This is madness.
“Can we have a law that, in the future, FILMS have to be made by FILM MAKERS?”
- Bill Corbett as Crow T. Robot, Mystery Science Theater 3000: 907 - Hobgoblins
Last year’s surprise hit was the clever, probing dramedy Juno. Starring Ellen Page and Michael Cera (Arrested Development), it was written by a stripper named Diablo Cody and dealt fearlessly with the topic of teen pregnancy. After massive success on the independent film circuit, Juno was released across the country on Christmas day and remains the #6 grossing film a month afterwards.
This year, we have Meet the Spartans.
Meet the Spartans is purportedly a parody of 300, brought to you by the Scary Movie/Date Movie/Epic Movie team. And somehow, some way, it’s beating Rambo at the box office.
Everyone hates this movie. Everyone! If you don’t believe me, Google it.
IGN hates it.
Some guy named Gene from Arizona hates it.
EVERYONE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD HATES IT.
Clearly, there is some kind of massive disconnect between critics and the moviegoing public. But at this point, does anyone find the Scary Movie franchise funny? At all? Even thirteen-year-olds should feel insulted by this brand of “humor,” yet it persists. It makes money. How? Why? I want an explanation for this. I think we all deserve it.
You know what it is? It’s because we allow it to persist. We did this. Evil triumphs when good men do nothing.
I have to go cry for a while.
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Popularity: 4% [?]
Explanation? Sure–more and more critics are being barred from the theatres in advance of theatrical releases. Films are “not screened for critics”, and that basically means “we’re not letting anybody see this steaming pantload until opening day”. By then, of course, they’ve made several million dollars off of it and Gene from Arizona can finally get the timely warning out far too late that, hey, Meet The Spartans sucks sour frog ass. That’s at least one problem–the critical community can’t get the warning out soon enough!