The Cruise is loose (via Defamer):
Tom Cruise must be getting sick of reading those snarky stories about his romance with Katie Holmes.
Despite his public smile, the actor has banished virtually all print reporters - including your humble gossip-slingers - from the New York premiere of his movie "War of the Worlds" tonight [Thursday].
A Paramount rep says only one print outlet has been deemed housebroken enough to tread the red carpet. Which outlet is that?
"It's nobody's business," the rep told us, though we understand the exclusve has gone to People magazine.
The "print outlets" are understandably peeved (People makes Entertainment Weekly look like Scientific American), but as someone who's been barred from more than one screening because the studio stipulated "no internet critics," let me just say: text someone who cares.
Meanwhile, it's good to know hand-wringing histrionics aren't exclusive to this side of the Atlantic:
Meanwhile, film critics in Germany threatened Wednesday to boycott War of the Worlds if they are required to sign an agreement not to publish a review before its June 29 release date in that country. While an informal agreement exists between U.S. critics and studios to withhold publication of reviews of new movies until the day of their premieres, no such agreement exists in Germany. In a statement released Wednesday, the Association of German Film Critics said that the studio demand represents "scandalous P.R." and "obstructs the press from its constitutionally guaranteed rights."
Burns: Oooh, the Germans are mad at me. I'm so scared! Oooh, the Germans! [hiding behind Smithers] Uh oh, the Germans are going to get me!
Horst: Stop it!
I'm not all that familiar with Germany's constitution, but I'd like to see the section that details the German press' inalienable right to provide advance word about sci-fi movies.
Given the Hun's[1] traditional distaste for Scientology, it's also mildly surprising that Cruise agreed to a German premiere at all. Then again, it's not like he's going to endanger his fiancee's imminent brainwashing by exposing her to those nasty Krauts[2].
"Informal" is the right word, however. With very few exceptions, I've never been specifically told to hold a review until the film's release date. We just do it out of habit and because it keeps the publicists happy. And because it's really a lot of work to crank one out in less than two days. Really.
But back to the New York press, who really need to calm the hell down. Previously unfettered access has obviously made these guys complete pansies. Any enterprising critic would find a way to get into the movie anyway. It's not that hard. And just because you're told you can't attend a screening doesn't mean you have to actually obey.
And that's all I'm going to say about that.
[1] This is one of those instances where someone is allowed to use an ethnic slur thanks to being of said ethnicity.
[2] So is this.
This mess will self-destruct.
The situation is approaching critical mass if he can make Matt Lauer look respectable.
Now my thetan's all out of whack.
If this were anybody but a toped ranked scientologist, I would agree. He is just about to collapse under the weight of his own self-importance.
But like Travolta after Battlefield Earth, his career will probably be just fine.
I'm not saying Scientology works. I'm saying there are a lot of people interested in keeping these people looking respectable.
Or maybe that's just another bad engram of mine. He said he needed a lift to work this morning. Next thing I know, he invaded my spirit, gave me a cold and a bad attitude.
No, I think the spirit of L. Ron has departed Mr. Travolta after the Battlefield Earth fiasco: Be Cool (2004), Ladder 49 (2004), A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004), The Punisher (2004), Basic (2003), Domestic Disturbance (2001), Swordfish (2001), and Lucky Numbers (2000). A lot of movies, a lot of crap. Where's your Tarantino now, Moses?
I, too, am mostly German (though since I come from a Southern, Western and immigrant background, it's kind of like saying Chex Mix is "mostly" Chex).
I pretty much denounce most of the goofy, leiderhosen-wearing, Rammstein-listening, Hasselhoff-loving, tricked-out Mercedes-driving parts of my ancestry in favor of embracing Kraftwerk, BMWs and pretzels.
Damn, the movie's that bad, huh? I figured that's what's fueling the Cruise histrionics. I guess the white choppers and soulless blue eyes just don't bring out the masses anymore, even for a bomb. Too bad Spielberg's got his career on Cruise control. He used to be a damned fine director.
Dear V.V.,
Blond, blue-eyed (?) and funny. You're a triple threat.
I always thought of "hun" (and to a lesser extent "kraut") more as a national than an ethnic slur. I don't recall seeing examples of it being used on German-Americans. So unless you're also a German national, I'm not entirely sure about the permissibility... ;-)
But FYI:
Artikel 5 Grundgesetz
(1) Jeder hat das Recht, seine Meinung in Wort, Schrift und Bild zu aeussern und zu verbreiten und sich aus allgemein zugaenglichen Quellen ungehindert zu unterrichten. Die Pressefreiheit und die Freiheit der Berichterstattung durch Rundfunk und Film werden gewaehrleistet. Eine Zensur findet nicht statt.
(2) Diese Rechte finden ihre Schranken in den Vorschriften der allgemeinen Gesetze, den gesetzlichen Bestimmungen zum Schutze der Jugend und in dem Recht der persoenlichen Ehre.
[...]
Article 5 of the Fundamental Law
(1) Everyone has the right to freely express his opinion in word, writing and pictures and to inform himself from universally accessible sources. The freedom of the press and the freedom of reporting through broadcasting and film are guaranteed. Censorship does not take place.
(2) These rights find their limits in the rules of general laws, the legal provisions for the protection of the young and in the right of personal honor.
Artikel 18
Wer die Freiheit der Meinungsaeusserung, insbesondere die Pressefreiheit (Artikel 5 Abs. 1) [...] zum Kampfe gegen die freiheitliche demokratische Grundordnung missbraucht, verwirkt diese Grundrechte. [...]
Article 18
Who abuses the freedom of expression, in particular the freedom of the press (article 5 paragraph 1) [...] to fight against the free democratic fundamental order forfeits these basic rights.
Article 75,2 states that the federal government has the right to enact framework laws on the laws regarding press and film. (Such framework laws to be binding for the laws on these subjects of the (sixteen) individual states).
The right of movie corporations to prevent advance notice of science-fiction movies is not mentioned in any federal or state law that I am aware of. The German movie critics' miffitude is understandable if the corporation in question wants to prevent them from reporting before the 29th on seeing the film at either the premiere (23rd) or a subsequent screening in the US, especially considering reviews from e.g. the International Herald Tribune or on CNN, BBC World etc. will NOT be prevented from reaching German readers and viewers before June 29.
That comment was by me.
Menshevik
So, I can't figure out if they've changed the ending of the story or not. I mean, I can't see a current American audience being satisfied with how H.G. Wells originally dispatched our frisky Martian friends.
I mean, the panic and the terror and the explosions still resonate. I hesitate to just come out and say what happened in the Wells story (in case someone hasn't read it), but after a film like ID4, I'm thinking American audiences will feel cheated.
I'm seeing WotW tonight, so I can't be sure, but the scale of the destruction is going to have to be significantly amped up (as happened in the 1953 film) from the original novel. Recall that only London and its environs were destroyed there.
Spielberg says he wanted to make War years ago, but held off after ID4. I imagine he's going to avoid repeating the exploding landmark shots of the latter, but the shots I've seen still look pretty impressice.
And I've always favored the global destruction scenes from Mars Attacks, myself.
Now we hear from Mr. Cruise that he believes in aliens.
I have it. Tom Cruise is this generation's Shirley MacLaine.
Shirley MacLaine could at least a) dance and b) poke fun at herself on film.
I always hate to say "you should see Drudge", but he does have excerpts from Cruise going nanners on the Today Show.
Vitamins and exercise cure everything! Why are you covering up for Ritalin, Matt Lauer and other greatest hits.
However, WotW won't be his Waterloo, it will be nobody at all seeing Mission Impossible 3.