Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Come and Knock on Our Door (1976)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
 
1) This week's song was the theme to Three's Company, a sitcom that ran for eight seasons. Were you a fan? No. I've never watched more than a few minutes before scrambling for the remote.
 
2) The Three's Company theme was composed by Joe Raposo, who also wrote the theme to Sesame Street. Can you recall any of the lyrics to the Sesame Street song? "Sunny day, sweeping the clouds away. On my way to where the air is sweet. Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street." OK, I know a simple yes would suffice, but that made me happy.

3) The lyrics to this song invite you to "come and knock on our door." What's the last door you knocked on (or the most recent doorbell your rang)? It seems like a simple enough question, but no knocking or ringing comes to mind just now.

4) Three's Company was about three roommates who live together platonically, sharing a two bedroom apartment. Tell us about a roommate who shared your living quarters. I've never had a roommate. When we were kids, my sisters and I had our own rooms. I didn't go away to college. I've never been married. I have always had cats, of course, but I'm not sure they count.


5) Each of the roommates has a profession: Jack is a cook, Chrissy is a secretary (aka administrative assistant) and Janet is a florist. When did you last buy flowers? I don't even remember, and that makes me sad. Back in the days when I had an office -- decades, in fact! -- I always had plants and flowers. But now, with open seating, there's just no room.

6) They often meet their neighbor, Larry, at a nearby bar called The Regal Beagle. What's the name of the establishment where you most recently enjoyed an adult beverage? Geppetto's.
 
7) Their meddling landlord was Mr. Roper. He was cheap, nosy, and very talented at fixing things around the building. How much are you like Mr. Roper? Are you frugal? Nosy? A handy do-it-yourselfer? Nosy.

 
8) Three's Company was controversial again, more than 15 years after it ceased production. In March 2001, Nick at Nite re-edited an episode after a viewer called, alerting the network that a bit too much of John Ritter was visible in his blue boxer shorts. Have you ever called, emailed or written to, a TV station to complain? No. If I'm displeased by something on TV, I use the remote.

Mentioned twice in the same post!

9) Random question -- Is the screen on your cellphone cracked? Yes. Upper left hand corner. I don't recall how it happened. Which stands to reason. I also have a bruise on my left forearm, and I don't recall how that happened, either.

Four stars for these two stars

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is my favorite Tarentino since Pulp Fiction. It's really well done, highly original, and filled with very good performances.

Yes, it's violent. It's Tarentino, so it's going to be violent. But it doesn't wallow in it, or encourage us to cheer it, the way Inglorious Basterds did. It's actually more about tension, and the final release of it, than any cathartic joy in bloodshed.

DiCaprio was good. Of course. He usually is. He is fearless in this role. His hair is dumb, his movements are clumsy, he cries so often and easily it makes us uncomfortable. Yet he's also vulnerable and authentic in his desperation, and so he's touching.

Brad Pitt was the revelation for me. I haven't seen him this good since Money Ball. He's not especially heroic or even decent here, but he is sane. And in this milieu. sanity stands out. It's not a flashy role -- I imagine most actors would have preferred Leo's part -- but he's solid and gives the movie its core.

There are about 2 gazillion 50s and 60s pop culture references in this movie, and I got most of them. I believe Tarentino actually spent more time in front of the TV or at the movies than I did!

Do I recommend it? That depends on you. It's a movie set in Hollywood at the time of the Tate-LoBianco murders. It's by Quentin Tarentino. Consider all that before you purchase your ticket.