- Drewman tells us that Kevin is most likely going to do another Videosectomy on MTV Live on Wednesday. At least, theshow will be airing, so it wouldn’t hurt to tune in to check if they used more of that footage they filmed about a month ago. Also, Ben and Matt will appear on MTV live this Friday, most likely promoting “Good Will Hunting”. Lots of TV to watch this week!
Archive for December 2nd, 1997
Australian Amy!
- Cameron D. was kind enough to send us a scan of the video sleeve for Chasing Amy in Australia! It’s definitely different than the U.S. cover, and more similar to the Amy theatrical poster. Click here or on the thumbnail to see a larger version. Sorry for the poor quality, it’s the best he could do for us, but you definitely get the idea.
VulgarNet Site Goes Online…
- Luke Robinson put up a very cool site dedicated to VulgarThon, and we sure do like it a lot. There’s a guest registry (for all your biographical info, web links, and even a pic of yourself), a message section, directions to the event, and more. Drop by VulgarNet and bookmark it! It’s going to be a great way for us to get to know each other before we meet in person, and will keep some of the talk off the WWWBoard (to save those who can’t attend the heartache).
Kev On Tix…
- By the time you’re reading the news today, these tickets that Kev is about to mention are most likely gone, but here’s his message from last evening. Lots of great stuff in here (the exlusive VulgarThon Stash stuff caught our eyes the most):
So at the bell this evening, we’ve sold 382 of our 450 seats (leaving 68 seats yet to be claimed). Not bad, I say; not bad at all.
The orders came in from all over the place – as far west as Texas and Cali, and as down under as Australia. But we tri-staters have all you out-of-towners beat by a country mile (we’ll post the regional breakdown on the morrow, sometime after six).
You’ve all seen the info on the Marriott (sp?) deal – a good one, that. If you’re not from around here, I’d suggest giving them a call (keep in mind that it’s about a five minute drive from the theatre, however; and there won’t be any shuttles).
We’re getting a lot of email and posts about the Stash that day. To accomodate those who aren’t stepping one foot outside the theatre once they get inside, we’ll be opening the Stash at 8:00 am the day of the event. Those rising early to beat the crush in picking up their ticket-tee’s can greet Smilin’ Walt Flanagan or Battlin’ Bry Johnson the morn that we introduce NEW Stash items (some of which are going to be made available only during Vulgarthon, and never again).
Due to the additional 190 folks we’ll be welcoming, we’re going to be spending some time figuring out the best way to distribute the shirts this month, as well as prepping handy maps that’ll be sent with your confirmation cards (that will bear those confirmation numbers you’ve all been in such a tizzy about).
Parking in Red Bank is almost as bad as it is in NYC – so I suggest… well, I don’t know what to suggest, as I’ve received three parking tickets today alone (no joke – local kid makes bad, apparently). Kim suggested parking at the hotel and taking a taxi into town, but that too has its limitations – as there aren’t that many cabs in this berg.
But – as she also pointed out – you’ll all be fast friends by then, so you can carpool (all 450 of you in one lucky cat’s car is what she’s picturing… a breakup is what I find myself picturing).
We expect to unload the remaining tix tomorrow, so if you haven’t already (and I can only imagine most of you have), call early.
We’ve reserved our room at the Marriott for Sunday AND Monday nights, so perhaps you other Sunday-nighters will wanna catch up with us and do something to pass the time. By the way, if you can still get in there, the deal’s an unbeatable $49 bucks a night if you call and mention VulgarThon. Happy hotel hunting!
Another Good Will Hunting Review…
- Pete DeWolf, the “scooping machine” as he says, let us know about another Good Will Hunting review that’s available online. We’ve of course got a local copy of it for you. A few spoilers, but nothing out of the ordinary for your typical review.
REVIEW/FILM: ‘Good Will Hunting’ A Heartwarming Triumph
Good Will Hunting (Psychological drama, color, R, 2:06)
By Emanuel Levy
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) – A towering performance by Matt Damon in the lead, and a superlative ensemble, headed by a terrific Robin Williams, elevate “Good Will Hunting,” Gus Van Sant’s emotionally involving psychological drama, a notch or two above the mainstream therapeutic sensibility of its story.
Centering on a brilliant working-class youngster who’s forced to come to terms with his creative genius and true feelings, this beautifully realized tale is always engaging and often quite touching. With the right marketing, Miramax could score big with an extremely enjoyable picture whose old-fashioned virtues should play well in big cities as well as in Middle American shopping malls.
Fans of Van Sant’s earlier, offbeat films may be disappointed by the more conventional attributes of “Good Will Hunting,” a “problem” drama dealing with the complex relationship between a rough, extraordinarily gifted kid and his equally troubled and bruised therapist. Thematically, film recalls Robert Redford’s “Ordinary People” and especially Jodie Foster’s “Little Man Tate,” which also revolved around a child genius of the working class.
Nonetheless, it’s a testament to Van Sant’s idiosyncratic talent that he endows the narrative, particularly its first chapters, with the nihilistic humor and deceptively casual style that have marked his best work, “Drugstore Cowboy” and the more eccentric “My Own Private Idaho.”
Co-written by thesps Damon and Ben Affleck, who have known each other since childhood in Boston, protagonist is Will Hunting (Damon), a 20-year-old lad who works as a janitor at MIT and spends most of his time with his coarse friends at the neighborhood bar. Blessed with a certain genius, Will, who has never attended college, can summon obscure historical references based on his exceptional photographic memory. He can also solve difficult mathematical problems with an ease that makes MIT’s richer and more educated students envious of him.
When big-shot professor Lambeau (Breaking the Waves’ Stellan Skarsgard) presents a math challenge to his students, with a fine reward to match, Will anonymously solves the formula on a blackboard placed in the school’s corridor. Lambeau begins a search for the mysterious student, and upon finding Will takes him under his wing. It’s the only way for Will to get parole after a number of run-ins with the law. Lambeau makes two conditions: that Will meet with him once a week for a math session and that he begin therapy.
A succession of psychologists tries to reach Will, using various techniques (including hypnosis), but he won’t cooperate. Finally, Lambeau summons his old, alienated classmate Sean McGuire (Williams), a community college instructor and therapist — and the real drama begins.
In essence, script is structured as a battle of wills, with four individuals vying for Will’s soul: a mathematician, a therapist, an affluent British student named Skylar (Minnie Driver), who has a crush on him, and his buddy, Chuckie (Affleck).
Most of the narrative consists of intense one-on-one sessions between Will and Sean, two equally stubborn, equally wounded men. True to form, psychological revelations and emotional disclosures are made about their respective pasts. An orphan who was later abused by his surrogate father, Will has carried a chip on his shoulder since boyhood. A widower still in love with his wife, who died painfully of cancer, Sean is also a tough Irishman and product of an abusive parent. These kinds of parallels are, in fact, the major weakness of the script, which grows progressively schematic. By film’s end, every personal problem and turbulent social interaction are neatly resolved.
Helmer Van Sant must have realized that the tale is quite predictable, for he imbues the film with his customary devious style, employing visuals that are both grainy and arty, and leisurely pacing that offers emotional payoffs. As evidenced in his films, Van Sant is one of the few directors who truly understands — and doesn’t condescend to — blue-collar America. Addressing his favorite topic, outcasts, here he delves deeply into his half-dozen characters, and the result is a beautifully textured movie about the kinds of individuals seldom seen in mainstream Hollywood fare. Rich in tone, “Good Will Hunting” is funny, nonchalant, moving and angry, effortlessly alternating its various moods, often within the same scene.
Endowed with good looks (he resembles Leonardo DiCaprio) and acting skills to match, Damon gives a charismatic performance in a demanding role that’s bound to catapult him to stardom. Perfectly cast, he makes the aching, step-by-step transformation of Will realistic and credible.
Comparisons will be made between Williams’ Oscar-nominated role in “Awakenings” (in which he played a shy doctor) and his work here, which is quieter, subtler and far more satisfying. Rest of the cast is uniformly good, with standout work from Driver as the girl who changes Will’s life.
After a couple of disappointing assignments (Grace of My Heart, Gummo), cult French cinematographer Jean Yves Escoffier finally gets to show his brilliant, lyrical style in an American project, opting for natural light when possible and using South Boston as an integral character in the yarn. Longtime Van Sant collaborators Melissa Stewart and Beatrix Aruna Pasztor Stewart also make significant contributions with, respectively, their detailed production design and nuanced costumes, which effectively illustrate the co-existence of disparate social classes in America.
A Miramax release of a Lawrence Bender production. Produced by Lawrence Bender. Executive producers, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Jonathan Gordon, Su Armstrong. Co-executive producers, Kevin Smith, Scott Mosier.
Directed by Gus Van Sant. Screenplay, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, story by Damon. Camera (color), Jean Yves Escoffier; editor, Pietro Scalia; music, Danny Elfman; music supervisor, Jeffrey Kimball; production design, Melissa Stewart; costume design, Beatrix Aruna Pasztor; casting, Billy Hopkins, Suzanne Smith, Kerry Barden. Reviewed at the DeMille screening room, Culver City, Nov. 24, 1997.