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Twitter Assault on the Studios -- and Movie Critics
A new site called Flicktweets has just launched, produced by the Movie Review Query Engine. It collects real-time tweets about movies onto one page.
At the moment, “Wolverine” is topping the tweets, with such tiny jewels of insight as @albertkiko’s: “I saw X-Men Origins Wolverine! I think it was a good film based on the fictional Marvel comics!”
Whether the site catches on or not, one thing seems sure: It could be what helps studios and film critics, not usually the best of friends, find common cause. Both are under siege by the armies of critics at the movies these days packing iPhones and Blackberries.
Tweeting insta-opinions about movies is hard to resist for those addicted to constant connectivity. But it could be disastrous for the movie business, introducing an element of randomness and chaos into an already volatile landscape.
The idea of tweets from random strangers moving public opinion for or against a movie gives new meaning to William Goldman's famous line about Hollywood, "Nobody knows anything."
It's also one more cruel strike against the notion that professional film critics perform a valuable service that, sorry, Average Joe Movielover cannot reproduce -- especially not in 140 characters.
When Universal Pictures Chairman Marc Shmuger spoke on a panel about the future of Hollywood at TheWrap’s launch party in January, he noted that the studios are in a bad spot when people text their opinions about movies to friends even before the movie is done. Months of marketing planning are out the window.
With Twitter going wide and getting more easily searchable, and with sites like Flicktweets piling on, the ante is being upped. People have a right to tweet about movies or anything else they want to. It’s not clear that the studios -- or film critics -- could even come up with a defensive strategy.
Comments
Dan Says
Twittering makes sense only for people who want a very simple yea-or-nay answer as to whether a movie is watchable. After all, the best critics provide valuable insight as to what the movie means in terms of the director's other films, or perhaps some trivia that helps the reader understand things a little more. The best reviewers are outstanding writers, and even the best writers in the world can't be great within 140 characters.
Besides that, though, Twitterers who review movies while in the theater would pose the same problem that authentic reviewers do: trustworthiness. Let's say there's a guy Tweeting in the back of M:I 4, and he loves it. Loves it. You go see the movie, and it stinks on ice. Now you don't listen to that guy anymore, right?
In fact, it might even dawn on you that listening to some schlub in the first place - without any notion of what kind of movies he likes, or how intelligent his writing is - was kind of dopey in the first place.
Eevie Says
The Crop Duster tells it like it is: roberthorton.wordpress.com
Jesse Arnold Says
While I agree that everyone has a right to an opinion I think this whole twitter nonsense is beyond silly. That's a commentary on society, especially American society as a whole.
Do we really need to know that Hugh Jackman just washed his hands, or that Halle Berry is getting her hair done...(just making examples here) No we don't. Beyond the whole privacy thing, it's just silly. It's feeding the collective obsession with celebrities to a whole new level.
As for movie studios and critics. I have never once in my 30 years based a decision on seeing a movie from a "film critics" comments. True perhaps I'm just an ignorant 'average joe," who doesn't understand the techniques and details of certain things. But I still know the difference between a good movie and a movie I like.
For example Wolverine and Star Trek. I've never been a Trek fan, but I've been a Wolverine fan since I was about 7 or 8. However, JJ Abram's Star Trek is a far superior movie to Wolverine. The acting in Trek is better across the board, as is the over all production and quality.
Don't get me wrong I loved Wolverine and saw it twice opening weekend. And I would have loved to have seen a JJ Abram's take on my favorite mutant.
And no tweet, squak, or bark would have changed my mind. Because I like to think for myself. Form my own opinions. That doesn't mean I see everything that comes out, and I'm sure I miss some quality movies, but I'm ok with that.
Too many people in this country allow themselves to be told what to do, think, watch etc. Not all, but many. And if a tweet to your phone keeps you from seeing a movie you really wanted to see...
As for marketing, too many trailers give away all the good parts. Or too much story, and we just wait for those scenes to happen. What Lies Beneath, Flightplan, and many other movies have been spelled out before ever premiering on a screen.
Let the movie speak for itself. Maybe then we'll stop getting garbage thrown at us just cause someone has a few million lying around. Beverly Hills Chihuahua.
Movies seems to be part of the strongest and healthiest industries (financially speaking) in the country at the moment. Perhaps they should pay the stars a lot less, the artists and crew more, and lower ticket prices. That's what is really keeping people away from theaters.
Especially with "premium prices" for things like IMAX and 3D pushing prices close to 15 bucks. Thanks I'll save that for my bag of 5 M&Ms from the Luxury Concession stand.
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