Attack of the Killer Freebies

by Jenna Portnoy

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Published: Sep 28, 2006

Taylor is also one of the motley few who make up the "freebie crew" — a group of characters who have enough free time on their hands to visit various newspaper offices up to six times in one day.

All this in hopes of gaining free access to The Illusionist (Taylor liked it), Fly Boys ("I think it was more of a man's movie," he says, "but the women seemed to enjoy it") or some other flick coming soon to a theater near you.

Years ago, a half-dozen of the most loyal movie buffs discovered that in exchange for running movie ads, city media outlets sometimes receive free passes to advance film screenings from the studios; it's all part of the deal. The passes are intended for clients and staffers, but usually end up in the hands of the Crew.

For the most part, the arrangement seems to have worked out OK, but occasionally, overzealous visitors to City Paper have been known to engage well-meaning office managers, ad reps, or anyone else in the wrong place at the wrong time in chats bordering on the obsessive. They demand to know: When will the passes arrive? Why are you hiding them from me? Can I have one please?

Recently, though, there's been a dust-up among the freebie crew. Some CP staffers report increasing frustration with the Crew and have subsequently denied access. Instead, they want the silver screen savages to enter online contests for tickets. "My heart just sank," Taylor says after being shut out. "It was a kick in the pants. This is like cutting off my right arm."

Then again, it's not as if they'll stop trying.

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