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Sunshine screen caps + a baby-doll stick-man? + Cillian's chanteuse + Sunshine props auction

13 April 2007 at 01:21 PM | by Lilith

Sunshine screen caps

Ready to let the Sunshine in? I've just posted some screen captures from the film. I've carefully avoided any spoilers, focusing instead on our favourite actor's many close ups. "I told you, from my best side, darlings."

See more screencaps from Sunshine

I also added a bunch of Pierspaul's screen caps from the Batman Begins interview and Empire Online interview.

Baby-doll prettiness and stick-like appearance?

Cillian's often called chameleonic, but even the most versatile chameleon would be hard pressed to fit into all the labels that reporters are giving him. In her review of The Wind That Shakes the Barley, Felicia Feaster of Atlanta's Creative Loafing.com praises the range that Cillian display in his roles and contends that:

In some ways, Murphy seems a natural choice to play Damien; he has the delicate, baby-doll prettiness that the human mind tends to believe reflects moral virtue. But that comeliness is also an unusual quality in the kind of gritty people's rebel more often played by pumped-up macho men such as Mel Gibson in Braveheart or Liam Neeson in Rob Roy. Murphy is a rebel of an entirely different order: brave and devoted to his cause but also heartsick over the killing that the battle for Irish independence seems to demand.

Meanwhile, Patrick Kolan from Australia's IGN.com pays Cillian a back-handed compliment:

Stick-like Murphy is at his best when playing meek characters forced to toughen up. His eyes are piercing, and Boyle plays on this brilliantly. Shots taken from inside the helmet of the iconic golden spacesuits give a profile-view of Murphy's face, beaded in perspiration.

And Kudos' Liam Thomson adds:

...much of the characterisation could have been greatly expanded on, with only 3 of the crew members garnering any real interest or sympathy from viewers. Yet, unsurprisingly, the talented Cillian leads the film in a triumphantly anti-hero fashion. Had it not been for his riveting presence Sunshine would have been all the more disappointing.

The more reviews I read, the more it seems that the disappointment lies not in what Sunshine is, but in what it failed to be. Time after time, reviewers seem to echo this sentiment from Digital Spy's Ben Rawson-Jones:

Unfortunately, a mediocre denouement stops Sunshine from being a masterpiece ... Still, this brief flirtation with mediocrity shouldn't eclipse the brilliance we witnessed before. Sunshine is a fantastically enjoyable film that works our minds, delights our senses and shows that futuristic science fiction can be serious drama rather than mere popcorn fodder.

Cillian's chanteuse

I must thank Melty_Girl for spotting this mention of Cillian in insideBayArea.com. After proselytizing Amy Winehouse far and near, she knew I'd get a kick out of this interview with Michael McKean:

[McKean] still keeps up with music—during a recent stint in London, co-star Cillian Murphy introduced him to Amy Winehouse: "When she'd sing live, either she'd be phenomenal or it would be 'someone get this girl some coffee'"—but his all-time favorites remain Randy Newman, Elvis Costello, and Noel Coward.

Sunshine auction

Stephen from The Prop Store of London e-mailed us about the items being auctioned from the film. Want to get your hands on Capa's wristbands? Or how about his sweat-soaked tee? Have a look at what's up for sale and what you just can't live without!

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Lilith
Posts: 4

Re:
Reply #11 on : Tue April 17, 2007, 03:04:35

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Well, that's the best thing about it, Nancy -- I think it'll get people talking. I'm looking forward to some good discussions when we don't have to worry so much about spoilers!

Nancy
Posts: 7

Re:
Reply #10 on : Sun April 15, 2007, 23:59:30

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Loved the screencaps. Stil hate everyone who saw it before I do. Actually, Lilith's and Bella's little debate abput what went wrong with the film only makes me want to see it even more, to see for myself what was flawed about the film. Even though I haven't seen it yet, I figured that Danny BOyle has cut back on the character development because eh figured that if teh film was, like, 90 % about the characters and less about the mission, it would be a huge borefest and not pretain well with the audience, so maybe that's why he ahd to cutback on the CDs. I'm just saying because I read your argument about the little character storylines.

IIC
Posts: 7

Re:
Reply #9 on : Sun April 15, 2007, 21:59:33

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Wow I totally missed that there's a page two.....

Claudia
Posts: 7

Re:
Reply #8 on : Sat April 14, 2007, 18:25:06

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Thanks for the screencaps, they're fantastic. Hopefully I'll get to see the movie this friday and I'll definitely be lookin for those ;D

Kerry
Posts: 7

Re:
Reply #7 on : Sat April 14, 2007, 14:24:31

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thanks sooooo much for these screencaps.I'm still on a major sunshine high from the other two days!!!

Lilith
Posts: 4

Re:
Reply #6 on : Sat April 14, 2007, 01:07:51

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I certainly didn't want less Capa screentime! And I don't agree that he looked useless. I thought he did a great job portraying a physicist. It was a very different role, he wasn't the everyday hero that Jim was, or the steel-eyed mercenary of Rippner, but he definitely had a presence, and in his eyes he conveyed the weight of the mission. I just thought the film's execution was flawed, and a big part of that's because like you I had very high expectations.

Bella
Posts: 7

Re:
Reply #5 on : Fri April 13, 2007, 22:49:40

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I feel a little sad. My friend says she would like to see Mace more and hopes Capa has less screentime.I always liked Danny Boyle's character development of the leading and flawed men, but it's hard to identify with Capa, who always looks useless. It's the first time I heard people discuss they don't want to see him act. I think he is still good in it, but he didn't get a better deal. He is even more shining in Red Eye which is a good teen thriller , but not a great film , and some people laugh and say he should stick to bad guys. Danny gave him the first chance to enter the world, and he pulled off Jim .Then 28 Days later becoame a sleeper hit. I had expected Sunshine for two years. Except the stunning visual effects, I could not feel anything touching in it, though I like the last scene. In Sunshine, his eyes can peak, but we hardly pay attention to his eyes. Perhaps we don't care.

Lilith
Posts: 4

Re:
Reply #4 on : Fri April 13, 2007, 15:55:15

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Bella, I wish I could say I loved it beyond belief, and I wanted to -- I love sci-fi and to have Cillian and Danny Boyle and sci-fi all in one package should have been amazing. Sadly, I was disappointed. It's so interesting you comment on the myth concept. This is what I wish we'd learned more of -- it felt like that whole idea was rushed through when it could have been incredible.

But lack of character development seemed to be a real flaw -- for Capa as well as for the whole cast. I hope this means we'll see lots of deleted scenes in the DVD.

But weren't the visual images stunning? In that regard, Sunshine really cannot be faulted.

Bella
Posts: 7

Re:
Reply #3 on : Fri April 13, 2007, 15:30:16

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Great screencaps. Thanks.
Have you seen Sunshine? I like his perfomance, but I do think Danny Boyle didn't use him well, which makes me sad. His facial expressions are very impressing, but the camera seemes not to love him much enough,and lack of character development, though the film has good myth concept and great special effects.

Lilith
Posts: 4

Re:
Reply #2 on : Fri April 13, 2007, 14:10:55

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Thanks, glad you enjoyed them! To be honest, the end of the movie is so fast and dark, the caps didn't come out well. I'm going to have to spend some more time on them and really slow it down. When we get better ones we'll post them here.