Wyn's Independent Theater

Hot enough for you?  And yet it looks so cool and perfect where he is.   *lusts with abandon*








( More inside... )


Stunning, yes?

And I've posted the article below.

( Ewan McGregor Delivers His Most Vulnerable Performance in 'Beginners' )

From Ionicinema:

It might have been a longer than expected wait for Mike Mills' sophomore narrative feature film to arrive -- but now after having just seen the world premiere screening I'd note that: it was worth the wait. Mills' last pic, was a docu focusing on the pill popping nation of Japan - a sort of a companion film to prescription drug addiction featured in his debut film, 2005's Thumbsucker. With Beginners, we get high on love, doped up with melancholy and are intravenously connected to a film that is pleasantly soft, authentic and comes without pretension.

You won't need to read the press notes to see that there's a lot of Mills' own DNA in this one. Themes of love, death, reconciliation with the past and in the present, Mills draws connecting lines in a figurative, historical and free hand drafting sense with strong indications that Christopher Plummer's character's late in life metamorphosis and departure from this earth is directly related to the experience that Mills felt first hand. Film's strong suit is also found in the complex nature of McGregor's character -- early childhood sequences underline how detached he was during his childhood, and in an adult world setting, the two pivotal characters in Oliver's life, manage to bring forth a more compassionate side in this "frigid" soon to be 40-something adult that was always there. A thoughtful small gem with a big heart, this will naturally win any cinephile over. 

From VoiceFilm:

"We need new stories," says Hal (Christopher Plummer), the dying dad of sad-eyed hipster illustrator Oliver (Ewan Macgregor). On an unaccountable creative high while battling cancer, Hal has just rewritten the story of Jesus' death to make it less violent. Mike Mills' highly personal second feature pulls a similar trick. Pumping the same veins as countless quirky-dreary Amerindies (sick parents, gay parents, arrested development, vintage fetishism, dirty-haired girls as feminine ideals, anthropomorphized animals, eccentrics in love), Beginners is made with a sensitivity to real-world human behavior that elevates it far above the usual pablum (such as It's Kind of a Funny Story, which has pretty much full-on bombed here). The performances are top notch―Melanie Laurent, in her first major English-language role, is particularly indelible in a part that could have gone MPDG very easily―and Mills bravely weaves raw-nerve autobiography into a more detached commentary on memory as a creative process. Shot in unusual LA locations on the RED in a muted but wildly variant palette, it looks fantastic. But it's all just a little too nice--it goes for damp eyes and stops, without drawing blood.

Taking a break from the diss to bring you truly Important Stuff.  Namely the most up-to-date coverage from TiFF since Beginners just premiered there.  Ewan wasn't there for the opening, but Christopher Plummer read a sweet note that Ewan sent offering his apologies.

Now, as for the movie.  A day or so ago I posted the first two clips from the film.  Ewan is looking devastating.  (And yes Anika, I too had to restrain myself from hissing at her.)




So what's the word from the festival? 

From the bloggers at IndieWire:  “Beginners” Praise During the Hot Topics discussion both Kohn and Longworth had lots of positive things to say about Mike Mills’ “Beginners,” which stars Christopher Plummer as a man who comes out of the closet late in life. In Kohn’s review, he goes as far to call the film “a small wonder to behold,” and concludes, ““Beginners” stays true to the title and feels like something entirely new.”

Highlights from above review:  Christopher Plummer's almost unbearably bittersweet performance.....The core appeal of “Beginners” arises from an enjoyable survey of witty and sad moments, all held together by Oliver’s [Ewan] endearing nature.

( Ewan and Plummer go shopping to bond. )
( Review from The Hollywood Reporter. )
( Review from Variety. )

More updates as they become available!  Fingers crossed for a generous distribution deal....I'm looking at you Lionsgate...Focus Features!  Time to pony up!!