Quote whore rumbled!
The publicity for There Will Be Blood is everywhere, bolstered now by another award for Daniel Day-Lewis. You may have spotted this particular quote, which heads up many of the ads and posters:
"I'D GIVE BLOOD TO SEE THE MOVIE AGAIN."
Baz Bamigboye, Daily Mail
OK, let's run through that again. Baz Bamingboye would give blood in order to see There Will Be Blood for what we may assume is the second time. He doesn't need to. He can just pay for a ticket if he wants to see it again. As a film critic, he could have attended any number of advance screenings before its release, for free, with sandwiches thrown in. There's no need to give blood in order to achieve this. It's easy. Why is he taking on so? Why is he being so melodramatic, as if perhaps it's an underground film, and there's only one print? Could it be that he wrote this line, with its clever allusion to blood, which is in the title of the film, albeit not really in the actual content of the film, which is about oil, in order to get on the poster? More fool Paramount for indulging him. (Why do they do it?)
posted by Andrew Collins @ 1:05 PM
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Why is he making it sound like giving blood is an arduous task anyway? It's pretty quick and easy and is a good thing to do, so he's not really doing anything too extreme in order to see the movie again!
Zoe
If you make a comment like that you really should be made accountable to do it. Let's see his pinta. Or maybe he's safe in the knowledge that he's not going to see it again therefore avoiding this eventuality?
Giving blood is also quite easy and not particularly unpleasant. May I suggest "I'd donate a major organ for the opportunity to see this film again if the fiscal system had been replaced by a medical donation based levy,"
He's also reinforcing the perception that giving blood is something heroic. It's not. It's easy-peasy, and something that people should feel ashamed for NOT doing. There is no reason why anyone without a genuine medical reason should not be prepared to take an hour out of their life every four months to give an arm-full.
Sorry, bit of a hobby-horse of mine.
Don Or
That reminds me of Mark Kermode's rant last year when 'Run, Fatboy, Run' came out.
Dr Mark made fun for weeks about a poster quote that Neil Sean provided that went something like: "Simply the funniest, most perfect comedy of the year".
As a critic yourself, do you ever get more work on the back of a poster quote? If not, why bother supplying one?
Mind, he doesn't specify anywhere that it's his own blood, which puts a rather different perspective on exactly how far he'd go to get to see this film again.
Andrew, Have you ever written a review and thought "that'll be the quote they use on the poster"? It must have been novel to see your first quote on a poster.
James, I absolutely have, and it shames me to the marrow of my bones. When I first started at Empire in 1995, my first big film review was of Casper. Because Empire often found itself quote on posters, I finished my review, which was positive, with the line, "the ghost with the most." It was blatant, and appalling. Luckily, it wasn't used on the poster. (Ungrateful bastards.) I have hardly ever had quotes on posters. Film companies almost literally ignore Radio Times, because I don't think they even know that we review every new release on the website. I think my five stars for Atonement were included on some ads for it, but that's just the five stars, no words, so hardly exciting.
Oddly, when I was just starting out as a journalist for the NME, a quote was used on the video packaging of The Tall Guy. Not with my name attached, just the name of the NME, but it felt like I had gone legit!
It's a murky world.
how about
"what it's a bloody musical?"
or
"I did get bored"
for Tim Burton's latest.
The Tall Guy is a very underrated film, if you ask me.
Didn't Armando Iannucci do sketch once taking critics at their word and "stealing" stuff to get into to see a show! Plus giving blood is dead easy all except they should have more evening session near me. Also if you give blood before the film you have more chance of falling sleep sorry i'm being too literal now.
Speaking of terrible quotes on film posters, I went to see 'Definitely, Maybe' on Saturday night and, as I was leaving, I noticed the poster for 27 Dresses. At the top of it, there's a quote from a magazine (I think it was Eve. Is there a magazine called Eve) proclaiming something to the effect of: "Katherine Heigl is the new Bridget Jones!"
Does anybody know what that might mean? I mean Katherine Heigl is an actress, right? And Bridget Jones is a literary character? So what on earth are they on about? If it said "Katherine Heigl is the new Renee Zelwegger" I'd have an idea what they were getting at (and they'd be wrong) but this is clearly just nonsense.. Unless Katherine Heigl has experienced things in her real life that Bridget Jones has in her fictional life. But that's hardly going to be in the film, is it?
You don't think the producers are trying to appeal to a certain audience by putting a quotation like that on the poster, do you?
'the ghost with the most'! I applaud your honesty.
At least you didn't sacrifice your integrity like some of the quotes I see in the video shop. I wonder if the recent law change will put an end to that sort of thing. Hmmm.
Point of order. Not such an easy task giving blood in the US if you are a Brit who lived in the UK in the 80s. I offered, but they didn't want it. Something to do with BSE and possible contamination. I wouldn't mind I was a vegetarian for most of the decade.
I was recently given Volver for my birthday, and was a little disappointed to see a Bamigboye [note the spelling] quote on the back of the DVD case. Surely it received a more credible critical endorsement than that?
Andrew,
For those of us that are not in the industry, how do these preview screenings go? Do you get invited to loads and do they suck up to you to try to generate good reviews? Or is it just a conveyor belt process
AnonoNick
Well, the film companies need to generate advance word about their films and so set up screenings for the press to go to. With so many monthly magazines having long lead times these screenings are often held months before release date. In the week of release, they have National Press Screenings for all the dailies, so these will often be the most reliable reviews, as they're the freshest. (Good critics who see the films early, or at festivals, may go back and see the film again nearer the release, for clarity of thought.) Film companies often get in touch and ask what you thought of a film, if it's a big release, or the first screening, and you're under no obligation to reply, or to tell the truth, or indeed to say you liked it if you didn't. If you're angling for an interview, you'll keep any negative comments to yourself, for obvious diplomatic reasons.
They usually give you refreshments, sometimes just coffee, sometimes sandwiches and wine/beer. I never take alcohol at a screening, for fear of nodding off. Seasoned critics are way beyond being swayed by such hospitality. It's par for the course. And reviewing films all the time is a grind. (When I have done Simon Mayo's show, or The Film Programme on R4 and I've had to see all the releases in a given week, I've remembered why I'm not actually a film critic, merely a film reviewer and film editor. You can see four or five in a day.)
"if you are a Brit who lived in the UK in the 80s. I offered, but they didn't want it. Something to do with BSE and possible contamination."
Actually same for some in UK - if you received blood (i did via an operation) and it was before 1992 (i think that's the date) - there's a danger of CJD being passed on - although they don't actually know how and whether it's transmitted via blood transfusion. (or whether i even have CJD for that matter - but a spongeybrainmadcowdisease might explain a lot) I wanted to give blood and they didnt want it.
bugger 'em i thought. you won't be wanting all my other spare parts i i have an accident either then.
Speaking as someone whose life was, indeed, SAVED by strangers blood, please give generously.
And what's a little ironic is that Baz Bamigboye is not the Mail's film critic but its gossip columnist... which is a bit like asking for an opinion on a car's engine mechanics from a car stylist when you think about it.
Curiously Baz doesn't state how much blood he's prepared to give. Would 8 be beyond reason?
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