Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
Wow, this one’s screening early. I’m a fan of Richard Kelly’s script for the film, and I’m curious to see what Tony Scott did with it. Keep in mind, this thing’s got to be rough right now:
Hey Moriarty, before I jump into the review I just wanted to congratulate both you and Scott Swan on having not only "Ride with the Devil" greenlit, but also having John Carpenter direct one of your hour-long scripts for the Masters of Horror anthology. That is fantastic news, and it's great to see both of you guys finally triumph!
At the Bridge: Cinema De Lux at 7:30 PM, Domino was screened to a packed audience. I spotted both Tony Scott in his trademark red cap and Richard Kelly a few rows back from me, and it appeared as though this was one of the first screenings of the film to happen. With that in mind, I'll regurgitate the usual disclaimer that this print wasn't color corrected, had temp music (quite a lot from Fight Club actually, as well as Man on Fire and Collateral), some bad sound, etcetera.
Have you ever had a dream about watching a film before its out, and really remembering enjoying the hell out of it but not remembering the whole of it? Like bits and pieces s tand out but its nearly impossible to remember where they line up? I can't remember a film ever making me feel like this before Domino. It's trippy in a Natural Born Killers-meets-Royal Tennenbaums way. It's like a shattered stain-glass window with colorful pieces all over the place. And I'm having a hell of a time trying to decide when this worked and when it didn't.
Because I want to respect the wishes of the filmmakers to keep the specifics of the plot untainted for the general public, I'm going to make this relatively general and only address the big concerns that people have had for this film.
*Tony Scott isn't quite in "Man on Fire" mode here, but he still resorts to a lot of his old-"new" tricks. That means you'll get your fill of hand-cranked cameras, low shutter speeds, jump cuts, accompanied with lots of reverse piano key sound effects. I can only imagine that, four months from now, the cuts will either compound in number or the overall cut of the film will feel f ar different than the rough cut. I hear Scott likes to edit down to the last minute.
*The Keira Knightley voice overs were SUBSTANTIALLY better than they were in the trailer. Overall she does a strong job. Although I've heard a lot of naysayers comment on how her slim frame doesn't lend her to being a believable bounty hunter, I will say that Kelly and Scott do a great job of holding a lantern to this and making you believe in her ass-kicking abilities.
*In the focus group held afterwards, most people ranked it above average. No poors or fairs to be seen. Adjectives used to describe it included "Trippy, original, like Pulp Fiction, confusing, explosive." I gauged that most people really appeared to enjoy the movie, though I also noticed that the hyperkinetic and convoluted nature of the plot threw a lot of people. Myself definitely included.
*Music-wise, this was a temp track so I have no real idea what final music will be used. Tom Waits I'm sure will have his music inta ct in the final cut, seeing as he makes a brief appearance in the film and probably approves. Against the rumours I heard of very specific tracks being listed throughout Kelly's script, it appears that the filmmakers (not necessarily Scott, maybe the producers) have dropped these suggested songs.
*Chris Walken isn't in this film nearly as much as I had hoped he'd be.
*The dog Harry wrote about in his script review from a couple years ago survives, and it really pissed the hell out of me because the dialogue proceeds as if it had been blown to "doggie hell." This is such a minor detail that I thought I would share it because it really has no bearing on the plot.
*There are MANY characters in this film and I can't say for certain how many will survive into the final cut. It becomes almost too Snatch and really strips away from the emotional core of the story.
*It begins as a great dysfunctional family story but dissolves into mindless spectacle midway.
I apologize for a ny bad grammar or incomprehensible sentences. Massive sleep deprivation, stress, and a general sensory overload from the insanity of Domino have left me in a sad, sad state. I'm hopeful than in four months from now we'll see a vastly improved version. Take it from me, I can already tell that there are considerations for reshooting the ending, so it will only get better from here.
Call me "The Scog"
Anyone else get a peek at this one tonight? Let us know what you thought.
"Moriarty" out.
