hellyfish and kiteboarding, too!

It's been almost a year since the mailman brought it to me.
That's a mighty long time to tread water.

Today, I finally reached
the shallows, giving me time
to view my dvd copy
of the Golden Shovel-winning
"Hellyfish"!
Actually, I had viewed it
months ago, on my laptop.
That screen wasn't
large enough for
that much action.
I needed to have the
silver screen experience,
or some close approximation
of that.

This afternoon, I'm sitting at my first niece's house, waiting on the ice-maker repairman for her...and having access to her big screen television.
Beautiful!
I began with the final item on the menu: "Kiteboarding".
What a lovely three-minute segment! Mike Brady creates his own berms and literally shreds the wavefronts as he soars betwixt ocean and sky!
Thanks, guys!
Then I launched into the extras.
What a lot there were!
"Behind The Scenes" gave me some shots of the actors test-driving their running, leaping, splashing, and twitching skills, accompanied by the green screens. Fun!

"Visual Effects" was
incredible to watch,
but I have to admit
that I didn't understand
much of it.
Great music, though!

"Outtakes" and "Photo Gallery"
were next on my perusal list.
Those provided a new appreciation of the work involved in getting that perfect coordination between the action and the background. Also, I hadn't realized the triplets were played by one girl!


Then I dove right into the movie itself, once more. So much hot-blooded summer fun! Sure the jellyfish were horrific, as they normally are, but the scene was pure Tybee Beach, inhabited by folks I know or have seen before. There was JinHi Soucy Rand, as a "Wise Fisherwoman", made up as a weatherbeaten, cigar-chomping, crone on the pier! And that was Anthony Paderewski, as a slickster trying to score some action under a beach blanket! And I know I've seen some of those kids and that sea captain and that news chick before!
Good story, too! And the title sequence - beautiful! Having the lost nuclear bomb morph into a streaming jellyfish was so well done!

Animated story board end credits were a nice change-up, too!
Wow!
So, being so pleased with all I had seen,
I then clicked on something I never watch:
"Director's Commentary".
Usually, I loathe such things.
Talking over the movie? Pointing out plot items? Demystifying the aura?
No, thank you.

But, not this time.
As well-steeped as I was in the movie,
I actually enjoyed their sidemarks.
And I very much enjoyed
learning what shots were
pure serendipity at work,
not in the original script at all.

I tell you, the wait was well worth it.
Every last minute of it.
Congratulations, y'all!
I am so proud
to have been a
kickstarter supporter
of this project!
I truly am.