The Room

[Webcam ham.]

So after the introduction of one of the best clips on the internet, then finding out it is played here in LA, I knew I had to go and the this cinematic tour de force that is The Room. It's basically one of the worst movies ever made, then shown in theaters for everyone to yell at for 90 minutes. I found out that this theater in LA played it the last Saturday of every month at midnight. So my friends and I went up there last night to catch it, and wow, WOW, what an experience.

My friends and I arrived around 10 to grab tickets. The plan was to head to a bar and grab a few drinks because there was no way everyone was going to sit through this sober. Mind you, I had really only seen a few clips from Youtube, so I really didn't know what to expect. We grab our tickets and notice that there's about 15 people lined up already. I had thought about jumping in line just because I was sort of excited about it, but we went to this sushi place to grab booze instead. We hung out at the bar there for a bit, and I thought it'd be a good idea to go check the line. It was about 11 now, so I go outside and there's about 100 people in line now. So I jump in line and my friends come out around 11:45. Now there's 500 people in line. We're talking to the guy in front of us (Who has seen it ten times, by the way) who's telling us about the history of the movie and how it sort of just played for years without many people seeing it, then blew up and then died out, but this month was expecting to sell out for the first time. This was also the first time they had ever shown it on all five screens. I'm assuming this was due to the movie being played on Adult Swim. The directory/producer/star Tommy Wiseau shows up to greet the line and everyone goes ape shit. They let us into the theater at midnight and everyone makes a mad dash for the theaters because your designated theater isn't given on the ticket. So after dashing through the first 3 theaters, we managed to find six seats in a row in theater 4.







We get inside, and to our great surprise, in walks Tommy Wiseau to do a question and answer session. I half thought this would be serious and half thought it would be a disaster. It was sort of a combination of both. Audience members proceeded to ask insane questions, such as "How many monkeys have you wrestled" and Wiseau proceeded to answer the insane questions with insane answers in his THICK accent. "I don't know if I've ever wrestled a monkey. Or have I? I think I have but the question is, how many monkeys have I wrestled?" He basically rambled for a good five minutes and I honestly have no idea what most of it was because he was completely incoherent. If he wasn't fucking plastered, I would be worried.



After that, the movie finally started. Easily the worst movie I've ever seen, but picture watching Mystery Science Theater with 150 people doing commentary instead of 3 people. Talk about fucking hilarious. Most of the people doing the commentary had obviously seen it multiple times and were basically leading the audience. It was pretty incredible. Several people brought footballs to throw around and every time something seemingly random happened, everyone in the theater went nuts and started to throw plastic spoons. Everyone in line had them, so we managed to round up a bunch of them from random people, then we would just collect more from the aisle after everyone would throw them. Let me tell you, I seriously laughed for 90 minutes straight. I think the people in the theater are key to seeing this movie and I look forward to being one of the creeps that has every line in this movie memorized.



I left the theater feeling completely fulfilled and cannot wait to go see it again next month. Everyone needs to experience this.

[The Legend of the Emerald Lady]

crazy jealous

[The Mystery of the Mother Wolf]

You aah lying I nevah hit you!

[Zeon]

Sounds like going to Rocky, in other words annoying

[The Mystery of the Mother Wolf]

mlyp dude...

[Webcam ham.]

I had to look up mlyp, but it's completely true.

[Crime in the Queen's Court]

Sounds like a cult movie experience. I'm waiting for Snakes on a Plane to get this treatment.

[The Girl Who Couldn't Remember]

I saw some of this movie on Adult Swim and thought to myself how much Adult Swim's ironic humor is so played out. Of the 15 minutes I saw, it was bad but it wasn't funnily bad.

Then a week ago I unintentionally caught like five minutes of what I assume was Tim and Eric and it was a fake sitcom where they played up how typical and traditional everything was. And I was like, ugh.

In short, I think I agree with Vekou. But I would be all for seeing The Number 23 again for humorous effect so I am fully behind the idea but still probably not the audience participation elements. Just laughing at a bad movie.

[Webcam ham.]

I think you're missing the point.

[The Legend of the Emerald Lady]

Right the difference is this shit is so bad, worse than almost anything you've seen and it wasn't made to be so bad its good, someone actually made it cast it, directed it and watched it and said "yup this is a movie I'm going to spend $5mil advertising on a single LA billboard for 6 years"

[The Girl Who Couldn't Remember]

I get it. Its somebody's vanity project that he put a lot into and it's terrible. He probably did not mean for it to be funny.

At the same time, if it's not "so bad it's good," how can you even watch it? Assuming you mean "so bad it's good" in the sense that I mean The Number 23.

I guess I just don't get the allure of watching a movie that is infamously bad but not enjoyably bad. Especially not watching it multiple times. From the sound of the audience participation, it sounds ilke they think its enjoyably bad.

[Webcam ham.]

This movie is so bad it's amazing while being watched with an audience.

[The Mystery of the Mother Wolf]

It's hilarious, Robby O'Daniel. It is enjoyably bad.

[The Chocolate-Covered Contest]

Man Robert didnt you ever watch MST3k

[Webcam ham.]

How are we all missing this?

 sl4tm:  i hate to say it but i think the reason ck is having so much difficulty finding the humor in The Room is because of the similarities to his own writing??

[The Legend of the Emerald Lady]

fuck you both that was my joke

[Crime in the Queen's Court]

Any experience with a crowd is better. Ever tried to watch Rocky Horror Picture Show alone? It sucks. Seriously. But stick 500 people in costumes and with props in a room and it's suddenly amazing.

Good movies enjoy a better result in a crowd too, but with bad movies, the crowd is everything.

[The Girl Who Couldn't Remember]

I wish Vekou was here so he could say Rocky Horror sucks

I agree with you in a way bassist, but I think you take it too far. I've never bought the idea that you need to watch some movies with a crowd for them to be good. Like somebody told me that was Superbad, yet I've watched that movie both ways and I enjoyed them the same. For some reason, there's this idea that stuff like Apatow comedies somehow become better because there are more people laughing in the same room as you. But that's kinda not the same as this The Room argument

Audience participation like displayed in Rocky Horror and The Room just sounds obnoxious to me and has never intrigued me enough to attend. Grant it, I have never attended either so how would I know but it doesn't sound all that great.

[The Chocolate-Covered Contest]

Try it

[Zeon]

I wish Vekou was here so he could say Rocky Horror sucks

Rocky Horror sucks.  With or without an audience.

I watched The Room on Adult Swim and I based on my experiences at Rocky I do not think having people around you shouting and throwing shit would make it more enjoyable.

[The Clue of the Tapping Heels]

Any experience with a crowd is better. Ever tried to watch Rocky Horror Picture Show alone? It sucks. Seriously. But stick 500 people in costumes and with props in a room and it's suddenly amazing.

Good movies enjoy a better result in a crowd too, but with bad movies, the crowd is everything.

On the one hand, a Star Wars movie with Star Wars types is pretty fun.

On the other hand, Rocky Horror

[The Legend of the Emerald Lady]

The difference, everyone's missing is just how bad the Room is in comparison to any other camp/disappointing movie that you're thinking of.  It's viewability has an edge over even your classic awful movies because there's so much bad packed in to every second that it's one of the funniest movies you'll ever see.  Alone or with a crowd.

[The Legend of the Emerald Lady]

It's a movie so bad it's creator now claims it was intentional

[Crime in the Queen's Court]

I've seen movies considered to be the worst in history:

• Manos: Hands of Fate
• Plan 9 from Outer Space
• Blair Witch Project
• The Toxic Avenger
• Any really bad horror movie

Tack on movies that aren't as bad, but are bad enough to require an audience to make them good:

• Reindeer Games
• Rocky Horror Picture Show
• Snakes on a Plane]
• Cloverfield
• Any average horror movie

Altogether, that's a lot of films that request audience participation or at least an audience to make the film somewhat enjoyable. The Room certainly isn't a phenomenon nor is it even special for bad film.

You need to think of quality as similar to a habitable zone around a star. There's only a small stretch where a planet can sustain water/life. Too close to the star and it's too hot; too far and it's too cold. The same goes for bad movies. If it's really as bad as you say, it's past the point of so bad it's good (see Manos: Hands of Fate).

[Webcam ham.]

Cloverfield is great.

[Crime in the Queen's Court]

Hahahahaha!

[Webcam ham.]

Went for Round Two tonight. It was so much better than the first time I saw it.

[A albright...]

Went for Round Two tonight. It was so much better than the first time I saw it.

I felt the same way about your mother.

[Webcam ham.]

All you did was see my mother?

Heh, I fucked yours.

[The Legend of the Emerald Lady]

Don't make fun of Albright's mom. She definitely has breast cancer.

[The Mystery of the Mother Wolf]

People are being cured every day!

[Webcam ham.]

SPOONS

[Webcam ham.]

Third round this weekend. This time Mark was there too and everyone got free t-shirts. I tried taking a picture with Tommy but it didn't come out.

 :[

[The Legend of the Emerald Lady]

Did I link you that interview?

[The Legend of the Emerald Lady]

http://www.avclub.com/articles/tommy-wiseau,29598/

AVC: How old is Denny supposed to be in the film?

TW: He’s supposed to be around 16, 18.

AVC: What do you think Philip Haldiman brought to the role of Denny?

TW: I think he brought a lot stuff. One thing was people actually, he’s really retarded a little bit.

[Webcam ham.]

I will see this every month until I die or until I have something better to do the last saturday of every month.

[The Chocolate-Covered Contest]

I will see this every month until I die

Fixed 

[Webcam ham.]

Well I am not going to go on Halloween because I would rather be out chasing drunk chicks in costumes.

[The Girl Who Couldn't Remember]

Well I am not going to go on Halloween because I would rather be out chasing drunk chicks in costumes.

oh hell yeah vinnie im riight there with ya

[Webcam ham.]

Yeah man then you can take em back and watch romcoms.