Idiocracy

I'm trying really hard to like The Arclight but they are making it very hard. Everyone keeps talking about how great the facilities are and that it is worth the $14 because they don't tolerate bullshit like screaming babies and rude behavior. The best thing is that there are no advertisements. What I don't understand is that they only screen arthouse films, independent films, and dumb comedies. Rarely do they ever screen blockbuster films like "Xmen 3" or "Superman Returns". This doesn't make any sense to me considering that they have 14 auditoriums with the best light and sound technology. They are a reserved-seating only theatre with seats that are three inches wider than current megaplex standards. You would think that they would screen at least one of the Harry Potter movies there. Instead, they have movies like "Beerfest". BEERFEST, PEOPLE! Would you pay $14 to see Beer-freakin-Fest? It angers me so much.

The Arclight is exactly like the Angelika Film Center in NY (another theatre I loathe), just ten times bigger with incredible facilities, minus the rumbling sounds of the subways nearby. It attracts the same kind of people - pretentious, artsy-fartsy, rich scenesters. The only redeeming thing about the Angelika is the quality of movies they screen but the theatre itself is crap. The Arclight is the exact opposite - excellent facilities, crap films. What the frig?

Last night we went to see "Idiocracy" by Mike Judge at The Arclight to support one of T's best friends. Unfortunately, this film received zero publicity because Fox didn't know how to market it. T's friend didn't even know that the movie was opening this weekend until only a few days ago when he had dinner with the director, and he's in the friggin' movie! The premise is simple: an "average American" is selected by the Pentagon to be a guinea pig for a top secret hibernation program. Somehow the experiment goes awry and the subject wakes up 500 years later to discover that he is the most intelligent person alive in a society so dumbed down by corporate commercialism.

How hard is it to start the trailer off with, "From the creator of 'Office Space', 'Beavis and Butthead' and 'King of the Hill' comes..."?

This movie is supposed to be a satirical comedy but I found it really depressing because it's not far from the truth - the de-evolution of our sad society. I just kept thinking about all the Britney Spears and Kevin Federlines of the world making babies and "accidentally" dropping them on their heads (repeatedly) the whole time I was watching the movie. It's pretty obvious that this movie was a warning sign, a desperate cry from Mr. Judge telling us to wake up. I think that's why Fox had a hard time publicizing the movie. It is so openly critical about the role of mainstream media and the negative effects it has on our society, something Fox is so obviously guilty of.

Anyhow, I really enjoyed "Idiocracy". I thought that the first 30 minutes was brilliant but it started to lag once they discovered that he was the smartest person on the planet. Still, I'd recommend it to everyone. Go see it before it gets taken out of the theatres. It's definitely a film worth supporting, even though you might have to pay $14 to see it.