Ok, so I couldn’t wait to see ‘The Room’ tonight at The Belcourt right? This bad film to end all bad films is supposed to be a riot, with Midnight audiences across the Country and Europe erupting in peals of laughter at its shoddy writing, one-dimensional acting, multiple plot strands that go nowhere and just all around awfulness.
I was all set, planning to be at the Screening promptly at Midnight with my Coke and Junior Mints, ready to be entertained along with what I hoped was a sold out crowd.
But earlier today it hit me: should I go? Is it right? I mean, the Director of ‘The Room’, this guy, this person, this man – Tommy Wiseau – has poured his heart out – years of his life, and, apparently, 6 Million Dollars into this thing.
So I had to ask myself, is it right to laugh at others dreams?
Now, I’ve never had a problem laughing while watching the terrible films of Ed Wood. I mean, they’re just god-awful.
Have you seen one?
No?
Well, trust me they’re awful. Just god-awful.
But on reflecting for this post I realise that while I’ve laughed at the films of Ed Wood, I’ve never laughed at Ed Wood. Why not? Well, look at the clip above that I used the other day here on the site to illustrate this post:
Who’s the Best Impersonator of Orson Welles?
Sure that’s a romanticised Ed, (who wouldn’t want Johnny Depp to play them?), but it captures something I’ve always felt while watching such terrible, terrible, terrible movies as ‘Plan 9 from Outer Space’ and ‘Bride of the Monster’: Ed Wood tried his best. He was trying to do something and god-damn-it he tried his best. He may have been an alcoholic, porno-book-writing, no talent dreamer – but he tried his best.
He tried to make something.
Something real.
He was an artist.
A bad artist to be sure – but an artist none the less – so much different than certain hacks I shall not name who know they’re pumping out junk and just don’t care. Ed Wood Cared, (I’m putting that on a T-Shirt) – and after watching the trailer for ‘The Room’ I think Tommy Wiseau cares as well. Maybe not the kind of caring that would make you run a spell checker on your trailer so you’d realise that Tennessee is misspelled, but caring none the less: Tommy’s tried to do something.
So there’s no question that I’m going to go – to go and see ‘The Room’ tonight at Midnight at The Belcourt – but I won’t just be laughing – I’ll be cheering too – cheering for Tommy Wiseau, that dumb crazy basterd, who sunk years of his life and millions of dollars into what appears to be a two-hour Actor’s Studio Train Wreck of Epic Proportions.
I hope you’ll join me. Let’s celebrate art, and artists, together.*
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‘The Room’ is screening tonight and Saturday at Midnight at The Belcourt
Click here to see if ‘The Room’ is playing in your area
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* “Let’s celebrate art, and artists, together.” = wow, that sounds like the worst pick-up line ever…speaking of bad pick-up lines I must recount on this blog someday the story what happened when I picked up a girl one late night in Berkeley and took her to the ‘Ed Wood penned’ excruciating happening that is ‘Orgy of the Dead‘ – we saw it on the Big Screen!, (to get an idea of the film click on the image below – a warning though – the link is NSFW):
