tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post1686678215505559565..comments2024-03-12T12:38:23.542-04:00Comments on The Kind of Face You Hate: Hodgepodge or Potpourri or Whateverbill r.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-57694418655918509162009-01-21T14:47:00.000-05:002009-01-21T14:47:00.000-05:00I shall read Lanark this year. Mark my words.I shall read <B>Lanark</B> this year. Mark my words.bill r.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-78383959756907862302009-01-21T13:36:00.000-05:002009-01-21T13:36:00.000-05:00Ah.... with Gray, I think you could make the case ...Ah.... with Gray, I think you could make the case that basically nothing <I>except</I> for <I>Lanark</I> (and about half of <I>Unlikely Stories, Mostly</I>) is especially worth reading. <I>Poor Thing, 1982 Janine</I> and <I>Something Leather</I> all were terribly disappointing.... indeed a lot of his later work is simply cobbled together from old plays, TV scripts, & short stories. (Massive writer's block in extremis?) Haven't tried any of his recent stuff but I think I'll just keep to <I>Lanark</I>, which is indeed a remarkable book. Come to think of it, it's time to revisit it....ndhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12087777428126727780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-73938778213438939802009-01-21T12:46:00.000-05:002009-01-21T12:46:00.000-05:00Keep in mind, though, that I was reading it largel...<I>Keep in mind, though, that I was reading it largely because No Orchids... is a key element of Alasdair Gray's great novel Lanark...!</I><BR/><BR/>Is it really!? I had no idea. <B>Lanark</B> has been on my to-be-read pile for a very long time (I've read Gray's <B>Poor Things</B>, and I loved the first half, but was lukewarm on the second half), and this revelation just makes me even more intrigued.<BR/><BR/>I won't go to the mat for Chase's novel, because it's been too long since I've read it (so long that I wasn't always sure, while watching Aldrich's film, what was straight from the book, and what had been tweaked or outright changed), but, for me, sometimes "nasty" is good. Sometimes. And I remember Chase's novel being one of those times. Without giving away too much, I will say that Aldrich and Co. either chickened out, or thought they had a better idea, in one key respect, which may or may not make the film more appealing to you.bill r.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-55949695339402100922009-01-21T12:24:00.000-05:002009-01-21T12:24:00.000-05:00Yeah, somehow Ulzana's Raid seems to be frequently...Yeah, somehow <I>Ulzana's Raid</I> seems to be frequently mooted about as a great film but relatively few people have seen it...! I don't know if there's a decent DVD edition--the version I saw was "fullscreen" (i.e. cropped) and was the truncated version that's missing a few key scenes. But you can get the missing bits from YouTube, last time I checked.<BR/><BR/>Been years since I read the Chase book, I mostly just remember it as a nasty piece of work that lacked the ugly poetry of say Jim Thompson or Cornell Woolrich. Keep in mind, though, that I was reading it largely because <I>No Orchids...</I> is a key element of Alasdair Gray's great novel <I>Lanark</I>...!ndhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12087777428126727780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-17466704022567556572009-01-21T11:22:00.000-05:002009-01-21T11:22:00.000-05:00Yes, Kiss Me Deadly is indeed good, and what I've ...Yes, <B>Kiss Me Deadly</B> is indeed good, and what I've heard about <B>Ulzana's Raid</B> makes me want to see it very much. I just get the feeling that Aldrich was maybe only as good as his scripts.<BR/><BR/>And out of curiosity, if you're still around, ND, what about adapting Chase puts you off? I've only read <B>No Orchids for Miss Blandish</B>, and that years ago, but I remember liking it.bill r.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-18665847782085158912009-01-21T08:04:00.000-05:002009-01-21T08:04:00.000-05:00Re: Aldrich--haven't tried The Grissom Gang (actua...Re: Aldrich--haven't tried <I>The Grissom Gang</I> (actually having read a little J.H. Chase, I can't say that the prospect of an adaptation is enticing), but he belongs in the pantheon for <I>Kiss Me Deadly</I> and <I>Ulzana's Raid</I> at the very least.ndhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12087777428126727780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-7277008582016147522009-01-13T23:41:00.000-05:002009-01-13T23:41:00.000-05:00or "Woo, Woo, Woo, Woo, Woo, Woo, Woo."Nice observ...or "Woo, Woo, Woo, Woo, Woo, Woo, Woo."<BR/><BR/>Nice observation about Allen and "Smiles of a Summer's Night." I love that film.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-70743539543703288052009-01-12T08:09:00.000-05:002009-01-12T08:09:00.000-05:00It could be called You Numbskull!It could be called <B>You Numbskull!</B>bill r.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-38718579146867121242009-01-12T07:44:00.000-05:002009-01-12T07:44:00.000-05:00Cazale was also used in flashback footage in Part ...Cazale was also used in flashback footage in Part III, which was also nominated for Best Picture. Of course this documentary is feature length and won't be nominated so nice way to blow the streak guys!<BR/><BR/>Here's the documentary I think they should do:<BR/><BR/><I>He was in 166 movies. None were nominated for Best Picture. Not even one! Shemp Howard.</I><BR/><BR/>I think we could all get behind that one.Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05730146625671701859noreply@blogger.com