X-Men: The Movies

[Matt]

If by early reviews you mean AintItCoolNews... I'm convinced they're paid to plug movies these days, and the movies that don't play ball, well, they get fucked. Think about it: AICN bashes X3 constantly, lowering film expecations, then ramps up and starts promoting the week before it comes out. Fan expectations are low, but the product "is pretty good", all things considered, and people go and see it with their view of the movie already coloured by the AICN reviews and buzz.

[Matt]

And before you say this is unfounded, I want to look at the MI3 coverage on AICN. They were running two banner ads to promote MI3 and the Harry Knowles animation in the left hand corner was a MI3 spoof-reference. They waffled for awhile on whether or not the movie would be good, but then ramped up in the two-three weeks before, saying that it was good and all of that. Critical reviews say no, and the movie is tanking. Meanwhile, they have reviews that are too positive that they point out as "plants", thus verifying their credibility as an independent news source, when really they're paid by studios to promote movies.

[RottingCorpse]

You have something of a point, Matt, but it's far more subtle than Harry Knowles being on the payroll of 20th Century Fox or even the studio greasing his palms with green. It's more like them sending him a bunch of free promotional shit or invitingthem to some posh advanced screening of X3 or some other event where they talk up X3.

In other words, they make him feel like a "player" and he subcomsciously feels bad for shitting on their film.

[Matt]

Okay, so he doesn't get paid, but he and his reviewers get some kind of kickback for their reviews, and his reviews aren't unbiased and they aren't critical (at least not anymore), so I don't think they merit the weight they're given. So until I see more of a varied response from critics I respect (like A. O. Scott, for example), I'll leave my expectations dubious until I see it.

[Matt]

http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=23404

Another "interview" with someone. How can you not say that he gets paid for this stuff, RC? they basically provided an open forum for the guy to plug his product, without ANY prompting whatsoever.

I do like how they admitted they knew their target audience, and the villain chick has double D fake tits.

[RottingCorpse]

They're a media outlet like any other media outlet. Do the studios target them the same way they target Access Hollywood and Newsweek? Of course. But nobody's getting money.

Harry Knowles opinion doesn't make or break a movie for me. Nor does David Ansen of Newsweek but  Knowles carries even less water than him.

[Matt]

If they're not getting money, they should, because they're being used and they're idiots.

[RottingCorpse]

Again, Harry's in it for his self-esteem. He likes being the most powerful geek in the world.

Why are we talking about that guy anyway?

[Matt]

I dunno. Fuck 'em.

[RottingCorpse]

All right, Mrs. RC and I did a X-Men and X2 double feature last night. X-Men has the flaws that come with trying to deal with almost a dozen characters, not to mention trying to disseminate thirty years of mythology. X2 is great from start to finish.

The best thing is that the continuity between the two films is ridiculously good. Things started in the first film directly effect events in the second film.

X3 has the unenviable challenge of doing that with twice as many characters without everything getting lost in the shuffle. Can it be done?

[Matt]

I doubt it. Especially from the way plot elements have worked, based on AICN reviews.

[RottingCorpse]

Speaking of AICN reviews, they're taking a shit all over this movie. Still think they're taking green/favors from Fox?

[Matt]

I think a check bounced.

[RottingCorpse]

Nice.

[Cassander]

grrr.  what a steaming pile of a movie.  it was Ratner's to fuck up, and he did.  or whoever wrote the script.  jesus.  at the risk of sounding like a total comic nerd, I have to say that this is what happens when you deviate too far from the source material.  You get a crazy sci-fi TV episode as the final installment in your badass superhero trilogy.  juggernaut and most of the other featured mutants under magneto were just gimmicky, and apparently all the x-men do when they're not fighting dangerous missions is reminding each other what powers they have with shitty jokes.  and then to insinuate that there could be more movies in the future?  why push that on us?  what's next, X-men 4: The Laster Stand? 

bleah. 

but...there was a preview for Snakes on a Muthafuckin' Plane, though.  i'm psyched.