Searching for Sonny - part 2 - World Premiere

[r1015bill]

Squeee!! Moonlight Fans was my Kickstarter name! You had the exact reaction I was hoping for.

I knew that there were people on various ML sites who wanted to contribute but couldn't or maybe didn't know; I wanted them to feel included. Additionally, I thought that "Moonlight Fans" says more about why I contributed than my real name.

Wish I could have been there! Glad everyone had a good time and I'm looking forward to more details from Lucky and Lilly.

Did they say if there's any chance of it coming out to regular theaters?

[allegrita]

Oh, Rhonda, what a cool idea!!

[librarian_7]

Well, goodness, I'm slow in getting to this thread.

Yes, Lilly and I were at the Hometown Premiere (and party) for Searching for Sonny. I drove up with a friend from work, and we met up with Lilly for an early dinner and then, the show.

I'm happy to say that the movie holds up well on a second viewing. In fact, I think I caught several things I'd missed the first time around. (Part of that may have been due to the fact that I was laughing so hard!) For example, though, I noticed the songs much more this time, and I think I'd love to have a soundtrack album. Besides the original score, the song choices were both appropriate and catchy. But the movie was still very funny, and I loved being able to pay more attention to the nuances of the performances.

I could talk about Jason in this forever. He does a wonderful job of portraying an Everyman, a sort of sad, directionless young man who couldn't be more different from almost every other character he's played in his career. (Logan Echolls and Josef would have this guy for breakfast. And Mr. Carpenter, who seems to be about the same age, would certainly think of him as a loser.) But the movie isn't just Jason, by quite a long shot. The other characters, especially the ones played by Brian McElhaney and Nick Kocher, provide a lot of the humor.

What can I say...it's a good movie.

The crowd last night liked it. It was a sold out house, and although there were a few empty seats, the theatre (which held about 500) was fairly full. And when we came out, there was a good crowd waiting for the second screening. The word had gotten out...and people wanted to see the movie.

So, after the screening, there was a Q&A. Someone did ask about "where does Sonny go from here?" and we didn't get a really definitive answer...but it sounds as though there are further festival appearances planned through the spring, and after that, who knows? We had a hint of some sort of release, but no details. Keep tuned to the Facebook page for details!

More later...but suffice to say, I had a great time.

Lucky

[r1015bill]

I don't think this has been posted here. Please delete if I missed it. Andrew & others being interviewed on the red carpet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTVaYmXmVLs

[Lilly]

Thanks, Rhonda. This video was actually from the red carpet for another film they were attending on Friday. I wouldn't be surprised to see something from Saturday's red carpet coming out, as well.


Lucky, has very nicely summed up the Hometown Premiere experience. I, too, caught a lot of things I missed the first time. And probably for the same reasons. I enjoyed every bit as much as the first time. Of course, Jason, Brian and Nick were missed, but it was wonderful to hear from Michael Hogan and Clarke Peters this time.

My son and I spent some time at Red Productions offices on Friday afternoon. They really went out of their way to welcome my son and answer his questions. I can't begin to tell you how AWESOME they all are, especially DP Chris Rodriguez and editor Sam Parnell.

They are definitely still working out a distribution plan. And, after sitting through a 2-hour panel discussion on independent film distribution at the film festival, I can tell you that it is an incredibly daunting task. From what I learned there, it's apparent that they've done everything right so far -- namely, involving fans and creating an audience or "community" before the film was even finished. What they have done on Facebook and Twitter, and even with Kickstarter, is going to be a big help going forward.

What we all need to do is to make sure to keep the buzz going.

[allegrita]

I can definitely do that. Moonlight fans are good at buzz.

[librarian_7]

Yup. Buzz like the little bees we are!

Also wanted to add that is was lovely to see Christy, and great to meet Shelton! Here's a real giggle...there was a pretty dense crowd in the lobby before the movie started, and Christy is a petite person. Hard to spot in a crowd... I kept seeing this guy who looked familiar, and decided it might be Shelton, from the pics Christy had posted some time back. So I worked my way over, and said hesitantly, "Christy?" And sure enough...it was them! It's been a couple of years since I've seen her, and I think her hair is lighter than it used to be. But we had a nice reunion, and another brief chat after the movie.

I always adore being able to go to something hundreds of miles from home, and walk in and recognize people!

Lucky

[wondergirl9847]

Ha! Yes, I am itty-bitty and hard to spot. It is hilarious that Lucky recognized Shelton, but I'm so glad she did!! We really wanted to go to the afterparty, but he had a commitment the next morning.

Clarke Peters' voice is so interesting. He sounds like those narrators on crime shows on channels like A&E. Interesting choice.

Before the movie started, Shelton pointed out to me a lady who was wearing a really nice outfit...long flowy skirt, cool boots, beautiful jacket and scarf. Turns out, she's the woman who played one of the characters' mom! Ha! When she went up front for the Q&A, I went "Hey, nice outfit lady is Gary's mom!" It was a funny moment for us.

Like Lucky, I enjoyed the music/score and hope they put out a soundtrack.

[Lilly]

Here's a great article from Fort Worth Weekly: http://www.fwweekly.com/index.php?optio ... Itemid=383

My favorite part is a quote from Andrew about working with Jason...

Disney has high praise for all the actors, but he was especially impressed with Dohring.

“Jason usually stole all his scenes [in Veronica Mars],” Disney said. “He approaches his craft with such intensity. We’d be going through a scene, and Jason would think something, and you could see the thought fluttering across his face. He always wanted more takes.”

Intensity. That's it exactly.

[allegrita]

What a cool description. See? We're not the only ones!

[librarian_7]

That is a wonderful article. And a great quote.

One of the (many) things I remember vividly from the premiere were people from cast and crew telling us how amazing and professional Jason was to work with. I've heard this in reference to other work he's done as well...evidently he is really as nice on set as he is with fans.

Lucky

[Lilly]

Here's a great photo from the Lone Star Film Society's FB page of Saturday night's red carpet: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =3&theater

[Lilly]

Get ready, Denver!

Searching for Sonny is an official selection of the Festivus Film Festival!

http://www.festivusfilmfestival.com/

The festival runs from January 12 through 15, 2012. The schedule is still pending.

[allegrita]

I love it for the name alone.

[Lilly]

More cool news -- Searching for Sonny's Director of Photography, Jeff Waldron, has been nominated for a 2012 Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography for his work in The Dynamiter. Yay, Jeff!

http://www.spiritawards.com/nominee_cat ... atography/