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'Wasted Cinema' Brings Drunken Movie-Watching to Midtown

By Mathew Katz | October 10, 2012 1:02pm

MIDTOWN — Pow! Zap! Shots!

Filmgoers who prefer a nip with their trip to the movie theater will have plenty of booze to choose from at a screening of the 1966 camp classic "Batman" Friday in Midtown.

The screening comes courtesy of the Wasted Cinema film series, which aims to help viewers wash down so-bad-they're-good movies with beverages not sold at your typical concession stand.

"It's just camp. It's pure camp in every way," said Justin Grazioli, who founded Wasted Cinema after realizing he could bring the drunken movie nights he hosted at his apartment to a larger venue. 

"It doesn't take itself seriously. Especially with the recent trend of Batman movies, it's kind of refreshing to go back to that time."

The screening, set for Oct. 12 at Legends bar on West 33rd Street, coincides with the start of Comic Con at the Javits Center, where costumed fans will descend on the annual sci-fi convention. The bar will open its private room for the show, with 18 screens broadcasting the film.

The classic 1966 "Batman" brought Adam West's Caped Crusader and Burt Ward's Robin to the big screen to do battle with Cesar Romero's Joker, Burgess Meredith's Penguin, Frank Gorshin's Ridder and Lee Meriwether's Catwoman.

Friday's screening will also include a full dinner menu and live Twitter stream for audience commentary. The bar has also concocted three specialty cocktails for the screening: the "Holy Hurricane, Batman!", "Riddler Juice," and "Gotham City Iced Tea."

Organizers encourage viewers to take part in "toastworthy moments" — cues for them to raise their glasses when something ridiculous happens on screen.

The prompts include each time a villain makes his signature noise (such as the Penguin's quack), each time someone slides down the Bat-pole, and a "lighting round" for viewers to drink every times they visually see a sound effect.

The movie is so chock-full of absurdities that the organizer said it's all but certain that the audience will end up wasted.

"We also decided to have a toast every time Batman gets distracted by a woman," Grazioli said. "That's a lot. Adam West was such a player."

Wasted Cinema launched over the summer with the motto "Good Times, Bad Movies," and has screened such stinkers as "Gymkata," "Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter" and "Troll 2."

The group plans to screen the 2011 Nicolas Cage flop "Drive Angry" later this year.

Wasted Cinema screens "Batman," Oct. 12 at 9 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.) at Legends, 6 W. 33rd St.