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JoJo and San Francisco Steve freak on THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT
Yeah yeah... I know... I've run too many reviews for THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, but ya know what? I just love the enthusiasm this film generates from it's watchers. They really feel passionately about the film. Personally I feel the movie isn't for everyone, and it's experimental film style might cause some people to mistake it for not being professional... But I think it's a brilliant film. And a major landmark in horror... But that's just me... and well this guy... and a whole buncha people I've talked with. Now as you read JoJo... Imagine a guy that is drunk and jazzed up on coffee wildly gesturing and grabbing you by the shirt... hitting ya in the shoulder and acting like... a geek... cause that is sure as hell how I'm reading the guy....
Dude, I just gotta tell ya, it's not often that a movie freaks me out so
much that I have to go out and get drunk, just to calm my nerves. Well, I
have to say, THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT did that for me, and the 4 friends I
went with. Saw it earlier tonite at the AMC 16 in Woodland Hills, outside of
LA, some special screening that Artisan threw. Harry, this movie is
absolutely incredible. We all tried to remember what movie was as scary, and
we couldn't come up with anything. Maybe SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. Maybe THE
EXORCIST. Maybe HALLOWEEN. But thinking back, I have never been through
such a terrifying, nail-biting, relentless horrific experience in a movie
theater as BLAIR WITCH, and this is a movie which has, basically, no violence
whatsoever, no tits, and no gore. How the fuck did they manage to freak me,
and my friends, out so much, that we couldn't stop talking about the movie
for over 3 hours? Even after about 5 cocktails apiece? This movie deserves
oscars. The acting is incredible. The movie is subtle, tight as a drum,
and, we all admitted, basically flawless in conception. THis movie will
redefine independent cinema. The movie will redefine the horror movie genre.
Fuck "The Haunting". Fuck "Event Horizon". This movie is the absolute,
total, perfect real deal thriller. It is gorgeous, and it reinvigorated my
faith in independent cinema. I cannot praise this film enough. Artisan made
the best decision of their movie-company career by buying this (and I am
totally not fucking exaggerating here, believe me) PIECE OF ART.
MO
MO
sincerely,
Jojo
And here's San Francisco Steve
On Wednesday June 23, I happened to stumble upon a preview of the Blair
Witch Project at the Galaxy Theater in San Francisco. Since there were two
other sneaks that evening (for American Pie and An Ideal Husband) there were
only around 75 people in line and I was able to talk my way in without a
pass. Several of the people had seen the BWP on video, but wanted to see it
again with an audience.
The audience really got into the film. There were gasps and exclamations of
"Oh my God," as each new "discovery" occurred.
The theater the film was shown in is "L" shaped. Patrons have to walk down
a long corridor to reach their seats. The corridor and the area of the
theater behind the seats remain lighted during the film. As the film ran
several people left their seats and went to stand in the lighted area. By
the time the film got to its final scenes around 8-10 people, including at
least two people who had seen the film on video, had moved to the rear of
the theater. Apparently they were too creeped out to watch the film in the
dark, but were also too engrossed to actually walk out. Is that cool or
what?
I can't wait to see it again.
--San Francisco Steve
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When's the official release date? I'm out in L.A. and I want to see it as soon as possible but I can't find much screening info. Any ideas?
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It's being released on a limited basis on July 16th, and supposedly is going wide two weeks later. I saw BWP at a screening in Boston a couple of months back, and without trying to overhype it, it truly is every bit as good as I'd hoped it would be.
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...again I say "This thing has GOT to go wide!". Now I'm hearing they're putting together a faux soundtrack of several original songs found in one of the victim's abandoned car AND an "INSPIRED BY" disc with tunes from MARILYN MANSON, ROB ZOMBIE etc. etc. This thing is HUGE. I say all this cause I want it to come to a big screen near me here in the Midwest. NONE of the first 20 screens are within a thousand miles of me. Can't wait. Thanks Harry!
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I have been seeing quite a few negative reviews surfacing since all of these previews took place. I'm new to AICN, so possibly I'm out of line here, but if you're receiving any "SPOILERLESS" BWP bashin reviews, I'd be curious to see those as well. Just and idea. Thanks.
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I Saw Blair Witch Project a couple weeks ago I didnt care for it. I will give the filmmakers credit, it was a creative approach to making a movie. It's a shame more film makers cant take some risks like that, BUT I didnt think Blair WItch was all that good! The camera shook so much I felt motion sickness by the midway point, and I didnt think it was all that scary. The acting was aweful as was some of the dialouge. Example, " Your ignorance has put all of our lives in danger!". Uh huh. ok. Don't get me wrong, Im not saying I HATED Blair WItch. It was ok. I just don't understand what all the fuss is about. It's not THAT good.
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July 16th can't come soon enough for me. I'm sure no matter how many times I see this in the theater (and on video) it will still freak me out (the same way TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE freaks me out every time I put it into my DVD player). The ideal way to show this movie in the theater would be for every single light in the room to be out (excluding, of course, the EXIT signs). No lights whatsoever!! The ultimate audience participation flick. Those with weak stomachs need not apply.
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THIS is what Aint-It-Cool-News is meant for - creating the good buzz for the movies that deserve it - and, of course, warning fanboys when a pile of crap is about to hit the big screen. BWP has steadily shot up to the top of my list of must-see flicks this summer. This kind of thing means far more a slate of professional movie reviewers. If BWP is HALF as good as the reviews I've been seeing here say it is, I'm going to get my money's worth. And creating permanent impressions on the armrests.
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My goodness, after reading all these orgasmic reviews, I CAN'T WAIT for this movie. Is there a list anywhere of what cities/theaters it's opening in on July 16th? I don't want to wait a minute longer than I have to for this movie...
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Jun 25, 1999 7:26:45 AM CDT
I still don't work for ARTISAN, but the first 20 THEATERS gettin
by the tall man
Really, I don't work for ARTISAN I swear, I'm just a horror fanboy who's been dying to be scared in a theater since SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and maybe ALIENS before that so, forgive the over-enthusiasm. I copied this list of theaters from the official BLAIRWITCH site - www.blairwitch.com and have posted it on a couple horror boards to great appreciation of my fellow geeks. Actually for all the promotion I've done independently they oughta send me some free tix or at least take a pitch meeting with me. Hope it helps. Thanks Harry.
"The Blair Witch Project" will be premiering at the Angelika Film Center in New York City on July 14th!
"The Blair Witch Project" will be opening exclusively at the following theatres on July 16th. Look for other openings nationwide on July 30th.
Theatre Name City ST
Landmark Nuart Theatre Los Angeles CA
Edwards South Coast Village 3 Orange County CA
AMC 30 at The Block Orange County CA
Landmark Embarcadero 5 San Francisco CA
Landmark Act 1&2 Berkeley CA
Landmark Aquarius Twin Palo Alto CA
Camera One San Jose CA
Landmark Hillcrest Cinema 5 San Diego CA
Landmark Broadway Market 4 Seattle WA
Camelview Phoenix AZ
Harkins Arizona Mills Phoenix AZ
Landmark Mayan 3 Denver CO
Landmark Inwood 3 Dallas TX
Landmark River Oaks 3 Houston TX
Landmark Dobie Austin TX
UA Tara Cinema 4 Atlanta GA
Enzian Orlando FL
AMC Sunset 24 Miami FL
Regal South Beach 18 Miami FL
Fox Sunrise Cinemas Ft. Lauderdale FL
Regal Shadowood Square 16 Boca Raton FL
LCE Pipers Alley 4 Chicago IL
Landmark Main Art Royal Oak MI
Landmark Uptown Minneapolis MN
Landmark Kendall Square Boston MA
Ritz Five Cinemas Philadelphia PA
Ritz Cinemas 12 Voorhees NJ
Wisconsin Avenue Washington DC
Charles Baltimore MD -
again, I don't work for Artisan, honest (how many people are saying that now? i wonder how many of em work for Artisan?), but most of the complaints i've read about BWP are pure baloney.
The post above complaining about the jittery camera work, allegedly bad acting, and clumsy dialogue... the camera work is what makes this film WORK. If you had a steadicam tracking behind the characters, it would take you out of the "reality" of the film. The disorientation you feel watching the movie matches the disorientation the characters are feeling, and makes it feel like you're there with them. The acting? Hand on the Bible, dude, this is the best acting in any movie i can remember EVER! They come across as totally, completely, 100% real people, not Hollywood actors. That draws you into their world... these are people i know, i thought to myself, and that made the trauma they went through about 10 times more wrenching than watching some hollywood actor-models shrieking at Ghostface jumping from a closet. Their dialogue? There are a few clunky bits of exposition, but the conversations flow naturally and when they get angry at each other they stammer and can't come up with the right words... JUST LIKE IN REAL LIFE. That line quoted above is a perfect example, when you hear it spoken. Is it a perfect movie? Nah, but it is a great piece of filmmaking. Did it scare the hell out of me? Yeah. Will I go down in the basement without turning on the lights? Havent so far this week, dudes and dudettes.
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So I've been watching the buzz on BWP grow for a couple months now.. and it's starting to hit the saturation point. I've never seen the movie. I plan to, but my motives have changed.
Originally I wanted to see it because it looked like an interesting movie from a number of viewpoints for me personally. I've always been a fan of good horror, and the film-making techniques used are intriguing too. Now I find I want to see it to see if it lives up to the buzz, the comparisons.
"It's the scariest movie I've ever seen," - I've seen that written about a hundred times in these write-ups (continually amazed at how many people have seen an as-yet-unreleased film). So it's scarier than Exorcist, huh? Scarier than the original "Haunting"? How about "Rosemary's Baby"? Haven't seen that one mentioned yet. Some folks have said it's scarier than "Halloween"... frig, the Muppets Take Manhattan is scarier than Halloween. This is a subjective comment, granted, but can we just say it's pretty scary and leave it at that? Setting the bar too high, people. Already we're seeing reviews saying it was good but not as good as the buzz indicates.
Excessive compliment leads to dubiousity... and dubiousity has set in, folks - and if for me, then I'm sure for others that have yet to see this film. How seriously would you take this statement... "Vote for Al Gore.. he'll be the best damn president you've ever seen!" There ya go. Over the top. Gimme a break.
BWP is morphing into a fanboy cult hypefest with over a month to go before it hits the theaters. Artisan needs to get its buzz-doctors in gear NOW and get this thing moving in the direction they want it to, before it runs them over.
Maybe it's my own fault for reading this stuff. -
Blair Witch Project, from everywhere I have read, was improvised. The crew had the "discoveries" plotted out and the actors *were -acting-, but the dialogue was being written as events happened. So, what can you seriously do about a few clunky lines here and there? You can't go back for another take. *** One thing I've noticed, is that when the movie first started gaining steam at Sundance, people seemed to really get in to it, to understand it... But now as the audience and hype becomes more mainstream, there's a lot of people who don't appreciate the concept for what it is. When reviews popped up after Sundance, the idea I was hearing from everyone who had seen it was "verisimilitude" (ie like real). Now, it's all "revolutionary horror flick." And I'm not really sure if that's going to sit as well in the bellies of a more mainstream audience when they see the movie. Film is a lot like opera (props to Pratchett) in that it's not supposed to be real. The hill-billies still have white teeth, and everyone comes up with witty dialogue all the time. What Blair Witch is, is a break from that. It's very much like you are seeing actual footage of an actual event. We've all seen "eye-witness video" of tornadoes and crimes, and the camera DOES shake... like mad. And people use cliches when they talk, and they do say stupid things what are not grammatically correct. Geez... I don't even want to think about how bad this post is... But I do know one thing, like Blair Witch, it's real.
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I cannot believe how many of you seem to have been suckered into believing the hype. Take a step back and look at what you are writing. " Apparently they were too creeped out to watch the film in the dark, but were also too engrossed to actually walk out."
Give me a fucking break! BWP will go down in history as a landmark achievement. When the smoke clears that achievement will have been for pioneering the first somewhat successful guerilla-style internet marketing campaign through "testimonials" like we've seen on these pages. Why would someone go to pains to illustrate the fact that those who've seen on video would want to go back? What kind of pussy would actually hide in the back of the theater if he/she had seen the film already?
Before I go, I'll ask for a moment of silence for a little film called SixStringSamurai that was going to change our lives last year (according to AICN and its devotees). -
I saw THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT at an advance screening in New York City Thursday evening. For those of you who saw it also, please try to refrain from giving away the plot points so as not to ruin it for those who have not seen it yet. In today's information-overloaded society, and the omnipresence of the Internet and the Web, the pleasure of seeing a movie sight unseen without the entire story and denouement being disclosed prior to the film's release is a rare occasion indeed. Believe me, you don't want to know how the film ends until you see it.
What puzzles me the most about THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, the scariest and most terrifying film I have ever seen, is the distributor's decision to release it in the middle of the summer. The directors, Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez, have created the most heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat experience I've ever witnessed, and October would have been the ideal month to release it. I hope the film gets a major release and makes a lot of money as it truly deserves to. The performers are terrific, and the last 20 minutes are positively ruthless on the audience. What makes this film so phenomenal is its insistence to force the audience to see everything the camera sees, and the sheer terror is created by the power of suggestion. There is no overt blood or violence, and the film's methods of creating terror harken back to the golden days of radio when programs such as LIGHTS OUT! and INNER SANCTUM dominated the airwaves with horrific scenarios that used sound effects to brilliantly create terror in the minds of their listeners. The directors effectively and convincingly use the device of making one of the documentarians inexorable in her desire to photograph as much as she can while they're out in the woods, even when things go horribly wrong. Naturally, if she stopped shooting, THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT would abruptly end. Even if you figure the film out before it's over, the final shot hits you like a ton of bricks.
In 1978, when I was ten, I read a story in the newspaper that authorities found bowls of blood and human bones in the Watchung Mountains in Central New Jersey. I never knew what became of that incident, but it terrified me as I lived about 25 minutes from the site. Several years later, I was hiking in the mountains with my Boy Scout troop and became momentarily lost. I had my compass, but I became panicked and confused. Although I was lost for a few minutes, it seemed like an eternity. On yet another camping trip several scouts and myself sat in our Scoutmaster's car in a circular parking lot waiting for another troop to arrive. It was pitch black and raining. You can imagine how a 12 year-old's imagination spins under such circumstances, which is why I believe THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT terrified me so.
I've successfully avoided reading anything about the film prior to seeing it so I don't know how much the film has been hyped. In my opinion, and this is strictly my opinion of course, nothing that has been done by any other horror film director of any film that I have seen can compare to this. I really cannot say enough about the film. If it doesn't give you goosebumps, I suggest that you check your pulse. I just hope that Hollywood takes note of this film and starts making some scary movies again. It's utterly brilliant. A word of caution: If you don't like the idea of being absolutely scared out of your mind, then don't see this film. It is truly terrifying.
Oh, and like my old friend Alfred once said: please -
To those who seem to think this is some kind of hype job I would ask this question: How many commercials have you seen for BWP on TV? How many have you heard on the radio? Artisan probably has no objections to the "hype" surrounding this film, but it is definitely a grassroots movement. Frankly, I'm getting sick of the whining jerks who decide that if something gets too much good buzz, then it must be crap. Popularity does absolutely nothing to affect the artistic merit of a film. The amount of "hype" around this film pales by comparison to ANY studio film. American Pie has had more hype than BWP. So get past it. If you don't like the movie, congratulations on being so sophisticated that you aren't affected by something that affects others so viscerally. If you haven't seen it, when you do make your own decisions based on the merits of the film, not on whether some yokel says it is "overhyped".
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I don't know what to think about this movie. When I first heard about it I was intrigued. I still look forward to seeing it although, despite what most people suggested, I did try to find out about it as much as possible. What I have gathered thus far is that this is a love-it-or-hate-it movie (i have seen a few middle of the road reviews). Some say that this is a great piece of cinema and "the scariest movie I have ever seen". Others contend that it is a piece of shit and totally over hyped. Personally, I believe as this movie gains some attention in the mainstream, it will become huge. A lot of fucking people will see this movie. I look forward to a good scare, which is something a film hasn't given me in some time. I expect Blair Witch to be a good movie, not a life changing experience. As far as the shitty portion of the reviews go, well, if you think about it, do you really care? I can't recall a bad review stopping me from seeing a movie that I was genuinely looking forward to. Also, if Blair Witch is a success, I expect a lot of ripoffs, although I can't see how it could be ripped off without said ripoff looking obvious. Remember that what is scary is subjective. Everyone is scared by something different.The very concept of being lost in the woods with no food and some unseen force seeking to torture and murder me kinda frightens me. Point is, I want to see it. A lot of people are going to. If its good, that's great, if it sucks, oh well. It wouldnt be the first time any of us has wasted time and money watching a movie that we hated.
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So we have a new format, digital stock is going to replace film. Until it's perfected we're using our high 8's, it's cheaper, but our work shouldn't get cheaper. BLAIR WITCH is another CELEBRATION (the high 8 film that made it to theaters) another movie made with rules, put togehter through improv, no scripts, actors not knowing what they are going to find...we're not making movies, we're making experiments. There's no execution of the filmmaking craft here. And this comparison to real films like EXORCIST, is bullshit. This is film isn't scary, it's hardly suspenseful. This comparison is going bite them on the ass.
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Jun 25, 1999 12:30:26 PM CDT
FANBOYS, DECIDE FOR YOURSELVES. There's a faint whiff of "hype"
by alexandra dupont
Okay, now this really IS getting ridiculous. While I certainly believe that a lot of people are enjoying this film, and that not all of them are
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I don't work for Artisan, and I'm not part of some ridiculous conspiracy to hype this movie. The fact is, it rocks, and I can't understand what movie that guy Powers saw. I mean, what a thick-headed, emotionless moron. Every single person in the theater I saw this film in, was freaked out of their skulls. There were some laughs, but that's because the movie is WELL WRITTEN and often quite funny, before it enters the hellish, non-stop tension phase. There's nothing wrong with Hype. This isn't Hype, anyway. This is a forum for people to shout about movies that they LOVE, and want others to see. That's all I want. I will tell everyone I know to see this film, and hopefully they'll like it also. This movie is the real deal. I aint' no pussy, and I couldn't sleep last nite. No shit. This movie gets right under your skin, and stays there.
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Jun 25, 1999 12:42:39 PM CDT
It's a sad day when I'm called a "moron" for encouraging people
by alexandra dupont
I think my subject head says it all. Hope the movie's as good as you say it is.
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Okay, no more using the word. "lad." No problem, boyo. Laughing, Alexandra.
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Then maybe I could have totally avoided reading info about this movie. As it stands now I have gone from curious and somewhat excited about this film to "I'll probably see it eventually". I haven't seen the film, so I can't agree or disagree with JMS powers, but I can see where he's coming from. I have strongly Loathed (capital L) several "indie" films which everyone told me were the thing to see. Swingers is probably the best example I can think of. Everybody hyped up that film like it was the second coming. I went in with an open mind. I was so bored and disgusted that I walked out. I really hope that's not going to be the case with BWP. I will try to go in with an open mind, but I have already heard too much pro and con. For the people arguing about the "use your imagination school of horror" if you don't want to show the witch, demon or whatever, you better make it DAMN convincing that it's there and something to be afraid of, cause movies are all about exposition (being a visual medium and all). As to the whole "reality" aspect of it. That's a big fat minus in my book. If I wanted to see reality and shaky shitty camera work, I'd watch Fox's reality TV shows.
Anyone ever see Woody Allens "Manhatten Murder Mystery"? That movie almost made me puke from all the jerky camera work. I'm sure that some of you will feel the need to tear me apart over this, but I'm just being honest. When I first heard the concept, I thought, "sounds kinda cool". Concepts do not a good movie make, images are the language of cinema. And just because something is real (or even real seeming) doesn't make it good. If you enjoyed it good, I hope I do too, but realize, a movie (especially one that I pay $8 to go see) needs to be fun to watch. Otherwise, I'd just assume watch TV. So, with some trepidation and a little glimmer of hope, I await the coming of BWP and truly do want it to not suck. -
I don't know if I'd go so far as to attribute Artisan with the level of net hype. Maybe but I have my doubts about that. I think it's sincere, that people really like the movie this much. But my point is that this kind of gushing about a movie brings one's point of reference into question. Sure, maybe BWP was indeed the scariest movie you've ever seen. Maybe "The Waterboy" was the funniest movie you've ever seen too. It's relative.
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... and I'll never go camping again either! (because I fuckin' hate camping... that's why!)
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While I disagree with what Vealchop had to say about hype ( and regardless of what later posters have said, the "hype" on this film is pretty much limited to what goes around on the film-fan websites - compare that to, oh for instance, Wild Wild West, or Mystery Men), I do agree with him/her/it about Six String Samurai. My God, Harry. What the hell were you thinking? I had to shut off my VCR 20 minutes into the film, it was so bad. Three bucks shot in the ass.
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My BS detector is going haywire. I, too, will see this film and judge it for myself, but I don't think I've ever seen a movie where the Talkbacks are FILLED to the brim with people who have gotten to see advanced screenings. I mean, seriously, over half of the postings here are from people who say they've seen the film. I also find it hard to believe that Harry hasn't been getting ANY negative reviews of this movie. If he's going to run gushing reviews for BWP EVERY day, then the least he could do is post ONE descenting opinion. Now, Harry is posting another positive review of another Artisan movie - surprise, surprise many more gushing reviews in the Talkbacks from "ordinary people" who got advanced tickets. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark......
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It's true. Everyone who has raved about "Blair Witch" is secretely being paid off by Artisan Films. In fact, Harry himself, who liked the film, is actually a mindless puppet controlled by the film's producers. Artisan and Haxan are paying me over $1,000 a week to go on-line, rave about the film, and sucker you poor mindless wretches into seeing it. The "Blair Witch" hype machine is truly one of the great conspiracies of all time, rivalling the JFK assassination cover-up, the Area 51 group, and the so-called "deaths" of Elvis, Marilyn Monroe and Jim Morrison.
Seriously, does it occur to any of you folks who object to the "hype" that most of the people who have seen BWP actually LIKED it and want to say so? Do you think they're lying when they say it's the scariest film they've ever seen? Does it occur to you that SOME people don't think Jason killing someone with a garden weasel is scary, and prefer less overt shocks, enjoying the understated nature of THIS film?
My guess is that Harry HASN'T gotten all that many negative reviews of BWP because it IS a good movie, and the vast majority of viewers have been genuinely scared by it. That doesn't mean that any of you are expected to like it, be scared by it or even see it for that matter.
As I suspect millions of people will go see this movie in general release, there will be those who love it, think it's great and swear by it, AND there will be those who laugh at it and think that it's all just a bunch of badly-filmed hooey.
Having seen BWP, I find myself in the former group, since I am sick unto death of slashers, mutants, cannibals, vampires and similarly dusty, boring monsters and predictable plotlines. Some of you don't like the fact that you never see the Blair Witch and never know for certain what's going on -- that's fine. It's just not the kind of filmmaking you find appealing. On the other hand, there are a LOT of us who appreciate the chances that the filmmakers took, and saw this film in the spirit in which it was intended.
If you don't want to play the game, if you want slavering FX-generated monsters, severed heads, splattering blood, disembowelments, decapitations, chainsaws, bloody knives or nutcases in Halloween masks, you will NOT like BWP. If you want something more subtle and intellectual, however, I recommend the film highly. Check it out before you start raving one way or the other -- it's an experience you will probably enjoy. -
I'm am sick and tired of the blind fanboyism that is dominating movie appreciation these days. Either they hate something just to be different, or they love something just to be different. These Counter-Geeks go into a film, fully loaded on hype with their carving knives at the ready, and actively TRY to destroy a film that's been praised. Or, they turn away from glaring flaws and embrace Jar Jar. Most of the positive reviews I've read of The Phantom Menace can be summed up with "Man, I don't know why I love it -- it just ROCKS!" Now, with The Blair Witch Project, I'm starting to see some negative reviews (albeit, a very few negative reviews amidst a legion of raves) which can be summed up with "This movie just SUCKS. It just DOES." And none of this is helped by people on the sidelines who HAVEN'T seen the movie yet and who chime in with their BS meters (which pisses me off to no end, as it tries to invalidate informed opinions with uninformed skepticism,) or "My friend said..." comments. Having seen The Blair Witch Project myself, I can comfort myself in being able to intelligently embrace or discard any of the early reviews as I see fit. I consider myself lucky to have seen the film early, because I have no doubts that come July 16, BWP is going to be torn apart by idiotic fanboys who scream "THIS is supposed to be scary?!" or "BWP? BFD!" I beg those of you who have yet to see the film to stop reading about it, avoid any reviews or fan comments, and JUST SEE IT. Funny thing is -- I saw BWP after a lot of the hype had already started, and I was still scared shitless. Why is it so easy to tear things down, but so hard to praise things these days?
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Oh, whatever, Speedy. To write off people as
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Ryder's comments about the hype on BWP vs. studio releases is appreciated, but I am referring to a different sort of hype..that of the grassroots variety. Listen, the filmmaking collective has already proven themselves computer savvy (check out their website, it's markedly better than the film), so is it out of the realm of possibility that they could help to orchestrate a net crusade? It is actually not too dissimilar philosphically from the street-level guerilla campaign that the PI filmmakers embarked on last summer when they threw up PI stickers on every NYC surface imaginable.
And I also agree with zappowbam that there will be many cases like the disillusioned mr. powers...but everyone should figure it out for themselves.
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I don't think I've ever seen a scary movie before, at least not since my mom took the training wheel off my tricycle. How can you sit in a theater full of popcorn-munching nincompoops and actually feel threatened? Most intuitive directors know that movies are better off trying to be unsettling than downright scary -- Roman Polanski comes to mind here. So does Stanley Kubrick, whose Eyes Wide Shut opens on the very same day and will undoubtedly be far more surreal and disturbing than Blair Witch Project. I can't imagine running for the exits just because of some unsteady Dogme '95 camerawork that is naively intended to be realistic. That idea is so antiquated that it has become almost charming, like a porn film from the 1920's. And I am unhappy to hear that there is an actual witch prowling the forest. I thought the campers just got lost without rations while searching for said witch. Either way, lousy plot. So forgive Artisan for being vigilant, bumptious and pushy. What all this hype really amounts to will be about three or four million in ticket sales. Tops.
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To Zappow, yes, my BS meter is going off (sorry if that pisses you off, genius). However, I don't think that my skepticism was "uninformed." In fact, I think I layed out quite clearly why I suspect that some of the reviews here may not be from us common folk. My major suspicion lies in the shear quantity of posters here who just happenned to have seen the movie and who all decided to post to AICN. The proportion of Talkbackers who have already seen the movie is way beyond anything I have ever seen on this site (and I've been visiting this site before Talkback was even an option). Alexandra, again, makes some good points: the reviews are uniformly well written - not to mention the similarities in content and style within the reviews. To be frank, most of the reviewers (and posters for that matter) here aren't Phi Beta Kappa members. The good grammar, lack of typos, and correct spellings ARE unusual for this site. So, do I believe there is some sort of conspiracy out there? Nope. I trust Moriarty's opinions, as I do Harry's. And I still am very intrigued with this film and am genuinely hoping that I enjoy it - it sounds like an awesome idea. What I do know is that Hollywood has taken notice of AICN. Ever since B&R bombed and ID4 made a ton of dough, I think Hollywood suspects Harry can really make or break a film with the positive or negative buzz his site gives a film. And I certainly would NOT put it beyond a studio - major or otherwise - to attempt to use this to their own respective advantages.
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To Zappow, yes, my BS meter is going off (sorry if that pisses you off, genius). However, I don't think that my skepticism was "uninformed." In fact, I think I layed out quite clearly why I suspect that some of the reviews here may not be from us common folk. My major suspicion lies in the shear quantity of posters here who just happenned to have seen the movie and who all decided to post to AICN. The proportion of Talkbackers who have already seen the movie is way beyond anything I have ever seen on this site (and I've been visiting this site before Talkback was even an option). Alexandra, again, makes some good points: the reviews are uniformly well written - not to mention the similarities in content and style within the reviews. To be frank, most of the reviewers (and posters for that matter) here aren't Phi Beta Kappa members. The good grammar, lack of typos, and correct spellings ARE unusual for this site. So, do I believe there is some sort of conspiracy out there? Nope. I trust Moriarty's opinions, as I do Harry's. And I still am very intrigued with this film and am genuinely hoping that I enjoy it - it sounds like an awesome idea. What I do know is that Hollywood has taken notice of AICN. Ever since B&R bombed and ID4 made a ton of dough, I think Hollywood suspects Harry can really make or break a film with the positive or negative buzz his site gives a film. And I certainly would NOT put it beyond a studio - major or otherwise - to attempt to use this to their own respective advantages.
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For the people who saw THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and didn't like it: fine. That's your opinion. But I don't understand why you have to come here in Talkback and either (A) give away the plot (B) tell us not to see it or (C) both. Thanks to a few people who felt it necessary to spoil the film for others, I now know the ending, and a few major plot points that would have otherwise surprised me. Some of you hated the movie because it wasn't scary enough. So there weren't any dismembered limbs flying around. So there wasn't any blood or "monster." And what if the filmmakers decided to show carnage? Then you'd all be bitching about how fake it looked. Some of you say that you could have made this movie yourselves. Well? Take your daddy's camcorder out of the closet, and let's see what you can do. I mean, isn't the movie SUPPOSED to look amateurish? Again, everyone's entitled to his or her opinion. Personally, I didn't think JAWS or SILENCE OF THE LAMBS was scary. But I just wish you wouldn't have to spoil it for those who haven't seen BLAIR WITCH yet.
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Alexandra, I disagree that it is weird to find dissenting opinions that lead to raving attacks and flames on this site. What is weird is for the flames to be so articulate.....hmmm. Anyway, someone else stated that perhaps the paucity of negative reviews for BWP on this site is due simply to the fact that Harry is getting exclusively positive reviews for the movie. That's certainly possible, but I kind of doubt it. More likely, I think Harry just (legitamitely) really likes BWP and is posting reviews that he receives that correspond with his viewpoint. I think there are people out there who have seen it and dislike it, thoguh. There are a fair number of talkbackers who claim to have seen the movie and say that it was NOT the scariest movie ever and that it will NOT prevent them from going camping again. JMS (of all people) even gave a well-reasoned post as to why he disliked the film - but that, in turn, is just dismissed as him being a "counter-geek" who dislikes something just because it is becoming popular. My guess is that Harry has, in fact, received some negative reviews of BWP, but because he really liked the movie and wants it to do well, he posts only the positive ones (leading to a positive buzz)- and, hey, it's his site and he's got every right to do that (if that is, in fact, the case). However, that being said, I, for one, would appreciate hearing from a few dissenters out there - if they do exist - not because I have it in for the movie (like I said, I'm still pretty excited about it), but b/c I like reading everyone's opinion regardless of whether I will ultimately agree with it or not.
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I think it's absurd to imply that Artisan is somehow generating insincere buzz on the net. The fact is a lot of people feel very passionately about this film and are doing everything they can to get the word out. Artisan has nothing to do with all the comments on AICN talkbacks or Haxan's bulletin board, or the reported 10+ million hits that blairwitch.com has gotten in the last couple months.
You may not agree with the hype, but at least it's coming from sincere fans and not from Entertainment Tonight or Access Hollywood. -
PDaddy, I wasn't directing my comments specifically towards you, "genius," so relax. Honestly, I hadn't even read your comments until now. The fact that you take such specific offense on this says more about your integrity than mine. Secondly, if you haven't seen BWP, then yes, your opinion of the film's quality is uninformed. As for the quantity of people who've seen BWP early, the film's been making the rounds in underground film circles for a couple of YEARS now. And since its successful debut at Sundance, Artisan has wisely held several word of mouth screenings to get people talking about it. (It's working, isn't it?) Obviously, if the film was bad, the word of mouth on BWP would be negative and Artisan would try to cover it up. However, the OPPOSITE has happened. If you have a problem with that, blame the filmmakers for making a noteworthy film. And I'm sorry the world has gone so far into the toilet that you now trust those with bad grammar and poor spelling skills over those who show at least the minimal intelligence necessary to convey a coherent thought. Could Artisan be pumping fake fan reviews and posts across the internet? You bet. Do they NEED to? No. And if you're skeptical of all the raves this film is receiving, then I ask you to also be skeptical of the few people who are bashing it -- which was the point of my last post. Don't dismiss one over the other until you've actually SEEN the film. Having endured so many disappointing films over the last few years, I find it odd that my enthusiasm over a film is perceived to not be genuine by those who haven't even seen the film. Based on the conspiracists in this Talk Back, I could just as easily say that all of the anti-BWP people work for Warner Bros. and are trying to eliminate any competition with Eyes Wide Shut -- and I would be just as foolish as them for saying so.
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Jun 25, 1999 7:11:45 PM CDT
Elvis and Kennedy's REAL killers planning hostile takeover of Ar
by the tasty greek
I don't claim to know (although I wouldn't be completely surprised) whether all the raves are legit, or whether all the slams spring from true criticism or whatever. I was pretty jazzed to see this movie, but I'm really getting second thoughts.
Anyone remember "Albino Aligator"? I was ready for that to be the best damn film I'd ever seen. The premise, the cast, and first-time director Kevin Spacey had me drooling to see it. Then, I gathered a big group of friends and rented it, and lo and behold it was dull and felt flat. I was totally let down, and ashamed I had told anyone to watch it. After reading the earlier post that bears more than a passing resembleance to my "Albino" experience, I'm concerned that BWP is going to go much the same way- a movie with an intriguing premise that just doesn't execute. I've never really felt fear or even mild unease while watching a movie, so the fact that it's a horror flick doesn't help, either.
Oh, and P.S.: Raging Bull is the most overrated piece of crap I've ever seen. -
Jun 25, 1999 7:44:34 PM CDT
One last time...I can't speak for the other "HYPE" conspirators
by the tall man
...I don't work for ARTISAN, I just want to see the damn thing. I live in Missouri for God's sake! I will probably not be able to see this flick unless it goes wide and I just wanted to spread the word. Yeah, it seems the hype is way out of control and very well may backlash - or will it? I DON'T KNOW. BUT, go up to Joe Schmoe on the street and ask him if he's heard of EPISODE 1, WILD WILD WEST or even EYES WIDE SHUT and 99 out of 100 you will hear "Yes" if not also be slapped for asking a stupid question. Now try it with BWP. Most mainstream America has no idea what the hell it is or even heard of it. As far as all the posts that have already seen it...ARTISAN has held many previews, it's played multiple festivals, last Tuesday there were nationwide exhibitor screenings that many Joe Pulblic's snuck into, and probably even more responible is the rampant bootleg availability. I know you will all concur once and for all that I'm getting some type of check from the company with this comment, but I have told my buds to wait to send me the boots. I'm dying to see this and I want to see it right. GODZILLA? I saw that it sucked in the commercials LONG before it came out. EPISODE 1? I began to have my doubts early in the campaign. WWW? I like the giant robot, spider blowing everything up, however, it looks pretty bad. BWP? Well, I pretty much know the whole damn movie now from too much info and too many pissed off spoilers. However, all I've got to do is watch the teaser again or check out the poster and I'm back in the game man! I love horror. I hate SCREAM and it's backlash. This looks fresh and serious. I just want to see the damn thing and don't want to see a new, possibly cool type of horror film, that supposedly attempts to actually be scary and not "hip" or "funny"....damn it, I just don't want to see it bomb so after SCREAM 3 comes out and sucks everybody will start saying "Horror is DEAD" again. I posted the theater list because I was thrilled to find it. It was killing me not knowing where it was going to be and when I finally saw they had released the info, I wanted to get it to my fellow fanboys who were dying of suspense as well. Lastly, all this net hype is really preaching to the converted. Since it seems we may have hit the saturation point with the hardcores, and now could be hurting the flick more than helping it, I rest my case. Beast wishes ALL. Thanks Harry.
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Jun 25, 1999 7:47:13 PM CDT
One last time...I can't speak for the other "HYPE" conspirators
by the tall man
...I don't work for ARTISAN, I just want to see the damn thing. I live in Missouri for God's sake! I will probably not be able to see this flick unless it goes wide and I just wanted to spread the word. Yeah, it seems the hype is way out of control and very well may backlash - or will it? I DON'T KNOW. BUT, go up to Joe Schmoe on the street and ask him if he's heard of EPISODE 1, WILD WILD WEST or even EYES WIDE SHUT and 99 out of 100 you will hear "Yes" if not also be slapped for asking a stupid question. Now try it with BWP. Most mainstream America has no idea what the hell it is or even heard of it. As far as all the posts that have already seen it...ARTISAN has held many previews, it's played multiple festivals, last Tuesday there were nationwide exhibitor screenings that many Joe Pulblic's snuck into, and probably even more responible is the rampant bootleg availability. I know you will all concur once and for all that I'm getting some type of check from the company with this comment, but I have told my buds to wait to send me the boots. I'm dying to see this and I want to see it right. GODZILLA? I saw that it sucked in the commercials LONG before it came out. EPISODE 1? I began to have my doubts early in the campaign. WWW? I like the giant robot, spider blowing everything up, however, it looks pretty bad. BWP? Well, I pretty much know the whole damn movie now from too much info and too many pissed off spoilers. However, all I've got to do is watch the teaser again or check out the poster and I'm back in the game man! I love horror. I hate SCREAM and it's backlash. This looks fresh and serious. I just want to see the damn thing and don't want to see a new, possibly cool type of horror film, that supposedly attempts to actually be scary and not "hip" or "funny"....damn it, I just don't want to see it bomb so after SCREAM 3 comes out and sucks everybody will start saying "Horror is DEAD" again. I posted the theater list because I was thrilled to find it. It was killing me not knowing where it was going to be and when I finally saw they had released the info, I wanted to get it to my fellow fanboys who were dying of suspense as well. Lastly, all this net hype is really preaching to the converted. Since it seems we may have hit the saturation point with the hardcores, and now could be hurting the flick more than helping it, I rest my case. Beast wishes ALL. Thanks Harry.
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this is the review that i sent to harry, which he didn't post.
in response to the 'conspiracy' of having too many people seeing the film already, Artisan has been going around the country and offering free previews in select towns, so it's not surprising to see so many reviews already.
Caught a screening of the Blair Witch Project recently here in Minnesota, and I must say it's absolutely crap-tacular. I can't even conceive how anyone would think this is scary, let alone think that this is one of the most frightening movies ever made. So, it's about four friends who go in the forest to make a documentary about Blair Witches, and while camping out in the forest, they hear voices and footsteps outside their tent and they awake in the morning to see (gasp) rocks in piles and (shreek) a bundle of twigs. oohhh scary. twigs. It seems that the directors wanted to suck you into thinking that this might be happening to your friends, but dear god, i hope that I'll never have friends as pissy and annoying as the actors that were in this movie. It wasn't just me feeling this way, as all of the people I talked to after leaving this movie felt the same way as I did. Also, the movie's length of 90 min. was about 30-40 min. too long and there were loooong stretches in which absolutely nothing happens. So, anyway, as the movie goes, it builds and builds to a final conclusion that will bring the whole jumbled mess together into one final image or scene that'll leave me scared out of my pants, right? wrong. although the ending is certainly the best part of the movie, it doesn't build enough, it doesn't answer enough mind-numbing questions, and it leaves the audience confused, angry, and not the least bit scared. This is definitely the type of movie that a couple of high school punks would make some night with their dad's video camera. A complete disappointment.
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all I know is that "Silence of the Lambs" was certainly not even remotely "scary" ... so I recommend that the Artisan flunkies chose a better film to compare "BWP" to... like "Wing Commander"... now THAT was a truly frightening movie. I'll never ride in a spaceship again!
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I did NOT think this film was scary in the least. THe acting was BAD. These did not seem like people I know and the dialouge was NOT dialouge that real people would say. As for the shaky camera work, it was created to add realism. Sure, a steadycam would NOT have worked for this film BUT the shakyness was WAY overdone. I have a home video camera and I certrainly don't shake it like that. Im not saying Blair Witxch is a bad movie. It's pretty good and it is VERY creative. Dont let people tell you this is the greatest film of the year or some of the nonscence Ive heard. It's not THAT good. Its an enjoyable couple of hours but it's not something I'd want to sit through again.
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The review by Jesse Ventura a few up from this about the movie not being scary in the least, just four friends go into the woods and are scared by rocks and twigs, yadda yadda yadda... sorry, Mr. Governor, you either haven't seen the fucking movie, or else you can't tell the difference between three and four. (I'm guessing it's the first one) I try to be open-minded about opinions being like assholes and all that, but i honestly can't fathom the venom i'm seeing about the movie.... As to the "Artisan planting people" conspiracy theory, i think that's bullshit too. The reason people are posting articulate commentary is that people are impassioned about the movie (and, dare I say, it may just be because intelligent, articulate people are impassioned about it and we're two smaret too maek typoes. : )
I don't want to overdo the hype myself, mainly i want to say it was a damned good movie (you'll note i'm trying my best not to give spoilers) and point out that many of the negative reviews i have seen here sound like they're coming from people who haven't seen the movie and just want to blow steam (not naming names, but they rhyme with JMS Power).... I saw the movie at a friend's home, on video, with no foreknowledge at all, and had not read the hype, so I have no idea how it will play in a theater setting. But it was more effective at setting a mood and scaring the pants out of me than any movie in recent memory, and yes, that includes classics like Rosemary's Baby, which someone mentioned earlier. The post about the camera being too wobbly... yeah, right, you try being chased by the undead in the woods and keeping your camcorder steady sometime : ) (granted, the camcorder continuing to roll is a bit silly, but it's nowhere near as dumbassed as the behavior of the protagonists in nearly every horror movie ever made... Michael Myers moves at about what, the speed of a quadraplegic turtle?). If at all possible, get hold of a Men in Black memory wiper thingie and zap all knowledge about the hype, both positive and negative, out of your mind and try to see the movie as if you didn't know what you were getting into.....
all that said, Harry, if you get any articulate negative reviews that sound like they came from someone who actually SAW the movie, it would be a good idea to post at least one, to give a counterpoint. The ones in the talkbacks so far haven't swayed my opinion one bit, except to make me defensive about what i consider to be an excellent film (obviously). -
It's pitch dark. You're lying in bed, eyes open. You've just been awakened by something. You stare into the blackness and whisper "Who's there?" No answer. You hear the noise again. It sounded like the floor creaking. God, let it just be the floor creaking. Then you feel warm gusts of air on your face. Something is standing right above you, so close you can feel its breath. Afraid to make a sound, you slowly reach over, find the light switch, and--- The next morning they find you in your bed, dead from a heart attack, face pointed upward, frozen in a silent and everlasting scream. What was it that scared you to death? What was it? Do you know? The people who made the Blair Witch Project sure do.
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This movie is just a rip off of Cannibal Holocaust. I would hardly call it ground breaking or original.
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...and Star Wars was a rip off of The Hidden Fortress. With all due respect to Master Kurosawa, which film had more impact on the world? At a Fangoria convention a few weeks ago, the Blair Witch filmmakers claimed they never saw Cannibal Holocaust before making BWP, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt even if no one else around here does. What's more important to me is that BWP is the right film at the right time, and I think it will give the tired horror genre the shot in the arm it so desperately needs, and completely without all the gore of Cannibal Holocaust. And in regards to some of the recent negative reviews to appear here, I find it hard to respect the comments of those who show absolutely no regard for others and reveal spoilers about a mystery-based film like this. If you don't understand why I bring this up, then I seriously doubt you know what the hell you're talking about when "reviewing" BWP -- or ANY film, for that matter.
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they all have they attention span of knats but are Iron Giant and Blair Witch Project actually the same movie? (Damn their goes the be nice to people promise!)
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First i have not sen the film...However with a copy of the tape floating around my office (If only theyd would bring it back from their huose and let me watch the damn thing....) the people who have seen it....(who could not wait in part of they hype they were reading on this site) came back dissapointed. It does seem that there are artisan PR flacks using this site in an attempt to compensate for thier lack of TV advertising. Yes I DO belive that.
My adivice is to go in with a onuce of skeptisim (If this movie is so damn good as TALL MAN says then it should surive your skeptisim and prove to be good...)
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I am so fucking sick of this "it's an Artisan campaign" shit.
Listen, folks; this is a cool web site and all, but it ain't gonna make or break any movie. It didn't kill Batman and Robin, the director of that movie killed it. In the case of these reviews, there may have been a ringer or two thrown in, but i firmly believe that the majority of people who have enthusiastically posted about this movie represents the facts that (a), the movie is readily available in bootleg circles, (b), people have gotten to see advance screenings, and (c), the movie catches the imagination of some people who feel excited to see a horror movie that's actually scary for a change.
The conspiracy nuts... and yes, that's what you are, nuts... seem to believe any good review must be from someone on the payroll at Artisan. The fact they aren't filled with typos is seen as another piece of "proof" of the grand conspiracy... or, in my case, that I simply know how to spell!!! Jesus H. Crelm, people, quit looking for sinister conspiracies. Just be glad for a movie to be getting a good grassroots buzz because the movie happens to kick ass, not because a studio throws tens of millions of dollars into promoting it. -
This whole grass root internat thing is BS. After reading some of the posts (TALL MAN in particular)
I'm more convinced than ever there are Artisan PR Flacks posting on the site trying to create buzz where none exisits since aritisan is under capitalized they can not afford at large TV marketing campagin. I'm skepital of this films for two reasons....
1. THERE ARE LOADS OF TAPES FLOATING AROUND THE SOURCE OF THESE TAPES SEEM TO COME FROM ARTISAN....Yep I find it intresting that many production compsines in LA are seeing a high qulaity transfoer of the film on tape. If these were bootlegs ARTISAN would be screaming from the rooftopd over copyright violations but weve heard no word from them on this subject?
2. POSTS THAT ARE WAYYYY OUT OF CHARACTER FOR ACIN TALKBACKS...."I swear on the bible that the acting is the best ever.." "Ill never go camping again..." these sond like the've eminated from Artisan Marketing rather than "grass roots" responses. I'm also seeing posts that are saying they used real footage of real peope who were lost and never seen again: well that is total BULL SHIT! And back to the tapes people who are seeing the movie are saying its a total disapoinment. They talk about how the characters act unrealisicly and that nothing really happens. I find that the real fanboy hype here is in response to the TRAILER (and i'll be the first to admit its a good trailer) but Artisan knows the movie is only so so. So they are trying to buy thier opeing weekend with a internet hype campagin. (They did this last year with PI by posting the PI symbol everywhere in large US cities so when people finally saw the newspaper Ads for PI they immedalty had reconition and went to see the film I liked PI but i know many who did not and felt cheated by the marketing ARTISAN did.) My advice is be careful when you see posts raving about acting (All is improved which NEVER has worked on a large scale..) or posting every theatre that will show it includidng telephone numbers...This is HYPE by a film company we are BEING DUPED>>>>>>>> -
In respose to those who feel that there should not be spoliers posted on this site..WHAT THE $%#$TF#%$ were you thinkng I thought that was the object of this site....Was to protect us from crap and yes that might also mean BWP remeber if your an Artisan PR flack the last thing you want is what little suspense/mystery this what is turing out to be crappy flim has to be let out since you know the film cant hold up. I find it intresting those who have posted spoliers on their posts have given us ample and fair warning of what is to come..Yet I'm seeing them constantly trashed. This is why i'm skeptical of the gushing love this flim is getting. If the flim is good then it should surivie no problem at all...Only a Artisan Pr flack would be concerned and trash a poster who gave a WARNING that there was going to be a spoilers ahead...We are being played....Big time when you feel cheated make sure you ask Artisan for a refund....There adress is 2700 Colorado Blvd. in Santa Monica CA
Ohhhh but I bet thats a Spolier for BWP too all Artisian Pr flacks can direct their hate mail to Bankofkev@aol.com -
bankofkev@hotmail.com
sorry -
Jun 27, 1999 2:05:59 PM CDT
So if the camera moves and you get sick THAT makes it a good mov
by 20th century fox
Another part of this hype machine from artisan is telling about the jittery camera and how it makes you feel nauesous...First off so many were riping Michael Bay a new asshole on Armaggedon for the SAME THING....2. Yes in those docu's we see on the discovery chanel about tornados the camera does move a bit but you still see the image...quite clearly...ONLY a artisan PR flack would rave about that...COME ON WAKE UP!!!!That to me is not cool that to me shows just crappy filmmkaking....My BS meter has hit Def-Con 1....Beep...beep...beep...beep...beep..beep....beeep......beeep.....beep. Yes I check the web site it looks good but so did the Aramaggedon web site...
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Yes, the camera is jittery. And it adds to the realism, therefore, it is a successful addition to the film experience. Ever watched anyone's home videos, say if they were filmed while walking through the woods? We're not talking footage that the characters had intended to include in their documentary, here. The conceit of the movie is that one of the filmmakers is videotaping what goes on behind the scenes, as a personal journal of the experience. The footage that is on film tends to be steadier and more in keeping with the look of Discovery Channel type documentaries. The footage from her video camera is jittery and realistic. I can understand your skepticism, but it's unfounded, honestly. It felt like watching someone's home movies of a weekend that goes horribly wrong. Some friends did feel queasy after watching it, and whined about needing seasickness medicine, but these are people whose tastes and opinions are generally shit to me ("I can't wait for the Super Dave Osborne movie!"-- actual quote from one of em)...... to me, the disoriented feeling of the jittery camera works to make Blair Witch Project more visceral and "real", and that made me care more about what was going on onscreen. And i came to that conclusion myself, with no help from Artisan, and didn't even visit their web site or read a single aint it cool piece on the movie until after i had seen it.
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Jun 27, 1999 3:16:54 PM CDT
Even the home moives still could gety a clear image..
by 20th century fox
Yes and when you watched those home movies of tornados yes the camera shook and yeas they image was jittery but not to the point
where you could not tell whats going on... -
You CAN make out what's going on. Once you see the movie, you'll see what i mean... just because the camera shakes doesnt make it incomprehensible. There are a few scenes with no light, where you are hearing the voices of the characters as they worry about what's in the darkness. I can't even imagine the impact that scene will have in a darkened theater; i watched the movie in a well-lit living room, and it still unnerved me. You're insisting that the hype can't be trusted... lemme tell you, the anti-hype can't be trusted, either. Wait to pass judgement on the camera work until you've actually seen the movie.
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As I sit here and read through the various responses posted here, I find it amazing that all you people are being sucked into this "Best-Horror-Movie-Ever VS Worst-Piece-Of-Crap-Ever" Battle. It's a friggin' film folks! Is this movie going to be the defining moment in your lives? Apparently,from what I've read here. I swear, the only reason people are posting conflicting reviews is JUST to post conflicting reviews! It's like you all needed a war to fight, and this unknown, independant film happened to be the battle field. Love the film, or hate it. Just remember to move on....
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if not for the fact that this is a web site devoted to people who love movies. Not casual viewers. Not passersby. Full-fledged card-carrying film geeks, who loooovve movies and the whole film experience. If you don't care to read that, by all means, check out the Internet Movie Database; fewer opinions to deal with there.
The reason i have replied to several posts is that i believe people who haven't seen the movie are spreading their opinions way too thick, and people even seem to be reviewing the movie when they really havent seen it (see Jesse Ventura above). This is a movie that seems to inspire passionate responses on both sides. Deal with it. -
Jun 28, 1999 11:57:49 AM CDT
woo-hooo!!! I've pissed off JMS Power! Life is gooood!!!
by omarthesnake
Listen, JMS, i've seen enough of your replies about other movies to know you're just a sour, petty little man who feels by belittling others he can make himself feel big and powerful. Baloney. Your opinions don't mean shit to me, or most of the other readers here, because of that. Sorry.
As for Jesse Ventura, he got the NUMBER OF CHARACTERS WRONG!!! How the fuck do you do that if you actually SAW the movie? It's like complaining about the way they portrayed Clayface in "Batman and Robin". All credibility is shot. I don't insist on good reviews, but i have yet to see someone whose complaints i could agree with. It's a damned good movie, and i could defend it in detail scene-by-scene with no problem, though i think shitheads who feel the need to spoil the plot for those who haven't seen it are worthless... those who include Spoiler Warnings, that's different, but those who simply launch into it, are being assholes because they enjoy being assholes. And you dare call others "loser"? hah. -
This movie is actually scary as hell. Literally, it places you along with those actually on the screen into a small, private hell, and that is what freaks so many people out, IT'S SO REAL.
I also felt the need to go out and drink heavily after seeing this movie. I was shaking for 15 minutes after, and all my friends were begging me to tell them it wasn't real (I had them all under the impression that it was), he he.
Go see it, No other movie will touch this because they all have to show what it is that is scaring the actors. BLAIR WITCH does the smart thing, it lets you imagination do the work, and your own imagination has much more power to scare you because it knows what you are afraid of.
See it. -
I hated Phantom Menace as well -- but I loved The Blair Witch Project -- so that kind of kills your halfbaked logic in defending your taste. So you hated the film. Big deal. So I loved the film. Big deal. There's no way in hell that you're going to PROVE that your opinion is somehow factually "right." The real issue here is the few Anti-BWP people and their completely misguided attempts to nullify the positive opinions of those of us who HAVE seen the film by concocting some moronic theory that the majority of raves the film is receiving are really fake word-of-mouth plants made by Artisan flacks. I wonder if moviegoers who saw Jaws in 1975 were equally taken to task when they said that they'd never go swimming in the ocean again.
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You're not gonna convince any of us because we HAVE seen the movie, and we LIKED the movie. You're not going to be able to argue how any scenes could have done better because you sure as hell couldn't have done them better..... You just didn't get it, and you seem to be inexplicably angry at those of us who did get it. It's a damned good movie, and no diatribe of yours will change that. As for Jaws... Fuck Jaws, this movie WAS scarier than Jaws. As for Exorcist... well, if this is the scariest movie since that, that's quite an accomplishment. And if you didn't think it was scary, fine, whatever, just quit pretending yours is the only fucking opinion in the world and that any other opinions come from people who are on Artisan's payrolls.
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I just saw an ad for bwp in Rolling Stone mag and thought "gee, how freaky. I wonder if it's a true story..." Being of curious nature, and having access to Wonderful World Wide Web, I looked it up and found out that it is 100% fiction, and now I don't feel so intrigued. I hope that I havent spoiled it for myself by knowing the truth behind the film. I hope I'll still have the crap scared out of me. also, can't wait to see THE HAUNTING!
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I read your opinions higher up on this post and saw what you would do to "make it better" in your opinion. Basically, you want to see the horrors, not hear them. Your opinion is yours, and in my opinion and that of many others who have seen BWP, it's bull shit. This movie works perfectly as is. Sample scene: SPOILER WARNING... first night the campers hear the noises in the woods. They turn on the camera and peer out cautiously. Something in the darkness is making a noise, but they can't figure out what. You would apparently have some half-assed boogeyman jump out at them. It's a moody, chilling scene that establishes that the characters aren't safe without doing it in a hamfisted Friday The 13th kind of way. If that's the kind of movie you want, go rent a goddamned Friday the 13th tape. Quit trying to piss on the opinions of everyone else because the movie didn't cater to your gorehound fantasies. I enjoyed this movie. A movie critic I know is giving it four stars (out of four, before you ask). Not everyone I know who has seen it has enjoyed it, but they have all found it scary. Every single one of them. if you didn't, well, i feel sorry for your lack of imagination and wish you well pumping gas (cheap shot, i know, but i've taken a lot of shit from you, so heck with it).
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Jun 29, 1999 1:48:07 PM CDT
(ooh, i'm so ashamed, i shouldn't have said that last line : )
by omarthesnake
But seriously, I don't see any reason to show respect for your opinions, JMS, since you show no respect for anyone else's. I am looking forward to debating the movie tonight with a friend of mine who saw it and disliked it, but even he admits it was a creepy flick. Blair Witch Project isn't for everyone. Obviously, it's not for you. That doesn't make it bad. And the only advantage i see to your nonstop ramblings is that it will cause some people to go in the theater underestimating the movie, and they'll be scared shitless. It's a primal horror movie, not a shock value horror movie.
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You haven't slammed anything to the ground, you nimrod. The scene i described is perfectly effective as is, and doesnt need some fluttering spooky figure in the distance. Again, any scene i mention you'll make some lame "improvement" to make it more of a mainstream "Scream What You Did last Summer" crapfest. How about this one. And again, to be polite, unlike you, i'll preface this with SPOILER WARNING. How would you propose to improve this scene? Heather finds the mysterious bundle of twigs and, cradling the camcorder in one hand, carefully opens it. That is a jolting, stomach-churningly intense scene, that shows they are victims of psychological torture from whatever is out there. Please show the courtesy to others of having a spoiler warning before suggesting you "improvement" to the scene. Thanks much.
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Jun 29, 1999 7:25:34 PM CDT
by the way, JMS, not trying to pick on your spelling and grammar
by omarthesnake
but (again, other folks, SPOILER WARNINGS, so stick away from the rest of this post if you don't wanna know) i couldn't even figure out what you meant by "If you show me NOTHING VILLAN AT ALL"........ nothing villan?
you mean "violent", as in showing nothing violent, or "villain", as in, we don't get to see the witch, if there even is one? -
Saw BWP today and I have two words: thoroughly disappointed. I wanted to like it, honestly. What I saw wasn't necessarily bad at all, in fact, I liked what I saw. It was what I didn't see that upset me.
My first suggestion is simple. Find out all you can about the myth and legend that they have cooked up. Check out the web site and read all the articles you can find about it. You are going to need all this background info if you expect to be creeped out, or, for that matter, even have and understanding of what they are supposed to be dealing with. Why? Because you don't get any of that stuff in the movie. They interview a couple of locals, and they go out into the woods and get lost. The stories from the past, as told by the filmmakers and those interviewed, are ambiguous and incomplete, and they never quite hook you while you are watching the film itself.
Getting back to the point that I was upset at what I didn't see. This should have been a movie that is a documentary about the kids making a documentary. The footage could have been chopped up and spread around a movie that documents their fate, shows news footage of the search for the filmmakers, interviews of their families, professors, fellow students and locals. And give us some background on what happened so many years before. These kids are amped to make a movie about this legend, so tell me about it. I read on the time-line of Blair Witch events that in the 40's, a young toddler vanished. A search team goes out to look for her, and the girl shows up several days later unharmed. The search team, however, never comes back. They are all found mutilated later. The film itself doesn't even address the whole search team aspect of the story, which is the creepy part of it. They talk about the girl showing up unharmed, but nothing else.
The last scene of the movie starts to get a little creepy, and I was starting to get excited that this scary stuff was about to happen. And then, the credits roll! What the hell was that. There were thirty or so folks in that theater today, and everyone of us looked at each other in utter disbelief. The first words I heard from some guy was "was that supposed to scare me?" Unfortunately, that summed up all of our feelings as we all left the theater scratching our heads, dumbfounded that a film with such advance buzz and good word of mouth could be completely forgettable. Actually, I still believe that we didn't see the whole movie. Is there anything after the credits roll? The lights came up and they closed the shutter, so I guessed that was it. The lunch I ate afterward was scarier than BWP. -
Fescue, i'd disagree vehemently (obviously, if you've seen any of the previous posts) about the scare level of the movie. It's an infectiously creepy little flick that i firmly believe, as a lifelong horror fan, will go down in the record books as a great one.... it isn't meant to tell a story where the victims understand what is happening, but instead conveys the confusion and mental torture of the unknown (i fully expect the ever-redundant JMS Power to bash this comment, but whatever, let him have his sad little "fun")... this is a movie about mysterious dark forces, about not knowing what's out there in the shadows, and the fact that there are people out there who can watch it and not project themselves into the movie and get scared by it astounds me........ But back to the educational opportunities, it's got a more multimedia-ish approach which makes for an odd little experience, in that the film isn't nearly the whole story. In addition to the blairwitch.com site, which has all that information about the legend, there's a special called "Curse of the Blair Witch" coming on Sci-Fi Channel in a couple of weeks that is an hour-long "In Search Of"/ "Unsolved Mysteries" type documentary about the legend of the witch, and promises to have lots of detail to add to the backstory (it's apparently being played completely straight-faced, as if this were a real legend, when it was all made up), and that special sounds like what you're looking for as far as the search party and historical views and so on.
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Just wanted to let you know that I have your medication. You should drop by and pick it up. We need you healthy and lucid so you can tell those doctors how to cure cancer better. Also, God needs some tips on how to make His sunsets better.
As for the film, I've seen it twice, at two separate screenings in vastly different audiences. None of this "saw it on video tape in my comfy chair" bullshit. I enjoyed it a great deal. I was scared. But I grew up in the middle of the woods with these sorts of stories all around and I know what it's like to get lost in the pitch black. So my background is different.
But here's the thing -- I know not everyone will like it. Some will and do hate it. But you won't catch me trying to tell those people what stupid idiots they are for their reactions or accuse them of waging a conspiracy to doom the film for nothing more than the fact that they're in a bad mood.
By the way, if Artisan is running a stealth campaign on these boards, they're doing a terrible job of it. There are at least as many -- probably more -- negatives in talkback as there are raves.
In fact, 20th Century seems to have a particular bone to pick with Artisan. Wonder what that's all about ... makes you think. I mean, really -- his reaction is a little inappropriate, don't you think? -
I actually hope people are scared by BWP. Like I said, I enjoyed what I saw, it just didn't add up at the end.
The Vanishing (Dutch version), Picnic at Hanging Rock, and Paradise Lost: the Murders at Robin Hood Hills all made my skin crawl more than BWP. Sorry. -
Jun 30, 1999 10:04:50 AM CDT
hmmmm.... observations on your observations, JMS. (SPOILERS)
by omarthesnake
Observation One: if your girlfriend laughed at that scene, you
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that ran over two and a half hours, which predates the Sundance premiere. I assume that included the hour of background footage and fake newsreels that is included in the Sci-Fi Channel special. It will be interesting to see what people who saw the 87-minute version think of the 82-minute one, or vice-versa. with five minutes' difference, i'm not sure which i saw.
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HOLY SHIIIIIIT! Am I FUCKING hallucinating here? I must be the only fucking HUMAN in AmeriKKKa that isn't on fucking drugs! I mean, JESUS CHRIST! Did the VIDEOgraphers of this TERRIBLE waste of time pass out Acid at these screenings???? After reading and hearing all the fucking HYPE about this VIDEO I couldn't help but write my opinion because someone has to tell the movie-going audience the TRUTH!
Number 1: The Blair SHIT Project is NOT a FILM! It's a fucking Video! And an extremely SHITTY one at that. For anyone to refer to it as a movie or as a film is a FUCKING insult to REAL FILMMAKERS who use FILM!
Number 2: It's very funny how all these ARTISAN People are getting all over the internet and posting up the same fucking review for their VIDEO. And it's even FUNNIER how they're so defensive about it and are claiming that they are not affiliated with ARTISAN or any PR firm.
Number 3: I had the terrible MISFORTUNE of seeing a "special advanced screening" of this VIDEO in Pasadena and I can HONESTLY say that I've never been more PISSED OFF in my life! I was more scared watching "ERNEST SCARED STUPID."
number 4: TERRIBLE, Terrible "acting" and "dialogue." The camera work left me feeling Nauseas. I don't know about you people but I don't like getting motion sickness while watching a "movie" (oops, I meant VIDEO).
I can't believe that the VIDEOgraphers of this crap had the balls to claim that they spent more that the price of a good S.U.V. on that VIDEO! I don't know....call me crazy but since when does the price of a camcorder and a vhs tape cost over $35,000??????? You could buy 10 camcorders and 100 vhs tapes and it wouldn't cost $35,000. I mean , do they REALLY expect people to buy that load of crap?
And finally, WHERE'S THE FUCKING WITCH???? They didn't show shit! If i wanted to use my FUCKING "imagination" I'd read a GODDAMN book! WHAT A PIECE OF WORTHLESS DIARRHEA SHIT!
A RETARDED person wouldn't be scared of this bullshit VIDEO!
ARTISAN oughtta be burned to the fucking ground for that.
I mean, if it's that easy to get picked up by a major studio then fuck, Hey BOB SAGET; get a hold of ARTISAN right away! -
Jul 01, 1999 8:30:54 AM CDT
One more TALL MAN entry. Plus he figures out why JMS is so piss
by the tall man
Jesus fucking Christ! All these fucking cry babies who are whining about "P.R. flacks" and "ARTISAN flunkies" are doing more to promote this thing than the people who like it or are looking forward to it! Remember guys, no news is bad news - just as long as they spell the name right. You're damn right ARTISAN is laughing their asses off right now, but that's fine with me, I STILL want to see this damn thing! As far as my typing being better than the average AICN poster, shit, I want to write screenplays so I may type a little more than the average Joe. In all actuallity, I'm a fucking highschool drop out, so thanks for the "compliments" about my "articulate" posts, but it's incredibly sad when people are saying those who like it are lying because they're "too smart". What you only respect the opinion of morons?! As far as this JMS guy, we can all stop listening to the bullshit temper tantrum he's laying cause he gave himself away. "Name one scene and I'll tell you how they could have done it better?!" He's a frustrated filmmaker. Plain and simple. Shit man, when I heard about the flick I was PISSED OFF too! I'm not fucking around here, I WAS LIVID!!! "A bunch of motherfucking punks with a camcorder got into SUNDANCE and got a 2 MILLION dollar deal and a summer theatrical release?!!!" What the fuck is going on?! I've been busting my hump for 10 years trying to get a break and do a horror flick right, to hopefully try to take this shit to the next level and I'm STILL treading water. I understand your pain JMS, I was pissed too. But then I kicked back and let the fanboy side of me take over. I relaxed and decided not to fight it - hell, maybe it will kick me in the ass into another direction, or at least help to get my passions fired again. I'm not sure if I'm going to love the flick or not anymore. I'm prepared for the flick to not adhere to any structures we've seen before - EXCEPT for in MAN BITES DOG, CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST and my favorite parts of PRINCE OF DARKNESS when we see the dream sequences of the DEVIL stepping out of the church, or HENRY where they videotape the home invasion! I thought the rest of those flicks sucked, but I LOVED THAT BIT! THEY SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF ME! I WAS THERE! I wanna see a whole movie that does what those two sequences are all about. Fuck it, maybe it will suck, I know it isn't going to be hardcore in my face like EXORCIST, I'm just glad to be passionate about a film and reading and partaking in a passionate discussion about a horror film - that isn't one of those shitty SCREAM products! Will it rock or suck? It's obvious now it's going to do both depending on who sees it. Bitch and moan all you want though, I'll be there! LONG LIVE THE NEW FLESH!!! Beast wishes all!
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If KillWhitey did indeed see BWP (I also saw it at the Pasadena screening and based on the thunderous applause at the end, I'm guessing you were the guy with the Jar Jar shirt storming out of theater upset that there weren't any annoying CG creatures in the film) then KillWhitey should know that the this FILM was shot on both Hi8 color video AND 16mm B/W film. And, of course, the final product is ENTIRELY on film when projected in a theater. And what's so bad about video? Film's days are numbered. You better start getting used to digital video being the dominant format. If everyone who praises BWP is an Artisan flack, then it's only fair to assume that all of these anti-BWP online aliases belong to one single, bitter, frustrated, talentless filmmaker. Sorry, folks -- it's a two way street. If you're going to try to nullify the integrity of the landslide of positive comments, then the tiny handful of negative comments must be thrown out as well.
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Has anyone noticed that all the good reviews (with the exception of Omar here) have disappeared? But there are some new bad ones. Not sure what that means...JMS, you said the trailers were better. Well, I haven't even seen the damned film, but I scared the b'jezus out of myself just watching the bloody trailer yesterday (if that qualifies me as a wimp or a nerd, then excuse me while dust off my pocket protector). The people making the most sense here are those who suggest that the whole horror genre is subjective. When I read that someone was actually scared by "Event Horizon" I nearly choked laughing, but really, who are we to say what's scary? Some people are afraid of spiders, some are afraid of dark alleys, some are afraid of Bob Dole. I find it hard to believe that people either "have no imagination" or are "wimps." My only hope is that BWP will actually be creepy - the kind of scary that gets under your skin, like moments of Prince of Darkness or (laugh if you must) Nomads (?!). By scaring me with the trailer, BWP has already proved itself a better horror film than anything else in the 90s.
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Has everyone seen the commercials on the SCIFI Channel for a special Blair Witch Project show?
It will be on July 12. I can't wait to see the movie I get chills thinking about it!!!!!!
Hurrah for the old school horror/suspense film! -
Jul 05, 1999 2:20:24 AM CDT
Can anyone sell me or exchange a copy of the blair witch proyect
by yeyo
Can anyone sell me or exchange me a copy of the blair witch proyect...my e-mail is duron@acnet.net
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I'm glad so many people are so excited. I enjoyed it too. BUT:
1) I found all three characters very annoying. It's not a good sign when you start rooting for the witch.
2) I found myself wondering when the camcorder batteries were gonna run out. After so many days in the woods, those suckers HAD to give out sooner or later.
3) I was unable to suspend my disbelief far enough to accept that the characters were terrified at what was happening to them, but that they had their wits about them enough to turn on the cameras before fleeing madly into the woods. I know, I know--it wouldn't have been much of a movie if they HADN'T turned on the cameras......
Just my two cents.
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