This is a follow up from yesterday's blog about Paul Feig making excuses for why his Ghostbusters reboot failed four years ago. There was huge backlash well over a year before its release and the backlash escalating two months prior to its July 2016 release involving comedian Patton Oswalt and YouTube personality James Rolfe. It blew up into a huge story regarding misogyny and sexism, resulting in unfortunate social media war between Oswalt and so called "fans". Very unfortunate.
Rolfe has a site called Cinemassacre. It's home to a lot of videos he has done for over 30 years. I've followed the guy since the fall of 2006 and he has grown from doing fictional work into being himself and doing regular movie reviews. One of his early examples came in 2007 with the animated TMNT film. He had done a review a month prior of the third live action film and fans wondered his thoughts of something brand new. This applied in May 2016 when fans asked about the then upcoming Ghostbuster film and if he would do a review. He said he wouldn't and went into detail of why.
To put this in perspective from watching this guy for 14 years, Rolfe is a big Ghostbusters fan. Very big that he wanted to find stuff in New York that they may have filmed scenes at. Big film guy. Nothing in the video from what I remember was sexist, let alone misogynistic. He's been married for 13 years and has two daughters. Rolfe is simply a fan who had no interest. There can be fans who may not find a film interesting after watching a trailer of it, especially for a franchise that is very dear to him. Whatever the case, Oswalt went after him with a sarcastic tweet, and that's when it blew up and people went after both and both sides started verbal sparring. This was something you heard for a couple weeks.
The way Oswalt acts on Twitter is hugely dangerous. This is someone I would like to see get suspended and understand why his very awful behavior is a problem. There was no reason to go after Rolfe. And Rolfe was not under contract to review something he doesn't care for. Trailers have existed for a very long time and can dictate most of the time whether you want to see a film or not. But actions can also dictate that and I wouldn't be surprised if Oswalt's horrible attitude turned more people away from Ghostbusters. To be a little fair, his wife passed away a month prior. I've heard Michelle Mcnamara might have had some involvement, but I don't even know if that's true. It is upsetting and people have different ways of grieving. But to go after someone in that altered state of mind is very messed up. The ones mocking Oswalt for his dead wife didn't make the situation any better. All this over an opinion that shouldn't have been controversial at any point and become huge attention.
Both Oswalt and Rolfe are continuing to do what they love doing. But in regards to Oswalt, this is something celebrities will have to understand. Just because you think you can say whatever you want doesn't mean there won't be consequences. That is what I notice. Oswalt has a big mouth and doesn't know when to keep quiet. I think one of these days, he is going to be criticized very heavily for something he tweets that goes over the line. Whether he wants to accept what he did was wrong is up to him, but I could see him acting like a giant baby because he doesn't have any restraint. I'm not calling for unnecessary censorship, but we do need to take celebrities down a peg or two when they go overboard on social media. What he did four years ago was inexcusable and I feel bad for his young daughter. It's not the environment you want your flesh and blood to see and to see it from their own parent.
I hope that incident has some meaning at some point as a way of how not to act from one side and both sides fanbases.
Showing posts with label ghostbusters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ghostbusters. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
Ain't Fraid of No Election
Around this time five years ago, I remember the backlash surrounding the 2016 Ghostbusters film. There had been off and on stuff regarding it. A lot of backlash on both sides that ultimately made it lose 70 million for Columbia Pictures due to a very expensive budget despite making 140 million domestically and nearly 300 mil overall. Now, I don't share the same feeling as most people regarding the two 80s films. The first is good, but massively overrated. I think there's better sci-fi films and better comedies. And the second was okay, but nothing noteworthy. And honestly, I don't have an intention to watch the reboot.
Recently, there was an interview that the 2016 director Paul Feig did. One thing I'll agree with is that it wouldn't feel right if you had two of the four actors back. But going the direction he went with his own script and stuff is where I see the problem. He is capable of directing great films. Being on a roll during the last decade beginning with Bridesmaids and his most recent at the time being Spy, he is one you want for comedies. But he's blaming his Ghostbusters take on Trump and the 2016 election. It screams to me a cop out excuse for why the movie failed as there are plenty of reasons.
First and foremost, this is a finicky thing to do. Ghostbusters is one of the most beloved franchises of the 80s and all time. There were plans for a third one that was in development hell. People wanted a true sequel and the 2009 video game was essentially the third film. This is also a geekdom. Anything nerdy that has drastic changes is going to see a hell of a lot more criticism. The all female stuff is an eye raiser, but it's the choices in who they got that's the issue, though I hear Kate McKinnon was highly praised the last I remembered. It's not the type of people that you think would headline a franchise reboot. Also, the humor not being as strong. My point is, there is more issue pertaining to the fanbase and what they thought was bad. Blaming it on Trump is brain dead stupid. Even if proof surfaced of him badmouthing the film, did he really make an impact on it failing? That's something that I don't think could be proven.
But one thing people forget about Feig is that he acted like a huge baby in terms of backlash. Social media is a great tool, but can show a darker side of Hollywood people. He did not show any restraint and went after many because of the backlash. It adds fuel to the fire of why it did not do as well. Both sides turned it into a full blown social media war. There are trolls. No doubt about it. But you also have people who have no interest, regardless of it being a female cast and the direction it went. And even if you genuinely had no interest, others could perceive you as sexist and misogynistic.
A big example was two months prior to its release involving comedian Patton Oswalt. He can be funny, but his mannerisms and actions on sites like Twitter are a bit on the dangerous side. Personally, I think his behavior is very unwarranted and I feel bad for his daughter. That being said, there was no reason to go after a huge YouTube personality (James Rolfe, Cinemassacre) because he had no interest and didn't say anything controversial. That caused a big uproar and both Rolfe and Oswalt were given shade and praise. If memory serves me, this was Oswalt's way of venting because of his first wife passing away not too long before he ranted. The trolls who made fun of him for losing her don't deserve any sympathy. But much like Feig, it adds more fuel to a fire that is out of control and makes people not go see it.
What I'll end on is this. Feig has no clue still of why he failed on this film. The backlash came well before Trump announced his presidency and the whole election. It ballooned over a year and a half to the point where it reached his breaking point and he caused even more issues. Even though he had no involvement with them, Oswalt's incident made it way worse. The way they responded to criticism probably influenced some who were on the fence to either see it or not. There is good female led stuff. It didn't translate well for something like Ghostbusters, which is funny because Mad Max had a female lead and the original creator of it working on Fury Road, which was a huge hit in 2015. The president did not make the movie fail. Bad choices, backlash, manchild antics, and poor responses to criticism killed it.
After this one, I will do a follow up and talk more about the Oswalt and Rolfe incident as that was blown up to the point of it being a center of attention for a short while.
Recently, there was an interview that the 2016 director Paul Feig did. One thing I'll agree with is that it wouldn't feel right if you had two of the four actors back. But going the direction he went with his own script and stuff is where I see the problem. He is capable of directing great films. Being on a roll during the last decade beginning with Bridesmaids and his most recent at the time being Spy, he is one you want for comedies. But he's blaming his Ghostbusters take on Trump and the 2016 election. It screams to me a cop out excuse for why the movie failed as there are plenty of reasons.
First and foremost, this is a finicky thing to do. Ghostbusters is one of the most beloved franchises of the 80s and all time. There were plans for a third one that was in development hell. People wanted a true sequel and the 2009 video game was essentially the third film. This is also a geekdom. Anything nerdy that has drastic changes is going to see a hell of a lot more criticism. The all female stuff is an eye raiser, but it's the choices in who they got that's the issue, though I hear Kate McKinnon was highly praised the last I remembered. It's not the type of people that you think would headline a franchise reboot. Also, the humor not being as strong. My point is, there is more issue pertaining to the fanbase and what they thought was bad. Blaming it on Trump is brain dead stupid. Even if proof surfaced of him badmouthing the film, did he really make an impact on it failing? That's something that I don't think could be proven.
But one thing people forget about Feig is that he acted like a huge baby in terms of backlash. Social media is a great tool, but can show a darker side of Hollywood people. He did not show any restraint and went after many because of the backlash. It adds fuel to the fire of why it did not do as well. Both sides turned it into a full blown social media war. There are trolls. No doubt about it. But you also have people who have no interest, regardless of it being a female cast and the direction it went. And even if you genuinely had no interest, others could perceive you as sexist and misogynistic.
A big example was two months prior to its release involving comedian Patton Oswalt. He can be funny, but his mannerisms and actions on sites like Twitter are a bit on the dangerous side. Personally, I think his behavior is very unwarranted and I feel bad for his daughter. That being said, there was no reason to go after a huge YouTube personality (James Rolfe, Cinemassacre) because he had no interest and didn't say anything controversial. That caused a big uproar and both Rolfe and Oswalt were given shade and praise. If memory serves me, this was Oswalt's way of venting because of his first wife passing away not too long before he ranted. The trolls who made fun of him for losing her don't deserve any sympathy. But much like Feig, it adds more fuel to a fire that is out of control and makes people not go see it.
What I'll end on is this. Feig has no clue still of why he failed on this film. The backlash came well before Trump announced his presidency and the whole election. It ballooned over a year and a half to the point where it reached his breaking point and he caused even more issues. Even though he had no involvement with them, Oswalt's incident made it way worse. The way they responded to criticism probably influenced some who were on the fence to either see it or not. There is good female led stuff. It didn't translate well for something like Ghostbusters, which is funny because Mad Max had a female lead and the original creator of it working on Fury Road, which was a huge hit in 2015. The president did not make the movie fail. Bad choices, backlash, manchild antics, and poor responses to criticism killed it.
After this one, I will do a follow up and talk more about the Oswalt and Rolfe incident as that was blown up to the point of it being a center of attention for a short while.
Thursday, April 2, 2020
Sony Interactive Delay
Like many companies, Sony has put a lot of their stuff on delay amidst this crisis. A couple I'll look at. One that's good and one that's bad.
There have been a few movies that they have decided to push back. Peter Rabbit 2 won't be until January of next year. Morbius next March. Also next March will be the new Ghostbusters film, Afterlife. It is disappointing for fans who probably wanted a real sequel after 30 years. With the virus putting everything on hold, maybe this might help. It's not like the summer of 1984 where the original was something very fresh and making everyone go bananas for it. This has a better chance of doing well and without feeling like it has stiff competition. Sony could have 2021 in the bag for a short while.
One of the hyped games for this year was The Last of Us Part II. Sony has plans for several other games as well, but Naughty Dog's survival adventure was high on the list. With it being delayed indefinitely, it's hard to know when it could come out. The original debuted on PS3 in June of 2013, roughly five months before PS4 debuted and just over a year before the remaster. And this sequel was delayed from its February release to a month from now. They want people to buy the copies in stores and the pandemic doesn't help them out. You have to hope that they can have something ready by September if things were to be calm and back to normal. If not, it could hurt sales a little bit, but I have a feeling we're going to see Part II on PS5.
Sony's not taking huge risks. Hopefully it rebounds them for a strong year in 2021.
There have been a few movies that they have decided to push back. Peter Rabbit 2 won't be until January of next year. Morbius next March. Also next March will be the new Ghostbusters film, Afterlife. It is disappointing for fans who probably wanted a real sequel after 30 years. With the virus putting everything on hold, maybe this might help. It's not like the summer of 1984 where the original was something very fresh and making everyone go bananas for it. This has a better chance of doing well and without feeling like it has stiff competition. Sony could have 2021 in the bag for a short while.
One of the hyped games for this year was The Last of Us Part II. Sony has plans for several other games as well, but Naughty Dog's survival adventure was high on the list. With it being delayed indefinitely, it's hard to know when it could come out. The original debuted on PS3 in June of 2013, roughly five months before PS4 debuted and just over a year before the remaster. And this sequel was delayed from its February release to a month from now. They want people to buy the copies in stores and the pandemic doesn't help them out. You have to hope that they can have something ready by September if things were to be calm and back to normal. If not, it could hurt sales a little bit, but I have a feeling we're going to see Part II on PS5.
Sony's not taking huge risks. Hopefully it rebounds them for a strong year in 2021.
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Afterlife: New Ghostbusters
I'll be the first to admit I'm not a huge fan of Ghostbusters. The original is a fun movie, but very overrated. It's second film was okay and I have no incentive of watching the 2016 version. But this Afterlife one, I might think about it, but the trailer leaves me with questions.
Does this movie know what it's trying to do? It played off like a serious drama instead of being wacky. I assume judging by it, it's about the late Egon Spengler's grandkids and finding all the stuff he used to do in the 80s. A professor is enthralled about it along with the history and things occur to where they have to save the day. It's being done by Jason Reitman, who has forged his own directing career like his father Ivan, who directed the first two movies. There is that sense of relief that someone who is acquainted with the projects will have a sense on what to do.
But the seriousness is a little jarring and I wonder if there is a false first impression. It doesn't come out until July, so I figure there will be a new trailer at some point towards the end of winter or early spring. They didn't go overboard with showing off the special effects. Maybe it could be more story focused. I don't know. But at least on paper, it continues on in terms of continuity, similar to what's happening with Cobra Kai the last few years. I'm rambling a bit with regards to this trailer from last week, but it's one of those things that has a make it or break type of scenario.
Columbia has been on a path of looking at projects and doing sequels/reboots. Bad Boys 4 Life is due in January. Jumanji did well with the third film's opening weekend. Charlie's Angels was a big flop. A new Grudge film comes out just as the new year begins. The need to make other original films is needed, but you can't blame them for doing some of these sequels/reboots. There is an audience that is hungering for another adventure with the same characters. Ghostbusters should headline the summer very well, but whether the audience is ready for it, that's what I'm going to wait and see about.
Does this movie know what it's trying to do? It played off like a serious drama instead of being wacky. I assume judging by it, it's about the late Egon Spengler's grandkids and finding all the stuff he used to do in the 80s. A professor is enthralled about it along with the history and things occur to where they have to save the day. It's being done by Jason Reitman, who has forged his own directing career like his father Ivan, who directed the first two movies. There is that sense of relief that someone who is acquainted with the projects will have a sense on what to do.
But the seriousness is a little jarring and I wonder if there is a false first impression. It doesn't come out until July, so I figure there will be a new trailer at some point towards the end of winter or early spring. They didn't go overboard with showing off the special effects. Maybe it could be more story focused. I don't know. But at least on paper, it continues on in terms of continuity, similar to what's happening with Cobra Kai the last few years. I'm rambling a bit with regards to this trailer from last week, but it's one of those things that has a make it or break type of scenario.
Columbia has been on a path of looking at projects and doing sequels/reboots. Bad Boys 4 Life is due in January. Jumanji did well with the third film's opening weekend. Charlie's Angels was a big flop. A new Grudge film comes out just as the new year begins. The need to make other original films is needed, but you can't blame them for doing some of these sequels/reboots. There is an audience that is hungering for another adventure with the same characters. Ghostbusters should headline the summer very well, but whether the audience is ready for it, that's what I'm going to wait and see about.
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Busting Feel Good?
Only in the last few days have I heard about this, and it's interesting to see this as something to come out. The neighborhoods are going to be strange as a new Ghostbusters movie is looking to be ready. The expectation is for it to release in the summer next year. Potential hype could be through the roof as it is set within the ones released in the 80s.
It's being done by Jason Reitman, son of Ivan, who directed the 80s ones. Within a 15 year period, he has done at least three movies with screenwriter Diablo Cody with various amounts of success. He's written a few himself that have been moderate to huge hits. Whether he can turn Ghostbusters around is another story. The mere fact about this one has pissed off the 2016 star, Leslie Jones. Regarding the trailer, it's just a teaser and it doesn't really reveal much. Unless I'm missing something, here's a few things on why the 2016 one isn't getting a sequel.
First, expectations were very low. Even a year before it, Ghostbusters 2016 was met with a lot of hate. From the casting to what they were aiming for, it turned off more than just geeks. Second, even though it was well received by critics, it ultimately has been turned off by lots of audiences despite making 128 million domestically. That cast overall is not a crowd pleaser. Last was the amount of money it lost. It had a 144 million dollar budget. Advertising and the low amount of box office worldwide at just below 230 mil certainly didn't make executives pleased.
People have been begging for a third Ghostbusters movie for a long time. Now, the 2009 video game is that, but an actual movie was far from reality. Too many delays, casting, and a few other issues kept coming into play. It's hard to judge now since we haven't heard anything yet. I got a feeling we will see a full trailer sometime in the fall or winter to get audiences hyped. The name can be a money maker when treated right. Has 30 plus years been too long? It could be. For now, all we can do is speculate. Too early to make a judgement call like Jones is and too early to know if this film will even come out next year. An actual trailer will put those doubts to rest when that day comes.
It's being done by Jason Reitman, son of Ivan, who directed the 80s ones. Within a 15 year period, he has done at least three movies with screenwriter Diablo Cody with various amounts of success. He's written a few himself that have been moderate to huge hits. Whether he can turn Ghostbusters around is another story. The mere fact about this one has pissed off the 2016 star, Leslie Jones. Regarding the trailer, it's just a teaser and it doesn't really reveal much. Unless I'm missing something, here's a few things on why the 2016 one isn't getting a sequel.
First, expectations were very low. Even a year before it, Ghostbusters 2016 was met with a lot of hate. From the casting to what they were aiming for, it turned off more than just geeks. Second, even though it was well received by critics, it ultimately has been turned off by lots of audiences despite making 128 million domestically. That cast overall is not a crowd pleaser. Last was the amount of money it lost. It had a 144 million dollar budget. Advertising and the low amount of box office worldwide at just below 230 mil certainly didn't make executives pleased.
People have been begging for a third Ghostbusters movie for a long time. Now, the 2009 video game is that, but an actual movie was far from reality. Too many delays, casting, and a few other issues kept coming into play. It's hard to judge now since we haven't heard anything yet. I got a feeling we will see a full trailer sometime in the fall or winter to get audiences hyped. The name can be a money maker when treated right. Has 30 plus years been too long? It could be. For now, all we can do is speculate. Too early to make a judgement call like Jones is and too early to know if this film will even come out next year. An actual trailer will put those doubts to rest when that day comes.
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