Free Preview Screening: Bad Grandpa

Sometimes I'm not sure there's really that much more to say about a film. Bad Grandpa is likely one of those. A Johnny Knoxville character, the Bad Grandpa of the title takes an eight year old boy cross country. Encounters with real people occurs in what I'm told we're now calling "Borat Style." But what perhaps what an actual grandpa might call "Allen Funt being a dick" style. Either way judging from the trailer there's at least a chance hilarity may ensure. Or it might not - either way it can't hurt your odds to see the movie for free. And before any of your friends can, if you have the sort of friends you'll admit to seeing this to. 

Anyways, I'll admit to chuckling pretty hard at a few points in the trailer. So, sue me....

If you want to roll the dice all you need to do is click on this handy link and fill in the required info. Totally painless, I promise.

The screening is October 22nd at the Regal Thornton Place theater in North Seattle. Free parking abounds - just make sure you get there early as even with a ticket there's no guarantees. Pro tip for Thornton Place - the line is typically inside, just tell the ticket attendant you're heading to the preview screening and ask where the queue is. 

Free Preview Screening: Shrek The Musical

Hey Seattle readers - Excited to be back to share another free preview pass for an upcoming event. This time the show is a theatrical screening of Shrek the Musical. So I assume it's at least partially for kids. Or people who like musicals ... maybe both. As always please remember that these public free screenings are overbooked - so you'll want to arrive early and with an open mind about getting in. The show is at the AMC Pacific place on Saturday 10/12 at 10:30 AM. But don't run off quite yet, you'll need to print yourself a ticket. Details follow.

You can download the admit 3 pass here. Now I suppose that technically means that one of your 2.4 kids may be out of luck. But the good news is that the "exclusive" pass can be printed again and again (if I understand this newfangled technology correctly). So you can bring as many young'ins as you want. So long as they're OK possibly not getting in to see their favorite donkey onscreen due to other people being in line ahead of them. That's either a great life lesson about scarcity and patience, or the worst weekend of your life. Search deep inside for the answer and then act accordingly.

In case you missed it here the link for the printable PDF. Oh, and you can also pre-order the DVD/Blu Ray and watch it in the comfort of your home or watch it streaming right now. Though that's of course not as free.

Free Preview Screening: Parkland

Back with some free passes to checkout Parkland which is A recounting of the chaotic events that occurred at Dallas' Parkland Hospital on the day U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated." Yep, that's all I've got ... plus the trailer below. Sorry, wish I had more to say about it. But between Fantastic Fest coverage and work I haven't had much time to research this one. And IMDb pretty much just has the simple too the point synopsis. It's not quite as uniquely intriguing as "A murdered man is reincarnated as a housefly and seeks to avenge his death." - but sometimes things are classics for a reason.

The screening takes place Tuesday, October 1st at 7pm at the Pacific Place AMC. All you need to do is download and print this PDF pass. Clearly given this super elite and restricted access distribution method there may be more than a few folks at the theater. As always admission is not guaranteed - and I'd suggest checking out the situation a bit earlier than normal. But if you're down with that there's a free movie in it for you. Look forward to hearing what folks who check it out think.

 

Free Preview Screening: The Grandmaster

Wow, not even a day later and back again with another free preview screening to checkout. If vampires aren't your thing how about martial arts? Still not with me - how about stylish art-house cinema? Nope - maybe unrequited love and tons of inscrutable melodrama? If any or all of these genres tickle your fancy then perhaps a preview screening of The Grandmaster is going to be your style*. If you'd like to check it out this coming Tuesday (Aug 20th) and can make it to the Regal Meridian theater at 7pm then jump over to Gofobo.com and enter this handy secret code: FZP4YU and exit with free passes for yourself and a friend.

The Grandmaster is the latest film from art-house fave Kar Wai Wong. I'm not as devoted as many of his fans - but he certainly nails a specific visual look. Coupled with martial arts this outing delivers some very memorably slick scenes. Just be aware that even though this is another Ip Man biopic it's got more melodrama than fighting in it. If you're looking for wall to wall combat then this isn't your film. Parts are also at times a bit confusing. But don't worry - there are probably another 20 Ip Man films out there or soon to be out there to clear things up. Kar Wai Wong certainly takes his time, meandering out the storyline to devote sizable time to characters who are not in fact the Grandmaster of the title. All in all I personally think it's worth a watch as long as one enters with calibrated expectations.

So if you're not doing anything Tuesday night you can seriously do worse than checking this one out. With the 7pm start, and my standard recommendation of an hour early arrival that's still plenty of time to hit a nearby happy hour for a low cost evening out on the town.

 

* Just to be clear - unless I totally missed something or they really recut the film since I saw it there are no vampires in The Grandmaster.

Free Preview Screening: Mortal Instruments - City of Bones

Hey guys - back with another opportunity to see a movie before your friends and for absolutely no cost to you. Except perhaps the cost of standing in line, maybe having your bag searched by movie security dudes, and various related indignities. But mostly seeing a movie for free. It's important to stay focused on that point. 

The film in question is the comprehensively titled Mortal Instruments - City of Bones. Which at first I thought was a reboot of something scary I didn't want to see years back involving Morgan Freeman. But turns out is some YA looking story of magical female empowerment that tries to capture a bit of Twilight / CW-esque magic. At least that's what I gather from the trailer and this description of the film I found over at IMDb

"Set in contemporary New York City, a seemingly ordinary teenager, Clary Fray (Lily Collins), discovers she is the descendant of a line of Shadowhunters, a secret cadre of young half-angel warriors locked in an ancient battle to protect our world from demons. After the disappearance of her mother (Lena Headey), Clary must join forces with a group of Shadowhunters, who introduce her to a dangerous alternate New York called Downworld, filled with demons, warlocks, vampires, werewolves and other deadly creatures. Based on the worldwide best-selling book series. -- The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones"

Frankly, they had me at "secret cadre of half -angel warriors." For those who think I'm just being a snarky bastard I've got two things to say. First, OK - you got me. Second, in this case I'm actually being serious - if you've been paying attention then you know I'm sucker for this stuff. Just ask me about Vampire Diaries if you don't believe. 

The screening is at the AMC Pacific Place theater. Monday Aug 19th. The fun kicks off at 7pm but you'll probably want to be there by 6pm to queue up. These things are overbooked to ensure a full house and kidding aside feels like there will be a lot of interest in this one. 

To snag a pass just bounce over to this RSVP link on Gofobo.com and enter code: WOM1AJH

Trailer is below. What have you got to lose? Just saying...

Free Preview Screening: The Spectacular Now

Lot of folks have really been digging The Spectacular Now which made its way through Seattle during SIFF this year. If you haven't had a chance to see it yet then I've got good news for you. Due to the generosity of the folks promoting the film locally I've got a number of opportunities to grab passes to a free preview screening on August 7th at 7pm (at the Harvard Exit).

All you need to do is go on over to Gofobo.com and if prompted use super special code RWTFM2JV. As always you'll need to log into their site, get to the theater early as it's potentially overbooked and be prepared for someone to want to grab your phone. Though for some reason I've had less of those sorts of issues at the Harvard Exit in the past.

The film has a nice throwback vibe to the great teen films of the 80's and overall is a good watch. Though if I'm being honest I wasn't quite as blown away by it as some of it's strongest fans. Maybe it's because the "A hard-partying high school senior's philosophy on life changes when he meets the not-so-typical 'nice girl.'" description made me think it was going to be a bit different than it was. Though I've grown to respect the bite and realism that the film brings to the coming of age seen through a John Hughes/Cameron Crowe-esq lens. Even if I didn't go in expecting to see something about a teenage alcoholic that alternated between sympathetic and one of the douchebags from Project X that I wanted to slug. That said both leads deliver on their roles effectively as they seem to be written.

But no need to trust me or not. Grab some free tix and check it out! And let me know what you think afterward.

Free Early Preview Screening: You're Next

Crazy drawings on the wall ...one of the many things to miss at the original South Lamar Drafthouse.

I'm not often one for horror. Perhaps it's the mural painted on the side of the former South Lamar Alamo Drafthouse, all the positive buzz I've heard or just a hunch - but I've been wanting to see You're Next for what seems like a considerable time. Having missed the chance at SXSW due to a scheduling conflict I'm excited the film is coming to Seattle soon. And even more excited that readers will be able to check the film out ahead of local audiences .... for free! (Not counting your personal assessment of your time spent waiting in line)

Two screenings are available. Just bounce over to Gofobo with this link and enter the appropriate code below: 

• 8/6: Regal Thorton Place  - code: RWTFJWTW
• 8/21: AMC Pacific Place -  code: RWTFTTND

See one, see both - just follow the links above to register. As always these things are not guaranteed admittance. Showing up a solid hour before typically does the trick though. And recall that the movie meanies may or may not try to hold onto your phone. If you get wiff of that I'd suggest stowing it in your car or another safe spot. No sense waiting on a long line to retrieve it. That's definitely going to kill whatever buzz you got from the film.

Personally ... I'm definitely booking time to go to one of these screenings to see what all the fuss is about.

Free Preview Screening - The Heat

Remember when you used to love those Sandra Bullock Miss Congeniality films? Well it seems like she's starring in something inspired by that, The Heat ... but this time adding Melissa McCarthy. Or perhaps it's a super strained connection that only makes sense inside my warped mind. That's really not the core point. Thing is if you'd like to checkout The Heat and can get to the Alderwood Mall this Tuesday (6/11) then I've got the hook-up for some free tickets. Which is true even if people no longer use the phrase "got the hook-up." If you're interested just follow this link over to Gobobo.com and if there are still some remaining you'll have a shiny new pass to see the film together with a friend. They may ask you for some information if you don't already have an account. But don't worry, I'm sure it's less than the NSA has gathered on you in the last 5 minutes or so.

Free Preview Screening: The To Do List

If you're a bit warn out from SIFF, or just want to stand in line for a different sort of movie then I've got a plan this coming Tuesday (5/28). It's to see The To Do List. The screening is at the Thorton Place Regal and starts at 7pm (though of course you'll want to get there considerably earlier as it's generally overbooked). Getting a pass for two is pretty simple. Just go over to Gofobo to rsvp and use the code RWTFC8W0.

I haven't seen the film myself - so no promises. The one review currently up on IMDb makes it seem at least a bit promising. If it weren't for SIFF I'm pretty sure I'd make the trek up north to check it out. And of course here's the official description of the film.

Brandy Clark (Plaza) is a Type-A, over-achiever with a list of things she needs to do before college – buy a computer, read the classics, stock up on shower shoes for the dorm –  when she suddenly realizes her college prep needs are far from the realm of Bed, Bath and Beyond.  That is, she finds she’s seriously lacking knowledge in a subject most other girls her age are beyond proficient in – Sex.  Determined to become educated in ways college guys expect, Brandy sets out with a new, quite literal ‘to-do list’ filled with all the risqué extracurricular activities she missed out on in high school.

Seriously, they use the word "risqué" so how could it be anything but awesome. ;-)

The "red band" trailer is below.

Free Preview Screening: The Kings of Summer

If you're looking for something to do April 25th and fancy a movie then you're in luck. As I write this free passes are available for a preview screening of the comedy The Kings of Summer which is currently rocking a 7.1 rating on IMDb.com (and a Metacritic score of 70). Not too shabby...

Oh, and of course it's free. Well, not totally free, you likely will have to stand on line to get in as these things are often overbooked a bit.

All you need to do is mosey over to gofobo.com with this link. And then perhaps enter the code RWTFPJ9N if you're asked. Then, as long as they haven't all been snatched up you should be good to go. Update [4/19] - You can also checkout an alternative screening on June 5th at Southcenter (code RWTFQYAA if the direct link doesn't work by itself)

I've included the film's teaser trailer. "Teaser" apparently means it's designed to remind me of Sound of Noise rather than completely give away the story give a sense of the film. From what I can tell looks worth a shot. So hoping to catch the film myself - so don't hesitate to shoot me a note in the comments or on Twitter if you're planning to do the same.