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November 02, 2008
A Few Little Notes
I would estimate that over 90% of the audience that came to the Chinese to see Che' last night stayed for the second half of the film. For a relatively last minute addition to the program, the ticket sell-out, and the intense scramble for the small block of giveaway tickets showed a lot of passion going in. And I heard a lot of passion, 4.5 hours later, coming out.
Next…
I now expect embargo breaks on every movie from Variety, the L.A. Times, and others to be done on the whim of whatever excuse they can cook up. I also expect zero response, aside from a lot of loud complaining with no penalty, from the studios.
There are a combination of things going on with this. First, people who have never claimed to be critics and as feature writers were not writing about every event they were given access to the next day. Second, some people really care about being first… more than honor or respect… certainly more than they care about how their abuses affect other, less empowered journalists. Third, studios are overwhelmed by the circumstance changing, are creatures (as ever) of what they have done for years and decades, and really have no facility for responding in an effective way. And fourth, some of these folks scare the hell out of the execs who spend a good part of their time – no matter how high on the food chain – trying not to get surprised, humiliated or yelled at.
This is above and beyond the desperation of the bosses at these media oulets to beat the internet at its own game. (Good luck with that, pals.)
From my position, I get advantages and I get screwed... more the former than the latter, but plenty of both, especially this time of year. But you know, I am pretty much done with being the moralist because week after week, more and more people who I genuinely like and respect are forced to dance and lie and to try to escape the basic rules of expectations of cause and effect.
Frankly, I would rather keep liking most of these people than wasting a lot of time bitching at them when they already know full well that I am right, they are just trying to get along in what feels like a tough situation, and when all my bitching can lead to nothing but hard feelings… certainly not anyone stepping up to the once major outlets or even to some idiot internet based writers who continue to lower the bar for everyone else who toils on the web, which now includes all of those once major outlets.
I am trying to curb my instinct to react to this petty crap. It’s hard. And smiling widely with shit pushing its way through your teeth isn’t very attractive. But so be it.
The noises of the dying are only comforting if you are at peace with the loss. And I certainly may join the ranks – now the majority – of writers in this town who are going to lose more and more, faster and faster. Things change and none of us is above the changes of the eco-system we live in. This award season - as the WGA Strike did, as the HFPA shutdown did, as the SAG unknown has – is going to leave a lot of bodies on the deck.
Sadly, not all of them will be the ones who deserve to go, at least by my standards. Because cockroaches will outlive us all… for them, outliving morality and standards barely requires the twitch of an antenna.
Next…
I am quite conscious that I will wake up with minor post-partum depression on Wednesday. And if the baby dies in childbirth, well… who knows?
I believe in America. I believe that people know… they know on some other level. I can’t say that I am thrilled with the mainstream tastes of this nation. We often disagree, both on the great stuff they hate and even on the schlock that I love (and vice versa).
I am much more fearful of the “smarter” America. We are the ones who are willing to bend the truth into a pretzel so it matches our beliefs.
but given where we are, if Obama doesn't win, it will be something "they" saw in the man and not just all the ugliness and fear being thrown up around him.
Next…
The Sarah Palin prank call from Quebec is scary for two big reasons. One, the fact that they could get through the media veil when major outlets cannot… wow. But moreover, Palin talking to the fake Sarkozy was as on message, lacking in directness, and disconnected from anything other than being cheerleader cute as ever. And that scares the hell out of me. That is how you talk to a world leader? Like he/she is your public? Like he was Nick The French President? There was not a single second of adult, direct, frank, conversation, suggesting to a (potentially) other head of state that you were serious about the future of relations between the two nations.
I’m not saying she didn’t do a great job fending off a come on by a foreign head of state… but that is what happens in bars, not Oval Offices… or at least I hope so.
Posted by dpoland at November 2, 2008 04:20 PM
Comments
The prank callers, were they the same ones who pulled a similar trick on QEII a few years ago?
Posted by: Blackcloud ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.mcnblogs.com/thehotblog/nav-commenters.gif)
at November 2, 2008 05:13 PM
Yes, same guys, "les Justiciers masqués".
They also got Pope John Paul II, and many others.
Posted by: Goulet at November 2, 2008 06:25 PM
One more thing about "Che" last night...
Not sure the NON-STADIUM SEATING Chinese Theatre and a film that's 95% SUBTITLED were really a match made in film geek heaven. Like most of my section, spent most of the five hours craning my neck to see over people's big stupid heads, no doubt causing a domino effect of crane-age and discomfort all the way back.
Bonus points to the six-foot-tall chick with the high ponytail in front of me, and the Buena Vista Social Club in front of her with their PANAMA HATS on for the entirety.
Great movie, but between the blocked lines of sight and the ushers letting the RUSH ONLY people come in for up to 20 minutes in, lotta distractions and missed lines of dialogue.
I'd say the highest number of walkouts, other than the intermission, came during hour 2 of The Guerrilla.
Buncha pussies.
Posted by: LexG at November 2, 2008 10:11 PM
I was there (saw you in the halftime snack line DP but couldn't get over to say HI) and was glad most of the disinterested douchebag looky-loos who came to see STARS left at the break. Namely, the 3 morons in front of me (a guy and 2 girls) who simply could not stop chatting, texting and being bored.
In the end, the film felt long but not terribly so. The second half really flew by I thought.
Posted by: PetalumaFilms at November 2, 2008 11:46 PM
Movies shown at festivals that are at least theoretically open to the public cannot reasonably expect to enforce review embargoes, in an age when any joe q. public can post his or her opinion online.
Posted by: LYT at November 3, 2008 02:40 AM
I've had the unpleasant task of having to crane my neck to read subtitles before and it was bad enough during those 90 minutes let alone 240+
Posted by: KamikazeCamelV2.0 at November 3, 2008 04:05 AM
Embargoes are gentlemen's agreements, Luke. If the gentlemen stop living up to their agreements - and festivals are one way that the door is opened - then we just won't see some films at festivals.
Studios don't much care about joe q public reviews... unless jerry q professional uses them to leverage a position on a film.
And dumping the embargo system is certainly one option. But as long as it exists and others agree to follow it, I think the honor of repecting what we all agree to what I should expect, even before the studios.
Posted by: David Poland at November 3, 2008 08:36 AM
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