The Pat Down

Any of you who have been to advanced screenings have likely felt like you were trying to get on an airplane. For the advanced screenings we recently sponsored, we advised people to get there early. Why? It takes about 45 minutes to fill a theater for a screening due to studio required security these days.

The exact rules vary from studio to studio, but you can pretty much figure you're not getting in with a cellphone that has a camera on it. For some screenings we have seen them allow nothing but a wallet and car keys. No purses, no phones of any kind, no fanny packs, etc.

The studios have become much like the RIAA in that they're afraid they're gonna lose a dollar to the internet as best I can tell. Checking for video cameras and such I do actually understand. But cellphone cameras? Come on, even the best ones now will grab only a few seconds are very low resolution. Although I do appreciate the lack of annoying rings from inconsiderate audiences.

I just wonder if the studio is considering that these previews are full of film lovers and critics. It's sometimes hard to be in a good frame of mind to enjoy a movie when you've just been felt up by a 6'5" security guard with a wand that looks suspiciously like a principal's paddle....

Dukes of Hazzard Impressions

The screening in Atlanta should've been prime territory for The Dukes. To help matters, the screening was sponsored by the local country music station. With that in mind, we're told that in Knoxville, Johnny Knoxville made an appearance. In Macon, we hear it was Jessica Simpson. Ok, not so sure I buy that one. But at any rate, who did we get in Atlanta? Flash! Roscoe's dog!

That's not a bad thing, we're big fans of both Flash and Fred (Smokey and the Bandit).

Speaking of dogs, I'm not sure what it says for the movie when the biggest reaction during the film is when they reference the Georgia Bulldogs. Though there is something quite amusing about a theater full of people barking without any additional prompting.