Praying for the Right Color

DCI Quarterfinals

Lucas Oil Stadium -- Indianapolis, IN

Thursday, August 12, 2010

I arrived in Indianapolis on Wednesday afternoon.  On my PHX to IND leg, I sat next to a woman whose son was a snare drummer for the Bluecoats, and had formerly been in SCV.  She also knew snare drummers in The Academy and Blue Devils, so I told her that I would root for them.  She didn't really want me to root for BD, though, because she didn't really like their show.  Oh, well, I like their show, so I'll root for him anyway.  Besides, I'm sitting with a bunch of BD people on Finals Night.  :)  

Bro arrived in the morning, and we walked into Downtown, and on the way, people noticed his awesome 1scvfan shoes.  We had a yummy lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings, where Bro ordered a yummy Salt and Vinegar Rub for his wings.  Veronica, our server, said that the Desert Heat rub wasn't that hot when I asked her about it. She said, "It's peppery, though."  I asked, "Black peppery, or chile peppery?"  She said, "Chile peppery."  Um, that means HOT!  So I ordered the Honey BBQ sauce, which was also tasty.  We may need to go back there later this week, if not every day.  There is a wine bar and bistro nearby that looks interesting, though.  

After resting in the hotel for a bit, we walked across the street to Lucas Oil Stadium and looked for someone to trade Bro's single semis ticket for two together.  No luck, so we got in line at the box office.  Bro had an idea of sitting in front if we couldn't sit near each other.  The very helpful lady said that she couldn't find anything in the same section as his current seat, so we decided that I would take that one (for picture-taking), and he would sit up front.  He asked if there was anything in row 1, and there were plenty of seats.  He asked how much.  She said, "$75.00."  He exclaimed, "FIVE DOLLARS?!" quite loudly, and a bunch of us laughed as the lady corrected him with "SEVENTY-five dollars."  Oh.  It's front row.  He took it.  His ears are going to bleeeeed.

We shopped around briefly and I think I found a tank top that I like, but didn't buy it yet.  Due to a last-minute decision, I wasn't able to sit with Bro since he got his tickets way ahead of time.  I was able to get a seat in the section right below his, so that was nice, because we had the same entrance, and he went up the steps, while I went down.  I was at the 10-yard line, 3 levels up, in the 2nd row.  The people who held the tickets for seats in front of me were not there for the first group of corps, so I had a nice view.  The Star-Spangled Banner was a recording, but I was still in the restroom anyway.  I envy guys that can still stand while listening to the National Anthem while they're using the restroom.  ;)

Corps with a * notation advance to Semi-Finals.

PIONEER -- 73.95

Repertoire:  "The Corps Prayer" -- Swing Low, Sweet Chariot by W. Willis, Make His Praise Glorious by B. Wolaver & R. Wolaver, The Prayer by D. Foster & C. B. Sager, Fantasie on the Doxology  by D. Allen, K. Gay & A. Hill, Old Hundredeth by Los Bourgeois

Sparkly!  Their pre-show was Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, which was very nice.  The color guard (CG) was wearing choir robes at the start.  I couldn't understand what the (recorded?) talking guy on the was saying.  This means that you should NOT have talking during your show!  Their pros included crosses, and at one point they spun their rifles around the cross.  That's kind of weird imagery for me.  They also had a big flag with praying hands on it at the end.  Nice show.  Where's the Irish, though?  Oh, OK, they had the shamrock.

Pioneer

Bro texted me to ask if Michael Cesario and Dennis DeLucia (DCI Afficionados) had sat near me.  Two young guys had sat down next to me, and I told Bro that unless we traveled back in time 30 years, the answer was no.  He later told me that he meant that Michael and Dennis were sitting a couple of rows behind me.  Oh.  I still giggled about it all night, and even told the young guys later.  I never got their real names, but they were really friendly, and we all had a good time watching. Since I thought that Bro asked if they were Dennis D and Steve Rondinaro, I nicknamed my two guys NotDennis and NotSteve.

CASCADES -- 74.60

Repertoire: "Silver Lining" -- Cloudsplitter Finale by J. Stamp, Allegro Impetuoso  bY V. Nehlybel, River Flows In You by Yiruma, Hope Awakes by J. Hinkel, Tomorrow by C. Strouse

As they entered the field, they made a white ranch-type fence.  I wondered if they were going to Caroliina Crown's 2007 show, "Triple Crown" at first.  Their pre-show was Tomorrow from "Annie".  I didn't understand why they were playing this while people were picnicking and playing games in the park, but I got it by the end.  Rain interrupted the nice day and Tomorrow was the promise of a new picnic day.  I like those lightning flags!  I also like the picnic cloth flags at the end.  The guy giving the weather status sounded like Dan Potter of DCI.   I texted Bro with "What was that butter churner thing?" at center field.  He told me that it was a weather vane.  Ohhhh.  Bro had seen this show back in Mesa, AZ, and when they started playing, rain started to fall, and they had to stop the show because of an actual lightning storm headed their way.  What a perfect show for that!  I also like that the rain show was done by a corps from Seattle.  :)

JERSEY SURF -- 75.70

Repertoire: "Living the Dream" -- Variations on America  by C. Ives, America the Beautiful by S. Ward, Festival Overture on a National Air by. D. Buck

Their new uniforms confused me until I remembered that I had seen a picture of their new uniforms.  They had red/white/blue wooden boards propped up.  I like the modified Old Glory flags.  I really like that jazzy arrangement of America the Beautiful, made famous by Ray Charles.  They had blechy lines, though.  I miss the fun Jersey Surf.

TEAL SOUND -- 77.80

Repertoire: "In the Presence of Enemies" -- Octavarium by Dream Theater, In the Presence of Enemies  by Dream Theater, Ra/Feed the Wheel by J. Rudess, Goodnight Kiss by Dream Theater, The Running Free by Coheed and Cambria

Teal Sound Battery

What happened to all of the teal?  A couple of years from now, they're going to wonder why they're called *Teal* Sound.  I like the CG blue though.  I also liked the beginning music, but then I spaced out.  I guess I was supposed to.  NotSteve & NotDennis said that they are big fans of Progressive Metal rockers Dream Theater, and they were surprised to see that a drum corps had done music from one of their favorite bands.  I said that I'd check out their music, but they said to sample a few songs, since it varies a lot.  

MANDARINS -- 78.10

I don't remember seeing those compass things, or the colorful shiny double flags before.  I do  remember the singing, though.  Somebody dropped an orange thing on the field.  The horns sounded a lot better tonight than when I last saw them.  As they walked off the field, someone fell down and had to be held up a little bit.  Bro mentioned that he didn't hear the horses neighing, and neither did I.  I figured that it just got muffled with the dome thing, but he said that they might have taken out a lot of the annoying sounds.

PACIFIC CREST -- 80.35

Yay!  I like that music.  CG gal ran off of the field at the end, and I wondered aloud if she was supposed to come back and help clear the equipment.  NotDennis/NotSteve said that he wants that job, then.  (I don't know which is ND and which is NS, so they will now be NDNS).  He also said that he thought that maybe she had to go to the bathroom.  Congrats on a good show, PC.  See you next summer.

CROSSMEN -- 80.80*

Repertoire:  "Full Circle" -- Heat of the Day, Minuano (Six-Eight), Letter from Home, The First Circle all by P. Metheny and L. Mays

I told NDNS that I miss the vampires.  They said that they miss the red uniforms.  Cool movement with some taking slow steps, and others taking fast ones.  It turns out that this is because of the different time signatures in the first piece, and Bro says that it is their signature move.  Oh, I forgot that I've seen that a lot from them.  I didn't see any circles formed by the corps, but I liked the circles on the CG uniforms, including the big open one in the back.  They dropped 3 plumes and one mallet, leaving one of the judges to do cleanup duty as he talked into his recorder.  Nice mello solo!  

Crossmen Circle Flags w/Bones in back

SPIRIT -- 82.85*

Repertoire: "Forging an Icon" -- Piano Concertno No. 1 by K. Emerson, Symphony No. 5 in B Flat Major by S. Prokofiev, Prelude (from Psycho) by B. Hermann, Brooklyn Bridge by M. Daugherty, Serenada Schizophrana by D. Elfman

I felt stupid when they entered the field, because I didn't recognize them.  They got new uniforms again!  Too much orange and blue.  Why are you hitting the ladder with your gold sledgehammer?  Oh, are you making something?  During the Hermann piece, the trumpets climbed short ladders and played with their mutes.  At one point, the CG lead hammered at the snare drummer's head.  They must not like each other.  According to the program, Spirit is back to their roots in Georgia, which explains those Delta props that they were holding up.  Oh, icon.

--Intermission--

Bro and I went to concessions, which seemed to run a lot smoother than last year's debacle.  They ran out of sweet potato fries before it was my turn to order, though, and as we were going to our table, I saw them wheeling in more boxes of them.  It is now my goal to get sweet potato fries there sometime this weekend.  I admired the fancy Colts carpet as we ate.  When I got back to my seat, a familiar-looking couple wearing Crown gear was seated in front of me, slightly blocking my view.  

Al Chez of Crossmen and Late Night with David Letterman fame played a great rendition of America the Beautiful.  We are now ready for Big, Loud, Live to be shown in the movie theaters.  Hello, America!

TROOPERS -- 84.20*

Repertoire: "Wanted" -- Wanted Dead or Alive by J. Bon Jovi & R. Sambora, Trittico, Movement 1 by V. Nelhybel, Proven Lands (from "There Will Be Blood") by J. Greenwood, Our Town Suite by A. Copland, Borinage by M. Gordon, Journey to the Centre of the Earth by P. Graham, Night Flight (from "Swing Shift") by K. Bunch

Nice waterfall! A CG guy shot a bunch of people at the beginning of the show, and then later on, it's the corps guy that is held prisoner.  So who's the bad guy?  I like the blue/purple flag with the yellow X like their modified symbol.  I like all of the ripples that the CG and corps proper do.  I also like the ending with Bon Jovi's melody being played on the xylophone.  As they walked off the field, the CG gal still had her rifle aimed at the corps guy, and he kept his hands in the air.  

COLTS -- 84.7*

Repertoire:  "True Colors" -- Green by M. Torke, Alone in a Crowd (from "Pollock") by J. Beal, One Man Show (from "Pollock") by J. Beal, True Colors by T. Kelley & W. Steinberg, Appalachian Morning by P. Halley

Ooh, green rifles and sabers!  Then there was a touch of blue on some stuff, like one blue rifle, a little bit on a drum, and a blue cover on a horn.  There was also some gold on the marimbas, but I saw that other corps had the goldtone, too, so that was probably not a thematic choice.  I like the pink flags.  One CG dude kept stealing stuff, like sticks, and a cymbal, and a mellophone, and a rifle.  I guess he wanted to be his own show?  Really nice soprano duet.  Lots of dancing by the corps, and they had some interesting positions during the soprano ensemble solo.

THE ACADEMY -- 84.25*

Go, Romeo!  

The CG did not have these uniforms when I saw them.  Now they're in red robes with hats, and the guys are in purple with gold hats.  I also don't remember her being naked.  Ooh, and now there are carpets with more naked people.  I like the show more now.  Enjoyable and entertaining.  NDNS enjoyed seeing the naked girls.  Ok, no, they weren't exactly naked, but there was a lot of skin.

GLASSMEN -- 87.15*

Repertoire: "The Prayer Cycle" -- Act I: MERCY; Scene 1 -- Reverance (Mercy from "Prayer Cycle") by J. Elias, Scene 2 -- Ritual (Primacy of Number from "Naqoyqatsi), Scene 3 -- Conflict (Terminal); Act 2: HOPE (from "The Prayer Cycle"); Act 3: FAITH Scene 1 -- Doubt (Epiphanies, Fanfares and Chorales) by R. Nelson, Scene 2 -- Devotion (We're Jungle Creatures from "The Lion in Winter") by J. Barry

I like the sheer flags with the religious symbols, as well as the other sheer flags.  During the pre-show, one of the corps members is praying.  This is what I got from the show:  "I will pray and then open my dress for you, then keep stripping until the final bow."   I don't think that's what they meant to convey, though.

MADISON SCOUTS -- 89.15*

Repertoire: (no title) -- Slaughter on Tenth Avenue by R. Rodgers, Rhapsody in Blue by G. Gershwin

Scouts Photo Op

Ooh, I like this show.  Classic Madison.  I like the way it starts with a photo op of the corps proper, with a big flashbulb pop.  The soprano solo intro for "Rhapsody" is to DIE for.  Very cool solos on the stand thingy, too.  Um, they did a helicopter throw!  That's the move that cheerleaders aren't allowed to do because it's so dangerous, according to one of the "Bring It On" movies.  Yeah, I watch too many of those things.  Anyway, what is the color guard doing, playing all of those cymbals?  That is cool!  The short sleeves on the new corps uniforms are weird.  I like those white drums.  Enjoyable show.  I can't wait to see it again.

The Crown people in front of me got up and left.  I texted Bro about it, telling him that I think these were the same people from last year.  He said that then I'd probably never see them again tonight.  I laughed. They never did come back last year!

BLUE KNIGHTS -- 88.40*

Repertoire:  "Europa" -- L'Arlesienne Suite No. 2: Farandole by G. Bizet, W.N. (from Enigma Variations) by E. Elgar, Nimrod (from Enigman Variations) by E. Elgar, Symphony No. 1 Mvt. 4 by J. Brahms

ACK!  That's a lot of orange, and they're blue....and of course, Bro loves it.  The announcer asked, "Is your corps ready?"  and the Drum Major (DM) was still walking on the field. The lady next to me and I answered, "Um, no."  They ended up not getting a time penalty, most likely because it wasn't their fault that they entered the same tunnel that the Scouts exited.  Yay -- the hand painted flags are back!  That made me smile.  Not a flash show, but it was beautiful.  Orange modified rifles and all.  

BOSTON CRUSADERS -- 89.75*

Repertoire: "Thy Kingdom Come!" -- Throne Procession and Fanfare by J. Kennedy, Symphony No. 10 in E Minor, Op. 93, Mvt. II by D. Shostakovich, Power Shift by J. Kennedy, Planet Damnation by J. Psathas, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43, Variation XVIII by S. Rachmaninoff, The Quest for Glory by J. Kennedy

I told NSND that my chair was here and I needed to sit in it.  I told them that they would laugh if I went down to the field and actually sat down, then was carried off by security.  They said they'd YouTube it.  I decided that I wanted to see the rest of the weekend's shows, and stayed in my blue seat, forgoing the throne.  

BCru is celebrating their 70th anniversary this year, as noted on the throne with the LXX notation.  I like that pas de deux.  The corps must do a lot of yoga, as they let each other sit on their lower legs while they lie on their backs.  I like the pink/purple flags with the gold crown.  I want them to bring that throne to the finale retreat. 

--Intermission--

I texted Bro to tell him that the Crown people still hadn't returned.  He answered "Sounds about right."  I giggled.  They NEVER CAME BACK.  The Bro Knows.  

Dan Potter hosted the annual Zildjian Dash to the Crash.  Both of the kids, brothers of a Boston Crusader corps member, fell down on their way to the mallet, due to all of the spinning.  We were reminded to party at the Hard Rock Cafe (emphasis on the -fe), and I told NDNS that you have to do the spinning thing to get in the door.  We all imagined a bunch of drunk people trying the Dash to the Crash.

BLUE STARS -- 91.65*

Repertoire:  "Houdini" -- Notes on a Scandal by P. Glass, Morning Passages by P. Glass, Primacy of Number by P. Glass, The Illusionist by P. Glass, Trapped by F. Sullivan, Tearing Herself Away by P. Glass, The Mountain by M. Shaiman, Nixon in China by J. Adams

I had to ask NDNS who this corps was, because I didn't recognize them.  They told me, and I asked, "Where is the blue?!"  We could only see a little bit of blue, and were puzzled. It must be the Blue Stars, though, because they have those panel things, which were pictures of Harry Houdini and his wife.  The CG was dressed in straightjackets, and they had props of boxes, and chairs.  They were tied to the chairs a lot and escaped.  At the end, there was an open box, and Bro and I guessed that someone must have escaped from the box, but neither one of us saw anyone go into it.  I like how the battery moves through the rest of the corps block in the last piece, and I also like how the low brass trades notes with each other during that.  They have flags with keys on them.  I didn't even notice until later on that they were holding keys because I was distracted by the Bartok Red in the tunnel.  :)

SANTA CLARA VANGUARD -- 91.90*

I just love all of the different musical parts of the show, with the different sections playing off of each other.  That's a different ending, right?  Because, like, I now know that it actually ended.  I like it:  it ties in better now with the beginning, where the CG gal runs up to the top of the corps circle, and now at the end, she tumbles down off of the corps.  Bro confirmed to me that yes, the ending is new, along with a bunch of other movements during the show.  

PHANTOM REGIMENT -- 92.35*

Repertoire: "Into the Light" -- The New Moon in the Old Moon's Arms  by M. Kamen

Phregiment Show End

The corps was not on the field when the show started.  I was told by NDNS that the FieldPass radio was saying that they hide the corps before and after the show.  I said, "That's why they're called *Phantom* Regiment."  They told me to rent one of those radio things, because it's cool to hear the commentary.  I may just do that.  They had let me listen to a little bit of it before B Cru, and it was like watching it on PBS all those years ago.  Pretty purple dresses.  How do those white uniforms not get dirty from all of the laying down on the grass?  Nice flugel soloist, whom is not mixed in with the corps most of the time.  He's like the narrator of the tone poem, I guess, because at one point he points as the CG gal runs by each corps member.  I liked that.  I also like the flat that looks like the inside of a nectarine, with the peach and reddish colors.  The show is lovely, though it doesn't move me emotionally like other Phregiment shows.

CADETS -- 94.45*

Repertoire: "Toy Souldier" (sic) -- Procession of the Nobles (from Mlada) by N. Rimsky-Korsakov, Overture to "School for Scandal" Op. 5 by S. Barber, Children's Dance (from "Merry Mount Suite")  by H. Hanson, Dance of the Tumblers (from "The Snow Maiden") by N. Rimsky-Korsakov, March of the Toys (from "Babes in Toyland") by V. Herbert

First reaction from NDNS (both of them):  "What is this?!"  That's not red.  Aren't they supposed to be red?  I said that it was "red, with a pinkish hue."  One of NDNS is a Seinfeld fan and got the reference.  I knew I liked these guys for a reason.  

Second reaction, now from Sherry:  "Oh, they're TOYS!"  It turns out that the pinkish soldiers were the colorguard members.  The pre-show puzzled us as somebody dressed as a kid tried to get the attention of the audience.  Then the announcer asked, "Drum Major Little Jeffrey, is your corps ready?"  and NDNS and I said, "WHAT?!"  and the kid guy started the show.  So he's the kid, playing with the toy soldiers.  If you are familiar with the Cadets, you know that their uniform is a very traditional soldier-like look, so to me, they are the only corps whom could pull this off, and that they did.  It was awesome.  Yes, Sherry actually liked an entire Cadets show.  I can't remember the last show of theirs that I enjoyed from beginning to end.  The kid was a bit annoying, but I was fine with it.  I mean, Hello.  There was NO talking.  YAY!  I liked the herald trumpeters that played during Procession.  Really cute show.  I freaked out a little bit toward the end, because I had a deja vu of Jeffrey being dressed into one of the soldiers. Yes, there was a glitch in The Matrix.  Trippy.  I know I dreamed this before. Where's my token?!

CAROLINA CROWN -- 94.85*

Repertoire:  "A Second Chance" -- Symphony No. 2 by G. Mahler, Symphony No. 2 by A. Khatchaturian, Danzon No. 2 by A. Marquez, Nimrod (from "Enigma Variations") by E. Elgar

As the corps entered the stadium, NDNS asked, "Ths is the Cavaliers?!"  I said, "No. This is Crown."  He had the list of corps in his head, and had forgotten about Crown.  Relieved, he was ready to watch the show.  Now that I know the repertoire, I get it.  All second movements from stuff.  I liked the Tango, and suddenly remembered that I was missing the finale of "So You Think You Can Dance".  (Congratulations, Lauren!)  They do a lot of stuff with their feet, like the corps twirling a flag with their feet while lying on the ground.  I didn't notice the goldtone horns until they were already on the field for 5 minutes.  Peter Pan saves the girl at the end.  At least, that's what it looked like to me, because the guy was dressed in green.

CAVALIERS -- 96.55*

Repertoire:  "Mad World" -- Mad World by R. Orzabal, Harrison's Dream by P. Graham, Dismantling Utopia by P. Metheny, Smile by C. Chaplin

I kiddingly told NDNS that this was the Blue Devils.  He said, "I will accept pink for maroon, but I will not accept Green for Blue."  Other NDNS said, "I feel like I've gone color blind."  Hee hee!

Mad Cavaliers

So the CG looks like demons, or Adam Lambert.  Or whatever scariness.  They were going kind of crazy, and the show ends with corps members going crazy instead.  It was cool.  Wait -- they're ALL carrying rifles!  Then the CG threw their rifles over and between them.  WHOA.  Classic Cavaliers WHOA.  What are they shouting?  Is it stuff from "Stripes"?  Because at the end of the shouting, I know they're saying "Boom chakalakalaka Boom chakalakalaka Boom". 

BLUECOATS -- 96.25*

Repertoire:  "Metropolis: The Future Is Now" -- 160 BPM (from "Angels and Demons"  by H. Zimmer, Aha! by I. Heap, Metropolis by D. S. Thower & T. Rarick, Asphalt Cocktail by J. Mackey

Go, Nathan!

 I like the beat in that last piece.  So does Bro.  It turns out that PC does it in their show, too.  Oh.  I like the window pane flags.  Why was that CG gal messing with the big bass drum?  Good, solid, drum corps with no props.

BLUE DEVILS -- 97.90*

...speaking of props.  ;)  Go, Wesley!  Oh, THAT surprise ending!  The guy gets pulled into the mirror, and comes out the other one.  CG now looks kinda topless.  That's new.  I still like this jazzy show.

...AND those Crown people NEVER. CAME. BACK.  The Bro knows all.

Bye, NotDennis and NotSteve!

Encore

The Hellcats from the West Point Band played their traditional stuff.  That was cool.

Hellcats of West Point Band

Off to the hotel we went, and Bro couldn't sleep because he was figuring out time zone issues with Daylight Savings Time and the non-compliant states.  He was going nutso, seriously.

Next up: Semi-Finals

Hate Is Like A Loaded Gun

Oscar Noir: Week Twelve

Crossfire

Monday, August 9, 2010

Somehow the stars were aligned right today and Liz was able to join me for an entire evening.  Yay!  As we stood in line, we made up some fiction about the people that must have been the ones having fistfights in line.  We decided that the guy with the cane hit the lady with the bandage on her head, which resulted in another lady's toe getting broken and needing a bandage there, too.  I decided that the bandages were all still there because it takes a wound a lot longer to heal as you age.  I'm probably going to some kind of hell for that thought.

Tonight, the gal passing out the numbered cards was pretty much waiting for people to come to her at the door, which is not the way they'd been doing it all this time, and probably won't make people happy if they're just standing ignorantly in line.  Thank goodness I had Liz, who scouted out stuff before I got there.  I tried to find the guy with the binoculars from last week so that we could sit behind him, but he was nowhere to be seen.  We ended up sitting in our same seats from last week.

Randy H walked up to the podium to let us know that our short would have 30 seconds of silence because the audio didn't come out well in the restoration.  We were about to see 30 seconds that aren't included in the DVD.  After he was done saying that, I said to Liz, "I like him most of the time." 

Short: "Adventures of Captain Marvel, Chapter Eleven: Valley of Death" (1941)

Billy didn't even need to turn into Captain Marvel in order to get Betty out of the sinking ship, and he swam to shore while holding her hand.  They all went into the city, and the Scorpion warned the guardians of the cave that the group would be on its way there.  The guardians liked to call the explorers "white infidels".  OK, but they're not that dark themselves.  Billy sees someone sending mirror signals, and Captain Marvel finds out how they intend to stop the team, and thwarts them.  When the team arrives at the cave, Billy and the guy with the turban stay outside while the others go into the cave and retrieve the lens.  The guardians, however, have caused the volcano to start blowing and the cave starts to crash down around them.  Next week is the finale!

Cartoon:  "Mother Hubba Hubba Hubbard" (1947)

This is by the same guy that did "Flora", so I guess he likes dogs.  Mother Hubbard, the butler, a mouse, and a dog blame each other for taking the bone from the cupboard.  "You took it!"  "I didn't took it!"

Feature:  "Crossfire" (1947), screenplay by John Paxton based on a novel by Richard Brooks, directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Robert Young, Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan, Gloria Grahame, Paul Kelly and Sam Levene.

• The film was introduced by Brian Helgeland, screenwriter for "L.A. Confidential", "A Knight's Tale" and "Mystic River".  I liked the way he talked about knowing when you're watching a film noir and when you're not.
• The screenplay, based on Brooks' novel "The Brick Foxhole", changed the original's murder victim from a homosexual into a Jew, since the former would have never been made back in those days.  They figured that hatred is about the same no matter who was the victim.
• The theme of bigotry is still poignant today.  I think that the reason I'm enjoying these films 60 or so years from when they were first shown is that the themes still apply today. They're truly classics.
• The stars were referred to as "the three Bobs".  I liked the way all of them played their characters.  I think I liked Mitchum's Keeley the most, though, because he had great lines.
• Finlay: "You still don't know where he is?"  Keeley: "No.  I didn't know when I came in here, and I haven't suddenly gotten any brighter."
• My favorite part of the movie was during Finlay's monologue about the Irish potato farmer and the hatred he faced in America.
• I loved Gloria Grahame as Ginny, probably because she's the smack-talking dame.  It's no wonder that she earned an Oscar nomination for her supporting role in this film.
• I also enjoyed watching Paul Kelly, who played The Man.  Who was that guy, anyway? And what the heck was he doing at Ginny's apartment?
• I liked that the music that played in the cinema when Mary found Mitchell was that of a big, sweeping romantic nature.
• Jacqueline White, who played Mary Mitchell, did a Q&A afterward, and talked about Robert Mitchum sometimes being very friendly and other times being indifferent, and that he was an interesting man.  She also talked about meeting her husband for the first time and saying to him that night, "I think I just met the man I'm going to marry."  He pretty much agreed with her and called her the next day every 15 minutes starting at 8:00 a.m. until her mom would answer the phone.  Cute.

I need to watch more Robert Mitchum movies.  I think I have a little crush on him. ;)

Next Noir: "A Double Life"

He's So Fluffy I Could Die!!!

Linda and I saw "Despicable Me" in 3D last night.

• First thought: I want a Minion.
• Second thought: Forget the Minion.  I want an Agnes.  I mean, how can I not love her?  She's got black hair in a Pebbles-like ponytail, and she loves unicorns!  She's like my long-lost daughter.
• Classic Steve Carell moment: "Why are you so...old?"
• The score was ok, but I didn't like that last song by Pharrell during the credits.  He's just a wee bit flat and it makes me crazy.
• Love the fact that Julie Andrews played against type as Gru's Mom.
• Vector has a *blue* pyramid behind his white and *orange* home.  He IS evil. ;)
• Dr. Nefario's ears are huge.
• I think that it would be fun to have a Boogie Bot.
• I love how the 3 minions that went to the grocery store kept their disguises on after they got home.  "Para tu."  Too cute.
• I saw two minions kissing in the control room during the Moon Stealing scene.
• According to the production notes, Agnes' protrayer, Elsie Fisher says that when she grows up, she wants to be "a scientist, the President or a pink kitty cat."  :)
• The Big Unicorn made me cry.

Courtesy of miniondominion.com:

Cute movie, and I highly recommend it to anyone that has a touch of evil inside their fluffy heart. ;)

Holy Headline, Batman!

Open the gates, and seize the day!


This month, the Arclight Cinemas are paying tribute to Disney in conjunction with its fan club D23, by screening some classic Disney flicks.  I went to the screening of "Newsies" at the Arclight Pasadena last week.

• When the Arclight greeter did her spiel, someone in the back yelled, "How about singing?!"  and she said, "Yes, you can sing."  YAY!
• Director/choreographer Kenny Ortega was there and was very excited to see that the show was sold out.  His first words to the audience were "Carrying the Banner!"  Since he had been sitting in the back of the theater, I started to wonder if it was him that asked if we could sing along.
•  In the audience were a couple of people that worked on the movie, including the set designer, which surprised Kenny, and he hugged him and said, "You're amazing!"  Kenny then did a short Q&A.
• D23 had a trivia contest to give away some stuff.  I only wanted the original "Newsies" movie posters, which I didn't win.  
• I told the gal next to me that we were allowed to sing, and she was like, "Cool!  That's my cigar, I'll steal another" (the opening lyrics to the movie) and said, "I'm ready!"
• Big applause for Christian Bale, Gabriel Damon (Spot) and Robert Duvall.
• People were singing, but it wasn't very loud, and you could hear the movie just fine.  I sang quietly to myself, except for "Seize the Day" and "The World Will Know", because pretty much everyone was singing or shouting "NO!" during those moments.
• I was sooo wishing that Bro was there with me, because he loves the songs, too. 
• At one point, Christian Bale's character, Jack, is scaling a wall by the refuge, trying to break out his friend, Crutchy.  As he hid from the warden and got away, I said to myself, "He can do that because he's Batman!"
• I love watching a bunch of guys dance.

That movie makes me happy.  I was glad to see it on the big screen, and I wonder if I'd ever done so before.  I just know that I've seen it on TV a LOT of times.  Thanks, Arclight, for the screening!

You Need Money to Buy A Gun

Oscar Noir: Week Eleven

Body and Soul

Monday, August 2, 2010

It seemed like this time, Liz would be able to watch a film with me.  She drove up shortly after I did, we walked to the theater, we waited in line, and found seats behind a man who asked us if we would talk during the movie.  We said no, and he said that we could sit there.  I later found out that he either wouldn't have heard us anyway, because he couldn't hear someone trying to bend down to talk in his ear, or because he was loudly reacting to everything on screen himself.  Liz, however, got an emergency call from work before the lights went down, and had to leave. 

Short: "Adventures of Captain Marvel, Chapter Ten: Doom Ship" (1941)

When last we left our heroes, the machine gun security system had begun firing.  Luckily for them, one of the thugs overheard the last number of the combination, knocked out Billy and Betty, entered the number himself, and subsequently got shot.  The other thugs went to the safe and found a map of the location of the lens, instead of the lens itself.  It turns out that Dr. Lang had left his lens back in Egypt.  Billy got up quickly and very ably fought the other two thugs, probably having the confidence of Captain Marvel in him.  He turned into Captain Marvel in order to fly and get the map, and then Billy and Betty showed it to the board members.  The board members divided the map into sections so that they'd all need each other to get back to the lens.  They sailed on a ship that met with nasty weather, and Betty was left on the boat while the others escaped.  Billy went back for her, but the boat started to sink.

Cartoon:  "The Great Piggy Bank Robbery" (1946)

I heart Daffy Duck!  He's a fanduck.  He anxiously awaited his mail until he received his comic book, "Dick Tracy".  As he was reading, he daydreamed that he was Duck Tracy, who had to find out who was stealing everyone's piggy banks.  When he got to the well-marked hideout, he met with a bunch of gangsters, including Batman (dude in the shape of a baseball bat), Neon Man, and Rubber Man.  He solved the case, of course.  he's Duck Tracy!

Feature: "Body and Soul" (1947), screenplay by Abraham Polonsky, directed by Robert Rossen, starring John Garfield, Lilli Palmer, Hazel Brooks and Anne Revere.

• The film was introduced by Phil Alden Robinson, screenwriter for "Sneakers" and "Field of Dreams".  He talked about how Polonsky got the job from Garfield and producer Bob Roberts while he was still working for Paramount, saying that his friend had told him to think of a storyline to pitch in the time span of a two-block walk. 
• Polonsky, whose political views were on the very far left of center, thought of this film as a metaphor for the working man and his fight against the greed of Capitalism.  Polonsky knew, though, that metaphor pictures didn't fare so well in Hollywood, but a sports-as-metaphor-film would probably do well.  For that thought, Robinson is quite grateful, seeing as his baseball film is seen by many as one of the greatest metaphors for life of all time. :)
•  Yay!  William Conrad is back!
• Loved Conrad's line, after his ex-lover tells him that he's getting old: "You could use a new paint job yourself, sister."
• Robinson said that the fight scenes from this movie influenced the cinematography for "Raging Bull".  Although I haven't seen that movie in its entirety, I do see quite a resemblance in the clips I've seen.  No, not just because they're both boxing.  
• Francis Lyon and Robert Parrish won the Academy Award for Film Editing.  I'm surprised that cinematographer James Wong Howe didn't win, since he's the one that wanted to keep the filming fluid by being pushed around the set while on roller skates.
• I did not like Lilli's self-portrait.  I thought that it was creepy.
• Poor Shorty.  Poor Ben.
• I like the way that they tied in Lilli's quote of the poem "The Tiger" with the fight announcer's description of Charley as "a tiger stalking his prey".
• On the way to the theater, I was listening to a couple of guys on the radio talking to a congressperson about his attempts to get playbook sports betting legalized in California.  This would have been a great movie for them to discuss, seeing as the corruption of money and gambling was such an important aspect of it.
• A majority of the people from this film were blacklisted during the McCarthy era.  I really wonder what kind of films could have been created if politics hadn't intruded.  What a shame.
• John Garfield's daughter did a Q&A afterward, but I didn't stay.
• Yes, I do now want to see "Raging Bull".

Great movie, with a great reaction from the audience during the big fight.

Next Noir: "Crossfire"

NaCl

After dinner on Friday with some co-workers at PF Chang's where we had a very handsome but not so smart server, we went to see "Salt".  One of them had already seen it, and had liked it so much that she wanted to see it again.  She said that she especially wanted me to see it because "it's about empowerment."  OK, I don't know how to respond to that.

• I'm now totally wondering what the script looked like when Tom Cruise was cast as Salt.
• All of that jumping from the top of one vehicle to another was crazy.  One of the women I was with said that she should have broken something.  I don't think she watches many action flicks.
• I didn't like her boy hair.
• So when she grabbed that Russian hat, they had a matching cape for sale there, too?  At the stand on the street?
• Are the kids programmed to kick ass at that young age?  Or are they programmed to find a way to learn to kick ass?
• You're telling me that the security scan at a CIA facility did not detect the knives in that guy's shoes?  Well, that makes me feel safe.
• So did Winter actually see Salt walking in the crowd in New York?
• The Tomb Raider can still kick ass, despite being serious as of late.
• There was popcorn all over the floor in front of my co-worker's seat.  She said that it was flying every time she saw Jolie jump to another truck.  I don't think she watches a lot of action flicks, either.
• I now don't trust anyone in my life and think that they're all Russian spies.

That was a fun popcorn-chomping movie. What a nice day: a full paycheck after 18 months of getting decreased ones, a cute server, a kick-ass thriller, AND I bought shoes.  What more can a girl ask for? ;)

Save the Clock Tower! ... At Your Own Risk

Oscar Noir: Week Ten

The Stranger

Monday, July 26, 2010

Liz was unable to meet me this time, so I was on my own again.  I was a little bit further back in line than in previous weeks, but was still able to get an aisle seat in the second row.

Short: "Adventures of Captain Marvel, Chapter Nine: Dead Man's Trap" (1941)

The force from the car explosion of last week's cliffhanger made the board member's car run off the road.  Billy came driving by and the goons captured both of them.  The board member was shocked to be brought to the house of The Scorpion (sssss!).  So that man's injured hand was some sort of decoy.  Billy was taken into the basement, where he was watched by one guy.  The Scorpion sent his goons to get the board member's lens after getting the combination through some kind of birdcage torture.  Billy turned into Captain Marvel when the guy left the room, and escaped.  The board member called Betty to get the lens before the other guys, and Captain Marvel tried to catch The Scorpion after he shot the board member, but was only able to get his hood before he got away.  He went to the board member's house to warn Betty of some kind of trap, but they didn't know exactly what it was.  Unbeknownst to them, as they were entering the combination on the safe, automatic rifles were being aimed at them as a security system.  The rifles fired as the episode ended.  Yikes!

Cartoon:  "The Cuckoo Clock" (1950)

This was another Tex Avery cartoon.  A cat is driven insane by the cuckoo bird in the clock, and, of course, the bird wins.  :)  The clock is a prelude to the evening's feature, wherein a clock is a prominent piece of the scenery.

Feature: "The Stranger" (1946), screenplay by Anthony Veiller (and John Huston), story by Victor Trivas, adaptation by Decla Dunning, directed by Orson Wells, starring Edward G. Robinson, Loretta Young, Orson Wells, Philip Merivale, Richard Long and Billy House

• The film was introduced by Ted Griffin, screenwriter for "Ocean's Eleven" and "Matchstick Men".  He was hilarious, stating that his juxtaposition beside the Oscar statue was probably the closest he'd ever get to one.  He said that this was one of the few movies where we'd see Orson Welles' real nose.  He talked about deleted scenes, saying he was glad that we didn't have to see the chase in South America, but that the last line of the movie may not make sense to us because the background exposition for Mary was deleted.
• So that makes me wonder if Mary always had trouble with nightmares, or did they just start when Meinike arrived in town?
• Billy House was quite humorous as Mr. Potter, always placing his visor on his head when someone agreed to play a game of checkers with him.
• This is one of those films that makes you wonder if you really know the person you married.  So, was "The Stranger" alluding to Wilson, Meinike, or Rankin, or all 3 of them?
• I loved the neighborhood's reaction to the clock's bell finally working, saying that they got a lot more sleep when it was broken.
• OK, that angel and devil that moved around the clock face creeped me out.  I guess that was with good reason. ;)
• Sara's way of preventing Mary from going to the church was very funny.
• The sketching of the swastika while Rankin is on the phone: creepy but funny.
• I was confused by the checkers games.  Either they weren't playing correctly, or they weren't playing fairly.
• Poor doggie.
• I love seeing Edward G. Robinson try to figure out stuff.

I did not stay to hear Robinson's grandchildren speak, but I did enjoy the movie.  It was quite the thriller.

Next up in the series:  "Body and Soul"

Pinch Me

After church this morning, I had some yummy dim sum at the new Chinese restaurant near my house, Capital Seafood.  We saw a neato-looking Almond Tea dessert that had a pastry on top of a mug of, I'm assuming, almond-flavored tea.


Cindy, Glenn and I then saw "Inception".

• Um, WOW.
• OK, I understand now why people are saying that I should go see this in IMAX.  The scenery, especially in Ariadne's dream, were amazing.
• I need to find me a token.
• As Leo DC said, "we need a forger", all I could think was, "YOU'RE the forger!  I saw it in "Catch Me If You Can"!
• Why does Christopher Nolan insist on putting a bag over Cillian Murphy's head in his movies?  He has such a fine, chiseled face!
• "I've always wanted to pretend to be an architect." -- Seinfeld's George Costanza.  I wonder what he would have thought about being *this* kind of architect?
• Awesome score, Mr. Zimmer.
• That van sure did take a long time to fall down.
• Perhaps we should all go see "The Matrix" now to get even more confused.  There is no spoon (stolen from someone else's FB post).
• Did the top fall over?  I think it does exactly what you want it to do. :)

Amazing.  I highly recommend it to y'all that like to think a little bit...or a lotta bit. ;)  Here's a site that might help y'all with your brain explosion.  Or not.

A Bourbon Straight with a Bourbon Chaser

Oscar Noir: Week Nine

The Blue Dahlia

Monday, July 19, 2010

This week, I forgot my phone at home, so I had to keep on the lookout for Liz, so that she'd know that I was there.  She had parked behind me anyway, so she knew I was there.  I'm just glad that Linda responded to my email to let me know she wouldn't be there, so that I'd have one less person to find.  I arrived early and read my book.  When Liz and I got inside, she asked me to fill her in on the line drama, then looked around the room and couldn't believe that this group of people would do the things for which they had been accused.  

Cartoon:  "Donald's Crime" (1945)

Yay!  Donald Duck!  He stole from the nephews' piggy bank and went into a huge guilt trip about it.  He wanted to take Daisy out dancing.  So here's my question:  why doesn't Donald have shoes?  Daisy has shoes, so it can't be the webbed feet thing.  I'm trying to ignore the fact that he's not wearing any pants, because it must be difficult to find pants to go over the duck butt.  But why no shoes?

Short: "Adventures of Captain Marvel, Chapter Eight: Boomerang" (1941)

OK, last time I forgot the actual cliffhanger, because when they showed it again this week, I was like, "Oh, yeah!"  Liz said, "I'm so far behind!"  The actual cliffhanger from last week was that Billy and Betty were tied up (separately) in a shack, and it was about to be bombed.  Betty tried to radio Captain Marvel, but Billy was having trouble saying "Shazaam!" with the gag in his mouth.  He finally was able to do it, and got her out of there just as the bomb was about to drop.  She had been rendered unconscious by a falling beam, so she didn't see him change to Captain Marvel and back to Billy.  Betty remembered that she injured the Scorpion's right hand, and they thought of a plan to figure out which one of the board members was actually The Scorpion.  They had them all sign a contract, and one guy's hand was bandaged.  Billy went to that board member's house, and the Scorpion had his goons rig Whitey's car.  Stuff happened, though, and the other goons ended up driving Whitey's rigged car, and it blew up.  Our heroes are OK.  So it's not really a cliffhanger this week, just a close call.  Billy had been trapped in a garage with a car motor running, but he was able to get out as Captain Marvel.

Feature:  "The Blue Dahlia" (1946), screenplay by Raymond Chandler, directed by John Houseman, music by Victor Young, starring Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, William Bendix, Howard da Silva, Doris Dowling, Tom Powers, and Frank Faylen.

• The film was introduced by Wesley Strick, screenwriter for "Arachnophobia" and "Cape Fear".
• Strick listed a lot of words that have been associated with Noir in this series, and added one:  "Booze".  The title is actually the name of a nightclub.  The opening scene is of guys going to get a drink of Bourbon straight with a Bourbon chaser.  Raymond Chandler, on the wagon when he started writing the script, was only able to write and finish it while drinking and never got back on the wagon again.  Chandler didn't even know who would be the murderer when the movie started shooting, until he got to write from home and drink.  (They had to step up the filming because Alan Ladd was being called back to active duty with the Army Air Forces).  
• I like how Strick said that was Hugh Beaumont "before he Left It to Beaver".
• I totally would have had a crush on Alan Ladd if I was alive back in 1946.  Quite the handsome man he was!
• The murderer was changed due to pressure from a certain branch of the government.  No wonder it didn't turn out the way that I thought it was leading.
• Liz's favorite line had to do with flipping a coin:  "Heads we go to Malibu, tails we stay in (Santa Monica, I think).  "What if it ends up in the davenport?"  "Then we go to Long Beach."
• My favorite line:  "Every guy's seen you before somewhere.  The trick is to find you."
• "It's funny but practically all the people I know were strangers when I met them."
• The "Dad" character creeped me out.  He sure did lurk a lot.
• Alan Ladd's son was interviewed after the film, and said that his father and Veronica Lake never had any kind of friendship or relationship outside of the 7 movies they did together, which is probably why their chemistry was so good.

I think that I need to see more Ladd/Lake films.  Mostly for the Alan Ladd part. :)

Next up:  "The Stranger"

p.s.  With all of that talk about bourbon, now I want some ribs so I can have a shot of bourbon on the side. ;)