Crowd Reports Thread

[Webslinger]

What is this thread devoted to? The weekend box office as it progresses? I've never posted here before.

Traditionally, crowd report threads are supposed to be firsthand accounts of how a movie might be doing and how audiences might be responding to it. But with guesstimates having become so prevalent in the last five or so years, they're now more about the latter than the former.

[Sean]

Traditionally, crowd report threads are supposed to be firsthand accounts of how a movie might be doing and how audiences might be responding to it. But with guesstimates having become so prevalent in the last five or so years, they're now more about the latter than the former.

Thank you for the help, Batman. "House at the End of the Street" looks like a hit, but I have a feeling "Trouble with the Curve" has the greatest appeal out of this week's new releases and will win the weekend. "Dredd 3D" is a great comic-book film, but I think that it will turn a modest profit at best. "End of Watch" should also do well, and it will easily edge out "Dredd" in winning over the younger male demographic. "HATES" should appeal most to teenagers and younger females, and "Trouble with the Curve" seems split right down the middle.

[DerekShooster]

http://www.youtube.c...ed/7MJSpgSnX24

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been missing for a while. Unfortunately, I've had login difficulties with my "Andy Stitzer" account that couldn't be rectified, so I just decided to make a 2nd account to share crowd reports. For the record, I've seen Lawless and Premium Rush in the last month and a half (C and B, respectively). However, tonight I watched:

The Master

6:50PM Saturday, September 22nd

Regal Fenway 13 & RPX

Theater Capacity: ~500 (60%+ full, audience skewed older and more intellectual-looking types... no surprise there)

Ticket Price: $9.00

Concessions: n/a

TRAILERS:

Les Miserables Extended Look - I've watched this online a couple times already, it's pretty cool and had a lot of talking afterwards.

Silver Linings Playbook - same good trailer with a great reaction and lots of talking.

Killing Them Softly - great cast, meh trailer, and some talking from audience.

Flight - looks like a compelling movie, but there was a crescendo of laughter at the final shot in the trailer of the airplane flying upside down... probably not the reaction they're aiming for.

Cloud Atlas - this was a shorter trailer (i.e. not 5 minutes long) and looked equally impressive. I'm very excited for this, even the audience was whispering a lot after it.

The Sessions - also looks interesting, glad to see it's a Fox Searchlight film, and surprised to see Helen Hunt is still acting (she looks like she hasn't aged a day in 15 years); lots of laughing from the audience, good reaction

Anna Karenana - weak reaction.

THE FILM:

This is a weird movie.

Yes, these five words could be said about any film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (*full disclosure--I still need to see There Will Be Blood), but at least for his other films more favorable adjectives pop into mind, like sexy, groundbreaking, bold, monumental, and impressive. With The Master, it only comes off as weird. I've read people complain about the timeline jumping around and throwing them off a bit, which is admittedly weird; however, I didn't have any trouble with that. I think The Master reminds me a little of Blue Valentine in the sense that it features a cast of actors I absolutely love playing characters on screen that I absolutely hate!

I don't know how closely The Master aligns with the origin story for Scientology, but the film's story annoyed me mostly because I felt it dwelled mainly on an uninteresting character (played by Joaquin Phoenix). As everyone has said, Phoenix acts incredibly well in this film. He's just such a f*cking imbecile, though, that you grow irritated with him by the film's end (at least I did). Now there was no shortage of "The Master" on screen (Hoffman's character), but he too turns out to be a f*cking imbecile in my humble opinion. I won't say anymore about the characters or the film so those of you reading this and interested in watching can enjoy it spoiler-free.

This is certainly awards season bait, and much of the accolades it receives will have been deserved. But this is not a popcorn movie for the masses. The film will test your patience at times, even though (to its credit) it's sprinkled amply with comic relief... mainly from Phoenix's character. If you enjoy other Paul Thomas Anderson films you'll likely enjoy The Master. I'm not exactly sure how I felt about it except that it was weird, and I think much of the audience shared the sentiment.

Experience - 21/30

Story/Writing - 10/20

Acting - 15/15

Tech Specs (Cinematography, Editing, Effects) - 15/15; these were excellent

Direction - 10/10; Anderson's an amazing director, no question

Music - 6/10

THE VERDICT: 77/100, B

Edited September 23, 2012 by Andy Stitzer 2

[MovieGuyKyle17]

http://www.youtube.c...ed/7MJSpgSnX24

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been missing for a while. Unfortunately, I've had login difficulties with my "Andy Stitzer" account that couldn't be rectified, so I just decided to make a 2nd account to share crowd reports. For the record, I've seen Lawless and Premium Rush in the last month and a half (C and B, respectively). However, tonight I watched:

The Master

6:50PM Saturday, September 22nd

Regal Fenway 13 & RPX

Theater Capacity: ~500 (60%+ full, audience skewed older and more intellectual-looking types... no surprise there)

Ticket Price: $9.00

Concessions: n/a

TRAILERS:

Les Miserables Extended Look - I've watched this online a couple times already, it's pretty cool and had a lot of talking afterwards.

Silver Linings Playbook - same good trailer with a great reaction and lots of talking.

Killing Them Softly - great cast, meh trailer, and some talking from audience.

Flight - looks like a compelling movie, but there was a crescendo of laughter at the final shot in the trailer of the airplane flying upside down... probably not the reaction they're aiming for.

Cloud Atlas - this was a shorter trailer (i.e. not 5 minutes long) and looked equally impressive. I'm very excited for this, even the audience was whispering a lot after it.

The Sessions - also looks interesting, glad to see it's a Fox Searchlight film, and surprised to see Helen Hunt is still acting (she looks like she hasn't aged a day in 15 years); lots of laughing from the audience, good reaction

Anna Karenana - weak reaction.

THE FILM:

This is a weird movie.

Yes, these five words could be said about any film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (*full disclosure--I still need to see There Will Be Blood), but at least for his other films more favorable adjectives pop into mind, like sexy, groundbreaking, bold, monumental, and impressive. With The Master, it only comes off as weird. I've read people complain about the timeline jumping around and throwing them off a bit, which is admittedly weird; however, I didn't have any trouble with that. I think The Master reminds me a little of Blue Valentine in the sense that it features a cast of actors I absolutely love playing characters on screen that I absolutely hate!

I don't know how closely The Master aligns with the origin story for Scientology, but the film's story annoyed me mostly because I felt it dwelled mainly on an uninteresting character (played by Joaquin Phoenix). As everyone has said, Phoenix acts incredibly well in this film. He's just such a f*cking imbecile, though, that you grow irritated with him by the film's end (at least I did). Now there was no shortage of "The Master" on screen (Hoffman's character), but he too turns out to be a f*cking imbecile in my humble opinion. I won't say anymore about the characters or the film so those of you reading this and interested in watching can enjoy it spoiler-free.

This is certainly awards season bait, and much of the accolades it receives will have been deserved. But this is not a popcorn movie for the masses. The film will test your patience at times, even though (to its credit) it's sprinkled amply with comic relief... mainly from Phoenix's character. If you enjoy other Paul Thomas Anderson films you'll likely enjoy The Master. I'm not exactly sure how I felt about it except that it was weird, and I think much of the audience shared the sentiment.

Experience - 21/30

Story/Writing - 10/20

Acting - 15/15

Tech Specs (Cinematography, Editing, Effects) - 15/15; these were excellent

Direction - 10/10; Anderson's an amazing director, no question

Music - 6/10

THE VERDICT: 77/100, B

Glad to see read your review, I'm thinking of seeing this movie on Tuesday

[tonytr87]

http://www.youtube.c...ed/7MJSpgSnX24

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been missing for a while. Unfortunately, I've had login difficulties with my "Andy Stitzer" account that couldn't be rectified, so I just decided to make a 2nd account to share crowd reports. For the record, I've seen Lawless and Premium Rush in the last month and a half (C and B, respectively). However, tonight I watched:

The Master

6:50PM Saturday, September 22nd

Regal Fenway 13 & RPX

Theater Capacity: ~500 (60%+ full, audience skewed older and more intellectual-looking types... no surprise there)

Ticket Price: $9.00

Concessions: n/a

TRAILERS:

Les Miserables Extended Look - I've watched this online a couple times already, it's pretty cool and had a lot of talking afterwards.

Silver Linings Playbook - same good trailer with a great reaction and lots of talking.

Killing Them Softly - great cast, meh trailer, and some talking from audience.

Flight - looks like a compelling movie, but there was a crescendo of laughter at the final shot in the trailer of the airplane flying upside down... probably not the reaction they're aiming for.

Cloud Atlas - this was a shorter trailer (i.e. not 5 minutes long) and looked equally impressive. I'm very excited for this, even the audience was whispering a lot after it.

The Sessions - also looks interesting, glad to see it's a Fox Searchlight film, and surprised to see Helen Hunt is still acting (she looks like she hasn't aged a day in 15 years); lots of laughing from the audience, good reaction

Anna Karenana - weak reaction.

THE FILM:

This is a weird movie.

Yes, these five words could be said about any film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (*full disclosure--I still need to see There Will Be Blood), but at least for his other films more favorable adjectives pop into mind, like sexy, groundbreaking, bold, monumental, and impressive. With The Master, it only comes off as weird. I've read people complain about the timeline jumping around and throwing them off a bit, which is admittedly weird; however, I didn't have any trouble with that. I think The Master reminds me a little of Blue Valentine in the sense that it features a cast of actors I absolutely love playing characters on screen that I absolutely hate!

I don't know how closely The Master aligns with the origin story for Scientology, but the film's story annoyed me mostly because I felt it dwelled mainly on an uninteresting character (played by Joaquin Phoenix). As everyone has said, Phoenix acts incredibly well in this film. He's just such a f*cking imbecile, though, that you grow irritated with him by the film's end (at least I did). Now there was no shortage of "The Master" on screen (Hoffman's character), but he too turns out to be a f*cking imbecile in my humble opinion. I won't say anymore about the characters or the film so those of you reading this and interested in watching can enjoy it spoiler-free.

This is certainly awards season bait, and much of the accolades it receives will have been deserved. But this is not a popcorn movie for the masses. The film will test your patience at times, even though (to its credit) it's sprinkled amply with comic relief... mainly from Phoenix's character. If you enjoy other Paul Thomas Anderson films you'll likely enjoy The Master. I'm not exactly sure how I felt about it except that it was weird, and I think much of the audience shared the sentiment.

Experience - 21/30

Story/Writing - 10/20

Acting - 15/15

Tech Specs (Cinematography, Editing, Effects) - 15/15; these were excellent

Direction - 10/10; Anderson's an amazing director, no question

Music - 6/10

THE VERDICT: 77/100, B

"Weird" = you lack an open mind.

[acsc1312]

Experience - 21/30

Story/Writing - 10/20

Acting - 15/15

Tech Specs (Cinematography, Editing, Effects) - 15/15; these were excellent

Direction - 10/10; Anderson's an amazing director, no question

Music - 6/10

THE VERDICT: 77/100, B

You give PTA's writing a 10/20? :o Nonetheless, good review (as always) from you.

[DerekShooster]

Liberal Arts

1:30PM Monday, September 24th (it was a slow day at work)

Kendal Square Landmark Cinema

Theater Capacity: 200 (4% full; me and seven random other men who looked to be in their 50's or 60's)

Ticket Price: $9.00

Concessions: Medium Popcorn, $6.50

TRAILERS:

The Loneliest Planet - looks like an artsy suspense film about hiking through the Andes; no reaction.

Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel - looks like a must-see fashion documentary for anyone that cares about fashion (judging by the lack of reaction, not this audience)

The Flat - Hebrew-language documentary about discovering facts from nazi-Germany... looks interesting; no reaction.

How to Survive a Plague - AIDS documentary about the social movement in the 80's and 90's, and the trailer held my attention mainly by using the Adagio in D Minor theme from Sunshine. No reaction.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - good trailer, good cast, and excited to go see it; no reaction from anyone else.

THE FILM:

Amid the countdown for tonight's premiere of How I Met Your Mother, I decided to watch Josh Radnor's Liberal Arts. I last saw a trailer for it months ago and really only remembered that it starred Radnor and Elizabeth Olsen (the talented Olsen). Other than that, I had read no reviews for this film and, therefore, had no expectations for it. Fortunately, I liked the movie!

The movie is about a guy returning to his alma mater after thirteen years and remembering how alive and optimistic he felt when he was at college. Josh Radnor's character, Jesse, maintains all of the charm and humor he plays well in HIMYM's Ted Mosby. Elizabeth Olsen is awesome--no surprise to anyone that saw her in Martha Marcy May Marlene. But then there were the characters I was surprised (even excited!) to see in the movie. Richard Jenkins, Allison Janney, and Zac Efron each play completely different supporting characters, all of whom dish out strangely thought-provoking life advice and clearly have the type of back story that makes you wonder "what happened to this person in life that made them the way they are?"

Sadly, the film's only playing in 20 theaters around the country right now, but it's one that I think a lot of people might enjoy. It comes off as pretentious at times and feels a little more like life happening rather than a plot truly unfolding, yet I'm glad I saw it and would probably watch it again. I suggest this film to anyone that ever went to college, enjoys reading, and/or wants to see a relatable "arts" film playing in theaters now.

Experience - 20/30

Story/Writing - 16/20

Acting - 14/15

Tech Specs (Cinematography, Editing, Effects) - 12/15

Direction - 7/10

Music - 8/10; a lot of attention on classical music (always a plus)

THE VERDICT: 77/100, B

[forg]

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

7:25 pm, Glorietta 4, Makati City, Philippines

95% full (300-400 seats)

Trailers:

Argo

Take 2 (some chatter and jokes like this time around Liam Neeson will be kidnapped)

Trouble with a Curve (some laughs with the Dr. Phil joke in the end)

Oz: The Great and the Powerful (some chatter)

The movie

First day of showing here so lots of book fans in the audience as you can clearly tell from the huge respond with certain lines and scenes. But there are a lot of people who haven't read the book in the audience as well because I heard a lot of surprised reactions with some of the story's plot points.

The audience loved Logan Lerman here and I heard a couple of people who exclaimed loudly how good he is but without a doubt Ezra Miller was the crowd pleaser. The audience loved him! However, I sensed some mixed reaction when Charlie's secret was revealed. Over all the crowd responded well and lots of good exit chatter.

I love the movie as well, got the essence of the novel right and the casting is just terrific. Really had a great time. If I have some money, will watch this again.

A

Edited September 26, 2012 by forg

[Ezen Baklattan]

Andy, I'm actually applying to the school where Liberal Arts was filmed!

[Impact]

^You know I know someone who went to a school where the film "Suspect Zero" was filmed. Here was the bad part though-they used the school as some sort of strange place, I think it was a sexual prison or something I heard.

[BenedictL11]

looper did 89% of resident evil attend at usual megaplex {nm} notfabio on Sep 28, 01:02pitch perfect also did reasonably well with 120 people {nm} notfabio on Sep 28, 01:03

[BenedictL11]

Looper has sold out at 6:50, 7:05, and 9:40 on 3 screens at Regal Union Stadium 14.

[CJohn]

Lets go Looper!Btw, just came back from Seeking a Friend For The End of the World. FUCK YOU AMERICA for letting this die!!!! It deserved more!

[acsc1312]

I really wanna see Liberal Arts. I'm a Josh Radnor fanboy.

[SchumacherFTW]

I really wanna see Liberal Arts. I'm a Josh Radnor fanboy.

Same here, it's Ted freaking Mosby!

[ladyevenstar22]

MEGAPLEX7 CARIBBEAN CINEMAS wednesday 26th resident evil (latest one) i have no idea what number it is9.30pm showing about 80% full( stadium like theatre)as usual (more often than not) we missed the trailers but came in just as mila jojovich name appeared on screen...i was most curious about how michelle rodriguez character could be alive in this one when i pretty sure she died in the firstfirst five minutes told me all i needed to know about this latest effort in the series, i have to admit i enjoyed this one much more than the previous one which i had seen in 3D post newness of avatar 3D bubble that was still surfing highthere was more action and thrills(moments where i jumped in surprise at zombie appearing out of nowhere to attack someone) being surprise while eating popcorn is too funny ,as you jump popcorn goez everywhere and my friend and i look at each other and laugh!, it wasn't boring ,i had fun, my friend admired alice cool fighting skills/move !they'll never leave milla jojovich forget her fifth element character naked/with tapes entrance into being!the only thing that truly bothered me was how zombies can be alive under syberian temp water and ice? maybe i'm confusing them with what i read in world war Z oh and another thing that i had already notice in previous entry how long can a zombie live before they rot for good,even virus need sustenance...that last shot was hilarious....this movie truly felt like a video game! it is what it is.so entertainment wise i give it a 7/10

[ladyevenstar22]

andy stitzer 2 , you should def see "there will be blood" awesome movie, great directing!

[DerekShooster]

Looper - Regal Premium Experience

4:00PM Saturday, September 29th

Regal Fenway 13 & RPX

Theater Capacity: 550 (40% full; certainly a decent turnout considering how big the auditorium is; and the 7:31PM showing had already sold out)

Ticket Price: $12.50

TRAILERS:

Les Miserables - Extended look at the picture, I think this is a really cool, beautiful, and clever way to lure the I-Don't-Watch-Musicals crowd to go see this picture; the audience reaction was audible.

Zero Dark Thirty - same 'ole teaser, same meh reaction.

Red Dawn - very cool action trailer (Chris Hemsworth is on fire this year!) and tons of talking from the audience.

Cloud Atlas - "Oh sh!t, Oh sh!t!!!" That's what my friend and I were saying; this movie looks so great. Excellent trailer, lots of talking from audience, and overall great reaction.

Mama - From "Guillermo Del Toro, Producer of Pan's Labyrinth"... and Don't Be Afraid of the Dark(!). I love Del Toro as much as the next cinephile, but I'm skeptical whether creepy children and Jessica Chastain will be enough to get me to see this. There were a lot of talking and "WTF?!" reactions to the trailer, probably good.

Paranormal Activity 4 - same good trailer, decent reaction.

Lincoln - the trailer's great, but it didn't get the warm reaction I'd expected, especially because this row of girls behind me laughed at the end of it.

Killing Them Softly - looks less interesting every time I see this trailer. No reaction.

THE FILM:

From the very instant I finished seeing the Looper trailer the first time, I knew this was one sci-fi picture I wouldn't be missing. Although I go out of my way to watch and enjoy films from all different genres, the movies I enjoy most tend to be of the cerebral sub-genres: psychological thrillers, mind benders, and especially time-travel pictures. It has never been a secret that Back to the Future is my all-time favorite movie. But over the years, I have experienced additional time travel pictures and appreciated stories' different handling of cause-and-effect in the space time continuum... in this regard, I believed that Twelve Monkeys and Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban are the only films that truly get time travel right (i.e. their perspective of time travel is that everything would happen as it should). Looper, on the other hand, throws a wrench in everything I thought I knew about time travel possibilities presented from past time travel pictures. Thus, Looper is one of the most original, thought-provoking movies I've seen in a long time.

I'll spare you the gloating about the performances--everyone is amazing. The visual effects are cool, the dystopian future believably portrayed, the JGL make-up convincingly executed, and the experimental sound editing appreciably audible. The real meat of Looper is what's presented by its writer-director, Rian Johnson. [NOTE: I've made 5 attempts now to write a next sentence, but am still struggling to find the words to describe this film that neither discredit the films it honors nor spoil the film for others] ... Rian Johnson is a clever filmmaker that clearly did his homework.

The audience loved this movie, and I loved this movie. Before walking in to see it, I jokingly said to my friend, "This better be better than Twelve Monkeys." As soon as it ended, though, I looked back at him and said, "My God, this might've actually been better than Twelve Monkeys!" Now that I've had a few hours to dwell on it and let the film really sink in, I'm still unsure how this ranks on my scale of genre favorites. That's mainly because Looper opens up so many possibilities and questions to be asked, I know it'll be interesting to discuss with others and get their takes on it. Seriously, go see this movie. If you were a fan of the Terminator(s), Back to the Future, Twelve Monkeys, Inception, The Butterfly Effect, Identity, The Matrices, or any other film that made you walk out and think for a while, you must watch Looper.

Experience - 27/30

Story/Writing - 20/20

Acting - 14/15

Tech Specs (Cinematography, Editing, Effects) - 15/15

Direction - 10/10

Music - 9/10; the music is less memorable than the incredible sound editing/mixing

Bonus - Originality +5

THE VERDICT: 100/100, A

Edited September 30, 2012 by Andy Stitzer 2

[DerekShooster]

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

4:55pm Sunday, September 30th

AMC Boston Common 19 & Lie-MAX

Theater Capacity: 340 (60% full; 2:1 ratio of women to men in audience, like seeing The Hunger Games)

Ticket Price: $12.00

Concessions: small Coke Zero, $4.75

TRAILERS:

Silver Lining Playbook - same trailer, some talking and a good reaction

Beautiful Creatures - young adult adaptation geared to women = lots of talking from this audience

Here Comes the Boom - the Warrior rip-off as I like to call it, trailer still gets laughs and an okay reaction

Twilight's Breaking Dawn: Part 2 - lots of laughing out loud (pity laughs)

Chasing Mavericks - surfing movie with a weak reaction

The Impossible - really love this trailer, even if it gives away the whole movie... no reaction

THE FILM:

As far as coming-of-age movies are concerned, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is in the top tier of its genre. I'll admit I did not read the book (definitely the minority in the audience), but I fondly remember my high school years (they only ended five years ago) and Wallflower is probably the most sincere movie I've seen about that time since the John Hughes era.

Wallflower possesses similarly fast-paced, witty dialogue like that of 10 Things I Hate About You, Mean Girls, and Easy A. Its protagonist, portrayed in a career-defining turn by Logan Lerman, comes off as a likable, less vulgar Holden Caulfield. Although the story takes place in early 1990's Pittsburgh, it take enough effort to figure this out that I think Wallflower has a really timeless quality about it that will resonate with teenagers and young adults in generations to come. Emma Watson proves there is more to her than Hermione Granger, and I'd even admit there were a couple scenes of hers with Lerman that were very mature & emotionally-charged.

Walking out of the theater, I heard at least 4 different girls discuss how well they believe this was adapted from the book. This is attributed, of course, to the fact that the book's author, Steven Chbosky, both adapted the screenplay and directed the film. There was even an applause from many in the audience as the film ended, further demonstrating how well the film came out. The Perks of Being A Wallflower was not my top choice to see this afternoon, but I'm glad my friends invited me to see it and I'm confident it'll get a big cult following, it not become a sleeper hit at the box office.

Experience - 28/30

Story/Writing - 19/20

Acting - 15/15

Tech Specs (Cinematography, Editing, Effects) - 11/15

Direction - 7/10

Music - 10/10

THE VERDICT: 90/100, A

[Goffe]

LooperBrazil45% Full, 180 SeatsMovie: The movie is so good and surprising.A-Note: One of the best kid's acting I'v seen

Edited October 1, 2012 by Goffeweenie