Resurrection of Jake "The Snake" Screening, Meet & Greet
Oct 2, 2015 6:07:53 GMT -5
BOOKER_T, Vitamin Z, and 6 more like this
Post by Flair Forever on Oct 2, 2015 6:07:53 GMT -5
When my friend e-mailed me a link featuring a Philadelphia movie screening of the new documentary "The Resurrection of Jake 'The Snake' Roberts" & said "we should go, lol" I took a long look at my calendar.....
I wrote back & said "Actually - I'm off work the next day - so I could go!"
To sweeten the pot - the screening featured a Meet & Greet with the stars of the film - Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Diamond Dallas Page, Scott Hall - and the Director, Steve Yu!
If you haven't heard about the movie - here's a trailer......
While I absolutely hate navigating through Philly traffic, I made the journey & finally arrived at the Landmark Ritz 5 on Walnut Street....
As I arrived at the theatre with about ten minutes to spare (whew), I noticed there were "Resurrection of 'Jake The Snake' SOLD OUT" signs all over the windows..... glad we bought our tickets online ahead of time!
The movie was amazing.... an inside look into the long process of recovering from addiction, the fallbacks, the relapses, and the triumphs.... the cameras follow Jake "The Snake" Roberts all the way from being a drunk who can hardly move..... to a very emotional moment when he gets the call from Triple H inviting him to join the WWE Hall of Fame!
I loved the movie and I'll definitely be picking this up on Blu Ray whenever it comes out..... and I must admit to crying just a little bit when Jake is seen frolicking with his young granddaughters after years of being alienated from them due to his addictions.
My only minor gripe with the movie is that I didn't have a good understanding of what made Jake finally decide to get help. The movie doesn't really explain Jake's "rock bottom" very well, in my opinion - they showed extensive footage of a disastrous indy show where Jake was too drunk to perform a DDT & just whipped his own personal "snake" out instead..... but I feel they didn't fully explain what made Jake decide to get better. The next thing you know, he's moving in with DDP at the "Accountability Crib" and on the road to recovery...
But, having personal experience with addiction & recovery - it brought me great joy to watch Jake's recovery process!
Following the movie, the stars came out to a roar of applause - Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Diamond Dallas Page, and Scott Hall!
When it was time for crowd Q&A, I was surprised (maybe I shouldn't have been) that one of the first people to stand up & ask a question was wrestling journalism guru Bill Apter!
The Q&A was interesting - I actually stood up & told a story to the panel about meeting Jake last year. At the time I had been sober for two years (it's now three-and-a-half).
I had told Jake about my sobriety at a small indy show, & his response was "sometimes.... you just have to get in the damn car!" I had no idea what he was talking about at the time - after watching the movie, I now realize that he was quoting Dallas Page, who tells Jake to "get in the damn car" during a drunken relapse, when he's found drunk, shoeless, and rambling at an airport....
As I told the Q&A Panel - After viewing "Resurrection" - I finally know what Jake meant that night, when he said that to me!
So..... basically - this thing was friggin' awesome! Following the Q&A - it was time for autographs & photos!
They really weren't set up to do autographs.... they were selling t-shirts & autographed movie posters - those prices were a little high.... many fans just wanted autographs & photos. The guys were signing items while standing up - I knew I was taking a bit of a risk, but I figured "why not" as who knows if I'll get another shot at Jake Roberts..... while this is totally my fault, this is my first autograph using paint pens that got smeared (just a little bit). It's okay, in the frame - you can hardly tell.... and I put it up higher in my display so the smear is not quite too obvious.
Dallas Page was so kind - he rubbed my shoulders & told me to keep up the good work! He also thanked me for coming....
As I had Scott Hall sign my nWo pic from last weekend, he said "did you hear X-Pac got hurt the next night? He said he can't even wipe his own ass now...."
As we allowed the paint pens on our autographs to dry, we looked around the theatre.... why, look over there! It's Bill Apter - talking to..... The Blue Meanie!
I approached Bill Apter & was shocked that he actually remembered me from the last time I met him! "I've met you before!" he said enthusiastically..... Bill is always so kind & friendly. Since we were just chatting it up - I showed him my photo that got printed in the new issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated (Bill Apter no longer works for the magazine - but he is the man who created it).
In case you missed my other thread, I had my first photograph published in the new issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated.... here's the link:
forum.wrestlingfigs.com/thread/326336/pro-wrestling-illustrated-print-debut
In a very strange moment - Bill Apter then serenaded us with a song.....
Since this night was going so well, I decided what the heck - might as well approach Blue Meanie as well! He was so nice, I had absolutely nothing to say to him - I was totally tongue-tied. Oh well, photo came out well!
While I was bugging Bill Apter & Blue Meanie..... my buddy was busy chatting up the film's director - Steve Yu! Steve did a fantastic job with the film, we both made sure to tell him how much we enjoyed it.
Man alive, this was a lot of fun...... when in Philly, there's only one thing to do after a show like this..... grab a Cheesesteak at Pat's Steaks & discuss!
What a great night of fun, such a unique & interesting experience! I suggest that any fan of WWE, or wrestling in general, please check out this movie & support it! You will not regret it!
Thanks for looking!
UPDATE: Not 100% sure if I did this right..... here's a highlight reel of pics/video from the event that I strung together tonight. If you are interested, there are some clips at the end with some of the Q&A stuff from the event. Let me know if you have success viewing this, as I'm not 100% sure I uploaded this correctly to YouTube.....
Ironically - the song "The Light" by Disturbed was playing on the radio as I drove home from the event in Philly..... really struck cord with me, the words are very appropriate for the evening!
I wrote back & said "Actually - I'm off work the next day - so I could go!"
To sweeten the pot - the screening featured a Meet & Greet with the stars of the film - Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Diamond Dallas Page, Scott Hall - and the Director, Steve Yu!
If you haven't heard about the movie - here's a trailer......
While I absolutely hate navigating through Philly traffic, I made the journey & finally arrived at the Landmark Ritz 5 on Walnut Street....
As I arrived at the theatre with about ten minutes to spare (whew), I noticed there were "Resurrection of 'Jake The Snake' SOLD OUT" signs all over the windows..... glad we bought our tickets online ahead of time!
The movie was amazing.... an inside look into the long process of recovering from addiction, the fallbacks, the relapses, and the triumphs.... the cameras follow Jake "The Snake" Roberts all the way from being a drunk who can hardly move..... to a very emotional moment when he gets the call from Triple H inviting him to join the WWE Hall of Fame!
I loved the movie and I'll definitely be picking this up on Blu Ray whenever it comes out..... and I must admit to crying just a little bit when Jake is seen frolicking with his young granddaughters after years of being alienated from them due to his addictions.
My only minor gripe with the movie is that I didn't have a good understanding of what made Jake finally decide to get help. The movie doesn't really explain Jake's "rock bottom" very well, in my opinion - they showed extensive footage of a disastrous indy show where Jake was too drunk to perform a DDT & just whipped his own personal "snake" out instead..... but I feel they didn't fully explain what made Jake decide to get better. The next thing you know, he's moving in with DDP at the "Accountability Crib" and on the road to recovery...
But, having personal experience with addiction & recovery - it brought me great joy to watch Jake's recovery process!
Following the movie, the stars came out to a roar of applause - Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Diamond Dallas Page, and Scott Hall!
When it was time for crowd Q&A, I was surprised (maybe I shouldn't have been) that one of the first people to stand up & ask a question was wrestling journalism guru Bill Apter!
The Q&A was interesting - I actually stood up & told a story to the panel about meeting Jake last year. At the time I had been sober for two years (it's now three-and-a-half).
I had told Jake about my sobriety at a small indy show, & his response was "sometimes.... you just have to get in the damn car!" I had no idea what he was talking about at the time - after watching the movie, I now realize that he was quoting Dallas Page, who tells Jake to "get in the damn car" during a drunken relapse, when he's found drunk, shoeless, and rambling at an airport....
As I told the Q&A Panel - After viewing "Resurrection" - I finally know what Jake meant that night, when he said that to me!
So..... basically - this thing was friggin' awesome! Following the Q&A - it was time for autographs & photos!
They really weren't set up to do autographs.... they were selling t-shirts & autographed movie posters - those prices were a little high.... many fans just wanted autographs & photos. The guys were signing items while standing up - I knew I was taking a bit of a risk, but I figured "why not" as who knows if I'll get another shot at Jake Roberts..... while this is totally my fault, this is my first autograph using paint pens that got smeared (just a little bit). It's okay, in the frame - you can hardly tell.... and I put it up higher in my display so the smear is not quite too obvious.
Dallas Page was so kind - he rubbed my shoulders & told me to keep up the good work! He also thanked me for coming....
As I had Scott Hall sign my nWo pic from last weekend, he said "did you hear X-Pac got hurt the next night? He said he can't even wipe his own ass now...."
As we allowed the paint pens on our autographs to dry, we looked around the theatre.... why, look over there! It's Bill Apter - talking to..... The Blue Meanie!
I approached Bill Apter & was shocked that he actually remembered me from the last time I met him! "I've met you before!" he said enthusiastically..... Bill is always so kind & friendly. Since we were just chatting it up - I showed him my photo that got printed in the new issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated (Bill Apter no longer works for the magazine - but he is the man who created it).
In case you missed my other thread, I had my first photograph published in the new issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated.... here's the link:
forum.wrestlingfigs.com/thread/326336/pro-wrestling-illustrated-print-debut
In a very strange moment - Bill Apter then serenaded us with a song.....
Since this night was going so well, I decided what the heck - might as well approach Blue Meanie as well! He was so nice, I had absolutely nothing to say to him - I was totally tongue-tied. Oh well, photo came out well!
While I was bugging Bill Apter & Blue Meanie..... my buddy was busy chatting up the film's director - Steve Yu! Steve did a fantastic job with the film, we both made sure to tell him how much we enjoyed it.
Man alive, this was a lot of fun...... when in Philly, there's only one thing to do after a show like this..... grab a Cheesesteak at Pat's Steaks & discuss!
What a great night of fun, such a unique & interesting experience! I suggest that any fan of WWE, or wrestling in general, please check out this movie & support it! You will not regret it!
Thanks for looking!
UPDATE: Not 100% sure if I did this right..... here's a highlight reel of pics/video from the event that I strung together tonight. If you are interested, there are some clips at the end with some of the Q&A stuff from the event. Let me know if you have success viewing this, as I'm not 100% sure I uploaded this correctly to YouTube.....
Ironically - the song "The Light" by Disturbed was playing on the radio as I drove home from the event in Philly..... really struck cord with me, the words are very appropriate for the evening!
