Dana's never seen Blade Runner.

Not in any incarnation.

I got the new remastered "Final Cut" of the film just before Christmas, but when I saw it was going to be playing at the Castro, I figured that was the place to introduced Dana to it.

So, we went tonight. And I *finally* remembered to use a present Sherri got for me year before, a pass good for two tickets and snacks at the Castro. I was afraid it was so old it had expired!  I always forgot it. Thanks, Sherri!

After a pre-movie cocktail, we headed for the line and found...a line. A lot of people had turned out.  Luckily, the seats Dana wanted weren't taken—at the back, on the riser which puts you high enough above the other seats that no person's big hair, hat or height is going to block your view.

The film got started and at first people cheered the obvious credits. Then some people cheeered less obvious credits. And then some wags decided to "woo hoo" minor credits. Ironically, no one cheered the Production Designer or the Cinematographer. Philistines...

I'm not going to do a full blown review the film here except to say I didn't like it much in it's original 1982 incarnation, and found myself becoming more enamored of it with the early 90s Director's Cut which wasn't. I like the Final Cut best, albeit it's only slightly different from the Director's Cut.

Dana liked the movie, but I can tell he didn't love it. And that's what I always expect. Blade Runner's a difficult movie. It rewards repeat viewings because you see stuff you didn't before. Didn't see that unicorn in Sebastian's apartment the first time. Tyrell's office and apartments are festooned with symbols of birds. Leon has a collection of photos, Deckard's piano's littered with them. It adds up the more you watch it.

I maintain that it's a film that works in spite of itself. It missteps all over the place. There are continuity errors galore, and things that just don't make sense, but what works is so strong that it manages to make the other issues seem trivial. It's also a smart movie...it doesn't explain everything. You're left to decide for yourself what various things mean. And this isn't necessarily sloppiness...it's just the filmmakers realized where explanation didn't matter and left it out, leaving it up to you to figure out why.

But it's got some of my favorite movie lines of all time, like: "All those moments will be lost. Like tears in rain."

And how can you top this capper? 

"It's too bad she won't live. But then again, who does?"

Posted by molyneaux at 12:01 AM PST

Updated: Wednesday, 20 May 2009 1:25 AM PDT

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Every year I draw a custome birthday card for an old friend. This one took eight hours from start to finish...most of that time "painting" it on the computer. It beats Hallmark!

I'm rather anti-Valentines Day, as it's another marketing gimmick designed to make you spend money, so I'd prewarned Dana I'd treat it pretty much like another day. I told him he could be my Valentine earlier, but it wasn't going to be about the 14th.

I met him for lunch today, and while I don't "do" Valentines, I did have an Apple branded notebook for him, so I gave it to him. He, on the other hand, acted on the day, gave me a card, and asked me if I'd go with him to Vegas next week for a field trip to meet some of his friends. He even got me a plane ticket!  Awwww.

Someone got a Valentine's smooch, even though I don't observe it.

Posted by molyneaux at 12:01 AM PST

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Saturday

Wow, am I beat.

Sure, there's the little matter of getting to bed at 4 a.m. after the film shoot, but then, exhausted as I am, I have trouble sleeping. Partly it's because it's warm and Dana has the windows open, and the conveniently located but at 5:30 a.m. inconveniently loud MUNI trains are waking me up, and then his upstairs neighbor decides to do step aerobics at 6:45 a.m. Ugh.

We're both tired, but it's the most gorgeous day outside, so we're determined to get out in it. After walking his dog we head across the Golden Gate Bridge to get lunch and see the Point Bonita Lighthouse. Well, that's the idea, but then I start to worry that we'll miss getting to the lighthouse before it closes if we go to Mill Valley for lunch as planned. We decide to put off food, stem hunger with the leftover snack bars from last night's film shoot, and go right for the lighthouse.

Dana loves lighthouses, so taking him there is something I want to do with him. We stop and take a few pictures on the way over, then we reach the end of the road and walk a half mile down to the lighthouse. We see the Farallon Islands peeking through the fog on the horizon, like islands sitting on clouds. Ships and boats big and small and heading in and out of the Golden Gate, and great rolling waves are breaking on the rocks north of the lighthouse. It's picture perfect.

But, are we picture perfect? 

Afterwards, we make our to Mill Valley and, at last, find real food by way of an early dinner. I decide to take Dana to the Buckeye Roadhouse, a great old restaurant ("Duncan Heinz recommends"!) with really good food and cocktails. He has a wedge salad for an appetizer. I have a mojito. I order a very nice filet mignon, and he has the brisket—which I taste and think is amazing. I also get a side of mac and cheese and ham which is nothing like the Kraft variety. We finish everything except that mac and cheese, half of which is to go.

The evening is lazy. Ice cream. Dog walk. DVD. Soup. More DVD. 

We're out cold soon thereafter. Thankfully, we get to sleep in...no dawn aerobics from upstairs!

Sunday 

It's another gorgeous day today (Sunday), and we take advantage of it and seek out a restaurant where we can sit outside. We end up at a street side table at La Méditerraneé and get a brunch for two that's made up of a over half dozen little plates of scrumptiousness; little quiches; cheese and fruit, eggs, pastries with cheese, baklava, etc., accompanied by champagne. Now that's the right way to spend a Sunday!

Ahhhh.

 

Posted by molyneaux at 12:01 AM PST

Updated: Tuesday, 19 May 2009 10:33 PM PDT

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Dana and I were scheduled to be extras two nights this week...Wednesday and Friday. Today we found out that the Wednesday shoot has been cancelled, but the Friday shoot of the candlelight march is still on.

Posted by molyneaux at 12:01 AM PST

Updated: Tuesday, 19 May 2009 10:34 PM PDT

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Mood:  chatty

Dana and I are signed up to be extras for the film "Milk" this week, so today we hit the used clothing stores in the Haight so I could find some appropriately 70s duds. I found a brown corduroy jacket with big labels, an approriate shirt and some old school Converse tennies. I've got jeans that will work.

Afterwards, we wandered over to the Castro to see what the first big night of crowd shooting would be.We wandered over to watch them filming tonight. They were shooting a protest that started in the Castro, and then was led by Harvey Milk to City Hall. It was a BIG shoot, as there were something like 1,500 extras!

It was kind of thrilling, seeing all those people yelling and chanting for equal rights. It's been over 30 years, but we're still not there...something that kinda hits close to home the night before an election.  At the same time, it was like watching a live silent movie because in some takes they needed to get dialogue from the actors, so the crowd had to shut up. As they started "Background" the crowd would start chanting "GAY RIGHTS NOW!" to get in sync, and on the 4th repeat (just after "Action!") they all fell silent and just mouth it again and again. Weird.

Sean Penn looked totally different tonight, as this scene was set some years after the one we saw being shot last week, and he's now clean shaven and short haired.

http://www.slashfilm.com/wp/wp-content/images/milkmarch.jpg

In the photo linked there you can see Sean Penn in red with the megaphone. Dana and I were standing just off the left side of the picture's edge, against the wall. You only see a tiny portion of the crowd in this photo. The people filled up the intersection and down Castro Street past the Theater (see how pretty the sign is now!).

Stubbly...growing in the beard for a more 70s look. Note the 70s signage!

The set dressing is always kind of fun here. I noticed that they've pulled out the busstop shelters, and they cover the WALK/DON'T WALK lights with unlit artwork that looks like the older style signs. Best of all are the 1970's gas prices they put up on the corner!

The good old days of cheap gas and polluted air!

 

 

Posted by molyneaux at 12:01 AM PST

Updated: Tuesday, 19 May 2009 10:35 PM PDT

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Tonight Dana and I stood in front of Eureka Federal Savings on the Castro Street and watched police brutality across the street. A dozen or so cops started pushing people around in front of the Toad Hall bar, and then things got out of control. Clubs came out, people burst out of bars and ran across the street to fight back. The air was filled with shouting and police whistles. Harvey Milk ran across the street and pulled someone out of the fray.

Right off, if you know this neighborhood, you'll realize that Eurkera Federal Savings and Toad Hall are long gone, and Harvey Milk's been dead for 29 years.

What gives?

Well, as the cops and queers slugged it out, there was a yell of "cut!" and four or five people ran into the fray, bringing it to a halt because the actors, extras and and stuntmen couldn't hear the "cut" over the din of yelling and police whistles.

There was applause, everyone pulled themselves together, and it happened again. And again.

The Gus Van Sant production of "Milk" has arrived in San Francisco. The film is a biopic about Harvey Milk, "the first openly gay man elected to any substantial political office in the history of the planet", according to Time magazine, and how he came to be a political figure, and how he was assassinated along with Mayor George Moscone in 1978.

What I witnessed was the filming of a scene set in 1973 when the cops decide to harrass the gays who've been taking over the neighborhood, and it gets out of control.

Speaking of the neighborhood, the reason I saw the filming was because I'd been wandering around the Castro with Dana, checking out all the modifications that the production had been making in preparations for filming. The aforementioned Eureka Savings and Toad Hall bar are long gone, as are Havey Milk's Castro Camera, Double Rainbow ice cream, Aquarius Records. China Court... but they're all back for a fleeting moment, even just as signs and facades. Even the Castro Theater got a face lift couresty of the production and its sign and marquee are now boldly painted and all the neon is reactivated. What with the period cars, period costumes, period trash cans and pay phones...if you stand and look in the right direction it's like a time warp has popped you back 30 years.  Trippy! 

Stuntman and actor confer. Note vintage cars and vintage cops across the street.

As someone who loves film, it's a treat to see how the location is dressed to transform it. In some cases, signs have been repainted, in others, covers have been made to disguise modern entrances. One business has its windows covered in what looks like green contact paper and yellow tape to simulate paint, which will look fine on camera but looks cheap as heck in person! Given how much graphic tape I've used in one of my short film projects, I get a laugh seeing it used in the same way in a Hollywood production.

During the filming we saw several members of the film's cast, including Sean Penn (who plays Milk) and Lucas Grabeel.

Lucas Grabeel in red, and that's Sean Penn with the ponytail and his back to the camera...really!

Dana and I have signed up to be extras on two different production days starting next week. I'm letting my beard and moustache come back in, and stopped shaving my head so that I won't look anachronistic. Now I just have to find some suitably 70s looking clothes...

Posted by molyneaux at 12:01 AM PST

Updated: Tuesday, 19 May 2009 10:36 PM PDT

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A busy and long Saturday. Ran around and had brunch with Jim, then went to stage one of Matt's Bithday March to the Sea and Tommy's (along with Jim and Becky). Jim departs and Becky and I move to stage two of the march at the Buckshot bar where we play too much shuffleboard. Becky later drops me at Dana's, and he and I cab it to La Trappe for stage three. The plan from there is to cab it to or catch a ride to the Clay Theater for a midnight Rocky Horror screening, but by the time we're done at La Trappe it's clear that Matt, his wife, nor his guest are in any shape to drive, so I take the keys and drive them home, collecting my car on the way. I am thanked profusely by Matt and crew, and they stagger into his house, no doubt to drink more.

Dana and I head to the Clay, and after standing in the rain for too long we get situated, and Dana starts worrying that he's forgotten a window open, and further worries that the rain will ruin his hardwood floors, so he grabs and cab and hurries off to check. Mind you, we came to Rocky Horror because he's never seen it with an audience doing the things that a Rocky audience do, and at first I'm afriad he's going to come in so late he'll miss too much of the experience. However, the cast that performs with the film do an intro that is so long that by the time the film starts, Dana is back.

After throwing toilet paper, blowing noisemakers, waving lights, tossing playing cards, and dancing the Time Warp, the theater's a disaster and we're bushed. We get back to his place, get the dog walked, and crawl in bed. Oh, and Dana wants to see Secret Identity Crisis and the Behind the Scenes bit.

It's 4 a.m. by the time we get to sleep. Zzzzzz

Sunday's more leisurely... thank goodness!

Posted by molyneaux at 12:01 AM PST

Updated: Tuesday, 19 May 2009 10:36 PM PDT

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Mood:  happy

For nearly two months now I've been looking forward to the show RiffTrax Live! as part of the larger SF Sketchfest program. For them's unfamiliar with RiffTrax, there are the brainchild of Michael J. Nelson, former head writer and a star of TV's Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K). And like MST3K, RiffTrax is about making fun of bad movies...while the movie is showing. In short, Mike and his cohorts talk back to the screen, hoisting the film on its own petard..or any other petard that happens to be handy!

Well, last night was the night of the show...at last!

But first this setup.

I had invited my friends Terry and Carol, and Becky to the show. I also invited Dana—the guy I've been dating. Dana was only dimly aware of MST3K, but I was pretty certain he'd like it. We all went to dinner beforehand. Then, well fed and well lubricated with cocktails, we strolled down Market Street to the Castro Theater to get Riffed. There we were confronted by a long line, so we devised a strategy as we walked in. Becky and Carol would secure snacks, and Dana and I would split up to find seats. He'd go for the floor, I'd go for the balcony. Thanks to cell phones, we were able to coordinate and get everyone together. Hooray for modern technology!

The house organist started by playing the theme to Star Trek The Motion Picture, and then ran through a bunch of other pieces, and then hit on the original Star Trek theme. I mentioned to Terry that the latter theme sounds like a pastiche of Blue Horizon, but he looked back at me dumbfounded. I blame the cocktails.

The show got started a little late, but once the RiffTrax boys were introduced and ran to the stage, all was forgiven. The men in question are the aforementioned Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy (Tom Servo on MST3K) and Bill Corbett (Brain Guy/Crow [2] on MST3K). They opened the show my briefly discussing Ed Wood, then talked about why the film they were to riff upon is titled Plan Nine From Outer Space, and proceeded to rattle off what plans one through eight were. One involved the reanimation of dead ferrets, but that failed because dead ferrets are more pleasant than live ones.

Once the film got going it was just like an episode of MST3K, except that the three figures were facing the audience instead of of the screen, and they all looked human, instead of a man and two robots. Well, I should say almost like an episode of MST3K, because there were no break for commercials or skits. This was wall to wall riffing. Poor Bele Lugosi's drug addictions were picked upon mercilessly, as were the aliens' dance tight uniforms. The alien commander was described as "Dr. Smith's gay-er brother". After drawing the audience's attention to a cop who  flagrantly mishandles his gun and uses it to point at people and things, one of the guys started the best running gag of the evening, making "bang" sounds in time with this character's gesticulations. A minute plus of just well timed "p-chow" sound effects had us all in stitches.

Having watched MST3K on TV for years sets certain expectations, which one of the guys effectively shattered by using a very nasty expletive in response to an acknowledged "Permission to speak freely". It was the only curse word in the entire performance, but so unexpected the audience roared with laughter.

And then, it was over. I scored some loot (a disc full of RiffTrax tracks, and a Plan Nine poster autographed by the boys), and we all departed for home and beds.

 

An evening well laughed.

 

Postscript
Just hit the RiffTrax site and found that the riff we saw will be offered as a Rifftrax track.

Posted by molyneaux at 12:05 PM PST

Updated: Friday, 18 January 2008 12:08 PM PST

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Christmas time is here by golly
Disapproval would be folly
Deck the halls with hunks of holly
Fill the cup and don't say when.
Kill the turkeys ducks and chickens
Mix the punch, drag out the Dickens
Even though the prospect sickens
"Brother here we go again"

--Tom Lehrer

Seriously, I don't dislike Christmas, but after a solid month of endless Christmas carols, many with the schmatlz cranked all the way to "eleven", I'm ready for it to die a quick and painless (for me) death.

So, feeling this way, why should I subject myself to a program of holiday music sung by the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus?  Well, first, because it's live music, and second, it's not so sugary as to put me in diabetic shock.

As on last Christmas Eve, I joined Deb and Shana for dinner and then the show at the Castro Theater. This year we're joined by Jim and Becky (2), as well as my friend Skip. We have a nice, casual dinner, the stroll over to the theater for a program that is just thr right length that you feel you got your money's worth, but doesn't have you looking at your watch.

I have a good enough time, but the show isn't as good as last year's. I feel like they're trying a tad too hard to be inclusive, and touching on everything from Christmas and Chanakah to Kwanza, Wicca and Druidism. This yields a bunch of unfamiliar, and, frankly, flat music. They get in some fun bits and play around with some Christmas standards, but the show is just not as well put together or as well staged as last year.  It's good, just not very good.

A bit of an anticliax after the Kinsey Sicks...but then, what wouldn't be?

Posted by molyneaux at 12:01 AM PST

Updated: Tuesday, 19 May 2009 10:38 PM PDT

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Mood:  silly

Met David and we made our way the the Herbst Theater (location of the signing of the U.N. Charter in 1945) to attend the holiday show "Oy Vey In A Manger" by "America's Favorite Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet", the Kinsey Sicks' .

(To see excerpts from a previous year's show, click here!)

Hi-larious.

I've heard these four "gals" on CD, seen them on video, and seen, met and heard two of them at a fundraiser party a few years ago, and liked them each time, but finally seeing them live was a big treat. Let's face it, in this era of amplification, "sweetening"and lip sync, many acts far are less impressive in person than you'd like. Not so with the Kinseys! Amazing voices; tight, four part harmonies; lots of silly and often downright rude humor. Half the group is Jewish, so the show careened back and forth between Christmas Carols and Jewish themed songs, with some straddling both camps (for instance, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town as a minor key as a cautionary tale to Jews: "He's seen Schindler's List, He's rented it twice; He's gonna find out each Weinstein and Weiss").

 Trixie, Trampolina (v. 1.0), Winnie and Rachel: The Kinsey Sicks

A summary of the the songs I recall them performing: 

Dragapella Chorus -- to the tune of the Hallelujiah Chorus
God Bless Ye Femmy Lesbians — about how gays dress themselves
I Had A Little Facial — to the tune of I Have a Little Dreydel
Crystal Time In The City — ending with "O little town of Meth...mayhem!"
Chanukah Medley
     Jews Better Watch Out
     Hock Your Wages
Where The Goys Are — sung to a blonde haired "victim" Rachael plucked from the audience
A Lay In The Manger
Oh! Ho-ey Night — "Oh, the night, when I did porn!"
Worry — a Jewish inversion of Don't Worry, Be Happy (RACHAEL: "What if I'm thrown in jail?! What if I'm forced to be Barry Bonds' bitch?!" and then looks alternately horrified and turned on by the idea)
'Tis the Season to Drink Stoli — about office parties gone wrong
Christmas Medley:
     Vanna White Christmas
     I'll Be Cloned For Christmas
     O Come, Ye Unfaithful
     Feliz Navidad Parody (so nasty I won't type the title)
Soylent Night — the song following a discussion of the Donner Party, which Trampolina found fabulous, and Winnie found scandelous because they "only served frozen food!"
Macaroona — where the whole audience had to do a Jewish version of the Macarena in order to shed their holiday pounds
Jenny Craig Feel My Sorrow — wherein Trixie brings the house down by singing the soprano part of O Mio Babbino Caro, begging Jenny Craig to allow her to "pig out and not look shi-tty"
Papirossen — a song in the international language of love... Yiddish (RACHAEL to audience: "Something funny about Yiddish? Our people have suffered!  ...Now it's your turn.")
Harried Little Christmas
We Arm The World — You can SEE IT HERE!

My only disappointment was that of the two members of the group I'd met previously, the one who played Trampolina has left the group, so I didn't get to say hi. The new Trampolina ("Trampolina v.2.0") is fine and talented, though. I did get to talk to all of them after the show, and flirted shamelessly with Trixie. What a voice! What a face! She makes a hotter looking woman than many actual women.  Scandalous!

 

Posted by molyneaux at 12:01 AM PST

Updated: Tuesday, 19 May 2009 10:37 PM PDT

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