Post by BIGFANBOY on Apr 15, 2009 6:24:29 GMT -5
by Mark Walters
So I just read a Hollywood Reporter article which mentions that Twentieth Century Fox's X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE has "dropped" from first to fourth most downloaded movie of the week. They mention this so casually and carelessly, never once talking about why downloading movies is a bad thing. I've talked about this on my podcast before, and it's something I'm passionate about. It just bothers me that more people don't discuss why exactly folks should NOT download their favorite movies. As a film critic, I'm lucky enough to see a lot of films ahead of release date, and usually for free. But that doesn't prevent me from taking a friend or family member once the movie opens wide, and paying full price for my tickets. Why? Because I love movies. I want to support movies, because I enjoy seeing them. I understand that without throwing a little money at theaters, something I genuinely look forward to doing on a regular basis could potentially go away.
Those who know me well know I'm friends with Thomas Jane. One of his recent movies (THE MUTANT CHRONICLES) was a film that unfortunately ended up all over the internet as a workprint, and in pretty good quality too. They're not sure how it happened, but it did, and the end result severely damaged the movie's chances for major distribution. This was a film Tom worked really hard on. He shot it in the UK, working very hard and long hours, and even put a lot of effort into promoting it. Last summer at the San Diego Comic-Con, he arranged to have a screening of the film, which he and several other stars attended. This was an attempt to boost enthusiasm from fans, and hopefully attract a few studios into picking it up for release. THE MUTANT CHRONICLES was still being finalized in editing, but most of the effects were done, and the workprint was very close to being a finished film... but it had not yet been picked up for distribution. From my understanding, what they found when shopping it around was that many major studios didn't want to touch it because it had already been all over the web. We're talking about a movie that not only stars Tom Jane, but also features John Malkovich, Ron Perlman, and Devon Aoki, and is one of the most visually entertaining sci-fi films I've seen in a while. There is absolutely no reason why it shouldn't have received a wide release.
Now WOLVERINE is mere weeks away from major Nationwide release, and the high-quality workprint is all over the net, and has already been downloaded by hundreds of thousands of online pirates. Some of you out there don't get it. Some people say "Why is it such a big deal?" which clearly indicates you don't understand. So let me put it in perspective for you. When people download movies off the web, it can (not always but often) keep them from actually going to a movie theater to see the film. The fewer people that go to theaters to see films, the less money the films make. The less money they make, the less studios want to spend money on the next big production of similar nature. End result - people who download movies are not only hurting the hard-working men and women who create films, but are killing the very thing they seem to enjoy stealing.
You might throw out the argument that going to movie theaters these days is very expensive, and in this economy it's hard to justify. I hear ya, movie theaters aren't cheap. But I love seeing films on the big screen. I love the movie-going experience. Despite the growing number of disrespectful talkers and phone junkies sitting around you, there's still something about seeing a big-budget blockbuster in a movie theater. I grew up on it. I love it. I do NOT want to see it go away... but I fear it is. In this day of streaming online video, and everything available on demand, it's only a matter of time before movie houses go the way of newspapers. I'm sure one day soon we'll have the latest films beamed directly into our head - but until then, I for one still want to enjoy going to see the latest Hollywood production on the big screen. I want that experience for as long as possible.
On a different side of it, I know a lot of people who work behind the scenes for major Hollywood movie studios. These people range from promotional coordinators to sound engineers. One thing that is a constant with these folks is that they work VERY hard to get their jobs done. This industry is not a lazy one, it is not all glitz and glamour. You bust your butt to get things done and done right. We've all worked hard jobs in our lives. Can you imagine how you'd feel if you knew someone was intentionally sabotaging your place of employment? You'd be upset wouldn't you? After all, if people bring harm to the company you work for, your job can quickly be in jeopardy. Think about it. My God, look at how hard Hugh Jackman worked out to be Wolvie! You think it's easy to get in that kind of shape?!? Hugh is probably in the best physical condition of his life, and he did it all for this film. We all loved Jackman as Logan/Wolverine in the X-MEN films, and now he has the chance to headline a film specifically about that character. How do we show enthusiasm? By downloading an unfinished print of the movie?!?!
So look, all of you guys and gals out there downloading movies on a daily basis, never once thinking about why what you're doing is wrong, KNOCK IT OFF. You like movies, clearly, or else you wouldn't keep stealing them online. But the more you pull this crap, the harder it makes it for filmmakers to produce quality films with big budgets. You are killing the industry. That's right, YOU ARE KILLING THE INDUSTRY. You are stealing money out of the register of your favorite store. Eventually, the more you keep it up, your favorite store is going to close up shop. Then where will you go? Hopefully to jail.
That's all, I'm off my soap box.
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Find out more info on X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE by going here - www.x-menorigins.com/
Find out where the movie is playing near you here - www.fandango.com/xmenorigins:wolverine_111890/movietimes
