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Tried to find a similar post on this and there was one back in April which one person commented on, but anyway...
The Room!!!
I recently moved to the interesting city of Atlanta, and stumbled upon the Plaza Theatre (where, in a couple of weeks I will have the pleasure of seeing The Texas Chainsaw Massacre '74 on the big screen for the first time) and went to see a film I'd heard a little about call The Room. I expected a funny "so bad it's good" flick, and at the same time to be the only one in the theater. Well, the theater was completely packed, and tons of people had dressed up as characters from the film. They were all holding plastic spoons and screaming at the screen.
I've never been to a midnight screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, but apparently what I witnessed that night was very similar. For those of you who thought Rocky Horror was the only midnight movie type left, there is now (and has been for much of this year apparently) The Room!
In Atlanta it screens on the last Tuesday of every month. You can check the film's official website for screenings in cities near you.
Also read the incredible journey that the lead actor, writer, director and producer (Tommy Wiseau) of the film went through, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Room_%28film%29
"Leading up to the release of The Room, Wiseau began a promotional blitz in print and television, comparing The Room to works by Tennessee Williams. He also offered a free CD of the soundtrack to ticket-buyers. The Room premiered at a Laemmle Theatre in Los Angeles on June 27, 2003, where Wiseau had rented limos and red carpet for the occasion. According to cast members, people in the theater began laughing at the film within the first ten minutes, and by the end, some of the crowd were "rolling around" and "crying with laughter". The film made less than $2,000 during its initial theatrical run."
"Variety, one of the few publications to print a review of The Room during its original release, reported it was "a self-distributed directorial debut so hopelessly amateurish that auds reportedly walked out during its two-week run in July 2003". IFC.com described Wiseau's speaking voice in the film as "Borat trying to do an impression of Christopher Walken playing a mental patient." The Guardian called the film a mix of "Tennessee Williams, Ed Wood and R. Kelly's Trapped in the Closet"."
"After the film's initial run, Wiseau claims to have received "almost one hundred e-mails" thanking him for creating the film. The praise encouraged him to continue showing the film once a month at the Laemmle Sunset 5 Theater in Hollywood. Over time, the movie has built up a cult following. Fans interact with the film in a similar fashion to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Audience members dress up as their favorite characters, throw plastic spoons at the movie screen (a reference to unexplained framed photos of cutlery often seen in the background), toss footballs to each other from short distances, and yell insulting comments and criticisms about the quality of the film. Since its release, the film has screened in London, Toronto, Chicago, San Francisco, New York City, Atlanta, Portland, Austin, Omaha, Little Rock and a number of other cities"
"Wiseau attends many of the midnight screenings, selling t-shirts, DVDs, and film soundtracks to fans. Before the film begins, he engages the audience with a Q&A session. During the film, he encourages audience participation during screenings, and he claims that he does not get upset about the comments that audience members make. In an interview in The Room's DVD bonus features, Wiseau said, “I’m happy, because I prepared all this stuff, and I wanted people to have a good time [...] When you see The Room, you can yell, you can scream, you can express yourself — that’s the idea."
"Wiseau's recent claims that the film was intended to be a black comedy have been debated by those involved with the film. One anonymous cast member told Entertainment Weekly: "He is a nice guy. But he is full of shit. He was trying to put together a drama. It was basically his stage to show off his acting ability."
And don't forget the trailer which will no doubt leave you thirsty for more...
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