We are born with a mortal illness, Seth concludes, and spend half our lives or all our lives denying that we have this illness. The aging process is the visual symptom of this illness and we devote our whole lives to masking the symptom.
– Gary Indiana, Resentment: A Comedy
Yesterday I showed the latest assembly cut to someone for the first time. This person knew next to nothing about the movie. I’d specifically kept him in the dark about it because I wanted an absolutely direct reaction, uncontaminated by any backstories.
It was terrifying, in a way at least; he’s someone whose opinion I respect greatly, having helped to create one of my all-time favorite movies. And though we’re pretty good friends, I knew he absolutely wasn’t going to mince words afterwards. I also hadn’t watched this cut all the way through myself, so of course I knew I was going to see a lot of cringeworthy stuff.
I’m not going to go into his specific reactions or feedback right now (I took a bunch of notes and honestly I’m still digesting it all) but the point is, I survived it, and I have at least an inkling of what’s working and what isn’t. That first screening is the toughest. If you can face the facts and learn from that, you can find a way ahead.
The V.I.P.s [1963]
1. “Perhaps you should have told him. Perhaps I should have told him. Perhaps we should have told him.”
2. “You wanted babies!” screams Richard Burton.
3. “I shall probably arrive in Florida in an advanced state of drug addiction.”
Monster-in-Law [2005]
1. Unfunny dog humping joke.
2. “I think you displaced my vagina.”
3. Upswept hair, tiger stripe dress, air kisses with Remy.
Get Carter [1971]
1. Underneath the bed, a chamberpot and a shotgun.
2. Hairy-faced git.
3. A reel of 16mm film in an envelope on its way to the vice squad of Scotland Yard.
Visitors [2013]
1. Crumbling clown head.
2. Pinch.
3. Corporate totems tumble amidst the garbage.
The Deadly Affair [1966]
1. He silently watches her fix herself a cup of tea. He neither asks for one himself, nor does she offer one.
2. “You never said that. Additionally, I never heard you.”
3. His hands gripping the edge of the muddy embankment. Dobbs savagely stomps on them.
Very underrated. Interesting to see James Mason play an alternate version of George Smiley. The Quincy Jones score may be a bit jarring but it’s groovy as hell.
Really? Aww shucks.
I’ve already written about why you ought to come out to Three Dots and a Dash this Sunday evening. But here’s the convincer: they’ve asked me to DJ! Yes, from 5 till 9ish I’ll be spinning deep cuts from my tiki/calypso/lounge/reggae/ska/Cuban/exotica music collection. And I’ll be doing it beachbum-style. You see, I’ve created a solid four-hour mix, so after I hit “play” I can sip Mr. McGee’s delightful potions and enjoy the mellow atmosphere along with everyone else. Hope to see you there!
I’ve just finished my first assembly edit. 93 minutes. In the grand scheme of things, that means very little. But it feels worth noting.
Last night we hosted our annual Oscars party, a wistful occasion because it’ll be the last one in our current apartment. We moved here in 2002. When our lease is up in May, we’re decamping to new digs. So for the occasion I created a special mixture. Truth be told it’s largely a variation on Ted Haigh’s recipe for a Singapore Sling. But it was delicious!
SO LONG HUDSON PUNCH
1 bottle prosecco or dry sparkling wine
32 oz. unsweetened pineapple juice
32 oz. dry London style gin
12 oz. lime juice
12 oz. Luxardo Cherry Sangue Morlacco
4 oz. Marie Brizzard curaçao
4 oz. Bénédictine
4 oz. grenadine
16 dashes Angostura bitters
1 liter sparkling water (or to taste)
Add all ingredients to a large punchbowl and stir. Add a giant block of ice or one large bag of cubed ice. Serve in small glasses.
