Mr. Reed, while we've never met (although I believe we have been in the same press screenings at TIFF in the past) I have heard nothing but kind words spoken about you as a person. As one of the elder statesmen of film reviewing, you have earned and can command a great deal of respect. Which is why I was so shocked and disappointed in your recent review of Cabin In the Woods, and why I am imploring you to issue some sort of retraction and public apology.
I'm sure that by now you've been made aware of the complaints stemming from that review. We genre fans tend to be a superstitious, cowardly lot, to misappropriate a phrase, and you likely think the vast majority of the criticism directed at you and your review is simply sour grapes, that we are circling the wagons and protecting one of our own. I assure you that is not the case. Genre fans are used to "our" films being misunderstood and scorned by 'mainstream' reviewers (see, for instance, another 'open letter' directed towards Roger Ebert regarding his review of the recent action film The Raid: Redemption) and if you had simply disliked the movie and given it a one-star review, as Ebert did, there would have been little furor. Even the level of juvenile contempt you displayed (your "writing under the guidance of crystal meth" line directed at Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon, for instance), which would typically be more appropriate for a venue like Ain't It Cool News than the New York Observer, wouldn't have occasioned too much comment. In fact, I suspect it would have been seen as something of a badge of honor in some circles.
Nor is the fact that your review contained glaring spoilers (specifically with regard to a cameo towards the end of the movie) the focus of the criticism. Again, spoilers are par for the course in the world of the modern cinema fan, especially since the explosion of social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter. Had you merely written a negative review containing spoilers, there would have been some grumbling but mostly shrugged shoulders and a resigned attitude that you "didn't get it."
No, the extreme criticism directed at you and your Cabin In the Woods review comes almost exclusively from the fact that it contains numerous, glaring factual inaccuracies. Taking them in the order in which they appear:
1) "...the creaking door to a cellar of corpses". There are no corpses, animated or otherwise, in the cellar of the cabin. Perhaps you were confused by the wedding dress on a stand which one of the characters is drawn to, or perhaps this was intended to merely be a colorful phrase rather than a literal description of events.
2) "Zombies rise from the swamp and eat the sexy chick’s flesh." No, actually, the zombies in the film don't eat their victims. Nor is there a swamp in the film for them to rise from.
3) "Vampires circle the moon and suck the hot stud’s blood." This is a complete figment of your imagination. There are no vampires in the film, circling the moon or otherwise. In fact, the "hot stud" character (I presume you are referring to Chris Hemsworth) doesn't get killed by a monster at all, whether vampire, zombie, or something else.
4) "What they fail to notice is the hidden cameras." Actually, the "reefer-smoking doofus" you mention in the previous sentence does find the hidden cameras. Which makes your later line about the characters "Somehow miraculously managing to figure it all out..." nonsensical, as that deduction is not the least bit miraculous.
5) "It’s all part of an elaborate video game that allows paying customers to watch real people slaughtered according to the horror of choice. The five kids in the cabin are innocent pawns to test the mechanics of the game..." This, also, is a complete fabrication on your part. There is nothing in the film, either stated or implied, to indicate that what is taking place is any kind of video game, or indeed a game at all. This is not a matter of differing interpretations, Mr. Reed. You invented an entire plot point in your review that does not exist in the film. It would be as if you claimed the main obstacle to Rick and Ilsa's romance in Casablanca was that Rick had a wife back in America, because at one point in the film you see him fiddling with a ring on his finger. It's not just untrue, it directly contradicts the actual contents and themes of the film.
6) "The game ends only if the virgin survives." Putting aside your 'video game' fabrication for a moment, Richard Jenkins' character explicitly says that the survival of the 'virgin' is immaterial to what is taking place. What matters is that the others all die before her, that she is the last one standing. (Also, as is made clear in the first five minutes of the movie, the character of Dana is not a virgin, as she recently ended an affair with her professor. As she is filling the archetypal 'virgin' role in the proceedings, however, referring to her as such should not be counted among the inaccuracies in your review.)
7) "...the stoner and the brainy girl (who is also a virgin)" OK, now it has to count as a separate inaccuracy.
8) "...if the virgin doesn’t survive it will mean the agonizing death of every human soul on the planet." I believe you meant to write if she does survive here. Again though, her survival is irrelevant. She is not the one being threatened in the final act, she's the one pointing the gun trying to decide whether to kill another character or not. This is not a subtle point that might have eluded an inattentive or confused viewer, Mr. Reed. It's something that's made very clear and explicit in both dialogue and action.
While you might claim that some of these inaccuracies are mere nitpicks, or examples of me taking turns of phrase too seriously, the sheer volume of them should be alarming to both you and your editors. The general impression given is that you didn't actually watch the movie you claim to have reviewed. Perhaps you saw the beginning, left the theater in disgust and only caught snatches of the rest through the door. Perhaps you weren't feeling well and slept through great portions of the film, and tried to guess at what happened while your eyes were closed. Whatever the reason, it's clear to anyone who has seen Cabin In the Woods and then read your piece on it (I can't in good conscience any longer call it a review) that you either did not watch the entirely of the film, or that you for whatever reason thought it appropriate and professional behavior to make things up about it.
I don't know what would have prompted you to do this. Elvis Mitchell was rumored to have been dismissed from Movieline not that long ago for a similar but far more trifling offense, as he merely mentioned in passing a character's personal affectation that was in an early draft of the script but didn't make the final cut of the film. You, either through ignorance, embarrassment or some other motive, deliberately misinformed your readers as to the contents of the movie you were supposed to be reviewing.
You violated the trust of your readers, Mr. Reed. This is not a matter of your opinion being suspect, it's now a matter of your veracity and integrity being called in question.
You've been in this game a long time, Mr. Reed. You of all people should understand how important those traits are to a film critic. If people no longer believe you are willing to at least accurately tell them what a movie's about, then your opinions on that movie becomes meaningless, and worthless.
This is not a controversy that is likely to go away quickly. Other critics have already noted your unprofessional behavior in your piece. Given the speed at which social media spreads an idea, it may not be long before your reputation and legacy as a critic are in serious jeopardy. For that reason if no other, I think it would be in your best interest to provide your readers and the general public with both an explanation for the multiple inaccuracies in your Cabin In the Woods piece, and an apology.
to: rreed@observer.com
cc: editorial@observer.com
Showing posts with label Innerwebz Snobbery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Innerwebz Snobbery. Show all posts
Oh, Right, That's Why
I stopped paying much attention to Daily Kos a while ago. I'll check something out if someone whose opinion I respect links to it -- it's not on my verboten list the way Politico is -- but for the most part I think they've lost their collective shit over there, and just don't have time to wade through the nonsense to find any gems.
I'm still on the mailing list though, which means I get regular emails pushing Markos' new book, called (unhyperbolically enough) American Taliban. The latest missive begins as follows:
Riiiight. You wrote a book explicitly comparing the far right to the Taliban, and conservatives are the only ones saying ridiculous things.
Yeah, can't imagine why I stopped reading your site, dude.
Of course, I say shitty things about right wingers all the time, so maybe that just makes me a hypocrite. But I at least try to condemn specific individuals for their own actions, not paint everyone out at the that end of the political spectrum as evil incarnate.
Markos has put himself on the same level as Mark Levin and Ann Coulter with his book. He's now just another monkey throwing handfuls of shit at a rival pack. It's just what the country needs.
I'm still on the mailing list though, which means I get regular emails pushing Markos' new book, called (unhyperbolically enough) American Taliban. The latest missive begins as follows:
Conservatives say a lot of ridiculous things.
Riiiight. You wrote a book explicitly comparing the far right to the Taliban, and conservatives are the only ones saying ridiculous things.
Yeah, can't imagine why I stopped reading your site, dude.
Of course, I say shitty things about right wingers all the time, so maybe that just makes me a hypocrite. But I at least try to condemn specific individuals for their own actions, not paint everyone out at the that end of the political spectrum as evil incarnate.
Markos has put himself on the same level as Mark Levin and Ann Coulter with his book. He's now just another monkey throwing handfuls of shit at a rival pack. It's just what the country needs.
I've Got a Bad Feeling About This
4chan slang is now part of the official court record of the Palin email hacker trial.
Nothing good can come of this. 4chan is an isolated pocket of the internet for a reason. It's like that lake beneath a lake they keep babbling about in the Piranha 3D trailers, where a species of evil paleolithic man-eating fish live.
If those walls get breached and they escape their prison into the waterways where nubile young people unsuspectingly swim and frolic...
Nothing good can come of this. 4chan is an isolated pocket of the internet for a reason. It's like that lake beneath a lake they keep babbling about in the Piranha 3D trailers, where a species of evil paleolithic man-eating fish live.
If those walls get breached and they escape their prison into the waterways where nubile young people unsuspectingly swim and frolic...
A Million Little Gods Causing Rain Storms
Arcade Fire will be live streaming their August 5th Madison Square Garden concert on Youtube.
Hee hee!
I may have to see if I can commandeer my friend's big-ass home theatre set-up for that one. Even though he doesn't actually much like the band, he might do it just for the novelty of it.
Hee hee!
I may have to see if I can commandeer my friend's big-ass home theatre set-up for that one. Even though he doesn't actually much like the band, he might do it just for the novelty of it.
Welcome Aboard
With financial reform a-brewing and the Goldman Sachs suit moving forward, I've adding another voice to the chorus of the Damned over there on the left: Bank Lawyer's Blog, which has a relatively self-explanatory title.
That's Me All Over
My tentacles were apparently reaching everywhere today, as another of email of mine ended up on Sully. If I helped introduce the Presets to new people, then I have done some good.
Being John Malkovich Was Right
Thanks to Twitter, now everyone in Hollywood really is friends with each other.
I hope someone corrected Aimee Mann though, and let her know that Twitter is actually her and four million other dorky friends ragging on TV stars.
I hope someone corrected Aimee Mann though, and let her know that Twitter is actually her and four million other dorky friends ragging on TV stars.
At the Mountains of Malkin
Earlier today over at Balloon Juice, JC poked fun at Michelle Malkin's use of impenetrable acronyms, which in the comments partially devolved into an extended Lovecraftian riff that still cracks me up when I think about it. Iä! Iä! Lim'baugh Fhtagn!
For the record, my favorite scene in On the Road To Celephais is the one where Bob Hope gets into the yowling match with the cats, and Dorothy Lamour has to hurry them out of Ulthar ahead of the angry mob.
Sigh. They don't make movies like that any more, do they?
For the record, my favorite scene in On the Road To Celephais is the one where Bob Hope gets into the yowling match with the cats, and Dorothy Lamour has to hurry them out of Ulthar ahead of the angry mob.
Sigh. They don't make movies like that any more, do they?
Nine For a Lost God
Y'know, I'm never gonna make the big time in the blogosphere unless I start doing what all the cool kids do -- namely, find clever ways to tie in song lyrics to my posts.
Consider this bit of genius from mistermix over at BJ -- he takes the "left at the altar" quote, riffs from there to Billy Idol's White Wedding, and then picks a lyric from that song that actually has some relevance to the story as his post title.
Had I done that with my last post, the one about April Fool's Day stories being redundant from the corporate media, I would have gone with the line "They do it all the time" as the post title, from the Violent Femmes' "Kiss Off". Oh well, too late now. I'll try to be clevererer next time.
Masochism Alert
DougJ picks another fight, this time with Glenn Greenwald over the Hamsher PAC nonsense. Consider yourself extremely fortunate if you don't know what that is.
John Cole needs to kick Doug's ass to the curb before he ruins an otherwise great blog.
John Cole needs to kick Doug's ass to the curb before he ruins an otherwise great blog.
LOLERZ
DougJ, who increasingly proves he's the weak link among BJ's posters, gets schooled by Jake Tapper (jump down to comment 47 for Jake's response, or scroll down at your own pace if you want to read all the knee-jerk responses first).
I'm no fan of Tapper's, and I enjoy the schadenfreude of watching the Hindenburg that is corporate media burn as much as the next fella, but DougJ simply isn't a reliable witness. He's more Les Nessman than Herbert Morrison, and this kind of guilt by association bullshit is tiresome and unnecessary.
If Laura Ingraham had done a segment railing against Tapper for appearing on Rachel Maddow's show and saying non-commital things, DougJ would have been the first person to attack Ingraham for it.
I'm no fan of Tapper's, and I enjoy the schadenfreude of watching the Hindenburg that is corporate media burn as much as the next fella, but DougJ simply isn't a reliable witness. He's more Les Nessman than Herbert Morrison, and this kind of guilt by association bullshit is tiresome and unnecessary.
If Laura Ingraham had done a segment railing against Tapper for appearing on Rachel Maddow's show and saying non-commital things, DougJ would have been the first person to attack Ingraham for it.
I'm Sure the Germans Have a Word For This
I'm on the board in my Facebook Death Pool.
I was the only person in the pool who picked him so yay, 43 points for me. I'm sure that Heaven, or your afterlifal equivalent of choice, has a place in it for purveyors of awesome power pop. The Knack really deserved to be more than two-hit wonders.
For posterity, here's my rest of my Death Pool roster. (There was no draft, everyone just submitted a list of 25 names). Some are there based on research, some on wishful thinking, and one in the believe that there really is such a thing as justice in this universe:
Muhammed Ali
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Jean Beliveau
Pat Burns
Fidel Castro
Dick Cheney
Noam Chomsky
Dick Clark
Gary Coleman
Jeff Conaway
Ronnie James Dio
Kirk Douglas
Roger Ebert
Bobby Heenan
Dennis Hopper
Etta James
Steve Jobs
BB King
Gene Kiniski
Artie Lange
Abdelbaset al-Megrahi
Merlin Olsen
Nancy Reagan
Mickey Rooney
Doug Fieger, lead singer of rock group the Knack, died at 57 after a battle with cancer, his brother Geoffrey confirmed today. “I’ve had 10 great lives,” Fieger told the Detroit News in a January interview. “And I expect to have some more. I don’t feel cheated in any way, shape or form.”
I was the only person in the pool who picked him so yay, 43 points for me. I'm sure that Heaven, or your afterlifal equivalent of choice, has a place in it for purveyors of awesome power pop. The Knack really deserved to be more than two-hit wonders.
For posterity, here's my rest of my Death Pool roster. (There was no draft, everyone just submitted a list of 25 names). Some are there based on research, some on wishful thinking, and one in the believe that there really is such a thing as justice in this universe:
Muhammed Ali
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Jean Beliveau
Pat Burns
Fidel Castro
Dick Cheney
Noam Chomsky
Dick Clark
Gary Coleman
Jeff Conaway
Ronnie James Dio
Kirk Douglas
Roger Ebert
Bobby Heenan
Dennis Hopper
Etta James
Steve Jobs
BB King
Gene Kiniski
Artie Lange
Abdelbaset al-Megrahi
Merlin Olsen
Nancy Reagan
Mickey Rooney
The Great Orange Diaspora
So bonddad is now posting an economics column over at 538, at the same time that dengre has joined the roster at Balloon Juice.
Now, I'm not proclaiming the death of Daily Kos. But I do think a brain drain at the Democrat's best online site is not a good sign for the party, or its chances in 2010/2012. What Obama needed was for the grassroots to transition into something like a sane version of what the right has going for it. Erick the Rediculous snaps his fingers and Olympia Snowe wakes up with a pile of rock salt on her porch. The left has no similar infrastructure with which to apply populist pressure to weak-willed Congresscritters.
The 'firebaggers' epithet that JC and others have started using is looking more and more appropriate.
Now, I'm not proclaiming the death of Daily Kos. But I do think a brain drain at the Democrat's best online site is not a good sign for the party, or its chances in 2010/2012. What Obama needed was for the grassroots to transition into something like a sane version of what the right has going for it. Erick the Rediculous snaps his fingers and Olympia Snowe wakes up with a pile of rock salt on her porch. The left has no similar infrastructure with which to apply populist pressure to weak-willed Congresscritters.
The 'firebaggers' epithet that JC and others have started using is looking more and more appropriate.
Corporatocracy FTW!
Sigh. If only my personal notions of integrity and such weren't so antiquated, I might be able to pull down $70K a year like this guy.
Hell, I don't even like wearing branded items of clothing even when I'm not getting paid for it.
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