Review: Wordplay
As I mounted the steps to the Laemmle Sunset 5, I came upon a man wearing a black T-shirt that said "best boy" on the back. I wondered about the shirt: Was he really one of the dozens of below-the-line crewmembers that live and work here? Was he wearing it ironically? He looked to be in his late 30s, and was standing with a woman and two young girls. I noticed the box office was empty, which is when the guy turned to me and said, "I hear Wordplay's supposed to be good."
I'm a nice guy, and it was a nice day, so I figured, Why not, I'll talk to a stranger. "Yeah," I replied, "that's what I'm here to see."
He stuck out his hand. "Patrick. I'm the director."
I shook it. "Dan. I'm the ... viewer, I guess." (I like to make lame jokes when meeting professionals/famous people. It helps keep my self-image hovering low enough to keep writing. It's a long story.)
He introduced me to the woman, Christine, who produced Wordplay. We stood there for a few minutes and talked about financing, trims they'd made to the cut since it screened at Sundance, what drew them to the topic, etc. It was a nice conversation.
Just another friendly reminder that L.A. beats all hell out of wherever it is that you live. (I'm especially looking at you on this one, American South.)
Anyway:
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