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GeekNights Thursday - AVGN: The Movie: The Experience
Tonight on GeekNights, we review the perfectly solid, definitely-worth-seeing Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie. We were able to attend a screening in New York, and it was definitely worth it. We review the movie (no spoilers: don't worry)... but we also review the crowd. They were, shall we say, maximal in many attributes. In the news, the US Copyright Office gives clear direction that it will not register copyright on a picture taken by a monkey, and you shouldn't post photos of your giant pile of cash on social media: someone might murder you for it.
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My worst experience is where a guy followed us to meet people. It was MAGFest 8 we had to tell him, "Dude you are acting like a stalker, go away." He was upset and went to watching us from a distance. Some fans don't have the social prowness to be able to hang out with people, if only they could work on that.
Plus you can't beat the beach there. Thankfully Wildwood didn't build on it's huge beaches and they are free... I'm biased though because I have a family house in North Wildwood.
Edit: geeze, I make too many typos in the morning.
Rubin, I don't remember, it was like 2 months ago, and I went down for the day before the baby, I have a hard time remembering life immediately before baby do to sleep deprivation :-p
Northern New England beaches do tend to be rockier, however.
I need to make it clear here that this episode contained no exaggerations about the experience. Rym's companion was, without a doubt, patient zero. The largest and loudest of all. The bit about the awkward laugh reaction to any namedrop, cameo, or pandering humor was absolutely true. I liken it to the sound of Tusken Raiders.
My favorite part of the movie was when Scott had to tell the woman in front of us to turn her fucking phone off as she was filming the opening credits, and probably would have continued until her battery died or her arms fell off.
The one big takeaway I had was that James poured a lot of himself into this film. I remember him getting burnt out by the fandom and his schedule at one point a few years back, and you can tell that having this rabid legion of fans (especially these fans) is a burden on him at the same time as it actually enables him to do what he does. That's some deep shit to deal with. He took a LOT of shots at his own fans in the movie, and they fucking ate it up.
I was ready to leave that Q&A well before we even decided to jet. I could not believe it when the widebodies would not move to assist our exit. There was not enough room to gracefully step, so I had to perform some sort of pole vaulting maneuver that involved me placing all of my weight on the seatbacks of the row in front of us. Oh, and praying.
OK but as for the movie:
- I take Rym's side on the intentionally cheesy miniatures bits, likely because I really did love the colander usage
- I take Scott's side on the film merely meeting my (low) expectations, although this is 100% relative.
- I was generally impressed with their ability to shoot this film. I have met a ton of amatuer movie buffs just like James. Generally they think they are a lot more hot shit than they really are. As soon as they get their hands on money, they rent the most expensive possible equipment and attempt to use it themselves, rather than paying a professional crew member. Camera men alone cost over $900/day, and the cocky amatuer balks at this. James did it right. He made a real movie. He did not fall into these traps of amateurism with professional equipment, and I commend him for that.
That moment was literally one of the weirdest social interactions that I've ever had in my entire life.
Cool people are cool. They chill out. They enjoy things, but they don't flip the fuck out for ANY reason whatsoever, be it positive or negative. Applauding, cheering, smiling, jeering, these are things an adult does. Screaming, jumping, flapping, gibbering, these are the behaviors of a child.
The best example of this I can remember is from my youth when there was a big Michael Jackson concert live on prime time TV. To the left of the stage there was a very visible bank of ambulances. In the aisle between the crowd and the front of the stage there was a stretcher brigade continuously carting people off who had fainted.
Going to a concert like that, cheering, singing, dancing, and generally having a great time are to be expected. Sitting quietly at such an event would be strange indeed, but losing control of oneself to the point of passing out is even worse. I am legitimately frightened of people who can not control themselves regardless of the circumstances. I can think of little more dangerous than a human being in such a state.
TL;DR: I'm not looking down on them because they are fans of AVGN. I am also a fan of the same thing! That's why I was there. I am looking down on them because of their behavior.
Don't you remember this episode of Geeknights where we discussed this topic exactly? If you can have secular peak experiences, there is no need to believe in supernatural causes for similar religious-environment experiences. It's the same thing happening in the brain, and has the same function for the participants.
If you meet this person, you want to communicate to them how much their work means to you, so that they will feel good. Obviously you will be nervous. But if you can not control yourself, you will fail in this endeavor. Instead of the person thinking "All that work was worth it, look at the joy I have delivered!" they will think "This is the kind of nut that enjoys my work?"