REMINISCENCE : Promotion and Release (SPOILER ALERT)

[jo]

[jo]

Among today's news headlines --

USA TODAY
USA TODAY
1 million Florida buildings will be overrun by sea-level rise by 2100, study shows
Story by Jim Waymer, USA TODAY NETWORK • Yesterday 5:12 PM

Very far into the future -- but Lisa Joy's story predicted such a thing happening.

Jo

[jo]

Some behind the scenes with Hugh Jackmam, from an interview with Lisa Joy by The Hollywood Reporter --

What day on the Reminiscence set would you like to relive in the reminiscence machine?

I loved so many days. It would be really hard to choose just one, but I can tell you the elements that always moved me because there are always these small little things. The first day of set before we shot anything, I was still pinching myself with incredulity that this was happening, and there’s a piano in Saint Joe’s. The fight scene at Saint Joe’s had gotten moved up; it was supposed to be much later in the schedule, so we all had to prep for what is one of the hardest things to film straight away. So as I was watching everybody move through the room, I sat on this old dinky piano and played the Leonard Cohen version of “Hallelujah.” (Laughs.) And it was this strange, surreal music video in my head as I watched them while listening to the song. It’s that magic that happens when people believe in something together, when you’re really in something with people. I would feel it when the actors would get excited about something that they discovered together or something that they had unlocked in each other in a performance. And they’re each such perfectionists. They would go again and again, and you could just feel that click when they were happy. So I was always happy when they were happy because they’re so hard on themselves.

And I have what I call the Hugh Jackman take. I’d give any notes and any thoughts that I had, but since he’s so versatile and prepared, it was always that last take where I said, “Now do whatever the hell you want.” So he would assimilate everything that he learned, and every single time, he would give the best take of the whole thing. He’s so brilliant. Hugh Jackman doesn’t leave set between takes, even though he must be exhausted after I’ve just been waterboarding him for ages. (Laughs.) He wants to be there to motivate and galvanize the crew out of solidarity, and those are huge blessings. And as you talk about character with Rebecca or Thandiwe, you understand, even without speaking explicitly, that there’s an understanding of where these people are coming from as women. There’s this shared well that they were drawing from, and they understood the intention behind what I was saying and the subtext. So we were tapping into the same thing.

And then there’s Hugh Jackman singing “Singin’ in the Rain” while I played the piano on a different sunken set with a piano. (Laughs.) And between takes, I just got to be with people I love. When you’re filming, before you roll, the cameras are focused on people, and you see the loaders and the gaffers all wandering around set on this screen. And I always wished that I could roll on that because that’s the life and the whole ecosystem of collaborators that comes together behind the scenes. And those people with their faces pressed up, rubbing the lens, they make the magic happen, and they do it in a way where they don’t get all of their praises sung in this public way. But holy shit, they are just the most incredible collaborators in every way, and I always have a montage set to “Hallelujah” when I see their faces in the lens.

One would sometimes think that Hugh Jackman is completely at home... only when he is treading the boards on Broadway...

but it seems he has also learned to appreciate filmmaking ( see the paragraph beginning with "And I have what I call the Hugh Jackman take")

I think initially as a film actor, he was a little disconcerted by the pace of filmmaking ( not shot in sequence)-- but has now become more in tune with how each filmed sequence fits in to the overall storytelling pace.

I think since he is likely the only major actor who is very rich in experience in both the stage and the sound stage -- he should really share his experience and perspective via writing parts of his memoirs on the subject.

Jo

[jo]

And now -- Hugh Jackman vs Joy Behar!




If I heard it correctly, the trio ( Ryan/Shawn/Hugh and the writers), may instead make fun of Disney, Feige, even their ideas of DEI if they insist on the Disney stand on inserting DEI elements -- turn the table on them and make jokes of them in the planned reshoots.

Oh-oh--- can they really do that? Well, it's a Deadpool movie -- so why ever not


Jo

[jo]

Mike Zeroh mentions that the 2nd trailer may be released soon -- some say in May - and will feature mostly Hugh Jackman!

About time!

Jo

[jo]

I often see social media suggestions to see REMINISCENCE (on streaming now or on home video).

Too bad the pandemic situation & the way WarnerBros implemented a release strategy that they have now discarded affected the box office prospects for this movie.

Hope this neo-noir will become a cult classic.

Jo

[jo]

A second chance for REMINISCENCE ( whose initial release was bungled by Warner Bros) --

Movies
Hugh Jackman’s 2021 Box Office Bomb Gets a Big Netflix Audience Post-Deadpool & Wolverine
August 20, 20243 Mins Read0 Views

Hugh Jackman’s 2021 Box Office Bomb Gets a Big Netflix Audience Post-Deadpool & Wolverine

Hugh Jackman has had quite a few box office successes over the course of his career. These range from one-offs like Real Steel and Les Misérables to his extensive tenure playing Marvel’s Wolverine in the X-Men franchise, including the genuine financial juggernaut (no mutant pun intended) that is Deadpool & Wolverine. There was also 2017’s musical The Greatest Showman, which netted a massive $435 million on a budget of just $84 million.


Unfortunately, the film that reteamed Jackman with his Greatest Showman co-star, Rebecca Ferguson, failed to make nearly as substantial an impact. That movie would be Westworld co-creator Lisa Joy’s 2021’s neo-noir sci-fi mystery thriller Reminiscence, which crashed and burned on the big screen, earning $16.4 million against a price tag of at least $54 million. It’s also one of the few movies to have just about the exact same reaction from critics and audiences alike, getting 36% from critics and 37% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. But, thanks to Netflix, it’s starting to gain the audience it deserves.

It’s not the first time Reminiscence has been on streaming. After all, it debuted simultaneously on HBO Max and in theaters. But this is the first time it’s started to really gain the appreciation that long-standing fans have always hoped it would receive. The film hit Netflix on August 6 and, according to FlixPatrol, by August 8 it had entered Netflix’s Top 10 movies on the domestic front.



What is Reminiscence About?

Reminiscence takes place in the future and follows Jackman’s Nick Bannister, a man who co-runs a business that helps clients relive their most treasured memories. This is done with the help of a machine, a machine that Bannister uses to try and find Mae, a missing former client with whom he developed an intimate connection. This has begun to distract from the business, much to the dismay of his partner, Watts (Thandiwe Newton).


Netflix’s Top 10 Lists Aren’t What You Think
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Things start to look up when Nick and Watts begin using their machine to help the state prosecution solve cases. This leads to new information about Mae, sending Nick down a rabbit hole that threatens to consume his mind and both his and Watts’ bank accounts. Reminiscence may not have scored financially or with critics, but it’s visually stunning and features standout performances from Jackman, Ferguson, Newton, and the always-reliable Cliff Curtis.


Reminiscence is just one of many odd movies to dominate Netflix, where poorly received films often end up succeeding as the most-watched titles. That’s also the case right now with Tom Cruise’s poorly received Jack Reacher movies, with the sequel being the most-watched movie on the site for nearly a week. Other supposedly ‘Top 10’ movies on Netflix include the derided Tarot, The Emoji Movie, and The Cat in the Hat (2003).