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Topic: Premonition (2007)

Mark J. Marshall
Film God

Posts: 3188
From: New Castle, DE, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 03-15-2007 10:28 AM

A while back, I saw a web site that was dedicated to helping Congress get everything it needed to build a wall to keep illegal aliens out. It's called "sendabrick.com" and it allows citizens to send (mail) actual bricks to their members of Congress. The idea is to allow ordinary people to send a message to their leaders in Washington, who complain about there not being enough funds to build the wall.

In that spirit, I'm thinking we should start "sendatripod.com" so we can have average Joes like me send tripods to Hollywood for use in their stupid seizure-cam moments. I'm guessing all of the camera men are getting old or something, and are having a hard time holding the camera steady. They must be very emotional guys too, very much in touch with their feminine side. Because their lack of steadiness always seems to happen during key emotional scenes. I can just imagine the guy behind the camera, crying his eyes out when the sheriff told Sandra Bullock that her husband died. At least that's what it looked like to me as I watched the movie. The director clearly should have called "CUT!" and given the guy a chance to compose himself before they finished shooting that scene. But perhaps the director didn't notice it because he too was all broken up over the power of Sandra Bullock's blank stare performance in that scene. Maybe "sendatissue.com" is needed as well.

Anyway, if you've seen the trailer for this movie, then you've seen the movie. Yes, the ending is once again in the trailer. Thank you, Hollywood. So, save your $10, and your equilibrium. Unless you want to leave the theater more depressed than you were when you went in. Another seemingly great idea with lots of potential, blown.

I hope the digital projectors come with better movies on them.

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Mike Schindler
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1039
From: Oak Park, IL, USA
Registered: Jun 2002

posted 03-16-2007 04:08 AM

This movie was stupid, without a doubt. But the scene you referred to demonstrates perfectly how a hand-held camera can be used as an effective storytelling device. The closeups of Bullock are hand-held with a genuine lack of stability, as you noted. But when they cut to closeups of the much more poised cop, the camera is steady. This emphasizes her emotional state while maintaining that blank stare you're talking about. And speaking from personal experience, when I got a call that the car my dad was driving had been hit by a semi-truck, I had a blank stare too, and my equilibrium went right out the window. The filmmakers hit the nail on the head with that one. It's too bad they didn't put as much effort into hammering out the script.

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