Unless you load yourself up on spoilers first, it’s a safe bet that you will be surprised by “Observe and Report” — by its style, its tone, and by what actually happens in it. It’s the one where Seth Rogen plays a delusional mall cop, but he has more in common with Travis Bickle than Paul Blart. (You should know who Travis Bickle is. Really, you just should.)
“Observe and Report” was a big hit at South By Southwest last month, where it played to an appreciative sellout crowd at the 1,200-seat Paramount Theatre. I saw it again last week at a screening here in Portland, where the audience was not nearly as enthusiastic. Interesting how that happens sometimes, though it wasn’t surprising in this case, given the tastes of the people who generally populate these free promotional screenings (low, simple, uncomplicated, etc.). That’s not to say a smart person with refined tastes couldn’t dislike “Observe and Report,” just that the yahoos at these screenings usually don’t like anything that’s the least bit different from the generic fare they prefer.
A high point at the screening was near the end, when a belligerent drunk man had to be ejected from the theater. If you’re familiar with the Portland area — well, yes, the screening was at the Lloyd Center. How ever did you guess?? The only surprise was that he was actually kicked out, rather than being permitted to continue ranting.
Then there’s “Hannah Montana: The Movie.” No drunks were kicked out of this screening.
Something called “Dragonball Evolution” opens today, too, as one of Hollywood’s Shameful Secrets®. It’s based on a popular Japanese comic book and cartoon series. I’m seeing it today for Cinematical, I guess because someone has to.
Oh, and I finally caught “Duplicity.” It’s good.
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