And There Ya Have It

It's hard for me to review a movie that I have written about for over a year and then harder to write about it after seeing the film from the 2nd row looking UP. I feel I only saw the middle part of the movie and perhaps I missed whole plot lines that were going on beyond my peripheral vision.

I can' wait to see it again, I'll only watch the sides.

I also can't wait for the DVD so I can see it in HD. Seriously, I've been spoiled by 1080i. A few nights ago I was watching The Kingdom I had recorded from HBO and I had to turn it off. Non-HD.

You see even though the movie was filmed in HD does not mean a 25 year old theater has the ability to show HD movies. Perhaps next year when maybe a new East Gate opens up (I believe I said that last year in this blog) they will have a digital theater.

Anyway - last night was the PE-Columbus Premier party and for the most part it went off without a hitch. Oh - there were some close calls as a buddy called from WISC at the same time I was warning people they were about to get run over by a backing-up Picture Car and I had to either hang up on him or call an ambulance. I quickly surmised that I would have to hang up anyway to call an ambulance so I spared some lives (I do what I can).

Had some Pizza issues for the post party that Kim at West James Gallery took care of and Day One came through like Trooper Zang busting Columbus folks for lack of license plates. On the ball and taking numbers.

So my thoughts on the movie?

Everybody I talked to that saw the movie the 2nd time said #2 was better. #1 was more looking for scenes, remembering what you were doing when that scene was filmed and for me I was remembering what I was writing about and what photos were being sent to me during each location of shooting.

I feel the movie was in three movements. The first was perhaps a Allegro moderato, moderately quick with hand held cameras and escape scenes and DJ got a little dizzy in row two and had to move to the back of the theater. It's a little crazy dizzy blurry action. Not as loud as I had hoped and actually the "normal" talking parts were too soft compared to the action parts. This disturbed me but I could not tell if it was just my seating location.

A few of the trailer scenes were in the Allegro moderato movement and this always bothered me while watching the movie as I had . . sadly . . memorized those little jewels and now I could see what was wrapped around the trailer nuggets. It sort of took me outside the movie for a few moments.

Then things calm down with the Adagio movement, slow and stately. This is where we meet the lovely Billie Frechette and how she and Johnny (John) Dillinger meet up.

The problem was that I kept thinking WHY WHY WHY would you go out with this guy, are you that desperate? (I guess so). Not that Dillinger is a BAD mean guy but seriously, "I rob banks" is not a one liner I would have ever thought would work. Perhaps “He-e-e-e-re’s Johnny!” or “Say hello to my little friend” would have worked also. Obviously she was not too picky!

Even “Tell me something, Billie. You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight” would have worked.

But - I digress.

So Adagio (maybe a Lento Moderato?) was plodding along and I'm sitting there with thoughts of "what if I don't like the movie" and "this is not making me want to come and watch it again" and I'm thinking maybe I'm missing stuff on the left and right sides of the screen.

HOWEVER.

Things turn as a trailer moment pulls me out of my worry and John is caught. OH - I'm not saying the last movement was bad but I was there for muzzle flashes. Who cares about character development.

The very fast and lively Vivacissimo movement is upon us and the last hour and a half (rough guesstimation) is what I came to see and it is outstanding and well worth the wait. Lost of bank robberies and tommy gun action and the Little Bo sequence is GREAT!!!!

Machine Gun Kelly (or was that Baby Face Nelson - they all look alike), now there is a dude I would not want to go out and party with. Seems a little . . .dangerous and shall I say, a loose cannon?

Violence? Actually I think the most violent parts do not involve tommy guns but some mild torture and beating of Billie but all are done in good taste. It's more in your brain then on the screen.

Johnny Depp is great and does his own take on gangsters and Christian Bale is a very good Purvis. I loved Jason Clarke as Red and all the rest of the bad guys all sort of looked alike (again perhaps I was too close, one 10 foot head looks like another 10 foot head).

Marion Cotillard is captivating. I had never really seen her in a movie (at least not that I know of). Billy Crudup is funny as Hoover and all his scenes were in The Wisconsin State Capital and a stand up applause goes out to John Michael Bolger who plays Martin Zarkovich.

I give the movie a solid "B".

I read that they expect $45M for opening weekend and this is good for an "R" rated movie. I feel it will be more as word of mouth seems to be very positive.

Well worth the wait and I was not disappointed. Columbus was well represented, lots of Oshkosh and Beaver Dam was in there.

Back to our event. WOW - I was surprised so many people turned up for the post movie party which lasted to about midnight (when we had to close). I was thinking 150ish but it was more like 200. WELL DONE!! Everybody was happy and smiling and I feel it was a huge success. Can't wait for the next movie.

What? The Department of Commerce put the nix on more movies by canceling movie incentives? What a bunch of blundering idiots! Good grief are they that stupid?

No wonder Janesville lost General Motors. The Department of Commerce can't think more then a week ahead. They seem to think that now that Universal has left the State the State will no longer reap any benefits! DAA HELLO!! KNOCK KNOCK ANYBODY HOME?

Maybe they should get out of their offices and travel the state and talk to shop owners that deal with tourism. Perhaps there is some group that put pressure on them to make dumb decisions (like Minnesota? perhaps?) . . .did I just insult Minnesota? No no - just the Department of Commerce in Wisconsin.

They do not see how many people already travel to Columbus, Oshkosh, Little Bo, Madison because of this movie.

Absurd.

Don't get me started.

So, now what. Well, 402,000 pages later the movie is out there and this blog will continue to roll like a soap opera, oh, it's never over.

NOW - I need more coffee.

Have a great day and if you have not seen the movie - check it out! It's good, not great but very good.

Rod