Me and Orson Welles

[skizzerflake]

I was drawing a blank at the Red Box and rented this. I don't know how it came about, filmed partly in the Island of Man mainly with actors I've never seen before and directed by Richard Linklater. The story is in 1937, a high school kid with acting ambitions lands a role in Orson Welles production of Julius Caesar at the Mercury Theater in New York. Welles, as expected, is an arrogant, overblown prick, boy meets girl and learns something about living life among people with huge egos. Digital renderings turn the spare Manx landscape into New York and everything seems sepia tinted. This is an odd little movie, light in its approach and completely enjoyable.

 

[audiofox]

I was drawing a blank at the Red Box and rented this. I don't know how it came about, filmed partly in the Island of Man mainly with actors I've never seen before and directed by Richard Linklater. The story is in 1937, a high school kid with acting ambitions lands a role in Orson Welles production of Julius Caesar at the Mercury Theater in New York. Welles, as expected, is an arrogant, overblown prick, boy meets girl and learns something about living life among people with huge egos. Digital renderings turn the spare Manx landscape into New York and everything seems sepia tinted. This is an odd little movie, light in its approach and completely enjoyable.

I also saw this recently-Christian McKay played a very respectable (and suitably arrogant) Welles and pretty much dominated the movie's performances, IMHO. Zac Efron was also good, although I have to admit that I have not seen him in much of anything else (that's my daughter's domain).

 

[skizzerflake]

I also saw this recently-Christian McKay played a very respectable (and suitably arrogant) Welles and pretty much dominated the movie's performances, IMHO. Zac Efron was also good, although I have to admit that I have not seen him in much of anything else (that's my daughter's domain).

I'm not very familiar with Ephron but his fairly minimal acting worked in the situation. Being a high school kid in the presence of a force-of-nature like Welles and all of his sycophants would make anybody else seem pretty tame.

 

[Alex2507]

I just got this in from Netflix because I wanted to be part of the group.

 

[Alex2507]

This is an odd little movie, light in its approach and completely enjoyable.

Excellent summation. It could have used some cussing and nudity though.

A part I liked was the use of this tune.

 

[skizzerflake]

Excellent summation. It could have used some cussing and nudity though.

A part I liked was the use of this tune.

I love old Benny Goodman stuff, especially Sing Sing Sing, which fit right into this flick.