The Hard Sell
Monday, February 21, 2011 at 11:13AM Was this really necessary?
I mean they're already going to win a slew of Oscars. (see final predictions and vote on reader polls). Honestly I thought this was a parody of a hard sell Oscar campaign / movie commercial for the first few seconds. My favorite part is either the woman with long hair who actually cries while participating in a movie commercial or the guy in St Louis with the yellow shirt.
The King's Speech reminds us that we're all human.
Uh, I hadn't actually forgotten but... thanks?
Thanks to Glenn for pointing this out. And I know it's splitting hairs but isn't a smidgeon dishonest to claim you're THE most acclaimed movie of the year when another movie has won more prizes than any movie usually ever does and yet another is actually the best reviewed of the year?
Reader Comments (20)
A collossally stupid move and one that, if it had happened during balloting, would have seriously damaged TKS' Oscar chances. This rivals "Consider...Melissa Leo" in stupidity,
I guess it just reminds us that we're all human but some human beings (i.e British royals and movie stars) are better than us.
As I said about this trailer... http://twitpic.com/4216j9
I stopped watching when that triumphant score kicks in with "every once in a while."
Omg I'm seriously cringing !!
am i only one that doesnt buy The Kings Speech turn of the tide? Ill honestly still be surprised if The Social Network doesnt turn out to be the big winner. but if its true we better start measuring the backlash.
I agree with this post. Though I think they're just trying to get more butts in the theaters to see the film. Is it effective? Eh, we'll see.
I swear, that guy at 1:45 saying "it's heart-warming" next to another dude who is just standing there made me think that they're trying to tell us "hey, the gays loved it too" :p
"Uh, I hadn't actually forgotten but... thanks?"
That made me giggle. The trailer? Made my stomach turn. So gross. Why must Harvey Weinstein force me to hate a movie that's actually pretty good?
Oh, and James T -- totally what I thought
This is such a joke. Melissa Leo was under scrutiny for her personal campaign and then this surfaces? Give me a break.
Grooooss. This one needs a parody stat.
I've always been of the mindset that one shouldn't based feeling about a film on anything other than the film itself, but Weinstein is really testing my dedication to said principle with this new trailer.
Oh, and I second the call for a parody to this hot mess of a trailer.
This trailer...made me forget why I liked that move in the first place. I'm sickened. And I know I did like this movie. I'll never hate it at Slumdog-levels, but now I find myself actively rooting against it.
next to this, Melissa Leo 's photos nail
Here's the thing, TKS is a perfectly decent movie. Though not on my personal Top 10 list, it's a good film. I'd hate for it to get trashed because of the ridiculous overpraise and silly stunts like this "campaign video".
Peter -- but such is the danger of oscar wins. if a film is undeserving history will trash it more than it deserves to be trashed. it's the weight of that Best Picture title.
This is a very intelligent (if revolting) trailer in that it's designed to increase box office, not win awards. And the readers of this blog are obviously not the intended audience, since most of us have already seen the movie and/or don't want to be so blatantly manipulated.
But I'm sure it will achieve what it's supposed to. More millions of dollars.
I've been silent on this too long. The King's Speech is my Eyesore in Wonderland. I hate it. I'm shocked that I hate it, too. I love linguistics more than any other field of academic research and find the process of speech therapy fascinating.
It's just, there are no stakes in the film until the last forty minutes or so. Who cares if someone that might eventually be in line to be king can't speak in public? Big whoop. The performances are good and the sets are lovely. However, if I'm struggling to stay awake at a 10AM screening of a tiny little British period drama featuring some of my favorite actors (too put in context: The Queen was my Best Picture win by far and The Duchess made my picture line-up; if it's quiet, based in wordplay and static scenes, and highly British, I probably enjoy it), there's a problem.
I know my horse has no shot in the race (anyone who hates Winter's Bone should not be allowed to complain about mediocre thrillers, mysteries, and noir anymore because you don't know quality for that field when you see it), but what about my 4th best film of the year The Social Network? What happened? Why now? Why to that?
Paul -- you're correct. but i still have to gag ;)
Other Robert -- interesting. i had no idea that anglophile film lovers had dissenters here (though I guess I'm one, too. albeit to a much lesser degree. I mean i love certain Brit flicks but generally i require them to have a masterful director. I still maintain that James Ivory wsa one of the best directors of the past 30 years and he never gets any credit. and my current obsession with Downton Abbey suggests that i also didg the rich english people having problems subjgenre but it just felt SO disposable to me.
I'm with Other Robert for the most part here, on both TKS - whose low, low stakes become like a limbo dance as it reaches the end - and on Winter's Bone, which is just <3!!! and will win nothing on Sunday. As fond as I may be of Rush, Pearce, and HBC, the movie fails to make anything matter (even though it's, you know, about the British entry into World War II), and all this hyperbolic praise just makes it look worse.
And this trailer is laughable. In the worst way. It almost feels like a joke at the expense of Weinstein egotism. Oh, and pssst... you're human!
omg, this is gross!!! Harvey Weinstein actually makes me dislike this movie day after day. I think TKS is not bad, but this is too much. it's not about the art of the film anymore. it's all about commercial, money, profits, and greeds!! Gosh, take a break, pls! why can't we step back and really enjoy the true beauty of the film??