A Very Good Day

April 11 2020 – Eyes of Laura Mars (1978) Criterion Channel

It was a very good day. I woke up after a good night’s sleep. I prepared my blog for launch. I got good news from my mom’s doctor and my accountant. Wendey, Henry, and I played a game of Settlers of Catan. And then to cap it off, I watched Eyes of Laura Mars, a stylish 1970s thriller about a fashion photographer who sees murders through the eyes of a serial killer. I doubt if I would have liked this move back when it came out, but now all the silly things about it – its attempt to critique art and fashion photography, some of the plot twists, the disco soundtrack – just seem charming. This is Tommy Lee Jones’ first major role, and Faye Dunaway is great as always. I was pleased to see Raul Julia – an actor I used to like a lot but had almost forgotten about. The cheesy Barbra Streisand theme song is a perfect example of the 1970s theme song archetype. And John Carpenter – director of Halloween and so many other movies – wrote the script. Watching this film was a very good ending to a very good day.