If you love cinema, you need to see THE ROOM in 35mm on May 28.
Let us explain....
It seems most people have heard of The Room, the "so bad it's good" 2003 movie that inspired James Franco and Seth Rogen to make The Disaster Artist, adapted from Greg Sestero's book of the same name. THE ROOM is the film that is also known as "the Citizen Kane of bad movies."
Greg wrote The Disaster Artist after having "survived" the experience of making the film with its writer, director and star, the mysterious and bizarrely charismatic Tommy Wiseau. Amazingly, they remain friends.
If you haven't seen The Disaster Artist, maybe you've watched some of THE ROOM clips on Youtube or you've glimpsed the memes: "You're tearing me apart, Lisa!'; "I did not hit her, I did naht... Oh hi, Mark!" These scenes from THE ROOM are now part of our cultural lexicon of camp, but taken out of context they're simply amusing.
James Franco as Tommy Wiseau in The Disaster Artist; Tommy Wiseau in The Room.
Experiencing these crazy, cheesy, awkward scenes with an audience is something else entirely. THE ROOM invites a kind-of intense schadenfreude participation: we watch the hapless Johnny (Tommy Wiseau), a cuckold whose "future wife," Lisa (Juliette Danielle) is seducing and having sex with his best friend, Mark (Greg Sestero) behind his back. The audience is in the (un)fortunate position of having an omniscient view to the sordid goings-on while Johnny remains clueless and increasingly more frustrated at Lisa's emotional cruelty toward him.
"You are tearing me apart, Lisa!" - Tommy Wiseau as Johnny in The Room
THE ROOM has a cast of strange characters that add little to the actual plot, but add a lot to the overall weird mayhem. It's a wild ride that the audience hops right on in a joyous give and take. Footballs are tossed, spoons are thrown, cries of "eeww yuck" are hurled at the screen at the sight of the disrobed Tommy Wiseau's pasty, veiny body. It's an opportunity to experience a distasteful movie with complete and utter abandon. It's also hugely cathartic. Watching THE ROOM is a rare, strangely satisfying experience that is unlike any other movie you will watch.
THE ROOM also, in its own crazy way, is a celebration of cinema and community. You will never have as much hilarious fun watching THE ROOM on your own at home.
Greg Sestero's last visit to the Playhouse, March 2019, before a sold-out audience.
If cinema means anything to you, we encourage you to come and watch it with us on May 28. Greg Sestero will be in town to present the film and answer any questions you may want to throw his way. Hamilton and Waterloo are Greg's only appearances in Ontario.
Greg also will be premiering his directorial debut, Miracle Valley, an homage to the best in 70s and 80s horror. If filmmaking is your thing, that's another excellent reason to come out. Greg's currently touring Miracle Valley to genre film festivals across North America and Europe, as well as making special appearances like this one at select venues.
We almost forgot to add: THE ROOM is being presented in 35mm! Another story: our sister cinema in Waterloo, the Princess, was one of the first cinemas in Canada to regularly show THE ROOM. Back in 2007 or so, we contacted Wiseau Films to enquire about showing the film. The deal Tommy Wiseau (himself!) made with us was that we had to sign a contract to agree to show the film monthly AND we had to purchase our own 35mm print of the film. And that's the print you will be watching on Saturday night. What a story!*
Actual film strip from our 35mm print of The Room.
It's going to be quite a wild night at the Playhouse this Saturday, a night to remember for sure. Don't miss it! Get tickets now! Footballs will be tossed, spoons will be thrown, autographs will be signed.
We really hope you can make it and just to show our appreciation for you, as a newsletter subscriber ("favourite customer!"*) we are offering you an exclusive promo for a deal on tickets: OHHIMARK
When purchasing tickets, you will find a PROMO CODE field above the ticket selection on the left. Enter the promo code in that box. Then, you click through to complete the purchase.
Anyway, how's your sex life?*
* Actual lines from The Room.
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