Bottom line - I went to see this all on my own (I invited my children to see it with me, but, possibly because the weather was vile, they elected to stay home with a full fridge, computer & DVD player at their disposal. Oh - and one father - should mention that, right?).
I love the books. Part of the reason I love them is that they aim for the people who don't want easy, who don't want pat, who would quite like to sit chewing a thumbnail for a little while, thinking, 'I'm not sure about this...'.
Think 'Battle Royale'. Think 'Serenity'.
So, as I handed over my ticket, and the chap said 'enjoy the film', I said 'I hope so...'.
And he said, all quiet-like: 'best film we've ever shown here.' People - take a moment to think back through every cinema-going experience you've had. Ever had a member of staff climb out on a limb like that? Nope? It was a first for me, too...
And that's the cinema I first saw Bambi at - making the point that I think he wasn't saying: 'comparing this only with films such as 'Dumberer & Dumberest', it is my considered opinion that...' I shared the auditorium with one member of staff, one courting couple, three families, three grown-ups who arrived in a group, and about seven other people who arrived alone and without popcorn, picked a seat with a good view, and concentrated avidly on the film for the duration.
I'm sure we all had different opinions - but the two kids who moved from behind me to right down the front - they seemed pretty keen. The lad who kicked the seat seven across from me throughout the trailers - he stopped when the film started, and then used it only as punctuation for battle scenes, for which I'm enormously grateful.
Headcount when the film ended was the same as headcount when film started, and I didn't notice one person go for a toilet break. And, trust me, I have the ears of a bat, and a parent's peripheral vision...
This was always going to be a hard one to screen without being blamed for a few firebombings, but darn if they didn't walk that line.
And I did seriously consider chatting up two of the guys who arrived alone to see the film because a) they were startlingly good-looking, and b) when you glance at someone's face during a film, and they're reacting very subtly, but reacting nonetheless, and too drawn into the film to even notice you staring... well.
But instead, I sprinted home, still married.
Helen
I love the books. Part of the reason I love them is that they aim for the people who don't want easy, who don't want pat, who would quite like to sit chewing a thumbnail for a little while, thinking, 'I'm not sure about this...'.
Think 'Battle Royale'. Think 'Serenity'.
So, as I handed over my ticket, and the chap said 'enjoy the film', I said 'I hope so...'.
And he said, all quiet-like: 'best film we've ever shown here.' People - take a moment to think back through every cinema-going experience you've had. Ever had a member of staff climb out on a limb like that? Nope? It was a first for me, too...
And that's the cinema I first saw Bambi at - making the point that I think he wasn't saying: 'comparing this only with films such as 'Dumberer & Dumberest', it is my considered opinion that...' I shared the auditorium with one member of staff, one courting couple, three families, three grown-ups who arrived in a group, and about seven other people who arrived alone and without popcorn, picked a seat with a good view, and concentrated avidly on the film for the duration.
I'm sure we all had different opinions - but the two kids who moved from behind me to right down the front - they seemed pretty keen. The lad who kicked the seat seven across from me throughout the trailers - he stopped when the film started, and then used it only as punctuation for battle scenes, for which I'm enormously grateful.
Headcount when the film ended was the same as headcount when film started, and I didn't notice one person go for a toilet break. And, trust me, I have the ears of a bat, and a parent's peripheral vision...
This was always going to be a hard one to screen without being blamed for a few firebombings, but darn if they didn't walk that line.
And I did seriously consider chatting up two of the guys who arrived alone to see the film because a) they were startlingly good-looking, and b) when you glance at someone's face during a film, and they're reacting very subtly, but reacting nonetheless, and too drawn into the film to even notice you staring... well.
But instead, I sprinted home, still married.
Helen