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CINEMA SEEN - "Paying My Respects!" By William Margold Apparently being SO "under whelmed" by the paucity of quality films that I saw as last year was staggering to an end, I mistook the entire 12 month period just past for 2007...instead of 2008...in my 12-18 column. Therefore...I’ve decided to enter into 2009 by wrapping up a wildly diverse (as evident in the images that adorn this page) number of loose ends, before (hopefully) discussing a few "quality" major holiday efforts in next week’s issue. WILD BURRO RESCUE SANCTUARY---Truly a "pet project" among many concerned LAXPRESS staffers...the Hee-Haw Haven in Olancha, CA 93549...has become the repository for whatever tips the flow of fascinating customers give the XPRESS’ ad sales force. Indeed...it takes an ass to appreciate an ass...on both sides of the counter. And the dollars do add up...with another $50 being sent---right after this page is printed, so it could be included with the donation---to the facility that is "dedicated to the live capture-rescue, rehabilitation and lifelong care of otherwise doomed wild burros." DAY OF ANGER---The pleasure of getting to see this smartly involving Lee Van Cleef starring Italian western was provided to me by a lovely lady named Marla, who with her late husband Don, were tirelessly helpful to my various X-rated organization "fun"draising ventures through the infamous adult star stuffed "Lingerie Auction Shows" that I staged at The Toy Box (1999 W. Arrow Rte. Upland, CA 91786) for many years between the mid-80’s up to December 1999. In fact, there were plans to recreate (last month) a "Lingerie Auction Show" in honor of Don’s passing in December 2007, but saner, authority fearing heads, prevailed, and the event was cancelled. What made the watching of "Day of Anger" even more enjoyable was the fact that among the DVD extras was a feature called "Almeria: Now and Then"--- that was thoroughly researched and photographically produced by Marla and Don wherein they visited the exact locations in Spain where director Tonino Valerii’s "Day of Anger"...and a number of legendary director Sergio Leone’s masterworks (including "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly") came to gloriously lusty and histrionically violent, life. This was a very passionate quest for Marla and Don, and I was very much enthralled with their images of what was then as compared to what is now. FIREFLY---I devoted last week’s page to paying "fond farewells" to two of my favorite TV series---"The Shield" and "Boston Legal." Here, thanks to the sagacious insistence and warm generosity of Scorching Images’ Dave Michaels, I would like to endearingly acknowledge the genuine pleasure that I derived from watching the sadly short (only 14 episodes including a two-part opener, and the three that were never aired, during the last few months of 2002 on FOX) but superbly bittersweet existence of a thought-provoking space/western rollercoaster ride created with childlike wonderment by Joss Whedon (of "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" fame). The wild and wooly adventures of the crew---slyly captained by Nathan Fillion, and fiercely aided by Gina Torres, Adam Baldwin and Alan Tudyk---of the good galactic transporter Serenity, were the rascally loyal stuff that ignited the desire for many extended periods of recess in my soul. And while I experienced the guilty pleasure of seeing FIREFLY in its entirety in virtually one joyous fell swoop, I also felt true twinges of guilt over having missed it when it first aired six years ago. Which led, of course, to my introspectively wondering if I would have found it as fascinating back then as I did now. Which brings up the next item on this page. SERENITY---Much to the delight of its legion of faithful fans...Joss Whedon’s TV series "Firefly" was exhumed and brought to the big screen in 2005. And again, thanks to Dave Michaels, I was provided with the opportunity to watch it on DVD. And while it did manage to wrap-up quite a number of loose ends, particularly in the case of Summer Glau’s tortured River character, I must admit that given a choice, I would have been content simply watching "Firefly" episodes over and over again, particularly the lyrically longing one called "The Message"...and the rambunctious ones---"Our Mrs. Reynolds" and "Trash"---guest-starring the radiant redhead Christina Hendricks (currently heating up AMC’s magnificent "Mad Men"). And now, if you’ll excuse me...I’ve decided to stake out a considerable portion of my immediate future TV viewing time to discovering why Whedon’s aforementioned "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" became the stuff of cult series lore. And once again...I’ve got Dave Michaels to thank for loaning me the first set of "Buffy" DVDs. (And after watching the entire first season, I’m pleased to report that it’s an amusing high school themed amalgam of "The Night Stalker"/"The X- Files.") And Michaels has happily promised to continue to replenish the "Buffy" sets until I’ve completed them. And as added bonus, Dave gets literally gleeful by advising me that he will also eventually be letting me borrow the spin-off from "Buffy" called "Angel." However he has cautioned me that once I am given "Angel"...I must watch that series concurrently with "Buffy." Sounds VERY mysterious...doesn’t it? end NOTE: Originally published in LA Xpress, January 1, 2009 issue. |