Jordan Peele and Daniel Kaluuya of 'Get Out' on Their Fave Moviegoing Experiences

by Jose Solis

My first attempts at watching Get Out were not the best of moviegoing experiences. I'm someone who is not into crowds and the first time I walked into a theater that was so packed there wasn’t even a seat for me. Theater management couldn’t figure out what was up, so they gave me a refund and their apologies. Needless to say so, I was relieved and took it as a sign that I should go see it at “off hours.” I showed up on a Saturday morning to an AMC theater that according to the kiosk was empty and when I showed up that wasn’t the case. Although it was less packed than my first try, the crowd at this screening was rowdier than any other I’ve sat with. Three young men lit up a joint, two white men got into a fight with a young black woman, another patron threw her popcorn at someone sitting a few rows down, and by the fourth time security showed up to try to restore order the movie was over.

Let's just say my first impression of Get Out was fractured. I was so stressed about all the activity going on around me that leaving the theater I could only remember a few scenes.

Watching the film earlier this week at an Academy screening in New York, things were quite different. For starters, I was one of the only people of color in the room. While I roared with laughter at scenes I didn’t remember, the people around me emitted shy giggles. There was only one other person laughing out loud which comforted me. I don’t think many people knew they were allowed to laugh, so perhaps they hadn't heard the news that the film would be considered a Comedy by the HFPA. After the film ended and people gathered in the lobby to chat, I heard the lovely laughter again -- it was Tony nominee Daphne Rubin-Vega of "Rent" fame! Read more after the jump...

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The Furniture: Get Out's Beige House of Colonial Horrors

"The Furniture" is our weekly series on Production Design. You can click on the images to see them in magnified detail.

by Daniel Walber 

Get Out is both horror and comedy, an allegory that doesn’t reduce its own impact by getting too granular about its message. It is a success of both subtlety and its opposites. This balance not only characterizes Jordan Peele’s script, but the whole craft of the film. The design is both vague and specific, pointed parody without a precise key. 

It ostensibly takes place somewhere within driving distance of New York City, at the remote family manse to which Rose (Alison Williams) has lured Chris (Daniel Kaluuya). But there’s nothing quite that specific about this nightmare.

For starters, it’s not really clear where this actually is. 

The initial drive passes down an empty road through an endless forest, a journey into the enlightening mysteries of the Twilight Zone. The house and grounds look like Westchester possessed by Alabama, which is where the film was actually shot...

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Review: "Get Out"

by Chris Feil

From its long-take opening to its satisfying conclusion, comedian Jordan Peele’s directorial debut Get Out is one hell of a delight. Photographer Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) is heading to the country family home of his girlfriend Rose (Girls’ Allison Williams), an extra uneasy experience given that he is her first black boyfriend. Her parents (Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener) are woodsy liberals, quasi-intellectuals who love Obama and are just on the performative side of accommodating.

But it’s best to let the rest of Get Out reveal itself: you’ll want to know as little as possible before strapping into this ride...

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PETER PAN LIVE! Live Blog with Margaret & Anne Marie

ANNE MARIE: Good evening, Lost Boys & Girls. Anne Marie here with the ever-youthful Margaret to live-blog NBC's Peter Pan Live! Or it would be live, but Los Angeles does everything on a delay, so instead it's a late-blog three hours after the original event began.

MARGARET: Thank goodness they don't do this with the Oscars.

ANNE MARIE: A word on my credentials: Like millions of children, I was basically raised on the Mary Martin/Cyril Ritchard broadcast. Until I was six, I thought I was going to grow up to be Peter Pan. I've also been in it, designed for it, and seen the Cathy Rigby version (twice).  Oh, and for actual credentials, I have a minor in theater and have stage managed in LA for six years. I also liveblogged The Sound of Music Live! last year. This isn't my first trip to Neverland, is what I'm saying. 

MARGARET: While I haven't Anne Marie's technical background, I also grew up a huge fan of the Mary Martin production. My copy was taped from a TV broadcast on an ancient VHS (look it up, kids) and I watched it so much I memorized the commercials. Since I am also a great fan of (1) celebrities looking uncomfortable and (2) anything with a strong potential for disaster, tonight's entertainment is right up my alley. I hope I'm not alone in that.

ANNE MARIE: If you're on the East Coast, check in with us and think back on fond memories made just three hours ago. If you're on the West Coast, follow along as we experience childhood anew. If you're in one of the middle states, then you're kinda like the Lost Boys: nobody pays attention to you and we spend a lot of time flying over your head. 

Are you ready? OFF TO NEVERLAND!

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