Movies
‘Kong: Skull Island’ Director Fires a Shot at Negativity-for-Clicks Movie Criticism
“I love film criticism and I love reading negative reviews if the author makes compelling and well written arguments.”
You’ve probably noticed that a good deal of internet movie criticism leans heavily on negativity, which seems to get a lot more attention and encourage a whole lot more clicks than positivity these days. Negative film articles and videos get shared all over the internet and rack up the views, while positive ones often fall by the wayside.
If you’re unsure what I mean, just check the numbers on any of those “everything wrong with…” videos that hit YouTube every time a new movie comes out. The videos come courtesy of CinemaSins, and Kong: Skull Island was recently the subject of its own “everything wrong with” video.
Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts doesn’t mind his movie being criticized, but he did take to Twitter today in the wake of the video hitting to address something that very much needs to be addressed about modern film criticism. Too many people on the internet, Vogt-Roberts feels, are just “trolling the art form we love and profiting from it while dumbing the conversation.”
“I just wanted to point out why these videos are infuriating,” Vogt-Roberts tweeted. “They’re often just wrong or think they’re smarter than you. It just makes me sad they get so many views / contribute to the dumbing down of cinema as they syphon other people’s work for their own gain.”
In order to illustrate his gripe with this kind of reductive criticism, Vogt-Roberts highlighted a handful of specific points made about Kong: Skull Island by the CinemaSins video. In doing so, he perfectly showed just how idiotic, misinformed and foolishly nitpicky those types of videos are in their quest to be as negative as possible.
We wanted to share the thread with you because we think it’s a very important one.
Mystery Science Theatre built something artful, endearing and comedic on top of the foundation other people’s work. It had merit to itself.
— Jordan Vogt-Roberts (@VogtRoberts) August 15, 2017
Things like Cinema Sins simply suck the life blood of other people and are often just wrong about intent or how cinema works. It’s terrible.
— Jordan Vogt-Roberts (@VogtRoberts) August 15, 2017
Things like this drive me crazy. This is meant to be absurd. Cinema Sins would ding pulp fiction for Jules and Vincent not getting shot… pic.twitter.com/Zzer9HpRM4
— Jordan Vogt-Roberts (@VogtRoberts) August 15, 2017
Literally not another scene in the film has rain in it after this. Literally two scenes in the whole film. The writing lacks Anh integrity. pic.twitter.com/AejCDrOKot
— Jordan Vogt-Roberts (@VogtRoberts) August 15, 2017
Are you paying attention? That’s not Shea Wigham’s character. Try actually watching the movie. pic.twitter.com/VgN9Nfhft4
— Jordan Vogt-Roberts (@VogtRoberts) August 15, 2017
There are songs in this movie like https://t.co/pnQ31bH3XW that have never been licensed in a film before. You can’t just say shit out loud. pic.twitter.com/lV11Nbj8Wb
— Jordan Vogt-Roberts (@VogtRoberts) August 15, 2017
It’s called a match cut or graphic rhyming. So yes. I could have shown it. This is a choice that has nothing to do with a graphic shot later pic.twitter.com/aFv0k5WYoG
— Jordan Vogt-Roberts (@VogtRoberts) August 15, 2017
This “cheap laugh” got no reaction prior to the election. It gets a reaction because the black mirror of the 70’s we’re living in. pic.twitter.com/LB9NFf5qna
— Jordan Vogt-Roberts (@VogtRoberts) August 15, 2017
Because it’s inaccessible by boat and thus only discovered when we launched satellites in the 70’s with cameras looking down at the earth. pic.twitter.com/VY54NIeO7F
— Jordan Vogt-Roberts (@VogtRoberts) August 15, 2017
Anyhow, have a good day. Go watch a movie you’ve never seen before & actually discuss it with someone instead of focusing on reductive crap
— Jordan Vogt-Roberts (@VogtRoberts) August 15, 2017
Movies
‘Drop’ – Violett Beane Joins the Cast of Christopher Landon’s New Thriller
Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day, Freaky) is staying busy here in 2024, directing not only the werewolf movie Big Bad but also an upcoming thriller titled Drop.
The project for Blumhouse and Platinum Dunes is being described as a “fast-paced thriller,” and Deadline reports today that Violett Beane (Truth or Dare) has joined the cast.
Newcomer Jacob Robinson has also signed on to star in the mysterious thriller. Previously announced, Meghann Fahy (“White Lotus”) will be leading the cast.
Landon recently teased on Twitter, “This is my love letter to DePalma.”
Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach wrote the script.
Michael Bay, Jason Blum, Brad Fuller and Cameron Fuller — “who brought the script in to Platinum Dunes” — are producing the upcoming Drop. Sam Lerner is an executive producer.
THR notes, “The film is a Platinum Dunes and Blumhouse production for Universal.”