Review: The Disappearance of Alice Creed
Decent enough little thriller. No great shakes, but probably worth a rental if you're interested.
Unrelated: This was the second screening I've attended in Houston where the movie in question featured a gay relationship, and thus the second screening at which audience members let out groans and jeers at the presentation of same-sex affection. Now, I know it would be unfair and inaccurate to act as if what happened at these screenings was indicative of the city as a whole. I've got a growing network of friends and acquaintances here, some of them gay, none of them homophobic. But it's still a shock to hear this stuff. It's a disturbing and seriously heartbreaking reminder of how far we have to collectively go before things get better.
Plus also on a purely technical note: Why go see a movie featuring gay people when you don't like them? Is the allure of a free screening sponsored by a radio station or newspaper so great that you're willing to slightly tamp down your homophobia just to go to the theater? That can't be it, because these people clearly were determined to keep grumbling their displeasure at the sight of two gay people kissing or saying "I love you." If you're not going to be okay with it or even hide your anger, why go?
When I got home from the theater, I tweeted my displeasure here, here, here, and here. The AMC Helps account saw my tweets and asked if they could help, but I said that short of curing homophobia in the South, there wasn't much that came to mind. Of course, I wasn't even at an AMC when it happened, but an Edwards, so they're off the hook anyway.
Comments: 2
I live in Nashville now (used to live in L.A.) and this has happened to me a few times here. It's frustrating. Most of the time, it is in movies where the gay relationship is not heavily advertised or even hidden in the ads, like Valentine's Day, so the audience didn't fully know what they were getting themselves into. I can sort of (A TINY TEENY BIT) forgive it then, because the way the studio hid that plot point was pretty shameful. But to know what the film is about and still jeer, that is an entirely different animal. Luckily the marketing for The Kids are All Right was very lesbian-heavy, so the crowd at that one last weekend was all in.
I'd like nothing more than to be able to say that I'm shocked by this.
But I can't say that. I can say that I'm pissed, though.
Jul 30, 2010 3:00 PM