So… has anyone seen a negative review of Elizabethtown on that site?
I don’t want to cast aspirsions without cause. And since I could not find a single person in Toronto who liked the film, I am curious… did the e-mail break down or did AICN treat this Paramount film with an even hand?
amit on: Review: Frozen 2 (spoiler-free)
movieman on: BYOB Fall Back, Film Forward
Christian on: BYOB Fall Back, Film Forward
movieman on: Review: Marriage Story (spoilers only in the broadest sense)
movieman on: BYOB Fall Back, Film Forward
movieman on: Review: Frozen 2 (spoiler-free)
YancySkancy on: Review: Little Women (no spoilers)
Hcat on: Why You Should Be Afraid Of The End Of The Paramount Decree
movieman on: BYOB Fall Back, Film Forward
movieman on: I Should Be Doing Box Office
Review: Little Women (no spoilers)
Why You Should Be Afraid Of The End Of The Paramount Decree
Review: Frozen 2 (spoiler-free)
Review: Marriage Story (spoilers only in the broadest sense)
see all »
[twitter-widget username="DavidPoland" hiderss="true" hidereplies="true" hidefrom="true" items="3" showts="60" title=" " targetBlank="true"][twitter-widget username="MCNTweets" hiderss="true" hidereplies="true" hidefrom="true" items="3" showts="60" title=" " targetBlank="true"]
It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?
So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.
And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.
There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.
I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.
But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”
My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher
“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.
~ David Simon
the only review on the site of it is a rave review from a husband and wife team. 2-1 its cameron himself.
The word is they rushed this right back into production so they can do some major fixing up. It played that bad. It was universal in every review I read. It has dampended my enthusiasm.
You can tell how much we love Cameron Crowe by the fact that universally negative reviews will merely dampen our enthusiasm.
The TV spots I have been seeing aren’t helping the case for the film. If thats what the movie is like, Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst on the phone together playing cute, then it could be in trouble. Like these critics are saying.
Check out all the stellar reviews of Knowles buddy Eric Roth’s Hostel. Conflict of interest, anyone?
The Hostel reviews are funny.
Also funny how the whole crew there still defends its objectivity on their negative review of Rollerball. This after taking free stuff from the producers.
Really out on a limb guys!
I’m pretty sure I remember reading some mixed and lukewarm reviews of the film on AICN, but nothing as negative as what I’ve heard out of Toronto, and far more positives. Although the Toronto notices are discouraging, “nobody liked it” has never been a convincing argument to me about why I won’t (or will) like a movie.
I trust reviewers to the extent of getting the general mood of a film. For example when every critic hates Resident Evil, I’ll pass on the film for sure. I just look to see what the general consensus is on a film. All told I only effects my moviegoing habits a tiny bit.
I’m scared that Elizabethtown is going to be terrible but I’ll probably see it anyway. Well, I say that now.
I read and respect a number of critics, but I’m almost never swayed by them. Maybe I’ll check something out based on strong reviews, but bad reviews never keep me away. When you’ve got Netflix, you can afford to try out every piece of trash on the market, regardless of the reviews– cheap horror, bad sci-fi, it’s game on when you’re not paying by the rental.
Bad reviews pretty much keep me out of the theatre. But I eventually see everything whether on video or cable.
No offense to MCN which I have come to like. But David Poland is not a reliable critic. He is wrong most of the time when he has a strong opinion and basically crapped out in the big time (Ebert, ABC Radio.. etc..) So it’s a good example of how you can’t live and die by these guys. His columns are okay when he doesn’t try to hard to be clever. Then they’re truly unreadable. I find Ebert okay, some times, hate A.O. Scott. Kind of like Manola Darghis, when I say like/hate, I mean will listen too… Hate that Pual Clinton on CNN and Michael Wilmington is hot air…
Basically most of them are just loud mouths with a soap box. Kind of like me, here…..
Yes, KnowItAll… and on my site at that. Funny how you keep coming.
You forgot to bring up roughcut.com being axed by AOL in the merger. And my relationships that didn’t work out. And I didn’t get the lead in my high school musical.
I can only assume you think Rich Roper is legit because he got the Ebert job or that KABC’s choice to bump a show they had to pay for to replace it with a show that paid for airtime is a quality issue.
You shouldn’t live of die by any critic or any group of critics. But like me or not, I have earned my place at the table, not by taking a job at a “big time” outlet, but by writing my way there. If you don’t like what I write, so be it. But it is always a little irritating when someone starts trying to tear someone else down based on old, old news instead of discussing the actual issue at hand. It usually indicates a very weak argument.
So, knowitall, what “big time” old media outlet do you work for?
You mean you DIDN’T get the lead in your high school musical? That’s it. My respect for you has gone down the toilet.
i guess the knowitall doesn’t know all because he keeps coming abck for ur views and thoughts. or maybe its just to torture himself since hes so smart. but really how does one “know all” about the movies?
‘knowitall’…
Harry ‘Knowles’…
Add the hopeless misspellings of a few names, the mangled syntax…
Or was I supposed to be more subtle in recognizing this?
Re: Elizabethtown. I don’t have the time nor energy to go back to the old thread, but wasn’t the consensus on the trailer that it was going to be too cheesy?
AICN is a joke. Always has been. Everyone knows it shills for its buddies. It is a complete sellout. I love how McWeeny makes it seem like he got these writing jobs on his talent. He got make nice money from studios.
When is Crowe NOT cheesy?
Knowitall does read like a Knowles ramble.
The only way Elizabethtown could be worse is if it was Jakey Gyllenhaal. Dunst – like so many of the other overhyped starlets – is ticket poison when you’re relying on her to bring people in…in other words, no one bought a Spidey ticket to see her enlarged cranium.
The real question, is how hard of a kick in the balls is this to Bloom? I thought only Halle was allowed to have more than one bomb a year.
For the sake of fairness, one top AICNer wrote and between the obscenties, it was said that they have posted every Elizabethtown review that came in and says that Harry never reviewed.
What I am trying to figure out is how I even knew that Harry saw it if he never reviewed…
Found the answer to my own question:
August 31 –
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with another review of Cameron Crowe’s ELIZABETHTOWN. That bastard Harry steps foot in LA and gets to see the fuckin’ thing and Moriarty got to see it, too. That’s fine, I was just sitting here in Austin licking the cat’s ass. Grumble-Grumble… At least Moriarty’s in-person review gave me the a hope that the film will be all that I was looking for, especially after reading those iffy early test screening reviews.
I think Jake G passed on it.
Moriarty gave it a good review? Did the studio “buy” a script of his (thinking Mortal Kombat 5) or did they offer to hire a bodyguard to protect his son when he enters grade school?
Even though I’m certain every negative review of ELIZABETHTOWN is spot-on, I’ll still probably love the film. Crowe is my favorite screenwriter and one of my favorite directors (by proxy of my being a huge Billy Wilder fan) so even though the negativity is probably valid, I’ll still dig the film. Maybe that’s how AICN is viewing it?
Maybe they’re getting reviews from people who work on the film? Maybe its Orlando Bloom’s mom? Maybe its just some crackpot who loves Crowe a lot? The point is that site is a terrible and has no credibility.
wow, kick a guy while he’s down for kicking a guy while he’s down… don’t have such a thin skin Poland. I come because I like what you do. I said that. I have said that.
Say whatever you want about my writing or opinions, KIA… but dredging up five-year-old events that you know nothing about as a way of making a point is cheap and deserves a kick back.
I just don’t understand why someone who doesn’t think David is a reliable critic would bother to read his blog, which is basically a place for him to share his opinion on various subjects. 🙂
The reviews for “Hostel” over at aintitfat are hysterical. Word of advice to the guy writing them all: if you’re going to write as different people, you may want to “speak” in a different voices.
Also, you may want to figure out which “type” you’re writing. If you create a guy who reviews things by saying “THIS MOVIE KICKED MY SPLEEN THROUGH MY BALLS AND RAPED ME WITH CHEETO IT ROCKED SO HARD”, you may want to avoid having that same guy discuss stuff like pacing. Just sayin.
I wanted to get excited about Elizabethtown because I love Crowe, but I have yet to see a single shot that remotely engages me. Not to mention Orlando Bloom seems like the absolute worst choice for that role. The guy doesn’t read “Cusack-type” on any level. (To everyone bagging on Dunst – eat a dick. She’s hot.)
Also, memo to Crowe:
Enough with the fucking Elton John already.
Surely Elizabethtown can’t be any worse than one of the true F grade movies of the last few years, Vanilla Sky.
And if it’s as bad as that then I am officially scared.
F may sound too harsh but my reaction to that film was so negative that I felt it warrented it.
But, yeah, I’m finding the whole negative reaction to Elizabethtown sort of amusing because I’ve never been a huge fan of his (my favourite is probably Jerry Maguire or Say Anything).
What’s with Crowe and making semi-autobiographical movies?
With all this talk about how bad Elizabethtown is no doubt that Vanilla Sky will be more fondly remembered. For one its a good movie.
the stories on aicn are just flat out tough to get thru. it is really hard work.
Wrecktum’s comment about Knowles and Hostel made me go, “Eric Roth’s got a new movie out?” So I go look it up and turn out it’s some horror film by *Eli* Roth, the genius behind Cabin Fever.
‘Sides, Eric Roth’s a good writer. When’s the last time AICN got behind someone with talent…?
If you buy Harry a slice of pizza he’ll get behind you. Or give him a cameo.
There’s an objective review of Hostel at chud.com today buy a guy named Russ Fischer, who covered the festival in Toronto for them. He says that it’s pretty awful, fairly light on gore and offers up only one scene that’s remotely memorable.
Eli Roth is awful. Cabin Fever was one of the worst internet-hyped films I’ve ever seen.
I can’t wait until Hostel comes out and I get to ignore it.
Cabin Fever may be one of the worst films of the past 5 years.
Yes. That is saying a lot.
Oops, I meant Eli, not Eric. Jeez, how many E. Roths are there in H’wood??
BTW, Harry has his official review of Elizabethtown up. Naturally, he loved it. Not as naturally, he admitted to being friends with Crowe and having a project at Paramount.
He is so predictable.
Robert Rodriguez can remake Pecker and he’d say it was great.
You ever try reading one of Harry’s top movie picks? I swear. I have heard about and seen a lot of movies. But his lists? It’s in Swahili. So much crap that they’re hard to even read. Like I know its good and geek worthy to like obscure horror movies but to pick out the worst ones? Does it prove your geekier than the rest?
Vanilla Sky will be more remembered than Elizabethtown because it is one of those rare movies that in abominably bad in almost every area. Where Elizabethtown just looks mediocre.
“I SWALLOWED YOUR CUM!!!” (shut up plz)
someones got a bug up their butt about vanilla sky. did cruise try to convert u camel?
hahah, would you believe me if I said yes?
Nah, I honestly don’t know what it is. But when I was watching Vanilla Sky i had one of those overtly negative reactions that you have when you know you’re watching something truly despicable. And embarassment of embarassments on basically everyone’s behalf. The only positive I find in that movie is the Times Sqaure sequence, but even then I can pop in 28 Days Later and find a much better example of that idea times a hundred and that actually has a context instead of a silly dream sequence.
THat or I could stare at my James Dean poster that has THE EXACT SAME THING. And at least that has James Dean on it.
I found Vanilla Sky interesting as hell. Kinda drags at the end but I find it very rewatching.
The ending is “sublime”.
Harry just posted a review for Elizabethtown over at AICN and he does nothing except heap praise on it and talk about his love for Cameron Crowe. He does mention he is making a movie for Paramount, so you can discount him under “the auspices of being ‘compromised’ or whatever you feeling like claiming about me”. Sounds like DP got to him.
The simple fact is that if you are that compromised, even if you believe you are completely objective, you should not be writing about movies. Period. At the very least, you should not be writing about the studio that is signing checks for your creative work.
Of course, AICN blew right through that a couple of years ago when Drew/Moriarty decided to “review” Revolution movies when he was in active development there. Harry has felt free to write about Paramount since his deal there.
Of course, there is a tradition of getting friends to write book jacket blurbs, so I guess it can be qualified as such
AICN is a joke. Everyone knows that Harry and McWeener are in the corporate bag. They sold out long ago. It is funny how they came up as renegades and taking shots at the big guys. They were going to revolutionize journalism. Take the big guys down. Then 2 yrs later they completely sold ou for money and deals and free stuff. It’s sad to see.