One of our biggest beefs with some film blogs is the lack of critical faculties and the ‘hey-we-like-everything’ nature that seems pervasive with people just happy to be invited to something for free. More of an accumulative observation than it is an outright attack, it’s disconcerting to note how often Cinematical is at the lead of such trespasses. Whenever we see a review for some tepid and toothless comedy (“The Promotion” from earlier this year comes to mind), that we’ve barely heard of, more often than not the quote used on the poster or weekly ad comes from this AOL blog.
Case in point this new movie, “Just Buried” with fairly decent stars Jay Baruchel (an Judd Apatow mainstay) and Rose Byrne (“Marie Antoinette” and often found in the films of Danny Boyle). We hadn’t heard lick one of this movie until we opened Time Out New York yesterday and we’re assuming you haven’t either. It’s opening up in one theater in New York (Village East Cinemas) and reviews and awareness of the film are virtually non-existent. Turns out it’s a Canadian indie with very little to no mainstream press attached to it outside of some of the larger sized Toronto publications (The Star and The Globe & Mail). 9 out of 10 times if a film opens up in New York and L.A. 90% of the critics in those city haven’t heard of it, there’s a reason. And it’s simple: because it sucks and no one is working it hard (or at all) and its essentially be buried with a small, requisite release.
But who’s quote is highlighted in the ad? We might of guessed. There’s only one and it’s Cinematical of course. “A dark comedy that combines romance and homicide into one tasty confection. Fast-paced witty, clever and diverting. Winning performances.”
Of course press quotes are generally frankenstiened and edited frpm reviews, reduced to their lowest-common denominator in the favor a film, but we just knew when we saw the ad (wait, what film is this??” Jay Baruchel??) that the quote was coming from Cinematical. So we ask: do these guys love everything? Maybe we need to track a little closer, but on the surface, it seems pretty eye-brow raising and queer as we’ve seen it time and time again.
Hey, cool. I saw the film a few years back at Toronto, and yep, I liked it. Sorry if I should only praise films featuring bigger stars than Jay Baruchel. And yep, I also thought The Promotion was damn funny.
And if you think Cinematical is among one of the most-quoted outlets on the ‘net, I’d respectfully suggest you do a little more research.
Best,
Scott Weinberg
Managing Editor, Cinematical.com
Scott, that reminds me: any chance we could just rate more films ‘B-ish’?
William Goss,
Cinematical.com
I too loved the promotion, and this film was actually pretty good. The people that handle press for the films is going to pull quotes from the biggest site that liked the movie, and it doesn’t get much bigger than Cinematical.
Scott weshouldonlybesolucky Hutcheson – wearemoviegeeks.com
Haha, cinematical guys do not take kindly to criticism. Panties are in a bunch.
Actually, I don’t take kindly to cheap shots at indie films and erroneous implications regarding my professionalism. Knock me all you like, just be accurate. Over the course of about ten years, I think I’ve been quoted on maybe 10 DVDs — nearly all of ’em indie, foreign, or obscure flicks. Hardly qualifies me for “quote whore” status, but I can handle it. (Whores get laid, right?)
If you think there’s something wrong with seeing, enjoying, and praising a Canadian indie flick while attending a film festival, I’d assert that you’re in the wrong business.
This morning is the first time I’ve thought about Just Buried in over a year. And yeah, I’ll be pleased if my “blurb” helps to sell a few extra tickets — although I don’t really think it will.
I think the folks at Cinematical are forgetting that the blogosphere consists of, dare I say, opinions.
If you feel like giving an opinion, expect others to develop an opinion of you.
And I do think Cinematical is quote heavy (but I don’t consider that a bad thing).
Oh, yeah, Angelo. When two guys respond unkindly to their integrity being called into question, that qualifies as a riot.
Let us know when you have anything else to contribute beyond your dirty toes…
“I think the folks at Cinematical are forgetting that the blogosphere consists of, dare I say, opinions.”
And I think you’re forgetting that the people from Cinematical are allowed to, dare I say, defend themselves when they’re accused of being “whores”
Seriously folks, do your research here, and bad mouth the sites who go out of their way to praise shit like Epic Movie in order to be quoted in the commercial. Don’t bring it down on a group of people who work their asses off at festivals and look to champion excellent smaller films the world — and most of the press — would rather throw to the curb.
Thanks,
Erik Davis
Editor-in-Chief, Cinematical.com
Talk amongst yourselves obviously, but no one is calling you “whores” at all. That’s wild and sensationalizing. You’re missing the point, but you know, proceed as you wish.
“One of our biggest beefs with film blogs is the lack of critical faculties and they hey-we-like-everything nature that seems pervasive with people just happy to be invited to something for free.”
Please explain how I’m missing the point of that statement.
I’m saying, sometimes it seems like you guys like everything. That’s questioning your taste, nothing more. Cool? It’s just an opinion; like assholes, we all have them. I wouldn’t get so worked up.
Nobody’s perfect, we ain’t, that’s for sure. It’s just an observation. A lot of other people have said worse things about other blogs, etc…
Please disperse, nothing to see here.
oh whatever, Cinematical is just another film blog that just happens to have wealthy sponsors, especially now that its only redeeming factor in the form of Kim Voynar left. For every ‘poor little indie film’ you guys ‘promote’ you do the same for shitty studio movies, so lets not kid ourselves, because your corporate sponsors and whatever keep the site plodding along because of their will for publicity (the quotes) and hits (promoting the corporate shite). So don’t deny that you guys love to see your name in print or in ads, and you make sure that it happens. Maybe not all the time, like those other sites out there, but enough for it to be a little sad.
I honestly hate to keep this going, but i do not at all think they’re writing to get quoted. That’s not what I was suggesting at all. See my comment about taste. But no one’s integrity is being questioned here, at least not by me. And that’s not chickenshit backpeddling. If I felt it, I’d fucking say it for sure.
Even if that movie were about food, calling it “One tasty confection” would still be pretty fruity.
Dave,
Please ask any person who’s ever written for Cinematical, including Kim, whether they were ever pressured (by myself or someone at AOL) to say positive things about a studio film. Please do that, and then come back here and write a comment from the position of someone who actually knows what the fuck they’re talking about.
And I’m done here.
Erik
Oy. Alright, stepping into the fray here. I can only speak for Cinematical while I was working there, but I was never asked or told to write a positive review by AOL, Moviefone, Erik or anyone else.
I think it’s a popular misconception that movie sites that also run movie ads must therefore be shilling for some corporate or studio gods, but in my experience with Cinematical and other reputable film sites, that’s just not the case.
Nick, your premise is just fundamentally incorrect. If you go to Rotten Tomatoes, you can look up the review stats of most of Cinematical’s writers. James Rocchi, for instance, recently gave negative reviews to Eagle Eye, Choke, and Slacker Uprising, and a mixed-positive review to Miracle at St Anna. He totally slammed Babylong AD and Hamlet 2, giving them 1/5 stars on RT. Hardly the mark of an easy film lay.
Scott Weinberg agrees with the Tomatometer 76% of the time. Recent negative reviews from him (many of which ran on his other outlet, FEARnet) include Seed, Babylon AD, Scorpion King 2, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Speed Racer and What Happens in Vegas.
On the other hand, several critics who I would never consider to be easy film lays have agree ratings right around where Cinematical’s critics sit: Glenn Kenny agrees with Tomatometer 78% of the time, Peter Howell rates a 77%, and even Karina Longworth, who can be contrarian in her response to certain films, has a 76%.
Hell, even Erik Childress, who makes a sport out of monitoring film critic quote whores to call them out on their filthy dirty whoring, rates a 72% agree rate on RT.
My own agree rating on RT weighs in at 75%. If you looked at all my Cinematical reviews over the nearly 4 years I wrote there, though, I expect it would be heavily weighted towards positive reviews, because on the balance, I reviewed way more films on the fest circuit than mainstream releases; I try to choose which movies I want to see carefully so as not to waste precious hours of however many minutes of life I have left in this iteration watching shit; and when I see a little indie film at a fest that’s not very good, I’m generally more inclined not to review it at all rather than slam it while it’s still a hatchling.
Admittedly, RT isn’t an entirely accurate barometer, as there are a good many verifiable quote whores whose reviews go on there, and a fair number of chaff amidst the wheat, but still. In my own experience as an editor at Cinematical, I’d say that any assertion that Cinematical writers love everything they see is just patently false.
Does anyone know the song playing at the beginning of the trailer for Just Buried? “From the grave….” lalala…I can’t seem to find it! thanks