308 replies to this topic

[scielle]

PuraVida, on 21 June 2024 - 12:43 PM, said:

About the crisis scene, I genuinely think it's one of the scariest and intense things that has ever been committed to film. Rest of the documentary aside, that was chilling. And then you put it in context of who she is and her choice to let that be seen, it's so remarkable.

I thought the two members of her team who helped her were extremely professional and kind. They handled it brilliantly. I noticed that they showed her earlier on in the doc having a 911 call -- but the crisis scene didn't involve 911? So I wonder about that other event that was shown (in iPhone footage).

It’s an incredibly powerful scene. The trauma, followed by her singing for the pure joy of it… truly a brilliant ending.

And they do discuss calling 911 in that scene, but they manage to pull her out of the crisis and ultimately don’t need to.

[PuraVida]

I was so curious in the moment to hear what song she was going to sing, expecting I might know it. But now I know a new artist. I think Celine really keeps her finger on the pulse of new artists and has a wide variety of tastes. I wish we saw more of how she interacts with music during the docu.

[jpatdeleon09]

A lot of praises for this docu. I’m glad! Can’t wait to watch it on Prime Video. That preview of Celine singing Wyn’s song the one recording it even cried. I guess no dry eyes in the theater

Edited by jpatdeleon09, 21 June 2024 - 02:01 PM.

[PuraVida]

jpatdeleon09, on 21 June 2024 - 02:00 PM, said:

A lot of praises for this docu. I'm glad! Can't wait to watch it on Prime Video. That preview of Celine singing Wyn's song the one recording it even cried. I guess no dry eyes in the theater

May I ask where that preview is? Thanks.

Also, I'm glad that folks had great viewing experiences. My theatre had a small handful of people, but two people were really loud and lacking in theatre etiquette that I got quite bothered :S Just my luck...

[ewh12]

[ewh12]

PuraVida, on 21 June 2024 - 02:31 PM, said:

May I ask where that preview is? Thanks.

Also, I'm glad that folks had great viewing experiences. My theatre had a small handful of people, but two people were really loud and lacking in theatre etiquette that I got quite bothered :S Just my luck...

It was from this link in the previous page, from Instagram:

https://www.instagra...GVvejdkbW95ZQ==
edit - i think the original poster removed/make profile private/got taken down

Edited by ewh12, 21 June 2024 - 04:05 PM.

[PuraVida]

ewh12, on 21 June 2024 - 04:00 PM, said:

It was from this link in the previous page, from Instagram:

https://www.instagra...GVvejdkbW95ZQ==
edit - i think the original poster removed/make profile private/got taken down

Which account? Anyway, I feel it's kind of impolite for fan accounts to post spoiler clips or images before the documentary has premiered worldwide.

Anyway, someone wrote in the other thread about how it was a double-edged sword having Irene as a Director. On the one hand, she could be impartial because she didn't know much about Celine. On the other hand, everything was new to her and perhaps didn't do a ton of research.

Looking back, I think it was extremely lazy to have access to all that archival footage to be using "Live A Paris" and the LTAL/SSDA recording sessions that everyone in the world has access to.

[ewh12]

PuraVida, on 21 June 2024 - 04:13 PM, said:

Which account? Anyway, I feel it's kind of impolite for fan accounts to post spoiler clips or images before the documentary has premiered worldwide.

Anyway, someone wrote in the other thread about how it was a double-edged sword having Irene as a Director. On the one hand, she could be impartial because she didn't know much about Celine. On the other hand, everything was new to her and perhaps didn't do a ton of research.

Looking back, I think it was extremely lazy to have access to all that archival footage to be using "Live A Paris" and the LTAL/SSDA recording sessions that everyone in the world has access to.

It wasn't a fan account but a friend that was congratulating him so, might not have realized the popularity of his post and could have done something to hide it. I don't know.

Like i've said before, I think it would've been nice to see more archival footage that hasn't been used time and time again, However, as a non-fan or casual fan, I wouldn't necessarily be familiar with either. I've seen more reaction videos of the Live a Paris clip in the past few years and for many, it was their first time they really saw her capabilities, especially for the international viewers that only know her English work.

Funny thing that i'm realizing though. I think this doc might be the genesis that bridges her subtle french career with her bombastic english career. There's always been a clear divide but I think the film will bring artistic credibility and a revisit of Céline's whole career beyond "the hits"  and even more freedom to be artistic and creative in her music career going forward... At least thats my prediction.

I think the best is yet to come and we should appreciate how this film helps bring awareness to SPS but also how this will hopefully be the start of new things!

Edited by ewh12, 21 June 2024 - 04:30 PM.

[Philippe1984]

ruimarques, on 18 June 2024 - 04:55 PM, said:

It’s Wyn Starks

I loved it … it’s simple, it delivers the message it’s educating and at the same time it shows Celine like we have never seen her before … I love the Maria Callas moment and the Carmen intro

I loved when she sang Who I Am at the end. Ok, if i’m dreaming, since it was shot more than a year ago, could it be possible that she sang this song to the Paris Olympic Games in july?

[jpatdeleon09]

PuraVida, on 21 June 2024 - 02:31 PM, said:

May I ask where that preview is? Thanks.

Also, I'm glad that folks had great viewing experiences. My theatre had a small handful of people, but two people were really loud and lacking in theatre etiquette that I got quite bothered :S Just my luck...

From the previous post of scielle. Post about wyn. Page 4 (last post) he shot a scene from the theater (I don’t know what happened before that) when Celine was singing wyn’s song and you can hear him crying

https://www.instagra...GVvejdkbW95ZQ==

I guess your slot had a few watchers and I think for me is much better fewer will see you cry lol

The most important is most if it are positive praises and hit them in the heart - that’s why it got a lot of praises

And If the archival concert footages was during 1995-1998. I’m glad that Irene picked that timeline. It really shows how great her performances and vocals that time and people will see it not just the fan for the non fans as well. People will now remember that and sort of reminding them again why she’s one of the greatest voices in the world

Edited by jpatdeleon09, 21 June 2024 - 08:18 PM.

[PuraVida]

ewh12, on 21 June 2024 - 04:28 PM, said:

It wasn't a fan account but a friend that was congratulating him so, might not have realized the popularity of his post and could have done something to hide it. I don't know.

Like i've said before, I think it would've been nice to see more archival footage that hasn't been used time and time again, However, as a non-fan or casual fan, I wouldn't necessarily be familiar with either. I've seen more reaction videos of the Live a Paris clip in the past few years and for many, it was their first time they really saw her capabilities, especially for the international viewers that only know her English work.

Funny thing that i'm realizing though. I think this doc might be the genesis that bridges her subtle french career with her bombastic english career. There's always been a clear divide but I think the film will bring artistic credibility and a revisit of Céline's whole career beyond "the hits"  and even more freedom to be artistic and creative in her music career going forward... At least thats my prediction.

I think the best is yet to come and we should appreciate how this film helps bring awareness to SPS but also how this will hopefully be the start of new things!

Well I do agree that the amount of her French work that was showcased was a pleasant surprise. And yes, I agree about there being the casual fan perspective...but still, I can't help but think it's lazy -- or at least a missed opportunity. Because there wasn't anything archival as such about things that are publically available on her YouTube channel when it comes to LTAL/SSDA recording sessions or from certain scenes used at Live A Paris. There were snippets of filmed concerts that we had never seen before, but they were brief and we didn't get to hear that audio from the clip being shown, usually.

In general, I think there was this large tension directorially about reviewing Celine's career and her body of work, versus letting us know more about her and showing us 2020s Celine in her home in Vegas...It's not really helpful to try and mash those objectives together. Sometimes I think you have to expect more of your audience and the knowledge they come into the theatre with.

[stevo]

I don’t think they tried to review her work at all- I think the clips of the past we saw were used to emphasise what Celine was currently going through- the stark contrast between her ‘peak’ and then. Irene couldn’t have researched each clip to check if it was something that had already been watched 50,000 times by us crazies. The documentary wasn’t about another rehash of her career or greatest moments. Irene also said didn’t she, that it she didn’t have ‘the fans’ in mind when she made the doc?

Edited by stevo, 22 June 2024 - 06:48 AM.

[Jeanette]

Maybe I’ll feel differently after I watch the documentary as I’ve yet to see it (there was only one showing at my local cinema Tuesday night and I unfortunately had something else on that night so couldn’t make it).  Part of me wasn’t sure if I could get through it in a cinema environment anyway but unlike most people who have yet to see it, I have been reading reviews with spoilers etc as I feel I need to prepare myself in a way for what I’m going to see, especially “that scene” and I’m still not sure I’m ready for that!

Anyway, all of this to say, that I’m totally confused with timelines etc from everything I’ve read and heard recently as looking back through Celine’s social media in 2020, we got a lot of content from her, with Celine being at one with nature etc and looking like she was just enjoying her long overdue, albeit imposed, time off. While also looking forward to getting back to normal too. We also had the shooting of the scenes for Love Again, although not really sure when that was, was it end of 2020 during covid restrictions?  Then the announcement came in May 2021 regarding the new Vegas residency for November that year, so I just feel that a lot of what we knew doesn’t tie in with what we now know, i.e. the worsening of symptoms after weaning herself off medications when everything stopped, because surely she wouldn’t even consider a new residency at that time, if her health had taken such a downhill turn then.  Unless of course it was much later into her time away that she stopped all medications etc causing the spiral of more severe symptoms and as a result really pushing for answers from doctors then for her years of health issues, before everything was due to get back going again as having the fear that without actual answers, she would once again fall back into harmful doses of medicines etc to get through. What are everyone’s thoughts on the feasibility of this timeline?? That's where, I feel, from the reviews and feedback of people who have already seen the documentary, that some dates would have provided a bit of much needed context.

On a side note, I also noticed while looking back through her social media posts, just how active she became, certainly much more so than the Rene days. Even if a lot of the posts were possibly obligatory for her newfound role as a haute couture ambassador.  I wonder if this will pick up again when and hopefully if things get rolling again. Or could this have been Pepe’s influence, as if so, say what you will about him but at least he brought us that extra connection with her.

[tshlw]

Jeanette, on 22 June 2024 - 09:16 AM, said:

Maybe I'll feel differently after I watch the documentary as I've yet to see it (there was only one showing at my local cinema Tuesday night and I unfortunately had something else on that night so couldn't make it).  Part of me wasn't sure if I could get through it in a cinema environment anyway but unlike most people who have yet to see it, I have been reading reviews with spoilers etc as I feel I need to prepare myself in a way for what I'm going to see, especially "that scene" and I'm still not sure I'm ready for that!

Anyway, all of this to say, that I'm totally confused with timelines etc from everything I've read and heard recently as looking back through Celine's social media in 2020, we got a lot of content from her, with Celine being at one with nature etc and looking like she was just enjoying her long overdue, albeit imposed, time off. While also looking forward to getting back to normal too. We also had the shooting of the scenes for Love Again, although not really sure when that was, was it end of 2020 during covid restrictions?  Then the announcement came in May 2021 regarding the new Vegas residency for November that year, so I just feel that a lot of what we knew doesn't tie in with what we now know, i.e. the worsening of symptoms after weaning herself off medications when everything stopped, because surely she wouldn't even consider a new residency at that time, if her health had taken such a downhill turn then.  Unless of course it was much later into her time away that she stopped all medications etc causing the spiral of more severe symptoms and as a result really pushing for answers from doctors then for her years of health issues, before everything was due to get back going again as having the fear that without actual answers, she would once again fall back into harmful doses of medicines etc to get through. What are everyone's thoughts on the feasibility of this timeline?? That's where, I feel, from the reviews and feedback of people who have already seen the documentary, that some dates would have provided a bit of much needed context.

On a side note, I also noticed while looking back through her social media posts, just how active she became, certainly much more so than the Rene days. Even if a lot of the posts were possibly obligatory for her newfound role as a haute couture ambassador.  I wonder if this will pick up again when and hopefully if things get rolling again. Or could this have been Pepe's influence, as if so, say what you will about him but at least he brought us that extra connection with her.

Have not seen it yet either but was thinking same thing with timeline and Love Again. From the wiki page says "Principal photography began in October 2020 and ended in early 2021."

So I really think she did not start weaning herself off till 2021 and then when it came time to start rehearsals for the show the spams had started. Or maybe someone knows how long it takes safely to wean off valium. But can't see her having started right after going into lock down or not sure she would have been able to do Love Again. Not sure why she waited.

In terms of social media think multiple things. First Instagram started in 2010 so that was during time off to have twins. Then having twins, and having another young kid, doing a new show and being a wife doesn't leave lot of time for social media. Then Rene got sick understandably she was away from things. Once Aldo came on did she more social media and then I feel also when twins got older sure they and RC made her understand it more. Yes also sure younger team members as well.

Guess we will see now that she is in a better place if she will start again posting or rather just focus on taking care of herself, her kids and getting back on stage.

Edited by tshlw, 22 June 2024 - 09:46 AM.

[RosieBarron]

tshlw, on 22 June 2024 - 09:46 AM, said:

Have not seen it yet either but was thinking same thing with timeline and Love Again. From the wiki page says "Principal photography began in October 2020 and ended in early 2021."

So I really think she did not start weaning herself off till 2021 and then when it came time to start rehearsals for the show the spams had started. Or maybe someone knows how long it takes safely to wean off valium. But can't see her having started right after going into lock down or not sure she would have been able to do Love Again. Not sure why she waited.

In terms of social media think multiple things. First Instagram started in 2010 so that was during time off to have twins. Then having twins, and having another young kid, doing a new show and being a wife doesn't leave lot of time for social media. Then Rene got sick understandably she was away from things. Once Aldo came on did she more social media and then I feel also when twins got older sure they and RC made her understand it more. Yes also sure younger team members as well.

Guess we will see now that she is in a better place if she will start again posting or rather just focus on taking care of herself, her kids and getting back on stage.

The Love Again parts are her doing the French translations and recording the songs. They aren't to do with the actual filming. She even says to the twins words to the effect of 'you know the film I made' before she heads out to do the French voice over parts.

Edited by RosieBarron, 22 June 2024 - 09:50 AM.

[tshlw]

RosieBarron, on 22 June 2024 - 09:48 AM, said:

The Love Again parts are her doing the French translations and recording the songs. They aren't to do with the actual filming. She even says to the twins words to the effect of 'you know the film I made' before she heads out to do the French voice over parts.

Right we are talking about just in general the timeline since went in lock down as well as the movie. Like if she right away started to wean of valium how did she even film Love Again or think could do a new residency. Why think did not start till 2021 and when Irene came she was probably at some of the worse of it and desperate for an answer.

[GoldenLeaf]

Too bad about the lack of context and the unclear timeline. Now I'm not as excited as I was about watching it next week.

I don't like watching something and then ending up with more unanswered questions than before...

Edited by GoldenLeaf, 22 June 2024 - 10:09 AM.

[scielle]

ewh12, on 21 June 2024 - 04:28 PM, said:

Funny thing that i'm realizing though. I think this doc might be the genesis that bridges her subtle french career with her bombastic english career. There's always been a clear divide but I think the film will bring artistic credibility and a revisit of Céline's whole career beyond "the hits"  and even more freedom to be artistic and creative in her music career going forward... At least thats my prediction.

I think the best is yet to come and we should appreciate how this film helps bring awareness to SPS but also how this will hopefully be the start of new things!

Yes! This is my prevailing sentiment.
I actually really appreciate that this doc isn’t made with the intent of preaching to the choir, because it’s accomplishing exactly what I hoped it would - broaden her audience.
Irene was up front (including with Celine) that she didn’t come into this as a fan, and didn’t make the film for fans. And that, I think, is precisely what makes it great. It’s not “inside baseball”. It’s a character study and a fascinating portrait for fans and non-fans alike. I’ve already seen many comments along the lines of “I wasn’t a fan of her music but… am a fan of her now/ have gained newfound respect/ etc”.

Yes, I have my issues with some of the directorial decisions and archival footage choices, but in the grand scheme of things, I can let that slide in the service of the “greater good” of presenting her to a larger audience and in a new light. A lot of what’s in this film flies in the face of what critics historically dismissed her for - bland, one-dimensional, manufactured. You can’t walk away from this doc without seeing an artist supremely dedicated to her craft (I’m looking at you, Rolling Stone!)

So no, this isn’t a career retrospective brimming with unseen archival footage that die-hard fans would love. But I think it’s a brilliant “resetting of the stage” for the next chapter in her career. It gives her depth and substance many overlooked, it gives her permission to do new things other than the “big note power ballads”, it gives her some relief from the pressure of expectation, because after seeing this nobody can begrudge her for not signing that one song they came for, or cancelling at the last minute for health reasons. It’s a really healthy reset.

This time, I really do believe the best is yet to come. I look forward to what she does next because with this doc I think she really “cleared the slate”. While she’s obviously super grateful for the career she’s had, I think she’s always been a bit resentful for being pigeon-holed as the schmaltzy big-voiced ballad singer. Her natural inclinations are more “rock & roll” (in fact, she has said so in the past and makes that clear in the doc, too). This film frees her of those shackles a little bit. I hope she does more experimentation going forward and I think there’ll be a lot of public interest in whatever she does next. This doc will help in lending her artistic credibility that many simply didn’t see in her before.

[RosieBarron]

GoldenLeaf, on 22 June 2024 - 10:06 AM, said:

Too bad about the lack of context and the unclear timeline. Now I'm not as excited as I was about watching it next week.

I don't like watching something and then ending up with more unanswered questions than before...

I think you need to watch it without getting bogged down with details like this. Having watched it for me the timeline wasn't all that relevant. She stopped performing due to Covid, lessened the medications she was on, it got much worse, she finally got a diagnosis some time later in 2022, she went public then went silent for a year and is now all being well on the up. That's really all you need to know. Just appreciate the film for what it is.

Also someone else mentioned her being weened off vallium. I am pretty sure the doctor was giving her vallium when she had the crisis at the end of the film. So presumably she is still using it just now they know what her condition is in the right quantities and with other medications that help.

[Ukrfan]

tshlw, on 22 June 2024 - 09:59 AM, said:

Right we are talking about just in general the timeline since went in lock down as well as the movie. Like if she right away started to wean of valium how did she even film Love Again or think could do a new residency. Why think did not start till 2021 and when Irene came she was probably at some of the worse of it and desperate for an answer.

I was surprised no journalist asked Celine when it started to be really worse, like when she experienced a "crisis" for the first time rather than just having these random spasms in her vocal cords. It was probably somewhere in fall 2021, most likely

[ewh12]

Podcast by Jackie & Claudia Oshry where we hear about their encounter with Kelly Clarkson @ the I Am Celine Dion screening and overall thoughts about the doc

*also, her encounter with Kelly is how we found out she was attending by that pic on Instagram

https://podcasts.app...i=1000659415007

Edited by ewh12, 22 June 2024 - 12:26 PM.

[jpatdeleon09]

stevo, on 22 June 2024 - 06:44 AM, said:

I don't think they tried to review her work at all- I think the clips of the past we saw were used to emphasise what Celine was currently going through- the stark contrast between her 'peak' and then. Irene couldn't have researched each clip to check if it was something that had already been watched 50,000 times by us crazies. The documentary wasn't about another rehash of her career or greatest moments. Irene also said didn't she, that it she didn't have 'the fans' in mind when she made the doc?

This!

[jpatdeleon09]

RosieBarron, on 22 June 2024 - 10:32 AM, said:

I think you need to watch it without getting bogged down with details like this. Having watched it for me the timeline wasn't all that relevant. She stopped performing due to Covid, lessened the medications she was on, it got much worse, she finally got a diagnosis some time later in 2022, she went public then went silent for a year and is now all being well on the up. That's really all you need to know. Just appreciate the film for what it is.

Also someone else mentioned her being weened off vallium. I am pretty sure the doctor was giving her vallium when she had the crisis at the end of the film. So presumably she is still using it just now they know what her condition is in the right quantities and with other medications that help.

Exactly!

[stevo]

I mean this in the least patronising way possible, but for anyone who has not seen it, the questions about timelines, footage we’ve already seen, and anything else you think you may be unhappy about will be well and truly at the back of your mind after you’ve watched it.

It’s awful, it’s brilliant, it’s sickeningly sad and so inspiring.

[Céline RO]

Ukrfan, on 22 June 2024 - 11:08 AM, said:

I was surprised no journalist asked Celine when it started to be really worse, like when she experienced a "crisis" for the first time rather than just having these random spasms in her vocal cords. It was probably somewhere in fall 2021, most likely

Presumably it was when she blacked out for 2 hours backstage during the second residency and they had to cancel the show. We still haven’t identified which show that was…

[PuraVida]

scielle, on 21 June 2024 - 12:49 PM, said:

And they do discuss calling 911 in that scene, but they manage to pull her out of the crisis and ultimately don't need to.

Yes, I remember that bit. But don't they show her at some point getting put on a stretcher with 911 paramedics there? Then it cuts to a "one year earlier" thing. I assume she's had at least one 911 calls over this trying period. I'm guessing that cell phone footage used at that point was taking by her sister or one of her sons. Incidentally, the film doesn't show the alarm buttons that Celine has mentioned she has set up with her sons.

[scielle]

PuraVida, on 22 June 2024 - 05:27 PM, said:

Yes, I remember that bit. But don't they show her at some point getting put on a stretcher with 911 paramedics there? Then it cuts to a "one year earlier" thing.

Yes, the opening scene.
I was referring to the closing one, where they say if what they’re doing doesn’t work, they’ll call 911.
I assume she has needed paramedics more than once (at least that’s what Adrienne Arsenault said in her report).

[PuraVida]

scielle, on 22 June 2024 - 05:38 PM, said:

Yes, the opening scene.
I was referring to the closing one, where they say if what they're doing doesn't work, they'll call 911.
I assume she has needed paramedics more than once (at least that's what Adrienne Arsenault said in her report).

Yes, I was mentioning both scenes in my original post.

On another note, I'm interested to see Rolling Stone's review. I expect more of the same myopia from them.

[anewdayhascome]

Céline RO, on 22 June 2024 - 03:53 PM, said:

Presumably it was when she blacked out for 2 hours backstage during the second residency and they had to cancel the show. We still haven’t identified which show that was…

I don't think it happened the way they say tbh. We would have known that. I mean the only time it was too late to cancel was with A new day... when Rene decided to play the blond dvd to the audience. Otherwise the cancellations came, even if on the same day, always before the show was supposed to start, so there was no situation when people were actually sitting and waiting for her...

Also, she says in the film there were times she wouldn't come back after a costume change
That also doesn't seem true. With the Internet and all of us following the recent tours so closely we would have known. There was no situation like this...

[kaye2023]

Just wanted to say I like both "appreciate it for what it is" sentiment and the "piecing together info we're told now with info from the past" approach... both valid reactions to the docu.

At the end of the day, wrt content framing/what have been intentionally included or excluded/etc, the film was still made about a very public figure and for public consumption in mind first and foremost.

Edited by kaye2023, 22 June 2024 - 08:06 PM.