Highbrow Magazine - Spencer Roth-Rose https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/spencer-roth-rose en The Satirical Story of MoviePass, as Told by Comedians https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/17076-satirical-story-moviepass-told-comedians <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/media" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Wed, 11/17/2021 - 12:27</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1cinema_0.jpg?itok=sE830LZZ"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1cinema_0.jpg?itok=sE830LZZ" width="480" height="418" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">MoviePass, the subscription service that allowed users to see one movie a day for $10 per month. Supported by 91 percent of all U.S. cinemas, the subscription became a necessity for moviegoers. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/average-price-a-movie-ticket-soars-911-2018-1178410/amp/" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">In 2018, MoviePass had upwards of 3 million subscribers and the average movie ticket price was $9.11</a>. If a user bought two tickets in a month, they would save $8.22. MoviePass was unsustainable. By May 2018, the service saw a loss of $40 million. The question surrounding MoviePass was not why it failed, but rather, how did the company believe it could ever succeed at such a low price point? And who better to examine the ludicrous failure of MoviePass than comedians?</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><em>Blackout Dates: The True MoviePass Story</em> is a true crime satire podcast that captures the absurdity of MovePass’s demise. Hosted by Zac Gelfand and Spencer Roth-Rose, the show follows true amateur Podcasters investigating the rise and fall of MoviePass. In the search for the truth, they discover a deep-rooted conspiracy theory involving the lakes of CEO Mitch Lowe, mysterious cults, and an ancient deity. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/1moviepass.jpg" style="height:600px; width:600px" typeof="foaf:Image" /></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">Gelfand and Roth-Rose have a natural on-air chemistry. Their jokes are quick-witted and the story is well-written. They do a great job of basing the podcast in reality for the first few episodes, allowing audiences an understanding of the history of MoviePass and its founders. In doing so, it allows the ridiculous nature of the story unfolding to feel grounded and based in reality.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">The show’s humor never lessens the impact of its wildly outrageous story. Admittedly, the last installment becomes a bit far-fetched, and stands juxtaposed with the rest of its episodes. While humorous, all sense of sanity vanishes leading to a bizarre off-the-rails ending.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/arrivalfilm.jpg" style="height:600px; width:384px" typeof="foaf:Image" /></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">Gelfand and Roth-Rose are able to craft something that feels wholly unique within the podcast foreground, while also serving as an ode to podcast’s predecessors, radio. Its breezy dialect, story beats, and sound design are akin to that of a detective noir episodic radio show. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">While the direction of <em>Blackout Dates </em>became weird, it nevertheless kept me thoroughly entertained. Clocking in at an hour and a half, <em>Blackout Dates</em> is a fun reminder of the lunacy that was MoviePass. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><strong>Author Bio:</strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><em><strong>Ben Friedman is a freelance film journalist and a contributing writer at </strong></em><strong>Highbrow Magazine</strong><em><strong>. For more of his reviews visit bentothemovies.com, his podcast Ben and Bran See a Movie, or follow him on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube: The Beniverse.</strong></em></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><strong>For Highbrow Magazine</strong></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><strong>Image Sources:</strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><em>--<a href="https://pixabay.com/illustrations/movies-cinema-marquee-film-270875" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">Pixabay</a> (Creative Commons)</em></span></span></p> <p> </p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/zac-gelfand" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Zac Gelfand</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/spencer-roth-rose" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Spencer Roth-Rose</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/blackout-dates" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Blackout Dates</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/moviepass" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">MoviePass</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/podcasts" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">podcasts</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/movies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Movies</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Ben Friedman</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Wed, 17 Nov 2021 17:27:09 +0000 tara 10752 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/17076-satirical-story-moviepass-told-comedians#comments