The film is based on the book written by Stephen Chbosky who graduated from my high school, and incidentally, the same school where the 'Central Park Jogger' graduated from whose story was featured in an episode of CI. I bought the book and read through voraciously as I just couldn't put it down.
Wanting to keep true to his book, especially with the references to locations, Stephen chose to film in and around Pittsburgh. I've never had filming so close to me and I joined the casting agency in hopes of becoming an extra in the movie. I was called a couple of times but unfortunately when I called back the positions were already taken...I just wasn't fast enough.
A friend of mine got in and was called to be in a few of the scenes. The trailer shows one of the scenes in which Emma Watts' character stands in the bed of a pickup truck to ride through the Fort Pitt Tunnel. 'The tunnels' or 'tubes' are carved through the highest mountain in Pittsburgh...'Mount Washington', and provide access from the suburban 'South Hills' to the inner city of downtown Pittsburgh.
At the time, the tunnels were closed for the filming of this scene but done at night when less traffic would be effected. Reminded me of the time the tunnels were closed for my brother, who had a fractured skull and needed to be rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. He was nine years old and thought it very exciting while we the family were beside ourselves with worry. Everything turned out fine, though any hopes of a football career were dashed.
The ride through the tunnel is a source of pride for Pittsburghers because at the other end is one of the most spectacular views of the city...it's breath-taking. And now it is captured on film.
Since I didn't get to be in the film, I did go to a couple of the locations where it was being filmed nearby. The photo I posted below was at a church down the street from where I live. The craft services people were very kind to all of us and arranged for us to take photos. I was one mingled in with a group of young girls who knew who was who but I only really knew of Emma Watts and a couple of others in the cast. The girls were adorable and their excitement was contagious.
This is Zane Holtz who plays the main character's brother. He was extremely nice and gracious.
I visited another location at a restaurant down the street but it was really late at night and my photos didn't turn out well enough to post. All the scenes were being filmed inside and we were barricaded off from really seeing anything save for when the cast marched by.
Still another location was at a theatre, and for a scene showing the cast watching and participating in the movie ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show''. That same theatre is where the movie ran continuously for years...and held a record...and where I first saw it and got initiated by a wallop in the face with a hotdog. Those who are RHPS experts will understand the reference.
''Based on the novel written by Stephen Chbosky, this is about 15-year-old Charlie (Logan Lerman), an endearing and naive outsider, coping with first love (Emma Watson), the suicide of his best friend, and his own mental illness while struggling to find a group of people with whom he belongs. The introvert freshman who is taken under the wings of two seniors who welcome him to the real world.''
The opening is on September 14TH and I can't wait to see it!
13 comments:
Totally cool. Right now they;re filming a Netflix original TV series "House of Cards" starring Kevin Spacey. My Pub will be closed on Thursday for filming. 5th season episodes of the Wire was also filmed there. So Nantz I know how you feel.
How cool, thanks, it sounds like a good movie, was reading an article about this, they were interviewing Emma Watson. I use to love Kevin Spacey, that is really cool also Vikeau.
That's wicked cool!!!! I do want to see Pittsburgh one of these days. I've heard so many great things about it!
I love to visit the places where my fave movies were shot. On the trip west in 1989, I timed the travel so that I could see where Paper Moon was filmed in Kansas.
Nantz, My granddaughter read the book 5 times and has a T-Shirt with the saying about being a wallflower on it, has a huge crush on Logan, and really relates to the whole scenerio of the movie. She also wants to become a writer. She did the whole screaming thing when the trailer first showed. She gets her celebrity crushes honestly!!! She thought your connection was really cool!
I'm so glad everything turned out okay with your brother, how frightening. And I'm all excited about the theater, and it holding a record for The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and I sure did get your reference, while I have tunes from the movie going through my mind right now. Sure remember the theater where we use to go, love, love that movie.
Even though I didn't get in I still had a blast watching all the excitement. Especially since it was so damn close to where I live. Rose, it was scary and happened so fast. My brothers were at a friends house in the neighborhood and the mother called my mother to tell her my brother had been hit in the head. She asked if he was OK to walk home and she said he was. When he got home, my Mom and Dad took him to the doctor. The next thing they know the doctor is calling for an ambulance to take him to the hospital. He had a hole in his head and had to have emergency surgery to have a metal plate put in. What happened was my brother's twin threw a mud ball at a tree that bounced off and hit my brother. It had a rock in it. I still remember when he came home with his shaved head and a million stitches. Good action on the doctor's part for accessing the damage and getting him help right away!
What a freakish thing to happen, and then a rock in the mud ball, I can't even imagine how upset your other brother was, and of course the whole family. Things happen so fast it is frightening. Closing the garage door when my youngest was five, she bounced on a toy right under the door, door didn't go up like it should have, and came down on her head. Needless to say, I don't remember going to the hospital, and when asked when was her birthday, didn't remember, so luckily my seven year old did. I blanked out a lot of what happened, I'm guessing when bad things like this happen, you just move, and hopefully everything you do is right. Now I'll bet your brother brings it up to his twin every now and again.
Oh my, what a terrible thing to happen to your daughter and I've heard of that same thing with a lot of youngsters. Amazing how bizarre accidents happen. I was racing bikes with a neighborhood kid, we crashed and his fender went right in my leg. Eight stitches. You're spot on about my brothers...they do rib each other about it and can do so because the outcome was favorable.
I remember right after Kevin Costner's "Dances with Wolves" came out to theatres, We went to The Black Hills and Mount Rushmore(on the other side of the State) for a family vacation and there were several signs stating that the Movie had been filmed in that area, and my girls aged 8,6, and 5 kept looking for Costner to come riding up on his horse. LOL...Kept them busy anyway.
I've had several bike accidents myself, scars of childhood, and look back and wonder how come more things didn't happen to me, since I could be dared into doing things that were really dumb LOL I kid with my daughter, and when she use to have crazy ideas, I would tell her it was the terrible hit on her head.
Sandy, what a memory that would have been for your daughters to have Kevin Costner ride up on a horse...and for Mom too, LOL.
Rose, it sounds like we were cut from the same cloth. I used to ride my bike with my roller skates on...who does that??? Other times trouble found me. One time I was babysitting and right after the parents left I went to use the powder room and got locked in! I ended up climbing out the window, hanging on to the gutter and dropping 1 1/2 stories to land on a cement block that left my shin with a bump the size of my fist, LOL.
I was one who rode my bike with roller skates on, and would also ride my bike in the Winter, which made sense to me, but WI winters didn't agree with me LOL At least we were adventurous, and didn't just sit there, though at times it would have been best for me to sit there and shut up.
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