Prisoners

[jo]

Oops, Wyatt, it was ;D

Have you listened to that podcast -- he seems to be impressing people ! Do you remember that interview with Taris Tyler (his stand-in) where Taris talked about watching an intense performance by Hugh and where Taris went up to Hugh to congratulate him right after the scene?

Also, I recall a report where the crew were so impressed with Hugh's performance that they were practically teary-eyed.

I wonder if this is the car scene with Loki's character?

Jo

[jo]

Here's a brief comment from longtime film commentator Anne Thompson --

blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/cinemacon-warner-bros-reveals-nolan-snyder-superman-slate

>>>Denis Villeneuve's child kidnapping drama "Prisoners," starring Hugh Jackman, Maria Bello and Jake Gyllenhaal, looked like an awards-driven quality project that will need to score high with critics. <<<

And from another film site --

www.boxoffice.com/latest-news/2013-04-16-cinemacon-2013-paramount-unveils-star-trek-into-darkness-world-war-z-future-imax-plans

>>>and rough footage of still-in-production Prisoners. The latter boasts a strong cast including, but not limited to, Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Maria Bello. Based on the limited scenes presented, Jackman could already be contending for awards again after the film's release later this year.<<<


Jo

[birchie]

Apr 22, 2013 19:57:03 GMT -5 jo said:

Here's a brief comment from longtime film commentator Anne Thompson --

blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/cinemacon-warner-bros-reveals-nolan-snyder-superman-slate

>>>Denis Villeneuve's child kidnapping drama "Prisoners," starring Hugh Jackman, Maria Bello and Jake Gyllenhaal, looked like an awards-driven quality project that will need to score high with critics. <<<

And from another film site --

www.boxoffice.com/latest-news/2013-04-16-cinemacon-2013-paramount-unveils-star-trek-into-darkness-world-war-z-future-imax-plans

>>>and rough footage of still-in-production Prisoners. The latter boasts a strong cast including, but not limited to, Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Maria Bello. Based on the limited scenes presented, Jackman could already be contending for awards again after the film's release later this year.<<<


Jo

Those are good comments to see! I'm guessing they've seen several more scenes & stills than we've seen, so this may indeed be the role to give a serious look at...pay attention Academy. ;D And really I think it's just the beginning of great roles to come in the next few years for our Hugh! :-/
Also I saved that interview with Taris on my computer. Pretty incredible.
Sue

[birchie]

Apr 22, 2013 18:12:10 GMT -5 jo said:

A podcast from a film site re the CinemaCon ( theatre exhibitors convention where studios present their year's slate in general) re the Warner Brothers 2013 slate.

www.modernmythmedia.com/2013/04/mmm-podcast-118-superman-blows-away-cinemacon/

Check out at 31'51" for comments on PRISONERS! Very promising and noteworthy of Hugh's exceptionally strong performance based on one scene. One of the commentators even forecast the prospect of a possible Oscar nod, if the dramatic performance by Hugh shown on the brief clip were a good harbinger of his entire portrayal.

Jo

I finally got around to listening to that section of the podcast. Very interesting that the scene that they say is so emotional is Loki & Keller in a car. The only scene they have in a car is a bit emotional, but it isn't all that emotional as it's written in the script, so that may be an indication that some re-writing was done. Maybe they added another scene where they are in a car or just punched up the scene that's already in the script.
Sue

[njr]

Apr 22, 2013 18:27:12 GMT -5 birchie said:

I didn't include A Steady Rain since, relatively speaking, not that many people saw it. The Prestige is still getting reviews on YouTube and mentions on message boards and in article comments. I don't think it was promoted as well as it should have been when it came out. That may have more to do with the untimely death of Heath Ledger than anything else, but it seems to have acquired a nice following in it's BluRay/DVD afterlife. Dark, complex characters do sell tickets as well as discs it seems.

Sue

I'm confused, what does Heath Ledger's death have to do with The Prestige? What am I missing?

Nancy

[birchie]

Apr 23, 2013 9:01:55 GMT -5 njr said:

I'm confused, what does Heath Ledger's death have to do with The Prestige? What am I missing?

Nancy

Sorry I was confusing it with Deception which was one of the other dark characters. Guess Jo & I are typing too quickly and mixing up our movies. 8-) For Deception, Michelle wasn't available to do a full press junket due to her grief and Hugh being one of the producers...and being Hugh...respected her period of morning and so there were less public appearances and interviews than would have been normal for a movie release. I remember reading some of his comments at the time which were very moving and reflected his reticence in promoting a movie at such a sad time.
Sue

[jo]

Deception was released in April 2008 -- I remember catching the opening in London -- a few months after Heath's passing. Hugh himself did not have time ( and budget, I suspect) to promote it, as he was also finishing XMEN Origins:Wolverine in Australia ( which started filming sometime in late November 2007 and completed filming sometime in June 2008).

I think the movie could have done with better writing ( a few plot holes) and more polished editing ... and it could have flourished in popularity because it is an interesting plot and had some unusual characters. Who sez accountants are not interesting heroes?? Not this accountancy major - LOL!

Jo

[rmtndew]

To be honest, Deception is the only movie of Hugh's I've watched just once. I saw it in the theater and I own it, but his character was too creepy for me. He gave me the willies. I think Prisoners will be different because even though his character becomes very, very dark, it's almost a justifiable darkness. His spiral is out of desperation and love. I think that'll help cut back on the creepiness for me.

- Alicia

[jo]

I agree that the Wyatt character is the darkest one he has played. On the surface, he was smooth and sophisticated and just being a regular jerk. But his inner motives were arrogant and very self-serving --- not caring how other people end up with.

But it is an interesting variation on the dark characters that Hugh's movie persona can delve into. Unlike other movie heroes, Hugh can be both classic hero and not-so-classic villain >

I think that is one of the reasons why some people wanted him to have given the Javert character a try

Jo

[birchie]

Jo, I never heard about budget issues so I don't know about that. I did see a couple of the few interviews he did and he talked about not wanting to put pressure on Michelle who was also dealing with a small child who lost her father plus her own issues. I also read it in a couple of articles. I remember it because his thoughtfulness really impressed me. I was in the honeymoon stage of my Hugh affair! :o

I don't know if it would have done better under different circumstances or not. Anyway, for a dark character Wyatt pretty much had no redeeming qualities. He was a sociopath. Like Ted Bundy, extremely charming but without a soul. Hugh did an excellent job portraying that. Chilling in fact!

Alicia I agree, the movie is very hard to watch. I've only watched it a couple times myself. I'm sure Ewan McGregor fans enjoyed watching it more because they get to see their boy win in the end.

PS: I'm so glad Hugh didn't play Javert. I was never in that camp.
Sue

[caligirl]

Ooooooh, I love it when Hugh plays dark. Even better dark yet vulnerable as in Erskinville Kings!

[jo]

The SEED business model which Hugh patterned after the Disney Buena Vista model called for small investments in film projects ( a modest $ 10 million tops) in the hope that out of a handful ( or maybe a better number than just a few) , they could hit it big in one or two films. Check out the article when he was the cover story for MensVogue. I suspect that there wasn't much money left for promoting the movie heavily, other than ads or a few TV spots.

Jo

[jo]

There was earlier mention that relatively few saw the dramatic stage play A STEADY RAIN, where Hugh was given a great opportunity to portray an entire character arc during the duration of the drama.

This is very OT -- but in case anyone is interested on what the play was all about, how Hugh's performance was one of the two highlights, how the simple play impacted on the completely riveted audience ...and perhaps be able to make some comparisons to the other dramatic film two-handers that Hugh has successfully portrayed -- may I share a longish account of my personal impressions of the play?

Major and minor spoilers included!

My show impressions, not a review --

I was overjoyed when Hugh Jackman confirmed that he was returning to Broadway, and in dramatic theatre! While I am a musical theatre fan, I have always looked forward to the time when Hugh would finally get involved in a straight play onstage. Was A STEADY RAIN the right vehicle ?

The Play's The Thing

There were a few criticisms of Keith Huff's play as not being Broadway-worthy. Nothing like a classical piece like Hamlet, which has recently transferred to Broadway, courtesy of the famed Donmar Warehouse? Nor even a classic American play by the likes of Tennessee Williams? Nor a contemporary success such as August:Osage County which also won a Pullitzer?

But what is the purpose of a play but to tell a story, to portray characters, to inform, or to provoke?

And didn't A STEADY RAIN do all that?

Dramaturgy students say the play must have a plot, characters, and action/dialogue to advance the story, and other elements that complete the story-telling. It must be told generally in a conventional manner of events and actions unfolding and characters becoming real portraits, all in aid of advancing the full story.

In a completely different and non-conformist way, didn't A STEADY RAIN present these elements, albeit in an economical way, via a series of overlappping monologues and some interaction between the two players.

Finally, isn't the audience reaction the final arbiter of a play's success, the majority of them, not the few pens of some learned critics?

And if one observed how the audience behaved during the 90 minutes of A STEADY RAIN, weren't they " engrossed, riveted, gave out vocal reactions in unison, laughed together at the right punchline, rapt at each word uttered or gesture portrayed, compelled to follow the two characters' story-telling, point by point... you can hardly hear a pin drop as the play moved on to its climax...and someone close to the front teared up at the end" ?

A STEADY RAIN is modern theatre - it not only informed and provoked in telling a story, but it also compelled the audience to participate in the process of fleshing out the story! Where else is the audience provoked into imagining what actually happened simply by listening to the two narrators, in alternating monologues and occasional dialogues, tell a story covering a critical period in their lives. One had to follow closely and be completely engrossed in order to build in one's mind the rest of the sets, imagine the rest of the characters, paint a vivid picture of the actions happening, and completely get into the inner beings of the two main and only players onstage! That the two characters melded at the end made the task even more compelling for the audience to be in sympathy with each of these two fascinating men!

A STEADY RAIN is modern theatre - because the story would be flat if one had only the written manuscript to rely on! It is the live staging which fully gives life to what happened to Denny and Joey in that critical period in their lives. Yet, one does not fully realize that " the so-called steady rain" of tragic events in their lives happened actually only to the character of Denny! What about Joey - he was the narrator and main story-teller! He was narrating the story which happened three months before! Did we see the story mainly from his perspective? Maybe so?

A STEADY RAIN is modern theatre because it relies mainly on the intense portrayals of two characters whose lives intermingled such that at the end, the melding of the two characters happen rather inocuously before one's eyes -- take a look again at the Playbill cover!

A STEADY RAIN is modern theatre and not Law and Order revisited nor any of hackneyed TV police dramas - not by any stretch of the imagination! It was never about a crime and how the crime was solved and how the culprits were punished and how the victims get their justice! The critics or bloggers who say that were simply lazy -- they did not try to understand that the police background was used simply to portray the interaction between two people whose lifelong relationship and friendship was the real subject of Keith Huff''s intense play. What a refreshing way to paint character portrayal and behavior!


Personally, I enjoyed this memorable evening at the theatre! Would I still have had the same level of compulsion to see it as many times had Hugh Jackman not been in it -- maybe not, but I would still have remembered the intense attention that it would have drawn from me, because I have always liked character portrayals! I think this is one aspect of the theatre ( rather than movies) which is appealing to me -- I can sympathize with the characters more if I were part of the audience to whom their stories are being told.


Character Development - "Back to Back!"

The focus of the story is on Denny and how a series of events, with their increasingly tragic impact on his life, led to his downright spiral at the end. Initially, we see a cocky alpha male, self-satisfied with his acquisitive lifestyle, proud of his being provider and protector of his family ( and even the prostitute he was involved in), best mate of his childhood friend Joey, but a police officer accused of not being politically correct and accepts mild corruption as his due as a beat cop! He probably typifies a law enforcer who thinks himself beyond the law, where the commonly- defined duty of "serving and protecting" applies to himself and not to others in the community he serves. In a sense, he was straddled in the fine line between what is right and what is wrong.
.
The series of events provoked by his personal involvement with a prostitute he tried to set up with his friend Joey led from one tragic occurence to another. How he reacted after each event unfolded seemed very predictable, given his character. At the end, when he decided to end his life, he was at the end of his rope. The question is did he commit suicide out of despair or was it his last act to safeguard his family? Was it a noble act, albeit under unheroic circumstances?

His relationship with Joey since childhood sets the structure for the story-telling and narration of events. One must understand that they were not just cops who shared a beat and who felt unduely bypassed for promotion in their careers. They were lifelong buddies - where Denny acted almost like an the older brother and Joey the younger one who provoked conscience pangs in Denny. Denny did bully Joey but it seemed borne out of brutal affection for him.

On the other side of the coin, Joey plays the Narrator - recounting the series of events and their impact on Denny and their relationship. We do see the story from this perspective, although in the narration of events, fleshed out by their individual recollections, we might see some inconsistencies in perspectives.

As mentioned earlier, Joey's costume denoted that what was unfolding onstage was actually a retelling of what actually happened. Joey was dressed in plainclothes with a detective badge on his belt, which seemed to signify that he has now been promoted to detective level. Denny seemed to have been dressed in the clothes when he was under suspension. Joey eventually confirmed at the end that what we saw onstage happened three months before...when Denny died.

Joey had always admired and followed Denny, much like how a younger boy follows an admired elder kin or friend. He was a shadow of Denny, not exactly emolating him but he valued the friendship more than anything else. He was not, as suggested by some reviews, a loser who was constantly bullied by his friend. But he has led a fairly lonely life and was a recovering alcoholic and Denny was helping him in the rehabilitation process. I did wonder what led him to being an alcoholic. He did have a career and he was not unattractive. Were there dark depths in his character not previously referred to? Of course, as the play came to its climax, there were some indications that he had nurtured certain thoughts maybe right from the beginning? Has he ever been always in love with Denny's wife? Had he envied Denny's life? Had he always, even from childhood, always wanted what his friend had? Nothing earlier in the script suggested that...but I did wonder why he turned to alcohol.

At the end, when Denny commited suicide, one wondered if that was an act of despair or actually a noble act of providing for his family in the best way he could. He knew that his career and his life would be in tatters after killing the person who threatened his family and that he could even be dying from the wound he had suffered, so why not find a way to save his family all the grief and knowing that Joey would be around, he knew that Connie and the kids would be safe and loved.

I also thought Denny loved Joey. You could feel it in their relationship ...and you could see that he forgave him for his and his wife's indiscretion. Joey was his younger brother! I really loved that scene, when after a verbal altercation, there was this very long silence between two friends trying to feel out how to re-establish the familial bond. Then Denny starts talking to Joey as if nothing happened. How very true to life that scene was!

When they say " Back to Back!", that one phrase captures their relationship! On an aside, I am reminded of what Victor Creed said as he stood with Jimmy Logan when they faced Deadpool atop the tower...Towards the end, Joey reminds Denny that they continue to be back to back in facing life, and here I felt very emotional!

The Plot

The story revolved on how Denny's life started to downspiral when he and the pimp-character associated with the prostitute he got involved in became real antagonists. The shooting of his child and destruction of his home life set the pattern of more violence, to which Denny was indubitably involved in. Complicating this situation was a wrong judgement call when he and Joey responded to a late night call of a neighborhood disturbance. This led to their suspension, which further made Denny feel a growing sense of injustice. So much so that he seemed to have lost his sense of perspective, so long as he is able to avenge what has happened to his ideal home life. In the end, he was so emotionally and mentally distraught that there seemed to be only one way out.

In all these, Joey was the bystander who cared about his friend...who tried to be his conscience...and who provided the safe anchor for Denny's family. Unwittingly or was it devised, this led to Joey and Connie finding solace in each other. In the end, Joey felt that because he loved and cared for Denny's family, that they ultimately belonged to him. With some degree of horror, the audience begins to appreciate that Joey has developed a sense of entitlement to what Denny had - his family and his homelife. Was this betrayal of the highest degree? I was horrified...but understood why it happened. And when Denny in the end seemed to have graciously given his friend the nod to care for his family when he is gone, that made it seem alright.

There are role reversals in the end! Denny was initially the anchor who lost his bearings and Joey became the new family provider! Denny became more embittered and lost his own sense of importance. Joey developed a strong sense of entitlement as he became the stronger of the two friends...Although Denny seemed to have redeemed himself when he ironically took a way out of his family's and Joey's lives!

Other Production Values

Not expecting much, it was quite impressive to see the film noirish sets, hear the beat of the sound/music that lent a more sinister air to the drama, and appreciate the period-accurateness of the costumes. I think we might see some dark horse nominations there.


The Actor's Medium and Performances

The stage has always been said to be the actor's medium, his realm. Very much like a director, whose medium is film.

The way the play was constructed was the two characters mostly addressing the audience and talking about what happened, while indirectly revealing what kind of characters they portray. And in a few choice moments, the actor/narrator acted out some of the narration ( sometimes comical, other times quite dramatic, and towards the end, very emotional).

The role of Denny is the more nuanced role, because of the wider range and because the steady rain of tragic events was all about him. Thus Hugh Jackman's performance was given the gift of showing the whole range of emotions. And Hugh delivers the role in a truly outstanding manner! His cocky male portrayal at the beginnning, punctuated by many scenes of perfect comedic timing, not only made the audience enjoy the lighter moments but also was very revelatory of the character of Denny. It was beautiful to see the stark contrast he provided with the seemingly innocous character of Joey ...Hugh's facial expressions ranged from playful ( see that teasing grin and that amused lift of the eyebrow) and cocky, to self-righteous, intense, angry, regretful, caring, despairing, almost noble at the end -- all the gamut of emotional upheavals!

As his character started its decline to a mental and emotional wreck, Hugh's portrayal gives the audience an increasing sense of horror of how the end might look like for his character. His anger fits, his emotional decline, and his mental lapses were almost horrifying to behold.

When he reached the peak of his emotional breakdown, I felt so lucky to have sat at such a close range - as I could see all the facial expressions that portrayed his feelings and state of mind. His face flushed and his neck veins became more prominent...and the tears welled in his eyes...and eventually coursed down his cheek. It was unbelievable to have seen that happen all the time I had seen a performance - a total of 5 times! It was so emotionally disturbing!

The role of Joey is more inocuous at the start...but builds up to someone who became more self-assured and even with a growing sense of entitlement. ...But he was more like a narrator of the story, someone who had a more detached impact on the audience, although he had been the object of Denny's playful bullying and concern.

Daniel Craig is very effective in the role of the gentler Joey. But I felt it was a more passive character whose acting arc did not provide much in terms of how the role is delivered, emotionally-speaking. Thus I felt that Daniel was basically hampered by a rather one-note nature of his role. He ranted softly, he ranted in a moderate tone, and then he ranted on a higher decibel. Or rather told his part of the story in such a manner. It was only in the end, when he became a betrayer of his friend's loyalty, that you could see the consummate actor in Daniel Craig! From mouse to rat! From the friend who became the Cain in the relationship - who broke the 9th and the 10th commandment! That is the beauty of Daniel's performance arc!

This is such an effective dramatic duet that one gets a feeling that they were acting in concert all the time, that if one had been less effective than the other that the acting pas de deux breaks down. Perhaps the show's logo of two faces melding into each other sums up not just the storyline but the acting virtuosity of this one-act play.

If acting awards became the issue, it is my belief that perhaps the TONY people should start thinking along the lines of perhaps a joint award? I had also seen Jude Law's interpretation of Hamlet and I do agree with Ben Brantley's description that it was a hyperkinetic performance and lacking in the reflective aspects one associates with the role. Of course there is no comparison when one is talking about arguably the most popular character in the work of the best dramatist of all time! But I think the much greater challenge was what was thrown Hugh and Daniel's way -- to bring to life two characters whose story-telling abilities initially camouflaged and then unveiled the whole depth and breadth of their deceptively simple but really complicated inner selves. It was like breaking the fourth wall all the time by engaging the audience to create the world with them, and showing that audience their very accessible characters despite the harsh and harrowing spotlight focused on them all the time.

Let me also add that the play direction was excellent as the pace of the piece kept the audiences thoroughly engrossed and interested on how the denouement will ultimately unravel. Kudos to John Crowley!

A final word

These are simply my reactions to the drama that I had seen - there is no intention to criticize, but simply to share what went through my mind as I saw the play a number of times.

Had I been able to memorize the play - No! I was too busy appreciating the characters portayed to remember all the words they said. LOL!

If I could have broken the fourth wall, towards the actors, I would have joined them in their conversations, too! I would have wanted to sit in that room and asked them a few questions, post-performance. How did they internalize the characters of such common life stereotypes when both of them were larger-than-life actors? Acting must be such a fascinating profession!

It is my favorite portrayal by Hugh Jackman of a dark subject where he is not necessarily the heroic lead! Very fascinating and captures his very nuanced acting range. Maybe how he portrays Keller Dover takes from among his previous acting performances of dark roles and maybe the role of Denny has partly inspired later portrayals? That a man can change ...

I have noticed that the play continues to be staged up to now in many venues around the USA - small stagings of short durations, even a return to the Chicago Dramatists Theatre with the original cast, and even outside the USA. There must be something fascinating in the subject and its treatment.

There is a slim volume publishing the entire play by Keith Huff. I got mine from Amazon.

I still have a lingering wish that at sometime in the future the producers will finally greenlight the film project and that we will see Hugh and Daniel back under the glare of the investigating room spotlight as Denny and Joey

Jo

[jo]

Someone has posted the query on the IMDB Movie Awards board on whether Hugh Jackman could be a possible contender for acting honors ( Best Actor) this coming season --

www.imdb.com/board/bd0000005/nest/214640367?p=1


The thread meanders to other topics, but at least someone has put the question on people's minds.

I did respond, of course


Jo

[jo]

Someone on IMDB reports that there will be an advance or test screening in California today. If true, I hope we can get reports on the reaction to the film.

www.imdb.com/title/tt1392214/board/nest/214818133


Jo

[jo]

The Opening Poster was at the screening.

Here are what he was able to share --

Re: Early screening today
by MovieCriticMarvelfan 10 minutes ago (Tue May 21 2013 00:24:30) Ignore this User | Report Abuse

UPDATED Tue May 21 2013 00:26:25

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'll speak in general non-spoiler terms (which won't violate the terms, plus my user id isn't registered to my real email or name): I thought the movie was good-performance wise-excellent, excellent performances all around definitely the movie's strong suit... the central "theme" of the movie I thought they did great. That's it.

"Excellent performances all around definitely the movie's strong suit!"

"the central "theme" of the movie I thought they did great"


Very promising! Hope Hugh is a standbout!

Jo

[jo]

From Twitter --

Nowseed‏@nowseed14m
Confirmado el trailer de Prisoners, nuevo filme de Denis Villeneuve (Incendies). Protagonizada por Hugh Jackman y Jake Gyllenhaal.

Does this mean we will see a trailer soon? Maybe they just waited for the reactions to the test screening?

Its main competitor ( same day release - September 20), RUSH, the Formula One-racing movie has just released its second trailer.


Jo

[klenotka]

Rush was also finished much sooner than Prisoners. But I believe these two movies are for two different groups of people. I have no interest in seeing Rush (however, I really like Chris Hemsworth) but I think nobody really expects huge BO from Prisoners OR Rush.

[jo]

Both are dramatic thrillers and are both mainly two-handers. It's true that PRISONERS is a suspense drama involving how individuals in a small town are affected by a suspected kidnapping, in particular how the father of the kidnapped girl takes the vigilante route. PRISONERS also has its script reputation and the previous work of newbie director Denis Villeneuve to back up its casting attraction. RUSH is about the rivalry of two racers which reaches dramatic intensity with a world-famous accident during racing. But both films involve how two men play counterpoints to each other - so the male demographics could find common interest in both movies. Re box office -PRISONERS could find moderate box office success on the back of its stellar cast and maybe word of mouth. RUSH is of great interest to the racing community. I was just reading the thread on the largest Formula One message board (Atlas/Austosport) and the second trailer seems to have sparked much greater interest in the movie. The racing community worldwide TV audience is huge - supposedly, it is the second most-watched sports in the world ( which means hundreds of millions potential as movie audience). But Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl are NOT the attractions for them - it is the fascinating life of the late James Hunt and Niki Lauda ( who is still involved in the sports in some capacity). I do not know how the reputation of Ron Howard as its director ( he is known to be a great F-1 fan, though) will be a factor to this particular audience... To some extent, the two movies are not counterprogramming, but could actually draw similar audiences.

Btw, this weekend is THE weekend in the yearlong schedule of Formula One. It is the Monaco Grand Prix, called the jewel in the crown in F-1. It is not just the racing community which gathers there -- but all kinds of important people ( usually sponsors and other famous/rich people) and celebrities. It is the only race where one day is not devoted to racing practice ( audiences come to that one, too) but the day for sponsors meeting and for the community to get on its most celebrated party-hopping activities (even regular dinners are hard to come by, unless you have advance reservations). Last year, two fans were seen at the races -- Ron Howard and Michael Fassbender ( who was not promoting anything - he was just there for the race).

Jo

[jo]

There seems to be another indication that a first trailer is coming soon. It is the same film site which reported on the trailer rating for the recently-released trailer of The Wolverine.

www.albertafilmratings.ca/recentclasstrailers.aspx

Prisoners (trailer #1)

05/23/2013

2:23

Warner Bros. Entertainment

Jo

[jo]

On the other hand, there is another person ( who posts on the Awards Daily Forum) who was not that impressed with Hugh's performance, after seeing the test screening --

awardsdailyforums.com/showthread.php?32942-Best-Actor-May/page7

Originally Posted by Jeff Beachnau

So, I just saw a test screening for Prisoners. Not that he's bad, but I think it's quite safe to say you can cross Hugh off this list.


Um, AND...?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


05-21-2013, 03:32 AM#125
Jeff Beachnau
Senior Member
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 3,359


Well, it's one of those stupid "can't talk about the movie anywhere, blah blah blah" things, but PM me and I can tell you if you like.
But as it is, I'm not seeing any Osars noms for the movie.

However, during the focus group, when they asked if we found anything confusing, someone said they could have expalined some of Jake Gyllenhaal's backstory better, like why he always wore such tight shirts in the movie, and i wanted to chime in and say "that's for this one guy I know".

Earlier on this thread, the IMDB poster who also saw the test screening said that " excellent performances were the movie's strong suit" and he did not exclude Hugh categorically in that assessment. Who to believe?

Although when I was trawling through the Awards Daily forum prior to the Oscar nominations, I was getting the feeling that it was like a club and that they liked only certain actors. Some were still disdainful of Hugh's potential to get a nod for Les Miserables, even when the nods were just about to be announced. They only like relatively young actors like Gosling, DiCaprio, Cooper, Fassbender, Bale, the usual suspects :rolleyes: ...and of course the oldies like Clooney, DeNiro, etc... Take a look at the current poll and it seems that Matthew McConaughey ( sp?) is the flavor of the month because he chose to lose some 30 lbs or so in his next movie.

I guess I will wait to see at least the trailer to get a feel of Hugh's acting in this one.

Jo

[Jamie]

May 24, 2013 19:15:50 GMT -5 jo said:

On the other hand, there is another person ( who posts on the Awards Daily Forum) who was not that impressed with Hugh's performance, after seeing the test screening --

Although when I was trawling through the Awards Daily forum prior to the Oscar nominations, I was getting the feeling that it was like a club and that they liked only certain actors. Some were still disdainful of Hugh's potential to get a nod for Les Miserables, even when the nods were just about to be announced. They only like relatively young actors like Gosling, DiCaprio, Cooper, Fassbender, Bale, the usual suspects :rolleyes: ...and of course the oldies like Clooney, DeNiro, etc... Take a look at the current poll and it seems that Matthew McConaughey ( sp?) is the flavor of the month because he chose to lose some 30 lbs or so in his next movie.

I guess I will wait to see at least the trailer to get a feel of Hugh's acting in this one.

Jo

Jo

Having hung out and fought on AD all the way through Oscar season, I have to back up your opinion. For what ever reason Hugh is not their cup of tea. Some of the remarks were quite vicious. Not sure of the reason.

[jo]

Jamie,

Another message board where some people think it is a club and some members more equal than others is the IMDB MOVIE AWARDS board. There is a current thread which lists 2014 possibilities for Best Actor and Hugh's name was cited among them. However, one poster named Matt Fincher said it is just Oscar afterglow and cited the AD post. I posted a few things ( including the remarks from the Prisoners IMDB Page and the high regard for the script's top rating on the 2009 Black List) -- and then he says he can see from my posting history that I am a Jackman fan. Matt is a controversial poster on this board and he wants only his opinions to dominate in any discussions. I remember recently someone citing how he hated Les Miserables and was hyping Silver Linings Playbook like anything. Btw, he seems to be a bit patronizing...and even told me in his response that he actually likes Hugh :rolleyes:

www.imdb.com/board/bd0000005/nest/215038223?p=2


Jo

[jo]

Ha - he wants to have the last word :

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I would take The Black List with a grain of salt. I'm just saying the guy who posts on AD Forums goes to a lot of these test screenings and knows what will play with Oscar and what won't.

Yeah, the Black List only produced some excellent Oscar nods ( King's Speech and Social Network in the same year as Prisoners) -- he says he does not believe the Black List ( summary of ratings of the best unproduced scripts, as rated by producers and other Hollywood movers and shakers)...but would rather take some AD poster's opinion, who he says goes to a lot of test screenings. How does he know that the IMDB poster who gave a positive opinion on the performances for PRISONERS does not see many test screenings, too??

Yeah - "what will play with Oscar and what won't"! That is the understatement of the year. AMPAS has already blotted its many fans's scorebooks ( moi, included) because it is the biggest club of them all! You are in, not necessarily because you gave the best performance, but because they "like" you and you are "old boys' club".

I could go on arguing with him -- but I do not want to sound defensive about Hugh and how he was robbed of the Oscar last year. Matt Fincher lives for this message board -- I would like him to think that his opinions are "iron-clad" and "superior" :rolleyes:... And so that he does not diss Hugh out of spite! LOLOL!


Jo

[jo]

Now we are making comments on RUSH on the IMDB Board - again, Matt Fincher has his views. I was too naughty -- and responded because I do have 17 years of following Formula One motor-racing behind me ...and knows the history of and between James Hunt ( the non-conformist and playboy type) and Niki Lauda ( the more famous one and had the most famous racing accident in motor racing history)- even if they were racing each other before I started following F-1

I am going to stump Matt F because he might find out that I am also as big a fan of F-1, just as I am a big fan of Hugh Jackman -LOL! I even posted how I had seen Niki Lauda, years after his accident ( he still bears the burn scars on his face and head to this day), coming out of Hotel de Paris in Monaco in 2001. Lol - my nephew ( with whom I had attended all three races I have been to) was trying to keep track of all the fabulous cars picking up or unloading hotel guests ( he said there were more than 40 Ferraris and quite a few more exotic and more fab other cars) while "Hollywood-struck" moi was waiting to see Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones emerge from the hotel. Instead the commotion involved Niki Lauda coming out of the hotel. Btw, I just saw Michael Douglas during the Qualifying session yesterday at the Monaco Grand Prix ( he is a great fan and goes practically every year).

Jo