justgotothemovies-1

I saw this film at the Santa Barbara Film Festival where it won the Audience Award for Best Documentary. We were the first audience to see the finished film on 35 mm in a theatre and the excitement was palpable. The fimmaker, Rick McKay, introduced the film and brought Eva Marie Saint (who won the Oscar for "on the Waterfront" with Brando) on stage with him afterwards for a question and answer session. I don't know when I have had a more exciting night in a movie theater. The film was brilliant and the filmmaker was wonderful in the film as he took us on a journey, but just as passionate and funny in person as he and Miss Saint warmly answered questions afterwards.

The film is something very, very special. I don't honestly think a studio could have ever made this film - or a network either. It is such a personal, passionate and magical film. It is a mixture of more stars than I have *ever* seen in a movie - all telling their own personal stories of starving and starting out in New York - and old archival footage of perfomrances that have never been seen before. Not movie clips - but real, live perforances. It was staggering. It is about a time that is so cmpletely gone, but oddly enough, it was not sad, but very inspiring. It made me believe that if this kind of history could have been made in this century, and if this kind of movie can be made today, then anything is possible. what a wonderful feeling...

The night I saw it there were people sitting on the floor in the aisles and standing room only in the back of the theater with people looking over each others shoulders. And nobody complained and nobody left. People did cry and they did laugh and they did applaud over and over during the movie though. When was the last time (if ever) that you saw that happen?

We may have been the first audience to see this movie but we won't be the last. This movie is going to win an Oscar. Mark my words.

Took me a LONG time to see this film. Anything that EVERYONE liked, I was sure I wouldn't. But, when I finally got around to watching it I was shocked. It was a lovely film and was much more moving than I expected. The effects were great but never distracting as many films are. And the story was faithful. The stars were all perfectly cast and it wsa beautifully adapted. If MGM and the old studios were still making great costume epics today they would have been proud to have made this one!

Wow. I stumbled upon this movies at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and was staggered by how good it was. The director talked after and it was so interesting to hear about how he created the film and did ALL the animation by hand! There are thousands of illustrations of this sea life that was discovered by the gentleman that the film is about and I had never even had an interest in marine life. But, it was realy interesting. Beautiful to look at and great music, too.