Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Spittin' Wicked Randomness, Vol. 12

The primary purpose of this post is to move the gigantic Beyond the Valley of the Dolls images off the front page. They're starting to annoy me.

I finally got an exterminator to come out and do something about the ants that have been plaguing us for years. Paid out of my own pocket because the asshole landlord refused to pay for it. Also got someone to fix the ceiling fan.

Last Friday, I drove with Bobbie out to this winery in Temecula for a gig. People were insisting that it would take 3 hours or more, but I looked on the map and it was only 95 miles. It was going away from L.A., away from Vegas, not really even going towards San Diego. I refused to believe it would take that long to get somewhere where there was no possible reason anyone would want to go. Well...I was wrong. Also, when we got there, we parked in this dirt lot, and there were these fucking GIANT ANTS crawling around. Freaked me out. Tried some good wine, though. They had one that was a sparkling red wine. Wasn't really sparkling like champagne, but you could feel it efervesce in your mouth.

Sunday night, I went to the Egyptian for the double feature of 60's spy flicks. The first one, A Guy Could Get Killed, was a pretty fun spy comedy with James Garner mixed up in some smuggling intrigue. The second, Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die, a spy spoof in the same spirit of the Flint or Matt Helm movies, was a little disapointing considering some of the hype I'd read about it. It's one of those movies that has lots of cool stuff in it, but doesn't really seem well put together. Great spy gadgets, nice location shots in Rio de Janiero, nice bossa nova theme song, possibly one of the all-time greatest Evil Plots, but there were scenes that seemed to drag for no reason. Maybe this was because it was late and I was tired. Still, some great gags: Kelly, the spy, has a chauffeur played by Terry Thomas from Diabolik, who lets loose with righteous martial arts skills whenever anyone threatens to skuff the Rolls. At one point, Kelly, riding in the Rolls with a female passenger, offers her tea. Full tea service appears from the back of the seat. He suggests she add some Irish whiskey, pours some from a fountain, tastes it, and complains to the chauffeur that it's scotch, to which the chauffeur replies "I shall have a word with the mechanic, sir." That kind of stuff.

It's the 20th anniversary of Blue Velvet. L.A. Weekly has reprinted John Powers' review from 20 years ago. It's amazing to go back and here stuff like this:

Halfway through this scene, the theater door opened and a woman sped out, never to return. To my right, a famous movie director and his producer sat giggling and rapt, but one row back you could sense the fidgety silence of disapproval from two middle-aged Brits. When the final credits stopped rolling, a production executive said she’d like to see the movie again immediately, while out in the lobby, two producers began a bitter argument that would last more than two hours. One claimed he’d seen something sick and evil; the other insisted he’d witnessed a great work of art. The rest of the audience simply looked dazed, shocked — and relieved at the lunchtime normalcy of Wilshire Boulevard. As for me, I found it scary that I’d enjoyed myself so much. And now, weeks later, I feel as though I dreamt this movie rather than saw it: I can’t get it out of my head.

There's also a fascinating 20-year-old interview with David Lynch.

One thing that strikes me — and I don’t like to give my views on these subjects — but in a funny way, people are almost more uncomfortable with corny virtues than they are with the sickest violence. Do you understand what I’m talking about?

Yes, but I’d like you to elaborate.

I’m not going to elaborate, but it is strange to me.

People don’t know how to take Blue Velvet’s affirmative love theme. When Sandy tells her dream about the robins and the blinding light of love, she’s dead earnest, but at least half the viewers laugh. Do you want us to take this stuff seriously?

That’s what I’m talking about. The scene with Sandy and the robins puts people in a very uncomfortable position. I don’t know why, but Sandy’s speech is almost more uncomfortable than Frank visiting Dorothy and doing bad things to her. There your stomach gets funny and you squeeze your fingers, but when Sandy talks, you get hot and wonder if you should laugh. Because if you take this seriously, you’re admitting to something. You have to check your neighbor. Somehow you get a bit of a fever.

...(moving on to comparing Blue Velvet to Rear Window)...

But there’s some silly and contrived stuff in Rear Window too, like when “Miss Lonelyhearts” winds up with the composer, who finishes his piano piece.

You say that seems “silly.” What gets me nowadays is that in order to be cool, a whole part of real life gets lopped off just because you might make a fool of yourself. And yet there’s so much there. I think people become narrower and narrower just to play it safe. And in each decade there are things that make people uncomfortable... Now there’s a sort of safety in coldness, in keeping cool.

What made people uncomfortable when you were growing up?

In the ’50s, it was radiation.

Now it’s emotions?

Yeah, radiation has turned into emotion.

Also, a great interview with Lynch on Fresh Air from a few years back.

Finally, I don't think much of online petitions, but if you live in L.A., please sign this one to save L.A.'s taco trucks, one of the most unique and wonderful resources this city has to offer to the world. Thanks.

3 Comments:

Blogger Reel Fanatic said...

I'm superpsyched for the return of Blue Velvet, but I'm afraid it won't play in theaters down here in Macon .. heres hoping against hope!

7/19/2006 3:39 PM  
Blogger Chris Oliver said...

I missed the theatrical run (ended last night), but I really need to revisit this on video. I'm not sure if I've watched it since college, and my primary memory of it is as a scary thriller with some absurdist comedy thrown in.

7/21/2006 1:21 PM  
Blogger Tony said...

I like that question, "what made people uncomfortable when you were growing up?"

Until I answer that, I can remember going to work at a TV station in the mid 1980's and watching our sales manager flip out, jump onto a desk and yell at the staff to go out there and sell, sell, sell. So, yeah, people are a LOT less emotional today. If you are, it's not tolerated.

What made people uncomfortable when I was growing up was talking about money...and religion beyond any sect's FAQ. Today, people think nothing of trying to convert you. Or making lame excuses for their fussy religious "rites." Give me a break. I make it very clear that I'm offended and to not bring it up again.

Lynch's movie about the guy on the lawnmower--you can't get any more earnest or "corny" than that. Lynch calls us on our "cool" b.s.

7/25/2006 10:20 PM  

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