Not sure if the "spoiler" tag is necessary for a movie based off real events but, feh.
The Disaster Artist
My Grade: A-
______________________________________________________________________
This an interesting and unusual movie to really categorize or talk about.
Biographical-style movies on eccentric movie directors is hardly unusual but usually they come out decades after the filmmaker's notable "accomplishments." Legendary '50s bad movie director Ed Wood didn't get his movie until Tim Burton made in the late 1990s. But here's Tommy Wiseau, his crummy movie of note came out in 2003.
But the movie has become a cult phenomenon in the intervening 14 years with the movie still seeing midnight screenings with lively audiences who dress as characters, quote lines, and toss plastic spoons at the screen (you see... Ugh, I don't feel like explaining) much like the midnight screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (minus the spoon thing) that used to be, and may likely still be, a popular thing. The Room is a bizarre phenomenon and, really, to get The Disaster Artist you'd have to kind of have watch the movie. But it's one of those movies that in order to watch you've really got to have tolerance and passion for bad movies, Ed Wood turned out crap but at least it was somewhat competent crap. Not a single aspect of The Room works.
The Room was produced, directed, written and starred by Tommy Wiseau along with his best friend Greg Sistero, the two being struggling actors who met in an acting class and decided to move from San Francisco to Los Angeles to pursue acting careers. Greg is a former model who tends to freeze and lock-up on stage but there's a glimmer of "potential" in him, he's a fairly typical struggling aspiring actor.
Tommy Wiseau is something else entirely, no one knows his real age or country of origin (he claims to be from New Orleans but he speaks with a heavy accent that suggests Eastern Europe, he claims to be the same age as 20-something Greg even though he's clearly much older) the man also seemingly has a hefty stash of money as he maintains two residences in both LA and 'Frisco and seemingly without much regard to over-spending (he buys filming equipment rather than renting it, and buys both film and HD equipment) and he's oddly... "Charming." Or "Inspiring" in a manner. The way he inspires Greg to pursue his dreams seems to be something really something to admire. Tommy is seemingly clueless that he cannot act worth a damn at all, and acting teachers, casting calls and directors repeatedly tell him this but he has this "dream" he wants to pursue following a nearly fatal car accident. Greg is a struggling student in the acting school, locking up when under the lights, but is inspired when Tommy presents face-palm worthy writhing performance in the class much to the shock and amusement of the rest of the class and teacher. Who is this man who has no talent and no fear? Tommy pushes Greg to read a scene in a diner, becoming louder and louder, breaking him of his stage fright. Greg has not much going on and Tommy says they should move to LA to achieve their dreams.
After numerous rejections over the course of months, Tommy hitting a particularly hard bottom, Greg dismissively says it'd be easier for them to make their own movie. Tommy is inspired for them to do so, he hammers out a script and they begin working on the process of production, again, with the help of Tommy's bottomless bank account.
Greg is understanably shaken and taken aback by some of Tommy's more unusual behaviors and moments and seems baffled by his decisions. He reads the script with a pained expression but tells Tommy he thinks it's great and they should get to work.
We now follow the movie through the course of production, casting calls, hiring crew, and the increasingly awkward moments on set, including a particularly tense sex scene being filmed on an open set where Tommy insults the looks of the actress in the scene.
From what I know about the production of the room, much of what we see here is accurate -the moving being based off the book of the same name written by Greg Sistero- and as these tense scenes play out it's also interesting to see while he may be inspiring in wanting to reach his goals, Tommy is kind of an ass.
He's one of those personalities who'll do what he wants when and how he wants to get his dreams and this admirable quality has its benefits and drawbacks. If you don't care about what people think enough to prevent you from getting your dreams you, well, likely don't care enough about them to protect their feelings.
The movie truncates The Room's legend, suggesting Wiseau came around to accepting the movie as a "comedy" at the premiere when in reality it's a process that took years and words spoken by Greg to Tommy at the end, following a very rocky path in their friendship, ring true. As they're looking into the audience at the premier, all of them laughing at the awe-inspiring scenes of the movie's "climax" Greg tells Tommy that he's done something Hitchock never could do, make a room full of people laugh uproariously.
James Franco, as Tommy Wiseau, delivers a good performance matching almost perfectly the look and unusual behavior of the man's public persona. This is a man you feel for, kind of want to root for, kind of start to hate but then sort of see the complex person he is. The movie recreates many of the more memorable scenes from the movie and we're given side-by-side comparisons before the end credits where they very nicely match and even sync up, just in case you thought those ridiculous movie scenes were being exaggerated for this movie. No. They're not.
Also turning in a good performance is Seth Rogen playing the on-set script supervisor who seems to be more playing the voice of the audience, questioning decisions and aspects of the movie.
Dace Franco also turns in a good performance as Greg, someone else you sort of feel for as a man aspiring to see his dreams, wanting to stick by his friend but also who's hurt in a crucial moment in his career.
Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sistero are still friends to this day and have even worked on other movie projects together (which haven't achieved nearly the noteriety of The Room), Tommy Wiseau still puts on his bizarre persona when ever a spotlight is cast on him from the media but genuinely seems willing to let his movie be mocked. He even allowed MST3K alum Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett do a "Rifftrax: Live!" performance of it a few years ago that was broadcast in theaters nationwide. He's said people can use his movie so long as they're willing to pay him the rights.
He's an interesting man, for sure. And The Room is a fascinating movie that somehow cost $6 million dollars to make and was privately financed by this one guy. Did Tommy achieve has dream of making one of the best movies in the world? One people will always remember?
The 2003 winner for Best Picture at the 75th Academy Awards was the acclaimed musical "Chicago" based of the long-running Broadway musical. How many people today quote that movie regularly? How many people remember entire scenes of that movie, the way lines are spoken, the way sets are designed? How many people today can even tell you that that was even a movie let alone won Best Picture? How many people today are watching that movie or going to midnight screenings of it dressed as characters? Now, how many people does The Room apply to on those same questions?
Maybe Tommy and Greg did achieve their dream?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Okay, on the main set for the movie, the living room of the main character's home, there's several framed pictures of spoons. On the walls, on end tables. It's bizarre. The story goes these pictures were supposed to framed photos of the main character and his fiancée but, apparently, none of these pictures got taken for the production so the frames on set still had the "picture that came with the frame" photo in them which, for some reason, were of spoons. At midnight screenings of The Room audience members toss plastic spoons at the screen whenever one of these framed photos shows up while also shouting, "Spoon!"
The Disaster Artist
My Grade: A-
______________________________________________________________________
This an interesting and unusual movie to really categorize or talk about.
Biographical-style movies on eccentric movie directors is hardly unusual but usually they come out decades after the filmmaker's notable "accomplishments." Legendary '50s bad movie director Ed Wood didn't get his movie until Tim Burton made in the late 1990s. But here's Tommy Wiseau, his crummy movie of note came out in 2003.
But the movie has become a cult phenomenon in the intervening 14 years with the movie still seeing midnight screenings with lively audiences who dress as characters, quote lines, and toss plastic spoons at the screen (you see... Ugh, I don't feel like explaining) much like the midnight screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (minus the spoon thing) that used to be, and may likely still be, a popular thing. The Room is a bizarre phenomenon and, really, to get The Disaster Artist you'd have to kind of have watch the movie. But it's one of those movies that in order to watch you've really got to have tolerance and passion for bad movies, Ed Wood turned out crap but at least it was somewhat competent crap. Not a single aspect of The Room works.
The Room was produced, directed, written and starred by Tommy Wiseau along with his best friend Greg Sistero, the two being struggling actors who met in an acting class and decided to move from San Francisco to Los Angeles to pursue acting careers. Greg is a former model who tends to freeze and lock-up on stage but there's a glimmer of "potential" in him, he's a fairly typical struggling aspiring actor.
Tommy Wiseau is something else entirely, no one knows his real age or country of origin (he claims to be from New Orleans but he speaks with a heavy accent that suggests Eastern Europe, he claims to be the same age as 20-something Greg even though he's clearly much older) the man also seemingly has a hefty stash of money as he maintains two residences in both LA and 'Frisco and seemingly without much regard to over-spending (he buys filming equipment rather than renting it, and buys both film and HD equipment) and he's oddly... "Charming." Or "Inspiring" in a manner. The way he inspires Greg to pursue his dreams seems to be something really something to admire. Tommy is seemingly clueless that he cannot act worth a damn at all, and acting teachers, casting calls and directors repeatedly tell him this but he has this "dream" he wants to pursue following a nearly fatal car accident. Greg is a struggling student in the acting school, locking up when under the lights, but is inspired when Tommy presents face-palm worthy writhing performance in the class much to the shock and amusement of the rest of the class and teacher. Who is this man who has no talent and no fear? Tommy pushes Greg to read a scene in a diner, becoming louder and louder, breaking him of his stage fright. Greg has not much going on and Tommy says they should move to LA to achieve their dreams.
After numerous rejections over the course of months, Tommy hitting a particularly hard bottom, Greg dismissively says it'd be easier for them to make their own movie. Tommy is inspired for them to do so, he hammers out a script and they begin working on the process of production, again, with the help of Tommy's bottomless bank account.
Greg is understanably shaken and taken aback by some of Tommy's more unusual behaviors and moments and seems baffled by his decisions. He reads the script with a pained expression but tells Tommy he thinks it's great and they should get to work.
We now follow the movie through the course of production, casting calls, hiring crew, and the increasingly awkward moments on set, including a particularly tense sex scene being filmed on an open set where Tommy insults the looks of the actress in the scene.
From what I know about the production of the room, much of what we see here is accurate -the moving being based off the book of the same name written by Greg Sistero- and as these tense scenes play out it's also interesting to see while he may be inspiring in wanting to reach his goals, Tommy is kind of an ass.
He's one of those personalities who'll do what he wants when and how he wants to get his dreams and this admirable quality has its benefits and drawbacks. If you don't care about what people think enough to prevent you from getting your dreams you, well, likely don't care enough about them to protect their feelings.
The movie truncates The Room's legend, suggesting Wiseau came around to accepting the movie as a "comedy" at the premiere when in reality it's a process that took years and words spoken by Greg to Tommy at the end, following a very rocky path in their friendship, ring true. As they're looking into the audience at the premier, all of them laughing at the awe-inspiring scenes of the movie's "climax" Greg tells Tommy that he's done something Hitchock never could do, make a room full of people laugh uproariously.
James Franco, as Tommy Wiseau, delivers a good performance matching almost perfectly the look and unusual behavior of the man's public persona. This is a man you feel for, kind of want to root for, kind of start to hate but then sort of see the complex person he is. The movie recreates many of the more memorable scenes from the movie and we're given side-by-side comparisons before the end credits where they very nicely match and even sync up, just in case you thought those ridiculous movie scenes were being exaggerated for this movie. No. They're not.
Also turning in a good performance is Seth Rogen playing the on-set script supervisor who seems to be more playing the voice of the audience, questioning decisions and aspects of the movie.
Dace Franco also turns in a good performance as Greg, someone else you sort of feel for as a man aspiring to see his dreams, wanting to stick by his friend but also who's hurt in a crucial moment in his career.
Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sistero are still friends to this day and have even worked on other movie projects together (which haven't achieved nearly the noteriety of The Room), Tommy Wiseau still puts on his bizarre persona when ever a spotlight is cast on him from the media but genuinely seems willing to let his movie be mocked. He even allowed MST3K alum Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett do a "Rifftrax: Live!" performance of it a few years ago that was broadcast in theaters nationwide. He's said people can use his movie so long as they're willing to pay him the rights.
He's an interesting man, for sure. And The Room is a fascinating movie that somehow cost $6 million dollars to make and was privately financed by this one guy. Did Tommy achieve has dream of making one of the best movies in the world? One people will always remember?
The 2003 winner for Best Picture at the 75th Academy Awards was the acclaimed musical "Chicago" based of the long-running Broadway musical. How many people today quote that movie regularly? How many people remember entire scenes of that movie, the way lines are spoken, the way sets are designed? How many people today can even tell you that that was even a movie let alone won Best Picture? How many people today are watching that movie or going to midnight screenings of it dressed as characters? Now, how many people does The Room apply to on those same questions?
Maybe Tommy and Greg did achieve their dream?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Okay, on the main set for the movie, the living room of the main character's home, there's several framed pictures of spoons. On the walls, on end tables. It's bizarre. The story goes these pictures were supposed to framed photos of the main character and his fiancée but, apparently, none of these pictures got taken for the production so the frames on set still had the "picture that came with the frame" photo in them which, for some reason, were of spoons. At midnight screenings of The Room audience members toss plastic spoons at the screen whenever one of these framed photos shows up while also shouting, "Spoon!"
