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Post by brittany on Jul 2, 2007 14:47:18 GMT -5
And don't forget Troy Garity and Danny Boyle!
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Post by kaliszewski on Jul 2, 2007 23:21:27 GMT -5
Gotta make this quick, 'cause I got in late and the work is STACKED, but I did get to talk briefly with Danny Boyle and Chris Evans. Think the most surreal moment of the evening was when I said to Danny, "I'm wearing Cillian's watch," and he did a double-take over his Budweiser and grabbed my watch hand and said, "You're KIDDING. A lot of people wanted this--!" Chris was a sweetie: he shook my hand and said, "Hi, I'm Chris," and smiled-- and, hey, has anyone else ever noticed this? HE IS ONE GOOD-LOOKING GUY. You hear about sapphire eyes: well, he's got 'em...!
Anyway, gotta get off to the cases now...!
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Post by brittany on Jul 3, 2007 9:39:59 GMT -5
LOL How you described Danny's comment, my mind went else where.
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Post by sunshinedna on Jul 3, 2007 13:52:23 GMT -5
Oooooh!!! I can't wait to hear your full report, Kali. So far I've had good news from this end... I'd be interested to hear what the screening was like for you.
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Post by kaliszewski on Jul 3, 2007 17:31:53 GMT -5
Still no time for a big report, so just a few bits: Was in the front row right smack in the center seat (though my usual movie-going pal would be more than happy to point out that due to my goofy eyes, "center" to me means "one seat right of center" to normal people). Still: a nice distance from the screen. Print quality: Due to the number of screen-filling bright images in "Sunshine," any dust on the print showed up with really unfortunate clarity. Maybe digital projection will fix this, but from what I've seen of DP, it means more pixelation in the image, too. Sound: Loud but not overwhelming. The Wadsworth has solid old-theatre acoustics. The movie: (And here's where I have to get shy and really apologetic:) Love the cast (that's a given). Adore the music (if there's a verb past "adore," feel free to plug it in). The visuals... hmm. Too many shots of the ship that don't allow us to orient ourselves. Don't know how else to put it. Then there's the screenplay, and here I can only say I'm sorry: There's simply too much in it for which I was unable to suspend my disbelief. I spent most of the screening mouthing things: "What...? Why are you doing that? How did that happen? What the heck...?" It wasn't just Pinbacker (though even the fanboy one seat over said that he found the film "incredibly intelligent"-- up until the last third); Alex Garland bases so much of the drama on mistakes, bad judgment calls, and dicey design (Why in the world would you have an essentially unrepairable mainframe-- that anyone can cripple-- swimming in an aquarium of deathly cold liquid? Why can't that mainframe help you with a course adjustment?-- and the list goes on) that I couldn't look past the idea that the mission seems fated to fail. And that "last shot"-- let's see: it doesn't jive with the sun's oh-so-quick-to-kill "behavior" throughout the rest of the film. So-- and this did run long, didn't it?-- I wasn't sold. I'm very sorry. I slid into "editor mode" early on, and I couldn't switch it off. Elements of it, as I said, I really loved-- the characters, the music. But I simply couldn't cotton to the screenplay. Too much of the writing had me thinking, God, this'd be so good, if they'd only-- So I guess you'd say my overwhelming impression of the screening was... ... frustration. (Man, I wanna go knock my head on a wall....) But the trip itself, the experience, being there, seeing Danny and Chris: overall, very good. Wouldn't trade it for the world...!
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Post by Amanda on Jul 3, 2007 18:42:45 GMT -5
How lovely is Danny?! Don't you just adore him?
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Post by kaliszewski on Jul 3, 2007 19:42:01 GMT -5
Yeah, he's a charmer! Minor moment of embarrassment, though: I asked him (because I didn't know who else to ask--!) if he could point out John Murphy. And he looks at me and does a sort of half-frown with those bushy eyebrows, and he holds his hand flat, just off my forehead, and says, "Well-- he's about your height, and he's this punter from Liverpool-- and-- and--"-- as the eyebrows bunch together-- "I just realized I'm terrible at describing faces--!" Y'okay--!
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Post by brittany on Jul 3, 2007 22:23:54 GMT -5
Love Danny! He was pleased to know that my sister and I were twins, too.
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Post by sunshinedna on Jul 4, 2007 6:03:40 GMT -5
And that "last shot"-- let's see: it doesn't jive with the sun's oh-so-quick-to-kill "behavior" throughout the rest of the film. I watched the DVD with my 10 year old the other week. During the 'last shot' (I assume you mean w Capa in *your costume* ) he said, 'Wait! How is that happening?":spoiler: "The Sun already killed him!" (you see the Sun consume Capa from an overhead shot right before this) I said, 'Well, that is all happening in a billionth of a second." :spoiler: "It's all taking place in his mind, just before he dies. He's seeing how beautiful the universe really is." He was very quiet after that. During the last few minutes of the film I kept looking over at him and noticed that he had tears welling up. The film finished and he burst out crying. I asked him what made him cry. He said, 'The billionth of a second bit.' This morning on the way to school, more than a week after seeing the film, he started talking about the 'billionth of a second' moment and started welling up again. I'm amazed that he was so moved by it. So, yes, if it was supposed to be in 'real time' it would be a very strange thing, but it's not.
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Post by Starry_MelC on Jul 4, 2007 8:08:06 GMT -5
Minor moment of embarrassment, though: I asked him (because I didn't know who else to ask--!) if he could point out John Murphy. And he looks at me and does a sort of half-frown with those bushy eyebrows, and he holds his hand flat, just off my forehead, and says, "Well-- he's about your height, and he's this punter from Liverpool-- and-- and--"-- as the eyebrows bunch together-- "I just realized I'm terrible at describing faces--!" aww... he sounds adorable...
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Post by kaliszewski on Jul 4, 2007 8:23:25 GMT -5
Yeah, Gia, I know, I know -- meaning "second-comma-billionth-of-a"-- but my nasty hyper-critical head was operating in "real time" and "editor mode" and I just couldn't make the leap (which is too d**n bad because Cillian's last expression is really lovely). Like I said, I think I had trouble going from the sun as essentially the most unimaginably horrific blowtorch (especially after the scenes with Kaneda and Harvey-- think you know which ones ) to the sun as epiphany. I know what they were trying to do; I just couldn't bring myself to tag along. I'll say it again: it's too bad. I start gouging into a text-- here meaning, of course, the screenplay-- and I'm as cold and vicious as a d**n lamprey. But-- and I'm veering slightly off now, because I enjoyed the heck out of the experience in general-- weird little "Sunshine"-esque coincidences kept popping up during my trip, the most striking of which occurred when I was waiting to get into the Wadsworth. I usually bring a couple of issues of The New Yorker with me when I'm traveling. So I'm waiting in a nice patch of shade by the little box office building, and I open up the issue for July 2, and there in the Goings On section is a big black-and-white photograph by... ... ROBERT CAPA. Oh, yeah: sometimes life gets weird....
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Post by brittany on Jul 4, 2007 9:08:36 GMT -5
This morning on the way to school, more than a week after seeing the film, he started talking about the 'billionth of a second' moment and started welling up again. I'm amazed that he was so moved by it. Awww... I still think about that scene, too. I'm glad your son finally got to see Mace and to see what "that Alex guy" does for a living. ;D
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Post by sunshinedna on Jul 4, 2007 18:09:22 GMT -5
Like I said, I think I had trouble going from the sun as essentially the most unimaginably horrific blowtorch (especially after the scenes with Kaneda and Harvey-- think you know which ones ) to the sun as epiphany. The Sun as Kali - the Giver of Life, the Giver of Death. I open up the issue for July 2, and there in the Goings On section is a big black-and-white photograph by... ... ROBERT CAPA. Oh, yeah: sometimes life gets weird.... How weird!!! I'm so glad you got to meet Danny et al. I think Danny is one of the nicest guys around. When he talks to you, it's like there's no one else in the world. He makes one feel very special...
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Post by chero on Jul 4, 2007 21:05:33 GMT -5
I think Danny is one of the nicest guys around. When he talks to you, it's like there's no one else in the world. He makes one feel very special... I completely agree! However, I felt like a stalker when I saw him two days in a row. Would he still be nice? Pffth! OF COURSE!!
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Post by kaliszewski on Jul 4, 2007 22:32:31 GMT -5
Yeah, yeah, yeah: I tend to think of myself, more generally, as Kali, the Giver of Grief. Brief correction re: the Capa photo: Wasn't actually one of his photos: it was by George Rodger, who, along with Capa and two others, founded a photographers' cooperative. Still, Capa's name was first on the list of founders, and it was a heck of a jolt seeing it...!
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