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AKA · 06-12-2004, 08:04 PM

Maybe Popcorn Inhibits Thinking

By Peter Howell
The Toronto Star

The Star's movie ads inform me that Michel Gondry's quietly delightful Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind is the year's "best-reviewed" film to date, or some such superlative.

This is industry code which means the critics loved it (including yours truly), but that the public hasn't completely embraced it the way it has, say, Van Helsing, Shrek 2 or this weekend's guaranteed popcorn chewer, The Day After Tomorrow.

In the nine weeks since its March 21 release, Eternal Sunshine has earned nearly $33 million (U.S.) at the North American box office.

That's not exactly a flop, but it's far from a hit, especially when you consider that The Day After Tomorrow is expected to pull in north of $80 million in its opening weekend alone, no matter how many downturned thumbs are aimed in its direction.

I find this puzzling, even allowing for the obvious disparities in promotional budgets and the fact that blockbusters typically open on hundreds or even thousands of more screens than do art-house films.

Except Eternal Sunshine wasn't your average art house project, despite its non-sequential narrative and its head-knocking boy-meets-girl, girl-forgets-boy story.

The movie was released on more than 1,300 screens across the continent, which is a lot for this kind of picture. It stars such recognizable and bankable talent as Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo and Tom Wilkinson. The heat-seeking Charlie Kaufman, who penned Adaptation and Being John Malkovich, wrote the script. And don't forget all those critical raves, which have to count for something.

But do they really? I've long gotten past the feeling of astonishment that turkeys like The Day After Tomorrow can pull so much cash out of so many unsuspecting wallets, despite my best critical efforts to sound the alarm.

I feel — how ironic! — like Dennis Quaid's character in the film, vainly attempting to warn the planet to wise up before disaster strikes. Disaster in this case being people spending big bucks on tickets, soda, popcorn, parking and babysitting to see a global-chiller thriller that has an IQ below room temperature.

People are going to see what they're going to see, no matter what some uppity critic tells them. If they want to consume garbage, it's their free right to do so, and God bless 'em.

But I still haven't figured out why they don't also flock to the movies that are really good, like Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind.

Occasionally, the fates conspire to make a movie a blockbuster and quality entertainment at one and the same time, as is the case with Shrek 2. But that doesn't happen very often. More often than not, the better a movie is, the worse it does at the box office.

Why is that? Why aren't people busting a gut and skipping school and work to go see Eternal Sunshine, or such other recent gems as Goodbye, Lenin!, Go Further, The Barbarian Invasions, Seducing Dr. Lewis or Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ... and Spring?

Why isn't the biggest movie story of the week not the fact that The Day After Tomorrow is opening, but rather that tonight marks the start of the summer season for Cinematheque Ontario, the Toronto Film Festival offshoot that screens superb films of every genre? (More on that in a minute.)

I realize that the vast majority of moviegoers are teenage boys with rampant hormones, a lust for blood and babes and allowance money that burns holes in their pockets. They generally aren't interested in movies where heads remain connected to bodies.

I also know that many people these days mentally divide their movie choices between big screen and small, going to the theatre to see the spectacles and saving the artier fare for their DVD player at home.

But too often, they never get around to seeing the good movies at home, either. I can't count how many times people have told me they're waiting to see a smaller picture when it arrives on DVD, months after its theatrical release. But when the time comes for the rental, they typically end up getting the video for their favourite summer blockbuster and seeing it again "because I already know it's good."

Is it that we're all too exhausted from our daily lives to want to really think about a movie? Has the film-going experience really become nothing more than a "thrill ride," as all those whore quotes in the movie ads proclaim?

I would hate to think so. Which is why I'm cheered that Cinematheque Ontario's summer season here. It begins tonight at 6:30 at the AGO's Jackman Hall with Orson Welles' The Lady From Shanghai, part of a welcome revival of film noir classics that will continue through the second week of June.

The Lady From Shanghai stars Rita Hayworth, my pick as the most beautiful screen siren ever, in a story of backstabbing intrigue that has more going for it in its first five minutes that most blockbusters have over two hours. You have to see this film for its amazing hall-of-mirrors ending, done without digital tricks of any kind, in which the camera whirls, the mind reels and the pleasure of film discovery is intense.

Other films in the noir series, which is called "Deadly Detours," include Fritz Lang's The Big Heat, Otto Preminger's Laura and Angel Face, Michael Curtiz's Mildred Pierce and Stanley Kubrick's The Killing.

If you care at all about seeing good movies, rather than just movies with good publicists, you owe it to yourself to check out Cinematheque's summer offerings, which you can see online at http://www.bell.ca/cinematheque. And if you want to attend The Lady From Shanghai, or any other Cinematheque films, call the box office at 416-968-FILM.

webuster · 06-15-2004, 03:45 PM

Interesting article. Sometimes it annoys me how certain films succeed while others don't. The reason Day After Tomorrow succeeds is because of the 'New York Ice Age' money shot sprawled all over the place. Ocassionally there's the sleeper hit, like My Big Fat Greek Wedding- that defies most 'laws' of advertising.

Still, usually it's the films with less thought that do better (equation: $=k/t)- maybe the popcorn thing is true- I love thought provoking films yet never eat popcorn.

06-12-2004, 08:04 PM	#1
AKA Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 17, 2001 Posts: 15,746	Maybe Popcorn Inhibits Thinking Maybe Popcorn Inhibits Thinking By Peter Howell The Toronto Star The Star's movie ads inform me that Michel Gondry's quietly delightful Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind is the year's "best-reviewed" film to date, or some such superlative. This is industry code which means the critics loved it (including yours truly), but that the public hasn't completely embraced it the way it has, say, Van Helsing, Shrek 2 or this weekend's guaranteed popcorn chewer, The Day After Tomorrow. In the nine weeks since its March 21 release, Eternal Sunshine has earned nearly $33 million (U.S.) at the North American box office. That's not exactly a flop, but it's far from a hit, especially when you consider that The Day After Tomorrow is expected to pull in north of $80 million in its opening weekend alone, no matter how many downturned thumbs are aimed in its direction. I find this puzzling, even allowing for the obvious disparities in promotional budgets and the fact that blockbusters typically open on hundreds or even thousands of more screens than do art-house films. Except Eternal Sunshine wasn't your average art house project, despite its non-sequential narrative and its head-knocking boy-meets-girl, girl-forgets-boy story. The movie was released on more than 1,300 screens across the continent, which is a lot for this kind of picture. It stars such recognizable and bankable talent as Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo and Tom Wilkinson. The heat-seeking Charlie Kaufman, who penned Adaptation and Being John Malkovich, wrote the script. And don't forget all those critical raves, which have to count for something. But do they really? I've long gotten past the feeling of astonishment that turkeys like The Day After Tomorrow can pull so much cash out of so many unsuspecting wallets, despite my best critical efforts to sound the alarm. I feel — how ironic! — like Dennis Quaid's character in the film, vainly attempting to warn the planet to wise up before disaster strikes. Disaster in this case being people spending big bucks on tickets, soda, popcorn, parking and babysitting to see a global-chiller thriller that has an IQ below room temperature. People are going to see what they're going to see, no matter what some uppity critic tells them. If they want to consume garbage, it's their free right to do so, and God bless 'em. But I still haven't figured out why they don't also flock to the movies that are really good, like Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. Occasionally, the fates conspire to make a movie a blockbuster and quality entertainment at one and the same time, as is the case with Shrek 2. But that doesn't happen very often. More often than not, the better a movie is, the worse it does at the box office. Why is that? Why aren't people busting a gut and skipping school and work to go see Eternal Sunshine, or such other recent gems as Goodbye, Lenin!, Go Further, The Barbarian Invasions, Seducing Dr. Lewis or Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ... and Spring? Why isn't the biggest movie story of the week not the fact that The Day After Tomorrow is opening, but rather that tonight marks the start of the summer season for Cinematheque Ontario, the Toronto Film Festival offshoot that screens superb films of every genre? (More on that in a minute.) I realize that the vast majority of moviegoers are teenage boys with rampant hormones, a lust for blood and babes and allowance money that burns holes in their pockets. They generally aren't interested in movies where heads remain connected to bodies. I also know that many people these days mentally divide their movie choices between big screen and small, going to the theatre to see the spectacles and saving the artier fare for their DVD player at home. But too often, they never get around to seeing the good movies at home, either. I can't count how many times people have told me they're waiting to see a smaller picture when it arrives on DVD, months after its theatrical release. But when the time comes for the rental, they typically end up getting the video for their favourite summer blockbuster and seeing it again "because I already know it's good." Is it that we're all too exhausted from our daily lives to want to really think about a movie? Has the film-going experience really become nothing more than a "thrill ride," as all those whore quotes in the movie ads proclaim? I would hate to think so. Which is why I'm cheered that Cinematheque Ontario's summer season here. It begins tonight at 6:30 at the AGO's Jackman Hall with Orson Welles' The Lady From Shanghai, part of a welcome revival of film noir classics that will continue through the second week of June. The Lady From Shanghai stars Rita Hayworth, my pick as the most beautiful screen siren ever, in a story of backstabbing intrigue that has more going for it in its first five minutes that most blockbusters have over two hours. You have to see this film for its amazing hall-of-mirrors ending, done without digital tricks of any kind, in which the camera whirls, the mind reels and the pleasure of film discovery is intense. Other films in the noir series, which is called "Deadly Detours," include Fritz Lang's The Big Heat, Otto Preminger's Laura and Angel Face, Michael Curtiz's Mildred Pierce and Stanley Kubrick's The Killing. If you care at all about seeing good movies, rather than just movies with good publicists, you owe it to yourself to check out Cinematheque's summer offerings, which you can see online at http://www.bell.ca/cinematheque. And if you want to attend The Lady From Shanghai, or any other Cinematheque films, call the box office at 416-968-FILM.

06-15-2004, 03:45 PM	#2
webuster Member Senior Member Join Date: Aug 26, 2002 Posts: 2,150	Interesting article. Sometimes it annoys me how certain films succeed while others don't. The reason Day After Tomorrow succeeds is because of the 'New York Ice Age' money shot sprawled all over the place. Ocassionally there's the sleeper hit, like My Big Fat Greek Wedding- that defies most 'laws' of advertising. Still, usually it's the films with less thought that do better (equation: $=k/t)- maybe the popcorn thing is true- I love thought provoking films yet never eat popcorn.