I had a fun weekend in NYC but I don’t have much to add to Murph’s comprehensive report. It was great to see her and her Mary Beth again as our small group gathered in a very convenient Steakhouse restaurant in the Time Warner Building on the same floor as the entrance to the theater.

I’d have to say this was the best choice in hotel I’ve ever had in relationship to going to a premiere (right across the street) and the Rose Theater was truly a beautiful venue to host this type of event. Even though we were in the nose bleed section, given the theater’s huge screen and excellent sound system, I think we really had the best seats in the house.

Body of Lies is a rollercoaster of a ride that takes no prisoners and is gut/mind check on many different levels. The aspect that intrigued me the most was the characters' relationship with each other and how their reliance on each other was totally interconnected but constantly changing. It was fascinating to watch Hoffman’s ability to throttle his manipulation up and down; duplicitously collegial one moment to callously menacing the next and Ferris going from decidedly, if superficially, confident to totally doubting his moral compass. Like Letterman said, go to see movies with actors who can act because without that, this film wouldn’t have worked at all.

I also admire that this is an in your face movie and I like that they didn’t pull any punches in trying to depict this world. Ridley again has created a movie where the stark beauty of some shots totally belied the brutality of the scene. He shaped a world where surveillance was eerily ever present which unfortunately now is becoming all too much a part of our lives.

After the movie as we were milling around I think for the first time that I can remember it was Russell who found/spotted us rather than the other way around! LOL! It was great to have a few moments with him before he led us into the after event with Murph on his arm.

It’s interesting and fun to be a small part of an experience that is far removed from your everyday life. It was such a quintessential New York scene to stand there at the top tier of that beautiful space, looking out of what must have been a 50 foot floor to ceiling window with a view of a newly refurbished Columbus Circle, a dark Central Park and the reds and white lights of hundreds of cars as they worked their way up and down Central Park South.

As we looked around and tried to identify some of the principles in the film, it brought to mind the other unique aspect of being at an event like this -  you actually can say a simple ‘thank  you’ to a actor who gave a performance that you just had a chance to value and enjoy. It’s a spontaneous and sincere ‘in the moment’ kind of thing. For someone who loves movies and admires filmmakers it allows me to show my appreciation in a way I normally wouldn’t have a chance to do.  What I say may be the same thing an actor has just heard many times over that night but it’s still meaningful to me.

Anyway, it was fun to see some familiar faces again (Bea, Sue and Howie) when they made their way up to where we were standing. It was good to talk to Keith and to say hello to the ever vigilant Terry. The food was great and the Martinis even better and after awhile we wandered back across the street to our hotel. I had a wonderful time and like I said above, I consider myself so fortunate to be able to have these types of experiences and to share the evening with good friends.