Even the biggest stars come out for screenings of their old films and conversations. This month, John Cusack and John Cleese are two of the stars appearing in the Garden State in support of decades-old movies.
Mel Brooks says there are few things better than making people laugh. That’s why he loves attending screenings of his old films, popping out after the end credits to address the still-chuckling crowd.
“I love live audiences. The movie warms them up and then, if I’m in the movie, I’ll pop up and it’s like magic,” Brooks said in an interview with NJ Advance Media. “I took ‘Blazing Saddles’ to Radio City (Music Hall) and you never heard laughing like that in your life — in your life. Seven thousand people laughing will blow you off the stage.”
Screenings of decades-old films followed by celebrity talkbacks are becoming increasingly common. Brooks was at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in May in support of “Spaceballs,” the 1987 comedy. Tim Matheson stopped by in February to share stories after a 40th-anniversary showing of “Animal House.”
Later this month, John Cusack will be at NJPAC talking about his 1989 film “Say Anything,” and Cary Elwes — who has been talking about his experience making “The Princess Bride” since he wrote a book about it in 2014 — will speak June 16 at Asbury Park’s Paramount Theatre. In July, John Cleese will attend a showing of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” at Convention Hall on the Asbury Park boardwalk.
“There’s a generation that grew up going to the movies and they have fond memories of certain classic films of their era,” said Mark Ehrenkranz, producer of the New York Film Critics National Series. “They get to go back to the theater and enjoy a group experience.”
David Rodriguez, NJPAC’s executive vice-president and executive producer, said the arts center came up with the idea of movie talkbacks after receiving a donation of high-tech equipment, including projectors and radio broadcasting gear, from Panasonic.
“We see this as a way to build new audiences,” he said. “With films, you can target different generations and it’s been incredibly successful for us in certain cases.”
Among the most popular movies for repeated showings: 1993’s baseball coming-of- age story “The Sandlot”; anything musical, including “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (1975) and “Moulin Rouge!” (2001); and films marking a milestone. Fans of “Wayne’s World” (1992) are known to dress as characters Wayne and Garth during repertory showings of the movie. When “Animal House” plays, there’s always at least one person in the crowd in a toga.
Brooks said he was thrilled to see costumed audience members at the NJPAC “Spaceballs” showing, including people dressed as half-man, half-dog Barf.
“Those are fans. They’re really fans,” Brooks said.
Venues have found other ways to use movies to build audiences, such as screening a popular film while a live orchestra performs the score. The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra will accompany “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” and “Star Wars: A New Hope” at multiple venues in the state in the Fall. To mark the 40th anniversary of “Grease, State Theatre New Jersey is hosting a sing-a-long screening on June 21.
“Classical music typically has an older constituency, but taking the Harry Potter films and Tim Burton films, and putting orchestras behind them has brought new fans to our orchestra series,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve increased subscribers by 50 percent this year.”
The marketplace decides which movies are shown again and again, Ehrenkranz said. He once suggested a screening of Martin Scorsese’s “Mean Streets” — to mark the 1973 film’s 25th anniversary — but interest was low.
“People would rather see ‘GoodFellas,’ ” he said.
Another key part of the selection process is choosing movies that are iconic, Rodriguez said.
“You get people coming together with friends they remember from school, buddies from work, to share that common experience and remember that time in their lives when that film was out, and you could quote the entire movie amongst each other,” he said. “Those are the ones that are really successful. It doesn’t matter if they won an Oscar.”
And it’s got to be good, Brooks said, because “good” is timeless.
“Good is good. Time cannot dim it. Time cannot hurt it,” he said. “Look at Rembrandt. Look at Bach.”
“Say Anything” received mixed reviews when it was initially released — Variety called it a “half-baked love story, full of good intentions but uneven in the telling,” while Chicago critic Roger Ebert called it “one of the best films of the year … a funny, warmhearted romantic comedy.” In 2018, however, it is most often considered a “definitive Generation X” film, as its 98 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes notes.
Cusack, who played lovesick Lloyd Dobler in the movie, said he doesn’t know if the film could be made the same way today because of Dobler’s “quirky individual traits … the mixture of light and darkness that makes the character sort of heroic.”
“It was a different time in California and Los Angeles. (Filmmakers) had a little bit more individual control,” Cusack said in an interview with NJ Advance Media. “Movies are now being produced by committee, and thrown into a funnel to figure how to connect to the most people. It takes away from the individual qualities of the movie.”
The film’s iconic scene — featuring Dobler holding a boom box over his head outside the home of his crush, while Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” plays — has been repeated on TV and in movies, most recently in “Deadpool 2.”
“It was a grand gesture. That’s always nice,” Cusack said. “It helps to have the perfect mixture of story that’s working and a great piece of music.”
But what fans might not know is that writer-director Cameron Crowe wanted an Elvis Costello song for that scene and “In Your Eyes” was added in post-production.
That’s another reason people enjoy these screenings with talkbacks: They can ask questions and learn something new about an old favorite.
Rodriguez said he was thrilled when Mandy Patinkin agreed to repeat his most favorite phrase from “The Princess Bride” live: “My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
“I never realized how much fun it could be sitting in a 3,000 seat theater watching a film, particularly if it’s a film everybody knows,” Rodriguez said. “There’s a true camaraderie and it’s really special.”
“The Princess Bride: An Inconceivable Evening with Cary Elwes”
$ 39, Paramount Theatre, 1300 Ocean Ave., Asbury Park. June 16.
“Say Anything” with John Cusack
Prices start at $ 39. NJPAC, 1 Center St., Newark. 800-GO-NJPAC. June 22.
John Cleese & “Monty Python and The Holy Grail”
$ 47 – 96. Convention Hall, Asbury Park. July 20.
Natalie Pompilio is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia. She can be reached at nataliepompilio@yahoo.com. Find her on Twitter @nataliepompilio. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook.