Update: Escape From Tomorrow

darthspielberg

darthspielberg

Well-Known Member
So I watched it. I kind of love it, but this is going to upset some hardcore Disney fans if they make the mistake of watching it.

Oddly, the park itself is never really shown in a bad light, just the concept of going to a theme park in general. Its kind of like a David Lynch movie set in Disney World, where it just keeps getting weirder and weirder. The end is almost too strange, but also kind of makes sense in the overall scheme of things.

As for the parks themselves, Epcot is a major feature, as is Magic Kingdom, however, Magic Kingdom is a mixture of Magic Kingdom and Disneyland. You'll see them walk from Cinderella Castle over to the Disneyland version of Snow White, from the Disneyland Autopia to the Florida TTA. I assume they did this since most of the actors were based in LA, it made things easier for them to shoot the MK stuff in Disneyland and just get establishing shots in Orlando.

So, if you are interested in the concept because of how it was made, then by all means check it out. It's a real technical feat and the film (and thus the parks) look stunning. I imagine hardcore Disney fans may take offense to some of the more adult material in the film, so I'd recommend those types avoid it.

Also: it was nice to see someone finally go "Hey, El Rio Del Tiemp/Three Cabaellros is just as creepy as Small World!" I've been saying that since I was six!
 
Bairstow

Bairstow

Well-Known Member
darthspielberg said:
So I watched it. I kind of love it, but this is going to upset some hardcore Disney fans if they make the mistake of watching it.

Oddly, the park itself is never really shown in a bad light, just the concept of going to a theme park in general. Its kind of like a David Lynch movie set in Disney World, where it just keeps getting weirder and weirder. The end is almost too strange, but also kind of makes sense in the overall scheme of things.

As for the parks themselves, Epcot is a major feature, as is Magic Kingdom, however, Magic Kingdom is a mixture of Magic Kingdom and Disneyland. You'll see them walk from Cinderella Castle over to the Disneyland version of Snow White, from the Disneyland Autopia to the Florida TTA. I assume they did this since most of the actors were based in LA, it made things easier for them to shoot the MK stuff in Disneyland and just get establishing shots in Orlando.

So, if you are interested in the concept because of how it was made, then by all means check it out. It's a real technical feat and the film (and thus the parks) look stunning. I imagine hardcore Disney fans may take offense to some of the more adult material in the film, so I'd recommend those types avoid it.

Also: it was nice to see someone finally go "Hey, El Rio Del Tiemp/Three Cabaellros is just as creepy as Small World!" I've been saying that since I was six!
Click to expand...

How did you manage to see it?
 
Jimmy Thick

Jimmy Thick

Well-Known Member
Saw the movie at my local Sundance theatre only because I didn't have to pay to get in.

So here goes...

Escape from Tomorrow movie review.
Jimmy Thick


Brian Bosworth.

The first thing that crossed my mind when I saw the early hype for the film Escape from Tomorrow was Brian Bosworth. Why The Boz? Simple, he is the perfect example of hype far outstripping talent that comes to mind. As I was walking into the theatre to see this film, I had constant flashbacks of Mr. Bosworth getting run over by Bo Jackson. Youtube it football fans.

Anyway...

Escape from Tomorrow is a film that has made a little noise about how it was shot guerrilla style on Disney property without permission. The press jumped on this as did some closet lawyer who made all these legal mombo jumbo gumbo about how Disney could not prevent the film being shown. The whole time, Disney has not said a word about this film, after viewing it, I see why.

The film sucks, there is no artful, intelligent or entertaining truth that could be found otherwise. Its a silly, inept, and borderline waste of film that has gotten more undeserved hype than the great Boz from years past. The film, and that's me being nice calling it such as my token response was a tour-de-force of celluloid excrement after the initial viewing, is not even low class student film quality. The reason Disney have not acknowledged this turkey is due to the fact some company person had to have seen it, deemed it terrible and pretty much gave the old, "You go girl" to the filmmakers to actually let them try to get something out of it.

And that, was the whole point in my opinion of why the film is here. See, my thought is, the film was just a big piece of propaganda to bring attention to the filmmakers or get Hollywood to open their eyes to them. I believe the filmmakers specifically tried to get Disney to take notice, seriously, the films protagonist has pedophile issues that really have nothing to do with anything other than being a desperate attempt to get Disney mad to bring attention to the film. Disney scoffing at the whole thing proves once again, Disney is still smarter than given credit for. This film will die a quick death as I can attest. I was the only person in the theatre at my viewing, and I didn't pay to get in...

I won't spoil anything about the silly, convoluted plot other than to say it involves a unlikeable protagonist, his unlikeable family, and weird flu spreading around the park that you hope all the unlikeable people catch. Initial reviews comparing this film to anything by David Lynch is absurd. Lynch is a master who makes films designed to make you think and come to your own conclusions about the material you just witnessed, the only conclusion you get from this film was the beating of your head with a rusty hammer due to the 90 minutes of life you lost by living through the chore of watching this stinker.

The acting was around dinner theatre level ability, but the leading man, Roy Abramsohn really delivers a hammy performance even Mama Cass Elliot would avoid. When I think about unlikeable characters in film, my initial thought is usually Eric Roberts from the film Star 80. How the man did not win an Oscar for such a compelling performance is a crime. In Star 80, you know Roberts character is bad, from the get go, but by the end of the film, you feel sympathy for him, even in the face of what you know is coming, and how bad it is, you can't help but feel the character Roberts portrayed was just not equipped to handle the reality of fame. None of the actors in this film brought the script to life either by their inability of make things work from their own personal level of talent or because the director just could not reel them in due to the circumstances of how the film was filmed. Either way, someone has to be accountable for such amateurish presentation. If George Clooney can survive Attack of the Killer Tomatos, Iam sure these actors/actress can survive this, but Tomatos is a much better film.

Now now, I know people want to root for this film and maybe some people have this odd delusion this film might get Disney to make new attractions at Walt Disney World while pumping an apparent impotent fistpump in the air, but its not to be here. The tag line for this film is THIS FILM SHOULD NOT EXIST.

No truer words have been spoken.

Zero stars out of four.
 
GrumpyFan

GrumpyFan

Well-Known Member
peterpanic74 said:
This review is a pretty good read. Matt Zoeller Seitz argues that despite some obvious shortcomings, the film has some value http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/escape-from-tomorrow-2013
Click to expand...

That review was all over the place. He gave it 3 stars, yet only seemed to like it based on the guerilla style filming, and challenging big bad corporate Disney.
Sounded like a sympathy rating in order to give it a little extra push.

There's a sense of missed opportunity at the end: "Escape from Tomorrow" could have been a sneaky masterpiece, and it isn't. But it's still a vital and significant American feature; all movies should be this "disappointing."
Click to expand...

And that somehow makes it deserving of 3 stars? WHAT?!?!
THAT RIGHT THERE, is why I don't listen to critics!
 
Slowjack

Slowjack

Well-Known Member
Thought I should mention: if anyone is interested in seeing this and is near Memphis, Tenn., it's showing at the Indie Memphis festival at the end of this month. Details here.
 
backinaction

backinaction

Well-Known Member
StarBurst said:
a so i just watched it today and i thought it was pretty good

the lead actor was good ,reminded me of bob odenkirk a bit.
the story was silly but inventive and i was totally into the picture except for the couple of scenes that were obviously shot on green screen..

its not for everyone but if u have a sense of humor and enjoy all things disney its worth taking a look.

i dug the small world scenes and rio de tiempo ride

oh and there is nudity. in the most imaginative way and placeIMO:cool:
Click to expand...
I dont want to give away anything but Siemens is going to be ed!!!
 
Expo_Seeker40

Expo_Seeker40

Well-Known Member
Just saw the film in NYC and got to have a Q&A with the director and the actor that played the son in the film. It was a very good film I thought. Avant-garde IMHO. The film, while taking me and the rest of the audience on a physiological thrill ride, does expose the mental state of some guests...the feeling that they HAVE to go to WDW, they must take their children there, even if they are babies, stay in average hotel rooms for $300+ a night, or get married there, or be proposed to next to a Fiberglass castle.

Not trying to be a hater, I used to frequent WDW many times for many years, but the place finally began to do nothing for me and I found the Disney "magic" at other Disney resorts around the world.

P.S.

Siemens is going to be ed!
 
Lokheed

Lokheed

Well-Known Member
I would describe it as the kind of film you would like only if it's the kind of film you like (surreal independent artsy stuff). It will certainly not appeal to the general Disney fan. There is sex, and there is nudity, but not at the same time. There is blood (skinned knee, injured toe, violent illness). Some of the surreal stuff is startlingly effective, like when they are riding on Small World and the father is hallucinating that the happy animatronics are changing into demonic things. Some of it is just... odd (I.E. the entire "Siemens under Spaceship Earth" sequence). If you are a hardcore Disney parks fan some of the editing will make you crazy as the family tours the Magic Kingdom and are frequently at Disneyland locations. That kind of heightened the panic and disorientation for me, though. For me personally it was particularly freaky when they are at the Disneyland exterior for Snow White's Scary Adventures, and then all the footage from inside the ride are from the (now defunct) Magic Kingdom version, except everything happens all out of order (and trust me, there are very few people in the world who have the exact progression of SWSA scenes burned into their brain like I do). The acting was sub-par in places, particularly with the evil ex-princess, but the leads were pretty good.

If you are offended by the film's mere existence, they watching it won't change your opinion one whit. If you thought Eraserhead was kind of a good movie, you'll probably like this one.
 
PRNCSAurora

PRNCSAurora

Active Member
They are doing a story on the film this morning on the Tody show. It is being promoted as "the man who shot a horror film at WDW is here to say how he did it".
 
bgraham34

bgraham34

Well-Known Member
Expo_Seeker40 said:
Just saw the film in NYC and got to have a Q&A with the director and the actor that played the son in the film. It was a very good film I thought. Avant-garde IMHO. The film, while taking me and the rest of the audience on a physiological thrill ride, does expose the mental state of some guests...the feeling that they HAVE to go to WDW, they must take their children there, even if they are babies, stay in average hotel rooms for $300+ a night, or get married there, or be proposed to next to a Fiberglass castle.

Not trying to be a hater, I used to frequent WDW many times for many years, but the place finally began to do nothing for me and I found the Disney "magic" at other Disney resorts around the world.

P.S.

Siemens is going to be ed!
Click to expand...

I do not see how you got to any of your conclusions by watching this film.
 
Atomicmickey

Atomicmickey

Well-Known Member
OK, so, I watched this last night, and my overall reaction is meh.

I had the most fun looking at the continuity, where in one shot they'd be in WDW,
and the next in Disneyland. Or when the characters are standing in one place, then
they'd show the reverse shot, and they'd be looking at a different place. Sometimes,
though, the geography of the shot sequence would be quite good.

As a film, honestly, it was less than I expected. After hearing comparisons with David
Lynch, I was expecting it to be way more whacked out than it was. There were a few
good moments, the cat flu at the end was fun, and the one shot of the teen girl turning
into a demon in front of Mexico got me. The stuff under Spaceship Earth was, um, what again?

I'm just not exactly sure what the movie was trying to say, the message was pretty muddled.
Sure, a bad psychological day at WDW or something, but I dunno. And this is coming from a
guy who likes Avant Garde cinema, listens to The Residents, and generally seeks out the
weirdest entertainment I can find.

I think there is a sideshow appeal to the guerilla filmmaking, the audacity of it, I just
wish there was more there.

I'm in line with this review, I think:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/11/m...-feels-out-of-kilter.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Of course, I had to see it. Not sure I'll watch it again, though. Maybe.
 

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