arrived downtown a a half hour later, with plenty of time to walk the 3/4 of a mile from the 7th Street Station to Ace Hotel (notice how I didn't call it "The" Ace Hotel). It was still early, so we hung out in front for a while. Our friend Dennis arrived suddenly on his motorcycle, parking right in front of the box office. We hadn't known he was going, so it was a nice surprise to see him. Dennis didn't have a ticket, though; he was hoping to score one on the spur of the moment, maybe at a discount from an overstocked scalper. So, because it was getting closer to showtime, Grim and I went inside. I hope Dennis got in, too. If he did, he saw an incredible show.
Rick Wakeman came onstage at 8:15pm. The last time I saw him perform a solo show was in September 1974 at the Hollywood Bowl, 45 years ago. I know I've mentioned that before, but it never fails to blow my mind. Rick was only 25 then. Now he's 70. Life, and time, are such a trip.
There was only a grand piano on stage, no other instruments or amplifiers. But that's all Rick needs. His mastery of the piano is so complete that he can take any piece and turn it inside out to develop every bit of melody therein. The evening consisted of Rick's interpretations of songs by The Beatles, David Bowie and Cat Stevens. Many will know that he played the piano part on the original recording of Stevens' "Morning Has Broken", as well as the Mellotron on Bowie's "Space Oddity". Rick has played on dozens of other people's records as well as his own. He's also been a member of Yes for almost 40 years, and he was in The Strawbs as well. If all of that doesn't make him the King Of Prog, I don't know who else to nominate.
Besides the aforementioned hits, he also played selections from his classic 1974 album "The Six Wives Of Henry the 8th", and a beautiful 15 minute medley of Yes music. There are so many harmonic threads running through every piece, because Rick plays every voicing. You can hear the bass part, the vocal melody, the main chord progressions, the counterpoint, and all the little embellishments he adds to make a song into a piece for piano. His playing is liquid. The notes sparkle from his fingers, and as Grim and I remarked later, it's astonishing that his technique is still so fluid at age 70. He's never had carpal tunnel or any of the hand and arm injuries that plague keyboardists, and it is no stretch to say that he could hold his own with many classical pianists.
But - music is not all you get at a Rick Wakeman show. The other thing is stories, all of them humorous (some are laugh-out-loud funny), many are risque. Rick Wakeman could very nearly make a career of being a stand up comedian if he chose, so good is his timing and delivery. So, before every musical piece, he told a funny story that applied to the piece or was in some way related to the making of it. He paced back and forth, dropping bombshell punchlines that had the audience in stitches. When's the last time you laughed your ass off at a concert? Maybe never, right? Because you don't go to concerts to laugh, you go to hear music. But at a Rick Wakeman show, you do both.
It was so incredible to see him again after all these years. I mean, I've seen him with ARW (a version of Yes) two times in the last four years, but never solo since I was 14 years old. Holy smokes and my goodness, y'know? And not only has he still got it, but he was better than ever.
Ace Hotel is a beautiful venue, too, perhaps the most ornate of all the old Downtown Theatres. The show was undersold, so they very courteously moved all the balcony fans (including me) down to the floor level. I was given a new seat about 15 rows back and dead center, 30 feet from the stage. Thank you Ace Hotel!
And thank you Rick Wakeman for a truly magical evening. I hope I don't have to wait 45 years for the next one, haha. :)
Well, that's all I know for now. I am back at work again, settling in at Pearl's for a new cycle. I am gonna head over to the Libe in a minute, though, and I should have a movie for you tonight, so have a great afternoon and I'll see you at the Usual Time.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
"31" + Ticket To Ride + "Son Of Kong"
(this blog was begun Sunday night, October 20 2019)
Tonight I began to watch a movie called "31" but only made it to the 25 minute mark before pulling the plug. I don't know what I was thinking : it's a Rob Zombie movie, and even though I (sort-of) liked "House Of 1000 Corpses", it was still trash. Fun trash, maybe, but not worth a repeat view. I gave Zombie another chance with "The Devil's Rejects", and I shoulda rejected it too. The Devil was onto something there because that movie just plain sucked. So again, I really don't know what moved me to check out "31" from the Chatsworth Libe, unless it was the movie's Halloween setting. That's what the numerical title refers to, October "31". Maybe I thought Zombie could do a decent Halloween movie, or at least couldn't mess it up, but boy was I wrong. "31" is so bad that in retrospect I don't know how I lasted 25 minutes. Trashy voyeuristic violence porn is what I would call it, set in a freak show context with a garbage mouthed script. I shant dignify it with a review, except to say that the final straw for me was a neverending sequence taking place inside an old warehouse, where an effeminate but murderous midget dressed up as Hitler torments and kills a bunch of hillbillies from a traveling carnival.
That about sums up the "talent" of Rob Zombie in a single sentence. The joke was on me for even giving it a try. ////
I did have fun earlier in the evening up at Our Lady Of Lourdes. That's the church across the street from me, and as mentioned in yesterday's blog, tonight they had Ticket To Ride as the band to close out their annual Fall Festival. As I also noted, I've seen those guys at least a dozen times over the years, but tonight they were extra good. They had a new "George Harrison", a guy from the Los Angeles cast of "Beatlemania", and he was fantastic. As good as the Georges of years past have been, this guy was even better. He threw in all the "in between" phrasings and lead notes that the real George played in the course of every song, and he did it with an almost duplicate sense of the real George's style, which was quite a bit more complicated than he gets credit for. To me, George was one of the greatest guitarists in rock history. His playing was very musical. /////
I know I've been neglecting to follow up on my Rappaport story, but I haven't forgotten it and will be starting Part Two shortly. What is difficult for me is that, in writing about this event, once I am inside his house, I have to go back to that place in my mind when I actually was in his house. If I am going to write about it - and I am - I want to try and get to the heart of what it felt like. When you are in a state of extreme fear, it is different than anything you've ever experienced. All of your senses come alive and are super acute, but at the same time you shut down and go inside yourself. Your "everyday Self" goes into hiding for self protection, and your "terrified Self" takes over. But you have never experienced your "terrified Self" before, and so it has the weird effect of seeming like someone else has taken control of your reactions, this terrified version of yourself that you've never known before. They say there is a self-defense "animal" in all of us, and I can testify that it is true. In my case, I didn't get the chance to react like a cornered animal to the violence Mr. Rappaport directed at me. He had me handcuffed and tethered by my leg to a table or some other anchor to keep me stationary. But I reacted in other ways, and it is that feeling of abject terror, how a person reacts by instinct alone when their life is on the line, that I want to try and capture.
I know that if I start writing about it and I am in the wrong mood, say a blase everyday workday kind of mood, I probably won't be able to dig up the feeling of first hand experience I am striving for. I don't want to write about what it felt like to be in that psychopath's house unless I can nail the feeling. But I will try to do so in the next few days, and once I get into it, I will write the remainder of the story in fairly rapid fashion. ////
Well, it's now Tuesday Afternoon, and you've got your Moody Blues disc at the ready. Last night, I went to Pearl's for dinner and then Grimsley came over after that, so I didn't watch a movie, but I made up for it just now by watching an afternoon flick : "Son Of Kong" (1933), in which Robert Armstrong reprises his role as the entrepreneur Carl Denham, the man who brought King Kong to New York with disastrous results. As the movie begins, Denham is a prisoner in his own apartment, trapped there by the newsmen who want a story about the Kong catastrophe, and also by the creditors and process servers who intend to sue him for all the damage he has wrought. He is looking at a long stretch in prison as well. He needs a way out, and he finds it in his old friend Charlie (Victor Wong), the cook who was part of the first adventure. Charlie sneaks into his building to inform Denham of a cargo ship that will soon be sailing to points east. He gets Denham aboard and they are off.
The ship just so happens to be skippered by Captain Englehorn (Frank Reicher), the same man who helmed the original Kong expedition. Denham and the Captain talk of old times. They both regret everything that happened with Kong. "I should have just left him alone", says Denham.
At an Indonesian port, the two men happen upon a small entertainment show, set up in a canvas tent. A ringmaster is leading a trio of trained monkeys through their paces. When they finish, he introduces the next act, "La Belle Helene", who sings and plays guitar. She is his daughter (Helen Mack), a cutie who will stow away on board the cargo ship after her father is killed in a drunken argument with a Dutch captain of questionable honor.
Now the protagonists are set in place, all aboard for a return trip to Skull Island. They are going back because the Dutch captain claims to have a map of the reputed treasure that escaped Denham the first time. Denham and Captain Englehorn hope to locate the treasure : Englehorn so he can pay his men (who are on the verge of mutiny), and Denham so he can settle with his creditors back in New York.
But there may be deception in the works. Keep in mind that the Dutch captain is a murderer. Denham and Englehorn don't know this, but sweet Helen Mack is hiding below deck. When she is revealed, she will confront the Dutchman with his evil deed, and all heck will break out on the ship.
Our core characters will still make it to Skull Island, or we wouldn't have a movie, but I'll leave it to you to discover how they get there, and what happens when they do.
"Son Of Kong" - which I found yesterday at Porter Ranch Library - is a highly enjoyable and tightly composed adventure story that still qualifies as a Halloween movie because of the monsters involved. It's played mostly in a lighthearted way, and the movie's center is the budding yet innocent romance between Carl Denham and the much younger Helen Mack. Still, you've got giant serpents and bears fighting it out with each other, and with Baby Kong. You've got a four-story Triceratops trying to make a snack out of our heroes, all in the same high-quality stop motion effects that were used in the first film. "Son Of Kong" doesn't have the story development of "King Kong", nor it's budget, but it was once again directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack, who packs a lot of plot and action into the 69 minute running time. "Baby" Kong is a sympathetic figure like his Pa, but is only a third his size.
In true Kong fashion, he tries to be helpful to Denham and the others, who will need the (comparatively) little guy on their side if they are ever to escape the island.
Robert Armstrong and Frank Reicher are steady on their feet once again as "Carl Denham" and "Captain Englehown", and Helen Mack shines in the Fay Wray role, even though she is not in Kong's grip this time around. I loved "Son Of Kong" and give it Two Very Big Thumbs Up. If you are a fan of the original classic, and who isn't?, make sure to see this follow-up so you'll know the rest of the story.
Well, that's all for now. I'm gonna be heading downtown in a few hours to see Rick Wakeman tonight at The Theater at The Ace Hotel. I haven't seen him do a solo show since 1974! OMG, that's 45 years ago. So it should be an Absolute Blast. Right now I'm gonna see if I can sneak in a quick hike before I go. I'll see you back here tonight at the Usual Time. Have a great afternoon!
Tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Tonight I began to watch a movie called "31" but only made it to the 25 minute mark before pulling the plug. I don't know what I was thinking : it's a Rob Zombie movie, and even though I (sort-of) liked "House Of 1000 Corpses", it was still trash. Fun trash, maybe, but not worth a repeat view. I gave Zombie another chance with "The Devil's Rejects", and I shoulda rejected it too. The Devil was onto something there because that movie just plain sucked. So again, I really don't know what moved me to check out "31" from the Chatsworth Libe, unless it was the movie's Halloween setting. That's what the numerical title refers to, October "31". Maybe I thought Zombie could do a decent Halloween movie, or at least couldn't mess it up, but boy was I wrong. "31" is so bad that in retrospect I don't know how I lasted 25 minutes. Trashy voyeuristic violence porn is what I would call it, set in a freak show context with a garbage mouthed script. I shant dignify it with a review, except to say that the final straw for me was a neverending sequence taking place inside an old warehouse, where an effeminate but murderous midget dressed up as Hitler torments and kills a bunch of hillbillies from a traveling carnival.
That about sums up the "talent" of Rob Zombie in a single sentence. The joke was on me for even giving it a try. ////
I did have fun earlier in the evening up at Our Lady Of Lourdes. That's the church across the street from me, and as mentioned in yesterday's blog, tonight they had Ticket To Ride as the band to close out their annual Fall Festival. As I also noted, I've seen those guys at least a dozen times over the years, but tonight they were extra good. They had a new "George Harrison", a guy from the Los Angeles cast of "Beatlemania", and he was fantastic. As good as the Georges of years past have been, this guy was even better. He threw in all the "in between" phrasings and lead notes that the real George played in the course of every song, and he did it with an almost duplicate sense of the real George's style, which was quite a bit more complicated than he gets credit for. To me, George was one of the greatest guitarists in rock history. His playing was very musical. /////
I know I've been neglecting to follow up on my Rappaport story, but I haven't forgotten it and will be starting Part Two shortly. What is difficult for me is that, in writing about this event, once I am inside his house, I have to go back to that place in my mind when I actually was in his house. If I am going to write about it - and I am - I want to try and get to the heart of what it felt like. When you are in a state of extreme fear, it is different than anything you've ever experienced. All of your senses come alive and are super acute, but at the same time you shut down and go inside yourself. Your "everyday Self" goes into hiding for self protection, and your "terrified Self" takes over. But you have never experienced your "terrified Self" before, and so it has the weird effect of seeming like someone else has taken control of your reactions, this terrified version of yourself that you've never known before. They say there is a self-defense "animal" in all of us, and I can testify that it is true. In my case, I didn't get the chance to react like a cornered animal to the violence Mr. Rappaport directed at me. He had me handcuffed and tethered by my leg to a table or some other anchor to keep me stationary. But I reacted in other ways, and it is that feeling of abject terror, how a person reacts by instinct alone when their life is on the line, that I want to try and capture.
I know that if I start writing about it and I am in the wrong mood, say a blase everyday workday kind of mood, I probably won't be able to dig up the feeling of first hand experience I am striving for. I don't want to write about what it felt like to be in that psychopath's house unless I can nail the feeling. But I will try to do so in the next few days, and once I get into it, I will write the remainder of the story in fairly rapid fashion. ////
Well, it's now Tuesday Afternoon, and you've got your Moody Blues disc at the ready. Last night, I went to Pearl's for dinner and then Grimsley came over after that, so I didn't watch a movie, but I made up for it just now by watching an afternoon flick : "Son Of Kong" (1933), in which Robert Armstrong reprises his role as the entrepreneur Carl Denham, the man who brought King Kong to New York with disastrous results. As the movie begins, Denham is a prisoner in his own apartment, trapped there by the newsmen who want a story about the Kong catastrophe, and also by the creditors and process servers who intend to sue him for all the damage he has wrought. He is looking at a long stretch in prison as well. He needs a way out, and he finds it in his old friend Charlie (Victor Wong), the cook who was part of the first adventure. Charlie sneaks into his building to inform Denham of a cargo ship that will soon be sailing to points east. He gets Denham aboard and they are off.
The ship just so happens to be skippered by Captain Englehorn (Frank Reicher), the same man who helmed the original Kong expedition. Denham and the Captain talk of old times. They both regret everything that happened with Kong. "I should have just left him alone", says Denham.
At an Indonesian port, the two men happen upon a small entertainment show, set up in a canvas tent. A ringmaster is leading a trio of trained monkeys through their paces. When they finish, he introduces the next act, "La Belle Helene", who sings and plays guitar. She is his daughter (Helen Mack), a cutie who will stow away on board the cargo ship after her father is killed in a drunken argument with a Dutch captain of questionable honor.
Now the protagonists are set in place, all aboard for a return trip to Skull Island. They are going back because the Dutch captain claims to have a map of the reputed treasure that escaped Denham the first time. Denham and Captain Englehorn hope to locate the treasure : Englehorn so he can pay his men (who are on the verge of mutiny), and Denham so he can settle with his creditors back in New York.
But there may be deception in the works. Keep in mind that the Dutch captain is a murderer. Denham and Englehorn don't know this, but sweet Helen Mack is hiding below deck. When she is revealed, she will confront the Dutchman with his evil deed, and all heck will break out on the ship.
Our core characters will still make it to Skull Island, or we wouldn't have a movie, but I'll leave it to you to discover how they get there, and what happens when they do.
"Son Of Kong" - which I found yesterday at Porter Ranch Library - is a highly enjoyable and tightly composed adventure story that still qualifies as a Halloween movie because of the monsters involved. It's played mostly in a lighthearted way, and the movie's center is the budding yet innocent romance between Carl Denham and the much younger Helen Mack. Still, you've got giant serpents and bears fighting it out with each other, and with Baby Kong. You've got a four-story Triceratops trying to make a snack out of our heroes, all in the same high-quality stop motion effects that were used in the first film. "Son Of Kong" doesn't have the story development of "King Kong", nor it's budget, but it was once again directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack, who packs a lot of plot and action into the 69 minute running time. "Baby" Kong is a sympathetic figure like his Pa, but is only a third his size.
In true Kong fashion, he tries to be helpful to Denham and the others, who will need the (comparatively) little guy on their side if they are ever to escape the island.
Robert Armstrong and Frank Reicher are steady on their feet once again as "Carl Denham" and "Captain Englehown", and Helen Mack shines in the Fay Wray role, even though she is not in Kong's grip this time around. I loved "Son Of Kong" and give it Two Very Big Thumbs Up. If you are a fan of the original classic, and who isn't?, make sure to see this follow-up so you'll know the rest of the story.
Well, that's all for now. I'm gonna be heading downtown in a few hours to see Rick Wakeman tonight at The Theater at The Ace Hotel. I haven't seen him do a solo show since 1974! OMG, that's 45 years ago. So it should be an Absolute Blast. Right now I'm gonna see if I can sneak in a quick hike before I go. I'll see you back here tonight at the Usual Time. Have a great afternoon!
Tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Aliso Has Reopened + "The Mothman Prophecies" starring Richard Gere and Laura Linney
I'm happy to report that Aliso Canyon Park has reopened. I'm guessing that the temporary closure was related to Fire Department protocol, making sure all "hot spots" were extinguished, dangerous debris removed from the trail, etc. Grim was the one who broke the news, so I went up there at 4pm to see for myself, and sure enough, there were cars in the parking lot and some folks at the picnic tables. It was heartening to see. I went for my full 2.75 mile hike, the fire be damned. I know it's gonna take a long time, and things may not look the same, but nature will restore itself once the rains come. Man, it was good to be up there again. I was worried that the closure was gonna last weeks or even months.
One weird thing I noticed was the hawks circling overhead in the completely charred back half of the park. Before the fire, it was not unusual to see a hawk at Aliso or at any of the wilderness parks I frequent. You'd see one soaring around on the air currents in what looked like random patterns. But today, there were a bunch of them, maybe four or five, and they were circling like buzzards. There are no dead animals down there for them to eat, and they must know this, so what are they looking for?
Probably the poor little bunnies who might be hiding in their holes, even after eight days since the fire.
The hawks can see that there is no remaining ground cover and thus they may think the bunnies are easy pickings, but I say they are wasting their time. Stupid hawks. I mean, I love them too, and I know they need to eat, but they will never catch the goofy bunnies of Aliso Canyon! :)
But yeah, it was weird to see them circling. It looked like a scene from a Western movie. And I don't think that hawks are carrion birds anyhow, which means that they were waiting for live animals (i.e bunnies) to surface. Grim also reported that he saw not one but two coyotes up on the ridge at the top of the canyon. So perhaps they are still around, no doubt stunned by the loss of their home but maybe scanning the grounds to look for another one. Bring on the rains and renewal. /////
I did watch a movie tonight : "The Mothman Prophecies" (2002), which I have previously seen several times and which I think is one of the scariest movies ever made. I'd put it in my all time Top Twenty, or maybe even higher. You've probably seen it, but even if you haven't, I'm not sure how much I wanna tell you about the story, which is said to be true. "Mothman" scared the bejeezus out of me the first time I saw it - in part because it is true - and because of that factor I sought out all the information I could find about the actual series of events that took place in Point Pleasant, West Virginia in 1966-67.
It's the kind of supernatural event that is extremely malevolent, and rates as being demonic. For folks who don't believe in such things, good luck to you after you see this movie.
Richard Gere stars as "John Klein", a reporter for the Washington Post, who suffers a double tragedy when his wife (Debra Messing) is diagnosed with a brain tumor following a car wreck, in which Gere was the passenger. Messing saw a dark figure in the windshield just before the crash, and now from her hospital bed she draws pictures of it, over and over again.
After she dies, something really weird happens to Richard Gere. This is one of those plot points I'm debating telling you about, because this movie is so weird and so scary that anything I give away will ruin the surprise. But I will tell you this much : Gere is driving on a rural highway. Suddenly his car dies and won't restart. So he walks down the pitch dark road until he comes to a house. The time is 2:30 in the morning. He hates to knock because it's so late, but he has no choice - he's stranded.
So, he does knock and........I'm sorry but I just can't tell you because it's too weird. If you've ever experienced the phenomena of "missing time", you'll understand.
Let's fast forward a little bit. Following what happens after Gere knocks on the door, the police are called. In this case it is one policewoman, the town constable played by Laura Linney. After Gere explains himself (or tries to - he's pretty freaked out), she gives him a ride back to his motel. On the way, she tells him about other things the townsfolk have reported recently, that tie in with what has just happened. When Linney sees Gere still hanging around the next day, she becomes interested in what he is still doing there. Why is a big city reporter skulking around Point Pleasant, West Virginia?
When he tells her the answer, you can feel the goosebumps rising on your skin.
I mean - look - you are just gonna have to see "The Mothman Prophecies" for yourself. It was directed by a guy named Mark Pellington, who has eschewed big, startling "Boo!" moments in favor of low level unease that slowly builds to dread and finally to out and out terror. Less is definitely more for Pellington, who uses the story to scare you, along with some spooky nighttime photography along the roads of small town West Virginia. We see houses from another century, old abandoned factories stained with soot, their walls crumbling. We see a one block business district whose heyday was decades in the past. Pellington contrasts all of this old Americana, pictured mostly at night in dark browns and burnt orange, with the bright colors of automotive lights, lots of liquid reds and yellows. He matches everything to a softly disturbing electronic score, working slowly to build the tale of the Mothman, to give it credibility. It's rare to see a two hour horror movie, but this is a big league effort with money and an excellent script behind it. The result is an eerie movie that gets under your skin.
I'm surprised that Pellington only has one other movie to his name, the paranoid thriller "Arlington Road", which is almost equally weird in it's own way. He's got a unique visual style and is expert at moving a story forward. "Mothman" is his masterpiece, and though you've probably seen it, watch it again to re-frighten yourself. Do it before Halloween. I first saw it in 2002, then again around 2006. My most recent viewing before tonight was probably around 2012. So I see it about every 4-6 years, and it still scares me just as bad as it did the first time.
Obviously it gets my highest recommendation and Two Gigantic Thumbs Up. But don't say I didn't warn ya. /////
It's now Sunday afternoon and I am back from Burbank, having gone there to take my sister shopping. Earlier, we had a nice party at church for our departing choir director, whose last service with us was this morning. We sang extra good, and we are really gonna miss Bob. He was the best.
Well hey! The Rams finally won a ballgame, too, so things are back on track in Sportsland. I have just enough daylight for a possible trip up to Aliso (not sure if I'm gonna go) and then tonight, Ticket To Ride, the Beatles tribute band, are playing over at Our Lady Of Lourdes Catholic Church across the street from me. I've seen 'em a bunch of time, they always play the OLL Fall festival, but they're really good so I'll go over and catch at least some of their show.
See you later tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
One weird thing I noticed was the hawks circling overhead in the completely charred back half of the park. Before the fire, it was not unusual to see a hawk at Aliso or at any of the wilderness parks I frequent. You'd see one soaring around on the air currents in what looked like random patterns. But today, there were a bunch of them, maybe four or five, and they were circling like buzzards. There are no dead animals down there for them to eat, and they must know this, so what are they looking for?
Probably the poor little bunnies who might be hiding in their holes, even after eight days since the fire.
The hawks can see that there is no remaining ground cover and thus they may think the bunnies are easy pickings, but I say they are wasting their time. Stupid hawks. I mean, I love them too, and I know they need to eat, but they will never catch the goofy bunnies of Aliso Canyon! :)
But yeah, it was weird to see them circling. It looked like a scene from a Western movie. And I don't think that hawks are carrion birds anyhow, which means that they were waiting for live animals (i.e bunnies) to surface. Grim also reported that he saw not one but two coyotes up on the ridge at the top of the canyon. So perhaps they are still around, no doubt stunned by the loss of their home but maybe scanning the grounds to look for another one. Bring on the rains and renewal. /////
I did watch a movie tonight : "The Mothman Prophecies" (2002), which I have previously seen several times and which I think is one of the scariest movies ever made. I'd put it in my all time Top Twenty, or maybe even higher. You've probably seen it, but even if you haven't, I'm not sure how much I wanna tell you about the story, which is said to be true. "Mothman" scared the bejeezus out of me the first time I saw it - in part because it is true - and because of that factor I sought out all the information I could find about the actual series of events that took place in Point Pleasant, West Virginia in 1966-67.
It's the kind of supernatural event that is extremely malevolent, and rates as being demonic. For folks who don't believe in such things, good luck to you after you see this movie.
Richard Gere stars as "John Klein", a reporter for the Washington Post, who suffers a double tragedy when his wife (Debra Messing) is diagnosed with a brain tumor following a car wreck, in which Gere was the passenger. Messing saw a dark figure in the windshield just before the crash, and now from her hospital bed she draws pictures of it, over and over again.
After she dies, something really weird happens to Richard Gere. This is one of those plot points I'm debating telling you about, because this movie is so weird and so scary that anything I give away will ruin the surprise. But I will tell you this much : Gere is driving on a rural highway. Suddenly his car dies and won't restart. So he walks down the pitch dark road until he comes to a house. The time is 2:30 in the morning. He hates to knock because it's so late, but he has no choice - he's stranded.
So, he does knock and........I'm sorry but I just can't tell you because it's too weird. If you've ever experienced the phenomena of "missing time", you'll understand.
Let's fast forward a little bit. Following what happens after Gere knocks on the door, the police are called. In this case it is one policewoman, the town constable played by Laura Linney. After Gere explains himself (or tries to - he's pretty freaked out), she gives him a ride back to his motel. On the way, she tells him about other things the townsfolk have reported recently, that tie in with what has just happened. When Linney sees Gere still hanging around the next day, she becomes interested in what he is still doing there. Why is a big city reporter skulking around Point Pleasant, West Virginia?
When he tells her the answer, you can feel the goosebumps rising on your skin.
I mean - look - you are just gonna have to see "The Mothman Prophecies" for yourself. It was directed by a guy named Mark Pellington, who has eschewed big, startling "Boo!" moments in favor of low level unease that slowly builds to dread and finally to out and out terror. Less is definitely more for Pellington, who uses the story to scare you, along with some spooky nighttime photography along the roads of small town West Virginia. We see houses from another century, old abandoned factories stained with soot, their walls crumbling. We see a one block business district whose heyday was decades in the past. Pellington contrasts all of this old Americana, pictured mostly at night in dark browns and burnt orange, with the bright colors of automotive lights, lots of liquid reds and yellows. He matches everything to a softly disturbing electronic score, working slowly to build the tale of the Mothman, to give it credibility. It's rare to see a two hour horror movie, but this is a big league effort with money and an excellent script behind it. The result is an eerie movie that gets under your skin.
I'm surprised that Pellington only has one other movie to his name, the paranoid thriller "Arlington Road", which is almost equally weird in it's own way. He's got a unique visual style and is expert at moving a story forward. "Mothman" is his masterpiece, and though you've probably seen it, watch it again to re-frighten yourself. Do it before Halloween. I first saw it in 2002, then again around 2006. My most recent viewing before tonight was probably around 2012. So I see it about every 4-6 years, and it still scares me just as bad as it did the first time.
Obviously it gets my highest recommendation and Two Gigantic Thumbs Up. But don't say I didn't warn ya. /////
It's now Sunday afternoon and I am back from Burbank, having gone there to take my sister shopping. Earlier, we had a nice party at church for our departing choir director, whose last service with us was this morning. We sang extra good, and we are really gonna miss Bob. He was the best.
Well hey! The Rams finally won a ballgame, too, so things are back on track in Sportsland. I have just enough daylight for a possible trip up to Aliso (not sure if I'm gonna go) and then tonight, Ticket To Ride, the Beatles tribute band, are playing over at Our Lady Of Lourdes Catholic Church across the street from me. I've seen 'em a bunch of time, they always play the OLL Fall festival, but they're really good so I'll go over and catch at least some of their show.
See you later tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Saturday, October 19, 2019
"The Nanny" starring Bette Davis
Tonight I watched a creepy little film from Hammer Studios called "The Nanny" (1965), starring Bette Davis in the title role, and a brilliant child actor named William Dix as the boy in her care. Dix plays "Joey" (referred to by Davis as "Master Joey"), the son of a proper English diplomat, a true stiff upper lipper with a modulated London accent. He's the kind of guy Monty Python would've parodied, but in this movie he's no joke; a man's man who leaves the child rearing to The Nanny. He ignores his wife (Wendy Craig), who is emotionally childlike herself, and he is rarely home anyway. His job takes him constantly to other countries. Hence, the only adults in the house are all women : The Fragile Wife and the ever courteous but subtly dominant Nanny. Often there is a third female present, the wife's sister Penelope, aka "Pen" for short. She is mentally strong and emotionally assertive, but physically frail with a bad heart, the result of rheumatic fever as a child. So there are a lot of issues on the table as we begin to describe the plot.
As the movie gets underway, Joey is about to be released from a mental institution, where he was placed following the death of his younger sister, a three year old who drowned mysteriously in the bathtub. The Nanny was on hand when this happened, and while she didn't implicate Joey directly, her testimony of his alleged involvement was enough for the father to send Joey to the asylum. The girl's death is ruled an accident, but there is suspicion surrounding the boy, and when we first see him he is playing a mean-spirited trick on the institute staff - pretending to hang himself with a length of rope he has acquired and made into a well knotted noose.
At first glance, Joey looks every bit the demonic child he is purported to be. A comparison with Patty McCormack comes to mind, of her classic character in "The Bad Seed". At the very least, Joey seems like an incorrigible brat - of the snobbily Brrittish type - and at worst he may well be a little killer.
Or is he? The Nanny appears unimpeachable, professional toward the parents and forever patient with Joey despite his ongoing disdain for her and everything she tries to do for him. He won't eat the food she cooks, won't allow her in his room, and orders her away from the bathroom when he is taking a bath. Why is he acting this way? His mother loves The Nanny, and indeed was in her charge when she was a child. The Nanny helped raise her and her sister Penelope. She was never unkind to them, and we never once see her even raising her voice to the petulant Joey, who is rude and abusive to her in every way. Surely he is the disturbed child he is reported to be. Even his psychiatrists think so.
Once Joey comes home, he makes a friend. He has an upstairs neighbor who he spies one day through his window. She is Pamela Franklin (who became a horror "scream queen" in the 1970s). Franklin is older than Joey - fourteen to his ten - and is sophisticated in the ways of the adult world as only a teen girl can be. Franklin was an excellent actress and was also very cute. Here she is ultra Mod, with a perfect mid-60s sculpted hairdo, reading rock magazines in her bedroom. Joey escapes through his window and climbs the fire escape to visit her unseen by the adults. He confides in Franklin and tells her that he had nothing to do with his sister's death. He says it was The Nanny who did it!
Franklin, being the Jaded Teenager she is, is non-commital. She won't take sides at first, but agrees to help Joey by bringing her father into the matter. He is a doctor. Pamela introduces him to Joey and asks him to check up on Joey's mother, who is now bedridden with stomach pain. Joey explains to the man that he suspects The Nanny of trying to poison his mum. That's why he won't eat her cooking, he says. "Then she'd poison me, too".
The doctor does examine Joey's mother and sends her off to hospital (you'll notice I left out the "the", in true English fashion), but as with the other adults, he too will not cast suspicion on The Nanny, who is unfailingly kind to everyone. With mumsie away, Aunt Pen comes to stay with Joey. She is more level headed than her sister (Joey's mum), and not as easily swayed by The Nanny's patronising attitude. Joey thinks he might be able to convince Aunt Pen of his side of the story, but even if she believes him, will she be able to help? After all, she is a semi-invalid herself - ambulatory but with a failing ticker. She is under doctor's orders to avoid excitement and exertion.
The Nanny is aware of this, too. Remember that she cared for Aunt Pen and Joey's Mum when they were children.
What will become of Master Joey? Will he be sent back to the asylum, as his absent father is contemplating? Will Aunt Pen believe him, that The Nanny is not who she seems to be? And is this even true? After all, The Nanny has never demonstrated an ounce of cruelty toward anyone in the household.
But then, she is being played by Bette Davis, in her post-glamour era, when she started making movies like "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane". On a side note, Davis aged quite dramatically in the 1960s, and I was surprised to discover that she was only 57 when she made "The Nanny". She looks to be in her 70s, and it's not all because of makeup. Actors smoked and drank a lot in those days, which I suppose must account for it, but anyhow, she made a second career out of playing elderly delusional psychotics - although I am not saying she is the villain here, it could be little Joey! - and she is perfect as the caring Nanny, who believes that all children need looking after and that it is her mission in life to do so. In that way she's just like Mary Poppins! :)
You know "The Nanny" is gonna be a Good One from the opening scene at the asylum. In addition to the complex plot, the black and white photography is sharp, full-toned, and it adds to the drama by framing the characters in tension-enhancing ways. The director switches from angular close ups to full interior wide shots, to keep us inside the heads of the protagonists while also giving us hints of what is going on behind their backs. It's a very effective mise-en-scene (a term I learned from Professor Tim), and it is, in part, the eerie camerawork that qualifies "The Nanny", in my opinion, as a horror movie. Hammer stepped out of their Monster Box on occasion to make suspense thrillers, and "The Nanny" falls into that category as well, but really it's a spooky and weird little "Psycho"-drama with Hitchcockian flavor. The only question is Who's The Psycho? Or is anyone?
Two Very Big Thumbs Up for "The Nanny", which also has a plot twist that I forgot to mention and am not going to describe. I am surprised that this minor gem of English horror isn't well known. Perhaps it has a cult following, but make sure you see it in any event. Highly recommended, and you also get that great mid-60s cultural vibe in the bargain. /////
Here I am again, and it's now Saturday noon time. I'm gonna finish my coffee and straighten up the joint, then head out to the market and later on to some hiking spot or another. Maybe I will drive up to Newhall or Santa Clarita via The Old Road to check up on the parks out there. It'll depend on the traffic. Have a great day and I'll see you tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
As the movie gets underway, Joey is about to be released from a mental institution, where he was placed following the death of his younger sister, a three year old who drowned mysteriously in the bathtub. The Nanny was on hand when this happened, and while she didn't implicate Joey directly, her testimony of his alleged involvement was enough for the father to send Joey to the asylum. The girl's death is ruled an accident, but there is suspicion surrounding the boy, and when we first see him he is playing a mean-spirited trick on the institute staff - pretending to hang himself with a length of rope he has acquired and made into a well knotted noose.
At first glance, Joey looks every bit the demonic child he is purported to be. A comparison with Patty McCormack comes to mind, of her classic character in "The Bad Seed". At the very least, Joey seems like an incorrigible brat - of the snobbily Brrittish type - and at worst he may well be a little killer.
Or is he? The Nanny appears unimpeachable, professional toward the parents and forever patient with Joey despite his ongoing disdain for her and everything she tries to do for him. He won't eat the food she cooks, won't allow her in his room, and orders her away from the bathroom when he is taking a bath. Why is he acting this way? His mother loves The Nanny, and indeed was in her charge when she was a child. The Nanny helped raise her and her sister Penelope. She was never unkind to them, and we never once see her even raising her voice to the petulant Joey, who is rude and abusive to her in every way. Surely he is the disturbed child he is reported to be. Even his psychiatrists think so.
Once Joey comes home, he makes a friend. He has an upstairs neighbor who he spies one day through his window. She is Pamela Franklin (who became a horror "scream queen" in the 1970s). Franklin is older than Joey - fourteen to his ten - and is sophisticated in the ways of the adult world as only a teen girl can be. Franklin was an excellent actress and was also very cute. Here she is ultra Mod, with a perfect mid-60s sculpted hairdo, reading rock magazines in her bedroom. Joey escapes through his window and climbs the fire escape to visit her unseen by the adults. He confides in Franklin and tells her that he had nothing to do with his sister's death. He says it was The Nanny who did it!
Franklin, being the Jaded Teenager she is, is non-commital. She won't take sides at first, but agrees to help Joey by bringing her father into the matter. He is a doctor. Pamela introduces him to Joey and asks him to check up on Joey's mother, who is now bedridden with stomach pain. Joey explains to the man that he suspects The Nanny of trying to poison his mum. That's why he won't eat her cooking, he says. "Then she'd poison me, too".
The doctor does examine Joey's mother and sends her off to hospital (you'll notice I left out the "the", in true English fashion), but as with the other adults, he too will not cast suspicion on The Nanny, who is unfailingly kind to everyone. With mumsie away, Aunt Pen comes to stay with Joey. She is more level headed than her sister (Joey's mum), and not as easily swayed by The Nanny's patronising attitude. Joey thinks he might be able to convince Aunt Pen of his side of the story, but even if she believes him, will she be able to help? After all, she is a semi-invalid herself - ambulatory but with a failing ticker. She is under doctor's orders to avoid excitement and exertion.
The Nanny is aware of this, too. Remember that she cared for Aunt Pen and Joey's Mum when they were children.
What will become of Master Joey? Will he be sent back to the asylum, as his absent father is contemplating? Will Aunt Pen believe him, that The Nanny is not who she seems to be? And is this even true? After all, The Nanny has never demonstrated an ounce of cruelty toward anyone in the household.
But then, she is being played by Bette Davis, in her post-glamour era, when she started making movies like "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane". On a side note, Davis aged quite dramatically in the 1960s, and I was surprised to discover that she was only 57 when she made "The Nanny". She looks to be in her 70s, and it's not all because of makeup. Actors smoked and drank a lot in those days, which I suppose must account for it, but anyhow, she made a second career out of playing elderly delusional psychotics - although I am not saying she is the villain here, it could be little Joey! - and she is perfect as the caring Nanny, who believes that all children need looking after and that it is her mission in life to do so. In that way she's just like Mary Poppins! :)
You know "The Nanny" is gonna be a Good One from the opening scene at the asylum. In addition to the complex plot, the black and white photography is sharp, full-toned, and it adds to the drama by framing the characters in tension-enhancing ways. The director switches from angular close ups to full interior wide shots, to keep us inside the heads of the protagonists while also giving us hints of what is going on behind their backs. It's a very effective mise-en-scene (a term I learned from Professor Tim), and it is, in part, the eerie camerawork that qualifies "The Nanny", in my opinion, as a horror movie. Hammer stepped out of their Monster Box on occasion to make suspense thrillers, and "The Nanny" falls into that category as well, but really it's a spooky and weird little "Psycho"-drama with Hitchcockian flavor. The only question is Who's The Psycho? Or is anyone?
Two Very Big Thumbs Up for "The Nanny", which also has a plot twist that I forgot to mention and am not going to describe. I am surprised that this minor gem of English horror isn't well known. Perhaps it has a cult following, but make sure you see it in any event. Highly recommended, and you also get that great mid-60s cultural vibe in the bargain. /////
Here I am again, and it's now Saturday noon time. I'm gonna finish my coffee and straighten up the joint, then head out to the market and later on to some hiking spot or another. Maybe I will drive up to Newhall or Santa Clarita via The Old Road to check up on the parks out there. It'll depend on the traffic. Have a great day and I'll see you tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Friday, October 18, 2019
Massive Police Search on Reseda Bl. + "The Intruder" starring Dennis Quaid
This afternoon at around 1:30pm I had started to watch an episode of "Rawhide" when I heard the sound of a helicopter circling overhead. It was pretty loud, so I figured it was close. The sound made it hard to concentrate on the show, but I persevered. Later on, the noise got even louder and it sounded like a second copter had joined in whatever action was taking place outside. This continued throughout the 50 minute duration of the show, so when it was over I went out to see what was going on.
There were cops standing across the street, in front of the building that replaced the Northridge Meadows. Down on Plummer Street, there was yellow tape covering all sides of the intersection. News vans were down there too, with cameras on the sidewalk. I walked back home, just a block away, to Google KTLA News, and I discovered that the police were searching the area for a pursuit suspect who had abandoned his car on Baird Street and escaped on foot into an apartment complex. From where the choppers were circling, this appeared to be somewhere behind the location of the Meadows.
My own street was blocked off at Reseda Boulevard, which had a massive traffic jam of it's own due to the closure of the Plummer intersection, so in continuing our series of Traffic Jams this week, we can add this one to the list. It didn't help that CSUN was letting out (that never helps), and so, figuring that any chance for a hike was lost, I stuck around to watch the action. There wasn't much to see until it was over at 4pm, almost three hours after it began. Then, cop car after cop car began leaving the scene, and I have never seen so many police cars in my life. I saw regular LAPD cruisers, plainslothes squad cars, big white K-9 SUVS, cars that looked like they held SWAT members, and a few unmarked white trucks with extended beds, which were covered and had metal cabinets on the side, almost like construction trucks. God only knows what those are for. I also saw several CHP cars. The pursuit may have started with CHP, I am not sure of all the details, but they were there too. In all, there must have been between 25 and 40 law enforcement vehicles on scene, plus two LAPD choppers. Another news copter hovered in the distance, a mile or so down.
But they finally caught the guy, and from what I saw - woe to any bad guys who try to run from the cops. I am a huge supporter of LAPD, and am grateful for what they do to maintain order in our often chaotic city. Like our firefighters, they are the best in the world at their jobs, and if you saw what happened today, you would see what I mean. /////
So that was today's excitement, and we kept up our streak of traffic jams.
By 4:15, they took down all the yellow tape and the traffic began to thin out a little bit. I was now free to exit from my street, so I took a drive out to Porter Ranch, to check on the status of Limekiln Canyon Park. As you know, it is another of my local hiking spots. After parking just off Rinaldi I walked to the trailhead, but the gate had been pulled across the entrance and yet another sign read "Park Is Closed".
So that makes all three of the Rinaldi-area parks that are closed : Aliso, O'Melveny and Limekiln. Three of my favorite trails. Que sera sera, I suppose, but man this is so sad to see. All I can do is trust in The Lord and Mother Nature to restore these beautiful, wonderful places.
I did watch a movie tonight : "The Intruder" (2019), starring Dennis Quaid. It was recommended to me by Grimsley. Usually I don't seek out new movies, but on his word I gave this one a try, having found a copy at Chatsworth Libe. Quaid plays a psycho who sells his Napa Valley mansion to a young couple, only to stalk them after the purchase. He is very attached to the house and has trouble relinquishing possession. At first, the movie reminded me of the kind of thrillers they made in the late 80s and early 90s, like "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle", or more specifically a movie with Michael Keaton called "Pacific Heights". The premise of "Intruder" had a lot of possibility to take the stalker/psycho genre down new roads, and Quaid was great, at least in the first half of the film. He and Meagan Good, the actress who plays the wife of the young couple, are the reasons to see it, but unfortunately the director doesn't seem to know what to do with his script, as all the early options of where to take the plot go unexplored. He was given a fair amount of ideas to work with, and a great first half performance from Dennis Quaid (who is a frightening nut-job), but he just seems content to let things play out in a cliched and time worn fashion. It's too bad because he could've had something here.
Instead he and his movie get one and one half thumbs up - written in lower case - with a positive nod to dennis quaid and meagan good. "The Intruder" is one of those movies that begin with a lot of promise and then let you down, not because they turn bad all of a sudden, but because they turn average. ////
It's me again and it's now Friday afternoon. I'm gonna have a snack and then maybe drive out to Corriganville or Santa Susana. It looks like on our hikes we may be limited to West Valley and Simi parks for a while.
See you tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
There were cops standing across the street, in front of the building that replaced the Northridge Meadows. Down on Plummer Street, there was yellow tape covering all sides of the intersection. News vans were down there too, with cameras on the sidewalk. I walked back home, just a block away, to Google KTLA News, and I discovered that the police were searching the area for a pursuit suspect who had abandoned his car on Baird Street and escaped on foot into an apartment complex. From where the choppers were circling, this appeared to be somewhere behind the location of the Meadows.
My own street was blocked off at Reseda Boulevard, which had a massive traffic jam of it's own due to the closure of the Plummer intersection, so in continuing our series of Traffic Jams this week, we can add this one to the list. It didn't help that CSUN was letting out (that never helps), and so, figuring that any chance for a hike was lost, I stuck around to watch the action. There wasn't much to see until it was over at 4pm, almost three hours after it began. Then, cop car after cop car began leaving the scene, and I have never seen so many police cars in my life. I saw regular LAPD cruisers, plainslothes squad cars, big white K-9 SUVS, cars that looked like they held SWAT members, and a few unmarked white trucks with extended beds, which were covered and had metal cabinets on the side, almost like construction trucks. God only knows what those are for. I also saw several CHP cars. The pursuit may have started with CHP, I am not sure of all the details, but they were there too. In all, there must have been between 25 and 40 law enforcement vehicles on scene, plus two LAPD choppers. Another news copter hovered in the distance, a mile or so down.
But they finally caught the guy, and from what I saw - woe to any bad guys who try to run from the cops. I am a huge supporter of LAPD, and am grateful for what they do to maintain order in our often chaotic city. Like our firefighters, they are the best in the world at their jobs, and if you saw what happened today, you would see what I mean. /////
So that was today's excitement, and we kept up our streak of traffic jams.
By 4:15, they took down all the yellow tape and the traffic began to thin out a little bit. I was now free to exit from my street, so I took a drive out to Porter Ranch, to check on the status of Limekiln Canyon Park. As you know, it is another of my local hiking spots. After parking just off Rinaldi I walked to the trailhead, but the gate had been pulled across the entrance and yet another sign read "Park Is Closed".
So that makes all three of the Rinaldi-area parks that are closed : Aliso, O'Melveny and Limekiln. Three of my favorite trails. Que sera sera, I suppose, but man this is so sad to see. All I can do is trust in The Lord and Mother Nature to restore these beautiful, wonderful places.
I did watch a movie tonight : "The Intruder" (2019), starring Dennis Quaid. It was recommended to me by Grimsley. Usually I don't seek out new movies, but on his word I gave this one a try, having found a copy at Chatsworth Libe. Quaid plays a psycho who sells his Napa Valley mansion to a young couple, only to stalk them after the purchase. He is very attached to the house and has trouble relinquishing possession. At first, the movie reminded me of the kind of thrillers they made in the late 80s and early 90s, like "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle", or more specifically a movie with Michael Keaton called "Pacific Heights". The premise of "Intruder" had a lot of possibility to take the stalker/psycho genre down new roads, and Quaid was great, at least in the first half of the film. He and Meagan Good, the actress who plays the wife of the young couple, are the reasons to see it, but unfortunately the director doesn't seem to know what to do with his script, as all the early options of where to take the plot go unexplored. He was given a fair amount of ideas to work with, and a great first half performance from Dennis Quaid (who is a frightening nut-job), but he just seems content to let things play out in a cliched and time worn fashion. It's too bad because he could've had something here.
Instead he and his movie get one and one half thumbs up - written in lower case - with a positive nod to dennis quaid and meagan good. "The Intruder" is one of those movies that begin with a lot of promise and then let you down, not because they turn bad all of a sudden, but because they turn average. ////
It's me again and it's now Friday afternoon. I'm gonna have a snack and then maybe drive out to Corriganville or Santa Susana. It looks like on our hikes we may be limited to West Valley and Simi parks for a while.
See you tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Thursday, October 17, 2019
O'Melveny Park Is Closed + "UFO" The Movie
I'm writing from home, off work for the next few days. This afternoon, after I left Pearl's, I drove up to Granada Hills to check on O'Melveny Park. As you go north on Balboa Bl., you get closer to the fire zone, and once you pass Rinaldi you can see how throughly charred the entire hillside is. Mission Peak is burned black. The Three Trees appear to be standing, and I think they are oaks, but no matter how resilient they are, it will be a miracle if they survived the fire. The mountains above Granada Hills got the worst of it, and it looks horrible.
There was a massive traffic jam on Balboa once you passed Jollette Avenue. That is the residential street on which several homes burned down. I imagine that there were street closures around (and maybe including) Jollette, and that a detour was causing the backup, which stretched on out of sight. It had to be at least a mile long. I took other side streets to escape the jam, only to arrive at Sesnon Boulevard, across from O'Melveny Park, and encounter another traffic jam that looked just as bad as the first. It looked like an awful situation for the residents up there.
I found a parking space on a side street adjacent to O'Melveny and walked across, only to discover what I'd more or less been expecting : the parking lot was empty; a sawhorse at the entrance held a sign that read "Park Is Closed". I crossed back over Sesnon, through the endless line of cars, and drove home.
This has got to be the worst fire that has hit the North Valley in recent memory. I know we've had even worse in the West Valley, such as last year's Woolsey Fire which destroyed many more homes and acreage. Woolsey was one of the worst fires in all of California history, let alone the Valley. But as far as the North Valley and the area around the Santa Susana Mountains is concerned, the Saddleridge Fire is the worst in my lifetime.
The websites for O'Melveny and Aliso Canyon Parks say that they are "temporarily" closed. I hope this is true, and that they will not be shut down for years, as was Placerita Canyon.
On my way back from O'Melveny Park, I stopped off at G.Hills Libe to look for movies. They didn't have a great selection of horror, but I did find a few flicks that border on that category. One of them I watched this evening, a movie entitled "UFO" (2018). Ordinarily, I might have passed this movie by, because I don't remember it being in theaters, and it had a straight-to-video look, but interestingly enough I'd heard of it before, and very recently in fact. In "The Rendlesham Enigma", the film was mentioned by co-author Gary Osbourn as having in it's plotline a thread that has to do with a mathematical number called The Fine Structure Constant. Osborn goes into great detail in the book about the importance of the Constant in physics and, really, to the fact that it is a frequency that holds the atomic structure of the Universe together. I'll not go into great detail here. Google the number 137 and see what you get.
I had never heard of The Fine Structure Constant before reading "The Rendlesham Enigma", although in an interesting aside, I had heard a version of that phrase before. If Elizabeth is reading, she will know what I am referring to. Her friend Sarah has (or had) a band called The Fine Constant. They were based in Madison, Wisconsin and Elizabeth knew Sarah for years and has done videos for her. I always thought that band name was an intriguing one, but past that, I never thought much about it. Now though, after reading "Rendlesham" and learning about the Fine Structure Constant, I see that Sara's band was named after the same thing, only with the word "Structure" removed to make it roll off the tongue more easily.
I don't think Elizabeth reads this blog anymore, but if she does : Hey Elizabeth! I finally "got" Sara's band name. :):) Must be a bunch of math wizards in that group.
And that's what "UFO" the movie is about, the use of the Fine Structure Constant as a means of communication between aliens and human beings. It's a very intelligent film, and though limited by budget and thus having more of a cable movie feel, it is still thoroughly captivating.
A young actor named Alex Sharp stars as a college student at the University of Cincinnati. I must just in here to say that the location was extra cool. My Dad graduated from the U of C in 1946, so it was really neat to be able to see the campus, on which much of the film was shot. Alex Sharp's character is a math genius and also a UFO buff. When a sighting at the Cincinnati airport make the news, Sharp becomes intrigued. There were many witnesses, including employees in the control tower. Being a genius, Sharp knows how to do things like find obscure air traffic websites and look up unlisted cell phone numbers. He locates a recording of a conversation between controllers in the tower who were on shift when the UFO appeared. Then he calls a local anchorman on his cell to report what he has heard, which is clear evidence of a large flying saucer.
Unbeknownst to Sharp, a secret group inside the FBI has also been following not only the airport sighting but also other recent flaps in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area. They are aware that he has used the air traffic control website, and now he is on their radar. Actor David Strahairn plays the head Fed who is now secretly monitoring young Sharp.
Sharp, meanwhile, is incensed when he hears on the news that the whole affair has been dismissed as a case of misidentification. The news anchor is reporting that the FBI has solved the case. It was not a UFO that everyone saw but only a Gulfstream jet.
Sharp becomes so obsessed with proving the sighting that he puts his considerable math skills to work, using trigonometry to work out the size and precise location of where the UFO would have been. In listening to the recording from the control tower, he discovers a previously unnoticed band of interference. He uses a computer program to isolate this sound, and discovers a pattern in the frequency.
This will lead him to conclude, eventually, that it is a communication from the UFO, having to do with The Fine Structure Constant. There is a ton of math in this movie, so you've gotta have your thinking cap on and listen closely. The math is so complex that it finally becomes too difficult for Sharp to solve alone, so he enlists the help of his Professor - Gillian Anderson! Yep, good old Scully herself. True to form, she is a bit skeptical of the whole story, but comes around after Sharp presents all his evidence. They work together to figure out what the Constant could mean, as a message.
Meanwhile, David Strathairn - the Secret FBI Man - is monitoring Sharp's every move, watching him through the camera lens on his home computer. I've gotta step in here to say : "see, I told you so"! Haha. That's why I tape a square of paper over my own computer lenses, lol. I'm not gonna be Skyping with anyone anyway, and I don't want my pals in the FBI mysteriously Skyping me, either! :):)
For some reason, Alex Sharp - genius though he is - never thinks to tape his computer lenses, so Strathairn is able to continue following his progress on the UFO case. This will all come to a head at the end of the movie, but Strathairn may not turn out to be the Evil Secret Agent we think he is.
That why, in my case, I always champion the Feds. I consider them my friends because we're all on the same side in this.......whatever it is, lol. :)
"UFO" is a thought-provoking little movie that is extremely well made. It was written and directed by a guy named Ryan Eslinger, who shows a lot of talent. He moves the complicated story along with the swift pace of a thriller, and without ever bogging you down in the difficult math talk. The nighttime photography on the UC campus is artful, emphasizing the architectural beauty of the buildings. Alex Sharpe and the other young actors who play his fellow students are all good, and the longtimers Strathairn and Anderson add some veteran gravitas.
Two Thumbs Way Up for "UFO", a movie I'd probably never have seen had I not read "The Rendlesham Enigma". This is one movie that, rather than needing to be shortened, could actually have benefited from an extra fifteen minutes of plot development. I won't get into the reason for this, except to say that they could have explored the meaning of The Fine Constant a little further.
That's a minor quibble, however, and I strongly recommend the movie for all viewers, even if you don't believe in UFOs. /////
That is all for now. It's a day off for me, so I may go on a hike if I can find a park that's open. I know Santa Susana is okay, but I may drive to check up on Rice Canyon in Santa Clarita. Or maybe I can find some info on the web before going all the way out there and getting in another traffic jam. In any event, I hope you have a great day. Please keep Jerry Gaskill of King's X in your prayers, as it was announced this morning that he will be undergoing a heart procedure very soon.
Thanks so much, and I will see you tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons and tons of love.
There was a massive traffic jam on Balboa once you passed Jollette Avenue. That is the residential street on which several homes burned down. I imagine that there were street closures around (and maybe including) Jollette, and that a detour was causing the backup, which stretched on out of sight. It had to be at least a mile long. I took other side streets to escape the jam, only to arrive at Sesnon Boulevard, across from O'Melveny Park, and encounter another traffic jam that looked just as bad as the first. It looked like an awful situation for the residents up there.
I found a parking space on a side street adjacent to O'Melveny and walked across, only to discover what I'd more or less been expecting : the parking lot was empty; a sawhorse at the entrance held a sign that read "Park Is Closed". I crossed back over Sesnon, through the endless line of cars, and drove home.
This has got to be the worst fire that has hit the North Valley in recent memory. I know we've had even worse in the West Valley, such as last year's Woolsey Fire which destroyed many more homes and acreage. Woolsey was one of the worst fires in all of California history, let alone the Valley. But as far as the North Valley and the area around the Santa Susana Mountains is concerned, the Saddleridge Fire is the worst in my lifetime.
The websites for O'Melveny and Aliso Canyon Parks say that they are "temporarily" closed. I hope this is true, and that they will not be shut down for years, as was Placerita Canyon.
On my way back from O'Melveny Park, I stopped off at G.Hills Libe to look for movies. They didn't have a great selection of horror, but I did find a few flicks that border on that category. One of them I watched this evening, a movie entitled "UFO" (2018). Ordinarily, I might have passed this movie by, because I don't remember it being in theaters, and it had a straight-to-video look, but interestingly enough I'd heard of it before, and very recently in fact. In "The Rendlesham Enigma", the film was mentioned by co-author Gary Osbourn as having in it's plotline a thread that has to do with a mathematical number called The Fine Structure Constant. Osborn goes into great detail in the book about the importance of the Constant in physics and, really, to the fact that it is a frequency that holds the atomic structure of the Universe together. I'll not go into great detail here. Google the number 137 and see what you get.
I had never heard of The Fine Structure Constant before reading "The Rendlesham Enigma", although in an interesting aside, I had heard a version of that phrase before. If Elizabeth is reading, she will know what I am referring to. Her friend Sarah has (or had) a band called The Fine Constant. They were based in Madison, Wisconsin and Elizabeth knew Sarah for years and has done videos for her. I always thought that band name was an intriguing one, but past that, I never thought much about it. Now though, after reading "Rendlesham" and learning about the Fine Structure Constant, I see that Sara's band was named after the same thing, only with the word "Structure" removed to make it roll off the tongue more easily.
I don't think Elizabeth reads this blog anymore, but if she does : Hey Elizabeth! I finally "got" Sara's band name. :):) Must be a bunch of math wizards in that group.
And that's what "UFO" the movie is about, the use of the Fine Structure Constant as a means of communication between aliens and human beings. It's a very intelligent film, and though limited by budget and thus having more of a cable movie feel, it is still thoroughly captivating.
A young actor named Alex Sharp stars as a college student at the University of Cincinnati. I must just in here to say that the location was extra cool. My Dad graduated from the U of C in 1946, so it was really neat to be able to see the campus, on which much of the film was shot. Alex Sharp's character is a math genius and also a UFO buff. When a sighting at the Cincinnati airport make the news, Sharp becomes intrigued. There were many witnesses, including employees in the control tower. Being a genius, Sharp knows how to do things like find obscure air traffic websites and look up unlisted cell phone numbers. He locates a recording of a conversation between controllers in the tower who were on shift when the UFO appeared. Then he calls a local anchorman on his cell to report what he has heard, which is clear evidence of a large flying saucer.
Unbeknownst to Sharp, a secret group inside the FBI has also been following not only the airport sighting but also other recent flaps in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area. They are aware that he has used the air traffic control website, and now he is on their radar. Actor David Strahairn plays the head Fed who is now secretly monitoring young Sharp.
Sharp, meanwhile, is incensed when he hears on the news that the whole affair has been dismissed as a case of misidentification. The news anchor is reporting that the FBI has solved the case. It was not a UFO that everyone saw but only a Gulfstream jet.
Sharp becomes so obsessed with proving the sighting that he puts his considerable math skills to work, using trigonometry to work out the size and precise location of where the UFO would have been. In listening to the recording from the control tower, he discovers a previously unnoticed band of interference. He uses a computer program to isolate this sound, and discovers a pattern in the frequency.
This will lead him to conclude, eventually, that it is a communication from the UFO, having to do with The Fine Structure Constant. There is a ton of math in this movie, so you've gotta have your thinking cap on and listen closely. The math is so complex that it finally becomes too difficult for Sharp to solve alone, so he enlists the help of his Professor - Gillian Anderson! Yep, good old Scully herself. True to form, she is a bit skeptical of the whole story, but comes around after Sharp presents all his evidence. They work together to figure out what the Constant could mean, as a message.
Meanwhile, David Strathairn - the Secret FBI Man - is monitoring Sharp's every move, watching him through the camera lens on his home computer. I've gotta step in here to say : "see, I told you so"! Haha. That's why I tape a square of paper over my own computer lenses, lol. I'm not gonna be Skyping with anyone anyway, and I don't want my pals in the FBI mysteriously Skyping me, either! :):)
For some reason, Alex Sharp - genius though he is - never thinks to tape his computer lenses, so Strathairn is able to continue following his progress on the UFO case. This will all come to a head at the end of the movie, but Strathairn may not turn out to be the Evil Secret Agent we think he is.
That why, in my case, I always champion the Feds. I consider them my friends because we're all on the same side in this.......whatever it is, lol. :)
"UFO" is a thought-provoking little movie that is extremely well made. It was written and directed by a guy named Ryan Eslinger, who shows a lot of talent. He moves the complicated story along with the swift pace of a thriller, and without ever bogging you down in the difficult math talk. The nighttime photography on the UC campus is artful, emphasizing the architectural beauty of the buildings. Alex Sharpe and the other young actors who play his fellow students are all good, and the longtimers Strathairn and Anderson add some veteran gravitas.
Two Thumbs Way Up for "UFO", a movie I'd probably never have seen had I not read "The Rendlesham Enigma". This is one movie that, rather than needing to be shortened, could actually have benefited from an extra fifteen minutes of plot development. I won't get into the reason for this, except to say that they could have explored the meaning of The Fine Constant a little further.
That's a minor quibble, however, and I strongly recommend the movie for all viewers, even if you don't believe in UFOs. /////
That is all for now. It's a day off for me, so I may go on a hike if I can find a park that's open. I know Santa Susana is okay, but I may drive to check up on Rice Canyon in Santa Clarita. Or maybe I can find some info on the web before going all the way out there and getting in another traffic jam. In any event, I hope you have a great day. Please keep Jerry Gaskill of King's X in your prayers, as it was announced this morning that he will be undergoing a heart procedure very soon.
Thanks so much, and I will see you tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons and tons of love.
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