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Exposing Sony's Corporate Shills

Thu Jul 13, 2006 7:46 AM EDT
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By Corey Spring
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Have you ever seen an advertisement for a movie that you knew was just awful, yet still touts a critic as saying it was the 'must see' movie of the year? Strap in, you're about to take a ride in the Sony Spin Zone.

Adam Sandler's new film, Click, is a great example of a studio spinning a bad movie to get people to watch it. Sorry to those who saw this film and enjoyed it, but the consensus seems to be that it was an awful film at worst, and a mediocre one at best.

Don't just take my word for it though. Click has a 29% rating over at Rotten Tomatoes, and here's what critics are saying about it:

  • "It's a high-concept Adam Sandler comedy that never even scrapes the heights. The movie makes a graceless transition from drippy comedy to soggy melodrama. Either way, it's all wet."
    - Philip Wuntch, Dallas Morning News

  • "I have a soft spot for the low-comic high jinks of Adam Sandler, including Happy Gilmore and even the unfairly maligned Waterboy. But Sandler has a sappy side that makes me puke. I damn near choked on Click."
    - Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

  • "I think if you're going to have a David Hasselhoff type of character and you're going to have the flatulence type of humor, then just go in that direction. Don't try to put in all this sappy stuff."
    - Richard Roeper, Ebert and Roeper

  • The movie is being sold as a comedy, but you know what? This isn't funny.

    • -Roger Ebert, Ebert and Roeper

Obviously, there isn't enough time or space here to list everyone that thought this movie was bad. The above writers are all respected in their fields and can usually be trusted by themselves, let alone when they are in a consensus. We've established Click is not a good movie.

But that's not what Sony Pictures would have you believe. Last week they were running an ad campaign touting Click as the #1 comedy in America, which was absolutely true. Click had no competition for #1 comedy… its closest competition being Cars, a movie that had been out twice as long as the Sandler flick, which only narrowly lost out on the title, and despite this, has grossed twice as much money as Click (check for yourself). Cars is a good movie. While a little sneaky, there's nothing wrong with tooting their horn on being the #1 comedy – it was true.

However, today I noticed an ad campaign where Sony is being much, much more deceptive.

Click has a new commercial claiming that it was "brilliantly funny" and one of the best and "most extraordinary films of this year." Before I go any further, let that sink in for a minute and decide if you would agree with that. This Adam Sandler movie was one of the "most extraordinary films of this year," really?

So who gave these rave reviews? Well, according to the fine print in the commercial, all the glowing quotes used in the commercial were attributed to Paul Fischer of DarkHorizons.com. Naturally, I decided to hop on that website and check out their movie reviews to see what the context of this giddiness was. Here's what I found:

Both the comedic and dramatic portions of the film have a few scant moments that ring true, but those are only scant moments in a mess of a studio picture that essentially throws a bunch of ideas at a wall in the hope that something will stick. 1.5 of 4 stars
-Garth Franklin

Now wait a minute, the only review of the movie is attributed to Garth Franklin, not Paul Fischer, who Sony attributed the quote to. Let's dig a little deeper.

Oddly enough, Fischer has no reviews on the movie, but two interviews on Dark Horizons with the stars of Click, Kate Beckinsale and Adam Sandler. However, these interviews were posted well before the movie was even released, and do not mention the merits of the film at all. Interesting. So if Paul Fischer of Dark Horizons was quoted as saying this movie was so good… how did Sony get the quote if Fischer has said nothing about the merits on the site he writes for?

Answer: He's a shill.

Turns out, Paul Fischer does not work for any media outlet. He shows up at Hollywood press junkets for whatever film is out, and then sends his interviews and such out to Dark Horizons and any other website that will have it… for free. What a saint. He also submits "brilliantly funny" quotes like these to the PR people for the movie at this time, long before critics can publish a review in their respective publications.

Journalists and critics love the Hollywood press junkets, they are pampered, treated like celebrities themselves, and participate in roundtable interviews with the stars of films and the other journalists there. How does Fischer keep getting invited back to these posh retreats? He'll gush about almost any film. Behold, a small taste of more Fischer-isms (not to say all of these are bad films, but pay attention to the language he uses):

  • Firewall - Hugely entertaining and exciting.
  • The Pink Panther - A wonderfully funny comic gem.
  • 16 Blocks - A top-notch thriller.
  • The Proposition - A masterpiece of filmmaking. Nick Cave's exquisite script is mesmerizing.
  • Wordplay - A surefire winner! Funny, exciting and moving!
  • Poseidon - The perfect summer movie.
  • Click - One of the best and most extraordinary films of the year.
  • Superman Returns - Dazzling and exhilarating entertainment!
  • Assault on Precinct 13 - A terrifically entertaining and intelligent thriller! Takes the action film and gives it heart and non-stop, edge-of-the-seat suspense.
  • Man of the House – A laugh-out-loud comedy
  • The Jacket - A razor-sharp, mind-blowing thriller!
  • The Pacifier - Hugely entertaining
  • Robots - The most fun-filled family movie since Shrek.
  • Kung Fu Hustle - As hilarious as it is action-packed.
  • XXX: State of the Union - The best action film of the year.
  • Herbie: Fully Loaded - The perfect summer comedy.
  • Stealth - Stealth is a full-throttle adventure, adrenaline-charged, suspenseful and a high-octane summer blockbuster not to be missed.
  • Pretty Persuasion - Wood delivers a brave, uncompromising performance.
  • The Exorcism of Emily Rose - ...An intelligent edge-of-your-seat thriller in the tradition of The Omen...One of the most chilling movies of the year.
  • Oliver Twist - ...Polanski's Oliver unfolds so magnificently, audiences, too, will be asking for more.
  • Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - Sexy
  • Shopgirl - Beautifully crafted, unusually sexy…a deeply affecting masterpiece.
  • Zathura - Zathura is spectacular, fun-filled family entertainment for kids, adults and the child within.
  • Rent - ...Sheer exhilaration...show-stopping...moving...breathtaking...stunning...
  • Wolf Creek - Riveting and suspenseful! Hands down the most chilling film of the year.

Normal people, even critics, do not talk like this.

Critic Chris Parry has composed several essays on studio shills, particularly on Fischer, and the disdain for him in the film community, where Fischer almost always garners a mention in their CriticWatch column.

Roger Ebert also agrees with CriticWatch, calling Fischer and those like him "Junket Kings/Queens," and "Quote Whores."

That Sony and other studios use Fischer and those like him to promote their movies is as deceptive and ethically wrong as he is. Then again, maybe we should accept that as a given with Sony (cough*rootkit*cough).

So, like Earl Dittman before him, remember to be very wary anytime you see the name Paul Fischer attached to a movie… because he serves his own interests, and not your own.

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Eric Atienza

I take a small amount of offense at your list. I enjoyed Superman, loved Kung Fu Hustle, and am a bit of a Rent-head.

Other than that, interesting stuff but not all that surprising. I wonder if anyone actually pays attention to those out-of-context quotes. I would hope that people would have enough sense to know when they are being marketed to like this.

    Reply#1 - Thu Jul 13, 2006 10:08 AM EDT
    Corey Spring

    I just copy and pasted a list of his quotes across the board, I didn't mean to insinuate that all of those movies were bad, but more to show off the language he uses in them.

    Superman Returns - Dazzling and exhilarating entertainment!

    Normal people do not talk like this.

    • 2 votes
    #1.1 - Thu Jul 13, 2006 12:27 PM EDT
    Reply
    Trevor H.

    I wonder if anyone actually pays attention to those out-of-context quotes.

    Exactly. It's like we're all in high school, and we're all playing "he knows, and we know, and he knows that we know, and we know that he knows that we know." We know they're lying, and Hollywood knows we're ingoring them. The real question: Why is Hollywood still marketing like this, when the prevailing attitude regarding this kind of advertising is "Another shill."

    Yet another example of how totally broken the traditional Hollwood movie making/marketing model is.

    • 3 votes
    Reply#2 - Thu Jul 13, 2006 10:40 AM EDT
    prompt

    I understand the problem you are addressing, but I don't find it that annoying anymore. After being hit with "One of the greatest movies of insert year" for as long as I can remember, in every advertisement for every movie I have ever seen, it means little to me.

    It was obvious that each and every comedy released is not the best comedy of that year, it is obvious that most horror movies aren't leaving them strapped to my seat. Take it for what it is, which is horribly deceitful and tactless advertising.

    • 2 votes
    Reply#3 - Thu Jul 13, 2006 3:35 PM EDT
    Dr Juice

    Normal people, even critics, do not talk like this.

    Which is why I pay little attention to critics. I can generally figure out if I want to see a movie or not based on either the movie itself (i.e., Superman Returns or Batman Begins) or by the preview. I may regret seeing it afterwards (The Omen,which I did want to see) but that's not really the point.

    While I've thought about being a movie critic (I still might end up there) I've always had a fear of what I call "selective editing." By "selective editing" I mean something like this:

    My review reads

    "[Movie A] is a pathetic attempt to cash in on the success of [Movie B], one of the best movies I've ever seen."

    And a week later, a commercial has me saying this

    "[Movie A] is the best movie I've ever seen!"

    Now my review obviously contains the words "best movie" and "I've ever seen," just not in reference Movie A.

    In general anything containing "action-packed," "thrill-ride," "edge of your seat," "rollercoaster-ride," or containing more than three or four superlatives in one sentence I dismiss as being marketing, and not a review.

    • 1 vote
    Reply#4 - Thu Jul 13, 2006 9:17 PM EDT
    Corey Spring

    My review reads

    "[Movie A] is a pathetic attempt to cash in on the success of [Movie B], one of the best movies I've ever seen."

    And a week later, a commercial has me saying this

    "[Movie A] is the best movie I've ever seen!"

    While it would never be that blatant, the twisting of the words does happen (ellipses are crappy movies best friends). Ebert talks about that in the article I mentioned on him:

    For example, I once panned a movie that was based on a book I had loved, and the film company took the positive adjectives I had written about the source novel, which I contrasted with the movie in my review, and stuck 'em on the video box as an endorsement of the movie -- without my knowledge or consent. That kind of thing happens sometimes. (The movie was Nicolas Roeg's 1992 "Cold Heaven," starring Theresa Russell, Mark Harmon, Talia Shire and Will Patton. I complained and got a letter of apology from the distributor, Hemdale, and a promise they'd remove the quote from the box on the next printing. They did.)

    I imagine a film studio wouldn't want to have Roger Ebert on their bad side.

    • 1 vote
    #4.1 - Thu Jul 13, 2006 10:26 PM EDT
    Dr Juice

    Thanks for the info, Corey. Whether or not it's that blatant isn't really my concern; I'm worried about my "endorsement" being given to a movie that I had to will to endorse. I would think critics would have some sort of legal recourse, but I doubt this is the case.

    Rolling Stone ran a story entitled "Critic Proof?" about the seemingly increasing trend of studios withholding movies from critic-screenings in an attempt to avoid bad press (RS #1003, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam is on the cover). The hope is that the curiosity of movie goers will win out for at least the opening weekend (as with X Men: The Last Stand) and that numbers can be manipulated by the studios. In other words, if they know critics will probably hate a movie, the studios simply won't show it to them and hope that they can still market the movies to the public.

      #4.2 - Fri Jul 14, 2006 2:59 AM EDT
      Corey Spring

      Yea I saw that too, actually. As far as I can remember though, studios have always not had press screenings for movies they knew weren't... well... good. I haven't really seen it pay off for them though, and they will always need critics to give them free publicity.

      And actually, X3 was screened for critics, at least here in my area, before public release. It was just by a few days though, usually they give you at least a week.

        #4.3 - Fri Jul 14, 2006 4:03 AM EDT
        Reply
        David Rutt

        Unfortunately there are plenty of people that will still be taken in by these silly quotes. You know, maybe the sort of people that would actually enjoy films like Click. Let's face it, not everyone like high art and these "family comedies" are enjoyed by lots of people, just not critics and those that expect more from film.

        Either way, it's dishonest to use such advertising and Sony aren't the only ones doing it. All the major film distributors are at it.

          Reply#5 - Fri Jul 14, 2006 7:24 AM EDT
          Brian Ford

          Man -- I'm particularly pleased to see Harry Knowles on the list.

          He's a special breed of whore -- as are many of the writers for AICN.

          As I mentioned in my article about Ebert -- it's not about writing for them. Writing is just a one way ticket to schwag and press screenings. This is an attempt to score some networking in the hopes of getting their big break in the biz.

          They're the guys from "High Fidelity" without the hilarity. (More interested in telling you what you like than in reviewing movies.)

          I suspect every one of them would suck the dick of a high profile agent if it might get them out of the reviewing biz and into the b-movie making biz. (Or, accept money for positive reviews.)

          • 3 votes
          Reply#6 - Sat Jul 15, 2006 12:41 AM EDT
          Corey SpringDeleted
          Corey Spring

          The High Fidelity guys without the hilarity... that is a great analogy.

          In my somewhat biased opinion, I really feel like the 'quote whores' give genuine critics and entertainment journalists a really bad name. For example, these press junkets are clearly abused by the studio/shills, but you can't get rid of them either because the movie studios welcome the quotes with open arms and the junkets give the 'genuines' the material they need to write their column - be it positive or negative.

          Which is why I ask that you don't hate me when I chat with the two guys from Clerks ('Dante' and 'Randall' on Wednesday and post a transcript here). So if any fans out there have a good question they would like answered, let me know.

          =)

            #6.2 - Sat Jul 15, 2006 2:17 AM EDT
            Brian Ford

            I'd be interested to know why he didn't go with black and white this time around - or if it was even considered. I realize that it was a budget thing then -- but it would have been a great throwback and would have brought the askewniverse full circle. (Even if relegated to a 10 minute gag at the beginning a la The Wizard of Oz. (Maybe he -does- do this, I dunno.)

            • 1 vote
            #6.3 - Sat Jul 15, 2006 11:55 AM EDT
            Reply
            Tim Baxter

            I got invited on one of these junkets once, for the Disney stinker "Jungle 2 Jungle"
            It basically consisted of:

            Checking into shwanky hotel.
            Being presented with schwag.
            Drinking.
            Watching terrible movie.
            More drinking to blot memory of terrible movie.
            Being woke up (hung over) by Disney rep saying I was late to the roundtables.
            Explaining to Disney rep that I didn't need to speak to Tim Allen face to face to write my article on what a terrible movie it was.
            Disney rep getting petulant.
            Going to the round tables anyway in an effort to keep the Disney rep semi-happ, nurse hangover on continental breakfast, and marvel at the twits who gushed over the movie or its stars.

            Go home, put the schwag away, write scathing review.

            Did I behave poorly? Perhaps. But I didn't (and don't) feel I owed them anything. There's a name for people who are owned for the price of a hotel room.

            The sad part is I was originally scheduled to see Grosse Point Blank, which would have made both me and Disney much happier.

            I still would've got drunk on their liquor, though. I only had 12" or so of copy to fill, and frankly, you don't even have to SEE the whole movie, let alone fly out to Beverly Hills, to fill that kind of space.

              Reply#7 - Sat Jul 15, 2006 10:44 AM EDT
              ACoolie

              I always thought the "best of the year" quotes were from various publications, but now I can see it was all from one idiot.

                Reply#8 - Sat Jul 15, 2006 4:56 PM EDT
                sieb

                As far as I am concerned, no one should be marketing a movie as "#1 --- of the Year" when the year isn't even over yet and no one has gotten any awards. Just a prime example of how low studios are that they only accept free, inaccurate, reviews from people who probably didn't even watch the movie. Maybe I should do it...

                  Reply#9 - Tue Jul 18, 2006 8:12 AM EDT
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