Ten Inch Hero Screening
Finally have time to post this. It was only two weeks ago, after all!
I arrived ten minutes before the screening was scheduled to begin, which was later than most people, but considering I'd been travelling since 8am at that point and had to take various combinations of buses, the ferry, and and a taxi to get there, it was actually miraculous that I managed to be early. I was so stressed that I wouldn't make it. Surprisingly, there didn't seem to be too many fans there from the Supernatural convention; it was mainly the general public. In fact, the place was only about a third full, so either there just wasn't much interest in the film or it wasn't well-publicised.
I'm going to try to explain the movie without giving it all away, hopefully. Okay, so you probably know that the movie takes place in a sandwich shop, hence the name. Besides Jensen's character, Priestly, there are three other employees and the boss, Trucker. Trucker is an aging hippie with a beat up Volkswagen van that may or may not run depending on the day. He's a pretty mellow, laid back guy, but he's hiding a secret. Jen is a quiet computer nerd who finds a connection with a chat buddy. Tish is her opposite, a brunette bombshell who wraps guys around her finger. And the newest employee is Piper, who comes to town searching for a child she gave up as a teen. She thinks she has found her, but gains a different sort of family instead. Trucker's into the new age lady from the crystal store across the street. Tish learns to stop dating losers. And Priestley? Well, he's just...Priestley. They're all searching for something, in their own ways, and they can count on each other to help themselves find it.
Loud rock music plays as Jensen makes his entrance. He has a bright red mohawk, sideburns, piercings and tattoos and a t-shirt that says 'Tip me or die.' The funny shirts are sort of running gag with him. He's wearing a different one in almost every scene he's in. Another one says 'Orgasm donor: Ask me for a free sample.' (That one might be my favourite.) These got a lot of laughs whenever he'd appear, as you might imagine. Priestly is sort of the comic relief, I suppose you could say, and it isn't even so much what he says, but just little looks he'll give - a roll of the eyes here, a cock of the eyebrow there - that make him a great character to watch. That's one thing I love about Jensen, actually, is that he has such an expressive face. Every character he does has his own little quirks and he brings those to life really well. Or the delivery of a line that probably wouldn't be funny if someone else said it, but somehow is when he does it.
One of the best scenes involves Priestly having to go to the store on a "supply run" ... to buy tampons for the ladies' washroom. In a kilt. He's confused by all the different options and calls one of the girls for assistance. Then some boys make fun of him for his purchase and he gives them a speech about how buying tampons equals him getting laid...when they, clearly, are not.
The only thing about the movie that seemed a bit off was the ending, because Priestly changes his whole appearance to attract someone, to make a point, and that seemed to go against the whole theme of being accepted the way you are. It didn't hurt my enjoyment of it, though, it was just kind of a "Huh?" moment. I get what they were trying to do but maybe not how it was done.
So, in conclusion: Ten Inch Hero is a heartwarming, funny movie that will certainly make you laugh and, in spots, might even make you cry. If you get a chance to see it, I'd recommend you do.
After the screening, there was a Q&A with the director, David MacKay. He told us that Jensen was not his first choice for the role of Priestly - originally, they were looking for a "Jason Biggs type", someone a bit scrawnier. But Jensen was the only one who was really into the role and really committed to doing it, checking back every few months to see how things were progressing, so he got the part. Likewise with Tish, they offered the role to Jessica Biel and Jessica Alba, but both declined. (Which, honestly, I'm glad about, because I can't imagine Jessica Biel in this movie.) As for distribution, they're working on that, but it's hard to convince a studio to buy it when it's an independent movie that doesn't have big stars, because they're unproven at the box office. Even at some film festivals, such as the Toronto Film Festival, they mostly want big movies that are exclusive premieres which attract lots of celebrities. So yes, the movie will be coming to a theatre near you eventually, but a firm date isn't set yet. Sometime next spring, I think is what he said, but don't quote me on that. Mr. Mackay also told us a funny story about he got into directing, which had nothing to do with the movie but was still funny regardless. And that's about it. If you have any further questions, I'll try to answer them, but I may not remember everything perfectly.
I arrived ten minutes before the screening was scheduled to begin, which was later than most people, but considering I'd been travelling since 8am at that point and had to take various combinations of buses, the ferry, and and a taxi to get there, it was actually miraculous that I managed to be early. I was so stressed that I wouldn't make it. Surprisingly, there didn't seem to be too many fans there from the Supernatural convention; it was mainly the general public. In fact, the place was only about a third full, so either there just wasn't much interest in the film or it wasn't well-publicised.
I'm going to try to explain the movie without giving it all away, hopefully. Okay, so you probably know that the movie takes place in a sandwich shop, hence the name. Besides Jensen's character, Priestly, there are three other employees and the boss, Trucker. Trucker is an aging hippie with a beat up Volkswagen van that may or may not run depending on the day. He's a pretty mellow, laid back guy, but he's hiding a secret. Jen is a quiet computer nerd who finds a connection with a chat buddy. Tish is her opposite, a brunette bombshell who wraps guys around her finger. And the newest employee is Piper, who comes to town searching for a child she gave up as a teen. She thinks she has found her, but gains a different sort of family instead. Trucker's into the new age lady from the crystal store across the street. Tish learns to stop dating losers. And Priestley? Well, he's just...Priestley. They're all searching for something, in their own ways, and they can count on each other to help themselves find it.
Loud rock music plays as Jensen makes his entrance. He has a bright red mohawk, sideburns, piercings and tattoos and a t-shirt that says 'Tip me or die.' The funny shirts are sort of running gag with him. He's wearing a different one in almost every scene he's in. Another one says 'Orgasm donor: Ask me for a free sample.' (That one might be my favourite.) These got a lot of laughs whenever he'd appear, as you might imagine. Priestly is sort of the comic relief, I suppose you could say, and it isn't even so much what he says, but just little looks he'll give - a roll of the eyes here, a cock of the eyebrow there - that make him a great character to watch. That's one thing I love about Jensen, actually, is that he has such an expressive face. Every character he does has his own little quirks and he brings those to life really well. Or the delivery of a line that probably wouldn't be funny if someone else said it, but somehow is when he does it.
One of the best scenes involves Priestly having to go to the store on a "supply run" ... to buy tampons for the ladies' washroom. In a kilt. He's confused by all the different options and calls one of the girls for assistance. Then some boys make fun of him for his purchase and he gives them a speech about how buying tampons equals him getting laid...when they, clearly, are not.
The only thing about the movie that seemed a bit off was the ending, because Priestly changes his whole appearance to attract someone, to make a point, and that seemed to go against the whole theme of being accepted the way you are. It didn't hurt my enjoyment of it, though, it was just kind of a "Huh?" moment. I get what they were trying to do but maybe not how it was done.
So, in conclusion: Ten Inch Hero is a heartwarming, funny movie that will certainly make you laugh and, in spots, might even make you cry. If you get a chance to see it, I'd recommend you do.
After the screening, there was a Q&A with the director, David MacKay. He told us that Jensen was not his first choice for the role of Priestly - originally, they were looking for a "Jason Biggs type", someone a bit scrawnier. But Jensen was the only one who was really into the role and really committed to doing it, checking back every few months to see how things were progressing, so he got the part. Likewise with Tish, they offered the role to Jessica Biel and Jessica Alba, but both declined. (Which, honestly, I'm glad about, because I can't imagine Jessica Biel in this movie.) As for distribution, they're working on that, but it's hard to convince a studio to buy it when it's an independent movie that doesn't have big stars, because they're unproven at the box office. Even at some film festivals, such as the Toronto Film Festival, they mostly want big movies that are exclusive premieres which attract lots of celebrities. So yes, the movie will be coming to a theatre near you eventually, but a firm date isn't set yet. Sometime next spring, I think is what he said, but don't quote me on that. Mr. Mackay also told us a funny story about he got into directing, which had nothing to do with the movie but was still funny regardless. And that's about it. If you have any further questions, I'll try to answer them, but I may not remember everything perfectly.