British premiere of Hugo

[Steve Crook]

So is anyone else going to the British première of Scorsese's Hugo - along with Prince Charles & Camilla?

Now, where's the icon for a smug grin?

Steve

[julian_craster]

Be careful if Camilla places her hand on your knee - this is lady with a reputation....

[moonfleet]

Will everyone wear this kind of thing ??

[Steve Crook]

No doubt I'll have to fight her off, all dressed up in my finery I'll be an impressive sight

This will be this year's Royal Film Performance in aid of the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund. That's a tradition started by A Matter of Life and Death in 1946 and continued by The Battle of the River Plate in 1956 so it's fitting that a Powell (Thelma Schoonmaker-Powell) should be involved in a third one. It will be at the Odeon, Leicester Square which was where the AMOLAD première was held so we'll be walking in the footsteps of heroes

The lovely Natacha can't make it so I'll be accompanied by Polly Van Alstyne, the American lady I've been working with for the last 10 years or so. It'll be nice for her to meet some of her compatriots like Marty & Thelma.

Steve

[Steve Crook]

Will everyone wear this kind of thing ??

When the lovely Natacha & I visited Pinewood to see Hugo being made we were given the much cooler polarising 3D glasses



Although I have yet to be convinced by the benefits of 3D films

Steve

[moonfleet]

Will you promote the forum by wearing the adequate T-Shirt ??

[front]

[back]

[Steve Crook]

Will you promote the forum by wearing the adequate T-Shirt ??

A T-shirt? With my evening dress?

At events like this we just wear the more discreet Archers badge



Steve

[moonfleet]

I knew you'll post that one again

[Steve Crook]

I knew you'll post that one again

Well it's either that one or this one or this one at Brive



or this one at Pinewood



or one of the others that show the Archers badges

Steve

[moonfleet]

A Archers badge ?? Where ??
Take care,think you're turning a bit narcissic Steve, posting so much photos of yourself (and the lovely Natacha)

[Steve Crook]

A Archers badge ?? Where ??
Take care,think you're turning a bit narcissic Steve, posting so much photos of yourself (and the lovely Natacha)

Is it possible to post too many photos of the lovely Natacha?
It's just a shame that that other bloke seems to be in so many of them

Steve

[moonfleet]

[ like on the P&P's messagerie style ]

Remember to: Be ready tomorrow evening

Hopefuly you don't have to wake up early to catch a train Steve (===> see Steve's IKWIG adventures)

Have a good time

[Steve Crook]

[ like on the P&P's messagerie style ]

Remember to: Be ready tomorrow evening

Hopefuly you don't have to wake up early to catch a train Steve (===> see Steve's IKWIG adventures)

Have a good time

All ready. I've had a haircut & trimmed the beard, hired the dinner jacket, learnt how to tie the bow tie, ironed my shirt, polished my shoes.

Polly, the lady I work with who will be my companion for the evening, will make sure I get there in time. She's used to getting me organised

Steve

[Steve Crook]

Hugo is quite wonderful. I'm just back home from the Royal Film Performance / European première, and we had a wonderful time. I met up with Columba Powell beforehand and had a quick chat to Thelma Schoonmaker afterwards - but I'll be seeing them and quite a few others on Wednesday for the screening of the restored Blimp

Hugo is a 3D film, and it doesn't let you forget it for a moment. Some of the effects are the best 3D I've ever seen, especially the snowflakes at the beginning. The story itself is quite wonderful and the performances are all superb. It's a children's story but it is is still very much a Martin Scorsese film. It's a lesson in film history, but a lesson that is presented in a very acceptable way. Audiences will learn a lot without realising it

It's also a clarion call for film preservation, so that ticks another of Marty's boxes.

But as for that 3D, sometimes, too often for my liking, they did thrust it in your face. They didn't quite fall for the old trick of throwing things towards the audience, but they came close to it on quite a few occasions.

They often had things out of focus in the foreground (or background) while they focussed on the background (or foreground) - and then changed the focus to the other person or item. They did this just to get the depth effect for the 3D but it meant that there was a lot on screen, and often in the foreground, which was out of focus.

When there is something running continuously from foreground to background then 3D can work well - and that was often the case with this film. But where you don't have that the image does tend to break up into a series of levels at the various depths so it finishes up looking like theatrical scenery flats or like those toy theatres where you slide the characters in and out on sticks.

But everything else about it is still wonderful (and would probably still be pretty good without the 3D)

Steve

[dremble wedge]

I like the look of this and shall try to catch it when it opens, providing I can find it in 2D (being a spectacle wearer I don't fancy adding an extra pair on top, I would find the temptation to recreate one of Robert Stack's finest moments in Airplane too much).

[Steve Crook]

I like the look of this and shall try to catch it when it opens, providing I can find it in 2D (being a spectacle wearer I don't fancy adding an extra pair on top, I would find the temptation to recreate one of Robert Stack's finest moments in Airplane too much).

The Odeon, Leicester Square holds just short of 2,000 people in their main auditorium. Some are up on the balcony, we were about 2/3 of the way back on the lower level. I wear glasses to watch films, they are the glasses I use when I'm driving as well. They aren't absolutely essential for either endeavour, they are only a fairly weak prescription, but they make things just a bit sharper and I prefer to see things as clearly as possible when I'm watching films and when I'm driving.

The 3D glasses fitted over my regular glasses quite comfortably. No risk of any Airplane moments

Because it was filmed as a 3D film (not one that was subsequently modified to be in 3D) I think that a significant amount of it would look a bit weird in 2D. And there are those amazing snowflakes at the beginning. It's worth the price of admission if you only see those

Steve

[moonfleet]

Were there some words about Ken Russell before the projection ??

[Steve Crook]

Were they some words about Ken Russell before the projection ??

No, no mention of him

Steve