Things that are just Ok

September is over. And with it, the conclusion of another Roxie noir series. The weather is beginning to cool down a bit. The days are beginning to grow shorter. Someday it may even rain, but that is in the distant future when the noir series comes to the Castro. A lot of things happened over the summer, and, in general, it was a good time.

October is that middle month. It is not the celebratory end-of-the-year Christmas, Channukah, New Year's Eve party-fest of December, or the preparatory Thanksgiving gourmandism. Sure, there is Halloween. What of it? Well, there is Shocktoberfest. Or, Schlocktoberfest, if you will. You decide. I may stay home.

So, for now, it is time to reflect on things that were less than great, things that were just ok, and things that just plain sucked.

The Roxie Noir series was good, but not great. As one poster mentioned, she walked out on a film, and in my own estimation, there were some very good films, but others that I view as more of a curiosity. A noir curiosity perhaps, and while not necessarily deserving the high accolades we enjoy heaping on some of our favorite noirs (In a Lonely Place, High Sierra, DOA, Dark Passages, etc...), some were just ok. I put Screaming Mimi in that category. And there are things that I would have done better if I were running the show. At least, that's what I claim (not having to prove myself). At least there was a show. What about the Danger & Despair's shows? Where have they been? The complete absence of any D&D screenings, during the summer, quite honestly falls under the "sucks" category of things that never happened for no good reason. Grab your pen or keyboard and complain. Complaining never helped me, but maybe I'm not very good at it.

I recently finished reading "Night Has a Thousand Eyes," by Cornell Woolrich. That was just ok. Sure, it was a page turner -- most of the time. But at other times, I just wondered what the hell was going on and what was it that I did not understand. Should I flip back to the beginning of the chapter? Is it me? No. Some additional editing would not have hurt. The movie, which starred Edward G. Robinson, was purported to also have been just ok (according to the New York Times review). We want Cornell Woolrich and Edward G. Robinson to be excellent -- at least I do.

I went to the movies last night and saw Pandorum -- a sci-fi/horror thriller. It was ok. Maybe it was a 2.5 out of 5. It was not great. It was not bad. It firmly held the middle ground.

There is, however, a bright and shiny future awaiting all of us. But even that has a less-than-silver lining. What is with Sony and the US movie going crowd? It is hardly fair to call Broken Embraces (Los abrzosos rotos) a new movie. The "latest" Pedro Almodovar movie (this one with a noir flair) has been seen everywhere in the world. Except in the United States. (People, grab your Bitchforks and Torches and march upon the Sony HQ). The film will open in November in New York City and in December in LA. Eventually, it will open in the San Francisco Bay Area, and it may never get to Canton, Ohio. People: the movie has Penelope Cruz in it. Isn't that worth something?

Whew. And now for something completely different. Thank you to our man in the field, Peter L. for bringing the following to our attention:
The trailer of “Death Hunt" cue from Bernard Herrmann's score for Nicholas Ray's noir film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl1XuCC6xmc

Then, Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DehXokWadu0

I recently purchased a Hadda Brooks double CD, called I've Got News For You. That firmly falls in the not mediocre, most excellent, touching and ephemeral category. If you can find a copy, I highly recommend it. (See my previous posting on Hadda Brooks.)

Also, Joseph Lim, who has written for this blog, is directing a noir. I look forward to the eventual screening.