Spitball Army

The crown of the city felt big on his head, but when he examined its fit in the mirror, he saw possibilities for growth.

(detail from front cover of Birmingham Weekly, November 5-12, 2009)

Orange and yellow burst violently from branch tips, with the same fervor as a yank on the bed covers before a long night of sleep.

Hip-shaking soul was his favorite music for exercising, but it created some odd problems on the treadmill. So he switched to Bach.

–  Man Hunt  (1941)
Man Hunt hews closely to the novel by Geoffrey Household, adding the Joan Bennett character, removing some of the cat-and-mouse chase sequences, but retaining the simple and paranoic chase story. George Sanders and John Carradine play the villains well, and Joan Bennett is suprisingly affecting. Like another [Netflix] reviewer, I did not appreciate the film’s propagandist ending; the book’s ending was much more ambiguous as to the hero’s ultimate fate.

–  The Battleship Potemkin  (1925)
It seemed a long time coming, but I finally saw this outstanding film last night. Potemkin was screened in a large hall with the Shostakovich score played by a full (and tuxedoed) orchestra. The impact was very powerful. As it is not mentioned in the details, I thought it was worth mentioning that the version that this website [Netflix] is currently offering does indeed utilize the Shostakovich score, which consists of excerpts from several of his symphonies. Emotionally, it is almost perfectly synced to the action in the film.

–  Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror  (1942)
In this 1942 film, Holmes is transported forward in time to World War Two-era Britain, where he is enlisted to help unravel a Nazi terrorist plot involving a mysterious radio broadcaster and a potential invasion of the England. There is some clever self-referential business in this heavy-handed propaganda movie, a couple of gorgeous Byronesque set pieces, and chilling (though inconsistent) film noir shadow effects. Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce are terrific, as always, in their signature roles.

Each time someone swam near it, the rusty bobby pin moved an inch, adding another imprint to the auburn cluster on the tile floor.

The body pump instructor screamed “Over! Over! Over!” while, through the wall, sweaty men in the weight room panted and grunted.

The day began with a fruit smoothie and some decaf tea. Halfway into his morning workout, he tasted a curious banana-mint mélange.