Oliver Stone says you're stupid

[AmericanDragon 0]

http://film.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,12...1371013,00.html

[Hank Kingsley 0]

Well, yeah. Audiences these days seemingly can't sit through a three hour movie unless it's gift-wrapped like "Lord of the Rings".

 

Was "Alexander" long? Yes. Was it boring? No. Was it hard to follow? Not if you actually paid attention and had even a modicum of knowledge about Alexander the Great.

 

It was a character study, whether liberties were taken or not. It wasn't a mindless action flick. It's too bad that these movies aren't appreciated in this day and age.

[Guest Joshua A. Norton]

Oliver Stone is a lazy communist.

[razazteca 0]

Collin Ferrel was not a good choice for the lead role.

[The Czech Republic 0]

But he's Hollywood's bad boy!

[CBright7831 0]

What if I didn't want to see the movie because I thought it looked like shit?

[Guest Retro Rob]

What if I didn't want to see the movie because I thought it looked like shit?

You thought correctly. I unfortuantely was stupid enough to plop down $9.50 for it.

[Damaramu 0]

It honestly doesn't look as bad as everyone is saying that it is. I'll wait for video just b/c I'm strapped for cash though.

[AndrewTS 0]

So Harry Knowles is smarter than most of the respected film critics around?

[Guest JMA]

So Harry Knowles is smarter than most of the respected film critics around?

I still can't believe he liked Van Helsing.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Yeah. When all else fails, blame the audience. Dumbfuck. Those darn red state movie patrons.

 

There didn't seem to be a problem with audiences with Platoon and Wall Street. (Not sure about JFK because I've never seen nor paid much attention to it, but the other two movies were successful)...

[Guest Failed Mascot]

I like the movie The Postman starring Kevin Costner. I don't think my opinion every really matters with movies because of this.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

I wanted to go see it but the terrible reviews scared me off. Now, I don't respect the opinion of the regular public, but if something gets 15% at Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 3.8/10, 99% of the time the movie is in fact crap. That's lower than Van Helsing and almost as bad as Catwoman & YuGiOh!.

[Guest Smell the ratings!!!]

I say Oliver Stone owes me 9 bucks.

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

Alexander killed JFK........literally.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

What if I didn't want to see the movie because I thought it looked like shit?

Then you just misunderstand the GENIUS of the film. Remember it's OUR fault that the movie isn't entertaining not the guy who made it.

[teke184 0]

What if I didn't want to see the movie because I thought it looked like shit?

Then you just misunderstand the GENIUS of the film. Remember it's OUR fault that the movie isn't entertaining not the guy who made it.

I think the "It's the audience's fault" defense has its roots in director Michael Cimino's legendary high-budget disaster "Heaven's Gate" in 1980

 

 

The movie cost $44 million,which is a LOT more than it sounded like considering that the average budget in 1980 was probably closer to $5-10 million. This cost had spiraled out of control because Cimino was nuts, as the original budget was supposed to be $2 million.

 

 

Among the craziness-

 

Cimino didn't like the set of the town that was built, as he felt certain things were too close together, and had it completely torn down and rebuilt for $1.2 million.

 

Cimino shot 1.5 million feet of film and processed 1 million feet of it.

 

Cimino was such a perfectionist that, by the fifth day of production, they were already four days behind schedule.

 

The original cut of the film was somewhere between 4.5 and 5.5 hours but, under intense studio pressure, Cimino cut it down to 90 minutes.

 

This film is the reason that the Humane Society has to monitor all filmed media in the US, as there were proven to be cockfights, decapitations of chickens, and torture of horses on the set.

 

 

 

The millions of dollars in losses from this film almost caused United Artists to file bankruptcy, although the new James Bond film "For Your Eyes Only" saved them the next year. They were still sold to MGM a few years later, though.

 

This film destroyed Cimino's career, as he went from winning a Best Director Oscar for The Deer Hunter to being out of the movie business for 4 years.

 

 

Coincidentally, one of Cimino's few projects after Heaven's Gate was directing and co-writing "Year of the Dragon" with Oliver Stone, who wasn't a director yet but, instead, an Academy Award winning screenwriter. (He won in 1978 for adapting Midnight Express from William Hayes' biography.)

[BX 0]

Oh.

[Hank Kingsley 0]

Similarly, there's this article from Ireland Online:

 

Stone faces up to Alexander reception

 

 

10/12/2004 - 08:12:04 Oliver Stone refuses to allow himself to get depressed if his most recent movie Alexander, starring Colin Farrell, is a critical and commercial failure worldwide - because he gave it his best shot.

 

Oliver Stone refuses to allow himself to get depressed if his most recent movie Alexander, starring Colin Farrell, is a critical and commercial failure worldwide - because he gave it his best shot.

 

Stone, best known for hits including Platoon and Natural Born Killers, believes that whatever happens, he'll feel down yet he won't succumb to such negative feelings.

 

Stone says: "Whether it's good or bad, I've made a maximum effort. If it doesn't cut the mustard, I have reasons to feel depressed. And if it does, I have reasons to feel depressed because how can I top this? Would I ever want to make a movie after this? Could I ever make another good one?

 

"I know this is the chance of a lifetime."

 

Alexander has already proven to be a flop at the American box office.

 

http://breakingnews.iol.ie/entertainment/s...06932&p=97x6986

[CBright7831 0]

Yeah. When all else fails, blame the audience. Dumbfuck. Those darn red state movie patrons.

 

There didn't seem to be a problem with audiences with Platoon and Wall Street. (Not sure about JFK because I've never seen nor paid much attention to it, but the other two movies were successful)...

What about Nixon?

 

Everybody forgets about Nixon.

[Guest Smell the ratings!!!]

I liked Nixon but it was too long. I have no idea how it did in the box office cause I'm exceeding lazy.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

I liked Nixon but it was too long. I have no idea how it did in the box office cause I'm exceeding lazy.

Poorly.

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

Stone should spend less time reporting why people hate his shitty movies and more time making good ones that people will enjoy & respect.

[Precious Roy 0]

Oliver Stone has a valid point, you are stupid

[Black Lushus 0]

I didn't think Any Given Sunday was horrible if not vomit inducing thanks to the wacky camera work...same with the Doors...