Last week the Alamo Draft House, a theater in Austin, TX, hosted a special screening of the Star Wars movies. Each of the six episodes were screened, followed by the new film, The Force Awakens, on repeat until all but one viewer succumbed to sleep. That final nod happened after Jim Braden had watched the first six episodes, and nine viewings of episode 7; nearly 48 hours of intergalactic shenanigans. According to the Washington Post, the winner won Star Wars cards and artwork, seven years of free tickets and a theater seat named in his honor.
The Hollywood Reporter corresponded with Braden after his victory about what he described as “a grueling ordeal, even though I loved the movie.” You can read about his impressive achievement here. Here’s an excerpt:
You said you’ve watched all the earlier films multiple times, and now you’ve seen the newest installment nine times in one sitting. Is that enough? Can you imagine ever wanting to see it again?
I left the marathon convinced I’d never be able to watch it again. I had been Clockwork Orange‘d. I went home and slept for a few hours — my first sleep in over 50 hours — and dreamed, or hallucinated, about the movie the entire time. I woke up and immediately felt the urge to watch the movie again.
I think it has a bit of a Stockholm Syndrome-like hold on me now. I’ve come to love my tormentor. My parents are coming into town for Christmas, and I’ve already gotten us tickets to see the movie while they’re here. And I can’t wait to see it again. I’m a sick, sick man.
Star Wars Ep. VII: The Force Awakens became the #1 top grossing film of 2015. Although Star Wars wishes to target a younger audience, CinemaBlend states “This rating is not exactly an unprecedented decision for the franchise.”. The MPAA has been questioned in the past about unfair ratings, but I have agreed that they’ve rated most films appropriately. In recent years, there hasnt been much of an uprising in the unfairness of movie ratings, besides “insidious” (2010) being PG-13. I believe that PG-13 is appropriate, because there is not any drugs, alcohol, or sexual behavior that would harm a childs innocence like Rated- R films would be. Just as the “Expendables” (2014) was only rated PG-13 because it showed death, but because of war which “everyone should be aware of”. I myself attended the midnight premiere and it deserved it’s #1 title! Although my head never “nodded” during the film, the adrenaline from watching this movie kept me awake until I got home! Watching each of the Episodes would sure make me nod as well, and what would be the price for that ticket? Is it average price? Or increased since there were extra showings? Why didn’t more theaters show all episodes?