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My Bloody Valentine 3-D TV Spot - Good Old Fashioned Bullshit

by Alex Billington
January 14, 2009

Everyone knows I hate 3-D and nearly all 3-D movies. Which is why I'm going out of my way to mention this. The trailers for Lionsgate's upcoming My Bloody Valentine 3-D have been the biggest abusers of the 3-D gimmick, showing audiences reacting to fake 3-D flames. But this new TV spot they released is the bottom of the barrel. They use the marketing trick of splicing in on-camera confessions from people leaving the theater. But this time they've chosen some web journalists and apparently they're quotes have been taken so out of context, that even they're complaining about Lionsgate's sly marketing tactics.

More specifically, I'm taking about Devin Faraci. His quote is: "On the intensity scale of 1 to 10, this one is like a 12. I mean it's right through the roof." Apparently that wasn't exactly what he thought about it. That was actually his opinion on the 3D and the effects (via Twitter). And then they cut it up, spliced it into the TV spot with a bunch of other confessions, and ran it to make it seem like all these journalists really did love this movie. While I can't speak for the movie because I haven't seen it yet, that's some genuine marketing bullshit. Maybe it is a fun flick, but crafting journalists' quotes like this just doesn't fly.

I'm curious whether desperate marketing attempts like this are just a further indication that the "health" of Lionsgate really is hinging on the success of My Bloody Valentine 3-D (as we mentioned previously). It just so happens that I'm really opposed to this movie for many reasons, especially because I feel like it's not really trying to progress the development of 3-D, it's just trying to use it as a tacky sales technique. Which is why it's not all that odd to see them using even more tacky sales techniques to try and sell it to audiences. Best date movie ever? Really? Can we actually believe that quote or was it taken out of context, too?

If you do want to watch this horrid TV spot, I've thrown it up below, just in case you want to try and figure out how many of these quotes are actually legit and how many aren't, because there are quite a few in it. I'm sure I don't need to say it again, but I still suggest you skip My Bloody Valentine 3-D.

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Katie

awk well its a good thing I never listen to critics or anyone else for that opinion when it comes to seeing movies, I just have to laugh at your little article here, "And in the end, I really just hope no one goes to see My Bloody Valentine 3-D." via your little quote this is probably the reason most people will go and see it now.
I have dreadlocks

I love the GILF from HORROR.com
Wottock Hunt

Yeah yeah... in a year's time you'll be singing 3D's praise like the little tool you are, Alex. Think Avatar and James Cameron.
http://www.firstshowing.net Alex Billington

When that day and age comes, I'll be glad to sing its praise. But for now, gimmicky movies like this and Journey 3-D last summer do NOT belong in theaters. They're hurting the industry's progression towards the kind of 3-D that James Cameron will eventually be showing us!
dom

Alex, you do realise that although Journey 3D was a shit movie, the 3D concept has won it its place on the Oscar vfx bakeoff!
http://johnkuehlonline.blogspot.com John

If you take a movie with a name like 'My Bloody Valentine 3D' seriously Alex you really are not going to enjoy yourself. But I bet if you watch the movie expecting it to be a big piece of stupid horror crap that does not take itself overly seriously, (which it probably is) I bet you would have a great time. 3D may be gimmicky, but it has always been gimmicky and I like that this movie openly admits how gimmicky it is. Is it cool what they did, cutting that quote from Devin? Not at all. But that is what happens for just about every movie, especially trailers that ask people that come out of a movie theater. I may be beating a dead horse here, but you get flown out to sets for movies and then hype them up for months. Therefore, I believe it is kind of hypocritical for you to point out that a movie trailer has some good editing.
http://Firstshowing.net The_Phantom

looks like a 2D rental...
http://alwayswatching.net Adam Quigley

"While I can't speak for the movie because I haven't seen it yet, that's some genuine marketing bullshit. Maybe it is a fun flick, but crafting journalists' quotes like this just doesn't fly." Alex, you should really edit this article. Nothing remotely unethical was done with the editing of this trailer. The featured critics said the things they did because they genuinely liked/loved the movie. When Devin came on the /Filmcast, we asked him about his thoughts on the film, and he only had positive things to say about it. And every other critic quote from that trailer seems to coincide with his thoughts, which makes sense given the other critics that are discussing the film (I'm speaking in regards to specifically the people I have met from it). So, yeah, that rant seems completely unjustified, at least in this particular case.
Drew

I honestly believe Alex wrote this article with a vested interest in MBV 3D. He has to have stock in it. So he trashes it as much as possible in order to get people to go and see it just to spite him. He knows he annoys enough people that tons will pay for the ticket because he "says" he hates it so much. Pretty brilliant strategy.
http://alwayswatching.net Adam Quigley

RE: Devin's twitter. Also, yes, I do realize Devin himself is saying they took the quote out of context. But it's not like they did some horrible twisting of his words here. The clip implies that he really enjoyed the film, and he did indeed enjoy the film. What's the great injustice here?
Frost

I see a lot of people on here criticizing Alex for this article. Give the man a break, he's a journalist and he's entitled to have his own opinions on matters. As for this movie, yeah, I do think that the 3D is being overhyped like it's new technology. Besides, while all the kids are off watching My Bloody Valentine 3D in theaters this weekend, I'll have a whole theater to myself as I watch Daniel Craig and Co. own some Nazis in Defiance. It's a win-win situation!
darrin

everyone told me it was good. i might check it out
tuwhitt

If those critics didn't want their words chopped up and possibly taken out of context, then they should have said no when they were approached to do this tv spot.. Who really thinks that what they said wouldn't be chopped up and maybe put in a different light? It's for a commercial, what did they think would happen? But I guess they did it anyway because it would give themselves some free promotion, so good on them. You can't complain about it later, should have thought of that before you said YES to be in a COMMERCIAL FOR THE MOVIE.
http://alwayswatching.net Adam Quigley

Exactly, tuwhitt. Exactly. If this were a situation of somebody writing a review on their own site and THEN having a quote randomly taken out of context, that would be a different story. Or if, perhaps, he said something like, "I was awestruck that a movie could be this shitty," and then they edited it to simply say, "I was awestruck." Yeah, in that case, you could go to war with the studios over misrepresenting what they had to say. But if you're offering your thoughts on a movie for what will ultimately become a 30 second compilation of various people's feedback, and then you say something like, "On the intensity scale of 1 to 10, this one is like a 12. I mean it's right through the roof." then you have no right to complain over being taken out of context. A comment like that is basically begging to be used as a pull-quote.
Noedalmxy

Now you see here, this first quote in this article about hating 3D movies, its because of people like lionsgate. They think "oh well we've heard that 3D is the new fad, lets take this shitty script and do a test run to see how people react to it." Then the movie sucks and the technology gets a bad rap. Its people who remember the old red and blue glasses that are making it hard for the technology to take off. Its used as a cheap gimmick for movies like MBV. What people need to understand is that it opens up new doors for the way people make, view and enjoye films. For example, James Cameron. His upcoming films "Avatar" and "The Dive" are made based on the theory that a good movie shouldn't just be moving pictures. It should be a window into a world. All good films whether intentional or not, achieve this. Good movies create a world in which the characters live and interact. The modern 3D movement is meant to break the barrier the screen creates between the audience and the characters. I guarantee if you saw a movie like "Children of Men" or "There Will be Blood" in proper 3D (none of that shitty Tim Burton post production Alice in Wonderland crap) you would be a firm believer in 3D movies. Also, Check out http://www.marketsaw.blogspot.com for some really good info on 3D
Noedalmxy

Now you see here, this first quote in this article about hating 3D movies, its because of people like lionsgate. They think "oh well we've heard that 3D is the new fad, lets take this shitty script and do a test run to see how people react to it." Then the movie sucks and the technology gets a bad rap. Its people who remember the old red and blue glasses that are making it hard for the technology to take off. Its used as a cheap gimmick for movies like MBV. What people need to understand is that it opens up new doors for the way people make, view and enjoy films. For example, James Cameron. His upcoming films "Avatar" and "The Dive" are made based on the theory that a good movie shouldn't just be moving pictures. It should be a window into a world. All good films whether intentional or not, achieve this. Good movies create a world in which the characters live and interact. The modern 3D movement is meant to break the barrier the screen creates between the audience and the characters. I guarantee if you saw a movie like "Children of Men" or "There Will be Blood" in proper 3D (none of that shitty Tim Burton post production Alice in Wonderland crap) you would be a firm believer in 3D movies. Also, Check out http://www.marketsaw.blogspot.com for some really good info on 3D
Noedalmxy

oops, please delete 15
efraincarreon

u actually made me even more interested in this and dont be talkin trash like i dont know about movies...i know i know more about movies than you do. maybe u just cant enjoy a fun movie.
Noedalmxy

oh really efraincarreon? Whats the single most important basis for a good movie?
Bundle

Alex, you trash a fun movie-going experience that everyone has a reasonable expectation of being entertained at, but you glow about The Informers trailer?? I just watched that because you're raving about it, and it looks really flat. I'm looking forward to My bloody valentine-- it's something fun like the scream movies that will most likely be campy, and sure, it won't be some epic achievement in whatever boring drivel James Cameron is working on, but I'll get some fun laughs and cheap thrills. Chill out.
http://www.rocketdog-shoes.co.uk/ Pinky

Compared to modern day slashers, I'd say this is about as good as the original was to early 80's slashers.