By Reed Tucker November 13, 2015
Angelina might want to toss “By the Sea” off a pier.
By most accounts, Jolie’s new movie — which she wrote, directed, produced and stars in with hubbie Brad Pitt — is about as far from a masterpiece as “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.”
The Post’s Lou Lumenick called it “a pretentiously arty, humorless vanity production that drags along for two hours that feel like at least four” in his 1-star review.
“This languid piece of would-be art cinema will prove once again that even the biggest names in the world won’t draw an audience to something that, in and of itself, has no reason for being,” wrote the Hollywood Reporter.
Though in fairness, you have to guess the reasons behind this movie’s existence are pretty simple: Jolie must have promised distributor Universal she’d make seven “Wanted” sequels. That or she told the chairman she’d show up at his kid’s birthday party.
You can understand why Jolie feels the need to branch out into writing and directing. Hollywood is not exactly a boom market for aging female stars. If she wants to stay employed as she cruises past 40, she’s probably smart to try and develop other skills.
Except directing isn’t one of them.
The three features she’s helmed have received lukewarm reviews and have generally fizzled. Her 2014 Oscar bait film “Unbroken” seemed like a surefire awards candidate — until it disappointed once audiences actually got to see it.
With performances like that, she should have studio bosses telling her she’ll never work in this town again. Only she will, because she’s Angelina Jolie, and if she wants to direct another pretentious art film that’s just 90 minutes of her kids silently sitting in a bathtub, someone will let her.
The question is, why would she want to write and direct another film? She has to know that everyone on earth without the last name Pitt approaches these movies with a huge amount of skepticism.
It’s the same problem Ethan Hawke has when he releases another novel or James Franco when he publishes a book of poetry or Jim Carrey when he displays his paintings.
And the only way to overcome the skepticism is by delivering work that’s great and truly stands on its own. Would “By the Sea” have gotten released had it been made by an unknown filmmaker?
Celebrities always complain about having to live in a bubble. “I just want to be a regular person,” they’ll say.
Except when it comes to being able to skip the hurdles in creative industries that regular people have to jump over.
Is your novel really any good, Pamela Anderson, or are they just publishing it because you’re Pamela Anderson? Is your band really worth listening to, Russell Crowe, or do people only listen because you’re Russell Crowe?
The thing is, they’ll never know. None of these moonlighting celebrities will.
We get that you all have other sides to your genius that you think require creative expression, but sorry. That just might be one of the things you have to give up when you become rich and world-famous in another field.
So from now on, celebrities, please promise us no more side projects.
Or if you do want to branch out, how about this: Use one of your five garages as an art studio and keep your painting confined to there. Or use your own money to make your vanity-project film and debut it at a party for your friends.
True art is created simply for the sake of creation. A sweetheart distribution deal has nothing to do with it.
not mine.credit and source: NEW YORK POST
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