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Sunday, April 09, 2006
ROOM FOR EVERYTHING 

Peter Debruge in Variety gets to the bottom of an urban mystery (subscription required for link): what kind of movie that billboard on Highland in L.A. featuring a guy's headshot and a movie title (The Room) is actually advertising, and how said movie has managed to run for years at the Sunset 5?

The face on the billboard leers down over Highland, half-lidded and haunting in black and white. The image -- actually the headshot of helmer Tommy Wiseau -- has branded "The Room," a self-distributed directorial debut so hopelessly amateurish that auds reportedly walked out during its two-week run in July 2003.

So why is the movie still playing to near-capacity houses at midnight screenings at the Laemmle Sunset 5 in Hollywood?

"I am a fan of bad cinema," says Michael Rousselet, an aspiring filmmaker who paid good money to see "The Room" five times during its original run, marveling at the bizarre editing, bad bluescreen, uncomfortably explicit sex scenes and, of course, the enigma of Wiseau himself.

Rousselet called his friends, dozens of them, and they started interacting with the movie, shouting comments, bringing props. Others gradually joined in.

Embracing the response, Wiseau began hosting monthly midnight shows in June 2004. He leases the theater, and slips in and out during the movie, watching with arms crossed from the back as college kids hurl insults (and plastic spoons) at the screen....


The film plays again April 29.


# posted by Scott Macaulay @ 4/09/2006 11:32:00 AM
Comments (5)

 
Isn't there a new film out called the room that is actually supposed to be good?

Ah, the end of history, soon every name for everything will be occupied with psychic baggage and we'll have to revert to long serial numbers for every web domain, movie title, and baby name.
# posted by Wiley @ 4/11/2006 2:48 PM  

 
You can buy The Room DVD on Amazon, The Room directed by Tommy Wiseau. I love Tommy! You guys should give him more credity not just stupid comments. So see The Room and maybe you can learn something from it!
# posted by Anonymous @ 4/12/2006 6:13 AM  

 
TheRoomSeeIt.jpg

Check The Room website! go to:

http://www.theroommovie.com
# posted by Anonymous @ 4/12/2006 6:17 AM  

 
Hey Wiley,

Yeah, Kyle Henry's film is called The Room, and I think it's excellent. I haven't seen the film written about here -- I just had to post this link because I've driven by the billboard so many times.
# posted by Scott Macaulay @ 4/12/2006 10:03 AM  

 
Maybe you should see The Room; not just talking about something which you don't know what are you talking about it. The Room directed by Tommy Wiseau is funny movie; so first see it and then you can talk about it; you see the bilbord but that is not it; you have to see The Room you are just a little moran! So good luck to you and first see it and then talk about it!
# posted by Anonymous @ 5/12/2006 7:03 AM  


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