November 8, 2004
Gothamist Goes On A Movie Binge
The Mission: For two movie fanatics, the Cinecultist and Capn' Design to watch on a Saturday afternoon as many movies as possible in a Times Square theater until either the theater closes, they kick us out or we permanently injure our behinds from so much sitting.
The Provisions:
2 bottles of water
1 large popcorn
1 box of junior mints
dried peaches
1 granola bar
beef jerky
1 deli-made cucumber and avocado sushi box
1 turkey, swiss and mustard on wheat sandwich
1 package of movie nachos
1 large soda
1 small diet soda
Noon — Birth. Bracing ourselves for an early morning view of Nicole Kidman in the bathtub with a 10 year old boy, we started our movie binge with this newest picture from Jonathan Glazer (Sexy Beast). While the movie's tone of baroque old money New York, reminiscient of another creepy Nicole Kidman picture Eyes Wide Shut, seemed perfect for a blustery November day the over-acting and subpar third act twist is dissatisfying. Also, the soundtrack's extreme quiet made it difficult for unobtrusive snack opening which is always a downner for a movie binge.
Bathroom Break!
1:50 pm — Friday Night Lights is pretty much a water-downed version of Remember the Titans -- an inspired, but controversy-free, high school football team has an unforgettable season. The film was undoubtedly Hollywood shlock, but if that doesn't faze you then you'll enjoy it. Compared to the other movies we saw, this was the most evenly acted and watchable movie of the bunch. As an added bonus for our racist, juevenille friends, Derek Luke plays a injured African-American player named Booby.
4:00 pm — Saw wants to be Se7en but it actually feels more like an extra long episode of Law and Order: Spin Off Of Your Choice. Cary Elwes gnaws the scenery with his extreme over-acting, and in that foul looking bathroom jail cell they're stuck in for much of the film that's just not very hygenic. Here's a rule of thumb to adopt also, if Monica Potter is in it, don't go. She's just terrible. However, if you really must know the twist or are desperate to find out if Cary does indeed saw his foot off, e-mail us. We'd be happy to tell you and save you the $10 admission.
Snacks Break!
6:05 pm — What the #$*! Do We Know?. Can quantum physics explain the behavior of sub-atomic particles? Can we control our day with the power of our minds? Did the filmmakers really animate cells and force them to polka? To all of these, yes. What the Bleep... is a shoddy, cringe-worthy combination of talking-head documentary, narrative, and digital animation that connects quantum physics and spirituality. Amazingly, this self-financed and self-produced film has found audiences across the country despite coming off as a sub-par high school instructional video. I feel bad that Marlee Matlin had to stoop to this.
At this point, we had two other possible film times to fill but the declining quality of the movies and that empty stomach feeling from too much popcorn drove us out into the streets. Spending eight hours in the movies can feel like punching in a full day's work, and it's not a hobby for the faint of heart.
Photo and additional reviewing by Matt Jacobs.
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How'd you sneak all that food into the theater?
Amazing. Next, you must see The Grudge, Alfie, Shall We Dance, and Shark Tale for us!
Ok, now did you pay for 1, 2, 3, or 4 tickets or did you just hop theatres, or did you use a press pass etc. Much Kudos if you were able to schedule all 4 films on one ticket!!!
Oh, it was all done on one ticket. My personal high is six films on one ticket, but most of those were good. Seven is definitely possible and I hope to one day complete the perfect seven adventure.
In regards to the snacks, all you need is a couple big purses/murses.
Granola and dried peaches?! I dunno. I'm a little disappointed w/ your 'review' of "Birth" not to mention your snack selections. It's not truly a binge unless you eat some sour gummy crap and watch a trashy actioner.
Nice attempt, but I must tell you ... just four? Sorry ... that's lacking. I've done five, and the only reason I didn't do six is cause I started too late. I'm a bit disappointed in you.
Getting food into the AMC isn't that hard, especially if you buy soda from there. The key is to have the theaters staked out so you know where you need to be and by when. The ticket machines in the lobby actually tell you the theater numbers, so you don't need to run around the whole place.
As Matty points out, we did have 7 scheduled but it was my wussy, first-timer status as a theater hopper that handicapped our endeavor. We also intended to try to live off the fat of the land, so to speak, eating only what the theater had to offer as that's the good samaritan way of repaying them for bypassing the ticket purchases. However, I also chickened out on that part, so Van Helen, I'm the granola bar, dried fruit eater. Guilty as charged. Big purse is the key to snack smuggling, though today it still smells a bit like pickled ginger.
Also, as Aaron points out in our electronic age it's crazy easy to plan this kind of afternoon as the credit card ticket quiosks tell you exactly which theater is playing at which time. Taking the bathroom and or snack breaks between each movie also seemed to help, we just pretended we had a purpose in another part of the theater and then wandered into the next movie.
For me, I love the movie-going experience and I think I need the time before and after a movie to gestate what I just saw. After movie four, I was so sick of being at theater, I had a bit of a crisis of faith. I felt like I never wanted to see anything else ever again! I was sick of the movies! Fortunately, I bounced back on Sunday and went to see Alfie but that was a scary close call.