Brenda, Karen, thank you for the video link, I very much enjoyed the interview! It was funny to watch in the long version as Colin switched from Let's-get-on-with-the-interview mode to I'm-being-interviewed one. I watched his face as he was asked the sex symbol question and wondered if he would keep a straight face or the dimples would appear. I would've grinned in embarrassment at that point, but he is sooo used to that one by now, he didn't bat an eyelash. I loved the dimply smile at the end of that particular topic though.:-) (Allison - PW) "...the trousers did make him look like he had chicken legs. I only put one shot of his ankles in the whole film, perhaps as a kindness." LOL! Be blessed for that Mr. Webber! I think I really like this guy... Scarlett must have had a ball teasing Colin about all his "imperfections". No wonder they had such a great time together. Thank you for all the reviews, links to pics etc. posted ladies.

Since Whatshisname couldn't make Sundance, here's how Reuters is captioning Mena's pics. Sounds like "she's" in every frame. :-( Actress Mean Suvari, star of the drama film 'Trauma' poses during a photo session in Park City, Utah at the Sundance Film Festival, January 19, 2004. Suvari portrays a psychiatrist who takes an interest in a man, her neighbor, who had been her patient after he loses his wife in a car crash. The film is in competition at the festival which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. REUTERS/Fred Prouser

(Karen)..Sounds like "she's" in every frame.. That should teach him not to show...

UK box office stats: GWAPE made $684,406 in its first weekend and was #10 on the charts. On 106 screens, it had a $6,457 per screen avg. Not bad at all, though three other films (LOTR, LIT and Samurai had better per screen avgs). BTW, in its 8th week, LA is in 6th place, making $1,047,531 on 312 screens ($3,357/per screen avg) and has cumed $62,947,365.

Sandi: I want to know about audience reaction to Trauma; anything Marc Evans or Mena said... it can be done here for all (who don't want the movie spoiled) to read.

Ok thanks, They do not have a US distributor for the film yet. They are hoping to find one through the screening in Sundance. During the movie they're were various reactions and much applause at the end. Colin was on screen the whole time, and MS role was smaller than I expected. During the Q&A they asked the screen writer how old he was, because he looked like a BABY, so young! He is only 27, and he was commissioned to do it 2 years ago. There were some squeemish parts, which got an audience reaction, and also some funny bits which got laughs. It was a huge audience, over 1200+ I think, being in the largest venue for the festival. We will let you know how it plays tonight also, I think the theater has about 150 seats. Mena was polite and very very Petite. they only asked her a couple questions, one about "spiders" which she said "they were very professional" to a big laugh. They were asked how long the process took from first page to finish, They stated that the screenplay was commissioned 2 years ago, funding was secured 1 year ago, and they started filming last spring. This role was such a departure from what Colin has done before, I found myself looking for the lighter side of his expressions, which were few and far between. I think the venue was not the best forum for a Q&A, it was much too large. It took a minute to come out with the first question which was uncomfortable, and I think there were only 6 or 7 asked, and they had to keep repeating the question into the mic then answere. ME did say it was a privilage to be back, after his first movie was shown here 2 years ago, He praised everyone, including his 2 leads, who were amazing to work with. He stated that Colin wanted to be there, but he was busy being Mr. Darcy in the BJD sequel, and was here is spirit.

(PWebber) I think a lot of directors are really � self-indulgent bunch of fuckers! Because, the amount of time I leave the cinema with a sore arse� and slightly bored, you think � �If that film had been twenty minutes shorter, it would have been great�. Ha! . .Ain't that the truth . .nice to see a director who sees it too! Also liked his views on directing/ being a director (for me, this type of director is truly ideal to work with): (PWebber) I think if I�ve done nothing else on this film, I�ve hired right. I mean, that�s really, if there�s a �secret,� to what makes a good director � the difference between a good director and a bad director � is the good director knows who to hire. Because if you hire right, then most of the job is done. But it�s not only down to ability, it�s down to personality as well � you need to hire people who can work together. . . .There were particular things I was looking for, but you know, that�s part of the working-through � you�ve had conversations beforehand, you�ve had some kind of rehearsal, and then on the day, you spend, whatever it is, twenty minutes, half an hour, maybe an hour for some scenes, working with the actors, working out the movements� You�re in there, and you�re very very hands-on. But she would understand, in her gut, the emotion of the scene, or get it very quickly, after very few words. So I didn�t have to beat the performance out of her, or anything. She is that talented. They both are � it�s like I said about the hiring, you don�t act for them, you help people do their job. You�re like a conductor � you don�t play the instruments, but you help them understand what they�re playing. . . .Exactly � I can�t play the violin, I can�t act. But I know what I like and I know what I want and I know to try and get it. There�s different ways to skin a cat � some people you have to tell very clearly, very intellectually. Other people you just suggest� Some people you don�t say anything to. Directing is about getting what you want, and as you know, in everyday life, you don�t always get what you want, grabbing them by the shirt, pulling them up, and saying �Oi!� Sometimes you have to do it through manipulation, sometimes� I�m not going to say too much, because it would give it all away. Different ways to skin a cat� One star, Cosmo????? Hmph . . . where are those dog turds that other reviewer was complaining about? . .think I'll set a bag of it alight on Cosmo's doorstep . .:P CF having chicken legs in GWAPE: . .well those blue jeans on the Today show toy drive did make him look awfully lean and lanky . .but that particular poultry correlation never crossed my mind during GWAPE . . .his ankles looked all right to me;) . .but if the camera adds 10lbs . . .

I was just checking out IMDB and it list "The Advocate" as IMDb Movie of the Day on the main page. http://imdb.com/ Copied this bit from IMDB "Firth's bemused courtroom defense of the pig reveals glimpses of his future star power."

(Sandi)He stated that Colin wanted to be there, but he was busy being Mr. Darcy in the BJD sequel . . . Thanks, Sandi, I figured that would be the party line. They could have accommodated him and worked around his TEOR schedule. It's done all the itme. They knew about Sundance a month ago. Whatever. During the movie they're were various reactions and much applause at the end. Great to hear it! Off to read your account on Spoilers. BTW, I hope you Sundance Kids will write glowing reviews for Ain't It Cool News.

Dorine and Tress where also watching the local cable channel last night in Park City and saw me shout WOOOW in the camera at the Eccles theater. We saw them taping some show and decided to ham it up. I pulled my sisters and their friends into the scene, and they said it was very funny. I am a 40+ yr old idiot now! Sandi

Film Comment Magazine's Guilty Pleasures for 2003: Everyone's damaged, but, hey, damage doesn't mean you're totally up shit creek in Love, Actually's world of serial minicatharses. The action barely lets up: Hugh Grant shaking his ass to "Jump (For My Love)," Liam Neeson flexing his jaw through an extended tearjerking widowed stepfather-son bonding session, Alan Rickman doing Alan Rickman, and, if that wasn't enough, Denise Richards and her toothy smile at Heathrow as the credits roll. Classic schlock disguised as post-schlock, it's self-conscious enough to let Laura Linney and Emma Thompson deftly screw themselves (or be screwed) over. Or do I have it backwards? Could this be the darkest film of the year? - ALICE LOVEJOY http://www.filmlinc.com/fcm/1-2-2004/2003guilty.htm

(Sandi)I am a 40+ yr old idiot now! ROTF. You are now officially part of the club, Sandi. We (errr, I mean....)*I* call it getting in touch with our teen-age side;-)

Tress and I would like to say...... Congratulations, Colin!! You've made us proud!! Hope you are, too. :-D

While Dorine and I were sitting at Drool Satellite HQ (Marriott lobby), we noticed Marc Evans in the foyer. Made Dorine jump up and ask question that we didn't have time for at last nights Q&A. Dorine went up and told him she loved the film. I walked up behind her and shook his hand and congratulated him. Dorine asked if he would be at tonight's screening (we have tickets to 7 p.m. show.), Mr. Evans said "no, I did one this morning (Egyptian Theatre)". We sat down in front of fireplace and were surprised when Marc sat down next to my friend Christina (in town skiing). He spoke for several minutes with woman sitting to his left (producer from film who was at premiere and Q&A last night). After a few minutes their conversation stopped for a second and Dorine and I started asking questions (he sat with us for about ten minutes). Marc spoke about premiere. Asked us if we thought the venue was too large. He thought that the sound/film sync was a bit off because of how big the Eccles Theatre is (holds 1270). Asked us if we knew how many Sundance House holds. We told him about 160 and he thought that it might be a better venue for the film. A tighter space may make it feel more closed in (not his exact words, but after seeing film, can understand this logic). He asked if we though it would be full tonight up there, but we told him we really couldn't say as we'd never been up there and knew nothing about the venues or area (it's 60 mins away). We asked a couple of questions pertaining to the film (can't give details as they belong in spoilers). He was very surprised at the nature of questions, I think. He said he didn't intend to make any connections regarding those points! LOL!! I think he even said "Wow. I didn't even think of that!" Told Dorine that that just blows my perception of film discussions. Directors must just sometimes pull this stuff out of their butts and we interpret all sorts of things that aren't even there! We told him film was v. v. dark and we enjoyed it. Dorine told him he "had a great eye" and he laughed...said "Yeah, this one!" and pointed to his right eye. V. v. funny! Producer and Marc asked if we had seen GWAPE. We said yes, we loved it and thought it was stunning. Producer then said she was v. surprised that SJ was not nommed by SAG and we talked about SJ and Lost in Translation for a minute. (Switch to Dorine) Then Marc brought up how he thought Mena was "quite good, don't you think? Quite angelic." We agreed (which we actually did!). Then I said, "Colin was quite good....of course." He lit up and said, "Yeah, he's great!" Then he asked us, "Do you like Colin?" Following a *very* pregnant pause, we said "Yes!" Fortunately Tress's friend didn't out us (whew!!)...just sat there (next to Marc) and rolled her eyes (fortunately not looking at him). I said the movie and his performance reminded me of Apt 0, his favorite performance of mine. He said, "Oh really? I haven't seen it." He said Colin had spoken to him about it and was quite proud of that one, and was sorry that it didn't get better notice and distribution. Then Marc asked if we knew if it was on DVD? (Duh!! ROTF!!!). I said yes, that it just came out recently. Then he asked if we noticed Brenda Fricker as the medium, to which we said yes. He also brought up Tommy Flannigan, mentioned he was a great actor....at this point we were all trying to help Tress's friend remember who he was, running through a bunch of films including Gladiator, Charlie's Angel's, Ratcatcher....but all to no avail. She just sat there blank faced. ;-) She'll see him tonight. Then Marc asked whether we thought the accents were too heavy for Americans. We hesitated, but then said "Yes, possibly", that we did have moments of trouble, but got more used it (although there wasn't that much in the film that was hard to understand, just scenes with TF). He seemed especially concerned with TF's accent, and I mentioned I noticed Colin's accent changed in scenes with TF. He asked if we thought he needed to redo the speech in the scenes. He was really leaning forward in his seat, seemingly very earnest with his questions and wanted an honest answer. He asked if we'd seen Trainspotting and had trouble with that, possibly looking for a reference point. I asked if he was planning to take it to other film fests. He said he wasn't sure, but probably not, as he considered it a genre film rather than festival film....though he did mention possibly taking it to Cannes for Director's Fortnight. He had to leave and we thanked him. And now we have to leave to catch the shuttle to see it again. Intrepid Sundance reporters signing off.....with a bit of a crush, really. ;-)

Fantastic report, ladies, from your satellite location! Am amazed by the length of time you spent with ME and how interested he was in "average" persons' opinions. *snort* Told Dorine that that just blows my perception of film discussions. Directors must just sometimes pull this stuff out of their butts and we interpret all sorts of things that aren't even there! Have gotten the same response from some writers. Never intended such and such... Never thought about it that way... *yadda yadda* Then Marc asked whether we thought the accents were too heavy for Americans. We hesitated, but then said "Yes, possibly", that we did have moments of trouble, but got more used it (although there wasn't that much in the film that was hard to understand, just scenes with TF). He seemed especially concerned with TF's accent, and I mentioned I noticed Colin's accent changed in scenes with TF. He asked if we thought he needed to redo the speech in the scenes. He was really leaning forward in his seat, seemingly very earnest with his questions and wanted an honest answer. He asked if we'd seen Trainspotting and had trouble with that, possibly looking for a reference point. Had you??? Gaah!! If they're anywhere like that, then they'd have to redo...if they have hope of getting it released here.

Thank you for the great Sundance-reports, you lucky girls (Tress, Dorine and Sandi). And for all the material posted lately. Have nothing to contribute, but wanted to say thank you to all the lovely ladies at drool :-) (Tress/Dorine)Then he asked us, "Do you like Colin?" Following a *very* pregnant pause, we said "Yes!" I believe you just passed the ultimate test for "keeping up appearances". You seem to be ready to take on the world at large :-) Am impressed by your private Q&A. So very well done !!!

Question for the Sundance Droolers: How do they determine what gets the audience awards? Is there balloting (which is actually counted) or do they use ticket sales?

(Tress) ...Mr. Evans said "no, I did one this morning (Egyptian Theatre)". We sat down in front of fireplace and were surprised when Marc sat down next to my friend So he was "Marc" when he sat down huh? You all are too good and your reports are wonderful! You'll have to fill in the blanks for us: Airfare to Sundance -- $$ Hotel Rooms -- $$ Personal Q&A with director -- Priceless (No need for numbers, the bottom line is all that matters!)

Tress and Dorine--Bravo!!! Wonderful job, and your very own T Q&A. (T&D)We asked a couple of questions pertaining to the film (can't give details as they belong in spoilers). He was very surprised at the nature of questions LOL, he just didn't know he was talking to the dynamic duo of drool;-)

Tress and Dorine - Amazing, truly amazing. As my ten-year old would say, you guys are AWESOME!

To our Sundance kids: you have outdone yourselves today! Thank you so much for the on-the-scene news, and for the unbelievably detailed reports at Spoilers. I wish we had some idea of when Trauma will be released in the US. I have to confess that if Colin weren't in it I would have no interest in seeing this film. Having said that, I'm really looking forward to seeing it! Thanks to everyone for all the GWAPE reviews and interview clips.

Amazing on the site reporting Sundance Gals! Am awed by your forthright search for new scoops and exclusive interviews! Grand job, really! Shame, though, that Colin wasn't there to show off for this "dramatic turn." Silly that they expect him and RZ to show up and film TEOR instead of promoting current films. ;-)

Thanks all the great reports! But... Could you please move the spoiler to the Spoiler section? It's very hard not to read it inadvertently with it sticking out all by itself. Thanks lots.

Thanks to the Sundance Kids for their mini-interview with ME. Review from Ain't It Cool News. No real Spoilers here. TRAUMA (**�) A dark journey into insanity with all of the uncertainty of reality that accompanies it. Colin Firth plays Ben, a man who wakes up from a coma to discover that his wife was killed in a car accident. Or was she? He thinks he might have also killed a young singer. Or did he? He explains everything to his psychologist. Or does he? He finds solace in the reality of his neighbor (Mena Suvari). Or can he? He's perfectly sane. Or is he? Just as Ben is unable to answer any of these questions with certainty, so is the audience. Screenwriter Richard Smith has constructed a work with so many unanswered questions, it demands that the audience fill in many of the gaps afterward. His challenging and very dark script is aided by gorgeously troubling cinematography and a production design that is almost ominous enough to drive somebody mad. In the screening I attended, as the closing credits began, the audience was just silent; they felt almost like they needed somebody to come out afterward and explain the film to them. Success! This is a mark of true insanity.

BBC's Stella Papamichael's daily postcard from Park City, Utah Mena Suvari was about to tuck into a light lunch of salmon and green beans when I dropped in on her at The Park City Marriot. She chin-nodded me and asked her publicist: "So, am I nibbling?" It looked like she needed the nourishment, and knowing how much a lunch hour means to most people (let alone a Hollywood starlet), I apologised for keeping her from it. Still, she was very accommodating, telling me that she was quite content to eat her salmon in increments. She's sanguine and at the same time reserved, and I could see why horror helmer Marc Evans had cast her as the ethereal earth child opposite a chaotic Colin Firth in the gruesome thriller Trauma. She was predictably effusive about working with Firth, and approving of the laidback mode of British filmmaking - "very calm, very relaxed," she told me - apparently a big departure from Hollywood and its time-is-money ethos. But when I asked whether Trauma had appealed to some previously unseen "darker side", she turned coy, shrugging her shoulders and giving me the cutesy flim-flam: "Who me? Really? I dunno..." Welsh director Marc Evans was an altogether different story. He readily admitted to earning the nickname 'Dark Marc' for his fascination with the macabre. This is the man who brought you the slasher flick My Little Eye and the pitch black House Of America. With the London-based Trauma, he says he wanted to explore the psyche of those people who "sit on the tube" and "live in bedsits". It was also moulded by a long conversation he had with Colin Firth about revisiting the "man in the suit" genre, the kind of Hitchcock thriller that got "beneath the skin and scratched around" (see Vertigo). "NOT YOUR AVERAGE NIHILIST" On the surface, though, Marc doesn't come over like your average nihilist. He has an open and, dare I say it, sunny disposition, and I often felt that his brain ticked faster than his lips could move. The words spilled as if they were beyond his control and I could tell he was already thinking about the next thing. It was certainly an education, but the interview almost never happened. After my half hour with Mena, the publicist was taken aback when I asked for time with the director - as if we hadn't already had this conversation! "Oh, that's right. I forgot," she says. "I'm not used to people asking about the director. There's only you and another London film critic."

Screenwriter Richard Smith has constructed a work with so many unanswered questions, it demands that the audience fill in many of the gaps afterward. His challenging and very dark script I'm still trying to figure out the ending to "The Swimming Pool." ;-) Too many unanswered questions is not a good thing, IMO. Thanks, Mari!

Thanks for your reports Sundance Ladies, it sounds like you all had a good time. Dorine, Tress, congrats on your private interview with ME. Lucky and smart girls! I'd never have your courage, I tend to get tongue tied around famous people. Kudos to you guys! Such excitement for all of us. I Love it! Wish ODB had been there for a private Q&A too. You girls would've handled that brilliantly too. :-) Mari, thanks for the reviews!

Moon!!! How could you? Some people are not reading Spoilers because they don't want the movie spoiled for them...but too late. :-((((((((( (AICN guy) as the closing credits began, the audience was just silent; they felt almost like they needed somebody to come out afterward and explain the film to them. Success! This is a mark of true insanity. Interesting take on audience reaction. Hmmm, depends on whether you like ambiguity. Is apparent that Stella has read up (i.e, read the Dark Mark article) before she left. ;-) Didn't seem to get much more than a regurgitation of it and the bedsit business. Oh well... Thanks Mari!

FYI, even though Stella wrote the 27 Feb release date for Trauma in the UK, it is absolutely not accurate. Have just had that confirmed, but there is nothing else to add as yet.

Another mention: I run to catch the bus back to the condo, grab some lunch, take a 20-minute nap, call my very supportive girlfriend, Aislyn, and run back out the door to catch another movie. The third movie of the day is another psychological thriller, �Trauma,� starring Colin Firth and Mena Suvari. Colin couldn�t make it (he was busy filming �Bridget Jones�s Diary II�). Mena, however, was there and was nice enough to let me take a picture with her. �Trauma� is a British film about Ben (Firth) who wakes from a coma and learns he has been in a car crash that has taken the life of his wife. His whole life goes dark, and he fades into a delusional world where he can�t tell fact from fiction. After the movie, I jump on the bus, grab some pizza and head to work. Tonight we are featuring a movie that I read and was very excited to see. �Saw� stars Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter and Leigh Whannell. Whannell also co-wrote the film with director James Wan. Remember those names! �Saw� is the best movie I have seen here at the Festival so far this year, and I have seen some really good films! It starts with two guys who wake up from unconsciousness in a very dark and dirty basement warehouse. They don�t know how they got there. They just know they are chained to rusty pipes by their ankles and they are on opposite sides of the room. In between them is a body of a man who has apparently shot himself in the head. In their pockets they find a cassette tape with instructions they must solve to stay alive. I don�t want to give anything away, just know that it is a horror-suspense movie, and worth seeing if you can handle it. �Saw� has been sold and should be in theaters sometime in the futur . This blew the other two suspense movies out of the water and could be my favorite movie of all three years in the festival. Did I mention how good it was? Oh well, that's one guy's opinion, but from the looks of him, he's right in the target market. Trauma isn't being made for the "faithful flock" :-( http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article.cfm?i=74039

Hurrah to the reporters of Drool current events . .our girls down at Sundance . . Tress, Dorine - So happy you were able to have a private Q&A w/ ME who really seemed to enjoy it;) Such a shame ODB wasn't there to benefit from your reporting prowess;) Thanks for all of the great reporting from Sundance . .hope you have a safe flight home! Mari & Karen, as always, thanks for your reviews!

(Kimberley) Such a shame ODB wasn't there to benefit from your reporting prowess;) Such a shame ODB wasn't there to promote his own film. Dorine....did you happen to spot Matthew Mondine or Stanley Tucci;-)

(Evelyn)Dorine....did you happen to spot Matthew Mondine or Stanley Tucci;-) ROTF! Colin's designated stand-ins. Don't want to sound like a broken record, but his presence would have helped the film's Fest profile tremendously. As it is, there's very little so far on it. Ok, he's filming TEOR. Ya think Renee won't show in LA for the Golden Globes this Sunday?? Guess again . . . On a brighter note, GWAPE will expand to 300+ theaters in the US on January 30. And guess where it's finally coming Friday--yippee! Click on the film name, and there's a lengthy description, probably lifted from the press packet. http://www.ritzfilmbill.com/showtimes/index.php?theater_id=4&dow=01/23/04

You're lucky, Mari! Closest it is scheduled to me is 2.5 hours away, and that's not until Feb. I must console myself with all the news from Drool.

Hello all! Just got home from Sundance (Dorine should be home shortly, I imagine). Am tired, but had tons of fun! On the surface, though, Marc doesn't come over like your average nihilist. He has an open and, dare I say it, sunny disposition, and I often felt that his brain ticked faster than his lips could move. The words spilled as if they were beyond his control and I could tell he was already thinking about the next thing. Agree totally! When Dorine and I reported yesterday, we had just enough time to get the bare bones down. I want to add (and I'm sure Dorine will add later tonight as well) that Marc Evans was incredibly pleasant. He seemed to genuinely want to talk to us about his film. We started by asking him questions, but then it turned around and he began to ask us questions. He talked a blue streak (and for those of you who know me, I do the same, so with all of us present, we were tripping all over each other to talk). He appeared eager to get feed back....he was very cute when talking to us. Using his hands and leaning forward in his seat. He seemed friendly and 'excitable'. Will wait for Dorine to get 'home' before talking about our Bridget moment 'pre-interview' (actually it was probably more like a 'two stooges' moment!)

From The Times, Festival report (January 22, 2004) by Dave Calhoun: The most impressive film at the festival so far is undoubtedly The Motorcycle Diaries, Walter Salles�s beautiful interpretation of the journey of Ernesto �Ch� Guevara (Gael Garc�a Bernal) and Alberto Granado (Rodrigo De La Serna) across South America in 1952. Bernal delivers a startling portrayal of Ch� Guevara as a man of brooding, sometimes naive, integrity, and Salles resists the easy pull of Guevara�s iconic fame and instead presents a moving buddy movie with a hard documentary edge..... The only British film with a world premiere at Sundance is Trauma, the Welsh director Marc Evans�s first film since his claustrophobic horror debut My Little Eye. It�s also the scriptwriting debut of a 25-year-old Scot, Richard Smith. Colin Firth sheds his usual safe cocoon to play Ben, a man wrestling with mental illness in a distinctly unfriendly vision of London. Trauma is a mind game of a movie. It�s troubling, intense and puzzling, all of which are bolstered by the visual sense of Evans and his cinematographer John Mathieson (Love is the Devil), who allow Ben�s fragility to seep into the very core of the film through oppressive camerawork. On Saturday, the festival will announce its award winners. For giving smaller filmmakers the chance to have their work seen on such a well-publicised and heavily scrutinised stage, Sundance remains important, whatever its faults.

2004 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL � Day 8 On a Mena streak by Kevin Williamson Calgary Sun PARK CITY, Utah � Assembly-line press interviews can be traumatic for both scribe and subject. 2004 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL � Day 8 On a Mena streak by Kevin Williamson Calgary Sun PARK CITY, Utah � Assembly-line press interviews can be traumatic for both scribe and subject. (I will skip to the part we care about) Trauma, filmed in London and starring Colin Firth (Love, Actually), concerns a man whose reality may be crumbling. Suvari plays Firth�s next-door neighbour. �I couldn�t have lucked out any better working with Colin. He was so passionate about the project and so eager to give his insight into what he wanted. But in the same breath, he�d ask me what I wanted and if I was OK with things. I really appreciated it. It�s something I�ve never really had before.� http://www.fyicalgary.com/perl-bin/niveau2.cgi?s=films&p=81329.html&a=1

Hi everybody, I don't know if it was mentioned here before. Colin won 3rd place in Hello! Magazine's "Most attractive man 2003". Winner is Orlando Bloom, second John Bon Jovi.

(Calgary Sun, MS)"He[CF] was so passionate about the project and so eager to give his insight into what he wanted. But in the same breath, he?d ask me what I wanted ..." One is left to wonder what the director wanted.

(Evelyn) One is left to wonder what the director wanted. LOL Evelyn! Colin is "bigger" than the director, so maybe what he wants is of no consequence. ;-) I wish he'd ask what WE want. I'd like to see a good bedroom scene. One that would leave me breathless like the end of BJD. I know he'd done a few of those back "before the earth's crust cooled", but I prefer the older, more seasoned, more manly Colin to the young one. Maybe TEOR will indulge me... Thanks for the reviews ladies!

That's maybe what YOU want; personally, I'd rather have a scene that got me all sweaty. OK Ildi! You're now going to have to remove that W key from your keyboard and send it to me for safekeeping. ;-)

Thanks, Karen and Maria, for the latest bits on Trauma. Sounds like Mena really loved working with CF. *I'd* love it if our Sundance Kids could write brief reviews/opinions about Trauma for Ain't It Cool News, which has been posting a number of reader reviews of Sundance films. There has been virtually nothing written about the film in the media.

Oh, I'm a badly misunderstood woman. Or I'm very bad at expressing myself.*banging head against the wall*. Yes, that's what I want. That's what I wrote. "I wish he'd ask what WE want" means I wish he'd ask us fans, and we could all express our individual wish just like you and I just did. I wasn't trying to speak for all. Jumping to conclusions quickly, aren't we? ;-) No, I will not give you my W. It's mine. I learned the "W" lesson, trust me. :-)

(Ildi) I wish he'd ask us fans Well, one fan wrote me that she wished he wouldn't appear in movies with women who showed their "cleavage." Wish I could remember the other recommendations she had. ;-)

(Karen) Well, one fan wrote me that she wished he wouldn't appear in movies with women who showed their "cleavage." Oh...that means no P&P. Don't think I'd like that at all! Must have Lizzy in that white dress...I like the idea that Mr. Darcy may be trying to take a peek down that frock. (Mari) *I'd* love it if our Sundance Kids could write brief reviews/opinions about Trauma for Ain't It Cool News, which has been posting a number of reader reviews of Sundance films. There has been virtually nothing written about the film in the media. Ummmm....you must mean Dorine. You all know I can't string a sentence together to save my life (but many on AICN are the same I suppose ;-) BTW, Mari, just wanted to say "thank you".....that you were my inspiration! Your "precipitious mini-interview" gave me courage to speak up (and Dorine being there was a big help....she's not as "shy" as I am!) ;-)

(Mari)*I'd* love it if our Sundance Kids could write brief reviews/opinions about Trauma for Ain't It Cool News, which has been posting a number of reader reviews of Sundance films. There has been virtually nothing written about the film in the media It would be very cool if the Sundancers would get the ball rolling on this--T needs all the help it can get for US distribution. Ihate to be pushy, I know you guys are tired, but it would really be cool if you could;-)

I can at least start one with Tress....going away again Sat morning for 8 days with, most likely, little internet access. And will be busy beforehand.

I was just reading an interview with Gwyneth Paltrow in the 2/04 issue of Vanity Fair. In it she talks about what she'll wear to a screening of her film, Sylvia (an indie film). She says she'll "overdress slightly, for sure...because if you're in a nice pretty dress it helps the movie. And this is a movie I am dying for people to see." Now, there's an actress who *gets it*. I don't know what the mitigating circumstances were, but IMO ODB really should have been at Sundance. If the movie is as good as the buzz we've heard, I think it could be very helpful in moving his career along. Films, especially indies, usually need to be pushed to get noticed. And besides, Tress, Dorine, and Sandi went out of their way to be there. It's the least he could have done...

A GWAP write-up from the 'Oxford Student'. Nothing new but perhaps a few interesting takes... http://www.oxfordstudent.com/2004-01-22/features/7 Passion, Painting and a Pearl A delicate portrayal of obsession, eroticism and thwarted desires? Or yet another excuse to watch a brooding Colin Firth in an open-necked shirt? Katherine Lim decides. Katherine Lim Remember Pride and Prejudice? (The BBC television adaptation that is, not the book.) If not, consider yourself lucky: you've missed out on Darcy Mania, otherwise known as Firth Fever. In 1995 Colin Firth's Mr Darcy strode purposefully out of the lake at Pemberley wearing nothing but a wet shirt and a pair of equally soaked breeches. The nation watched transfixed. Lizzie's bosom heaved and hearts were set aflutter from Surrey to Shropshire as Firth galloped, fenced, and smouldered his way to prominence. If it's smouldering looks and furtive glances you're after, look no further than Girl With a Pearl Earring, the adaptation of Tracy Chevalier's novel about the Vermeer painting of the same name. Firth plays Jan Vermeer, a Dutch artist plagued by financial worries and slow work methods. His situation is not helped by the three generations of women in his household: with a wife given to fits of temper, a spoilt brat of a daughter, and a fearsome chain-smoking mother-in-law, it's little wonder that Vermeer locks himself up in his studio, isolated from the domestic chaos below. Enter Griet, a young maid-servant who leaves her blind father to work for the Vermeer family. It is not long before she is ordered to clean the studio, where she encounters a strange realm bordering fantasy and reality, where a box (a camera obscura) contains the images of paintings, and the colours of clothes and clouds are not what they seem. Scarlett Johanssen portrays Griet's curiosity in the world around her with wide eyes. Her face, often shot in close-up, reveals a wide range of emotions that change with the flick of an eyelid or the tilt of her head. This innocence and expressiveness attract the attention of Vermeer, who finds inspiration for his art in her. Cleaning windows and mixing pigments might sound like dull work, but it's par for the course that leads to artistic immortality. In an atmosphere charged with eroticism, thwarted desires, and intrigue - brilliantly lighted by Eduardo Serra -- the unlikely pair of master and maid grow closer. Soon, however, Griet unwittingly excites the passions of the mercurial nobleman Van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson). The intensity of her own experiences with the painter similarly fuel her need to find release, as seen in her relationship with butcher boy Pieter, which she attempts to substitute for the pleasures forbidden to her with the married-with-six-children Vermeer. In these scenes, the film tableaux suggest the subtle tones of Vermeer's paintings, capturing the understated elegance of his canvases. Elsewhere, Dutch landscapes are invoked, from the severed heads of pigs in the market to the tree-lined paths that Griet and Pieter stroll down. Genre scenes find their way in whimsical portrayals of children blowing bubbles by canalside houses. But beyond repressed desires and tender moments - the most poignant of which takes place when Vermeer pierces Griet's ear to put his wife's pearl earring on her, holding her head in his hands to stem the pain - the plot is thin. The characters skulk about, hiding in doorways and peering through windows. This occurs a bit too often for comfort, such that one can predict that someone is watching every time Griet is alone in a room. Director Peter Webber reveals that he took particular pains to capture the spirit of Vermeer: "The film is reminiscent of painterly style," he says, "And Vermeer is at the heart of it. His paintings are open to interpretation - and I'm a big fan of enigma." But pretty pictures and clever lighting do not an exciting story make. There is Griet scrubbing the floors clean, Griet stirring the copper pot of laundry, Griet hanging up the washing, Griet going to the apothecary. Ultimately, Girl With a Pearl Earring is eye candy masquerading as high art. For those who like their scenes laid out in the neat manner in which Griet arranges vegetables on a plate, the film will appeal. But if you want satisfying endings and plot resolutions, you won't find them here. Try looking at Rembrandt's 'The Night Watch' instead - there's more action in the captain's little finger than in the 99 minutes of this movie.

there's more action in the captain's little finger than in the 99 minutes of this movie. OUCH! (Memo to self: dig out old art history textbook and look at finger.) consider yourself lucky: you've missed out on Darcy Mania I'd consider such a person very UNlucky, indeed. I have a finger wave of my own for Mz. Lim. (v.v. bad)

From THR: Trauma By Duane Byrge Sundance Film Festival PARK CITY -- "Trauma" is the poor man's "Memento." It is a spiraling, flash-cut visualization of one man's meltdown following a car crash in which his wife was killed. Starring Colin Firth as Ben, the driver who wakes up in a hospital ward to find that his beloved wife is dead, "Trauma" is a mega-reality brain tease. Memory, delusion, obsession and, of course, the trauma from the accident itself all are part of this very disturbing story. What is real and what is in the mind's eye of Ben are always in doubt. And the question eventually arises: Did he kill his wife before the accident? . Although "Trauma" is a dazzler, it's also a snoozer. Once the quick cuts and flashy cinematic flourishes subside, the story dissolves into a protracted muddle. Although we're mesmerized by director Marc Evans' visual pyrotechnics and hard-noir stylistics, it's difficult to keep up interest when we're indifferent to Ben, who emerges as an obsessive lout. Screenwriter Richard Smith shows ample gifts, combining intrigue with the horror-of-personality genre. Yet, his character construction is overtly clinical: Ben's mental turmoil and how it connects to the death of his wife never satisfyingly congeals. Admittedly, the story is well-wired, but it nonetheless short-circuits because of the essential crudity of the characters, including dogged investigators, weird neighbors and other generic types. Not to mention bugs, which are all over the place. Such excessive imagery comes across as anthropological/psychological wanking. Fortunately, "Trauma" recovers from its character deficiencies on the technical front. Cinematographer John Mathieson's dazzling noir scopings revive our eye even when our brain has turned off to the story. Editor Mags Arnold flexes a surgeon's precision in connecting the cinematic synapses of this hypervisual drama, while production designer Crispian Sallis shows us the character's conflicted mind-sets much more succinctly than the story does. Compounding "Trauma's" narrative fractures, it's also hard to understand the Queen's English, especially when snarled by Firth. Supporting players are similarly bludgeoned by the writing, namely Mena Suvari as Ben's spacey neighbor and Brenda Fricker as a clairvoyant. Both come across as character pawns rather than flesh and blood -- the lack of which is fatal with this "Trauma

Thanks Ada.... What is real and what is in the mind's eye of Ben are always in doubt. And the question eventually arises: Did he kill his wife before the accident? Um...that's not right...he's not being questioned about his wife.... Although "Trauma" is a dazzler, it's also a snoozer. Once the quick cuts and flashy cinematic flourishes subside, the story dissolves into a protracted muddle. The muddle is in Ben's head and things are seen as he sees them...you have to keep up....and a second viewing is recommended (I saw/heard more things the second time around that helped me make sense of what was going on)...I still have a few questions, but I think the film was left open, in a few matters, for the viewer to interpret. Both come across as character pawns rather than flesh and blood -- the lack of which is fatal with this "Trauma I thought both MS and BF did a good job....I didn't think they appeared pawnish, but we are seeing them through Ben's eyes and he's such a mess we can never tell what's real and what's not (even this reviewer mentioned that). Compounding "Trauma's" narrative fractures, it's also hard to understand the Queen's English, especially when snarled by Firth. Only when he's with Tommy Flannagan....and this is what Marc Evans was talking about with us.

(Tress)things are seen as he sees them...you have to keep up....and a second viewing is recommended Hmmmmm. Aside from us, how many people want to plunk down twenty bucks to make sense of a movie. Methinks they're gonna have to work this one over:-((( Thanks Ada.

"Trauma" is the poor man's "Memento." I didn't find Memento any less confusing or muddled and I enjoyed it, too. Although "Trauma" is a dazzler, it's also a snoozer. Once the quick cuts and flashy cinematic flourishes subside, the story dissolves into a protracted muddle. I'm glad they recognize the cinematography...it really was great, but Marc Evans should get more credit for the style of it. And of course, Colin for his performance. I'll be honest, the first time I saw it, I (like Sandi) thought it was getting a bit slow toward the half mark. (I don't think Tress and I ever discussed this point). There was a lot of things going on and almost nothing at all at the same time. Lots of bits and pieces....many of which, that in retrospect and a second viewing, I realized were clues to, or rather indications of Ben's mental state. It was *very* interesting in a purely visual sense. But, it really paid off toward the end for me, when things started to come together...kind of an "OOoooohhhh! I get it! " factor. Many puzzles pieces started to come together...and yes, there were a few things to be confused over and thought about. I didn't think that was a failing, really. Made me more curious to see it again. It's not necessary that stories are wrapped up in neat little packages and tied up with bows for me to enjoy them. Though I admit with GWAPE, that ambiguity with the ending bothered me a bit.....probably because I reference the book in my mind, as much as I try not to. If I try hard to ignore my knowledge of the book, it tends not to bother me so much, and kind of enjoy guessing the various scenarios. Both come across as character pawns rather than flesh and blood -- the lack of which is fatal with this "Trauma Yeah, so BF was there to essentially bring to light an important plot point....what's the big deal? She wasn't much more than a cameo and did more to advance the story than some others. MS's Charlotte had ambiguity about her character in a way, I think, but a pawn? Compounding "Trauma's" narrative fractures, it's also hard to understand the Queen's English, especially when snarled by Firth. (Tress) Only when he's with Tommy Flannagan Yes, noticeably different than with MS or other characters. ;-)

(Evelyn) Aside from us, how many people want to plunk down twenty bucks to make sense of a movie. How many saw The Sixth Sense more than once? Quite a few I've heard and read. And if one doesn't want to, it's mostly unnecessary to pay full price to a movie...at least in more urban areas (beside NY ;-)). There are Entertainment Books (discount books), AAA passes, matinees (though tough to get to sometimes or not as much fun), etc. I've not paid full price for a movie (not associated with BAFTA or my film class) in several years, (excepting less than half a dozen).

(Evelyn) Hmmmmm. Aside from us, how many people want to plunk down twenty bucks to make sense of a movie. I dunno, but my friend who came with us and is not a CF fan (she's not anti-CF, just indifferent) loved this film. Her two friends also came with her and she said today that they all really enjoyed it and spent the entire ride back to Park City talking about it. She said she'd like to see it again, but the first viewing was no disappointment to her. So, although I recommend a second viewing, it isn't necessary (just things said and done earlier in the film may make more sense)....

Was just rereading this.... (Me) There was a lot of things going on Just flog me now over my poor grammar. :-( Hope I was changing something and didn't finish. Typos are one thing, but this.... (I'm fussy with myself about stuff like that.)

Never you mind the grammar, just get moving on that AICN review.;-) That THR one is a real ouch. Maybe Variety's will be better. One comment on The Sixth Sense: people went to see that a second time because they couldn't believe how they got fooled on the first viewing. "I swear I saw Bruce Willis talking to somebody besides the kid!" Other than the circumstances surrounding the final twist, the story is very straightforward, tightly scripted, nothing particularly ambiguous about it. From The Telegraph: Another British film premiered at Sundance � Trauma, from talented Welsh director Marc Evans (My Little Eye). Shot in a fragmented style demanding close attention, it stars Colin Firth as Ben, a delusional husband driven mad by grief. Awaking from a coma, he learns he was in a car crash that killed his wife (Naomie Harris). Now Ben must sort out reality from fiction: for instance, is his helpful new neighbour Charlotte (Mena Suvari) real or imagined? Evans's film is bracing and original, though some in the Sundance audience found it hard to fathom.

Next batch of GWAPE reviews filtering in. This one is a rave from good 'ol Rex Reed in the New York Observer: Dutch Treat Photographed with all the beguiling varnish of the world-renowned painting for which it is named, Girl with a Pearl Earring is director Peter Webber�s scrupulously detailed study of the career and repressed life of 17th-century Dutch master Johannes Vermeer. Adapted from Tracy Chevalier�s best-selling 2000 novel, this opulent film imagines the world of Griet (Scarlett Johansson), a comely maid who will one day sit for the museum piece, and whose chaste flirtation with the great painter (well played by Colin Firth) sets off shock waves that affect every member of his household, while ripping the veil from Vermeer�s cloistered home life in a triumph of composition and light inspired by his work. The film is a sublimely incandescent study of the glorious surfaces and emotional depths of the period. When young Griet arrives in the house, she tries to maintain her equilibrium in a situation where privacy is hard to come by: The lady of the house, Catharina (Essie Davis), is demanding and perennially pregnant, and her mother, Maria (Judy Parfitt, the latest in a line of crusty Brits descending from Dame Edith Evans), is tight-fisted and implacable. Vermeer turns to Griet as a sanctuary from domestic stress, and she responds with an awakening passion for love and art. However, their disparate backgrounds�as well as class, age and religious differences�begin to complicate their developing relationship. Nevertheless, the master asks Griet to pose for one of his canvases, arousing jealousy, resentment and ultimately fury in the internecine plots of his wife, family and even his art patron, Van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson), who turns out to be greedily and selfishly fixated on what Vermeer can do for him. It can be argued that the real star of Girl with a Pearl Earring is cinematographer Eduardo Serra, who nobly fleshes out director Webber�s glorious vision of the period. The composition of every frame takes the breath away like a visit to the Reijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Drawing on Vermeer�s celebrated practice of painting female subjects peering directly into the eyes of the viewer, Ms. Johansson envelops us in the maidservant�s point of view with her burnished, wide-eyed, nocturnal and full-faced beauty. Colin Firth, in a welcome about-face from his dashing, clean-cut performance in the lowbrow Love Actually, is especially subtle and touching in the forced restraint and quiet insightfulness that mask his tortured psyche. A rare and elegant film bathed in the kind of soft, delicate light that can build unexpectedly to feelings of both anxiety and bliss.

Feh. Tale of painter lacks color Steven Rea Philadelphia Inquirer Published: Friday, January 23, 2004 There are worse things to do in this world than watch Scarlett Johansson mix pigments of paint in a Dutch master's garret, her pale skin illumined by shafts of light, her long locks wrapped in a linen wimple. And, for many filmgoers, too, there are worse things than watching Colin Firth watching the bewimpled Johansson mixing those fine pigments. His stares are intense. His chin is dimpled. His frown is manly. Nevertheless, even diehard fans of the handsome Brit will have to admit that his wig, in Girl With a Pearl Earring, is a bit much. A film based on Tracy Chevalier's best-seller about Johannes Vermeer and the poor teenage servant who posed for one of his most famous paintings, Girl With a Pearl Earring is a lovely-looking speculative period piece about, hmm - what exactly is it about? One could argue that the film is a meditation on inspiration, on erotic longing and the life of the artist and his muse. But first-time director Peter Webber's stab at all that doesn't quite fly. Girl With a Pearl Earring is really about watching paint dry. Slowly. Yes, it's beautiful paint. Those globs of lapis lazuli that Johansson's character, Griet, grinds and slaps onto her boss' pallet are almost electrically charged, bluer than blue. And in the drab surroundings of Vermeer's studio in Delft, Holland, circa 1665, that vibrant chunk of color can go a long way. But not quite long enough to hide the almost self-parodic ludicrousness of this breathless exercise in Masterpiece Theater artsiness. Firth's Vermeer comes off as brooding and brattish, a family man whose portraits are much in demand among high-society types of 17th-century Holland. Johansson's Griet (a creation of novelist Chevalier - no one knows who the real model was for the famous painting) hails from a poor family, and goes to work for the Vermeers scrubbing, dusting, and sleeping under a staircase in the darkest corner of the cellar. And then the master of the house and the young wench make eye contact. If they had air-raid sirens back then in tulip-and-canal country, they surely would have blared. Such is the urgency of the couple's attraction, or, at least, that's what the filmmakers would have us believe. In truth, the chemistry between Firth and Johansson - who comports herself in an altogether un-21st-century manner, and makes it look natural - isn't all that charged. And the fussy way the artist and the maid go about their amorous pas de deux is, well, fussy. Sillier still is the presence of Van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson), the painter's patron, and a horny old chap was he. Van Ruijven practically drools when he spies the lush-lipped Griet, who is at a loss as to what to do, how to behave, and how to get the lascivious paws of this wealthy lech off her. Griet must also deal - more happily - with the impassioned advances of a butcher's son (28 Days Later bike messenger Cillian Murphy), a handsome working chap who squires her on long walks in the woods and such. Meanwhile, Vermeer's mother-in-law (Judy Parfitt), wife (Essie Davis), and eldest daughter (Alakina Mann) gaze on with disdain, jealousy and what's-Daddy-up-to-now scorn as the artist spends more and more time up there in his studio with that girl. And then the mother-in-law, the wife and the daughter gaze some more. Girl With a Pearl Earring is a virtual ricochet-fest of eyeball action. Those looks, those glares, those gapes, those gawks!

(Karen) Well, one fan wrote me that she wished he wouldn't appear in movies with women who showed their "cleavage." The front or the rear one? ;-) (Tress) I like the idea that Mr. Darcy may be trying to take a peek down that frock. I bet that happened during the shooting of P&P, after all no hot blooded male would be able to resist such a sight. I wonder what happened to those outtakes... Mari, thanks for the "more reviews"! Where on earth are you digging all this stuff up from, and how do you remember which ones haven't been posted yet? You're putting good old Sherlock Holmes to shame. :-)

Thank you for all the reviews, reports and what have you :-) from todays Times Online: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7943-971964,00.html The only British film with a world premiere at Sundance is Trauma, the Welsh director Marc Evans�s first film since his claustrophobic horror debut My Little Eye. It�s also the scriptwriting debut of a 25-year-old Scot, Richard Smith. Colin Firth sheds his usual safe cocoon to play Ben, a man wrestling with mental illness in a distinctly unfriendly vision of London. Trauma is a mind game of a movie. It�s troubling, intense and puzzling, all of which are bolstered by the visual sense of Evans and his cinematographer John Mathieson (Love is the Devil), who allow Ben�s fragility to seep into the very core of the film through oppressive camerawork. Do and Tress, doesn't this fit your impressions from seeing the film?? It�s troubling, intense and puzzling, all of which are bolstered by the visual sense of Evans and his cinematographer John Mathieson (Love is the Devil), who allow Ben�s fragility to seep into the very core of the film through oppressive camerawork.

Always did like prisms..:-) STANLEY KAUFFMANN ON FILMS Major Mysteries The subject of genius worries the film world--artistic genius especially. Some geniuses had such romance-novel lives that they seem to beg for dramatization. But difficulties arise. First, the biographical facts were not arranged by the fine fingers of art but by the coarse hands of life. Re-arrangements are bothersome. Second, even tougher, how do you show genius? Writers are poor subjects. The writer labors at a desk--he could be scribbling a laundry list--then says, "At last it's finished! Crime and Punishment!" It is even harder with performing artists, where it is necessary actually to display genius. Edwin Booth, Isadora Duncan, and Vaslav Nijinsky have all been embodied on film, alas. Their places in history are still secure. Composers have a somewhat better chance: at least we can hear, after externalized scenes of Promethean inner struggle, a snatch of Beethoven. But painters are the best film subjects. Rembrandt or Van Gogh add strokes to a canvas, and, in this visual medium, we can see the finish d work whole and at once. All this does not mean that Girl with a Pearl Earring explicates the mystery of Johannes Vermeer's genius, but it does mean that the process of painting in the film is not ludicrous. A story has been contrived, in a novel by Tracy Chevalier adapted by Olivia Hetreed, that provides a pleasant enough raison d'�tre for the pearl painting. In 1665 a maid named Griet comes to work in the Vermeer household in Delft, not a strikingly beautiful girl, but one with a modest glow, servile yet with dignity. In the course of time she ends up on the canvas--wearing one of Mrs. Vermeer's pearl earrings, her ear having been pierced by Vermeer himself. I'm not getting ahead of the story: there isn't much story to get ahead of. Vermeer's life is not one of those flamboyances that cry for film. This perhaps is another reason to admire this picture's relatively quiet adventure. Vermeer lives with his wife and mother-in-law and a few visible children. (He actually had eleven.) After Griet's arrival, a rich patron of the artist, who collects women as well as paintings, fancies her and commissions a portrait of her. This only heats Mrs. Vermeer's dislike of Griet and leads to complications for which Griet is as innocent as an attractive girl can be in such a situation. Anyway, although there are troubles along the way, we sigh with relief when the great work is finished, unharmed. This is a first film by Peter Webber, an English director whose previous work was in television (and included programs about Schubert and Wagner). Webber has the sense to keep the story tight, domestic--no rumblings about a peak in the world history of art. There is little excitement in the film, yet neatness, discretion, intelligence mark every moment. Webber's cast is perfect. Scarlett Johansson, lately seen in Lost in Translation, discloses a great deal more than she got the chance to show in that film. With ease and understanding, she realizes the qualities that spark the painter's interest. He is played by Colin Firth, an actor who keeps holding us because he keeps turning his talent like a prism, displaying different facets of credibility. He was recently a reluctant romantic in Love Actually, somewhat comic; here he is an artist who takes himself just seriously enough--no mad-genius antics. The acting that will probably be least appreciated, as is generally the case with unsympathetic characte s, is Essie Davis's reluctantly sullen performance of Vermeer's wife. As we would expect in a film about a painter, a key person was the cinematographer. Eduardo Serra, Portuguese, has had a career too long to detail. I mention only that in 2000 he photographed a masterwork, The Widow of Saint-Pierre, which was as much blessed by Serra's eye and lighting as is this new film. The most enchanting point about his work here is that he hasn't put Vermeer's painting into the film; he has put the film into Vermeer. Every room, every street, every corner has the master's lighting, his arrangement of objects. Some years ago I spent just one day in Delft, and I felt that I was walking through the Vermeer View of Delft that Proust adored. Serra's work gives us the same embrace. http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=20040202&s=kauffmann020204

(Rex) Colin Firth, in a welcome about-face from his dashing, clean-cut performance in the lowbrow Love Actually, is especially subtle and touching in the forced restraint and quiet insightfulness that mask his tortured psyche. Low brow! *snort* (Rea) Nevertheless, even diehard fans of the handsome Brit will have to admit that his wig, in Girl With a Pearl Earring, is a bit much. Gimme a break. What *is* it with these people? There's nothing wrong with the wig/hair. Sheesh! I'm getting really sick of this and how it is supposed to pass for film criticism. :-( ~~~~~~~ Portrait pics from Sundance are up here: http://us.imdb.com/Special/GalleryFeatures/sundance2004/traumapor-1.html

Ildi, if you watch carefully the scene at Rosings when he Darcy is standing at the piano you will see him drop his eyes to Lizzie's cleavage. It is just for a second and easy to miss.

I had E! News on earlier this evening and heard a GWAPE commercial airing; didn't see it as I was in another room and couldn't get there fast enough! This is a first to my knowledge and the film's been here for about a month.

Aaa-ha! Now I'll have to go put in the DVD and check that out. Such hardship... but I gotta see it. Thanks Lucie! Well, whaddaya know, GWAPE finally arrived at my doorstep, it's playing a mere 20 minutes from me. Yes!!! I'll have to go see it this weekend. The film is also among the Toronto Sun's top 5 picks, which pleases me a great deal. Ah, life is good... (Ada-From THR) What is real and what is in the mind's eye of Ben are always in doubt. And the question eventually arises: Did he kill his wife before the accident? This sounds an awful lot like David Lynch's Lost Highway. For those who like these puzzle type psychological thrillers I strongly recommend that one. It takes a long time to figure it out - if ever, but what an experience!

(Karen) I had E! News on earlier this evening and heard a GWAPE commercial airing; I saw one on E! last night. I've seen another one, maybe this week, but can't remember where exactly. If it wasn't another E!, it was one of the late night shows...Letterman, Leno, or Conan. May have been one of those as I have a sense I remember thinking it was an odd place and time to have a GWAPE ad.

I just saw a GWAPE commercial on E! and one last night on Style. Now, if the film would just show up I'd be quite pleased;-)

I saw the commercial too, and Colin was once again the forgotten man. His picture showed, but the ad was all Scarlett. On the one I saw his name was not mentioned in the voice over.

So they have a GWAPE commercial now? I guess that's why they've reduced the newspaper ads to miniscule size, to pay for the TV spots. I'm hoping to see it later today before the next wave of snow. (Ildi)Where on earth are you digging all this stuff up from, and how do you remember which ones haven't been posted yet? You're putting good old Sherlock Holmes to shame. :-) No, that would be Maria, bless her!:-) I just go by the list I got from Lion's Gate to see where it's opening, then look up the local newspapers to see if they're online. Major expansion set for next Friday, 350+ screens, so I will be very busy and important then.;-) Tress, I'm glad I could offer some inspiration, but I'm sure Marc Evans was only too happy to speak with such bright, friendly, and attractive fans such as you Sundance Kids!:-) I always figure celebs are more nervous than we are, and welcome the chance to have the ice broken. So, you see, we actually did Colin a favor at the LA premiere.;-) ;-) (Karen)Low brow! *snort* Don't you love Rex? He's either effusive in his praise or bitchily dismissive in his criticsm. Never a middle ground.

(Mari). Major expansion set for next Friday, 350+ screens,... Big bonanza for GWAPE if SJ wins tomorrow night. I hope they show GWAPE trailer when they introduce her nom and not LIT.

From our other daily, Philadelphia Daily News: Johannson a pearl in artistic 'Girl' By GARY THOMPSON thompsg@phillynews.com "Girl with a Pearl Earring" does for painting what Fred and Ginger did for dancing. Which is to say that it uses painting as a stand-in for sex. Paint preparation is foreplay, the brushstroke is akin to fondling, and the capturing of a subject's soul on canvas is a very dirty business indeed. There would seem to be little need for such metaphorical innuendo today, of course, when "daring" artists have managed to make explicit sexual content commonplace and frequently boring. "Pearl Earring," though, wants to re-create 17th-century Holland, when people lived under rigid standards of behavior established by a sort of Protestant Taliban, and even the hint of attraction between a married man and a servant girl was scandalous and potentially ruinous. The movie stars Scarlett Johansson as Griet, a girl from a Calvinist home who goes to work as a domestic in the Catholic household of celebrated painter Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth). Let us pause here to note that Vermeer died at age 43, possibly due to "stress," the kind that anyone would encounter living in a home run by his wealth-obsessed mother-in-law, as Vermeer's was. Vermeer labors to produce paintings and children, and while his wife is pregnant, he finds himself, uh, inspired by the ripening Griet, and they begin a subtle flirtation - first she's allowed to clean the inner sanctum of his studio, then to help him mix paints. Eventually she poses for him in secret, and the whole thing culminates when Vermeer asks the trembling young model to "wet her lips." It's not exactly NC-17, but in its own slow-burn way it has more sexual energy than the dreary, self-serving show-off explicitness of, say, Britney and Madonna. And we get the real sense that Vermeer's attraction to the girl pushes the entire household on the edge of catastrophe. His wife senses what is happening and is insanely jealous. His bourgeoisie mother-in-law, on the other hand, is aware of the situation and tolerant of it, knowing it is likely to produce a fantastic and fantastically valuable painting. Casting is a huge aid to "Girl with a Pearl." Scarlett Johansson is just the right age and has the pouty-lipped innocence, and she seems unaware of the ideas that men get when they evaluate her voluptuous features. Plus, her name is Johansson, and she looks like the kind of girl you'd expect to see wearing wooden shoes, or plugging a dike. If the movie has a flaw, it's that it does rather too good a job recreating 17th century Holland, in wintertime, a city decked out in various shades of frozen mud. Also, the movie makes a gimmick of staging scenes as painterly compositions in the style of Vermeer masterpieces. It's clever, but it makes the movie static, and often calls attention to itself in a way that further slows the movie. Also, the final shot of Griet's portrait, morphed from a close-up of Johansson, would have had much more impact had the trick not been performed a dozen times previous.

(Evelyn)Big bonanza for GWAPE if SJ wins tomorrow night. Sure would be, and an even bigger one if SJ can nab an Oscar Nomination come Tuesday.

Hurah . .new home computer in place . .Drool withdrawl soon to end as soon as I catch up! (Ildi)I'd like to see a good bedroom scene. One that would leave me breathless like the end of BJD. I know he'd done a few of those back "before the earth's crust cooled", but I prefer the older, more seasoned, more manly Colin to the young one. Ahh . .a woman after my own heart . .I'm seconding that request;) (Philadelphia Inquirer) Nevertheless, even diehard fans of the handsome Brit will have to admit that his wig, in Girl With a Pearl Earring, is a bit much. *Sigh* . .enough with the wig already . . . (Karen)I had E! News on earlier this evening and heard a GWAPE commercial airing; Karen . .just caught it! . .fabulous . .mentioned the golden globe nominations . .SJ (for acting)and AD (for score) . .mentioned ES for spectacular cinematography . .nice clips . .mentioned "now playing in select theaters". .NO mention of Colin's performance . .grrr, bad oversight by ad agency . . but FINALLY . .nice to see a commercial for it again . .

Sorry for double post . . .forgot to say I caught the GWAPE on TLC a few minutes ago . .

GWAPE commercial I mean . . .

GWAPE had another good weekend. From Variety: "Lions Gate's period drama "Girl with a Pearl Earring" added 21 engagements for a total 72 and grossed $520,000, an ample $7,222 per playdate with a $2.6 million cume." Scalett gave Colin a nice mention last night on the Globes' red carpet.

(Mari) Scalett gave Colin a nice mention last night on the Globes' red carpet. E! reran the Red Carpet stuff this a.m. and I caught Scarlett's comment this time. v. nice

Ooo, weekend actuals are better than estimated: Girl with a Pearl Earring Lions $540,954 up 19.9% 72 +21 $7,513 $2,629,489 They've upped the screencount for January 30, will be 400+. Oscar nom for SJ tomorrow would really help. Fingers crossed.

And GWAPE has moved up one position to #9 on the UK charts, taking in $657,685 on 107 screens ($6,147 per) for a two-week cume of $1,924,750.

Variety: By DAVID ROONEY Following his resourceful low-budget chiller "My Little Eye," Brit director Marc Evans revisits similar genre territory but this time stumbles with "Trauma." Visually stylish and distinguished by its hallucinatory atmosphere of dread, the psychological thriller about a coma patient who emerges into an increasingly delusional world is hampered by narrative incoherence, sluggish pacing and emotionally remote characters. Strongest shot will be as a DVD title for this first feature from Anglo-Irish production outfit Little Bird's new horror label, Ministry of Fear. Waking up in a hospital after being in a coma for a week, Ben (Colin Firth) learns the car he was driving crashed and his wife Elisa (Naomie Harris) was killed. His disorientation and guilt-ridden state is further aggravated by the media frenzy gripping London after the murder of a pop star. Ben visits the same shrink he saw following a childhood trauma, and moves into a creepy former hospital. There, he becomes friendly with neighbor Charlotte (Mena Suvari), whose spiritual bent gives her a view into his tortured soul. Charlotte takes Ben to a medium (Brenda Fricker), who further destabilizes him by telling him Elisa is alive. When a cop (Ken Cranham) begins questioning Ben about the pop star killing, he becomes increasingly unable to distinguish reality from morbid fantasy. Working with accomplished d.p. John Mathieson and editor Mags Arnold, Evans creates a darkly textured world of fragmented images and disturbing visions that recalls the charged visual atmosphere of Hong Kong thrillers like "The Eye." However, Richard Smith's original screenplay fails to lay a concrete foundation in reality or to provide sufficient access to the characters, resulting in an unsatisfyingly, uninvolving abstract chiller. Even when the puzzle comes together in the final reel, the pieces remain an imperfect fit. Like so many recent films in which stylistic flourishes take precedence over plot construction, too many factors -- Ben's home in a blue-lit, other-worldly building with an abandoned morgue in the basement and seemingly no other residents aside from Charlotte; his ant farm and entomology interest -- seem like arbitrarily creepy components with no logical bearing on the story beyond their visual function. Stuck with a distancing character, Firth contributes a brooding, troubled turn that's become his stock in trade, while Suvari lacks the gravitas to make much of an impression in an enigmatic role. Pic screened at Sundance without end credits. Camera (color), John Mathieson; editor, Mags Arnold; music, Alex Heffes; production designer, Crispian Sallis; art director, Paul Ghirardini; set decorator, Careen Hertzog; costume designer, Ffion Elinor; assistant director, Matthew Penry-Davey; casting, Jina Jay. Reviewed at Sundance Film Festival (Premieres), Jan. 19, 2004. Running time: 88 MIN.

Strongest shot will be as a DVD title Wow! That should make lots of folks happy, right? They'll get to buy it and watch it at home over and over again. Like so many recent films in which stylistic flourishes take precedence over plot construction seem like arbitrarily creepy components with no logical bearing on the story beyond their visual function. All style, no substance. :-( Ben's home in a blue-lit Ah, DQ flashbacks again.

... his ant farm and entomology interest -- seem like arbitrarily creepy components with no logical bearing on the story beyond their visual function. Disagree there. Reviewer obviously didn't see our screening or didn't pay attention to the ant discussion afterwards. And the entomology interest had an obvious link to Ben's past. It was quite stylish, flashback sequences, use of double images with mirrors, reflection. The way it opened and finished was great too (more 'reflection')...but I also liked the story. Knew it woudln't be everyone's cuppa, but it certainly was interesting!

Just had a few words w/ the man I temp for here at Showtime who had attended Sundance and saw Trauma on my recommendation. He thought it was excellent . .very disturbing. He enjoys more thinking/psychlogical dramas. He loved the fact that that you really couldn't tell if Ben was insane or not. He saw and liked the CW correlation you were talking about Tress, throughout the film as well . . Thought MS was very tiny;) . .he went to the premiere . . . he doubts whether or not it will be picked up for distribution b/c of how disturbing it was . .some of those who went with him did not like it b/c of that fact. As Tress mentioned . .it certainly won't be a film for everyone . . .

There are plenty of small films that are picked up even though they are "disturbing."

(Karen)There are plenty of small films that are picked up even though they are "disturbing." Oh I understand . .I certainly hope this is one of them . . I want to see it distrutbing or not . . .was just passing along what he told me . . .

(Variety)"....psychological thriller about a coma patient who emerges into an increasingly delusional world is hampered by narrative incoherence, sluggish pacing and emotionally remote characters." Uh-oh...ME will have to do a lot of tweaking to fix this one...sounds ominous:-((( (Variety)..." his ant farm and entomology interest -- seem like arbitrarily creepy components with no logical bearing on the story beyond their visual function." Wot? Even Sandi and Tress caught on to this one. Thanks Mari.

Posted 1/21 by a Box Office Prophet who hasn't seen the movie: Director Marc Evans had a minor hit last year in the U.K. with a stylish reality show-themed horror movie called My Little Eye. The film has still not seen release in the U.S., even on video. His next film, Trauma, will be released in February in the U.K. by Warner Bros, but there is currently no distributor in the U.S. Perhaps Warner Bros will pick it up for its new indie division when it plays at Sundance. The film stars Colin Firth as a man who has been in a coma as a result of an auto accident. When he awakens to learn that his wife died in that accident, he retreats into his delusions, seeing his wife everywhere. To try to make sense of the situation, he turns to his psychiatrist, his neighbor, and even a psychic. The people involved give me faith that this will be a solid thriller and not just another "I see dead people" retread. (If we ever get to see it.) [Ed note: Quite a bit was made in the trades about WB's new indie division's first purchases at Sundance.]

Tress and Dorine, just curious: what were the elements of Trauma that you perceived but which Marc Evans said were unintentional? 3 noms for GWAPE, but unfortunately for the B.O., not for SJ. Can't wait to see the ads: (in big type generally reserved for declarations of war): 3 OSCAR NOMINATIONS! (in teensy type): for stuff you don't care about ;-)

(Mari) Tress and Dorine, just curious: what were the elements of Trauma that you perceived but which Marc Evans said were unintentional? I'll take it to spoilers. I was asked via e-mail to explain myself too! Sorry. Still catching up. Sundance...then home...with company...so I've fallen behind a bit!

Interesting interview with Peter Webber with questions about Colin: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/click/movie-1128236/reviews.php?critic=approved&sortby=date&page=1&rid=1243791 Question: We must have a word about Colin Firth. Women love him, but for anguish and torment�why did you go with him? Webber: Because he's a great actor. Listen, I didn't really know that he was such a heartthrob until afterwards, to tell you the truth. I have discovered [that] because every time I go to a Q&A, I stand up, and I get two questions for me, and then the third question is [in a high-pitched voice], �Where's Colin? Where's Colin?� (edit: you droolers know who you are) So, I understand that people want to see him rather than me, and I don't blame them. He's a great actor. He understands reserve. He's very good to work with. He's not got movie star [attitude] at all. He's very straight up. He brings a tenderness to the role. That's an important thing, because it's important that Vermeer sees something special in this girl, and falls for her because of that. Rather than he just sees her, and thinks, �Schwing!� and that's it. I think Colin's one of the few actors who is convincing in that way. I think that's one of the reasons that women like him so much. He's not just this incredibly hunky character�it seems like he cares. He seems like he understands. I think that's what it's about. Question: He's introspective, and it comes through on the screen. Webber: I think he can do mystery as well. He's not scared about doing less. That's a good thing.

Thanks for the PW interview,Katty. Couldn't have said it any better. Was hoping that Trauma would help the 'wider world' appreciate his talents beyond heartthrob but given what I've been reading here lately, I fear us DD's might be the only ones that'll see it.

Thanks Katty! (Katty)Interesting interview with Peter Webber with questions about Colin: Reference is made to just that in this interview as well... http://www.londonart.co.uk/editorial/mag_home.asp

Vogue.com: BRIDGET JONES' TOPSHOP AS if TopShop needed further celebrity endorsement, it has landed a cameo appearance in the forthcoming Bridget Jones sequel, The Edge Of Reason. Word has it that Bridget Jones herself, aka Ren�e Zellweger, is so enamoured with the high street superpower that she has arranged an entire scene to be filmed at its Oxford Circus flagship. During a typically ditzy moment, Ms Jones is saved from a fashion disaster by popping into the store at the last minute before a particularly important date. TopShop, Oxford Circus will be closed on February 13 to make its big screen debut. (January 27 2004, AM) http://www.vogue.co.uk/vogue_daily/story/story.asp?stid=14978

"TopShop, Oxford Circus will be closed on February 13 to make its big screen debut" Sounds as if they'll be filming there that day.