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A Pair Of AICN Eyes take in the secret San Francisco screening of MAN ON THE MOON!
Well, looky here. A test screening of MAN ON THE MOON, and very quickly after the voice of doom was sounded. Good, at least now the folks at Universal will be hearing a bit from a real audience and not that of a profit-thought driven microcosm. Word has reached me that Milos Foreman is still in flux a bit with the film. Searching for answers and questions as is his normal filmmaking process. As a result, that is what this screening was for. Test screening is not, in it's nature, an evil thing. For some filmmakers it's absolutely integral to the filmmaking process. It's where they can show the film to a crowd and see if it's working, where it's working and isn't working. And because this film isn't complete you have to look at these reviews as a 'state of the film' as it is now. Incomplete, without finished score, titles, etc. My favorite comment is when people say, "It looked like the final cut to me." Folks, you never know it's the final cut till the day of release. I'm sure the people that saw ALIENS when it was at the director's cut stage thought that was that... Well, no it wasn't. There are SPOILERS below, so read at your own risk. Do know though that both viewers used the term GREAT to describe the quality of this film.
I just got back from the first test screening of Man on the Moon. It was here in San Francisco at the UA Galaxy theatre and
director Milos Forman and the two screenwriters were there.
I wasn't expecting to see this at all and was completely surprised. As a thirty-year old I
was allowed to bring a guest, but the teenager behind me was told to bring as many of his friends as possible. Getting this film
was a shock, though.
So, the move was pretty great. It starts out bravely with Jim Carrey facing the audience as Andy Kaufman and talking to them
about the movie, then jumps into his life story and quickly gets to Taxi, Tony Clifton and wrestling. It is a dark and troubling
look at this comedian and it is never a traditional biopic. Instead, it explores why people like to be entertained and like to be
fooled, as Kaufman's whole approach to comedy and entertainment was about stretching the limits of believablity.
Carrey is brilliant. If Forman could direct Woody Harrelson to an Oscar nomination, Carrey will defintely be nominated for this
work. Paul Giammatti is great, as well, as Kaufman's doppelganger Bob Zmuda.
Universal execs were out in force. You could tell them from the others because they had their heads up their asses. They are
clearly worried about the ending, as much of the questioning seemed to be about it. You previously reported that there were
three endings. This one goes from Kaufman's funeral straight to one year later and a performance by Tony Clifton. And that is
all. It was an okay ending, but I wish it had ended as strongly and as boldly as the film opened. Of the three endings you
mentioned, I think the one where "the real Andy Kaufman" comes out and talks to Jim Carrey about how to do him correctly
would have worked the best. It would have better maintained the off-kilter sensibility of Kaufman, continued the theme of
"what is entertainment" and created a complete whole that matched the opening sequence.
LAJoan
And here's the Godot view....
Just got back from a test screening for "Man in the Moon" here in San
Francisco. We were assured repeatedly (and by suspicious rote) that it was
"the first screening in front of a general public audience." Great movie.
Although it lacked end credits and had little to no music to speak of (that
R.E.M. song twice) it sure seemed like a final cut to me. Admittedly I have
absolutely no formal film knowledge or expertise to speak of, other than a
rather uncritical enthusiasm for "cool" movies. That being said, I will
attempt to convey some of my immediate impressions (I hesitate to call them
criticisms, I did really like the movie) - minor possible spoiler warning
ahead.
Jim Carrey - very good, especially at doing Kaufman's character bits
(way beyond doing an impression - channelling maybe), although there didn't
seem to be too much depth there beyond that. Of course, perhaps that's the
point - when was Kaufman ever not "in character"? He just seemed a bit
too...well...saintly to me at times - not devilish enough. It didn't seem
like he was enjoying pissing people off enough - it was more like he had to
do it, had no choice. Again though, perhaps that was the point.
Courtney Love - adequate. Maybe even good. Tough to say, as she didn't
seem to really have much to work with. Her character went from despising
Kaufman to moving in with him, without (for me) enough character interaction
in between.
"Taxi" - curiously flat. All the original actors were playing
themselves (except for Danny DeVito, who was already playing Kaufman's
agent), but there seemed to be no chemistry or energy between them. Perhaps
because we got to see so little of them - less than 5 minutes out of a
nearly 2-1/2 hour movie. Perhaps because, with the exception of Christopher
Lloyd and Danny DeVito, they have not aged particularly well.
The wrestling - too much. Well over half the movie, it felt like,
focused on the Cross-Gender Wrestling and the Steve (?) Lawler stuff as the
highlight, and high point, of Kaufman's career. Well, perhaps.
The cancer - moving, even powerful, although a bit abrupt. "I'm sick."
"This is another joke, right?" A possible miracle cure? Taps.
Which brings us to...The Funeral. Perfect. Absolutely perfect. The
movie could, possibly should, end right there. That it doesn't is okay, but
it might have been more powerful if it had.
Once again, I really liked this movie. The above are minor quibbles
that did not particularly detract from my enjoyment of the movie, they are
just what comes to mind upon immediate reflection. Alas, I was not one of
the lucky few chosen to participate in the focus group immediately
afterwards (with Milos Forman, the lucky bastards) so instead here I am
giving my rambling and overlong impressions to you. Hopefully it wasn't too
painful wading through my excess verbiage; I'll try to tighten it up next
time I have anything of interest to report. But for now, this is Buck Godot,
signing off.
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I'm glad to hear good reviews of this movie. I, for one, think Carey will be fantastic as Kaufman. While I do admit that he is overly goofy and stupid sometimes, I think that he can bring a certain quality to a role like this that no one else could. As Truman Burbank, he got to show us emotional range we didn't think he had. Now as Kaufman, I think he might be able to show us something we haven't even seen before. Maybe.
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I'm not suprised by universal hesitance towards this film. Probably because they were thinking about a Man on the Moon ride for their theme parks. Now I guess thier they are stuck with a good film and good performances. Poor Universal.
They should learn a few lessons from Miramax and stick thier neck out on more challenging materiel, instead of catering to their industry of theme park and advertisements. -
I hardly, if ever post here, but seeing as how I was also at this screening, I was tempted to write up a review and send it in. I should have, because you guys have it all wrong!
THE FILM IS AWFUL, HEINOUS, BAD!!!!!
There, that said, Jim Carrey did a very good impersonation, but the problem is, ANDY KAUFFMAN!!!! Who the Hell want's to watch a bio-pic of this guy? Why is this one of the most anticipated films of the year???
It is boring beyond words!!! Fans of the TAXI series might get off on seeing the original cast try and act 20 years younger, but let's face it, TAXI kinda sucks.
There was no reason for this film to be made, other than Milos Forman's consant obsession with minor celebrity.
AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!! The beginning is okay, the middle is like stripping the skin off of the bottom of your feet with acid, the ending is good, only because the film is finally over.
May this film bomb and destroy the career of Forman forever and send Carrey running to ACE VENTURA 3! Where he belongs. -
That you think Taxi "kinda sucks" speaks volumes about your judgment. IMO, "Taxi" was one of the best sitcoms of the 70's & 80's; boasting one of the greatest ensemble casts I've ever seen. So, I'll take these two positive reviews, and your pan, as high praise indeed for Forman's film. BTW, it sounds like they kept the same ending from the screenplay.
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I'm really glad to hear that so much of the film focuses on Andy's "wrestling" career. It seems many people still don't "get" him, but Andy finally found the stage he'd been looking for all his life; one where the joke doesn't end at the end of the night. Go rent "I'm From Hollywood" and look at the crowd's expressions of pure virulent hatred he was able to elicit. I still maintain that the Lawler/Kaufmann exchange on Letterman was one of the funniest and most unexpected thing that's ever been on broadcast television, and the fact that Jerry Lawler's in on the film makes me even more anxious to see it. As for Milos, well, let's just say I once let them cut four inches of my hair just so I could be an extra for 3 days on "People vs. Larry Flynt" and watch him work up close, and it was well worth a couple of months of bad hair days. I really hope this film does Andy proud and that somebody over at Universal can grow a pair so they don't have another "Brazil".
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Whew. At least this post was more positive than the one a few days ago. From what I've read so far, this movie sounds perfect in capturing everything Andy. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Jim Carrey is gonna Rock!! I can't wait to see him perform my favorite Andy Kaufman bits. I can understand the time alloted to TAXI and wrestling. Andy HATED sitcoms, calling them "the lowest form of entertainment." The only reason why he did TAXI was because ABC promised him his own hour-long variety show. As for the wrestling, Andy loved it. You got the feeling that it wasn't an act: the guy seemed to imagine himself as a real wrestler. One of the reviewers says that MAN ON THE MOON isn't a "straight" biography. This is good. Like ED WOOD and THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT, MOTM sounds more like a celebration of Andy's life and career, rather than a straightforward BUDDY HOLLY STORY-like film biography. I much prefer these bizarre, offbeat looks at life (I'm probably one of the few who appreciated Dennis Quaid's cartoon-like approach as Jerry Lee Lewis in GREAT BALLS OF FIRE--which was a kind of precurser to the quirky new kind of biopics we get today). Andy's story is a great, fascinating one. Apparently a movie on his life has been in the works for some time. Luckily, the right time never came along until now when we get a great actor, a great director, and a great screenwriting team. At the risk of sounding like a broken record: Universal, PLEASE do not tamper with this film! Of course, add the necessary sounds/credits/music/etc. But leave the CONTENT alone. Oh yeah, I agree that the movie should end on a poignant note at Andy's funeral, which was as outrageous as anything the master himself could conceive.
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We'll that opinion with a grain of salt then, Thank you very much!
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Is Mozart considered a minor celebrity?
I heard Kaufman rewarded a great audience once by taking them out for milk and cookies.
A major celebrity move. -
Your not the only one. I, too, was a big fan of Great Balls of Fire.
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First off Hellthought, F*ck off. You're obviously a little twerp sh*t disturber. I seriously doubt you even saw the movie; you sound like you just have a big problem with Carrey. Get laid, little pr*ck.
That out of the way, let me just say that this movie ruled. It was also very obvious that the crowd (mostly early 20's to late 30's) loved this movie too. As serious as it was, it has many sceens that were just freakin' hilarious. Smart money's on a Carrey Oscar win on this one. Yep, it's even better than the Truman Show.
The only complaint I have about this move is Courtney Love. Someone needs to get her hooked on horse again so she could go away and stop all these mediocre performances she keeps doing. She didn't ruin it, because she's really not around all that much. But the scene in bed where Carrey starts singing to her was pretty disgusting, because they had all these cheesy close-ups of her Beverly-Hills-Surgically-Enchanced-But-Still-Ugly-As-F*ck-Face. -
Jun 04, 1999 10:06:38 AM CDT
Hellthought, rather than being satanic, your reasoning is logica
by kirin
WHY should anyone see a film about Andy Kaufman? (Hmm...I bet your actually a nice guy under that nasty name) My answer is that Andy is one of the bravest, most complicated, rarest human beings I've ever seen--the Neil Armstrong of comedy. For proof (this pains me to be redundant as I posted this yesterday) please visit the outstanding "Andy Kaufman Home Page" at http://andykaufman.jvlnet.com/ For those with limited time (certainly this doesn't apply to 99% of the people reading this site), go directly to the "Kaufman Chronicles", a mind blowing history of Andy and this film at http://andykaufman.jvlnet.com/kaufchro.htm The ANCN regular Moriarity has a script review of MotM at http://andykaufman.jvlnet.com/motm.htm I believe education is crucial to the marketing success of this movie. People walking in the theater expecting to see Ace Ventura will be repulsed and horrified by the challenging, painful complexity of Andy. Note to Milos Foreman--Kirins are easily bored. Please brutally edit the wrestling and touch up character development. :) Whoa, I'm talking waaay too much.
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Maybe they did see the same movie you did. It's called a personal opinion. Won'tcha get your head out of your ass and into a dictionary to look that up. And I find your lack of justification as to why this film sucked to be an indication that you did not see this film. "It sucked cuz it sucked and it was boring cuz nuttin blew the fuck up!" Next time, if you really, really want to be taken seriously, put something more than "suck" and "heinous" behind your opinions.
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So far the film sounds interesting, and that is more than I expected. Personally I have gotten tired of Jim Carrey's antics, I mean channeling Andy Kaufman and having two seperate trailers, if you ask me he's taking himself just a bit too seriously. I enjoy great acting, but there reaches a point where actors go beyond acting into over acting when all they do is worship and glorify their own grandness. I just hope this is not the case with this film. If however Foreman can keep it entertaining yet still random and bizarre, which is what he does well and which suits a Kaufman biopic perfectly, than I think it will be a great flic. My one concern is that this movie will become a dark serious portrait of a so called comic "genius" I mean is it fair to really call Andy Kaufman a genius, why does he deserve the title genius, when he was just plain mad. I think I may be a tad cynical here but I think people that take comedy seriously are losing sight of the whole reason of comedy, to escape to laugh, to enjoy oneself, not to praise oneself and get caught up in some egotistical fantasy, oh well thats my opinion.
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The guys who wrote Man on the Moon, and Larry Flint, and Ed Wood, should get to work on a John Z. Delorean biop. Jeezus, it's a wonder nobody has made this before, especially when all the crap was going down. You know how the 80's were.
If this can get the ball rolling, here's some casting ideas, or just idea.
I was watching Boogie Nights. I saw Burt Renyolds with that white hair, and I thought, without the beard, he could be John Delorean. -
As a resident of the UK, I am hardly likely to be au fait with the latest test screening. However, it does strike me that the validation of such screenings as a "tool for the director" is simple hogwash. I have little idea how many millions were sunk into "Man On The Moon", but, given Carrey's fees and the need to deal with an entertainer's estate, I doubt the film was cheap. In that case, why not get a proper screenwriter in at the start of the project before the precious auteure realises he needs the public's approval before he certifies his "vision".
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Are YOU kidding? Orsen Welles, Walt Disney, AND EVEN Alfred Hitchcock used Test Screenings. Get over it. It's been there since the teens--thanks to the cross dressing (yes, he wore his wife Norma Shearer's dresses to play poker)Irving Thalberg.
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Who's John Delorean? I don't have anything to say about MOTM, except that I'm looking forward to it.
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Doing what, selling popcorn? If it's a test screening, then Joe Farrell is the new writer, the new director, the new producer, the new advertising agency. At this point nothing else matters but the test scores from the children in the audience. Like that scene? Shove it in every trailer. Hate that scene? Kill it quick. Like that character? Have the guy selling tickets write him some more dialog. Don't like that character? Kill him quick. The ending sucks? Hell, everybody knows Kauffman is still alive anyway.
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Are you kidding me? This is not really on the topic at hand, but test screenings are what got Welles fucked over with the Magnificent Ambersons! There weren't enough positive reviews, so they hacked it to pieces. Also, he only saw like one or two of his movies in a theatre. He had a really bad back and phisically couldn't take sitting in theatre seats long enough to watch a movie, so after cutting them (and sometimes having the studios re-cut them) he practically washed his hands of them.
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Well, just to comment on my talk back in the previous Man on the Moon posting and your strong (and powerful) reaction. I am a bit ashamed of the "two mediocre films in seven years" statement that I made. But you have to remember that this is all a question of taste. Think about it: Shakespeare in Love won the Oscar for best film this year. Does that make it a masterpiece?
I don't think so. I have a very thorough knowledge when it comes to movies.(I'm not gonna tell you why - cause I could lie an nobody'd know). My point is this: Milos Forman has made some of the best films of all time. But Valmont and People vs...are not among them, in MY opinion.
After THIS posting, we at least have some more "evidence" on which to base the "stupid execs" theory.
Afte working for ten years in the film industry I just find it dangerous to make such harsh judgments before you can be absolutely sure: Is this film misunderstood? Or does it have real problems like thousands of films do months before the release?
Keep smiling.
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FYI, for the youngsters, DeLorean was guy who made the gull-wing cars used in Back to the Future. They didn't sell well, though, and DeLorean was arrested in a $60M cocaine sting operation just as his company was shut down by the British government. An 80s story if there ever was one, but not nearly as interesting as Andy Kaufman's life!
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I am one of the producers of Man on the Moon. Your "inside" information about Universal's support of the film is wrong. The executives have been rabidly supportive of us since the rough cut. They are planning a very aggressive marketing campaign.
Michael Shamberg
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