I'm going to the premiere!

Good had its official UK premiere on 17 April, 2009; it is widely available on DVD and Blu-ray

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Angel Tavington
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Post by Angel Tavington » Mon Sep 08, 2008 9:18 am

This is amazing, thanks Kj! :woot

(can't wait for pics from the premiere!!!!!!!)





~me

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Post by fruitbat » Mon Sep 08, 2008 3:31 pm

Excellent, Gillian.
Have fun.
:woot :woot
(I'm still getting used to the smilies on this board.)
(Don't actually say "Woot, woot" if you see Jason. Unless you want to, of course. )

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Post by Chari910 » Mon Sep 08, 2008 10:04 pm

2 pics at Getty Images.

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Post by catloveyes » Mon Sep 08, 2008 10:23 pm

Oh Char...thank you for these and HE LOOKS GORGEOUS!!!!!

Hugs,
Kate

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Helen8
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Post by Helen8 » Mon Sep 08, 2008 11:50 pm

I'm gonna buy the guy a travel steamer! dagnabit!

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Post by Chari910 » Tue Sep 09, 2008 12:11 am

Jane posted at the FanZone. They did get to meet Jason and spoke with him. YAY!

http://jasonsfanzone.yuku.com/topic/134 ... /1/?page=9

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Post by Gillian » Tue Sep 09, 2008 12:22 am

I'm dog tired but all in all it was a great evening. We sat dead center in the very first row and had a great view as director Vincente introduced Viggo, Jason and Jodie Whittaker. Unfortunately the first row was probably not the best place to watch the film as I spent most of the movie with head craned back, but still, it payed off at the end when the cast came back for the Q&A.

I won't go into any more specifics now until tomorrow because it's almost 1:30 here, but special thanks go to Jane and her TIFF expertise. Without her I would've never made it to the stage door in time to meet Jason and get his autograph. Unfortunately my shots came didn't come out as well as I liked (rather dark actually), but I'll go through what I have and post the best that I find.

Until then ...

*zzzzzzzzzzzzzz*

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kjshd05
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Post by kjshd05 » Tue Sep 09, 2008 5:56 am

Gillian I am so happy for you...congrats on meeting Mr Jason, Jane
and seeing the movie, along with a question and answer session..
looking forward to your review, pics and thoughts on Mr Jason :woot

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Helen8
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Post by Helen8 » Tue Sep 09, 2008 12:12 pm

Gillian!! I'm so happy for you! Am dying to hear the details!


Char, the link didn't work. It went to a blank Quick Reply page at the Zone.

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Hilary the Touched
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Post by Hilary the Touched » Tue Sep 09, 2008 12:22 pm

:rave
CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!

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Post by Gillian » Tue Sep 09, 2008 11:21 pm

Sorry for the delay, guys. I got a little behind and everything snowballed.

Where to begin? Okay, so having arrived downtown, I parked the car and made my way up to the Elgin. The Elgin is actually two theatres in one -- The Winter Garden, which sits at the topmost level, and the Elgin located on the first level. It was a rather unusual setup that night because there were actually two premiere's going on -- Good, at the Winter Garden Theatre and Colin Firth's Easy Virtue, at the Elgin. Being that there wasn't much sidewalk space, the queue for both films had been combined into one, although it actually wasn't that bad when I arrived as it was still quite early in the evening. I walked on over and pulled out my cell, having arranged with Jane previously to call her so she could easily identify herself by giving a wave. Once that was done, introductions were made and Jane and I settled in for the wait. It wasn't too bad at that point weather-wise, as it was only cloudy and still quite mild, but that changed not long after when the skies opened up and everyone made a mad dash to extract and deploy their umbrellas. Jane and I made the best of it, exchanging small talk and bemoaning a group of Viggo fans (who'd suddenly showed up to join their friends in the line in front of us), waving off the occasional pan-handler or staring at some of Toronto's more *eccentric* characters as they passed by.

It was shortly after that we heard shouts and screams, and could just make out Viggo as he exited his limo and waved to the crowd. As I mentioned before, Viggo wasn't at all daunted by the rain. He responded immediately and made straight for the barriers across the road, signing autographs for the fans and getting soaked in the process.

Jane and I rather marvelled at this. He seemed to completely NOT care, being more concerned for them than his own personal appearance. As this was going on another limo pulled up, and though momentarily unable to see, the shouts of "Jason!" made it obvious as to who had appeared. Jason wasn't as adventurous as Viggo, but honestly I couldn't blame him at that point. It was absolutely PISSING rain. Instead, he opted for the shelter of the marquee where we eventually lost sight of him altogether.

After about another fifteen minutes we were let in, and as we filed through the doors we passed within a few feet of Jason, Viggo and Jodie being interviewed by the press. I was quite surprised by that. I didn't think we'd be in such close proximity, but I didn't have much time to think as Jane quickly picked up the pace in an effort to find the best seats. This was a production in itself. To get to the theatre you have to make your way up a circuitous route of stairs and escalators, and as it seemed to be about three levels up, I was almost winded by the time we arrived. Once there you're immediately struck by the ceilings. There is trompe l'oeil everywhere and faux foliage dangles from every available inch. It's quite extraordinary.

Jane and I made our way down to the front row and settled into the seats directly in front of the podium. It was then she pulled out the labels with the blue balloons and I tore off one half to stick on the shoulder of my black top. We had quite a good view but the stage itself sits about five feet off the floor, so consequently even though you're close, your still have to look up -- a decision I would regret a little during the film.

Anyway, the lights eventually dimmed and a man (who's name I forget but who's very much involved with the TIFF) came out and started to talk a little about the festival and "Good". One of the funnier highlights came while he was discussing the TIFF's anti-piracy measures, to which a group of people yelled out "ARRRGGGGHHHH!!!" in their best pirate voices. The whole place cracked up.

The first order of business was to introduce Vincente Amorim, who talked a little more before introducing the producer and rest of the cast. Miriam Segal was first, followed by Jodie, Jason and a somewhat damp but smiling Viggo Mortensen. Jason was dressed in his traditional black suit and shirt and looked extremely handsome and relaxed -- not at all tired like we've seen at some of these events. But I put that down Rhode Island's close proximity. With the introductions over, they immediately left the stage only to reappear out one of the side entrances and ushered into seats about half way up the theatre.

First up on screen, a short but bewildering trailer. I guess it was the TIFF's way to promote independent films and filmmaking, but whatev. It kind of put me in mind of the BAFTA's 60 Seconds of Fame. There was a brief dedication to Vincente's father (or grandfather?), another disclaimer about piracy (and more ARRRGGGHHHS!!!) and then ... Good!!

Okay, this is where it gets a little difficult. I quite enjoyed the movie. Some parts were a little slow but for the most part the actors turned in a great performance. The only problem was having to sit watching the entire movie with my head craned back, which made it very hard on my neck and ability to concentrate, so forgive this brief review.

I thought Viggo played Haldir with restrained conflict. There's almost a naivety about the way he consciously views what's going on around him, but his mother's dimentia, troubled marriage and failure to advance academically make for easy excuses when trying to answer to Maurice's suspicions and growing demands from the SS.

Jason as Maurice is the intellectual and emotional polar opposite of Haldir. He's honest, funny, sometimes vulgar (this brought about quite a few laughs from the crowd) and very vocal about what he sees happening within the Nazi Party. Though determined to stay ("I'm just as German as you are, Johnny."), Haldir's seeming indiference and the increased persecution of Jews makes him realize what he must do -- beg Haldir for help -- which he does with sad bitterness.

One surprise in this film -- Gemma Jones, Haldir's mother. There's a great pathos and humor about her senility. It's also interesting to see the parallels between her story and the Nazi's adoption of Haldir's work on compassionate euthanasia. Watch to see what I'm talking about.

There's also been mention of the music. Hilary brought this up too and there's been quite a bit of speculation about it. Mahler IS used, but it's done quite ingenuiously. Again, I won't give it away. You'll just have to see for yourselves.

Other than that, I won't say more for fear of spoiling it. Although not in my favorite top ten, it's a good watch and definitely thought provoking.

After the lights came up there was about 20 minutes of Q&A. Jason only spoke about once, (I think, I had to keep messing around with the camera) and that was to talk about his involvement. He's listed as Associate Producer in the credits and one of the audience members asked him "Why?". "They needed my money", he joked, but also to work again with good friend Mariam Segal and because he thought the project important. Viggo told an interesting story about the SS uniform he had to wear. It literally made him sick he said, like he was having an allergic reaction to it -- not to the material or anything in a physical sense, but in everything it represented. Very strange. Jodie was asked possibly the most convoluted question of all, to which she responded brilliantly. Gotta high-five out of Viggo for that. Very funny.

After it was done, Jane immediately knew which stairs to take to get us back down and close to the stage door. As we hit the street we passed within feet of Martin Landau. Very cool. Once at the stage door, it was only a matter of minutes before the cast came out. Jodie was first and headed straight for the limo. Viggo was next and spent a few minutes talking with folks and signing autographs. And then came Jason. There was quite a crush of people that I feared we would never get close, but Jane and I managed to inch our way through until Jane was close enough that she could get Jason's attention. It was quite funny actually. I don't know if he saw the calendar or the label she was wearing with the blue balloons first, but all of a sudden his eyes lit up and he said, "Oh. hello! Where'd you get that from!?" Or something like that. As he was signing, Jane reached around and gestured for me. She turned to Jason and mentioned that I was there also, to which he turned to me and said "Hello!". I handed him my Percy pic (Finally! After 4 1/2 years I get one signed!) and said, "It's nice to meet you, Jason!" Sadly, this encounter was very brief. He only signed one more autograph before rushing off to catch his limo, but I did get to say goodbye to Viggo Mortensen as he was sitting in the limo with the window down.

Whew!!

Oh!! Then as we were turning to leave, there was a bit of a commotion coming from just up the street. It was Colin Firth leaving from his premiere! He didn't hang around to sign any autographs, but I did manage to snap off one horribly blurred photograph. (It's terrible Jane, really. It doesn't even look much like him. But I'll send it off soon.)

And that's my adventure. Sorry it's so long. I guess I had to make up for all the other premiere's I've missed.

Anyway, here's a few snaps. Sorry for the quality, but it's the best I could do.



Outside at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre ...

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The entrance ...

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The introductions ...

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A rather relaxed looking JI ...

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Jason at the podium ...

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Viggo and his big-a$$ed orb ...

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A rather stunned looking JI at the stage door. (Sorry dude, but it's the only close-up I've got!)

Image

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kjshd05
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Post by kjshd05 » Wed Sep 10, 2008 6:36 am

thanx Gilian for your pics, review of Good, and taking the time and effort
to travel to Toronto...

I am also very happy for you, finally meeting Mr Jason :woot

thanx also to Jane for her help and support

digital cameras always create orbs...the flash is in too close of a
proximity to the lens...since it was raining that nite, the orb you see
is moisture (or dust)...unless it occured while Viggo was talking about
his reaction to the SS uniform he was wearing...LOL

great to have you back...

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Post by Chari910 » Wed Sep 10, 2008 6:43 am

Congrats and thanks for the long review, Gillian..Of course the longer the better, making me feel like I was there also. (I wish I could!). It was great to be able to see all the casts, the Q&A...

It probably hit him later...'That was GILLIAN!' ..if he heard Jane at all with all the screaming in the background.

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Post by Hilary the Touched » Wed Sep 10, 2008 7:58 am

AAAaaaaaahhhh.

That's better!!!!!
SO glad you made it!! I'm sorry you didn't get more time in closer proximity--it's pretty overwhelming, isn't it?

(Iffen I was JI, I might've had to go beltless, 'cause, damn. Also if you're going to be on a stage elevated 5 feet above your spectators, maybe it would be cooler not to wear a miniskirt :shock: )

Thanks for your comprehensive report, and all the atmospherics, so we could vicariously enjoy it all!

Angel Tavington
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Post by Angel Tavington » Wed Sep 10, 2008 8:06 am

Thanks for the pics and review, I really enjoyed reading it.
It's nice that you finally met Jason ;-)




~me

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