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Thursday, February 5, 2009
Ever been out of synch with a movie audience?
Recently one of my best friends and I attended La Comedia’s current show Polynesian Fire (my review of said show can be found here) and were mystified as to why the audience was laughing at a dance routine we were pretty sure wasn’t supposed to be funny.
Why do I bring this incident up, even though it doesn’t involve movies? Because me being obsessed with them, the incident put me in mind of times of been with movie audiences and thought “What are THESE people watching?”
We’ve all had that sort of experience at one time or another. The audience seems to really love a movie and you can’t figure out what in the world they think is so great. Or the audience may even be revolting against a movie you like. Or they may be reacting in such a way that’s completely puzzling.
Three such incidents stand out in my mind - so much so I’m sure I’ve mentioned them in this blog in different contexts.
When The Exorcist was re-issued to the theaters some years ago, some teenagers in my audience seemed to find it hysterical, particularly during the actual exorcism scenes. That movie chills me to the bone every time I see it, but those reactions may be even more frightening.
I’ve been lucky enough to see one of the all-time great movies, Vertigo, on the big screen several times. I’ve also been unlucky enough to watch it with audiences who find it funny, particularly when an obsessed Jimmy Stewart is trying to compel Kim Novak to change her look. I can only guess these people were either monumentally insensitive or unaccustomed to the style of older movies. Either way, I was dumbstruck - I find these scenes terribly tragic and sad, and the audience was laughing. The ending usually shuts them up, though. (No spoilers here. See the movie.)
Then there was the time I screened Mr. Deeds with Adam Sandler. It was to be expected that Sandler would cheapen the Frank Capra classic Mr. Deeds Goes to Town with seventh-grade locker room humor, but the folks around me were laughing themselves into convulsions. I was going into convulsions, too, but they’re the kind that … well, I don’t want to be gross. Use your imaginations.
So those are three times when I wondered what movie the audience was watching. Whjat are incidents like that for you?
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What’s opening Friday, Feb. 6?
The first week of February 2009 brings four new films to the multiplex, and most of them are actually good prospects. Again, titles now link to the Rotten Tomatoes entries.
Coraline: A new stop-motion animated feature from Henry Selick, the director of The Nightmare Before Christmas. This one, about a girl who enters a strange parallel world. is based on a story by Neil Gaiman, author of Stardust and Zemeckis’ Beowulf. I’m especially hot to see this in 3D, for which it was specifically designed.
He’s Just Not That Into You: This supposedly atypical romantic comedy was long delayed and the reviews are iffy, but I can’t help but be curious about a movie with a cast including Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Connelly and Ginnifer Goodwin.
The Pink Panther 2: You know how I said most of the titles were good prospects? This is the exception. File this one under “They made a sequel because the undistinguished predecessor made a surprising amount of money.” Kind of like Cheaper by the Dozen 2.
Push: This sci-fi-ish thriller from the studio that brought us Twilight has not pulled down great reviews but I think it’s getting a bit underrated. My take posts Friday.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment | Categories: In Area Theaters
