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Thursday, April 16, 2009
Heckling a movie - via text message??
Normally, texting during a movie is considered very rude. Even if you have your sound turned off, the glow of the screen can be more than a little annoying to people who are trying to concentrate on that bigger screen in the room.
Now, however, there is a kind of theatrical moviegoing experience in the Chicago area where texting is not only allowed, it’s essential to the experience. It’s called MuVChat, where people enter their snarky little comments via text message and they’re displayed on screen to movies as campy as Zoolander or as cult-loved as Office Space. Here’s a story in the Chicago Tribune about it.
What do I think of this idea? I’m not against it in principle - I love the idea of heckling bombs like Gigli or Glitter as suggested in the story. Thing is, I’m not much of a texter. I’m a little bit outside that “Millennial to Gen Y demographic” this concept caters to. And even if I weren’t, I’d still be too darn slow on the keypad to make it work for me!
My only question is, what would Statler and Waldorf make of all this?
Actually, that’s not my only question. What do you think of this idea? Would you do it? And what movies deserve the texting/trashing treatment?
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What’s opening Friday, April 17?
Friday brings an … interesting mix of movies to the megaplexes. Interesting is the only word I can think of.
Crank: High Voltage: I always meant to get around to the first Crank, which looked like good brain-dead fun, but I never did. Does that mean I would be hopelessly lost if I saw this sequel first? Somehow I’m thinking no.
State of Play: A newspaper drama starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams and Helen Mirren would be enough to hook me, but it’s also directed by the talented Kevin Macdonald (Touching the Void, The Last King of Scotland) and the writers include Matthew Michael Carnahan (the underrated The Kingdom) Tony Gilroy (the Bourne moves) and Billy Ray (Shattered Glass). Sold. Unfortunately, I couldn’t review it because of scheduling conflicts.
17 Again: Matthew Perry turns into Zac Efron. For some people that’s a plus, for others a minus. Review posts Friday.
At the arthouses
The Neon hangs on to its Emily Blunt double feature, Sunshine Cleaning and The Great Buck Howard. Lunafest, a national traveling festival of short films by and about women, will have its first ever showing on Sunday, April 19, from 3 to 4:45 p.m This year’s program includes 10 short films. The Dayton Jewish International Film Festival kicks off next Thursday with Love & Dance.
Earlier I noted that Che was opening today; apologies, that was a mistake on my part. It opens next Friday.
The Little Art opens I Love You, Man.
