James Franco lit up the night by his sheer presence, a filmmaker had doubts about the quality of a film print, and the wine flowed generously as film buffs mingled at an LA TIMES screening of Danny Boyle's gritty drama - 127 Hours - ripped from the pages of recent headlines.
The event - presented under the auspices of the Envelope series sponsored by the daily - was the hottest ticket in town last night!
Film buffs were thrilled to get a glimpse of handsome actor James Franco - who trotted out for a Q & A session in casual jeans topped with a dress shirt replete with tails hanging out below the hem-line of a chic luxurious-looking sweater (a style statement gone by the wayside, James!) - after the credits crawled at the end of the Fox Searchlight Film production which has been garnering rave reviews from critics around the country in recent days.
Franco (who possesses a quiet sexuality which is a definite turn-on for his fans) was pretty down-to-earth last evening - and likewise - comfortable in the setting (often using his hands to punctuate his responses to queries fielded his way by moderator John Horn who is a writer at the Times).
In fact, at one point - the 127 Hours star was so at-ease - that he was inclined to pose a question to the screenwriter (Simon Beaufoy) to clarify a point or two.
Suddenly - after intuitively recognizing he may have been overstepping his bounds a tad - Franco half-turned in his seat to seek approval from Horn in the event he was out-of-line.
"Do you mind if I ask a question?"
"No. The bar is still open. I'll go and have a drink. You're doing fine," joked Horn to a roar of laughter from the rapt audience in the packed theatre.
For filmgoers, it was an intriguing night.
Shortly after the audience was seated an announcement was made that the filmmakers - at Fox Searchlight - were not happy with the print that ended up at the Landmark Theatre last night for the unveiling.
So, a decision was made to special-deliver a higher-quality print to the handlers at the movie house which would result in a delay of the curtain going up unfortunately.
At this juncture, the sponsors (Sapporo) invited ticket-holders to have a glass of wine or beer on the house in the Theatre's comfy upscale bar until the projectionist was ready to commence with the screening a short while later.
"Obviously Fox cares. That showed a lot of professionalism, in my opinion" one filmgoer gushed a scant few seconds later.
Another woman sashayed up to me at the busy bar and confided that she was interested in Franco starring in a project she and her associates were working on.
"But, now that he's starring in 127 Hours, it's doubtful we'll be able to afford James," she lamented woefully.
In the final analysis, the guests in attendance at AMC on the West Side last evening, ended up feeling like they were walking on air.
The project raised a couple of obvious questions for me.
Would Franco be able to carry a whole movie on his own?
The handsome performer recently received glowing reviews for his portrayal of Allen Ginsberg in "Howl" - but, to date - super stardom has managed to elude the talented matinee idol for want of a vehicle to propel him forward in the eyes of an industry where blockbuster ticket sales are paramount to landing big-picture deals.
Initially, I struggled with an obvious dilemma, when I first considered attending the premiere.
If I turned down the invite because the film was going to be an obvious "downer" (the main character in the intense drama is trapped in an isolated canyon and forced to later sever his arm to escape the clutches of impending doom-and-gloom) I would miss the opportunity to catch popular James Franco in the flesh (so-to-speak).
As it turned out, 127 hours was not a complete and utter bummer!
In his own inimitable way, director Danny Boyle succeeded in avoiding the obvious pitfalls - and as a result - fathomed up a gripping drama that ends up being a testament to the human spirit.
Basically, the seasoned pro - at the top of his game here - relied on the Holy Grail of movie-making (story-telling devices) - to lure in and captivate the audience.
In a less capable director's hands, the real-life cliffhanger would have been reduced to an exploitative tale about a man against the elements, struggling for survival in the wilderness.
Ho-Hum!
Hollywood pap, and a popcorn movie, in a nutshell.
Unfortunately, though, Boyle facilitated a handful of tired film techniques that tended to tear down the overall quality (and integrity) of the project.
In opening scenes, for example, the "Sunshine" director used a split screen for action shots which was old hat.
By Hollywood filmmaking standards, the stylistic technique is a stale one, that dates the director (and is partly his undoing as a result).
At times, 127 Hours borders on gimmickry, too, as Boyle (shame-faced?) attempts to jazz up the screen in a bold-faced attempt to appeal to a hip young audience during the run of the film during the all-important upcoming holiday and pre-Oscar season.
A dynamite soundtrack, for instance, is sure to cause a buzz and prompt sales at cash registers in music stores and on the Internet.
Initially, Aron Ralston - the author of the best-selling hardcover book (Between a Rock and a Hard Place) - was hell-bent on a documentary to best revisit the harrowing tale.
But, that notion was quickly pushed aside, by Boyle.
The respected director also took artistic license and deviated from the original published account of the travails of a hiker who eventually comes to learn from his dark night of the soul - first-hand - that no man is an island.
In the book, for example, the drama unfolded with a focus that shifted back-and-forth from the victim (alone in the desert fighting his demons) to rescue efforts being made on his behalf miles away once it was determined he was missing in Blue John Canyon in Utah.
Screenwriter Simon Beaufoy - a cerebral writer - underscored the importance of treating the material as a piece of fiction first and foremost.
"In this way, we were able to explore the emotional layers of truth."
"Otherwise, the main character would have been alone, just talking to a rock," he explained in so many words.
Boyle was adamant that he could shoot the project, in spite of the doubts of others, all around him.
"It's an impossible story to tell on film," was the general consensus from well-meaning critics.
Boyle simply responded with a mad-man's glee, according to Beaufoy.
Uh-huh.
A challenge!
The auteur is a bit of a wizard, alright, with an infectious grin.
Last year, I met Mr. Boyle on the red carpet in Dallas when Slumdog Millionaire premiered there.
Post: 11/08/08
http://ijulian.blogspot.com/2008/11/afi-festmatthew-modine-appears-in-black.html
There is something magical about the man that touches and draws folks in.
If anyone could accomplish the strenuous difficult task at hand, it was Boyle.
To prepare for the project, the visionary director drafted a 40 page outline for Beaufoy to digest, which set forth - in minute detail - his ideas about the filmmaking process to embark on in this particular circumstance.
Based on a gut instinct, Boyle was inspired to hire on two directors of photography - Anthony Dod Mantle (who worked on Slumdog Millionaire) and Enrique Chediak (The Good Girl) - for a couple of reasons.
For starters, Boyle liked to cover himself.
One camera-man's style may be preferable to another at any given moment - and the novel approach - had the potential to add some contrast or traction to scenes when needed or whenever possible.
Franco opined that the scheme didn't necessarily work out in one sense, but had unexpected results in another, which helped the actor considerably in achieving his goals in the acting department.
Because the DP's were using hand-held - state-of-the-art cameras - the cinematographers were able to capture the behaviour of the scene (zoom in-and-out spontaneusly without the necessity of taking breaks or setting up for lighting or framing individual shots) and thus capture Franco in a realistic seamless performance that astounds.
Unlike a documentary, Boyle was able to re-enact an in-your-face traumatic ordeal, and transform it into an authentic movie-making experience that ends up being a very gut-wrenching and real one audiences are forced to endure.
In the final analysis, Boyle traps the audience, too - at which point - they become party to the events and not just voyeurs on the outside looking in.
Franco, Boyle and Simon relied heavily on video-tapes Ralston filmed during the 5-day ordeal to get the story across.
"They were quite a document," according to Beaufor and Franco.
More on that subject in my upcoming movie review.
Stay posted!
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