know, I know, this is long overdue. But, it's long, so, that makes up for it, in my mind anyway.
Alright.. So.. April 14th, 2008. That was the first time I graced the Public Enemies world with my presence.. or.. something like that. Although alot of that first week was a blur, what with the being sick and trying to keep chugging in the cold Oshkosh weather all week. I remember the first day well enough.. I hope..
If I remember, the main scene they shot on Monday was the getaway sequence. You know.. the one that made it entirely into the film? The one that has the Oshkosh Lions in it? Yeah, that was a good day. If you have a fast eye, you'll notice there are windows behind those lions, big ones. I was in the last one on the left, watching the scene from the other side part of the day, and at the end of the chase, on the other side of the road across from the last building you see for another part of the day. They did it over, and over.. and over.. the car would go down the road and stop.. the actors would get off.. The people would cheer, Johnny would wave and smile as they walked back to do it again.
Now, I'm not going to chronicle everything in here.. because it's 5:35 AM and I can't sleep because I had to sit through three hours of non-stop ringing phones. So you just get what matters.
Seeing that up on the screen.. was.. wierd.. The first time I saw it, in Oshkosh, I had gotten into the story.. The screams of the theater and the lions snapped me out of that. "Yeaaah!" It was so surreal. Watching them go down that road, which you have gone down so many times before, you expect them to keep going down it.. but then it segways into some alley and you're like sitting there like... "Wow."
Just seeing the set.. which you walked on, which you touched.. the changes they made to buildings.. New Moon Cafe(with a little squiggle, but I'm lazy, so imagine) acting as "Skalsa" in the movie.. Water City Grill doubling for a 30's hotel.. Places that I go inside of, up on a huge movie screen, it really is just the wierdest feeling.
The first time we saw it, Tuesday night ~7:00PM, the theater was.. loud.. everytime Oshkosh came on that screen, screaming and clapping constantly until it went away. Everyone was just so.. excited.. it was the best time I've ever had at the movies.. well.. until that point.
We walk out of the movie theater, talking about the movie and all of a sudden a very excited news reporter shoves a microphone to my face, "Fox 11 News! Were you an extra?" I looked at him.. "No.." And -he- was the one with the burst bubble. "Oh, ok." Yeah, thanks buddy.. I think he might have recognized me from the Streetwise video, and, with that being over a year ago, mistaking me for an extra.. I mean, he didn't spaz and "WERE YOU AN EXTRA?!" To every random person.. so.. ;P <-- That's the "I'm not sure how to end this paragraph, because I need sleeep." tongue-face.
So we keep walking, and finally we run into people who -know- how important we are. Streetwise, and some buddy of his. (I forget your name. Sorry. I love you?) He asks me how the movie was, and his friend is like "Should I turn the camera on?" "That'd be cool, I like having fame, and all." (Not really what I said.. but it sounds cooler that way, and that's about what I said..) You've already seen what happened after he turned it on, so no need to elaborate there. (You've also read the article Streetwise wrote with me in it, if you're really cool. So.. if you're cool.. just keeep scrolling.)
“Oshkosh's turn on the big screen just might have outshined Johnny Depp's.
The five or six "Public Enemies" scenes filmed in Oshkosh elicited roars of applause from advance screening audiences Tuesday night.
"It was wonderful to see Oshkosh, and a great movie," Oshkosh's Debbie Sorensen said. "You could pick the scenes shot here out pretty easily. The First National Bank scene was really cool."
The crowd didn't have to wait long to get a look at our home town. A recreation of a Racine bank robbery filmed in front of the Masonic Temple on Washington Avenue comes up quickly and was met with the aforementioned applause. Other scenes filmed in Oshkosh included the robbery of the Security National Bank and Trust of Sioux Falls, S.D., filmed in and outside the bank building at 404 N. Main St., and John Dillinger's arrival by Ford Tri-Motor at Midway Airport, which was filmed at Wittman Regional Airport.
"I recognized so many sites: The library, the Masonic Temple, the bank building, the New Moon. It was awesome," Oshkosh resident David Dupey said. "And the movie was really good, too. The story keeps you intrigued and interested. I'd give it five stars."
Evan Carlson said the atmosphere in the theater was great.
"Everyone was cheering and clapping," Carlson said. "It could've been easy to get lost in the Oshkosh scenes, but I still really got into the story."
Others just got into Depp, ever the heartthrob, portraying John Dillinger.
Eleven-year-old Oshkosh residents Deagan Maki and Brooklyn Keller had a hard time deciding whether Oshkosh or Depp was their favorite part. But they both had favorite Depp moments.
"I liked when Johnny started singing 'Get Along Little Doggy' in the car," Maki said.
"I liked when he escaped from the cabin (Little Bohemia) without getting shot," Keller countered. "It was awesome."
Others thought the film could've been a little better and found the audience's cheers a little distracting.
"It was alright, but I was expecting more action," said Cassy Pape, of Oshkosh. "And it was a little distracting with the cheering and applause."
Others said they expect the cheers for Oshkosh to continue for days.
"If you want people to not cheer when Oshkosh comes on, go see it in Appleton," Oshkosh resident Scott Dercks suggested.
— Jeff Bollier”
^Credit to The Northwestern and especially Streetwise. They're really cool beans.
Alright, so, y'know, that first night was cool and all.. but.. we didn't know anyone there.. well.. we did.. but we didn't know that they -were- there. I came home, ditzed around and then got in bed. I probably spent an hour catering to my special needs cat's need to be pet constantly while laying on your chest before moving down to the foot of the bed when you fall asleep and stop moving your hand and then running away when the black cat comes with his aura of scary. Yes. I know that sentence is not right. It's how Sophie would word it though, so, tough beans.
Alright.. so.. skip a couple of hours.. in Columbus. We meet at the senior center, which, somehow, brought out insecurities in my mom. I didn't mind. It provided laughs. We hung out there for awhile, talked, sat in a state of being. BEING AWESOME. Because that's what we do. Honestly, can you not tell I'm having memory lapses? Eff you brain. You hurt lately. Alright.. So.. we got on the bus.. and.. OHNOASTAMPEDEOFPHOTOGRAPHS.
I like this guy. He's like me. We couldn't stop messing with the gadgets on the bus and we were all OMGBUTTONSMUSTPRESS and LOOKCUPHOLDERSTHATCOMEOUTWEIRD and OHWOWTHECHAIRSRECLINE.
Betty. Awesome.
I AM SNEAKY AND TAKE PHOTO. Please note Vicky's "Oh no you aren't doing what I think you are doing that you may in fact might or might not be doing with that camera in your hands" face.
Satisfactory.
It just looks like I'm leaving my mother's purse for dead. I really was trying to highlight the RECLINING CHAIRS.
They sent Vicky to yell at Cableman and I for touching the bus and it's buttons and gizmos and OMGRECLININGCHAIRS. She didn't even have a bus ticket.
Kristin gave us our movie tickets and let us get on the bus. She's so nice.
(Okay. Tiredness hitting me hard. Will edit and fill in later.-
