Everyone Stares thoughts (SPOILERS)

[jedsoon]

an open place to discuss the particulars of the film. people who prefer to have those elements not revealed before watching the move are thus forewarned...

i just finished experiencing the movie and found it quite exhilarating. i've never seen jeff seitz onscreen before and it was a treat to see him and all the other behind the scenes folks making their contributions to events that have had such an impact on most of us here.

stewart's filmmaking skills are made plain and apparent throughout. i enjoyed the variety of visual techniques he employed. i had been wondering what sort of stop motion effects would be included since they were mentioned in an interview some months back. i am guessing it was the scene with the furniture appearing to move around by itself. i found it
artful to precede it with the shot of the ships moving that seems to have
frames cut out to achieve a similar effect.

other manipulations that stood out were slowing down the footage of sting and andy dancing and letting us here the pitched down voices as well. its the sort of fun any video editor might do during the process of cutting picture, solely for his own entertainment usually. this is a technique i plan to incorporate into my own stuff eventually, so it makes me feel i'm on the right track when i see my idols employ it also!

there were so many funny moments. the roadie mooning the camera during the sped up footage of a stage being set up was fall down in the floor hilarious! i have mostly thought of stewart as the true humorist of the group, but there were a lot of comedians on tour with them in those
early days, and none bigger than his bandmates. stew saying he felt like a dick as the group's drummer, not knowing what to do during the video shoot made me laugh out loud!

the movie struck me as highly poignant as well. i'm glad that most of the internal strife was not really captured and barely alluded to. this puts the focus of the movie on what it's like to be in a functioning band and the comraderie they enjoyed while creating music. overall, very positive and uplifting. many i suppose would blame sting for the group's demise, but the movie suggests that it was the unreal world created by being in the group that did it. this is the film's true insight. the final scene however, with sting pronouncing stewart as the chief villain of his existence (perhaps only half jokingly) gives the movie enough sense of ambiguity to be able to interpret it any way you like. herein lies the picture's artistic value, as art's only real societal relevance is its interpretation by the viewer/listener.

on that note, let's not forget the music. the derangements were obviously the highlight (for me, anyway). i thought they were especially inventive, and was very surprised to hear even the don't stand remake included in the mash-up. the songs flitted in and out very quickly, punctuating the listening experience. it was fun to watch sting and andy do little hammy cover versions. a real treat for me personally to hear masoko (my favorite police tune) pop up twice, although i kept hoping against hope that i would hear a live snippet of it (even tho i'm pretty sure no such animal exists). the inclusion of klark kent into the police mythos was very welcome indeed! i also thought an excellent balance was struck between the narration, the music, and just letting "scenes" play out with their "dialogue".

sorry for the half-assed review, these are only my first impressions from having just seen it for the first time. like conroy, i suspect i'll enjoy it even more with the commentary. looking forward to the extra footage and derangement easter eggs a great deal! lastly, i'd like to thank stewart copeland for sharing his "little toy" with us all!

[zilboy]

Amen to all of the above! I got my copy last night and unfortunately, my little boy decided it was time for me to stop watching halfway through my second viewing.

The commentary by Stew and Andy is a real treat. Just listening to the two of them banter gives a lot of insight into the incredible chemistry that fueled the group.

Jeff Seitz - wow! Clean-shaven, long hair and glasses! And the man can play!

The best part was that there was no "Oh, boo-hoo, it's over!" on anyone's part. It was great while it lasted and both Stewart and Andy seem perfectly content to let it go, yet still remain grateful for the experience that few ever get.

Not that I wouldn't be at a one-off charity gig in a heartbeat...

[Mrs. Gradenko]

I was afraid I would be disapointed in it, that sometimes happens if I've looked forward to something for a long time.

But I loved it! Simple as that.

Ryder trucks had the same problems back then, as they do now.

[Kim]

The commentary rocks!

I noticed that there was silence during the scenes with Ian. Stewart, that must have been so difficult for you. My heart goes out to you. I miss the Coolbreeze too.

Oh yeah. It's one heck of a home movie. Once again I feel lucky and proud that the POLICE is my favorite band.

Rock on man!

[Divemistress of the Dark]

I just posted a novel on the other thread...probably should have put it in here. D'OH!

I sure hope he makes some more movies. This one rocked my socks.

[jedsoon]

it was your post about being spoiled that made me decide to start a new thread. plus after reading that our european friends wouldn't enjoy a release for some time, i thought it made sense. even though to me there's nothing in the movie that could really be "spoiled", since most of us pretty much know the story...

i think there will be more to come. in a single interview some months back, he mentioned the one about the 80s bands, the one culled from additional footage shot during the production of the first rhythmatist movie, and he even alluded to a super secret idea that he was advised not to spill the beans on.

this was all before ian passed, so his priorities may have understandably shifted somewhat in light of that sad event. but its clear that stewart's creative spirit lives on!

[Divemistress of the Dark]

I thought he had disavowed the Rhythmatist movie. What gives here, do ya think?

I personally would have been amazed at the general quality of ES:TPIO had I not some idea that these Copeland folks are insanely multitalented. I spose Stewart's had years to learn the craft now, but it did seem to me (see the novel I posted in the other thread) that he deftly avoided a few pitfalls that would've felled lesser filmmakers.

[Mrs. Gradenko]

I really hope he can release the derangements, I tried ripping them from the DVD, but couldn't figure out how to get it alone... I know there's a way!

[jedsoon]

not sure about his opinion of the original picture. another one of those questions interviewers never ask.

but if you're right, it gives another potential avenue for him to go with whatever footage he has. maybe he wants to redeem the project's perceived shortcomings? just openly speculating here, but i love the movie. most who even know it exists regard it as cheese, to which even i will admit, but it's REALLY GOOD cheese! it's pure copeland humor, with solid doses of sociological insight thrown in for good measure. and it just happens to have the greatest soundtrack of all time, IMO!

i DO know he absolutely stands by the music. this is evidenced by the fact he did a tour in support of the album NINE YEARS after the fact. i mean, who else does this? pink floyd and roger waters spring to mind, but the wall and dark side of the moon are among the biggest selling, most famous albums of all time, whereas the rhythmatist is barely an OOP blip on the radar in the larger scheme of things.

so, instead of a making-of documentary as i initially was thinking, we may be looking at a re-imagining of the movie. maybe he wants to make it more serious. or more comical?? i'm enthusiastically on board for whatever he does.

mrs. g, if all else fails, just run the audio into your computer and record away!

[john]

Hi,

I just got the DVD, and have been unable to find the Derangements easter eggs people have mentioned. Is there a way to access them directly, or do you just mean that they play in their entirety during the menus?

If it's the latter, then according to the credits there's seven tracks used in the film, but only six available during the menus. If anyone could clue me in where to find "Enough for you and me", I'd be mui grateful!

thanks!

John

P.S. As far as capturing audio goes, WireTapPro works great. It's on Versiontracker.com

P.P.S. Stewart, if you're reading, I really enjoyed the movie, both at the SB film festival, and again on DVD with the commentary. I'm glad you made it personal and kind of limited in scope -- we all know the Police story from the outside, and it felt like a privelege to see it from the band's perspective.