I just saw Choke.
I got really lucky on that, actually. I was at the gym until 6 punching a bag in front of Trainer while he leaned against a wall, chewing gum. The gym is in Hollywood, the screening was in Westwood. For those of you who don't live in LA, that might as well be in Mexico during 6pm traffic.
Thankfully, Best Friend got there before me and saved a place in line, but even arriving 45 minutes before the screening landed her way back in the line. We weren't sure we'd get in.
We crept to the front of the line and Jeff Goldsmith took in the four last people in front of us and told Best Friend and me, now the first two people in line, to wait.
We waited. About thirty people waited behind us.
He came back out and said there were 2 seats left. We cheered. Everybody else went "Awwwww!"
We went into the theater and Jeff said "Who are those two people with an empty seat beside them?
Four people raised their hands. So because a couple of people can't follow directions, like fifty people were turned away when there were two seats left.
But whatever. Even though we were to the right and in the front row so we had a very odd angle on the film, we were just glad we got in.
So, the movie.
Choke stars Sam Rockwell (who was at the screening and I now believe is also Jason Lee) as a historical reenactor who has a sex addiction thanks to intimacy his nutty mother's (Angelica Huston) bizarre upbringing. The film is mostly a comedy with a shitpile of sex.
It was good. Not great, but good. I laughed, I teared up a little, I enjoyed it. It had some plot elements that were so difficult to believe that I had trouble immersing myself in the film, but given the difficulty of the source material I think Clark Gregg wrote and directed the best film he could.
In the end it was worth the wait and the crappy seating location. And suck it, people behind us in line. Be faster next time.
yeah I want to see "Choke" as well. I also plan to check out "Burn after Reading," too.... other than that, there aren't any good new movies playing right now. "The Women" looks like pure crap. People are like "oh you'll like this movie" and I'm like, really? is it because I'm a woman?
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oh I'm waiting for "The Wackness" but it still hasnt opened in theatres here in the shitty midwest yet.
I still can't get over how Jason Lee gave his kid a shitty name. Pilot Inspektor. Geez.
Awesome. Can't wait to listen to the podcast. You should read the book, if you liked the story. I'm sure you know by now that it's by the same author as Fight Club.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to this one. I mostly know Clark Gregg as that kind of weird actor from David Mamet movies and Aaron Sorkin television shows so I'm interested to see his writing/directing chops.
It looks like a huge flaming pile of dogshit.
ReplyDeleteAnd I loved the book. The book is incredibly dark satire in the vein of FIGHT CLUB. The trailers make this look like a light buddy comedy. The acting looks awful. The production value looks awful.
The script itself, is probably one of the most adherent scripts to the source material I have ever read. Which makes it a huge surprise that the TONE is completely missed.
This will probably be one of those movies that people who haven't read the book will like and those that have will be pissed off about.
Best Friend read the book and is a fan of Palahniuk's work and she felt the same way I did about the movie. I'd rather listen to your review after you have seen the actual film.
ReplyDeleteThat'd mean I'd have to pay money to see it. That kind of defeats the purpose of not supporting something, I think looks like crap :p.
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