Kristina
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hummingbird2 |
"Pop Star on Ice" Angel reviews here |
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I'm starting a new thread for this. If you want to wait and wait and wait for some surprises, just read the professional reviews. Otherwise, all details
will be shared in this thread. I'm so sorry that people were waiting up last night for my comments. After the film and the Question and Answer period, and
talking with David and James, Martha and I got in her car and drove back to her house in Portland, arriving about midnight, where I spent the night. I just got
home from my 3-hour drive from Portland and will post in a few minutes - after I do a couple of things in my garden that can't wait as they have to be
accomplished before the normal afternoon winds come. So hang on just a little bit longer.............
Kristina
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hummingbird2 |
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OK, now the hammock has been scotch guarded and my flowers are safe from deer for another week. And don't even start on me about how the deer
need to
eat - there's plenty without them eating my columbine, bleeding hearts, shooting stars, delphinium, lilacs, and Indian paintbrush.
Before the film began, the moderator I guess you could call her, from the Festival brought James and David up to the stage to introduce them. They said a few words, glad-to-be-there-and-hope-you-enjoy-it-sorts-of-remarks, and then it began. The theatre was already quite dark but then the room was darkened. It started with a couple of minutes of "ads" for the festival and a preview of a French foreign language film, and then....... after knowing James and David for three years and watching them work on this film, it was finally time to view their masterpiece! The short "teaser" that you've already seen is the beginning of the film, and then it cuts to Johnny in casual clothes reading the last of the quotes so you realize it's been him reading all of them. There some lovely opening of his skating in practice rinks wearing black pants and different solid shirt colors that just goes from one to the other, and then the film starts in 2005, with Johnny talking to the camera. This is our introduction to Johnny, and because I didn't take notes (nope, sorry, I was just going to be immersed in the film) I probably won't get everything in the right order, so please forgive my poor reporting. The film uses a graphic timeline device because later it goes backwards in time to show Johnny's legendary beginnings when J goes back to visit his old home in PA. We see the actual iconic cornfield! In my mind, it had always been very flat, but in fact it was on a slope!!! |
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hummingbird2 |
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BTW I'm doing more than one post not to increase my post count, LOL, but because it's going to be long and more than once in the past I've lost a
long post by tricky fingers pushing a wrong button!
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hummingbird2 |
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Ha ha, how can there be 127 views of this thread already, when I haven't even finished? I guess you'll know I'm done when I sign my name, LOL! Just
read the icenetwork review so I don't have to repeat things that are there.
There are four Angels in the film - myself, Casey, Sue Anderson (MattysMom), and Nancy (of ankle tatoo fame). I know that others were interviewed at various times, and I can't speak for why more weren't included - but the quotes are all short and to the point. At least we are included in the same film as the professional skaters! I love the scene where Johnny is moving into his new apartment in NJ. It's clean and modern - for some reason in my mind he was in an older building - but he has 13 wardrobe boxes that are all marked. One is marked "Furs - brown, tan." Another is marked "shoes, reindeer hide." When J. visits his old elementary school, he appears to be very nervous, it almost feels like he is a gladiator going to enter the coliseum. And there are all these young kids, just sitting cross legged on the floor and clapping for him when he enters! He's very sweet with his first grade teacher, and when she hugs him and tells him he smells good, he tells her that "she does too, just like he remembers." She reminisces that even as a young kid Johnny spoke his own mind and did his own thing. The audience reacted very well, indeed they laughed at the right places, cringed at the right places, applauded at the end, and almost everyone stayed for the Q&A afterwards. My one word summary is that the film is BEAUTIFUL. It made me laugh and made me cry, and I could really relate to what David said afterwards, that sitting there watching it was like having my life for the past years flash by me.... The Q&A was limited by the fact that there was another film showing after ours. People were interested in how the guys got such access to J. and they talked about becoming friends with him before they really started shooting, which helps make it seem like the camera is just another person in the room - that's how intimate the film feels. They were asked if Johnny had seen the film and his reaction, and the answer was that he has watched it many, many times and loves it - and sometimes makes them watch it with him! The rap song from the other trailer plays during the credits. James and David were looking great, seemed very happy. There WILL be a dvd available, with a dvd of "extras" but James couldn't promise when that would be out. For any of you who have met the guys, James has let his hair grow out long and it's gorgeous! Kristina
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pippa |
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Thank you, Kristina, for the wonderfully detailed review!
Pippa
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maryjane |
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Thank you very much, Kristina! It was very interesting!
alexspade.livejournal.com
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salfy |
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I assure you, I would have posted last night after the premiere if I'd had access to the Internet. My hotel's service was completely down to the point
where they were unable to charge people's credit cards. And now that I'm home--yeah, I'm the woman from Minnesota--my home connection went on the
fritz and I had to undo wires and connectors to get back online. So, aside from having a nice morning and afternoon in Seattle, seeing the sights and shopping
a bit, I went to the Egyptian Theater at 6:00. There was a line outside already, but friendly folks told me to claim my pre-purchased ticket inside first.
Amazingly, the couple who shared my three-seat row at St. Paul Nationals were already in line! So I got my ticket and then chatted until the theater was open
for seating.
I was told that the Egyptian used to be a Masonic hall, explaining some of the decor. I sat with my friends and was tapped on the shoulder, so to speak, several minutes later by Kristina and Martha. The film? I was very impressed. I've only seen one segment of the Japanese DVD Johnny Be Good; I can't make a complete comparison with Popstar, but I'm so pleased with the editing and editing and editing that James and David performed on their hundred hours of tape. (Yes, the DVD extras should be fun when it's released.) Popstar doesn't assume that the viewer knows much about Johnny or even elite level skating, and lures one in with humor and audacity--why is this young man saying these things and why do the authority figures (commentators, officials, pro skaters) praise him or roll their eyes? And then the film recounts Johnny's skating career in mostly chronological order, using the occasional flashback to attempt to explain why his natural talent is so immense and why he has had failures in addition to his successes. Kristina has nicely listed the general flow of the film--and it does flow. (It would be a shame to see it with commercial interruption, but that's true of just about everything.) The non-skating fan finds out succinctly what the skater has to perform and when: for the 2:50 and 4:40 skates there are these many required elements and they are no longer scored by the 6.0 system but by COP. And now here's all the hard work and dedication and training and falls it takes to make the magic happen year after year--and even if it's a bad season and Johnny isn't connecting to the routines or to Priscilla's coaching or to whatever, there still was a lot of work to even try. Johnny admits that there were times when he wasn't committed totally and the eventual switch to Galina is logical in hindsight. And through it all there's the constancy of his family's love, his friendships, and his sense of fun. Fan reaction is mentioned a few times, and the Angel appearances from the Spokane Nationals work well with the narrative. I think the audience reaction was great and David and James must have been pleased with the reaction. Thanks, Kristina, for a personal introduction to them. Of course I've seen them at several events, but they're usually in gear, working and uninterruptable. Popstar works well whether you're a fan or not. I hope all of you get to see it as soon as humanly possible. Now I should make sure I have something to wear to work tomorrow morning, turn the heat on because it's a lovely 45 degrees on the shores of Lake Superior tonight, and catch up on some sleep. Two days flying and one day having fun in Seattle can be tiring. Joyce |
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mspatti |
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Thank you for your wonderful reviews. I appreciate how hard it is to be engrossed in a film then have to pull out the sense of what it was like as well as the
details a few hours later when it really hasn't had a chance to sink in...especially with all of the traveling, hotel glitches etc that you guys
experienced. We were all waiting anxiously and you came through!
Having read your take on this and some other reviews as well, it seems that James and David genuinely like and appreciate Johnny and have portrayed him honestly, fairly and with great affection . That being said, although I want to see the skating and the interviews with Evan, Stephane etc., I cannot wait to see the scene with the blond wig in that lovely bathtub. It has to be worth the price of admission all by itself.
Last Edited By: mspatti
05/25/09 10:22 PM.
Edited 1 times.
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hummingbird2 |
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James and David had been long time figure skating fans before they ever met Johnny, as well as being professional film makers. They shared with the audience
last night that they had started to work on some other documentary about figure skating, but noticed that when Johnny entered the media room, all the press
flocked to him to see what he would say. They realized then that they had been working on the wrong film, and approached Johnny about working with them. They
spent several months just getting to know him before they actually started filming.
I also wanted to mention that the soundtrack of piano music is really lovely and just perfect in every way. Kristina
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twizzle |
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It sounds so cool. Thank you so much ladies for your reviews. I would give my teeth to see it soon and to see our 4 Angels' parts in the film!
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alilou |
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Kristina I knew you'd be there!
Thanks for the great review. I was reading the reviews on FSU and thought I had to come here next and then you posted the link. Can't wait to see this movie - though I'm going to have to |
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stefarbalova |
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Thank you so much for the wonderful reports, Kristina and Joyce!!!
![]() 's
I can't wait to see the movie! Sounds totally amazing!
Stef
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pairsskater |
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hummingbird2 wroteKristina or Joyce...can you clarify? Is it just because of what Evan said, plain and simple, or was there editing that made his comments seem negative? Or was it not his comments, just his attitude? I can imagine he pales in comparison to Johnny, during press conferences, interviews etc. As you know, I'm no Evan fan...but just wondering.
Joanne
...Keeper of Johnny's changing hairstyles |
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momjudi |
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Kristina or Joyce, someone on Golden Skates said there were parts of the movie that they did not feel were appropriate for children, do you agree and if so,
which parts?
****Keeper of Johnny's friendly rivalry with Evan****
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aloysia |
re: inappropriate content | ||
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Also being at the premiere, my guess is they may have been referring to the 40 seconds or so of Johnny and Paris sharing a bubblebath, which I thought could
have been omitted without affecting the film. I don't know if this is proper etiquette for this board, and I apologize if it is not, but my review appears
here:
http://www.icenetworkincrowd.com/topic/223/t/Pop-Star-On-Ice-Review.html
Last Edited By: aloysia
05/26/09 5:33 PM.
Edited 1 times.
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salfy |
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pairsskater wrote:Most of Evan's talking was done at Spokane, possibly at St. Paul, when he was lead by the way the questions were asked into comparing himself with Johnny as if they are direct polar opposites. Think the height of the Evan vs. Johnny media feud. The "Oh, I'd be a much different gold medalist than Johnny in the way I'd promote the sport" remarks. His remarks were appropriate to the material in the film. (Boy, I wish I had to DVD to clarify further.) |
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pairsskater |
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Oh yeah, I remember those comments now. Thanks, Joyce. I think I get it!
aloysia wrote: Also being at the premiere, my guess is they may have been referring to the 40 seconds or so of Johnny and Paris sharing a bubblebath, which I thought could have been omitted without affecting the film. I don't know if this is proper etiquette board, and I apologize if it is not, but my review appears here: Thanks, Aloysia for your review. I have a question: Why do you think the bubble bath scene could or should have been left out? I've read other reviews and many people thought it was very funny. Was it sort of crude humor? Or just 2 guys in tub a bit inappropriate? And finally, I am getting freaking tired of reading reviews!! (note to all who have shared---Thank you, I'm just frustrated) I want to SEE this movie!
I may have to get on plane.
Joanne
...Keeper of Johnny's changing hairstyles |
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aloysia |
Reply to pairsskater and one other thought | ||
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First, the other thought. With the interest being generated and the number of Johnny's fans worldwide, and while I accept the concept of summer film
festivals, if the object is to have as many people enjoy this film as possible and make a little money, why not securely distribute it online somehow and
charge the price of a ticket? I guess attendance at the festivals would drop, however!
Now to try to answer the question about why I said I thought the bathtub scene could have been omitted without affecting the film negatively. It just seemed inconsequential compared to absolutely everything else in the film, in my opinion. It was just an opinion. I don't think it was crude, or that two friends can't enjoy talking in a bathtub, I just couldn't see the importance or relevance to the movie. It didn't serve to strengthen the portrayal of the bond of friendship between Johnny and Paris because that had already been accomplished in the film. So I don't know why it was there, but it didn't seem important to me. Now that I think about it, it was funny, but that alone doesn't keep it from the editing floor for me. Oh yeah, and with digital, I guess there is no more editing floor. |
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twizzle |
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I liked your review aloysia. Thanks for the link. Maybe the bath scene was just for a little comic entertainment. Not really important to the film but just
fun. Alot of reviewers have mentioned it as a funny highlight.
I know how you feel Joanne. I loved the one reviewer who said that in a press conference Evan was holding forth about whatever and the camera panned over to Johnny who seemed almost asleep and then rolled his eyes like 'will it ever end?' That alone would be worth the plane ticket price. lol |
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icyvicky |
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I'd like to say "Thank you" to all the reviews and opinions!
I already loved the teaser and I can't wait to see the film! Sounds like a great and funny film - just like Johnny is! In the meantime I love to read everyone's reports!
Vicky
*Send my love to the angels* - Johnny |
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lalunablue |
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if Evan really did refer to Lambiel as "that Swiss guy", then that annoys me greatly... Lambiel is a 2 time world champ, olympic medalist and Evan
has been competing with him for years.... i know darn well that Evan knows him by name... sometimes it seems to me that Evan is trying to belittle other
skaters...
april
~*~ keeper of Johnny's serenity ~*~
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