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Tag: Improv everywhere

  • Real-Life Spider-Man Fights Crime in New York

    Real-Life Spider-Man Fights Crime in New York

    Late last year theater troupe Improv Everywhere (the people behind the yearly “no pants subway ride“)released a series of videos based on iconic movie moments. Titled “Movies in Real Life,” the series took actors into very public places to re-create these movie moments for the enjoyment of passers-by.

    The series was led by a recreation of the famed Rocky II run in Philadelphia, for which over 100 children were recruited. The series went on to spoof scenes from Jurassic Park, A Christmas Story, and Harry Potter. The group also stage the largest When Harry Met Sally reenactment ever with 20 women simultaneously screaming in ecstasy.

    This week Improv Everywhere released one extra segment for the “Movies in Real Life” series. With The Amazing Spider-Man 2 set to premiere in U.S. theaters in one month, it is not surprising that the famed superhero is the subject of the latest video.

    Watch as the stunt man swings from the top of a Manhattan skyscraper to rescue the would-be Mary Jane:

    Even given the harness worn by the Spider-Man, the video was quite obviously dangerous, and probably impossible. It is for these reasons and more that the video is easily exposed as the April Fools’ Day prank that it is.

    Improv Everywhere has now admitted that the video is the group’s annual April Fools’ Day prank. The stuntman dressed as Spider-Man did not actually jump off a building toward a crowded New York street. Instead, the crowd’s reactions were actually those of Improv Everywhere members faking surprise and delight. Even the rope ride at the end of the video was filmed against a green screen.

    Last year’s April Fools’ Day prank was similarly impossible, with Improv Everywhere claiming to havve hundreds of actors walk backwards to simulate time reversing in Times Square. Previous years have included pranks such as a Jar-Jar Binks beating on a subway car and “no underwear” twist to the group’s yearly subway ride.

  • Normal People Tapped For Glorious Fake Torch Run

    The Winter Olympics are well underway, and people across the world are cheering for their athletes. Though the opening ceremony was not without its problems, for the most part the games are providing the curling athletic competition everyone wants.

    In the spirit of the Games, theater troupe Improve Everywhere recently set up a new performance piece on the streets of Manhattan. The group, well-known for their yearly No Pants Subway Ride, concocted a fake Olympic torch run and enlisted normal passersby into the performance.

    One actress holding the torch offered it to random New Yorkers, feigning an injury. The marks were told to run the torch around the corner, where they were then greeted with a large cheering crowd and a fake news crew:

  • No Pants Subway Ride: Riders Donning Drawers Draw Attention

    “I look up and there’s this guy with no pants on.”

    This is the how the “No Pants Subway Ride” was originally conceived – with a woman, being secretly recorded on the 6 Train as she served as the “butt” of a joke.

    “The idea was just very simple,” said the man who initiated the Improve Everywhere gag back in 2002 and recorded it with a group of seven friends.

    He reflected on the idea’s comedic concept: “What would happen if in the middle of January a guy got onto a subway car in his underwear but was also wearing his winter coat, scarf, gloves and hat? And wouldn’t it be even more insane if at the second stop a new person got on in his underwear?”

    After this, the prank gained momentum and has been continuing every January with more and more locales joining internationally over the years. Yesterday marked the 13th annual “No Pants Subway Ride”. Thousands participated in New York alone, while more than 60 cities in over 25 nations joined in on the fun. Madrid, Beijing, Sydney, and Berlin were just some of the other countries on the list.

    The girl on the far left clearly missed the memo:

    I’m more worried about them hula hooping so close to that track:

    The fuzz, looking befuddled:

    For the sake of comedic performance, participants were told to comport themselves with nonchalant normalcy about taking their ventilated nether regions on a ride. Some nailed it while others tried their hardest but looked terribly nervous once a camera was on them.

    Amidst the the inanity of this annual gag, there’s admittedly a sort of communal and absurd delight that comes with joining slews of strangers with chilly cheeks as they traverse the town sans pants.

    Or… so I assume.

    Image via Youtube

  • ‘A Christmas Story’ Re-Enacted With NYC Subway Pole

    For the past two months, theater troupe Improv Everywhere has been brightening New Yorkers’ days with reenactments of classic movie scenes. Rocky II, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Jurassic Park have all been featured. Harry Potter searching for platform 9 3/4 and 20 women loudly recreating that one scene from When Harry Met Sally have been particular highlights.

    Today Improv Everywhere released the final video in its “Movies in Real Life” series. As teased in last week’s Spartacus project, this week’s video is appropriately Christmas-themed. The troupe has turned to the classic A Christmas Story for its final scene.

    Three children dressed very warmly depict Ralphie, Flick, and Schwartz from A Christmas Story. Together they enter a New York subway car full of unsuspecting commuters and recreate the iconic flagpole tongue scene. The actor playing Flick appears to lick a subway pole and get his tongue stuck:

    According to Improv Everywhere, the child did not (thankfully) lick a subway pole. The tongue seen in the video was a false one crafted around a magnet to make it appear stuck.

    Though this is the final video in the “Movies in Real Life” series, Improv Everywhere has now stated that it hopes to make more movie recreations in the future.

  • Spartacus Claims His Coffee in New Movie Reenactment

    Theater troupe Improv Everywhere (the people responsible for the annual “no pants subway ride“) today took its movie reenactments to Starbucks with a Spartacus-themed prank.

    The trope had actors planted throughout a Manhattan Starbucks. One ordered a drink, giving his name as “Spartacus.” As the drink order is called, the actors gradually begin to join a chorus, all proclaiming themselves to be Spartacus before the “real” Spartacus is revealed: a half-naked man dressed as a roman slave who claims the drink for his own.

    The ordeal was a silly recreation of a famous scene from the Stanley Kubrick-directed 1960 movie Spartacus. The actor claiming the drink was taking the role of Kirk Douglas’ Spartacus, the leader of a slave revolt against the Roman Empire.

    The Spartacus prank is the penultimate video in Improve Everywhere’s “Movies in Real Life” series. The troupe has hinted that next week’s video will have a Christmas theme.

    Other videos in the series have included last week’s lost Harry Potter and a blush-worthy reenactment of that one scene from When Harry Met Sally with 20 women at once. Other parodied movies include Jurassic Park, Rocky II, and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

  • Harry Potter Searches For Platform 9 3/4 in New York Subway Station

    For the past two months, theater troupe Improv Everywhere has been releasing a series of humorous real-life recreations of famous movie scenes. Movies such as Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Rocky II have all been recreated in ways both silly and fun.

    Most recently a recreation of that one scene from When Harry Met Sally with 20 women caused plenty of blushing.

    For this week’s “Movies in Real Life” installment, Improv Everywhere went with something a bit more modern. The troupe enlisted the help of an 11-year-old actor and dressed him as the famed wizard Harry Potter.

    The convincing Harry entered New York’s Pennsylvania Station with a trunk and bird cage containing a real-looking stuffed white owl. The actor then proceeded to inquire about platform 9 3/4 while telling everyone very openly that he was on his way to Hogwarts:

    With eight movie scenes already released, the Movies in Real Life series still isn’t quite over yet. Improv Everywhere has stated that two more videos are on the way.

  • ‘When Harry Met Sally’ Scene Recreated With 20 Women

    I called it. When performance troupe Improv Everywhere (the group responsible for the annual “no pants subway ride“) began its Movie in Real Life series with the run from Rocky II, I stated my hope that it was only a matter of time before we get to see New Yorkers’ reactions to a recreation of that scene from When Harry Met Sally.

    Today, Improv Everywhere released the seventh video in its new series. It depicts not just one, but 20 women loudly faking an orgasm at Katz’s Deli (where the scene in the movie was set). Their partners look on in stunned silence as real diners begin to take notice.

    The video itself isn’t exactly NSFW, but headphones are suggested for those at work:

    The Movies in Real Life performances show improv actors recreating iconic scenes from famous movies while surrounded by the unsuspecting public. Previous videos have depicted the already-mentioned Rocky run as well as Indiana Jones running for his life from a boulder. Last week’s scene saw actors depict the characters in Jurassic Park as they rolled around the city in a replica jeep.

  • Jurassic Park Scene Reenacted in New York

    For the past few weeks acting troupe Improv Everywhere (famous for the “no pants subway ride“) has been releasing videos of people acting out movies in real life. This “Movies in Real Life” series has been spreading a bit of mirth and silliness among the populations of several U.S. cities.

    The group began with the famous Rocky II run and the iconic opening scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark. They have since followed up with characters and situations from The Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, and Back to the Future.

    This week’s latest video is titled Jurassic Park in Real Life. Improv Everywhere was able to get hold of a replica Jurassic Park Jeep and drive it through the street of New York, asking pedestrians the way to Jurassic Park. In the jeep are actors portraying archaeologists Grant and Sattler, as well as mathematician Ian Malcolm. Eventually, they find what they are looking for:

    In addition to the jeep, the troupe was able to get a 15-foot animatronic dinosaur and an actor with a white beard to play Hammond. Sure, the T-Rex might not fit the scene depicted in the park, but a dinosaur is likely harder to build than a paper mâché boulder.

  • Indiana Jones Runs For His Life in Central Park

    Last week Improv Everywhere (the “no pants subway ride” troupe) released the first of its “Movies in Real Life” series. The first event had an actor dressed as Rocky Balboa run through the streets of Philadelphia, re-creating the famous workout scene from Rocky II. One hundred children were also recruited for the video, which quite obviously brought plenty of smiles to Philadelphia residents.

    Today, the second video in the series has been released. It depicts a re-enactment of the famous opening of Raiders of the Lost Ark, in which Indiana Jones outruns a giant boulder trap. In this version, Indy runs from Central Park holding the prized golden idol and brings it to the American Museum of Natural History (because that’s where it belongs):

    According to an Improv Everywhere blog post, the hollow boulder was created out of paper mâché and foam. The “drivers” inside the boulder were strapped in and used a GoPro camera in the front of the boulder and a pair of video glasses to chase Dr. Jones around the park.

    A new video in the “Movies in Real Life” series is scheduled to be released every Tuesday throughout the fall.

  • ‘Rocky’ Run Recreated in Philadelphia [VIDEO]

    One of the most memorable scenes in movie history is of Rocky Balboa running through the streets (and parks and train tracks) of Philadelphia as people cheer him on in Rocky II. Children begin following him and the music swells before he mounts the steps in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and leaps in triumph.

    Improv Everywhere (the “no pants subway ride” guys) this week released a new video in which the famous run is re-created, right on the real streets of Philadelphia. Though it’s almost certain that the run has been spoofed before (the sweats-and-headband costume is pretty simple) it’s never quite been done to this degree. The troupe got 100 kids between the ages of 8 and 15 to follow “Rocky,” and that’s when the reactions of bystanders begin to get interesting:

    The Rocky recreation is the first in an Improv Everywhere series called “Movies in Real Life.” Once a week throughout the fall, the troupe will be releasing videos depicting iconic movie scenes acted out in real life. Here’s hoping that we all get to see the faces of innocent New York diners as they witness a depiction of that one scene from When Harry Met Sally.

    (Image courtesy Improv Everywhere)

  • 11th Annual No Pants Subway Ride Poised To Go Viral January 8th

    It’s almost that time of the year, folks. The time when people take to subways across the globe in the middle of winter sans trousers.

    But why?

    According to the stagers of the annual No Pants Subway Ride event, long-time viral stars Improv Everywhere, it’s simple:

    Random passengers board a subway car at separate stops in the middle of winter without pants. The participants do not behave as if they know each other, and they all wear winter coats, hats, scarves, and gloves. The only unusual thing is their lack of pants.

    Easy enough right? And sure to freak out/thoroughly amuse at least a few subway riders.

    The event originated in New York City, but has spread to locations all over the world. Cities that have No Pants Subway Rides scheduled for this year include Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, Calgary, Madrid, Jerusalem, Sydney, Taipei, Warsaw, Lisbon, and Prague.

    Each city’s details are different, but for instance, New Yorkers who wish to participate can meet at one of six different meeting points. From there, they will be broken down into groups and given a specific train car. Then, participants go about their business – read a magazine, play on their iPhone or whatever. When the car leaves the stop before the designated one, they take off their pants, put them in a bag, and get off at the next stop.

    Participants stand on the platform, pantless, and wait for the next train. They then enter in the exact same place they exited. The performance involves acting as if all the other pantless people on board is just a coincidence.

    But really. Why do people do this? The same reason anyone does something silly just for the hell of it. Whatever that is, of course.

    People are being asked to participate on Twitter as well, by using the hashtag #NPSR.

    Here’s some discussion of the first No Pants Subway Ride, set to appear in a documentary on the Improv group (currently a Kickstarter project).