Cannonball Loop. Alpine Slide. Tarzan Swing.
If the mere mention of these attractions sends a hit of dopamine your way — either because you can still feel the burn of the concrete and asbestos slide on your skin or the rush of a summer on the edge — a new documentary about Action Park may be up your alley.
“Class Action Park,” a film headed to HBO Max next week, is the latest expression of what might be called the Action Park Nostalgia Vortex, which includes a book, a feature film inspired by the place and a TV series in development. On Wednesday, the streamer announced details for the documentary’s premiere (see more below).
The Vernon water park, which fizzled in the mid-‘90s, was so notorious for causing injuries that people called it “Class Action Park,” “Traction Park” and “Accident Park.”
In the COVID-19 pandemic, the park’s uninhibited thrill-seeking stands as a particularly potent relic of the freewheeling summers of the ’80s. Now, all we have to do to put ourselves at risk is forget our masks when we go outside.
A scene from the Action Park documentary "Class Action Park." The Cannonball Loop water slide has emerged as on of the most extreme examples of the park's approach to thrill-seeking.Seth Porges/HBO
“Class Action Park” directors Seth Porges and Chris Charles Scott attempt to cut through a thick layer of nostalgia-fueled admiration and myth to deliver harsh reality, including the human cost of the park.
Action Park opened in 1978 and closed in 1996, in part because of its ride-at-your-own-risk approach. The park was connected with five deaths by 1987. Accidents generated a series of lawsuits and millions of dollars in settlements.
“We would try to die for fun,” says comedian Chris Gethard in the film. Gethard, who grew up in West Orange, is one of a handful of celebrities whose memories and takes on the park are featured in the film.
Park owner Eugene Mulvihill claimed to be insured by London and World Assurance, Limited, but the company turned out to be a phony offshore corporation of his own creation (he faced charges and was fined).
Mulvihill’s son, Andy Mulvihill, co-authored the book “Action Park: Fast Times, Wild Rides, and the Untold Story of America’s Most Dangerous Amusement Park” (Penguin Books), with Jake Rossen. A scripted TV series based on the book, published in June, is in development for Hulu.
“Class Action Park” co-director Seth Porges didn’t grow up in New Jersey, but he remembers visiting Action Park in the early ’90s.
“As an 8 or 9-year-old, I could tell there was something different about this place,” he told NJ Advance Media last month. “There was just something chaotic in the air about Action Park and it stuck with me.”
Those who remember going there — and those who are fascinated with how a place like this ever existed — now “visit” by way of grainy footage posted to YouTube.
“Now, with COVID, the contrast couldn’t be starker,” Porges said. “People aren’t just nostalgic for the 1980s, they’re nostalgic for the very idea of going outside.”
The 360-degree turn on the Cannonball Loop water slide, in particular, has become a subject of curiosity. The teeth of people who tested the ride were later found embedded in the slide, a macabre reminder and danger for anyone who came barreling down the same chute.
Here are the details for the film’s premiere. Stay tuned in the days ahead for interviews with the filmmakers, New Jerseyans who frequented the park and people whose lives were irrevocably changed by accidents at Action Park.
When can you expect to catch all the Action Park action?
“Class Action Park” will premiere 3 a.m. ET/midnight PT Thursday, August 27 on HBO Max.
Note: The documentary is special to the streaming service and will not air on regular HBO (there’s currently a seven-day free trial available for HBO Max, then it’s $14.99 per month).
Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.
Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Send a coronavirus tip here.
"Max" - Google News
August 19, 2020 at 11:00PM
https://ift.tt/2Q8cmXo
HBO Max sets ‘Class Action Park’ documentary release date, time. Brace yourself. - NJ.com
"Max" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2YlVjXi
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "HBO Max sets ‘Class Action Park’ documentary release date, time. Brace yourself. - NJ.com"
Post a Comment